PAGE 8
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MLB
Braves beat Rockies 4-3 in below freezing temperatures
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — On the coldest day of play at Coors Field in recorded history, the Atlanta Braves won a game between two of the hottest teams in the major leagues.
Starting a day-night doubleheader that opened with a 23-degree temperature, Justin Upton hit his major league-leading 10th home run, Dan Uggla and rookie Evan Gattis also connected, and the Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 Tuesday.
Reed Johnson, playing right field for Atlanta because Jason Heyward underwent an appendectomy Monday night, went 4-4 with three doubles. Heyward was put on the 15-day disabled list.
Colorado and Atlanta each began the day at 13-5, tied for the best record in the major leagues.
This was the coldest gametime temperature in the majors since it
began collecting data in 1991, according to STATS, Inc. The Rockies said the previous low at Coors Field was 28.
Pitching in short sleeves while many of the other players were bundled up, Mike Minor (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. By the time Craig Kimbrel, pitched a one-hit ninth for his eighth save in eight chances, the temperature had warmed up to 27.
Gattis hit a tiebreaking home run in the fourth and ended the game by throwing out Wilin Rosario trying to steal second.
Jeff Francis (1-2) gave up four runs and six hits in four innings, leaving him with an 8.44 ERA.
Ground crews began working around 6 a.m. to clear several inches of snow from the playing surface at Coors Field, which opened in 1995. While there was no sign of snow on the field when the game started,
some parts of the ballpark remained closed, including the snow-filled Rockpile section in center. Workers hosed off the snow on the stand of evergreen trees beyond the center field wall. It was important that the trees be cleared of the snow because they're part of the green "batters' eve" background.
It's been a wintry April for Denver, which has been hit by a wave of snowy weather over the past nine days that forced postponements of games three times. The delays led to two doubleheaders within a week.
Upton hit a solo drive in the first, and Upton's two-run homer in the second made it 3-0. Colorado closed in the second on Rosario's run-scoring groundout and Jordan Pacheco's RBI single, then tied the score in the third when Dexter Fowler tripled to the right-field wall and Josh Rutledge sung.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Francis throws during the first inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves in Denver westerday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FOOTBALL
Big 12 teams look to replace quarterbacks for upcoming season
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Big 12 is facing an identity crisis at quarterback, with a lot of different players preparing to take snaps this fall.
Seven of the league's 10 teams had senior quarterbacks, providing for a lot of changes during spring practice.
"With new QBs, there are always question marks," Baylor coach Art Briles said Tuesday. "I mean you don't really know until you know. The only way to know is to get out on the field with them in the heat of battle and find out how they respond. Yeah, it changes the dynamics of the league 100 percent."
Gone are the likes of Landry Jones, who started 50 games for Oklahoma, West Virginia standout Geno Smith, Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein from Kansas State and Baylor's Nick Florence, who led the big 12 in offensive yards last season after Robert Griffin III won the Heisman for the Bears the previous year.
"There's years where we've had the best, quarterbacks in the country in our league, and last year was one of them," Texas coach Mack Brown said during the league coaches' teleconference.
"There's a little bit of unknown until those new guys get out there and you see their abilities and what they do for their football team. There's certainly no lack of talent," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said. "I'm happy certainly that a lot of those guys have graduated and teams are having to break in new quarterbacks, but still fearful of the talent level that remains at that position."
All the changes at the most high-profile position could lead to a wide-open race for the Big 12 title.
The Longhorns have the league's most experienced returning quarterback in junior David Ash, who has started 18 of his 25 games and
"I would think so," Brown said.
"There's a lot of question marks in our league and that has not been the case the last couple of years."
has Case McCoy as his backup.
Casey Pachall returned this spring to TCU, where he started 17 of 25 games, including the first four last season as a junior before leaving school for substance
abuse rehabilitation. Freshman Trevone Boykin took over as the starter, passing for 2,054 yards and 15 touchdowns.
quarterbacks who won as starters last season. Wes Lunt and J.W. Walsh both started games as freshmen before getting hurt, then Clint Chelf finished the season and was first-string through the spring.
TCU coach Gary Patterson
said he won't name a starting quarterback until two-a-day practices in August.
Oklahoma State returns three
"When we left spring last year, we felt like that we could only play with one quarterback, and obviously after four games we couldn't play with him," Patterson said. "Trevone grew up a lot during the season. He's far surpassed that, enough to where that race at quarterback is very close."
ART BRILES
Baylor coach
Blake Bell,
Oklahoma's
6 - f o o t - 6,
263-pound junior,
was a short-
yardage specialist
behind Jones. Bell
ran 102 times for
24 touchdowns
the past two seasons, and then was one of three quarterbacks to throw touchdown passes in the Sooners' spring game this month.
"He's always been able to throw the football well. Ellen. Blake throws a great deep ball," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said.
Kansas State returns all five starters on the offensive line. As for who they'll be blocking for this season, Daniel Sams, the primary backup for Klein, and highly touted junior
college transfer lake Waters are the leading candidates.
Coach Bill Snyder said there "is no clear-cut No. 1" and that both are getting equal snaps with the first- and second-team offensives this spring.
West Virginia also had a 50-50 split of reps at the quarterback spot this spring between Paul Millard and Ford Childress while trying to determine who succeeds Smith.
"Wide open, man," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. "We will kind of encourage them to get out there and throw with the guys and study film for the next 3 1/2 months. ... Then get the race kickstarted back in August to see who made the most progress. We don't have to make the decision now."
Kansas has Jake Heaps, who was a freshman starting quarterback for BYU and can now play for the Jayhawks after sitting out last season following his transfer. He played 22 games for the Cougars, including 16 starts.
Texas Tech, with former standout quarterback Kliff Kingsbury now its coach, has to replace senior Seth Doege. Sophomore Michael Brewer and freshman Davis Webb, who went through spring drills after graduating from high school in December, combined for 506 yards passing and three touchdowns in the Red Raiders' spring game.
Bryce Petty gets his chance as Baylor's starter after being on the team with Griffin and then Florence the past three years, including a redshirt season.
Sophomore Sam Richardson got to start a couple of games at the end of last season for Iowa State, who had a senior starter until that point.
"Quarterback play certainly has not gotten us to a position where we can win the nitty-gritty games. That's a position that every program looks for a difference maker," Rhoads said. "That's a position we have to get better play out of to get us in the top half of the Big 12 conference."
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MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Minnesota Twins' Brian Dozier dives safely into third for a triple off Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez in the first inning of Tuesday's game in Minneapolis.
Arcia's three-run homer in the fourth backed Correia (2-1), who allowed five hits and struck out five. The Twins shrugged off yet another chilly day at Target Field to win their fifth straight. Brian Dozier had three hits, and Glen Perkins earned his sixth save.
MINNEAPOLIS — Oswald Ardo hit his first career home run and Kevin Correia gave up two runs in seven innings, leading the Minnesota Twins over the Miami Marlins 4-3 Tuesday in the opener of a daytime doubleheader.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arcia hits first career home run against Marlins
The teams were supposed to open their series on Monday night, but the latest snowstorm put that one on ice. It was the third home game the Twins have had to postpone because of weather this year
Jose Fernandez (0-2) gave up four runs and six hits for the Marlins, who are off to a franchise-worst 4-16 start after an offseason salary purge. Joe Mahoney had two hits and two RBIs for Miami.
The temperature at first pitch was 38 degrees, but the field, which has heater coils underneath it to combat cold temperatures, was lush and green.
— there were just five in the first three seasons of Target Field.
Grounds crew members and ballpark personnel worked through the night to clear the heavy, wet snow from the field, seats and stairways.
Miami took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a single from Mahoney but Fernandez, initially was scheduled to start the second game, gave it all back in the bottom half.
Chris Parmelne and Trevor Plouffe started the inning with singles and Arcia stood and admired as his homer landed just short of the plaza beyond the right-field seats for a 4-2 lead.
Miami had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth after Jared Burton hit Placido Polanco and Giancarlo Stanton with pitches. But the Marlins were able to get one run across, on a groundout from Greg Dobbs.
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