SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, October 14, 1993
9
Phillies give Braves the chop
From worst to first in just one season
PHILADELPHIA — They went from worst to first and now the Philadelphia Phillies have beaten the best.
By Alan Robinson The Associated Press
Tommy Greene outpitched baseball's best pitcher, and the refuse-to-lose Phillies again outplayed baseball's best team to beat the Braves 6-3 in Game 6 of the NL playoffs last night and win their first pennant since 1983.
Dave Hollins, Darren Daulton and Mickey Morandini had two-run extra-base hits off Greg Maddux as the Phillies pulled off the impossible and kept Atlanta from their third straight World Series appearance.
GAME 6 Philadelphia 6, Atlanta 3
Only the third team in major-league history to go from last place to the pennant in one year, the Phillies — 30-1 underdogs just to win their division — will play the defending World Champion Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series beginning Saturday night.
"We never felt that way. All year long we never felt like underdogs." Phillies manager Jim Fregosi said. "It's been an amazing year."
1980 and 1983, but who would have believed this?
"Ya Gotta Believe" was the Phillies' theme when they last won pennants in
Maddux was 15-2 since July 7 and embarrassed Greene and the Phillies 14-3 in Game 2, but he could not win the biggest game of the season. And now there is no season left for the Braves, whose 104 wins are the most for a non-pennant winner since the 1942 Dodgers.
Greene could not make it past the third inning of Game 2, but on the biggest night of his life he made sure the Braves would not make it to Game 7, where they beat Pittsburgh in both 1991 and 1992.
It was a cataclysmic loss for the Braves, who talked of nothing but winning the World Series after losing there the last two years.
The Braves ended the divisional playoffs like they started them 25 years ago—with a loss. They were upset by the destiny's darling New York Mets in the first divisional playoffs in 1969, and this time by an
almost-as-big underdog while failing to become the first team since the 1942-44 Cardinals to win three straight pennants. The playoffs will revert to a four-team, three division format in 1994.
Mitch Williams, the Phillies' Wild Thing reliever, had taken three wild rides earlier in the series, but this ninth innning was smooth sailing. The fans taunted the Braves with the team's own Tomahawk Chop. Williams threw a pitch behind Bill Pecota only to strike him out a pitch later and touch off a sea of celebration around the pitcher's mound. Fans streamed through the mounted police guard to hug the Phillies as motorcycle police ringed the stadium
Fregosi stayed in the dugout and did not join the on-field celebration.
"It's the players' game," he said. "I was so excited, I just like to watch it. They played all year long. I just looked at their faces and watched them react."
Kansas volleyball team defeats Missouri in 3
Bv Gerrv Fev
Kansan sportswriter
It wasn'tpretty,but the Kansas volleyball team pulled out a victory against Missouri 15-6,15-7,15-9 last night at Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks improved their record to 12-7 overall and 2-2 in the Big Eight, and the Tigers dropped to 7-11 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
"It was an ugly match for both teams," Kansas coach Frankie Albitz said. "I don't think anyone really had momentum. I thought my team did a good job of keeping their composure."
Kansas controlled the first two games throughout, but the third game was a bit more difficult.
The Jayhawks did not break free until late in the third game. The score was 8-8 when sophomore Lesli Steinert took junior Shelly Lard's pass and set it to freshman Katie Walsh for the kill. Kansas went on to score five unanswered points and won the game 15-9.
Albitz said Steinert did a good job setting and passing. Many times during the match Steinert responded to Missouri rallies with a well-placed dump, hitting the ball in the middle of the court and away from Tiger players.
"Her strength is defense," Albitz said. "She dug very well tonight. This week, we watched tapes of Missouri. She watched the tapes and figured out where she could dump the ball."
Steinert said that she was getting more confident with her dump shot. The Kansas setter ended the match with seven kills, mostly coming off that shot.
"When I watched the tapes from Missouri, I noticed there was a hole in the middle," Steinert said.
The beneficiaries of Steinert's good setting were the Kansas outside hitters and middle blockers. Sophomore rightside player Jenny Larson said that it was an advantage for a hitter to have a good set to work with. Larson had five of Kansas' 39 kills. She also added two service aces in the victory.
"Ithought she made really good choices," Larson said. "All we have to do is approach, and she puts the ball right in our hand. She saw the court really well tonight."
Missouri coach Craig Sherman said Steinert's points came at the right time for Kansas, but he was not happy with the way his team played.
"We didn't compete very well," Sherman said. "We didn't serve or pass. If we can do one of those two things, we can stay in the match. We're not creating offense, and if you don't, Kansas' offense will roll over von."
Since the Tigers did not play well, Larson said that the Jayhawks should have put their opponent away with ease in the third game.
"We need to work on not letting down," Larson said. "In the third game, we played their game — sloppy."
Despite the apparent let-down, Albizt said she was not displeased with her team.
"I'm just not quite sure where we are right now," Albizt said. "The Big Eight has been really hard on us, but we're responding fairly well."
Missouri's Sherman said that some changes would bode well for the Tigers when the teams played again Oct. 27 in Columbia, Mo.
"We can beat them here, for sure," he said. "We've got to do it on our side of the net. If we do that, we're in the match. Plus, it will be at the Hearnes Center and not Allen Field House, a different venue."
Kansas 'Tracie Walt returns a serve from the Missouri Tigers while Jenny Larson runs to help cover the return. Kansas won in three games last night, 15-6, 15-7, 15-9.
Royals'sstadium to replace turf with grass by '95
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kauffman Stadium is going to grass.
Long considered one of baseball's prettiest parks, the home of the Kansas City Royals will rip up its coating of artificial turf and begin play on a natural surface in 1995.
"We just decided it's in everybody's best interest," general manager Herk Robinson said yesterday after making the announcement. "Unquestionably, it's going to be an overwhelmingly popular decision with our fans. We've always had a wonderful stadium. This will only make it better."
When it opened in 1973, Royals Stadium had the only artificial surface in the American League. Over the years, Royals teams have tended to reflect the fact that their park's artificial turf, spacious dimensions and 410-foot power alleys tended to favor defense and speed.
Compared with other major league parks year after year, the Royals home park usually yields the fewest home runs and the most doubles and triples.
Power teams were often frustrated. Even counting the lean adolescent years of the expansion club, the Royals home field advantage was reflected in their overall 969-696 home record.
"They're nothing but arms and legs, arms and legs," was how then-manager Earl Weaver described the Royals one night after his Baltimore Orioles got swept three games. "We hit about four balls that in our place would have been home runs. They hit five balls that would have been outs in our stadium, but here, they shoot through on that slick stuff and go for extra bases."
Royals Stadium was renamed Kauffman Stadium last June in honor of the team's founder, Ewing M. Kauffman before he died Aug. 1.
Almost since the team's first season, there was talk of changing to a natural surface. Grass fans have always pointed out the Royals have one of the country's most renowned groundskeepers in George Toma.
"We've been kicking it around the last couple of years because we knew at the conclusion of the 1994 season we would have to make a decision," Robinson said.
The next decision to make will be whether to move the fences in 5 or 10 feet or so.
"Those decisions will be made in six months," Robinson said. "We do have a spacious park. The ball may not scoot around as much as it did. We may want to move the fences in."
Robinson declined to speculate.
"We'll do some homework and have some help from our architectural firm."
If the fences come in and the artificial turf turns into grass, won't the Royals' need to retool their team with greater emphasis on sluggers than sprinters?
"We've discussed this with our scouts for some time," Robinson said. "We had emphasized speed. But what we ended up saying is if we get the best athletes, we'll be in good shape. I think that's what we'll continue to stress. Whether we're on artificial turf or grass, the best athletes will be the ones who win the most games."
Richard Devinki/KANSAN
Curtis Taylor, 200-freestyle relay team member, said he hoped the team would improve on its third-place finish at the NCAA championships last year.
Richard Devinki/KANSAI
Scott Townsend, 200-freestyle team member, said it's important to know what the other team members are thinking to help ease the pressure of competition.
Swimmers find friendship in the lanes
Middle distance, freestylers make up the four musketeers By Kent Hohifeld Kansan sportswriter
They are the four musketeers.
Townsend, Bontrager and Taylor are also three members of the men's 200-freestyle relay team that captured third in the NCAA championships last year. The three have even higher goals for the team this year.
Seniors Curtis Taylor, Scott Townsend and David Lewis, and junior Marc Bontrager make up the self-titled group.
"Last year, we wanted to end up in the top eight," Taylor said. "We ended up third and were ecstatic."
He said that this year's squad looked to improve on last year's performance but that improvement would be tough. Taylor said the fact that they had three of the team's four members back would give the team the added experience it needed. Ed Riddle, the fourth member, graduated last year and is now a graduate assistant for the team.
Coach Gary Kempf said that the final 200-freestyle relay team member had not been decided yet. The determination of the fourth team member will depend on who got hot in practice, he said.
Taylor said last year's experience would help each member with his leg of the race.
Townsend is concerned about the final leg. Townsend said the fact that he, Taylor and Bontrager had all been on the same team for two years helped them know what each other was thinking.
"It helps in pressure situations to know that the people around you won't choke," Townsend said.
Bontrager said last year's relay team had developed so that each member could anticipate when another member finished and the next started. He said that kind of timing gave them an extra jump on other teams. The team was eager to see who the final member
would be this year, he said.
Taylor and Town send share several similarities besides being teammates. The two were born within two days of each other and swam the same events in high school in Oregon. They never knew each other until the
state competition during their senior year.
Lewis, who makes up the fourth muskeeer, is the only member who is not on the 200-freestyle team. He specializes in middle distance events. He said that being close to his teammates gave him extra confidence in meet situations.
Kempf said he thought the 200-freestyle relay event would be one of the Jayhawks' strongest events this year.
"My biggest challenge is convincing these guys that there is no physical reason they can't be the best team in the nation," Kempf said.
SPORTS in brief
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Jayhawks to play in first tournament together for season
Indiana, No.11 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason poll, will be Kansas' toughest competition, Kansas will coach Chuck Merzbacher said. Kansas is ranked No.17 in the poll.
This weekend marks the first time the team will compete together in the same tournament. Previously, the team has played without its top two players.
Indiana welcomes Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Miami of Ohio and Auburn this weekend to its fall invitational women's tennis tournament.
Juniors Nora Koves and Rebecca Jensen sat out the team's first tournament at William and Mary College so they could compete the following week in the ITA Clay Court Tournament in Jackson, Miss. The rest of the team played at KState that weekend.
Koves said that she was not nervous competing in her first singles match of the season this weekend but that she was looking forward to it.
Merzbacher said it would be nice to have the whole team together.
MEN'S TENNIS
"The team had been practicing better and we are just truckin' along," he said.
He won four matches in the prequalifying round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men's all-American Championships last weekend. That moved him on to the qualifying round held Tuesday and yesterday. He won his first two matches Tuesday. Visssepo left to South Alabama's Peter Kuhn yesterday 6-2, 6-3, eliminating him from the Main Draw held today through Sunday.
Players lose in qualifying rounds
Sophomore J.P. Vissepo has been playing tennis in Texas since Friday.
To get to the qualifying round, Vessepo defeated Mike Noll of Michigan, 6-0, 6-3; Chad Raymond of Texas A&M, 6-4, 6-1; Klas Peterson of South Alabama, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2; and Jerry Turek of Illinois, 6-3, 6-4.
In the first two matches of the qualifying round, he defeated Remi Barbarina of Mississippi State, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4; and Devin Bowen of Texas Christian, 7-5, 6-0.
Sophomore teammate Reid Slattery joined Vissepo for the qualifying round. He had previously qualified for it based on his record and standing.
Slattery won his first match but lost by default to Mashiska Washington of Michigan State, 6-4, 4-5, ret.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Arkansas player found dead
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas linebacker Shannon Wright apparently shot himself to death early yesterday, hours after he moved some of his belongings out of his girlfriend's residence.
Wright, 22, had battled an alcohol problem throughout his career.
Andy Cox, a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas, said that Wright and the woman broke up last week.
Officers responding to a 911 call at 6:09 a.m. found Wright behind the wheel of a vehicle in the driveway of a residence, police chief Richard Watson said.
A final ruling on the cause of death is pending analysis of evidence submitted to the State Crime Lab. according to a report.
Football practice was closed yesterday, and Ford said the players would be off-limits to the media for the rest of the week.
This report was compiled by Kansas sportwriter Anne Felstet and the Associated Press.