THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2006
SPORTS
7A
ATHLETICS DEPT.
Distinguished announcer earns spot in Hall of Fame
Jayhawk radio play-by-play announcer Bob Davis has been elected to the Kansas Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame. The honor will top a long list of awards Davis has gathered during his career.
Davis, in his 23rd year with the Jayhawk Radio Network, has also been named Kansas Sportscaster of the Year 10 times and has won the Oscar Stauffer Award for excellence in high school sports twice.
Before covering Kansas athletics Davis covered Fort Hays sports for 16 years and is a member of the Fort Hays State University Hall of Fame. Seven times during the 1990s, Davis covered the NCAA Women's Final Four. In addition to his duties with the Jayhawk Radio Network, he hosts the weekly Hawk Talk program and is in his 10th year doing play-by-play for
the Kansas City Royals Sports Tele-
vision Network.
-Shawn Shroyer
Davis will be honored for his election to the KAB Hall of Fame at a reception on Oct. 22.
ROWING Team starts pre-season this weekend in Oklahoma
The women's rowing team will kick off its fall pre-season this weekend in Oklahoma City in the Head of the Oklahoma regatta. The Jayhawks this year have 42 athletes out so far, but just the varsity team will compete. The rowers will compete again October 29 in the Head of the Iowa regatta in Iowa City. The following weekend, November 4-5, the team will compete in the Head of the Chattahoochee in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Claudia Alterman
>> SERENITY NOW
Theories could explain overdose
Poor Terrell Owens.
First, a painkiller addiction.
I watched the flamboyant receiver give his side of the story and his publicist give hers about his alleged suicide attempt, but I'm not all that concerned with what was said. No, I've got two other theories for what possibly led to Tuesday night's activities, and for some reason, no one else has mentioned them.
It's not unthinkable. Brett Favre admitted his addiction in 1996 and subsequently spent 46 days at the Menninger Clinic when it was in Topeka. So there's no reason to think it couldn't happen to Owens. The guy has a broken hand and he's trying to get ready for this week's game
because he doesn't want to miss it. In fact, Terrell Owens has a stellar playing record. Not counting suspensions, he has never missed more than two games in a row.
So if a guy is taking that many, maybe Owens miscalculated what he thought he could take, was in more pain than usual, and swallowed too many and ended up in the hospital and all over television. He's entering his 11th NFL season, and if he's been pill pumping for half that time, the biggest wide receiver in the NFL would have built up some
Owens said the idea that he took 35 pills of hydrocodone is "absurd," and said if he had, he could wouldn't have been at the press conference, suggesting he might be dead. But in a 1997 story in The New York Times about painkiller abuse in the NFL, the story cites several unnamed NFL players, one of whom was a Pro-Bowl lineman, who said, "Some guys have genuine needs, but at the same time you see a lot of sharing and abuse. I know guys who are immune to Percocet. They take 15 to 20 of these pills a day because it doesn't faze them. They've built up a tolerance, but they need to take them to be able to function because their bodies are addicted to them."
BY FRED A. DAVIS III
KANSAN COLUMNIST
FDAVIA@KANSAN.COM
tolerance.
Speaking of being the biggest NFL wide receiver, there's one more nasty idea I have about Owens' exploits.
He may be the Barry Bonds of football — only his secret has been better kept.
Why not? I'm not saying without a doubt that he's using steroids or performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know that. But in today's sports world, I'm sorry, nobody is suspicion-free, I don't care what sport it is.
But let's look at the guy. Did you see him on the cover of ESPN the magazine recently? His picture reminds me of that line in the first Austin Powers, "Men want to be him, women want to be with him." Can I get an Amen? The man has muscles on top of muscles. He's a 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound linebacker playing wide receiver.
And aside from his physique, remember him coming back from that grusome ankle injury in 2004 with the Eagles, an injury sure to end his season? Yeah, he came back and not only played in the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, but caught nine passes for 122 yards. To come back from an injury that quickly, it raises red flags in my mind.
I'm not accusing Owens of steroid use. My point is this: given his track record - on and off the field - what exonerates him of any suspicion?
Fred Davis is a Topeka senior in journalism.
Edited by Brett Bolton
NFL
Police: Owens' overdose not attempted suicide
BY JAIME ARON ASSOCIATED PRESS
IRVING, Texas — Dallas police have classified Terrell Owens' case as an "accidental overdose," not an attempted suicide, closing their investigation Thursday of the Cowboys' receiver's hospitalization.
Police Chief David Kunkle said he had "great confidence" in the initial police report, which said rescue workers responded late Tuesday night to an attempted "suicide by prescription pain medication."
"The report, in my opinion, reflects what the officers were told and represents their best interpretation of what happened." Kunkle said Thursday. "But that doesn't mean it's the definitive account of the incident. Like all these situations, we're dealing with incomplete information
The report, obtained by media outlets Wednesday, said a friend described Owens as being depressed and indicated that Owens said "Yes" when rescue workers asked whether he had tried to harm himself.
and facts that change."
Owens said Wednesday he mistakenly mixed the painkillers for a broken hand with supplements he ordinarily takes, causing him to become groggy while at home Tuesday evening. His publicist, Kim Etheredge, called 911, and Owens was taken to an emergency room.
Within two hours of his hospital release Wednesday morning, Owens was catching passes at team headquarters. He went through a full practice Thursday, his first since breaking his right hand on Sept. 17, and might play Sunday in Tennessee.
Coach Francis waits for 'killer instinct'
SOCCER
BY MARK DENT
Soccer team experiences ups, downs in tough non-conference schedule this season
Kansas coach Mark Francis isn't exactly losing sleep over his team's 1 start in Big 12 play.
"The results have been all over the place," he said. "This conference is going to be really tight. Coming off last weekend with one win on the road is a good thing."
Today, Kansas (6-3-0, 1-1-0) plays at Creighton in its final nonconference game before it tries to improve its conference standing against Nebraska on Sunday in Lincoln.
The Jayhawks reached their .500 mark by splitting games in Oklahoma against the Cowgirls and Sooners last week. Oklahoma State topped Kansas last Friday 1-0 in double overtime, but everything evened out in the second game against Oklahoma. That game ended with the same 1-0 score, but
the Jayhawks were on the winning end.
The tight conference race that Francis spoke about was on display last weekend. Only Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma State have two or more victories, and only three teams have more than one loss. The Big 12 race could end up like last season when four teams, including Kansas, tied for second place and eight teams finished above .500.
"Our non-conference schedule was tougher this year to better our RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) and prepare for the conference," Francis said.
He added that his team needs to do a better job of playing the entire game to be successful in conference play. Inconsistency on offense has been a common theme of the Jayhawks' season. Kansas has taken 76 shots in the second half this year compared to 54 in the first
half. Goal scoring has been stronger in the second half as well. The Jayhawks have put the ball in the net 11 times in the final 45 minutes and only five times in the opening half.
Such troubles have not been a concern on the defensive side of the ball. The defense has allowed 42 shots in the first half and 40 in the second, and has given up 15 first- half goals and 11 second-half goals.
"We've been a little up and down lately," sophomore midfielder Jessica Bush said. "But we know we have a good team."
Kansas plays another team that's been up and down this season at 7 tonight. Creighton (5-5-1) has split its weekend pair of games every time this season except once, when it tied one and lost one. The Bluejays return nine starters from last season's 12-victory team. The Jayhawks won the two teams' last
Nebraska (6-2-2, 1-1) is a team that Kansas is all too familiar with. The Cornhuskers ended the Jayhawks' season two years in a row. They beat Kansas last year in the Big 12 Tournament, and ended the Jayhawks' season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. Nebraska holds an 11-1-2 overall advantage against Kansas, which proves the Huskers are an historically tough opponent for the Jayhawks to beat.
match-up in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
"We have the speed and talent," Francis said. "Only time will tell if this group has the leadership and killer instinct."
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
— Edited by Kristen Jarboe
THIS WEEKEND ONLY AT THE HAWK
THIS WEEKEND ONLY AT FRIDAY, SEPT. 29
SPECIALS:
$2.75 Coronas, Pacificos and Red Stripes
$2.50 Domestic Bottles
$3.50 Double Bacardi Drinks
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 BAR OPENS AT 4 P.M.
FREE HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS
$2 Big Beers
$3.50 Double Skyy, Double Jim Beam & Double Admiral Nelson Drinks
GO JAYHAWKS! BEAT THE HUSKERS! WE WILL BE SHOWING THE GAME
THE BOOM-BOOM ROOM.
THE MARTINI ROOM.
THE PATIO.
THE PINE ROOM.
87 YEARS OF TRADITION.
ONLY AT THE HAWK.
www.jayhawkcafe.com
brought to you by