The 26th annual Kansas Shrine Bowl Football Classic brings together the best high school talent in the state on Saturday night. East meets West, with area players Charles Melton of Manhattan High and Junction City’s Ty Zimmerman and Justin Aumen suiting up for the West. Junction City coach and West assistant Randall Zimmerman says the Shrine Bowl though is about much more than the game as the visit to the Shriners Hospital in St. Louis is very uplifting. The 2009 Kansas Shrine Bowl is Saturday night at 7:10 pm at Cessna Stadium in Wichita. Coverage begins at 6:45 on SportsRadio 1350.
The Chicago White Sox sent former K-Stater Carlos Torres back to Triple A Charlotte on Thursday to make room for former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon. Colon is set to pitch the second game of a doubleheader on Friday in Detroit. Torres went six innings in his first Major League start on Wednesday night, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out three and walking three. He did not factor into the decision. Torres is 8-4 for Charlotte, and leads the International League with a 2.20 ERA, and is second with 96 strikeouts.
In the preseason magazines, K-State football was picked anywhere from 2nd to 5th in the Big 12 North. The conference media as a whole went for the lower end of the spectrum as they tabbed the Cats to finish 5th in the North in their annual preseason poll. Nebraska was picked to win the Big 12 North with 17 first place votes, Kansas was second with 12 first place votes, Missouri third with 3 first place, Colorado 4th, 19 points ahead of K-State, and Iowa State a distant sixth.
The biggest debate in the college football offseason nationwide is whether Texas or Oklahoma is better. The Big 12 media couldn’t agree as the Longhorns and Sooners were voted South co-favorites in the preseason poll. Texas actually received more first place votes with 17 versus Oklahoma’s 15, but the pair tied with 174 votes. Oklahoma State was 44 points behind in 3rd, Texas Tech was 4th, Baylor a respectable 5th, and Texas A & M came in 6th.
It was a quality outing for former K-State standout Carlos Torres in his first career start for the Chicago White Sox. Torres became the first Cat since Craig Wilson in 2000 to make his MLB debut. He pitched six innings for Chicago last night against Tampa Bay, giving up 6 hits and three runs with three strikeouts. The Sox won the game 4-3, but Torres didn’t get any run support while he was in the game, so he didn’t factor into the decision.
Former K-Stater Carlos Torres will make his Major League Baseball debut for the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night. Torres will sub for injured White Sox starter John Danks against Tampa Bay at US Cellular Field in Chicago. He will match up against the Rays’ powerful lineup that played in the World Series last season. 6-6 James Shields will be on the hill for Tampa Bay. Torres is 8-4 with 2.20 ERA for Charlotte this season. Torres was a 15th round pick for the White Sox out of K-State in 2004.
The Manhattan Manko Junior 17′ers are back in their American Legion Baseball zone tournament after winning a protest. The Manko Junior 17′ers won the first two games they played last week, but were forced to forfeit on Saturday when one of their players was ruled ineligible. The ruling also affected Junction City, and Salina was given the championship. However, the Manko Junior 17′ers were told before the tournament everyone on their roster checked out, and were able to win the appeal Tuesday night. Junction City hosts Salina at 6:00 pm Wednesday night at Rathert Stadium, with the Manko Junior 17′ers meeting the winner at 8:00.
The Manhattan Manko Senior 17′ers will open their zone tournament Wednesday night at home. Salina and Emporia will matchup to open play, and the Senior 17′ers will meet the winner at 8:00.
Former K-Stater AJ Morris pitched two perfect innings, striking out two in his professional debut Monday night for the Gulf Coast League Nationals. Morris, a 4th round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, got the start but exited the game after two innings despite not giving up a hit or issuing a walk. Morris won a school record 14 games with 100 strikeouts for the Wildcats during their historic 43 win season and first ever NCAA tournament berth.
Five other K-Staters from this spring’s squad also are in the minor leagues. Drew Biery leads the Class A Short Season Northwest League in batting at .369 for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in the Giants organization. Justin Bloxom, an 11th round pick of the Washington Nationals, has a .226 average with a homer and seven RBI for the Vermont Monsters of the Class A Short Season New York Penn League. Jordan Cruz inked a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers, is hitting .274 with two homers and nine RBI for the Gulf Coast League Tigers. He’s tied for second in the Gulf Coast League with 14 runs scored. Lance Hoge is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 and two thirds innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the Class A Short Season New York Penn League for the New York Mets organization. Rob Vaughn is on a six game hitting streak for the Bristol Sox of the Rookie Appalachian League. Vaughn’s average is .273 in ten games.
Although the big league club hasn’t yet made an announcement, former K-Stater Carlos Torres will make his Major League Baseball debut for the Chicago White Sox this week. Torres was scratched from his scheduled start for the Triple A Charlotte Knights last Monday night, reportedly to ready him for the show. That’s according to newspaper reports in both Chicago and Charlotte. When Torres would make his debut for the White Sox is not known, or whether he’ll start or work from the bullpen. One Chicago newspaper says Torres may replace starter Clayton Richard in the rotation, perhaps on Sunday night against Detroit. Torres is 8-4 with 2.20 ERA for Charlotte this season. Several White Sox major leaguers on rehab assignments have reportedly been impressed with his control this season. Torres was a 15th round pick for the AL club out of K-State in 2004, and has passed up what were more highly regarded prospects in the White Sox system.
Just short of four months when he committed to K-State for the class of 2010, Warren Herring has now switched his allegiance to Wisconsin. According to Rivals.com, the 6 foot 3 1/2 inch 248 pound three-star defensive end is severing ties with K-State via a parting shot. Herring was quoted as saying “Wisconsin is just a better school academically, athletically, and socially” than K-State. He says he still really likes K-State assistants Joe Bob Clements and Mo Lattimore, and no word if the feeling remains mutual. Herring is an all-conference and all-area selection from Belleville, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis.
Gabe Gross drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tie-breaking run with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied against a struggling Kansas City bullpen for a 4-3 victory over the Royals on Sunday. The Royals, who have lost six straight and eight of nine, blew a 3-0 lead. It was the third straight game the bullpen failed to hold a lead. The Rays scored seven runs in the eighth innings in sweeping the three-game series. With the Rays trailing 3-2, Carl Crawford reached on an infield single in the eighth and went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Jamey Wright (0-3).