TUESDAY, NOV. 13,2001
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (Nov. 15).
You sure are powerful this year.
That's good because you have some big choices to make.
Should you move or stay? Renovate? Redecorate? Maybe a new coat of paint? Finish up the projects you've got going, then get really creative. Make your home close to perfect.
Aries (March 21-April 19). Today is a 4. Sometimes you like to be in front of the roaring crowds, to be the star of the show. Sometimes you like to be backstage where nobody can see you, and that's just as it should be. There are things that should only be done in private, like counting money.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Today is a 6. You're an excellent listener, and that's a talent you'll put to good use. Your mate or partner is running into one frustration after another. You could offer good advice, but you'd be wiser to let the other person do most of the talking. Let him or her figure it out.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Today is a 6.
Resist temptation for one more day. Don't
schedule outings, meetings or even lunch
with friends. Save it all for Friday. You'll have
your hands full keeping up with groun
work. The money is good so stick with it.
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Today is an 8.
If you've recently made a major purchase, you may have some explaining to do. You shouldn't be in too much trouble, though. Love rules, starting tonight. None of that other stuff matters.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Today is a 7.
Invest in your own education. The more you learn, the more problems you'll encounter. These are called "growing pains." Get used to 'em.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Today is a 5.
The more you learn, the more powerful
you become. There's a real puzzle to be
solved. It might take a while, so be
patient. Give it until Friday.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22). Today is a 6.
Tie up lose ends, and do the sorting and filing. You don't want to lose important papers under a stack of magazines. Some things you've been saving can be discarded to make more room. Make that your next project.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21). Today is a 7.
You could get a lot more done if you weren't dragging that anchor around. What is it? Something you need to express? Something you're worried about? You prefer action to talk, but you can't take action until tomorrow, so maybe you should talk.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Today is a 5.
The more you learn, the more questions arise. The more you complete, the more there is to do. Is there no end to this mystery? The path to take should become obvious tomorrow.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today is a 7.
You're getting luckier, so don't despair
when a couple of things you try don't work
out. You're a master at rising above adversity,
and you can do it again. You can also
teach a friend through your example.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Today is a 5.
There will be some sort of a test, possibly an oral exam. You'll be given the chance to prove you know what you're talking about. Better collect the stats you'll need
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 6.
Travel is a mess. Don't even mail any packages. They're liable to get lost, too.
Information or checks you are expecting will probably be delayed. Best to stay where you are, preferably at home. Catch up on your reading.
Fans adapt to McGwire's retirement
Cardinals' slugger cites health in decision
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — In a city where baseball fans tend to bleed Cardinal red, heroes often are the big stars — few bigger than Mark McGwire, the red-headed slugger with even a short, local stretch of Interstate 70 in his name.
Now McGwire says he's retiring, leaving many disappointed after a career that included 4 1/2 homer-filled seasons in a city that embraced him — never more than in 1998 when his 70 home runs smashed the single-season mark and revived the game.
"Everyone was just so happy when he came to the plate," said 23-year-old Steve Hochlander in the Cardinals Clubhouse team apparel shop he manages in Union Station. "It just won't be the same."
Such was the prevailing separation anxiety yesterday among Cardinals fans digesting life without Big Mac, forearms rippling, digging into the Busch Stadium batter's box and sending a pitch into orbit.
McGwire
"It really hasn't sunk in," said 51-
Regans is convinced McGwire remains capable, even in diminished health, which the 38-year-old slugger cited as key in his opting to quit.
year-old Levester Regans Sr., a lifelong Cardinals fan. "It won't feel bad until the season starts, and he's not there."
"Whether he was at peak performance or not, people still came to see him play," said Earl Niemeyer, a 37-year-old banker from Bowling Green, Mo.
When it came to retirement, McGwire for months tried to soften the blow to fans, strongly hinting last season that his playing days were numbered. Now, McGwire walks away from a $30 million, two-year contract extension he agreed to in
spring training but never signed
"I believe I owe it to the Cardinals and the fans of St. Louis to step aside." McGwire said in a statement Sunday night, "so a talented free-agent can be brought in as the final piece of what I expect can be a world championship-caliber team."
Fans yesterday were quick to suggest McGwire's successor on the Redbirds roster - Jason Giambi, a protege from his playing days in Oakland.
Oakland.
While McGwire may mothball his bat, Hochlander hopes the slugger helps the Cards in other wagers.
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
helps the Carson "I don't know if they have the money the Yankees do," he said. "But maybe McGwire will talk to Giambi about how great it is here."
Sooners have two tough games remaining
The Associated Press
As long as the Big 12 has a football championship game, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says he's going to enjoy it.
enjoy it. And not just because his Sooners could get a shot at repeating as national champions.
"Why fear it? You're going to go out and play it." Stoops said yesterday during the weekly Big 12 coaches conference call.
coaches conference cam.
For No. 3 Oklahoma (9-1, 5-1),
there would be plenty to gain,
but first the Sooners have to get there.
A loss Saturday at Texas Tech (6-3, 4-3)
would open the South Division for Texas (9-1, 6-1), which has lost to only Oklahoma this season.
The Sooners aren't expected to lose either of their games at Tech or Oklahoma State (2-7, 0-6), but even if they did, the Longhorns would not necessarily walk into the title game. They still have to visit Texas A&M (7-3, 4-5) Nov. 24.
(7-5, 4-3) Nebraska are fewer variables in the North. The winner of the Nov. 23 game between No.2 Nebraska (11-0,
7-0) and No.15 Colorado (8-2, 6-1) is in the title game.
onship doesn't guarantee a Rose Bowl berth. It's possible the winner of the title game could knock the loser from the national championship game, as A&M did by upsetting Kansas State 36-33 in 1998.
And getting to the Big 12 champi-
On the other hand, Stoops said beating Kansas State in last year's title game kept the Sooners undefeated and prepared them for the Orange Bowl, where they beat Florida State.
"Going into the national championship game we had already had our season on the line," he said. "We had known what that felt like."
BCS RANKINGS
hank team rec pts
1. Nebraska 11-0 2.20
2. Miami (Fla.) 8-0 7.31
3. Oklahoma 9-1 7.89
4. Oregon 9-1 11.97
5. Florida 8-1 11.98
6. Texas 9-1 13.51
7. Tennessee 7-1 14.81
8. Washington St. 9-1 17.99
9. Stanford 6-2 23.61
10. Illinois 6-2 24.17
11. Michigan 7-2 25.16
12. Maryland 9-1 25.29
13. BYU 10-0 28.03
14. Colorado 8-2 33.65
15. Syracuse 8-2 33.79
Texas slips in BCS rankings despite win streak
The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas wiped out Kansas 59-0 and still slipped a spot yesterday in the Bowl Championship Series standings. It's exactly what the Longhorns expected.
It also didn't bother them a bit.
If also didn't matter "It really doesn't matter right now," said wide receiver Roy Williams. "There's a lot of games left. It's not the final product. Is it fair? I don't know."
"The Rose Bowl is still out there," he said.
the Said
Ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25, Texas (9-1) fell one spot to No. 6 in the latest BCS standings as Oregon and Florida both leaped over the Longhorns with wins against UCLA and South Carolina.
ohma:
"It's still early," said Texas coach Mack Brown. "Right now, it is not a factor. If we beat Texas A&M it's a factor. To our team, it's 1-2 that matters ... I don't think it will discourage them today."
and while Texas may be playing as well as anybody in the country during a five-game winning streak, a relatively weak schedule has worked against the Longhorns in recent weeks. Colorado (8-2) was the only opponent with a winning
record during the Longhorns' streak.
The Longhorns' schedule was ranked as the nation's 51st toughest by BCS calculations. Besides a 14-3 loss to Oklahoma back in early October, Texas has dominated that schedule with the nation's second-best defense and an offense that leads the Big 12 with 41.2 points per game.
game.
But the big wins haven't helped.
Texas stayed at No. 5 in the BCS for two weeks before yesterday's ratings.
"I strongly feel that we are one of the best teams in the country," said senior linebacker D.D. Lewis. "I
don't think there's any comparison to the way we've dominated the field."
Most troubling for Texas in the next few weeks will be the rule that prevents three teams from the same conference from playing BCS games. Nebraska and Oklahoma are both ranked ahead of Texas in the BCS.
Because of its win against Texas, Oklahoma has the inside track to the Big 12 title game, most likely against the Cornhuskers. The Texas will probably have to count on the Sooners to lose that game to get into the BCS.
Air Jordan nabs more air time on three networks
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — No matter how bad the Washington Wizards might be, the presence of No. 23 makes them a TV draw this season.
Turner Sports added two more of Washington's games to its schedule yesterday, bringing to seven the number of extra appearances Michael Jordan's new team will have on TBS and TNT.
on DBS and TV. The NBA's TV rights allow for each team to have a maximum of 15 games on Turner and 11 on NBC during the regular season. Before Jordan officially announced his return from retirement, Turner was scheduled to air one Wizards game, NBC none.
The additions of a Dec. 12 home game against Miami and a Dec. 26
road game against Charlotte — both on TNT — mean the Wizards (2-5) now are slated for eight Turner telecasts.
NBC added Wizards games on Nov.3, Dec.1 and Jan.19.
The Associated Press
The networks hope Jordan's presence boosts interest in the NBA, which has had ratings declines each regular season since he left the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
The ratings for the three Wizards games Turner has shown this season, including one that went up against Game 5 of the World Series, have been 35 percent higher than Turner's overall ratings through seven games.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers admit they're not playing like a team off to a 6-0 start, which makes them more encouraged about winning a third consecutive NBA championship.
consecutive NHL rosters Coach Phil Jackson was among the many who had predicted a slow start. Among the reasons: Shaquille O'Neal's extra pounds and recovery from toe surgery, offseason operations on Derek Fisher and Mark Madsen; and several new players on the roster.
But the Lakers have shrugged it all off to record the third-best start in franchise history and are five victories away from tying their best-ever start of 11-0 in 1997-98. They beat the Orlando Magic 108-95 Sunday night.
"We feel very confident because
we didn't play good. We didn't execute our offense as well as we should have, but that's going to come," Kobe Bryant said. "There's a lot of things execution-wise that we have to get in sync."
to get in sync.
Bryant scored 28 points in 33 minutes Sunday, despite a bloody and swollen nose from an accidental hit. O'Neal leads the NBA in scoring with a 30.7 point average, and Bryant is next at 28.5.
O'Neal handled everyone Orlando threw at him while scoring a season-high 38 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking four shots.