College Sports

Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel is sick of talking about the turf.

He understands, though, why Faurot Field’s new FieldTurf excites so many people.

Coach Gary Pinkel’s opinion of the Missouri football team hasn’t changed in the past four days.

He isn’t impressed.

The NCAA has talked with coaches at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college program that has sent two players to Missouri, during its investigation of the MU program.

The NCAA has twice talked with Jay Cyriac, a former College of Southern Idaho assistant coach, during its search for potential rules violations. Cyriac, who coached former Tigers Ricky Clemons and Uche Okafor at CSI, said Wednesday that the Missouri coaching staff had no influence over him during the school’s recruitment of the players.

Missouri volleyball coach Susan Kreklow stood quietly Wednesday night on the floor of Hearnes Center as she watched her team scrimmage in the Black and Gold match.

It was not an angry quiet, nor was it one of satisfaction.

During the first week of the Missouri football team’s summer practice, junior linebacker James Kinney said receiver Jason Ray was the most impressive freshman in camp. Three days later, Kinney had added a name to the list.

“I forgot to tell you about Victor Sesay,” Kinney said. “He’s real good, too.”

Columbia native Carl Edwards is not satisfied with winning the past two races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Edwards said there is always room for improvement.

If baseball could be compared to a foot race, the Mid-Missouri Mavericks have developed a startling tendency to stumble out of the starting blocks.

Attempting to avoid a series sweep and the prospect of going winless in their six-game home stand, the Mavericks fell behind early to the River City Rascals and could not come back in a 6-5 loss Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium.

Missouri’s 2004 basketball recruiting class welcomed another member this week.

Jason Horton, a point guard from Cedar Hill, Texas, orally committed to the Tigers on Monday night. Horton is the fourth player to commit for the 2004 season, joining Kalen Grimes of Hazelwood; Marshall Brown of Austin, Texas; and Glen Dandridge of Durham, N.C. Each can sign binding national letters of intent during the early signing period, which begins in November.

When he is on the field, Missouri cornerback Calvin Washington follows a motto he would never try in school. Forget, and as quickly as possible.

“That’s a little DB thing, you’ve got to have a short memory,” Washington said. “The life of a DB, you’re going to get beat sometimes. You’ve just got to forget that, go out on the next play and try to capitalize.”

There are 13 games left on the Mid-Missouri Mavericks’ schedule, but after their performance Monday night, the Mavericks might be wishing the season was over.

Starter Luis Reyes was ineffective and the Mavericks’ offense sputtered in a 12-2 loss to River City at Taylor Stadium.

Papo Davila resigned as manager of the Mid-Missouri Mavericks on Sunday afternoon before the team’s game against River City.

Davila said he is leaving the team because of his health but would not detail a specific illness.

Much red stood out among the black and gold on the Missouri practice field Sunday evening, but one particular bit of red drew the most attention.

Senior tailback Zack Abron, the incumbent starter who is listed first on the depth chart, wore a red no contact jersey after injuring his left ankle early in Saturday’s scrimmage.

There was a new manager, but in the end a similar result.

The Mid-Missouri Mavericks struggles continued Sunday night. They lost to the River City Rascals 7-1 at Taylor Stadium.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel is glad there are two weeks left until his team plays Illinois.

He’s just not sure that’s enough.

For golfer Bob Martin, winning is nothing new.

Down five strokes after Friday’s opening round, Martin came back to win his second straight overall title at the Columbia Senior Golf Championship on Saturday at A.L. Gustin Golf Course. Martin’s 137 total at the 10th annual tournament tied his winning score from a year ago.

Mid-Missouri’s Chris Barbettini came in to close out the game with an almost perfect situation.

He had a two-run cushion, and he was about to face the bottom third of Rockford’s lineup in the ninth inning.

KANSAS CITY — NFL preseason games don’t matter, so teams can try anything.

Kansas City’s 26-16 victory against Minnesota at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday didn’t show fans much about the teams’ returning starters. Few stayed in the game for the entire first quarter, let alone the first half, making way for a contest between the second-teamers hoping to start and others hoping to make the team.

At the end of the Missouri football team’s 2002 season, Atiyyah Ellison loathed himself. Scanning his yearlong statistics at defensive end after MU’s 38-0 loss to Kansas State on Nov. 23, he saw no sacks and not enough tackles.

“I could have done way more to help out,” Ellison said.

Mid-Missouri had its chances but wasted too many of them.

As a result, the Mavericks lost to the Rockford Riverhawks 4-3 at Taylor Stadium on Thursday.

The Mid-Missouri Mavericks’ pitching and fielding didn’t give them much of a chance to win.

In a 13-3 loss to the Rockford Riverhawks on Friday night at Taylor Stadium, the Mavericks committed nine errors and gave up 13 hits. The loss dropped the Mavericks to 29-45, and the Riverhawks improved to 38-35.