THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009
SPORTS
9A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity."
—Gordie Howe
FACT OF THE DAY
Soccer and volleyball are a combined 7-1 at home this season.
Kansas Athletics
Q: What were the combined home records of the two sports last season?
A:16-7.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Kansas Athletics
NFL
Chiefs release players fill in open roster spots
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a busy day of roster moves, the Kansas City Chiefs are likely to see more coming and going by the end of the week.
A busy day of transactions on Tuesday left two open roster spots, which will probably be filled soon.
After trading quarterback Tyler Thigpen to Miami for an undisclosed draft choice on Tuesday, the Chiefs (0-3) signed former Arizona tight end Leon Pope. The 6-foot-8, 264-pounder was Arizona's third-round pick in 2006 and spent time with Chiefs coach Todd Haley when Haley was an assistant with the Cardinals.
The Chiefs also released cornerback Ricardo Colclough and linebacker Monty Beisel.
Tight end Tom Crabtree was released from the practice squad and tackle Chris Patrick was signed for the practice squad.
Vick accused of illegally withdrawing millions
WASHINGTON — Phila-
delphia Eagles quarterback Mi-
chael Vick has agreed to repay
at least $416,000 that he is
accused of illegally withdrawn
from a pension plan.
The Labor Department says the payment settles a lawsuit for transfers from a pension plan sponsored by a marketing company he once owned.
Vick was accused of withdrawing more than $1.3 million from the plan and using the money to help pay penalties imposed on him after his dogfighting conspiracy conviction.
Associated Press
MORNING BREW
Away games fill football's bye week
A sizeable opportunity is being missed by the Athletics Department this weekend, a bye week for fall's most profitable sport, football.
I was pleased at the opportunity to take in a non-revenue sport or two this weekend while football took its hiatus from the headlines. All that needed to be decided was which fall sport to choose: Soccer? Volleyball? Cross country? Tennis? Rowing? Golf? Turns out that the only sport playing at home this weekend will be softball, whose regular season isn't until spring.
This is not a knock on softball No, it is worthy of some love this weekend. After all, its extracurricular slate of games — two at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and a pair at noon and 4 p.m. Sunday — is the only thing saving campus from being an athletic ghost town.
What a missed opportunity. The department far from ignores its non-Big Two sports but could
have stood to make a weekend out of this.
Soccer has been ranked for much of its season and wrapped up the non-conference portion of the year with an 8-2-1 record. It opens Big 12 play against Texas A&M Friday at 7 p.m. at College Station, Texas before traveling to Austin and playing Texas at 1 p.m. Sunday. A little "Friday Night Lights" on the pitch would have been the nice way to end a week.
Cross country will compete in the OSU Cowboy Bamboo 9 a.m. in Stillwater, Okla., volleyball continues its Big 12 schedule against TEXA & M in College
Station, Texas, perhaps passing the soccer team along the way.
In future years, the right blend of scheduling and promotion could prove fruitful for the school's non-revenue sports. There is no math involved in determining that on a weekend in which football's home again that soccer or volleyball will be challenged to draw fans as if they were the only show in town. That's not to say non-revenue sports don't draw fans while football or basketball is playing, it's just more difficult when energy has been spent tailgating and spending all day out has transpired.
The road trips continue with rowing - a sport I've been dying to see for the first time competing in the Boot of the Oklahoma event in Oklahoma City, Okla.
But another time, I supposed. An opportunity lost can serve as a reminder to seek out a future soccer game or rowing meet.
Besides, we've got four opportunities to check out the softball team this weekend behind its new coach, Megan Smith.
On top of that, be sure to check out club hockey as it plays Missouri Friday at 8 p.m. at Pepsi Ice Midwest.
Follow Kansan sports editor Stephen Montemayor at twitter.com/smontemayor.
Edited by Anna Kathagnarath
NFL
Chiefs reaching low point in season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City's 2-for-28 losing binge is likely to become 2-for-29 Sunday when the New York Giants tack another painful week onto the sorriest chapter in the history of the Chiefs.
The unbeaten Giants are 9½-point road favorites over the winless Chiefs, who are coming off a 34-14 loss to the injury-weakened Philadelphia Eagles.
The new regime of general manager Scott Pioli and Todd Haley keeps baling water, shuffling players in and out as fast as they can. As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been seven player transactions in a 24-hour span.
Still, the franchise that won 100 games under Marty Schottenheimer in the 1990s is 0-3 for the second straight year and appears headed for a third consecutive calamity of a season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Each of the three seasons has come with its own identity, its own reason for what caused the crash.
The Chiefs began headed toward this low point in 2007 when the decision was made, against the wishes of head coach Herm Edwards, to try to coax a second playoff run out of an aging team.
Big mistake.
Aging very quickly became aged. The Chiefs sank to 4-12, their worst season percentagewise since 1977.
The following year, Edwards got permission from general manager Carl Peterson and owner Clark Hunt to root out the old and bring in the new.
It was what he and Tony Dungy had done in Tampa Bay, Edwards argued, a rebuilding program based on patience and youth, a bite-the-bullet enterprise that accepted present-day losses because they would inevitably lead to future wins.
Big mistake.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel leaves the field after a game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City. The Chiefs are 0-3 this season.
Nothing went right, starting with season-ending injuries in the first few weeks to quarterbacks No.1 and 2.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
By the time fall turned to winter, Hunt's patience had run out. He didn't figure on 2-14, the worst season since his father founded the team almost 50 years before.
Peterson was fired and replaced by Pioli, who let Edwards sit and stew for several weeks before asking him to clean out his desk and make way for the Haley, the man whose offense had helped take
FRIDAY
TODAY
Soccer at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
Softball vs. Emporia State, 4 p.m.
Softball vs. Washburn, noon
Rowing
Boot of the Oklahoma,
All Day,
Oklahoma City,
Okla.
Soccer at Texas, 1 p.m.
Softball vs. Central Missouri St., 4 p.m.
FOOTBALL Linebacker charged for stealing computer adapter
Cross Country
OSU Cowboy
Jamboree, 9 a.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
SUNDAY
Volleyball at Texas A&M 2 p.m.
Softball vs. Emporia State, 2 p.m.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa State police is call linebacker Matt Taufouo is charged with fifth-degree misdemeanor theft for stealing a wireless computer adapter from the campus store.
Arizona to the Super Bowl.
Associated Press
Pitiol and Haley are confronted by talent issues almost everywhere. The offensive line, where continuity is paramount, has been as unsettled as any position group on the entire team with the possible exception of wide receiver. The best player in that group, Dwayne Bowe, may be out for a second straight week.
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