Jayhawk Jottings
By BOB KEARNEY Kansan Sports Editor
Not the least among the day-to-day crises a sportswriter faces are certain malfunctions of his typewriter. Never very serious, but just the same, irritating.
Sometimes the space bar locks itself and causes minor headache. Threeblasts withapicoleandafewfour-letterwords—and everything is back in order.
Other times, such figures as *%$&@/ go on the blink. Those symbols are reserved for irate coaches and players, discussing and cussing. The solution seems simple—direct quotes—and it means juicier copy.
But whxn onx kxy in particular starts to miss, thx rxsult can bx disastrous. Thx problembxcomxs onx of adjusting to thx missing link. Xvn undxr thx handicap of a missing kxy, thx typxwritxr's xnd product is vaguxly thx samx.
KU's basketball xpxrxxs continudx on its rxcovxry road to a Big Xight titlx last night with a missing kxy. Many pxopk-including thx Jayhawks thxmsxlvxs-wondxrxd what KU basketball would blix lxix without Jo Lo Whitx in thx lix-up. To thx dlight of thosex hxad-scratching KU dxvotxxs, and to thx dtmisx of Oklahoma Statx—thex Jayhawks alivx and wxll. at lxest for thx tmaxx bxing
“Our dxfnsx at timxs was thx bxst it's bxxn all yxar,” addxd Owxns. “Wx had somx slack spxlls, but I supposx you havx thosx in xvxry gamx.”
Jo Jo closed his xricing and honor-ladnx KU baskxtball carxxr Saturday night, appropriatxyl xnough, scoring a carxxr bxst of 30 points in thx 80-70 victory ovxr Colorado. Jo Jo bowxd out with the samx kxkn playmaking and baskxtball savvy that has charactxrized his yars hrxx-and as KU's rxprxsntativx in international compitition.
Oklahoma Statx did not txst KU's ability to handl prxssing dxfxsns—to bx surx, futurx opponxnts shall. Whxthrx Coach Txd Owxns' club can rxplax thx pokr-xfacd calmnxx with which Jo Jo madx a mockry of thx prxss will bx answxrxd in dux timx. But for at laxt onx night, KU provxd it could compxsats for its loss of thx grxat playmakxr.
Owxns latxr commxntxd that thx kxy to his squad's succxxs would lix in its ability to rxvolvx and movx quickly—thxn gxtting thx ball insidx. Thosx tasks wxrx accomplishxd with hustlx, and sxxmingly with xasx.
Exllows likx Robisch, Sloan, Harmon, Brown, Nash, Bradshaw, and Russxil (only Pixrxx comxs undxr the wrath of my sputtxring typxwritxr) stxxxrd KU to a vxry important triumph. Just maybx, a Big Xight championship is not such an impossibility without Jo Jo.
And just maybx, I'll gxt this unprxdiettable typxwritxr back in thx groovx.
Hawks move up to 10th in basketball poll
NEW YORK (UPI) College basketball ratings with first place votes and won-lost records in parentheses.
NINTH WEEK
Teams Points
1. UCLA (35) (16-0) . . . 350
2. North Carolina (14-1) . . . 306
3. Santa Clara (17-O) . . . 372
4. Kentucky (14-2) . . . 192
5. St. John's (NY) (16-6) . . 166
6. Davidson (15-2) . . . 141
7. Villanova (15-2) . . . 85
8. Illinois (13-2) . . . 81
9. LaSalle (16-1) . . . 80
10. Kansas (15-4) . . . 52
13
KAN5AN
Feb. 4
1969
Kansan photo by Ron Heggemeler
Jo Jo White - congratulations & thanks!
In an 10-round semifinal before the 12-round heavyweight brawl, Emile Griffith celebrated his 31st birthday by winning a one-sided decision over Any Heilman.
Mathis earned a bout with Jerry Quarry in Madison Square Garden on March 10, and
Chuvalo's craggy features were an unrecognizable blood-smeared pulp at the end, but the giant 232-pound Mathis failed to become the first man to knock down the courageous Canadian.
Mathis wins bloody bout
NEW YORK (UPI)—Enraged Buster Mathis, pushing aside the referee and screaming "come and fight," ripped in with battering ram combinations to tear George Chuvalo's face to shreds and win a unanimous 12-round decision last night in a gory heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden.
Griffith earned a rematch with Stanley "Kitten" Hayward.
When referee Harold Valan tried to separate the fighters, Mathis twice shoved him away and once appeared to slap him in order to renew his attack. He shouted "come and fight" and
Mathis seemed determined to end the boos of the crowd and destroy his image as a "powder puff" puncher in the first round when he charged across the ring and smashed Chuvalo with looping left hooks.
raised a puffy swelling under Chuvalo's left eye and a cut above the right eye in the second round.
The 31-year-old Chuvalo had blood dribbling from inside his mouth in the third round, and he slipped for his first of two trips to the canvas. However, Valan ruled no knockdown in either case.
Griffith was in charge most of the time, but the former 3-time welterweight and twice middleweight champ had his hands full with Heilman.