2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"He's just an everyday person. When you meet him, you wouldn't know that this would be the next president. He makes you feel like you've known him for years and years."
Nie Newtionen Harteis gnair Chi Statou Ben
Nie Newtionen Harteis gnair Chi Statou Ben
FACT OF THE DAY
President Barack Obama played basketball every election day after noticed a trend in his success. Obama played the day of the Iowa Caucus and South Carolina primary, winning both. He became superstitious and made election day basketball an unofficial rule after he neglected to play during the New Hampshire and Nevada elections, and lost both.
- abnews.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What sport does President Obama's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, coach?
A: Robinson is the men's basketball coach at Oregon State. In his first season the Beavers are 6-10. Oregon State recently snapped a 23-game conference losing streak with a 62-58 victory over USC.
Jankovich finds success with Redbirds
COMMENTARY
Tim Jankovich is acus tomed to winning 25 games each year.
When lankovik was an assistant coach under Bill Sel for five years — one at Illinois and four at Kansas — Self's squads averaged 26 victories per year.
So it comes as no surprise that Self's former right-hand man is guiding Illinois State down the same path he helped guide
Illinois and Kansas. The Redbirds won 25 games last season — lankovich's first in charge
and seem to be on the same path this year,
winning 16 of their first 18.
"Tim is not a good coach — Tim is a great coach." Self said. "He's done a lot of things to help us here, to help me personally."
Jankovich
After inheriting a team that finished ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference the year before, Jankovich guided the Redbirds to a second-place conference finish and an NIT berth.
This season Illinois State is 5-2 in the Valley, trailing only upstart Northern Iowa.
Jankovich is the second of Self's assistants to make a splash on the college basketball scene in recent years. Kentucky coach Billy Gilliepike left Self's staff at Illinois after the 2002 season, first getting his feet wet at UTEP then moving on to Texas A&M and eventually, Kentucky.
Gillispie bulldogged his way in arguably college basketball's most prestigious job. Jankovich could be the next assistant coach to jump to power-conference basketball. He certainly has the support of his former boss.
"He's creative offensively." Self said. "He's got a good way with people, and he's got his team guarding. Them winning is no surprise to any of us. But the schedule is going to get tougher. I'm sure he knows that, but he's a really good basketball coach."
DONOVAN'S ADVENTURE IN DEUTSCHLAND
Say what you will about Landon Donovan, the guy is the most talented and productive field player the United States has ever produced.
But as much success as Donovan has had — he is the United States national team's all-time leading goal scorer with 37 goals there has always been one blemish on his résumé. He just couldn't seem to cut it in Europe. Two failed spells at German club Bayer Leverkusen were chalked up to immaturity.
That's why it's so exciting to see Donovan having success at the beginning of his three-month loan with Bayern Munich. No, these aren't competitive matches
— the German Bundesliga is on winter break until the end of January — but Donovan looks as though he belongs alongside Luca Toni and Mirrosla Klose.
THE BREW GOES DIGITAL
It's part blog, part column, part pop-culture melting pot. It's The Morning Brew. A daily dose of Kansas sports, college life and pop culture.
He has two goals so far, and reports suggest Bayern may make the move a permanent one. U.S. fans have to be drooling at the prospect of an on-form and motivated Donovan as World Cup qualifying résumés.
You can read daily postings from The Morning Brew guys at Kansan.com/ blogs/morning_brew, and if you have any questions or comments, please give us a holer at morningbrew@ kansan.com.
Edited by Jesse Trimble
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Nomen's basketball
Nebraska, 7 p.m.
 Lincoln, Neb.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY (No events)
Swimming &
diving
Arkansas, 4 p.m.
Favetteville, Ark
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)
@ KANSAN.COM
The Give and Go: With Kansas' bad loss against Texas Tech
at home looming in the minds of Jayson and Clark, the two
pick the Cornhuskers to take down the Jayhawks on Wednesday night in Lincoln. And yet again, the guys talk about what Danielle McCray needs to do to get out of her funk.
Courtside: With Kansas preparing to play Nebraska tonight, Jayson Jenks and Clark Goble provide a quick rundown on the
Comhuskers and what the Big12 looks like after three conference games. COURTSIDE BLOG
The Sports Desk: Sports editor Andrew Wiebe drops some
knowledge on the beginning of Major League
The Morning Brew: Wait. The
Morning Brew really dedicated a thousand words to the best sports movie monteages ever? Yes, re
Soccer training camps and the United States friendly match with Sweden this weekend.
Through the Uprights: Offseason football writer Stephen
THR•UGH
THE
UPRIGHTS
Kansas coaching staff, defensive line coach Kerry Locklin.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is the center of the Pittsburgh Steelers game planning going into the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. Fitzgerald is one of three Cardinals receivers with 1,000 yards this season, and he has amassed 419 yards in the postseason alone.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
INTRUST encourages responsible credit card spending.
NFL
Steelers aware of Fitzgerald threat
BY ALAN ROBINSON
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Larry Fitzgerald might be the most scouted player in Pittsburgh Steelers history. For two years, they needed only to look out their office windows to watch him.
Fitzgerald's exceptional hands, his knack for making difficult catches while heavily covered and his high jumper-like leaping ability might pose the biggest obstacle to the Steelers beating the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
As Steelers coach Mike Tomlin suggested Tuesday, scouting and a good game plan alone aren't enough to slow Fitzgerald, whose 419 yards receiving are the most in a single NFL postseason, with one game remaining.
"If you get down the field one-on-one with him, he's going to come back with the football," Tomlin said. "He is the best in the world at that, bar none."
Not that any one needs to remind the Steelers.
Displayed in their Heinz Field press box, alongside pictures of former and current Steelers players, is a large photo of Fitzgerald leaping above three Texas A&M defenders to make a touchdown catch while at Pitt in 2003. He couldn't have been more covered, yet it made no difference. The football was there, and, in Fitzgerald's mind, nobody else was going to get it.
Ask the Philadelphia Eagles about plays like that.
Fitzgerald's series of three, canyou-top this touchdown catches
in the NFC championship game Sunday prevented an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. It also set up an improbable matchup between the Cardinals, an old franchise that could hardly be less successful, and the Steelers, an old franchise that could hardly be more successful.
"Larry Fitzgerald, is quite simply, the best receiver in the world down the field in one-on-one situations," Tomlin said. "If we're to be successful in Tampa, we need to limit the number of times we're downfield with him one-on-one.
Now, Fitzgerald probably needs to be better than Steelers receiver Hines Ward if the Cardinals are to win their first NFL championship since 1947 — three cities and 61-plus years ago.
Invariably, he's going to come up with the football. The (video) tape tells us that."
Fitzgerald is one of three Arizona 1,000-yard receivers, along with Anquan Boldin and former Pittsburgh high school star Steve Breaston. But Fitzgerald might be the toughest matchup problem all season for the Steelers.
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MLB Buck, Peralta sign deals while other Royals wait
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Catcher John Buck agreed Tuesday to a $2.9 million, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, and right-hander Joel Peralta accepted a $640,000, one-year deal.
The 28-year-old Buck hit .224 with 23 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBIs in 109 games last year. A.234 hitter over five seasons with Kansas City, he has 62 career home runs.
The 32-year-old Peralta was 1-2 with a 5.98 ERA in 40 relief appearances last season. In 194 career relief appearances, he is 4-8 with a 4.45 ERA.
Right-hander Zack Greinke asked for $4.4 million and was offered $3.4 million; fellow right-hander Brian Bannister proposed $2,025,000 and was offered $1.45 million; outfielder Mark Teaken requested $3.85 million and was offered $2.75 million; and first baseman Mike Jacobs asked for $3.8 million and was offered $2.75 million.
Associated Press