The Rock Chalkboard

David McCormack's struggles underlie Jayhawks' problems in loss at Baylor | Smithology | KUsports.com
As good as he was for a three-game stretch leading up to the Jayhawks’ marquee Big Monday showdown at Baylor, no one really expected Kansas big man David McCormack to keep putting up 20 points a game.

Mike Plank, Rock Chalk Talk on KU Basketball Issues
This week I talked with Mike Plank from Rock Chalk Talk about the issues facing Kansas Jayhawks basketball following this week’s loss to Baylor, plus we jump around the Big 12 Conference and also dive into Les Miles and the KU Football program as we discuss how the rebuild is going in Lawrence.

Bill Self: KU basketball 'would've been buried' if not for Christian Braun
“I think I just need to hit shots — shoot the ball better,” Braun said last week. “All that takes is to keep shooting. I can’t go away from that. I know I'm a good shooter and they’re going to fall eventually. I've just got to keep putting them up.”

Bits o Chalk

Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton dies at 75
"Saddened to share that my dad passed away in his sleep last night," Daron Sutton wrote on Twitter. "He worked as hard as anyone I've ever known and he treated those he encountered with great respect...and he took me to work a lot. For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest In Peace."

UConn's Geno Auriemma passes Pat Summitt for 2nd on Division I women's basketball wins list
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma got his 1,099th career victory Tuesday as the Huskies defeated Butler 103-35 in Storrs, Connecticut.

Tiger Woods has procedure to alleviate nerve pain in lower back, to miss 2 events
An announcement came via Woods' Twitter account that he had "recently undergone a microdiscectomy procedure to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching his nerve after experiencing discomfort following the PNC Championship."

Atlanta Dream close to being sold; Kelly Loeffler to have no association with team, sources say
"As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized," the league said in a statement. "Once the sale negotiation is concluded, additional information will be provided."

Eraser Dust

Trump won't hand Biden the nuclear football. Here's how the handoff will happen.
When he is sworn in Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden will get the nuclear "football" — an oddly shaped 45-pound briefcase that is always at the president's side to command and control the country's massive nuclear arsenal.

Trump talked out of pardoning kids and Republican lawmakers - CNNPolitics
Huddled for a lengthy meeting with his legal advisers, Trump was warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals.

Biden leads memorial for nearly 400,000 Americans killed by COVID-19
On the night before his inauguration, Joe Biden led a national tribute Tuesday for the 400,000 Americans killed by the coronavirus, saying "To heal, we must remember."

Kalispell police chief: Peaceful gatherings expected on Inauguration Day
Protests are expected across the nation Wednesday as President-Elect Joe Biden is officially sworn into office.

Dave Grohl Vividly Details 'Disgusting' Lemmy Apartment Visit
Grohl, who was a guest editor for recent Classic Rock Magazine edition, vividly recalled with a laugh, “I was shocked at how fucking disgusting it was. These aisles of magazines and VHS tapes, stacked three to four feet high, Lemmy sitting on the couch, in his black bikini underwear with a spiderweb on them, after just dyeing his hair black, doing a phone interview, with a video game on pause on the television.”

Montana History Minute - The Bozeman Trail Massacre

The year was 1863 and a young John Bozeman wanted to create a new route from the Oregon Trail to bring settlers up to Montana and its booming gold rush. The new route would go from the Denver area up to Montana’s first territorial capital and present day ghost town Bannack which is pictured above.

The federal government, reeling from the financial burden of the civil war, was anxious to get this plan and the tax revenue from the gold claims into action. The problem came from the Sioux tribe who would attack travelers in the area. The federal government decided to construct 3 forts along the way to protect travelers. A delegation of government officials met with leaders from the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes to negotiate a treaty to keep the settlers safe. This treaty was signed but, unbeknownst, to the officials, the tribal leaders did not represent the hostile factions of the tribes. Construction of the forts angered these factions.

In December 1866, 80 men rode out of Fort Kearney with orders to rescue a group of woodcutters who had been attacked by a group of Sioux warriors. The soldiers were advised to keep their distance. Instead they rode directly into a trap and they were all killed by the tribe.

Attacks on the forts did not let up afterwards. Eventually in March of 1868, President Andrew Johnson ordered the forts to be abandoned. Soon after the forts were deserted, the Indians burned all three to the ground. The Bozeman Trail ended before it had the chance to begin.