Wednesday, September 30, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Commentary
Fenway holds shrine status
Old baseball stadiums must be preserved
I considered my trip to Fenway Park nothing short of a pilgrimage to a national shrine.
From the moment my pop called earlier this summer and demanded we go to a game, it was a done deal.
And so last Sunday, there we were in Boston, witnessing the Red Sox's last game of the season at Fenway Park.
Mo Vaughn trailed Bernie Williams by only a fraction of a percentage point for the American League batting title, the Red Sox had clinched the wild card spot and a World Series drought, that has existed since 1918, could be broken this fall.
Our outfield grandstand seats were wooden slats heavily coated with navy blue paint and highlighted by red metal arm rests. Vendors furiously hawked cracker jacks, hot dogs, popcorn and Italian ice — even to the cheapest seats — through most of the game.
1:05 p.m. arrived and the public address announcer's words enveloped the park in the spirit of the game: "Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, welcome to Friendly Fenway Park!"
The deceptively narrow foul lines height
ened the sense of this intimate ballpark.
The subway system in Boston is a scrunched-up affair, with the walls of buildings and houses right next to the train tracks.
Fenway has been arbitrarily forced
between the confines of city buildings in much the same fashion, mandating the necessity of a 33-foot tall wall, the "Green Monster," in left field.
Fenway, built in 1912, abounds with endearing cryptic minutia only a true baseball fan could love
Chip Dewell
A sole seat painted red in a sea of monochrome blue bleachers is a tribute to the farthest homer ever clubbed by Ted Williams at Fenwav.
At the base of the Green Monster in left field is the manual scoreboard showing the game's line score and other league scores.
Barely noticeable, between some of the vertical lines that shape this box, are the names of two former ball club owners. Mr. and Mrs. Yawkey. They are written in Morse code.
The retired numbers on the awning in right field shouldn't cause a great deal of controversy, but this year, they were shuffled. Initially, the retired numbers at Fenway were placed in this order: 9, 4.1 and 8.
It just so happens that Sept. 4, 1918, was the exact date the Boston Red Sox last won the World Series. To break the long-standing World Series drought, this season numbers were shifted into semi-sequential order; 1, 4, 9 and 8.
There are plans to tear Fenway down and build a new stadium. After seeing this intimate, venerable ballpark, I think it would be nothing short of a national tragedy.
The National Park Service in recent years has poured voluminous amounts of money into restoring Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty.
Although baseball is a business, it could follow the same lead in preserving an acknowledged landmark.
New ballparks such as Camden Yards and Jacobs Field are nice, but they are mere plastic monopoly pieces compared to a Fenway or Wrigley.
Baseball fans should demand that at least a couple of original ballparks be maintained.
Dewell is an Tulsa, Okla., graduate student in East Asian Languages and Cultures.
NCAA may be sued for sexual bias
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to decide whether the National Collegiate Athletic Association can be sued under a federal law banning sexual discrimination by any program or activity receiving federal financial aid.
The justices said they will review a ruling that, if upheld, would force the NCAA to defend itself against the sexual-bias accusations of a woman declared ineligible for intercollegiate volleyball.
Renee Smith says the NCAA discriminates in the way it enforces its eligibility rules.
Smith, who now lives in Wintersville, Ohio, played volleyball for St. Bonaventure University in the 1911-92 and 1992-93 seasons. She chose not to participate the following season, and graduated in less than three years.
Smith later pursued graduate degrees at Hofstra University and the University
of Pittsburgh. At each, her attempts to play intercollegiate volleyball were thwarted by an NCAA rule that bars graduate students from competing in intercollegiate athletics at a school other
than the one from which they earned their undergraduate degree.
Smith sued in 1996, contending that the NCAA discriminated against women by granting
to male student athletes a disproportionate number of waivers from that eligibility rule.
Smiths' lawsuit invoked federal antitrust laws and the anti-bias law known as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
A federal judge threw out Smith's lawsuit but the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals reinstated her Title IX claim last March.
The appeals court ruled that the NCAA could be covered by the law because it indirectly receives federal financial aid through the dues it collects from its 1,200 member schools, virtually all of which are federally subsidized.
"The NCAA is not merely an incidental beneficiary of federal funds," the appeals court said in sending Smith's case back to a federal trial court.
In the appeal acted on yesterday, lawyers for the NCAA argued that the March ruling conflicts with a 1986 Supreme Court decision that said airlines cannot be penalized for discriminating against disabled air travelers because the anti-bias law at issue was aimed at the airports receiving federal aid.
The appeal also contended that other federal appeals courts have interpreted Title IX more narrowly.
The case is NCAA vs. Smith, 98-84.
The Kansas men's rugby club lost 38-0 Saturday to Truman State in Kirksville, Mo.
Truman State rugby team squashes 'Hawks in shutout
SPORTS BRIEFS AND SCORES
Dusty Slater, Wichita senior and club member, said he thought the Jayhawks played well against the Bulls, the defending national runners-up.
"We stayed aggressive in there even though we were losing, which is a good sign," Slater said. "Still, this was an important game for us."
Kansas will play at least two games this weekend in the Heart Of America Tournament in Kansas City, Kan. Ryan Killany, Kansas City, Kan., senior and acting captain, said the team was looking forward to the event.
"After three straight weekends in Missouri, it will be nice to not have to drive hours for a game," Kilany said.
The Jayhawks play their first home game of the season Oct. 10.
Basketball alumnus takes Stony Brook coaching job
A former University of Kansas basketball player has entered the coaching ranks.
Stony Brook University hired former Jayhawk Paul Mokeski as assistant men's basketball coach.
A 1979 graduate, Mokeski racked up 945 points, 680 rebounds and 136 blocked shots in his four-year-career. Mokeski's numbers rank him the 10th-ranked all-time rebounder and No. 8 in blocked shots.
Mokesi played in the NBA from 1980 to 1991 and totaled 2,764 points, 2,342 rebounds, 500 assists and 307 blocked shots. Since retiring.
Mokeski has been the head coach of two professional teams: the Connecticut Skyhawks in the United States Basketball League in 1996 and the Continental Basketball Association's Hartford Hellcats from 1993 to 1995. He was also an assistant coach with the Quad City Thunder during the 1992-93 season.
Stony Brook head coach Bernard Tomlin said Mokeski would be a good addition to the Seawolves staff.
"His basketball knowledge and coaching will undoubtedly help us build
a successful program," Tomlin said.
Kansan staff report
Williams pleads not guilty in lewd behavior case
HUTCHINSON — Former University of
Kansas basketball player B.J. Williams
Williams: Played KU basketball from 1994 to 1997.
pleaded not guilty to four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior for allegedly exposing himself to his neighbors. No trial date has been set in the case, authorities said. Two of the counts against Williams, 23, are felonies because of the age of the alleged victims. Williams played for the Jawhays from
1994 to 1997 when the team accumulated the best four-year winning percentage in 60 years at the University.
He graduated in May with a degree in sociology and moved to Hutchinson with his wife and two children. He was arrested in August for the alleged incidents.
Williams is accused of exposing himself to people who would walk by the picture window of his apartment. The charges say he would flick the lights to get people to look and then drop a towel he had around his waist.
Williams remains free on bond.
Senior basketball player commits to Kansas State
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Donnie Wallace, a Goddard standout who last year averaged 20.5 points and nearly nine rebounds a
game, has verbally committed to play at Kansas State. Wallace, a 6-foot-9 inch forward who is generally regarded as the best senior
player in Kansas, is the first to indicate he will sign with the Wildcats this year. Oral commitments are non-binding. The early signing period is from Nov. 11 to 18.
Kansas State has five seniors on scholarship this year. They are forward-center Shawn Rhodes, center Manny Dies, guard Chris Griffin, guard-forward Ayone May and forward Ty Sims. The Wildcats will have at least five scholarships available for next year.
The Associated Press