6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
Intriguing games on slate
BY TAYLOR BERN tbern@kansan.com
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops doesn't have the greatest affection for Pac-10 officiating.
That's because the last time his team played a Pac-10 opponent, the Sooners walked away without a victory they'd rightfully earned.
In 2006, Oregon was incorrectly awarded the ball after an onside kick late in its game against Oklahoma, and then marched down the field for the winning touchdown. The Ducks snuck away with a 34-33 victory.
Now Oklahoma's set to travel to Pac-10 country once again for a game against Washington, a team that last week was caught by Pac-10 refs on a technicality.
Husky quarterback Jake Locker rushed into the end zone with only two seconds left to bring his team within one point, and in his celebration tossed the ball over his head. The refs, strictly following the rules, flagged his team for 15 yards for excessive celebration and BYU blocked the extra point to escape with a victory.
Teams everywhere have tried to avoid this emotional crackdown by instructing their players to simply hand the ball to the ref.
"Absolutely. We do it all the time." Stoops said.
Stoops tried to avoid any questions pertaining to Washington's
tough luck with Pac-10 refs, and offered only a flat life lesson.
"That's the way it is," he said.
COWBOY UP
Sure it was against Houston, but it's hard not to get excited about the gaudy stats Oklahoma State put up last week.
The Cowboys had a 300-yard passer (Zac Robinson), 200-yard receiver (Dez Bryant) and a 200-yard rusher (Kendall Hunter), which all added up to a 56-37 victory.
"It's difficult to get a player to rush for over 200 yards, but it's tougher for a receiver to get over 200 yards because you can't always get him the ball," coach Mike Gundy said. "I'm happy with the effort on offense."
Hunter has been a surprise running back early in the Big 12, rushing for 317 yards on 45 carries.
"We didn't know how he would do this season," Gundy said. "Last year, he was the relief pitcher at running back."
CLASH IN THE CORN
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik knows what the CyHawk Rivalry means to most people in Iowa.
"It's the best thing going on in the state," Chizik said "There is so much passion in this state for sports. It's bragging rights for 365 days."
Last year, Chizik picked up his first career victory as a head coach
when he knocked off Iowa 15-13.
This year the game will be played in Iowa City and the Hawkeyes roll in after successive beat downs over Maine (46-3) and FIU (42-0).
Last week, the Cyclones played without running back Alexander Robinson because of injuries, but Chizik said he should be ready to go on Saturday.
BIG 12 BULLIES
This week the Big 12 is picking on the state of Washington.
Oklahoma travels to take on Washington, while Baylor welcomes Washington State, a team Oklahoma State beat 39-13 in week one.
Baylor coach Art Briles said his team is much more confident now that freshman quarterback Robert Griffin has made his first career start.
Against Northwestern State, Griffin completed 15-of-19 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran 10 times for 42 yards and another score.
Despite their struggles, Briles said his players wouldn't overlook the Cougars.
"We don't look at what happened to them. Our job is to get better." Briles said. "Washington State is going to be very determined and focused."
Edited by Scott R. Toland
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bob Steops and the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for a trip to the west coast to face the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are coming off a one-point loss to BYU that was highlighted by a controversial penalty in the fourth quarter.
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MLB
Angels wrap up division with title
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. catches a deep fly ball against the center field wall hit by New York Yankees Hideki Matsui, of Japan. The play happened during the second inning of the baseball game in Anaheim, Calif. Wednesday.
BY BETH HARRIS ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels became the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot this season, winning their fourth AL West title in five years Wednesday.
Francisco Rodriguez earned his 56th save in closing out the Angels' 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Second-place Texas lost to Seattle 8-7 about an hour later, clinching the division for Los Angeles.
The Angels, with the best record in baseball, can now spend their final 17 games resting and setting up their rotation for the playoffs.
Los Angeles won the crown without starters Chone Figgins (injured), Mark Teixeira (ill) and Torii Hunter, who began serving a two-game suspension for helping trigger a bench-clearing scuffle with Yankees catcher Ivan Rodriguez on Monday.
The Angels will try to do something that none of their previous division-winning teams accomplished — reach the World Series. They won their first and only World Series title as a wild-card team in 2002.
Perhaps, there might even be the first Freeway Series this year ___ the Dollars lead the NL West.
Robb Quinlan hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning that put the Angels ahead.
Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth and moved within one save of Bobby Thigpen's 18-year-old major league record. He threw a called third strike past Hideki Matsui with runners at first and third for the final out.
Andy Pettitte (13-13) lost for the sixth time in his last nine starts. The left-hander gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2-3
Dustin Moseley (2-4) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings while making a spot start for Jered Weaver, whose injured fingers pushed him back to Thursday. Moseley struck out six and walked three in winning for the first time since April 9 against Cleveland.
innings, tying his second-shortest outing of the season.
The Yankees finished 5-5 on their four-city trip, making it likely they miss the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. They head to New York for their final 10 games at Yankee Stadium.
Facing a full count, Quinlan lined a single to left, scoring two runs. Guerrero continued home on Xavier Nady's throw that sailed over the head of third baseman Alex Rodriguez and into the netting for an error, allowing the Angels to take a 4-2 lead.
Leading 2-1, Pettitte nearly got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. After giving up consecutive singles to Gary Matthews Jr., Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero, he retired Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales on called third strikes.
The Angels scored their first run on Rivera's RBI groundout in the first.
New York scored both of its runs in the first on Jason Giambi's RBI single and a balk by Moseley that allowed Bobby Abreu to score from third.
temperature. Figgins was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game because of a sore right elbow. He got hit by a pitch during Monday's game and manager Mike Scioscia said Figgins was having difficulty throwing and swinging the bat.
Notes: 1B Teixeira sat out because of an infection and a
Weaver (10-10) was announced as Thursday's starter against Seattle, with cuts on the right middle and ring fingers of his pitching hand having healed. "I'll throw everything," he said. "It just depends on how sharp everything is."
The Angels reached 3 million in attendance, making them and the Yankees the only teams to do so in each of the last six seasons.
Grammy-winning rapper-actor Ludacris was a pregame visitor to the Angels' clubhouse as Hunter's guest. They teamed up for a sports-related project on Ludacris' new Web site, WeMix.com. When Hunter returns from his suspension, he plans to walk out to a sports-themed song created by winners of the Web site's contest.
Members of the Olympic goldmedal winning U.S. men's volleyball team were on the mound for the first pitch.
OLYMPICS
JERUSALEM — An Israeli Cabinet minister called the Chinese ambassador Wednesday to apologize after Israel's only Beijing Olympics medalist used a curse word to describe the Chinese in a newspaper interview.
Minister sorry for athlete's remarks Israeli Majadle calls Chinese ambassador to apologize
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Israeli windsurfing bronze medalist Shahar Zubari used a scatological expletive to describe the Chinese in an interview with the Yediot Ahronet daily on
Friday.
"After a month and a half I couldn't look at Chinese people any more," Zubari said.
"Their traditions are bizarre and even their speech is weird," he said, adding, "I also don't like their food." He later apologized.
Sport and Culture Minister Galeb Majade called Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jun to condemn Zubart's comments, which he called "despicable."
that they "do not reflect the views of the Israeli people toward the Chinese people" and praised the Chinese for their hospitality during the Games, according to a statement from Majadle's office.
Majdle, who attended the Olympics, told the ambassador
Zubari published an apology in Yediot on Tuesday. "I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart" for the comments, he said, explaining they were made "without thinking."
Officials from the Chinese Embassy were not available for comment on Wednesday.
OBITUARY Former Chiefs linebackerdies Wednesday at 71
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sherrill Headrick, a former Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker died Wednesday. He was 71.
The team announced Headrick's death. The Kansas City Star reported on its Web site that Headrick died of cancer. Chiefs officials had no details, including where the former TCU star lived or where he died.
Headrick played eight seasons for the Texans/Chiefs franchise. He was selected to five a-AFL squads and started at middle linebacker during the team's AFL title wins in 1962 and 1966, as well as the first Super Bowl.
Associated Press