THE UNIVERSITY DAVID KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2007
SPORTS
MLB
9B
John Sleezer/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, of Japan, steps onto the field at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday as members of the Japanese media record his every step. Matsuzaka is scheduled to make his major league debut today when the Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals.
Dice-K debuts amid media throng
BY DAVE SKRETTA ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima only made it a couple of steps out of the visitor's clubhouse before the throng of Japanese media descended upon him. Reporters shouted questions, camera crews captured every move.
The scene surrounding Boston's rookie earlier this week is a toned-down version of what's expected on Thursday, when Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his major league debut against the Kansas City Royals.
"He's definitely the real deal!
said former Royals pitcher Kyle Snyder, now with the Red Sox. "I was impressed from Day One. He's very serious about his job."
So much so that Matsuzaka has a policy of not speaking to reporters the day before he pitches. And if anybody in the Royals starting lineup has him figured out, they sure weren't willing to tell anyone.
"From what I hear, he's got really outstanding stuff, command of several pitches," Mark Grudzielanek said. "It's great for the game to have somebody come in with all the buildup."
The 26-year-old with the catchy name Dice-K is generating plenty
of buzz in a city where opening day often is the only sellout and interest in the Royals routinely wanes by early lune.
Boston pitching coach John Farrell doesn't anticipate a huge crowd and about 200 members of the media including 127 from Japan to cause much of a stir for a young man who has been in the public view for years.
Farrell also isn't worried about the fatigue Matsuzaka experienced late in spring training, saying he felt good after a bullpen session on Tuesday. Farrell's only concern is an expected gametime temperature in the low
50s.
"He has pitched in cold weather. It's been on rare occasions because their home ballpark was a dome," Farrell said. "But the one great thing about pitching on a cold day is the warmest guy in the field is the starting pitcher."
And if you consider the intense spotlight Matsuzaka has been under since arriving in Kansas City, he should already be plenty warm.
Royals officials convinced Red Sox manager Terry Francona to let them know in advance when Dice-K would be pitching so they could be better prepared for the media.
NFL
Broncos attempt to woo punter
BY ARNIE STAPLETON ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — The Broncos agreed to a one-year deal with free agent Todd Sauerbrun on Tuesday, bringing the troubled punter back to the team that released him last season.
Sauerbrun's agent, David Canter, said the deal could be worth more than the $1.395 million Sauerbrun was due to make in Denver in 2006 before being jettisoned by the Broncos.
The New E ng l a nd D Patriots have a week to match the incentive-laden offer.
Sauerbrun started last season with Denver but lost his job while serving four years.
were the only team to give him an opportunity last year when a lot of other teams wouldn't."
"Todd feels like Denver is a place where he has unfinished business. And he also feels a lot of admiration for the Patriots."
Sauerbrun, a 13-year veteran who also kicks off, has a career punting average of 44 yards with a net average of 36. He made the Pro Bowl three straight times, between 2001 and 2003, when he was with the Carolina Panthers.
Sauerbrun said he knowingly took an over-the-counter weight loss product last summer that he
suspension for using the banned dietary supplement ephedra.
DAVID CANTER
Todd Sauerbrun's agent
When no other team offered him as much as a look, he suggested he was being blackballed by the league. The Patriots signed him just before Christmas and he punted for them through the playoffs.
If New England declines to match Denver's offer, Sauerbrun would compete with last year's starter, Paul Ernster.
Sauerbrun has said hed like to return to Denver but also feels a debt of gratitude to New England.
"Todd feels like Denver is a place where he has unfinished business," Canter said. "And he also feels a lot of admiration for the Patriots, who
strongly suspected contained ephedra, which the NFL banned after the death of Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer during training camp in 2001. Players are randomly
tested and can be suspended after the first violation.
That drew the ire of Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who said the punter is the only player on the team who can be fat as far as he was concerned.
Sauerbrun, who packs 215 pounds on his beefy 5-foot-10 frame and who was fined by the Panthers for eating too much, said at the time that he worries about his weight all the time.
He also said he especially regretted letting down Shanahan, who gave him a fresh start after a trouble-filled stint in Carolina, and that he hoped he could make it up to him someday.
MLB
Mets sweep World Series champions
BY R.B. FALLSTROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — John Maine kept the St. Louis Cardinals' bats quiet and Carlos Beltran homered twice and drove in four runs, helping the New York Mets sweep the World Series champions with a 10-0 victory Wednesday night.
Jose Reyes also homered and had
three RBIs for the Mets, who were 8-1 to start last season en route to an NL-high 97 wins before they were eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLCS. The season-opening series is for much lower stakes, of course, although the Mets were able to spoil a pair of World Series celebrations while outsourcing the Cardinals 20-2.
The Mets romped in 41-degree temperature at game time, a pre-
Kvle Ericson/ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Louis Cardinals' David Eckstein converts a fifth inning double play as he forces out New York Mets' Shawn Green during their baseball game on Wednesday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Eckstein's throw forced out Jose Valentín at first base.
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CHEESEBURGER FRIES AND A SODA
FRIES
after aodd Monday-Thursday 11 am-2pm
cipitious drop from the opener on Sunday night when it was 72 degrees. They started a season 3-0 for the first time since 1994, when they won three straight at Chicago.
Braden Looper's first major league start after 572 relief appearances was a bright spot for the Cardinals, who started 0-3 for the first time since 2001.
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The Cardinals were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the series and the lone hit, a single by Preston Wilson in the opener, did not produce a run because Beltran's strong throw from center field caught David Eckstein trying to score from second.
The last time the Cardinals lost three straight at home to start the season was in 1969, the year after they lost a seven-game World Series to Mickey Lolich and the Detroit Tigers.
Over 50 years at 14th and Ohio - Open for lunch Monday, Saturday, 11-2
Looper, who saved 57 games for the Mets in 2004 and '05, didn't allow a runner in scoring position until the sixth when Beltran hit a two-run homer just inside the right-field foul pole. Shawn Green added an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.
Wilson committed a two-base error when he missed pinch-hitter Julio Franco's fly to right in the Mets' five-run eighth, the Cardinals' third outfield miscue in the series.
Maine, who capped his rookie season by beating the Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS, retired the first 12 batters. Scott Rolen singled softly to left and Jim Edmonds walked to open the fifth before Maine recovered to retire nine of the last 10.
Maine struck out six, fanning Chris Duncan and Wilson twice each. Edmonds drew a second walk with two outs in the seventh.
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