Page 12 University Daily Kansan, September 17, 1980
Rain doubles KC chances to clinch title
By GENE MYERS Sports Editor
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Rain postponed the Kansas City Royals last night and postponed their chance to clinch the American League West.
But today the Royals have a double chance to clinch the title because last night's rainsout has been a positive one.
At 5:06 p.m., Dennis Leonard will take his 18-9 record to the mound to face the California Angels and winless Ralph Bottin. In the second game, Renie Martin, 8-9, will face winless Bob Ferris.
KANSAS CITY's magic number is one. Texas, which lost 2-4 LITTLE to Oakland, has been mathematically eliminated. Oakland will be back to winning games and games today or if the A's lose tonight to
The Royals, however, will play without George Brett, who will miss his ninth and tenth straight games. Brett, who leads the majors with a .396 average but has not played since Sept. 6, had the injury to his right hand diagnosed on Monday as tendinitis.
"He has resolving tendencies of one of his wrist extensors," William Benson, Kansas City physician, said after a 45-minute examination. "I told him I was going to ask him playing until he was co-confident."
"How long that will take is very unpredictable.
I hope sometime in the next four to six days."
PLAYING WITHOUT BRETT has been painful for the Royals. In the 43 games he has missed—nine with a bruise, 'beel, 26 with torn ankle ligaments and seven 'tendinitis—the Royals
are 21-22. The Royals also lost three other games in which Brett could not start but only pinch hit. They are 68-30 when he has started.
Even though the Royals are only a 50-50 shot to win without Brett, they have done fine when Leonard has pitched. He has not lost since July 31. In his last 10 starts he has eight victories, one loss and one no decision. Since the All-Star break, he is 11-2 with a 2.99 ERA.
The game last night, the first rianout of the season, was called about an hour before the 7:35 starting time. The artificial turf was ankle-deep in water. Only a handful of fans were in Royals Stadium and a handful more were in their cars. The temperature had dropped to the low 50s.
By 7:35 the rain had stopped and a bright orange sun shadowed the fast-moving clouds.
The KU defense was the big surprise for Head Coach Don Fambrough last weekend. However, he says the defense must do better to surprise seventh-ranked Pittsburgh.
The Pitt Panthers, who beat lowly Boston College 14-6 last weekend, play Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Panthers had nine points in the opener, but Fambrillo expects that to end.
"The defense played its heart out and never gave up," he said of KU's it-7 heart of Oregon last
weekend. "The defense had something to prove.
The players came out of the game with a lot of
Both the KU defense and offense had a tough time in practice yesterday. Thundershowers cut the practice short by an hour. The practice had the advantage of being behind Allen Field House to Memorial Stadium.
The defense, last in the Big Eight last year, had only one team to seven or eight points then. The offense, which was led by Rashaad Penny
Glory escapes KU runners but dedication, fun does not
By JIM SMALL Sports Writer
She stood alone, hands on hips, with the hot Kansas sun beating on her body. Perspiration dripped down her temples and trickled down the end of her nose.
Her red face was contorted with pain as she greedily sucked in more air.
"I run," she giped, "because I am addicted." Regardless of her reasons, Nancy Rogowski, Belle Colo, Freshman, continues to run day in and day out. Women who work in women who make up KU's cross-country teams.
"IT GETS REALLY hard sometimes," said Phil Broadack, Mission Hills sophomore. "I don't think a day goes by when I don't ask myself to play or enjoy running and it teems good once I'm finished."
"It is easy to get down a lot," Rogowski said.
"Running in 84° degree heat and high humidity
is not easy."
The cross-country runners are a product of the country's running craze. They feel the short-term punishment of intensive running. They are also more susceptible to long-term injuries.
"ITREAT A lot of runners," said Don Mahrle, a Topoeda pediatra. "Their feet do take some
wear and tear. But the foot is well adapted for running; it is designed to do well.
"The problems occur when there is a structural deformation in the foot. The running may aggravate this deformation and cause problems for the runner. In the long run, however, the advantages of running far outweigh the disadvantages."
Judging from an average workout, it isn't hard to see why runners suffer wear and tear. But the difference is that you can control them.
"WE RUN ON our in the morning," Broadaus said. "Usually it between four and five miles. That part isn't hard and I don't even consider that part of our workout.
'one real work starts in the afternoon. The practices vary throughout the season, but usually we'll run another 11 miles or so in. We'll heat and humidity, that's a lot of running.'
The rewards are small medalions and encouragement from coaches and teammates. There is no public glory for a cross-country runner.
Bob Luder, Caldwell sophomore, said that at times everyone missed the attention that the glamour sports of football, basketball and baseball received.
"Sure, sometimes I think, 'Where is this going to get me?' " Luder said. "I'll be here three
more years and that's it. There isn't a lot of money in cross-country after college.
"But I usually say that when I am feeling kind of down, like if a practice has gone bad. I know that as long as I am here, I'll keep running. I really love it."
"WE WOULD LIKE it if there was some money in running after college," said Bill Allen, Port Angles, Wash., senior. "It might happen some day, but I guess not right now."
The sport is also a burden in the classroom. The less glamorous the sport, statistics show, the higher the graduation rate of athletes. But it is not always easy.
"I am putting all I can into my grades," Heard said. "Sometimes that means cutting my running down a little. For instance, I used to run five miles and run three to run three and spend the other time studying."
DESPITE THE hardships and injustices that
camerons run, sometimes presents, the
camers run on.
Rogowski, still gasping from her last energy-
draining mile of the day, knew why.
Draft pick comes to terms with Kings
By United Press International
ST. JOSEPH, Mo.-Charles "Hawkeye" Whitney, the Kansas City King's top draft choice, signed a multi-year contract with the club yesterday. He will be in training camp today
"It can really help you in other things," she said. "You not only are building your body, but you also are building your mind."
Douglas, the younger brother of Kansas City center Leon Douglas, whom the Kings acquired from the Detroit Pistons during the off-season, was an All-Big Eight player at KU. He was the final player cut in the Golden State Warriors team, the same team that released White last season.
The 6-foot-5 1/2 swingman from North Carolina State had a 16.8 career scoring average. He will be used both at guard and forward.
The Kings have 16 players competing for 11 spots, the roster, two of them former Kansas Kansas City Royals.
Douglas spent last season splitting time bet-
ween the college and university toward
his physical education degree at KNU.
JO JO WHITE signed with the Kings last week and John Douglas was invited to camp this season.
"It was tough ... mentally tough," Douglas said about his first year without basketball since he was a youngster. "I wanted so much to be a part of what was going on out there, but I always was, comparing myself putting myself in someone's position out there on the court."
DOUGLAS CAN thank his former coach, Ted Cormier, for arranging a pre-camp trial with the Kicks.
Owens called Kansas City Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who used to coach at Kansas State University, and asked him to take a look at the younger Douglas. Douglas spent two weeks with several players and showed enough talent to warrant a second look.
"If we didn't think he could play, John wouldn't be here," Fitzsimmons said. "He's not here because of Leon. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know they were brothers until we got Leon in June. John is here because we think he has a chance to make our club."
Of the 11 spots open on the team, at least nine are spoken for.