FRIDAY APRIL 8. 2005
SPORTS
MLB BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3B
Tigers defeat Royals again, 7-3
Kansas City Royals shortstop Angel Berroa avoids Detroit Tigers' Dmitri Young after trying to field an errant throw from second baseman Tony Graffenino in the seventh inning of yesterday's game in Detroit. Detroit's Carlos Guilien and Ivan Rodriguez scored on Graffenino's error. The Tigers beat the Royals, 7-3.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Duane Burleson/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — No matter how bad his spring was, Jason Johnson always believed he could pitch.
After running up a 7.97 spring training ERA that cost him a planned opening-day start, Johnson pitched 6-2-3 shutout innings in his first outing of the season and helped the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 yesterday.
"I thought that was the most blown-out-of-proportion thing ever," Johnson said. "I thought spring training was for getting your mechanics straight, and that's what I was doing. By the end of the spring, that's what I had done."
Kansas City starter Zack Greinke was hit by a line drive off the bat of Detroit's Carlos Guillen, struck just above the right wrist with one out in the third inning. After being examined by team trainers, the right-hander threw some test pitches, then was replaced by Nate Field. The game was 0-0 at the time.
Johnson allowed five hits, struck out four and walked one.
"He pitched outstanding," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. "He really was the difference in the game."
Kansas City said Greinke sustained a bruised forearm, and he doesn't think he will miss any
The game was scoreless after five innings, but Johnson finally got some support from his offense. Rondell White homered and Ivan Rodriguez, starting his second sea-
starts.
Johnson felt the slow offensive start helped him.
"I love having all the runs, don't get me wrong," he said. "But when you don't have them, you have to go out there and pitch the best you can."
son with Detroit, had his sixth four-
hit game with the Tigers.
Detroit took two of three, winning an opening series for the second consecutive season. Kansas City won the season from the Tigers 11-8 last year, its fifth straight season advantage against Detroit
Mike Wood (0-1), the third of five Kansas City pitchers, allowed three runs and four hits in 2 2-3 innings.
"I've never been hit like that in my life," he said. "I'm usually pretty good at that play, but I never even saw the ball. At first, I was surprised that it didn't hurt, but then I realized my whole arm was numb.
“Once I started to throw, it felt better, but it wasn't worth the risk of doing further damage to something and being out for a while.”
Neither team got a runner past second until White's long solo homer off Wood in the sixth.
"It felt good — it felt like 440 maybe," White said. "We just wanted to be a run for J. J., because he was pitching great and we weren't scoring."
Detroit added six runs in the seventh to make it 7-0. Guillen hit an RBI single, Rodriguez had a run-scoring double off third baseman Mark Teahen's glove, second baseman Tony Graffanino throw away White's grounder, which could have been an inning-end double play, for an error as two runs scored, and Carlos Pena and Bobby Higginson added RBI singles.
MLB
Royals player catches praise
BY STEVE BRISENDINI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If John Buck's offensive skills grow to match his defensive prowess, the Kansas City Royals might not be able to afford John Buck someday.
For now, they're just happy to have the talented catcher behind the plate, and hope he continues to get better at it.
"He's going to be one of the best in the big leagues," general manager Allard Baird said. "He's under 2.0 (seconds) to second base, well above average blocking skills behind the plate _ and he's already one of the best receivers in the majors."
In baseball parlance, that means the 24-year-old Buck — expected to start his first home opener Monday when the Rovals host the Detroit Tigers
excels at working with pitchers to tailor his game plan to theirs.
"There's always a learning curve with catchers learning
pitching staff, but John works extremely hard at getting to know his pitchers," said left-handed starter Brian Anderson. "He's not the brain-dead type that's going to try the same sequence with every pitch. He works hard to know what you do well and how you like to pitch."
And in at least one case, that rapport is starting to border on the instinctive.
"He came up to me after one inning and said, 'You know, on that one pitch to Timo Perez I was thinking about going backdoor curveball or slider, like a sidearm one,' which I haven't thrown all spring training," right-hander Zack Greinke said after an exhibition outing last month in Surprise, Ariz. "And during that same pitch, I was going, 'Dude, I really want to throw a sidearm curveball."
Stopping
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1R
Buck came to the Royals last June, as part of the trade that sent star center fielder Carlos Beltran to the Houston Astros. He made his major league debut on June 25.
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they're capable of in order for us to get to the next level."
Oklahoma (17-11, 3-3 Big 12) dropped two of three against Baylor last weekend. The Sooners are led offensively by junior third baseman Ryan Rohlinger. He tops the list of Sooner hitters with a .542 average. He boasts a .468 slugging percentage and has driven in 25 runs this season.
"We won the series there two years ago," Price said. "It's a great opportunity for us to edge closer to .500 in league."
Freshman right-hander Brad Burns has been the team's most effective pitcher. He has a record of 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in eight appearances. He has struck out 28 batters while walking 17 in 38 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .233 against him.
Burns left Saturday's 5-2 victory against Baylor in the fifth inning with a sore shoulder. His status is uncertain for this weekend's series.
"They have very good starting pitching and are on the verge of breaking into the top 25.
First pitch for today's game is slated for 7 p.m. Kansas will start senior Mike Zagurski (4-2, 4.06 ERA). Sophomore Sean Land (3-2, 5.40) will start Saturday's game, and junior Kodiak Quick (7-3, 3.51) will start Sunday's match.
Price says that Oklahoma is a better team than its record indicates.
"Offensively, they are a shortgame kind of team. They try to get guys on and move runners along and score without the big hit."
"We don't really care who's in that other dugout," Scholl said. "We play tough teams in the Big 12, and we aren't going to be intimidated like some people might think."
"They've played a really difficult nonconference schedule," Price said.
Kansas first baseman Andy Scholl said the team would not be intimidated by the Sooners.
Price said the Jayhawks would have a good chance to leave Norman victorious.
Edited by Kendall Dix
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Bant
"Everybody that wants a KU football ticket has a KU football ticket," Myers said. "I have to make several phone calls just to give away four tickets."
Of course, at least that's something he won't have to worry about anymore, because Myers is one Jayhawk fan who won't be helping to fill empty Memorial Stadium seats at every game next season.
Myers just doesn't understand why people should have to pay more to keep the seats they've had for years when so many seats remain empty every game.
keep the four seats he has some 30 rows up between the 15- and 20-vard lines.
"Pride kind of gets in the way," he said. "I don't want to go back to the bowl or the end zones."
Why should he have to? Myers has invested nearly a decade of season tickets into a losing program, and instead of being rewarded, he's being priced out of his seats.
He doesn't plan on doing it. Nor does he plan on settling for lesser seats. Instead, Myers, who describes himself as a diehard Kansas football fan, is just not going to buy season tickets for next year, a decision he said a couple of his friends had also made about their tickets.
Marchiony said the department was concerned about how the points system could affect attendance at football games, but he said most ticket holders were reacting in an understanding fashion.
Still, even assuming Myers represents the minority, defections like his don't bode well for a program trying to boost attendance, not just maintain it.
Bant is a Colorado Springs, Colo., senior in journalism.
Kansas defeated K-State 31-28, on the strength of Swanson's pass.
Position
Swanson has been working on his fundamentals this spring.
Swanson started one game but played in seven last season. Swanson's highlight was when he entered the fourth quarter against Kansas State and threw a 31-yard go-ahead touchdown to Mark Simmons that gave the Jayhawks the lead for good.
"I am trying to improve my reading ability from the snap. I need to make better throws in clutch situations, when blitzes are coming," Swanson said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
He faces the likes of junior
For the season Swanson threw two touchdowns and passed for 238 yards.
Mangino said it was important for his quarterbacks to be consistent and not just have four or five good throws in a row.
Swanson heaved a pass into the back of the endzone, which Murph dove for and cradled in his hands.
New receivers include freshman Marcus Herford, who potentially may switch from quarterback, and Brian Murph, who transferred to Kansas in January.
"Once he gets his plays he is going to be a great addition," Swanson said. "That's one of the guys you can throw a fade ball to, he is going to get the ball. He is fast, and he has great hands. I am really looking forward to getting him a ball during the season."
Swanson was able to complete difficult passes to new receivers Wednesday. He has worked with some for just a few practices this spring.
defensive end Jermial Ashley and junior linebacker Nick Reid each day in practice.
Swanson was impressed with Murph's play on Wednesday.
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