2006
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ns
SPORTS
liking. vote," vote of revenue event."
THURSDAY,APRIL13,2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
LIFE OF BRIAN
PAGE 1B
Baseball remains the king of sports
BRIAN WACKER
bwacker@kansan.com
As a native of St. Louis — the home of the educated and dedicated baseball fan — I've never quite understood the average Kansas City sports fan's aversion to baseball.
Now before all of you football and basketball fanatics roll over in your Barcaloungers, hear me out. I've compiled a list of what I believe are the quintessential factors that make a sport great. In each category, baseball reigns supreme. [Note: I'm limiting my criticisms to football and basketball because they are the two of the three other most prominent sports in America. I won't criticize NASCAR because I'm writing a column, not an encyclopedia.]
No other sport in America holds as much history and tradition as baseball. The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional, salaried baseball team in 1869. The National Association of Professional Baseball Players formed two years later. Not too many old-time football or basketball players can reminisce about what life was like under the Grant presidency.
Tradition:
Whether it's the relatively slow and complex pace of the average baseball game or the relatively slow and complex neurological activities of the average Kansas City sports fan, there has to be a reason why they haven't been able to fully embrace one of the few truths that this humble columnist knows: baseball is the greatest sport on Earth.
This one is no contest. Base-
ball's most revered stadiums
Venues:
— Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium — were all built before the Great Depression. (Allen Fieldhouse, basketball's Mecca, wasn't built until 10 years after the Second World War), Fans and tourists alike flock to these stadiums, not just to watch baseball, but to experience history. The other great facet of baseball venues, which really only golf shares, is that each venue has its own dimensions and its own character. While every basketball net is 10 feet tall and every football field is 100 yards long, baseball fields have characteristics all their own. Think of Fenway Park's Green Monster or Minute Maid Park's grassy knoll.
SEE WACKER ON PAGE 3B
SOFTBALL: 4-0
Members of the Kansas softball team cheer on their fellow teammates Wednesday evening in Columbia, Mo. The Jayhawks lost to the Tigers 4-0. Joshue Bickel/KANSAN
'Hawks strike out
Kansas' game suffers from lack of team rhythm
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN SENior SPORTWRITER
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Different opponent, same story.
Once again, a lack of offense doomed the Kansas softball team, losing 4-0 on the road to Missouri Wednesday night.
Kansas (21-20, 2-6) was a one-hit by Missouri pitcher Jen Bruck and managed six base runners in the game.
"I'm really very disappointed with our team's effort today," Kansas coach Tracy Bunge said. "We weren't very good in any phase of the ball game and our focus and intensity just wasn't there."
The Jayhawks struggled to find a rhythm offensively or defensively, committing one error and misplaying several bunts, allowing one to become a double. The team's bats were silent for most of the night, except for its lone hit in the fourth inning.
Kansas squandered a chance to take the lead in the top of the fourth, leaving the bases loaded. Senior second baseman Jessica Moppin recorded the Jayhawks' first hit with her double, followed by an intentional fall of senior designated player Serena Settleier. Freshman center fielder Stevie Crisosto drew a two-out walk, loading the bases. A strike out by senior left fielder Nettie Fierros ended the immin-
Joshua Bickel/KANSAN
After the fourth inning Kansas did not
Junior pitcher Kassie Humphreys pitches the ball Wednesday in Columbia, Mo. Humphreys pitched five innings allowing four runs off of seven hits and finished with only four strikeouts in the Jayhawks 4-0 loss to the Tigers.
record another hit, but had two runners reach base on a walk and error in the seventh
Junior pitcher Kassie Humphreys, who had allowed two hits in her past 24 innings entering the game, allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings on the mound.
BASEBALL: 8-5
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 8B
Kansas builds lead, hangs on late
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Standing on second, Preston Land was serenaded by his fans.
The freshman first baseman turned 19 yesterday, and if his second-inning double wasn't enough of a present, the fans' rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the third base bleachers and an 8-5 victory against the North Dakota State Bison probably helped.
"It's always good to have fans here, especially when they know it's your birthday." Land said of his personal singing telegram. "It means they actually pay attention to the players."
Freshman Nick Cazy (1-1)
racked up a pair of strikeouts in
the opening inning of Wednesday's victory. The victory was his first as a jayhawk. He started Wednesday afternoon's game in nearly the same fashion in which older brother Don ended Tuesday night's game. Nick Czyz, however, had more time to work with and by the end of the third inning, he had sent down seven Bison (2-26) batters on strikes, the most strikeouts in a single outing from a Kansas (24-13, 6-6) pitcher this season.
Cczy didn't stop there. After just five innings on the hill, he tallied nine strikeouts and surrendered one base hit.
"I don't really pay attention to the strikeouts that much," Czyz said. "Honestly, I don't think I pitched as well as I could have."
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 8B
Randel Sanders/KANSAN
Sophomore outfielder John Allman slides home and scores on Preston Land's double in the fifth inning against North Dakota State at Hoglund Ballpark Wednesday afternoon. Allman had two hits and contributed two RBI to the 8-5 victory over the Bison.
FOOTBALL
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kerry Meier scrambles as he looks down field for an open receiver during spring practice on Saturday in Topeka. Heading into Friday's Spring Game the starting quarterback position is still up for grabs.
Anthony Mattingly/KANSAN
Sizing up the quarterbacks
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
With the Annual Spring Game just two days away, the quarterback position was still up for grabs on the Kansas football team. Still, most signs pointed to redshirt freshman Kerry Meier leading the quarterback competition against senior Adam Barmann, freshman Todd Reesing, and incoming freshman Tyler Lawrence.
"When you watch the game, I think you'll realize who the
No. 1 quarterback is going to be. If you want some official announcement, I'll do it after the spring game, but we know where we're at and it's pretty obvious."
Barmann
coach Mark Mangino said
Last year, Kansas had a quarterback carousel rotating between Barmann and Brian Luke before Jason Swanson locked down the starting position, eventually leading the Jayhawks to a Fort Worth Bowl victory.
Reesing
Mangino said he didn't want to
sale anyone out for the position.
"I don't want to sell anybody short because we have a history
of using more than one quarterback," Mangino said. "The guys who've been around a while, they know that as well as anybody."
The team will try to settle into a three-deep quarterback rotation before next season.
Mangino said they were pretty set on No. 1 and No. 2 so far this spring, but that the fall could determine No. 3.
Here's a look at what each quarterback — Meier, Barnmann and Reesing — has going for and against him:
SEE QUARTERBACK ON PAGE 38