Alumni Killed in Bizarre Falconing Incident

I want to say something about this, but I'm not sure what:

Life insurance policies to fund Oklahoma St. athletics

Using an idea from billionaire donor Boone Pickens, Oklahoma State will purchase $10 million life insurance policies for 25 of its supporters in a unique fundraising program for the athletic department.

Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said he believes the "Gift of a Lifetime" program is the largest such use of life insurance ever by a college athletic department. The university will pay the insurance premiums for the selected donors, with the athletics department being listed as the beneficiary.

The money from the policies will be used to endow athletic scholarships and pay for facilities and operations, Holder said.

Perhaps I'm just imagining it, but didn't I read about this in a Gregory McDonald novel? Say the Cowboys are in need of a new aquatic center, or more luxury boxes at Boone Pickens Stadium. Might OSU boosters start falling in front of buses or encountering mishaps while ironing in the bathtub?

Call me old-fashioned, but I like my ahtletic programs funded the old-fashioned way: By shady under-the-table payments from used-car tycoons.

Hoops at St. John's hoops has been entirely self-funded—non-funded, really—since 1994. Please let me know if you will or will not be playing this weekend. We tip off Saturday at 8:00 a.m., as usual.