NO SCALPING! Some entrepreneurs got more than they bargained for after trying to sell Cardinals tickets outside Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Undercover detectives arrested 74 ticket sellers and seized 358 tickets worth $2,800 this weekend during a three-game series that brought near-capacity crowds to the stadium. UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS Police say the arrests come as a warning to ticket holders hoping to make some cash from the Cardinal's 'postseason, which began yesterday in St. Louis against the San Diego Padres. "The everyday, average Joe who might want to sell a ticket had better give it away instead," said Capt. Eugene Reece, commander of the St. Louis vice squad. KANSAS VOLLEYBALL UPDATE The Kansas volleyball team will face Kansas State at 7 tonight in Ahearn Field House in Manhattan. The Jayhawks (6-10) will try to break a three-match losing streak against the No. 26 Wildcats (13-2). Kansas' next match will be against Oklahoma (9-4) at 7:30 Saturday night in Allen Field House. TOTAL RECALL America West Airlines recalled an airborne plane and kicked the passengers off so the California Angels could return home after their last game of the season. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2.1996 "We made a mistake," said America West representative Gus Whitcomb Monday. "Although we were trying to ensure that the Angels got where they were going, we made a mistake and inconvenienced mistake and inconvenienced 53 very important customers," he said. "We are calling these passengers to personally apologize for the delay." Fast BREAKS Cardinals' outfielder healing may be ready for playoffs ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals, encouraged by Ray Lankford's rapid progress from a tom rotator cuff in the last few days, decided Monday to keep him on their postseason roster. Manager Tony La Russa said Lankford, the center fielder and No. 2 hitter, had lifted his arm above his shoulder for the first time yesterday. He didn't expect to use Lankford in Game 1 against the San Diego Padres but was. n't counting him out for later in the series. "He's so much better than he was two days ago," La Russa said Monday. "Yesterday he was somewhat better. I don't know how much more he can improve, but I'm sure by the weekend he can do some things like swing and run." Lankford, who batted .275 with 21 home runs and 86 RBI, the rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder making a diving catch in the 10th inning of Friday's 2-1, 11-inning victory against Cincinnati. He was replaced in the lineup by Willie McGee, who batted .307 with five home runs and 41 RBI in a reserve role. Also, La Russia decided on Roevie Clayton instead of Ozzie Smith for his Game 1 starter at shortstop and lead off hitter. Reggie Miller, Byron Scott sign new contracts this week as free agents in the NBA Miller's agent, Arn INDIANAPOLIS — Reggie Miller, the Indiana Pacers' career-scoring leader with 14,073 points, re-signed as a free agent and joined the team for the start of training camp in North Carolina. Miller's agent, Arn Telem, would not confirm the money involved in the agreement but did say it was a four-year guaranteed contract with neither the 31-year-old guard or the Pacers having an option. The Indianapolis News reported earlier that Miller would receive about $9 million per season. INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Byron Scott, a free-agent guard who spent the first 10 years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, signed a contract with the team. Terms were not disclosed. Scott, 35, who played for Vancouver last season, averaged 16.0 points for the Lakers, helping them win NBA titles in 1985, 1987 and 1988. Major league baseball makes managerial changes NEW YORK — Jim Fregosi is out in Philadelphia, and Kevin Kennedy is out in Boston as major league baseball teams made managerial moves on the eve of the postseason. Meanwhile, Florida offered its vacant job to Jim Leyland, whose successor in Pittsburgh apparently will be Pirates coach Gene Lamont. Since the Phillies' World Series loss to Toronto in 1993, they have had three straight losing seasons, including an NL-worst 67-95 record this year. Fregosi reportedly is being considered for the vacancy in California. Kennedy was fired despite a 171-135 record over two seasons that included last year's AL East title and a thirdplace finish this season after a franchise-worst 2-12 start. In another move, Bob Quinn was replaced as general manager by San Francisco Glants, which elevated Brian Sabean to the job. The Associated Press Making waves Tvler Wirken/KANSAN Kirsten Leff, Overland Park junior and member of the KU Water Ski team, practices her slalom water skiing around a buoy. Members of the club practiced Monday afternoon at the MOKAN ski lake off of Kansas Highway 10 in Lawrence. Big 12 becomes premier in rushing Running backs are top ranked Kansan sportswriter Davis and Henley are ranked No.1 and 3, respectively, both in the conference and the country. Texas Tech's Bryon Hanspard also is second in the conference and country with his 206 yards per game. By Dan Gelston It was by Iowa State junior running back Troy Davis, Davis rushed for 378 yards in the Cyclones 45-31 victory against Missouri, good enough for third on the single-game rushing list behind Marshall Faulk and his 386 yards in 1991 and former Kansas running back Tony Sands, who rushed for 396 yards against Missouri in 1991. A Kansas rushing record almost was broken last Saturday, but it wasn't by senior running back June Henley. Henley's performance wasn't too shabby either. He had 201 yards and three touchdowns in a loss against Utah. It was his second straight game of rushing for more than 200 yards and his third consecutive with at least two touchdowns. Davis and Henley are two of the running backs who have turned the Big 12 Conference into the premier rushing conference in the country. Henley said it had to do with conferences coaches properly utilizing their running games. June Henly a game. There are five who rank in the top 10 nationally and eight who are in the top 50. The conference has six running backs who are averaging more than 100 yards "The teams in this conference, they like to run," he said. "I know there are a lot of good backs out there." So reliable that Iowa State coach Dan McCartney has given him the ball 91 times the last two games. Missouri coach Larry Smith said Davis reminded him of a former Big Eight Conference running back. "There are so many things that amaze us," he said. "His toughness, his durability. After all those carries, the next day he's as fresh as ever. I think that's what separates him from a lot of players. He's had only three fumbles with all those hits and all those people coming after him." Davis rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season, yet he only finished fourth in McCartney agreed durability played an important role in Davis's success. "Barry Sanders," he said. "I think he's that kind of a back. He can cut on the dime. He's very strong, very reliable." "After they gave him the ball 50 times against Northern Iowa, I thought he might be tired." Smith said. 1996 Big 12 Conference Rushing Leaders SECTION B can-att yards-att touchdowns yards per game 1. Troy Davis, Iowa St. (1) 149-917 6.2 12 229.25 2. Bryan Hanspard, Texas Tech (2) 109-825 7.6 7 206.25 3. JUNE HENLEY, KANSAS (3) 100-604 6.0 9 201.33 4. David Thompson, Oklahoma St. (6) 122-621 5.1 6 155.25 5. Demond Parker, Oklahoma (7) 45-430 9.6 3 143.33 National rank in parentheses the Heisman Trophy race. That had to do with the fact Iowa State only won three games. McCartney said that this season Davis was getting the national recognition early on that he deserved. "We've already been on national television twice this season, so there's already been some national exposure." he said. Oklahoma State running back David Thompson is fourth in conference and sixth in the nation with a 155 yards per game average. "It's one of the things that we do well," he said. "We're always looking to exploit that and have success in the running game. The thing that we're going to try to do is do what we do best. Cowboys coach Bob Simmons said using Thompson as much as possible gave them the best chance at winning. "He may get 20 carries; he may get 30 depending on what the game is like." Baseball attendance rebounds The 28 teams averaged 26,898, up from 25,260 last season, which began three weeks late because of the walkout. Last year's figure was 20 percent below the average of 31,612 before players walked out on Aug. 12, 1994. NEW YORK — Major league baseball's average attendance rebounded 6.4 percent this year but remained 15 percent below its level before the 1994-95 strike. The Associated Press Still, 1996 wound up with the fifthhighest average attendance records in maior league history. "We are verv encouraged by the outstanding attendance figures attained during the past season," acting baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "By turning out in such strong numbers, baseball fans are telling us the game is headed in the right direction." During spring training, Selig hoped for an increase of about 10 percent, but after seeing the crowds during an April filled with bad weather in much of the country, baseball officials lowered their expectations. In 1994, when the World Series was wiped out for the first time in 90 years, the teams had an operating loss of $363.8 million, according to management figures. Last year's operating loss was $305.3 million, according to nearfinal figures compiled by the commissioner's office. The 28 teams will have an operating loss of $150 million in 1996, according to an extremely preliminary estimate, a ranking management official said last week on the condition he not be identified. Four teams set attendance records: Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle and Texas. All except the Mariners advanced to the playoffs. San Diego and Seattle both saw their home attendance increase by more than one million. FACE-OFF Wildcard spot provides for thrilling games By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter It creates meaningless games. It ruins the pennt races. It lets too many teams into the playoffs. these are some of the arguments you hear against the wildcard spot and the current playoff format in baseball — and they're all wrong. Yes, I was paying attention, and if I'm not mistaking, the PLAYOFF race went down to the second-to-last game of the season. That's taking it pretty close to the wire. I know, you're probably saying to yourself right now, "Evan, didn't you see the San Diego-Los Angeles game Sunday? Two teams were tied for the division lead on the final day of the regular season, and it meant nothing because both teams already made the playoffs." Going into the last week of the regular season, only three of the eight playoff spots had been clinched. That's an awful lot of games with postseason implications. Entering the last weekend of the season, neither the Dodgers nor the Padres had clinched a playoff spot. Montreal was breathing down the necks of both teams for the wildcard. It still made a dramatic showdown, and apparently 50,000 people agreed with me on Sunday at a packed Dodger Stadium. Without the new playoff system, we never would have seen last season's Seattle-New York series, arguably one of the most thrilling playoff series in recent history. Let's not forget that boring pennant race in the American League West last year between Seattle and California. The wildcard See EVAN, Page 3B Evan Blackwell and Dan Gelston Playoff system is a strikeout with wildcard By Dan Gelston Kansan sportswriter It had all the makings of a classic pennant race. Two teams, one division, one game to decide the winner of the National League West. The loser goes home — well, make that stays home, to play the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. This season's pennant race between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres that should have gone down in pennant race lore became a pennant race bore. It didn't matter who won Sunday's game, which was supposed to decide the division, because both teams had already clinched playoff spots. Who cared who won? The Dodgers didn't. They let starting pitcher Ramon Martinez pitch one inning. The Padres didn't. They scratched their best pitcher Joey Hamilton so he could start the first game of the divisional series. The Padres ended up winning 2-0, thus clinching the division. They were rewarded with one off day and had to travel to St. Louis. The losing Dodgers get two off days and start their series at home. All of this is due to the wildcard. The wildcard that will go down as one of baseball's biggest blunders behind the designated hitter, artificial turf and domed stadiums. The wildcard's intent was to let more teams stay in contention longer, thus making the pennant race more exciting. So far it hasn't done that. The series between the Doggers and Padres is just one example, but a look at this year's playoff teams provides further evidence. Cleveland clinched the Central division the second See DAN, Page 3B 1