STRIKE
A federal judge could force baseball to make a decision, Page 3B
TENNIS
Kansas faces New Mexico, Page 2B
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1995
Sooner trades hoops for glove in tonight's game
SECTION B
Big Eight Conference basketball player-of-the year Ryan Minor of Oklahoma will make a return to Lawrence tonight.
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
The junior forward doesn't plan to avenge his team's 93-76 loss to the Jayhawks in Allen Field House, however. Instead, Minor is expected to make his season debut
at first base when the No. 14 Oklahoma baseball team plays Kansas at 7 tonight at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Sooner coach Larry Cochell said Minor would be ready to play following a short layoff after a first-ground loss in the NCAA basketball tournament Thursday.
"He is doing well," Cochell said. "Ryan is a gifted athlete and I'm amazed at what he can do."
Minor joins a team that is 16-7 overall and 8-2 in the Big Eight. Oklahoma has five batters with averages over .360, the highest of which belongs to junior outfielder Bobby Brown, who is currently at .449. Minor's twin brother, Damon, is not far off the pace at .325.
Oklahoma won two of three games against Kansas last weekend in Norman, Okla.
Besides Ryan Minor, the rest of the defending national champion Sooners will be very familiar to the Jawhaws.
Kansas coach Dave Bingham said now was the time for the Jayhawks to live up to their preseason hype, which included being ranked as high as No. 23 in some polls. Nearing the middle of the season, Kansas has a record of 1-2 in the Big Eight and 9-16 overall.
Two bright spots for the Jayhawks
"It has been a challenging season for us so far." Bingham said. "Our players came in with great expectations, but haven't lived up to that."
have been senior third baseman Brent Wilhelm and junior pitcher Clay Baird, Bingham said. Wilhelm leads Kansas with four home runs and his .337 batting average is currently second on the team.
"Brent has played extremely hard all year," Bingham said. "His leadership may help us."
Baird evened his record to 3-3 in Sunday's 7-5 win in Norman, Okla., making him the only member of the pitching staff without a losing record.
Bingham praised the patience and desire that Baird displayed on the mound this season.
"Clay has been very consistent, but sometimes he just doesn't have
command of his pitches," he said.
"His last start he hung in there, and hopefully he will continue to make progress and help us."
Tonight's game is the first of a two-game series between the Jayhawks and Sooners.
Junior pitcher Steve Connelly (0-1, 6.63 ERA) is expected to start for Oklahoma. Connelly has given up 34 hits in 19 innings this year, and opponents are batting .405 against him.
Kansas' starting pitcher for the first game is sophomore Robert Garola. Garola (1-2, 5.34 ERA) is currently second on the team with 20 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched.
Parting is difficult as seniors say goodbye
Sweet Sorrow
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
For the first time in five years, Allen Field House will no longer echo with the familiar sound of the crowd cheering "Ohhh."
The trademark cheer for senior center Greg Ostertag has become another tradition at Kansas, like the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant.
But after Friday's loss to Virginia, Ostertag and senior guards Greg Palmer and Scott Novosel ended their respective tours of duty as Jayhawk basketball players.
"It was special to play for a school that is so rich in tradition," Ostertag said. "It's an honor that I'll always carry with me."
Both Gurley and Ostertag contributed to Kansas' tradition during their four years as Jayhawks. This season was Novosel's first on the varsity team after playing on the junior varsity for three years.
The two Gregs won 108 games, three Big Eight Conference regular-season titles, a conference tournament title and advanced to the 1993 Final Four.
But all three seniors would have preferred to
add to that list by ending the season differently. Instead of mourning the loss to Virginia, the Jayhawks would rather be preparing for a trip to the Final Four in Seattle this weekend. Arkansas defeated Virginia in the Midwest regional final Sundav and advanced to the Final Four.
Although Ostertag said he was pleased with a 25-6 record and a conference title, advancing just to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 was a disappointing way to end the season.
"It was a successful season by some standards but not by Kansas standards." Ostertag said.
Oostertag probably hasn't finished playing basketball and could be drafted by the NBA this summer. But Gurley and Novosel said that they understand that their basketball careers ended in Kemper Arena against Virginia.
"It's just like part of you is dying," Gurley said. "I've always had basketball, and it's going to be extremely, extremely tough for me to accept."
Instead of wearing a Kansas jersey next year, Gurley said he was going to have to be satisfied with playing intramural basketball.
"That's just hard to swallow," he said. "It's been the greatest four years of my life, but right now it doesn't mean a whole lot to me."
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
LEFT: Kansas center Greg Ostertag blocks a shot during the Kansas-Western Kentucky game of the NCAA tournament. Kansas won the game 75-70, but lost to Virginia 67-58 on Friday.
RIGHT: Kansas guard Greg Gurley and center Greg Ostertag stand on the sidelines during the Western Kentucky game. The game was the last one for seniors Gurley, Ostertag and walk-on guard Scott Novosel.
Kansas men's golf team shows improvement in Texas
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sportswriter
The Jayhawks opened the second half of their season with 19th and 14th place finishes, but they followed those performances with a win Tuesday at the Waterwood Intercollegiate Invitational in Huntsville, Texas.
During the Spring Break tournament, Kansas shot a three-round total of 804 and edged the host, Sam Houston State, by five strokes.
After struggling through the first two spring tournaments, the Kansas men's golf team has regained its confidence with strong performances during Spring Break.
"We are extremely pleased to get a win, especially since we didn't entirely play our best golf," said Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall.
Despite not playing their best, the Jayhawks almost captured top honors in the individual results. Kansas junior Slade Adams shot a one-under-par 70 on the tournament's final day and tied for first place with Sam Houston State's Rodney Thompson.
Adams lost to Thompson on the first hole of a sudden death play off.
"We are extremely pleased to get a win, especially since we didn't entirely play our best golf."
Rose Randall Kansas men's golf coach
The Jayhawks continued their progress at the Border Olympics Invitational in Laredo, Texas, last week. The team's score of 892 was two strokes better than at the Waterloo Intercollegiate, but it placed sixth in the 15-team field.
"Overall, it was just a stronger field," Randall said, comparing the field to the Jayhawks' previous tournament. "It was a really closely bunched field."
Despite finishing sixth, Kansas was only five strokes out of second place. The nationally ranked Arkansas Razorbacks
won the tournament title. Two other teams with national rankings, Texas A&M and Kent State, also competed in the tournament.
In addition to battling quality competition, the Jayhawks played through temperatures that soared into the 90s and higher.
"Personally, I got a little physically and mentally worn down," said Kansas junior Dan Rooney.
"We know we could have played better but didn't close," Rooney said. "I think it's a matter of time. That's a good excuse, and it's a valid excuse."
That fatigue may have been a factor in how the Jayhawks finished. Randall said during the last two holes of the tournament they had several bogeys.
One void Randall has been looking to better fill was the fifth spot on the traveling team.
Several players have filled the position this season but have not provided consistent scores.
If someone can step into that position, it would take the pressure off other players to shoot low scores every round, Randall said.
"You can get by with four, but when you have five it makes it easier on everybody," he said.
McRae: a hit... on the air
Major League Baseball's opening day is Monday, and, like it or not, replacement players are inching closer and closer to being in the big show.
After pondering whether or not to attend replacement games this season, I've decided
son, I've decided to go for several reasons.
SPORTS REPORTER
First, the tickets will be cheaper.
That leaves more money for parking and beer — something any poor college student can appreciate. Second, the new grass at Kauffman Stadium is in, so even if the games are terrible, at least the field will look good.
A third reason to go is the fresh attitude the replacements bring. Barry Horn of The Dallas Morning News made the following observations in a column I read last week: none of them spend time complaining about being paid too little, not getting enough playing time or demanding to be traded. Plus, the Rookie of the Year races will be even more exciting because almost all the players will be eligible.
Finally, those wanting to see real Major League baseball players in action can attend a Kansas game at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. But don't look for them on the field. Instead, scan up to the press box where Kansas City Royals centerfielder Brian McRae works alongside play-by-play announcer Tom Hedrick on Lawrence radio station KLWN.
Visiting with McRae before the Kansas-Wichita State game Tuesday, I discovered that despite not being in his preferred environment, he is still enjoying himself.
Several weeks after the 1904 season ended, McRae enrolled in Hedrick's sports broadcasting class at the journalism school here at Kansas. It marked the first step in what McRae sees as a possible career once his playing days are finished. Taking the class was quite a change for him.
"I hadn't taken any classes since I graduated from high school," he said. "It was just fun being in that environment. I hope the things I'm doing now get me headed in the right direction. I know what I need to work on and improve on."
In addition to his work with Hedrick, McRae interns in WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Mo. His assignments have included some features about several high school basketball teams in the area, including Arkansas recruit Derek Hood.
"I did a little thing on Central High, but I'm going to start getting out of the studio and doing more things in the next couple of weeks," he said. "Everything I do is going to help me out."
While McRae spends his time working on the airwaves, both sides in the baseball strike appear to move further and further apart.
It just doesn't seem right to see McRae in the press box chatting with Hedrick and handing out autographs to kids between innings. But that should become a familiar scene for fans attending Jayhawk baseball games because the owners are committed to starting the season with replacement players.
The owners also plan to lock the regulars out if an injunction is reached in court.
At this point, it is pointless for me to take one side or another. When, and if a solution is reached, it will take many months for baseball to win its fans back.
Mrae said recently on the air that he and his wife stopped reading strike news in the papers and had a one-sentence answer to my question about when it would be ended.
"I have no idea." he said.
Good luck in everything you pursue, Brian. I'm just hoping to see you make some diving catches on the grass very soon.