THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005
SPORTS
3B
Evan Hengel's
FANTASY FOOTBALL THURSDAY
Steve McNair was once a reliable quarterback, now is the time to drop him
Gail Burton/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair, center, is sacked by Carolina Panthers Chris Draft, left, and Michael Rucker, obscured, as Kris Jenkins moves in at right, in the first half of their football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006. McNair was knocked out of the game with a concussion on the play.
BY EVAN HENGEL
Steve McNair was a great man. Those who were lucky enough to have him on their team during his 2003 MVP season know that Steve McNair is a truly selfless man. Steve battled through separated shoulders, dislocated fingers, back spasms, bruised ribs, sprained knees and bone spurs all so fantasy owners wouldn't have to start Joey Harrington. He did this, without thanks, for our sake. Steve McNair would play a game with two broken legs, a missing arm, and a case of typhoid if his coaches would let him.
Steve McNair left the game in week six due to a concussion that he will recover from shortly. He probably won't miss a start. However, based on his recent horrid play on the field, it is now time to deliver the eulogy for his fantasy football career:
As he moved on from Tennessee to Baltimore, fantasy football owners looked forward to the resurrection of his career. And while it never quite occurred, Steve knew that he had all of us in his corner when he sailed errant passes into the stands like a drunken paperboy on his Saturday delivery route. When he threw three picks against Denver in week five, we all knew that his time had probably come.
And yet, with every ending comes a new beginning. With the demise of Steve McNair comes the emergence of Matt Leinart, Philip Rivers and Alex Smith. And Steve, know that when we drop you on to the waiver wire in our leagues, we do so with heavy hearts. You will be missed.
Who to Add:
1) Travis Henry, running back,
Tennessee Titans. I recommended
the addition of Henry before the
start of the season and if you listened
to me you have to be giddier than a
12-year-old girl at a Kelly Clarkson concert. With two straight games of more than 120 yards, all I have to say is, "you're welcome."
2) Philip Rivers, quarterback. San Diego Chargers. Despite having a sissy name (has there been a single tough football player in the history of the NFL named Philip?), this guy can flat out play. His 100.6 quarterback rating is tops in the AFC and he has a 3.5 touchdowns for every interception, and if he were to ever start going by "Phil," I'd consider him a top five fantasy quarterback. An underrated story in the NFL this year is how the Chargers haven't missed a beat since losing Drew Brees. Rivers has been fantastic. It would be like if Jeremy Piven left Entourage and was immediately replaced by a better actor.
Who NOT to Add:
1) Mark Clayton, wide receiver, Baltimore Ravens. Looking at Clayton's week six stats — five receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns — he would seem like a safe pick-up. But look closer and you realize that both of the touchdowns he caught were tipped and weren't even intended for him. If you eliminate the accidents, the former Oklahoma Sooner is without a touchdown on the season. Plus, he's involved in the offensive black hole that is the Baltimore Ravens.
2) Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, he torched Kansas City's secondary on Sunday like Oklahoma State's Bobby Reid did to Kansas in the second half, but make him put up good numbers against Atlanta in week seven before valuing him any higher than quarterbacks like Jake Delhomme and Drew Bledsoe. You might also want to make sure Big Ben doesn't have any Motocross races scheduled in the near future.
Who to Drop:
1) Steve McNair, quarterback,
Baltimore Ravens. You've had a good
career Steve, hang it up.
2) Mark Brunell, quarterback, Washington Redskins. There is no point in hanging on to the mediocre quarterbacks. With so many readily available, you can always find a QB with a good match-up for a particular week. Brunell's play has been about as consistent as Oprah's dietary habits. He has had two great weeks and four Aaron Brooks-like
weeks. What makes no sense is that he has weapons like Santana Moss, Brandon Lloyd, Antwan Randle El, Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis at his disposal. All he needs to be find a way to put it in their hands. Brunell's failures in the midst of the talent around him is like hunting squirrels on campus with a rocket launcher and somehow coming up empty.
Evan Hengel is an Overland Park Senior in finance.
Edited by Travis Robinett
CLUB SPORTS
Baseball to play Midwest's best
'Jayhawk Classic'to prepare team for spring
BY KAYVON SARRAF
After finishing last spring tied for the conference championship but missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker, the University of Kansas club baseball team decided that it needed more pitching to compete with the top teams.
Kansas added freshman righthanders Zach Gaarder and Jeff Moyer, as well as junior lefthander Drew Fennelly, to bolster the pitching staff. This weekend will
be a good test to see whether the team accomplished it's goal.
K ans s will host the first annual ' J a y h aw k Classic' at Ice Field, 2700 W. 27th St. The tournament
"We figured that if we want to get better and get ready for the spring,we need to play top competition."
A home run derby is at 8 p.m. featuring the top two home run hitters from each team. On Sunday, Colorado will play St. Louis at 10 a.m. and Kansas will play Wisconsin-Whitewater at 1 p.m. The team with the best overall record will be crowned tournament champion. Head-to-head scores will break a tie.
will round out day one with a 5:30 game against St. Louis.
JONATHAN ANDERSON Pitcher
"We have our work cut out for us," pitcher Jonathan Anderson
features club baseball teams from Colorado University, Wisconsin- Whitewater, and St. Louis University.
"We have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time," club president B.J. Rains, a Kansan sports columnist, said. "We have some great teams coming in and it should be a great time for all of the students to come out and watch us play. I think we are going to have a good squad this year."
The tournament begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday when Colorado plays Wisconsin-Whitewater. Then Kansas plays Colorado at 11:45 a.m., St. Louis plays Wisconsin-Whitewater at 2:15 p.m. and Kansas
said. "These are some of the top teams in the Midwest, but we figured that if we want to get better and get ready for the spring, we need to play top competition."
Top offensive players Nick Losorelli and Ian Kietzman return as does the entire starting infield of third-baseman Andy Hicks, shortsop Kietzman, second-baseman James Anderson and first-baseman Rains.
Kansas' regular-season opener will be Feb. 24 in Lawrence against SIU-Edwardsville. Home series against Iowa State, Missouri, Iowa and St. Louis, are also on the schedule, which should be released next week.
Kanss sportswriter Kayvon Sarraf can be contacted at ksarraf@ kansan.com.
Edited by Travis Robinett