THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2005
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MLB
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 7
Minnesota Twins' Brent Abernathy slides back into third but is tagged out by Kansas City Royals' third baseman Mark Teahen in the ninth inning yesterday. Abernathy was caught off base as he tried to advance to home on a wild pitch by Mike MacDougal and then was thrown out by catcher Paul Phillips.
Ed Zurga/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY DOUG TUCKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Royals hold Twins scoreless
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Emil Brown singled home Denny Hocking with one out in the ninth to lead Kansas City to a 1-0 victory yesterday over the Minnesota Twins, who set a team record by getting 13 hits in a shutout.
The Twins bounced into four double plays and had runners thrown out at third and home. It was also a Royals' record for most hits allowed in a shutout, breaking the mark of 10 which had been done four times.
The Twins' previous record for hits in a shutout was 12 in a 1-0 loss to the California Angels in 1975.
Hocking singled off Matt Guerrier (0-3) leading off the ninth, and reached second when third baseman Terry Tiffee misplayed a grounder by Chip Ambres. Terry Mulholland relieved and struck
out Matt Stairs, before Brown grounded a single just inside the bag at third.
Mike MacDougal (3-4)
pitched the ninth for the win.
The Twins had runners at second and third with one out in the ninth but pinch runner Brent Abernathy was thrown out at third after MacDougal's pitch to Michael Ryan sailed to the backstop. Abernathy started to come home, then changed his mind and tried to get back to third but catcher Paul Phillips' throw beat him.
Ryan then took a called third strike. It was the second straight game every Twins starter hit safely.
ouis
Kyle Loheg gave up only three hits and one walk in seven innings and had a perfect game until Terrence Long's two-out single in the fourth. The veteran right-hander did not allow another baserunner until Paul Phillips doubled into right-center leading off
the sixth.
Royals starter Mike Wood gave up eight hits and two walks in six innings but kept the Twins scoreless with the help of double plays in the first, second and fourth. He was relieved starting the seventh by Andrew Sisco.
The Royals turned an unusual double play to keep the Twins from scoring in the fourth. With runners at first and second and one out, Tiftee grounded to first baseman Joe McEwing. He threw to second for the force out there, but the throw back to first to get Tiftee was late.
Jacque Jones, who had singled leading off the inning, tried to score from second but was cut thrown out at home by Wood, who had covered first.
The Twins also had two runners on base with one out in the first and second innings but Jones and Mike Redmond each rolled into double plays.
Jones also bounced into a double play in the eighth.
Notes: 1B Mike Sweeney missed his third straight game with pain in his lower back. Manager Buddy Bell said it was not believed as serious as the upper back pain, which had sidelined Sweeney for long periods before. ... Twins 2B Nick Punto made an outstanding play in the first, dividing to his right to stop Long's hard-hit grounder and then throwing him out from his knees. ... Ryan's single in the seventh stretched his hitting streak to a career-high seven games. ... A moment before he broke up Lohse's no-hitter with two out in the fourth. Long fouled a ball off his right leg and lay on the ground in pain. He finally got up and then rifled a single into right, but was replaced at the top of the fifth in left field by Ambres. The Royals said Long had a bruise on his lower right leg.
HURRICANE KATRINA
Future uncertain for New Orleans Saints
BY DAVE GOLDBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
There is only one certainty about the New Orleans Saints' future: They will live and work out of the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio for a while.
Beyond that, question marks abound. It's highly unlikely they'll be able to hold their home opener Sept. 18 at the Superdome — and they may not be able to play there at all this season after the stadium was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
And all of those sites could host other home games for the Saints, who escaped the hurricane by flying with their families last weekend to San Jose, Calif. New Orleans plays at Oakland on Thursday night in its final exhibition game.
While the Saints and NFL officials have been discussing a variety of alternatives, they haven't talked yet with many of the people at the proposed sites.
So that first game against the New York Giants could be at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Or at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. Or even at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Following the Raiders game, the Saints will go to San Antonio, where they will stay at the same hotel they stayed at last season when Hurricane Ivan chased them out of New Orleans in the second week of the regular season.
"We can say is LSU an option, yeah, but is it an option with them?" Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said Wednesday by phone from San Jose. "That's the next hurdle. We haven't crossed that hurdle yet."
Only one hurdle has been crossed.
The Saints will also use the same practice facilities at
Trinity University, so they will have, as Benson put it, "a certain comfort level with where we are."
That would seem to make the Alamodome, which holds 65,000 for football, a logical alternative, although it's about 550 miles from New Orleans, farther than the NFL would like.
But at this point, no one really knows the options.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and league officials have discussed the situation over the past few days. Location hasn't been the most important topic.
"We've been talking about how we as a league can assist with relief efforts," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Not only for Saints players and officials and their families, but also for a lot of other players in the league who live or have families in the region."
The Saints aren't the only ones in sports affected by the damage done to the 65,000-seat Superdome.
Bowl Championship Series spokesman Bob Burda said Sugar Bowl officials hoped to meet within the next few weeks to talk about what to do with the game scheduled for Jan. 2 in the Superdome.
It's unlikely officials would want to let the Sugar Bowl leave Louisiana, even for just a year. Independence Stadium, home of the Independence Bowl, in Shreveport has been renovated in recent years and holds about 53,000. Tiger Stadium could also be a plausible option, with a capacity of almost 92,000.
"It's just too early on their end to even speculate," said Burda, adding that bowl officials had been in contact with BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg.
None of the options for the Saints seem ideal.