THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE
12A
LIFE OF BRIAN
Best part of sports year just around the corner
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Football season is officially over.
Kansas blew out the mighty Houston Cougars in the Fort Worth Bowl, Vince Young won the Rose Bowl all by himself and the Steelers won a twiddle-my-thumbs boring Super Bowl.
So now that it's all over, can we finally, please, move past the most over-hyped and overrated sports season of the year and start paying attention to the truly compelling sports?
BRIAN WACKER
bwacker@kansan.com
Quick question: Can you tell me where the Winter Olympics are being held this year? If you guessed Eudora, you're wrong. They are actually being held in Torino, Italy. Bonus question:
When do they start? If you said tomorrow, you're correct and probably in the minority.
That's right, in less than 48 hours, the best athletes in the world not on the hardwood or a gridiron will parade into Stadio Olimpico in Torino, ready to perform in the greatest event in all of sports.
The Olympics transcend the sports that are played. The cultural and social implications
the Olympics can never be understated. What other sporting event — or any event, for that matter — has the power to peacefully bring representatives from 85 different nations together? Consider this: Alidad Saveh Shemshaki of Iran and Mikail Renzhin of Israel will both be in the qualifying pools for the men's slalom and giant slalom skiing events.
In case you've never read the non-sports sections of the newspaper, those are two athletes from respective countries that are one nervous soldier with a grudge away from igniting World War III. Shaq vs. Kobe? No thanks. Ohio State vs. Michigan? I'll pass. Give me Shemshaki vs. Renzhin, a match up with a whole lot
more drama.
The games in Torino also provide compelling American story lines. Will the soul-patched, bandana-sporting, speed-skating Apolo Anton Ohno be able to avoid another fateful wipeout, similar to the crash that kept him from winning the gold in the 1000m individual race? How well will the USA Hockey team compete with 44-year-old Chris Chelios as its captain? Can the United States eclipse its record of 34 total medals it kept in the States in Salt Lake City?
If winter sports and the peaceful coexistence of the world's powers aren't really your bag, then look no further than NCAA basketball.
With regular season games
remaining against Missouri, Kansas State and Texas, KU fans should be well-entertained as they wait for postseason play. Arguably, March Madness begins at the Big 12 championship on March 9. How well Kansas plays there is sure to have a huge impact on the Jayhawks' seed in the Big Dance a week later.
Kansas (16-6, 7-2), starting three freshmen and two sophomores, may not have the most postseason experience. But the last time I checked, that doesn't matter as much in the tournament as all the ESPN pundits would have you believe. Syracuse won it all in 2003 with two freshmen, Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, leading the charge. And last year, Kansas led by seniors Aaron Miles, Keith Langford, Wayne Simien and Michael Lee bowed out in the first round to Bucknell, a 14 seed. So it's hard to say how Kansas will respond this year.
Bottom line: The Super Bowl and the BCS may provide ratings and huge corporate sponsors, but the Winter Olympics and the NCAA postseason will provide the truly compelling.
Although the folks at Tostitos, Nokia and EV1.net may want you to think otherwise, right now we are beginning
— not ending — the best part of the year for sports.
↵ wacker is a Chinstermer, Mo., senior in journalism. He is Kansan.com editor.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 69-48
Super Mario reigns
Freshman leads' Hawks with 20 points
Nati Harnik/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nebraska's Jason Dourisseau, right, tries to break up a pass by Kansas' Mario Chalmers during the second half of the Jayhawks' victory against the Corn huskers on Wednesday night in Lincoln, Neb. Kansas beat Nebraska 69-48.
By RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SWITTERWRI
LINCOLN, Neb. — Threepoint shot after three-point shot just would not fall for freshman guard Mario Chalmers during the opening 23 minutes.
That changed in the second half, as Chalmers provided clutch three-pointers to counter any
thought of a Nebraska comeback. As a result, Kansas cruised to its fifth straight victory. 69-48, last night at the Devaney Center.
Chalmers finally left the floor with 1:40 to go in the game and was met with a hug from his father Ronnie Chalmers after he finished with 20 points.
Twice during the second half, Nebraska cut the Kansas lead to as little as five, and each time
Chalmers responded with a threepointer. Chalmers did not let the Cornhuskers get any closer, enabling the Jay Hawks to get their fourth conference victory on the road.
Chalmers poured in 20 points, including 16 in the second half, on a night when leading scorer Brandon Rush was not able to get it done offensively. The victory improved Kansas to 16-6 on
the season and 7-2 in conference play.
"In the first half I didn't really make anything," Chalmers said. "Coach was just telling me to keep shooting and to square up a little more, and that was able to help me out in the second half."
Many of his shots came thanks to kick-outs from Jayhawk post
SEE CHALMERS ON PAGE 7A
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 86-57
Sloppy play leads to rout in Norman
BY MICHAEL PHILIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN SKIFFER
In a game that Kansas had to play flawlessly to compete in, defensive miscues and turnovers added up to an 86-57 loss to No.9 Oklahoma.
The lajahawks defensive effort did not meet coach Bonnie Hen
nickson's standards, which has been a common theme all season.
"I don't know why, but right now we're just too easy to score on," Henrickson said. "There's no excuse for this to be a 30-point game. No excuse. They're not that much better than we are."
SEE ROUT ON PA E A
Florian Luft/ THE OKLAHOMA DAILY
Oklahoma player Courtney Paris drives around senior forward Crystal Kemp during Wednesday's game in Norman, Okla. The Jayhawks fell 86-57 to the Sooners.
BASEBALL
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Freshman players make mark, look to veterans
Entering the 2006 season, the Kansas baseball team knew what to expect from its veterans. Five games into the season, it's more than just the returning starters who are drawing attention.
While the returners joined forces to score more than 50 runs and win the first four games of the season, standout
"They're really high profile guys." Coach Ritch Price said of his freshman class. "They're guys that came into our program that were recruited by other major universities after they've had tremendous high school careers."
freshmen have emerged.
Of the 14 freshmen on this year's roster, first baseman Preston Land and catcher Buck Afenir have already made lasting imprints. Land was the second-string first
FOR MORE...
For more information about some other notable freshman members of the Kansas baseball team, check out kansan.com.
baseman in Hawaii, behind senior Jared Schweitzer. But Land fit right into a designated hitter role, starting all but one game in the five-game opening series against Hawai-Hilo.
Land hit .444 in four games, and hit two over the fence. He carries confidence and hitting know-how in his sturdy 6-foot-3 frame, but he said it was a relief having his first-hit jitters behind him.
The two freshmen made it known that their presence would be vital to the success of a Kansas veteran lineup.
"In my first at bat I got my first hit so it's off my shoulders. And then being a power hitter, I hit my first home run
and now that's off my shoulders and I don't have to worry about doing that anymore," Land said. "Now I can just focus on helping my team win."
The 2005 Kansas City Star player of the year, Land represented the high-profile recruits Price described.
Although he is already proving himself, Land said he still looked to his elders for advice and leadership. Land said having his brother, starting left-handed pitcher Sean
Instead, Land said he turned to senior right fielder Gus Milner and Schweitzer. Milner will serve as the experienced power guy in the Kansas lineup, and Land said he recognized their similar hitting style.
Land, on the team was helpful, but because of the differences in their positions, Preston said he didn't really go to his brother for baseball advice.
SEE FRESHMAN ON PAGE 10A