KANSAS BASKETBALL The Kansas men's team gets an oral commitment from one of its recruits. Page 4
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1995
SECTION B
Mascots not meant to offend
Racism ran rampant on the airwaves during NBC's broadcast of the Notre Dame football game on Saturday.
I was raised Irish-Catholic, and I cringed with all of the 38 points Notre Dame scored. After watching Saturday's broadcast a viewer might draw the conclusion that the Irish were a drunken, belligerent race. Every play elicited a reference to
Notre Dame as the "Fighting Irish."
The entire Notre Dame campus even stands to ridicule the Catholic faith and Irish traditions. A large stained-glass window facing the stadium with a portrait of Jesus is called "Touchdown Jesus." A golden statue of Mary.
SPORTS COLUMNIST
the mother of Jesus, sits atop a campus steeple and is referred to as "Hail Mary." The comparison of Notre Dame football and the Catholic religion is insulting to me.
NBC even had a pregame special on the ritual of leaving a celebratory cigar and shot of whiskey at the headstone of Notre Dame coaching legend Knute Rockne The entire point of the story was to perpetuate the stereotype of alcoholic, cigar-smoking, red-nosed, blue-collar immigrants that has been tagged to the Irish people since they arrived in America over a century ago.
The idea that an athletic team's mascot is derogatory to the people to which it refers is ridiculous. As an Irish-Catholic I felt proud that the "Fighting Irish" were traditionally the most feared team in college football.
I was raised to read the Bible and watch Notre Dame football. Millions of proud Irishmen and I sit down every Saturday and watch Notre Dame as we swill Irish ale and smoke big cigars.
This is why I don't understand the complaints of Native Americans that the mascots of teams such as the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves create negative stereotypes. The two World Series' teams have drawn all kinds of criticism from Native American populations.
NOT!
It is all ridiculous.
I think everybody needs to stop looking for something to complain about. The only people I see complaining are Native Americans. I have never heard a cowboy complain. I have never heard a mill worker complain about the Steelers or a meat packer complain about Green Bay. I have never heard Mother Teresa complain about the New Orleans Saints or someone from Troy complain about the Southern California Troians.
I think that Native Americans need to protest something more important, like decreased federal funding to reservations or bringing gambling to Kansas reservations. Isee nothing worth protesting for the Native Americans in the sports world, except maybe the Dennis Rodman trade.
If there is a mascot that needs to be protested, it's at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Banana Slugs are the only ones taking a bad rap here.
7-0 start credited to entire team
Jayhawks' gridiron success achieved without any stars
By Robert Sinclair
Kansan sportswriter
After the Kansas football team defeated Oklahoma on Saturday, Kansas football coach Glen Mason explained his team's success as the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
"God knows we're not that talented," Mason said. "You don't get to be where we are if you're not a good team. I think the players will tell you that if you
single out individuals, it's an injustice."
As for the sum of its parts, take Kansas' scoring as an example.
In the Jayhawks' 38-17 victory against the Sooners, there were six Jayhawks who scored: sophomore tight end Hosea Friday, senior wide receiver Ashaoundai Smith, sophomore place kicker Jeff McCord, junior tail end Jim Moore, junior cornerback Dorian Brew and senior running back L.T. Levine.
The fact that there are very few Jayhawks being mentioned for national honors — such as the Heisman Trophy — is another indication that their success is a team effort.
"We're awful darn young."
KANSAS FOOTBALL
Mason said. "We're just fitting together pretty good. It's the right chemistry. There's something about these guys."
Other notes and quotes from the Jayhawks' victory on Saturday:
The 38 points scored by Kansas is the most it has scored against Oklahoma, and the rivalry is the longest uninterrupted series in the nation.
The crowd of 74,639 in Norman, Okla., was the largest crowd to witness a Kansas victory.
The Jayhawks' 248 rushing yards is the highest total this
year against the Sooners' defense, which was No. 2 in the nation.
The Jayhawks are 7-0 for the first time since their Orange Bowl season of 1968.
Kansas has defeated both Colorado and Oklahoma on the road for the first time in the same season since 1935. The win was also the first in Norman in 20 years.
Dating back to last year, the team's eight-game winning streak ties Florida State for the second-longest in the nation — Nebraska has won 20 consecutive games.
Kansas is one of only five remaining undefeated teams. The others are Nebraska,
Florida State, Florida and Ohio State.
Oklahoma football coach Howard Schnellenberger on the Sooners: "This football team is better than we have demonstrated in both our wins and losses. We should be able to do better as far as focusing across the field. We have the capacity to be on the cutting edge, we just aren't able to handle it."
Kansas senior outside linebacker Keith Rodgers: "I'm more concerned about next week's game than the national championship picture. If you start looking toward the 11th or 12th game of the season, you might overlook an opponent. I don't want to do that."
For the Love of Football
Story by Bill Petulla Photo by Tom Leininger
Matt Palcher stands all alone in the end zone waiting for the kick, feeling the pressure of more than 34,000 pairs of eyes and the ESPN cameras.
The ball sails end-over-end. Palcher catches it on the second bounce, 6 yards deep in the end zone. He starts up the field. To avoid his own team, Palcher makes a hard cut toward the sidelines. He sprints to the 10, the 15, the 20... where he finally places the ball in a bag until the game begins
Matt Palcher, nicknamed "Palch," is a manager with the Kansas football team. Part of the Kansas City, Kan., junior's job is to catch kicks before games. Palcher, now in his third year as a Kansas football manager, never will play a down or diagram a play. But he scores points through his devotion to the team on and off the field.
"I really enjoy working with athletes, and I enjoy sports," Palcher says. "It just makes me feel good when I know I can do something to help the team. Contributing to the team means just as much to me as scoring a touchdown or kicking a field goal."
It is barely light outside when Palcher's alarm goes off in his Jayhawker Towers apartment. This morning, it is his turn to check players' names off at breakfast — a task he does twice a week.
He jumps out of bed, says his daily prayers, stumbles into the shower and puts on his clothes. On the way out of the door he grabs his faded Kansas jacket. On its breast is a Jayawk patch worn down by years and years of toting equipment, catching passes and holding intercom cords.
Palcher walks out into the dark, brisk morning air to an empty Burge Union. There he will stand in the cafeteria to see that scholarship football players report for breakfast. Palcher does this job not with a yawn, but with a smile.
"He's not just one of those guys that's just out there to get through the day," Kansas secondary coach David Gibbs says. "He's actually out there trying to get better every day. I swear if everybody gave the same effort that he does, we'd be in the Orange Bowl."
Palcher is so involved in football that he worked last summer in Belton, Mo., for Riddell All-American Company. There he spent his summer afternoons buffing, polishing and sand-bleshing helmets.
See PALCHER, Page 3B.
Around the locker room, Palcher isn't known for his work ethic alone. To many, he's the team joker and impersonator.
"Matt does great impersonations," Kansas football coach Glen Mason says. "He's got some of our coachets down to a T."
Holding intercom cords during Kansas football games is part of Matt Palcher's job as a manager. The team looks for the Kansas City, Kan.,Junior's help when it needs comic relief as well.
Jayhawks glide into third at Boston regatta
Kansan staff report
Finish was lower than women's rowing team had anticipated
The Kansas women's rowing team did exactly what it had hoped to do on Sunday at the 31st Annual Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.
The Jayhawk rowers finished at the top among collegiate teams, crossing the finish line behind only two other college boats.
"We knew we could not compete against the national boats, so our goal was to be one of the top collegiate teams, and we accomplished that goal." Kansas women's rowing coach Rob Catlloth said.
Nine members of the varsity team represented
Kansas in the lightweight eight race at the regatta, which also included national and international teams. Sunday's regatta was the Jayhawk's second regatta this season.
"We were really excited about our race," Cattoth said. "We had a good row. They did very well."
The Jayhawks finished eight with a time of 19:18:23 on the Charles River, a river that none of the rowers were familiar with. Fifteen boats rowed in the women's lightweight eight, including nine collegiate teams. Kansas was third among the college-level boats, finishing behind Redcliff and Massachusetts.
Among the six non-collegiate boats that competed were the United States national team and club teams that contained older, more experienced oarwomen.
The Jayhawks will compete in their third and final regatta of the fall distance season at the Head of the Iowa Regatta this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa.
Head of the Charles Regatta Results
Women's Lightweight Eight
1. Boston Rowing Club (women's U.S. National Light-weight team) 16,74
2. Riverside (Boat Club in Boston) 17.30.5
3. New York Athletic Club 17.46
6. Radcliff 18.13.35
7. Massachusetts 19.15.14
8. Kansas 19.18.22
The Jayhawks' third and final regatta of the season this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa.
BRIEF
Kansan looking for basketball predictions
The Kansan is asking readers to predict what the 1995-06 men's and women's college basketball season will bring. Letters will be included in the Kansas Basketball Preview, which will be included in the Nov. 15 edition of the Kansan.
Please include the author's name, hometown, year in school and phone number. Letters must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Nov. 6 to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. They can be dropped off in Jenni Carlson's mailbox.
1