What a difference a phone call makes

Commentary

Kyle Korver is a dirty, ugly horrid human being that should be cast into the deepest pits of darkest hell. He is a poor excuse for a basketball player and I wish a plague upon him. His mother was a hamster, and his father smelled of Elderberries!

That is the sentiment of I shared with many Saluki fans for the past year or so. I sought out "Kuck Forver" T-shirts and threw darts at a picture of Korver with friends. In all honesty, I was performing semi-credible voodoo rituals in order to disrupt his game and hoping he would sustain a career-ending injury.

The hatred was flowing through my veins and I was happy on the dark side. Korver was not a human being but an obstacle blocking my school's team from another NCAA tournament.

But then something happened to disrupt my one-track mind and sap the vicious loathing from my blood. It also took some fun from Saturday's nationally televised Creighton-SIU game.

I talked to him.

I talked to Kyle Korver over the phone for a feature story, and much to my chagrin, he was a swell guy.

He was polite, answered all the questions well and was sincere throughout. Korver has talked to Sports Illustrated, been praised by Dick Vitale and will play in the NBA. Yet here he was, giving a half-hour interview to the Daily Egyptian, the school newspaper of his arch-rival and talking to a reporter he must have known hated him.

But he did not seem to care. Korver saw me as a human being, and though I did not want to, I had to respond in kind.

It was a conversion worthy of Darth Vader right before Luke took his mask off.

And at the end of the interview came the clincher. Korver, a 6-7, 210 pound basketball star, politely expressed his worry of being viewed as cocky or a bad person. I was shocked he cared, and was speechless because a half-hour ago, that was exactly what I had thought of him. I said don't worry and the interview was over.

The reason he should not have worried was because he gave me nothing to use against him yet gave me enough information to write a relevant and interesting story. (To any athletes reading, that is a great way to receive positive press.)

I hate to burst your bubble Carbondale, but Kyle Korver is not the spawn of Satan. Actually, he's the son of a minister. If he makes it in the NBA he will be a white Grant Hill.

It hurts me as much as it hurts you. I want to hate him so bad it hurts, but he's just too nice of a guy.

But this does not mean Saturday's game will not be interesting. Yes, the intellectual sedative known as perspective takes a bit away from this, but the fact remains that Creighton is No. 13 in the nation and SIU does possess a chance in Detroit, I mean hell, to beat the Bluejays.

This game is bigger than the win over No.24 Indiana last year. The Salukis will see national attention again with a win Saturday as well as a quality victory to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee. A win over Creighton would mean that SIU has defeated Notre Dame and Nebraska by association, not to mention make the Salukis the team to beat in the Missouri Valley Conference.

That, and that alone, should cause Saluki fans to tune in Saturday and scream at the television. If it is not, seek psychiatric help or e-mail me. It's OK, I've been there.

Who knows? Maybe Korver will sustain an injury through the natural course of time and SIU will win the Valley. Or maybe Creighton will start to play poorly. Hopefully, the team will fall flat on its face.

Hate Creighton, but do not hate Kyle Korver. It's the equivalent of hating Saddam Hussein but loving the non-basketball playing people of Iraq - it's not impossible.

Replace Korver dartboards with Creighton logos or better yet Joe Dabbert or Brody Deren, two lesser-known Bluejays. I have not talked to them, so they are not people in the mind of the twisted sports fan.

But if you are an insensitive and heartless sports fan, continue to abuse Korver in your minds and prepare to burn effigies and make him feel uncomfortable when Creighton comes to town on March 1.

If Creighton wins on Saturday, I'll join you.

Michael is a junior in journalism. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian