2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2007
BOWIE KUHN
Former baseball commissioner dead
BY RONALD BLUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Bowie Kuhn, who saw baseball become a business of free agents making multimillion-dollar salaries during 15 tumultuous years as commissioner, died Thursday. He was 80.
Kuhn died at St. Luke's Hospital following a short illness, his spokesman Bob Wirtz said.
When Kuhn took over as commissioner from William Eckert on Feb. 4, 1969, baseball just had completed its final season as a tradition-bound 20 team sport, one with no playoffs, a reserve clause and an average salary of about $19,000.
Kuhn battled the rise of the NFL and a combative players' union that besieged him with lawsuits, grievances and work stoppages. Yet it was also a time of record attendance and revenue and a huge expansion of the sport's television presence.
Along with his bumpy reign
came a string of controversial decisions.
When Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth's career record in 1974, Kahn was not in the stands. And he banned Hall of Farmers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle from associating with their
former teams because of liassons with gambling casinos
By the time Peter Uberroth succeeded Kuhn on Oct. 1, 1984, the major leagues had 26 teams in tour divisions, a designated bitter in the American League, the first
time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game." Kuhn said, "and that it was a time in which no one could question the integrity of the game."
It was also a time of memo- rable ledues. Kuhn did battle with ornery owners like Charlie Finley,
"I want it to be remembered that I was commissioner during a time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game."
night World Series games, color-
plashed uniforms, free agency and an average salary of nearly $330,000.
"I want it to be remembered that I was commissioner during a
BOWIE KUHN Former baseball commissioner
Ted Turner,
George Steinbrenner
and Ray Kroc.
Finley once-
went so as call-
ing Kuhn
"the village
idiot."
In addition to owners,
Kuhn tangled with former
player stars
like Mays, Mantle and Curt Flood, and union head Marvin Miller.
His downfall came after he presided over a 50-day strike that split the 1981 season in half.
"Bowie was a good guy, and
I admired him. Even though we had our disagreements, I never lost my respect for his integrity," Steinbrenner said through spokesman Howard Rubenstein.
A prim and proper lawyer who stood ramrod erect, Kuhn was regarded by some as a stuffed shirt.
"You've got to develop a sense of humor," Kuhn once said in an interview. "You have to be able to stand back and laugh. That's invaluable, or you are apt to go slightly balmy."
Born in Takoma Park, Md., on Oct. 28, 1926, Kuhn grew up in Washington, D.C., as a fan of the original Washington Senators — yet he allowed the expansion Senators to leave after the 1971 season and become the Texas Rangers. He graduated from Princeton in 1947 and received his law degree in 1950 from Virginia.
He is survived by wife, Luisa Kuhn; son Stephen Kuhn; daughter Alex Bower; and stepsons Paul Degener and George Degener.
>> INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL
John Goering/KANSAN
Two players clash in the basket at Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse. Several intramural champions named their Tuesday, while the rest finished Thursday.
Scholarship hall wins second title
Winners play in Allen Fieldhouse
BY SCOTT TOLAND
Battenfeld Scholarship Hall earned the right to play in Allen Fieldhouse by winning its first two games in the eight team Residential Hall Tournament. In its first round of play, Battenfield defeated Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall 47-35 before winning against The Lewis All-Stars 59-47 in the semifinals.
The NCAA Tournament officially began Thursday,but March Madness was already in session in Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Six teams squared off in three different brackets to win their three respective intramural basketball tournaments. Winners were named in the Men's Residential Hall Tournament; the Women's Open Tournament; and the Men's Open Competitive Tournament.
In the championship contest, Battenfeld ran over K.K. Amiini Scholarship Hall 56-26 to win its second consecutive intramural basketball title.
"We had a good team this year and the incoming freshmen helped a lot, too," he said.
Derik Harlow, Chanute sophomore, has also been a part of the team for both championship runs.
Achison senior Jesse Haug, who has been a member of the team both years, said, "Everyone was really excited about this game. Playing in the Fieldhouse is something that every KU student wants to do sometime during their college career. We had some good shooters and we played fast and that made it tough for teams to stay with us."
Playing in Allen Fieldhouse is nothing new to St. Louis senior Lauren Jenkins, who helped lead the team Sweetness to the championship Wednesday night.
"This is my fourth year in a row winning the championship in the Fieldhouse," she said, and added that her former team, Keep Shooting, had made it to the Fieldhouse during her first three years of college.
Sweetness defeated Hang Time in the final contest by a score of 33-22. To reach the championship, Sweetness won two games to emerge from its half of the 10-team Women's Open Tournament. The team finished undefeated in pool play and posted a 6-0 overall record for the intramural basketball season.
Trent Peter, Tribune senior, said, "I've practiced at the Fieldhouse before, but it is always fun to play in it."
Finishing a stellar intramural season was the Saints, who capped off its championship run in the Men's Open Competitive tournament with a 41-36 victory against Balls'in the title game.
The intramural championship games in the Men's and Women's Greek division, the Co-Recreational division, and the Men's Open Recreational division were played Thursday to conclude the 2007 intramural basketball season.
Kansan sportswriter Scott Toland can be contacted at stoland@kansan.com.
Edited by Will McCullough
Athletics calendar
TODAY
Men's basketball vs. Niagara, 6:10 p.m., Chicago
- Softball vs. Cal Poly, Noon
Sacramento, Calif
- Softball vs. Idaho State, 5 p.m. Sacramento Calif.
- Baseball vs. Texas A&M.
6:30 p.m., College Station,
Texas
- Women's golf, all day,
Austin, Texas
SATURDAY
Baseball vs. Texas A&M,
2 p.m., College Station, Texas
- Softball vs. Georgia
Southern, 2:30 p.m.
Sacramento, Calif.
- Softball vs. Pittsburgh,
5 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
- Women's golf, all day,
Austin, Texas
SUNDAY
SUNDAY
Baseball vs. Texas A&M,
1 p.m., College Station, Texas
Softball vs. Colorado
State, 1 p.m.
Sacramento, Calif.
Women's golf, all day,
Austin, Texas