THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008
SPORTS
BASEBALL
3B
Interview with a shortstop
Senior Erik Morrison shares his thoughts about Kansas
BY SHAWN SHROYER
shroyer@kansan.com
Kansas senior shortstop Erik Morrison recently sat down and talked to Kansan baseball beat writer Shawn Shroyer. The interview is transcribed below.
Shawn Shroyer: The first thing I have to ask is, who in the world is Peter Wazlawick, who you referenced as your favorite athlete in last week's KU baseball questionnaire?
Erik Morrison: He's probably one of my best friends out of baseball out here at Kansas. I met him through a roommate of mine and he's just been a real supportive friend out here and a good golfing buddy. He's always down to golf any time I want to golf. He's not the most coordinated guy on the planet, so I kind of threw that in there to give him a little press.
SS: Well, you mentioned golf, so what do you think about Tiger Woods' chances of pulling off the grand slam this year?
EM: That's a tough feat, but if anybody can do it, it's that guy. That's probably the most admired sports figure in sports today. I remember I was out at the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and it was a rainout. Him and Payne
Stewart - it was Payne Stewart's last tourney there - were both sitting in the clubhouse and me and my buddy, we were in eighth grade, you know, little kids trying to peek in the doors and they came out, signed a couple things for us and gave us each a golf ball.
SS: So, in your four years here in Kansas, in the Midwest, what's the one thing you miss most about California?
EM: I miss the smell of the ocean and a home-cooked meal. I got real close to my brother right until I left and I miss seeing him. He's got a kid now and I wish I could kind of be there to see his kid grow up and stuff. But I'm out here doing my thing and he's back there doing his thing.
EM: That it really is as flat as everybody says. I lived out in the mountains where I could ride my skateboard 10 minutes to the beach - out of the mountains and into the water.
SS: And going back four years, there are a lot of stereotypes about the Midwest, so what was the one thing that maybe surprised you that you didn't expect about Kansas?
SS: So, after this season, you're probably going to begin a professional baseball career outside of Kansas. Is there anything you're
going to miss about Kansas?
EM: I'm always going to have ties here. This has just been a fabulous experience for me to come out here and spend my tenure here at Kansas. I'll be here in the offseason. I got an internship in Kansas City next fall out at Hallbrook Country Club, so I'll be here working out. As long as I'm playing baseball, I'll probably be in Lawrence in the offseason working out, just because of the amenities and facilities are here for me to use.
SS: I know right now you're focused on the season, focused on the moment, but last year you were drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates - and bless their hearts, they're doing the best they can - but is there any team you'd prefer draft you this year?
EM: I'd say a West Coast team, just because I grew up on the West Coast and most of their minor league affiliates are on the West Coast and their Spring Training is in Arizona. That's the warm part of the country and that's what I want to get back to. It's tough playing baseball in the frigid cold weather, so I'd like to go to a West Coast team, but it really doesn't matter. I really hope someone gives me an opportunity and I'll let my play speak for itself and let it carry me as far as it can carry me.
》 MLB
New York Yankees Derek Jeter tosses his bat after striking out with the loads loaded to end the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Leg injury to sideline Jeter during Yankees trip to KC
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Derek Jeter will miss at least three games and possibly more with a strained left quadriceps, but the New York Yankees are not planning to put their eight-time All-Star shortstop on the DL.
"He probably won't be available this series," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday before the New York played the Kansas City Royals. "We'll shoot for the Red Sox. We'll see where he's at after a couple of days and try to make an evaluation then."
Jeter said he hurt the muscle
"I haven't tried to do anything yet. I've got to go in the trainers room and see what they tell me," he said.
New York did get back first baseman Jason Giambi after a two-day absence. He had been out with a sore left groin.
were both running great," Girardi said. "The conditions are the same for everybody. You're never sure why something happens. But they happen, and you have to deal with it."
Girardi said he did not know whether cold weather had contributed to the problems.
Wilson Betemit replaced Jeter in the lineup and was hitting eighth.
In your face!
"They had no issues in spring training when it was warm. They
Girardi said he had not discussed the possibility of moving Alex Rodriguez, an All-Star shortstop who switched to third when he was traded to the Yankees in 2004.
"We're just thinking he's been our third baseman the last few years. He's comfortable playing third," Girard said. "I don't see it being a problem with him not feeling comfortable playing short."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Playoff games defined; strong teams dominate West region
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Liverpool's Peter Crouch, right, vies for the ball against Arsenal's Philippe Senderos during their Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Tuesday.
NHL
"They get great energy from him, and what they accomplished at the end of the season was tremendous. It's a big challenge. We'll welcome the challenge."
"You don't want to think too much about it," Flyers goalie Martin Biron said of the 22-year-old Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points. "There's other guys on that team that definitely have been assets and can play the game well with Ovechkin.
The beef and brawn reign in the West. Back East is where the kids skate and play with abandon.
Including, of course, Alex The Great, who is ready for his coming out party. That is, if he and the Washington Capitals have anything left after racing for weeks just to get into the playoffs.
Now it's time for his postseason debut, which will take place Friday night in the nation's capital against the Philadelphia Flyers. Behind Ovechkin's offense, Washington chased down the Carolina Hurricanes for the Southeast Division title with an 11-1 finish.
No story down the stretch was more compelling than Alex Ovechkin's brilliant play in helping the Capitals erase a dismal first half that cost a coach a job and left the club just a step above last place.
Sidney Crosby, edged for rookie of the year honors by Ovechkin two seasons ago, has the Pittsburgh Penguins playing postseason hockey for a second straight year. The first-round opponent is the same
The Ducks boast a bruising lineup featuring hulking defenseman Chris Pronger and hard-shooting blue liner Francois Beauchemin. Up front, Anaheim also has size and strength with Todd Bertuzzi, Ryan Getzlaf and Rob Niedermayer.
This could be the time the San Jose Sharks finally stand in someone's way and claim the championship many predicted for them again and again.
That group also has plenty of skill that is complemented by forward Teemu Selanne and defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who both cut short their early retirements to return midseason for a shot at another ring.
"It's very much talked about in our locker room," said forward Jeremy Roenick, in his first season with the Sharks. "From what I understand, the confidence is much greater than it had been in the past. The guys just feel this is a much more all-around, well-rounded team, and we feel much better about ourselves going into the playoffs."
The rough road will start with a matchup with the Dallas Stars, a championship-caliber club that stumbled to the regular-season finish line. After completing a big trade that brought high-scoring forward Brad Richards to Dallas from Tampa Bay, the Stars went 6-8-2.
And with so much attention placed on San Jose, Anaheim and Dallas, it is easy to overlook the Detroit Red Wings - you know, the team with the best record in the NHL for the sixth time in 13 seasons.
That run ended against the Anaheim Ducks, back to defend their title as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They could repeat, but there will be plenty of obstacles before they think about who will get out of the East.
as 2007, but this time the second-seeded Penguins expect to have a lot more to dish out to the reeling Ottawa Senators.
Sid the Kid captured the scoring title and MVP honors last year, but the now 20-year-old captain and the Penguins were gone in five games. The Senators then advanced to the Stanley Cup finals.
With so many strong teams, there is widespread belief whoever survives in the West will roll over the East champion. Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock doesn't buy it.
"One of the problems when you have so many good teams, that's what is left of your team at the end of the three series that you have to play in isn't much," he said. "A lot of it depends on the damage that is done in some of these series."
The Red Wings jumped to a huge lead and coasted to the finish with 115 points, seven more than the Sharks, who closed the regular season with an 18-2-2 spurt. Detroit will face Central Division foe Nashville in a best-of-seven series starting Thursday in Hockeytown.
Pittsburgh and No. 7 Ottawa will get things started Wednesday, along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers in a 4 vs. 5 Eastern Conference border battle.
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