I am reading an often stellar history called "Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America" by Richard White, a Stanford professor trying to put a pre-emptive spin on the next wave of revisionist histories of the 19th Century construction of the transcontinentals that keeps people's eyes off of part of the whole corrupt and often vicious spectacle that was the building of the transcontinental railroad network spanning Canada, USA and Mexico.
Despite some of the holes, this is an absolute must read for anyone that wants to understand the political economy of states, and how leaving implementation of new infrastructure to private oligarchy sets in motion the subordination of states to private oligarchy. Marvelous to read a conservative historian's take on a phenomenon that liberal historians and muck rakers exposed a century ago, but which has largely gone down the memory hole the last century or so. This is the kind of history that gets written, published and awarded a Pulitzer runner up, when someone new wants to get their hands on the enduring rail infrastructure and renew calls for subsidy via the claim of reform. But again, all history has warts and unstated "beholden to's". The key here is this is a good book in spite of all the caveats.
So 'bate 1.0, just how the flip does this relate to hiring Zenger's replacement when the time comes?
Glad you asked.
Writing of the Big Four of Sacramento fame, White notes:
"Collis P. Huntington and Mark Hopkins were often more opportunistic than calculating. Their greatest gift was recognizing the opportunities that their failures and miscalculations created."
--White, Richard; "Railroaded," W.W. Norton and Company, 2011, p.28.
Think about and savor the pithy, irreverent elegance of that remark a moment.
In a time when KUAD is laboring against considerably more powerful opponents in football, and apparently bungling right and left, amidst complexity and change it can barely foresee on a clear day, one cannot realistically hope for an AD, or a coach for that matter,that is calculating enough to fit the pieces together and outsmart everyone.
What KUAD desperately needs now is bungler with a gift for recognizing his own mistakes and the opportunities his bungling creates.
Bungling seems almost a given in the KU athletic director job, and the head coaching job, too.
KU needs to focus on hiring and AD and a head coach capable of recognizing their own bungling and the unexpected opportunities it creates.
