2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006
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SPORTS CALENDAR
TODAY
- Swimming, NCAA Championships, all day, Athens, Ga.
- Women's basketball vs. Northern Iowa, 7 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse
FRIDAY
- **Sunball** vs. Northwestern,
University of Hawaii Softball Tour
nament, 4 p.m., Honolulu
- **Baseball** at Baylor, 7 p.m., Waco,
Texas
Swimming, NCAA Championships, all day, Athens, Ga.
Player to watch:
Ashley Leidigh.
The freshman qualified for two events, including a school record in the 100 fly of 53.08 seconds.
Women's golf. Leidigh Betsy Rawls
invitational, all day, Austin, Texas
"Men's basketball vs. Bradley,
NCAA tournament, 8:30 p.m.
Auburn Hills, Mich.
SATURDAY
Baseball at Baylor, 6 p.m., Waco,
Texas
Softball vs. Longwood, University of Hawaii Softball Tournament, 6 p.m., Honolulu
Softball vs. Hawaii, University of Hawaii Softball Tournament, 8 p.m., Honolulu
Swimming, NCAA Championships all day Athens Ga
Ed Andrieski/The Associated Press
Women's golf, Betsy Rawls Invitational, all day, Austin, Texas
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Pirates, Shockers are near-mirror images
When Seton Hall takes the court in its first-round NCAA tournament game and looks at its opponent, Wichita State, the Pirates will see a team that resembles themselves.
In fact, according to the Pirate players and head coach Louis Orr, the Shockers are almost a mirror image of the Pirates.
"I think we match up well against them. We are really very much alike," said junior guard Jamar Nutter.
MLB
The Associated Press
Pitcher doesn't mind thin air
Player plans for success in mile high city
BY ARNIE STAPLETON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUCSON, Ariz. — Ray King doesn't worry about Coors Field turning him from one of baseball's best left-handed setup men into just another pitcher relentlessly getting rocked in downtown Denver.
He's heard the horror stories about pitching at altitude in the hitter-friendly ballpark and he's not fazed one bit. After all, in 12 career appearances, King has compiled a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings at Coors.
"You get a breaking ball up,
it's supposed to get hit. You get a
fastball up, it's supposed to get
hit."
He insists a full season won't make a difference and that the thin air won't wear on him.
"A lot of times guys go in there and they go by what they hear instead of just going in and doing what they do," King said. "I've been fortunate to where I've had pretty good numbers going into Coors Field. I just think you go in there being a sinkerball pitcher and you throw the ball in the bottom of the zone.
Colorado Rockies catcher Danny Ardino rounds first after hitting a two-run double in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday. Colorado won the game 9-5.
his walks down because the ballpark is so big a routine single can score a runner from first.
A day after signing free agent right-hander Jose Mesa last December, the Rockies acquired King from St. Louis in exchange for infielder Aaron Miles and outfielder Larry Bigbie.
He said he just needs to keep
With Mesa, King and Mike DeJean serving as stoppers for All-Star closer Brian Fuentes, manager Clint Hurdle feels his team, which began hitting again over the second half of last season, will be the surprise of the NL West this season.
"Those three guys give us the most flexibility and the most talent we've ever had at the end of a game," Hurdle said. "We're going to be good."
When the Rockies were mulling their trade for King, they went to pitching coach Bob Apodaca, who tutored the stocky lefty in Milwaukee from 2000-01 and told them King would be a good fit in the bullpen and the clubhouse.
"It's more the Darryl Kyletype curveball that it affects. But the harder one that has a sharper break because it's more of a velocity pitch than an off-speed pitch is very little affected by it," Apodaca said. "Otherwise, Aaron Cook and Jason Jennings, who are sinker-slider guys, wouldn't have had success at Coors Field. Those kinds of pitchers can pitch anywhere, including Denver."
He said King's sharp sinker and nasty slider were perfect for Coors, which tends to wreck the big, looping curveballs which flatten out at altitude.
Plus, King had developed a commanding clubhouse presence during his stays in Atlanta and St. Louis after leaving Milwaukee following the 2002 season.
Musher wins fourth championship
VIDITAROD
cry as he trudged onward, calling through the wind for Salem. Sled dogs are enthusiastic runners, known for abandoning fallen mushers in their eagerness to push ahead.
"He is one of the most incredible dogs I've ever had the privilege of knowing," said musher Jeff King, who won his fourth Iditarod championship.
But King said Salem helped stop the runaway team, which he spotted a few minutes later in the blowing snow.
Last week, while King was jockeying for first with four-time champ Doug Swingley, his team hit a snow drift.
and unhooked one of his dogs. While King ran after it, the rest of his team disappeared down the Iditarod Trail, somewhere between the Yukon River village of Kaltag and the town of Unalakleet on the Bering Sea coast — hundreds of miles from Nome.
NOME, Alaska — Salem curled up beneath Nome's burred spruce arch, a ring of yellow roses around his neck.
King said he was ready to
Then, in the bright lights of the Iditarod winner's circle, the star sled dog fell asleep.
SOFTBALL Jayhawks head to Hawaii Invitational
The bump sent King tumbling
BY JEANNETTE J. LEH
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jonathan Anderson
The University of Kansas softball team will head to Hawaii to play its final nonconference tournament at the Bank of Hawaii Invitational in Honolulu. Kansas (13-12) will play Longwood, Also playing in the three-day tournament will be No. 16 Northwestern, Oklahoma State, San Diego State and host-school Hawaii. Kansas has won eight of its past 11 games and will begin conference play at Texas A&M on March 25.
NFL Owens released by Philadelphia Eagles
Owens is finally free to play for any team willing to have him after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday. The exiled Owens was due a $5 million roster bonus on Wednesday, so the Eagles had to cut him or trade him before then to avoid paying the money.
Terrell Owen's future employer can only hope the brasstalking wide receiver doesn't criticize teammates or coaches and disrupt the locker room.
The move was a formality because Owens was kicked off the team in November following a series of incidents and infractions, including repeated criticism of quarterback Donovan McNabb.
The Eagles gave Owens permission to talk with other teams in January, Denver, Miami and Dallas reportedly have interest in Owens. Kansas City president Carl Peterson said he'd consider giving him a one-year, incentive-laden deal. Owens helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl in his first season in Philadelphia, but problems began when he demanded a new contract just one year into a seven-year, $48.97 million deal.
The Associated Press
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