Sports
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, October 27, 1988
13
Fifth-year senior linebacker Mike Long, left, made 12 tackles in his first collegiate start Saturday at Iowa State.
Linebacker finally gets to start in his final KU football season
By Jeff Euston Kansas sportswriter
Kansas linebacker Mike Long started the first game of big_green, last week at Iowa State.
of his career last week at Iowa state.
Given that eight different players have started at linebacker for the Jayhawks this season, Long's start was not a surprise.
What made the start noteworthy was the fact that Lone was a fifth-year senior.
Long was a fifth-year senior.
Long, who made 32 tackles last season, made 12 against the Cyclones, bringing his two-game total to 15.
"I found out I was starting the night before and I told myself. This is my chance. I want to do well and just
Though he enjoyed the playing time, Long said he was not satisfied.
"I went out there and just did what I was asked to do," he said. "I made a lot of tackles. I had some mental breakdown against the pass, and I feel I have to get more physical.
"I'm not pleased. I'm not satisfied. I made a lot of mistakes in that game. I just want to improve from last week to this week — that's what my goal is. I know forward to it, and I have a tougher opponent, but I’m looking forward to it."
Long's opportunity came when sophomore starting linebacker Tony Barker could not play because of an ankle pain. Kansas' leading tackler Curtis Moore moved to Barker's spot, and Locked Moore's
Pajayhawks coach Glen Mason said that he had confidence in Long.
inference in long "He's a senior." Mason said. "He knows the system.
He works hard, and we know he can do the job.<sup>1</sup>
Long said the defense's dwindling numbers drew the management to his side.
"There's not too many guys left. And with the ground and all the people, you look ground and see all the guys going down."
"We've had adversity. But I think adversity or injurie, like that always being people closer together."
Long, who played for former coaches Mike Goffried and Bob Valesente, said he had seen many college players there.
"Coach Mason is enthusiastic," he said. "He always has a positive attitude. He coaches everything from teaching the kickers to coaching the demo (demonstration players). I'm really impressed with him and energy."
"Last year I don't really think people were gung ho.
I think this year we have a better attitude. We're going on there and competing and playing hard."
Mason also has demanded more physically from the players than previous coaches did.
"He told us when our conditioning closed, 'We're not good enough to the point right now where we can just throw our helmets out on the field and win football in better shape and playing hard. We can win by being in better shape and playing hard.'"
"I personally have never been in better shape going into the football season than I am now. I remember I wasn't even breathing heavy at Iowa State because that conditioning pays off."
Long will start again Saturday at Oklahoma. He said he was not worried about keeping his starting role.
"My philosophy is just to do my best, he said. 'If that gets me in the start-up line, that's great.'
Chiefs president says team won't leave KC
DANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite unhappy fans and dwindling attendance, the Kansas City Chiefs have no intention of looking for a new home, the president of the troubled NFL team said yesterday.
The Associated Press
At the same time, Jack Steadman said that public confidence in the franchise had plunged to an all-time low.
"I don't think there's any question about that, and that's as it should be." Steadman told The Associated Press. "We have not produced. We're in a people business and we've got to make sure we've got the right people in the right places at all levels. If we do not, then ultimately I am at fault. And I accept that responsibility."
A 7-6 loss at home Sunday to the Detroit Lions left the Chiefs with a 1-6-1 record and a mark of 5-17-1 since firing the only coach to get them to the playoffs since 1971. Attendance in the second half of the season is likely to be dismal, and many fans have begun to wonder if their team really wants to win.
The lease at 78,000-seat Arrowhead Stadium expires after the 1996 season and Kansas Cats are aware their sister city across the state lost its NFL team when the Cardinals fled from St. Louis to Phoenix.
An editorial Monday in the Kansas City Times — headlined "Sadsack Football" — brought this deep
"Are the Kansas City Chiefs deliberately trying to lose
so they'll stop attracting crowds to Arrowhead and be able to move more easily to another city in 1997?" the editorial said. "Surely not. But what else explains such an extended run of incompetence?"
Steadman said; "To imply that this organization has somehow determined that it is in our best interests to lose football games is asinine." Steadman helped owner Lamar Hunt move the franchise from Dallas in 1963, and has been the organization's top man since 1974.
"We have problems," Steadman said. "And we are dealing with them, and we will continue to deal with them. But that has absolutely nothing to do with our commitment to Kansas City."
Steadman called the Chiefs' consistent lack of success "an embarrassment to everybody in this organization."
"And it's an embarrassment to our fans," he added. "We have problems, and we have to solve those problems, and we will solve those problems. But we are not going to panic and make panic moves in the middle of the season. We are working hard to make this program successful."
"Now, it's very easy to wake up Monday morning after a game and say, 'Fix it.' But it's more difficult and more long-term than that because it comes down to people."
While denying the Chiefs had any intention of leaving town, Steadman said they would seek a new, less demanding lease agreement with the Jackson County Sports Authority when their lease expired in 1997.
VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO LAST:
Sports Briefs
The Kansas volleyball team dropped into last place in the Big Eight last night after losing to Kan- enge from 15-4, 15-10 and 15-9 in Manhattan.
The Jayhawks fell to 1-5 in the conference and 4-18 overall. Kansas State is 2-5 in the Big Eight and 13-10 overall.
Junior hitter Jodi Oelschlaeger led the Jayhawks with 11 kills and a 212 attack percentage Senior hitter Justin Fischer led the attack percentage for the Wildcats.
play the Big Eight champ.
ORANGE BOWL CONTENDERS:
Notre Dame, Miami of Florida, Florida State and West Virginia are among the top contenders for a spot in the Orange Bowl against the champion of the Big Eight Conference, the bowl's executive director said yesterday.
Steve Hatchell said during a radio show on KKAR Omaha that he this year because of the quality team that would be considered to
NORM DOWN ON MIZZUO: Missouri basketball coach Norm Stewart said yesterday he was disappointed with his team's performance on defense and free-throw shooting during preseason drills.
"We've got to get better on defense, and our free-throw shooting has got to change." Stewart said at his weekly news conference.
"This (season's start) is about eight to ten days in advance of any other start for us." Stewart said.
This year's team would try to improve its defense from last year, when Tiger opponents had averaged 72.8 points a game. Stewart said.
It also would be hard for the team to replace Derrick Chievoe, who had averaged 23.4 points a game to help the Tigers to an average of 87 points a season.
ROGERS HIRES LAWYER: Detroit Lions defenses inman hegan Rogers has shored up the legal team that Lions won the case, hiring noted defense attorney
Elbert Hatchett, another one of Rogers' lawyers said.
Rogers' parents and fiancée met two hours Tuesday with Hattchett to discuss the Oct. 21 crash that killed three teen-agers, attorney Harold Curtiz Rogers and an 18-year-old female companion were injured in the accident.
The football player suffered a fractured neck, a partially amputated thumb and other injuries in the crash in downtown Pontiac. He was transported to Pontiac after aphetic Hospital at least through the curry, Curry said.
HURRICANES COULD PLAY
UBSR: The University of Miami
and other teams are being considered for the Glasgow Bowl in Moscow next Sept. 2.
Raycom Communications of Charlotte, N.C., is organizing and will televise the game. Rick Ray, chief executive officer of Raycom, expects a decision by Monday on who will play.
KU tennis out in second round
Kansan sportswriter
Bv Ken Winford
Kansas tennis players Eveline Hamers and Renee Raychaudhier won first round singles matches Tuesday and a doubles match yesterday in the qualifying round of the women's Championship in Los Angeles.
was trailing, 5-0 when she retired.
Hamers, a freshman from Meerens, Netherlands, defeated Texas Christian's Tory Plunket, 6-3, 6-1; Tuesday before losing to the round fourth seed, Arizona State's Krista Amend, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.
In doubles competition yesterday, Hamers and Raychaudhuri beat Virginia Tech's Schifflet and Rush, 6-3, 6-1.
Raychaudhuri, an Ossining, N.Y. freshman, be Wisconsin's No. 2 singles player, Claudia Bessey, 6.4, 6.2, before retiring because of a pulled back muscle against Banni Redhair of Arizona, Raychaudhiri
The Kansas doubles team was eliminated from the tournament by a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to the round's No. 3 seed, UCLA's doubles team.
Kansas coach Eric Hayes said Hamers and Raychaudhuri had represented Kansas well.
"As far as I know, this is the first national event at this level that the Kansas women's team has participated in." Hayes said. "I am very proud of our players. They did a fantastic job believing in what they were doing."
Haves said former Kansas and
professional basketball player. Wilt Chamberlin attended Tuesday's matches.
"I met Will last year and told him I was the women's tennis coach at Kansas." Hayes said. "So, when we got to town, I called him and let him know we were playing. He was here in his Kansas shirt for all our matches. I know having him there meant a lot to our players."
Hayes said the settings surrounding the tournament were distracting.
"It would have been easy for Eveline and Renee to have lost their concentration," he said "But they were focused on what they wanted to do. Considering they are both freshman, I think they did a great job."
Lasordatop NL manager
Players shrink in height but grow in confidence
Jim Leyland of Pittsburgh was second with 50 points after leading the Pirates to an 85-75 record and second place in the East behind the New York Mets.
NEW YORK — Tommy Lasorda, who led Los Angeles to the World Series championship and its sixth National League title, is the ML Manager of the Year yesterday by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The Associated Press
Lasorda received 101 points in balloting by a committee of two writers from each NL city. He had 19 first place votes and was named on 23 of 24 ballots. It was the second time Lasorda was voted manager of the year as he won the award in 1983, its initial year.
Jack McKeon, who took over the Padres from Larry Bowa on May 28, was fourth with 27 points. San Diego was 67-48 under McKeon and had the second-best record in the league for the final four months of the season.
Mark Randall, left, and Sean Alvarado, right, are being counted on to bolster the center position for Kansas this season.
Davey Johnson, who led the Mets to a league-leading 100-60 record and their second East title in three years, was third with 38 points.
By Arvin Donley
Kansan sportswriter
When Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams had his players measured before this season, he was surprised to find the Jayhawks' three tallest players an inch shorter than expected.
Redshirt senior center Sean Alavado, who was listed as 6-foot-10 on the roster last season, measured 6-9 Redshirt sophomore forward Mark Randall was measured at 6-8, when he had been listed at 6-9. Sophomore forward Mike Maddox also dropped an inch from $6\frac{1}{2}$ to $6\frac{1}{2}$.
"It was really discouraging to me when we measured everybody," Williams said. "I told them they were not more because they were shrinking."
Even with an extra inch, Alvarado, Randall and Maddox still would have their work cut out for them this season. They are Kansas only front-line players.
The Jayhawks will be lacking depth with only 10 players eligible for games. This will be most apparent on the front-line.
Gone from last season's roster are 6-10 All-American Danny Manning and 6-8 Chris Piper.
"I'm trying to make sure they don't look at it like that," he said. "Danny Manning was a great player, and nobody could fill his shoes."
Because of the lack of height,
Williams said he did not want his players to think they had to live in the shadows of those players.
Williams said the Jayhawks would be operating without a true center on offense.
"We'll run an offense with a lot of motion in which several players can play high or low," Williams said. "Defensively, we'll have to have a center to guard the biggest guy on the other team. That would be Sean
Alvarado when he's in there."
As a junior two seasons ago, Alvarado was second behind Danny Manning with 11 blocked shots. He said that being redshirted last season had
"It's made me a lot stronger and helped me to learn my position on the court better," Alvarado said.
"The only thing it (redshirting) hurt was that I didn't play games,
"I'm comfortable at 230," Randall said. "I feel my upper body is definitely stronger than it's ever been."
Randall said that he had got stronger, increasing his weight from 190 pounds his freshman year to 230 pounds this season.
and it's going to take time to get used to playing in game situations."
At 6-1/2". Maddox may have the toughest job of any of the Jayhawks this season. Williams said Maddox would play forward and center.
"He's to get to play some post for us this year," Williams said. "The most difficult thing is that he is probably going to have to guard some other players bigger than him. Defensively, he'll have to do a good job, and he'll have to know his limitations and play within himself offensively." Maddox said he was ready for the
"I'm comfortable playing with my back to the basket," said Maddox, who has increased his weight from 190 to 215 pounds this season. "All my years in high school, I played center with my back to the basket. Last year, they did a lot of work with me facing the basket. Someone my size has to be able to go inside or outside."
Maddox and Randall said they hoped to play a physical type of basketball this season.
"The major goal I've set is to play stronger and rebound better." Maddox said. "I think we're all going to get there," he added, since Danny Manning is gone.
Said Randall, "I know it's something I need to do. I wasn't used to be physical when I played high school ball n Colorado. But it's definitely something I need to do this year."