2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
》 ONE LOVE
Reformed rebel retires from tennis, leaves legacy
I don't know if this is the first column about tennis in the history of this newspaper, but something tells me that past Kansan columnists haven't exactly been having pen fights to determine who gets to share their insights about the sport.
There are several reasons why tennis is sandwiched somewhere between soccer and jai alai in the mind of the American sports fan. For example, there's no tailgating before tennis matches, no crashes or bone-jarring hits and no obnoxious music between points.
BY MARK DENT
KANSAN COLUMNIST
MDENT@KANSAN.COM
But there is one person in tennis who can influence every American sports fan: Andre Agassi.
Agassi, at the age of 36, ended his remarkable tennis career Sunday after losing in four sets to Benjamin Becker at the U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows was a fitting place for the Las Vegas native to end his career. Twenty years ago, a young, different Agassi began his tennis and life journey there.
Long, blond locks of hair and a gaudy wardrobe showcased his
immaturity. His play was good enough to win Grand Slams, but he was better known for his rebel persona and child-like tantrums. Agassai had an entourage so large that Allen Iverson would be jealous. They made his decisions and put words in his mouth. He shunned Wimbledon because the conservative tournament officials wouldn't allow Agassi's fluorescent garb on the courts.
His life got lost under the clothes he wore. The flash of his apparel blinded people from seeing the real Agassi underneath the extravagant exterior.
Fast forward 20 years to Sunday afternoon. A U.S. Open record crowd cheered raucously for its
hero, who finally succumbed to an aching back that left him nearly immobile in a sport where quick movement is key.
How could tennis fans cheer for a person who seemed more concerned with getting his bandana and earrings to match rather than winning a tennis match?
That's easy. Agassi showed that a real person did live underneath his brazen attire.
It started with Steffi Graf.
First, he divorced his former wife,
Brooke Shields. Then he began
seeing Graf, a former tennis star,
and remodeled his ways.
Tennis became the focal point of his life once again in 1999 as his ranking catapulted from No. 141 to No. 1. Major tennis titles became routine as he polished off the career Grand Slam by winning the French Open and won his eighth and final Grand Slam title in 2001. Agassi's improbable run to the finals of last year's U.S. Open sealed his legendary status.
Philanthropy instead of rebelliousness became Agassi's
new trademark off the court. He launched the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation and has, according to the charity's Web site, collected more than $52 million for underprivileged children in Las Vegas.
After making a surprising run to the third round at this year's Open, Agassi spoke between sobs to his fans for the last time on a tennis court. He could take solace in the fact that he changed into a better person throughout his career and inspired many to do the same thing in their own lives.
Next time you're watching television and see mainstream athletes like Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens reinforcing their already selfish images, I hope you see and learn something from the latest Agassi ad. It contains his new motto and personifies everything the man stands for: Substance is everything.
Mark Dent is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism.
Edited by Jacky Carter
》FOOTBALL
Big game gets bigger as Ohio, Texas top rankings
BY RALPH D. RUSSO ASSOCIATED PRESS
As if Ohio State at Texas wasn't already a big enough game, now it's No. 1 vs. No. 2.
The Longhorns moved up one spot to No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, right behind the top-ranked Buckeyes.
The two powerhouses will square off in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, a much-anticipated rematch of last year's 25-22 victory by Texas in Columbus, Ohio.
It'll be the first time since 1996 that the top two teams in the AP poll will meet in a regular-season game. That year, No. 2 Florida State beat No. 1 Florida 24-21 in mid-November. The Gators and Seminoles met in a rematch in the Sugar Bowl about a month and a half later, and Florida won 52-20 to earn its only national championship.
Ohio State received 39 firstplace votes and 1,568 points in the poll after opening its season with a 35-12 win over Northern Illinois.
Southern California moved up three spots to No. 3 in this week's first regular-season media poll, and Notre Dame slipped two places to No. 4 after a 14-10 victory at Georgia Tech. The Fighting Irish share the fourth spot with Auburn.
Texas, which began its season with a 56-7 win over North Texas, received seven first-place votes and 1,453 points.
Southern California and Auburn each received three first-place votes. Notre Dame got eight; and No. 6 West Virginia had five. The rest of the Top 10 is Florida, LSU, Florida State — up two spots after a 13-10 win over Miami on Monday night
and Michigan.
No. 11 Tennessee made the biggest jump, rising 12 spots after a 35-18 victory over California. Cal, which has its best preseason ranking in more than 50 years, fell from No. 9 to No. 22 after the meltdown in Knoxville.
Miami slipped five spots to No. 17.
Last year's meeting between Texas and Ohio State was the first between the two storied programs. The Longhorns' comeback victory, led by Vince Young, allowed them to clear a major hurdle on the way to their first outright national title since 1969.
That was also the year Texas was last involved in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular-season matchup. Texas beat Arkansas in 1969 in one of the most famous games in that rivalry.
The Longhorns are 4-0 in No. 1 against No.2 games, the latest coming last season when they beat USC in the Rose Bowl for the national
The following is a list of the Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll. The list includes the number of first-place votes in parentheses, each team's record through Sept. 4, the total points each team received based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and each team's previous ranking:
Associated Press Top 25
Record Pts Pvs
RECORD PLYS PTS
1. Ohio St. (39) 1-0 1,568 1
2. Texas (7) 1-0 1,453 3
3. Southern Cal (3) 1-0 1,453 6
4. Notre Dame (8) 1-0 1,408 2
4. Auburn (3) 1-0 1,408 4
5. West Virginia (5) 1-0 1,356 5
6. Florida 1-0 1,191 7
7. LSU 1-0 1,185 8
9. Florida St. 1-0 1,130 11
10. Michigan 1-0 841 14
11. Tennessee 1-0 839 23
12. Georgia 1-0 836 15
13. Louisville 1-0 820 13
14. Iowa 1-0 800 16
15. Oklahoma 1-0 725 10
16. Virginia Tech 1-0 673 17
17. Miami 0-1 624 12
18. Clemson 1-0 564 18
19. Penn St. 1-0 467 19
20. Oregon 1-0 436 21
21. Nebraska 1-0 358 20
22. California 0-1 212 9
23. TCU 1-0 198 22
24. Texas Tech 1-0 196 25
25. Arizona St. 1-0 134 24
Others receiving votes: Alabama 96, Wisconsin 35, UCLA 29, Georgia Tech 27, Boise St. 25, South Carolina 13, Boston College 11, Texas A&M 11, Pittsburgh 9, Purdue 9, Rutgers 7, Tulsa 7, Arizona 6, Fresno St. 3, Missouri 3, UTEP 2.
title as the second-ranked team.
natio State is 2-0 in 1-2 games,
the last coming in the 2002 Fiesta
Bowl. The No. 2 Buckeyes beat top-
ranked Miami in that game to win
their last national title.
There were no new teams in the Top 25. The only ranked teams to lose on the opening weekend were Cal and Miami.
Georgia came in at No. 12, followed by Louisville, Iowa, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson, Penn State and Oregon. The 19th-ranked Nittany Lions play at Notre Dame in Saturday's other marquee game.
The final five in the rankings were Nebraska, Cal, TCU, Texas Tech and Arizona State.
U. S. OPEN
19th-seeded Serbian defeats No.4 in two sets
BY BEN WALKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Jelena Jankovic lost so many matches in a row this year, she lost count. She figured it was probably time to quit tennis and go back to school in Belgrade.
On Tuesday, Jankovic graduated — to her first Grand Slam semifinal, that is — by taking away No. 4 Elena Dementieva serve and
coasting 6-2, 6-1 at the U.S. Open.
"I cannot believe that I won in two sets." Jankovic said. "What was the score? I don't even know the total score."
Steady drizzle did not dampen Jankovic's day. The 19th-seeded Serbian became the first player to reach this year's semifinals at Flushing Meadows, and will face the winner of the match between Lindsay Davenport and Justine
Dementieva let out a shriek midway through the second set when her shot hit the net tape, popped up and landed on her side. The sound echoed through Arthur Ashe Stadium, and she quietly exited a few games later.
The 21-year-old Jankovic posted the biggest victory of her career, winning every game when Dementieva served.
"She didn't give me any chances," Dementieva said. "She was better."
Jankovic said she's had problems in the past with Dementieva's slow, slicing serves. It was hard to tell this time, though.
"It has some slice on the ball and it's a lot slower than all the other players," Jankovic said. "But now I got used to it somehow."
Dementieva has frequently struggled with her serve. She had so much trouble while losing the 2004 Open final to Svetlana Kuznetsova that she served almost everything sidearm, drawing laughs from the crowd.
athletics calendar
Volleyball vs. Brigham Young, 7 p.m., Jayhawk Classic, Horesei Family Athletics Center
THURSDAY
Soccer, vs. Alabama, 5 p.m., UAB Nike Classic, Birmingham, Ala.
FRIDAY
Cross Country, Kansas State Wildcat Invitational, TBA, Manhattan, Kan.
Football, vs. Louisiana Monroe, 6 p.m., Memorial Stadium
SATURDAY
Volleyball, vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m.
Jayhawk Classic, Horeisi Family
Athletics Center
Men's Golf, Fall NCAA Regional Preview, TBA, Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course, Sugar Grove, III.
SUNDAY
Soccer, vs. Duke, noon, UAB Nike Classic, Birmingham, Ala.
Men's Golf, Fall NCAA Regional Preview, TBA, Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course, Sugar Grove, III.
BASEBALL
Summer league provides practice
BY ALISSA BAUER
This summer, left-handed pitcher Andy Marks headed north to get more experience on the field.
Marks, now a Jayhawk sophomore, spent the summer throwing for the Duluth Huskies in Minnesota. The Huskies play in the Northwoods League, a division of the Summer Collegiate Baseball League. The lefty
started just one game last spring, but used the summer to collect 11 regular season and one postseason start.
It also helps that Marks was a successful pitcher for the Huskies. He collected nine victories during 66 innings in his regular-season starts. His ERA barely rose above 2.00, as he finished the regular season at 2.05, allowing 48 hits and just 15 runs.
Besides a trip to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Marks had never been to Minnesota. Even though Marks spent the entire summer in Duluth and didn't have time to make a
While in Duluth, Marks continued the work he started as a jayhawk. In the 33.2 innings Marks pitched for Kansas last season, he struck out 31 batters and walked 18, mostly in relief roles. As a Husky starter, he walked 30 and struck out 59.
trip home to St. Louis, he has happy memories of his summer.
Marks
"I had a great time," Marks said. "It was good to see a different part of the country."
"I was really excited about it, but mostly excited about my development as a pitcher," Marks said.
Huskies coach David Parra worked with Marks, and called pitches during Marks' outings, contributing to his development. During the summer, Marks focused on new mechanics that resulted in him throwing harder and for more strikes. He also developed a slider to work into his rotation of pitches he plans on using this spring as a layhawk.
"I didn't have the knowledge that I have now, or the confidence," Marks said. "I'm just a totally different pitcher now than I was last spring."
All three of Kansas' starters from its Big 12 tournament championship pitching staff, Sean Land, Ricky Fairchild and Kodiak Quick, are
no longer with the team, leaving coach Ritch Price looking for quality replacements.
"I think when you're a freshman and you play for a top 25 team at a major university, a lot of freshmen get overbooked," the coach said.
"He put it all together this summer," Price said. "We're hoping now that he'll be able to compete for a starting role this spring."
Marks, who tied for the most regular season victories in the Northwoods League, doesn't necessarily think he was overlooked. His role as a relief pitcher last season may have been all he was ready for, although he believes differently now.
"I feel I've grown up
so much," Marks said. "I feel like I can jump in and start on the weekends."
Other Jayhawks were also playing in Dulth. Freshman third baseman Robby Price and junior outfielder Brock Simpson returned to Lawrence in time for classes, but Marks stayed behind. He was scheduled for one more start as a Husky.
With one victory behind in the Northwoods League North Division championship series, Marks started game two against the Thunder Bay Border Cats. Just two outs shy of the complete game, Marks took the loss after allowing three hits and one run. His Huskies lost 1-0. They lost again the next day, ending Duluth's summer.
Four Huskies were named to the Northwoods League postseason All-Star team. Two of them were also Jayhawks. Robby Price, who hit .281 with 27 RBI this summer, and Marks.
"We're excited about these guys," coach Price said. "We're counting on them to step up and replace some big name players."
After his successful summer, Marks could be on his way to becoming a big name player all his own.
"It's such a confidence builder when you can go out there and be one of the better guys on the summer team, and then can bring that back with you to your school team," Marks said.
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
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