Wednesday, October 14, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 5
Cancellations make history
NBA drops games; lockout continues
The Associated Press
NEWYORK-For the first time in its history, the NBA canceled regular season games because of a work stoppage yesterday when talks between owners and players broke off after about 31/2 hours.
The games during the first two weeks of the season, Nov. 3-16, will not be played or made up, deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. With that, the NBA's 51-year streak of 35,001 consecutive games came to an end.
The league had been the only major professional sport that never had canceled a game because of a labor dispute. The players and owners are arguing about issues, such as rising salaries.
The next move will come from the owners, who will deliver a counterproposal later this week.
"It doesn't look promising," commissioner David Stern said. "The reality is that the owners had no choice."
Stern and Granik made the announcement
late in the afternoon after the sides met for two sessions.
The players made a counterproposal in the morning session, addressing the owners' concern for cost certainty, putting an absolute ceiling on the amount of money that can be devoted to paywall, by asking for
a luxury tax that would be paid by owners who sign players to exorbitant contracts.
Stern said the idea of a tax was something the owners would look at, but by itself was not enough to stop the league from canceling games.
"We had a somewhat more constructive dialogue, but it's hard to say if we got closer to an agreement." Granik said. "We
promised to come back with our own set of proposals."
The owners imposed the lockout July 1, and the sides have met three times for formal bargaining sessions, including yesterday.
Patrick Ewing, Dikteme Mutombo, Ray Allen, Antonio Davis and John Starks were
among the players who attended the meeting. The owners were represented by Gordon Gund (Cleveland), Les Alexander (Houston), Abe Pollin (Washington), David Checkets (New York) and Jerry Colangelo (Phoenix).
"We're going to try to step up and talk about the issues they've raised," union director Billy Hunter said.
The season was scheduled to begin Nov. 3, but could conceivably have been pushed back a week or so to give teams about four weeks to make trades, sign about 200 free agents and hold abbreviated training camps.
In the last labor agreement in 1995, the owners agreed to pay the players between 48 percent and 51.8 percent of revenues. If the percentage went higher, and owners claim it reached 57 percent last season, the owners had the right to toss out the old deal and seek a new one.
The owners have demanded cost certainty from the players. The union calls such a system a hard salary cap and vowed not to accept one.
"The players have to participate in some deal that lowers the percentage of revenues being paid to salaries," Granik said. "But they don't see that as their responsibility at all.
Medical panel: Tyson is 'fit' to fight
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Mike Tyson was extremely depressed at the time he bit Evander Holyfield's ears and is unlikely to commit such an act again, a medical panel said in a report that finds he is "fit" to return to the ring.
Tyson said he was feeling betrayed by "people I would have died for" leading up to the June 1997 title fight against Holyfield, according to the psychiatric report released yesterday by the state attorney general's office.
The report, by a team of doctors who examined the former heavyweight champion last month, portrays him as lacking in self-esteem and depressed to the point that he took antidepressant drugs in the months following the Holyfield fight.
The report was ordered by the Nevada Athletic Commission as a requirement for Tyson in his attempt to regain his license, which he lost for biting Holyfield. The commission meets Monday to consider the request.
The report says Tyson has a "constellation of neurobehavioral deficits" that includes problems with attention span, memory, reading, spelling and impulse control."
One doctor speculated that Tyson, who said he never lost consciousness in the ring but did several times after beatings as a child, may have residual attention-deficit disorder.
Tyson told the doctors he was not suicidal but has had feelings of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness all his life.
He was alternately engaging and hostile during the five days of exams. Two of the doctors treating him said he snapped in anger at them in separate instances, expressing a wish to harm one of them at one point.
"It was this evaluator's clinical impression that this incident did not reflect Mr. Tyson's intent to intimidate but rather that it was an expression of a fantasy in reaction to the frustration of this evaluation," Dr. Jeremy D. Schmahmann wrote.
The report did not say whom Tyson was angry at before the Holyfield fight, but he later had a bitter split with promoter Don King and his managers, John Horne and Rory Holloway, claiming they stole millions of dollars from him.
The team of six doctors, which examined Tyson at Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston, found that he was fit to fight again and not likely to bite another opponent.
The report said Tyson felt embarrassed and humiliated by having to undergo five days of testing and was concerned that people would think he was "psycho."
"I have no self-esteem, but the biggest ego in the world," Tyson said.
The report recommends that Tyson undergo psychotherapy and that his problems with depression and self-esteem can be treated without any further medication. The report said he had been taking the antidepressants after the Holyfield fight and for the last month, but stopped because it made him lose his urge to fight.
"It is the opinion of the evaluation team that Mr. Tyson is mentally fit to return to boxing, to comply with the rules and regulations, and to do so without repetition of June 28, 1997," the report said.
"While we take note of the impulsivity, emotional problems and cognitive problems outlined above, it is our opinion that none of these, alone or in combination, render Mr. Tyson mentally unfit in this regard."
The commission will meet Monday to determine whether to relicense Tyson. If Tyson is denied a license, he will have to wait another year to be able to return to the ring.
Tyson and his wife, Monica, had fought to keep the report private, arguing that only members of the commission needed to know the state of the inner workings of the former champion's mind. But after a state Supreme Court ruling Monday that favored the release of the reports, he signed a waiver agreeing to make them public.
Tyson issued a statement saying he didn't want to release the reports but that his main goal is getting back into the ring.
"On numerous occasions I have apologized for my actions in the ring vs. Evander Holyfield," Tyson said. "I am willing to do whatever the Nevada Athletic Commission wants me to do in order to regain my license to fight."
Nebraska loses yards after Oklahoma State and Texas A&M games
LINCOLN, Neb. — After Nebraska rushed for 434 yards against Washington on Sept. 26, the Cornhuskers followed with rushing attacks of 73 and 141 yards against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, respectively.
The Associated Press
Those aren't exactly heady numbers — especially for Nebraska (5-1, 1-1), a program synonymous with big rushing totals and the team that led the country last year with 392.6 points per game.
Still, coach Frank Solich yesterday affirmed the team's devotion to the run for Saturday's game against Kansas (24.0, 4).
"We are not about to abandon the ground
game." Solich said. "We will continue to work at getting better on the ground game and try to develop our power game a little bit more."
If there's a silver lining for Nebraska, the Kansas defense ranks last in the Big 12 against the run, allowing 219 yards per game.
But as is typical in Lincoln, the Huskers—averaging 237.8 rushing yards per game are concerned more with themselves than their opponent.
Center Josh Heskew said Nebraska lacked
focus in the last two weeks, something he said contributed to Texas A&M's 28-21 victory last weekend — a loss that ended a 19-game winning streak.
"We didn't look as aggressive as we needed to be, not as aggressive as Nebraska-style football," Heskew said. "We were not out there knocking people around."
Running back DeAngelo Evans returned from a knee injury to gain 146 yards in the 55-7 win over Washington. Since then, Evans had 41 rushing yards against Oklahoma State and 32 yards at Texas A&M.
"There's a lot of problems right now with our running game," Evans said. "I think coach said we ran 19 options Saturday, and that's way more than we wanted to run. Our inside running hasn't been there."
The Cowboys and Aggies stopped the run by stacking extra defenders in the two-yard zone near the line, making sure each of their men knew which Husker to stop.
Solich said Nebraska's running lanes were clogged because both defenses simply executed better. The only way to counter that, he said, is for the Huskers to block better.
"We've had some opportunities to have big-play potential. It's been more us than anything that's kept that from happening." Solich said.
A&M's Toombs booms best rushing game of young career
The Associated Press
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — It turns out Ja'Mar Toombs and D Andre "Tiki" Hardeman have more in common than apostrophes.
When Hardeman was declared academically ineligible after the first game, the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies wondered where they could find another bruising blocker and occasional ball carrier of similar skills.
Toombs, a true freshman from Kilgore, Texas, showed up with the biggest game of his career in their 28-21 victory against Nebraska Saturday.
But he's never had such a game before a crowd like Saturday's 60,798 fans in Kyle Field. The fans even came up with a cheer for their new hero, dragging out his name to "Toooombs."
"It's exciting, but back in high school I got a lot of press time too, so that doesn't phase me any more." Toombs said. "I've had lots of calls from home telling me that I did good."
The 5-foot-10, 240-pound Hardeman was a steady, dependable blocker for halfback Dante Hall. Toombs brought more size -6-1, 260 — and an added offensive punch to the Aggies' offense, which had struggled all season.
The Aggies pulled off the upset and Toombs
Before Saturday's game, Tooms had nine carries for 23 yards in his brief college career.
had 110 yards on 10 carries and his first collegiate touchdown.
"He gives us an added dimension," offensive coordinator Steve Krughorpe said. "He's done a good job learning the offense and we've been able to expand his role. It was a significant contribution that added a lot to his confidence." Toombs is surprised at his sudden fame.
"I expected to play a little bit this year in relief of Tiki if he got tired or injured or in our jumbo set (short yardage) but I didn't expect to be a factor." Toomssa said.
That changed quickly in the second quarter against then No. 2 ranked Nebraska when Toombs bolted 71 yards to the Cornhusker 1-yard line, setting Hall's touchdown dive and a 14-7 A&M lead.
Toombs didn't want to get into the lime-light at the expense of Hardeman, who was declared ineligible because of a clerical error but is back in class and hoping to be reinstated for next season.
"I didn't know what to think," Tooms said. "It looked like a long way to the goalline and the more I ran, the farther away the goal seemed to get."
A touch of Irish in downtown Lawrence
Red Lyon Tavern
944 Mass. 832-8228
"Halloween Party, October 29th Costume Party with cash prizes
the Hawk We're open 'til 2am
Weekly Specials:
Pre-Party at the Hawk Friday Afternoons, Doors open at 3pm
Tuesday: $1.50 Wells
Wednesday:$1 Anything
Thursday:Dance Night / $2.50 PBR Pitchers & $2 Wells
Friday & Saturday: $1 House Shots
1340 Ohio·843-9273
is hosting a
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF LAW
Minority Law Day
Saturday, October 17, 1998
Green Hall, Room 107 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
The program will include information on:
*Admission Procedures
*LSAT Infrmation
*Financial Aid Infrmation
*Career Information
*A Mock Law School Class
*Student Life
*Student Life
*Tours of the Law School
For more information, please contact the Law School Admissions Office at (785) 864-437c
Casual dress is appropriate
Lunch will be provided
Kansas Union, 4th Floor Traditions area Thurs., Oct.22 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Strong Hall Rotunda Fri., Oct.23 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Flu Vaccination Only $5
or at Watkins Health Centers
M-F 8-8
Sa 8-4:30
Su 12:30-4:30
Available to KU students, faculty and staff while supply lasts