Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Yesterday in sports
Sports
George Brett's contract for vice president of the Kansas City Royals was extended three years. Brett was elected to the Hall of Fame last year.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Women's basketball coaches share stories from when they participated in the Olympics.
Inside: The U.S. softball team won the gold after a popup slipped from the glove of a Japanese outfielder.
SEE PAGE 7B
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Pierce improves; no arrests made after stabbing
The Associated Press
BOSTON — Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics was upgraded to good condition yesterday while recovering from stab wounds inflicted during a party at a downtown nightclub.
Officials didn't say what the motive was for the stabbing, which occurred at 1:10 a.m. Monday in the Buzz Club/Europa, but a representative said police were investigating associates of the rap group Made Men.
No arrests had been made as of early yesterday afternoon.
WHHD-TV reported early today that arrest warrants had been issued but had not yet been served. The station did not identify who was targeted in the arrest warrants. Boston police would not confirm or deny the report.
or deny the report.
Pierce's condition was upgraded from fair to good yesterday following surgery Monday to repair his damaged lung, said officials at the New England Medical Center. They termed the stab wounds to Pierce's face, neck and back as mostly superficial.
"We can say absolutely that Made Men had nothing to do
Made Men denied any involvement.
Pierce: had surgery Monday to repair a damaged lung
with the melee that took place last night," group member Raymond "Ray Dog" Scott, who was at the party, said in a statement Monday. "We do not condone or advocate violence against anybody."
John Swomley, who represents the rap group, said he had contacted investigators and asked if they wanted to speak to his clients, but the investigators declined.
The Boston Herald reported yesterday, based on unidentified sources, that Pierce's assailant was a member of Made Men's 'posse' who was seeking revenge after a confrontation at a different nightclub 24 hours earlier.
The rap group's associates were angry about their perception that Pierce and his friends had been given special treatment, the newspaper reported.
Pierce, 22, the Celtics' first-round draft choice out of Kansas in 1988, was visited by family members from California, and by Celtics staff and players.
"Paul is in good spirits and is looking forward to putting this ordeal behind him and returning to what he does best — playing basketball," his family said in a statement.
we're not sure what the alteration was about," said police representative Mariellen Burns. "We're not even sure Mr. Pierce and his friends were involved in what this alteration was about."
Witnesses told police that an altercation broke out before Pierce was knifed.
No.24 Baylor poses obstacle to Kansas' preseason goals
By Sarah Warren sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
For the second time in two weeks the Kansas volleyball team heads to the Lone Star State to take on some heavy hitters.
Tonight the Jayhawks (10-2, 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference) are in Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor (7-5, 1-3).
The Bears' last two games have been five-game matches that ended in defeats to Texas and Missouri, while Kansas has split its last two matches, knocking off Iowa State but falling to top-ranked Nebraska.
Although Kansas' record is superior to Baylor's, the Bears were ranked No. 24 in the preseason standings and have defeated the Jayhawks in all but one match played since the creation of the Bir 12 in 1996.
"They're really good," said coach Ray Bechard. "They are definitely a top 25 team."
Baylor also finished fifth in the conference in 1999 and earned a NCAA Tournament berth. Both of these accomplishments are preseason goals for the 2000 Jayhawks, so beating the Bears could be a major step toward achieving those goals.
"There's no easy road game in this conference," Bechard said. "Anytime you can win a match on the road in this conference, that's a special thing."
However, that step looks more like the long jump tonight because of the Bears' home-court advantage.
Amy Myatt, senior outside hitter said she would much rather it be Nov. 4, the day that Kansas takes on Baylor in its home, Horejsi Family Athletic Center, where the 'Hawks recorded their single win against Baylor in 1999.
"We get kind of sparked at home with our fans," Myatt said. "But you have to play your game well — it doesn't matter where you're playing."
Myatt also said if Kansas has it's game together, as it did in its 3-0 win against Iowa State on Saturday, the Jayhawks could upset the Bears.
However, in order to shut down Baylor, even on a good day, Myatt and the rest of the Kansas front row must stuff the Bears' freshman outside hitter Stevie Nicholas, who leads the Big 12 with 5.84 plays per game.
Myatt will provide good competition for Nicholas as she is third on that list with 4.87 kills per game.
"Honestly, I don't pay attention to their stats," Myatt said. "Any day you go out and play hard, you can win. It doesn't matter what's happened before. It's just volleyball; volleyball is weird that way."
- Edited bv Erin McDaniel
Senior outside hitter Amy Mytay spikes the ball toward opponents earlier this year. The volleyball team travels to Texas tonight to play the Bears in Waco, Texas. Kansas file photo
UTEP coach warns 'Hawks about Sooners
Kansas fullback Moran Norris avoids an SMU defender in the Jayhawk's 31-17 loss in Dallas. The 'Hawks travel to Oklahoma this weekend to take on the Sooners. Gary Nord, coach of Texas El-Paso, has cautioned the 'Hawks about the Sooners. His team beat SMU and lost to the Sooners already this season. Kansan file photo
By Jason Franchuk sports @kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
When digging for information to see if Kansas has a shot to beat Oklahoma Saturday, it's best to to talk to a Miner.
Texas-El Paso coach Gary Nord offered some advice to the Jayhawks before they headed to Norman, Okla. Brace for the heat, the Miners coach said. Prepare for the thunderous crowd. And, no matter what, avoid Oklahoma dental hygiene jokes.
Nord has a pretty good idea of what lies ahead for the Jayhawks Saturday as Kansas travels to Norman for a game with the Sooners.
UTEP has had two opponents in common with the Jayhawks. The Miners lost to the Sooners in their season opener Sept. 2, 55-14. The next week they defeated Southern Methodist at home, 37-20.
Can Kansas take anything away from this? If it could not succeed against Southern Methodist, could the Jayhawks possibly stand a chance at Oklahoma? Nord does not see much comparison because Kansas, he said, did not live up to its potential in the SMU loss.
"Kansas was pretty bad in that game," Nord said. "From what we saw on tape, they just gave SMU too many chances. They're a much better team than that, I think."
Kansas lost its season opener at Southern Methodist, 31-17, although the circumstances were different than what UTEP faced. The Mustangs were playing at home in a brand-new stadium and used that emotion to charge themselves to a win.
Nord said that although he primarily watched the SMU-Kansas game to scout the Mustangs, he was aware of the Jayhawks' notorious road woes. Before the UTEP position opened up, he was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, and he knows a few things about Norman.
"When we were there it was 108 degrees at kickoff," Nord said. "Kansas will also have to be ready for the humidity. It's always humid there. And of course, the fans are loud and obnoxious."
Lately, the Jayhawks have spoken about pride. Playing a ranked opponent would be the perfect opportunity, they said, to gain the respect that Jayhawks coach Terry Allen says his team has not earned yet.
"We'd like to sneak into town," Allen said of the game against Oklahoma after last Saturday's win against Southern Illinois.
Nord understands Kansas' desire to gain some acclaim on the road. However, he cautioned the Jayhawks against speaking up too much. He said it might be best to be quiet this week, noting that the Sooners historically play better when they are spoken negatively about.
Nord tells a story about when he was an assistant at Oklahoma and the football program sent him on a goodwill tour around the state to promote the team. At a dentist's convention, Nord quipd about how he was going to bring a few of the dentists back to Norman with him.
"I told them I had been in Norman for a while and had yet to see anyone with a full set of teeth," Nord said, laughing. "They haven't forgotten about that. I think they were still using it as motivation when my team went there."
Sports Columnist
— Edited by Warisa Chulindra
Seth Jones
sports@kansan.com
Tailgaters mull value of beer, George Bush potato salad
One of the benefits of being a sports columnist is that you can come up with your own assignments.
In about an hour, we visited seven tailgate parties, with an average of six people at each party.
So my roommate, Jeff "Law-Dawg" Heiman, and I set out to see what kind of opinions are out in the Memorial Stadium parking lot, with the hope that some type of story would arise from the adventure.
So rather than taking on the arduous task of talking to any Kansas football players about the victory against Southern Illinois, I elected to talk to the fans tailgating in the parking lot before the game.
The weather was awful, but the mood in the parking lot was positive. Every fan we talked to sensed a win. About half of the fans actually could identify what team we were playing.
I had a notebook with me, with such important questions as: "Do you have beer?" (six out of seven parties admitted they did) and "Better potato salad, mustard or mayonnaise?" (mustard won in a landslide).
The funniest group of people that we visited was the group with the George W. Bush tent covering their party. We figured these Republicans would know how to throw a good tailgate party.
"We're not drinking beer," they informed us.
I figured I had either misheard them or they were kidding with me, because both had cups of beer right before our eyes.
"You're not drinking beer," I reaffirmed. They nodded.
"You get what you pay for," they told me.
Spoken like true Republicans, I thought.
Refuddled. I went on.
they were also the only group to know how to perform the "Millennium Butcher Dance." After I asked one of the gentlemen to show us the dance, he began to do something like the Humpty Dance mixed with a violent chopping gesture with his right arm. His left arm remained motionless, holding his not-beer and cigar.
Of every group we talked to, they were the only people who liked the alcohol policy in Memorial Stadium, which allows alcohol in the scholarship suites but not in the regular stands.
We decided it was time to leave after one of the men started to complain about the liberal media to me.
In their defense, they made sure to send us off with free George W. Bush cups.
The coolest group of guys not only gave us some free food, but they also shared with us some of their beer. The consensus among every fan we talked to was that as long as you drink your alcohol from nondistinguishing containers, and not from beer cans or bottles, the police would leave you alone.
When I asked why tallaging was so much better at K-State, a fan asked me back, "Well, what else have they got to do in Manhattan?"
1
At this point, the game was about to start, so we headed on in to the stadium to enjoy the game. In hindsight, I think I had more fun joking with random fans in the parking lot than watching the game.
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Jones is a Muvane senior in Journalism.