BOGGS INJURY
New York Yankees third baseman Wade Boggs was struck above the left eye by a ball during batting practice prior to yesterday's exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
The wound took 47 stitches—30 inside the wound, 17 on the outside—to close, but Boggs said that he expected to play when tomorrow
night in Seattle.
Stuart Hershon, the Yankees team physician, said the injury was a laceration that was similar to what boxers get above the eye.
The injury occurred with Boggs at third and Yankee coach Willie Randolph hitting fungos to the infelders during batting practice.
SPECTATOR STAND COLLAPSES IN NEW DELHI
A makeshift spectator stand at a volleyball match collapsed yesterday, and at least 150 fans were injured.
10 people were hospitalized in critical condition after the packed bamboo stand collapsed in the town of Vatakara, just outside of New Delhi, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
SHAQ ATTACK
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 1997
Who needs basketball? Shaquille O'Neal said he wanted to be the ultimate businessman—rapper, actor and fashion promoter.
"I just want to maximize my potential as a person," O'Neal said during an appearance for his third recording. You Can't Stop the Reilan.
O'Neal, sidelined from the Los Angeles Lakers since February with a knee injury, plugged his acting, a new record company called Twism Records and a clothing line.
O'Neal appeared in the movies Blue Chips and
Kazaam, both of which performed poorly at the box office. His first two compact discs, Shaq Diesel and Shaq Fu: Da Return both sold more than 500,000 copies. He's due back on the court in April.
SECTION B
Golfer to begin treatment for alcoholism after binge
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. — John Daly, an admitted alcoholic, withdrew from the Players Championship the day after a drinking session in a bar.
And he said yesterday that he would immediately begin treatment for alcoholism.
Daly was seen in a night spot called Sloppy Joe's on Thursday and spent several hours drinking with members of the Jacksonville Jaguars football team. He also sang with the bar band and at one point took the microphone and drew loud applause when he praised the Jaguars.
Daly, the 30-year-old winner of the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open, entered an alcohol rehabilitation program in 1993 but late last year admitted he again was drinking socially.
Daly has been suspended twice by the PGA Tour for erratic behavior.
The PGA Tour suspended Daly once for picking up his ball in a tournament. In September 1994, Daly announced that he would voluntarily sit out the rest of the year after he got into a shouting match and scuffed with a 62-year-old man.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Canadian wins fifth victory in Brazilian Grand Prix
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL — Jacques Villeneuve took the lead on the second lap and never relinquished it in winning the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday.
The Canadian, driving a Williams-Renault race car, completed the 71 laps around the 2,687-mile Jose Carlos Pace track in 1 hour, 36 minutes and.069 seconds.
It was his fifth Formula One victory—one short of the number of wins by his father, the late Gilles Villeneuve—in 17 races.
The win made up for Villeneuve's first-lap spinout in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Germany's Michael Schumacher—No. 2 on the grid—shot into the lead in a Ferrari, but Villeneuve overtook him in the straightaway at the start of the second lap.
Villeneuve demonstrated the superiority of his car by outdistancing runner-up Gerhard Berger of Austria by up to 17 seconds during several laps.
Chiefs' new quarterback tries to avoid Bono's errors
But Berger cut into that advantage, and by the end of the race, the margin was just a little more than four seconds.
Kansas forward Raef LaFrentz takes a fall during the Arizona game on March 21. LaFrentz faces the decision to enter the NBA draft or play for Kansas one more year. He must make his decision by May 18.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Chiefs' new quarterback, Elvis Grbac, wants to set a good example for his new teammates as the Chiefs begin their off-season workout program this week.
Bono, who like Grbac had been a backup at San Francisco before joining the Chiefs, made only a sporadic appearance at off-season workouts last spring. This helped open a rift with his teammates that never really healed.
Grbac was signed recently to replace Steve Bono, who was benched late last season as the Chiefs failed to make the NFL playoffs for the first time in this decade.
Grbac, in contrast, said that he plans to be there every day, learning the new system and getting to know his coaches and teammates.
LaFrentz, Pierce considering NBA
The fact that Kansas City and San Francisco have similar passing systems should ease Grbac's transition to his new team. Still, there will be some long hours in study sessions with offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, quarterback coach Mike McCarthy and the other quarterbacks. Starting next week, the Chiefs will spend two days a week on the practice field.
—The Associated Press
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
For the second consecutive season the Kansas men's basketball team is in danger of losing its top talent to the NRA
Last season, guard Jacque Vaughn weighed his options before he decided to decline the NBA draft. This year, forwards Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce are considering forgoing college eligibility for the pros.
LaFrentz and Pierce said whatever their decisions are, they will be taxing ones.
"It will be unbelievable tough to leave a program like this one." LaFrentz said.
He added that his approach will mirror Vaughn's contemplation, which included talking to family and Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams.
Pierce echoed LaFrentz's feelings
"Coach and I will sit down and discuss this, and I'll look and see what's best for me." Pierce said.
If the decides to take his talents to the next level, Pierce, a sophomore, would be forgoing two years of college eligibility. LaFrentz would be forfeiting his senior season.
Pierce improved his stock in the NCAA Tournament, leading Kansas in scoring in each of its three games.
ESPN NBA draft analyst Don Leventhal said LaFrentz could go as early as fifth in the draft. Pierce, Leventhal predicted, also could be a lottery selection, one of the first 13 drafted.
The NBA draft already has been flooded with underclassmen.
Two high school players have entered the draft along with several college non-seniors.
Top high school players Tracy McGrady of Durham, N.C., and Lamar Odom of Redemption Christian High School announced they will be eligible for the NBA draft. Kentucky forward Ron Mercer, Colgate center Adonal Foyle, Georgetown guard Victor Page and Kansas State forward Mark Young also said they're eligible for the NBA draft.
LaFrentz and Pierce have been added
to the list of other talented underclassmen who have not yet decided.
Cincinnati forward Danny Fortson,
Villanova forward Tim Thomas and
Texas Tech center Tony Battie also may enter the NBA draft.
LaFrentz and Pierce combined to lead the Jayhawks in scoring in 31 of the team's 36 games this season, including 22 of its final 23 games.
The Kansas City Star contributed some information for this article.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Tameka Dixon goes up for a shot in the Nebraska game. Dixon has been named the Kodak All-American team. She is the third player in Kansas history to be named to the team.
Dixon named to the 1997 Kodak All-America team
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
Dixon is the third player in Kansas history to be named to the Kodak All-America team. Lynette Woodard was a four-time selection (1978-81) and Angela Aycock made the team in 1995.
While Kansas guard Tamecka Dixon waits for the opportunity to play professional basketball this summer, she was named to the 1997 Kodak All-America team last Thursday.
After learning she had made the Kodak team, Dixon said it was an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as Woodard and Avcock.
"I really can't put into words what this means to me," Dixon said in a press release last week. "Coach and I have talked about what being named to the Kodak team means, and it's nice to know that the hours of hard work have paid off."
Dixon is expected to be drafted during the Women's NBA rookie draft April 28.
Coach Marian Washington said she knew that Dixon possessed All-America talent
"I knew from her talent that she had the potential to become an All-American," Washington said. "At the beginning of last season, I tried to help her understand what she had to do to make this dream a reality. She was consistent this season and has impacted our program from day one."
This season Dixon led Kansas in scoring with 21 points per game. She also led the Jayhawks in assists, steals, field goals made and attempted, and free throws made and attempted.
Dixon was the 1997 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and the 1966 Big Eight Conference Player of the Year. She was the second player in Kansas history to have more than 1,600 points and 300 assists in a career, the other is Woodard.
when she recruited her out of high school.
Ten players were selected to the Kodak All-America team by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
1
ALL-AMERICAN TEAM: For a list of the Kodak All-American team members see Page 28.
Y
Win escapes men Saturday in bitter battle against Arizona
Season ends in third round as Wildcats prevent inside shots, beat Jayhawks 85-82
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas forward Raef LaFrentz, a first team All-American, said he will use the next several weeks to evaluate whether or not he will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — All eyes are on next season as the Kansas men's basketball season came to a roaring halt March 21 when Arizona defeated the Jayhawks 85-82 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Ala.
Arizona guard Miles Simon, who scored 17 points, including five points in the final six minutes of the game, said the Wildcats did not fear the ton-ranked Jayhawks.
The Wildcats curbed Kansas' inside attack, holding LaFrentz to 14 points—four below his season average—and center Scot Pollard to zero points.
"They played pretty aggressive," LaFrentz said. "They did a really good job down low. Some of the looks we've been getting all year weren't there."
"We weren't intimidated at all," he said. "We read the front page of the paper today, and it said Kansas against 'those other guys.' That was very disrespectful, and we felt we had something to prove."
Arizona's run at a national championship didn't stop with the Jayhawks. The Wildcats defeated Providence 96-92 in overtime to claim the Southeast regional title and beat North Carolina on Saturday, 66-58.
From the opening tip, the Kansas-Arizona game was a dogfight. Kansas guard Jorda Haas stole an errant pass by Arizonia guard Mike Bibby and drove the ball the length of the court for a 2-0 Kansas lead. However, the Wildcats stormed back and scored the next 10 points of the game.
The Jayhawks, behind forward Paul Pierce's 11 first half points, erased Arizona's lead and took a three-point lead. 25-22, at the eight minute mark.
Arizona guard Michael Dickerson, who led all scorers in the first half with 14 points, brought the Wildcats back to take a two-point lead into the half. 38-36.
With poise on their side, the Jayhawks mounted a comeback. Down by 13 points with three minutes and 18 seconds remaining, Pierce caused two Arizona turnovers. Guard Billy Thomas capitalized on Pierce's steals, scoring two three-pointers. Robertson sank a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining, bringing the Jayhawks within one point. 83-82.
The shooters were hitting some pretty big shots down the stretch," LaFrentz said. "We never thought that we were out of the game."
The second half started out as a seesaw battle until the Wildcats began pulling away at the 15 minute mark. Bibby, a freshman who nailed two crucial three-pointers in the second half, gave Arizona a comfortable six-point cushion for a majority of the second half. With Haase sidelined because of a broken scapoid bone in his right hand, Kansas guard Jacque Vaughn received his fourth foul with 9 minutes and 25 seconds remaining.
"We jumped on them early," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "Then they went on a run, and our kids battled back. There was a tremendous effort and intensity on both sides."
Despite the glum circumstances, Jayhawks guard Ryan Robertson said the team remained confident.
"We felt like we could pull it out because we've been able to do it all year," he said.
On the ensuing possession, the Jayhawks fouled Bibby with 18 seconds remaining. The freshman calmly sank both shots to extend the Wildcats' lead to three points.
Kansas drove the ball the length of the court but Thomas', Robertson's and LaFrentz's three-point attempts rimmed out.
"We made a great run at them, and they were tough enough to withstand and make the plays that they had to make down the stretch," said Kansas coach Roy Williams. "As we made a tremendous comeback, they were tough enough to step up and make the free throws."
The Jayhawks finished the season with a 34-2 record, which were the fewest number of losses since the 1945-46 season's 19-2 record. The '45-46 team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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