"He's just a two-faced, bald-ass liar."
The late Patrick Dennehy's step father, Brian Brabazon, on former Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss's attempts to cover up NCAA violations.
off the bench
MONDAY,AUGUST 18,2003
2B • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
sports commentary
JJ Hensley & Shane Mettlen sports@kansan.com
Changes produce excitement in sports
Exciting. That's just about the only way to describe the upcoming year for sports fans at Kansas. Excitement can't be avoided anytime an institution undergoes major changes, and the University's Athletics Department is full of new faces.
New athletics director Lew Perkins has already started shuffling personnel. The changes made within the athletics administration offices could easily fill this column, but that's all covered in this issue of the The University Daily Kansas.
Beyond the administrators, the Kansan will take time this semester to introduce readers to a new tennis coach, Amy Hall. And apparently the Athletics Department hired some coach named Bill Self.
Bur Sen:
The Kansan is committed to bringing readers coverage of the sports that interest them. We'll provide every detail when the Jayhawks begin their quest for another Final Four and as Mark Mangino continues to pump new life in the football program during his second season.
It also means tracking the progress of other second-year coaches trying to turn their respective programs around. Baseball coach Ritch Price has a core group of sluggers returning, and Megan Menzel will try to improve on last year's 11th place finish in Big 12 Conference women's golf. Clark Campbell has 12 new recruits entering the swimming program.
Other sports have veteran coaches making strides towards national respect. The women's basketball team brought in its best recruiting class in years. The track team returns 200-meter national champion Leo Bookman, while the soccer and volleyball teams are on the verge of making an NCAA tournament run. The softball team is looking forward to a new playing facility.
Yet the Kansan realizes that readers are also excited about sports in which the participants aren't varsity athletes with K-A-N-S-A-S spelled across their uniform.
Club and intramural sports will grace the pages as well as features, detailing where the students go to play, watch and talk sports.
talk sports. Students at the University are sports fans from all over the world who converge on Lawrence to create a melting pot of interests. This year our staff will do its best to pique those interests with insightful, well-written coverage.
Mettlen is a Lucas senior in journalism.
Hensley is a Tutse, Okla. senior in journalism.
They are the Kansan sports editors.
Royals snap two-game losing streak
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Raul Ibanez and Joe Randa hit consecutive home runs in a four-run third inning as Kansas City beat Minnesota 5-4 yesterday to avoid a three-game sweep.
The Royals, who had lost the first two games of the series by lopsided scores, reclaimed a three-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. Going into their game at Texas last night, the Chicago White Sox were two and a half games behind.
Darrell May (6-6) went six and one third innings for his first victory in six starts. The loser was Rick Reed (5-12), who was charged with five runs on nine hits in three innings.
Curtis Leskanic worked the ninth for his first save since Sept. 23, 2001, when he was with Milwaukee.
The Twins hit three solo home runs.
Luis Rivas, who has hit 10 of his 17 career home runs off the Royals, gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead with a shot in the first. Shannon Stewart homered in the fifth and Matt LeCroy, who replaced an injured Doug Mientkiewicz at first base in the third inning, hit a solo shot off Al Levine in the eighth.
In the Royals' first, Carlos Beltran had an RBI single.
inning, then Beltran followed with a sacrifice fly. Ibanez hit a two-run homer and then two pitches later Randa followed with a shot to left-center for a 5-2 lead.
Angel Berroa and Mike Sweeney singled leading off the Royals' four-run third
It was the first time the Royals hit back-to-back homers since Beltran and Sweeney on April 27 at Toronto.
Darrell May (6-6) went six one third innings for his first victory in six starts. After giving up a leadoff single to Toril Hunter in the seventh and then striking out A.J. Pierzynski, he was replaced by Levine. May was charged with three runs on six hits, with three strikeouts and no walks.
Notes: OF Dustan Mohr was out Sunday after going to the hospital with severe heat cramps on Saturday. The temperature in Kansas City both Saturday and yesterday was around 100. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Mohr had IV's and was not kept in the hospital. ... RHP Runelvys Hernandez, who opened the season 4-0 and keyed Kansas City's surprising surge into first place, was sent down to Double-A Wichita yesterday. GM Allard Baird said they wanted him to work on his pitches and his command. ... Twins 1B Doug Mientwick left the game in the third inning after bruising his left wrist while making a tag. He had two cortisone shots in the wrist on Thursday and missed two games.
For the Kansas football team, improving on last season's conference-worst 256.2 rushing yards allowed per game just got much tougher.
Injury will keep lineman out
The team's top returning defensive lineman, junior tackle Travis Watkins, will miss six to eight weeks after suffering a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The injury was sustained last Wednesday night during a team scrimmage. Watkins is eyeing the Jayhawks' Oct. 18 meeting with Baylor as a possible comeback. According to Sam Watkins, Travis' father, in
a phone interview, his son knew immediately what the injury was, having previously broken the same bone in his left foot while playing basketball at Derby High School in Derby.
Derby.
Watkins' father said the injury was more devastating for his son because of how hard he had worked this off-season for what he hoped to be a breakthrough season for Kansas football.
"The first 24 hours was pure hell because his dreams are shattered," Sam Watkins said about his son's injury. "After
we talked and had lunch, life is bigger than football."
bigger than luck Sam, Watkins said his son was more confident than ever entering the 2003 campaign, feeling as though he was moving at 295 pounds like he was a slimmer 275.
Watkins is unable to request a medical redshirt from the NCAA, having already used a redshirt his freshman year. In two seasons with the Jayhawks, Watkins has played in 23 games, including 22 starts, and has recorded 75 tackles and two sacks.
—Ryan Greene
K-State AD extends contract
The Associated Press
MANHATTAN - Kansas State and athletics director Tim Weiser have agreed to a five-year contract extension, the school announced Friday.
Weiser, 45, a native of Great Bend, came to Kansas State from Colorado State in May 2001. Since then, the athletics department budget has grown from $27 million to $32 million
The school has also completed its new baseball stadium, renovated its outdoor track, and added 1,500 athletic donors in the last year. Earlier this month, Weiser announced a telecommunications deal with Altel that will bring in more than $1 million over three years.
Twelve of Kansas State's 16 teams qualified for postseason play over the last school year, and although the men's basketball team continued to struggle, its recruiting class is rated among the best in the nation.
"Tim Weiser is clearly one of the most outstanding athletic directors in America today, and we are indeed fortunate to have him heading our athletic program here at K-State for many years to come," school president Jon Wefald said in a statement announcing the extension.
Perkins hires son-in-law
The Associated Press
LAWRENCE - Lew Perkins, in his sixth week as Kansas athletics director, has hired son-in-law Brandon Macneill as the department's strategic planner.
"He's very talented,very bright," Perkins said Thursday. "If he didn't have the background,he wouldn't be here. Trust me."
Macneill, who spent the last two years as associate athletic director for marketing and development at Princeton University, is married to one of Perkins' two daughters.
Perkins, who was named to replace the fired Al Bohl on June 10, acknowledged the hiring will raise some eyebrows.
"Yes, it's unfortunate," Perkins said, "but it's tougher for him than it is for me because the bull's-eye will be on his back."
Macneill, 32, and Amy Perkins met when she was a student at Maryland and he was working in Washington after graduating from Tulane University.
Macneill will join the Kansas staff in early October.
"To go to Kansas is an absolute no-brainer. I couldn't be happier." Macneill said. "I'm a little biased, but I think Lew is the best athletic director in the country."
The Associated Press
Chiefs pickup offense to win against Vikings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. The NFL's highest-scoring offense was starting to feel embarrassed.
In two exhibition games covering more than six quarters, the Kansas City offense that led the league in scoring in 2002 had failed to score a touchdown.
But Trent Green and Marc Boeriger took care of that with one quick strike Saturday night, connecting on a 59-yard TD pass in the second quarter of a 26-16 victory over Minnesota.
nesota.
"It's good to get in the end zone, that's for sure," Green said. "We just happened to catch them in the right coverage, and (Boerigter) is not even the primary receiver. Then, of course, his speed
kind of split the safeties. It's just nice to finally get in the end zone."
end zone Todd Collins also threw a TD pass for Kansas City (2-1), and Morten Andersen kicked three field goals and Jose Cortez made one.
The Vikings (0-2) got a 1-yard TD run in the first quarter from rookie Onterrio Smith, who was drafted in the fourth round and is competing with Doug Chapman to be the featured running back.
The Chiefs finally broke the TD drought when Boerigert got loose with 8:38 left in the second quarter.
second quarter. The Canadian Football League veteran, in his second year in the NFL, caught the ball between three defenders at about the 35 and sped untouched into the end zone.
"We just need to keep plugging away," Boeriger said.
"We have two more preseason games to get it right, and we will get it right."
Minnesota cornerback Denard Walker pulled a hamstring on the play and did not return. The Vikings' other starting cornerback, Ken Irvin, has a toe injury and did not make the trip.
Daunte Culpepper played most of the first half for the Vikings and was 8-of-13 for 68 yards, including an 18-yarder. Smith's touchdown came in the first quarter after Dante Hall muffed a punt and Moe Williams recovered for Minnesota on the Kansas City 14.
Chapman picked up 34 yards on six carries while Smith carried four times for a net of 2 yards.
yards.
"It was obvious we have a lot of improving to do," said Smith. "That's just the bottom line right there. The touchdown doesn't feel as good as it would if we had won the game. It's a touchdown. We got to a point where we couldn't complete what we started."
Kansas City running back Priest Holmes, coming back from season-ending hip surgery, got the most carries he's had all summer. He went 41 yards on nine carries, including an 11-yard run and back-to-back 8-yard bursts that seemed to confirm that his hip is near 100 percent.
"Giving (Holmes) more touches allowed him to be more productive," said Green, who was 7-of-13 fir 152 yards. "I thought he broke through and had some nice moves and made some guys miss. Instead of those 2- and 3-yard runs, he was able to pop a couple of 8 and 10-yard runs. It was nice to see him get more involved."
But Holmes also fumbled
and lost 4 yards after the Chiefs had driven to a first-and-goal from the 10 on their first possession. A few minutes later, Andersen kicked a 38-yarder. Anderson also kicked a 21-yarder and added a 42-yarder as time expired in the first half. Cortez, competing with the 43-year-old Andersen for kicking chores, had a 46-yard field goal in the third period. In his first opportunity of the preseason to handle kickoffs, Cortez sent several to the end zone.Aaron Eiling kicked a 48-yard field goal for Minnesota with 1:07 left in the half.
Derrick Blaylock had a good night in his competition with first-round draft pick Larry Johnson for the No.2 running back spot, carrying six times for 48 yards. Johnson had nine carries for 26 yards and also picked up 11 yards on a pass.