Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KU to build on Big 12 win
Jayhawks get morale boost by defeating Baylor. **SOFTBALL** | 6B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010
Jayhawks make it to top 5 Kansas has placed well for third straight tournament.MEN'S GOLF |3B
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KANSAS 6, MISSOURI STATE 4
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Jayhawks edge out the Bears
PAGE 1B
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm dub
On March 31, Kansas needed every bit of a 7-1 lead to hang on for a 7-6 victory after Missouri State rallied for five runs in the final two innings.
Tuesday, the Jayhawks again looked to be cruising toward another victory, comfortably ahead 6-0 through seven innings, led by early offense and dominant pitching from redshirt freshman Thomas Taylor.
But as it had in the previous meeting, late inning drama reared its head — providing another close finish as Kansas (20-13-1, 3-5-1) pulled away for a 6-4 victory.
"It got a lot closer than we would have liked, there's no doubt about it," coach Ritch Price said.
The Jayhawks, who came into the game with a 10-4 record when scoring in the first inning, wasted little time getting started.
Junior right fielder Casey Lytle led off the game with a single, stole second base and advanced to third on an error, and was followed by senior second baseman Robby Price, who drove him in with an RBI ground out to second.
Kansas tacked on another run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by left fielder Jimmy Waters, and Robby Price made the lead 4-0 when he blasted a two-run home run in the fifth.
"Thomas did a fantastic job," Robby Price said. "I think that's the best he thrown this year."
With the way Taylor was pitching, it didn't look like the jayhawks would need the additional run support.
Michael Gulledge / THE STANDARD
Taylor's fastball wasn't the only pitch to consistently find the strike zone either — he was equally accurate with his curve ball.
The youngster has struggled at times this season with his control, but that wasn't the case Tuesday. Taylor continually got ahead in the count, throwing first-pitch strikes to 11 of the 16 batters he faced.
Taylor easily handled the Bears during his five innings of work, allowing only one hit and striking out a career-high eight batters.
"That was the key tonight,"
Senior Brett Lisher takes a swing during Tuesday night's game against Missouri State. The Jayhawks won 6-4, despite a late-game rally from the Bear
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 4B
FOOTBALL
Jayhawks use speed to increase turnovers
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
At the beginning of each practice, Kansas' defensive backs pain up in front of defensive coordinator Carl Torbush.
"All I know is it's time to get the ball out," Oguntodu said. "When I hear him say something, it's time to get the ball out. That's what I try to do."
As one defensive back cradles a ball, the other waits for Torbush to shout instructions, signaling for the ball to be stripped.
Thing is, junior safety Olaitan Oguntodu isn't sure what the southern-accented Torbush is velling.
Through 10 practices, players, assistant coaches and coach Turner Gill have preached a simple idea: Kansas' defense is working to be more aggressive this season.
So far this spring, that's exactly what all of Kansas' defenders are trying to do.
Kansas' 17 turnovers ranked last in the Big 12 last season and, not surprisingly, the Jayhawks finished with the conference's worst turnover margin. Now the Jayhawks are attempting to flip those numbers around under the new direction of Torbush.
"We're definitely making an attempt to get to the ball, get turnovers." Oguntodu said. "We run drills where it's devoted to stripping the ball, falling on the ball. And we do that every practice."
And with more aggressive play generally comes more turnovers.
Upon hearing the whistle, Oguntodu said, the rest of the layhawks rush to the spot with the hope of freeing the ball from the player's hands.
At the end of a play during practice, one of Kansas' coaches blows a whistle, signaling the initial tackle has been made.
Valerie Skubal/KANSAN
"That's just our emphasis now."
Bill James, a KU alumnus and senior advisor for the Boston Red Sox, speaks to a crowded lecture in Snow Hall Tuesday. James graduated with degrees in english and economics.
SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 5B
SABERMETRICS
Red Sox advisor stresses importance of ignorance
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
There are only so many places where a math whiz and a baseball diehard can rejoice as one.
A Bill James symposium makes the cut.
"We are all condemned to float endlessly in a vast sea of unanswered questions — a sea of ignorance," lames said.
James, a KU alumnus who popularized statistics — and indirectly, unconventional strategies — in baseball, delivered "Battling Expertise with the Power of Ignorance" at Snow Hall Tuesday afternoon before a diverse audience. Thick lenses and backward caps alike ogled the man that Time Magazine named in 2006 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
But James does not think
With a full beard, a slight
much of titles.
"Self-designation is dangerous for public figures," James said. "It indirectly places limits on what one can attempt within a definition. Saying that I am this or that adds limits but not abilities."
hunch over the podium and a mathematical prose, James is an atypical icon. Beginning with "The Bill James Baseball Abstract" of 1977, he captured the minds of just a few baseball en-
SEE JAMES ON PAGE 5B
COMMENTARY
Relaying a hidden campus treasure
BY NICOLAS ROESLER
nolesler@kansan.com
Sports fans in Kansas have so many options that some of the most fun sports get lost in the shuffle. The Kansas Relays, beginning today, are one of those lost gems that many students don't realize they are missing.
Filled to capacity with more than 50,000 fans on a cool, fall night, Memorial Stadium provides an electric college football atmosphere. Allen Fieldhouse, rocking with the 16,000-plus passionate fans, creates The Phog and an iconic image and experience that sometimes finalizes students' intentions to attend the University.
The Kansas relays do not come to mind when you think of major sporting events to highlight on your calendar, and you won't see people camping out for tickets. But anybody who enjoys sitting in the spring sun, watching some highly competitive athletes, or simply enjoys checking out all the spandex you can imagine, will enjoy the Kansas Relays.
There is no tanning tax by the U.S. government, and it is free for KU students.
If you participated in track in high school, you know the relaxing nature of the sport. There is the 100-meter dash, then an hour-and-a-half break before your next race. Going to the Kansas Relays brings that social, relaxing aspect of track to the spectator.
And although some people watch a basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse and fall in love with Kansas, my first visit was because of the Kansas Relays. And guess what? I was still hooked. I wasn't even a track junky; I actually hated running. But there is nothing like being outside on a beautiful day, eating sunflower seeds and soaking up the sun.
When I came to the Kansas Relays in 2006, world-class sprinters Maurice Green and Justin Gatlin competed in Memorial Stadium.
Green held the world record in the 100-meter dash and was known for the extremely large tongue he flaunted at the end of each race.
Gatlin and Green, both Olympic champions, anchored the 4x100 meter relay. The moment rivaled another moment in Memorial Stadium when Kansas blew out Nebraska, 76-39, during the 2007 season. Although the stands were only one-tenth as full as the football game, the fans were rocking like the Olympics were being held here in our town of Lawrence.
This year is no different. Veronica Campbell-Brown, one of only two women to win back-to-back gold metals at the Olympics, will be running at the Kansas Relays. She is the female equivalent of Jamaican male teammate Usain Bolt.
The forecast calls for low 80s the next two days. Ladies and gentlemen, go get tan and cheer for the Kansas track and field team. It's free and, hey, it provides a great break between classes.
Edited by Taylor Bern