2B
Quick Looks
Wednesday,
April 25, 2001
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (April 25). You're confident this year, and with good reason. You know who you are and what you're after. Use the rules to your advantage in April to gain more than just the prize in May. A strong hunch gets you hearded in the right direction in May. A strong woman may give you a friendly shove, too. Don't be shy in September; declare your love. In November, you can easily outwit an adversary. Save ahead for December, because it could get expensive. Provide structure in February, and your boss can be talked into giving you more money. Have sweet dreams in April.
Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 6.
Something you've been worried about will get easier, but keep studying. New skills you learn in the next few days can increase your income. You'll also get a boost from the increased admiration you get from your friends.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) --- Today is a 7. Contemplate an important purchase carefully but quickly. If you can do the homework and shopping today,you might find the perfect deal tomorrow. Don't just sit there;figure out exactly what you want.The price can be the variable.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) — Today is a 6.
Continue to keep your head down. Let others argue and defend your position. Continue to do the research, but without asking questions. Don't reveal how much you already know. Meet with your trusted accomplice tonight to plan your next move.
Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today is an 8.
You and your buddies can accomplish great things. You inspire each other. That's why a minor setback will be so easy to ignore. It's just a little bump in the road. Don't hit it too fast, though.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 6.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) TODAY
Your friends come through for you again, when you really need them. They provide comic relief.
You've had just about enough of being serious.
You're only able to hold that pose for about 24 hours, and it's been at least that long. Escape into frivolity!
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Today is a 7.
You may have a day of reckoning fast approaching.
Do you have pictures to prove what you were doing? Graphs, charts, a fully computerized presentation? That's the ticket! Email it to them! Make sure the job gets done, and they may not care how.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct 22) — Today it is a 6.
The tough part is just about finished. You'll soon be leaving your dull routine for fascinating new hori zons — maybe as early as tonight. But don't forget one very important thing you must do first. It has to do with money.
scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 5.
You're a good strategist. It's one of your natural skills. You're also good at math, especially the kind that involves dollar signs. Dig in. There's a new kind of work to be done.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 6.
You may feel too weak to continue the way you have. This is good, because there's no need to do so. You can still keep your promise, but you don't have to do everything yourself. Think about it.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7.
A call to somebody you care about could be the most valuable part of your day. Strange, because you may also get the chance to close an important deal. Do that too, of course. Just know which is most valuable.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 6.
You may think that one of your favorite dreams will have to be abandoned, but you're in for a pleasant surprise. A seemingly impenetrable barrier may dissolve. You may think you had nothing to do with that, but you did.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7.
Once you get everything figured out, you'll know exactly what to do, and you won't make any mistakes. But you don't have that much time. You have to act before you have it all figured out. That's where faith comes in.
KANSAS TENNIS
Freshman announced as player of the week
nansas women's tennis player Courtney Steinbock was named Big 12 Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week for matches played April 16-22, the conference office announced yesterday.
Steinbock, a freshman from Lubbock, Texas, went unbeaten in singles play during Kansas' three matches last week, as the Jayhawks went 1-2. She reached the 20-win plateau with a victory against Nebraska's Amy Frisch on April 17, winning by a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 count.
Steinbock helped spark Kansas to a win against No. 44 Southern Methodist on Saturday in Kansas' final home match of the season, defeating Patricia Ubeda-Diaz at the No. 3 singles slot, 6-3, 7-6. Steinbock also teamed with her twin sister, Kristen, at the No. 1 doubles position and knocked off Southwest Missouri's Kit Carson and Megan Russell, 8-3, as the Jayhawks beat their second top-50 opponent of the season.
Steinbock, 22-15 in her first year in singles play, is the second Jayhawk this year to capture Player of the Week honors. Kansas senior Monica Sekulov was named Player of the week on March 27.
Kansas men's player Quentin Blakeney won the honors on April 10.
Five Jayhawk athletes honored for academics
Five members of the Kansas men's and women's tennis teams were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Tennis Teams, the Big 12 Conference announced yesterday.
Kansas junior Christi Wagenaar and sophomore Kim Lorenz were
Note: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be 'read for entertainment purposes only.'
selected as first-team honorees, an accolade bestowed upon those student-athletes with at least a 3.2 grade-point average.
Three other Jayhawks qualified for second-team consideration, given to those with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19. This included senior Monica Sekluov from the women's team and juniors Quentin Blakeney and Rodrigo Echagaray from the men's team.
Kansan staff reports
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CINCINNATI — Skip Prosser, who helped turn Xavier into a perennial postseason-tournament team, told
Xavier coach takes Wake Forest position
school officials yesterday he would leave to become coach at Wake Forest.
In seven years as Xavier's coach, Prosser took the Musketeers to the
NCAA Tournament four times and to the NIT twice.
Xavier was 21-8 last season, losing to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAs. The Musketeers won at least 21 games in six of seven seasons under Prosser, who posted a 148-65 record at Xavier.
Prosser, 50, met yesterday with Xavier's president, the Rev. Michael Graham, and athletic director Mike Bobinski prior to making his decision.
Wake Forest Athletics Director Ro
Wellman offered Prosser the job as
coach of the Demon Deacons when
they met Monday on the Winston-
Salem, N.C., campus. Prosser and
his wife, Nancy, had gone together
to visit Wake Forest.
The Wake Forest job has been open since Dave Odom left this month to become coach at South Carolina.
MANCHESTER, Conn. — The man accused of sexually assaulting a sister of New York Knicks star Marcus Camby and holding her and two other family members hostage was ordered to be held on $1.5 mil
$1.5 million bond set for Camby assailant
NBA
lion bond.
rroy Crooms was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, burglary and possession of a weapon on Monday's eight-hour standoff at Camby's.
mother's home. Authorities said little about a motive but did say the 28-year-old man was known to the family.
Crooms, who received a court appointed defense attorney, did not speak and entered no plea during yesterday's brief court appearance.
Assistant State's Attorney Adam Scott had urged Superior Court Judge Jorge Simon to imposed high bail, saying, "What we have here is a convicted felon, a sex offender, who is facing over 95 years in jail."
Crooms is listed on the state's database of sex offenders because of a 1993 conviction. He also has been convicted of forgery, narcotics possession and other crimes.
Former Chiefs punter signs with Panthers
NFL
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers signed punter Todd Sauerbren yesterday and released Ken Walter, whose average was second-to-last in the NFL last season.
Sauerbrun played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season but was waived in March. Chicago drafted
nim in the second round in 1995 and he spent five seasons with the Bears before signing with Kansas City as a free agent last year.
as a free agent that has The Panthers had been looking
had been looking to replace Walter for some time. They signed Baltimore's Kyle Richardson to an offer sheet in
March, but the Ravens matched it to keep him.
Sauerbrun's average was 44.6, seventh best in the league.
Walter was Carolina's punter for four seasons but struggled in 2000 with an average of 38.4 yards.
saints retain receiver for another season
NEW ORLEANS — Willie Jackson, who caught three touchdown passes in New Orleans' playoff victory against St. Louis last season, has agreed to a free-agent deal that will keep him with the Saints for another season.
The 6-foot-1,212-pound
Jackson caught 37 passes for 523 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in 2000. He led the
NFL in postseason reception yards with 267 and tied for the lead in postseason points with 24.
His three touchdown receptions against the Rams on Dec. 30 tied an NFL playoff game playoff record
The Saints first signed Jackson last year as a free agent from Cincinnati. He started the final eight games in place of injured wide receiver Jake Reed.
Jackson was a fourth-round draft pick by Dallas in 1994. He has 2,338 receiving yards on 178 catches and 18 touchdowns in 85 games.
The Associated Press
Sports Calendar
Baseball vs. Kansas Newman. 6 p.m.
Softball at Creighton (doubleheader). 3 p.m.
Men's tennis at Big 12 Championships Women's tennis at Big 12 Championships
Men's tennis at Big 12 Championships. All day.
Women's tennis at Big 12 Championships. All day.
XFL's television future still shaky
Baseball at Texas Tech.
7 p.m.
The Associated Press
The NBC Sports chairman was wav off the mark.
NEW YORK — Dick Ebersol thought he had a winning idea — partner with pal Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Federation fame to start the first big sports league with a network owner.
The venture lost tens of millions of dollars as XFL telecasts set record lows for prime-time ratings, and NBC — burdened by disappointed affiliates — probably will announce within the next week that it will stop airing games.
"The future on NBC is undecided," XFL president Basil DeVito said.
"So is the future of the XFL,
because its other network broadcaster, UPN, also isn't it wants to air games next year."
Despite many adjustments during the season, very little worked for the XFL between the much-typed and well-rated season opener and Saturday night's championship game, watched by about 75 percent fewer people.
I the league didn't seem to be able to decide whether it wanted to be more about sport or spectacle.
Early games had lascivious cheerleader shots, anti-NFL blaster from WWF types, sophomoric double entendre and screaming announcers.
On the other hand, at least nine XFL players have signed NFL contracts and dozens could follow as NFL teams acquire free agents to fill training camp rosters.
Back in November, NBC's game plan for the XFL was clear: Use McMahon's promotional skills to attract young male viewers and air games on Saturday, which generally have poor TV ratings.
But the XFL never made for mustsee TV. Embarrassingly, its ratings on NBC were about 30 percent lower than the network drew on Saturday nights in January by broadcasting movies.
we gave delivered approximately 50 percent of the audience that we hoped to deliver," DeVito said. "And that would be about the biggest disappointment so far."
The upshot: The league sold only two-thirds of its commercial time on NBC, UPN and cable channel TNN, with the rest given to sponsors for free to make up for the low ratings.
"There are some fairly significant issues that would prevent a second year on UPN," said Adam Ware, the network's chief operating officer. "As to whether or not we can figure out a way to address them, I don't have an answer."
DeVito said his league wouldn't be able to continue with only a cable-TV deal.
At stadiums, the eight-team
league it sold it about 1 million tickets, but the championship game drew a crowd of only 24,153 to the 90,000-seat Los Angeles Coliseum.
The entertainment division doesn't want to suffer through more months of unsellable ad space in prime time, and the sports division can't fit the XFL on weekend afternoons filled with golf or the NBA. The network also isn't going to try shoehorning the product on cable outlets CNBC or MSNBC.
"We will make a final evaluation in the weeks ahead," NBC Sports vice president Kevin Sullivan said yesterday.
There were problems almost from the start.
The inaugural telecast was a ratings success but a critical failure. Then the changes followed, including shuffling announcers and eliminating disorienting overhead camera angles.
The XFL sped up games after a double-overtime contest in Week 2 caused a 45-minute delay starting Saturday Night Live. Other rule changes came as late as the playoffs, and tinkering with the production side never ceased.
The XFL's one legacy might be its liberal use of microphones — on the players, coaches, picking up everything from play-calling to grunts on the line of scrimmage to curse words too fast for the censor's finger.
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