Friday, April 23, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 5
Commentary
HAWK Club provides incentives to true fans
Anyone who has been reading my columns this semester should know by now that I love KU sports — all Kansas sports.
During the basketball season, pretty much all I wrote about was Kansas men's basketball because that's basically all anyone wants to hear about. Since basketball has ended, though, I have tried to talk about other KU sports and have tried to generate support for those other teams.
I have received a lot of friendly responses to my articles, which have asked students to support the football, baseball and softball teams. One response came in the form of a handwritten thank you from Terry Allen.
Brandon Jones
sports@kansas.com
I also received a
I pass a call from Michael Henry, the founder of the new HAWK Club (Helping Athletics Win at Kansas).
The HAWK Club is a great idea that is overdue. It is a group for true Kansas sports fans who support teams other than the men's basketball team. For a donation of $15, anybody can become a member of the group, which will be in full swing next year.
The benefits of membership are great for the Kansas sports fan. You get a really cool T-shirt (pictured in Tuesday's Kansan) and a membership card, and the best part is that you get to sit in the best student seats at the home football games, which will be reserved only for members of the group. The group also is going to give students a chance to speak with the coaches of various teams, and they will be having tailgate parties before games.
This group is going to be great, and I would highly encourage every student who reads this column to join. Kansas State has had this type of a group for quite some time, called I-CAT, and it has been a real success there. It is time for the students of Kansas to start
showing some real support for the sports other than basketball, and this group is a great start.
Tomorrow is the football team's spring game, which will start at 1 p.m. Club representatives are going to be there supporting the team and promoting their new organization. They will have free hot dogs and will be passing out fliers about the new organization. The representatives will be there to talk to anyone interested in the group who may have some questions about it.
If you are already interested enough and want to join, you may do so at the Kansas ticket office in Allen Fieldhouse. Show your Kansas spirit, join this group and help support Kansas sports. College sports are a big part of the college experience, so take the opportunity to get involved and be a fan.
The spring game will be the last chance to watch the football team until August. It is supposed to be nice out tomorrow, so go down to Memorial Stadium, eat some free dogs, work on your tan and watch the team scrimmage. It should be a lot of fun.
In other news around the sports world, why in the world did the Indianapolis Colts take Edgerrin James over Ricky Williams?
I said when I started writing my column that I wouldn't be writing about professional sports, but I had to say something about this. Besides, Ricky Williams played in the Big 12 Conference, so this is still college-related.
Ricky Williams is one of the best college running backs of all-time, whereas James had two good games to end his career. Even if James goes on to be great, I still think that this pick was the stupidest pick I ever have seen. Williams is going to be a stud. The Colts could have had Peyton Manning and Ricky Williams (the next John Elway and Terrell Davis), but I guess it is easy to see why the Colts always stink.
Jones is a Lyndon second-year law student.
Team's success credited to new attitude, coach
Women's soccer nears perfect season
By Chris Wristen
cwristen@ukans.edu
Kansas sportswriter
The Kansas women's soccer team is on the verge of doing what many deemed impossible for the young squad.
The Jayhawks stand two games away from an undefeated spring season. This comes just six months after the team went 5-13-1.
It may have taken a new coach and a new attitude.
but the changes are now paying off.
"Things have been going great," said junior midfielder Cynthia Dahle. "I think a lot of it has been a different mentality. Our attitude has changed, and we are working a lot harder."
The thought of an undefeated spring has given the team a new goal to shoot for.
"It'd be awesome," Dahle said. "We'd win more games in the spring than we did all last fall. It'd just be a nice note to end on."
The team stands at 4-0-1 or it heats into the final weekend of the season. Coach Mark Francis said he
believed two more victories would be the ideal way to finish off his first season at KU.
"That would be nice to do."
Francis said. "I talked to the
it, and I think it would be a good way to finish off the spring heading
towards the fall."
To stay undefeated, the team will have to win tomorrow at Creighton and then return home to beat Southwest Missouri State on Sunday at SuperTarget Field. Creighton is a traditional
power from the Missouri Valley Conference. Southwest Missouri State struggled in the fall, finishing 4-14-1. Despite that deceiving record, the Jayhawks know they will have to be ready to play.
"We just need to keep playing like we have been and keep working together," Dahle said.
"They've come a long way," he said. "One of the biggest things is they have a lot of confidence now."
Francis has been pleased with his players' improvements over the past few months.
- Edited by Karen Lucas
Pippen arrested on suspicion of driving drunk
Rockets star denies he was intoxicated
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — Scottie Pippen's struggles as a Houston Rockets player spilled off the court yesterday when he was arrested in the wee hours on suspicion of drunk driving.
spot in the playoffs and snapping an 11-game losing streak to the Rockets.
Teammates supported Pippen during a brief practice before jetting to Los Angeles for a game with the Clippers today. Pippen didn't attend the workout, but coach Rudy Tomjanovich said he would accompany the team.
I'm hoping it won't be a distraction," Tomjanovich said. "We are trying not to make any assumptions. It would be unfair to comment when nothing has been established. I'm sort of used to unexpected things happening. You just try not to lose your composure."
Pippen had four points and three rebounds and was repeatedly beaten defensively in one of his w o r s t games as a Rocket.
Houston, the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoff, was upset by the Dallas Mavericks 109-95 Wednesday night, keeping the Rockets from clinching a
"Scottie is my teammate, and I'm behind him 100 percent." Charles Barkley said. "This is not
Pippeen: Has struggled since being traded to Houston.
Armageddon. It happened.
Scottie Pipen probably wasn't the only person stopped last night.
"Scottie Pippen is a role model. If all the kids grew up to be like Scottie, the world would be a better place."
Barkley planned to offer serious support to his teammate but also said Pippen wouldn't get off lightly with the team.
"I'm going to get on the
plane and take the PA and say, 'Attention Mr. Pippen, last call for alcohol,'" Barkley joked.
The officer who stopped Pippen around 1:30 a.m. said the Rockets star ran a red light. A member of the department's DWI task force was called after suspecting Pippen was intoxicated, said police spokesman Fred King.
Pippen, 33, did poorly on the field sobriety test and was taken into custody, where he was videotaped and given the opportunity to take a Breathalyzer test, King said.
After he refused the Breathalyzer, Pippen was booked on suspicion of DWI and released on $500 bond just before 7 a.m. His arraignment is set for Thursday before Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Sherman Ross.
Pippeh has not formally hired a lawyer, but Houston lawyer Rusty Hardin said he was set to meet with Pippeh next week after both men returned from road trips. The Rockets go on to play at Phoenix on Sunday.
"He adamantly denies he was intoxicated," said Hardin, who spoke with Pippen after the arrest.
Pippen has struggled to fit into the Rockets' alignment after earning seven NBA All-Star appearances and helping the Chicago Bulls win six NBA championships. He broke out with a season-high 31 points on April 15 against Portland and had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over Seattle on Monday night.
In January, Pippen was traded from the Bulls, with whom he had spent his 11-year pro career, and signed a five-year, $67.2 million contract with the Rockets.
Pippen, who has been slowed by back and hand injuries but hasn't missed a game, is averaging 14 points and six rebounds, both below his career averages. His six assists per game is slightly better.
"It's been my experience that a lot of times, something negative off the court brings you together and makes you stronger on the court," teammate Matt Bullard said.
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