2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
SATURDAY
♦ Women's Soccer: vs. Drake, 1:00 PM, Lawrence
♦ Women's Volleyball: KU Alumni, 7:00 PM, Lawrence
SATURDAY
FOOTBALL
Student season tickets ready for pickup and purchase
The athletics department announced that students who purchased a sports pass can pick up their football season tickets starting Aug. 22 at the ticket office on the west side of Memorial Stadium.
Students must sign for their own tickets with a valid KU ID between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Football season tickets for students will be available for sale for $35 and student combination football and basketball season tickets are available for $125.
NBA
Ryan Schneider
Former Trailblazer now a King after failed trade to Nets
The Sacramento Kings signed guard Shareef Abdur-Rahim to a multi-year contract.
Abdur-Rahim was traded to New Jersey three days ago, by Portland, but the Nets rescinded the deal because of medical concerns about the nine-year veteran's right knee.
- The Associated Press
Kansan file photo
Chicago's QB injury puts Bears in sticky situation again
ST.LOUIS - Chicago is once again bracing for a long stretch without quarterback Rex Grossman, who broke his left ankle in the Bears' exhibition loss to the St. Louis Rams.
He will need surgery and is expected to be sidelined for three to four months.
Grossman ruptured a ligament in his right knee in the third game last season. Chad Hutchinson, the Bears' back-up, was 1-4 last year as the starter.
- The Associated Press
WOMEN'S TENNIS
CARSON, Calif. — Maria Sharapova withdrew from the JMorgan Chase Open because of a strained chest muscle, postponing her move to the world No. 1 ranking until Aug. 22.
Unusual circumstances cause two to advance in Open
Fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters reached the semi-final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova. She next will meet Francesca Schiavone, a winner over Conchita Martinez.
Hantuchova advanced via walkover to her third semifinal of the year.
The Associated Press
SOFTBALL
First game looms
BY SAM CARLSON
scarlson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITTER
With the fall season just around the corner, it doesn't appear the Kansas softball team will have any trouble building on last year's success.
The Jayhawks went through changes to improve the program in the offseason, and incoming talent will compliment the returning players.
Freshman pitcher Valerie George, who was named the 4A-5A Arizona State Player of the Year, is expected to make immediate impact for Kansas. She was also a Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-American.
Kansas coach Tracy Bunge said that George will be a critical part of the team's success, because pitching dominates the game of softball.
Freshman infielder Val Chapple could also make an impact. She earned All-American honors last year at Olathe East High School, where she guided her team to an undefeated season. Chapple received the titles of 2005 National High School Softball Athlete of the Year and the 2005 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, for the state of Kansas.
Catcher Erika Simington and utility player Stevie Crisosto round out the list of signees.
Serena Settlemer, Kelso, Wash., then junior, pitched a perfect game against UMKC during the spring season, which was the first perfect game since 1994. Settlemer, a returning starter, and the softball team open their season with two home tournaments Sept. 24-25 and Oct. 1-2 at Arrocha Ballpark.
The cast of newcomers will be supported by an experienced group of returning players. Junior infielder Destiny Frankenstein was an All- Big 12 First Team Selection, last year, as she finished the season with a .371 batting average. Joining her on the All- Big 12 First Team was outfielder Heather Stanley.
The official NCAA softball season is in the spring, but the team understands the importance of the fall season.
The fall will give Kansas a chance to give its freshmen experience at the plate and in the field. Bunge said.
"It will give us a chance to mix our lineup up and move things around," Bunge said. "We want to break our freshmen in."
Frankenstein said she wanted
to establish a gametime atmosphere from the start.
"We go into it thinking that it feels like spring," she said. "It gives us an idea of where we are and it really gives us a guide to what we need to do better."
Kansas will take the field this fall without three of its premier players from last season. Pitcher Kathy McVey was lost to graduation, while pitcher Christina Ross and outfielder Cyndi Duran transferred to other programs.
"Christina's loss is a little bit of a blow to the pitching staff because Christina threw some great innings for us this year," Bunge said.
Junior outfieldier Ashley Frazer will also say goodbye to the team, as Bunge said she is leaving to focus on academics.
She had a team best 1.93 ERA for the Jahways last season.
Kansas will look to build on last year's 31-24 record. The team made the NCAA Softball Regional, but eventually lost to Georgia Tech. Kansas had not made it to a Regional since 1999.
There are still three to four spots left on the roster. Tryouts will be held Friday, August 19, at 4 p.m. in the Wagnon Student Athlete Center.
MONDAY. AUGUST 15,2005
Bonds missed by team, town
Edited by Kellis Robinett
BY JOSH DUBOW THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nearby boats don't blow their horns in celebration anymore. And the rubber chickens that fans waved during intentional walks are mostly collecting dust.
SAN FRANCISCO — Baseballs launched into McCovey Cove float untouched in the water now. The kayakers who once fought for Barry Bonds' splash hits have found better things to do.
It doesn't take a glance to left field, the scoreboard, or the standings to realize something's missing around the San Francisco Giants.
From depressed television ratings to ticket scalpers giving away seats at cut-rate prices, signs of Bonds' season-long absence are everywhere.
"It's been disastrous," said Ted Choi, the owner of City Kayak, which rents boats for fans to take to McCovey Cove. "Basically, the kayak rentals are down to practically none."
When Florida's Carlos Delgado splashed a homer into the cove last month, there was nobody in the bay to retrieve it — and with good reason, because Michael Tucker is the only Giant with a splash hit all season. When Bonds is healthy, fans arrive hours before first pitch to find a place in the water.
With Bonds now saying his knee injury will keep him out of the lineup until 2006, this has turned into a rough year for all the people who have made money off the slugger's home run records and the victories he brings the Giants. Game tickets are one indicator: on the Internet, they're selling for as little as one-quarter of their face value.
"When you've got the excitement I've created — my home runs are a lottery ticket — then you've got a city that's excited." Bonds said earlier this season during a particularly demoralizing losing stretch. "If you win, you're going to create excitement, but you've got to win games. You can't not win and expect people to come to baseball games."
As for Bonds himself, the financial impact of his abesence has been mixed. He's been hugely successful in licensing and memorabilia, ranking among the top five off-field earners in baseball, according to a recent study by Forbes magazine.
But while Bonds has publicly denied using steroids, he told a federal grand jury investigating steroid distribution by the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative that he used substances prosecutors believe were illegal performance enhancing drugs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Bonds' off-field income has dropped since then, according to Forbes, and he has lost opportunities for national endorsement deals that typically come to an athlete of his stature.
"He is not necessarily a fan favorite these days and that certainly makes some advertisers very leery," said Steven Levitt, the president of Marketing Evaluations Inc.
Not getting hit on enough? Advertise your website on Kansan.com
kansan.com
For online services at kansan.com/Dial Telephone
more used books
VOTED
BEST BOOKSTORE
928 Massachusetts
Downtown Lawrence
843-0611
www.thetetchshop.com
Come in and check out the latest styles!
EAGLE RIDGE APARTMENTS 530 Eldridge Street
- 1 & 2 BR Apartments
• Rents from $415
• Small Pets Welcome
• 50% off on Sec. Dep.
• Furnished/Short-Term Available
• $200 Look & Lease Bonus
STONECREST TOWNHOMES 1000 Monterey Way
- 2 & 3 BR Apts. & Twnhm.
- 2 & 3 BR Apts. & Twinroom
• Rents from $640
• Washer/Dryer Hookups
• Fireplaces
• Reduced security deposit
• $300 Look & Lease Bonus
Office: 530 Eldridge St., Suite L1
Phone: 785-749-1102
E-mail: ResourceManagement@sunflower.com
kansan.com
。