2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2006
1. Green Bay Packers wide receiver violates policy
MILWAUKEE — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Koren Robinson
The league's action came hours after Robinson pleaded not guilty to charges of drunken driving and fleeing police stemming from a high-speed chase in August.
1 was suspended without pay for a minimum of one year for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy. The law says.
Robinson, who said Monday that he expected to play in the Packers' game in Miami on Sunday and didn't think his legal troubles would affect his playing status this year, did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press.
2. Arizona Cardinals gets new offensive coordinator
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green fired off
2. ensive coordinator Keith Rowen and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek.
The move came hours after the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-23.
3. Lions defensive tackle uses banned medicine
DETROIT — Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will be sus
3 appended for four games by the NFL for taking a banned, over-the-counter substance, an official within the league told The
Widemin the league told the Associated Press.
4. Chicago cubs sees new manager, contract set
CHICAGO — Lou Piniella was officially introduced as the Chicago Cubs' next manager. Piniella agreed Monda
Phihelia agreed Monday to a three-year contract worth nearly $10 million, with an option
for a fourth year.
The 63-year-old Piniella has 19 years of major league managerial experience, including a World Series title with the Reds in 1990.
Piniella said he was assured by general manager Jim Hendry that the Cubs would make moves necessary to improve the team. He brushed off a report that he wanted the Cubs to acquire embattled Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, saying there hadn't been "any discussions about A-Rod." Piniella was Rodriguez's first manager, with the Seattle Mariners in the mid-1990s.
5. Former Yankees pitcher, Cory Lidle, remembered
COVINA, Calif. — Three small
family, friends and teammates that he died doing something he loved.
5 planes flew over mourners at a memorial for Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, an emotional reminder to his
Following Lidle's funeral, hundreds of mourners did something else he enjoyed; they sat down to a luncheon of In-N-Out burgers, his favorite fast food.
The 34-year-old pitcher and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, were killed last Wednesday when Lidle's plane crashed into a Manhattan high-rise during an aerial tour of the city.
SOCCER
6. New fighting policy added for Miami University
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami president Donna Shalala said that
6 sanctions levied against 13 players for their role in a sideline-clearing brawl were fair, justified
and strong enough to satisfy the university.
Miami officials have enacted a new rule that any athlete who fights will be dismissed from that team, a "new standard ... zero tolerance" policy.
Two Miami players involved in the melee, sophomore Anthony Reddick and senior Brandon Meriweather, apologized for their roles.
Associated Press
Midfielder named to magazine's elite team
Jessica Bush was named to the Soccer Buzz National Elite Team of the Week.
Bush is the first Jayhawk selected for the honor this season. Last year, former Kansas forward Jessica Smith was named to the team.
another game-winner, in a 4-0 victory against Missouri last Sunday
The sophomore midfielder, who was also named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory against Iowa State last Friday. She followed that game by scoring two goals, including
Soccer Buzz is a magazine that focuses on NCCA women's soccer. Eighteen players are named to the team each week for their accomplishments during the previous weekend's games.
Mark Dent
Jayhawks need road victory
THE RANT
If Kansas can defeat Baylor on Saturday, bowl hopes won't be shattered
The football team is at a crossroads right now. Lose on Saturday and the season is likely over. Win and the season may still be salvaged, at least for another week.
Making that bowl game and resrecturing the season begins on Saturday. The problem is, there is no reason to think that Kansas will win this Saturday against Baylor. I am not trying to be negative; I just think fans should look at the facts before jumping to conclusions on Saturday's outcome.
Baylor beat Kansas State 17-3 three weeks ago. How is that relevant? The following week after the Wildcats loss, Kansas State came from behind to beat Oklahoma State, a team that destroyed Kansas in the second half last week, winning 42-32.
I understand that making generalizations like that do not always prove anything, but Baylor is not the Baylor team of old. Kansas comes into Saturday's game as the 117th-ranked passing defense in the country. Kansas will continue to fail against the passing attack this weekend when facing the 10th-ranked passing offense in division I-A.
Aqib Talib is a good cornerback, and probably deserves his pre-season all-Big 12 selection. F'owever, an entire side of the field is not covered by Talib and Anthony Webb paid the price last weekend, allowing Adarius Bowman to have a career day.
While Oklahoma State coaches and players were making adjustments at halftime last week, down 14-0, Kansas coaches and players did little to correct the glaring problems on defense. Mike Gundy and the rest of his coaching staff exploited those problems en route to an embarrassing second half for Kansas. For the first time since Kansas coach Mark Mangino has been at Kansas it looked like his players gave up on him late in the game.
The disappointments this season have been magnified, with three of the four heartbreak losses coming on television, for fans to replay and critique. Unlike the 2004 season, when Kansas lost close games to Texas and Texas Tech, Kansas was not expected to go to a bowl game that season. That year's 4-7 record had fans saying the team was better than the record indicated. This season anything but a bowl game was going to be considered a disappointment. Now, it looks like the season is headed in that disappointing direction.
The problem with all these close losses for Kansas this year is that it is a direct reflection of the coaching staff. The staff is not making the changes, is not making the right play calls and is not putting the right defenses out on the field to preserve a lead. Adjustments have to be made, and late in game it looks like they are not being done.
After the overtime loss to Nebraska, I thought that Kansas had a legitimate chance to win the North, and I thought it should win its next four games. But after a below-average performance against
an average Oklahoma State team last week, this season likely will end in disaster. No back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history, and Kansas fans wondering if the program is headed in the right direction.
There might be calls to fire Mangino if Kansas finishes with four or fewer wins this season, but even if that is the consensus, it is not going to happen. Mangino just signed a five year extension, and Athletics Director Lew Perkins is not going to fire him while having to continue to pay his contract. Last week's announcement by the NCAA to extend the cut of Kansas' football scholarships by three will not get Perkins out of the contract because Mangino was not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Kansas needs to get it done this weekend. If not, it could be a long couple of years for the Jayhawk football team.
Colaianni is a McLean, Va., senior in journalism and political science.
athletics calendar
THURSDAY
Edited by Patrick Ross
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
Player to watch: Sophomore Yullana Svistun joined the team last spring as a freshman. Last
time out,
Svistun played
in the
consolation final
of the
doubles bracket
at Oct.
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
Jayhawk Soccer Complex
SATURDAY
8's Hoosier Classic. Svistun and her partner, freshman Kunigunda Dorn, lost 8-5 to a team from Indiana.
Football at Baylor, 2 p.m., Waco, Texas
Volleyball at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m., College Station, Texas
FRIDAY
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla
Soccer vs. Baylor, 3 p.m.,
SUNDAY
Soccer vs. Texas Tech, 1 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
- Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
WALK-ON (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Witherspoon said back in high school, everyone would ask him about his future.
"I told them, I'm going to KU," and everyone thought I was an idiot," he said. "Like, what the hell are you doing?"
Witherspoon was an all-state selection his senior year in 2004 at Humboldt High. He finished his high school career as the fourth leading scorer in the school's history.
"He was a superb athlete on the basketball team," Smith, his high school coach, said. "He is a very coachable kid, very humble. With him making the KU team, it shows if you work your butt off, good things happen to good people."
Humboldt is a town of just fwr than 2,000 located south of Topeka.
"I'm just overwhelmed here," Brad said. "My mom is more overwhelmed than I am. She is getting e-mails and calls from people she doesn't even know. It's just been crazy."
Even though he is just a walk-on, Witherspoon instantly becomes the feel-good story for the small town in southeast Kansas.
The road Witherspoon took to make the Kansas basketball team has been crazy indeed.
As Witherspoon sums it up, "I just don't know how to explain that."
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
Edited by Patrick Ross
WOMEN'S GOLF Team takes 14th place in New Mexico tournament
The University of Kansas women's golf team finished in 14th place Wednesday at the "Give 'Em Five Fund"/New Mexico State Invitational.
The Jayhawks concluded the three-day tournament with their best round shooting: a 307 giving them a total score of 933. The final round score was six strokes under from their previous two rounds, 313 in both.
Tournament host New Mexico State took top honors, while Baylor moved past Missouri from fifth to finish second.
Amanda Costner, Claremore, Okla., senior, shot a 73, her best score of the tournament, which placed her in a tie for 13th place. Emily Powers, Quincy, Ill., senior, shot a 77 which placed her in a tie for 31st.
The Jayhawks will conclude their fall season at the Derby Invitational, Oct. 27 to 29, in Auburn, Ala.
basis and strengthen his knee.
-Josh Landau
SHROYER (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Entering this week's game against Kansas, he has 251 career punts with an average of 44.9 yards per punt. If his average holds, he will break the NCAA Division IA record of 44.69 yards per punt.
This season, Sepulveda is also in position to be the first two-time Ray Gauy Award recipient and join College and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary as Baylor's only three-time All-Americans.
"That's quite a name to be associated with in any way," Sepulveda said. "It's just another tremendous blessing that I would not have expected."
Sepulveda may play the part of a full-fledged punter, but he hasn't conceded to looking the part. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing a sculpted 230 pounds, Sepulveda looks more capable of tearing a wide receiver's head off than booting a football halfway down the field.
Senior cornerback C.J. Wilson has been a teammate of Sepulveda's since 2002 and he is still impressed with the punter's size.
"He thinks I'm crazy because I always laugh at him, but how often do you see a six-foot-three, 230-pound punter just walking around like this," Wilson said, puffing out his chest like a body builder. "His muscles are bigger than yours."
Wilson said Sepulveda could also run the 40-yard dash in the 4.40-4.49 seconds range. Between Sepulveda's size and athleticism, he has earned the respect of his teammates.
In addition, Sepulveda has caught the eye of ESPN's NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. Of all punters expected to be in the 2007 NFL draft, Kiper has Sepulveda ranked No. 2.
However, Sepulveda takes more pride in having disproved the stigmas that come with being a punter.
"I think it's pretty safe to say that my teammates don't see me as a punter," he said.
Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@kansan.com.
Edited by Patrick Ross
HEADS UP!
Management Development Program Management Internship Program
ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS • MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
ALL JUNIORS AND SENIORS
JOIN THE CLEAN TEAM!
Waterway Carwash of Kansas City will be conducting on-campus interviews
Wednesday, November 1st
in the Business Career Services Center.
Please apply through the KU Career Connections Website or visit www.waterway.com
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