Friday, January 21, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Jayhawk baseball aims for a winning record
By Amanda Kashube
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
After finishing last season with a dismal 14-40 record, the Kansas baseball team has nowhere to go but up.
Today, the Jayhawks begin practice and their quest not only to move up in the standings but also to secure a Big 12 Conference postseason tournament berth.
They are returning nine position players, including junior shortstop John Nelson, who received honorable mention for All-Big 12 selection last season, and are adding 18 newcomers that will provide needed depth to the team.
"We want to be a lot better than we were last year," Nelson said. "Last year, we didn't play the games all the way through. We were good for four or five innings, then it was all downhill. We're going to play every game as if it's going to kill us."
Coach Bobby Randall said that in practice he would stress the importance of driving the ball and reemphasize the basics that would help form a strong nucleus on the team. With all the improvements, he is optimistic about the possibility of a winning record.
"There isn't a conference winner yet — so we are going to shoot for that," he said. "We're going to try to win it. Why would you go into the season wanting seventh place? We're not the favorite, of course, but we have a bunch of guys anxious for the season. They have a lot to prove."
Along with his returners, Randall also will look to his newly selected team captains — senior pitcher Ryan Schmidt, senior first baseman Shane Wedd and junior pitcher Pete Smart — to help the newcomers adjust.
Captains were selected by their fellow players. All juniors and seniors were eligible for nominations.
"Captains are leaders by example," Randall said. "They were chosen by their team because of their work effort and attitude. They are what Jayhawk athletics are all about."
six teams ranked in the top 40, making the Jayhawks' task that much more difficult.
The Big 12 Conference already has
"We're going to try and play good baseball and not give up until it's over," Randall said. "You can have a good team and not have a winning record because of the tough competition in the conference. We have our work cut out for us." Kansas Baseball Notes
■ Selected members of the Kansas City Royals along with the Royals' mascot, Sluggerrr, will join the five Jayhawk seniors — Brett Kappelmann, Rusty Philbrick, Duane Thompson, Schmidt and Wedd — for an autograph session on the Allen Fieldhouse concourse prior to the Kansas men's basketball game Monday.
The Jayhawks already have had one positive note in the preseason — no one was injured. Randall said.
"We have some little bangs and hurts, but that always happens when you push it to the max," he said. "I've not had a team return so healthy before."
The Jayhawks' 2000 season begins on Feb. 12 when the team travels to San Antonio for a three-game series with the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners.
Norm's void doesn't tame Tigers
Mizzou will attack with strong guards
By Matt Tait
by Ma Yan
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Make no mistake about the way the Missouri Tigers feel about the 1999-2000 basketball season they love it
one game behind leaders Kansas and Iowa State, both 4-0.
In fact, the Tigers were so excited about entering the post-Norm Stewart era that the cover of the media guide includes the phrase "It's a great time to be a Tiger." That was not so true when the Tigers opened the season 5-3. Since then, however, the Tigers have been playing better. Despite a loss to lowly 9-6 Winthrop, followed by a conference-opening loss at Iowa State, the Tigers have picked together three wins in a row. They stand 10-6 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 — one game behind leaders
Every year for the last 32 seasons, Kansas fans have taken pleasure in despising former Missouri coach Norm Stewart. He retired in April, and former Duke assistant Quin Snyder, at the ripe young age of 33, took over.
From day one, Snyder has done things differently from Stewart. But like Stewart, he has earned the respect of his players.
"I think our best players are also our hardest workers."
Snyder said. "And that has made the transition nice for me."
Just as Snyder likes the way his players have become leaders, the players like the way their leader works.
"I appreciate the way coach Snyder carries himself," senior forward Jeff Hafer said. "He's won, both as a player and as a
coach, and he's set a standard for us."
Roy Williams also has noticed Snyder's influence.
Williams,a former North
Carolina assistant, is somewhat of a natural rival of Snyder's, but he said that the Missouri-Kansas rivalry was bigger than either coach.
“Coach Snyder has a great background, and he's had great teaching being around Mike [Krzyezewski] at Duke,” Williams said. “We've joked that there's a Duke guy and here's a Carolina guy, but that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. It has absolutely nothing to do with the game or the program.”
However, the match-ups will affect the game. Kansas will try to use its obvious size advantage to wear down the Tigers, and Missouri will utilize its smaller, quicker three-guard offense.
Williams praised the Tigers' offense and said that the three guards, sophomores Keyon
Williams said Dooling had impressed him most. Dooling, last year's Big 12 freshman of the year runner-up, has averaged 16.3 points per game this season.
Dooling and Clarence Gilbert and junior Brian Grawer, may make up the three best guards in the nation.
"I think he's the most gifted guard in the league," Williams said. "He has what looks like an extra gear. He can handle the ball, and he can shoot it, too. He really is the total package."
Gilbert is not far behind — slightly ahead as far as conference scoring goes. He leads the Big 12 in scoring with a 21.2 points per game average. In Missouri's 74-72 victory Tuesday night against Baylor, Gilbert earned 15 points and scored double digits for the fourth straight game.
Williams said he admired Grawer, who is without the big statistics like Gilbert and Dooling.
The first Kansas-Missouri border rivalry of the millennium will begin with a basic bottom line: If the inside game dominates, Kansas will be in good shape. But if the guard play is the difference, the game may be in Missouri's favor.
Either way, Williams said the game at Missouri — Norm Stewart or not — would be tough, as always.
"I think they will give us the toughest challenge we've had this year," he said.
Jordan's move devastates Chicago fans
CHICAGO — For most Bulls fans, Wednesday was a bittersweet day as Michael Jordan joined the Wizards as part owner and president of basketball operations. While they're happy he's finally back in the NBA, he's somebody else's icon now.
The Associated Press
Jordan, who hasn't set foot in the United Center for a basketball game since he retired, was in full view at the MCI Center Wednesday.
"It's sad that he won't be a part of the Bulls. But it is great that he will be in basketball," said Lance Fithian, a commodities broker who was working out at the Gold Coast Multiplex, an upscale health club where Jordan still plays an occasional pickup game.
It was only a year ago—Jan.13.
1999, to be exact — that Jordan retired, and Chicago fans were just coming to grips with the realization he wasn't coming back.
Jordan: Has joined the Wizards as part-owner
Though he grew up in N or t h Carolina, Chicago
became his home, and the city considers him an adopted son. He played pickup games on city playgrounds and watched the Cubs at Wrigley Field. His statue outside the United Center still draws dozens of fans per day.
And when Jordan retired the first time, his ties to Chicago stayed intact. When he tried pro baseball, he did it with Jerry Reinsdorf's other team, the Chicago White Sox.
"In a perfect world, Michael would have been a Bull for life," said John Paxson, Jordan's teammate for the first three titles and now a broadcaster for the Bulls.
"I'm sure there's a part of all of us that would have liked to see the organization utilize him in some way," Paxson said. "But it's not a perfect world."
That Jordan ended up somewhere else really didn't surprise Chicago fans. He blames Reinsdorf and general manager Jerry Krause for forcing Phil Jackson out and breaking up the Bulls, and his withdrawal from the team has been anything but subtle.
The Lakers made room for Magic Johnson when he retired, and the Boston Celtics found a job for Larry Bird. It's too bad the Bulls couldn't have worked something out with Jordan, said Hersey Hawkins, a Chicago native who is now with the Bulls.
"For all he's done for this team and organization, we were hoping he'd be able to come back here." Hawkins said. "I don't know all the ins and the outs of the situation. I think it's sad and unfortunate he's not here."
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