SPORTS
5B
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Infection still affects coach
Big red win
BY JIM SALTER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — The infection that hospitalized St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz last week involves his heart and is getting worse. Martz said Wednesday.
Martz, 54, expects to miss practice the next two days. Joe Vitt, assistant head coach and linebackers coach, will lead the team in his absence, the Rams said in a statement. Martz was not at Rams Park Wednesday afternoon but was quoted in the statement.
Members of the Nebraska volleyball team celebrate the final point of their victory over Missouri at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday.
Ed Pfueller/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I have been ill for four or five weeks." Martz said. "Our medical staff is in the process of evaluating a number of diagnostic tests to determine the cause. Dr. (Doug) Pogue suspects a bacterial infection of a heart valve called endocarditis."
A series of blood tests are planned over the next several days to confirm the diagnosis.
Vitt said at practice Wednesday that he expected Martz will be back coaching in Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
"He's getting better." Vitt said. "We expect to have him back by the weekend."
Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the heart's inner lining, said Dr. Arthur Labovitz, director of cardiology at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Usually, it affects one of the heart's four valves.
The illness affects 10,000 to 20,000 Americans each year. If the valves are damaged enough, endocarditis can cause strokes, require open heart surgery, and even be fatal, Labovitz said.
If Martz has the illness, he'll need a minimum of six weeks of intravenous antibiotics, though he may be able to take the medicine on an outpatient basis, Labovitz said.
"For whatever reason, bacteria gets on that valve," Labovitz said. "There's an infection somewhere in the body and that germ gets in the blood stream.
"Unfortunately, it's not so easy to cure."
About one in five people with the disease will need valve replacement surgery. But Labovitz said the fact that Martz was still well enough to coach and hold news conference was an indication the disease had likely been caught early, improving his prognosis.
Still, Labovitz suggested that Martz would be advised to "step aside for at least a couple of weeks until the antibiotics take effect and at least get the infection under some control. What you don't want is to get this permanent damage to the valve."
NFL coaches are notorious for their long hours, and Martz is no exception, sometimes sleeping at the office.
The Rams host the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.
Splash
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Her freshman year, Gnatzig broke the Kansas record in the 200 backstroke and captured the Rookie of the Year award. During the 2003-2004 season, her sophomore year, she broke her own record at the Big 12 Conference Championships meet with a time of 1:59.80. She also recorded the team's best time in the 500 freestyle and swept first place in the event at four dual meets.
Following her junior year, Gnatzig recorded top three times in seven events at Kansas. She still holds the fastest 500 freestyle time a.4:51.31
As Gnatzig enters her senior year she is proud of her accomplishments but has key goals both as captain and swimmer for her last season as a Jayhawk.
"For the last three years, I've had to worry about only myself," Gnatzig said. "Now!
have a role to help everyone else do well."
Gnatzig's ambition this year is to qualify for the NCAA Championship meet. She fell short last year in the 500 freestyle by a little more than a second.
"I think it's a very realistic goal," she said. "It's the fine-tweaking, working on small things that will make the difference."
Gnatzig said she draws her inspiration from her older brother, her parents and her roommate, former KU swimmer Amy Gruber. She said the team and coaching staff also motivate her.
Campbell said he knew that Gnatzig would have a successful finale to her swimming career.
"She's one of those peppy, cheery people who really loves swimming," Campbell said. "She personifies the sport."
Carswell's versatility a weapon for Broncos
NFL
DENVER — The player who could very well have the softest hands on the Denver Broncos wears No. 77.
Edited by Erin Wisdom
He is offensive lineman Dwayne Carswell, who made his living at tight end for his first decade in the league and, even though he's been moved to the interior of Denver's line this year, he currently leads the team in touchdown catches.
He has become Denver's most unlikely star early in the season, a versatile player in an era where specialization is the norm. He can play guard, tackle, tight end and some special teams. And, as everyone now knows, he can still score touchdowns. Including Sunday, he has 15 in 11-plus seasons.
The Associated Press
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Robinett
Adding to the difficulty of bouncing back against Nebraska and Missouri is the loss of junior outside hitter Jana Correa.
When she went down during the first game of last night's match, the previously deafening Horejsi Family Athletics Center was dead silent. Without her, even Athletics Director Lew Perkins admitted a comeback was unlikely.
"I thought we came out ready to play. Then we lost Correa," he said. "When you lose one of your best players it's difficult to make the adjustment."
Victories would mean a lot to this Kansas program, because Kansas State and Nebraska are the two Big 12 Conference programs that it most wants to become.
If Kansas fails to win either of its next two games, the question becomes when will Bechard take his team to the next level and knock off his fiercest competition?
Kansas State owns that infamous winning streak that spans over a decade against Kansas, and Nebraska is a volleyball power every year.
After talking with Perkins last night, it certainly seemed like he had complete confidence in Beachard.
"It's not about beating this team or that队," he said. "Ray's got the program going in the right direction. We've got tons of confidence in him and it's only a matter of time before we break out."
Bechard has already made the first step in taking the Kansas volleyball team to that next level. It is coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and Horejsi has turned into a fun place to watch a volleyball game.
A sellout crowd was in attendance last night, and in terms of sheer decibels, it felt just as loud as Allen Fieldhouse.
"There's a great atmosphere here that very few other schools have," Perkins said. "It's a true volleyball environment. The people here at KU are really getting behind this program."
Still, there's just that special something that Kansas lacks. By looking at both teams last night, you couldn't tell which was better physically. The Jayhawks looked every bit as tall and strong as the Wildcats, but they got swept.
Kansas State had close to 150 fans in attendance last night. There was no official count made, but that was just about as many, if not more, fans than the Kansas football team had follow it to Lubbock, Texas last Saturday.
When was the last time you heard a stat like that?
When was the last time you neared a stat like that?
It's astonishing, but the reason the Wildcats get that support is because they defeat their most competitive opponents. Maybe that's the special something separating Kansas from getting to the next level.
♦ Robinett is an Austin, Texas, senior in journalism. He is Kansan sports editor.
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