Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Kansas men's basketball forward Kenny Gregory flies high on today's basketball poster.
Wednesday
February 10, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Women's Tennis
SEE PAGES 3-6B
Kansas Women's tennis player Kris Sell competed in the Rolex Indoor Championship and defeated two nationally ranked players.
Wichita State University
College Basketball
SEE PAGE 7B
KANSAS TENNIS
The Wichita State men's basketball coach has been reprimanded by the university for berating players and violating practice rules.
SEE PAGE 8B
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Bret Kappelmann, Kansas outfielder, holds a modified aluminum bat. The dimensions of the aluminum bat were changed after an NCAA committee proposed that colleges use wooden bats. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
NCAA alters bat sizes
Baseball team would prefer wood instead
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
While several members of the selected committee proposed in this past off season that the college game change to the wood bats used in the professional game, the committee instead chose to modify the dimensions of the aluminum bat.
The amount of line drive-related injuries in baseball leagues throughout the world has increased during the past few years, prompting the NCAA to change the regulations regarding aluminum bats.
The decision has received mixed reactions throughout the sports world, but members of this and last year's Kansas baseball team generally favor a switch to wood bats.
"Since the major leagues use wood bats and this is the level right below, I think the NCAA should switch to wood," senior pitcher Chris Williams said. "I think it would help everybody out as far as adjusting to the next level."
Josh Dimmick, Kansas' catcher from a season ago and current minor league ballplayer with the Houston Astros organization, agreed that the transition would have been smoother had he used wood in college.
"I think it's a tough adjustment because once you break a couple of bats, you start changing your swing," Dimmck said. "If everybody would've been on the same level and used wood, I think it would have helped that transition a lot."
The changes that will take place this season relate to bat length and weight. Bo Carter, Service Bureau Director for the Big 12, said the aluminum bats used this season could have no more than a "minus three differential."
"That is to say if the bat is 36 inches long, it cannot weigh more than 33 ounces." Carter said.
Along with regulating the weight and length, the diameter also has been tweaked. Bats used last season were 2/3 4 inches around the barrel, while this year's number has been brought down to 2 5/8 inches, a minimal difference that some say may not even matter.
"Regardless, when the ball comes off hard, it comes from the middle of the bat, so no matter how small the barrel is, if it comes off the middle, it will still be hard," sophomore pitcher Brian Schriner said.
Williams said he and other pitchers had been hit many times. The changes were made to decrease the risk that players take every time they step on the field, without sacrificing the offensive explosiveness that the aluminum bats provide.
Baseball America, a college baseball publication, reported that pitchers' earned run averages and hitters' batting averages fell when wood bats were used in the summer leagues.
"The offense is what makes the game so exciting and so different from the major leagues," junior catcher Shane Wedd said. "If we used wood, the stats and scores would go down."
The NCAA Executive Committee, however thinks the changes will make a difference for the better.
"Adoption of the two physical standards will retard the performance of certain nonwood bats in use last season," NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey said. "So we are moving in the correct direction, and we're doing it sooner rather than later. That is significant."
Men's tennis team prepares for future matches
Kansan sportswriter
By Melinda Weaver
meetings.
The Kansas men's tennis team returns to the court tonight after an 18-day layoff to compete against in-state rival Wichita State.
The Jayhawks are coming off their first tournament win since the Big 8 tournament in 1996. They defeated Western Michigan and Minnesota to capture the Ice Volleys on Jan. 23 in Minnesota.
Tonight, the team will continue a 28-year-old rivalry. Kansas and Wichita State have met 22 times in the last 28 years but not since 1996. The Jayhawks hold a 20-8 record against the Shockers, winning the last 12
Wichita State returns five letter winners from last year's Missouri Valley Championship team that finished with a record of 17-7.
Kansas coach Mark Riley said he knew little about the team but knew better than to overlook them.
"They are a young team, but they have won the Missouri Valley Conference a couple years in a row," Riley said. "They have a lot of tradition in their program."
Senior Luis Uribe and sophomore Ed Dus earned extra competition experience during the weekend by participating in the Rolex Intercollegiate Indoors tournament.
Although Uribe lost his two singles
matches, the pair defeated the seventh ranked team from Southern Methodist and the top-ranked team from UNLV before losing to third-ranked Illinois in the semifinals.
"Our doubles team gained a lot of confidence," Uribe said. "Playing in matches is the best way to practice because you have more experience under pressure."
Senior Kenny Powell said that Dus and Uribe's success helped keep the team focused during their long break.
"Ed and Luis played incredible in Dallas," Powell said. "The team was feeding off the fact they've played so well to motivate us to work harder back here so that we can come out and dominate Wichita State, hopefully."
After facing Wichita State, the team will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a Friday match against Ohio State.
Kansas has faced Ohio State one time, a 5-2 Kansas victory last season. The Buckeyes return eight of 10 letter winners from last year's team that only could muster a 4-21 record.
"I think we will be ready because we won the Ice Volleys in Minnesota by winning two matches back-to-back," Powell said.
Powell said he felt confident that the team was prepared to play well in the two matches scheduled so close together.
The team's last home match, played without Uribe, resulted in a 2-loss to Louisville.
Jayhawks to target Cornhuskers
Basketball team aims to avenge Nebraska, take four wins in a row
Four wins in a row and a chance to reclaim the Big 12 lead would be a nice way for the Kansas men's basketball team to recover from back-to-back losses and a suspension from The Associated Press Top 25.
By Marc Sheforgen associate sports editor
In fact, four consecutive victories would match a season high for the Jayhawks (16-6, 8-2), who haven't accomplished the feat since early January. A fourth straight win also would move Coach Roy Williams to within one victory of reaching 300.
The Cornhuskers, who face Kansas at 8:05 tonight at Allen Fieldhouse, handed Kansas its second consecutive loss for the first time since 1994, with an 84-69 win Jan. 27. It was also the Jayhawks' last loss since winning three in a row.
But the Nebraska Cornhuskers don't care about Kansas milestones or the fading loyalty of some KU fans, and they are very capable party crashers.
Kansas forward T.J. Pugh said the loss in Lincoln was embarrassing, and Williams said his team had not performed like a typical Kansas team in the game's second half.
Kansas center Eric Chenowith had nearly identical numbers — 20 points and 12 rebounds — in the game in Lincoln but has not been quite as productive since. Chenowith has had foul trouble in the last three games, averaging 26 minutes of playing time. He played 32 minutes in Lincoln, and Williams likely will need that much out of his starting center tonight.
Kansas may need more than poise to stop Nebraska's Venson Hamilton. The 'Husker center is a likely First-Team All-Big 12 selection who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win against Kansas.
"We did lose our poise down the stretch," Williams said. "You can count on one hand the number of times that's happened here in the last 11 years."
The Jayhawks have more depth in terms of big men than Nebraska, but
"He just outran us," Pugh said. "We can't let him do that. He's going to get his shot and get his points, and he's a great rebounder, but you've got to try to limit what he does and try to make it tough for him."
"He does need to play well because Venson Hamilton is a huge part of their team, and Eric's size and ability can negate some of the things that Venson can do." Williams said.
Pugh said Hamilton consistently beat him and the other Kansas big men down the court in Lincoln and scored too many easy transition baskets.
how far will that depth extend?
Senior guard Ryan Robertson, who also is banged-up, jammed his right wrist in the Colorado game. Williams said yesterday that Robertson would not practice full-time but that he would play tonight.
Yesterday before practice, Williams said he had not decided whether Lester Earl, who is nursing an ankle injury, would play against Nebraska. The 6-foot-8 junior did not play Sunday against Colorado or in the Feb. 1 game against Kansas State.
Big 12 Conference leader Texas (14-9, 9-1) plays Oklahoma (16-7, 7-3) tonight. The Jayhawks are one game behind Texas in the standings, and with a Kansas win and a Texas loss, the Jayhawks could take the conference lead. Kansas beat Texas Jan. 18, and therefore, would win a head-to-head tie at the end of the conference season.
But Williams is not looking that far ahead. He's thinking about Nebraska and trying to win four in a row.
"It we don't play well, they win," Williams said. "That's as simple as it gets. If we do play well, we may not win. But if we don't play well, we have no chance of winning."
Sophomore mentor Eric Chenwith puts a shot up over Nebraska's Venson Hamilton as fellow Cornhusker Cookie Belcher waits for a rebound. Kansas will face Nebraska in a rematch at 8:05 tonight at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Mate Daugherty/KANSAN
Commentary
Laser pointers monopolize sports gossip
It's only, what, the third week of the semester, and my mind already is swirling with too much sports gossip to focus on one issue.
Sampson asked the crowd to let the players decide the outcome of the game and to keep the distracting laser pointers turned off. He said if someone saw a person using a laser pointer, they should tell security so that the person could be thrown out of the gymnasium.
This is the second time I've seen a game with a Big 12 team interrupted by some bozo with a laser pointer — the first was Kansas vs. De Paul.
If you were watching the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State game on Saturday, a nationally televised game on ESPN, you saw Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson stop the game to address the crowd about laser pointers.
I think there are two types of people who own laser pointers: the highly intelligent and the utterly moronic.
The first kind of laser-pointer user, the intelligent one, is a professor at a large university of mayau CEO of some high-dollar business. He or she uses a laser pointer when making presentations on some scholarly subject.
Seth Jones sports@kansan.com
walls while sitting alone in the dark.
The other kind of laser pointer user, the moron, is the person who is so mindless that he or she is amused by shining a little red dot on someone's forehead or by making the little red dot dance across apartment
Thinking that others share their amusement in the little red light, they take the laser pointer out to the local sporting event and put the little red dot on the backs of people's heads, on the players, and maybe even tempt fate by putting a dot on the security guy.
The problem with laser pointers might be solved if retailers who sold them made their customers take an I.Q. test before they were allowed to purchase one.
I really hope so. The laser pointer joke was funny for two seconds. And that was a year ago.
Until then, can we trust people to be not only intelligent enough but also considerate of others and to leave their laser pointers at home?
I think it's time for Marlon London to become a starter. There, I said it. Why? If Kenny Gregory is going to be benched to make him our new sixth man, why put in T.J. Pugh, a role player who helps but who is already at the peak of his production level and in his senior year? With another very talented freshman in the starting line up, we're working on being a better team in the future.
It would be a smaller lineup, I know. But when London is a senior and the team three years down the road is thinking about a Final Four appearance, this player would be better prepared.
I'm only asking, but do you think after Ryan Robertson makes a great play, he could do something besides the right-arm flex? By no means am I saying I want to see him raising the roof, but if you watch, Robertson does the right-arm flex roughly 4.5 times a game, leading all of college basketball in that statistic.
Maybe Robertson could do a little cha-cha, or high-step, or grimace at the camera. Just anything to switch it up a little.
I got a lot of nice reader feedback from my last column, in which I was critical of Maurice Evans of Wichita State University and the city of Wichita as a place to live in general.
The main problem people had was how could someone from Mulvane criticize the social scene of Wichita?
Well, first of all, I never said that Mulvane was better than Wichita. But if it makes my readers feel better, Mulvane is indeed much worse than Wichita. Residents of Mulvane consider a six-pack of beer and a laser pointer in a dark room a party. Of course, Wichita is about 60 times the size of Mulvane, but as they say, it's not the size — of a town — that matters.
And yes, I did take a simple cheap shot at Kansas State students as well as Wichita residents. Please forgive me for not being the least bit sorry.
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Jones is a Mulvane junior in journalism.