SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2009
ONLY.
every-
4119.
7B
me on @ku.
t tube
ompou-
uts. I
work.
NBA
Beasley chosen for NBA rookie challenge
Chalmers not voted to go; disappointed to stay home
BY TIM REYNOLDS
Associated Press
First, though, will be a trip to Phoenix — for the NBA's rookie challenge.
MIAMI (AP) — Michael Beasley has big plans for All-Star weekend, including getting to his old home court in time to watch Kansas State play rival Kansas.
Beasley was the lone Miami Heat player selected for the game between the league's top rookies and sophomores, something he said was disappointing. He hoped that fellow rookie Mario Chalmers and second-year player Daequan Cook would be joining him in Phoenix for the Feb. 13 contest, but neither got enough votes from the league's assistant coaches.
"Honestly, I thought they were both a lock, a shoo-in," Beasley said. "The year Mario is having, I thought there was no question. He played great against Derrick Rose. He played great against Russell Westbrook. And Daequan deserved to go. At least, that's what I think."
Instead, it'll be Beasley and only Beasley on the court from Miami in that game, making him the sixth Heat rookie to be selected. He
joins Khalid Reeves, Kurt Thomas,
Caron Butler, Udison Haslem and
Dwyane Wade — who will help
coach the rookie squad, alongside
sophomore coach Dwight Howard
of the Orlando Magic.
"I thought they would have a chance," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Chalmers and Cook. "It's tough. I know it would have meant a lot for the two of them. It's a tough process. I hate even getting involved in it. I get so many things in the mail, people politicizing for their players, agents, people from other teams. I don't really like the whole process."
Cook entered Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards as Miami's fifth-leading scorer at 10.4 points per game, plus has hit 42 percent of his shots from 3-point range. He entered the night with 99 makes from 3-point range this season, fifth-best in the league.
Chalmers, the Heat starter at point guard, is averaging 9.5 points, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals for Miami. Chalmers ranks seventh in the NBA in steals per game.
"I think both of them have good enough numbers to be there," said Beasley, who plans to leave Phoenix quickly and get to Manhattan.
Kan. — where he spent last year with Kansas State — in time for the Feb. 14 game between the Wildcats and the defending national champion Jayhawks.
The sophomore team has Houston's Aaron Brooks and Detroit's Rodney Stuckey at guard; the Los Angeles Clippers' Al Thornton, Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young, New York's Wilson Chandler, Houston's Luis Scola and Oklahoma City teammates Kevin Durant and Jeff Green at forward; and Atlanta's Al Horford at center.
Besides Beasley, the rookie team was composed by Rose (the No. 1 overall draft selection from Chicago), Westbrook (the No. 4 pick from Oklahoma City), O.J. Mayo of Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Gordon at guard; Beasley and Portland's Rudy Fernandez at forward; and centers Marc Gasol of Memphis, Brook Lopez of New Jersey and Portland's Greg Oden.
"I'm disappointed," Chalmer said. "I thought I was going to make it. Everybody said my chances were going to be pretty good, but it didn't turn out that way."
Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley, right, is trapped with the ball by Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Wednesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I'm fine. It's over," Cook said.
NASCAR
NASCAR blamed for
Florida plane crash
WASHINGTON (AP)
Investigators on Wednesday blamed NASCAR for a "tragic, unnecessary" plane crash in 2007, saying the racing organization let one of its aircraft take off without checking an electrical problem reported the day before.
The Cessna 310 was en route from Daytona Beach to Lakeland in Florida when it crashed outside Orlando. The plane hit two hones, killing a 24-year-old law student and her 6-month-old son as well as a 4-year-old neighbor. Also killed were the NASCAR pilot and the husband of a NASCAR executive, a pilot himself.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the crash resulted partly from sloppy maintenance record-keeping at NASCAR's aviation unit.
Investigators said NASCAR kept poor records of maintenance problems with its planes and had no system for ensuring that reports were addressed or tracked.
SUPER BOWL
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said NASCAR has worked with aviation industry experts "to improve our safety management systems so as to prevent an accident like this from occurring in the future."
Associated Press
Poor economy upsets Super Bowl Unsold tickets and less advertising mark this year's game
BY BEN WALKER Associated Press
But in these tough economic times, it's easy to see: The Super Bowl is taking a hit, too.
The No. 1 sporting event in America is still a big deal. Nearly 100 million of us will tune in Sunday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — In years past, the Super Bowl was so much more than a game. It was an outright orgy of football, glitz and gluttony, a celebration of excess where too much was never enough.
General Motors and FedEx pulled their TV ads, even though NBC lowered the price. Playboy canceled its annual party. Almost 200 fewer media credentials were issued.
"When I think of the NFL, I think of recession-proof," Cardinals lineman Elliot Vallejo said this week. "But that's not true anymore."
Used to be everywhere you looked around a Super Bowl town,
all you could see was advertising. There were commercial booths at every turn. The headquarters hotel and media center looked like giant trade shows.
Now you can look pretty much everywhere and actually see things. Such as empty tables at local restaurants and vacant hotel rooms downtown.
StubHub does have a sign on the mezzanine level at Raymond James Stadium. The nationwide ticket broker also had more than 3,000 seats for sale, as of midweek. They were getting less expensive by the minute.
"In terms of pricing, this game has become the Limbo Bowl—how low can it go?” StubHub spokesman Sean Pate said. “When it comes to plunging down $7,000 for a weekend, people are becoming more pragmatic. They have other needs.”
Dave Gornick hears that from his pals. Now a dentist in Gibsonia, Pa., the lifelong Steelers fan grew up in steel-mill country.
"Some of the guys I tailgate with,
they're blue-collar guys making $30,000 or $35,000 a year, and they didn't have the $1,600 you had to put up in advance to get into the lottery for Super Bowl tickets," he said. "In the past, I think they would've done anything to get to the Super Bowl. Not now, not with this economy."
On the other hand, it might be cheaper to go to the game.
While tickets are still pricey — about 15,000 at a record $1,000 apiece, and 53,000 at $800 each — another 1,000 cost $500 — down from last year's low of $700, the first cut in Super Bowl history.
PHI ALPHA DELTA KU'S PRE-LAW FRATERNITY
"I haven't seen empty stadiums yet. I haven't seen games being blacked out on TV because they haven't sold out," Cardinals defensive end Travis LaBoy said. "But they're saying this is the lowest price for a Super Bowl ticket. That's the economy, tenfold."
And tickets that cost $2,500 or more from scalpers and brokers could be selling at face value by kickoff.
FREE PIZZA
KANSANCLASSIFIEDS
FOR SALE
$25 Kaplan MCAT RevIEW books (2003)
and flashcards (2000-2001). Still great
study materials! Call Jenny 785-979-0391
or email jengatz@ku.edu. hawkchalk-
com/2905
02 Honda Civic LX 4D Great Condition!
95 xx毫米 KBB Excellent 7,030 Good
6.480 Fair 5,805 it offer it at 6,000! call
at 417-827-9898 or jjii14@ku.edu.
hawchkcal.com/2872
95 TOYOTA COROLLA $1600 offer,
166 850 miles; manual; 4 doors; salvage
title. Color blue. New battery, alternator
and tires. please call 785.3303676.
hawkchalk.com/2873
Brand new queen sized box spring used for only 3 months, bought a new bed frame that does not require a box spring so I need to get rid of it! $75 OBO. abie10@ku.edu. hawckalch.com/2879
Linkks cable modem: This modem is in perfect condition and has all cords. We just couldnt stand sunflower any longer so no longer needed it. if interested email or call 509-815-8573. hawkcahk.com/2898
BAHAMA SPRING BREAK SALE!
$200 Sale! Includes Roundtrip Cruise, 4 Nights Beachfront Hotel, Meals & #1 Parties!
Text Message: SPRINGBREAK to 31131 to redeem sale! Limited Space,
Book Now! 1-877-997-8747 www.XtremeTrips.com
I am in urgent need of TI 83 or above graphing calculator. If anyone want to sell it please contact me at my email rubina@ku.edu. hwackhcal.com/2903
ANNOUNCEMENTS
---
1.