KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2011 / SPORTS / 7
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
— Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
FACT OF THE DAY
Q: Which former Kansas Jayhawk scored the most points in the first game of this year's NBA Playoffs?
It was the first time since the NBA Playoffs transitioned into its current format that a No. 6 and No. 7 seed won game one in the same conference. The Memphis Grizzlies beat the No.2 seed San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets beat the No.1 seed Los Angeles Lakers.
— espn.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A: Paul Pierce of the Boston Celts with 18. Kirk Hinrich of the Atlanta Hawks was second with 13.
— espn.com
Bittersweet time for Chicago teams
MORNING BREW
"I'ts postseason time, baby!" Those are the wonderful words of Dick Vitale. How great of a time it is. Basketball just started, hockey is in the middle of the first round... — it truly is magical, because history is in the making.
I'm a big fan of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff commercials on Versus and NBC. They have been doing them for a few years now, but this year is a little more special because the Chicago Blackhawks are featured after they won their first Stanley Cup last season, breaking a 49-year drought. The end of the commercial says, "History can erase 49 years of history."
I am a bigger fan of the Blackhawks and the NHL than the Bulls and the NBA. But this year's Bulls team is trying to do something that hasn't happened since Michael Jordan graced the floor of the United Center. The Bulls are trying to win a title for the first time since 1998, the sixth championship they won since 1991.
Chicago's Game 1 comeback against Indiana on Saturday was important. The Bulls were down 10 with 3:28 left in the game, and went on a 16-1 run to win by five. Their first lead came with 48 seconds left after Kyle Korver drained a 25-foot three pointer. What makes the victory even
MIKE LAVIERI
mlavieri@kansan.com
If you remember the 2008 NCAA championship, Derrick Rose was on the other side of the score. Kansas came back from nine points with 2.09 remaining in the game. He was also the reason that game was forced into overtime. Rose made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left to give Memphis a three-point lead. Had he made both of them, Memphis, not Kansas, would have won the championship. But Rose missed, and the rest is history.
There are so many Kansas ties in the NBA Playoffs this year. Eight Jayhawks—Cole Aldrich, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Nick Collison, Xavier Henry, Kirk
Hinrich, Paul Pierce and Brandon Rush are in the playoffs. After their first game, they combined for a 7-1 record. The lone loss: Brandon Rush's Indiana Pacers to the Chicago Bulls.
I'm pretty much over the NHL Playoffs now that the Blackhawks are in a three-to-zero hole to the Vancouver Canucks. Only three times in the NHL has a team comeback from 3-0 to win the series. It's an uphill climb given Vancouver was the best team in the league.
That's OK though. I would much rather watch the Bulls, who have a legitimate chance to win. Plus, Kansas is a basketball school, not hockey.
Edited by Becca Harsch
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Baseball vs. Saint Mary 6 p.m.
Lawrence
Softball
vs.Tulsa
3 p.m.
lawrence
THURSDAY
Track Kansas Relays All day Lawrence
SOFTBALL
Baseball vs. Texas 6 p.m.
Lawrence
Emily Stokes, a softball recruit from Hamilton, Calif., signed a national letter of intent to play for Kansas in the 2011-2012 season, coach Megan Smith announced Monday.
Track
Kansas Relays
All day
Lawrence
FRIDAY
Stokes, a pitcher, will bring her high school and club ball experience to the team. She is finishing her senior season
track
Kansas Relays
All day
Lawrence
Jayhawks add fifth pitcher for next year
Baseball vs. Texas 6 p.m. Lawrence
with the Hamilton High School Braves, tallying 1,100 strikeouts in her career. In 2010 Stokes was named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State First Team.
During her junior season, she threw a 0.37 ERA and 345 stike-outs. Stokes finished the season at 19-7 from the circle. Stokes also helped her club team, the North Valley Rapids, to their second-straight Amateur Softball Association Nationals
2011 KANSAS SOFTBALL
appearance. Her signing will maintain the five-member Kansas pitching staff since senior pitcher Allie Clark is graduating. Leadership of the relatively young staff will move to junior Ashley Spencer next year.
She joins fellow recruits Lexi Bryant, a catcher from Orland Park, Ill., Chanin Naudin,a third baseman from Prineton, Texas, Cassen Salamone, a pitcher from Nevada, Texas, Maddie
FOOTBALL
Offensive line is revamped and ready for a bowl game
BY MIKE LAVIERI
milavieri@kansan.com
Stein, a catcher and infelder from El Reno, Okla. The 2011 signees will join the softball team in August.
This will be his first season playing with coach Turner Gill at the helm. Spikes played for Mark Mangino for two years before he was injured last year, keeping him
Junior offensive lineman Jeff Spikes is back on the field after what he calls a freak accident. Spikes ruptured his Achilles working out.
Hannah Wise
KUATHLETICS.COM 800-34-HAWKS
out of the 2010 season.
"I'm a little bit older, so the transition wasn't too much for me because I came from a different type of program, but at the same time you already know offense." Spikes said. "Their personalities are the biggest transition."
Spikes is making the transition from the right side of the offensive line to the left side, switching spots with junior Tanner Hawkinson, but he says he's not worried
"We're going to come as a new line this year. We're going to establish ourselves this year."
Senior offensive lineman Jeremiah Hatch also put himself in a position to succeed this spring. He is down to 305 pounds after playing last year between 315 and 320. His goal this offsea-
"Competition only makes us better as individuals," Spikes said. "That's pretty much what our goal is — to always create competition — if you make the individual better, the team will be better."
"Hopefully we can get a bowl game this year," Hatch said. "Well, we will get a bowl game this year."
JEREMIAH HATCH
Offensive lineman
- Edited by Sean Tokarz
he wants to see what everybody can do.
He met his goal for the offseason,but his一and the Jayhawks'一goal is to make it to a bowl game. That's the focus every day for this team.
about where he plays. He says due to his injury, the positions are relatively the same for him; he just wants to work on his fundamentals. He says he welcomes the competition that comes.
son was to lose weight and he can feel it. He says he will be able to move and get to the linebackers quicker.
Coach Turner Gill said the switch isn't etched in stone, but
"We're going to come as a new line this year," Hatch
said. "We're going to establish ourselves this year."
CREATE
DESIGN
EXPLORE
RESEARCH
SHAPE
BUILD
PLAN
YOUR
FUTURE
How to Create Your Perfect Career
Tuesday, April 19th
4-5:30 pm
DISCUSSING WHAT IT TAKES TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS, THE CURRENT JOB MARKET & HOW TO MAKE YOUR PERFECT CAREER A REALITY
Simon's Media Room, Dole Institute Light Food and Refreshments Provided
Featuring:
Wilma Goldstein, former Dole Fellow and Political career insider Will Katz, Director of the Small Business Development Center Melissa Johnson, Assistant Director, University Career Center Renee Kloeblen, small business owner and entrepreneur
ROBERT J. DOLE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS The University of Kansas
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