THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006
SPORTS
MLB
5B
Firebird commits to play for Jayhawks
BY BRYAN CISLER
Playing under the bright Friday night lights, Lawrence Free State senior quarterback Ryan Murphy led the Firebirds to a 61-0 victory over Olathe Northwest. Murphy passed for 138 yards and rushed for another 99.
It won't be long, though, before he will be trading in the Friday nights for Saturdays. Murphy committed to play for the Jayhawks next year.
"I just like the coaches, plus it being a hometown team, playing in front of friends and family, I just really like the environment," Murphy said.
While Murphy is already one of the better quarterbacks in the state, when he enrolls at Kansas next fall, he will be moving from quarterback to wide receiver.
"Staying on the offensive side of the ball is a big reason why I am going to Kansas," he said. "At wide receiver I can still make the big plays."
While Ryan has already met some of his future teammates, such as Jake Sharp and Tyler Lawrence, Ryan also will have the luxury of playing with his twin brother Brian Murphy, who also committed to play running back
for Kansas.
"Playing with somebody I have known my entire life, and knowing that I won't be alone, it will make it easier to have fun." Ryan said.
The two have already been to several Kansas football games, which is easy for them, considering they don't even have to leave town.
"The South Florida game was my favorite," he said. "They just stayed strong. The defense at the end gave them a chance to come back and win that game."
While the Kansas coaches can't wait to have Ryan Murphy in a Jayhawk uniform, the three-star prospect, according to Rivals.com, is currently focused on his senior season, hoping to make Free State one of the top teams in the area.
"We definitely feel confident we are one of the best teams in the state of Kansas," he said. "We just have to prove to all the doubters that Free State is for real this year. We are coming and will be a tough team."
Kansan sportswriter Bryan Cisler can be contacted at bcisler@kansan.com.
Edited by Brett Bolton
BIG 12 BASKETBALL
New basketball coach creates buzz at K-State
STEVE BRISENDINE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANHATTAN - It's been years since this was a basketball town OK, a men's basketball town.
But on Tuesday, four days before a crucial game against one of Kansas State's biggest football rivals, No. 21 Nebraska, the Wildcats' basketball team was generating its own buzz. That's because only three days remained before the fans get their first look at their team under new coach Bob Huggins.
Fan interest in Friday night's "Madness in Manhattan," a first for Kansas State, has been intense, junior guard Blake Young said.
"It's going to be great for us," said Young, a transfer from Daytona Beach Community College. "I know everybody's excited for Coach Huggins and the new team, to see how things are going to go, so I'm sure it's going to be pretty packed."
Senior guard Akeem Wright, a holdover from former coach Jim Wooldridge's tenure, said he wasn't surprised by the buzz surrounding Huggins, who has generated headlines both for his on-court success and his off-court problems.
He took Cincinnati to 14 straight NCAA tournaments in his 16-year tenure there, but the school declined to renew his contract in 2005 after his arrest for drunken driving. Huggins spent a year away from basketball before taking the Wildcats' job after Wooldridge's firing in March.
Kansas State hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1996.
"I knew someone with his background would have the respect," Wright said. "I didn't expect him to get it turned around this fast, though. I thought it would take him a couple of years."
Huggins, as usual, shrugged and tossed off one-liners when asked about the resurgence of interest in the program, although he did allow himself a brief "Wow" when he saw a full house of more than two dozen media members for his news conference.
"I'm used to having two beat reporters," he said.
Huggins, who is conducting a round of clinics this week, has a different reason for being ready to start practice.
"I'm ready to stop traveling," he said. "I've got a thing to do tonight, one tomorrow, one Thursday night and then I'm done. I'm ready to go home and sleep in my own bed."
That said, Huggins wouldn't mind seeing Bramlage Coliseum packed Friday night when the team unveils its new look, including new uniforms.
"I would hope we have 13-5," he said, referring to the arena's capacity of 13,500. "I'm like Oral Roberts. I don't like to work to empty seats. It would be great to have the place filled. I think that would give our guys a shot in the arm."
The real excitement, junior swingman David Hoskins said, won't come until the season, which opens Nov. 11 against William & Mary.
But fan interest can only go so far, Hughes said.
"I want to prove to everybody that we're not just hvwe," he said.
MLB
New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is carried off the field by players Bernie Williams, left, and Roger Clemens, right, after clinching the World Series by beating the New York Mets 4-2 in Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 27, 2000, at Shea Stadium in New York.
Amy Sancetta/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yankees manager stays despite loss
RONALD BLUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Joe Torre was in his office at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, about to give the media his season wrap-up, when general manager Brian Cashman walked in and handed him his cell phone.
George Steinbrenner was on the line.
"He has informed me that I will be here as his manager next year," Torre said about 15 minutes later.
And with that, Steinbrenner ended three days of speculation that followed his team's second straight first-round exit from the AL plavoffs.
Ever since Detroit eliminated the Yankees on Saturday, reports of Torre's imminent dismissal dominated New York media. When Steinbrenner left Monday to return to Tampa, Fla., he said he still hadn't made a decision.
Would he revert to his old ways, when he changed managers 20 times from 1973-95? Or would he stick with the revered Torre, who led the team to four World Series titles in his first five years but none in the six seasons since?
"Let's just say that he echoed support and commitment to having me go on in this job," Torre said.
talk in a statement issued through spokesman Howard Rubenstein, saying he told Torre: "You're back for the year. I expect a great deal from you and the entire team. I have high expectations, and I want to see enthusiasm, a fighting spirit and a team that works together. Responsibility is yours, Joe, and all of the Yankees.
"Yes, I am deeply disappointed about our loss this year," Steinbrenner added. "We have to do better, and I deeply want a championship. It's about time."
Steinbrenner recounted the
Since Saturday's loss, Steinbrenner spent his time listening to the advice of his top executives. On Monday, Torre spoke with him about 15-to-20 minutes, and told him: "If you feel in your heart a change has to be made, go ahead and do it." After that phone call, Torre said he felt more confident he would keep his job.
The most likely successor for the 66-year-old Torre was Lou Piniella, who served two terms as Yankees manager in the 1980s.
For two days, speculation about Torre's job ran nonstop. First he was out; then he was in.
Torre has led the Yankees to 11 consecutive playoff berths and nine AL East titles in a row, finishing in a tie with the Mets for best regular-season record this year at 97-65. But despite having baseball's
largest payroll by a wide margin, the Yankees haven't reached the World Series since 2003.
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--lot and we know that. You can't pick and choose the parts that you like about working for George Steinbrenner. You have to understand the whole package."
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"When we go to spring training every year, we talk about getting to the World Series. We don't talk about having a good year, let's have a good record and all that stuff. It's getting to the World Series. So you know going in what the requirements are," Torre said. "He requires a lot. He expects a
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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said team executives gave Steinbrenner their opinions on Torre. Steinbrenner informed them of his decision just before telling the manager his job was safe.
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