KU tennis season starts; squad plans spring trip
Experience will be the key in the KU tennis team's efforts to dethrone defending Big Eight champion Oklahoma this spring.
Seniors hold six spots on the eight-man team, coach Jim Burns said. One of the returning Jayhawks placed high in the Big Eight tennis tournament last year. Sid Canter finished first place in the number 4 man competition last spring and Danny Oram took the runner-up spot in the number 3 man competition.
"Oklahoma is so strong they might dominate the league," Burns said. "But our seniors give us a lot of experience and they are really putting out."
Oklahoma has won the chapmansion the last two years, but if anyone challenges them this year, Burns said it will be
Trade involves Cepeda, Torre
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
(UPI) — The Atlanta Braves yesterday traded Joe Torre to the St. Louis Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda.
Paul Richards, general manager of the Braves, made the announcement late last night when afternoon talks with the New York Mets proved futile.
"We are very happy to have Cepeda as our first baseman. He gives us another big home run threat that we needed to force the opposition to pitch to Hank Aaron," Richards said.
Braves manager Luman Harris said, "I've known Cepeda since 1950 when I managed him in the Caribbean circuit. I've never seen him loaf in his life. He is a leader in the infield which we are looking for. Under the circumstances Torre did a heckuva job for me. We hated to lose him but this is a deal we couldn't pass up."
Torre unsigned
Torre, still unsigned, was reported seeking $65,000 from the Braves—and an apology from Richards. The club had offered $58,000 originally and came up to $60,000, but there was never an indication that Richards would apologize.
He said that Torre had not done much for the team in the past two years and that as far as he was concerned Torre could holdout until Thanksgiving.
Torre insisted that Richards' observations on his worth to the club demanded an apology.
With Atlanta last season, Torre, a catcher-first baseman, batted .271, hit 10 home runs and drove in 55 runs. He has a .294 lifetime batting mark for nine major league campaigns.
Average drops
Cepeda is a lifetime .303 hitter who dropped to .248 in 1968 while helping the St. Louis Cardinals to their second straight National League pennant. He drove in 73 runs and hit 16 homers.
Faced with an impasse over both salary and the apology, the Braves put Torre on the market. The Mets were in the action until yesterday afternoon when their final offer was rejected.
New York general manager Johnny Murphy is said to have offered Nolan Ryan, catcher J. C. Martin, or Duffy Dyer, first baseman Ed Kranepool and infielder Bob Heise for Torre and Bob Aspromonte.
"As far as I'm concerned," Richards had said, "They wanted Torre as a gift."
KU, Oklahoma State or Kansas State. He said K-State would rate the dark-horse tag because of its strong freshmen and sophomores.
The Jayhawks won their initial outing from Washburn last Saturday, 8-1. KU swept the doubles competition and lost only one of the singles matches.
6 KANSAN Mar. 18 1969
KANSAN Sports
"For this early in the season they played well," Burns said. "It was our first outdoor competition this season and our first real matches."
Burns explained that the team was not able to run any challenge matches this year because of the weather. They have been limited to indoor practices.
Now that the weather permits outdoor practices, Burns said he will run challenge matches about twice a week. The matches pit the team members against each other in competition for the spots on the team.
times the even numbers battle each other and the odd numbers compete among themselves. From the results of the matches Burns settles on the spots the men will fill in that week's meet. The top man occupies the number one spot.
Burns said the make-up of the matches varies. He may pair off the number 1 and 2 men, the number 3 and 4 men, etc. Other
Setting up the doubles team involves a lot more thought, Burns said. He tries to match up personalities and playing styles. If one man likes the left side of the court, he will probably be paired with one who likes the right side.
With three weeks of competition left before the league matches start, Burns will get a good look at all of his squad.
This Saturday the team will go to Maryville, Mo., for a meet with Northwest Missouri State. Burns said the team will go south during spring break. Their first stop will be in Tulsa where they will battle Tulaa University and Oral Roberts College. From there they will travel to Louisiana to meet Louisiana State and Tulane. The return trip will include stops in Arkansas for matches with Arkansas University in Fayetteville and Hardin College and Memphis State.
The first home match will be against K-State in April.
Robinson wants to manage
MIAMI (UPI) Everybody's asking Frank Robinson the same question.
He's getting tired of answering it but he does anyway.
Yes, says the 33-year-old Baltimore slugger, he would like to become a major league manager.
The next question inevitably is the same. Does he think he can be successful?
"What is success?" Robinson wants to know. "Success is winning. In that regard I think I could be a successful major league manager."
All these questions about the possibility of his becoming baseball's first Negro manager stem from the fact that Robinson tried his hand at managing for the first time this past winter with Santruce in the Puerto Rican League. He was a four-star success right out of the box. He led Santruce to a pennant.
Team owner pleased
"He was an even better manager than I thought he would be," says Hiram A. Cuevas, the exceptionally perceptive, progressive president of the Santruce club. "I have no doubt whatsoever he could manage in the major leagues."
Until he went to Puerto Rico last winter, nobody figured Robinson as managerial timber. When the talk swung around to those who might be in line to become the majors' first Negro manager, generally such names as Maury Wills, Elston Howard, Ernie Banks and Jim Gilliam were mentioned.
Now Robingson suddenly has vaulted to the forefront although he has no idea whether any major league club owner is thinking of him as his manager possibly one day.
"I enjoyed managing," Robinson says about his experience with Santruce. "It was a little tougher than I originally expected and a lot more involved. As a manager I found out you have to stay right on top of everything. You have to be in control. You just can't let ballplayers go out and play the game."
Club ran smoothly
Robinson had only five white players on his club. He says
things generally went smoothly although "I'm not saying I didn't have any trouble at all."
Frank Robinson
The trouble he means are things like players showing up late to the ballpark and missing signs. He had to fine a few players and doesn't identify them but significantly or not, none of them was white.
"All ballplayers test a manager to see what they can get away with," Robinson says. "They have a way of coming up with different excuses. Some tried them on me. I told them I had used the same excuses myself."
Robinson, who's making somewhere around $115,000,
gives no indication of retiring as an active player at the end of this season.
The eye trouble he had last year is all over with now, he says, and he's anxious to better his 1968 figures which included a .268 batting average, 52 rbi's and 15 homers.
When the season is over he'd like an opportunity to manage Santruce again next winter and there's a good chance he'll get it.
The KU Rugby team openen their spring season in fine form Saturday with a 19-0 A team victory, and a 3-0 B team win over St. Benedicts College.
Rugby squad defeats foe in season opener
In sunny weather, and before a good sized crowd the Jayhawks put on a strong defensive showing shutting out the tough Ravens.
But as for ever handling a major league club, he spreads his hands, palms upward, and says, "who knows?"
Bob Marquis, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, scored a field goal in the B team match to give the Jayhawks their narrow 3-0 win.
Thirty-two of the 94 stakes on the flat on the New York Racing Association 1969 calendar are exclusively for fillies and mares.
Team captain Gary Patzkowsky, Kiowa junior, said after the game: "It was really a strong showing for us, this being our first match. We played a lot of men who don't have much experience, and they played quite well.
"St. Benedicts is always tough," Patzkowsky added, "they don't have a football team so athletes play rugby or soccer. Rugby is a big thing up there, and they are always strong."
Speaking about this year's Jayhawk squad, Patzkowsky said: "I think we should have a strong team this year. We lost a
lot of experienced players last year, but the talent we have on the squad now could make up for that."
Officially called the KU Rugby Football Club, the organization, now in its fifth year, boasts a roster of 45 practicing members. From the total membership two teams of 15 members are chosen to comprise the A and B teams.
The squad's next scheduled match is with the Kansas City Blues, 2 p.m. March 22, at Oliver Field, immediately west of Oliver Hall.
BE A BOLD SOUL AND HORSE AROUND TONIGHT AT THE STABLES
Uncage that animal instinct in you tonight at the Stables where $2.00 buys all the brew you can drink. If you happen to be saddled down by various problems, personal or otherwise, kick up your hooves and thoroughly enjoy yourself in the warm, friendly atmosphere at the home of the KU student. Our employees hand picked from a select list of the most outstanding men on campus-go out of their way to see that your evening is well spent and pleasurable. Why you can even tie on the feedbag since the Stables serves some of the finest food in Lawrence, prepared by cooks hailed as geniuses in their field. Or if you feel like it's time to be turned out to pasture cause school has got you down or your home paddock has become one of gloom and despair, trot on out to the Stables and see how a little liquid refreshment will make you feel as fast as the wind again and turn your life's darkness into light. And last but not least, if you know some cute, brown-eyed filly who isn't out gallup'n around with some other stallion, bring her along too since she can canter in for just $1.00.
THE STABLES