Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, February 9.1998
Trash can put out of misery
Commentary
It started out as a trash can. A blue trash can.
Maybe it was in the dungeon-like basement of Wescoe Hall. Maybe it was in the Ekdahl Dining Commons.
Somehow, it ended up on James Naismith Court in Allen Field House.
"Wow," I thought to myself the first time I saw the Scream Machine. "That's a garbage can."
And it became painfully obvious, as Big Jay and Baby Jay danced around it and pulled it toward the student section, that somehow, in some way, I would end up cheering for this garbage can.
And so I did it. The first time Big Jay opened that rubber trash can, I screamed like a wild man. The person next to me screamed. A lot of people screamed.
The next time the Scream Machine reared its fearless lid in the field house, the response from the student section was lukewarm at best. It was becoming clear that this was not going to be a long-standing Kansas basketball tradition.
But something about it wasn't right.
By the January 28 Baylor game, the students had had enough. They booed.
Imagine: thousands of crimson- and blue-blooded, die hard Kansas fans, booing their own mascots. It was a sad, sad sight.
After that debacle, something needed to be done.
Eric Weslander
sports@kansan.com
In Thursday's Kansan,
associate sports editor
Harley Ratliff's column called
the Scream Machine
ridiculous.
The same day, we printed an email response from a fan who called it, among other things, a cano' crap.
Later that day, I received an email from Brian Carpenter, Overland Park sophomore, one of the students who regularly dons the Big Jay costume.
In his e-mail, he made the announcement that people had been waiting for:
"We have decided to stop using this 'gimmick' for the rest of this men's basketball season," he wrote. "However, this is not the end of the Scream Machine. We will use it again since it has received compliments from both alumni and administration."
Carpenter also pointed out that the mascots put time and effort into ordering the vinyl lettering for the can and preparing it for use. He said he was disgusted at the fans' booing, even though he
was not the one in the costume at the time.
So there you go, fans. It's official: The Scream Machine has been disposed.
I hope you're happy.
In itself, it's not a bad idea—the lid comes off, the noise comes out.
The question remains, though:
Why did students hold their noses at this converted waste receptacle?
But as Carpenter's e-mail pointed out, it has been used at other schools including Alabama and South Carolina. That's the first problem.
In stark contrast to the Rock Chalk Chant and the "Beware of the Phog" banner, the Scream Machine just isn't original.
But perhaps the main reason it didn't work is that it was too forced. It lacked a certain spontaneity.
The best thing about Kansas basketball fans is that they are spontaneous. They know when the momentum of the game is shifting. They know when to harass the opposing coach or players.
In short, they know when to scream. And they don't want someone telling them when to scream.
Especially if they use a refuse container to do it.
Kansas unprepared in Iowa State meet
Weslander is the sports editor and a Louisville, Ky., junior in journalism.
Swimmers still eye Big 12 championship
By Erin Thompson Kansan sportswriter
In its preparation for the Big 12 Championships, the Kansas swimming and diving team overlooked its final regular-season meet against Iowa State Saturday.
The men received a rude reminder from the Cyclones and fell 139-106. The women defeated Iowa State 175-117 but were flat in their races, said Kansas coach Gary Kempf.
"We kind of got an old-fashioned butt-whipping this weekend," he said. "We gave it what we had. We laid it on the line and our preparation caught us a little flat in some races."
The team is preparing for the Big 12 Championships at the end of February and is worn out from the strenuous workouts, Kempf said.
The Kansas swimming and diving team shows support for the basketball team by showing up in Speedos. Kansas defeated Missouri yesterday 80-70. Photo by Corie Waters/KANSAN
"They worked hard. As far as our preparation goes, that was my fault," he said. "We got caught between preparing for the championships and this weekend. The preparation was geared toward conference finals."
The Kansas women dominated a Cyclone team which has not won a meet this season, winning 10 of the 15 events.
The Jayhawks were led by senior Jen Kepler and freshman Jennifer Fuller.
Kepler took home first place finishes in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. Fuller won both the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly.
The Jayhawks improved their record to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12.
With their loss to the 24thranked Cyclones, the No. 22 Kansas men fell to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12.
Kansas was only able to win five of 13 events. Sophomore Tyler Painter won three of the five events for the Jayhawks. He won the 200, 500, and 1,000-meter freestyle events.
Seniors Brandon Chestnut won the 200-meter breaststroke and Brian Humphrey won the one-meter diving competition for the
other two Jayhawk wins.
Despite the loss, the Jayhawks still think they are on the right track for the conference finals, Kempf said.
"If I had to pick between a win this weekend and the finals, I'd pick the finals every time," he said. "We'll be ready for the conference finals."
The women's championship is Feb. 19-21, in Austin, Texas, and the men's championship is Feb. 26-28 in College Station, Texas.
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