Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Take some notes, XFL Orlando visits Nashville tonight in the Arena Football League's 15th season. The league has the longest tenure of any offshoot professional league with an already established sport.
Inside: Kansas threwer Ryan Speers' efforts have helped him become one of the top shot putters in the conference and nation.
SEE PAGE 6B
Inside: The Jayhawk softball team looks to stay on pace in the Big 12 Conference race with a home series with Baylor.
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
SEE PAGE 3B
Sports Columnist
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Amanda Kaschube
Athletes should go out on top and make fans beg for more — John Elway, Steffi Graf and Wayne Gretzky did.
MJ also did that when he retired first in 1993 after winning three titles and again in 1998 after winning three more for Chicago. Coming back now would be like remaking a sequel to Naked Gun; we got all we wanted from the first two, the third was just overkill.
sports@kansan.com
Sure. His Airness would bring higher ratings and more publicity to the league he made so popular in the '90s. Maybe the return would breathe life into his former team's woesome 3-36 road record (Chicago) or a little pizzazz to his current team's lackluster star lineup of Laron Profit and Courtney Alexander (Washington).
And as much as I'd love to see MJD number 23 — preferably in black numbers on a red jersey with horns on the shorts — his time has passed. Stop saying 99.9 percent, and go for 100 percent to stay out of the league.
Jordan return a bad idea; third time not a charm
Amanda's disclaimer: The city of Chicago and its contents will be mentioned periodically in this column, so if you dislike the city or the columnist, stop reading.
Jordan was born to play basketball, and he did, for 13 glorious seasons. But he should stay in the executive realm of basketball, instead of the court to prove that his business-savvy is as impressive as his last fade-away jumper.
Drew Gooden stayed; Gilbert Arenas left. Troy Aikman retired; Brian Griese inked a big contract. And Michael Jordan — well, he should just stay put.
At 38, it would be tough for Jordan to compete with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson or Vince Carter at a competitive level. And I don't want to see him get schooled by those MJ wannabes.
Phil Jackson, MJ's former coach,
said Jordan "will have a parachute ...
in case he doesn't feel he can play up
to the level he wants to."
Plus, he does look better in a suit.
As much as it pains me to say, MJ isn't as fast and quick as the average mid-20s-aged player, and he won't be content to take a backseat role. Yes, Karl Malone, at age 37, still consistently scores in double figures for the Utah Jazz, but he isn't the main component of the highlight reel.
Kasechube is a Floesmoor, IL., senior in journalism.
I'm not so good at good-byes — and MJ leaving the league again would be too hard.
He'll need to play for a team that can compete for the crown. That knocks out the Bulls — unless they can get back Jackson and the championship roster starters — and the Wizards — unless they can get back Chris Webber (who said he would consider playing for them if Jordan returned).
I highly doubt any other team can afford Jordan, unless the Rangers' owner decides to scrap A-Rod's millions to buy a basketball team.
I admit that the thought of hearing Jordan's name on the loud speakers at the United Center would send tingles down my spine, but it would all be for naught when he retired a few years later ... again.
NBA lovers, not just Bulls fanatics, were heartbroken when MJ retired the first and second times. He brought fingertip rolls and jaw-dropping dunks to a league in which egos and dollar signs often rule.
Another comeback would tarnish an already shiny and long-living reputation. Sure, the restaurant in Chicago was overpriced and the macaroni and cheese wasn't too yummy. But the six NBA championships, five NBA MVPs, six NBA Finals MVPs and 10 All-NBA first team selections surpass any bad Space Jam movie Jordan could make.
Injury keeps lineman off field
By Jeff Denton
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Senior co-captain Nate Dwyer's heart pounded yesterday as he looked down on his teammates from the top west corner of Memorial Stadium. As the Jayhawks ran through the last 15 minutes of practice, their 300-pound defensive lineman was churning his legs up concrete stairs. With five more sets to complete, Dwyer's shirt was saturated.
Kansas strength and conditioning coach Fred Roll pushed his athlete.
"You have to go where you haven't been," Roll screamed.
Dwyer made the final five climbs his fastest. Since the beginning of spring practice, Dwyer has been the most irritated Jayhawk.
Not being able to engage in contact because of off-season wrist surgery, Dwyer has felt estranged He has been restricted to a T-shirt and shorts while his teammates wear pads.
While the rest of Kansas's defensive linemen punish themselves through coach Travis Jones's drills, Dwyer sprints powerfully toward coach Roll's outstretched right hand
holding a stopwatch. His absence from the defensive warts stings the 6-foot-3 tackle.
"It's terrible. It the hardest thing I've ever
Dwyer: injured wrist has kept him off of the field
“It’s terrible. It the hardest thing I’ve ever
been through," Dwyer said. "I've never not physically been able to play before. I've individually asked a couple of trainers and coaches to at least let me try to get out there, but everyone tells me no."
The Kansas coaching and medical staffs have reasons to play things safely - no one wants to risk injury to the Jayhawks' reigning most valuable player. Dwyer is inreplaceable.
He tackled 14 ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage last season. He started every game and totaled the most number of stops by a Jayhawk down lineman in seven seasons with 68. Dwyer was also the lone Jayhawk to be on the first or second Big 12 All-conference teams — he was on the second team.
A return for the Saturday, April 21 spring game is possible, but coach Terry Allen thinks that rushing Dwyer back would be
foolish. He is most concerned with his co-captain's health, not his comeback. But Allen has no doubts in Dwyer's ability to recover.
Football notes:
"I do not want Dane Dwyer playing until he is completely healed," Allen said. "We're not going to take any chances with him, but if anybody can afford to miss practice, it is him."
- Holloman returns; Senior defensive tackle Ervin Holloman, who was ruled academically ineligible at the start of spring practice, suited up yesterday. Holloman took his time away from football to improve in the classroom.
- Saturday scrimmage: The Jayhawks will have a 70-play scrimmage at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Topeka at Shawnee Heights High School.
— Edited by Joshua Richards
Bowlers defend success of team
Dedicated sportsmen
By Brandon Stinnett sports@kansan.com Kansan writerwriter
A widely known myth among college students is that people bowl better while intoxicated. It's thoughts like this that drive the Kansas bowling team crazy.
"It is completely untrue," said junior bowler Mike Keeler. "People say that — I guess to be funny or something."
Mike Keeler, St. Charles, Mo., junior, and Tom Partridge, Olathe senior, are two members of the Kansas bowling team who have a bone to pick with people who say bowling is just a game for drunk people. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
It isn't funny to bowlers who spend all year practicing and bowling close to 100 games each week. Keeler gets downright angry when people label bowling as something other than a sport.
"A lot of people say that bowlers are overweight beer drinkers," Keeler said. "Those people are the league bowlers. For people who take it more seriously, like ourselves, this is a mental sport."
Kansas bowling coach Mike Fine is quick to label his bowlers as athletes.
"Bowling is similar to golf and tennis," Fine said. "Anybody can participate in golf, but that does not necessarily make you a golfer. Anybody can participate in bowling, and that's the beauty of the activity, but not everybody can be a great bowler. These individuals have dedication, but they also have a mental and physical aptitude that allows them to excel."
Fine argues that bowling tournaments present tough physical challenges for his athletes.
"We've seen teams fail late in the day because they've not been able to maintain the mental and physical toughness to be competitive after eight hours of bowling." Fine said.
It takes eight hours to complete a collegiate bowling tournament, which senior bowler Tom Partridge said can be phys-
"It's very demanding," he said. "I know after sectionals, it took me three days to recover. All I wanted to do was sleep, and I really didn't want to do homework."
Despite temptations, Kansas bowlers didn't let fatigue hinder their performance at the Intercollegiate Bowling Midwest section qualifier March 24 and 25 in North Kansas City. The Jayhawks placed first out of 13 teams and
qualified for the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships Wednesday, April 18 through Sunday, April 22 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Fine credits the sectionals victory to teamwork, something many bowling teams overlook.
"I think what makes us strong is that we are as a team able to put the team ahead of the individuals," Fine said. "You have to be able to keep your ego in check and understand that the good of the team far exceeds the
good of the individual."
While many teams focus solely on the individual aspects of bowling, Kansas is primarily team oriented. Fine keeps track of each bowlers' performance in different situations and how it relates to the team's performance.
"Because we spend so much time together, we get to know each other's game well enough that we're able to watch the reaction that that specific bowler gets with that specific
bowling ball, playing that specific angle on the lanes. We can understand how that correlates into other teammates."
Sounds confusing, but Keeeler said that strategy has turned the Jayhawks into a well-oiled machine.
"It all translates to teamwork on the lanes because we all trust each other," Keeler said. "We all know each other well enough and it just builds up to a great team atmosphere."
— Edited by Courtney Craigmile
Rowers face toughest competition
First varsity eight rowers tright to left Stephanie Mahol and Ali Brox and fill-in Sarah Sikes practice for the Ohio State Regatta on the Kaw River. Because of bad weather, yesterday was one of the first days this week the rowers have been able to practice on the water. Photo by Selena Jabara/KANSAN
By Jay Mullinix
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Following a solid start, the Kansas women's rowing team will face its toughest challenge thus far in the season tomorrow — the Jayhawks travel to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the Ohio State Buckeye Invitational.
Kansas will be rowing against Clemson, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Southern California, all of which are ranked in the top 20. USC and Michigan are both in the top five. The Jayhawks, who finished last season ranked 20th, have not been ranked this season.
Despite their slight in the polls, the Jayhawks have experienced a reasonable amount of success this season, winning 19 of their 27 races. Facing ranked teams is not new for the team, either, as the 'Hawks fared well race against
Iowa and Massachusetts in the Kansas Invitational two weeks ago. This weekend's opponents, however, are the toughest the team has encountered.
"The pressure is going to be really high for us this weekend," said head coach Rob Catloth. "Every team there is going to be top level competition."
An advantage for the Jayhawks might be the gift of time. Two weeks have passed since the team last took to the water to compete, which Catloth sees as an asset.
The time allowed for preparation in the layover has also proved valuable to the continued development of the first varsity eight boat.
"We're the ones who the other
"Having two weeks between races gives us a lot of time to prepare," he explained. "That is what we want, and that is what we need to have heading into such a tough regatta like this."
teams probably aren't expecting much from," said senior Ali Brox. "For us to go in and race well will prove to us that we're getting where we think we should be. Plus, with the other boats doing well, it will prove we can compete at that high level and deserve to be a top 15 club."
To fulfill their desire of making it to the NCAA Championships in May, cracking the top 15 is what the Jayhawks will have to do in order to qualify. Time, however, is of the essence — meaning that a strong performance tomorrow is almost mandatory.
"We can still make it, but we obviously have to start producing now," Brox said. "If we do well this weekend against these top crews and continue to hang with some of them and beat some of the other top crews in the next few weeks, we can certainly work our way into the rankings."
Edited by Summer Lewis
.