THE UNIVERSITY MARY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6. 2009
SPORTS
9A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Can you all just do me one favor? Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us."
Kirby Puckett
FACT OF THE DAY
— Kansas Athletics
Kansas is 41-49-5 all-time in homecoming football games, including 4-3 in the Mark Mangino era.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What is Kansas' record in homecoming football games against Iowa State, its opponent this Saturday?
A: 7-6, including four straight victories.
Kansas Athletics
FOOTBALL Kansas game against Colorado will air on FSN
Kansas' game at Colorado Oct. 17 will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on FSN, it was announced Monday morning. The game will mark the first post- 'noon kickoff time since Kansas played at UTEP at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12.
Jayson Jenks
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TUESDAY
Women's golf
Johnny imes
Invitational, all
day, Columbia,
Mo.
ESDAY
Volleyball
at Nebraska
7 p.m.
THURSDAY (No events scheduled)
FRIDAY
Swimming Intrasquad, 4 p.m.
Soccer vs. Texas Tech,
4 p.m.
SATURDAY
Softball vs. Johnson County CC, 11 a.m.
vs. Butler County CC 1 p.m.
Rowing
Sunflower
Showdown,
Manhattan
Volleyball vs. Iowa State
Football vs. Iowa State, 11:30 a.m.
SUNDAY
Softball vs. Johnson County CC, 11 a.m.
vs. Cowley County CC,
1 p.m.
Soccer vs.Colorado 1 p.m.
Psychological Clinic
340 Fraser 864-4121
www.psych.ku.edu/psych_clinic/
Counseling
Services for
Lawrence & KU
Paid for by KU
Of course, tonight's pending drama is only possible because of this weekend's events. Shockingly, the Kansas City Royals found themselves a party to those events. The Royals could have denied Minnesota tonight's tie-breaker. They could have mattered, genuinely mattered, in October. They were on SportsCenter, and not even the "Not Top 10" segment. No, Kansas City baseball was actually relevant for a weekend in October.
Cold comfort perhaps. But for a franchise that hasn't posed a postseason threat in ages, cold comfort is better than no comfort.
For the second consecutive season, the American League Central needs a 163rd game to sort matters out. Tonight, in Minnesota, the Twins play the Tigers for the right to a division title, and the playoff berth that goes with it.
Kansas City disappoints in October
MORNING BREW
But all of that required Kansas City to actually win. Not all of the three games, mind you. Not even two. No, the Royals only needed to steal one from the Twins.
Predictably enough, they didn't. The Royals couldn't win. Not once. Not even with Zach Greinke taking the mound for the second game.
Follow Alex Beecher at twitter.com/alexbeecher.
And so ended another season of Royals baseball, disappearing completely in to the miasma of ambivalence.
But that's all over. Now, it's football season. Time for Kansas City sports fans to look to the Chiefs for salvation ... or maybe they should just read a book instead.
Edited by Megan Morriss
And that's the funny thing. The Royals finish another awful season, and no one seems to be angry. What's more, no one seems to really even care. Not even a
little. Not about the good (of which there is precious little), and not about the bad.
Billy Butler emerged as a legitimate middle of the order bat. That's nice. How long until his contract expires and he signs with a real team?
Zach Greinke posted pitching stats that would hardly look out of place in the dead ball era. He'll probably win the Cy Young — and most definitely should. It's a shame he couldn't get the necessary run support to remove any questions altogether.
Joakim Soria recovered nicely from his injury, and had a pretty good year. Of course, he could have done even better if there were more leads to protect.
That's the good.
The bad could fill the rest of this page, so I'll sum it up as succinctly as possible — Tony Pena Jr. played in 40 games this year. He hit .098. Seriously.
BIG 12 FOOTBALL Oklahoma doesn't make excuses with hurt players
Coach Bob Stoops and his Oklahoma team have been hit by the injury bug once again, this time losing a pass catcher instead of a pass thrower.
Stoops announced Monday in his weekly teleconference that sophomore receiver Ryan Broyles would miss two to four weeks
with a small fracture in his left shoulder blade.
Broyles has 23 catches for 346 yards and seven touchdowns, leading the team in each category.
Oklahoma takes on Baylor at home this weekend, and comes to Lawrence in a little more than two and a half weeks.
Junior quarterback Sam Bradford's status is unchanged from last week.
Stoops said he would evaluate Bradford during practice this week and make the decision.
"I'm not getting into how close or far he was," Stoops said. "The bottom line, he wasn't where he needed to be."
Despite being hit hard by injuries, Stoops said his team had hung in there really well.
He said he thought his team could be similar to the one that won the big 12 championship
despite losing Adrian Peterson and moving wide receiver Paul Thompson to starting quarterback.
"In the end, you deal with the circumstances and the hand you're dealt, and they understand that." Stoops said. "We won't make excuses and other guys have to step in and step up and make plays."
Clark Goble
CRIME
lowa man deemed stable to stand trial after test
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A judge ruled Monday that the man accused of gunning down a legendary lowa high school football coach is mentally competent to stand trial.
Mark D. Becker, 24, can appreciate the first-degree murder charges against him, understand the proceedings and assist with
his defense, according to an order filed Monday by Butler County District Judge Stephen Carroll.
Becker had been scheduled to stand trial last month in the June shooting death of Aplington-Parkersburg High coach Ed Thomas, who led the team in northeast Iowa for 34 seasons and was named the NFL's High School Coach of the Year in 2005.
The case was put on hold pending a mental competency ruling after experts agreed
Becker, who once played for Thomas, hallucinates and suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, but differed on whether he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Mr. Becker has sufficient ability to recall events which will be pertinent to his defense" Carroll wrote in the order. That includes Becker's ability to recall the series of events on June 24, when Thomas was shot to death in the high school weight room.
Carroll said Becker's paranoid schizophrenia is "undisputed" but that an increased dosage of an anti-psychotic medication, along with the findings of the prosecution's psychiatrist, lead him to believe Becker can understand the trial proceedings.
"Becker was able to recall and relate those events in a 'precise, chronologic, detailed, coherent manner," the judge wrote.
Associated Press
NFL
"The evidence indicates that
Favre leads Viking victory against former teammates
MINNEAPOLIS — Brett Favre proved to the Green Bay Packers he has plenty of fire left inside, and in his right arm.
Favre's first game against his former team was all fun for the Minnesota Vikings and all frustration for the Packers, as the grazing quarterback connected for three touchdown passes and 271 yards in a 30-23 victory on Monday.
Favre went 24 for 31, without a turnover.
The Vikings (4-0) sacked Favre's replacement, Aaron Rodgers, eight times. Rodgers had his first two turnovers of the season, and Favre turned both of them into vintage touchdown passes in the first half.
Manning cleared to play despite inflamed tissue
The New York Giants quarterback had an MRI on Monday afternoon, and team physician Russell Warren told Manning he could play this weekend against the Oakland Raiders if he could tolerate the pain. $ ^{a} $
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning has been diagnosed with inflamed tissue in his right foot, or plantar fasciitis.
The Giants have listed him as day to day with the injury.
TODAYS TIMES ONLY!
Associated Press
peace love jayhawk KU
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOMECOMING 2009
Today's Homecoming Events Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Homecoming Mural Contest, 10 a.m-2 p.m., Wescoe Beach
- 3 v. 3 basketball semifinals/finals, Ambler Student Recreation Center
- Homecoming Comedian Show feat. Kristen Shaal and the Blanks, 7:30 p.m., Lied Center
Tomorrow's Events
- Information Relaxation Celebration, Homecoming Information Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Strong Hall Lawn
- Jayhawk Jingle Dress Rehearsal, 8 p.m., Woodruff Auditorium
I Spy Clue
1 Spy... an office on Jayhawk Blvd and in the KS Union that has been promoting Peace, Love, and Information since the 1970's.
This office is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Good luck!
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The University of Kansas
TOP 10 MYTHS
ABOUT HEALTHCARE REFORM: A CIVIL AND BIPARTISAN DISCUSSION
HEALTH POLICY
EXPERT MARCIA
NIELSON
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER
2009
7:30PM
DOLE INSTITUTE
www.homecoming.ku.edu