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Wednesday, June 17, 1992
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Peeler gets probation
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Anthony Peeler pearl-bargained himself out of a jail sentence Monday and now awaits his fate in next week's NBA draft, where he is projected as a first-round choice.
Peeler, the former Missouri basketball star, received five years probation after pleading guilty to a felony weapons charge and two related misdemeanors.
The pleas will keep Peeler from being tried for allegedly attacking a woman last month in her Columbia, Mo., apartment and pointing a gun at her head.
"He won't spend any time in jail," assistant prosecutor Wynes said.
Wynes said prosecutors agreed to
the plea bargain because the victim asked them to, "She was tired of being in the spotlight," he said.
The NBA said Tuesday that Peele, the Big Eight Conference player of the year, still was eligible for the June 24 draft.
The 22-year-old Peeler made a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the lelony charge of possession of a concealed semiautomatic pistol. He got five years of supervised probation for the weapon charge.
Two other felony charges — unlawful restraint and unlawful use of a weapon — were reduced to misdemeanors. He got a suspended 30-day sentence in the Boone County jail for each of the misdemeanor charges plus two years of supervised probation on each charge.
The probations are to run at the same time, meaning Peeler faces five years of supervised probation — the maximum allowed under Missouri law.
Peeler had no previous criminal record. He had been free on $16,000 bond since his arrest.
Wynes said Peeler would be allowed to travel if he got a job. Other terms of the probation require Peeler to not have any contact with his accuser and undergo domestic abuse counseling.
Peeler earlier had entered innocent pleas to the charges. The felony charge carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Each misdemeanor charge carried penalties of up to a year in jail and fines of $1,000.
Women's crew rows to silver in'92 National Collegiate Championships
By Ana Kostick
By Ana Kostick
Kansan staff writer
KU women's crew earned a silver medal in the 1992 National Collegiate Championships Saturday, two seconds behind Princeton University.
"This is the cream of the crop," said KU Crew coach Rob Catloth. "This makes us the second fastest collegiate four in the country."
the women competed against Princeton, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Long Beach State in the championships. Catloth attributed the low number of entries to the late date of the competition. Kansas' second-place time was 7 minutes, 32.73 seconds on the 2,000-meter course. They finished nine seconds ahead of third place Wisconsin.
"It was a real competitive race," Cat- looth said. "Going into the last 400 meters, Princeton had four or five seats on us. They are known for their sprints, but we made a good go of it."
Kansas finished 20 seconds faster than last year's winning team.
"We were so excited, we raced it just like we wanted to," said team captain Chris
Coxsain Julie Lawlor said that before the race Saturday, Kansas was written off by many teams. However, the strong showing on Saturday proved the team had become a definite contender.
Lawlor said the key to the race was keeping the women relaxed.
"We knew we were fast, but KU hadn't been able to race with the other teams," she said.
The women's four was the only Kansas team to compete at nationalals
Catloth said the next step was to develop depth. He said that the women had the technical skills and the athletes to compete at the national level but that his goal was to be a stronger competitor in the eight-member teams with the best crews in the country.
"Next year we're shooting to win the Midwest Championship in the eights," Catloth said. "That will give us an automatic place in the eights at nationals."
KU Crew placed seventh out of 15 for the overall-team trophy. Harvard University won the men's eight, Penn State University won the men's four and Boston University the women's eight.
Jason Hyman/ Special to the Kansas
JSwait:
Taking a break from his tennis game, KU tennis player. Cuong Nguyen, sits under the shade of his soaking towel.
Nguyen was practicing his tennis game yesterday afternoon at the Robinson tennis courts. Nguyen took a quick break
from the heat shortly after he began playing.
No sweat!
The legendary U.S. Open golf championship lures best of the best
Kansas golfer hits road to his first professional tournament By Anne Grego
By Anne Grego
Kansan Staff Writer
Matt Gogel, Kansas golfer, will play in his first professional event tomorrow—the U.S. Open Championship.
The Tulsa, Olda, sophomore, who won the 1991 Big Eight Conference Championship as a freshman, qualified for the Open last week after winning at a playoff at the regional qualifying round in Germantown, Tenn.
The U.S. Open begins tomorrow and runs through June 21. The tournament will be held this year at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Gogel knows his chances among some of the world's best golfers.
"I just want to plow well." Gogel said.
At the local qualifier in Kansas City, Mo., Gogel competed against 118 golfers for 10 spots to go to the regional qualifier. To be eligible for a local qualifier, a golfer must have a handicap of 2 or less.
To get to the Open, Gogel had to go through the same qualifying system that eliminated some established professionals, such as long-time pro Greg Norman.
Gogel faced 77 competitors for the 25 spots at the regional qualifier in Germantown, Tenn.
He shot a 69-71 -140 at Germantown, and was forced into a playoff, where he tied with nine other players vying for the remaining four spots in the Open.
However, for Gogel, the U.S. Open comes after a disappointing year, having finished twelfth in the Big Eight tournament this year.
"I didn't do as well, but I felt I played well," Gogel said. Gogel posted a 75.7 average this year compared with last year's average of 75.56.
Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall said Gogel learned more this year and had to deal with more pressure.
"He had some tough times this year," Randall said. "He's having a lot of success at an early age."
"All I can ask of myself is to relax and play well," Gogel said.
Pressure is what Gogel, 21, will face at the Open.
Daron J/ Bennett / KANSAM
Pro golfers deal with success in different ways The Associated Press
Matt Gogel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, sophomore, practices with his five iron at the Alvamar Driving Range before leaving for the U.S. Open Championship in Pebble Beach, Calif. The championship tournament is Gogel's first professional game.
Fame and fortune; celebrity and security.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The rewards on the pro golf tour are enormous.
For those players who reach the top level of world golf, income is computed in 7-figure increments, and lifetime financial security is all but a foregone conclusion.
In a game searching for identi-
fitable, enduring heroes, a player who
can kill himself — ever so slightly
— above the masses suddenly is besieged by agents and offers, pleas and demands.
It is exciting and lucrative
"It where we all trying to get to, Davis Love III said before a practice session for the 1992 U.S. Open. "Winning tournaments, winning majors, that's what we all want to do."
But there's a down side to it. While the player's picture adorns the covers of national magazines, and he's sought by the networks, his time suddenly is not his own.
Pressures he never considered come to bear.
He is hounded for interviews and appearances. His every move, comment and action is observed and criticized.
Some players handle it. Some even welcome it. Some do not.
Arnold Palmer handled it. The
spotlight was his native land. He gloried in it. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson recognized the value and importance of the press and public attention and learned to handle it. Their success was a part of their greatness.
Lee Trevino made an accommodation with celebrity.
"When I'm on the golf course, I'm theirs." Trevino said. "But, hey, baby, when I’m off the golf course, my time is mine."
Away from the course, he insulated himself from the outside pressures and secluded himself in his hotel room; dining from the room service menu for days on end, rarely receiving or returning calls
Others sought to take advantage of their instant celebrity in around-the-world pursuit of guarantees — and suffered burn-out.
Curtis Strange won consecutive U.S. Opens in 1988-89 — and hasn't won since.
Pagine Stewart scored his second major championship victory a year ago at Hazeltime. He immediately went into a decline.
"When we achieve some success, we say, I've got to get better," Stewart recalled. "So I went to some people whose opinions I respect, and they told me to do some things, gave me some advice. I tried to do it. It didn't work for me."
Only in the last few weeks has he come out of it.
Ian Baker-Finch has the finest tournament of his career in the 1991 British Open. He, too, has been on a slide since scoring only
two top-10 finishes in the months since his victory.
John Daly's saga has been well documented since his emergence as a folk hero in last year's PGA.
It has been a chronicle of personal problems, paternity and palimony suits filed and withdrawn, a romance that went bust but developed into marriage.
Except for his vast distance off the tee, his game has shown only fleeing glimpses of the promise shown at Crooked Stick.
And then there's Fred Couples easy-going Freddie.
He scaled golf's heights with his victory at Augusta, Ga., earlier this year, capping an incredible success string that produced six victories and more than $2.5 million in worldwide earnings in 10 months.
It was the stuff of legends. And it put Couples in a funk.
He hasn't finished higher than 22nd since and missed the cut in half the tournaments he played.
"Everybody wants a piece of you," Couples said, harried and harassed by the constant attention.
"I got tired, and I got tired of golf."
For three weeks, Couples went into seclusion, got some rest and came back. But his game didn't come with him. He mussed the cut in his last start.
"All I want to do is play golf and hang out with my buddies," he said. But Couples and Love, two of the leading contenders going into the Thursday start of the American national championship, have discovered that success will not allow them that luxury.
BASKETBALL NOTES Kansan staff report
■ Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams will assist Coach George Raveling of the University of Southern California. Raveling will guide a squad of eight collegiate players next week against the U.S. Olympic team in preparation for the summer games.
The collegiate team, which includes Bobby Hurley of Duke and Eric Montross of North
Carolina, will play a scrimmage against the Olympic team June 22-26.
Kansas City runs over Twins with a 7-5 victory and consecutive homers from McFarlane and McRae
Junior Richard Scott underwent surgery on his left fibula last week to repair a broken bone. Scott will be on crutches for a few weeks but is expected to be able to resume full activity in August.
■ Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons has ranked the Kansas recruiting class 11th in the nation. Big Eight Conference rival Nebraska was ranked 10th.
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Macfarlane and Brian McRae hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning, Kansas City's first homers in seven games and its first back-to-back shots this season, leading the Royals to a 7-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins last night.
Wally Joyner hit a home run in the seventh inning, completing the Royals' only three-homer game of 1992.
Kevin Appier (6-3) won despite allowing more than three runs for only the second time this season. Appier gave up nine hits in five innings before Rusty Meacham and Jeff Montgomery worked two innings each. Montgomery earned
his 15th save.
Joyner led off the seventh with his first homer since May 28, scoring his third run of the game.
Each team scored twice in the first. The Royals went up 3-2 in the third on a double by Kevin McReynolds. Minnesota tied the game on Chili Davis' fourth-inning homer.
Kansas City scored on a double-play grounder in the fifth. Appier let the Twins go ahead in the bottom of the inning, giving up a two-out RBI single to Scott Leius and then allowing another run to score off a wild pitch.
The Royals, 25-20 since their 1-16 start, survived their own shoddy defense — two errors, three hits off their gloves and several instances of poor fundamentals.
Take it from someone that is in the know, in baseball and in life,bigger isn't better
Lil'guys defy stereotypes in the major league
By David Mitchell Contributing editor
My friend Karen is constantly reminding me how short I am.
Karen, who is five-foot-nine, is just one of many who think we short men need to be reminded of our condition—as if we haven't been hearing about it all our lives.
Even worse are the unavoidable short-guy stereotypes. In sports they are pervasive.
Short guys can't dunk. Short guys can't be quarterbacks. Short guys are scrappy.
On sure, Napoleon and rather to wipe out Europe, and now we're all aggressive.
Fortunately, of these myths has been obliterated in recent years. Little guys can't
Lies! Lies I say.
In 1984, an outfitter made it to the majors out of the Minnesota Twins farm system. He was the least likely major-leaguer. Standing 5-8, the newcomer looked more like a bat boy than a centerfielder. When heavy hitter
David Mitchell
Contributng
Editor
Reggie Jackson asked the puckish rookie if he hit the long ball, he had to confess that he did not.
In his first two big league seasons, Kirby Puckett just hit four home runs.
They grow up so fast.
Entering this week's series with Kansas City, Puckett was leading the American
A vigorous workout program turned the tiny Twin into one of the game's biggest stars. In 1986, Puckett blasted 31 homers. A year later, he led the team to the World Championship. Minnesota won it all again in 1991. Puckett has beefed up from 175 pounds in 1984 to 226 this season.
League in batting average .354), RBI (51),
runs (47), hits (86) and total bases (145).
He also had 13 homers, and his .597 slugging
percentage was second only to Oakland's
mammoth Mark McGwire.
When free-agent pitcher Jack Morris abandoned Minnesota for Toronto, the Twins pitching staff was virtually runed with a few strokes of the pen. However, Puckett and the Twins' other big bats have kept the defending champs in contention in the wild western division.
Puckett transcends the typical little-guy scouting report: Good field. No hit. And he is not just a hot hitter, he is a Gold Glove-winning centerfielder.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, Puckett is reaching the end of a multi-year contract. He will be a free agent at season's end. Contract talks have broken off. Puckett says he wants to concentrate on the present.
With Puckett hitting like a man possessed and big man Kent Krbek hitting 324, the Twins lead the American League in team batting average at .287.
For the record, 5-9 second baseman Chuck Knoblauch is hitting 313. Not bad—for a little guy.
David Mitchell is a DeSoto senior majoring in journa
nalism