8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2006
MLB
Cardinal Edmonds toughs out injuries
BY R.B. FALLSTROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JUPITER, Fla. — In mid-January, when Jim Edmonds mused about getting old and wondering whether any team would want him after his latest contract expires after the 2007 season, it sounded like a joke.
"I was scared at first," Edmonds said. "I thought, 'Oh, it'll go away and for two months it wouldn't. Shaking hands, stupid stuff like that, I was pretty sore."
After all, although his 2005 offensive numbers were his worst in five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, his off-year still added up to 29 homers and 89 RBIs, he won his eighth Gold Glove and started in the All-Star Game.
But when he appeared at the annual St. Louis baseball writers' dinner this winter, he said he was unable to pick up a glass of water because of persistent numbness in his right forearm and hand that still bottles him.
An MRI exam last week showed that inflammation near a nerve was causing the problem. It's an injury that Edmonds, 35, can play through, judging from his performance since seeing the doctor.
On Thursday, the Cardinals' lone outfielder holdover had two hits and two RBIs, and robbed J.D. Drew of a home run at Vero Beach against the Dodgers.
"How did he look to you?" manager Tony La Russa asked a reporter. "I'm sure he's got some soreness, but he's able to play and he needs to play."
On Friday, Edmonds hit his first home run of the spring off the Mets' Tom Glavine, even though he said he had experienced more forearm soreness than usual. On Saturday he ran a streak to six consecutive hits, continuing to warm up for the April 3 opener at Philadelphia.
He was hitting .500 in 26 at-bats with a homer and four doubles. Earlier in the spring he was sidelined by a foot injury.
Both he and the Cardinals believe the injury to his glove side stems from a new offseason weight-lifting regimen. Edmonds, who's expected to bat cleanup much of the time this season, said it slowly snuck up on him.
"There really wasn't one thing, it was just over time and trying to do some different workouts," Edmonds said. "They say it's of common to get tennis elbow, and when you're old like me..."
In midwinter, Edmonds was having so much trouble that he flew to St. Louis to have it checked out.
"I had it looked at kind of under the radar and got a cortisone shot and some medicine, and it made it go away for about two weeks," Edmonds said. "And then it came right back."
The pain has become manageable, the worst symptom of which is tingling in his fingers. The most important aspect is it does not affect his swing.
He almost feels bad talking about it. He'd rather this injury to be below the radar, too.
"It's getting a lot of attention because I had to get an MRI." Edmonds said. "It's not really that bad.
"I'm not really concerned baseball-wise, I just would like to have it feel normal or somewhat normal."
Edmonds estimates he's undergone about 60 MRI exams in the last decade, most of them dealing with aching shoulders and knees. This spring alone, he's had two such procedures. Still, he'll play through the pain, trusting team doctors who say he won't aggravate the condition.
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
ALL AMERICA
All America women's team from left: LSU's Seimone Augustus, Rutger's Cappie Pondexter, North Carolina's Ivory Latta, Oklahoma's Courtney Paris and Baylor's Sophia Young.
THE ASSDCIATED PRESS
First freshman makes AP team
BY CHUCK SCHOFFNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In her first college game, Courtney Paris broke loose for 24 points and 10 rebounds — in only 20 minutes.
As it turned out, she was just getting warmed up.
Four months and 33 double doubles later, the Oklahoma center has become the first freshman selected for The Associated Press All-America team in women's basketball.
Augustus was a first-team pick on all 46 ballots from the national media panel that votes in the weekly Top 25, receiving the maximum 230 points. Latta had 39 first-team votes and 210 points, while Pondexter had 36 and 207, Paris 30 and 184
LSU senior Seimone Augustus was the lone unanimous choice on the team released Tuesday, and the only first-team repeater from last year. Also chosen were North Carolina junior Ivory Latta, Rutgers senior Cappie Ponderexter and Baylor senior Sophia Young.
Young 25 and 183.
Since the AP began selecting women's All-America teams in the 1994-95 season, four freshmen had made the second and third teams, including Augustus, a third-team pick in 2003.
A season filled with eye-popping numbers enabled the 6-foot-4 Paris — daughter of former NFL lineman Bubba Paris — to break into the first five.
"It's pretty weird to think that last year you're in high school, and now you get to college a few months later and you get to be with Ivory and all these other guys," Paris said. "It's humbling to be considered in the same group."
The third team included LSU's Sylvia Fowles, Georgia's Tasha Humphrey, DePaul's Khara Smith, Utah's Kim Smith and Temple's Candice Dupree.
Tennessee's freshman sensation, Candace Parker, was voted to the second team, along with Duke's Monique Currie, Ohio State's Jessica Davenport, Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne.
Paris showed up at Oklahoma with her twin sister, Ashley, and their impact was stunning. After finishing 17-13 last season and barely making the NCAA tournament, the Sooners became the first team to go 16-0 in the Big 12 and were 51-5 overall.
"Without a doubt, she's changed the complexion of everything," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.
During the regular season, Paris averaged 21.4 points, led the nation in rebounding (15.1) and made 61 percent of her shots. She reached double figures in points and rebounds in all but three games and became the first NCAA women's player with 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season.
"Courtney's consistency has been uncanny," Coale said. "There's no other way to describe it. We've come to learn that one way or another, she's going to get it done."
Paris also broke a 21-year-old NCAA record with her 539 rebounds.
Augustus has played so well
and so consistently that she has become everyone's All-American. She was a unanimous selection last season, when she was the national player of the year, and was unanimous on the preseason team last November.
Her 23-point regular-season average led the nation and she shot 57.8 percent, including 51.5 percent from 3-point range.
"I feel good about it," Augustus said. "I think I've worked hard enough to be deserving of this. It's just a joy being able to go into other states and have people know who you are and appreciate what you're doing for the women's game."
Latta, North Carolina's effervescent 5-6 point guard, averaged 18.4 points and five assists in leading the Tar Heels to the ACC regular-season and tournament championships and their first No.1 ranking.
"I don't really look at what I've done individually" Latta said. "We're just a total package as a team."
But it wouldn't be the same team without her.
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