2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."
Vince Lombardi
FACT OF THE DAY
Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What was Kansas' average margin of victory in 2008?
A: 19.5 points.
Kansas Athletics
NFL
Saints shut out T.O. for first time in 13 years
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Turns out Drew Brees doesn't have to throw a touchdown pass — or put up 45 points — to secure a victory.
The New Orleans Saints' overlooked defense proved pretty stout.
Will Smith had a sack and an interception to lead a Saints defense that held Terrell Owens without a catch for the first time since his rookie season in 1996 on the way to New Orleans' 27-7 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Running back Pierre Thomas sealed the win by scoring two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes and finished with a career-high 126 yards rushing all in the second half.
Brees finished 16 of 20 for 172 yards, ending an NFL-leading 22-game streak of throwing for 200 yards or more.
"Our defense played out-standing," Brees said. "Every time they stepped on the field they just felt like the were going to shut them down."
New Orleans generated four sacks and prevented Buffalo (1-2) from registering a first down in its final five possessions.
Bengals end Steelers' streak in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI — Sam Cook's song "A Change is Gonna Come" played on a continuous loop in the Cincinnati Bengals' locker room, providing the musical score for a ground-breaking win.
In five frenetic minutes, the Bengals earned some legitimacy and won back their town.
Carson Palmer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left provided a 23-20 win Sunday that ended the Pittsburgh Steelers' nearly decade-long domination in Cincinnati, one that appeared set to go on indefinitely until the final drive
"Priceless," offensive lineman Bobbie Williams said. "The past is the past. This is a new team and a new day."
For once, it was their dav
Associated Press
Upsets help team climb ranks
don't look now,but the Kansas Jayhawks are sneaking up the rankings.
MORNING BREW
Granted, this latest climb wasn't so much a product of a dominating performance by Kansas — actually, if the pass defense forgets to show up in conference play like it did this week, this column will be quickly rendered obsolete — but rather a second consecutive weekend of uninspiring performances from the teams at the top
My dark horse candidate for the title, No. 6 Cal, took a 42-3 beating at the hands of the Oregon Ducks, and they were just one of many.
Of the teams ranked Nos. 4, 5, 6, 9 and 18 — all above the Jayhawks
But back to the effects this will have on the Jayhawks. For one, if they start to defend the pass, they have a legitimate shot at running the table — only Texas and Oklahoma are ranked above the Jayhawks and left on the schedule.
— that lost last week, only No. 9
was to a ranked opponent.
Kansas has the Sooners at home, where the Jayhawks are tough to beat on their bad days. Even if Sam Bradford returns to form — which at this point seems unlikely — Kansas has a real shot to knock off the Sooners. This is
especially true considering the Sooners' early season collapse against BYU, and though excuses can legitimately be made about Bradford's being out, the Cougars have never, to me at least, seemed to have the makings of a top-15 team.
The biggest challenge will likely be the Longhorns, which Kansas hasn't beat since 1938, and never in Austin. Neither is a good trend if you're a Kansas fan. But Kansas, despite everything Mark Mangino will say to the contrary, is looking more and more like the team that won the Orange Bowl a couple of seasons back.
receiver corps in the nation to help him in the aerial attack. The Jayhawks are top-20 in both rushing and passing offense and are averaging more than 40 points a game.
The emergence of running back Toben Opurum, who sports editor Stephen Montemayor was so impressed with Saturday that Monty started calling him "Adrian Peterson Lite," gives the offense a dimension it sorely missed last season. Todd Reesing is still Todd Reesing, and now has the best
The defense on the other hand, is stout against the run, but susceptible through the air. If the Jayhawks look to make a prophet of me — which, come on, should totally be the focus of their season — Darrell Stuckey and Co, will have to steal um their coverage
Allow me a moment of self-indulgence. I've been working two weeks now as an intern for ESPN, as a production assistant. This means that, five nights a week, I watch a game, decide what the highlight is going to be and make it happen. Dream job! So I've decided to take a little time each week to tell the masses what it's like working for the Worldwide Leader in Sports (kinda cool!)
GREETINGS FROM BRISTOL
But for the moment, the Jayhawks are undefeated. And that's all that matters for now.
Today's story comes from this Saturday. I was watching the Athletics-Angels game and the
Vitali Kiltzshko-Cris Arreola
heavyweight weight bat, but, for
obvious reasons, all eyes turned
to the Florida game when an Tim
Tebow went down with an injury.
In the room I work in, several shows are filmed, one of them being College Football Live, where analysts Todd McShay and Robert Smith provide coverage of the day's games. I've never felt like I was getting inside scoops quicker than when I was close enough to McShay, who seems to scoop every story, to give him a high five.
Sure enough, the wire story concerning Tebow's injury comes in. I open and read it, and ESPN's broadcasters announce, after I've read the story, that Florida coaches are saying Tebow just "got his bell rung."
Good times were had by all.
Cardinals snag the NL Central Crown Saturday
MLB
Edited by Alicia Banister
St. Louis team celebrates by taking a moment to rest before playoffs begin in October
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — The pungent aroma wafting through the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse was hard to ignore Sunday.
Not that the players minded the leftover fumes from their fervent celebration the night before.
"Stale champagne is good."
Mark D.Roosa said.
The Cardinals clinched the NI. Central crown Saturday night with a win over the Colorado Rockies, dousing each other with cans of beer and sparkling wine brought in from a winery in Missouri.
"The edge is off."
office. Those lineup cards will be signed by players and then auctioned off for his charity, the Animal Rescue Foundation in the Bay area.
He pulled one out of the stack and glanced at it — June 2, a 5-2 win over Cincinnati.
Albert Pujols sat in a corner signing baseballs, while manager Tony La Russa organized a season's worth of lineup cards in his
"We want to still stay hungry and play with a purpose."
"Must have been a hell of a game because everyone signed it," La Russa said.
"The last thing you want to do is hit cruise control," infielder Brendan Ryan said. "We want to still stay hungry and play with a purpose."
St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Carpenter, left, hugs relief pitcher Ryan Franklin after he retired the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning of the Cardinals' 6-3 victory in Denver on Saturday. The Cardinals celebrated winning the NL Central Crown
BRENDAN RYAN Cardinals infielder
The Cardinals were a loose bunch Sunday morning. Ryan paraded around the clubhouse in a Brian Westbrook jersey, checking on his fantasy football team.
said DeRosa, a typical infielder put in the lineup in right field on Sunday against Colorado. "But it's only off for a 24-hour span."
That's because there's still plenty of work to do. The Cardinals are in the midst of the race for the best record in the NL, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by percentage points.
Plus, the team doesn't want to become complacent this close to the playoffs.
On Sunday, La Russa kept catcher Yadier Molina (sore knee) and outfielder Matt Holliday (sickness) out of the starting lineup for precautionary reasons.
That's going
to be his approach the rest of the way - rest players only if necessary.
"It's common sense — if you're tired, you get a rest. If you're hurt, you get a rest," La Russa said. "Baseball is a game of timing."
And the Cardinals don't want to lose that. Since acquiring Holliday on July 24, they're an NL-best 38-19. They want to keep that momentum rolling.
"We want to still stay hungry and play with a purpose," Ryan said. "We're working toward getting home-field advantage."
With the playoffs around the corner, La Russa is lining up his rotation as well. Will Chris Carpenter start
Will Chris Carpenter start Game 1?
Young award after winning his NL-leading 19th game Saturday night. Wainwright escaped a sticky situation in the eighth inning Saturday, striking out Clint Barmes and pinch-hitter Jason Giambi, both looking, to strand runners on first and second.
"I don't want to get fired." La Russa said, joking.
He has another worthy candidate in Adam Wainwright, who's in the running for the Cy
"He might have won the (Cy Young) award in the eighth inning," La Russa said after the game.
ritory for La Russa. He went with Dave Stewart over 27-game winner Bob Welch in 1990 while managing the Oakland As.
Not starting a Cy Young winner in Game I wouldn't new ter
La Russa also is trying to figure out the back end of his rotation.
Decisions, decisions.
One thing's for sure — La Russa likes the makeup of this club.
"Before, we were a pretty good club that was gutsy," La Russa said. "Now we're a good club that's got great guts."
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THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Men's Golf:
Kansas
Invitational, All
Day, Lawrence
Women's Golf:
Marilyn Smith
Sunflower
Invitational, All
Day, Manhattan
TUESDAY
Women's Golf:
Mari Lynn Smith
Sunflower
Invitational, All
Dav. Manhattan
WEDNESDAY
1. 800.990.0345
Women's Volleyball: vs. Colorado, 6:30 p.m.
Men's Golf:
Kansas
Invitational, All
Day, Lawrence
THURSDAY
THURSDAY No events scheduled.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Women's Soccer:
at Texas A,M,7
7 p.m.
Cross Country:
OSU Cowboy
Jamboree, 9 a.m.
Jstillwater, Okla.
Women's
Volleyball: at
Texas A&M, 2 p.m.
Sopl
Softball: vs.
Emporia State, 2
p.m.
Softball vs.
Central Missouri
St. 4 p.m.
Women's rowing: Boot of the Oklahoma, All Day, Oklahoma City, Okla
Women's Tennis
All-Americans, All
Day, Los Angeles.
ML
Women's Tennis
All-Americans, All
Day, Los Angeles
Women's Soccer:
at Texas, 1 p.m.
Softball: vs.
Emporia State, 4
p.m.
SUNDAY
Burpo, a veteran backup filling in for the injured Matt Pickens (right knee sprain), made three saves for his shutout since a 2-0 home victory over Chicago on Sept. 14, 2008.
SOCCER Wizards keeper records seventh shutout of year
Colorado moved into third in the Western Conference with 39 points and is fifth overall.
M
KANSAS CITY — Preston Burpo recorded his first shutout in more than a year, helping the Colorado Rapids secure a road point with a scoreless draw against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night.
SOCCER
Burpo got some clutch help from defender Kosuke Kimura, who cleared Zoltan Hercgeg-falvi's shot after a corner kick in the 80th minute.
Kansas City's Kevin Hartman had three saves for his seventh shutout of the year.
G a ba in th two base
Colorado (10-8-9) tied for the third straight time and is winless in its last four matches. Kansas City (8-11-7) has lost just once in its last five.
K Grei jams AL Yun run City 4-1 Suno
Th comm lived solve goin scor
Each team had plenty of chances, but neither could finish. The Wizards outshot the Rapids 18-12, with a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.
O for
Joo outs Mau his 2
20
Associated Press