SPORTS
PAGE 1B
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2005
FOR THE WEEKEND
WWW.KANSAN.COM
JOE BANT
jbant@kansan.com
Points system for football bad idea
As much of an uproar as the Athletics Department caused when it instituted the priority points seating plan for men's basketball last season, there seems to be little doubt now that economically it was the right move.
When word of the plan came out, athletics director Lew Perkins was criticized for only caring about money. Fans complained — some loudly — about being moved to different seats. Some even refused to renew their season tickets, but there were others, names stacked in waiting lists, who were ready to fill in the gaps.
At the end of it all, there was little danger of Allen Fieldhouse not continuing to sell out, and sure enough, the fans filed in this season just as they always have, maybe muttering under their breaths a little about more expensive tickets or less impressive seats, but still paying and still staving.
Score one for the Athletics Department.
Football, however, could be another story. With plans in place to initiate a similar points system for football seating next fall, a system that ties the quality of season ticket holders' seats to their donations to the Williams Fund, a curious question arises. Shouldn't the department focus on filling Memorial Stadium's seats for every game before it makes them more expensive?
After all, Kansas football, unlike its basketball counterpart, isn't exactly the pride of the Big 12 Conference — a 37-66 record during the past nine seasons, one bowl appearance in that time and an average home attendance that is well below capacity and ranks near the bottom of the Big 12. Those aren't numbers that shriek, "Raise ticket prices." And yet, at least for some season ticket holders, that's exactly what the Athletics Department is doing.
But that's not how Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, describes it. He said the plan was about rewarding contributors to Kansas athletics, not raising ticket prices, necessarily. He also said the department made a commitment a year and a half ago to apply the points system to football and to renge on that commitment now would be unfair to people who had donated to the Williams Fund expecting their contributions to affect their football seating.
But what about fairness to people like Garnett resident Gordon Myers? Myers has contributed to Kansas athletics for eight years, not through the Williams Fund, but by dropping the dough to snag season tickets for a losing football program. He's been a stalwart in the stands for nearly a decade, his support for the team never flagging, even in the face of embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss.
Next season, however, Myers said by his calculations he would have to pay a couple thousand dollars more just to
SEE BANT ON PAGE 3B
FOOTBALL
Position up for grabs
Starting quarterback job will be battled among two, possibly three
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
When Jason Swanson — a junior college quarterback arrived on campus a little more than a year ago, he was virtually unknown.
It's amazing what a difference a year makes. Swanson, San Diego junior, struggled at times to grasp the offense last season. Any quarterback who comes into a new system can encounter the same difficulties.
"I knew I wasn't going to come in here and be Michael Jordan as soon as I got here. It was going to take work, it was going to take time," Swanson said.
Coach Mark Mangino gave Swanson about 60 to 70 percent of the snaps during Wednesday's scrimmage session and said that his command of the offense was improving.
Swanson will likely battle sophomore Adam Barmann for the starting job until the season opens on Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic at Memorial Stadium.
Swanson had improved the most since the season ended in November, Mangino said.
QB CANDIDATES
♦ Jason Swanson, Junior
Noteable: Took the majority of snaps in April 6 practice.
♦ Adam Barmann, Soph.
Noteable: Incumbent.
♦ Brian Luke, Junior
Noteable: Filled in for Swanson and John Nielsen in narrow loss to No. 6 Texas on Nov. 13.
Source: Kansas Athletics Department
"Adam Barmann has gotten better since last year — Jason Swanson has made some leaps from last year." Mangino said.
Mangino said there was no front runner for the starting quarterback position, but Swanson and Barmann were ahead of junior Brian Luke.
Swanson attributed his improvement to becoming more comfortable with the offensive system at Kansas.
"I feel a lot more confidence because I know the offense a lot better than I did last year. It's like second nature like it was at Juco," Swanson said. "I can make a lot of checks that I couldn't make last year."
Senior quarterback Jason Swanson runs through a drill during the football team's first open practice March 16. Swanson took the majority of snaps during the second open practice Wednesday afternoon at the fields behind Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
Kansan file photo
SWIMMING
Swimmer achieves trial time
Dreams came true in Indianapolis, Ind., when senior swimmer Amy Gruber qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials on Tuesday.
Qualifying for the trials was "one of those things out there that I've wanted to get," Gruber said.
SWIMMING TIMES
Gruber swam a time of 57.09 seconds in the preliminary race of the 100-meter freestyle, breezing past the 57.19 seconds that was needed to qualify for the trials. In the final race of the 100-meter freestyle, Gruber clocked in at a 57.25 seconds, which landed her 22nd overall in the event.
Senior swimmer Amy Gruber qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials
Preliminary round
+ Preliminary round
Event Time
100m freestyle 57.09 sec
+ Final round
Event Time
100m freestyle 57.25 sec
22nd Overall
Source: Koger ATL
"It was definitely a high point in my career," she said.
Source: Kansas Athletics
Now that Gruber has a qualifying time, she doesn't know exactly what she's going to do with it.
Department
Although she's happy about her race and Olympic qualifying time, Gruber thinks that she hit her career high at the Big 12 Conference meet this year. That meet was swam in yards, providing for the great time differential from the World Championship Trials.
"Part of me wants to take a break but then I think maybe I should just go swim," Gruber said. "I haven't really decided now."
Tuesday concluded an amazing career at the University for
Gruber. In her four-year tenure, she was named Big 12 Conference Swimmer of the Month twice. Gruber is also part of the 800-yard freestyle and
Gruber
200-yard medley relay teams. She is the only swimmer on the team who has attended four NCAA Championships in her four consecutive seasons with the lavhawks.
Should Gruber take the
break that she's considering, she plans to be around next season.
"Hopefully I'll help out with the team as a fifth year," she said.
Gruber said that right now she just needed a break from swimming because it has been such a long season. She was one of two Jayhawks to compete at the NCAA Championships, and she was the only Jayhawk to go to the World Championship Trials.
Knowing that her eligibility is concluded at Kansas is hard for Gruber to believe.
"I don't think it's hit me yet," Gruber said.
-Kelly Reynolds
BASEBALL
Erin Droste/KANSAN
Sophomore Sean Land pitches against Wichita State Wednesday night. Land and the Jayhawks will play a three-game tournament in Oklahoma this weekend.
Stopping a Sooner streak
Kansas has dropped seven of its last 10 games to Oklahoma
SERIES STARTERS
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Starters for the Kansas-Oklahoma baseball series:
Kansas will take the momentum of a Wednesday's victory against rival Wichita State into this weekend's Big 12 series against Oklahoma.
Starters for the Kansas-Oklahoma baseball series:
Starter Record ERA
Today: Mike Zagurski (KU) 4-2 4.06
vs. Steven Guerra (OU) 3-2 3.32
Tomorrow: Sean Landau (KU) 3-2 5.40
vs. Will Savage (OU) 3-2 3.35
Sunday: Kodiak Quick (KU) 7-3 3.51
vs. Brad Burns (OU) 1-0 3.55
The Jayhawks enter the weekend with a record of 23-12 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks beat Kansas State last season in two road games, but this weekend could be the first conference three-game road series victory since 2003,when they defeated the Sooners in Norman.
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 133-78, with one tie. Kansas will try to
Source: Kansas and Oklahoma Athletics Departments
reverse a recent trend against the Sooners, as well. The team has lost seven of its last 10 games against Oklahoma, including three in a row last year in Lawrence. During the last ten years, the Jayhawks are just 9-22 against Oklahoma.
Kansas coach Ritch Price said this weekend would present an important series for the success of the Jayhawks
from here on out.
"I think we're real close to breaking through," Price said. "The freshmen on this team are making great progress. The big thing for us is the guys at the top of the lineup — Matt Baty, Ritchie Price and A.J. Van Slyke — they've got to play at the level
SEE STOPPING ON PAGE 3B