University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, February 24, 1987
Sports
9
Royals' Howser decides he needs rest, steps down
The Associated Press
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Although he had stoically maintained the helm of the Kansas City Royals after surgery for a malignant brain tumor, Manager Dick Hower decided yesterday he just wasn't up to the task.
"Well, I found out yesterday I couldn't do it," Howser said during a noon news conference at Terry Park, site of the Royals' spring training camp. "I'm just not going to try to do it, that's all."
As he announced his decision to step down, Howser was flanked by his wife, Nancy, successor Billy Gardner and other Royals officials.
"I've been pushing and pushing
since the first operation in Kansas City and the second operation in Los Angeles,” he said. “It's not really devastating. It's just that I need more time to rest. I can't do it like this.”
Howser donned his Royals uniform Saturday for the first time since managing the American League team in the All-Star Game last year. Saturday was the first day of spring training, and Howser appeared thin and tired, his uniform hanging on him.
In interviews, he insisted that he was capable of managing the team, but conceded that he would step down if it the work became too stressful.
Temperatures were in the mid-80s
Sunday, and Howser waked a subs-
stantial part of the day's wrink.
"I think that's what got me was the heat," he said later. "If we could put it on something, let's put it on the heat."
Howser said he already had decided to resign when he returned to the park yesterday morning. After a quick talk with on a bullpen bench, he left the field.
"My mind had been made up," he said. "I wouldn't have walked off the field like that if my mind hadn’t been there." He was talking about the training room that it was over.
Royals officials said Gardner, the former Minnesota Twins manager who was hired last fall as third-base
coach, would take over if However wasn't able to continue as manager.
"If he's ever well enough to come back and manage, he can have it and step back in. That's how much I respect the guy," said Gardner.
Howser said, "I'd like to thank Joe Burke and John Schuerholz and everybody connected with the organization.
"I'd like to thank my wife. She's been behind me like you people and know. When I told her you yesterday, could see a gleeflex look in her eye."
Howser, 50, isn't leaving the Royals completely and plans to serve in some capacity. Burke said he and Howser would determine those duties
later.
"I'm going to be putting on the uniform part-time." Howser said. "I'll do whatever they want me to do part-time."
Dean Vogelaar, Royals spokesman, said that after the news conference. However called the players to the ground his decision and introduced Gardner
"He told them he was going to hang it up and wished him all luck." We know you're going to have some spots, but don't let it get on down."
St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
With the Series victory came the honor of managing the American League team in the 1986 All-Star Game. Players and reporters said they noticed at the time that Howser seemed withdrawn and subdued as he led the league to a 3-2 victory.
A few days after the AllStar Game, a malignant brain tumor was diagnosed in Howser. He underwent surgery twice; in Kansas City on July 22 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 5. Scars from the surgery remained visible when he traveled to Florida, and he wore a cap as his hair continued to grow back from radiation treatments.
UNLV still No.1; Kansas falls one
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — In just his second season at the University of New Orleans, Coach Benny Dees has combined a gidy-up offense with a gimme-that defense to produce the school's first ever appearance in college basketball's Top 20.
Kansas, meanwhile, dropped to No. 16. The Jayhawks beat St. John's Saturday in New York but had lost in the week to Iowa State in Ames.
New Orleans was ranked No.19 in this week's major college basketball poll, well off the pace by top-ranked Nevada-Las Vegas but still a heady experience for a group of newcomers who were still learning each others' first names when the season began.
Dees has been with ranked teams before, as an assistant to Wimp Sanderson at Alabama.
“This feels, probably, better than ever before, because of what we are and where we’ve come from,” Dees said. “I particularly like in the Top 20 in the last weeks of the season. In the last week, there’s a great way to finish.”
It could help produce the school's first appearance in NCAA tournament play as a major college. New Orleans lost the Division II championship to two points in 1975, the school's last season in the smaller division.
Nevada-Va Las Vegas, 28-1, polled 49 first-pace Las in balloting by sportswriters and broadcasters, totalling 1,258 points. The Running Rebels stayed atop the poll for a fourth consecutive week by overcoming a 19-point deficit to beat New Mexico State over the weekend.
North Carolina, 25-2, moved ahead of Indiana, 23-2, into second place and Florida, 18-2, losers had been ranked second and New Jersey third for the past three weeks.
DePaul, Temple, Purdue and Iowa remained fourth through seventh. Georgetown beat a pair of Top Ten teams and vaulted from 11th to eighth.
Pittsburgh, one of the Hoyas' victims, dropped from eighth to ninth, and Alabama moved from 12th to 10th.
Syracuse, 22-5, led the Second Ten with 617 points.
The Top Twenty
By the Associated Press
1. New - Las Vegas 28-1
2. North Carolina 25-2
3. Indiana 23-2
4. DePaul 25-1
5. Temple 28-2
6. Purdue 20-3
7. Iowa 23-4
8. Georgetown 21-4
9. Pittsburgh 22-5
10. Alabama 21-4
11. Syracuse 22-5
12. Oklahoma 21-5
13. Clemson 24-3
14. Illinois 19-6
15. TCU 22-4
16. Kansas 21-7
17. Duke 21-6
18. Florida 21-7
19. New Orleans 22-3
20. Providence 18-6
K-State is crucial team in Big 8 race
United Press International
The Kansas State Wildcats come off a short break with a chance to decide who wins the Big Eight Conference.
The conference heads into its final week of the regular season with a three-way tie for first place between No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 16 Kansas and Missouri. K-State sits in fourth place, two games off the leaders' pace, followed by both Iowa State and Oklahoma. Iowa State and Oklahoma state are tied for sixth while Colorado is in last, the only team assured of its finish.
K-State, 17.8 overall and 7.5 in the league, can have a lot to say about
Manning honored by Big 8
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kansas forward Danny Manning has been named Big Eight Conference basketball player of the week for the fourth time this season, the conference announced yesterday.
Manning, a 6-foot-11 junior,
scored 88 points and grabbed 35 rebounds in Kansas' three games during the week.
Manning scored 30 points in a 95-86 loss to Iowa State, 33 points in Kansas' 84-67 victory against Kansas State and 25 points in Saturday's 62-60 nationally televised victory against St. John's.
The Associated Press
Other players nominated for the weekly honor were Iowa State forward Jeff Grayer; Kansas State forward Mitch Richmond; Oklahoma State guard Jay Davis; Colorado forward Dan Becker; Missouri guard Lee Coward; and Oklahoma center Harvey Grant.
who wins the Big Eight. Tonight, the Wildcats be the host to Missouri, which has a 19-9 overall record and a 9-3 conference mark, before ending the season at Oklahoma. The Sooners travel to Iowa State in another game tonight. Conference games for the teams for four teams are scheduled for tomorrow. Kansas at Colorado and Nebraska playing at Oklahoma State.
K-State assistant coach Ron Stewart said the scheduling of the break came at a good time.
Missouri Coach Norm Stewart (no relation) said the series with K-State had been very interesting. In the Big Eight, home court advantages have been the rule except when the Tigers and Wildcats are paired. In the last 10 years, Missouri has won seven times in Manhattan, and the Wildcats have won four of the last nine trips to Columbia.
Missouri will test how much good the rest did the Wildcats. The first time the teams met, Missouri won the third locker game in Columbia, Mo.
"We had played four games in the previous eight days, and two of those were road games," he said. "I think we were mentally and physically tired."
"Neither team played great when we played them the first time, but we're looking for a good effort out of our team and we know that they'll come in here trying to be No. 1 in the conference." Stewart said.
"The thing about the series with K-State," Missouri's Stewart said, "is that in the past there have been a lot of victories that have been achieved on the other person's court. Well, we have one half of that stopped. Now I hope it reverts to the other way so we can win on their court."
Iowa State is one Big Eight team that has protected its home record against good competition this season. The Cyclones have beaten both Kansas and Missouri at home.
KU Hockey club defenseman Kevin Tobin maneuvers past a Tanner's player in the closing minutes of last night's game. Tanner beat the
Jayhawks 5-2 at the Fox Hill Ice Arena in Overland Park, snapping KU's five-game win streak.
Fred Sadowski/KANSAN
KU hockey team's win streak snapped
Staff writer
Bv ROB KNAPP
After averaging about eight goals to its opponents' two in its last five games, the KU Hockey Club is getting some extra attention from teams in their league. Word is getting around about the Jayhawks.
Kansas lost to Tanner's 5-2 last night at the Fox Hill Ice Arena in Overland Park, ending the team's five-game winning streak.
Kansas competes in the Kansas City Metro Hockey Association. The Tanner's team represents a Kansas City area restaurant and
club.
"They outskated us all over the place," said Greg Lederer, Kansas center and team captain. "We just didn't play as well as we have been."
But one Tanner's player said the key might have been preparation.
"They can be beaten, if you have an organized game plan," Tanner's forward Orln Wagner said. "We just clogged up the middle."
Kansas, 5-6-1, appeared to be in control of the game throughout the first period, getting 25 shots on goal to Tanner's 13. Kevin Tobin opened the scoring for the
Jayhawks less than 4 minutes into the game with a rebound off his own shot.
But Tanner's tied the score early in the second period when Rick East received the puck in a three-on two break and fired it high past Jayhawk goalkeeper Steve Oohlein.
Tanner's took the lead with about 11 minutes to go in the period after a Kansas' defensive mistake. Two Jayhawk players collided as the puck came around behind the Kansas goal, allowing Tanner's Ed Webb to take a centering pass and slide a shot past Ohollearn.
The eventual winning goal came when a Kansas penalty left Tanner's with a power-play opportunity late in the period. Oholellarn lost his stick during a flurry of shots in front of the Jawayk net, allowing Goode Guoge to score while a defender handed the Kansas goalie a stick.
Kansas scored a power-play goal with 5:47 to go when Lederer knocked in a rebound after a shot by Tobin.
Tanner's scored its fifth goal in the final minute when a slap shot by Webb bounced down off the crossbar into the net.
KU faces Colorado in final home game
Staff writer
By DAVID BOYCE
The women's basketball team carries a four game winning streak into its final regular-season contest at 7:30 tonight in Allen Field House against Colorado.
A victory would assure the Jayhawks a top-half finish in the Big Eight Conference. Before the season ended, they picked to finish last in the conference.
It is always pleasing to finish
highland where you were picked.
Coach Mitch
Kansas is in a three-way tie with Nebraska and Kansas State with an 8-5 conference record. Kansas has a 15-12 overall record while Colorado is
Washington said KU's pressing defense would be tested by Colorado's fine perimeter players.
6-7 and 14-12 overall.
"We are peaking at the right time." Washington said. "But Colorado is a very balanced team and could cause some trouble."
Earlier in the season, Colorado beat Kansas 83-65.
The 5-foot-8 guard is averaging 11.8 points a game. Forward Tracy Tripp leads the Lady Buffs with a 16.2-a game average.
“Bridget Turner has international experience, and she could hurt us if we don't contain her,” Washington said.
Tonight, the Jayhawks will play
"She has been trying to work with it in practice, but against K-State she was cautious with it and it affected her game," Washington said.
with an injured center. Sandy Shaw broke a finger on her left hand in the Missouri game Feb. 11. She did not score in Saturday's 68-63 victory over Kansas State.
Besides Shaw's minor injury, Washington said she thought the team had worked through the struggles early in the season and was going to the Big Eight Conference tournament at full strength.
The postseason conference tournament runs Friday through Monday in Salina.
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. today
Allen Field House
Radio: KJHK-FM
Probable Starters
Kansas (15-12)
**Athens (3/12)**
F Shawna Waters (5-9), 9.7 pp
F Jackie Martin (5-11), 10.2 pp
C Sandy Shaw (6-0), 8.1 pp
G Lisa Bradley (5-7), 9.7 pp
G Evente Oft (5-7), 10.0 pp
Colorado (14-12)
Colorado (14-12)
F Gretchen Dewitt (5-10), 15.3 pp
F Tracy Trick (5-10), 16.2 pp
C Crystal Ford (6-2), 7.4 pp
G Julie Moore (5-7), 4.1 pp
G Bridge Turner (5-8), 11.8 pp
Showing in Kentucky disappoints tennis team
Bv ROB KNAPP
Staff writer
The excitement that the Kansas men's tennis team felt at its first national team championship was tempered only by its failure to finish well.
The Jayhawks began the Inter-
legiate Tennis Coaches National
Indoor Team Championships in
March with a 6-3 loss to Kentucky
on Wednesday.
They then traveled to Lexington, Ky., and lost matches on Friday and Saturday to Utah and Columbia by identical 5-4 scores.
"Of course, I'm disappointed," men's and women's tennis coach Scott Perelman said. "There was no reason for us not to win those 6-4 matches."
The championship tournament in Louisville marked the first time that the Kansas tennis team played at a national event, and several players are getting their first taste of collegiate sports in a national level, Perelman said.
He said he thought that the level of competition had caused his team to lose.
"In moving from the regional level
to the national level, we lost the expectation to win." Perelman said.
Mike Wolf, team captain, won all of his matches at No. 1 singles for him
"We weren't going to accept anything less from those matches than winning."
Perealm said that the Jayhawks were in the right frame of mind when they defeated Oklahoma State and qualified for the tournament.
Freshman Craig Wildey won his
No. 3 singles matches against Kentu-
sler and the Americans.
with Wolf for victories over Utah and Columbia at No. 1 doubles.
Wolf and Wilde lost 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 to Kentucky's Richard Benson and Greg Van Enberg, the top-ranked college doubles team in the country.
The Kansas No. 3 team of Chris Walker and Jim Secrest also won two games in the series.
In the two losses to Utah and Columbia, Kansas started each contest by losing two of six singles matches.
"We backed ourselves into a corner, then we tried to fight our way out of the jungle." Perelman said.