The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 39

4 WWWkXNSASCITYCOM THE KANSAS CITY STAR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20 2006 Kansas IRL race factors Into th of have a great) the cars in a more i climate said Brian Barnhart president and CEO of the DU -The IRL and Kansas Speedway officials say that in addition to improved weather there is a bonus in the date head' to Indianapolis for the most prestigious race in the world Barnhart likes that for the momentum it brings to the Indianapolis 5D(X In past years the last race before die 500 has been in Japan Now it will be in the Midwest getting Officials from die IRL and Kansas Speedway confirmed Tuesday that beginning in 2007 the IRL-NASCAR Craftsman TYiick series weekend will move -from midsummer to 4 nnoqmgi Next year IRL-trucksweek-end will be April 28-2 a time of year that should be much mare comfortable than die Fourth of July weekend when die first six races at have been held "The fens come Speedway president Jeff Boerger said And according to a survey conducted by the track staff 70 percent said they "wauled die race moved to the end of The IRL has relented "The drivers are comfortable running here it a great show and now the fens are going to 1 could see some people who might be ooe-ofis at Indy saying 'Boy that might be a good venue to go get 300 race miles under our bra a week before we go to Barnhart said That's a possibility" Barnhart also announced that the road race at Watkins Glen will move to the date pie- vkxisly occupied by Kansas Tb reach Jbn Padtey sand a-maltoJpodlayfecstarcom ByJtMPEDUEY Ths Kansas CMy Star Hie Indy Racing League event at Kansas Speedway has been exciting from day one The hope it that beginning next year fans will be able to enjoy it even mote without fear Serving as the lead-in for the 500 could: sas fens it could give a boost The Kansas race which will again be sponsored by the Kansas Lottery will be the last race before the teams and drivers to car counts NFL NEWS words of wisdom Chafers deal for QB Volek Th Associated Prws fromlbn- from SANMEGO After two division rivals lost their starting backs to injuries the obtained Billy Valek nessee on Thesda giving diem a veteran behind lint starter Philip Riven Vaiek wanted out of Tennessee since being demoted to behind rookie Vince Young after die Titans SfwLhfbut die deal was layed for obvious reasons because die Titans played die Chargers on Sunday San MIKERANSOEU I THE KANSAS CTTV STAR Brodto Croytob Who hasn't played sine tho preseasoa go mort snaps on Tuesday as coach Harm Edwards took a dosar look at tha rookla quarterback CHIEFS: Croyle gets snaps too be too big for him I just like his poise and charisma He has something to him Now he a rookie I mean he seen everything that you'd see if you were in toe FBOMM years Sunday throwing for 133 yards in Kansas City 9-6 toss at Denver and improved to 2-0 atop the AFC West Ifclek was the inactive third QR awfully enthusiastic about joining a team with the quality that the Chargers represent said his agent Drew Rosenhaus This is a nice opportunity for Billy to go to a team that is playing very well right now and has a need for a veteran quarterback Roaennaua was involved in die deal because Vaiek who played at Ffcsno State had to waive his no-trade clause in order to return to his home state The Chargers who opened die season with the untested Rivers and rookie Charlie Whitehurst as their only quarterbacks gave up a sixth-round draft pick that could become a fifth-rounder if Vbiek participates in 50 percent of San Diego's Fonnar Ryder Cup captain has soma advlca for Item Lehman heading Into this competition Have fun out thfa By MECHELLE VOEPEL Tha Kansas City Star Sometimes the most profound advice is the simplest But depending on whom it coming from it carries more weight Hut why US Ryder Cup captain Ibm Lehman called Tbm-Watson last month be- fine he selected the final two members of his 2006 team Stewart Cink and Scott Ifer plank Watson was the captain fin the 1993 US team which beat Europe 15-13 at The Belfry in England "The advice I had I didn teD him wbo to pick but said Pick for courage and who can deal with pressure' Watson said "There is going to be a lot and some wiU be more affected by it than others" Is it obvious to a pro golfer such as Lehman who among his peers has die best personality for handling Ryder nerves? Watson said know that You know who got the guts and who AO that said Watson also stressed that the Ryder Cup the 36th rendition begins Friday at die Chibia shouldn't be overblown as a pressure-cooker: It stiU just a golf tournament and Watson said you have to be able to relax and enjoy your-idf and the ptmoipbeiPf at Iaass a tatty to perform welL "This isn rocket science being on a Ryder Cup he said not a kit of difference between team matches and individual play You haw some strategy sure' but it not that hard to adjust And best-ball (fburhall) is a lot like playing in a normal tournament Except you know that if your partner is in trouble you make sure you play defensively: Hien 'you play offensively when he in good Watson also thinks it important not to as the captain but to know what makes every player the most comfortable "You haw to ask each one he said "When I was a captain the main thing was I tried to create the atmosphere of some humor keep it light Just say 'Hey go out and take care of business Let's play like we know how to play The only pressure should be from Watson knows though that with the success they've won four of the last five Cups and die increased media attention in the 13 years since he was cap- i I OTHKR NEWS PLAYERS ASSOCIATION NAT RESTRICT AGENTS: Tha NFL Mayors Association is considoiing tightening its rules governing contact batwean agents and college players in the wake of reports that Reggie Bush received improper financial S- DnQTlU TrOm marKBuflfl representatives while he was at USC Gene Upshaw executive director of the unioa said he plans to propose a rule that would prohibit agents from contacting players until after they have declared themselves eligible for the NFL draft I RAAAAACK: Forty-six-year-oW Morten Andersen is returning to intrwooniimrmicnaM Koenen flopped badly Anderson ths second-leading scorer in NFL history returns to the league after last kicking with Minnesota in 2004 He was with the Chiefs In 2002-03 LUCKY NOT TO BE MRALYZED Anthony Guandaie the doctor who treated injured Bertgals Hnebackar David Pollack said the 24-year-okf is not to be Pollack fractured Ns C-6 vertebra Sunday while tackling Cleveland's Reuben Droughns SAMTS SELL OUT SEASON TICKETS New Orleans officially sold out the entire regular season home schedule in the LouManaSupardomelt is the first time In the history of the franchisa' founded in 1967 that every available seat is owned by a season-ticket holder CLEVELAND CORNERRACK OUT 1 Browns comarback Dayton McCutcheon will miss the season because of a knee injury I COWBOYS SIGN JAMES TO EXTENSION: Dallas signed linebacker Bradto James to a five-year $20 million deal game because going to Mug the kitchen sink at him because he hasn't Green was about the only stability left on a team that changed coaches tost its 11-time Io Bond left tackle in Willie Roaf and was switching to a more defensive mentality That changed on Sept Iff when Green was sliding for a first down was hit lfnliaat rl kia Kopcn ucamen em MaiwnFn ms iicaci byRober Considering the vemie and the circumstances 2J21 days of quarterback rust and playing at a place die Chiefs dreaded as much as three-a-days Edwards said Huard did all right But one thing is obvious hell have to air it out more to keep teams from stacking against the run "If Damon can keen playing well keep managing well give him a Hide more on ids Edwards said "WeSre got to make some And if he can At one point Tuesday Edwards said he bulletproof when it comet to quarter- violently backs He lost four of them to injury 1: year in New York with the jets In 2002 af 1 think good football team and I'd like to protect it general manager AJ Smith said just like ms experience fee-toc and he a pretty solid quarterback More importantly the ds depth He reason is it adds Now die Chiefs are monitoring Green return in tiny steps Hrst they have to wait until he sue to move around and start nnn illlSnninn 1- JW conditioning 1 dc next pnsse is jyacncingi appear ready to do any of that last weekend vnien he visited the team before it left for Denver Snapper Kendall Gammon drove him to the facility: "Believe me in my wildest dreams I could never anticipate a quarterback who goes (81) straight games gets hurt in die first Edwards said "I mean that toe furthest thing from my mind That almost like a nightmare reoccurring You sit there aid go OK what have I got dof "I thought the players and coaches did a great job in' not letting it distract from what we were trying to do last week Play- Lurt they miss time and you can i it You've just got to find a plan ers get hurt they miss time and you can dwell on it You've just to ter a 1-3 start inNew York he pulled eran Virmy Tbstaverde for Chad Penn ton who led the Jets to toe playoffs Croyle reminds Edwards of Pennington but -it's obvious die rookie from Alabama lacks the polished' Huard One of the reasons Croyle is getting more reps is because it the bye week and Edwards wants to see whether the younger players have learned from their play-books and practice But he also preparing for every worstcase scenario "If something was to happen and he needed to play in die game it wouldn bother me one Edwards said "Now would be do everything right? Na VfoukJ he make some mistakes? Yeah but we've got to help him ifhe was in the game perception of him right now and the way he acts and interacts it wouldn vet- looking fora mid we were he was the right guy to our depth The Chiefs reportedly inquired about Ifolek after Hunt Green suffered a concussion in the season opener On Sunday Oakland lost Aaron Brooks for two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle The Chargers sacked Brooks nine times in a season-opening 270 win stick to the plan and play Tb reach Ebabath ManNL CNafr raportar far Tha Star cal 816)234-4744 or sand --VfllM VP TMVnHBVKSCVdOlini Which is why he said the best player in the world needs a big three days in Ireland Hget Woods who will be competing in the Ryder Cup firr die fifth time comes with a 7-11-2 record in the event "I think jt time for Tiger to show his Watson said he does that and creates fix' his teammates the environment that he normally creates for himself it will makes big difference" Incidentally Sports Illustrated writer Gary IfenSidde recently picked Watson as Na 4 on his top-10 list of US captains Not bad at all especially enng Nos 1-3 were Walter Hagen Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer Van Sickle lauded Wktson captain picks Lanny Wadkjns 43 at the tune and Raymond Floyd thlen 51 They were right on the borderline of "over die hill" but Watson thought they could still perform tndtheydkL1 Wadkins helped win two-points on the first day Floyd did that on die second day In singles Wadkins volunteered to sit out because Europe Sam Torrance was in- POSNANSKI: Academy major part of legacy Thrift had guts He bounced around from teamtoteaminhis 50 years in baseball be times he got fired he didn have a lot of success He was fired in Pittsburgh just before die Pirates won three straight division titles He was in Baltimore fiir some of that franchise worst years Still everybody loved Syd He was a joy tospend time with He was kind to anyone who -wanted to learn baseball And in a cautious game that still calls die guy on a mound a because die WOOs they threw die ball underhanded dike pitching horse shoes) Thrift would try anything FROMM died in a hospital in Milford DeL He 'was 77 "Ybu know the greatest tiling I did in this he asked me once The Royals Baseball I said he said was the Royals Baseball Academy Wait is that what you It was 1970 The Kansas City Royals were a year old and owner Ewing Kauffman had this idea about building a baseball academy where instructors could turn talented and baseball who gained moderate baseball fame for holding more tryout camps than anybody on earth He believed that great baseball players were out there He traveled from town to town and placed casting calls for baseball dreamers They showed up every Thrift had a vision for the academy He wanted players who could run fast throw a little and more than anything he wanted players with pood eyes "You can play this game Kauffman saw his point The Royals hired a doctor to create an eye test fbrplayerfc had the great miler Wes Santee teach how to run fester He had ltd Wil- liams lecture on hitting Instructors hit thousands of ground balls Pitchers worked out with large rubber bands Thrift had players do eye exercises (of course) More he had them visualize die game All his life Thrift believed visualization could dramatically improve a player had a of Visual- when he was general man- ager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Then again Thrift insisted that painting the outfield fence a different color could help a team play better That first year Thrift sent 43playm to the academy in Sarasota Fla There he let his imaginatiem go wild 1 was givra players nobody thought could he would say "It was like being given clay We could mold Thrifthadsomeplayerslift weights in a time when most thought it hurt flexibility He hadthem analyze video oftheir swings years before other teams thought of it He He loyed all new ideas even the nutty ones Especially die nutty ones The Baseball Academy was after three years and Syd Thrift the Royals But 14 of73 players who went through the academy reached the majors and that includes Royals HaUofFamerFtank White The academy would work again today there no doubt in my Thrift would say you need someone with guts to do it And there aren many people in this game widi gutsJ raw atMetes into polished players Tb puH off that land of novel brainstorm Kauffman knew he needed a true believer Kauffman readied into his scouting department and found Syd Thrift "He was die perfect Royals longtime scout Art Stewart says absolutely amazing -the right guy at just the right Thrift had been a pitcher and then he became a scout' was an Art Stewart says "It didn matter what crazy idea came up Syd always thought about ft Ws don have a kX of those kinds ofguys in this game There aren slot afdxe kinds of people in this world And now there tme fewer Tb reach Joe Posnansld cal (816) jured and couldn play That kept'Wrtson from having to make the tough choice of someone Meanwhile Floyd victory in singles proved to be the clinching match for the Cup Watsoq wiU be tuned in to see how everything unfolds this time "I really do love watching he said "It great theater" Tb reach MachaleVbapsL sports raportar for Tha Star cal (816) 234-4351 or sand umra go to KansasCRyxom.