Section A · Page 6
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Sports
Thursday, April 5, 2001
'Hawks down again after last week's win
By John Domoney sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportwriter
It has been the ultimate week of ups and downs for the Kansas men's golf team.
The hawks started off the week in Santa Cruz, Calif., at the 55th Western Intercollegiate on Monday and Tuesday. Brimming with confidence from their first-place finish in the Stevinson Ranch Invitational last week, the 'Hawks jumped at the opportunity to improve their third-place finish at the 54th Western Intercollegiate last year.
Intercollegiate last year Kenesas round
Kansas round on Monday morning, however, got off to a bad start when the team stumbled to a score of 299. On Monday afternoon, the
Hawks scored an equally disappointing 296 after the northern California temperatures dipped into the low 50s and the winds swirled around the course. Kansas was in 13th place after Monday's play.
Coach Ross Randall had promised that the Pasatiempo Golf Club course would play much tougher after the rounds last year when some of the lowest scores in tournament history were shot. He wasn't lying.
The weather had something to do with that. Randall said nobody got out of their rain gear or took off their stocking hats because of cool conditions. Still, team members think that much of the inconsistency was because of its lack of practice in the recent months.
"After Monday we just needed to play as good as we can," said senior Andy Stewart. "We were trying to get back into it, and we felt that fifth-place would be a possible fignish."
The Jayhawks exceeded their expectations on Tuesday, as they shot a round of 277, which was the tournament's lowest round. Kansas finished with a 54-hole total of 872, earning a third-place finish.
"We've got eight to 10 days to do some practicing, and we need to take advantage
of our time off from traveling."
Ross Randall Men's golf coach
The No. 31 Oregon Ducks won the tournament with an 850.
"Moving up 10 spots is a lot, and we ended up beating some good teams," Randall said.
The team is back home in Lawrence with more than a week until its next tournament and plenty of time to examine its recent woes in the early rounds.
"We've got eight to 10 days to do some practicing, and we need to take advantage of our time off from traveling," Randall said.
All of the miles the Jayhawks have traveled in the last four weeks have begun to take their toll. Since March 12, Kansas has played in South Carolina, Louisiana and twice in California.
"It definitely wears you out because this is our fourth week in a row with a tournament," Stewart said. "This week off will be awesome."
Randall hopes that the team can achieve some success in the national competition which, as he said, would help the team pick and choose its tournaments in the spring.
"That's just the way the schedule worked out," Randall said. "We like going to tournaments, but unless we do better at nationals, we will be at their mercy of when they want to schedule them."
The Jayhawks will earn more frequent flyer miles as they travel to the East Coast to play in the Intercollegiate 2001 in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15.
— Edited by Brandy Straw
NEW YORK — Baseball broke a big barrier on opening day, with the average salary pushing past $2 million for the first time.
Average baseball salary hits record high
The Associated Press
Nearly half the players in the major leagues - 425 of 854 - will make $1 million or more, according to a study by The Associated Press.
The average s al a r y increased 13.9 percent to $2,264,403.
according to the AP study, which reviewed the contracts of all major leaguers on opening-day rosters and disabled lists.
Since 1967, the average salary has increased 118-fold from $19,000 while the Consumer Price Index has merely quadrupled. Opening-day salaries totaled $1.934 billion.
"If the owners have got it, the players are going to get it," said Chicago Cubs outfieldier Rondell White. "You hear owners complaining, but they're still paying."
Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez
led the way with a $22 million salary,
including a prorated share of his $10
million signing bonus. Rodriguez.
beginning a record $252 million, 10-
year contract, is alone responsible
for adding $25,761 to the average
salary.
Los Angeles pitcher Kevin Brown was a distant second at $15,714,286, followed by New York Metts catcher Mike Piazza ($13,571,429) and Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson ($13.35 million).
The World Series champion New York Yankees opened with the top payroll of all 30 teams for the third- straight year; at $109,791,893.
Boston was just behind at $109,558,908, followed by Los Angeles at $108,980,952.
At the other end, Minnesota is last
at $24.4 million. Oakland, regarded
as baseball's best young team, is
29th at $33.8 million.
The median salary — the point which has an equal number of players above and below — rose to $75,000 from $750,000 at the start of last season and $500,000 two years ago.
"It's unbelievable. It's mind-bogging to me. I'm glad I stuck around," said Lee Stevens, a 33-year-old first baseman with Montreal who will make $4 million this season.
"Baseball's very popular right now. The economics of the game are growing. Where it will end, nobody knows. It depends on how much the owners are willing to spend," he said.
Still, it's less than the NBA's estimated average of $3.53 million this season. The NFL average last year was $1.2 million and the estimated NHL average this season is $1.4 million.
Contrasting with the millionaires in sports, the median household income last year in the United States was $40,816, according to the Census Bureau, and the average was $54,842.
With a $21 million base salary, Rodriguez earns $114,754 per day this season.
"I'm almost embarrassed and ashamed of this contract," Rodriguez said after reporting to spring training. "Now, there's this '252 tag over my head."
Because the Yankees and Red Sox have more players on the disabled list, the Dodgers have the highest average salary at $3,757,964, to $3,541,674 for the Yankees and $3,423,716 for the Red Sox.
Boston would leap past the Yankees into the No.1 spot as soon as David Cone is activated from the disabled list. The pitcher's base salary increases from $1 million to $2 million as soon as he is on the active roster.
Baseball owners, many looking for major changes after their labor contract with players expires Oct. 31; can take heart from one thing: the rate of increase slowed for the thirdstraight season, down from 5.6 percent last year and 19.3 percent two years ago.
The average salary broke the $100,000 barrier in 1979 and topped $1 million in 1992.
While the average tops $2 million;
it was on Feb. 7, 1982, that outfielder
George Foster became the first player
to sign a contract averaging $2 million,
a $10.2 million, five-year deal with
the New York Mets.
Torn elbow ligament ends Reds reliever's season
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds reliever Scott Williams, the NL Rookie of the year in 1999, has a torn elbow ligament and will need sea-
reconstructive surgery.
Williamson struggled in his two appearances this week and
had swelling in the elbow after a 3-2 victory Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A magnetic resonance imaging test yesterday found a complete tear in the ligament that runs inside the right elbow.
Winchester from Triple-A Louisville and placed Williamson on the 60-day disabled list. The club will send the MRI to several specialists for second opinions before surgery is performed in the next few days.
"With a young pitcher like Scott Williamson, who has an otherwise pristine elbow, there's a good chance of a comeback in a year's time." Dr. Timothy Kremchek said.
The extent of the injury was a surprise. Williamson only grudgingly admitted to manager Bob Boone that his elbow was sore after his wild appearance in Tuesday night's game.
The Reds called up reliever Scott
Williamson threw a wild pitch, let in a run and hit Jason Kendall in the back with the bases loaded, forcing in another run. During Williamson's three-batter stint, Boone took trainer Greg Lynn with him to the mound to check on the right-hander.
"I said, 'Something's not right,'"
Boone said. "He said, I'm fine, I can
finish it. I pinned him down about it
after the game. When he missed that
far and hit Kendall, to me that
showed something was not right."
Kremchek examined Williamson, found some swelling in the elbow and set up the MRI. The team originally thought Williamson's problem was only tendinitis.
During a news conference that announced the injury, Williamson sat in the corner of the room with his chin buried in his hand, staring aimlessly ahead.
After Kremchek discussed the reliever's outlook, Reds spokesman Rob Butcher went to Williamson, bent down and quietly asked whether he cared to talk. The pitcher, who appeared to be near tears, shook his head.
Kremchek said it was impossible to determine whether the ulnar collateral ligament had been frayed for some time or whether Williamson ripped it on one pitch.
He said all of Williamson's elbow problems in the past had been minor and gave no hint of a significant injury.
The Reds have been concerned about the stress that Williamson's hard-driving delivery puts on his shoulder and elbow. Until Tuesday, there had been no major problems as a result of it.
Williamsia, a starter throughout his minor league career, won a spot in the bullpen with an overwhelming spring training in 1999. He quickly became a setup man and co-closer with Danny Graves, going 12-7 with 19 saves and a 2.41 ERA in 62 relief appearances.
He struggled at the start of last season and was moved into the rotation. He was 5-8 with a3.29 ERA in 10 starts and 38 relief appearances, and set a club record by throwing 21 wild pitches.
Williamson missed time because of a sore lower back and broken toes on his right foot. He did extended workouts in the offseason, hoping to win a spot in the rotation this year but lost out to Chris Reitsma when the pitching staff was decided last week.
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