/ SPORTS / TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up."
Red Auerbach
Kansas is playing Texas A&M- Corpus Christi for the first time in basketball.
FACT OF THE DAY
— KUAthletics.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: What is Kansas' record against other members of the Southland Conference?
A: 2-0 (Texas-San Antonio in 1990 and Central Arkansas)
KUAthletics.com
Monday's article "Quidditch without magic," should have said that there are 15 people on the Kansas Quidditch team. The bludgers the team uses are deflated dodgeballs. The team played Oklahoma State in its last tournament. Hai Nguyen, who was pictured, is a sophomore from Lenexa. The Kansan regrets these errors.
CORRECTION
NATIONAL
Toddler falls to death in arena
LOS ANGELES — A toddler died Sunday after falling 50 feet from a luxury suite at the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors in the Staples Center arena.
Police Sgt. Frank Alvelais says early Monday that the boy, believed to be 2 or 3 years old, was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he died. The boy's name hasn't been released.
The boy fell from the third level top tier of the luxury suites several minutes after the Lakers beat the Warriors 117-89 Sunday night.
Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times the boy was moving his arms, legs and head before paramedics took him out of arena on a stretcher.
MORNING BREW
Giving thanks for all football
Sports and holidays are combined all the time. Every year the NBA matches up to draw the highest ratings. Baseball celebrates the Fourth of July by making the logos on their hats red, white and blue. College football overruns the beginning of every new year, with so many bowls that they are now spread out during 23 days, including six on New Year's Day and four on New Year's Eve. That doesn't even include the BCS National Championship game, which isn't even played until January 10. Nonetheless, the ultimate marriage between sports and holidays comes with Thanksgiving and football.
This relationship stands so tall above all the rest, it is as if the two are married to each other. They are so intertwined that it is hard for me to imagine one without the other. Personally, I consider the three Fs of Thanksgiving to be "Family, Food and Football."
Football has a long history of games being played on Thanksgiving at all levels, ranging from professional to high school games. Even the Canadian Football League has jumped on this, holding an annual double header on Canadian Thanksgiving.
The NFL on Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to watch three more games
BY ETHAN PADWAY epadway@kansan.com
than the typical football weekend. I will admit that the new Thanksgiving Day MVP trophies do not match up to John Madden's six-legged Turducken. Despite the fact that there is no marque match-up between two playoff contenders this season, it still offers a great excuse to change the television from the monotonous and drawn out Thanksgiving Day Parade that has never been able to hold my attention. I will always choose to watch the Detroit Lions over a big, inflatable Snoopy.
However, the most exciting football on Thanksgiving takes place in backyards across America. It is the Turkey Bowl games where middle-aged men with bad backs try to relive their high school glory days and overly competitive youngsters try to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of their older relatives. Injuries occasionally visit these contests of athletic prowess, but lasting memories and friendly rivalries between family and friends are formed.
And in 2006, at the request of the Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, the NFL added a third game in the evening to the NFL Thanksgiving slate. This evening game is the best part because now after running myself ragged in the backyard and gorging myself full of turkey, potatoes, and other classic thanksgiving foods, I can retire to the couch and enjoy my pumpkin pie while watching my favorite sport.
—Edited by Emily McCoy
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Al Nolen's defense (five steals) and heart (34.3 minutes per game) helped a Gophers team
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS TODAY
With the Gophers down 17-9 soon after they entered, a unit of Colton Iverson and four freshmen _ Austin Hollins, Maverick Ahanmiet, Mo Walker and Chip Armelin _ launched an 8-3 run. West Virginia junior forward Kevin Jones said he thought the youngsters would fall under the
Men's Basketball
Texas A&M Corpus
-Christi
7 p.m.
Lawrence
West Virginia, which got a game-high 27 points from Casey Mitchell, responded with an 11-3
The Gophers took a 50-42 advantage with nearly 13 minutes to play, but they couldn't sustain the edge.
The Gophers' starters deserve credit for the way they carried the team to a dazzling finish. But reserves prevented an early West Virginia lead from becoming an impossible margin.
Gophers come out and score unexpected win
pressure.
Volleyball Kansas State 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
FRIDAY
Women's Basketball
Fordham vs. Memphis
4:30 p.m.
Lawrence
Both Blake Hoffarber, whose clutch three-pointer with 92 seconds to play broke a 70-70 tie, and Trevor Mbakwe, who recorded his fifth double-digit scoring effort in as many games with 16 points, made the all-tournament team. Mbakwe was named the eight-team tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Women's Basketball
North Dakota State
7 p.m.
Lawrence
Armelin, a 6-4 guard, jumped over everybody to secure a crucial rebound after the Mountaineers missed a shot with five seconds to go. The freshman got fouled and made one of two free throws, enough for a four-point lead to secure the victory.
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
And they didn't set out to earn a national ranking. Their upset over North Carolina on Friday spurred some national buzz, but the Gophers weren't content. They wanted the title.
Men's Basketball
Ohio
7 p.m.
Orleans Arena
Las Vegas
They reached their goal with a 74-70 victory over West Virginia on Sunday to win the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, through an all-around effort that flaunted their depth.
"Al Nolen really ran the team as well as I've seen him do it in the four years he's been here," Tubby Smith said. "He's had an unbelievable tournament."
"We kind of slacked off when some of their starters went out," Jones said. "We just took it for granted that we could do whatever we want."
Nolen guided the Gophers (5-0) through tough times against the Mountaineers (3-1) with a performance that included 17 points, four assists, two steals and a 92 percent clip from the charity stripe (11-for-12).
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Minnesota Gophers didn't travel 2,400 miles to the Caribbean Sea to bask in the sun, albeit a nice perk.
that traveled to Puerto Rico without versatile threat Devoe Joseph outplay three teams with NCAA tournament prospects.
But through five games, Smith's bench has come through in difficult situations.
Ralph Sampson III, who entered Sunday as the Gophers' leading scorer, finished with two points in only 12 minutes because of foul trouble. Backup center Iverson responded with 15 points and eight rebounds.
SATURDAY
Football
Missouri
11:30 a.m.
Kansas City, Mo
rally to even the score at 53-53. Four lead changes and a pair of ties followed until the Gophers went up 61-60 on Iverson's three-point play. The Gophers had the lead until Jones knocked down a three-pointer with 2:58 to play, tying the score at 68-68.
Mbakwe caught a Hofffarber alley-oop on the other end to put the Gophers back on top. Mitchell, however, hit a pair of free throws to tie it again.
But the Gophers continued to attack. With less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Hoffarber hit his three-pointer in the corner, his 11th three in three games this tournament. Armelin provided the assist.
Volleyball Kansas State 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
we tett like it was a real battle tonight." Smith said. "I thought our kids really showed a lot of toughness, a lot of heart. And it was a total team effort."
A big key to the victory was Minnesota's 26-for-35 clip from the free-throw line. West Virginia missed 11 of its 23 attempts.
MLB
Reds' Votto named the season's MVP
Joey Votto underestimated the importance of a team making the postseason when it comes to voting for most valuable player.
The Cincinnati Reds' first baseman had prepared himself for a neck-and-neck race with St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols for the National League MVP award.
"I looked at my numbers and Albert's numbers," said Votto. "He beat me in a lot of them. I beat him in some qualitative categories. I thought it was a tosse-up. I thought it was as close as it could get."
Votto ran away with the NL MVP award on Monday, collecting 31 of the 32 first-place votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Pujols collected the other first-place vote and finished with 279 points in the balloting system, far behind Votto's total of 443.
Wrong.
Obviously, the decisive factor for Votto was that Cincinnati captured the NL Central title with a 91-71 record and made the postseason for the first time in 15 years, thanks in large part to his contributions. The Cardinals finished five games back at 86-76.
"I was surprised," Votto said of his overwhelming margin.
Green Bay Packers may be coach killers, too
NFL
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Call the Green Bay Packers one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. Call them survivors, a team still reievant in November even with 11 players on injured reserve. Call them a trendy pick again for the Super Bowl.
McClatchy-Tribune
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Three weeks ago, the Packers wiped their feet on Dallas, 45-7. Despite weekly assurances that owner Jerry Jones wasn't the kind of person to can a coaches midseason, that's exactly what he did. Less than 24 hours after the Cowboys staggered off Lambeau Field, coach Phillips was fired.
Can them ... Coach Killers First Wade Phillips, now Brad Childress.
Call them . . . coach killers?
Then the Packers had a bye and jobs were safe for a week.
On Sunday, Green Bay marched to the unfriendly Metrodome in Minneapolis and manhandled the Minnesota Vikings, 31-3. Three years removed from the Packers but just 10 months after the NFC Championship Game, quarterback Brett Favre looked mentally spent. Yet his dejected look paled in comparison to Childress' ashen face as the crowd chanted, "Fire Childress!" before it deserted the stadium.
Again, despite reports just a week ago that Childress' job was safe, the Vikings (3-7) announced Monday that Childress was fired. It was a bizarre ending considering Childress had taken the Vikings to the doorstep of the Super Bowl and a year ago signed a contract extension through 2013, with the final year a club option.
"I have a great respect for the players and coaches who I have worked with," Childress said in a statement released by the Vikings. "I am proud of our accomplishments and believe the foundation of this football team is stronger today than when I became head coach in 2006."
"Brett is a tremendous quarterback, and he's been a leader of the team in the 1+ years that he's been here," Frazier said. "There are some things we have to do to support (Favre). Brett will be our starting quarterback on Sunday."
Minnesota promoted defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to interim coach, and he addressed the quarterback situation after Favre said he was going to take time "to re-evaluate".
First Favre ducked out of offseason work again. Running back Adrian Peterson followed, skipping out on the mandatory minicamp in June to attend "Adrian Peterson Day" in Palestine, Texas.
. It has been a disastrous season from the start for the Vikings.
A
Then Childress went on a rescue mission, sending three key players to Favre's home in Mississippi to retrieve the quarterback from his annual retirement thoughts. Then the Vikings started losing, and Favre didn't have the same magic of a year ago and started turning the ball over.
For more than a month, Favre has also been under investigation by the NFL over allegations that he sent suggestive texts and salacious photographs to a female employee of the New York Jets.
To top it off, the relationship between Favre and Childress had, according to numerous reports, gone cold. The coach ended up criticizing Favre for turning the ball over this year against the Packers in Green Bay. Favre has said the two only talk when necessary.
The distractions continued. Peterson was pulled over for speeding—again-last week. Various Vikings could be seen bickering during the Packers game. The Vikings have become such an embarrassment that when they misspelled Kevin Williams' name on his jersey (he's a five-time Pro Bowl veteran), they became a national punch line.
Things got so bad that even after the Vikings, behind a career performance by Favre, rallied to beat Arizona, players ripped Childress anonymously in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Favre has played through tumultuous times with his coaches since his astonishing career in Green Bay came to an apocalyptic end.
His coach in 2008, Eric
Childress, an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin from 1991-'98, accepted the Minnesota job in January 2006, reportedly before he ever made a scheduled visit to Green Bay, where he was supposed to meet with general manager Ted Thompson over the Packers' own coaching vacancy. Thompson filled that role a week later with Mike McCarthy.
"You feel for his family," McCarthy said of Childress' dismissal. "I have great respect for every individual in the coaching profession. I know the struggles, the challenges and the rewards that you go through as a head coach in this league. You never want to see that happen. It's really tough on a family. Like I said, you just don't ever want to see that happen."
Mangini, was fired after Favre and the New York Jets started the season by dominating the AFC East and then failed to make the playoffs.
With Childress gone, it appears the newest coach on the hot seat is Mike Singletary. The Packers play host to his struggling San Francisco team Dec. 5.
Now McCarthy leads a 7-3 Packers team, and Childress is looking for work.
CROSS COUNTRY
LAUREN NEWMAN
lnewman@kansan.com
Wasinger finishes 233rd at nationals
Junior Donny Wasinger competed in the NCAA Championship in the 10K individual men's cross country race Monday in Terre Haute, Ind., securing him an automatic bid to the championship. Wasinger finished 10th place in the race, hosted by the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship. Wasinger finished 233rd out of 246 runners as he clocked in with a time of 33:02.7 at nationals.
Wasinger was the only Jayhawk runner who qualified for the NCAA this season and was the lead runner for the Kansas men's cross country team during the entire season. He earned All-Big 12 with a 13th-place finish at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships. His best 8K time came from Wisconsin adidas Invitational, where he placed 12th with a time of 24:03. His best 10K time was from Midwest Regional Championships where Wasinger placed 10th overall with a time of 30:50.05. His overall best race was his first meet at the Missouri Cross Country Challenge, where he snagged first place, clocking in at 25:17.5.
Edited by Anna Nordling
The NCAA Championship is the last race of the season for Wasinger and the Jayhawk cross country team. After that, him and other cross country members will prepare themselves for indoor track and field season which begins Dec. 4.
NHL
Conner scores first goal to help victory
SUNRISE, Fla. — Chris Conner scored his first goal of the season with 7:04 remaining in the third period to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night
Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby had power-play goals for the Penquins.
Crosby extended his career best point streak to nine games and now has recorded at least two points in eight of his last 11 games.
Associates Content
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