Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
No. 1 Nebraska retained its No. 1 ranking in total offense and rushing offense in Saturday's 69-7 defeat of Oklahoma. SEE PAGE 4B
Pro Baseball
Davey Johnson resigned as Orioles manager hours before being named Manager of the Year.
Thursday
November 6, 1997
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 6B
Pro Football
Dallas owner Jerry Jones refuted rumors that coach Barry Switzer was in danger of losing his job.
SEE PAGE 5B
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Sports world being plagued by imperfect fashion sense
Teal-colored uniforms becoming more prevalent
I wanted to write about college football— really I did.
With No. 2 Penn State playing No. 4 Michigan and No. 3 Florida State playing No. 5 North Carolina, this weekend should be one of the 1997 college football season's finest.
But...
Something has been troubling me, sports fans.
This something, or should I say this problem, has ballooned out of control. It is a problem so grievous, so helinous, so aesthetically disturbing that I felt someone, anyone, should take some time out to address it before it grows any worse.
Freshman place-kicker Joe Garcia attempts a field goal from the hold of junior quarterback Hamilton Hill. Garcia kicked a pair of field goals Saturday against Iowa State. He has made 9-of-11 attempts this season, including a career-long 51-yarder. Photo by Dan Elvarsky/KANSAN
Harley
Rattliff
sports@kansan.com
ask? Professional sports' shameless,
unabashed and obtrusive use of the color
teal — or any of its numerous hues — to
decorate their uniforms.
The problem you
During the last seven years, I've noticed that more and more teams have made the switch to teal. And while it bothered me each time that I saw a franchise introduce its new teal uniforms, I tried to play it off as a fad, a trend that would pass like French-rolled jeans and Cole Haan loafers with no socks. Even when the Detroit Pistons, who for years had worn royal blue and red, turned to teal, black and gold, I turned the other cheek. But two nights ago it all came to a head...
I was lying on my couch, resting my Yello Sub-filled tummy, easing my exhausted brain and flipping the remote control mindlessly from channel-to-channel when I came upon an NBA game. I was sitting too far to distinguish the team names on the jerseys and the broadcast had yet to flash the score, but one team was in white and the other — you guessed it — was in teal.
I was able to discern that the team in white was the Denver Nuggets, so that meant the other team must be the Pistons. Or the Magic. Or the Grizzlies. Or the Hornets. Or the Cavaliers. Or the Timberwolves. Or... well, you get the point.
So I moved closer to clarify the unknown, and, much to my shock, the team clad in the teal garb was the Washington Wizards. The team, formally known as the Bullets, had worn blue and red since its inception, now was wearing the scourge of the colored world — teal. It's the kind of thing that can make a Bernard King fan cry.
The NFL has the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars (the Miami Dolphins get excluded because they had teal long before teal was cool). The NHL has the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
But don't think that the NBA is the sole perpetrator of this teal epidemic. The other professional sports leagues are just as much to blame.
And finally, baseball, which for years has stuck with traditional uniforms and colors, has the Florida Marlins. The two new expansion teams — the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Devil Rays — both will be decked in teal. Major League Baseball, welcome to the club.
Maybe I should get with it. Maybe I'm out of touch, but I just can't seem to acquiesce to the color of the decade. I long for a day when teams were real colors with classy uniforms.
I'm urging sports fans worldwide to boycott teal. Refuse to watch teams that have incorporated that unsightly color into their dress codes.
But do what you want. Do what you feel is right. Remember though, if things continue at their current pace, if the world continues to accept teal as a permanent member of the rainbow club, it won't be to long before the Boston Celtics will be sporting green, white and...teal.
Rattiff is a Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.
Freshman kicks points, pressure
Garcia confident about abilities
By Kelly Cannon kcannan@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
Garcia has converted 9-of-11 field goal attempts this year and has made eight in a row.
Kansas kickers are dynamite this year. Freshman place-kicker Joe Garcia is proof of that.
Kansas football coach Terry Allen said he was concerned about Garcia, a freshman, before the season started.
"He's been a real pleasant surprise," Allen said. "We knew that he was going to have to be our featured kicker, and it was one of our fights that he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure."
Garcia seems to be handling the pressure just fine. Not only does he have an 82 percent conversion rate, but also he booted a 51-yard field goal against Oklahoma on Oct. 4.
"The game against Oklahoma is what, I think, made me a lot more confident when I hit that 50-yarder when (the score) was 10-10, Garcia said. "Ever since then, I have just been building on that."
Garcia said he thought he was capable of hitting a field goal longer than 51 yards.
"It just depends on the situation and how much adrenaline I have," he said. Garcia has hit a 73-yard kick in practice.
"But I could never do it in the game because I'd have to get real low," he said "But 60 is reasonable for me, if I have a little wind behind me."
Garcia is one of five Kansas players from Olathe North High School, Junior running back Julius Bruce, junior defensive back Jamie Harris, redshirt freshman center Bob Schmidt and freshman defensive back Brandon Wier also attended Olathe North.
Pep rally and bonfire to heat up football team
Former Kansas coach Glen Mason, now at Minnesota, recruited Garcia. When García came to Kansas, he said he had to fight for his position.
"Mason told me that I was going to play as a freshman and when Coach Allen came, he was like, 'I don't know what you can do, but I've heard you're a great
Kansan staff report
Kansas football and a newly resurrected age-old tradition will come together at 7 p.m. tonight southeast of Memorial Stadium
Omicron Delta Kappa and the Student Alumni Association are co-sponsoring the second annual "Keepin' the Fire Alive" football pep rally in conjunction with the Kansas State game.
The rally will feature a bonfire and a traditional rally, said Robert Davis, Omicron Delta Kappa president
He said the bonfire tradition at Kansas traditionally had been kept by the senior honor society instead of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership society. The tradition had died until last year, when former Omicron Delta Kappa president Aroop Pal resurrected it.
"In recent years, because of legal issues, logistics issues, there hasn't been a bon-fire," Davis said. "He (Pa) undertook to organize it and get it going."
Davis said the athletic department had helped in promoting the bonfire because it wanted large student turnout.
Kansas football coach Terry Allen said he liked the rally idea.
"The thing that is exciting for me about it is it's a student organization that's trying to get behind something and get it going on an annual basis," Allen said. "We'll be there with bells on."
kicker. You're going to have to earn it now that I'm here," Garcia said.
"I just thought I was going to come in here and earn it and beat out whoever was here. And that's what I did," Garcia said.
Garcia said he was a bit erratic when he was in high school, only able to make five field goals in a row. But the pressure of playing in high school for a team that won the Kansas 6A football championship, was not that big, Garcia said.
"I came straight out of high school, and there wasn't that much pressure," Garcia said. "We were winning games by 50 points."
Garcia scored 19 field goals and 55 extra points his senior year.
Garcia's past and present successes have made Allen confident about Garcia's ability.
"Kickers are a little bit different evaluation because you can watch and you can see how far they can kick it," Allen said. "The ability to kick the ball, whether its in high school or college, is the same."
Both of Garcia's extra points were blocked in the Missouri game Sept. 13. Assistant coach Michael Garrison got on Garcia's case after the blocks. Garcia said.
"He told me to get the ball in the air," Garcia said. "Ever since then — they have the cranes that film us — they're trying to get me to hit the box or hit the guys inside the box.
"Whenever I go in the game.I'm think
ing of trying to hit the guy way up there," he said.
Because he is a freshman, Garcia said some of his older teammates tried to test him and his ability.
"They just get on my case," Garcia said. "Like in practice Tuesday, I missed a couple field goals at the end of practice and it was, 'Getting a little too comfortable now?' because I've made eight in a row."
"They know I'm a freshman, they're just trying to put me under pressure," he said.
"I don't think of it as pressure. I just go out and have fun because I should make it." Garcia said. "I've been doing this for four years now."
Pressure and all, Garcia is doing well. He leads Kansas in scoring with 40 points, and has three years left to improve.
Dreary defense a concern as season opener approaches
Williams hopes practice drills help
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Associate sports editor
When practices began for the Kansas men's basketball team, coach Roy Williams stressed the importance of solid team defense.
The All-Stars shot 44 percent from the floor and 27.5 percent from the three-point line. And although the Jayhawks were consistent — surrendering 44 points in the first half and 43 in the second — Williams said the team's defensive intensity and focus had to improve.
After a 117-87 victory agains the Outback All-Stars on Monday night, the concern still lingered.
"We haven't been doing a good job in taking things from our drills into a five-on-five situation." Williams said. "We must keep drilling, drilling, drilling until we can take that, in particular on the defensive end of the floor. We have really struggled there."
Senior forward Raef LaFrentz said the Jayhawks were pleased with their offensive performance against the All-Stars but not with their defense.
"We have a lot of talent on the offensive end, so that will pretty much take care of itself," LaFrentz said after the game. "On the defensive end, we have to work together as a team and get a little better. I don't think tonight even touched our potential. But we just need to keep working on our defensive intensity."
Williams said other worries stemmed from the team's preparation as the season opener against Santa Clara looms just more than a week away.
"I've probably been more discouraged about what we've gotten done in practice and preseason this year than in any year since I've been here," Williams said. "But that's more my fault than the kids' fault. I have to do a better job of getting them to be more comfortable with doing things that are fundamentally sound."
Last season, the Jayhawks were third in Big 12 Conference scoring defense, allowing 66.1 points per game.The Jayhawks ranked second in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 40.1 percent from the floor, and outbounded opponents by more than 10.4 per game.
LaFrentz said the loss of Jacque Vaughn, Jerod Haase, Scot Pollard and B.J. Williams from last season's squad accounted for some of the needed adjustments.
Junior forward Paul Pierce stuffs an Outback All-Star's shot attempt. The Jayhawks play an exhibition game against Pella Windows AAU on Monday. Pella by Eric B. Howell. KANSAN
"I'm not the greatest defensive player in the world," LaFrentz said. "There will be more expected on my shoulders at the defensive end, and with Paul Pierce and Billy Thomas."
"We won't be able to rely on Scot's blocked shots, or on Jacque and Jerod defending key people," he said. "Offense is where the glory's at, and defense is where you find out how much heart you really have. We should get it done on defense."
Wildcats deliver Kansas volleyball conference defeat
By Matt Gardner sports@kanson.com
Kanson swordwriter
The Kansas volleyball team lost to Kansas State last night for the second time this season. But it took the Wildcats five games this time instead of three, as Kansas lost 3-15, 17-15, 7-15, 13-15.
"I was really excited with our defensive effort," said Karen Schonewise, Kansas volleyball coach. "We are really scrambling and getting our hands on balls, and we're controlling a lot more balls."
Sophomore outside inter Mary Beth Albrecht led the team with a season-high 19 kills. Albrecht, who had played sparingly in the team's past four matches, said she finally had shown what her hard work had done.
I've just kept trying hard," Albrecht said. "I don't think I did anything different. I've been consistently working hard. Tonight, it paid off."
"I've been struggling. and
Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Reves set a school record with 10 block assists in a five-game match against the Wildcats. Revs previously set the block-assists record with nine against Baylor on Oct. 12.
Junior setter Laura Rohde played an impressive fifth game and finished with 50 assists and 14 digs, impressing Schonewise.
"Rohde is back. I don't know how else to put it," Schonewise said. "She is back on top of her game. When she plays with that aggressiveness and that fight, that is the key for us."
K-State improved its record to 18-7 overall and 9-4 in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats have defeated Kansas in six consecutive matches.
K-State beat the Jayhawks on Oct. 1 in Lawrence in three games, 12-15, 10-15, 0-15.
Kansas, 8-18 overall and 1-12 in conference play, will not get a break from conference action, as the team heads to Norman, Okla., where it will face the Sooners Saturday. In their last meeting, Oklahoma defeated the Jayhawks in three games, 8-15, 14-16, and 2-15.