Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Before luxury boxes, artificial turf and an upper deck, some students called Memorial Stadium home.
Yer' out!
Thursday
September 2,1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Major League Baseball bid adieu to 22 umpires yesterday as part of an agreement with the umpire's union
SEE PAGE 6B
SEE PAGE 3B
Comeback trail
Darryl Strawberry returned to the New York Yankees last night, marking his comeback from a suspension earlier this season.
SEE PAGE 4B
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Volleyball team gets wake up call
'Hawks beat UMKC welcome back Kreimer
By Melinda Weaver
Andrea Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team enjoyed more than just its new arena last night.
Anne Kreimer, senior starting middle blocker, returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that threatened to keep her from playing in the season opener.
However, just a day before yesterday's win against Missouri-Kansas City at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, Kreimer received clearance from her doctor to play in the game.
"I am so thankful for the opportunity to play," Kreimer said. "I was a little rusty, but I am very satisfied with my performance."
Out of 11 attacks, Kreiman turned six into kills. She started slow with only one attack in the first set but eased back into her game.
Jayhawks middle blocker Amanda Reves leaps to smash a spike over UMKC outside hitter Erica Austin. After losing their first match of the evening 15-1, the Jayhawkes came back to defeat the Roos in three straight matches, earning an opening record of 1-0. The Jayhawks travel to Morgantown, West Va. to play in a tournament tomorrow and Saturday. Photo by Matt J. Dauchery/KANSAN
"She played excellent — considering." Coach Ray Bechard said. "She has been practicing, but not to the extent had she been released to play. This is the first time she has been able to play with this intensity. She is very important to us if we were going to make this happen."
It took four months of rehabilitation to get Kreimer back to this point after she tore her ACL when she landed on a teammate's foot during a spring practice drill.
She worked mainly on strength drills this summer to strengthen the quadriceps and hamstring on her left leg. She expects to spend another three weeks in rehab before she can play at her full ability.
Kremler played in every match last season, ranking third in hitting percentage and second in total blocks.
Her return is important to this team, which needs her experience at middle blocker.
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
She was among the Big 12 Conference leaders with 29 service aces during the season and worked her way into the team record books. She enters the season ranked sixth in career blocks per game with .79 and tenth in career block assists with 203.
Missouri-Kansas City put a scare into the Jayhawks volleyball team during last night's season opener at Horei5 Family Athletics Center, but it was only temporary.
The Jayhawks, who dropped the first game of the match 15-1, fully recovered to stomp the 'Roos in the next three games, 15-7, 15-6 and 15-1. With the win, Kansas opened the season 1-0 for the second straight year.
"She is very important to this team," Bechard said. "I am definitely glad to see her back."
(Missouri-Kansas City) looked like they were in midseason form, and we looked like we were still in last week," Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "But it's a tribute to our team to come back and win."
— Edited by Chris Hutchison
Come into the match, the Jayhawks had an 18-1 all-time record against the 'Roos and were undefeated against them in Lawrence. So, at least on paper, the match was never supposed to be this close.
"Defensively, we didn't do a good job close to the net," Beard said. "It was a little quicker tempo than we're used to, but we managed to come back and make adjustments."
Most of the adjustments were made by middle blocker Amanda Reves. Reves, an All-Big 12 Conference performer last season, started her season on the fast track by recording 14 kills and 28 total attacks. Senior outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht added nine kills, 10 digs and two service aces. Junior outside hitter Amy Myatt had 11 kills and 25 total attacks.
Junior outside hitter Nancy Bell rounded off the team statistics with nine kills and three service aces.
Not such a bad start to the season for the Jayhawks, who were playing their first game in the 1,300-seat Horeisi Center, the team's new $3.8 million home.
"This is our home court, and we're not going to let anybody come in here
and tell us differently." Albrecht said.
"But this is a great way to start out the season. Any win is a good win, but this one is especially nice."
Kansas hits the road today to participate in the West Virginia Tournament, where it will face Maryland-Baltimore County, Oakland University and West Virginia.
—Edited by Kelly Clasen
Women's hoops nets six TV dates
By Melinda Weaver sports@kansan.com
Kansan scrippswriter
Six televised contests and 14 home games highlight the 1999-2000 Kansas women's basketball schedule, which was finalized yesterday afternoon.
Five conference games will be on television and the final game of the KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic will air on the Jayhawk Television Network Dec. 4.
Fox Sports will show games against Texas Tech, in Lubbock, Texas; Iowa State, Texas and Kansas State, at Allen Fieldhouse, and the game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., will appear on ESPN2.
Fans who are not content with watching the games on television have the opportunity to watch the team play 14 contests at the fieldhouse.
"The Big 12 Conference has worked hard to provide women's basketball with more television exposure." Coach Marian Washington said. "We are very pleased."
"It is so challenging in the Big 12 Conference that we need to have a balanced schedule with at least half of our games at home." Washington said. "In the past, we have had a lot of games on the road, so we are glad to get some more home games. We have a great following that is growing and improving every year because more people are hearing and learning about our team. This year, they have more opportunities to come and be a part of it."
Kansas opens its season with two exhibition games at the fieldhouse before playing its first regular season game on the road Nov. 20 against the University of Houston.
This opening game is followed by two tournaments: the 1999 Carrs/Safeway Great
the Jayhawks will open against Northern Arizona Nov. 23. In the Jayhawk Classic, which is slated for Dec. 3 and 4, Loyola Marymount will be Kansas's first-round opponent. On the final day, the Jayhawks will play either Santa Barbara or Brigham Young.
A l a s k a Shootout and the KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic.
In the Shootout.
The team also will participate in the Sprint Shootout at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 30. It will face St. Louis University in the opening round.
Other non-conference opponents include Creighton, Mississippi Valley State, Illinois, Arizona, Arkansas State and Arizona State.
Player regains passion
See JAYHAWKS on page 3A
By Chris Wristen sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Cynthia Dahle is smiling again. It's been a while, but that grin is back on her face. What was once the eager face of a breakthrough freshman sensation turned into a look of frustration as her team struggled through three coaching changes.
"It it got really frustrating," Dahle said. "There were several times I thought about transferring. I thought about transferring after each of my coaches left, but I really liked going to school here; so I decided 'I stick it out, because I love playing soccer and I've always gotten to play."
"I'm pretty passionate about soccer, so it was hard when we were losing to keep that same passion going," she said. "I lost some of the passion for the game when it was so emotionally draining."
As a returning senior, however, Dahle said so far she has had a blast playing for a new coach, Mark Francis. She said he brought a new attitude to the team.
Although she was playing a lot, losing was not fun for Dahle.
"Coach demanded that the attitude was positive when he first came," Dahle said. "He said 'If you have negative things to say, keep them off the field.' I think that just carried into the fall, and the attitude has been awesome, which makes it so much fun to play."
Francis said that he was glad Dahle stayed at Kansas, and that she had been a valuable leader for the team, as well as a staunch defender for the Jayhawks.
"She leads more so by example than anything else," Francis said. "She works her tail off all the time, whether it's in the weight
Senior midfielder Cynthia Dahle runs for the open ball during a exhibition game against Park College. Dahle selected as a team captain for this season. Photo by Chad Cummings/KANSAN
Her work ethic caught the attention of her teammates as well. They voted her as a team captain, which she can now add to her resume of accolades as Kansas' all-time points and assists leader. She also ranks second in career goals scored.
room or on the field. She always gives 110 percent."
Her stats are the least of Dahle's concerns, however. As a team-oriented player, she has sacrificed her own stats for the benefit of the team. After leading the team in scoring as a freshman, Dahle moved from forward to outside midfielder. Last season she moved to defender, where she has continued to play this fall.
"I love to play, so wherever the coaches want me to play, I'm gonna play because I want to be
out on the field."
While she has received praise for her work on the field, Dahle has strived to be a winner off the field as well, excelling in the classroom, being involved in the community and concentrating on her spiritual life. She said she hoped to be an example for her teammates.
"I'd hope that my work ethic would rub off on them because I think that I work hard," Dahle said. "Also, I'm Christian, and I try to exemplify Christ through my work; and I hope that would rub off on them. Because they know me, they might want to know Jesus Christ too."
Her coach testified to this.
"I think she's a great role model, especially for the younger guys," Francis said. "She leads off the field, as far as how to carry yourself as a student-athlete. In the classroom she's a 4.0 student."
Dahle is willing to do anything to help her team achieve the goal it has strived for since the program's birth four years ago — a trip to the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Before that can happen, however, the Jayhawks must travel to Utah this weekend for games against Utah on Friday and Weber State on Sunday.
The weekend series will serve as a homecoming of sorts for Dahle, who has a number of relatives in Utah. She said she had aunts, uncles and cousins who lived there. In addition, she said her brother, who has not seen her play since high school, and his wife would be at her games.
"I'm really excited about it, because as a player I've gotten a lot better since I was in high school; so I think it'll be fun." Dahle said.
Edited by Kelly Clason
Commentary Game freaks missing fun of real life
You flunked a test?
Please press A.
Broke up with a significant other?
Press B.
Go to the menu, click on select.
Homesick freshman who needs someone to hang out with?
Funny how video games and their controllers don't look so realistic anymore.
But this virtual reality is brainwashing people into thinking they're doing something productive with their lives.
The sports games are the worst. The mind-numbing games are supposed to offer a replica of competitive spirit and exercise. The new John Madden Football 2000 game proclaims itself the most realistic video game yet, with real players' names, real hits, real crowd noise, real stadium views and real good times.
How phony.
Oodles of kids — and even more sadly, college students and adults — are obsessed with living vicariously through others in this society that adores celebrity emulation.
When teenagers aren't sitting on their thumbs, they're playing video games with them.
No one wants to go outside to the sunshine for a game of football or soccer. Instead of sacrificing one's own legs, arms, heart, lungs and mind, our society is content with sparingly using its hands.
Too many malcontents would rather loaf on a Cheetos-stained couch and watch an animated athlete do all the work.
Instead of breaking a sweat, even while allowing your friend to catch a touchdown pass, hordes are content with breaking the controller after forgetting to press the A button, which would have made the necessary adjustments voluntarily and painlessly.
There is no such thing as a realistic video game because when the games do become close to truth, people are stunned at the results.
Case in point: The friends of the students killed or wounded in school shootings are shocked when the atrocities were committed. If playing a video game that mimics death, as some of the murderers and their friends in these situations were known to do, is so realistic, why is everyone so petrified?
It is petrifying because seeing blood on your 16-inch television set is drastically different from seeing death 16 inches away.
Same with sports. They offer only the slightest glimpse of actuality. Sometimes there is an adrenaline rush when big plays are made and games are won.
Video games, to an extent, work on hand-eye coordination. So do washing and combing your hair. Not exactly lung-enhancing exercises.
One time, Toronto Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi used a video game as a strategic tool.
Fregosi's son switched around dad's actual lineup on his game, hit well with one of the substitutions and convinced dad to make the change. Dad did, and in the first game the player went 3-for-4.
Perhaps the Blue Jays took the tip that somebody — or something better than Fregosi is available. The coach might be fired after the season.
Before taking his son's tip, lamebrain Fregosi should have pressed pause.
Jason Franchuk is a Boulder, Colo., junior in journalism