4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007
MLB
Cardinals struggle in wake of tragedy
St. Louis swept after pitcher's death
BY CHRIS JENKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE — As the St. Louis Cardinals prepare to remember a lost teammate, they'd just as soon forget about their last three games.
The Cardinals lost 4-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, leaving them swept and dazed in their first series since the death of relief pitcher Josh Hancock.
St. Louis has lost five in a row overall and spent much of its three-game series in Milwaukee looking
lost in the field and crossed up at the plate.
"You've got to fight through it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "This club will prove it'll fight. That's why I'm confident we're going to improve."
Milwaukee Brewers' Corey Hart steals second base as the St. Louis Cardinals David Eckstein tries to tag him in the fourth inning Wednesday in Milwaukee. The Cardinals lost 4-0
"This club's proven it'll fight. That's why I'm confident we're going to improve."
But first, St. Louis must take another tough step in an emotional week. The Cardinals are off Thursday but will travel to Tupelo, Miss., to attend a memorial service for Hancock, killed in a highway wreck early Sunday.
La Russa said earlier that while attending the service won't be easy for the team, it's the right thing to do.
TONY LA RUSSA
Cardinals manager
"It's hard to imagine that being a positive, but I think it's important to do," La Russa said. "I think it's important for his family and our organization to do it, but it won't be a positive day."
against the reigning World Series champions, Milwaukee has won nine of 11 overall and has the best record in baseball at 18-9. Prince Fielder hit a two-run single off Anthony Reyes (0-5) to help the Brewers earn their first home sweep of St. Louis since taking four games in April 2002.
"They have a pretty good team," Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols said. "They're young, but they know how to play the game and they can swing the bat. We knew that. Everybody knew that in the league
With three consecutive victories
The Brewers won on Wednes day despite getting only three innings from starter Chris Capuano, who took a sharp combacker off his right calf in
coming into the season."
Brewers manager Ned Yost made the decision to pull Capuano, who wanted to keep pitching. Yost expects Capuano to make his next start.
the second and pitched one more inning before he was taken out of the game.
"For him to come in and throw up zeros was huge," Capuano said. "It helped the hitters relax and put the ball in play."
Carlos Villanueva (2-0) pitched four scoreless innings in relief for the victory, allowing two hits and walking two.
Villanueva loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but struck out Scott Spiezio and got Gary Bennett on a deep fly to left.
"He came in and held down the fort, and got the 'W' for himself," Yost said.
Matt Wise tossed two scoreless innings to complete the five-hitter. Milwaukee's first shutout of the season. The Cardinals were blanked for the third time.
Reyes struck out a season-high eight, but gave up four runs — three earned — in six innings.
"He pitched well, didn't deserve to lose," La Russa said.
Reyes said he expects the team to snap out of its slump soon.
"We're not going to go on like this all season," he said. "These guys are professionals, and everyone works hard on the team. It's just one of those things we have to go through right now."
La Russa isn't allowing the team to use Hancock's death as an excuse for its poor play — mostly because the Cardinals weren't playing particularly well beforehand.
"That's obviously always going to be in the back of your mind the rest of the year, and a lot of people, the rest of our lives," outfielder Skip
Schumaker said, "But once you step on the field, I think we've got to move on from that — not put it past us, but we've got to compete when we're on the field. Before and after, obviously, you can dwell upon it. But during it, it's a competition out there and you've got to compete."
Pujols said the team had weathered tough times in the past. He was a member of the club when pitcher Darryl Kile died in 2002.
"Everybody knows the organization, we pull through." Pujols said. "I think the best thing is, you have a
great group of guys here. It's not like you've got guys who don't care about what we're going through."
Reyes said he expected an emotional day on Thursday.
"It is, but I'm just thinking about baseball right now and trying not to think of anything else," he said.
NOTES:
J. J. Hardy extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the fourth. ... Pujols pushed his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the first.
》 PRO-AM GOLF
Jordan, Woods team up at event
BY DOUG FERGUSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The gallery stood a dozen rows deep and spilled down both sides of the fairway, the kind of scene Tiger Woods is used to seeing on the weekend at a major championship. This was only a pro-arm round Wednesday at the Wachovia Championship.
Chuck Burton/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tiger Woods, left, and Michael Jordan, right, share a laugh as they walk off the 17th green during the pro-am for the Wachovia Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. N.C. on Wednesday.
And for once, Woods felt part of the crowd.
This is what happens when two of the most celebrated icons in sports are together on the golf course in a public event for the first time. Woods, owner of 12 majors, gladly shared the stage at Quail Hollow with Michael Jordan, owner of six NBA titles and five MVPs.
"This is great," Woods said as he waited on the 10th tee. "No one knows I'm here."
That much was clear when he walked out of the clubhouse toward the practice range and some three dozen people didn't even realize he was there because their eyes trained on Jordan pulling his car up to the valet.
Jordan is part-owner of the NBAs Charlotte Bobcats, and although he doesn't spend much time in town, he wanted to play in the pro-am. Woods first played golf with Jordan in 1997 in Chicago. While they often get together on the golf course, his camp asked tournament officials if they could be paired on Wednesday.
"We know a few people," Woods said with a laugh. "No, the tournament was nice enough to put us together. He's been like my big brother, so it's been great to have him be part of my life. We had a great time today. We always have a great time."
For a pro-am round, it did not lack for entertainment.
Woods and Jordan needle each other endlessly during their private rounds, and they brought the banter to Quail Hollow.
With a cigar in his mouth, Jordan made an eight-foot par putt on the seventh hole, then mimicked Woods as he walked off the green, delivering a fist-pump in slow motion and holding his pose until he was sure Woods was looking.
The showmanship picked up on the back nine
Woods re-teed, and at the top of his back swing, Jordan cleared his throat loud enough to make Woods stop The world's No. 1 player set up over the ball again and hit a hard draw down the middle of the fairway, locking eyes with Jordan in a mock staredown. Jordan then ripped his driver down the fairway, and as he stooped to pick up his tee, looked back at Woods and returned the stare.
Woods was waiting for the 11th fairway to clear when Jordan walked by and kicked his ball off the tee toward a young boy in the gallery. "You can have it," Jordan told the boy.
The chatter was endless, and as always, Jordan was doing most of the talking. He was asked after the round how many majors Woods might have won if he had to be paired with Jordan during the final round.
"Not as many," Jordan said. "I can
"He wins all the time," Woods said of the trash-talking battle. "I'll just throw out a jab every now and then, but basically this is my home court, so it's a little easier for me. On his court, it would be a little different deal."
get in his head.
Woods doesn't argue.
Jordan almost chipped into the water from right of the 17th green, but the ball stopped on the last patch of iand. Woods scooped his ball up with the putter to flip it to Jordan. And, with Jordan holding out his hand, Woods flipped the ball backward and into the lake.
Woods can pick his moments, though.
Filling out their threesome was Skipper Beck, who owns an import car dealership and is a minority investor of the Bobcats.
"I'm comfortable being around Michael," he said. "Throw Tiger in the mix, and I tightened up a little bit."
Radio host to return triple-play ball
》 MLB
Tubbs, co-host of KOA-AM's morning show in Denver, said Wednesday he just wants to give it back to its rightful owner — Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzi.
BY PAT GRAHAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
It's now stored in a Ziplock bag at his home.
Tubbs said he was sitting in the radio station's seats behind the Rockies' dugout with his two kids on Sunday when Tulowitzki turned the 13th unassisted triple play in major league history. Tubbs said he nabbed the ball when Colorado
Tubbs has yet to be contacted by the Rockies for the ball. However, he's heard through the grapevine that Tulowitzki is interested in it.
first baseman Todd Helton threw it into the stands moments after the play.
DENVER — Radio host Steffan Tubbs says he has the ball used in a rare unassisted triple play and has no intention of holding it for ransom or auctioning it off on eBay.
He won't ask for much.
Tubbs announced he had the ball on his KOA-850 radio show Monday and the station issued a statement on his behalf Tuesday night.
"I was thrilled to have the ball," Tubbs said in the statement. "Considering how rare a ball it is, it definitely belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame."
The ball may never wind up in
the Hall because it can't be verified that it's the one from the triple play. However, Tulowitzki's jersey and hat have already been sent to Cooperstown, N.Y.
"I had people sitting around me say, 'We'll sign affidavits,' Tubbs said. "It's a great part of Rockies team history."
The play came in the seventh inning of a Braves-Rockies game with the score tied at 5. Kelly Johnson and Edgar Renteria had reached on singles and were running on a 3-2 pitch when Tulowitzki caught Chipper Jones' line drive close to second base. The rookie stepped on the bag to double up Johnson, then tagged Renteria for the third out.
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