Friday, April 9, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Jayhawks will challenge Baylor, Red Raiders in Texas road outings
By Brandon Stinnett sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas softball team will be trying to snap a seven-game losing streak this weekend in four conference games against Baylor and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks will face Baylor (21-13, 2-0) Saturday in a doubleheader in Waco, Texas and then travel to Lubbock on Sunday for two games against Texas Tech (25-22, 0-2). Kansas faced both teams earlier in the season. They lost to Baylor 6-5 in 10 innings and beat Texas Tech 1-0 in nine.
"It should be some good competition for us this weekend," said Tracy Bunge, Kansas coach. "I don't think any of the three teams are head and shoulders above the rest."
Kansas has headed downhill (14-20, 0-3) since
winning the Metrodome Classic on Feb. 14. The Jayhawks claimed a 2-0 victory against Missouri in the championship game of the tournament. It was their second victory in as many games versus the Tigers in the tournament.
Things are different for the Jayhawks now. They've dropped eight of their last 10 and are ranked last in the Big 12 in offense with a .229 batting average. They committed six errors in a 5-0 loss to Missouri on April 3.
"Frustrating" is the word Bunge used to describe the Jayhawks' season thus far.
"We're a young team," she said. "Some of this is to be expected, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. Obviously we're kind of stuck in this valley."
Bunge said she didn't know the cause of the team'sstruggles.
it's tough because players are coming up to me and asking why they're not winning the close games," she said. "I don't know what to say. We just haven't been getting any breaks."
Bunge said she suspected a lack of confidence might have something to do with it, though.
"We've struggled, and we haven't handled it very well because we're young," she said.
Junior pitcher Sarah Workman isn't sure why the Jayhawks have been unable to put it all together.
"One game we hit well and play bad defense. The next game we play good defense and hit bad," Workman said. "Obviously, our confidence is low."
Even with the team's recent struggles, Workman said she was confident the team wasn't ready to give up.
"We wouldn't be here if we were quitters," Workman said. "We wouldn't be here in a college softball program."
— Edited by Nathan Willis
Commentary
Saga of columnist's hat finally told
As my career as a Kansan columnist draws to a close, I have made a decision: The time finally has come.
Time to answer the big question.
Time to set the facts straight about the one thing that has aggravated, incensed, confused and confounded every one from my
Harley
Rattliff
sports @ kansan.com
readers, to my editors, to my professors alike.
Time to share the story of the one thing that you'll find in everyone of my columns — the infamous hat.
The dirty, nasty, ragged, scuffed-up, weather-worn, beato-hell Texas A&M hat that has adorned my head in every mugshot for the past two years.
The hat that my girlfriend hates. The hat that my Mom hates. The hat that you hate.
So this column won't be about sports, but I have a feeling that
the people want to know. They need to know. They need to know why I, a kid who attends the University of Kansas and who openly roots for the Oklahoma Sooners, wears an Aggie ballcap. Because for some reason, it seems to have as much of an effect on people as what I write or who I am.
When I receive hate mail (and
I have received plenty), the readers never forget to curse
the hat. They hate it. They
despise it. They verbally spit on it—through e-mail.
why do you wear that terrible, dirty hat????" (We'll get to that.)
"Don't you know you go to KU21Z?" (Yes.)
"Why don't you go back to College Station?!!!!!" (Been there once, it's terrible.)
"This is a Kansas paper, you can't wear a Texas A&M hat!!!" (looks like I did.)
But it's not just the haters.
It's everybody.
One of my editors, in a fit of childish rage, once declared that the hat stood in contrast to everything he believed a newspaper should be (whatever that is). He desperately tried to have it removed.
But the hat won. It always does.
One day, one of my favorite and most respected professors quietly pulled me aside. He wanted to talk about the hat.
"Harley," he said, in a polite tone. "That hat is very unprofessional."
I thought about it for awhile, and I decided he was right. It is unprofessional. People might get the wrong idea; they might think I was biased.
Then I looked at my paycheck (I do this for free, kids).
The hat won. It always does.
When I go out on the weekends, if I am wearing the hat, it is guaranteed to draw a response. The friendly workers at Papa Keno's. A bouncer at Quinton's. A bartender at Louise's. A cute girl at the Jazzhaus.
It is always the same. First they look at me, then, they look at the hat and start to get a funny look in the eye.
I know what is about to come.
I wait.
"Hey, aren't you...aren't you the,
the you know, the guy..."
I just smile.
"I would recognize that nasty hat anywhere."
It's a great ice-breaker.
It's a great ice-breaker.
So now we back at the beginning. Why? Why Texas A&M?
I'm going to give up the goods, but I'm afraid that there is no conspicuaries, no secret motives, no juicy reasons. Nothing even that interesting. So, Why?
The summer before I came to Kansas, I was visiting my father in Dallas. I decided I needed one of those generic, white, "frat boy" hats if I was ever going to fit in at college. I don't even remember why I picked Texas A&M. I imagine it was because it seemed to fit real well. I mean, I hate the Aggies.
As for the mugshot? Same story. My hair probably was messed up the day the Kansan photographers took my picture — so I threw on my trusty ballcap. It's a natural reaction for most guys. See camera, put on hat.
So there it is. Pretty antici-matic.
Just remember: The hat wins.
Always does.
Ratliff is an Norman, Okla., senior in journalism.
Coach stresses importance of competition, winning
Track teams to travel to Wichita meet
By Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
The men and women's track teams travel to Wichita State tomorrow to compete in the Wichita State-Missouri-Kansas City-Kansas triangular.
It is one of four scored meets, including nationals and conference championships, the Jayhawks will compete in this season. Small, intense meets like this allow the team to get back to what head coach Gary Schwartz calls the essence of track: competition and winning.
"Sometimes athletes get too caught up in the performance and lose sight of competition," Schwartz said. "You've got to be careful and not overdo things in a meet like this.
We try to sharpen some skills, but in a scored meet, you always want to win it."
Last year, the Jayhawks won the men's title, while the women finished second to K-State.
Kansas will have some athletes compete in several events, and the team is wary of fatigue, especially with two of the most important meets of the season coming up: The Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., and the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
Without a heptathlon event at the triangular, senior Candy Mason will split duties between the javelin, pole vault and long jump.
"Some athletes, like Candy, probably won't take all of their tries so that they don't tire as quickly," Schwartz said.
In field events, such as long jump or shot put, athletes have six tries in a particular event to establish their best mark. Other events, such as the high jump and the pole vault, allow athletes six tries at each height.
pete in the shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw, while sophomore Andrea Branson will compete in the pole vault, long jump and trinkle jump.
Sonhomore thrower Scott Russell will com-
Kevin McGinn, Carlisle, Penn., senior, said the primary objective was to win.
"For me, I just hope it's good weather and no wind — which is pretty rare in Wichita," McGinn said.
Schwartz agrees with his runner.
"The emphasis is on beating someone," he said. "In this meet, we just try to make it fun and win the thing."
- Edited by Aerica Veazey
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