WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10,2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5B
Golfer Daly happy to be back
The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Ga. — He plays guitar. He writes songs. He lists his biggest vice as chocolate, not alcohol. He doesn't feel compelled to use his driver on every hole.
He is John Daly — the new John Daly — and he returns to the Masters a changed man after a forced absence last year helped him put life, and golf, in perspective.
"This means more to me being here than probably any other year." Daly said.
Oh. he still has his fun.
After all, what other player's plans for Tuesday night included an autograph-signing party while sitting in a million-dollar motor home in the parking lot of Hooters?
Problem was, living the way he played golf —grip it and rip it and worry about the consequences later—took its toll over the years.
One of the consequences was that Daly suddenly found himself outside looking in on the Masters.
His exemption — earned when he won the 1991 PGA Championship and extended after his 1995 British Open championship — expired after he missed the cut here in 2000.
When that round was over, he stormed to his car, not stopping for reporters or the few fans looking for an autograph.
So, he shifted his focus.
"I hated playing that bad, and wondering if I was going to be back here or not," Daly said.
This time, he's here on the merits of his top-50 standing in the world ranking, a system he bought into after writing it off as silly and useless at first, around the time he was falling to No. 507 in those standings.
As his raucous, crowded practice rounds on Monday and yesterday have shown, the fans are glad he's here — the big-hitting Big Dog who took the sport by surprise 11 years ago, when he won the PGA as an alternate and gave the common man a true hero to cheer.
With the good times came the bad: stories of failed marriages, drinking binges, torn-up hotel rooms, gambling and the seeming indifference to the sport that made him famous.
But at 35, the native son of Rogers, Ark., insists he has changed.
"I'm sort of a late maturer in about everything," he said. "And that's held me back, I think, three or four years."
A new, successful marriage helped the maturing process. So did his decision to curtail drinking, to cut down on sodas, and get off the multiple medications that bloated him to 265 pounds and made him feel like "a rat."
The humiliation of the 2000 Masters helped, too.
He realized he had to play better, or he'd never be invited back. He started playing hard on Saturdays and Sundays even when he knew he didn't have a chance to win the tournament because "at least I could get some points."
"It made me grind and focus a lot harder than previous years," he said.
He did it for himself, for his family, for the ranking. And he did it for the fans who continue to make him one of the most popular players in the game, even though he hasn't won a tournament in the United States since 1994.
"It's just nice to be playing good golf for them," Daly said.
Daly has replaced gambling and drinking with singing, songwriting and playing guitar. (Chocolate is still a problem sometimes, because "it's hard to turn down a big ol' piece of chocolate cake.")
Along with a few friends, Daly is working on a largely autobiographical album, due out in a few weeks. Among the songs are "Where I Am Now," "My Life," "I'm Drunk, Broke and Ain't Got a Penny to My Name," and, of course, "All My Exs Wear Rolexes."
"I sing it with my heart," Daly said. "I know I'm probably out of tune, but it's what everyone wanted, so I did it."
But Daly wants to be more than a music star. He wants to be in the hunt in another major, something that hasn't happened since he won the British in 1995.
"I think his story of coming back the way he has and devoting himself to the game, it's a great story and great to see because he's such a talent," Tiger Woods said.
N.Y. teams' early exits prove costly
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — These are dismal days for Madison Square Garden.
For the first time in 25 years, the building that calls itself the world's most famous arena will be dark during the NBA and NHL playoffs, meaning millions of lost dollars.
The Knicks and Rangers were eliminated well before their seasons ended, and changing economic conditions could mean a long wait before the Garden's postseason lights go on again.
This is the fifth straight year without a playoff appearance for the Rangers, who have one of the highest payrolls in the league at just under $70 million.
"It gets more disappointing each year," he said. "I don't ever think it's going to happen the next year. You go into camp with guarded optimism. We had a good feeling. I never expected we'd be here now."
Defenseman Brian Leetch scored the first goal in the deciding game when the Rangers ended a 54-year wait and won the Stanley Cup in 1994. The current dry spell is wearing on him.
For the Knicks, with a league-high $85.1 million payroll and squeezed by the NBA salary cap, it's the first year out of the playoffs since 1987.
"We let a lot of games slip away, and now we're paying for it," Latrell Sprewell said.
Both teams are top-heavy with veteran players who have struggled this season. The Knicks sagged after coach Jeff Van Gundy suddenly left following a 10-9 start. The Rangers started well but had a dreadful second half that not even the late addition of scoring star Pavel Bure could overcome.
The last time both teams missed the postseason in the same year was 1977, long before Cablevision owned the building and its sports franchises. And this double-knockout is expensive.
Each playoff game produces between $1 million to $1.5 million in arena revenue for the owners. Even the last teams to qualify and first teams eliminated are guaranteed at least that income for one home game in the NBA and two games in the NHL.
Playoffs also increase the rates the Garden can charge advertisers for spots on games broadcast by its MSG Network. Without them, those rates are reduced.
"You only make money on the popularity of the team. How many people watch the games equals how much advertising you sell," he said. "There is risk assumed by the distributor and the owner of the teams. In this case, Cablevision has a higher risk because it functions as both distributor and owner. It is a double-barreled hit."
Tom Wolzien, an executive with the Wall Street investment firm of Sanford C. Bernstein, said Cablevision's Garden plight was unusual.
With the nation's richest market, it would seem easy for Cablevision to quickly turn its clubs around with trades or free agents. But a team it doesn't own might have a major impact on how fast the Knicks and Rangers recover.
The New York Yankees, whose broadcast rights formed a linchpin of the MSG Network for a dozen years, have set up their own television network, YES.
Stern close to approving Hornets' move to Big Easy
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — As much as it pains him, NBA commissioner David Stern is close to giving his approval for the Charlotte Hornets to move to New Orleans.
Stern announced yesterday that the Hornets had not yet met all the benchmarks set by the league, but team owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge had been given more time to complete the process.
Stern said work remained to be done in New Orleans before an ownership relocation committee would recommend that the move be approved.
"They're not quite there yet, but when they get there—and I'm honing it a when
— I believe we're in a position where the committee will in fact recommend it," Stern said. "If the benchmarks are met, I would be inclined to forcefully urge the ownership to allow the team to move to New Orleans. Absolutely."
Deputy commissioner Russ Granik said the league would like the issue to be settled by the end of the month, and Wooldridge said he was confident the team would be
able to fulfill the league's requirements by then.
Once the seven-man relocation committee issues its recommendation, a minimum of seven days must pass before the 29 teams can vote on the move.
The Hornets led the league in attendance a decade ago, but the relationship between the fans, the owners and the local politicians has soured to such a degree that the team is now last in the league in attendance.
If approved, it would be the NBA's second franchise relocation in as many years after the league had gone 16 seasons without one. Last year, the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis.
The Hornets have been offered a lucrative relocation package by Louisiana, and it seems all but certain that the team will find out sometime during the playoffs that it is indeed moving to the Big Easy.
"This is an extraordinary disappointment." Stern said. "Charlotte has been a great city in the NBA. It led our expansion efforts in the 80s. The citizens supported this team early on and continuously, and it disappoints me
greatly."
Stern's comments came at the end of the two-day Board of Governors meeting.
Stern said he would not be concerned with the honesty of Shinn and Wooldridge, who announced last week incorrectly, it turns out that they had met all the benchmarks set by the league concerning ticket sales and corporate sponsorship.
The relocation committee met with Shinn and Wooldridge on Monday, then met with city officials from Charlotte to hear details of a new arena proposal.
The Hornets also were caught by The Charlotte Observer underreporting attendance figures, using the turnstile count instead of the league standard of tickets sold.
Team spokesman Harold Kaufman said the team would comply with league rules for reporting attendance over the remainder of the season.
Stern also said he would not preclude Charlotte from one day getting a different NBA franchise after a new arena was built, but he did not want to speculate on a timetable for when that might possibly happen.
L.A. Kings ready to end crazy ride through playoffs
The Kings beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 Monday night for their third consecutive victory. They're playing particularly well at Staples Center, where they are 8-0-2 since March 2, and have a goaltender peaking at the right
The Associated Press
It's been that kind of unpredictable ride for the Kings, who can still win the Pacific Division — or barely sneak into the postseason. They trail the first-place San Jose Sharks by two points. Each team has three games remaining, including a matchup Saturday in San lose.
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“It’s fun pressure, the kind of pressure you thrive on.”
Los Angeles goaltender Felix Potvin said. “It will be nice once we know if we’re going to make the playoffs because it seems like it's been three months since we've been batting.”
LOS ANGELES — When the wild Western Conference playoff race ends this weekend, the Los Angeles Kings could be headed just about anywhere.
The Sharks are 0-4-0 against the Kings this season.
time.
Coach Andy Murray updated the conference standings daily on a white board in the team's dressing room at their suburban practice rink. Not that the players aren't keeping track themselves.
Potvin earned his sixth shutout of the season Monday, all in his last 36 starts.
"Felix played awesome," forward Bryan Smolinski said. "It was a solid performance by all 20 guys."
"You want other teams to beat other teams, but you can't wish things," Smolinski said. "You got to make it happen."
Los Angeles and Chicago were in a fourth-place tie with 93 points going into last night, five points ahead of the teams tied for the eighth and final playoff spot, Vancouver and Edmonton.
The Kings next play in Vancouver tomorrow but they could clinch a playoff spot without lacing up their skates.
If Vancouver doesn't earn a point Tuesday night at Colorado, the Kings are in. Or if the Canucks tie or lose in overtime, the Kings qualify if
Edmonton loses or ties Phoenix on Wednesday night.
A win at Vancouver also would clinch at least eight place in the conference for the Kings, who are 1-1-1 against the Canucks this season.
"If you take a look at the teams that are still behind us, there's every team but Dallas that can catch us. We've got to be concerned about that," Murray said. "If we do win that next one, we're secure and we can think about other things, too. We have to get 95 points."
Los Angeles ends the regular season Sunday at home against Anaheim. The Mighty Ducks, long out of the playoff picture, have played the role of spoilers to the hilt.
In their last seven games, the Ducks beat Edmonton, Phoenix and Dallas twice to further muddle the already clouded playoff picture. Anaheim is 0-3-1 against Los Angeles.
"We've been saying 93 points for months now, but it won't be enough. We're going to have to keep winning," right wing Ian LaPerriere said.
THE RELIGIOUS STUDIES LECTURE "THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SACRED"
PROFESSOR JONATHAN Z. SMITH
Monday, April 15, 2002
7:30 p.m.
Ecumenical Christian Ministries
1204 Oread Avenue
Jonathan Z. Smith is Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at the University of Chicago. His most recent book is entitled Drugery Divine: On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity.
This event is free and open to the public.
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