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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
Sports
Pro Basketball
Wednesday
April 28, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
The WNBA returned to the negotiation table in an attempt to settle a labor dispute.
SEE PAGE 6B
Carl Malone is becoming the bully of the NBA.
SEE PAGE 6B
Kansas Softball
Kansas pitcher Sarah Workman was named Big 12 Pitcher of the week.
SEE PAGE 2B
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Golf team wins Big 12 Championship
No putts about it,'Hawks No.1
Kansas golfer Chris Thompson hits from the fairway on the 17th hole during the final round of the big 12 Men's Golf Championship. The Jayhawks placed first yesterday at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson. Photo by Mark Colson/Hutchinson News
Brad Hallier sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
HUTCHINSON — Jayhawk sports fans, you have a conference champion.
The Kansas men's golf team, picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 Conference preseason coaches' poll, wrapped up its first conference title since 1950 yesterday at Prairie Dunes Country Club.
The Jayhawks became only the fourth team to win a Big 8 or Big 12 Championship other than Oklahoma State, which has won a conference title 47 times since 1947.
But it didn't come easily. Nebraska finished a close second, only two strokes behind the Jayhawks. Texas shot a tournament record 279 in the final round to finish third, five strokes behind Kansas.
"This is it—this is what we've worked for." Kansas coach Ross Randall said. "I didn't know it was quite so close, and the wait for the results was nerve-wrecking."
Ross Randall
The Jayhawks won the title with a good performance from every player. Junior Jake Istnick was the only Kansas player to shoot par on the par-70 course yesterday, and his performance came at a key time. Especially when
"We knew at the beginning of the season that we had a good team. We've had teams that have finished second in conference play before, and that was bitter-sweet. But this was a lot better."
Kansas golf coach
junior Ryan Vermeer, who came into the final round tied for first place, shot a 78 in the final round, his worst performance at the championships.
"Iknew it would be a big battle for the team title," said Istrick, who improved each round by five strokes. "Today I had my head on better. I hit some great shots today but the difference was in my putting."
Thompson said that he was happy with his performance and that the team championship meant more to him than an individual crown would have.
Kansas also enjoyed solid performances from junior Brad Davis, who along with Vermeer finished tied for ninth individually, and senior Chris Thompson, who tied for second. Thompson finished one stroke behind Texas freshman David Gossett, who won the individual title with a one-under-pair score of 209.
vidual crown would have.
"I've tasted victory before as an individual, but sometimes you have to tip your hat," he said.
Kansas led after each round, and Davis said that going into yesterday's final 18 holes, he felt additional pressure.
"I felt it on the front nine," he said. "I shot par on 12, so once we got to 13, I liked the way I was playing, and I just relaxed."
Davis shot a birdie on five of the last seven holes, and his final-round score was 71.
The Jayhawks will not play again until regionals on May 20, and with yesterday's title, Randall said he thought that their seed would improve.
"We knew at the beginning of the season that we had a good team," he said. "We've had teams that have finished second in conference play before, and that was bittersweet. But this was a lot better."
Edited by Seth Hoffman
Track coach promises return of Relays
By Mike Miller
By Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Some way, in some form or another, the University of Kansas is committed to bringing back the Kansas Relays.
What was once the focal point of the track season has become a lost meet for the last two years. The renovations to Memorial Stadium have kept the meet from happening.
But Coach Gary Schwartz swears the Relays will happen next year.
we're trying to come up with a format and site," Schwartz said. "But the bottom line is that we're going to have them."
Although Athletics Director Bob Frederick said the Relays would be at Memorial Stadium, the renovations leave it inadequate to sponsor a collegiate meet. Frederick regrets the loss of the Relays but said construction was necessary.
"It was an unavoidable circumstance," Fredrick said. "We had a 78-year-old stadium with no significant changes done to it. It needed to be upgraded."
but do the changes have to come at the expense of a track meet steeped in eight decades of tradition?
In today's athletic world, revenue comes first. Plans for the future might include lowering the field to include more seats, leaving Memorial Stadium without a track.
During the heyday of the Relays, they used to attract people in droves — 20,000 fans a year — with the climax coming during the 1972 season when 36,000 people came to watch ex-Jayhawk great Jim Ryun run.
"To generate more money, very few stadiums around the country are built with tracks. It used to be that every football field came with a track around it. It's going away from that," he said.
"Football has the best potential for making lots of money." Schwartz said.
Reconstruction continues at Memorial Stadium as Kansas sophomore hurdler Robert Newton practices. The much-needed renovation has prevented the University from holding the Kansas Relays. Photo by Ruben Noguera/KANSAN
See COACH on page 3B
Baseball team to meet displaced Wildcats in Wichita tonight
By Matt Tait
sports@kansan.com
Kanson sportswriter
Kansas State had planned to renovate its baseball stadium and have it ready for the start of this season.
However, slow work and unfavorable conditions have left the renovation of Frank Myers Field unfinished. As a result, the Wildcat baseball team has been unable to play any home games.
any home games. "It has been tough playing on the road," said Mike Clark, Kansas State baseball coach. "But before the season started, the players got some T-shirts printed that said 'Road Warriors' across the front, and they've made the most of the situation."
The Wildcats' relocated home games have been played in a number of locations. Tonight's "home game" against Kansas will be played in Wichita.
Difficult it has been, but not so difficult that the Wildcats couldn't compete. In fact, they are just a half game behind Okla-
"It'll be kind of strange to play in Wichita and be playing Kansas State," Kansas baseball coach Bobby Randall said. "But I know they've had a tough time finding places to play, and it's been diff-
to play, and it's been difficult."
noma in the race for the final Big 12 postseason tournament
berth.
Kasey Weishar leads the Wildcats' offense. Weishar is hitting 443 and has six homers, seven doubles and 24 RBI.
Transfer Derek Anderson and senior Jason Wells lead the Wildcat pitching staff. Anderson has won five games and lost six and has a 6.34 ERA. Wells has pitched two of
the Wildcats' best games this season, beating Texas and losing to Baylor.
Although Kansas State is not a nationally ranked powerhouse as are many of the teams the Jayhawks have faced, Randall said the game will have the intensity of a big-time college baseball game.
concept baseball game:
"It'll be an emotional game," Randall said. "It always is from the standpoint that it's a big rivalry. Yeah, our tournament hopes are gone, and we have to deal with the reality of that, but the reality also is that it's still fun to win games, and that's what we want to do."
tonight's game will be at 7 p.m. at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita. Ryan Schmidt will take the mound for the Jayhawks against Kansas State's Brandon Peck.
Kansas and K-State will meet again this weekend at Hostolund Ballpark for a three-game conference series.
—Edited by Allan Davis
Commentary
Player helps writer debunk right-arm-flex campus myths
A couple of weeks ago, I'm hanging out on the front lawn of Strong Hall where they had the basketball goal set up to promote the now green-lighted recreation center. I'm talking with some friends, and Ryan Robertson walks up.
If you're like me, you've got a serious college basketball Jones on right now. So here's a little random college basketball story for my people.
"Hi, Ryan, I'm Seth Jones, the sports columnist." I said.
I've never met Ryan, but he's been the target of several good-natured shots in my columns. So I figured the least I should do is shake his hand.
An angry look came across his face. He punched me in the stomach. I doubled over, and he kicked me. I was lying on the ground in pain, and he started shouting, "Right-arm-flex this, Jon see!"
All right, that really didn't happen. But apparently some people thought it might have.
Seth Jones
spots@kansan.com
So Robertson is a Seth Jones fan. I
The first thing Ryan tells me is: "Man, I love your columns. The right-arm-flex thing cracks me up," he said. "People think I hate your guts, but I don't."
mought that was kind of cool. We had a nice conversation about basketball and some of the things I've said.
I learned that there were several myths going around about Robertson's good play celebration, the clenched fist and flex with his right arm. Jayhawk fans saw the move often in Allen Fieldhouse after he would pick up a charge or after a defensive stop and shot-clock violation.
So we're going to clear the air here.
Myth 1: The right-arm-flex is a defensive play call. Not true. Keep in mind we're not talking about a fist in the air or an index finger in the air, which are calls that you see often from Robertson or Jeff Boschee. Robertson said that dumb Mizzou fans thought that he was telling fans that he thought he was No. 1 when he was really just calling a play. Maybe Robertson should have extended the middle finger one of those times on accident.
Myth 2: Robertson is looking to kick my butt because he hates my mats. Not true. Some of my readers, who take their appreciation of Robertson a little too far, have sent me hate mail because I, heaven forbid, actually poked fun at a fellow Jayhawk. Attention angry readers: basketball players have senses of humor, too.
Myth 3: The right-arm-flex is Robertson's tribute to Bruce Lee, who was able to defeat opponents simply by intimidating them with a flex. Not true. Actually Robertson got his special form of celebration from tennis great John McEnroe, just in case you were wondering.
At the end of our conversation, three older guys wearing suits walked out of Strong Hall and shook hands with Robertson. The last one congratulated him about the USBL Salina Cagerz contract he was about to sign. After he shook Robertson's hand, the old guy actually gave Robertson a right-arm-flex. So it is catching on.
As you probably know, Robertson will be hitting NBA camps after graduation and during the Cagerz season.
I'd like to wish Robertson the best of luck at those NBA camps. It would be great to see the former Jayhawk displaying the right-arm-flex at the next level.
Jones is an Mulvane junior in magazine journalism.
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