what we heard
"If you are wearing same solid on same solid...be sure they are, in fact, the same solid." ESPN.com on Kansas State University's two-tone purple basketball uniforms.
off the bench
2B the university daily kansan
wednesday. november 19, 2003
Magic makes coach Rivers disappear
The Associated Press
The losing streak keeps growing for the Orlando Magic. Doc Rivers' tenure as coach is over.
Rivers was fired after the Magic dropped its 10th game in a row Monday night, blowing a 13-point lead in a 90-88 loss at Utah.
He was replaced by assistant Johnny Davis, who coached Philadelphia during the 1996-97 season.
"It's part of sports," Rivers told The Associated Press early yesterday. "I thought I had a good run here. Things just didn't work out in the end. Maybe the players need to hear another voice."
Orlando hasn't won since opening night, and its 1-10 record is the worst in the NBA. Rivers was in his fifth season with the Magic,
making him the longest-tenured coach in the Eastern Conference.
"I have no ax to grind," Rivers said. "I thought the management and team were both great. I couldn't ask for anything more."
Magic assistant coach Dave Wohl was also let go.
"We work in a bottom-line business," Magic chief operating officer John Weisbrod said in a statement. "After a 1-10
start, it is our responsibility to do everything possible to create the best opportunity for success."
Andrei Kirilenko had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who outrebounded Orlando 52-31.
Matt Harpring added 14 points and 19 boards.
"Sooner or later we will break this streak." McGrady said.
Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 29 points, but had only three in the fourth quarter. He also missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it.
But not in time to save Rivers' job.
Rivers was named NBA Coach of the Year in his rookie season of 1999-2000.
becoming the first coach in league history to win the award without leading his team to the playoffs.
He guided the Magic to the postseason each of the past three years and helped extend the franchise's string of consecutive non-losing seasons to 11.
But the worst start in the team's 15-year history prompted Orlando to make a change, even though Rivers' contract runs through the end of the 2004-05 season.
Rivers said general manager John Gabriel told him of the decision in a meeting at the team hotel after the game.
Orlando's next game is tomorrow at Phoenix.
football
Bucs deactivate Johnson; receiver's future uncertain
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay star receiver Keyshawn Johnson was deactivated for the rest of the season yesterday, a team source said.
The Buccaneers planned a late-afternoon news conference with general manager Rich McKay to discuss the status of the two-time Pro Bowl selection, the source told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The eight-year pro, who is midway through a $56 million contract that included a $13 million signing bonus, has been unhappy with his role in coach Jon Gruden's offense.
He put his Tampa home up for sale last week and has dropped hints in the locker room he does not wish to remain in Tampa Bay.
Johnson was the Bucs'leading receiver the past three seasons and helped them win their first Super Bowl in January.
Johnson told WFAN radio in New York that he learned of the deactivation from his agent.
"No one's explained to me why," Johnson said. "No one's told me anything. I'll know more later on."
"I go out and try to play and play my butt off and try to win football games. I don't know what's transpired along the way."
The Associated Press
Cardinals to receive state funding for construction of new stadium
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A stateboard approved a revised public financing plan yesterday for a new St. Louis Cardinals baseball stadium, and team executives said construction could begin next month.
Cardinals president Mark Lamping said the $390 million downtown ballpark — a replacement for Busch Stadium — is still scheduled to open for the 2006 season, although financing delays have resulted in a tighter construction timetable.
Yesterday's approval of state tax credits and a bond issuance should help the Cardinals finalize their privately financed portion of the project by Dec. 18, Lamping said. Work should begin immediately after that on the stadium's infrastructure, including the relocation of utilities and streets, the Cardinals said.
Cardinals executives have sought a new stadium for several years, first unsuccessfully asking the state Legislature for a $210 million commitment before finally settling on a plan that relies more on private funds.
Under the current plan, the state's total commitment is about $43 million, including about $12 million in transportation department spending, more than $1 million in tax credits for hazardous cleanup work and the $29.5 million in tax credits for infrastructure work.
The Missouri Development Finance Board approved a revised plan yesterday under which about 75 percent of the $29.5 million
lion in tax credits would be redeemed before June 30 and the rest in the next state fiscal year.
Joe Driskill, director of the state Department of Economic Development, said the tax credits were part of "a very good partnership" among the Cardinals, the state and St. Louis city and county that included a commitment by the Cardinals for new business developments surrounding the ballpark.
Added Lamping: "The deal is better for the public than when we started" seeking state subsidies through the Legislature.
But Fred Lindecke, a spokesman for the Coalition Against Public Funding for Stadiums, said the state should not supply any financial aid to the ballpark, especially when government services were facing budget cuts.
Yesterday's vote on state tax credits was not the first for the Cardinals stadium.
The state board initially approved the $29.5 million in tax credits last November.
At the time, Lamping said the quick approval of state aid was vital to the private fund-raising efforts. But in April, the Cardinals fired the group soliciting private financing for the ballpark because of concerns about some of the investors in the Washington-based Property Funding Group.
But the private financing delay prevented the state from issuing the tax credits as initially planned, which would have included $20.9 million to be claimed during the 2003 fiscal year and $8.6 million during the 2004 fiscal year, which began this past July.
The Cardinals have since hired Banc of America Securities to solicit private equity investors.
The revamped incentive approved Tuesday allows $22.5 million of tax credits to be redeemed this fiscal year and $7 million in the 2005 fiscal year.
The Cardinals are expected to sell the state tax credits, netting around $25 million that can be used for the stadium project.
The state finance board yesterday also authorized the sale of up to $48 million in bonds for the stadium project to be repaid in annual installments from St. Louis County hotel and motel taxes. The board said the state merely was acting as a conduit for the county and was not subject to any credit or repayment risks.
Bonds wins 6th MVP by landslide; Pujols settles for runner up, again
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Barry Bonds won his record sixth National League Most Valuable Player award yesterday, becoming the first player to get the honor in three consecutive years.
The San Francisco outfielder, the only player to win an MVP award more than three times, received 28 of 32 first-place votes and 426 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
St. Louis outfieldier Albert Pujols, who attended Maple Woods Community College in the Kansas City area, was second with three first-place votes and 303 points.
Atlanta outfielder Gary Sheffield got the other first-place vote and was third with 247 points.
At 39 years, 31/2 months, Bonds is the second-oldest MVP, trailing Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell, who was a few months older when he tied for the award in 1979
Bonds had a difficult season in which his father, Bobby, died in August.
Bonds hit .341 with 45 homers and 90 RBIs,leading the major leagues in slugging percentage (.749),on-base percentage (.529) and walks.
Pujols hit a major league-high .359 with 43 homers and 124 RBIs and led the major leagues with 137 runs.
He became just the 10th player to finish second in consecutive MVP votes.
He was the first since the Dodgers' Mike Piazza in 1996 and 1997.
San Francisco players have won the award four straight times, dating back
The Yankees accomplished that feat twice with Yogi Berra (1954-55) and Mickey Mantle (1956-57), and Roger Maris (1960-61), Mantle (1962) and Elston Howard (1963).
to first baseman Jeff Kent first-place finish in the 2000 vote.
Sneffield, who became a free agent after the season, earned $75,000 for finishing third.
Bonds will receive a $500,000 bonus for winning the award.
Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, Don Ketchum of The Arizona Republic and Bill Zack of Morris News Service, who covers the Braves, voted Pujols first. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch voted Sheffield first.
Florida's Juan Pierre gets $200,000 for finishing 10th.
basketball
Former star player's jersey to be retired on Tuesday
Former Kansas men's basketball player Nick Collison will have his jersey officially retired during a halftime ceremony at the Kansas-Michigan State game on Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Collison 12th pick in this year's NBA Draft. He is sitting out this year after preseason surgery on both of his shoulders.
Last year, Collison was named the NABC National
Collison
Player of the Year, the Big 12 Conference Male Athlete of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year. Collison's jersey will be the 19th men's jersey to be retired in the program's history.
Chris Wintering
Free for All
864-0500
I would like to thank the Kansan for not doing any kind of article about Kansas State beating Nebraska. I think we should report on the good football team in our state.
Congratulations Coach Washington.A well-deserved honor long overdue.
Kansas athletics calendar
today Volleyball at Nebraska, 7 p.m.
friday
Men's basketball vs. UT-Chattanooga, 7 p.m.在 Allen Fieldhouse
Women's basketball at UMKC, 7p.m.
saturday Football vs. Iowa State, 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium
sailing
Sailing team takes top spot at Ensey Regatta in Texas
The KU sailing team participated in the Ensey Regatta at Baylor this past weekend, taking yet another first-place finish.
Kansas is a part of the Southeastern Intercollegiate Sailing Association.
Kansas sent one four-person team to Bavlor.
There are two fleets per team: the A fleet and the B fleet.
Chris LaBorde, Shreveport, La., senior, and Carly Timm, Kansas City, Kan., junior, made up the A fleet as Tim Fitzgerald and Evan Charles, Wichita freshmen, sailed the B fleet.
Though there were changing winds, clouds, and occasional rain, Kansas won nine out of the 12 races, finishing with a score of 15 points.
In sailing, the team with the lowest score wins.
The closest team was Texas A&M-Galveston, which was 18 points behind Kansas.
"Winning events is simply confirmation that the training is going well." Laborde said.
Other schools that participated were two teams from Texas A&M at Galveston, finishing second and fourth; Texas A&M placing third, Baylor at fifth and Texas finishing last in sixth.
Fitzgerald said Kansas went down with the mentality of beating the other teams.
"I think we have a pretty talented bunch of people here who are very competitive and do what it takes to do well to win," Fitzgerald said.
So far this fail, the team has sailed in eight regattas, winning five and placing second in another.
The sailing team's next event is the Timme Angstons Regatta, which takes place during Thanksgiving break at Belmont Harbor in Chicago.
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