Shorts of sorts while wondering if this is the time of year the Royals usually fire their pitching coach. :

No doubt football fans in the Sunflower State – not to mention the Sunshine State and elsewhere – will be a bit confused when Kansas University opens against Florida Atlantic and Kansas State debuts the same night against Florida International. For clarity’s sake, I’m just thankful Wichita State dropped football long ago, and the Shockers aren’t opening against Florida A&M :

Curiously, two Big 12 Conference football teams will play Army at West Point, N.Y., this fall – Baylor on Sept. 17 and Iowa State on Sept. 23. It wouldn’t be because the Bears and Cyclones both anticipate an easy road victory, would it? :

The addition of linebacker Brandon Duncan, a Garland, Texas, native, means the KU football roster now contains as many Texans as Kansans. By my count, the Jayhawks have 24 players from each state. :

Meanwhile, of the 108 players on Texas’ preseason roster, 97 are listed with Lone Star State hometowns. In other words, nearly 90 percent of coach Mack Brown’s roster is homegrown. And if you guessed that Brown has no Kansans, you would be correct. :

Glen Mason, who spent nine seasons (1988-1996) as KU’s football coach, is in his ninth year at Minnesota, and all is not well in Minneapolis. UM athletic director Joel Maturi and Mason, who has two years left on his contract, are at an impasse on an extension. :

Which Big 12 school has the easiest nonconference football schedule? Take your pick among Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks have Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech. O-State has Montana State, Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. And Texas Tech’s non-league foes are Florida International, Sam Houston State and Indiana State. It’s close, but my vote goes to Texas Tech:

Former KU outfielder A.J. Van Slyke was fined and suspended for attempting to tackle a pitcher who threw behind his head while he was playing for the New Jersey Cardinals, a Class-A farm team of the St. Louis Cardinals, late last month. Worse, Van Slyke suffered a season-ending shoulder injury when the pitcher flipped him to the ground. Van Slyke, son of former major-leaguer Andy Van Slyke, opted to skip his senior year at KU after the Cardinals drafted him in June. :

No PBA Senior Tour participant has earned Player of the Year four times, but Lawrence’s Bob Glass has a shot after finishing first in points as well as second in earnings and average on the just-completed 2005 tour. Glass was voted the Tour’s top player in 2000, 2001 and 2004, but Tom Baker, who led the ’05 Tour in earnings and average, probably is the front-runner. :

Now I know why Iowa State was so fortunate in close football games last season. Among the players on the roster are Euseph Messiah and Milan Moses :

In case you missed it, Lawrence High product Kevin Hooper is back with Detroit’s AAA farm team in Toledo. Hooper spent 18 days on the Tigers’ roster last month, collecting one hit in five at-bats. :

Gee, if only you could use proper names in Scrabble. Missouri has a defensive lineman name Xzavie Jackson.