Section A · Page 10
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, February 10, 2000
BASEBALL
Braves' Rocker hopes to alter suspension
NEW YORK — John Rocker is back in the city he hates, trying to overturn his suspension for offensive comments against homosexuals, minorities and foreigners.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig banned Rocker until May 1, saying the Atlanta Braves' top reliever offended practically every element of society with his comments in a December issue of Sports Illustrated.
The players association quickly appealed the decision, setting up yesterday's hearing in New York before Shyam Das, baseball's new arbitrator.
Das was to hear testimony from Selig and Braves president Stan Kasten. Gene Orza, the union's chief lawyer, planned to argue on Rocker's behalf, and union head Donald Fehr expected to testify on past suspensions.
Time and time again, the players association has convinced arbitrators to reduce or overturn suspensions imposed by baseball.
In 1981, St. Louis shortstop Gary Templeton was suspended and fined $5,000 after making a series of obscene gestures toward heckling fans at Busch Stadium. Two days later, an arbitrator ruled the suspension should be lifted when Templeton checked into a hospital for treatment of depression.
In 1992, Yankees pitcher Steve Howe was suspended for life after pleading guilty to attempting to buy a gram of cocaine. An arbitrator ended the suspension later that year, saying Howe had attention deficit disorder.
NBA
All-Star game rivalry will reside off-court
OAKLAND, Calif. — Phil Jackson still harbors some of his disdain for Jeff Van Gundy rooted in the days of the fierce Bulls-Knicks rivalry.
Van Gundy still thinks Jackson gets a free pass from the media.
One is tall, one is short. One a mav erick, the other a workaholic. One was a wipie, the other a gym rat.
nettner has a particular affinity for the other.
Jackson and Van Gundy, the opposing coaches in the NBA All-Star game Sunday, provide an interesting side story to an annual event where the focus is usually on the players and the coaches just try to keep everyone happy.
This year, there's genuine animosity between the two men pacing the sideline.
"I don't even pay attention to him. He's like a fly on the wall," Jackson said of Van Gundy, with whom he has never had a conversation.
Jackson said his only images of Van Gundy are from when he came out of the fray in the Derek Harper-Jo Jo English fight in the
1994 playoffs, and when he grabbed Alonzo Mourning's leg during a fight in the 1998 playoffs.
rig aight in the plays' poetry.
Told of Jackson's comments, Van Gundy disputed the details of the Harper-English flight.
"He's got the wrong guy, but that doesn't surprise me. That was Pat pulling you out," Van Gundy said of coach Patt Riley. "You guys have given him a pass for a long time. I would suspect you'd do it again."
The days of Jackson's Bulls always seeming to beat the Knicks, whether led by Riley or Van Gundy, are in the past.
Jackson, after a season away from the NBA, has resurfaced in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Last spring, he met secretly with Knicks president Dave Checkets when Van Gundy's team was underachieving and Checkets was contemplating a housecleaning.
Van Gundy saved his job by leading the Knicks to the NBA Finals, and Jackson settled for the task of trying to coax some cohesion and success out of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers.
Van Gundy, whose first victory as a coach came against Jackson's 1995-96 Bulls — who won 72 regular-season games — got the nod in the East ahead of Riley and Larry Bird. New York did not have the best record, but Van Gundy won a tie breaker.
Louisville among sites considered for team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville is one of four sites under consideration for a National Basketball Association franchise, according to an attorney retained to lure a team to the city.
J. Bruce Miller, who is under contract with the Louisville Board of Aldermen, said at a news conference yesterday that he would not disclose the team's identity. Team officials, however, will visit Louisville within the next few months. The identity will become public at that point, he said.
A final decision is scheduled to be made about May 1.
Miller said he did not know the names of the other sites being considered, but that Kansas City, San Diego, Las Vegas, New Orleans, St. Louis and Baltimore have expressed interest in competing with Louisville.
Pittsburgh names new defensive coach
NFL
PITTSBURGH — As the Pittsburgh Steelers' new defensive coordinator, Tim Lewis is stepping into a role that has been a fertile training ground for future coaches.
Lewis was named to the job on Tuesday, replacing Jim Haslett, now coach in New Orleans.
Lewis joined the Steelers two years ago as secondary coach and has been instrumental in developing current Steelers such as Chad Scott, Lee Flowers and Scott Shields.
He beat out Steelers linebackers coach Mike Archer for the coordinator's job. Coach Bail Cowher already
has begun a search for Lewis' replacement.
"It's a great day for Tim Lewis," Cowher said. "I talked with both Mike Archer and Tim Lewis, and when I looked at the other possibilities that were out there, I think it was clear that those two guys have been around here and have paid their dues."
Sour past turns sunny for OU
Oklahoma's day in the stadium has come The Oklahoma women's basketball team, 19-4 overall, 9-1 In the Big 12, used to drag at the bottom of the Big 12 standings.
By Melinda Weaver sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
oma's day in the sun has come.
This season is proof that things can change.
this season is proof that things can change.
Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa, No. 8 Iowa State and
No. 17 Oklahoma battled for first place in the con-
ference. With an 8-0 record, Oklahoma was the cur-
rent champion, not even the challenger.
"A few years ago, an Oklahoma-lowa State game for first in the conference would be as likely as a
Rams-Titans Super Bowl," said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. "This is very good for the conference."
Though Oklahoma lost to Iowa State 71-56, it cannot diminish from what they have accomplished.
Averaging 80.3 points per game, the Sooners had not lost a game since Dec.29 when they lost to No.1 Connecticut.
The Sooners have been shooting almost 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. Despite this, Oklahoma was picked to finish in the middle of the conference, instead of near the top.
"Team chemistry gives us an edge," said Sooner coach Sherri Coale. "Individually, we are not particularly special, but together we are."
Commentary
6 Big 12 teams vie for championship
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
The Big 12 Conference race wasn't supposed to be like this, at least not according to the predictions of coaches and media at the beginning of the year.
Instead of being the six-team race that it is, the champion was only supposed to be one of two, maybe three teams. After all, defending-champion Texas returned its nucleus of center Chris Milhm and forward Gabe Muonekue, and well, Kansas is Kansas.
The third team picked to have an outside shot was Oklahoma State, and if Monday's 86-53 dismantling of Kansas is any indication, the Cowboys may be the current favorite.
What then does all of this mean?
Simple. The Big 12 is full of big-time players and big-time teams.
According to the Ratings Power Index, the six teams vying for the conference crown — Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas — are all among the top 30 in the nation, with Oklahoma State highest at No. 10 and Iowa State lowest at No. 27. Kansas is No. 13.
"This is a tough conference," Kansas forward Drew Gooden said. "Every team is strong and has talent."
As for the conference's best players, leading the way is Iowa State's Marcus Fizer. Fizer leads the league in scoring with 20.7 points a game and is ninth in rebounding, averaging 7.5 rebounds a game.
Rounding out the league's top scorers are three players who were on the preseason All-Big 12 team: Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera, 19;5. Oklahoma State's Desmond Mason, 19;2 and Texas' Chris Mihm, 18.1.
With the NCAA Tournament a month away, ESPN's Andy Katz has predicted the Big 12 to land all six teams in the field of 64 — the most of any conference.
Sports Calendar
Women's basketball vs Texas in Allen Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m.
al at Festa Bow
Classic, Tempe, Ariz., vs.
Fresno State at 11 a.m.
and against Arizona State
at 5:30 p.m.
Indoor track and field at Bob Devaney Center at 4 p.m.
Baseball vs. University of Texas-San Antonio Men's tennis vs. Southwest Missouri State at 2 p.m. Indoor track and field at Bob Devaney Center at 11:15 a.m.
Baseball vs University of Texas-San Antonio at 1 p.m. at San Antonio Women's tennis vs. College of Charleston at 10 a.m. Men's tennis vs. Iowa at 1 p.m. at Alvamar Racquet Club
Women's basketball time TBA at Lincoln, Neb
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