2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN INSIDE SPORTS TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2004 Pitcher now with contender Playing in the rain THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS Over time, Cal Eldred has learned to embrace the bullpen. The right-hander came to the St. Louis Cardinals in the spring of 2003 looking to compete for a spot in the rotation. Before undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery, he had been a top starter for the Brewers and White Sox. But he quickly settled into long relief, and lately has been one of the more reliable members of the bullpen. He assumed a more prominent role after injuries to Mike Lincoln and Kiko Calero, appearing in 15 of 31 games in a stretch of heavy activity ending Thursday. It's been high quality, too. He's allowed runs in only eight of his last 29 appearances. "I believe being a starting pitcher in the big leagues is the best job in America," Eldred said. "Being a realist, this is where I am and this is what I need to do to help the team. "So it's what I'm doing." Manager Tony La Russa believes Eldred, who has won 10 or more games five times in his career, could be a starter again. But he and pitching coach Dave Duncan also believe the move to the bullpen is best for Eldred's longevity, and La Rusa noted that Eldred has been injury-free both of his seasons as a reliever. Kit Leffler/KANSAN "This is a good role for him." La Russa said. "I think he could be a good starter on this team, but it would be a question of Would he be able to stay healthy?" Eldred, 36, isn't arguing the point. Not after seven stints on the disabled list, all but one for his elbow, from 1995-2002. He missed the entire 2002 season and had to make the Cardinals as a non-roster invitee. The Kansas football team practices in the rain yesterday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks' first game is Sept. 4 against Tulsa The opportunity of pitching in the postseason also is a nice incentive. He's never made it, and he'd much rather be in the Cardinals' bullpen than starting for a middle of the pack team. "We're into August and I haven't had any problems, so you've got to pay attention to that," Eldred said. "I feel fine, my body feels good, and I think this is something that may actually turn out to allow me to play for a few more years." "I spent eight years with a team that when you're at the All-Star break you're making your offseason plans, and that's not so much fun," Eldred said. And with age, Eldred has gained a better perspective. "If I'm 26, I may feel totally different about the situations, but now sometimes I think my thinking is a little closer to that of a coach than a player." Eldred said. Eldred came to St. Louis at the urging of catcher Mike Matheny, a close friend. He wants to return next year, possibly even if Matheny isn't with the Cardinals anymore. "I think they also know how well these two guys have worked together," Eldred said. "I'm glad I don't have to make that decision." Spain remains undefeated THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece โ€” Spain could have tanked its game against New Zealand, thereby eliminating European rival Serbia-Montenegro from medal contention. Instead, the Spaniards came to play yesterday and won 88-84, knocking New Zealand out and keeping the defending world champions in medal contention. In a game marked by hard fouls and confrontations, Carlos Jimenez made two free throws for a four-point lead with 12.4 seconds left following an intentional foul by New Zealand's Dillon Boucher, who violently threw Jimenez to the floor. The intentional foul allowed Spain (5-0) to retain possession, and the four-point lead was key as Pau Gasol missed a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left. The Spanish team, locked into the top spot in its round-robin group, had two choices: Try to win and finish the opening round unbeaten, or take a loss and thereby end Serbia-Montenegro's last chance to advance to the quarterfinals. Though it may not be too sporting, the well-timed intentional loss has been a part of international basketball competitions. At past Olympics, teams often did whatever was necessary to avoid a matchup with the United States in the quarterfinals. Nobody is too worried about the Americans nowadays, but the potential for a tank job remained. If Spain had lost, New Zealand would have finished the preliminaries with a record of 2-3 and would have had the tiebreaker edge over Serbia-Montenegro. But Spain's victory meant that Serbia-Montenegro only needed to defeat China in an afternoon matchup to advance to the quarterfinals. The Americans will finish third or fourth in its group, depending upon the outcome of Monday night's Greece-Puerto Rico game. A Greek win would put the Americans into a quarterfinal matchup with Spain. "I would think there would be some (Spanish) players resting," U.S. assistant coach Gregg Popovich said. If Puerto Rico wins, the Americans would next play Argentina or Italy. "It'll be good to be back to 0-0 and have a chance to win the gold," U.S. t'll be good to be back to 0-0 and have a chance to " win the gold. Carlos Boozer U.S. basketball forward forward Carlos Boozer said The Americans weren't taking their latest Olympic defeat, a 94-90 loss to Lithuania, too hard. The shock factor wore off following their 19-point loss to Puerto Rico in their opener. "They've realized as the tourney has gone along that everybody's pretty good," Popovic said. The game against Angola (0-4) figures to be the easiest of the Olympics for the Americans, though it'll be nowhere near as lopsided as the Angola-U.S. game in 1992 when the Dream Team opened the Barcelona Olympics with a 116-48 victory over players who had holes in their sneakers. Those days of American dominance are long gone, which is part of the reason these U.S. players were able to put the latest loss โ€” and their mealy 2-2 record โ€” behind them so easily. FOOTBALL Athletics events spiced up for coming football season The Kansas Athletics Department has announced a host of promotions that will run throughout the football season. Kicking off the promotions will be the only televised presentation of a Kansas men's basketball exhibition game. At 1 p.m. on Sept. 4, the MegaVision at Memorial Stadium will show Kansas take on the University of British Columbia. In order to watch the game, which will only be broadcast at the stadium, fans must hold tickets for the 6 p.m. kickoff of the football season. "These promotions are a way to thank our great football fans for their loyalty," athletics director Lew Perkins said. "This is a great example of how teams work together." In addition to the basketball exhibition, Sept. 11 will be Armed Forces Appreciation Day. The Richard Petty Driving Experience will be at the games on Oct. 9 and Nov. 6. Also on Oct. 9, the U.S. Army's Golden Knights will perform a parachute exhibition, while Nov. 6 will feature a hot air balloon on the hill. The hot air balloon will return Nov. 13. "We've got a terrific home schedule and these promotions are a way to give our fans even more value," coach Mark Mangino said. Jonathan Kealing BASKETBALL K NFI click incr defe too. Former associate director hired at Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado named Jay Hinrichs director of intercollegiate athletics yester day. Hinrichs, former associate athletic director for facilities planning at the University of Kansas, will begin work on Aug. 30. Hinrichs also directed the William's Educational Fund. "I look forward to working with some excellent coaches, supports staff and university administrators to make UNC a special place to attend school and to participate in intercollegiate athletics," Hinrichs said yesterday at a press conference in Greeley, Colo. Hinrichs will replace Jim Fallis who took a position as athletic director at Northern Arizona in June. Hinrichs, who received a bachelor's and master's degree from the University, will oversee the management and operations of Northern Colorado's 16-sport athletics program. Before working at the University, Hinrichs worked for the Kansas City Royals organization for 18 years, serving as assistant general manager and vice president for ballpark operations and development Miranda Lenning TUE TALK TO US Tell us your news. Contact Danielle Hillix or Joe Bant at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com KING BUFFET THE LARGEST BUFFET IN TOWN 1601 W. 23rd St., Suite 104 (Behind Perkins) Tel: [785] 749-4888 Fax: [785] 749-1777 Kansan Top of the Hill Best Buffet For 2 Years Spring 2002 & 2003 Mon-Thurs 11 am-9:30 pm Fri & Sat 11 am-10:00 pm Sunday 11 am-9:00 pm 50ยข off with KUID Kansan Lunch Buffet Dinner Buffet $6.95 (Mon-Tues 4:30-10) (Fri & Sat 4:10pm) Sunday Buffet $6.95 (11) 30m x 9m **Carry-Out Buffet** *At least 3 items per take-out *Lunch: $3.25/b *Dinner: $4.50/b $5.25 (Mon-Sat 11am-4pm) FALL 2004 Virgil Dean, Kansas State Historical Society, "Political Characters in Territorial Kansas" Sesquicentennial Territorial Kansas Lecture Series Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Kansas Territory! 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