10A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2007
CAREERS
'Welcome to the Majors, kid'
C. J. Moore, middle, 2007 University of Kansas graduate, glances at his notes at Coors Field. After graduation, Moore was selected by MLB.com as an associate reporter for the Colorado Rockies. Moore's work experience has allowed multiple opportunities including interaction with numerous baseball luminaries such as Bub Uecker, Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti, Jayson Stark, George Brett, Lou Pinella and Scott Boras.
Kansas alumnus enters new career, receives unexpected job opportunities
BY THOR NYSTROM
tnystrom@kansan.com
C. J. Moore walked into the Coors Field home clubhouse on June 1, two weeks after his graduation from the University of Kansas School of Journalism, and began introducing himself to Colorado Rockies players. Todd Helton, the team's star first baseman and elder statesman, fresh out of the shower and clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist, turned around, dropped his towel, and shook the newcomer's hand. Moore, shaken but courteous, reached for Helton's hand. The five-time All-Star then pulled the beauliguer 22-year-old in for the hug — completely nude.
Welcome to the Majors, kid
Helton, whose power has slowly dissipated over the years, went deep the night of Moore's hug — one of only 17 home runs this year.
"Coincidence?" Moore asked. "I think not."
And thus began the wild ride
Moore was selected by MLB. com last winter as an associate reporter for the Rockies - a st
of his first professional job,
the culmination
of which was as
an assistant beat
reporter for a
World Series
team.
day when the Rockies were in town
the playoffs changed that routine
MLB.com's lead Rockie beat reporter Thomas Harding assumed full responsibility of game-related
content, so Moore's new task is enterprising stories that have pertinence to the team, such as the absence of big offense during the team's historic 21 of
Moore
22 game winning tear before the World Series, or the team's starting pitching difficulties against the Red Sox.
The Rockies, of course, were playing on borrowed time after a frenzied late-season push propelled them into a one-game playoff with San Diego. After the team's 9-8, 13 inning victory, Moore described a wild locker room celebration that lasted into the Rocky Mountain's morning hours.
"Jorge Julio was nice enough to spray me with champagne in the eyes -the same Julio that almost prevent the Rockies from making the playoffs."
Rockies — a summer internship that turned into a lot more.
C.J. MOORE
2007 graduate
He initially wrote four stories a
Jorge Julio,
a reliever who surrendered
two runs in
that game without securing an
out, was a celebratory locker
room nemesis of
Moore after Colorado beat
the Phillies in the Wild Card
round.
"Jorge Julio was nice enough to spray me with champagne in the
eyes — the same Julio that almost prevented the Rockies from making the playoffs." Moore said. "So he can't hit the strike zone but he can hit me in the eye with champagne.
I was a little frustrated with lorge."
Moore left the stadium that evening, eyes stinging and drenched in champagne and beer, with a soggy notebook and blurry notes. He learned his lesson when the
they are is sports biganists. They are people not from New York who grow up and see that the Yankees are winning World Series and doing well. So they say I want to root for a
"Who would have thunk that I come out to Colorado, who hadn't made the playoffs since 1995,and are now at this point?"
team clinched the NLCS the next week against Arizona — he brought a spare dry shirt.
Moore was particularly critical of Yankees fans, who the Rockies swept in June: "I call these people fans, but they aren't really fans. What
C. J. MOORE 2007 graduate
Moore said he appreciated the World Series as an "event" but missed the intimacy of the regular season. Rockies beat reporters receive markedly less access during the playoffs and must share a crowded press box with a bevy of national media.
One of Moore's favorite activities during the season was observing fan bases from opposing team's making the trip to Coors Field. He said Cubs fans were absolutely obnoxious alcoholics and that more people were kicked out of the stadium for fighting during the Chicago series than the rest of the season combined.2h
winner, the team in my town isn't good, and so I will root for the Yankees.' It is an awful thing to do — like spitting in your mother's face."
Moore, who won 5th in spot news and 2nd in sports writing in
the national Hearst Awards while at Kansas, has had conversations with varied baseball luminaries such as Bob Uecker, Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti, Jayson Stark, George Brett, Lou Pinella and Scott Boras while in Colorado.
Moore was initially nervous when writing stories for the team, but the feeling quickly dissipated as the summer wore on. He said it became easier to interview players because of familiarity.
The Kansas alumnus understands the good fortune of his current situation.
"If I never get to cover a World Series again, that will be OK," Moore said. "Who would have thank that I come out to Colorado, who hadn't made the playoffs since 1995, and are now at this point? If this is my only World Series, so be it."
- Edited by Meghan Murphy
ENTERTAINMENT
Beat generation poet speaks downtown
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Charles Plymell is one of the living authors from the beat generation of the 1950s and 1960s. The thesis he wrote for his master's became a book called "Last of the Moccasins."
Milton's invites Charles Plymell to read several poems from recent collection
While the University celebrates its annual homecoming week, poet Charles Plymell will have one of his own. Plymell, a Kansas native and one of the living authors of the 1950s and 1960s beat generation, will read his latest works at 7 tonight at Milton's, 920 Massachusetts St.
BY MATT LINDBERG mlindberg@kansan.com
Patricia Marvin, a fan and personal friend of Plymell, said the poet had a lot to offer.
"In 'Last of the Moccasin', there is a passage about Lawrence which was really pretty cool," Bentley said.
"He's a very exciting man," Marvin said, "He has a lot of spiritual scent in his writing, and that makes it very interesting."
Danny Bentley, a reader of Plymell's work, said he was intrigued by Plymell's poetry and by the local roots of the writer.
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Plymell was born in Finney County. His mother was American Indian, and his father was an Oklahoma cowboy. He briefly attended Wichita State University before he dropped out and went on to earn his master's degree in writing at The John Hopkins Writing Seminars. During that time, he wrote his master's thesis, which became his book "Last of the Moccasins."
"I think that going to certain events can be good," Ashcraft said. He said poets who steered away from typical topics such as love tended to be more successful because their onics were out of the norm.
"I got into him because he has a Kansas connection, a Lawrence connection."
"He always takes on things with such an interesting or personal appeal," Marvin said. "It's probably why other know and care so much about him."
"I know it was last-minute, but it will be a lot of fun," Marvin said. "He has a real authentic voice and people need to hear it if they haven't."
Plymell, who was unavailable for comment because he was traveling Sunday, will perform and spend time in Lawrence for the first time since 1997. Marvin said although the event came with late notice, she still hoped students would attend.
Plymell, who has been writing poetry for more than half a century, has spent time living around the country, including San Francisco and New York City, and was named Most Promising Poet of 1976 in the World Book. Marvin said Plymell's writings were original pieces of work.
Salane Ashcraft, Rogers, Ariz. sophomore, also a poet himself, said bringing original poets to town had its perks.
— Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
SUDAN
ALFRED DE MONTESQUIOU ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIRTE, Libya — Sudan's government committed to a cease-fire in Darfur at the start of peace talks Saturday, but mediators and journalists outnumbered the few rebels who did not boycott the U.N.-sponsored negotiations, reducing hopes for an end to the fighting.
The large government delegation said its cessation of hostilities was a sign of goodwill for negotiations aimed at ending over four years of fighting in the western Sudanese region. But the pledge was not matched by the rebels, whose main leaders all refused to attend the talks.
Rebels boycott ceasefire in Darfur
"The government of Sudan is proclaiming as of now an unilateral cease-fire in Darfur," said Sudanese chief envoy Nafie Ali Nafie. "We shall not be the first ones to fire arms."
The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, praised the government for its pledge, but cautioned that dozens of previous cease-fire declarations in Darfur have been broken by both government troops and rebel factions.
Some 20 rebels were present in the vast conference hall in the Libyan coastal town of Sirte. Ahmed Diraige, the head of an obscure faction known as the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance, spoke on behalf of the rebels and stated the groups present were also willing to consider a cease-fire.
But with the absence of major rebels, hopes faded for a quick peace agreement. Mediators downplayed the conference's goals, saying the focus would now be to "create conditions" for effective peace talks. Mediation spokesman Ahmed Fawzi warned it would be "a long process."