THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2007
SPORTS
7B
>> HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
New York bans metal bats
BY SARA KUGLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Metal bats will be banned from high school baseball in the nation's largest school system starting this September after the City Council on Monday overrode a mayoral veto of the bill.
The measure outlawed metal bats under the theory that they produce balls with greater velocity and raise the risk of injury because of less reaction time. Opponents, including Little League Baseball and equipment suppliers, say there is no evidence metal bats are more dangerous.
Youth leagues and lawmakers are proposing similar bans in other areas, including New Jersey, where
a 12-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious injuries after a batted ball struck him in the chest.
In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the bat ban this month, saying the issue should be left up to those who run the youth leagues, not the government. But the City Council overwhelmingly knocked down the veto by a vote of 41-4.
"What we're trying to do is reduce risk," said Councilman James Oddo, the sponsor of the bill.
Opponents argue that there is no scientific evidence proving metal bats pose a greater danger than wood bats and that the anti-metal movement relies on emotional anecdotes instead of data.
Shortly after the council's vote, a group of opponents announced plans to file a federal lawsuit seeking to block the ban.
Donald Douglas, director of the Public Schools Athletic League, joined the suit and said in a statement that baseball "is safe and thriving a generation after metal bats were introduced." He said there was "no compelling reason to make a change."
Little League president Stephen D. Keener, who was not part of the suit, issued a statement saying the organization is "disappointed in the action taken today by the New York City Council to override the logic and sensibility of Mayor Bloomberg's veto."
NFL
Gerald Herbert/ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Bush holds up an Indianapolis Colts football team jersey with quarterback Peyton Manning during a ceremony honoring the 2007 NFL Super Bowl Champions, the Indianapolis Colts, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday.
Colts honored at White House
BY BEN FELLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Apparently, President Bush has taken notice while flipping the channels.
WASHINGTON — Even when football season ends, superstar quarterback Peyton Manning is hard to miss on TV. He has become such a marketable pitchman that his commercials — a sports drink here, a credit card company there — seem endless.
"So a lot of people here in the White House compound have been really looking forward to seeing Peyton Manning," Bush said Monday on the South Lawn. "They wanted to see a guy who gets more
air time than I do."
The good-natured poke came as Bush welcomed another championship team to the White House: The Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17, in a pounding rainstorm last February to become Super Bowl champs. On Monday, players basked in the sunshine below the South Portico, as Bush hailed them for ignoring naysayers and playing as a well-balanced team.
Soaring above
As he usually does at these events, Bush played up the theme of perseverance. He liked that the Colts fought through ups and downs.
"Isn't that what life is about, isn't it really?" Bush said. "Through the ups — it's easy to fight hard in the ups. It's when the downs come that
you've got to be a fighter."
The team's coach, Tony Dungy, became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. Long one of the most respected figures in the National Football League, Dungy coped with the suicide of his son, James, in late 2005. Bush alluded to that.
"He is a man who has used his—a position of notoriety to behave in a quiet and strong way in the face of personal tragedy that has influenced a lot of our fellow citizens." Bush said of Dungy, who stood next to him on stage. "And I want to thank you for your courage."
David J. Phillip/ASSOCIATED PRESS
North Carolina's Brandan Wright leaps for a dunk during a 71-56 victory against Boston College in a semi-final game of the Men's Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament in Tampa, Fla., March 10, 2007. Wright, a freshman plans to enter the NBA draft in June. The 6-foot-9 forward said during a news conference Monday, he doesn't intend to sign with an agent yet — a move that would keep open the possibility of a return to school next year. But coach Roy Williams said Wright was almost certain to remain in the draft.
NBA
Denver, San Antonio prep for Game 2 of playoff series
SAN ANTONIO — Now the task gets even tougher for the Denver Nuggets.
"They're going to come at us
After taking Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with San Antonio on Sunday, the Nuggets are preparing to face a Spurs team desperate for a home win on Wednesday night.
like they havent won a game all season," said Nuggets guard Alen Iverson, who combined with Carmelo Anthony to score 61 points in the 95-89 victory. "And we understand that."
"We've got to come out extremely hard, we've got to play as hard as we did last night but harder."
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich didn't mind how his team's league-leading defense performed It's the Spurs' offense that has him
"Carmelo and Allen were great, they made shots and their defense was better in stopping us than our defense was in stopping them overall, I guess." Popovich said. "We didn't stop their stars and they stopped ours. That's the bottom line."
concerned, and the improvement must start with his All-Stars.
Popovich and the Spurs practiced and watched film Monday.
Associated Press
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