WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
COMMENTARY
Memorial Stadium hopes an upgrade
PAGE 1B
TOUGH GAME
BY NICOLAS ROESLER proesler@kansan.com
— Edited by Megan Heacock
The new and much larger video board in Memorial Stadium is an impressive sight. And it's sure to add excitement to the upcoming football season. But seeing the expansion of our previously miniature video screen just creates an obvious need for the further expansion of Memorial Stadium.
The expansion of the video screen is like putting a Band-Aid over a cut deserving stitches. Memorial Stadium needs expansion, and it needs it soon, especially if coach Turner Gill and the new face of Kansas football is to become recognizable nationwide.
The new video screen, which is about three times bigger than the previous screen, is 28 feet high and 85 feet wide. It fits within the structure of the pre-existing display that held advertisements.
It is something to behold. No descriptions can really do the clarity of the picture justice. If anybody saw the screen debut at the Kansas Relays or the spring football game, you understand the gratifying visuals.
While sitting in the horseshoe across from the screen, your eyes can't help but wander to the left and right of the screen to the absence of an equally impressive stadium. How many visiting players and coaches have come to Lawrence for a football game and said it was one of the hardest places to play in the country?
None. That is precisely why Memorial Stadium needs a formidable expansion. Currently, the stadium is limited as a home-field advantage because it's too small. Memorial Stadium holds a little more than 50,000 people. Texas' stadium holds 100,000. Nebraska's stadium has a single-game attendance record of 86,000. Memorial Stadium doesn't even breach the top 70 capacity football stadiums for college football venues.
Although I understand there is a lack of funding for the proposed Gridiron Club expansion, further expansion needs to be considered. I propose removing the track circling Kivisto Field and lowering the field so that the stands can be expanded down into the ground about 15 feet. This would allow the stands to reach field level.
The new video screen ranks as the 21st largest screen in the country. Combined with the two-year old Anderson Family Football Complex, Kansas football facilities are finally making a name for themselves.
Expansion to Memorial Stadium would finally add it to the list of intimidating venues in the Big 12.
It wouldn't really create an effect of playing football in a prairie dog's den. In fact, I think it would hardly be noticeable. The famous hill would simply roll on a few more feet into a new Memorial Stadium that could potentially hold 5 to 10 thousand more fans. I would also go ahead with the Gridiron Club expansion when the funds become available. This necessary expansion would finally be able to compare with some of the Big 12 rivals' stadiums.
Sophomore pitcher Matt Kohorst throws against Wichita State in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday. The Jayhawks lost to the Shockers 22-7. Coach Price said this was probably because of the short rest period for pitchers since this weekend.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Jayhawks fall to Shockers
KU's tired pitching is no match against WSU's offense
BY BEN WARD
bward.eakansan.com
bwarder/bm_dub
WICHITA — The same scene continually played out on the field at Eck Stadium.
A row of dejected layhawks sat in their dugout along the third base line, while across the infield an ecstatic bunch of Shockers rallied outside their dugout, while
being showered with candy from a loyal fan.
The scoreboard wasn't necessary to determine who had emerged victorious, only to tally how bad the damage was.
Kansas' (25-17-1, 6-8-1) pitching staff got pounded for the third straight game, and the team fell to Wichita State 22-7. The lopsided defeat marked the first time since 1985 that the Jayhawks surrendered 20 or more runs in consecutive games.
"These kinds of games happen," junior shortstop Brandon Macias said. "It sucks that it has happened the last two games, but we've just got to let it go."
After getting hammered for 22
runs on 24 hits in Sunday's series finale against Texas Tech, coach Ritch Price was confident his
pitching staff would quickly correct the mistakes that led to a season-high in runs allowed.
And on paper, his claim seemed well founded. The Red Raiders
who was on the mound for the Jayhawks or who was batting for the Shockers. The results were the
"It sucks that it has happened the last two games,but we've just got to let it go."
are at or near the top of the Big 12 in nearly every offensive category, whereas the Shockers hit only .289 as a club.
But Tuesday, it didn't matter
BRANDON MACIAS Junior shortstop
same. Wichita State pounded 21 hits in the ball game, and twice recorded a nine-run inning.
ing weekend against Texas Tech, in which many of his pitchers were overworked. Coupled with the extensive weekend of work, many of those same pitchers were forced to
Coach Price said the ineffective pitching was mostly a result of a tax.
pitch again Tuesday after only a short rest.
"We need to find a way to flush it, and get a couple of days off and let their arms bounce back, get in and get some rehab treatments and get their minds right," he said.
The game started inuspiciously enough, as freshman Thomas Taylor cruised through the first two innings and was spotted with a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Macias.
He was touched up a bit in the third though, as the Shockies capitalized on an error by Macias and struck for four hits to take a 3-1 lead.
But the troublesome third
SEE PITCHING ON PAGE 4B
ACADEMICS
Bonds honored with three awards at banquet
Distance runner says classes have always come first for her
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/c_thibodeaux
Being a student-athlete certainly comes with its perks — adoring fans, playing in front of large crowds, bundles of gear. But the ability to be a successful student in the classroom doesn't seem like one of them. Many times with popular society emphasizing on-field success, the classroom falls into the backs of people's minds.
On Monday night, though, athletes were honored as students at the annual Senior and Scholar Athlete Banquet. No athlete received more recognition than cross country and track and field athlete Lauren Bonds. Bonds has been one of the Jayhawks' top distance runners during her Kansas tenure. On Monday she earned three awards for her
Fieldhouse in front of more than 900 people.
"Every year someone asks me what is the best event during the year — a home football game, a
"School has always been more important to me because it's going to determine what kind of job I can get..."
non-athletic achievements.
The event took place in Allen
LAUREN BONDS Senior runner
home basketball game and every time I tell them it is the Jayhawk Senior and Scholar Banquet," Athletics Director Lew Perkins said at the ceremony.
Bonds and quarterback
Todd Reesing were named the Robert Frederick Senior Scholar
Bonds said she applied the lessons she learned from athletics to the classroom and vice versa.
Athletes of the Year. Bonds also received one of the Senior Athletes of the Year award and earned one of the Dr. Prentice Gautt Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarships.
"I think they were able to compliment each other," she said. "The more focused I was on the track or the more focused I was in the classroom, it kind of helped the other area."
Bonds, a seven-time Athletic Director's Honor Roll member, owns the school record in four indoor track events. She is set to graduate with a 3.93 GPA this May.
For a list of student athletes who won awards at the banquet, check out PAGE 7B.
No matter what she accomplished in running. Bonds said classwork took top priority.
"School has always been more important to me." Bonds said, "because it's going to determine what kind of job I can get and give me skills I'm going to need long term."
SEE BANQUET ON PAGE 7B