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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
INSIDE SPORTS
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 3. 2005
Kansas athletics calendar
TOMORROW
Baseball vs. Hawaii-Hilo, 11 p.m. in Hilo, Hawai
Softball vs. Oklahoma State, 1 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz.
Softball vs. Arizona, 5 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz.
Tennis at Mississippi, 2 p.m. in Oxford, Miss.
Track at Nebraska, all day in Lincoln, Neb.
SATURDAY
Baseball vs. Hawaii-Hilo, 6 p.m. in Kona, Hawaii
Men's basketball vs. Nebraska, 11 a.m. in Lincoln, Neb.
Softball vs. New Mexico State, 9 a.m. in Tucson, Ariz.
Softball vs. northwestern, 11 a.m. in Tucson, Ariz.
Track at Nebraska, all day in Lincoln, Neb.
Women's basketball at Missouri, 1 p.m. in Columbia, Mo.
TALK TO US
Tell us your news. Contact Bill Cross or Jonathan Kealing at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
NHL
Players ask commissioner to rejoin the lockout talks
NEW YORK — The NHL's latest salary-cap proposal to end the season-long lockout was rejected yesterday by the players' union, which came back with its own idea: Bring commissioner Gary Bettman to the bargaining table.
Bettman accepted. He is set to rejoin the talks Thursday for the first time since Dec. 14.
He'll meet with union head Bob Goodenow.
The sides met for four hours in Newark, N.J. This is the fifth time in two weeks they've talked.
In turning down the league's offer, the union reiterated it won't accept a salary cap as a solution.
The NHL proposed a six-year deal that contained a cap that would force teams to spend at least $32 million on player costs but no more than $42 million — including benefits. Both figures would be adjusted each year to reflect changes in league revenues.
The lockout reached its 140th day Wednesday.
Bettman has promised the 30 NHL teams that he will get them cost certainty, a direct link between league revenues and players costs.
This offer would give the players between 53 and 55 percent of league revenues.
If a deal is reached in time for hockey to be played this year, the NHL proposes that the players' association will still receive 53 percent of revenues generated from a full playoff schedule.
Also included in the offer was a profit-sharing plan that would allow the players' association to evenly split revenues over a negotiated level with the league.
The Associated Press
Rallies take game down to the wire
Free throws, strong defense earns close victory for Sigma Chi
BY MICHAEL PHILIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
Editor's note: Each week. The University Daily Kansan will cover an intramural contest. This week, in basketball, Sigma Chi took on Phi Gamma Delta, nicknamed Fijif, in the first of three games of men's block play.
Sigma Chi sprinted to an eight-point halftime lead, then relied on defense to hold off a late rally by Fiji in a 39-36 victory Tuesday. It was the opening
game of the intramural basketball season for both teams. The game was held Tuesday night at 9 p.m.at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
The teams drained the first three shots of the game, only to be followed by a five-minute scoring slump. Sigma Chi then stopped the drought by playing pressure defense that stifled Fiji's struggling offense.
The Sigs forced turnovers and capitalized on them, putting up an 11-2 run right before halftime. Fiji began sending the ball inside to start the second half. By outmuscleing the defense, they triggered a seven-point run.
With eight minutes left in the game, Sigma Chi's Eric Adams, Tulsa, Okla., junior, broke the rally by delivering a behind-the-back pass, on a breakaway
for a wide open shot. Fiji regrouped after the play and chipped away its deficit. With 5:22 remining in the game, the score stood 35-33. Both teams tightened their defenses, as the game endured nearly five minutes of scoreless play.
With 39 seconds remaining, Sigma Chi's John Patzkowsky nailed a right-handed hook shot from the corner, ultimately giving them the victory.
"Time was winding down, and we needed some points." Patzkowsky, Enid. Okla.. senior. said.
The Sigma Chi men shot 41 percent from the field, but their greatest advantage was at the free-throw line. They shot 50 percent from the line, while Fiji struggled at 17 percent. Two of those free-throws came in the final seconds, when it was still a one-possession game.
Both teams also would have been better off looking inside. The two teams shot a combined four-of-22 from behind the arc.
Sigma Chi won the game on the defensive end. They forced turnovers and kept open shots to a minimum for most of the game. Even with a victory, Adams said his team looked rusty at times. But it was only the first game, he said.
"We'll come back strong and try to win some more," he said.
The game was officiated by Zach Houk, Des Moines, Iowa, sophomore, and Andy Hicks. Neodesh junior.
Intramural block play will continue through next week, with each team playing three games.
A chill in the air, but not on the court
Edited by Ross Fitch
nthan Johnson, Hugoton freshman, races toward the ball in a tennis game last night at the Robinson Center courts. Even though it was chilly outside, Johnson said he thought it still was a nice day to get some exercise.
Team bound for the Super Bowl has room for one more
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Patriots only have 52 players on the active roster — one fewer than the maximum allowed by the NFL. That means they could sign anybody they want off the street as long as he didn't finish the season under contract with another team
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The New England Patriots are sitting on the ultimate Super Bowl souvenir: A chance to be on the roster for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 53rd man wouldn't have any chance of playing. NFL teams only activate 45 players from the roster each Sunday and it's more than extremely unlikely that the person would make that cut.
Always tightlipped about anything involving his roster — or pretty much anything else — coach Bill Belichick wouldn't confirm that they would face the Eagles on Sunday with an open spot.
But No. 53 would get a $68,000 winner's share if the Patriots win and a loser's share of $36,500 if they lose. And then there's the ring the winners pass out — a bauble that can be worth $15,000 or more.
"We're at 52. We could add another player; we might not." Belichick said at Tuesday's media day. "I don't think that we would bring in anybody from the outside at this point."
Injuries — especially in the secondary, where they've lost both starting cornerbacks — have forced the Patriots to shuffle their roster all season. When cornerback Ty Law went on injured reserve, they signed former Steelers kick returner Hank Potet to replace him even though he had been out of football most of the season finishing his college degree.
After the AFC title game against
Pittsburgh, Belichick inexplicably cut Antwan Harris, who signed as an extra defensive back just 11 days earlier. That opened up a roster spot and left Harris on the figurative sidelines instead of the literal ones.
That's cold.
So the spot could probably best be used on Harris, who was a hero of the Patriots' first Super Bowl run.
Asked what advice he would give to someone sitting around, making plans to watch the game on television but really hoping to play in it, Poteat said, "Never give up. Always have faith."
Believe in yourself. Don't worry about what anyone else says about you."
Poteat could wind up covering Philadelphia tight end Jeff Thomason, who was out of football for two years and working in construction before the Eagles signed him to replace Chad Lewis for the Super Bowl.
"Right now, I'm living the dream," Thomason said.
He only made one mistake: If he held out,he might have gotten a better offer from the Patriots.
"Maybe I will," he said, five days before the game. "We'll see."
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