TUESDAY,OCT.9,2001
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (Oct. 9)
Today's Birthday (Oct. 3).
This is the year you go to model school or boot camp. You get to learn how to do everything perfectly, which fork to use for salad, how to iron a dress shirt properly, how to curtsy or salute. The good news is, you'll be an even more gracious lady or gentleman than before, so don't complain. Get into it.
Aries (March 21-April 19). Today is a 5. Others may be pushing you to take quick action, but you'd better be cautious. If what you hear doesn't quite make sense, use your own better judgment. Don't let someone else's mistake get you into a mess.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Today is a 7. You've had your attention on business lately. A loved one may be feeling neglected. Make up for it with a special treat. Don't try to explain what you've been going through. A special meal shared together will express your love better.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Today is a 6.
If you're laying the groundwork for a big deal, don't get pushy. Find out what people want, and think of ways you could provide it. Do the preliminary work, but don't trush. New developments tomorrow require further consideration.
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Today is a 7.
No more Mr. Nice Guy or Ms. Nicie Gal.
You don't like to be pushy, but your opinion matters, too. Somebody else has been freely expressing theirs, so why shouldn't you?
Loe (July 23-Aug. 22). Today is a 6.
Are you obsessing about something?
Possibly about whether you're doing a tough job right? You always want to be the best, but it's not easy when you're getting conflicting orders. Don't rush.
They may change their minds again.
Virge (Aug. 23-Sept. 22), Today is a 7.
A friend who's asking for assistance needs advice, not a loan. This person has resources they haven't even tapped yet. You can be more useful as an educator than you can be as a lending agency. Besides, your money has already been allocated.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22). Today is a 7.
If you're having trouble going along with a sensitive person, don't push.
Don't bring up a controversial subject, either, if you can help it. You're pretty direct, but you don't need to be. Discretion is advised.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21). Today is a 7.
You and your sweetheart or dear friend would like to have a luxurious outing, but is now the time? Not quite. There are still a couple of details to be checked off your list.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Today is 6.
Time to get practical again. Tell your friends to meet you on Thursday or Friday. You have to take care of business now. Pay the bills. Buy the groceries. Schedule meetings for another time. The less said now, the better.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today is a 6.
Don't ask for any favors. Bosses, parents and bureaucracals will be feeling more pressured than generous. It seems like there's not enough to go around, though that just shows a lack of imagination. Offer encouragement, and hold your criticism.
and you need to be a 9.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Today is a 9.
The assignments are starting to stack up, so pay attention. The new jobs are showing up before the old jobs are finished. Better get more efficient and quickly. No more long phone calls to friends when you should be working.
Piscas (Feb. 19-March 20). Today is a 7.
Your romantic evening should go very well. If a sensitive subject comes up, like money for example, let your sweetheart have his or her say. If you don't try to fix it, it'll heal all by itself.
Athletes: Lose at academics
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10A
to let schools see how their student athlete graduation rates compared to their overall rate."
Buskirk's right. It's not fair to compare Stanford's student-athlete graduation rate with that of Iowa State. But when a football team's graduation rate is significantly less than the school's student-athlete graduation rate, that's wrong.
It means athletics departments, university administrators and coaches aren't doing their job. They're prioritizing athletics above education and neglecting the very people, student-athletes, whom they asked to trust them.
Take Colorado's football mission statement. First on the list is to win the Big 12 Title. Academic success is its third priority. That's why the Buffaloos graduated just 36 percent of their 1994 freshmen class.
College athletics, in its purest form, was about student-athletes participating in sports, while getting an education. At some schools, that time has passed.
Pacey is an Issaquah, Wash., senior in journalism.
Penalty: Kinsey benched for missed practice
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10A
kicker. The 15-yard penalty did not come back to haunt the jayhawks, as freshman Johnny Beck drilled a gamewinning 38-yard field goal.
Freshman quarterback Mario Kinsey was weakened by the flu last week, but that was not why the redshirt
The fouls contributed to 94 yards in penalties against Kansas. The team averaged a loss of 84 yards on penalties in its first three games, though it gave away a season-high 106 yards two weeks ago against Colorado.
Sophomore running back Reggie Duncan said that with the mistakes behind them, the Jayhawks could now focus on playing Oklahoma on Saturday.
Notes
freshman did not start at quarterback in Kansas' 34-31 win Saturday.
Kinsey was benched because he missed Kansas' practice on Thursday, Sept. 27, without informing anyone, Allen said.
Kinsey's vacation to Waco, Texas, had begun a day early. The team had been given Friday, Saturday and Sunday off during the team's bye weekend.
Kinsey replaced sophomore Zach Dyer, who started the game, early in the second quarter Saturday. Kinsey led Kansas to its first road win since October of last season.
Duncan and kicker Johnny Beck were awarded co-Big 12 Conference player of the week awards yesterday.
Duncan shared the offensive player of the week honors with Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch. Beck was paired with Missouri kicker Brad Hammerich for special teams player of the week.
Beck booted four of five field goals against the Red Raiders. His field goals two from 42 yards out, one from 44 yards and one 37-yarder — brought his season total to eight out of nine as a true freshman. His last field goal provided the game-winning points in Kansas' victory.
Duncan posted career highs in both carries, 38, and yards, 227, in Kansas' victory against Texas Tech. It was the eighth-highest rushing game in school history.
Contact Denton at 864-4858
Texas A&M to face Colorado in big game
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The spotlight shifts from Dallas to Boulder for the biggest game in the Big 12 Conference this week.
No. 25 Texas A&M, unbeaten in five games, travels to the mountains to play No. 20 Colorado, which finally broke into the national rankings with a 16-6 upset of then-No. 12 Kansas State.
The winner will take another giant step toward musculing its way onto center stage. The loser could drop back into the pack.
back into the hall. "This is a big, big game for us," said Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum. "I see Colorado as being a very good, solid team. If we can go up there as underdogs and play with them, then I'll feel much better about our team. I'm going to withhold judgment until I see how we play against Colorado."
Although they'd been unranked because of a season-opening loss to then-unranked Fresno State, coach Gary Barnett insists the Buffaloes are paying little attention to such things as polls.
“This time of year, none of that stuff makes any difference to coaches or players, really. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” he said. “It doesn’t get you anything, absolutely nothing. I don’t even know where we are, to tell you the truth.”
He's also getting impatient with people who rave about the great effort his team put forth against Kansas State.
"We've had great effort every week," Barnett said. "People expect that if you play hard and play great, you're going to win by 50 points. But the truth is there's another team out there playing hard. That doesn't seem to be understood. There are two sets of coaches working hard. It comes down to this play or that play or a couple of plays. There's so much parity, there's not much difference between players or coaches."
In the eyes of many, Kansas State
players were not the only ones who embarrassed themselves in the loss to the Buffs. Players on both teams commented about the way the home crowd booed at the end of the game and left early in droves.
"It was disappointing," said guard John Robertson. "We're looking up and the game's not quite over yet and you see fans leaving the game early. It's like, OK, they've already counted us out."
Coach Bill Snyder said he was too occupied with running the game to notice.
"I was focused on the ball game and I had the headphones on. I don't know what the issues were with the crowd," Snyder said. "If that was the case, then I would be tremendously disappointed."
For Texas coach Mack Brown, this year's 14-3 loss to Oklahoma had a different feel from last year's 63-14 rout.
"Last year's loss was embarrassing. This year's was hurtful," he said. "But you could say we were a few plays away from beating the best team in the country. So that's a lot more positives than last year."
Is Oklahoma the best in the country?
"I haven't seen Florida at all. Miami, I saw against Pittsburgh. But Oklahoma has to be considered in that group." Brown said.
Iowa State's Dan McCarney said Nebraska "out-hit us, outclassed us, out-coached us" while taking a 41-0 halftime lead over the Cyclones. But Nebraska Frank Solich said that was no garden variety first half on the Huskers' part.
"It was the best half of football we've had all season," he said.
Texas Tech got stung worse than anybody last week by the injury bug. The Red Raiders lost their best offensive player, quarterback Cliff Kingsbury, and their best defensive player, linebacker Lawrence Flugence, during the overtime loss to Kansas.
"The leading tackler was Lawrence Flugence. Then you've got Cliff, who I consider the best quarterback in the league, go out at the end of the third quarter," said coach Mike Leach. "It had an impact. But we had plenty opportunities to beat Kansas, and we just didn't."
The Associated Press
Offensive averages dip with bigger strike zone
Here's something that makes Barry Bonds' home-run record even more impressive: It came in a down year for baseball offense.
Pitchers, helped by a bigger strike zone, regained a little ground in their never-ending battle with batters. Scoring was down 7.1 percent this season, home runs were down 4.2 percent, and the overall ERA dipped 7.4 percent.
There were 5,458 homers this season,
an average of 2.25 per game.
That was down from 5,693 homers
and a record 2.34 average last year
— even below the 2.27 average in 1999.
Twelve players hit 40 or more
homers, four fewer than last year, and
hit 41 hit 30 or more, down from a record
47 last year. Forty six players had 100
RBIs, down from 53 last season and
13 below 1999's record.
Runs per game dropped to 9.55 from 10.28, the overall batting average fell to .264 from .270, and the overall ERA declined from 4.76 to 4.41, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, a baseball statistician.
In perhaps the biggest proof the strike zone really did get bigger, strikeouts were up 3.3 percent, to 13.34 per game from 12.90. And walks decreased 13.3 percent, to 6.51 per game from 7.50.
All during spring training, baseball officials promised that umpires would
enlarge the strike zone, which had gotten lower and wider, and would restore the rule-book definition of a strike: any pitch over the plate from the top of the knees to the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of uniform pants.
"I think we have made real progress," said Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office. "I don't think we're there yet with consistency among all umpires and from game to game. I think the vast majority of umpires made the effort to make the adjustment and I would expect next year you will see even greater conformity to the rule book definition."
Partly because there were fewer walks and pitches, the average time of a nine-inning game dropped — but not by very much — to 2 hours, 54 minutes from a record 2:58 in 2000.
"I really didn't have an expectation about what the differences would be," Alderson said. "We were looking to make sure the rule book would be enforced, and we were prepared to live whatever the consequences."
Despite the opening of new ballparks in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, attendance was flat. According to preliminary figures, the average attendance was 30,050, up 0.1 percent from 30,013.
ROCK GUAC JAYHAWK.
THE CRIMSON. THE BLUE. THE FOIL. 9TH & MASS
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