FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2003
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7B
Tennis set to play three
Three matches in three days await the No. 63 Kansas tennis team.
"Right now we are going to take one match at a time," coach Kilmeny Waterman said. "I do hope by Sunday we will beat the best team we face this weekend."
Kansas faces the No. 54 Iowa Hawkeyes at 2 p.m. today in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes hold a 2-4 mark on the season. The Jayhawks then take on Iowa State (1-4) at noon tomorrow in Ames, Iowa, before returning home Sunday for a match
against the No. 38-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1). Sunday's match will start at noon at the Wood Valley Racquet Club in Topeka.
Last season Kansas defeated the Hawkeyes 5-2 and hold a 6-3 all-time series lead on Iowa. The Jayhawks own the series against Iowa State with a 28-1 advantage. Last season in Lawrence, the Cyclones lost 7-0.
Kansas, though, has struggled in matches against Ohio State. The Jayhawks have never defeated the Buckeyes
and lost last season 6-1 in Columbus, Ohio.
After a 3-1 start to the season, Kansas dropped two consecutive matches last weekend. Kansas struggled with altitude problems and could not muster a win against the New Mexico Lobos and the Denver Pioneers last weekend in Denver.
"We started slow last year and we used that as motivation to get better," Waterman said. "This team has a lot of character and it will show in a positive way."
Jonah Ballow
Smith says adios to Cowboys
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas - Emmitt Smith, the leading rusher in NFL history, was released yesterday after 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
Smith said he's not ready to retire.
"In my mind, I think I'm a 1,300-yard back, and I will be out to prove that," Smith said at a news conference with team owner Jerry Jones.
He was released to make way for a younger, cheaper running back for the Cowboys, who have been 5-11 for the last three seasons. It's the first major roster shakeup since Bill Parcells took over as coach, although Jones has made it clear it was his decision.
"It is with great emotion that I announce that Emmitt Smith will not be a part of the 2003 Dallas Cowboys football team," Jones said. "As an organization we have got to start thinking about life without Emmitt at running back."
The timing gets Smith on the market for the start of free agency; teams can begin signing players Friday.
Smith's status has been in doubt for months because of his contract and age. He turns 34 in May and was due a base salary of $7 million next season, with a salary-cap figure of $9.8 million.
He'll still count $4.9 million against next season's cap. Had Dallas waited until June 1, Smith would've counted $2.8 million against the 2003 cap, with the remaining $2.1 million hitting in 2004.
"In my mind, the best thing would be for me to move myself out of the equation, to do what it takes to move this organization back in the right direction," Smith said.
Smith would love to go to a team that can provide a good line and a chance to earn a fourth Super Bowl ring, such as Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay, in his home state, or the Oakland Raiders, who often provide jobs for aging superstars.
Whether those teams want him or could offer enough playing time to satisfy him remains to be seen. Smith may have to choose between a small role on a good team or a big role on a bad one.
Smith said he believes he can still be a featured back, despite failing to gain 1,000 yards last season for the first time since he was a rookie. He had 975, with only two 100-yard games and a paltry average of 3.8 yards per carry.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Emmitt Smith can make a significant contribution to winning in the NFL today," Jones said.
games because of injury in his career and remains in good shape. He's said he wants to keep running until he passes 20,000 yards;his career total is 17,162.
Smith has missed only four
Smith hasn't cracked 1,300 yards the past three seasons. He's been hampered, though, by a tattered line and a passing game that's been among the league's worst.
The Cowboys tried phasing Smith out last season after he passed Walter Payton on the career rushing list. Realizing his Dallas days might be ending, Smith pried the nameplate off his locker at team headquarters before leaving for the season finale.
Troy Hambrick moves up to No. 1 on the Cowboys' depth chart, but certainly won't be handed the job. Dallas has the fifth pick in the upcoming draft and could sign a proven veteran in free agency, such as Stephen Davis, released Wednesday by Washington.
While Smith was cut with an eye on the future, his departure severs the final link to a celebrated part of the team's past.
Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin were stars of an offense that led Dallas to three Super Bowl championships in the 1990s. Known as "The Triplets," they began breaking up when Irvin retired in 1999 because of a neck injury. Aikman was cut after the 2000 season.
Kansas to strike teams at tourney
After spending the last two weekends on the West Coast, the Kansas softball team has shifted its scene to the east where it hopes to establish a "sweet home" in the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and continue its best start since the 1996 season.
The Jayhawks (10-3) will start tournament play today by facing Penn State at 11 a.m. Kansas finishes today against the journey host, No. 14 Alabama at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the 'Hawks will take on Texas-Arlington at 11 a.m. The team will play a second game on Saturday in bracket play and another game on Sunday in either the consolation game at 11 a.m. or the tourney championship at 1:30 p.m.
Penn State (1-4) has struggled out of the gate after five games at the Stanford Invitational. Three of the Nittany Lions' losses were by two runs or less.
The hosting Crimson Tide (13-
5) will put its No. 14 ranking on the line later today. So far, Alabama has been smoking in both the hitting and pitching departments. First baseman Jackie McClain, and her 404 batting average and 23 hits, is a prime example of the team's success at the plate. The Crimson Tide's pitching staff has an overall team ERA of 1.22. Even though the Mavericks of TexasArlington (8-7) have a mediocre record so far, the team has won four games in a row. Like Alabama, the team's pitching staff has been sensational, with an overall team ERA of 1.70.
Next up for the Jayhawks is some time off to study for midterms.
The 'Hawks will resume play after a 13 day hiatus when they take on New Mexico State in a doubleheader on March 15 in Stillwater, Okla.
— Steve Schmidt
Baseball looks to add to winning streak
The Kansas baseball team is playing three games this weekend against three schools in two cities.
Kansas will face Middle Tennessee State at 3 p.m. today in Murfreesboro, Tenn., then head northwest to face Lipscomb at 2 p.m. tomorrow in Nashville, Tenn. The team will face Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. All three games are part of the Music City Challenge.
For Kansas, the probable starters on the mound are all southpaws. Senior Kevin Wheeler leads the Jayhawks in wins and ERA, and struck out 12 batters in Kansas' 3-1 victory against Eastern Michigan
on Feb. 21. Matt Trible leads the Jayhawks offensively, batting .481 and scoring 15 runs. First baseman Ryan Baty is close to the .400 mark and has batted in 13 runs.
Kansas' first opponent on the road, Middle Tennessee State, has begun the season with a 1-2 record. Vanderbilt is 4-3 with two games having been canceled.
Lipscomb started the season by defeating Birmingham Southern 9-1, but the Bisons lost their following three games.
After the Music City Challenge, Kansas will play one game against Creighton University at 2:30 p.m. on March 4 in Omaha, Neb.
-Kansan staff report
'Hawks make run for Big 12 crown
The Kansas men's and women's track and field team competes this weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
The Jayhawks finished seventh in the men's competition last year and the women's squad finished sixth. Kansas returns two Big 12 indoor champions from last year's competition. Junior sprinter Leo Bookman won last year's 200-meter dash title in a school-record of 21.03 seconds. The women bring back senior long jumper Monique Peters, who won the 2002 long jump title with a jump of 19-10 3/4.
The men, who finished the regular season 5-3 and 2-2 in Big 12 competition, also return senior pole vaulter Vadim Gvozdetskily and senior triple jumper Benaud Shirley, who finished as runners-up last year. The women (4-1, 3-1) return a runner-up in sophomore triple jumper Brooklyn Hann.
Nebraska won last year's men's indoor competition and will host the event today and tomorrow at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Texas will defend last year's women's title.
Today's competitions will begin with multi-events at 10 a.m., followed by running events at 2 p.m. and field events at 2:45 p.m. The competition then resumes tomorrow with multi-events at 10 a.m., field events at 1:30 p.m. and running events at 3 p.m. The meet concludes at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow with the 4x400-meter relay.
— Joey Berlin
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