THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIRY KANSAS
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2009
SPORTS
9B
MLB
High pitch from Red Sox gets violent reaction
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANAHEIM, Calif. — At the beginning of this three-game series, the Boston Red Sox lined up on opposite foul lines with the Los Angeles Angels in solidarity as the grieving home team observed a moment of silence in honor of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart.
The mood in Sunday's finale was in sharp contrast. The teams who met in three of the last five AL Division Series put the good will aside after an angry reaction from Bobby Abreu to a pitch by Boston ace Josh Beckett that sailed over his head triggered a bench-clearing incident.
Abreu later hit a go-ahead two-run single against Beckett, and Vladimir Guerrero hit his first home run of the season to help Dustin Moseley and the Angels beat the Red Sox 5-4.
"I've never hit anybody in the head, and it's not really on my list of stuff to accomplish. But people can think what they want to think," Beckett said. "I know Bobby Abreu. He knows I'm not trying to hit him in the head. Obviously, there's been
a lot of emotion in this series with them — not only facing us, but obviously the tragedy that all of them went through."
The Angels won Friday's series opener, their first game after the 22-year-old Adenhart was killed early Thursday along with two friends when the car they were in was broadsided by a van driven by a suspected drunken driver.
Only hours before, Adenhart pitched six scoreless innings against Oakland.
In the first inning Sunday, Beckett was in the stretch position for what seemed like an eternity while getting the sign he wanted from catcher Jason Varitek. He came toward the plate with a fastball just as plate umpire Paul Schreiber jumped out to call time.
"He took too long delivering the ball, so Abreu called time — which is normal," second base umpire and crew chief Joe West said. "Did he throw it up and in? Yeah. Do we believe he threw it at Abreu? No."
Abreu said something to Beckett and was held back by Schreiber, then both dugouts and bullpens emptied — but no punches were thrown.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu, second from right, is held back by home plate umpire Paul Schreiber after Boston Red Sox's starting Josh Beckett threw a high pitch during the first of a baseball game Sunday in Annalen, Calif.
MEN'S GOLF Kansas takes 15th place in weekend tournament
MEN'S GOLF
Walt Koelbel's 68 in the final round led the Kansas men's golf team in its 15th place finish at the River Landing Intercollegiate tournament in Wallace, N.C. Koelbel tied for 19th place while fellow senior Andrew Storm fired a 74, finishing in 40th place.
Collectively, Kansas played its best golf in the final round, carding a 296 for a three-round total of 899.
"We struggled a bit but we have one more tournament before the (Big 12) tournament," Storm said. "We just need to play better to get prepared for that."
Freshman lan Anson shot his first sub-80 round of the tournament in the last round with a 77. Bryan Hackenberg and Zach Pederson chipped in with 68th and 74th place finishes, respectively.
"We're trying our best right now, but without a doubt we can play a lot better," Storm said.
The team will be back in action this weekend in College Station at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational.
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Christian Lucero
Todd Reesing's favorite target with six of his receptions and 10 looks overall coming from the two-year starter.
"With Briscoe not participating right now, John's the go-to-guy." Reesing said. "He's got just as much athleticism as anybody else out there and a great set of hands."
"There are things that have to continue to grow and improve on in the spring and I think everyone understands that and they're mature enough to realize that we still have to get down to business
Reesing, who finished 16-for-22 with 221 yards and a touchdown, said that regardless of what was going on off the field that the team had to keep its focus as he entered his senior season.
and get working as a team," Reesing said. "We've done that. We haven't let anything else distract us from our work and we've had a great spring so far."
And while the spotlight was cast a little more than usual on Wilson Saturday.
he'll likely be among the first to welcome Briscoe back.
Wilson said that Briscoe's suspension inspired him to step up
and that he was looking forward to working with Briscoe again.
TODD REESING Senior quarterback
"There are things that have to continue to grow and improve on in the spring."
"We're good friends on and off
junior running back Jake Sharp at the end of the first half. And while Sharp's performance on Saturday was what the Memorial Stadium
Second only to Wilson on Saturday in total offense,wasfreshman running back Rell Lewis. Lewis started with the White offense before taking over for
the field, Wilson said.
crowd had come to expect from him — seven carries for 63 yards, a 40- yard burst and a touchdown to finish — Lewis turned heads the rest of the day with 119 yards of combined offense.
- Edited by Jesse Trimble
"Usually when you have a person down or out it always makes you step up regardless of the situation because it just feels like you have shoes to fill and that's how I went and approached the game today," Lewis said.
Lewis said he felt he had some shoes to fill upon Crawford and Briscoe's absences.
Sophomore running back Rell Lewis runs past an attempted tackle during the annual Kansas spring game Saturday afternoon. The Blue team won 20-7 and included Jayhawks Todd Reesing and Kerry Meier.
TRACK (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Brewer remembers when Anderson first came to Kansas.
"It set the tone for whatever a man can do, a female can do too," Anderson said. "She knows her stuff like anybody else and she can get the job done."
Anderson was working under sprints coach Elisha Brewer; it was the first time in Anderson's track career that she had worked with a female coach.
"She's very talented," Brewer said. "I had seen her run before and I was extremely excited about the opportunity to coach her. She respects the fact that I'm going to push her and get the best out of her."
Anderson's first meet at Kansas was at the Arkansas Invitational in January 2008. The track is a 60-degree banked track, which aggravated shin problems that she
'Even though I didn't compete, come 2012 I will be competing.'
had battled throughout her running career. Anderson said the meet was a blessing and a curse.
"I didn't hate it, but the bank track caused my injury to be severe the first time." Anderson said.
The most glaring highlight of Anderson's first season at Kansas was at the Iowa State Classic in February. She not only won the 200-meter dash, but her time of 22.94 was the fastest time ran by a female in 2008 in the world.
Weeks later at the Jayhawk Classic, Anderson broke the school record in the 60-meter dash running a time of 7.38 seconds.
Anderson persevered and ran the 200-meter dash in 23.77 seconds, earning her a victory and the school record for that event.
Brewer said she was not surprised by Anderson's feat because she could see how driven the sprinter was.
"I had no expectations; I didn't know what it was at the time," Anderson said.
Brewer said. "I couldn't say she was going to run the world's fastest time, but I knew she was very ready to do something great."
"I think no matter what's going on with her, she's not going to quit, she is not going to stop trying."
In outdoor, Anderson would have the same success, leading in the school's 100- and 200-meter dash events. But it was that summer when Anderson got the opportunity of a lifetime: running for her homeland of Jamaica.
NICKESHA ANDERSON Senior runner
Jamaica's track and field Olympic trials were held in June and the country took the top six finishers in each event to the Olympics. Anderson competed in her strongest events, the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
Both Redwine and Brewer
ended up placing sixth and making the team — something she wouldn't find out until she was back in Lawrence.
flew down to watch Anderson race for the chance to represent Jamaica in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The first day, Anderson competed in the 100-meter dash, placing seventh and just missing the cut. However, in the 200-meter, Anderson
It then took another phone call, this time from her mother, before she was convinced of the news. Finally, an e-mail asking for her shoe size and a visa to go to Beijing confirmed that she would be going to the Olympics to represent lamaica.
Brewer called her with the while and Anderson was walking home from class.
"She was like, 'You know you made the team right?' and I was like 'No, really?' Anderson said.
"To be able to make it to the
KANSAS RELAYS
Wednesday, April 15
Saturday, April 18
Memorial Stadium
Admission is free for students with a valid KUID.
finals, that says a lot," Brewer said. "It's a very strong country in sprints; it shows that she's one of the up-and-coming sprinters in her country."
While in Beijing, Anderson didn't compete in the 200-meter dash event, but was an alternate for the women's 4x100 relay team. Anderson was not one of the four chosen to compete. However, Anderson still got to practice with them every day while there.
Even though she didn't get to compete in any events, Anderson said representing her country in China was one of the proudest moments of her life. Getting to watch Jamaica clean house in the
sprint events, winning 11 medals,
six of them gold, only topped off
the experience for Anderson.
"I think it was our year," Anderson said. "You know how everybody has their year. We were prepared, we were ready to go for it and that's what we did."
One athlete that people flocked to see was teammate Usain Bolt. Bolt earned the gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash and in the 4x100 relay. He broke the world record in the 100-meter dash, running it in 9.69 seconds, and ran the 200-meter dash in 19.30 seconds.
But Bolt's success didn't faze Anderson because she's known him since their days in high school track in Jamaica. In Jamaica, there was an East division and a West division and Anderson and Bolt were both in the West. They didn't attend the same high school, but they would be at the same track meets and travel back together.
"He is not, and never will be, a stranger to me." Anderson said. "I've known him before he got to this stage in his life."
Anderson said Bolt had always been in commercials back in Jamaica.
"Whenever I see him on commercials, I'm like, 'Oh, that's my
Making the Olympic team was one of Andersons top goals when she got to Kansas.
"I didn't care what I had to go through to get to my goal," Anderson said. "I did and I went there. Even though I didn't compete, come 2012 I will be competing."
friend." Anderson said with a smile. "It doesn't trip me out; to me he's just a normal person."
Anderson said she would stay at Kansas after graduating to train with Brewer.
Vote April 15 & 16 at Envisionku.org
"I think we work well together," Brewer said. "She trusts me, respects me and definitely does what I ask her to do."
- Edited by Sonya English
In the meantime, Anderson is finishing up her major, early childhood education going into special education. Anderson already has plans to train for the 2012 Olympics games in London while attending graduate school for her master's degree.
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