THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007
7B
DAVISON (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
choose Manhattan? In a way, K-State fans knew that Huggins was not the most admirable character guy, so it shouldn't come as that big of a shock that he bolted after one season.
But this does not bode well for Kansas.
The Jayhawks and Big 12 conference need a coach like Bob Huggins in its conference to make it back to the elite status. This pretty much guarantees that the Big 12 will still only get four, maybe five, teams in the NCAA tournament. The days when the Big 12 got six walked out the door a few years back, and when it looks like it might get back to that elite status, Huggins leaves.
Kansas coach Bill Self was a sup
porter of Huggins all season. And for good reason, because coaches want other coaches in their conference to field competitive teams.
Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.
Reports on GoPowercat.com mention assistant coach Frank Martin as the leader to become the next head coach — and hold together the top recruiting class in the country. If Martin is able to keep Beasley and Walker in Manhattan it will be miraculous.
But whomever K-State findts to replace Huggins, I'm pretty sure the downtown district will still be Aggieville.
Edited by Will McCullough
GOLF
Rose leads as Masters begin with unlikely turn of events
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The cheers broke the morning calm at Augusta National when Arnold Palmer took a mighty swing at his ceremonial tee shot. For the next 11 hours Thursday, the Masters were mute.
Throw together a course that has grown 500 yards with brittle conditions, and there wasn't much to cheer.
Justin Rose was as proud of his 15 pars as his three birdies in a round of 69, which left him atop the leaderboard with Masters
rookie Brett Wetterich. It was the highest score to lead the first round at the Masters in eight years
Tiger Woods tossed away a solid round with bogeys on his final two holes for a 73. Phil Mickelson shot a 76, his worst start at the Masters in 10 years, and still was optimistic about winning another green jacket. Never mind that no one has ever won the Masters after opening with a score worse than 75.
Then again, this was not the Masters everyone has come to embrace the last several years. Birdies were rare. And the so-called "cathedral of golf" was every bit of that for one reason.
Associated Press
Victory would grab Showdown lead
TENNIS
BY RUSTIN DODD
If you think that the Border rivalry with Missouri isn't as fierce in non-revenue sports such as tennis, think again.
Junior tennis players Lauren Hommell and Stephanie Smith already have one trip to Columbia under their belts, and it wasn't a pleasant journey.
"People are rude to you when you go out to eat," Hommell said.
Smith said that so far funny faces and rude comments have been the extent of their troubles. However, there is a rumor that the team is not allowed to drive a van marked with "Kansas," because a Missouri fan
"I'm not sure if that's true," Smith said. "It didn't happen to me."
once put water in the van's gas tank.
Practical joles aside, Kansas will go to Missouri on Saturday hoping to gain a victory after three consecutive losses. Kansas defeated Missouri 6-1 last season. A victory against Missouri this year would provide a key conference victory for a Kansas team that sits 2-4 in the Big 12 Conference and 4-11 overall.
"We need to beat the — well I hate to say lesser teams — but the more beatable teams," Hommell said.
Missouri (6-10) would fit into that category. Missouri is 1-7 in the Big 12 Conference and enters Saturday's match having lost seven of their last eight.
Hommell and Smith said that the team had been concentrating on improving in doubles at practice.
"It seems that every time we get the doubles point, we get the win," Smith said.
Smith is right about the doubles point, which goes to the team that wins at least two of the three doubles matches. Kansas is 4-0 when winning the doubles point and 0-11 when losing it. Kansas does benefit by having one of the strongest No. 1 doubles teams in the Big 12. Junior Elizaveta Avdeeva and sophomore Edina Horvath are currently 12-3 and 5-1 in the Big 12.
A victory for Kansas would also give Kansas three points and a 15-13 advantage against Missouri in the
annual Border Showdown series, which awards points for all sports. Kansas currently trails 12-13, but won the event last year 23-17.
After Missouri, Kansas finishes the season with four Big 12 matches against Kansas State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
"We're all keyed up this match," Smith said. "Hopefully we can get a victory and have success the rest of the season."
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd@kansan.com.
Edited by Kelly Lanigan
Japanese pitcher stuns players, fans
BY DOUG TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After striking out three times, Ryan Shealy sounded amazed.
"I didn't know he threw that hard," he said.
With millions of early rising viewers keeping track on Japanese television, Daisuke Matsuaka struck out 10 in seven innings in his major league debut Thursday to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Kansas City Royals 4-1.
Dice-K was more than OK in his major league debut.
"I can't say that my overall condition was that great today, but I think the role of a starting pitcher is to set up
the game and give my teammates the opportunity to win," he said through an interpreter. "I feel like I was able to do that today, so I was satisfied."
On a cold, blustery afternoon, Matsuzaka (1-0) allowed six hits, including a sixth-inning homer by David Delesus, and walked one. He looked every bit the ace Boston committed $103 million to.
"Any time you have that good of a fastball and the offside to go with it, it's tough," Shealy said. "He mixes up speed on his pitches and moves it in and out. You can't really get comfortable with."
His fastball clocked at 95 mph and his famed array of fastballs, changeups and breaking pitches at times was dazzling.