THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY JANUARY 22, 2009
11A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Deep down I was hoping to get drafted in the first round. I tried not to have too many expectations. In my heart I was always hoping I would get drafted by Kansas City and since it was in the first round it was perfect."
Matt Besler to the KC Star
FACT OF THE DAY
Kansas City Wizards
Demolition of the exterior of the former Bannister Mall in Kansas City, Mo. began yesterday. Plans call for mixed-use development anchored by an 18,500 seat professional soccer stadium that will be home to the Kansas City Wizards.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What local product was drafted in the first round of the Major League Soccer Super-Draft last week?
A: Overland Park native and Blue Valley West graduate Matt Besler was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards with the eighth overall pick in last Thursday's MLS SuperDraft.
@KANSAN.COM
Courtside: Looking for more
women's BASKETBALL coverage than fits in the paper? No? Well, check out the Courtside blog anyway. COURTSIDE BLOG
teals,
Mur-
d.
at
lead
o in
The Give
and Go:
Live from
Lincoln,
Clark
Goble
and Jayson Jenks detail Kansas' victory/loss. The guys discuss Danielle McCray's game and the Jayhawks' efforts on the offensive glass.
BEWARE OF "THE BLOG"
"Blog" Allen: For a more extensive breakdown than youll find in the paper, check out Taylor Bern's Big 12 Wrap on "Blog" Allen. It includes the full power rankings and more info on upcoming games.
Through the Uprights: Offseason
football
writer
Stephen
Mon-
temayor
take
THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS
closer look at the latest addition to the Kansas coaching staff, defensive line coach Kerry Locklin, and gives you the details on Kansas' awards ceremony.
The Morning Brew: Wait, The
COMMENTARY
Hawks could score Big 12 title
Morning Brew really dedicated a thousand words to the best sports movie montages ever! Yes, really.
You know that joke about the two hunters in woods? The one that goes a little something like this:
TENNIS
TENNIS Former champs Safin, Federer to match-up
Two hunters go out hunting in the woods and stumble upon a bear. Obviously agitated, the bear stars at the hunters and starts running at them. The first man drops his gun and starts to run. The second man yells at his friend. "Wait, you're never going to outrun that bear." The first man tums and yells back. "I don't have to outman the bear. I just have to outrun you."
MELBOURNE, Australia
— Roger Federer and Marat Safin rolled to easy victories
Wednesday against first-time opponents to reach the Australian Open's third round. The familiarity factor will be higher. They'll be playing each other.
It's an old joke, of course. But it may provide a little bit of perspective when looking at the Kansas basketball team. Despite the growing pains and the inconsistent performances and the early season road blocks, the young Jayhawks are sitting pretty to win - at least a share - of their fifth consecutive Big 12 title.
Although Federer's No. 2 ranking is 24 places higher, Safin's talent set the stage for an early marquee matchup.
"I have nothing to lose," Safin said. "He knows how to play against me; I know how to play against him."
Safin has said he is unlikely to play after this year, so he's trying to enjoy what could be his farewell tour.
Don't believe it? Let's look at a few numbers. We're going to study the Real Time RPI rankings of the Big 12 North.
The winner would be on track for a possible semifinal meeting against defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Team Record RPI
Kansas 14-4 38
Missouri 14-3 41
Nebraska 12-4 78
Kansas State 10-6 100
Iowa State 11-6 110
Colorado 7-9 228
Associated Press
By contrast, let's take a look at the Big 12 South:
Oklahoma 17-1 5
Texas 13-4 24
Baylor 13-3 32
Oklahoma State 12-4 20
Texas A&M 14-4 44
Texas Tech 10-7 101
These number are interesting, although they pretty much point out what we've known for the last three or four years. The Big 12 South is significantly deeper than the Big 12 North.
And that means Kansas shouldn't have much trouble running past its Big 12 North counterparts. The Jayhawks might not have their usual bite, but that may not matter.
Of course, we don't really need a complicated formula to know that an Oklahoma team with All-American candidate Blake Griffin will be dangerous in March, and that Colorado might be one of the worst Big 12 teams since the inception of the conference.
They lost by 45 (45!) points at Missouri, and they lost at conference juggernaut Texas Tech on Tuesday, which might have been one of their last realistic shots to win a conference game. Then again, they do get two games each against K-State, Nebraska and Iowa State, so even the lost Buffalooes have a fighting chance at a few victories.
Bov, are the Buffs lousv.
And that might just be the best argument for another Big 12 championship trophy for Kansas.
If the lahayawks take care of business against the North and finish 9-1 or 8-2, and then hold serve at home against the South, you're looking at 11 or 12 Big 12 victories. And if you want to get crazy and drink a little crimson Kool-Aid, it's not impossible to imagine Kansas winning 13 conference games.
And, of course, you know what Oklahoma is saying. "Oh no, Oh no." Oh ya.
THURSDAY YOUTUBE SESH
But they really did save the best for last. Bruce Springsteen accompanied 89-year-old folk legend Pete Seeger and Seeger's grandson for a memorable sing-a-long of the elementary school classic, "This Land Is Your Land."
Even more interesting is this tidbit: Seeger, who has been a controversial political figure for decades, sang two verses that are often censored from the school-house
Here's a warning. If you're already suffering from Obama-fatigue, you might want to stop reading. This actually doesn't have much to do with our new president, but rather the party he held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this past weekend. There were dozens of terrific musical performances, will.Iam, U2, Garth Brooks and Beyoncé just to name a few.
version.
Type "Pete Seger" and "This Land Is Your Land" into your YouTube search field and enjoy.
RECOMMENDED READING
Speaking of our new president, The Morning Brew found a couple of nice magazine pieces about our nation's most high-profile sports fan.
First, in a story cleverly titled,
"The Audacity of Hoops," Sports
illustrated Alexander Wolff
describes how the game of basketball
begins.
shaped a Obama
childhood,
including his
experiences
playing high
school ball at
Punahou School
in Hawaii.
Esquire's Chuck Klosterman
devoted a few thousand words to Obama's brother in law, Craig Robinson, who took over as the head basketball coach at Oregon State this past offseason. As expected, Robinson was at the inauguration on Monday.
Secondly,
Fearin's Chuck
Both stories are worth a glance.
Robinson
Edited by Heather Melanson
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Swimming &
diving
Arkansas, 4 p.m.
Fayetteville, Ark
FRIDAY (No events)
SATURDAY
Women's basketball Kansas State, 11 a.m. Lawrence
Men's basketball Iowa State, 1 p.m. Ames, Iowa
Swimming & diving
South Dakota/
UNI,
3 p.m., Lawrence
SUNDAY (No events)
MONDAY (No.events)
MLB
TUESDAY (No events)
Red Sox re-sign All-Star pitcher to one-year deal
BOSTON — All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a $6.25 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration.
Papelbon has emerged as one of baseball's top closers. He has 113 saves in 128 chances and a 1.84 ERA in 3% seasons in Boston. The team settled on the one-year agreement for the pitcher, who will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season.
The 28-year-old Papelbon is one of four pitchers to record 30 or more saves in each of his first three full seasons. He is 29 saves from the Red Sox mark of 132 set by Bob Stanley from 1977-89.
NFL
Voters pass proposal to entice NFL team in LA
INDUSTRY, Calif. — Voters approved a bond measure that would provide $150 million for infrastructure improvements at a 600-acre site near Los Angeles where a stadium has been proposed to nure an NFL team.
The results support a proposal by billionaire developer Ed Roski's Majestic Real Estate Co. to build an $800 million stadium if an NFL team agrees to move there.
Industry is hosting the latest in a long string of plans to bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles after the Rams and Raiders exited the nation's second-biggest market after the 1994 season.
COLLEGE SPORTS Stanford athletics in red, eliminating staff. teams
SAN FRANCISCO - Stanford's athletic department is projecting a $5 million loss in revenue over the next three years and is considering cutting staff and eliminating some sports teams, The Associated Press has learned
The person also said it wasn't clear which teams, if any, would be considered for elimination — and it likely wouldn't be until the fall at the earliest.
The school is expected to decide in the next 30 to 60 days on staff cuts, a Stanford employee familiar with the budget issues told the AP. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the shortfall.
Stanford has 35 sports teams, 19 for women, 15 for men and one coed squad.
OLYMPICS City may borrow millions to build Olympic village
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver's finance director recommended that the city take over the financing of the Olympic athletes' village to save money and ensure timely completion.
Kenneth Bayne suggested that the city borrow the remaining $356 million needed to finish the village and advance the next construction payment due to developers. City officials received authority to take out the loan on the project during a special sitting of the provincial legislature over the weekend, making a loan possible without a referendum.
While the 2010 Olympic organizing committee has said the village's problems rest with Vancouver, its executive vice president in charge of marketing and sponsorship acknowledged that the problems are tainting the Games as a whole.
Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Heel over head
Inter Milan Argentine defender Walter Samuel, right, challenges for the ball with AS Roma midfielder Simone Perotta during the Italian cup soccer match, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Wednesday.