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/ SPORTS / MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees."
- Jason Kidd
FACT OF THE DAY
Todd Reesing and Kent Pulliam co-wrote Reesing's autobiography "Rising to New Heights." Reesing turns 23 next month.
— Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: How many book signings does Reesing have this fall?
A: Seven. Five in Lawrence, one in Topeka, the other in Prairie Village.
Kansas Athletics
Kids get serious with sports too early
MORNING BREW
kids grow up too fast these days. The Little League World Series is taking over matinee hours of ESPN programming showcasing kids aged 13 years or younger representing different countries.
I don't know if we'll ever see more than three of these kids in the big leagues some day, but the process of recruiting and examining talent at younger and younger ages is inflating the heads of kids to a degree that is mind-blowing.
This past year, University of Southern California football offered a scholarship to a six foot tall 13-year-old. This kid was born during the Clinton administration. He couldn't walk when the song "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly, came out.
How has this kid's life changed since Lane Kiffin came knocking on his door? Has his self-image risen from a extremely lanky eighth-grader to the next Spartan god? I cannot assume too much, but I wonder if he will ever have a normal high school experience now.
BY NICO ROESLER
nroesler@kansan.com
Children need to grow up and experience what each year of a normal childhood has to offer. Like thinking you're the man after you offer the cute girl in class your dessert at lunch in the middle school cafeteria.
This future USC star is probably now going to expect that all the senior ladies at his high school are going to want carry his cleats to practice.
We all saw what dangers can come from a child deprived of his best years (Michael Jackson, rest in peace). Media and coaches
need to let these kids develop as past generations did — playing in youth football leagues with only their gossiping parents there to watch.
the young Louisville sluggers making it on ESPN this week are no exception. I bet that this past summer for most those kids on the Georgia team was about having a good enough batting average to make to team and get to the national stage.
Although the Little League World Series has a history rooted in tradition and it would be a great thing to compete in, it is not ESPN-worthy. I'm sure it's going to be one of the most memorable experience of their lives, for good or for worse, depending on how many errors they commit. They're 13 for Babe Ruth's sake!
If kids have the talent to make varsity in whatever sport they so choose, then get lucky enough to play for a university, then are gifted enough to actually make money in their sport, they deserve all the attention the world can give them. But at this
There are a lot of years of athletic potential ahead of them, maybe even 30 if they have Brett Favre's resilience. Give them these next precious years to soak up the fun that is being a kid.
- Edited by David Cawthon
FOOTBALL
Pick, offense outplay defense in scrimmage
BY MATT GALLOWAY mgalloway@kansan.com
The Kansas football coaching staff didn't have to wait long to see immediate returns in their decision to name sophomore quarterback Kale Pick the team's starter.
Pick three two touchdown passes on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, both to senior receiver Johnathan Wilson, and the offense outclassed the defense in a 55-play scrimmage.
"I thought things went okay today," coach Turner Gill said in a news release. "The offense made
some plays, and the offensive line did some things to open it up for us. But the defense needs to tackle better. That's something we're going to have to improve before our first game."
Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb also led a pair of scoring drives. Webb and Pick split the snaps, but both were able to move the ball at will on the defense.
Junior running back Rell Lewis injured his knee in the scrimmage. A timetable for his return has yet to be determined.
— Edited by Roshni Oommen
WORLD BASKETBALL
USA wins warm-up versus Spain
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Please recycle this newspaper
MADRID — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called for a switch to his trademark "Orange" 2-3 zone with the United States clinging to a one-point lead.
Kevin Durant did the rest, blocking shots by Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez in the final seconds in the Americans' 86-85 victory over Spain on Sunday in a warm-up game for the world championships.
"lim Boeheim said, 'Let's go orange," U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "So we did. It was his suggestion and our guys did a good job with that."
Durant led the United States with 25 points.
The decision to go to the zone defense for the last play caught
Spain off-guard after Derrick Rose put the Americans ahead with two free throws.
"I just wanted to cover as much ground as I could and help my teammates," said Durant, who also had 10 rebounds. "I just didn't
want to foul on a 3-pointer so I stayed down and, luckily, game over."
The United States rallied after Spain 13 points behind after three quarters took
was a learning experience for us and I think we made key plays down the stretch." Durant said. "We also played as a team and stuck through tough times."
Navarro scored 20 points in the first game between the teams since
"It was one of those games that
"I just wanted to cover as much ground as I could and help my teammates."
a one-point lead on Juan Carlos Navarro's three-point play with 27 seconds left.
KEVIN DURANT USA forward
the Americans won the 2008 Olympic final. It was the first loss in nine games forSpain, the defending world champion. The world championships begin Saturday in Turkey.
Spain took the lead for the first time with 90 seconds to play. Rubio's stutter step into the lane drew attention and allowed the
teen point guard to feed Felipe
Reyes for an easy layup and an
82-80 lead.
But Durant answered before Rose got past Rubio and avoided Marc Gasol's block to score with a one-handed shot that put the U.S. up 84-82 with 33 seconds to play.
"We made one more play than they did and that's why we won," Krzyzewski said.
Rose finished with 13 points, and Lamar Odom had 12 points and nine rebounds for the United States, 3-0 on its exhibition tour.
"I thought I've got to hit them," Rose said about his winning free throws. "Over here, people are going to remember me for this."
The U.S. travels to Athens on Monday to play Greece in its final warm-up match ahead of the world championships.
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World top spot reclaimed
PORTLAND, Ore. — Ai Miyazato reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings, winning the LPGA Safeway Classic on Sunday for her fifth victory of the year.
The Japanese star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 11 under, two strokes in front of Cristie Kerr, ranked No. 1 going
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into the event, and Na Yeon Choi.
Kerr chased Miayzato throughout the final round until hitting into the water on the par-4 18th on Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's Ghost Creek Course.
Kerr shot a 70, and Choi had a 71 in mostly sunny conditions on the rural course about a 20-minute drive west of Portland. Rain fell briefly about the time that the leaders teed off.
The Safeway Classic, in its second year at Pumpkin Ridge, was marred Saturday when veteran Juli Inkster, in strong position to contend in the final round, was disqualified.
Miyazato, who led all three rounds, is among five players who have been jockeying for the No. 1 ranking, including Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng.
Mexico and Panama also won early games Sunday, while squads from Germany and Saudi Arabia were eliminated.
Twelve-year-old Shiloh Baniaga homered in the top of the first, then struck out six over five innings Sunday to lead Waipahu, Hawaii, past Toms River, N.J., 3-1 in an elimination game.
Hawaii to stay in League world series
LITTLE LEAGUE
New Jersey got some sparkling defensive plays and a homer from Kevin Blum, but otherwise couldn't keep up with Baniaga's pitching.
Hawaii manager Brian Yoshii said he bestowed the nickname "Bulldog" on Baniaga because the 12-year-old never gives up.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. Hawaii's "Bulldog" helped keep his team in the Little League World Series.
Associated Press
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