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Thursday, February 27, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Royals to field acquisitions
Infielders switch spots for manager
The Associated Press
HAINES CITY, Fla. - A lot of Kansas City Royals infiltrators, some of them new to the team, will be getting to know new positions this season.
Of the four Royals who staffed the infield for the majority of last year, only Jose Offerman is penciled in manager Bob Boone's tentative lineup for the 1997 infield - and Offerman will be shifting from first to second base.
Boone is rounding out the infeld with Jeff King at first, King's fellow ex-Pirate Jay Bell at shortstop and Craig Paquette at third.
"They're more experienced guys, guys with more of a track record," Boone said.
Unless something drastic occurs in the next few weeks, the infield for the season opener April 1 in Baltimore will look far different from opening day 1996. That game had Bob Hamlin at first, Bip Roberts at second, Offer-
man at shortstop and Keith Lockhart at third.
But - no surprise given Boone's propensity for adjusting the lineup - for most of 1996, Offerman was at first, Lockhart at second, David Howard at short and Joe Randa at third.
Those track records Boone mentioned include solid fielding statistics last season for King and Bell with the Pirates, who traded the players to the Royals in a deal that sent Randa to Pittsburgh.
Bell led major-league shortstops last season in fielding, making just 10 errors while racking up a career-high 71 RBIs and 13 home runs.
King had just two errors in 76 starts at first base, while hitting career highs of 30 home runs and 111 RBIs.
As of yesterday, the new infield had yet to play together.
"All I know is, the shortstop (Bell) is pretty good," King said. "When Jay throws to first base, it's right there every time."
King played third base for most of his career with the Pirates, and also has played 121 games at second.
That range of experience sounds
promising to Royals pitcher Tim Belmel
"Now you've got a guy who's been a middle infielder playing first base, and that's not a bad thing," Belcher said.
That's just the move Offerman
made last year when Boone moved him from shortstop to first base, where fewer and shorter throws were required.
"I saw enough that I was real, real pleased," Boone said. "I think he's going to be a spectacular second baseman."
As for Paquette, he started more games in the outfield last season than he did at third base, his original position. At third, he had a tough time, making 11 errors in 51 games, but Boone isn't worried about how he will perform at the hot corner this year.
"He didn't play third base particularly well last year, but I think that's
because I moved him around so much." Boonesaid.
Boone said he was also optimistic about what the infield will produce at the plate.
Offerman likely will repeat as leadoff hitter, where he led the Royals last year in batting average (.303, tying Randa), runs (85), hits (170) and walks (74).
Bell excels at bunting and the hit-and-run, and he most likely will bat second. The power-hitting King could alternate between the fourth and fifth spots with designated hitter Chili Davis. Paquette, who led the team last year with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs, could bat right behind them.
"Offensively, as a group, this is the best we've had." Boope said.
"Jeff goes great to his backhand, so Offy doesn't have to range to his left," Bell said. "So he can cheat up the middle a little bit. I can scoot over into the hole a little bit more."
Bell sees King as a defensive key at first.
"Because I'm playing the hole, Craig can play the line a little bit more. One affects the other out there."
'Hawks need consistency, lots of LaFrentz
My only coaching experiences have been during summer camps and winter youth leagues in Minnesota.
I know a lot about basketball, but I don't claim to know one-tenth of what coaches like Rick Pitino or Roy Williams know. I know that if I were coach of the Jayhawks this year, they would not win the National Championship because I
SPORTS COLUMNIST
would screw it up. They probably would not even win the Big 12 Championship with me at the helm
But I still have the gall to think that I can offer some advice. There are some things Kansas needs to do that it is not doing.
Sheer talent defeated Oklahoma on Monday night, but Kansas will
not beat some tournament teams doing what it did at Oklahoma. Here are my suggestions.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Kansas needs to make its free throws down the stretch. The Jayhawks were five of 10 in the last three minutes against Oklahoma. That's not going to be good enough against Kentucky or Minnesota.
2. Raef LaFrentz needs to get the ball more.
He shot the ball only nine times Monday, and one of those shots was a three-point attempt. If my calculations are correct, and if he made all of those shots, that's still only 19 points. LaFrentz is an All-American. All-Americans need to have the opportunity to score more than just 19 points in a game.
LaFrentz scored most of his points during the 28-6 run at the end of the first half. Against Kansas State Saturday, he scored most of his points during a run at the beginning of the second half. This is not an accident LaFrentz is the best.
— LaFrentz is the key.
He should take at least nine shots each half. He should touch the ball on every play. Post him up and feed Raef!
3. LaFrentz needs to be involved in the last possession of the game. Had he been in those last 17 seconds against Oklahoma, I guarantee that Oklahoma would not have gotten more than one shot off. He steps up at big moments and wins games. Whether it's offense or defense, he needs to be in when the game is being decided.
4. The Jayhawks need to make better decisions on a consistent basis. I'm sure Roy would agree with me here. They need to square up to the hoop when they shoot three point shots, and they need to pick the threes they shoot more carefully. With Pollard back in the lineup, the inside game should be unstoppable. Pound it inside and beat teams that don't have legitimate big men. There are few teams in college with big men that can play with the Kansas big men. Wake Forest can, but other than that, Kansas has three inches on just about every other team.
5. Roy Williams needs to find out if he can pull some strings and get the NCAA Tournament televised on ESPN rather than CBS. Kansas has
won 15 straight games on ESPN, but CBS hasn't been good to the Jayhawks in tournament play in the last few years.
There is only one team that can beat Kansas this year, and that team is Kansas.
Make your reservations for Memphis. If Kansas wins the rest of its games, or at least holds on to its No. 1 seed, that's where the Jayhawks will be for the NCAA Tournament.
If things continue as they are, which they most likely will not, look forward to seeing Minnesota as the No. 1 seed at Kemper Arena with No. 4 seed Iowa State for the tournament.
With all of the inconsistency this year, the conference tournaments are going to be better and more important than ever. If you can't make it to Kemper for the Big 12, plop down in front of the television and watch other conference tournaments. There are going to be some great ones.
Comments? E-mail John at sports@kansan.com
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (Feb. 27)
Expand your horizons this year.
Start saving with a passion in April. Don your research cap in May. Friends come visit during June. Fall in love in July. Get organized in September. Find the money in October. Do it in November – including getting married, if that's in your plans. That's a fabulous time for a honeymoon.
Expect a career surprise in December. A change is for the better next February.
Places (Feb. 19-March 20) -
Today is an 8.
When you become more powerful, everybody around you benefits. That even includes the plants and animals. So figure out what you're going to make happen and get started.
Arles (March 21-April 19) - Today is a 6.
Be careful this morning. A private deal could go through in the early afternoon. It's worth a lot, but you'll have to share. Don't get into an argument with your sweetheart tonight. Just love him or her.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) - Today is an 8.
Luckily, you have an excellent poker face. Nobody knows what you really think about outrageous behavior at the top. Take your time with a decision that affects your career.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) - Today is a 6.
The lesson that's pending has to do with taking care of others. People won't come right out and tell you what's needed. If you can figure it out for yourself, you'll win. Today, this drama is playing out at work.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)-Today is a 10.
This is a magnificent day for you! You're lucky in just about every way you can imagine: love, travel, games, higher education and matters pertaining to children. Do something outrageous.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) - Today is a 5.
Somebody at home isn't going along with your program. Talk it
out with an objective friend. You can get the money you need through a compassionate woman, but you're going to have to be nice. If you come on too strong, she'll shut down and you won't get a thing.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) - Today is an 8.
Llibra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) - Today is a 7.
You ought to buy yourself something special. Your luck in love is starting to change for the better, so there's your excuse. You need to go to fascinating places and do interesting things.
You're so full of ideas, it's hard to get them all down on paper. If you need help, hire a Pisces. They're good at following directions. Get a Viro to do the accounting.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) - Today is a 9.
You're decisive, strong and forcefully dynamic. You figure out what needs to be done and you do it. Today, that's going to be easy. You still may have to contend with people at home who are dragging their feet, but most of them will fall right into line.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -
Today is a 5.
There's a deadline coming due that you either forgot about or have been ignoring. Better check through that stack of papers on your desk. You'll find new freedom on the other side of this dilemma.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - Today is an 8.
Once your team has the objective clearly determined, it's get the job done. Your role is to be a combination of drill sergeant and cheerleader. Meanwhile, your sweetheart is becoming more pliant and less resistant.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - Today is a 6.
If the proposition you're being offered is unethical, you need to get out of the situation entirely. If it's simply something you don't feel like doing, you need to stop being so stubborn. If you can't see the situation objectively, ask a friend to intervene.