UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, April 11, 1997
3B
The following are comments received via e-mail by the sports desk. Comments and questions can be sent to sports@tansan.com and selected comments will be printed.
In response to Adam Herschman's column that Kansas basketball players should leave early for the NBA:
I just wanted to let you know that your column was bad. What on earth made you want to be a sports writer? First of all, you're wrong about the buzz around campus. Nobody cares. If we couldn't win it all with them this year, then when are we going to win it all? Notice: I say "win it all." Fans like you are satisfied with Pierce and LaFrentz taking Kansas to the Final Four. Why do you care about the final Four? The only thing that concerns a true Kansas fan is winning it all.
Arizona will always be remembered as the team that overachieved, and Kansas will always be remembered as the team that flopped. Everybody was so concerned with that No. 1 ranking all year, but look who's No. 1 now. The 25-9 Arizona Wildcats are. All other teams are losers. LaFrentz and Pierce are ooooosers! I could care less if they left. I want to begin again with winners like Danny Manning and Larry Brown. They had 11 losses, but they're the most remembered Kansas team of all time, the best Kansas team of all time. Most
TALKING BACK
of the people on this campus don't even know who those people are.
even know who those people are.
I can tell you're not a true Kansas fan. You love money before Kansas basketball. I'm a true fan. I guarantee if I had the talent and chance to play, I'd play all four years, no matter what. Money wouldn't matter. The opportunity to play and win as many championships as I could would precede any amount of cash. Maybe that's why we flopped; maybe our players don't have the same love. Are any of the Arizona players concerned with turning pro right now? No. Was Ron Mercer? Yes. Whose team won the last game? We all know.
When Miles Simon was asked why Arizona won, he replied, "We wanted it more. That's why they beat us, too. The majority of players and fans were too content with our outstanding record instead of only settling for one thing: a national championship. Our record doesn't matter.
Someone has got seven more losses than us,but they're the ones on cloud nine. We are dubbed losers,no matter how many games we won.
You said a player should be loyal to
himself and his family before his school. Well, if it wasn't for the fans, the players wouldn't be making any money at this game. Kansas basketball has showcased Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce into household names. Players owe it to the fans and school to stay. I don't know one fan who likes NBA ball better than NCAA basketball.
Even if your theory is true about being loyal to the family before the fans, you still do not make sense. As a KU fan, you should be loyal to your team, not someone else's family. You don't even know Mr. and Mrs. LaFrenz, yet you're willing to talk of them before your favorite team? That says something about your patronage to your team.
For most students, college is not an end in itself, rather a means to an end (i.e. getting a job and an income). If Paul and Raef can make ends meet without fully completing college, then why should they? If they decide they need a degree later, they will certainly be in the financial position to get it. Not to mention the risks they run by staying in school, such as getting injured or performing poorly. They also lose bargaining power. If they don't get the contract terms they want, they have the option of going back to school next year, and NBA teams know that. If they wait until next year, they lose that power.
Whitaker ready to fight De La Hoya
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Pernell Whitaker feels like a kid again.
Whitaker has been rejuvenated by his impending matchup with Oscar De La Hoya.
"It's funny that I'm this prepared, this great. I've been trying to find my style and skills for about five or six years. No one has faced this Pernell Whitaker in years. This is not a boxing match; it's an event,
baby," Whitaker said of the Saturday night showdown.
"I even look younger. I look like a 21-year-old, I feel like an 18-year-old."
The reality is, however, that Whitaker is 33, nine years older than De La Hoya, and he looked more like a weary fighter in his 40s for much of his last bout.
He went down twice and was losing on points against lightly
regarded Diobelys Hurtado last Jan. 24 in Atlantic City before winning with an 11th-round knockout.
Whitaker's record is 40-1-1. His only loss was to Jose Ramirez of Mexico nine years ago.
Although Whitaker is a longtime world champion, his 13-year career seemingly will be defined by this fight.
"It's going to put a period on the end. This is the one they'll remember." Whitaker said.
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