Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Major League Baseball is back after 1998'b's season for the ages. Find coverage of yesterday's opening day games.
College Basketball
SEE PAGE 3B
Duke assistant basketball coach Quin Snyder was impressed with Missouri's program.
Tuesday
April 6,1999
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 4B
Kansas Golf
The Kansas men's golf team finished fifth at the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational last weekend.
SEE PAGE 2B
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Team prepares for Notre Dame
By Michael T. Rigg
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
With 11 spring practices to go and almost a month of drills before their season starts in the fall, members of the Kansas football team are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel to get them through the monotony of everyday workouts.
This season, that light is the glow of a Golden Dome.
Spring workouts have received a lift this year from excitement about plans for Notre Dame (home of the Golden Dome) to open the Jayhawk schedule on Aug. 28.
It's just more motivation for us to work harder and stay here over the whole summer and keep getting better and better every day," running back David Winbush said. "That's what I came here for, a big game like that. A
dynasty like Notre Dame, it's the name right there that speaks for itself."
The game has high stakes. Kansas will receive at least $600,000 for playing, but the addition of the game against the Irish means the Jayhawks will need seven victories to be eligible for a bowl game.
Also, a lopsided loss to the Irish could set a bad tone for the entire season. In Kansas' last preseason game in 1993, the Jayhawks were clobbered by Florida State 42-0 and stumbled to a disappointing 5-7 mark.
"Obviously that could happen," coach Terry Allen said. "But we'll roll the dice. The timing is just too good of a situation."
Allen said he consulted others in the program before making the tough decision to play the game.
"Personally, I think the game is a great opportunity for us," Allen said. "When I was contacted about the Notre
Dame game, I went to two groups. I went to our seniors, and I went to the rest of the coaching staff and looked for a show of hands as far as the guys who wanted to play the game.
He said that even though the team
members knew that playing Notre Dame could jeopardize their chance of playing in a bowl game, everyone
raised their hands and wanted to play.
raised their hands and wanted to play. Quarterback Zac Wegner was one of the players that Allen sought for advice.
"I thought, Notre Dame, that's something you tell your kids about 20 years down the road," Wegner said. "The opportunity to go up there and play the
first college game of the year at Notre Dame — how fun is that?"
The matchup also will give the Jayhawks another week of two-a-day practices in the fall.
"We were very limited before the
addition of the game because our school starts so early," Allen said.
With all the attention and motivation the game has generated, Allen is keeping the door open for more games like Notre Dame to appear on the Kansas schedule in the future.
Kansas gets unexpected day off practice
Edited by Kelli Raybern
By Michael T. Rigg sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The combination of 40 mph wind gusts and an early afternoon tornado watch was enough to keep the Kansas football team off the practice fields yesterday.
tomorrow, the Jayhawks will begin a series of three practices in as many days.
Instead of the usual outdoor drills, coach Terry Allen and the rest of the Jayhawks took shelter indoors for a series of meetings. The unplanned day off the field meant an extra day of fun for the team after the Easter weekend.
Kansas was originally scheduled to have today off.
The unplanned break translated into a tedious practice schedule. Beginning
"We're enjoying our day off." Allen said.
Former defensive lineman
Ben Coleman
continues to struggle in workouts despite his unlimited potential, offensive line coach W a l t Klinker
said yesterday. Coleman is practicing to play in an offensive lineman position.
"He needs to com
"He needs to completely change his thought process," Klinker said. "He's struggling because he doesn't know what to do."
Klinker said that there was no way Coleman could work his way into the starting lineup in time for the spring game on April 24.
Punter Joey Pelifano, the 6-foot-1-inch, 205 pound
punter, continues to work out without the competition from incumbent starter Matt Tyler.
Tyler, who averaged 37.1 yards per punt last season, had surgery after the season to repair a torn ACL and won't be able to participate in spring drills. Pelfanio is a newcomer to the team after transferring from junior college and will challenge Tyler for the top spot in the fall.
Redshirt freshman Curt Freyhofer is also working out with the team.
Photo by Graham K. Johnson
Being coach of the Kansas football team means multiple duties for Allen, as he tries to fit speaking engagements into his already overloaded schedule.
On top of speaking at many alumni and service club functions, Allen frequently travels to the residence halls to have question-and-answer sessions with KU students. He will talk with residents at 7 p.m. tomorrow on the fourth floor of Templin Hall.
"Even though I enjoy speaking at the other functions, I really enjoy speaking to the
students." Allen said.
Allen said he had multiple reasons for choosing to fill his schedule with residence hall commitments, including the publicity that the talks generate for the team.
"It really promotes our program in such a positive manner." Allen said.
Allen has a tough job promoting the team, which hasn't had a winning season since 1995, but the lack of a winning record hasn't hampered enthusiasm for Allen's events.
"If you're not excited about Kansas football, then you're never going to care when you're an alum," said Ashford Galbreath, Templin resident and Troy, Mich., freshman. "It gives us a personal tie to Kansas football."
Chris Hund, resident assistant and Topeka senior, was in charge of organizing the event.
"It was great of him to come up here and speak," Hund said. "He's very supportive and comical."
Edited by Melody Ard
KU women's soccer enjoys new goalkeeper coach
Chris Wristen
Kansas goalie Betsy Pollard dives for the ball during a fall season game. Pollard and the other goalties have received advice from Kansas goalie coach Kelly Miller, who has volunteered his time since the beginning of spring practice. File photo
Chris Wristen
cwristen@ukans.edu
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's soccer team found the best buy available in its search for a goalie coach.
Kelly Miller joined the Kansas staff in mid-February as a volunteer coach.
"I just love the sport," Miller said. "Coaching wise, I have done quite a bit of instructional, not all the time, but I enjoy instructing quite a bit."
Francis said he also had been pleased with Miller's efforts and influence in practice.
Coach Mark Francis said he was very pleased to welcome Miller to his staff.
"He's very positive," Francis said. "With the goalie position you're going to give up goals, so he's always reinforcing them and encouraging the girls. Hopefully his enthusiasm will rub off on them."
"I found Kelly through coach (Ellen) Obleman. We had a few people come out and work with the goalies. He did an absolutely great job relating information to the keepers." Francis said.
Francis' area of speciality is on play in the field, so he said he was thankful for Miller's services for that reason as well.
"It's such a specialized position, so he's going to be aware of the things that need to be done, specifically for the keepers, and relate to me," Franco
said.
Miller, a Lawrence native, has played soccer since age 6 and is active as a player on a local club team. This playing experience helps Miller relate with his players.
"The coaches who have been here before have fortunately been really great so they've had an extremely solid
foundation to work with," Miller said. "We've had some similar experiences, so working with them I've hopefully been able to fine tune a little bit of their game."
This fine tuning has involved much technique work as well as individual sessions with each goalie. Miller also plans to add a fitness mode to the training this summer.
"I think he's real committed. He makes us work hard. He does a real good job — especially for not being paid," said Katie Garrity, sophomore goalie. "He takes a lot of extra time off work too. He's a real good coach."
When not on the field coaching,
Miller spends a majority of his time
ager of Oxbow Bronze Art Foundry. His work there involves building, renovating and metal working.
His heart lies in
the goalie box
though, where he
has been pleased
with the job done by
players to this point.
"I think their effort
has been great.
Technique-wise
Miller: Joined the team in February as a volunteer coach.
they're getting hard better and much more comfortable. I've been really pleased with these keepers so far." Miller said.
He has a positive outlook for the fall as well and believes his goalkeepers are going to be prepared for any shots that might come their way.
"We're going to have a game winning keeper," Miller said. "Sometimes in the fall we'll have someone back in the goal who is going to be making a difference."
Commentary
Direct e-mail to professor could speed Duncan's exit
To all of you who continue to send me hate mail: Stop it.
I will not graduate unless I get at least a C in my anthropology class. And let me just say that the first test did not go so well.
What you need to do is spend your time more productively. So I have a suggestion.
It isn't that I don't enjoy a good, hearty laugh, but in six weeks, I will graduate, and you will get your wish: I will be gone forever.
did not go so well. So
Spencer Duncan
sports @ kansan.com
I am studying extremely hard for Friday's exam and expect it to go well, but I don't want to take any chances.
Instead of sending me nasty letters, write to my anthropology teacher and tell him how important it is that I get that C so that I can walk down the Hill and be gone.
Otherwise, I will be back next semester.
My professor can be e-mailed at mielke@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu and be nicer to him than you are to me. He's a good guy.
In the meantime, let me provide some of the comments that I have received from some readers who don't always enjoy my commentary. I have left off the names of the senders because some don't tell me who they are, and I don't want to expose the others. I don't think I could handle the nasty letters.
E-Mail: "Are you out to get Lester Earl or what? I have never seen you write anything nice about him. Why did you even come to KU if all you are going to do is bash our basketball players?"
My Response: I came to the University of Kansas because they had open admission policies.
E-mail: "Is your brain in your a#s?"
Response; Um... I hope not.
E-mail: "There comes a time when people just get fed up with writers in the UDK, and I am officially fed up with you. You need to graduate and get on with your life so that we don't have to pick the Kansan up every day, wondering if we are going to have to read your crap one more time."
Response: So, you admit it! You read me.
Phone call: "Spencer, I think you are wrong."
Response: Sorry Mom.
E-mail: "You suc."
Response: Maybe, but at least I can spell."
Phone call: "Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading your writing. It takes courage to tell the truth."
E-mail: "You blow."
Response: Not according to the guy who said I suc'ed.
Phone call: "If you look up moron in the dictionary, there is a picture of you."
Response: Since you like using the dictionary so much, look up this: You're a mooncalf.
Trust me, it isn't like
E-mail: "Do you look as funny in
that?"
Trust me, it isn't nice.
E-mail: "Do you look as funny in real life as you do in your mug shot?"
Response: No. I am a riot in real life.
If you want to continue sending me this type of feedback, go ahead. But be careful. Next time, I might print your names.
Duncan is a Topeka senior in journalism and English.