BASEBALL Seattle wins its one-game playoff with California. Page 4 BIG 1.2 Houston may host football championship. Page 6
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1995
THE ISSUE:
Hockey vs. basketball
SECTION B
Split second timing excitement of fans make hockey special
The other day while I was amy girlfriend's apartment, she called me into the living room because Minnesota's interim professional hockey team, the Moose of the International Hockey League, was on television. Even though she is only a Kansas City Blades fan, at least she is a hockey fan.
The same can't be said for the majority of Kansas students.
Maybe it's because Kansas natives haven't been exposed to the wonderful world of the National Hockey League — No, playing it on Sega doesn't count — like us northerners have.
The last time an NHL team
flower state
home was
before your
time. The Jay-
hawks don't
have a varsity
team, nor are
there area high
school teams.
If you've never seen hockey, you've been denied a game that combines the speed of basketball.
the grace of figure skating and the physical toughness of football.
I still can remember being a little kid and watching my city's high school hockey team vying to advance to the state finals. High school hockey in Minnesota is similar to football in Texas or basketball in Indiana. As you can imagine, advancing to the state finals was a big deal
Eventually, the game went into triple overtime, my Edina Hornets were tied with the hated Minnetonka Skippers. I remember the puck being passed in front of the net. Suddenly, our center came out of nowhere, took the puck and quickly snapped it past the goalie before anyone knew what had happened.
The Edina section exploded; theskippers' fans sat in a stunned silence. Just like that, one team was celebrating while the other was going home.
That's the magic of hockey.
It's the tension of knowing that in a split second, one team wins, and one team loses.
Everybody has a favorite professional team, and everybody knows the excitement of seeing that team succeed. Watching the NHL raises this loyalty to a different level.
In hockey, these feelings are intensified because at any given point in time, the game-winning goal could be scored. The 22nd point of a basketball game is no more important than the 32nd. Usually, the fourth quarter is all that matters in the NBA.
Watching my beloved New York Rangers play the New Jersey Devils two years ago in the second overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Championship was a very nerve-racking experience.
Of all the goals they scored that year, it was this last one that both teams always would remember. Everything the players had been working for their whole lives could be taken away in a matter of seconds.
nat is why New York forward Stephane Matteau's game-winning goal 4:24 into the second overtime was one of the most exciting goals I'd ever seen.
Another reason the NHL is so exciting is that it's low-scoring. Aside from soccer, a hockey goal is one of the rarest points you can score in professional sports.
Miss the first half of a basketball game, and you miss two teams trading off baskets every half-minute. In the NBA, one bad pass might lead to two points.
In the NHL, one bad pass might cost you the game.
Hockey season is too long and lacks fast pace of NBA play
October is a time of the year that should conjure images of the World Series and cool autumn days.
Yet somehow, there is a game being played on ice.
June is a time of the year that invokes images of the sun beating down upon us and preseason hype for the National Football League.
Again, there still is a game being played on ice.
The National Hockey League has become one long, drawn-out season in which teams compete for playoff positioning rather than a playoff spot.
It has tried unsuccessfully to lure fans and their money from rival sports during the past four seasons.
Despite its attempts, the NHL has been unable to achieve the same success as the National Basketball Association.
The reason lies in the game itself.
Comparing the action of the NHL and NBA is like comparing the punches of Mike Tyson the boxer and Mike Tysor
Watching man skate back and forth across the rink and, nine times out of 10, getting nothing out of it, is as exciting as watching the ice melt.
the former Chicago Cubs infielder.
I've never understood the thrill of a game in which scoring is so rare and strategy so little.
The NBA has reigned supreme as America's favorite sport because of its fast-paced action, its constant scoring and its marketing.
The NHL has had problems breaking into the American consciousness through marketing, mainly because there is nothing to market.
After a thrilling 0-0 first period, fans are privileged to sit through a 10-minute intermission. Fine. Most sports have some sort of rest period. But after another scintillating 0-0 second period, there is yet another intermission.
I guess hockey teams want fans to get a long nap for their dollar.
What has to be the absolute worst part of the NHL is a tied game. How can competitors and paying consumers accept sports competition when there is no victor? What's even worse is that teams are rewarded with points for a tie.
Anyone who saw this past year's NBA playoff would concur. There were numerous last-minute finishes and buzzer beaters. A casual sports fan can tell you who did what and when, including the return of Michael Jordan, the stunning series loss by the New York Knicks and the surprise championship defense by the Houston Rockets.
In the NBA, a winner is guaranteed in every game. Two, three, four or more overtimes will be played until somebody wins.
Basketball is slam dunks, fast breaks, 360s and alley-oops.
The most anyone can say about the Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils is to wonder if they've moved to Nashville vet.
Hockey is icing, offsides, being short-handed and one-timers.
Action words.
Lifeless words.
The NBA history is a long and proud one, filled with many great moments and great players.
Hockey history is the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and Wayne Gretzky.
Despite a close call, the NBA never has had a work stoppage during the season, as opposed to the NHL. The NHL had to cancel the middle of its season three years ago and the first half of the season last year.
The NHL needs Disney movies, expansion every other year, relocation, changes in the names of the divisions and catchy ESPN commercials to try to capture interest
The NBA thrives with the players and the game itself.
What a great game.
I'd love to write more about the NHL, but suddenly I feel very sleepy.
Big Eight teams ready for battle
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Three undefeated squads will clash to defend records
By Robert Sinclair
Kansan sportswriter
For those people who were concerned about how No. 4 Colorado would recover from losing so many important players from last year's squads, reports of the team's demise have been exaggerated greatly.
Colorado was led by sophomore quarterback John Hessler's five touchdown passes on its way to defeating No. 10 Oklahoma 38-17 Saturday in Norman, Okla.
"We were faced with adversity for the second week in a row, and I think we responded well," Colorado football coach Rick Neuhel said in the Big Eight Conference's weekly teleconference. "We were down 10-0 and then 17-7. In both instances, the kids who didn't look around to see who going to make a play. It was more, 'Hey, let me go make a play.'"
Now that the Big Eight season is in full bloom, it is time to take a step back and look at where its teams have come from and where they're headed.
Kansas sophomore running back Eric Vann (25) is driven down by Texas Christian free safety David King. No. 24 Kansas will begin Big Eight Conference play against No. 4. Colorado Saturday in Roulder, Colo.
Colorado and No. 2 Nebraska top the Big Eight standings — as well as the national polls — with 1-0 conference records (5-0 overall), while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are both 0-1 in the conference. The Sooners are 3-1 overall, and the Cowboys are 1-4.
The Nebraska-Oklahoma State game, originally scheduled for this weekend, was moved to Aug. 31. The Cornhuskers defeated the Cowboys 64-21 on ESPN.
Perhaps the biggest of those match-ups will take place when No. 24 Kansas travels to Boulder, Colo. Both teams are undefeated; both teams are ranked.
As for the rest of the league, they will have a better feel for where their individual programs stand after this weekend's conference match-ups.
ANALYSIS
"There's no question that Kansas is playing really well. They're undefeated," Neuheisel said. "Fortunately, we've been playing a lot of undefeated teams, so that's not a new thing for us."
Colorado is Kansas' first ranked opponent of the season and thus the hardest challenge to date.
"They don't seem like they've missed a beat from last year," Kansas football coach Glen Mason said. "If anything, they've gotten better."
Kansas has had the benefit of an extra week to prepare and the assistance of two former Colorado coaches. Kansas defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz and secondary coach David Gibbs
could play a key role in this weekend's confrontation.
Another game of importance to league standings will be No. 13 Kansas State against Missouri. The Wildcats are another undefeated team in the Big Eight. Their perfect 4-0 record is on the line.
Like the Jayhawks, the Wildcats have yet to play a ranked opponent. In fact, the combined record of Kansas State's victims is 4-14. Missouri also has had an extra week to prepare for the game, adding to the challenge for Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder.
"I think they've always played well against us," Snyder said. "They're well-coached and play awfully hard."
Oklahoma has a shot at redemption as it takes on Iowa State this weekend in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones are 2-2 and have given up 105 points — the second most in the conference to Oklahoma State's 171 points allowed.
Oklahoma, in addition to losing to Colorado, also had its share of problems with Southern Methodist before winning 24-10 Sept. 16. Experienced Oklahoma football coach Howard Schnellenberger knows what it takes to get over a tough loss, though.
"Obviously, it's going to start with me and trickle down through my staff," he said about regrouping his team before facing Iowa State. "I don't think we're going to have any problem with that at all."
Fans not flocking to volleyball matches
Jayhawks hope to see an increase in current average of 347 spectators per game
Excited for their first dose of Division I volleyball at home, two Kansas volleyball freshmen, outside hitter/middle blocker Moira Donovan and outside hitter Laura Rohde, burst out of the locker room. As they neared the Allen Field House court to play in the Jayhawks' home opener against Wichita State, they wanted to show the fans what they had worked so hard on during grueling weeks of practice.
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
The lights were gleaming off the floor, the band was blaring, the cheerleaders were flying in the air, and everything seemed to be in place — except the fans.
The two freshmen walked into the field house court, where one section of bleachers was folded against the wall. They barely could hear faint clapping sounds as the band drowned out the sparsely scattered fans.
"It's disappointing to see a small crowd, especially when you go to Nebraska and see
such a huge crowd," Donovan said.
Kansas ranks sixth out of the seven conference volleyball teams, according to Big Eight Conference sports information offices.
"I think when the bleachers are filled, it helps gets the team psyched up," Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise said. "What we really want is for people to come to the matches and see how fun they are to watch, and like a lot of people, they'll want to come back."
Aside from failing to fire up the team, a lack of attendance also can hurt other parts of the game.
Paul Soriano of the American Volleyball Coaches Association said the record attendance for a volleyball match was set in 1993 when 11,114 fans watched Long Beach State on Penn State in Madison. Wis.
"I think that it helps recruiting when there are more fans, but the number of fans isn't as important as how excited they are and how vocal the support is," Schonewise said.
Although the Jayhawks have a long way to go if they want to reach the 11,114 mark from their 347 average, the two freshmen remain optimistic.
"We have a goal," Donovan said. "By the time we're seniors, we are going to pack the gym."
Attendance of Big Eight Conference volleyball matches averages 867. Kansas' attendance is second-worse in the conference, just ahead of Missouri.
The Associated Press
Bulls acquire Rodman in trade with Spurs
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Dennis Rodman, the flamboyant forward who led the NBA in rebounding the last four seasons but repeatedly exasperated San Antonio management, was traded yesterday to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue.
"I think it's great, I think he's excited, I think it's a perfect fit," said Neil Draddy, Rodman's agent.
Draddy said he did not anticipate Rodman having any off-court problems like the ones that have followed him during his nine-year career in Detroit and San Antonio.
"I know he's spoken to Phil (Jackson, the coach) and Phil is comfortable with what Dennis
Rodman, who's in the final year of his contract,
will make $2.5 million this season.
is going to do. I think they will work out an arrangement between the two of them and the team, and everything will work out just fine," Draddy said.
Rodman, as usual, was the premier force under the boards this season. But the 34-year-old forward, who is partial to multicolored hairdos, assorted body piercings and late-night sores with Madonna, proved a constant irritant to the Spurs' front office.
He was suspended during the season for insubordination and often would miss practice, his whereabouts unknown, and remove his basketball shoes while on the bench during games.
"We are happy to acquire Dennis Rodman," Builts general manger Jerry Krause said. "We think he is the best rebounder in the game and the best defender at his position. He gives us a dimension we have lacked and enables us to take more advantage of the skills of Toni Kukoc."
In acquiring Perdue, a 30-year-old part-time center and marginal player, San Antonio made it all too clear it simply was intent on ridding itself of Rodman.
Last year, in 49 games, Rodman averaged 16.8 rebounds and 7.1 points a game. Perdue, a 7-footer entering his eighth year, averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds last season in more than 20 minutes a game.