2B SPORTS
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
It's amazing what the human body can do when chased by a bigger human body"
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
JackThompson
FACT OF THE DAY
Saturday's football game against Oklahoma is the only home game in a four-game stretch for Kansas, which played at Colorado last week and will go to Texas Tech and Kansas State the next two weeks. After Saturday, the only remaining home game will be Nov. 14 against Nebraska.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
— Kansas Athletics
What is Kansas' record in Big 12 road games during coach Mark Mangino's tenure?
A: 7-20 and a loss to Oklahoma at Arrowhead Stadium in 2005.
NFL
NFL Eagles trade rookie for Rams' Will Witherspoon
Kansas Athletics
PHILADELPHIA — The Phila delphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in 2010.
The Eagles made the trade Tuesday to get Witherspoon, an eight-year veteran who spent his first four seasons with Carolina. He was the Rams' starter at the weakside spot and had 36 tackles and one forced fumble this season
Witherspoon has recorddee more than 100 tackles three times in his career and has missed only two games to injury.
Gibson, a sixth-round pick, was inactive for all six games with Philadelphia.
MLB could see first female GM
MORNING BREW
Associated Press
FEMALE GM TO BE?
Baseball is inching toward its most significant breakthrough since jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Kim Ng, assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, interviewed with San Diego Padres CEO and vice chairman Jeff Moorad Saturday for a chance to be the first female general manager in major league history.
Ng started out as a premiere adviser to New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
In 2005, she became the first woman to interview for a general manager position when vying for the spot with the Dodgers.
She also interviewed for the general manager vacancy with the Seattle Mariners last fall. She didn't get either job.
But with a struggling San Diego team in need of a fresh start, several inside sources say that Ng has a fair shot this time around.
If Ng can somehow capture this historic opportunity and turn an appalling Padres team around, women worldwide will take a major step in not just the sports sphere, but in the entire business world. Stay posted on this one.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLLS OVERRATED
There's been controversy for years over college football's poll system. Teams like Boise State
and TCU have been victimized by strength of schedule (or lack thereof) and must wallow behind one-loss powerhouses like USC or Miami. When Alabama leaped ahead of Florida Sunday for the AP poll's No. 1, Tebow enthusiasts far and wide went into a frenzy. Kansas suffered a nail-biting loss to Colorado but still managed to grip the AP's No. 24. That's a lot of numbers and they make little sense it.
College football fans must not abide by these polls as if they are the bible. They are just numbers based on opinions of informed yet varying writers. If Florida is so upset about Alabama stealing its throne, the Gators should simply win out as expected and demolish the Crimson Tide in the SEC title game to prove their worth. Easier said than done, but the spell of the polls can be broken with old fashioned W's. Now let's stop that weeping, Gainesville.
THE FIGHT IN THE SHADOWS
the Todd Haley era, Matt Cassel's improved rapport with Dwayne Bowe and Washington coach Jim Zorn's unspoken proclamation as the worst skipper in the league.
It was a game that was masked by Kansas City's first victory in
Details aside, one cannot help but look at the bigger issue in this matchup.
It's the Chiefs vs. the Redskins. Not quite the Sacajawes vs. the Pocahontases, but is it really that different?
Native American mascots represent many major American sports teams. Baseball has the Indians and the Braves.
Football has the Chiefs and the Redskins. Hockey has the Chicago Blackhawks.
Several schools across the country, such as the Florida State Seminoles and the Illinois Fighting Illini, also follow the trend.
But is this widespread practice an ode to history or just an offensive gesture toward a race that was robbed of its land?
It's time that these teams make a bold change.
We like to think that our nation is far removed from racism and prejudice, yet these mascots are still displayed before our eyes through several media outlets.
Allow mascots to serve their true purpose — means of motivation and positive representation. The road to equality desperately needs a clean slate on the mascot front.
historic, three-game losing streak to sneak off with the division title at 8-8.
UCONN TRAGEDY
UCONN HAGEDT A single stab to the abdomen and he was gone.
The loss left the Chargers just one-half game ahead of Oakland (2-4) and 1 1/2 games ahead of Kansas City (1-5), which will host San Diego on Sunday. The Chargers have always struggled playing in Kansas City, and last year needed a fourth-quarter rally to overcome an 11-point deficit and win 22-21.
Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard was 20 years old and a key starter for the Huskies team. Then Sunday, he and Brian Parker, a 19-year-old academically ineligible receiver, were stabbed outside the UConn student union. Parker survived but Howard didn't. The attacker has yet to be found
The death of the beloved Howard brings back frightening memories of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. A college campus promises safety and comfort to its students. But it's still part of the real world and we can never forget that. This is not an order to watch your back, just a wake up call to the overly complacent.
Edited by Sarah Kellv
Follow Max Rothman at twitter.com/maxrothman.
Denver (6-0) on Monday night left the Chargers 3 1/2 games back in their attempt to win a fourth straight AFC West title
"That's a different Denver team in the sense of they aren't going to fall apart," San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers said. "That's a team that's here to stay."
It was San Diego's second one-point win over the Chiefs last year. The Chargers thought their bye week would fix the problems that dragged them down in a 38-28 loss at Pittsburgh, in which they trailed 28-0 and allowed 497 vards
The loss to the Broncos showed that the Chargers still have plenty to work on.
That's not good news for the Chargers (2-3). Last year, the Chargers coupled a four-game winning streak with Denver's
Associated Press
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
Chargers getting closer to last place in AFC West
TODAY
Volleyball at Texas Tech, 6:30 p.m.
NFL
After getting pummeled by the undefeated Denver Broncos, the Chargers are in trouble.
THURSDAY
Tennis
ITA Regionals,
Norman, Okla.
All day
FRIDAY
Soccer
vs. Nebraska,
3 p.m.
San Diego's 34-23 loss to
Tennis
KU Tournament,
All day
SATURDAY
SAN DIEGO — The only two things keeping the San Diego Chargers out of last place in the AFC West are the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Swimming
Arkansas/Florida,
Fayetteville,
Ark., 2 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Missouri 7:30 p.m.
Football vs. Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m.
Tennis
KU Tournament,
All day
SUNDAY
Soccer vs. Iowa State, 1 p.m.
Tennis
KU Tournament,
All day
Keep the experience or KU athletics alive with every swipe when you choose the only card trusted by your school, available exclusively at INTRUST Bank. Brought to you by and benefiting student and alumni programs of the KU Alumni Association.
Oklahma running back DeMarco Murray breaks out for a long run as Texas cornerback Chykie Brown gives chase. The Longhams won the Red River Rivalry 16-13 Saturday in Dallas, making the Sooners to 3-3 and 1-1 in Bain 12 play.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
Oklahoma O-line struggles Bradford's injury exacerbates problems with inexperienced line
"Whether we abandon the run or not or we get in big sets or spread sets, the real deal is we need to keep playing more physical," Wilson said.
Wilson said Tuesday that Oklahoma (3-3, 1-1 Big 12) shifted to short passes because it would have been too difficult to block the nation's best rush defense and one loading the line of scrimmage.
The last time Oklahoma was held to negative yards on the
The Sooners' struggles on the offensive line were amplified last week when, on the same day Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford went out after re-injuring his right shoulder, the team wound up with minus-16 yards rushing against No. 3 Texas.
NORMAN, Okla. — No matter what's going wrong with his front line, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson doesn't plan on No. 25 Oklahoma becoming a finesse team.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The shift led to tailback DeMarco Murray setting new career-highs with eight catches for 116 yards.
At the core of Oklahoma's problems is an inexperienced offensive line that lost four starters from last season's run to the BCS championship game. Three of those players are now in the NFL. Making matters worse, starting left guard Brian Simmons — the secondmost experienced lineman — was
ground came in 2002 against Alabama (minus-23 yards). Next up is Kansas (5-1, 1-1).
"To me, the deal is can we get fortunate enough to for a couple, three weeks in a row, get some time on task with the same guys and build on that?" Wilson said. "That's where we've been — a guy's in, a guy's out. 'We need you over here. No, we need you back over here! We're robbing Paul and paying Peter all the time."
Instead of starting one of the backup guards, Oklahoma moved tight end Brody Eldridge to the position for the first time, creating the fifth different starting line in six games.
out against the Longhorns and is expected to miss several more weeks with a right knee injury.
"If you settle it in and it's not real effective, how do you settle in? You have to keep competing." Stoops said. "It isn't like just because you keep the same five guys in there, everything's harmonious."
Coach Bob Stoops, though, suggested that a lack of continuity isn't to blame.
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