PITCHER PROBLEM HIDEI IRABU's agent, Don Nomura, sent a fax to all major league teams telling them the pitcher would sign only with the New York Yankees and would go back to Japan if he wasn't dealt to the team by March 18. UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN San Diego obtained Irabu's rights in January from the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League, but Irabu has refused to negotiate with the Padres. San Diego is said to be conducting trade talks with several teams, SPORTS including the Yankees, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. ERIK KRAMER TO REMAIN A BEAR Quarterback Erik Kramer re-signed with the Chicago Bears, accepting a one-year offer with a reported base salary of $600,000 plus the chance to earn $1.4 thursday million in incentives. Kramer, 33., was an unrestricted free agent after playing out his three-year contract. MONDAY MARCH 13, 1997 PANTHER RESIGNS Carolina Panthers president MIKE MCCORMACK retired yesterday. McCormack had told team owner Jerry Richardson of his plans about two weeks ago. The Panthers won the NFC West with a 12-4 record with two victories against San Francisco. They defeated Dallas in a divisional playoff game and advanced to the NFC Championship against Green Bay. McCormack became an assistant coach with Washington in the late 60s with Washington in the late 60s and was named coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973. He also worked on staffs at Cincinnati and Baltimore before being hired as director of football operations for the Seahawks in 1982. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. SECTION B Certification plan leads to firings at Texas Tech LUBBOCK, Texas β€” Texas Tech has fired or reassigned at least three people, including two executives, involved in the academic certification of athletes, Texas Tech Chancellor John Montford announced yesterday. Citing University procedure, Montford would not reveal the names of employees involved. He also would not comment on the employment status of Taylor McNeel, assistant athletic director, and Michele Matticks, assistant director of academic services. Both have been responsible for a certification program that resulted in the disqualification of two men's basketball players last weekend. Because the NCAA deemed Gracen Averil and Deuce Jones inelegible, the school forfeited its 10 Big 12 Conference victories and removed itself from NCAA Tournament consideration. The school already had been investigated by the NCAA for alleged violations in the football and men's basketball programs. Michigan roundballer fails to register vehicle Traylor did not register the custom-built Chevrolet Suburban with athletics department officials, as he was required to do. The Detroit News said DETROIT β€” The University of Michigan will investigate basketball player Robert Traylor's use of a $47,906 vehicle leased by his aunt. The newspaper said there had been no indication that Traylor's use of the vehicle was improper, but it could draw the attention of NCAA investigators. On three occasions in the past year, beginning with Taylor's Ford Explorer, the NCAA has asked Michigan officials to check into the use of vehicles by members of its men's basketball team. The University announced Monday the results of an investigation into a sport utility vehicle driven by Maurice Taylor, another Wolverines basketball player. That probe discovered improper benefits had been extended by a booster. NCAA gives details of invaded website to FBI KANSAS CITY, Mo. β€” The NCAA, embarrassed after a computer hacker posted racial slurs on what had been its official Internet site, is giving details of the case to the FBI. Experts at NCAA schools across the nation have rushed to help figure out who hacked into the organization's World Wide Web home racial epithets. The invaded page displayed an encircled fist with the words "White Power" and a counter with a slurring phrase above it. organization's World Wide Web home page on Sunday and replaced it with NCAA representative Wally Renfo said attorneys were considering whether the incident constituted trespassing. The racial display was replaced later on Sunday by a toned-down page that read "Basketball sucks? Badminton rules!" Under the counter the message's fractured grammar read, "Stop commercialization of the Internet stops here." Yesterday, the Kansas City Star quoted an unnamed 14-year-old high school freshman from "somewhere on the East Coast" who had claimed responsibility for hacking the site. β€”The Associated Press 'Hawks revving up for Jackson State Preparing for the Big Dance allows no team relaxation By Bill Petulla Kansan sportswriter The last leg of the Kansas men's basketball team's quest begins today. The Jayhawks will take their first step toward claiming a national championship when they play their NCAA Tournament game against Jackson State University today at 11:35 a.m. at the Pyramid in Memphis, Teen. The game will be televised on CBS, channels 5 and 13. Despite winning the Big 12 Conference Tournament, Kansas coach Roy Williams said he wouldn't let the team rest on what they have accomplished lately. "We won the (conference) tournament in '92, and seven days later the season was over with," Williams said. "I'm not going to make that the only pitch, but I am going to remind them of that." Williams was referring to the 1991-92 season when the Jayhawks entered the tournament as a No.1 seed after winning the Big Eight Conference Tournament and then losing to the University of Texas-El Paso. 66-60 in the second round. The Tigers of Jackson State got an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by defeating Mississippi Valley State, 81-74, in the finals of the Southwest Athletic Conference. Despite starting the season at 2-12, the Tigers won 12 of their next 15 games, including nine consecutive victories to finish out the season. Williams said before the Jayhawks stepped foot on the court in Memphis, he and his staff would have compiled a 12-page scouting report on Jackson State. Steve Puppe/KANSAN Some components of the scouting report may include stopping the Tigers top scorer, guard Trent Pulliam. Pulliam is a versatile 6-foot-8-inch guard who can play any position on the court. He leads the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game, averaging eight boards per contest. Pulliam, however, is the only returning starter from last season's 15-12 team. Guard Doug Williams is second in scoring and rebounding for the Tigers, with 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Despite Jackson State's strong guard, Williams said he probably would condense the scouting report to one page. Although the Kansas basketball team is a 34-point favorite against Jackson State, Williams said the Jayhawks would take the same approach they had used all season. The team did not get too bogged down by scouting reports, he said. "We're going to play the way we've played all year," Williams said. "We hope to be good enough to make other team react to us instead of the opposite." "We don't get too deep with this team," Williams said. "You've just got to take your butt out there and play." Jerod Haase swipes at the ball in Adrian Peterson's hands during Friday's Oklahoma State game. Kansas opens NCAA Tournament play at 11:35 a.m., today in Memphis, Tenn., against Jackson State University. The Big Dance: Round one IN THE HUNT: 64 TEAMS 1 Kansas 16 Jackson State 8 Purdue 9 Rhode Island Today's game: 11:25 a.m. Channel 5 The Pyramid Memphis, Tenn. KLZR 106 S.F. Jackson State: 9-1 in last 10 games, won seven straight De Carto Draper: 34.9 three-pointer shooter KANSAS JAYHAWKS (32-1) G Jacque Vaughn 6-8 Sr. G Joer Haeam 6-4 Sr. F Raef LaFrentz 6-10 Jr. F Paul Pierce 6-3 So. C Scot Pollard 6-1 Jr. PROBABLE STARTERS PROBABLE STARTERS G Trent Pullam 6-8 Jr. G Doug Williams 6-4 Jr. C Robert Fairley 6-10 Jr. G Marino Walker 6-3 Fr. G Decarto Draper 6-1 KANSAN 1 Wanting the win, basketball mania takes over town Kansas basketball fans have been waiting for this day all year. "We'll get them next year," everyone said. After last year's season ended with a 60-57 loss to Syracuse, talk instantly turned to the next NCAA Tournament. This season Kansas has gotten them. Today, at 11:30 a.m. the streets will be empty. Every television will be turned to CBS. Every radio will be tuned to Bob Davis and Max Falkenstien. High schools will sneak televisions into classrooms, and business owners will be "Out to Lunch." Now, as the No. 1 Jayhawks go into the NCAA Tournament as the favorite to win the national championship, the town of Lawrence has gone nuts. "This is madness," people are saying. Madness? That doesn't begin to describe it. For the past three days teachers have not been asking students to hand in their papers. They are asking students to pass in their brackets. These same teachers have been stuck with a moral dilemma: "Do we cancel class?" they ask. Students have the same moral dilemma: "Do we skip class?" they ask. For weeks, every television in the audio/visual departments has been requested. "I've never seen so many teachers want televisions on the same day," a woman in one department said. "This is madness." When the clock strikes 11:30 a.m, the only sound o. campus will be the unread newspapers blowing toward Potter Lake. Administrators will not be able to take phone calls. I sorry, I'm in a meeting, when voice that will say Catholic churches, which have seen an increased attendance as fans pray for the Jayhawks, will close confessionals. "This is madness," a priest will cry. "Absolute madness." Open a window and the only sound will be the breeze carrying the cheers of Lawrence, the voices of Bob and Max and the CBS announcers. Only one real sound will be heard in Lawrence. Every time Raef LaFrentz dunks or Billy Thomas hits a three-pointer or Jacque Vaughn dishes an assist, people will cheer. "But what if they lose?" a lone voice will cry out when Kansas is down by five with six minutes remaining in the Final Four. "That would be madness," a man would say. "This is the year." But it could happen. Something could go wrong and the season would be forgotten. No one but Roy Williams would remember that this team made a school record with 22 consecutive wins. Few will think about the undefeated season at home or that Kansas won the first ever Big 12 Conference title. This year Lawrence wants a victory. So do Roy and Scot Pollard and Ryan Robertson and the team managers and everyone else. This team will be measured by how things go in the tournament. No one wants to repeat, "We'll get them next year." Lawrence is basketball crazy, and the weight of a town rests on the shoulders of a group of students who just want to play basketball This is madness. Absolute madness. Comments? E-mail Spencer at sports@kassan.com AP names Dixon All-American By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter Averaging 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, Kansas guard Tameeka Dixon earned second-team All-America honors from The Associated Press yesterday. Dixon was an honorable mention player last season. Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said it was hard to choose individuals for national honors in college women's basketball. Tamecka Dixon, being covered by a defender, earned The Associated Press's second-team All-American honors. "We're not on television as much as the men, where a lot of people have a chance to keep up with teams by just sitting at home," Washington said. "With the women, you have to do your homework. You really have to spend some time to know what's going on around the country, and I think that's been a real drawback to women's basketball." Dixon will lead the No. 3-seeded Jayhawks when they play host to No. 14-seeded Detroit Mercy at 8:30 Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas was ranked No. 11 in the final regular-season AP poll. Eric B. Howell / KANSAN Dixon's All-America selection came more than two weeks after she was left off a list of 12 candidates for the Boost-Naismith Foundation Player of the Year ballot. "It makes them look very foolish." Washington said of the foundation's selection committee. "I have to assume there's a group of stale individuals sitting around a table, not really aware of what's The Kodak All-America team, which has 10 players, will be announced at the women's Final Four. going on around the country when it comes to women's basketball. I'm more concerned with the Kodak All-American selection, anyway." Women's All-American Teams Ticha Penicheiro, Old Dominion, Sr. FIRST TEAM FIRST TEAM Kate Starbird, Stanford, Sr. Kara Wolters, Connecticut, Chlamique Holdclaw, Ten- SECOND TEAM Tamkee Dixon, Kansas, Br. Tracy Reid, North Carolina, Jr. Tina Thompson, Southern Cr Nykesha Sales, Connecticut, Jr. 1. Clarisse Machanguana, Old Dominion, Sr. THIRD TEAM Kim Williams, DePaul, Sr. La Keshia Frett, Georgia, Sr. La Marion Jones, North Carolina Shalonda Enis, Alabama, Sr. Kedra Holland-Corn, Georgia, Sr. BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAYERS NAMED HONORABLE MENTION Anna DeForge, Nebraska; Andria Jones, Kansas State; and Erin Scholz, Colorado.