THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees."
— Jason Kidd
FACT OF THE DAY
Kansas Athletics
Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are the sixth set of teammates selected for the Associated Press preseason All-America team since its inception in 1986-87.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What was the only other pair of Kansas players to have been named to the preseason All-America team?
A: Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce in 1997-98.
— Kansas Athletics
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
lowa State quarterback
to return after injury
Iowa State junior quarterback Austen Arnaud missed the team's past two games with a bruised hand, but coach Paul Rhoads said in the Big 12's weekly teleconference Monday that he would return to start this weekend against Oklahoma State.
Rhoads also said that he was close to playing Arnaud last weekend.
"But there was just enough velocity that was off that he would not have been in a good position to help us win the football game," Rhoads said.
Freshman replacement Jerome Tiller rushed for a touchdown in the Cyclones' 35-10 loss against Texas A&M but also threw two interceptions. Rhoads said that he thought the interceptions were good passes but that the athletic Texas A&M defense made good plays on the ball.
Rhoads said Arnaud did not practice much last week because the coaching staff was worried that the swelling in his hand would flare back up.
"He's grasping the ball fine and we expect him to do a normal amount of practice this week,"Rhoads said.
Arnaud has thrown seven touchdowns and tossed just one interception in his last five games.
Clark Goble
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Spikes to be suspended during Vanderbilt game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Topranked Florida will be without star linebacker Brandon Spikes for the first half of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt.
Coach Urban Meyer suspended Spikes Monday, two days after the defensive captain apparently attempted to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in a 41-17 victory.
"I don't condone that," Meyer said. "I understand what goes on on the football (field), but there's no place for that. We're going to suspend Brandon for the first half of the Vanderbilt game. I spoke with him. That's not who he is. That's not who we are. He got caught up in emotion."
Spikes issued a statement apologizing for what he did.
"I accept responsibility for my actions and I accept the consequences of my actions," he said. "I would like to apologize to my team and the coaching staff and Washaun Ealey. Football is a very physical and emotional game, but there is no excuse for my actions."
Meyer's wife mentioned Spikes' actions to him Sunday night, then defensive coordinator Charlie Strong did the same Monday morning.
Associated Press
Kansas is the one and only No.1
When television cameras pan by Allen Fieldhouse's student
MORNING BREW
pian by Allen Fieldhouse's student section tonight, they will inevitably document a bevy of fans, mouths agape and pointer fingers outstretched, declaring the Jayhawks number one. Which, although the act is hardly an unfamiliar one, is actually appro2 priate in this case. Kansas is, after all, No. 1.
But what about those other venues, other teams, and other fans? Surely, when Michigan State takes the court, the Spartan faithful will hoarsely shout claims of their teams' supremacy, all while making that universally understood one-fingered gesture (no, not that one). Surely they know that Michigan State is, in fact, number two. Right?
And what about the rest of the nation? What's to stop fans from North Carolina, Kentucky or Texas from laying claim to the throne that rightfully sits in
And it gets worse. Much worse You see, however fraudulent, those teams mentioned above at least can offer a reasonable case for No.1 consideration.
that anyone can lay claim to said title. When such declarations are so arbitrary, they become quite meaningless, not to mention confusing.
Imagine, for a moment, that an alien crash-lands on Earth. It's stranded until its craft can be repaired, and the on-board space T.V. only picks up college basketball. How is it going to know which team is really No. 1? Oh sure, it could wait until the end of the season. And there are those supposedly unbiased polls as well. But the most omnipresent indicator of a team's status is its fans. And when all those fans provide information that is consistently contradictory, the alien is going to get angry. It might even get angry enough to obliterate Earth. Who knows?
Lawrence? Not a thing
But those teams' fans won't be the only ones making such a claim. Across the nation, in every venue on every campus, every fan base will do the same. In some ill-lit high school gym, a student section of 12 will assert its beloved Northern Wyoming A&M Fighting Trout as No. 1. Which is precisely the problem. Not that the Fighting Trout are No. 1 — clearly, they aren't even as good as the Western Oregon Tech Wonder Weasels — but
So, in order to stave off species-wide eradication, this problem needs to be fixed. The most obvious means to this end would be forbidding any fan base whose
team is not recognized by the polls as No. 1 from declaring as much. Unfortunately, the NCAA hasn't found a way to make that illegal — yet.
With the logical option out, the best choice is to go in the opposite direction: Kansas fans should not hold up their fingers and shout "No.1, wooo!" into television cameras. In so doing, they will differentiate Kansas, the rightful No.1, from the rest of college basketball. And they might even save the world.
Edited by Amanda Thompson
Team fights its way into tournament
BY JOEL PETTERSON jpetterson@kansan.com
Kansas' Big 12 Tournament hopes rested solely on the gloves of freshman goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau. And in a penalty kick shootout to decide the winner of a Big 12 Tournament play-in game, Liebetrau stopped Texas Tech's final penalty kick, sending her team to the conference tournament.
After 110 minutes of regulation and overtime play, the score remained 1-1 after a pair of goals in the 30th and 31st minute from Kansas (12-7-2) and Texas Tech (8-8-4). The Red Raiders kept up constant pressure for most of the match, outshooting the Jayhawks 17-8 through 90 minutes of regulation time. The Kansas defense, anchored by Liebetrau, bent but never broke through the second half and overtime periods.
"We kept really organized in the back with our communication," said Liebetrau. "I was really proud of the
Follow Joel Petterson at twitter.com/ j_petter
In the penalty kick shootout, the Jayhawks never blinked, taking their shots as they hit all five past Texas Tech goalkeeper Colleen Pitts. Texas Tech netted its first four as well, but Liebetrau was determined to end the game at the fifth
"I had almost gotten the fourth PK, and I was just like "This one's mine," she said. "I went for it and got it."
Liebetrau stopped Texas Tech sophomore Maggie Fete's shot, giving Kansas the 1-1 victory. Immediate jubilation ensured for the Jayhawks, who had just earned their 10th straight Big 12 Tournament berth.
The victory means Kansas will face No. 1 seed Missouri for the second time in less than a week Wednesday in San Antonio in the first round of the tournament.
The team can't help but feel a little bit lucky after winning a play-in game that, as coach Mark Francis said earlier in the week, the team didn't necessarily deserve to be in. The game came as a result of a three-way tie between Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor that left the eighth and final spot in the tournament disputed.
"It was just amazing, everyone was so excited." Liebetrau said.
back line and my whole team."
But Kansas took full advantage of the opportunity and the team is managing to hit its stride at a good, albeit a bit late, time in its season. The game, which officially is recorded as a tie, extends the Jayhawks' unbeaten streak to three after defeating Iowa State and Big 12 regular season champions Missouri last week.
"We worked so hard, we're just really happy for it," Liebetrau said.
Freshman midfielder Whitney
Berry scored the game's first goa when she headed senior midfielder Monica Dolinksy's cross into the back of the net. But Texas Tech equalized 30 seconds later on a 25-yard blast from freshman midfielder Tiffini Smith.
Dolinsky led the Jayhawks with four shots, including one off the crossbar that could have ended the game in overtime, and the game's only assist. She also put in one of Kansas' five penalty kicks helping win the game along with Berry, freshman midfielder Shelby Williamson, sophomore forward Emily Cressy and senior forward Kim Boyer.
"We're excited to be in the Big 12 Tournament and excited to play Mizzou." Liebetrau said. "We're looking forward to it."
The Jayhawks will have to recuperate from the match quickly to take on the Tigers, but for now the team is nothing but confident.
— Edited by Amanda Thompson
MLB
Philadelphia holds off World Series elimination
BY RONALD BLUM
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Put those parade plans on hold, New York. The Phillies are comine back.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chase Utley hit two home runs to raise his World Series total to a record-tying five, backing Cliff Lee once again as Philadelphia staved off elimination with an 8-6 victory Monday night and set up a Game 6 for the first time since 2003.
Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley, center, is congratulated by Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino after hitting a three-run home run against New York Yankees' J. Burnett during the first inning of Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series Monday in Philadelphia. Rollins and Victorino also scored on the hit.
Utley hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the first inning off A.J. Burnett and added a solo shot in the seventh to join Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit five home runs in a single World Series.
Philadelphia closed within three games to two by replicating its winning formula from the opener, when Utley hit two solo homers and Lee pitched a six-hitter. Raul Ianez set off fireworks from the Liberty Bell one last time, adding a second solo shot in the seventh off Phil Coke that made it 8-2.
Just 37 of 43 teams with 3-1 Series deficits have gone on to win the title, including five in a row since Kansas City rallied past St. Louis in 1985.
The Yankees, who have won the Series all eight previous times they took a 3-1 lead, will try to close out title No. 27 Wednesday night at home. Game 3 winner Andy Pettitte is expected to come back on three days' rest and face Game 2 loser Pedro Martinez.
But Pettitte and CC Sabathia, the Yankees' Game 7 starter, will be pitching on short rest — Pettite for the first time this year and Sabathia for the third time in the postseason.
If the Phillies come back to become the first NL team to win consecutive Series titles since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will be widely second-guessed for his pitching decisions. No Series champion has gone the entire postseason with just three starters since the 1991 Minnesota Twins — when there were just two rounds of playoffs.
Pitching on short rest didn't work well for Burnett, who had been 4-0 previously in his career on three days' off and kept the Philies off balance in Game 2. It marked the first time in 14 postseason games this year that a Yankees starter failed to pitch at
Philadelphia ended baseball's record streak of five straight Series that ended in sweeps or five games, ensuring at least one more telecast in a matchup between big-market teams that has revived baseball's ratings. The Phillies still face a tall task: The Yankees lost three in a row just twice after the All-Star break and dropped consecutive home games
least six innings.
only once after mid-June.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TUESDAY
Men's basketball
vs. Fort Hays
State (exhibition),
7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Volleyball at Colorado, 8 p.m.
THURSDAY No events scheduled.
SATURDAY
FRIDAY No events scheduled.
Swimming
vs. Drury,
Springfield, Mo.
1 p.m.
Volleyball at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
Football at Kansas State, 11:30 a.m.
**Rowing**
Head of the
Hooch,
all day,
Chattanooga,
Tenn.
SUNDAY
Women's basketball vs. Emporia State, 2 p.m.
Rowing
Head of the
Hooch,
all day,
Chattanooga,
Tenn.
FOOTBALL NOTES Jayhawks'last home game time, channel announced
Kansas' final home game against Nebraska Nov. 14 will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.
The Jayhawks will make their third appearance on ABC this season. The network also televised Kansas' games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech.
Defense not frustrated by offensive game struggles
With Kansas' recent offensive struggles, the improved performance of the team's defense has happened rather quietly.
Despite the offense's lack of production in Kansas' last two games, members of the defense said there was no frustration with the other side of the ball.
"There been so many times where they've had us out there and we didn't come through for them," senior safety Darrell Stuckey said. "It's one of those things we have to go out there and just play the game."
Jayson Jenks
CHIEFS Smith may take on duties left by running back
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kolby Smith's timing may turn out to have been perfect.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be without suspended running back Larry Johnson when they travel to Jacksonville this week, and Smith, a year after knee surgery, is eligible and eager to come off the physically unable to perform list
Johnson, a former Pro Bowler who is struggling this season, is serving a suspension for making gay slurs and belittling head coach Todd Haley. Presumably, that will shift the running duties to Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage.
Associated Press
NOVEMBER MADNESS
2-