UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, April 30, 1996
3B
Horoscopes
Today's Birthday (April 30). Your service this year puts you on the right path. Romance improves when you pay off a bill in June. Get out of your memories and into your work in July. A strange twist of fate helps you settle down in August. Write an important letter in October. A secret is revealed in December. January's lucky, but somewhat confusing. Changes on the job affect your career in February. Take quick action based on experience in April.
Rating System: 10 is the easiest day, 0
is the most challenging.
Aries (March 21-April 19) -Today is a 6- Beware of distractions from a beautiful person. You don't agree on everything, but you're good partners anyway. A promise - if you mean to keep it - will propel you further in romance than flowers.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) - Today is a 7- You won't be able to get what you want through sheer luck alone. It'll take work. Luckily, you're good at that. Get a Libra to speak for you, and concentrate on more interesting matters.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) -Today is an 8-You life life's much better now. A contact this morning could lead to a fascinating encounter later. A foreigner's idea
seems strange at first, but opens up interesting possibilities.
Cancer (June 22-July 22) -Today is a 7- Hopefully, you've been paying attention to what's going on. You'll have to make a decision and take quick action now. You may be tempted to quit your job and stay home. Instead, do the job from home.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -Today is a 7- This would be a great time to play with your friends, if you don't have a day job. Your boss will be on your case to get something important done. Don't procrastinate; conditions get worse later.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)—Today is an 8— You could find just the thing you've been shopping for. If you're going to buy it, you'd better do so now. Money gets tighter all week; if you wait, you'll talk yourself out of it.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Today is a 10- Surfing's not a sport, it's a way of life, no hobby. It's looking at that wave and saying, 'Hey, bud, let's party.' What's next for Mr. Spicolli? Well, me and Mick are going to wing on over to London and jam with the Stones. And you're invited.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) -Today is a
6- Inquiring minds want to know what
you've been up to lately. Don't mention anything that should remain confidential to a talkative co-worker. Comply with a bureaucrat's unreasonable demands.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) —Today is a 6-- You get a little more leeway, although you're still very busy. Commiserate with a friend over lunch. Don't be late getting back, though. Your full attention's required at work this afternoon.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -Today is a 7- Consult with higher-ups today. You could qualify for a promotion. Figure out what they need done and tell them how to do it. Make time to listen to a roommate's complaints tonight.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -Today is an 8- You're in a much better frame of mind. Writing or educational projects will be easier, too. Consult with peers and present new ideas this morning. Tonight, relax with a congenial companion.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -Today is a 7- You need to bring more money in, so you can spend more - not for yourself, but for a worthy cause or thoughtful gift. You can do it.
Note: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be read for entertainment only.
By Scott Adams
Dilbert
Jilby © 1985 Innocent Features System.
Back injury no problem for Jordan
Bulls star confident that he'll be ready for Game 3 tomorrow night in Miami
The Associated Press
"I was surprised at how well he was doing," Bulls trainer Chip Schaefer said. "He was quite a bit looser than yesterday. Now I'd be surprised if he's not close to normal by tomorrow."
DEERFIELD, Ill. — In agony with back spasms about 15 hours earlier, Michael Jordan walked into Chicago Bulls headquarters yesterday with a bounce in his step — and with confidence that he'll be ready for the next game.
Jordan suffered the spasms late in the second quarter of Sunday's playoff victory over the Miami Heat, bringing the sellout crowd to an uncomfortable silence.
Though the NBA's all-time scoring average leader returned for the third quarter — to relieved applause from fans — he was noticeably stiff. And Jordan left the court for the trainer's room well before the Bulls wrapped up the 106-75 victory that gave them a2-0 series lead.
He received treatment yesterday but did
n't practice, and he left without talking to the media.
Jordan feels comfortable that he'll be ready for Game 3 tomorrow at Miami, said coach Phil Jackson.
"Michael has the ability, like a lot of great athletes, to recover quickly," Jackson said.
Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen, Jordan's only remaining teammate from the 1991, 1992 and 1993 championship years, said, "I've seen him take quite a few falls. He's always been able to bounce back."
Some of those falls came against the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons, who had a big rivalry with Chicago in the late 1980s and early '90s. Three former Bad Boys are now with the Bulls: Dennis Rodman, John Salley and James Edwards.
"I played against this guy, and I put him on his back a couple of times," Salley said. "One time, Dennis and I hit him, and his feet went out from under him. He fell on his tailbone and I knew he was in pain. He got up limping. They called a time-out and when he
came out of the time-out, it was like he had gone out and gotten a new tailbone.
"He just keeps going. He's a competitor."
He just, keeps going. He's a competitor.
Jordan, who scored 26 of his 29 points
Sunday before leaving with the injury, got
twisted around when Chris Gatling fouled
him and immediately grimaced in pain. The
foul wasn't a particularly hard one — not
nearly as vicious as the one Keith Askins
committed on Jordan in the third quarter.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a target the next game," Jordan said after Sunday's win. "T'll be ready."
Jackson would like to think that Miami coach Pat Riley and his players will be too professional to try to hurt Jordan.
"You can't be worried about those things," Jackson said. "You have to understand that the Heat plays very physically when it comes to going to the basket. We'll just have to be able to take our blows and make our foul shots."
Salley, who played three seasons for Miami, said Askins isn't in awe of Jordan and might take another shot at the Bulls' star.
"Keith is not a Michael Jordan fan at all." Salley said. "He thinks Michael puts his shoes on one at a time, like the rest of us. He doesn't realize that Michael's shoes just go on his feet all by themselves."
Reds' manager trying to break losing streak
Injury-plagued team has used new lineup to start all 24 games
CINCINNATI — Marge Schott wanted to recreate 1990. She has got 1993 instead.
The Associated Press
The Reds owner spent the winter collecting players from Cincinnati's last World Series winner, hoping they would once again add up to a championship team. So far, the resemblance is in names only.
Instead of a rousing wire-to-wire run like 1990, the Reds are off to their worst start since 1993, one of the low points in franchise history. That's the year that Tony Perez's team stumbled to 9-15 and the rookie manager was fired after 44 games.
They have another rookie manager this year in Ray Knight, and his team is off to a 9-15 start. The Reds have lost seven consecutive games — their worst slump since late 1993, after Perez was gone — and are flailing to keep afloat.
"There's reason to be concerned," said shortstop Barry Larkin, the clubhouse leader. "We need to start playing well, and then we'll start winning.
"Panicking? Any time you lose seven or eight games in a row, you start to panic."
But the Reds are not likely to fire Knight, no matter how bad it gets. Despite the identical records, there's one major difference with 1993. Perez had just a one-year contract, but Knight's agreement is for two years.
Schott has never fired a manager with a full year left on a contract. If she fired Knight during the season, the cost conscious owner would wind up paying two managers' salaries for a year.
The better question is whether Knight can make anything out of a season that went sour before it started.
The Reds broke training camp with five players on the disabled list, added Brett Boone on opening day, and made it seven when Reggie Sanders — the only power hitter in the lineup — suffered a tear around a back disc two weeks ago. He's out indefinitely.
Joe Oliver, Eric Davis and Chris Sabo three members of the 1990 World Series team brought back over the winter — have been limited by injuries and aches. And most of the healthy players have failed to play near expectations.
"Generally, other than Davis and Branson and Taubensee, the rest of the guys know that they have not played anywhere close to what their normal play is." Knight said.
"I think there's a feeling it can't get much worse," Larkin said. "We've lost so many games that we will get better. That's just the feeling. I think we've got too much talent in this room to continue to go through something like that. It will change."
That's not all. The Reds rank near the bottom of the league in pitching and defense, the two areas considered their strengths.
Knight has used a different lineup for every one of the Reds' 24 games, partly because of the injuries and partly because he likes to tinker. Some players have privately groused about the unsettled order.
But the different lineups are to try to turn things around, Larkin said.
"We've just got to do the small things in order to win, period," he said.
There's a sense that had better start soon. Knight said the team already is in a must-win deal.
"We need that streak where you go 10-2 over 12 games," Knight said. "And we will. It just needs to be pretty soon."
The defending NL Central champions have one thing in their favor. The rest of the division is struggling along with them, so the early losses have not put them in a deep hole.
"I'm just glad we're in the Central Division," Davis said.
"We've played not only collectively but individually about as poorly as each individual can play, and yet we're hanging in there," Knight said. "We're right there."
That appears to be the bottom line for now.
The key is to stay within striking distance until you get healthy," general manager Jim Bowden said.
18-year-old Bryant follows Minnesota's Kevin Garnett passes on college for pros
High schooler to skip NCAA enter the NBA draft this June
The Associated Press
ARDMORE, Pa. — High school senior Kobe Bryant announced yesterday that he will become the sixth player in history to skip college and enter the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-6 guard, son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, received four national player of the year awards. He becomes the second player in two years to go pro straight from high school — Kevin Garnett
Bryant, 18, is expected to be among the top 10 prospects in the June NBA draft.
was the fifth player taken in the 1995 draft,
by the Minnesota Timberwolves and averaged
10.6 points per game.
"I know that I'll have to work extra hard, and I know that it's a big step," Bryant said at a news conference in the gym where he led Lower Merion High School to the state class AAAA championship.
In selecting the draft, Bryant decided against playing for La Salle, where his father is an assistant basketball coach.
The Explorers, as well as North Carolina, Duke, Michigan and Villanova were among the colleges Bryant was considering.
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