/ SPORTS / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Everyone compares me to Kirk Hinrich, and that's a great comparison to have, and I try to mold my game after him, I guess you could say. Whenever my name is mentioned with Kirk Hinrich's it kind of sends chills through your body, but he's such a great player, I'm not even in his league."
— Tyrell Reed said to The Daily Kansan as a freshman in 2007
FACT OF THE DAY
Brady Morningstar will end his career ranked in KU's career top 10 for three-point field goal percentage, currently eighth at 41.5 percent.
kuathletics.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What has Kansas' record been since Mario Little's transfer from Chipola Community College?
A: 87-13. That is an 87 percent winning rate. Little came to KU as the No. 1 juco player in the nation in 2008.
kuathletics.com
National anthem wonders, blunders
MORNING BREW
Tonight, fans will be treated to a special National Anthem performance. I don't know who it is, but I have two guesses. I will tell you one at the end and the other you can ask me at a later time. But instead of talking about saying or not saying "Home of the Chiefs" at the end, I want to look back on some of the worst performances. I have been told that this one will be better than the last time Kansas brought somebody in to sing the National Anthem at Allen Fieldhouse. And that's whom I'll start with.
Eddie Money (1/25/2010)
Eudie Money (1/25/2010)
So, this isn't a bad performance, but he seemed drunk. But, who cares about that? He nailed all the words and even snuck in an "I love this country" before proceeding to the last stanza. Money sang the Anthem before Kansas tipped off against Missouri.
Roseanne Barr (7/25/1990)
Apparently, Barr's rendition was sung badly on purpose. Before she even finished San Diego Padre fans were booing her. Now, I'll be completely honest, I am an awful singer, but she was so pitchy.
Christina Aguilera (2/6/2011)
Mariana Aguilera (2/6/2011)
This one is memorable because it is recent.
She muffed the lyrics at the biggest football game of the year. But don't worry, Christina,
you've been given another chance to sing the National Anthem at a minor league baseball
game. And she has more books to worry about after being booked on suspicion of drunk driving early yesterday morning.
Eli Young Band (12/5/2010)
This is the first time that I have seen somebody actually mess up the Anthem. It happened not only once, but twice. After fumbling the lyrics, Eli Young started over and completely missed some stanzas. It's OK, because Chiefs fans ended up yelling "Home of the Chiefs" and then saw the home team defeat the Broncos 10-6.
Carl Lewis (1/21/1993)
Carl Lewis (1/21/1993) This might be my favorite one to date. Lewis is a former Olympian who sang the Anthem before the Nets hosted the Bulls. He started off strong with a long "Oh," but he then lost it after "and the rockets' red glare." He said, "Uh, oh. I'll make up for it now," but never did.
YouTube. You should laugh. But I'll really make it up to you, unlike Lewis did. Watch Jim Cornelson. He sings the Anthem before every Chicago Blackhawks game. What makes this version so great is that he is an opera singer but the fans clap and cheer during the Anthem to show their respect for the country. It is something I'm happy to be a part of as a Chicagoan.
If you get a chance, watch these on
Now for who I would love to see. It's Senior Night and you might have known that Mario Little plays the piano. He doesn't read music, just knows it by ear. I would love to see a piano rolled out to center court with Little sitting down and belting out the words. My other guess, well, we'll see if what I'm thinking holds true. If you get on the Kansan.com live chat tomorrow at 7 p.m. (it works on iPhones and Android devices), I promise to reveal my other guess.
—Edited by Sarah Gregory
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS.
TODAY
Men's Basketball
Texas A&M
8 p.m.
Lawrence
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
5DAY Baseball vs. UC Riverside 5 p.m. Surprise, Ariz.
Baseball vs. CSU Bakersfield 5 p.m.
Surprise, Ariz.
Softball
vs. Bradley
11 a.m.
vs. San Jose State
3:30 p.m.
Las Vegas, Nev.
**track**
Alex Wilson Last Chance
Meet
NCAA Qualifier
All Day
South Bend, Ind.
SATURDAY
DOUBLE HEADER
Tennis
Houston
11 a.m.
Lawrence
BASEBALL REWIND
Innings: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 FINAL Runs Hits Errors
Game 1 Kansas vs Southern Utah 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 6 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 7 3
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
and put Marasco in at the five hole, because the reality is that those guys have to produce," Price said. "If you will, I took the diapers off of [Elgie] today."
Eligie responded in a big way in the two games on Tuesday by combining for three hits, one walk and one run batted in. Eligie's biggest play of the day was his team-leading third double of the year.
"Things are going in the right direction, so hopefully that can continue." Elgte said. "We're making progress each and every day."
Edited by Amanda Sorell
Pitchers stay strong in double-header
Ashleigh Lee/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The Kansas baseball team got exactly what it needed in yesterday's double-header. Two strong outings from the starting pitchers both protected a languishing lineup and saved the bullpen arms for the upcoming four-game series beginning Thursday in Surprise, Ariz.
BY ALEC TILSON
atilson@kansan.com
Senior pitcher Wally Marceli worked seven strong innings in the first leg of the two-game set. A year removed from elbow surgery, Marceli threw a career-high 102 pitches, giving up four hits and no runs.
Outfieldier Jimmy Waters catches the ball, causing an out for his opponent. The Jayhawks had six hits and two scores, giving them a one point lead against Southern Utah.
"I was a little tired in the seventh," Marciel said. "When coach came out in the middle of the seventh inning he asked if I could do it, and I said sure."
The southpaw Marcel issued five walks and admitted that his velocity had not fully returned. Both he and coach Ritch Price said they felt the surgery was not an issue at this point.
In the second game, sophomore right-handed pitcher Thomas Taylor worked 5.2 effective innings. He allowed one run on seven hits and struck out three in earning his first win of the season.
point.
"I think he is completely 100 percent fine," Price said. "He did a real nice job of using his changeup and mixing his pitches and grinding."
wilf of the season.
The bullpen preserved leads in both contests. Junior pitcher Colton Murray got the final five outs in the first game and notched his first save of the season.
Junior pitcher Jordan Jakubov and freshman pitcher Frank Duncan worked the back end of the second game, allowing just one hit during three-plus innings.
For a team still searching on the offensive end, the defense looked solid. The team committed no errors in the double-header, making that three consecutive errorless games.
"I thought our infield defense was really good," Price said. "One of our goals is to be in the top three in our league defensively and on the turf. We should catch every ball on the turf"
"Our team defense has been doing well" sophomore third baseman lake Marasco said. "This turf is great, it doesn't hurt anything."
With a lineup that continues to shuffle, the pitching and defense need to remain consistent until the bats heat up. And the new turf at Hogland Pallpark should benefit the fielders.
"We just have to keep grinding as a team," Elgie said. "When things start to come together and everyone starts to hit, I think we have a chance to be pretty good."
Junior infelder Zac Eligie sees the three game winning streak as a step forward, but keeps a level head.
Edited by Helen Mubarak
Ashleigh Lee/KANSAN
Pitcher Wally Marciel, a senior from Kailua, Hawai, throws against his opponent from Southern Utah. The Jayhawks defeated Southern Utah 2-1 Tuesday afternoon.
Quote of the Night
"If you will I took the diapers off of him today, I moved him up in the batting order and he responded, I was proud of him."
— Coach Ritch Price on junior first baseman Zac Elaine
Price
Key inning
In the sixth inning of the second game, Kansas managed to rope together four straight hits for the first time all season. The Jayhawks scored two runs in the sixth off of a Jimmy Waters sac-fly and a single from Zac Elgie.
Game to Remember
Jake Marasco
Marasco
Marasco had his first three-hit game since last March for the Jayhawks on Tuesday. One of the three hits was a double that Marasco slammed off of the fence in center field.
Game to Forget
Chase Rezac
Rezac was Southern Utah's starting pitcher in the second game Tuesday. He pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four hits and 2 earned runs. Rezac struggled in a big way with his control though, as he hit seven Kansas batters with pitches.
Rezac
Game notes
- Sophomore third baseman Jake Marasco tallied his first three-hit game since last March against Iowa.
- Freshman Jordan Brown got the start in centerfield in the second game and recorded his first two collegiate hits.
- Southern Utah's Bo Cuthbertson was ejected in the first inning of the second game after being called out on a close play at first.
Innings:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 FINAL Runs Hits Errors
Game 2 Kansas vs Southern Utah 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 5 5 5 8 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 1
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