2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in awhile I toss one that ain't never been seen by this generation."
— Satchel Paige
After three games, Kansas is one of two schools in Division I football to rank in the Top 25 in both rushing offense (14) with 245 yards per game and passing offense (16) with 292.67 yards per game. Texas A&M is the other school.
NCAA
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Where did Kansas rank in both categories last season?
A: 83rd in rushing offense with 126.77 yards per game and eighth in passing offense with 305.62 yards per game.
NCAA
TONIGHT ON
WAVING THE
WHEAT
Damion Fletcher (star running back for
Southern Miss) will be on "Wavin' the Wheat" tonight. The show airs from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on 90.7 FM or www.kjhk.org and the hosts are Michael Spero, Mike Smith and Scott Pelan.
Don't forget the unsung heroes
MORNING BREW
Sports fans have always seen the flashy and flamboyant as the confections to their spectating palate. Chad (formerly Johnson) Ochincin and his tweet-happy, cornerback-victimizing lifestyle has often captivated our attention. Ron Artest and his freewheeling punches and pitiful record releases has never been a boring tale.
But what about the other guys?
The grinders. The hustle players. You don't see football fans rocking jerseys in the mid 70s or hockey fans throwing hats for the guy that rides the zamboni. Forget the ttipo catches and the windmill dunks of the world for just one moment. It's time to appreciate the unsung heroes of the sports world. Don't forget to tip your cap.
THE OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Our attention is constantly drawn to the ankle-breaking jukes of the running back, loud-mouthed divas and their gravity-defying catches at wide receiver and pinpoint darts from the forever glorified quarterback. What about the big boys up front? It seems as if the actual players are the only ones to truly recognize the paramount importance of the offensive linemen. After all, every play must start in the center's hands. Then, right off the snap, two rival lines bash heads, colliding at a war-like impact. They do this every play. Offensive linemen must prevent some of the most daunting athletic specimens from getting to the ball carrier. Imagine a 6-foot-4, 270 pound defensive lineman
with 4.6 speed and a stare that
would challenge Satan — sprinting, spinning and swimming around you with all of his might. Now give it up for the bruisers at the forefront.
CADDIES
What would happen if Tiger Woods, right off of knee surgery, had to lug his bag of golf clubs around an endless course? On a more serious note, these Robin imposters of the course do plenty of walking with a sack on their back. There's nothing quite like a stroll through a rambling open fairway with a blinding white sun beaming in your eye. Many caddies also have to put up with a stuck-up veteran ordering them like a butler. I think it's safe to say that the golf cart deserves an honorable mention.
In a steaming battle of skill and power, persistent hydration is essential. Who knows a water boy's name? Now these guys are the definition of the unsung hero. After all, there really is nothing like some "high quality H2O".
WATER BOYS
You simply cannot compile a list like this without including Kansas' selfless two. Kerry Meier started his college football career
KERRY MEIER AND BRADY MORNINGSTAR
Follow Kansan writer Max Rothman at twitter.
com/maxrothman
as a quarterback on a mediocre team. Then Todd Reesing rose the ranks and Meier went with it. Rather than pouting at the ascension of his former understudy, Meier made the most of it and became Reesing's best possession receiver. Now, Meier is a Biletnikoff Award hopeful.
Brady Morningstar began last year gripping the role of a starter and never let go. Kansas coach Bill Self perpetually used Morningstar as a tireless defensive specialist who could also knock down a few threes on the other end. Self referred to Morningstar as "the glue" that made this team work. Whether it's locking down a speedy guard with a perfect shot or diving after a ball on its way out of bounds, Brady Morningstar is your guy.
Now I understand that both Meier and Morningstar get their fair share of love at Kansas, perhaps not qualifying for this list. Both are fan favorites of the Jayhawk faithful. However, those outside of Lawrence rarely hear a peep about these two. Spread the word Jayhawks — Kansas football and basketball is about more than Reesing and Briscoe or Collins, Cole and Xavier.
MUSIC FROM THE VAULTS
Jeff Mangum, brainchild of the Neutral Milk Hotel was a grown man when he first read the diary of Anne Frank. However, the book that is widely
known as an elementary school standard struck Mangun into a deep state of depression, unable to handle the harsh cruelties of the world. While many simply laugh off Mangun's near insanity and fragility, one cannot ignore the profound effect that this depression had on the 1998 lo-fi legend, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea." The album sounds off keel and messy at first listen, but gradually builds into a magnum opus, channeling the soul of a young girl who lived long ago. Mangum's lyrics are as sick and disturbing as they are beautiful. Lengthy dramas "Oh Comely" and "Two Headed Boy" remind the listener of an equally irate Dylan on 1965's "Desolation Row." With a mind-bending frenzy of marching band horns, fuzzy guitar and impatient drums, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" will bother you, but always keep your ear at bay. The album ranges from paced nostalgic ballads such as "King of Carrot Flowers Part 1" to lo-fi pop rushes like "Holland 1945." Allow Mangun's words to open your mind and paint a picture inside. Then, and only then, will you understand what the hell is going on here.
Edited by Amanda Thompson
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Volleyball Oklahoma 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
THURSDAY
No events scheduled
FRIDAY
Soccer
at Oklahoma
state, 7 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
Tennis
KU Tournament,
All Day
Lawrence
SATURDAY
Football
Southern Miss.
11 a.m.
Lawrence
Volleyball at Baylor, 1 p.m.
Waco, Texas
Tennis
KU Tournament,
All Day
Lawrence
CRIME
Former K-State player sentenced for battery
MANHATTAN—Former Kansas State University football player Leon Patton was sentenced to 18 months probation for aggravated battery involving his infant son.
The no contest plea also included a charge of battery in May.
Associated Press
COURT
Coach acquitted in H.S. football player's death
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky football coach acquired last week in the death of a player says there are no winners in what he called a "terrible tragedy."
Former Pleasure Ridge Park High School coach David Jason Stinson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the case was "never Jason Stinson vs. Max Gilpin."
"There are no winners in this case, that's what people have to understand," Stinson said in a phone interview from New York.
A injury deliberated last week for about 90 minutes before finding Stinson not guilty of reckless homicide and wanton endangement.
Stinson, 37, is set to return to the classroom at Pleasure Ridge Park on Thursday, a week after his acquittal.
Prosecutors argued Stinson ran his players to the point of abuse last August, causing Gilpin, a 15-year-old sophomore offensive lineman, to suffer exertional heatstroke. Gilpin died at a Louisville hospital three days after collapsing of heat stroke, sepsis and multiple organ failure. Stinson's attorneys argued Gilpin was on medication and supplements that affected his body temperature and the practice was not unusual.
Cassel, not Croyle, will start against the Eagles
NFL
Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brodie Croyle has a much higher quarterback rating and a better completion percentage, but Matt Cassel has a bigger guaranteed contract. Guess who'll start for Kansas City on Sunday?
It will be Cassel facing the Eagles in Philadelphia, coach Todd Haley said Tuesday. But the rookie head coach also said he would not hesitate to make a switch if he decided Croyle gives the winless Chiefs a better chance.
He would really have the courage
to bench someone his boss showered with millions of dollars and staked a big chunk of his reputation on?
"You've got to ultimately do what you think gives your team the best chance to win," Haley said, "if that
season debut in Arrowhead Stadium, he was 24-of-39 passing for 241 yards, a completion percentage of 61.5. His quarterback rating is 66.3.
Croyle, as Cassel's injured left knee continued to mend, hit 16 of 24 for 177 yards and two touchdowns the week before at Baltimore. He threw two touchdown passes and did not throw an interception while compiling a rating of 116.1
"I think when you talk about any of these players, you're talking about a total evaluation, going all the way back to when we first got together as a group." Haley said.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) runs away with the ball during the first half the Chiefs' game against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Cassel will start in this weekend's game against the Eagles.
"You've got to ultimately do what you think gives your team the best chance to win."
Cassel has been one of the happiest success stories in recent years. He is one of the few, and perhaps the only, quarterback to start and win an NFL game without ever starting a game in college.
means another quarterback being in there other than Matt Cassel, then sign me up"
But in the loss to Oakland on Sunday in his and Haley's regular
TODD HALEY Chiefs coach
ASSOCIATED PRESS
At Southern Cal. Cassel played behind two Heisman Trophy winners and then sat on the bench behind Tom Brady at New England until Brady was hurt in the season opener last year.
considered one of the greatest "finds" of Scott Pioli, who was Bill Belichick's right-hand man in New England until the Chiefs hired him in January as general manager. When Pioli brought Cassel to Kansas City and gave him a six-year contract worth a guaranteed $28 million, his future as the Chiefs' foundation quarterback seemed unbreakable.
After he stepped in and led the Patriots to 11 wins, he was
But he hurt his knee in the third preseason game and was inconsistent against Oakland, showing courage to run around and absorb a hit but also throwing the two picks.
Croyle, injury-prone going all the way back to college, was going to be the foundation quarterback under Herm Edwards, but became almost the forgotten man when he missed most of last season and Edwards was fired. He played well enough in training camp to be the
"I thought Brodie Croyle went into a very difficult situation, a hostile environment against a very good defense and he looked like an NFL quarterback. He gave us a legitimate chance to win," said Halev.
Haley points to his experience as an assistant coach to prove he would not hesitate to make a change at any position.
No. 2, and carried that over to the Baltimore game.
Last year, when Haley was offensive coordinator at Arizona, he was involved in one of the most fateful quarterback switches of the season. Matt Leinart, a No. 1 pick, was struggling and aging veteran Kurt Warner was on hand as his backup.
"When we made that change, there was a lot of negative feedback
— 'What about the future?' There weren't too many people saying much when we were in the Super Bowl last year," Haley said.
F
F
Gor
som
cal
star
fold
Gor
It
Gor
he c
her