Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Flashback
April 30, 2000 — The Kansas rowing team is defeated by No. 16 Washington State in Redwood City, Calif. The Jayhawks finished the season ranked in the Top 25.
Sports
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Inside: Jaclyn Johnson knows a tough task awaits her in the WNBA.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: The New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 97-89 yesterday in the NBA Playoffs.
SEE PAGE 2B
For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
'Hawks drop two to Oklahoma
Softball team looks forward to 'Huskers
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
By Brent Briggeman sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas softball team thinks it isn't far from being one of the elite teams in the Big 12 Conference.
"We know we're close," said junior Shelly Musser, who had Kansas' only
examine it in a
6-2 loss to No. 6
Oklahoma at a
packed Jayhawk
Field yesterday.
The Sooners (40-7
overall and 14-2 in
the Big 12
Conference) also
defeated
the 'Hawks (30-23
and 9-6) on Saturday,
2-1.
Bunge: doesn't regret decision to walk
Oklahoma slugger
"It's a bad hop, or something like that," Musser said. "Then that mistake turns into two. That's the difference between us and a team like Oklahoma."
The difference doesn't seem to be big, as both games were tight battles. Saturday's game was tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh when a bases-loaded walk by Kansas pitcher Kara Pierce (20-9) allowed the go-ahead run to score.
The bases were loaded because Kansas chose to intentionally walk Oklahoma's Kelli graitsch, who leads the Bid 2 with a 448 batting average.
Though the decision backfired, Kansas coach Tracy Bunge had no regrets.
"I'd do it again," she said. "I wasn't going to let Kelli Braitsch beat us in
that situation."
The Jayhawks were close in Sunday's game until the seventh innning.
After falling behind 0-3 early, the 'Hawks battled back and trailed only 3-2 going into the seventh.
The game could have been closer had home plate umpire Duane Murray not reversed an important call in the third inning. Murray called Kansas' Megan Urquhart safe at home with the tying run. He then reversed the call, calling her out and ending the inning with the bases loaded.
Kansas shortstop Courtney Wright said the team needed to learn to handle tough breaks.
"You may not get the good calls," said Wright, a junior who collected one of Kansas' four hits yesterday. "But you have to make your own luck. Great teams work through situations like that."
Kansas continued to stay with Oklahoma as Pierce stymied the conference's top offense for four innings. The wheels finally came off for Kansas in the seventh inning.
After an ugly inning that included two errors, two hits, a passed ball, a wild pitch and a misplayed ball at second base, Oklahoma buried Kansas 6-2.
"It just kind of snowballed," Wright said. "After a few bad plays we felt like we couldn't get anything going."
Kansas left eight runners on base in Bengals' loss.
Kansas had ample opportunities in both games. Jayhawks second baseman Amy Hulse hit a hard ground ball up the middle with one out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning on Saturday. However, Oklahoma pitcher Jennifer Stewart snagged the ball and started an inning-ending double play.
Despite the losses, Kansas earned the respect of Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso.
See LOSSES on page 3B
"They fight hard," said Gasso, who
Christ Musser, junior right fielder, attempts to snag a pop foul. The Jayhawks lost to defending national champion Oklahoma 2-1 Saturday at Haglund Ballpark. Photo by Laurie Sisk (KANSAN).
Lacrosse team gives senior confidence
By Brandon Stinnett
Kansan sportswriter
Laura Lavid is not the same person she was four years ago.
A timid freshman in 1997, Lavid cowered from attention, rarely pushing herself to meet new people and seek out adventures.
Fast forward four years, and things have changed. She now relishes leadership roles and loves getting involved.
So what led to this transition? The Wichita senior says it had a lot to do with her decision to join the newly formed Kansas lacrosse team her freshman year. She joined the team and found her niche at the University, serving as an officer for two years. In May, she'll become the first Jayhawk lacrosse player to finish four years and graduate.
"She's the only person graduating," coach Dave Wiley said. "It makes it seem like I have an easy job, but that's a critical position that she fills every game. She will be hard to replace."
Lacrosse was an easy choice for Lavid, who wanted to try something new when she came to the University. In Virginia, where she lived during her high school years, lacrosse was widely known and popular. Lavid never tried it there, but she had always wanted to.
She joined the team and started playing the point — a defensive position designed to protect the goalie. Her job was to keep opponents from attempting shots.
"I think I've become more of a person who is willing to take chances, willing to try new things," she said. "I just wanted to get involved in something and thought lacrosse would be fun. I wanted to do something athletic."
"It's a real big rush when you can stop someone from making a shot, or stop them from making a pass," she said. "That's the reason I like playing defense."
Lavid also said she liked the point because it allowed her to direct action on the field. Her position — near the goalie on the defensive end — allows her to evaluate most of what goes on down field. She's able to convey messages to her teammates and give them advice.
"I tend to be a talker," Lavid said. "I tend to vell a lot during the game."
Lavid, the club president as a junior, also took a leadership role off the field, helping coach Wiley organize things, such as raising money and traveling.
See TEAM on page 3B
"It's given me a broad range of expe-
Kansas lacrosse senior Laura Lavid, left, poses with teammate Adrian Gallagher, Denver senior, at a match ailier this season. Contributed photo.
Jayhawks unable to shake late-inning blues
Bv Rvan Malashock
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team has developed a recurring theme this season — the Jayhawks compete, but just can't record a victory in a close game.
Yesterday, Kansas (19-29, 5-22 Big 12 Conference) dropped a 4-3 decision to Texas Tech, capping a three-game sweep for the Red Raiders in which, they outscored the Jayhawks by only four runs combined.
"They got the big two-outs, and we didn't," Randall said. "I really thought we were going to win the game, but we've got to come through in the clutch in close games, and that just didn't happen."
Including Saturday's 2-1 loss, the Jayhawks' record in one-run Big 12 Conference games dropped to 0-7.
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said yesterday's loss exemplified the reasons for the Jayhawks' dismal record in close games.
Senior Sam Gish made his second consecutive productive start of the season by going 5/2 3 innings and allowing only two runs and five hits in yesterday's game. Gish was expecting to start yesterday and said he was confident from the first pitch.
Junior Justin Wilcher got into trouble and walked Texas Tech pinch hitter Brennan Burns, which loaded the bases with two outs. Junior Randy Strann relieved Wilcher and enticed what appeared to be an inning-ending ground-out, but first baseman Kevin Wheeler booted the grounder and two Red Raider runners scored.
Going into the eighth inning tied 2-2, the Jayhawks took their first lead of the weekend on sophomore Casey Spanish's sacrifice fly. But the Red Raiders answered with the game-winning runs in the bottom of the eighth.
"I had heard earlier in the week that I would be starting, and that gave me confidence," Gish said. "I just went out with the attitude to do well, and I did."
Kansas put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but sophomore Jason Appuhn and junior Ryan Klocksien popped out.
Senior Pete Smart failed at his attempt for nine victories on the season in Kansas' 2-1 loss Saturday, although Smart threw a complete game with three strikeouts.
Randall said it was unfortunate the Jayhawks couldn't give Smart more run-support.
"Once again, Pete Smart was wonderful on the mound, and he gave us a chance to win." Randall said. "Offensively, we didn't do enough to get the victory."
Kansas also lost in Texas Tech's last at bat in Friday's 4-2 loss. The Jayhawks rallied from a 2-1 deficit and tied the game in the eighth when junior Kevin Farmer scored on Brent Del Chiaro's groundout.
ers in the bottom of the ninth. But Texas Tech's Kerry Hodges singled, and Anthony Arnerich hit a two-run walk-off home run, giving Texas Tech a 4-2 victory.
Junior Doug Lantz went the distance and looked to take the game into extrainnings by striking out the first two bat-
Edited by Mike Dalgety
BOX SCORES
Yesterday
Kansas    100 010 010 -3   7     2
Texas Tech  000 020 02x -4   8     1
McP.Wickey, B. 2-3, L.P. Wilcher, J. 2-9, S.Rowe, S.
(1), B. TAMU; Carson, T.
Saturday
Sports Columnist
Princess
Kansas          000 100 010 -2 3 0
Texas Tech      011 000 102 -4 8 0
WP. Roberson,   B. 9-3, LP. Lantz, D. 2-6. 2B. KU.
DelChiaro,    B. (10); TAMU: Rainey, J. HR. TAMU:
Americh,    A. Landry, C.
Allan Davis
Kansas   000 000 100 -1 5 1
Texas Tech   000 001 01x -2 10 1
WP-Philips, C. 11-2. LP- Smart, P. 8-3. 2B- TAMU:
Fossum, B.
Friday
sports@kansan.com
Native symbols not appropriate in sports arena
An unexpected party recently entered into the ongoing dispute about the use of Native-American symbols as nicknames and mascots for sports teams — taking the side of those who oppose such use.
The Commission is an independent, bipartisan agency that was first established by Congress in 1957.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights called the use of those symbols "disrespectful and offensive to American Indians and others who are offended by such stereotyping" and "particularly inappropriate and insensitive in light of the long history of forced assimilation that American Indian people have endured in this country."
To me, the use of Native-American names as mascots is troubling because Native Americans say it is distasteful. If Native Americans contend terms such as "Redskins" and "Chiefs" are offensive, I have to believe them.
From what I discovered, "Redskins" is the most disliked term. According to the American Indian Cultural Support Website (www.aics.org/mascot/redskins.htm), the term "Redskins" originates from when there was a bounty on Native-American scalps.
Although it is true some Native Americans don't find the use of Native-American mascots offensive, we hear more from and about those who find it offensive and are dissatisfied with the status quo. But, similarly, during the African-American civil rights struggles in the '50s and '60s, the African Americans dissatisfied with the status quo were more vocal than those not demanding change.
The Web site says "trappers would bring in Indian scalps along with the other skins ... the term 'scala' offended the good Christian women of the community and they asked that another term be found to describe these things. So, the trappers and hunters began using the term 'red-skin' ... they had bearskin, deer skins ... and 'redskins.' The term came from the bloody mess that one saw when looking at the scalp ... thus the term 'red' ... skin."
After spending last summer in Washington, D.C., I know how people in that area love their Redskins — the football team, that is. But I don't think they understand the origin of the word.
Truthfully, I find the use of mascots somewhat curious anyway and, although I have tried, I cannot find a satisfactory account of the origin of the use of mascots.
For example, my high school was the Highland Park Scots. Others include the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Vikings, Bethany College Swedes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And how about the Vancouver Canucks? When I was in college on the East Coast, I thought "Canuck" was a derogatory term for a Canadian. I guess not.
Right now, schools and professional teams use plenty of other ethnic groups as mascots.
Nobody seems to complain about those mascots, but I think I know the difference.
When a school or professional team uses a Native-American nickname, it's usually perceived as one race using a descriptive term for another race.
So what if there were teams called the St. Louis Negroes or the Chicago Colored People? I don't think those nicknames would be accepted because race is just too sensitive a subject and African Americans are more numerous and protest louder than Native Americans.
I wonder if any traditionally Black schools use Native-American images as mascots. Let me know if you know of any, and I'll send them a copy of the Commission's statement and a personal letter of complaint.
But picture this — at some point, the Florida State Seminoles come to our own Memorial Stadium to play Kansas (Just go with me on this one). Outside the stadium, 2,000 protesters greet them. Haskell Indian Nations University students, KU students and Lawrence residents march around the stadium bearing signs denning Florida State's use of the word "Seminole."
Now that would be a sight.
Davis is a Topoka graduate student in journalism
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