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Volume 126 Issue 104
kansan.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
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COMMENTARY MLB stadiums losing fans
According to baseball-reference.com, the stadium attendance throughout the MLB increased from 2013 to 2014 with an average 76,234 more people attending the opening series than the previous season, but the major stadiums such as Yankee Stadium, Great American Ball Park and Comerica Park drew a reduced
Even though they didn't make the playoffs in 2013, the New York Yankees were baseball's most valuable team in 2014 with the current value of $2.85 billion. Yankee Stadium had 1,372 less people attend this season's home debut against the Baltimore Orioles than in 2013. This shouldn't come by surprise to Yankee fans because, last season, Yankee Stadium had an average attendance of 40,489 fans, which was only 80 percent full.
Teams that advanced into the playoffs witnessed smaller crowds than the previous year, as well.
The Cincinnati Reds, who lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2013 National League wild card playoff game, remain the only team to always open the season with a home game.
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For decades, Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati threw the first pitch because Cincinnati was home of baseball's first professional team, and the city of Cincinnati designated the opening day of the baseball season a "city holiday"
If the whole city of Cincinnati was focused on the Reds during opening day, why was the attendance down during the opening week? In the opening three-game series against the 2013 National League Champions St. Louis Cardinals, Great American Ball Park was 75 percent full. On average, the Reds-Cardinals opening series had 2,013-less fans per game attend the games compared to the 2013 opening series.
The 2013 American League Series runner-up Detroit Tigers encountered a decrease in attendance during opening week. The opening series against the Kansas City Royals drew an average crowd of 32,380 people, which were 4,808 less people per game from the opening series in 2013.
In 2013, Comerica Park was ranked fourth in attendance with an average crowd of 38,066, which was 94 percent of full capacity.
The opening series just isn't as important anymore as in year's past. Even though more people are going to season-openers in 2014 than 2013, 10 out of the 26 teams that have played a home game this season, have shown a decline in attendance. The team with the greatest differential in opening week attendance was the Texas Rangers. The Globe Life Park in Arling-
SEE BBALL PAGE 10
BASEBALL
VALERIE RIURKE/THE DAILY IOWAN
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Rappaport prepares to throw a pitch off the mound. The Jayhawks lost to the Hawkeyes 3-5 in the opening game of the series.
Kansas loses early lead, falls to Iowa
BEN FELDERSTEIN sports@kansan.com
Coach Ritch Price circled his team up in the outfield after the game. It could not be determined what he was saying exactly, but the echoes of his voice could be heard throughout Iowa's Duane Banks Field.
The Jayhawks were able to get out on top early against the Hawkeyes. Freshman catcher Michael Tinsley provided most of the offense for
Price declined to comment after the game.
Kansas lost the opening game of its mid-week series to the Iowa Hawkeyes yesterday by a score of 3-5.
Tinsley and sophomore designated hitter Jacob Boylan each had RBIs in the third inning to give Kansas a 2-0 advantage. The Jayhawks were getting opportunities early, as they left nine runners on base through the first five innings of the game.
Their opportunities dwindled as the game continued, as the Jayhawks managed to leave only two more runners on base in the finals four innings of the contest.
Freshman John Hander got the start for Kansas because of the recent injuries and over-usage of the pitching staff. Hander entered the game with a 3.24 ERA in four
Hander was dealing early in the game, as he was able to shut out the Hawkeyes through the first 4.2 innings. Hander's longest appearance of the season before last night came against New Mexico when he went 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs.
appearances on the season thus far.
Kansas, driving in two runs.
Michael Tinsley entered the game with a .349 batting average, with nine RBIs in 43 at bats. Kansas has been able to confidently sit senior catcher Kaliana Eldredge when he needs rest because of Tinsley's production off the bench.
Designated hitter Dan Potempa did the damage for the
Hawkeyes, as he drove in four runs on two hits, including a three-RBI double in the fifth.
Junior right-hander Dakota Smith came on in the fifth inning to relieve Hander. Smith finished out the fifth and pitched the sixth and the seventh, allowing one more insurance run for Iowa.
Hander was unable to go deep into the game, forcing Kansas to go to the pen early. The Jayhawks have relied heavily on their starting pitching this season. Kansas usually wins when its starters have gone deep into the game and had quality starts.
Since conference play started, the Jayhawks are 9-8, and their pitching staff has
allowed more than three runs only two times in those nine wins. On the contrary, they have allowed five or more runs four times in their eight losses.
Sasha Kuebel earned the win for Iowa in relief, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing only one run. Tyler Radtke came on to record his first save of the season in the ninth inning. The Hawkeyes pitching staff combines for 10 strikeouts on the evening.
Kansas will look to bounce back against the Hawkeyes tomorrow to split the mid-week series and avoid getting swept in its second mid-week series of the season.
Edited by Stella Liang
FOOTBALL
Weis makes improvements in offseason
CONNOR OBERKROM sports@kansan.com
When Charlie Weis first arrived at Kansas, he dismissed several players from the previous regime. It was a treacherous climb to fill in the crevasses of a depleted roster.
"What I really didn't factor in when I came here is when I got rid of all those guys how I was really taking a bad team and making it worse," Weis said. "Now, you did it for the right reason. The flip side is that there's nothing wrong with doing it."
"Fortunately our roster is pretty full — not that we're loaded with talent at every position," Weis said. "But I think that is no longer the issue, the infrastructure now has been rebuilt with a predominantly junior-senior team that you're playing with. Usually [those are] the teams that win."
Weis failed to realize how devastating it was to revamp an entire roster and start from scratch.
It's paid dividends for Weis and opened the door for more depth on the roster and provided a jumpstart to have his fingerprints on the entire line up.
Weis' third spring game as head coach will begin at 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium on Saturday as a full scrimmage will take place with four 15 minute quarters.
"It's almost unfair to judge the quarterback position when you haven't solved a lot of the problems." Weis said. "The quarterback is the easiest player to blame."
Weis revealed on Tuesday in a press conference that the quarterback competition consists of different tiers.
The transition to a no-huddle offense implemented by new offensive coordinator John Reagan has been a long task and is still in the beginning stages.
Kansas has room to improve coming off a 3-9 season.
Weis was referring to Jake Heaps who struggled last year and forced Weis to turn to freshman quarterback Montell Cozart.
"On offense obviously the whole thing was getting consistent." Weis said. "They haven't spent time game planning; they haven't spent time scheming against our defense. It's been more about installation and getting used to the procedure of running the no huddle offense."
Refusing to announce your starting quarterback for as
While quarterbacks are an easy target, the operation of the offense is inextricably linked. Everybody has a responsibility according to Weis.
Offense has been a constant project for Weis since he arrived to Lawrence.
The offense also endured huge deficiencies from the wide receiver and offensive line position last season, but Weis has witnessed serious headway being made at those spots.
If we had to play in two weeks it would be between 9 [Heaps] and 2 [Cozart], "Weis said. "I wouldn't rule out possibility of both of them playing because they do different things. They've separated themselves by their play from the pack."
Damon Martin, who played at guard last year, was so strong that it afforded them the opportunity to move him to right tackle next to Mike Smithburg.
Much of the talk last year of the stalling offense that couldn't muster enough points to protect the defense was the abundant drops from wide receivers. Weis, howev-
"It's been pretty constant," he said. "You unusually built continuity in the spring that normally doesn't play out that way."
SEE FBALL PAGE 10
long as possible is an advantage according to Weis. The two starters from last year remain ahead in the race.
The offensive line in the spring has been relatively uniform, which is unfamiliar for Weis since he has been at Kansas.
MICHAEL STRICKLAND/KANSAN
Freshman quarterback Montell Cozart runs an option against Oklahoma State on Nov. 9, 2013. Weis has yet to name a starting quarterback and recognizes Heaps and Cozart play different roles offensively.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Junior quarterback Jake Heaps throws to the open receiver against Kansas State on Nov. 11, 2013. "If we had to play in two weeks it would be between 9 (Heaps) and 2 (Cozart)," Weis said.