EARLY MOVE
OILERS owner Bud Adams is negotiating directly with Harris County Judge Robert Eckels in an attempt to get an early release from Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported today.
Adams wants to move the club to Tennessee in time to play this season, but is obligated to remain in Houston for one more season.
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sources told the newspaper
that Adams is willing to
that Adams is willing,
give the county an extra
$2 million, in addition
to a $5 million offer
that included a $1.5
million practice facility to the county and a
$3.5 million deal with
Astrodome USA.
PLAYER RETURNS TO WICHITA STATE TEAM
THE WIGHTA STATE BASKETBALL TEAM has reinstated forward Roosevelt Overstreet, who left the team after its first four games.
Overstreet, a 6-foot-7 junior, left Dec. 12
because of unhappiness with an unnamed assistant coach.
He returned to practice a month later, but has not worn a uniform or traveled to a game.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1997
DENNIS RODMAN, suspended by the NBA Jan. 15 for kicking a cameraman, was reinstated by the league yesterday and will return to the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 11.
RODMAN REINSTATED
The suspension will span 11 games, costing Rodman more than $1 million in salary and incentives. Rodman is eligible to play against the Charlotte Hornets, the Bulls' first game after the
All-Star break.
Rodman, who had been ordered to undergo counseling during his suspension, met with David Stern, NBA commissioner, on Jan. 31 to make his case for reinstatement.
SECTION B
Top women's tennis player sidelined by knee injury
The Kansas women's tennis team's No. 1 singles player Kylie Hunt has been removed from the Jayhawk lineup due to an injury.
Hunt injured her left knee last week, and tests have failed to find a cause of the injury.
Hunt underwent a magnetic resonance image exam yesterday, though diagnosis of the injury could still not be determined.
"Kylie's knee is being examined," said Kansas coach Roland Thornquist. "We don't know yet how long it will be before we can get her back into the lineup. We will continue to get her treatment in the meantime."
Hunt was scheduled to play in the upcoming Rolex Indoor Championships. She has withdrawn from that tournament.
Kansan staff report
Oksana Baiul may avoid drunken driving charge
Baiul, also charged with reckless driving in a single-car accident last month, entered a no-contest plea to a reduced charge of traveling unreasonably fast. She was fine $90.
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Oksana Baialw was granted admission yesterday to an alcohol education program and ordered to perform 25 hours of community service, sparing the Olympic figure skating champion's prosecution for a drunken-driving charge.
inbau successfully completes the alcohol education program, the drunken driving charge will be dropped. She did not enter a plea on that charge.
Baiul, 19, a Ukrainian who lives in the Hartford, Conn., suburb of Simsbury, was driving close to 100 mph when she ran her Mercedes off a road in Bloomfield, Conn., on Jan. 12, police said.
The speed limit on the road was 45 mph. She suffered a concussion and a cut scalp which required 12 stitches.
Her blood-alcohol level was.168, well above the .4.0 level that the state has set as evidence of intoxication, police said.
Baul has apologized and promised never again to drink and drive.
Runner Michael Johnson goes for another gold
DALLAS — Sprinter Michael Johnson now can buy some shoes made of real gold.
Johnson, who last summer wore gold-colored Nike shoes while becoming the first man to win both the 200 and 400 meter races at the same Olympics, has agreed to a six-year contract with Nike that could bring him about $12 million.
Johnson's agent Brad Hunt called the deal the most profound commitment a track athlete ever had received from a corporate endorsement.
In a statement released by Hunt, Johnson said: "I have been with Nike all my career, and I am delighted that they have made such a significant commitment to both me and to track and field."
Johnson's previous Nike deal was worth about $500,000 to $600,000. He made around $3 million from other endorsements, including Bausch & Lomb, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Hasbro and Mobil Oil.
Johnson could add to that this year,
provided he beats Olympic 100-meter
champion Donovan Bailey in a 150-
meter race either May 31 or June 1.
Each runner will get a $500,000 appearance fee, with the winner getting another $1 million — and the title of the World's Fastest Man.
The Associated Press
Coach hopes for blue chips
Allen anticipates 22 high school commitments
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
For new Kansas football coach Terry Allen, the long hours spent traveling across the country searching for blue-chip high school recruits has come to an end.
Prospects from Ohio to California will sign letters of intent today, as coaches hold their breath and hope that players who had given oral commitments to play at their universities have not opted for another school.
"There was not a lot of time for us to get cozy and settle in," Allen said. "The most difficult problem for us was getting top-quality players in the amount of time that we had.
Future Kansas football players
"Nowadays there is so much emphasis on having someone give you an early verbal commitment," Allen said. "That probably cost us some recruits earlier, but I feel that we did a good job given the limited amount of time that we had to work with."
the following is a list of football players who have verbally committed to Kansas.
Verbal commitments are not binding and there is no guarantee that these players will sign with the Jayhawks today.
T. D. Calhoun, 5-8, 170-pound defensive back from Arlington, Texas.
Ocasio Coffeld, 6-3, 185-pound wide receiver/defensive back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Ben Coleman, 6-5, 280-pound defensive lineman from St. Paul, Minn.
Nate Dwyer, 6-3, 280-pound defensive lineman from Stillwater, Minn.
Jay Ferguson, 6-4, 210 pound outside linebacker from Liberty, Mo.
Termaine Fulton, 5-10, 160 pound wide receiver from Topeka High School.
Joe Garcia, 6-0, 170-pound kicker from Olathe North High School.
Justin Hartwig, 6-5, 255-pound offensive lineman from Des Moines, Iowa.
Harrison Hill, 5-11, 175-pound wide receiver from Wichita Colle
The Jayhawks have received 22 early commitments from high school and junior college recruits, including six that came as late as last weekend.
glate High School.
Sean Ingram, 5-9, 180-pound running back from Denver.
Two junior college transfers,
Vaughn Innis, 5-9, 190-pound running back from Texas.
Andrew LeClair, 6-6, 215-pound linebacker from North Dakota.
Mike Lewis, 6-0, 180-pound running from Beloit, Wis.
Adam Miller, 6-6, 225-pound tight end from Venice, Fla.
The potential Kansas recruits include five running backs, four quarterbacks and four defensive backs.
Dedreauin Reese, 5-9, 170-
pound quarterback/defensive
back from Dallas.
Akill Roberson, 6-2, 185-pound quarterback from Los Angeles. Roberson already is enrolled in
Quincy Roe, 5-10, 175-defensive back from St. Louis. Roe already is enrolled in classes at Kansas.
Marcus Rodgers, 6-1, 220-pound linebacker from Dallas.
classes at Kansas.
Jason Stevenson, 6-3, 260-pound offensive lineman from Texas.
quarterback Akili Roberson of Southwest Junior College (Calif.) and defensive back Quincy Roe of St. Louis Community College, will count toward last season's recruiting class of former Kansas head football coach Glen Mason.
Matt Sullivan, 6-2, 200-pound punter/quarterback from Excelsior Springs, Mo.
B. J. Tiger, 6-2, 195-pound quarterback from Turkey, Okla.
While Mason consistently showcased teams that ran the football, Allen will try to emphasize the
passing game.
David Winbush, 5-7, 170-pound running back from Texas.
Allen expects players who made an oral commitment to Kansas to remain faithful to their pledge.
Allen maintained that recruits who had committed to Mason before the coaching change chose Kansas for reasons other than football.
"Those kids picked Kansas for all
the right reasons," Allen said. "They chose Kansas because of the academics, the city of Lawrence, or for whatever was the right reasons for them.
"Whether we did a good job remains to be seen once they get on campus. But given the time constraints, we feel that we did a good job recruiting during the off-season."
Baseball dinner features former Royal Biancalana
By Harley Ratliff
Kansan sportswriter
With a little more than a week to go before the first game of the season, the Kansas baseball team took a relaxing break from its normal practice schedule.
Last night's annual Diamond Club Kickoff allowed the Jayhawks to scrap batting and pitching practice for an evening of pizza and partying.
"We have this event to allow our fans and loyal supporters to be a part of the team," Kansas head coach Bobby Randall said. "It's a focal point of the preseason and important in getting people better acquainted with our program."
TOP: Olsen (left) and Tanner Kilmer, both Lawrence residents, get autographs from Kansas baseball team members. About 60 people attended the KU Baseball season kickoff dinner hosted by the Diamond club at the American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St.
BOTTOM: Kansas pitcher Pete Smart autographs a poster that the whole team will sign
The baseball team and the Diamond Club, a group of Kansas baseball supporters, held the kickoff at the American Legion building, 3408 W. Sixth St.
The Kickoff included an autograph session with the team, a short speech from former Kansas City Royals player Buddy Biancalana, and a few comments from the coaches, seniors and members of the Diamond Club.
Pam Dishman/KANSAN
The celebration also marked the announcement of the upcoming improvements to Hoglund-Maupin Stadium and new offices for the coaches.
During the last few years, the club has purchased a flag commemorating the Jayhawks appearance in the 1993 College World Series, has resadded the infield and has bought two laptop computers for the team to use during road trips.
"This evening lets Kansas supporters get together to talk about the players and the coaches," said Sharon Bass, president of the Diamond Club and associate professor of journalism. "We have a lot of plans for the Diamond Club this year. We are going to try and support Kansas baseball on and off the field."
In addition to meeting current Jayhawk players, members of the organization had a chance to discuss upcoming events and encourage fans to become members. The Diamond Club has already planned four tailgate parties, including the first one on March 1, before the first conference game.
"We like to get together and get a sense of the team," Bass said. "This group has an opportunity to see college athletics at its best. These players are great ambassadors to the school."
"The Diamond Club is an important part of this baseball program," Randall said. "The money they supply doesn't go for extra fills for the ball club. It helps
Membership is $25 dollars per year.
us with things that aren't in our budget. The occasion also provided Randall and his team a chance to thank the fans and show them what to expect during the uncoming season.
us with things that aren't in our budget."
At least one fan liked what he saw.
Former Jayhawk football player and KU alumnus Fig Newton said he was impressed with Randall and his team.
At least one fan liked what he saw.
"we have a big core of seniors located throughout the field," Newton said. "Coach Randall has done a great job. If the pitching and defense hold up, we'll come along."
Randall ended the night by stating his expectations for the new season.
"The future for us is not in five years. Our future is now." Randall told the crowd. "It's about winning today. If you keep coming to Kansas baseball, you'll find something you can enjoy."
Great golfer is bad example
He is the best.
He is living up to the hype. He is winning tournaments
He is making history.
He is the best. He is elevating his level of play on the PGA Tour.
He is increasing the size of galleries exponentially.
He is winning tournaments.
He is appealing to audiences never before touched by the golf world.
He is Tiger Woods.
Is he good for golf?
Yes and no
No one can argue with Tiger's talent, his potential or his ability to live up to expectations.
But they can argue with his maturity, his ability to be gracious in defeat, and his ability to control his temper.
Tiger has brought thousands — maybe millions — of new fans to the game. Most of these fans are young, impressionable Tiger-wan-bes.
Do we want them to see Tiger slamming his club into the ground, making a huge divot after a bad shot?
Do we want them to hear Tiger say that second place sucks after coming from seven shots behind on the final day of a tournament to lose by just one?
Do we want them to hear Tiger talk about how he is finally legal to drink alcohol and how he is going to party big time after winning a tournament?
COLUMNIST
made a hole in one the gallery twup cups of beer and other things onto the farway as he walked by?
Do we want little kids everywhere to start wearing short sleeve shirts over long sleeve turtle necks?
Is it good for golf that the "you the man" and "in the hole" shouts from the gallery have come back?
The answer to all of these questions is no.
Tiger Woods' dad claims that his son will do more for humanity than anyone before him — more than Nelson Mandela, more than Martin Luther King, Jr., more than Gandhi — because Tiger's audience is bigger.
The true part of this claim — if any of it is true— is the notion that Tiger's audience is bigger. With today's media exposure, everyone everywhere is watching Tiger. And those kids all want to be like him. They don't want to be like Mike anymore. They want to be like Tiger.
But there are some things Tiger does that kids shouldn't. They probably shouldn't do them either for that matter.
I was watching the Illinois-Indiana basketball game Sunday afternoon when a promo for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am came on. The announcer commented that Tiger Woods was only seven shots back on the final day.
I told my roommate how ridiculous I thought it was for them to say that when so many other players were between the leader and Tiger.
Tiger came through and made the hype legitimate. He had a chance to send the tournament to a sudden-death playoff on the 18th hole. He proved how amazing his golf skills are.
But a few holes before 18, he hit a bad, flop shot; slammed his club down, taking a huge divot out of the ground and then uttered some expletives.
In the post-tournament interview Tiger explained to the children watching on television that second sucks.
Tiger is arguably the best golfer in the world. He has a chance to be the best golfer of all time.
It's time for him to start acting like it.