SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, November 11, 1993
11
White Sox player named 8th unanimous AL MVP
By Ronald Blum The Associated Press
NEW YORK — This time, Frank Thomas was pleasantly surprised.
Slighted in the past in the Most Valuable Player voting, the Chicago White Sox first baseman yesterday became the eighth unanimous pick since the AL MVP award was first given in 1931.
"I was really shocked I got all 28 votes," he said. "There was no better way to win it."
Thomas hit .317, was second in the major leagues with 128 RBI and set a club record with 41 homers. He easily beat out Toronto's Paul Molitor, who received 13 second-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
other unanimous winners of the AL MVP were Hank Greenberg, (1935), Al Rosen (1959), Mickey Mantle (1956), Frank Robinson (1966), Denny McLain (1968), Reggie Jackson (1973) and Jose Canseco (1988).
Thomas said the White Sox had to concentrate on reaching the next level. Toronto defeated Chicago in six games in the AL playoffs.
"This was the longest day of my life," Thomas said of the award. "There was a lot of anticipation going on, and when the call finally came, I got it on the first ring."
Kansas loses out to Nebraska
"We might need to go out and get another hitting threat," said Thomas, who last month agreed to a $29 million, four-year contract extension that runs through 1998.
Thomas' victory gave the White Sox three of the four AL postseason awards. Jack McDowell won the Cy Young Award and Gene Lamont was voted Manager of the Year. The last team to have three different people capture those awards in the same season was the National League's Atlanta in 1991, when Terry Pendleton was the MVP, Tom Glavine was the Cy Young winner and Bobby Cox was the top manager.
But game three victory helps volleyball team
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
0-50.
That number, Kansas' series record against Nebraska, stood between the Jayhawks and a volleyball victory last night. Kansas coach Frankie Albitz said the Jayhawks were playing against the Nebraska players and the Cornhusker mystique.
Nebraska defeated Kansas 15-6, 15-9, 10-15, 15-5 at Allen Field House. Although the Jayhawks are now 0-51 in this series, the game they did win in the match was a milestone. It was the first time Kansas had won a game against the Cornhuskers since a five-game defeat Nov. 23, 1990.
"Tradition is a lot of it," Albitz said. "It's difficult to beat a team you have never beat before. It was a great match. We made some errors that might have hurt us, but we were mentally into it."
The defeat dropped Kansas to 15-11 overall and 4-6 in the Big Eight, while No. 9 Nebraska improved to 19-4 and 7-2 in the conference. Kansas is now fifth in the conference behind Iowa State. Only four teams advance to the postseason conference tournament, and Kansas has only two matches left.
The Jayhawks won another game, keeping their tournament hopes alive. If two teams are tied at sea.
Kansas outside hitter Shelby Lard said that the crowd in game three—the game Kansas did win—was possibly the loudest it had been all season. Lard ended the match with 7 kills and 11 digs. She said that freshman outside hitter Katie Walsh was a key in game three.
son's end, as Kansas and Iowa State may be, the conference game-winning percentage will be the deciding factor for qualification.
"The momentum was going for us," Lard said. "I was impressed with the crowd. We really needed it. Katie played great and her intensity flowed through the whole team."
Kansas scored first in each game of the match, but the Jayhawks were tangled with the Cornhuskers throughout game three.
At 8-8 in the third game, senior middle blocker Cyndee Kanabel dug a Nebraska spike and passed to sophomore settler Lesli Steinert. Walsh took Steinert's set and hit it across the court into the back corner for a point. Kansas then scored three unanswered points and won the game 15-10 as Walsh contributed three kills and two service aces to the effort. She had 15 kills and 3 aces for the match, both team-highs.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said that Nebraska did not play well in game three.
"I think when you're playing on someone's home turf, there's potential for it to be a close match," he said. "I was frustrated with my team's performance in game three. But we came back in game four and raised our level of play."
Sophomore settler Leesl Steinert, left, and senior middle blocker Cindyne Kanabel stretch to block a Nebraska spike. Nebraska defeated Kansas 3-1 last night in Allen Field House.
By Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
Cross country needs big finish at district meet
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said that this weekend's meet was the last chance for his team to qualify for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.
Each of the eight districts get an allotment of teams that automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. The larger districts get three to four automatic bids. Kansas competes in District V, which gets two men's and two women's automatic team bids.
The Kansas cross country season comes full circle this weekend when the Jayhawks travel to Southern Illinois to compete in the District V Championships in Carbondale, Ill. The Jayhawk's first meet of the season was at Southern Illinois, where the women's team won and the men's team finished second out of three teams.
"We've got to be one of the top two teams to go on from districts," Schwartz said. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that."
"We know that we have to be in the top two," Saul said. "We still haven't shown our true ability."
District V also has six at-large bids for women and three for men. At large bids from district competition are determined by five criteria. One criterion is a team's head-to-head record against other district teams.
The importance of this meet is well known by senior Julia Saul. She said the team knew what it needed to do.
Schwartz said that a poor performance at its Oct. 17 meet at Michigan against some of the top teams in the district hurt the Jayhawks' chances of obtaining an at-large bid. The women's team came in a disappointing ninth out of 10 teams. The men's team finished 12th out of 13 teams.
She said that a poor effort in the Big Eight Championships on Nov. 13 helped give the team added motivation for this weekend's meet. Six of the eight Big Eight teams will compete against the Jayhawks in the district competition. Colorado competes in another district.
"We don't want those teams to beat us again," Saul said.
We don't want those teams to beat us again, said Saul.
The district meet also serves as motivation for the men's team, which came in last at the Big Eight meet. Senior Bobby Palmer said that defeating Missouri and Kansas State was one of the team's goals.
Schwartz said that the season had been a learning experience for the men's team. He said that the team was not strong enough to battle for the district championship this year.
"On the men's side, we're not strong enough to have that as a goal," Schwartz said.
Palmer said that the team knew its chances of getting an NCAA berth were slim but that knowing that took some of the pressure off.
"We've improved a lot during the season," Palmer said. "We want to put K-State and Missouri back in their place—behind us."
Kansas cross country runner Amy Cook warms up before practice. On Saturday, the cross country team will participate in the District V Championship in Carbondale, Ill.
Jayhawks ready to face Buffaloes
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas could be emotionally spent this weekend in Colorado after last week's tough defeat against Nebraska.
But senior free safety Clint Bowen said he would be surprised if the Jayhawks suffered a letdown in performance and emotion against the Buffaloes.
"You could tell in Monday's practice and Tuesday's practice that everyone was ready to get back on the field," Bowen said. "We really have a good feeling about the way we played against Nebraska. It gave everyone a feeling that we are a better team than even we gave ourselves credit for."
For Kansas coach Glen Mason, the pain of the 21-20 defeat to the Cornhuskers went away a few hours after the game ended.
"I was ready to go late Saturday night," Mason said at his weekly press conference yesterday. "The players took a little longer to come back emotionally than I did. But they practiced well ... and I think we're ready to go."
Mason said after the Nebraska game that he could not have been any prouder of the players and coaches after a game than he was at that time. However, he said that even though his team played well last week against Nebraska, that performance did not
guarantee a good performance this week against Colorado.
"I don't think what you do one week has much effect on what you do the next week at all," he said. "Just because you played well one week you can't assume you'll play well the next. Hopefully we'll be able to regroup and play well this week."
The Jayhawks have not had much luck this season. Injuries have forced Mason to start 42 different players this season, the most in his six seasons at Kansas. The Jayhawks have also lost two games by a single point
— last week's game against Nebraska and a 10-9 defeat against K-State Oct. 9.
Bowen said those little points had made the difference in Kansas' 4-6 record.
But, Bowen added, the close defeat against Nebraska gave the team confidence preparing for Colorado.
"It makes you wonder where we would be if we had not lost those close games," Bowen said. "A few breaks here and there and we could have been more successful."
"We've never felt like we're in awe of any team we've played, that's never been the case," Bowen said. "We're confident that we can play with anybody in our conference, and we're confident we can play with Colorado."
WHO IS NO.1 IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL?
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN READERS' POLL
Tell us what team you think is the top team in college basketball and why.
Here in what to do:
In 200 words or less — printed or typed — answer all or some of the following:
— What is the top team and why?
— What team is overrated and why?
What team is overrated and why?
What team will surprise everyone
and why?
— what team will surprise everyone and why?
Include your name, class, hometown
Submit the letter by 5 p.m. Friday to
the Kansan business office, 119 Staufer-Flint Hall, or the Kansan newsroom,
111 Staufer-Flint.
We will publish the letters in the Kansan's Nov. 17 Kansas Basketball Preview.
Space restrictions may prevent some letters from being published.
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ARTS AND CRAFTS BAZAAR
Applications now Available For Students and Non-Students To Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts Apply at SUA Office. Level 4. Kansas Union Applications Due Friday, Nov. 12 by 5 PM For More Info.Call SUA at 864-3477 Bazaar Will Be Held Nov. 29-Dec. 3 9 AM to 5PM Kansas Union Gallery. Level 4. Kansas Union
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