THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2006
PAGE 13
Youth to contribute early, often
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
rschnelder@kansan.com
KANSEN SPORTSWRIETER
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The youth movement is underway for the Kansas football program.
With a newcomer at quarterback and others at several of the defensive positions, Kansas should field one of the youngest teams in the Big 12 North when the season kicks off Sept. 2.
But to KU coach Mark Mangino, youth doesn't mean lack of skill.
Despite the lingering questions about inexperience at several key positions, Mangino thinks this may be his best team yet at Kansas.
program is on solid ground.
"I feel like our personnel right now, regardless of whether they're veteran players or young kids, I believe we have the best personnel that we've had as a total football team," Mangino said Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days. It's that confidence in both his veterans and newly-arrived players that has Mangino thinking that, finally, in his fifth season, his
Coach Mark Mangino listens to a reporter's question during the Big 12 Media Days Tuesday morning in Kansas City, Mo. Mangino and the other Big 12 coaches met with media from Monday through today answering questions about the upcoming football season.
After entering each of the last two seasons with substantial quarterback controversies, Mangino appears to have all but guaranteed redshirt freshman Kerry Meier will take the first snap of the season. Although he's never played a down of college football, Meier has already earned the respect of his teammates.
After winning a bowl game and finishing with a winning record for the first time in 10 years this past season, the Jayhawks set off this season chasing another first. With six victories this year, the team could become the first Kansas team ever to qualify for a bowl game in back-to-back seasons.
back seasons.
Another bowl bid, however, won't happen without big contributions from those young starters.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 15
"For a young guy, he's really poised," junior tight end Derrick Fine said. "I really don't think his age has anything to do with it. He's just a really mature, poised man."
Playing catch with KC Royals
SERENITY NOW
RIDIN' AND DYIN'WITH KU,CHIEFS
I woke up Monday morning, 5:55 or so, and lazily got ready to go to the gym. I drank my Barry Bonds-inspired preworkout drink - I'm looking to write more than 70 columns this next semester - and then sat down at the computer for a few minutes before departing to see my friends at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
What I saw next nearly put me back to sleep - permanently. The Kansas City Chiefs, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs, had finally signed the final piece to the Super Bowl puzzle: Ty Law.
No one should feel that good at 6 a.m.— unless you're Snoop Doggy Dogg – and though I wasn't sippin' on Gin n' juice, I did momentarily lay
BY FRED A. DAVIS III
fdavis@kansan.com
Five-year-old Garrett Romero, of Lawrence, tries to catch a fly ball from former Kansas City Royals outfielder Les Norman during a youth baseball clinic Saturday morning at Arrocha Ballpark. The Royals conducted a free clinic for kids aged 5 to 12 and covered pitching and fielding techniques though I wasn't happy with n Juice. I did momentarily lay That's because I only start- SEE COLUMN ON PAGE
back in my chair to envision Super Bowl celebrations in the streets of Kansas City, Mo.
Because here's the deal; at 25 years old, I've never seen my favorite team win a championship. Sure I've seen teams that I've liked win a championship. The 2004 Boston Red Sox come to mind. Do I root for the Red Sox? Yeah. Do I agonize about a Red Sox loss? No.
ed following the Sox in 2000 after I moved to New England. And yes, I was in New England when the Patriots – and Ty Law – beat the ridiculously favored Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
What irked me most about that game was my friend's bookie who failed to come through. The Pats were 14-point underdogs! Your boy Freddy D. had five Ben Franklin ready to put down on that game! But I digress...
There are three teams that I follow closely and consider my teams: the Chiefs, KU football and KU basketball. That's it. These three teams. I'm ridin' and dyin' with these guys.