While you are still guffawing about my prediction that Great Bend would beat Dodge City 27-24, remember that “no man is a prophet in his own country”. So, you ask, “Am I from Mars?” The 51-7 win that Dodge City hung on Great Bend is only a bump in the road for this pompous prognosticator!
Lest you think it was one of the worst predictions of all time, consider a few of these:
“ I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”-----Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943.
“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”----H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”---Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
“With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.”---Business Week, August 2, 1968.
“There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.”---Albert Einstein, 1932
“There will never be a bigger plane built.”—A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.
Thus, you can rest assured that we will continue to tell you who is going to win, what is going to happen, BEFORE  IT DOES!  However, I will continue to look over my shoulder at that famous quote from Casey Stengel: “Never make predictions. Especially about the future!”
  EGADS! Oklahoma State has stolen this “12th Man thing from the Texas Aggies. Though the Aggies from Texas fancy their 12th man as their fans, their home crowd, Okie State has taken it to another level. Their 12th man is the guys in the striped shirts. The officials!
Two weeks ago the Cowboys were aided by numerous disputed calls against the Texas Longhorns, especially two of them in Oklahoma State’s final drive. This past weekend against Kansas State, the Cowboys were aided by a missed call in the second quarter that gave them an extra five yards. Did it affect the game? Hard to argue but in a two-point game ANY edge becomes critical.
It does seem there are more bad calls (okay, disputed calls) than ever before in college and professional football. The officials get reprimanded and sometimes a penalty of some kind, though we fans are not privy to those punishments. Okie State’s 12th man is not their fans but the officials. Hey, I guess it is all right. They are Aggies after all.
CHALK TALK: Hoisington continues undefeated as they race by Smoky Valley 40-12 Can Great Bend shake off the cobwebs from that 51-7 thrashing by Dodge City? Liberal supplies the necessary tonic. Black Panthers 27-13. The Larned Indians got things going in the right direction last week with a big win over Lyons. Look for that to continue this week against Haven. Larned 33, Haven 15. Rozel’s Gary Patterson has too many weapons at TCU. Horned Frogs 40, Kansas State 21. There’s a track meet in Lawrence Saturday and Baylor is bringing their football team. Baylor plays fast. Kansas likes to play fast. The difference is that Baylor SCORES fast. Kansas just plays fast. Baylor 55, Kansas — about out of quarterbacks, 10. ”Da Bears” come to Arrowhead and the Chiefs finally score a touchdown! Chiefs 26, Chicago 21 Johnny Cueto or not, Royals breeze through ALDS

Charles Tabler is a contributing writer from Larned.