2B
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money, I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok."
— Shaquille O'Neal
FACT OF THE DAY
Baylor currently ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 62.4 points per game. The Bears ranked 10th last season.
Source: big12sports.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: How many times has Kansas State defeated the No. 1 ranked team in basketball?
A: Three. K-State knocked off top-ranked Texas 71-62 Monday night at home for the school's third-ever victory against a No.1 team.
Kansas Athletics
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Tennessee holds on against Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Wayne Chism scored all 11 of his points in the final seven minutes and No. 8 Tennessee held off Alabama for a 63-56 victory Tuesday night.
Scotty Hopson scored 17 points and the short-handed Volunteers (15-2, 3-0) remained in survival mode, overcoming cold shooting by making it an even tougher night for the Crimson Tide shooters.
Tennessee held Alabama (11-7, 1-3) to only one basket in the final three minutes, 30 seconds and made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
The Volunteers shot 39 percent but limited Alabama to 38 percent and held leading scorer Mikhail Torrance to three points.
The Vols are now 5-0 playing without four players either suspended or dismissed following their Jan. 1 arrests, including a 76-68 victory against then-No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 10.
Baseball values the leather
MORNING BREW
In baseball's steroid infested era, we used to say "chicks dig the long ball."
We're still about a month away from spring training and major league baseball is already changing its course.
Several top-notch organizations are using newly discovered statistical gems to find previously unaddressed advantages. In the post-steroids area, the trendiest statistic to date is UZR.
Associated Press
As the buzz of offseason free agency signings and trades simmers, one can take a look at several competitors and notice a considerable shift in what is now perceived as a winning product.
Simply put, UZR is the most precise way to evaluate a fielder's effect on a game with numbers. And the currency is baseball's gold: runs.
According to Fanggraphs.com, UZR (ultimate zone ratings) measures "the number of runs above or below average a fielder is in both range runs and error runs combined."
The Boston Red Sox geared its offseason toward pitching and run prevention with the acquisitions of pitcher John Lackey, shortstop Marco Scutaro, center fielder Mike Cameron and third baseman Adrian Beltrue. Last year, the Sox failed to outmash the Yankees with their bats. So based on what was available in the market, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and senior advisor of baseball operations and statistics guru Bill James followed a different path. They decided that finding a way to slow down the fiery offenses of the American League was less costly and could be just as effective as loading up on big bats.
"The only difference between our ability to evaluate defense and offense at this
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
point is confidence. Defense, at this point, can be evaluated with the same degree of precision and the same degree of agreement among different methods as offense." James said.
Other teams are catching on. Also this offseason, Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik quickly pounced on speedster third basemen Chone Figgins once he free agency. Figgins is a master with the glove and has tremendous plate discipline. Zduriencik also dealt for ace pitcher Cliff Lee and replaced home-run bashing first baseman Russell Branyan with glove friendly Casey Kotchman.
Last season, the Detroit Tigers replaced aging shortstop Edgar Renteria with UZR king Adam Everett.
This season, the Oakland As will field an outfield of Coco Crisp, Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney. While those three combined to hit just 12 home runs in 2009, GM Billy Beane feels that having three guys with crazy wheels and a steady glove will make up for it. And of course, it's much cheaper than signing an overrated free agent like Matt Holliday for seven years and $120 million (see St. Louis Cardinals).
Much like Beane's emphasis of on-base percentage with his teams of the previous
decade, this year's story is defensive metrics. Soon, this league will no longer be dominated by burly bashers, but instead crowded with those that flash the leather. Can you say, "chicks dig the 6-4-3 double play?"
MUSIC FROM THE VAULTS
I'm 19 years old and clinging to my final year as an official teenager. Yet, regardless of age, I will forever have that same rebellious feeling every time I blast Sonic Youth's "Teen Age Riot". The timeless anthem is the introduction and finest point on the 1988 double-album masterpiece "Daydream Nation".
Sources: Fangraphs.com, Boston.com
Sonic Youth practiced what would become a highly influential style of art-rock. The album wavers through numbing instrumentals and near abrasive screeches while never losing its fluidity. While "Daydream Nation" is best suited to listen to as a whole, if I had to pick, other highlights include "Cross the Breeze", "Eric's Trip", "Providence" and "Candle".
Edited by Drew Anderson
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Women's basketball at Iowa State, 7 p.m.
Men's basketball vs. Baylor, 8 p.m.
THURSDAY
No events scheduled.
FRIDAY
No events scheduled.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball at Iowa State, 1 p.m.
Women's basketball at Oklahoma, 2 p.m.
Women's swimming
vs. South Dakota/
Northern Iowa, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY No events scheduled.
SUNDAY
MLS
MONDAY
Men's basketball vs. Missouri, 8 p.m.
Wyandotte officials approve plans for KC stadium
18,000-seat stadium, the new home to the Kansas City Wizards, is scheduled to be open for the 2012 season
ASSOCIATED PRESS
a statement
than four months of negotiations between the developer and the
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Wyandotte County officials have approved an agreement for a $414 million development that includes a soccer stadium for the Kansas City Wizards and an office complex for medical software maker Cerner Corp.
and Wyandotte County.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County approved the new agreement Tuesday night. The plan includes an 18,000-seat stadium to be completed by the 2012 soccer season and 4,000 new Cerner jobs.
Cerner, based in Kansas City.
The agreement ends more
Gov. Mark Parkinson praised the agreement, which helps Kansas "get back on track."
" T h e proposal we offered was responsible and
"The proposal we ofference was responsible and did not overreach; as a result,we were successful."
MARK PARKINSON Kansas Governor
n Kansas City, Mo., will build a new 600,000 square-foot office campus. The first building on the campus is scheduled to be under construction by Dec. 1, 2011.
The project, which is being devel-
did not overreach; as a result, we were successful." Parksion said in
Lane4 Property Group, is being subsidized with $85 million in state tax credits and cash and $144.5 million in STAR Bond assistance.
oped by OnGoal LLC, the owner of the Kansas City Wizards, and
County officials approved the development agreement and authorized issuing the STAR Bonds.
"This is a great day for soccer in Kansas City," said OnGoal CEO Robb Heineman. "After a lengthy process to keep the team in the metropolitan area, OnGoal and the Kansas City Wizards are thrilled to receive final approval for our stadium and fields complex."
Under the plan, the first 1,000 Cerner Corp. employees are to be working at the planned office development by the end of 2012.
If Cerner doesn't fulfill its job obligation, a $30.4 million penalty must be paid by Kansas Unified Development, the development entity formed by OnGoal and Lane4.
The developers announced in September they were moving the stadium and Cerner office project to the area near the Kansas Speedway.
It had been slated for a property in south Kansas City, Mo., but that deal failed.
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R-o-c-k-i-e-s spell relief
MLB
Colorado Rockies sign a pair of relievers to multi-year contracts
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — The Colorado Rockies reached preliminary agreements.
on multi- year contracts with relievers Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
"We like the character of our guys, how it relates to the team environment, and we like their toughness."
Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd said. "We like the character of our guys, how it relates to the team environment, and we like
DAN O'DOWD
Rockies General Manager
Street will get $22.5 million over three years and Betancourt $7.55 million over two seasons, the people said, speaking separately. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreements were not yet final.
their toughness."
Foxsports. com first reported the deal with Street, and The Denver Post reported the Betancourt deal.
"We know that there are going to be ups and downs with the bullpen, but we like what we have,"
Colorado
also agreed to a $3.25 million, two-year deal with outfielder Ryan Spilborghs and a $1.9 million, one-year contract with pitcher Jason Hammel.
All four were eligible for salary arbitration.
Street solidified the Rockies' bullpen last season by saving 35 games in 37 chances. He stumbled
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Betancourt became a key setup man for the Rockies after he was acquired in a deal with Cleveland on July 23. He went 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 32 appearances for Colorado, helping the team earn the NL wild card. He allowed one run in two 1-3 innings against the Phillies in the postseason.
The right-hander missed the final month of the regular season with soreness in his biceps tendon, but said that played no role in his postseason failures.
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against Philadelphia in the playoff, though, taking a pair of losses.
Hammel was picked up from Tampa Bay in a trade last April for a minor league pitcher and finished 10-8 with a 4.33 ERA. The 27-year-old righty was one of five Colorado starters to win at least 10 games in 2009.
Spilborghs appeared in 133 games last season, playing all three outfield spots. He hit .241 with 24 doubles and eight homers, including the first game-ending grand slam in team history that capped a 14-inning affair against San Francisco on Aug. 4.