6E
- THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY,APRIL29,2003
Baseball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
next day about a book not yet read.
In the back of the bus, no matter how hard Travis Metcalf, Matt Trible and Ryan Jakubov tried to get some homework done, it was hard to keep from watching The Shawhank Redemption.
Movies are one of the favorite parts of the trip. Junior pitcher Ryan Knippschild typically serves as the team's movie guru on the bus, but the team favorite, Kingpin, didn't make an appearance this trip.
Another staple of the bus trips is the cell phone. Players spend a good portion of their trips on the phone. Whether it's calling their girlfriends, friends from home, or parents, the phone is a good way to kill time during the travel through "exciting" central Kansas.
The Hotel
If you've watched your fair share of baseball movies, you're probably under the impression that the guys go out every night on the road and start brawls in local pubs.
After a game, a popular choice for most players is just lounging in the room and watching television or playing video games.
If you ask returning players such as Ryan Baty, Casey Spanish or Tribble, they will tell you that on the road, the team focuses on the next day's game much more with coach Ritch Price at the helm. If players do go out at night, it's just a walk to the convenience store for a snack.
Of course, don't think that there are no exciting road stories from this season.
Most players cite a trip to a cow
field next to the team hotel during a weekend tournament in Tennessee. We can just leave that at that.
The success of a road trip off the playing field is based on whom you room with in the hotel. Everyone gets along with everyone, but there is always the person with whom you would never want to share a room. For some of the pitchers, it's coach Steve Abney, whom they consider the drill sergeant of the coaching staff.
One would expect a group of college ballplayers to want to go out on a road trip, but surprisingly the team stays pretty reserved and calm at nighttime.
At the Ballpark
Even though you may not think a baseball game is physically taxing, you have to realize that these guys spend seven or eight hours at the park on game day.
The team typically arrives around three hours before the game.
Batting and fielding practice is a given for position players, but pitchers don't get off that easy.
For the pitcher who started the game the day before, there is the dreaded recovery run, which involves a 20-minute jog followed by sprints. Pitchers also serve as gophers for the coaches by shagging fly balls during batting practice sessions.
Of course, when you're talking about baseball, you have to mention superstitions and rituals. Most players simply avoid stepping on the base path chalk, but for the most part, rituals stay the same. Many players make it a habit to put on their uniforms in the same order as they did the last
Junior pitcher Josh Duran will take the mound for the Jawhows as they face rival Wichita State at Hoglund Ballpark at 7 tonight. Kansas (32-18, 7-11 Big 12) looks to improve on lst13-35 all-time series record against the Shockers.
time they had a good game. Whether it's Price having the same routine of preparation each time he steps up to the plate or Knippschild wearing the same underwear for every start, each player has his own ritual.
Once the game starts, pitches once again have to do the dirty work. The previous day's starter has to sit in the stands behind home plate with a radar gun and pitching charts to keep a log of pitching tendencies.
After the game, some team members meet with family outside who have traveled for the game, while others do not hesitate to get on the bus and head to dinner.
After the Game
Ryan Greene/Kansan
When the team shows up to a restaurant, you can see the eyes of the hostess bug out, knowing that they have to find a way to seat 40 people at once. While waiting, players occasionally are confronted with autograph requests and interested onlookers. Most players say they are usually mistaken for the basketball team, or even once, the non-existent Kansas surf team.
The most entertaining portion of the trip was the restaurant trips after games. A team favorite is Outback Steakhouse, which was Saturday's postgame trip.
Senior Sean Flynn (left) and junior Jake Kauzlarich share some of the year's stories from the road in their hotel room after Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Sooners.
Autograph requests are not a problem because they are flattered to get them.
Along with time at the hotels, this is when you overhear the dirt on guys.
The girls they talk about, the pranks they pull on other players and even the postgame trash talk on the other team.
If members of the Kansas baseball team have to name their biggest strain from road trips, it's being out
Players always appreciate the postgame meals, for which the school fronts the bill. This is yet another area where players appreciate the addition of coach Price, who they say feeds them well, win or lose. Getting Personal
Getting Personal
of their Kansas social loops.
The older guys on the team are quick to point out that they have met their best friends in college through the team, but it's obvious that they tend to miss Lawrence.
In each hotel room you walk into that the players occupy, there's a good chance that someone in that room will be on the phone with his girlfriend. Even though some of them may complain about talking daily to their significant other, you can tell that the opportunity is truly cherished.
No matter how much time they spend away from Lawrence, each player said that he wouldn't have it any other way. For these young men, baseball is essentially life.
They are living out the American dream.
Improvements this year from coach Price's presence are seen and talked about when you get to know these guys. They're winning, they're getting national respect and they're creating the foundation for a promising future.
Some players say they enjoy playing on the road more than at home just because of the chances to bond with teammates.
On a road trip with the guys, not only do you get a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but you learn the true definition of what it means to be a team.
- Edited by Erin Chapman
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