SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN A. A. R. C. B. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S. T. U. V. W. X. Y. Z. STARTING SPOTS OPEN PAGE 6B 100 WWW.KANSAN.COM WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 22,2007 SLIPPING TO LAST PLACE PAGE 8B GIRL POWER PAGE 1B Gambling destroys careers, sports 11 DAYS TO KICKOFF Players value cash over championships SEE GAMBLING ON PAGE 3B BY ERICA JOHNSON KANSAN SFOORTS COLUMNIST EJOHNSON@KANKSAN.COM In today's sports world, it seems as if it's only about the money. Professional athletes in every Because he is a high-profile athlete who is cooperating with the investigators, he will probably get a lesser sentence. I understand that college athletes would tend to gamble or place bets because they are not being paid to play. They are seen in the public eye throughout their career so everything is going to be discovered about their lives. Nevertheless, in our society, no one is ever satisfied with the amount of money he or she has — everyone always wants more. Gambling in sports first sparked controversy almost a hundred years ago. In the 1919 World Series, the Chicago Black Sox — I mean White Sox — played the Cincinnati Reds. The famous Black Sox scandal started when it was discovered that Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other Chicago players fixed the World Series. If it's only about the money. Professional athletes in every major sport are signing contracts worth millions of dollars every year. Championships and the Hall of Fame don't seem to be as important to athletes nowadays as how much money they are going to make that year. Recently Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been accused of having dog fighting events in one of his homes. He pleaded guilty to these charges on Monday, and who knows whether he will play in the NFL ever again. Ever since then, gambling in sports has increased. Pete Rose is another famous baseball player who has admitted to fixing games just to earn the extra money. He is the all-time major league leader in hits, made 17 All-Star appearances and has other records that stand today. In 2004, the NCAA did a gambling study that showed 35 percent of male athletes and 10 percent of female athletes bet on college sports that influenced the outcome of games. The study also stated that it was more likely for a Division III athlete to gamble on games than a Division I athlete. So why do professional athletes gamble when they have all this money to begin with? He is one of the greatest players ever to play the game, yet he is banned from Major League Baseball completely because of his actions. In 2004 Rose admitted to betting on the Reds while playing for and coaching the team. He will never be fully recognized for his accomplishments because he chose to bet on the sport he played just to have more money. Former NHL great Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones were said to also be involved in some part of Tocchet's operation but this has not been proven. In May 2007, Tocchet pled guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling. His punishment? Two years probation. Professional athletes and coaches are not the only ones who have been found to gamble on sporting events. Many college athletes have also placed bets. Former Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet was accused of being the ringleader and overseeing a gambling operation. He allegedly made up to $500,000 in bets in various sports. I do not think that any of these athletes' punishments are fair. Just because you have been in the spotlight and are considered a high profile athlete or coach does not mean that you should have a lesser punishment. the Jayhawks near the start of the 2007 season, the team has many new players vying for starting spots. But some players who have been around for a few years, like senior kicker Scott Webb, hope to give stability and leadership to the hawks. KANSAN FILE PHOTO New faces practice hard for starting spots on line BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com Kansan staff writer Asher Fusco is previewing KU football, position by position. Tomorrow's edition will profile the defensive line and linebackers. OFFENSIVE LINE Despite the turnover, this year's projected starters have quite a bit of experience. For the past several years the Kansas offensive line has been quiet but effective — made up of established veterans and solid run-blockers. With three former starters lost to graduation, the Kansas coaching staff reshuffled its returning pieces on the line this fall. "We lost three players who were pretty good but we have some guys who have stepped up," offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said. "We've got some older, more The three vacated spots on the offensive line are the interior positions: center, left guard and right guard. Junior Ryan Cantrell is the frontrunner at center. He is one of the most experienced and versatile linemen on the team. In 2005, Cantrell started five games at guard. He appeared in three games last season. experienced guys battling for positions so by the end of camp we're going to be fine" At the team's most recent open practice the competition at right guard had not yet been settled. Juniors Chet Hartley and Rameses Arceo split time with the first team. Hartley was one of the most highly touted members of Kansas' most recent recruiting class. The Butler County Community College transfer drew attention from Florida State but chose Kansas instead. "Chet Hartley is a player who is experienced enough to play right away," Warinner said. "He's 315 pounds and he played a lot of football at Butler (County Community Adrian Mayes is penciled in as the starting left guard. The 305-pound junior, who has only played in one game as a layhawk, looked shaky in preseason practice but impressed coaches enough to earn their confidence. College)." At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Collins is a bona fide NFL prospect and one of the best offensive linemen in the Big 12 Conference. Last year Collins dominated from the right tackle position but he said his teammates' strong play has helped ease the transition. Arceo transferred from Cerritos College before 2006 but took a redshirt in his first season at Kansas. He practiced with the starters for much of last week's open practice. "The line jelled together in the spring and the summer," Collins said. "We were Kansas' strongest position could be offensive tackle. On the right side, senior Cesar Rodriguez is above-average. On the left, junior Anthony Collins is stellar. screaming, hollering, sweating and bleeding together in the hot sun. We really came together because we knew wed have to play together. Rodriguez stands 6-7 and weighs 290 pounds, tall and lanky for a lineman. With his singular athleticism he could help establish the Jayhawks' outside running game and allow sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing to shift the pocket along the line of scrimmage. Though the starting offensive linemen have plenty of talent, depth could be an issue. Redshirt freshman Ian Wolfe is the main backup at tackle. Wolfe is expected to be the team's next star lineman, but he is untested. The reserve interior linemen are junior Matt Darton and redshirt freshman John Marshall. Neither has seen significant playing time. The second string offensive line SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B MEN'S GOLF BY BILL WALBERG bwalberg@kansan.com New coach, young team look forward to progress A word that seems to revolve around this year's men's Golf team is "young." The squad picked up four freshmen, a transfer, and a new coach. Kit Grove, last year's assistant coach, replaced mentor and former coach Ross Randall. Grove has his goals set high this year, but doesn't know how his team will compete this season. Team returns lone senior Joey Mundy "We've got a lot of new blood. It's a unique experience to have more guys coming in than going out." Grove said. The end of last spring started what seems to be a long transition period with the departure of Gary Woodland. Woodland was named to the All-Big 12 Honors list for both his junior and senior seasons. With Woodland gone, the team lacks experience in the NCAA because the Jayhawks return only one senior, Joey Mundy. Injuries also seem to be a problem for the outlook of the season. Sophomore Patrick Roth was out for three months last season for unknown injuries and Zach Pederson is suffering from back problems. But injuries aren't deterring coach Grove's "I'm going to wear these guys out on the short game. It will make good days better and bad days better. It will turn 76's into 73%, which could be the difference for making Regionals or Nationals," Grove said. practice schedule. The Jayhawks start their team qualifiers this weekend, which will allow Grove to understand what each player needs to work on so he can change his practice accordingly. But Grove has a general idea of what they'll focus on this season. Grove also noted that he'll be a little more intense than Coach Randall, especially in regards to the wedge game. SEASON the schedule for the season looks to be an enjoyable one for the Jayhawks. The golf squad will start the season at Poppy Hills Golf Club located in Pebble Beach, Calif., for the St. Mary's Invitational on Sept. 10. Other highlights for the season will include a trip to Kona, Hawaii, to start of the spring season in February. Aside from the rigorous travel, the Jayhawks will play for a Big 12 Title alongside eight other NCAA Regional teams from last year's tournament. With last year's Big 12 Champion Oklahoma State only The team will only be making one home appearance this season, at the University of Kansas Invitational in September. returning four of its golfers from last season, Texas A&M is the likely candidate for this season's best team, returning everyone from last year's runner-up finish. Unfortunately the locations are the only thing pretty about the laj Hawks' schedule. Although it is a difficult schedule, Grove is looking forward to seeing the season progress. "I'm excited to be out there as a coach this season. It's a great feeling. We're young so every shot counts and every round counts," Grove said. Edited by Rachael Gray fall 2007 schedule
DatesEvent & Host SchoolCourseLocation
Sept. 10-11St.Mary's College Invitational St.Mary's CollegePoppy Hills Golf ClubPebble Beach, Calif.
Sept.17-18University of Kansas Invitational University of KansasAlvamar Golf ClubLawrence
Oct.7-8Windon Memorial Classic Northwestern UniversityNorth Shore Country ClubGlencoe, Ill.
Oct.15-16The Prestige at PGA West Stanford&UC DavisGreg Norman CourseLaQuin*a,Calif.atPGA West
Oct.26-28Landfall Tradition UNC WilmingtonLandfall Country ClubWilmington,N.C.
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