University Daily Kansan / Friday, August 28, 1987
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Sports
Gardner fired as KC manager; Wathan takes helm
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals fired Manager Billy Gardner yesterday and replaced him with long-time Royals' player John Wathan.
Wathan, who was in his first year as manager of the Royals Class AAA team at Omaha, was given the job after it was turned down by Hal McRae, the team's batting instructor and former designated hitter. General Manager John Scheruhl said.
McRae has said previously that he wants to spend more time with his family. He said yesterday he wasn't sure he could commit himself to managing.
"I know it's a tough job and you have to make a strong commitment to it." McRae said, who retired this year after 17 years as a player. "To me, the most important people are the players. I didn't want to be in a position of protecting myself, trying to save my job. I wanted to create an environment where the players could work and get their jobs done without worrying about wins and losses."
McRae says he doesn't expect any criticism for turning down an opportunity to become baseball's next black manager.
"I don't expect any and if I do get it, I don't care," M Mcrae said. "My family comes first. My job is to be a provider in the best war that I can."
John Wathan
Billy Gardner
The offer to McRae followed owner Ewing Kauffman's announcement in the spring that the Royals would develop a plan to move minorities into management positions with the club.
tion with another team. That's not my way. I just want a good situation. I don't want to manage just for the sake of managing."
"I'm not a pioneer, I'm not a crusader." McRae said. "I'm just trying to do my job. Sometimes a guy wants to manage just for the sake of managing. Sometimes, he wants to manage to get himself a better posi-
The Royals were 62-64 going into yesterday's game with the Texas Rangers and trailed the Minnesota Twins in games in the American League West.
Kauffman's statement followed a remark on national television by Al Campanis of the Los Angeles Dodgers that blacks might lack some of the necessities for management. That remark cost Campanis his job and called attention to the lack of blacks in front office and management positions throughout baseball.
"It is our belief this club still has an opportunity to win the pennant with the talent and commitment that it has," Schuerholz said. "We believe this club has the necessary talent to put a pennant drive on
"We feel that with John Wathan's
knowledge of the organization and especially his knowledge of the people on this team and more especially his feel for what the Royals organization means that he is the man most qualified to get the season on track, albeit with a short time remaining."
Schuerholz said that Wathan would manage the Royals for the rest of the season and that a decision about who would be the club in 1988 would be made later.
"We've played poorly at times this season, we've played great at times," Wathan said. "My job is to get that consistence back."
Wathan has been in the Royals organization for 17 years as a player, coach and manager. He was a catcher, first baseman and outfielder in 10 big league seasons with Kansas City.
"Even though I have limited experience as a manager, I think the way I played the game and the way I studied the game is in my favor," said Wahman, who has guided Omaha to a 62-70 record. "This is what I've always wanted. I've been in the Royals organization for 17 seasons
and that is not something that not many ballplayers can say. But I feel bad getting the job this way. Billy was like a father to me in the minor leagues."
Wathan said he did not plan any major changes on the team.
"I think we'll get back to the old style of running, a little bit more hit-and-run instead of just waiting for something to happen," he said.
He was a coach for the Royals in 1986 before moving to Omaha.
Wathan said he didn't think he would have a problem managing players that he had played with for many years. He said he planned to meet with key players and explain that he expected a "business-like atmosphere."
Wathan, the Royals regular catcher from 1981-83 and has a career. 262 batting average. He hit .300 or better three times, including .328 in 1977.
Wathan played on each of Royals championship teams, including the 1985 World Series winner
Wathan set a major league record for catchers in 1982 when he stole 36
bases
"I regard this as a golden opportunity," Wathan said. "I have confidence in my ability that I will be back to manage next year."
Schuerhol refused to say specifically why Gardner was fired.
"We felt we needed to make a change at this time, being in the race as we are and still have a chance to win," Schuerholz said. "We felt if we waited any longer it would have been too late for anyone to turn it around.
"Sometimes when teams don't play like you think they should, a leadership change is one way to remedy that."
Gardner took over the Royals when Manager Dick Howser resigned Feb. 23 because of a brain tumor. Gardner had been hired in the offseason as third base coach with the expectation that he would manage if Howser was too weak to handle the job.
Gardner's only other big league job was with the Minnesota Twins, where he was 268-353 before he was fired June 20, 1985.
Lisa Jones/KANSAN
Ready, aim, fire
KC defeats Texas,3-2 on Brett HR
From left: Starting quarterback hopefuls Mike Orth, Lance Flachsbarth, Kelly Donohoe and Kevin Verdugo synchronize in a series of passing drills
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — George Brett homered with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Kansas City Royals and new Manager John Wathan a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers last night.
Brett hit his 17th homer on a 2-3 pitch from reliever Dale Mohorchi. 6-4, who came off the disabled lgp in the first half, pitched 1½ innings for the victory.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Bo Jackson hit his 21st homer against Texas starter Paul Klugt. Except when he made a 21 run on the top of the inning with oddie McDowell walked with the bases loaded and two outs.
Jackson entered the game with one hit in his last 19 at-bats, including $2 strikeouts.
Pete Incaviglia and Larry Parrish opened the Texas ninth with singles off starter Bret Saberhagen who had not allowed a hit since the third inning. After the runners advanced on a grounder, Saberhagen intentionally walked pinch-hitter Gino Petrali. Jerry Don Gleaton relieved.
Valesente wants Auburn heat
By a Kansan reporter
The Kansas football team worked on the final installments of its offensive and defensive scheme in preparation for its full contact scrimmage Saturday.
Valesente said that yesterday's practice was more of a mental practice than a physical one. Kansas also worked on the kickoff and kickoff return teams. He said he was happy with the distance that sophomore walk-on place kicker Louis Klemp
was getting on his kickoffs.
Valesente said he did not like the continuing cool weather. He said he wanted the team to practice under warmer weather conditions to prepare them for the warm temperatures in Alabama.
Kansas will continue practicing at Memorial Stadium until at least after the Auburn game, Valesente said. The team was playing in Complex at 23rd and Iowa streets.
"I keep reading the weather report
Valesente also reacted to statements in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated that referred to Kansas football as "a joke."
"I resent someone who would write something like that without ever having been here to see the hard work of doing this team is giving." Valesente said.
for Alabama and all I see is temperatures in the 80s and 90s," Valesente said. "We need some of that."
Classes offer sports appeal
Bv ROBERT WHITMAN
In the midst of all the intercounc e at athletics and recreational activities at Kansas, there are classes open to students who have an academic interest in sports or who want to work in sports-related fields as a profession.
Three of those classes deal with baseball literature, sports law and sports broadcasting.
Baseball fanatics can find class credit in ENGL 479, the Literature of Baseball, a course taught by James Carothers, professor of English.
The class, open to any student, is offered only once every two years in the spring semester, Carothers said. He said he had taught it seven times since the spring of 1874.
A variety of baseball literature was examined by the class using traditional methods of literary analysis, Carothers said.
The class attracted about 130 students during the spring semester and is one of the largest sections of English in the department, he said.
Carothers said the class attracted a wide variety of students from the various schools of the university such as players who had played the game professionally, fans who had never played the game and many women. The only common interest they had was a long-time interest in baseball.
"That's my fault," Carothers said.
"I don't feel like anyone should be turned away if they want to take the class."
Pat Murphy, Mission senior, took the class in the spring and said it included reading 12 books on baseball, class discussion on the books, reports and tests. The class also went to a Royals game in April.
Although Murphy called himself a baseball nut, he said the course wasn't easy.
Another sports-related course is LAW 925. Sports Law. It is open only to law school students, said Lanny Rose, professor of law and course instructor.
The course covers contracts, tax law, tort, legal ethics, anti-trust law, and criminal law as it applies to athletics and professional athletics, he said.
"A lot of people who didn't know about baseball dropped the course quickly," Murphy said. "He taught it well and he taught it tough. If you didn't read the books, you didn't do well."
The course is so comprehensive, Rose said he was thinking about cutting back on some of its aspects.
As with the Literature of Baseball, Sports Law has one of the larger section enrollments when it is offered. About 50-60 students took Sports Law in the spring, the second semester it has been offered, Rose said.
Mary Ann Bumgarner, Coffeyville third-year law student, said she took the course in the spring not only because she had an interest in sports, but to get a idea of what types of law
Rose said he estimated that only about one-third of the class was interested in going into sports law or becoming an athletic agent.
Only about 20 universities in the country offer a sports law class, he said.
"One of the main problems law students have is that they're not sure what is out there," Bumgarner said. "It gave me a new avenue. I worked in a law firm this summer and I liked it. But I'm not sure I want to go the traditional law route, directly into a law firm. This (sports law) is just another thing you can do with a law degree. I want to keep my options open."
she might want to take whole courses in later.
Hedrick said there were five students enrolled in the class this fall. Students do not need to be in the classroom but may take the course, but it is recommended.
"We always have five to eight students," said Tom Hedrick, journalism instructor. "I deliberately try to keep it that way."
Students may also take JOUR 657, The American Press, with emphasis in sports broadcasting.
"If someone absolutely wanted to take the course, we'd let them," Hedrick said, provided they had taken Broadcast News I first. The students in the course should be able to write news copy before they take the Sports Broadcasting course, he said.
The course has been taught by Hedrick every fall and spring semester since 1975 and in the fall and spring semesters from 1960-1967.
Some of people who have taken the course include Kevin Harlan, the play-by-play announcer of the Kansas City Chiefs; Gary Bender, a coach for the Chicago Bulls and Gale Sayers, a former All-America football player at KU.
KU recruit touted as NCAA champ
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Though he hardly has had a chance to settle into the college environment at the University of Kansas, freshman tennis recruit John Falbo is already being touted as a potential NCAA singles champion.
Staff writer
"John Falbo has the ability and the opportunity to be an NCAA champion in the course of his four years at the University of Kansas," Kansas tennis coach Scott Perelman said. "Several other coaches across the country feel the same way."
Falbo's opportunity springs from his ability and credentials. He is the first national champion to play in the KU tennis program. He won both the singles and doubles championships at the 16-and-under national tournament in August 1985 in Kalamazoo, Mich. His doubles partner was Andre Agassi, now ranked among the top 60 professionals in the world.
In July 1986, Falbo and partner Al Parker won the doubles championship in the 18-and-under national tournament in Durham, N.C.
Falbo is a member of the United States Junior Davis Cup team. He has been traveling all summer with the team of 10 to various tournaments and has had little time to prepare for the school year.
He will play this weekend in the Canadian Junior Open in Montreal. Next weekend, he'll play in the United States Junior Open in Flushing Meadow. N.Y.
In November, Falbo and his Junior Davis Cup teammates will play in the national indoor tournament in Dallas. They will get some international competition in December at the Orange Bowl tournament in Miami.
"I had to do most of my class scheduling and make living arrangements over the phone," Falbo said. "Everybody around here has been very cooperative."
Falbo, who is originally from Charleston, W. Va., spent his final year of high school at Palmer Academy in Wesley Chapel, Fla., near Tampa. He said he was encouraged to visit Kansas by Jayhawk sophomore tennis players Chris Walker and Craig Wilde.
Falbo visited Arizona State, Clemson, Stanford, USC and UCLA but found he liked the combination of
But by the time he finishes his eligibility at Kansas, Falbo may be a special person himself.
"Everybody is willing to help, no matter what you need. It's not just special help for supposedly special people." he said.
Kansas' tennis program and the people associated with the University whom he came in contact with.
"As far as talent is concerned, I think he is capable of playing with anyone in the country." Perelman said. "His volley is as good as anyone in the country. It's been compared with John McEnroe's. He's had an opportunity to work with the top coaches in the country. He has some of the best hands and some of the best anticipation I've ever seen.
"I expect everybody to be good. There are no easy matches. Every time I go out there, I have to be ready to play," Falbo said. "To tell you the truth, I don't like to set limits. I don't think there is any limit on how good I can be."
"He's a great athlete and great person. He's the type of person you build a program around."
Perelman said he would wait for fall practice to see how high Fabio would rise on Kansas' tennis ladder. Fabo is not making any predictions on whether he can inherit the number-one singles spot on the team from Mike Wolf, who held the spot for four years but has used up his eligibility. Still, he isn't putting any restrictions on himself either.
John Falbo, the first national tennis champion ever to come to KU, will play in the Canadian Junior Open this weekend and in the U. S. Junior Open next weekend.
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