Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Chuck the comments
Fans, still angry Chuck Knoblaule left the Minnesota Twins in 1998, threw golf balls, hot dogs and plastic cups at him Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Sports
Inside: Despite missing out on a team NCAA Tournament bid, the Kansas men's tennis team will send four players to the individual NCAA's.
SEE PAGE 2B
Inside: This year's intramural season is winding down, but major changes are on tap for the fall.
FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com KANSAN.COM/SPORT
SEE PAGE 6B
Sports Columnist
Alan Davis
sports@kansan.com
Davis is a *topica* graduate student in journalism.
To help keep student-athletes who appear to have a future in the professional ranks, universities should help the student athletes buy insurance policies covering injuries.
Columnist offers ideas on improving college sports
All good things don't necessarily have to come to an end, but my position as a columnist this semester does. In this, what may very well be my last column, I would like to make some observations that I believe would positively affect college sports.
Skipping college is very common in baseball. It should not be any different in basketball or football. Baseball teams draft players after the high school level, and if a player decides to reject professional baseball, he can go to college. He can also do this if he is drafted while in college.
It also works in reverse. An example: Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke played professional baseball before joining the Florida State football team.
First, I think we should admit we are fighting a losing battle in trying to keep student-athletes such as basketball players DeShawn Stevenson and Paul Pierce and football players such as Michael Vick from staying in school for four years — or as in Stevenson's case attending college at all — before turning pro.
I'm not talking about just health insurance; I'm talking about insurance to cover lost income if the student-athlete is injured and, as a result, loses out on playing at the next level. This type of coverage might encourage some student-athletes to stay in school and mature another year instead of turning pro. The worry of blowing out a knee and missing out on a lucrative contract might be a little less if a $3 million insurance navy would be there.
Lester Earl, whose injuries probably prevented him from becoming the type of player a lot of people thought he could be, could have been a beneficiary of this. So, perhaps, could Luke Axtell — if his injuries make it impossible for him to play at the next level.
Second. I would like to see women's basketball switch to a nine-foot high basket instead of using the men's 10-foot high hoop — just so women can dunk. Some women can dunk on a 10-foot basket, but they are few and far between. Lowering the hoop to a dunkable level would make some women more exciting players as well as making the women's game more exciting.
Imagine watching women gracefully dunking off of lob passes, reverse slam-dunking and gorilla dunking like Shaquille O'Neal.
Despite the logistical problems of coming up with quality nine-foot hoops and switching back and forth between 10-foot and nine-foot high hoops, I think lowering the basket should still be considered.
Anyway, those are a few of the things I noticed and would like to change. Perhaps in the future I will have an opportunity to espouse those views in a forum where change is likely to occur. Right now, I just need to find a way to make some money when I finally graduate.
Another change I would like to see is women's fast pitch softball increasing the distance between bases from the present 60 feet to about 70 to 75 feet. The field is just too small.
Women's basketball already uses a smaller ball to accommodate women's smaller hands. Anyone who has watched a good women's team knows the skill with which the women play the game. They dribble behind their backs — like men. They dribble between their legs and demonstrate exceptional ball-handling skills with both hands — like men. Adding dunking could only make their game more exciting.
Because the bases are so close together, ground ball double plays are rare. Making the bases farther apart would change that, although it would also leave bigger holes in the infield for ground ball singles. It would also leave room for base runners to take a lead, which they can't do now. This would change the way fast pitch is played, but change can be good.
Full-count finale
Jayhawks' final seed awaits 'Huskers, Tigers games
By Brent Briggeman sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas softball team will look to end its regular season on a high note this weekend as it plays three conference games in just two days.
"It will be mentally draining to play so many big games in such a little amount of time," said senior captain Erin Garvey. "But if we can be mentally tough, our bodies will follow along."
Seeding in the conference tournament will be at stake for the 'Hawks (30-23 and 9-6). If they win at least two of the games, they will be assured of a three seed in the tournament. If they should lose two games, they will fall to the four seed. If they lose all three, they will fall into a tie with Oklahoma State for fourth.
The Cowboys own the tiebreaker with the 'Hawks, so Kansas would lose a bye and be forced to play on the first day.
If the games are rained out, they won't be made up. If that's the case, the Hawks would remain in third place.
Assistant coach
Aaron Clopton
said the team
wasn't feeling
pressure going
into the final w-
into the final weekend
"In a way it's not going to make a huge difference," said Clopton, who is in his first season with Kansas. "Either way we know we're going to play tough teams in the tournament."
With the three games packed into two days, the 'Hawks will need help from their entire pitching staff. Freshman Kara Pierce has started the majority of the conference games for Kansas, including five of the past six. With three games in two days, sophomore Kirsten Milhoan and junior Kelly Campbell will be expected to handle some important innings.
Clopton said a rotation for the weekend wasn't set, but Pierce definitely wouldn't throw all three games.
Nebraska is powered by a strong pitching staff. The Huskers are holding opposing hitters to a .164 batting average and have given up slightly more than one and a half runs per game.
Megan Urquhart slides into second in a recent game against Oklahoma University. Urquhart hit .333 this year in limited action because of injury. Photo by Laurie Sisk/KANSAN
The 'Hawks know what to expect from Missouri. The Tigers will look to avenge a 6-1 loss to Kansas at Jayhawk Field on April 19. Garvey, who will be honored after Saturday's game, her final home game, said it will be important for Kansas to finish strong.
"We just want to finish the season on a high note," she said.
Tomorrow's doubleheader against Nebraska will begin at 1 p.m. at
Jayhawk Field. Sunday's contest in Columbia, Mo., will start at 2 p.m.
— Edited by Ishun Richards
Senior Day same as Garvey Day
By Brent Briggeman
Erin Garvey will stand alone tomorrow afternoon. As the only senior on the Kansas softball team, Senior Day may as well be Erin Garvey Day.
But Garvey isn't complaining, because she has positioned the only earlier on the team.
Three years ago, no one would have guessed that Garvey would be the only senior.
"I'm not really looking forward to standing out there and having everyone looking at me," said Garvey, who plays outfield for the Jayhawks.
But Garvey isn't complaining, because she has enjoyed being the only senior on the team. Three years ago, no one would have guessed
Kansas signed three scholarship players from the high school senior class of '97. All three players left the program following their sophomore year.
Lezli Leathers transferred to Oklahoma State, Jessica Kowal left for the University of South Florida and Heather Chambers decided to stay at Kansas, but wanted to devote all of her time to studying.
As they left, Garvey arrived at Kansas — her third school in three years.
Her career started at Alabama, where she played under former Kansas coach Kalum Haack. It took her just one year to return home to her native Kansas.
"I just didn't like it down there," said Garvey, who said she didn't get along with Haack. "It was sort of a typical freshman year, I got along with everybody else, just not him."
After a knee injury cut her freshman season short, Garvey decided to put her softball career behind her and enroll at Johnson County Community College.
After a year away from the sport, Garvey gave football one more try.
She came to Lawrence and walked on to the team. After playing sparingly as a sophomore, she suffered another knee injury that required her second surgery in just more than two years.
"I would have been saying 'what if every day to myself had I not come back.' Garvey said.
See GARVEY on page 5B
Erin Garvey heads toward first base after making contact with the ball. Garvey is leading the team with 52 hits. Photo by Laura Sisk/KANSAN.
Team awaits last regular-season meet
By Michael Sudhalter
sports @ kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Three Big 12 Conference track teams and one entry from the Mountain West Conference will prepare for their postseason competitions during a final meet in Lincoln, Neb.
Kansas, along with Kansas State, Nebraska and Wyoming will compete in a one-day, scored quadrangular meet tomorrow at noon at the Ed Weir Track and Field Stadium.
Distance coach Doug Clark said the Husker Invitational was an important meet for the Jayhawks.
"This is our last competition before the conference meet at Texas A & M," Clark said. "Basically, we are going to go to
Nebraska and try to compete really well and set the tone for conference, which is two weeks later."
three e
Jayhawk athletes
are nationally
ranked in the NCAA. Senior Andy Tate is the team's lone automatic qualifier, making the cut in the 3,000-meter steeple-chase. Juniors Ryan Speers, shot put, and Andrea Bulat, javelin, have provisionally qualified for their respective events.
Several other Jayhawks said they planned to set marks that would put them
in contention for a chance to compete at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday, May 30 through Saturday June 2 in Eugene, Ore.
"Hopefully, if I jump the way I want to,
it will take the pressure off of Big 12."
said Jeremy Hull, junior pole vaulter.
"The provisional is 17-4 1/2, but I think it
will take a 17-6 to get into nationals."
Hull also said that the concept of a scored meet this late in the season would help the Javhawks.
"You definitely go in there pumped up a little more at the scored meets." Hull said. Junior Katy Elsemenger, who competes in the 800, 1,500 and 4x800-relay events, said this weekend's meet would get the team ready for the Big 12 Conference Championships, May 17-20 in
College Station, Texas.
"The scored meet changes things a little because it makes you want to compete harder for the rest of the team," Eisenmenger said. "It will be interesting to see how we match up against these teams."
Clark said the Jayhawks final regular season competition had some very good teams involved, including K-State, which is ranked 22nd in Trackwire's women's Top 25 poll.
"This should be an extremely competitive meet," Clark said. "Nebraska, Kansas State and Wyoming all have quality programs, and this should provide us a great competitive opportunity for everybody involved."
The Cornhuskers won last year's meet.
— Edited by John Cowan Cocker
— Edited by Melissa Cooley
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