2B
SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY AUGUST 20
THURSDAY AUGUST 20.2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"When you're real young, you're really competitive. This is getting old."
-Kansas City starting pitcher Zack Greinke
FACT OF THE DAY
Greinke's 174 strikeouts are third in the American League, while his 2.44 ERA is the best in the league. Unfortunately for Greinke, he also averages the least run support among starters in the majors. Since the stat was first recorded in 2000, no pitcher has finished with the best ERA and worst run support in the same season.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Which pitcher had the worst run support in the major leagues last year?
A: Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar
BASKETBALL Cornell game date moved to Jan.6
Men's basketball's game against Cornell has been moved to Jan. 6, associate athletics director Larry Keating announced Monday.
Originally scheduled for Jan. 5, the game will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Jayhawk TV and on the ESPN Full Court package.
- Stephen Montemayor
NHL
Red Wings sign Bertuzzi for one year, $1.5 mill
DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings signed Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in the hopes that the forward can help make up for some of the teams' losses.
The 34-year-old Bertuzzi scored 15 goals and had 44 points last season.
Associated Press
COMMENTARY
Social media effective for outspoken fans
The speed of technological innovation can be far too swift for some. This can be especially true for those in charge of major collegiate athletic conferences — men and women far removed from a generation connected to its peers on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and any other conceivable social media tool.
This week the Southeastern Conference gave us a case study in both that and the power our tweeded or blogged opinions have when collectively displayed.
Earlier this month the SEC banned social media at all athletic events in an effort to protect its $3 billion deal with CBS. Under the new ticket policy, fans could not tweet updates from the game or record cell phone video because, well, those little 140-character tweets and grainy YouTube videos would drag viewers away from high definition television coverage of the actual event.
As you could imagine, backlash spread across the Web en masse. Popular sports blog Deadspin.com posted an entry
titled "The SEC Would Prefer That You Not Mention SEC Games To Anyone." Fans tweeted their furor as much as Twitter's word limit would allow.
"95 percent of the feedback we got was online," an SEC spokesman told the Charlotte Observer Wednesday.
"To our Twitter fans, we have heard you. We're working on clarifications to our policy and should have something done soon," read the tweet @SECSportsUpdate late Monday afternoon.
Hours later, the SEC changed course, issuing a mea culpa on... wait for it... Twitter.
This was followed the next day by, "Revised SEC Ticket Policy in place, Twitter fans, please share the
great times you have at our stadiums with your friends."
This is a cool story for a number of reasons. One of the NCAA's top conferences avoided setting an unrealistic and oppressive precedent that undoubtedly would have been followed by the other power conferences. The SEC nearly shunned social media before it eventually embraced it. It just missed blowing its foot off with a shotgun.
Kansas fans for now can also rest assured that they too can tweet their hearts out at games this season. I talked to associate athletics director Jim Marchiony Tuesday night about Kansas Athletics' stance on social media, and he said that it is still deliberating over where to draw the line between a fan's right to use Twitter at games and the rights of the radio and television providers who've paid to broadcast the games.
Marchiony said there is not yet a policy on social media, be it Twitter or YouTube. He also added that while the quality of video captured by cell phones isn't equal
to that of, say, ESPN, the rapid improvement of cell phone capabilities is being considered.
Lastly, and most impressively, this was an immense victory for fans. Know now and forevermore that through social media, your voice can be heard. Without the reaction of fans on Twitter and without scathing assessments of the SEC's ticket policy, nothing would have changed. This was an exercise and exhibition of the increased strength of public opinion via these tools and that strength being put to good use.
"No one opinion changes everything." Marchiony said. "But we definitely track what people are saving."
THURSDAY
YOUTUBE SESH
Whether or not this first day of school has elicited excitement or dread, you'll likely need to unwind tonight. What better way than in the company of Kenny Powers. Finally got caught up this summer with Eastbound and Down, the hilarious HBO series about a
burnt-out ex-major league pitcher try to make a comeback while doubling as an elementary P.E. teacher.
NFL
If you haven't already, just go ahead and tear through the six episodes on DVD in one sitting. The show — starring Danny McBride of "Hot Rod," "Tropic Thunder" and "Pineapple Express" — garnered enough of a following to produce a healthy amount of YouTube clips.
Search "Best of Kenny Powers",
"Stevie Janowski" (Kenny's hilariously creepy assistant) and "Kenny Powers — This Is Why I'm Better Than Everyone."
Broncos' Marshall miffed by courtroom comment
— Edited by Sarah Kelly
ASSOCIATED PRESS
What bugs him is the way the Denver Broncos handled his acquittal on misdemeanor battery charges last week.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Brandon Marshall has no problem working with the scout team while he plays his way back into Pro Bowl form.
Marshall said Wednesday in his first public comments about the matter that he was niffed a member of the team's public relations staff told his teammates not to gloat over his acquittal in an Atlanta courtroom on Friday.
acting on his own in an attempt to be sensitive, but he believes the directive came from higher in the organization and he suggested the episode fostered distrust between him and the Broncos.
Marshall was told the staffer was
There's a hazard this latest imbroglio could lead to an irreparable rift between the team and its superstar receiver who already is unhappy that the Broncos haven't reworked his contract or traded him.
"Unfortunately, I think it gets to that point," Marshall said. "There are trust issues on both sides."
Associated Press
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CYCLING
GLASGOW, Scotland — Lance Armstrong brought traffic to a standstill after issuing a Twitter invitation for Scottish cyclists to join him on a casual bike ride.
CYCLING Armstrong invites cyclists to join him in Scotland
"Hey Glasgow, Scotland! I'm coming your way." Armstrong wrote. "Who wants to go for a bike ride?"
More than 200 rode in pouring rain when the seven-time Tour de France winner turned up in the Paisley district of Glasgow.
Armstrong told reporters he would compete in next year's Tour de France. After coming
NFL
Rams trainer Dubuque wins discrimination lawsuit
out of a three-year retirement, Armstrong finished third in this year's Tour.
ST. LOUISE — An 11-year assistant trainer for the St. Louis Rams has reached a $134,000 settlement of a lawsuit that claimed the team discriminated against him because of his seizure disorder.
A consent decree filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis says the Rams will pay Ronald DuBuque $100,000 in damages and award him a S34,000, two-year contract to work as a rehabilitation specialist. The team
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit last year after DuBuque complained that the Rams did not renew his contract in 2006, when the team claimed he was a medical liability. DuBuque was diagnosed with trauma-induced epilepsy in 1984.
also must train managers on federal disability discrimination law.
MLB
Rangers trade catcher
Rodriguez to Astros
MLB
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ivan Rodriguez, the 14-time All-Star catcher who started his career with the Rangers at age 19, was acquired by Texas in a trade with the Houston Astros for minor league pitcher Matt Nevarez and two players to be named later.
The 37-year-old Rodriguez signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Astros in March and hit .251 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs in 93 games.
Rodriguez won 10 of his 13 Gold Gloves with the Rangers.
Associated Press