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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007
Cardinals pitcher bides his time
BY R.B. FALLSTROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS - In the St. Louis Cardinals' first three victories this season, Ryan Franklin was responsible for eight of the nine outs in the eighth inning.
That was supposed to be Josh Kinney's job. Instead, he's at the start of a long rehab trail after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery during spring training.
"The staying sane part, that's the key right there," Kinney said. "The physical part doesn't scare me. It's not playing baseball for a year."
The timing is devastating. Kinney,28, traveled the back roads to the major leagues, beginning his career with the River City Rascals of the Independent League in the distant St. Louis suburbs.
He finally made it to the major leagues in July 2006, promptly allowing a home run ball on
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"The beauty of it is that I can sit and observe now,try and keep my mind sharp."
the first pitch he threw to Ryan Langerhans of the Atlanta Braves, and after 10 games he was sent back to Triple-A Memphis. But by the end of the season he had fully earned the team's trust.
JOSH KINNEY
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
Kinney had a 3.24 ERA in 24 regular-season games, and didn't allow a run in seven post season games covering 61/3 innings while holding the opposition to three hits in 20 at-bats, a
Suddenly, he's yesterday's news, and without a major league decision for his baseball card.
Henry T's • Henry T's • Henry T's • Henry T's • Henry T's • Henry T's • Henry T's
Monday
.150 average. He earned the victory in Game 2 of the NI.JS with a scoreless eighth, escaping when he induced the Mets' Carlos Beltran to ground into an inning-ending double play with two men on.
"He was a very important part of our bullpen," manager Tony La Russa said.
up six earned runs in one inning over two games for a 27.00 ERA, his spot was not in danger.
When the right-hander struggled early in spring training before the injury was diagnosed, giving
"At this stage of the game you have to let that new ligament tighten up and let everything settle back down to normal, get the inflammation out," he said. "You can see it's getting better every day."
The brace is designed to prevent Kinney from fully straightening his arm.
On opening day in St. Louis, while teammates were on the field getting ready for a big day of festivities, Kinney sat in street clothes at his locker stall. He wore a large brace on his right arm and awaited an appointment with team medical personnel.
"That's when this game can be really cruel," La Russa said. "He really hasn't made any money yet."
"I've called all my old friends and everybody I haven't talked to in years," he said. "I've made the best of it.
Tom Gannam/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The surgery on March 13 revealed the ligament had torn off the bone. The cast was removed four days before the season opener from an operation that had no complications.
For now he's like the fans that pack Busch Stadium, just an observer.
Kinney said. "Everything went real smooth, pretty fast, with no troubles."
"The procedure went great,"
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Kinney won't play this year. Kinney, who looked to be a key figure in the 2007 Cardinals bullpen, is out for the season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery during baseball spring training.
"It's going to be a good opportunity to speak with some other people about this type of thing."
Next spring training, he wants to be back in the mix.
Kinney said he'll do anything to make it back. At times patience is required.
>> PGATOUR
Masters boasts highest scores in 50 years
BY DOUG FERGUSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods called it the hardest Masters he had ever seen, and the numbers back him up.
There were twice as many bogeys as birdies, and that doesn't account for the 230 double bogeys or worse. There were only 34 rounds under par all week. Perhaps the most surreal sight at Augusta National was the large leaderboard behind the 18th hole awash in green numbers,
Zach Johnson finished at 289 matching the Masters record for the highest winning score.
And we're only getting started.
Johnson's score was the highest to win a major since Paul Lawrie shot 290 and won a playoff in the '99 British Open at Carnoustie, long considered the toughest links in the world, known in British tabloids as "Car-nastv"
That's where these guys are heads ed this summer.
In between is a trip to Oakmont.
The last time the U.S. Open went there, Ernie Els shot 74 in a playoff and still won.
By the time they get to the PGA Championship, Southern Hills might seem like Indian Wells.
Majors are supposed to be hard.
And yes, that includes Augusta National.
Along with being the highest-scoring Masters in more than 50 years, it also was one of the most quiet Masters in recent memory.
The sound at Augusta National is as inherent as the sights. It was
muted for much of the week as the world's best players hung on for dear life on a bone-dry course, in swirling wind, in weather more suited for a Green Bay Packers game in late October and on greens so firm it was difficult to get the ball close for birdie, much less par.
The degree of difficulty was indicative not only by the scores, but by the starting times Sunday. The last group teed off at 2:15 p.m., 45 minutes earlier than usual because it was taking so long to putt out.
Does all this mean the Masters was a disaster?
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Hardlv.
Augusta National is known for its explosive nature, particularly on the back nine on Sunday. It was a double eagle by Gene Sarazen on the 15th hole in 1935 that put this tournament on the map. It was a 30 on the back nine by Jack Nicklaus in 1986 that for many remains the most famous Sunday in Masters history. Phil Mickelson won his first Masters with five birdies over the final seven holes.
Sometimes, conditions don't allow for such fireworks.
That alone doesn't make the Masters any less memorable.
An hour before the final round, Jim Nantz and CBS Sports showed a colorized broadcast of the 1960 Masters won by Arnold Palmer. The winning score was 282. Palmer
didn't birdie either of the par 5s on the back nine, but rallied to win with a 30-foot birdie on the 17th and a 6-iron to about 6 feet for birdie on the 18th.
What makes the Masters so special among the four majors is returning year after year to Augusta National. It might be longer. Sometimes it's sloppy after a week of rain. Sometimes the dogwoods and azaleas blaze a little brighter.
It's still the Masters.
Golf fans know every hole on the back nine at Augusta National, and since TV coverage was expanded in 2002, they are starting to know every hole on the front. Some years it will be easier to make birdie, some years it will be tough to make par.
This was the latter.
The last time no one broke par at the Masters was in 1966, when Nicklaus, Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer finished at even-par 288. Nicklaus won the next day in an 18-hole playoff, and he wrote about the conditions in his autobiography.
It would be easy to suggest that Augusta National ruined its major by adding nearly a quarter-mile of length since 2001, but that would be measuring the Masters based only on this year.
He said a cold, dry winter had left the fairways sparse. The club decided not to mow too short, which led to flier lies from the fairway.