22
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2009
MLB
Cardinals player to return, but likely in different role
ST.LOUIS — Khalil Greene will likely be at a new position when he returns to the Cardinals from an absence caused by anxiety issues.
Greene has been playing third base instead of his usual spot, shortstop, during a rehab assignment he began last week.
Manager Tony La Russa said
switching positions could lessen the pressure on Greene. Plus, the team still needs a fill-in for injured third baseman Troy Glaus.
The Cardinals also have two good alternatives at shortstop with Brendan Ryan and rookie Tyler Greene.
Khalil Greene was hitting .200 with a team-high seven errors. Ryan was hitting .299 and Tyler Greene was at .262.
Associated Press
White Chocolate skateboards. shoes. apparel. local art
COMMENTARY
Success depends on positioning
Hope abounds in the months ahead of Memorial Stadium's first kickoff of the fall.
Don't be ashamed if Big 12 North title and January bowl dreams have littered your imagination. You're not alone if you've pored over Kansas' upcoming schedule, examined the returning players and justified why the newcomers will be better than pundits are crediting them to be.
There also exists the possibility that this team again finishes the regular season with seven victories.
But as can be said for the No. 1 team down to the 119th, this squad has its questions preceding the 2009 campaign. If the reloading and transitioning at certain positions go off without a hitch and if the stars align at certain points in the schedule, Kansas could well win up to 10 or 11 regular season games, head to Cowboys Stadium for the Big 12 championship and add an 11th or 12th victory in January. All told, it could be a swell send-off for one of the program's finest senior classes.
Whether we're talking about the former or the latter, come December it will depend largely on the team's success in addressing some of the questions below that come to mind this preseason.
ROAD TRIPPIN'
Upon first glance the Sept. 26 tilt against Southern Mississippi appears to be Kansas' toughest nonconference challenge. After all, the Golden Eagles have appeared in seven consecutive bowls and possess one of the nation's top ground attacks — not exactly something that elates a team replacing its entire starting linebacker corps.
Southern Miss will certainly be a tough out, but it's another Conference USA foe that could first blemish the Jayhawks' record if they're not careful. On Sept. 12 Kansas plays its second game of the season at UTEP, a team that gives up points in bunches but can make up for it on the other side of the ball.
What's got me worried is this stat:
2-10. That's Kansas' record in the first away game of the season the last 12 years. Big 12 play won't be any easier than last season with just three true home games. During coach Mark Mangino's tenure, Kansas is just
7-23 in Big 12 road games, with four of those victories coming in 2007. Aside from that year, Kansas has never won more than one conference away game.
The trip to UTEP will be an early indication of the mettle of the new faces at linebacker and offensive line - the two positions with the highest turnover. Which brings me to.
NEXT IN LINE
When a team loses three starting linebackers that were as entrenched in its defense as Mike Rivera, Joe Mortensen and James Holt were the last several seasons, it's a given that preseason attention will largely be devoted to gauging how their alma mater will go about replacing them.
The trio's departure is as big a hit to the team as any but don't overlook the offensive line's similar challenge.
- Edited by Justin Hilley
@KANSAN.COM
This isn't all! For the rest of this blog and more of The Full Monty, check out Kansan.com.
The FULL MONTY
Live. Study. Dream.
Free Internet • Swimming Pool • On KU Bus Route
Movie Theatre • Unlimited Meal Plan • Tanning Beds
Individual Leases • Housekeeping Services
Automatic Rent Payment • Game Room • Computer Lab
Right Between the Rec Center & The Fieldhouse
www.livenaismith.com 785.843.8559
campus cloth • campus cloth • campus cloth • campus cloth