Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1990)
Wednesday, February 28,1990 The Battalion Page 11 Players question worth of arbitration I Over 100 exhibition games canceled by leagues; lockout reaches day 13 NEW YORK (AP) — While the union executive board met in Phoe nix on Tuesday and expressed soli darity, more players said the extra year of salary arbitration wasn't worth holding up the season. On the 13th day of the spring training lockout, American League president Bobby Brown and Na tional League president Bill White sent a directive to clubs, saying no exhibition games would be played until after players were in camp for 10 days. Union chief Donald Fehr emerged from his executive board meeting and said the dissidents were a small minority. But more players criticized the union’s insistance of rolling back arbitration eligibility from three years to two. “It sounds silly that one year is going to make a big deal,” infielder Randy Velarde of the New York Yankees said on the 13th day of the spring training lockout. “I don’t see why we can’t leave it the way it is. I really wish they’d resolve this and let us get going.” “I think we should leave it there and go play ball,” pitcher Juan Be- renguer of the Minnesota Twins said. “It doesn’t affect many players, especially us older guys. Heck with this. I want to play. This issue is not the big deal.” George Brett of Kansas City, Pete Incaviglia of Texas and several Pitts burgh Pirates had criticized the stand on Monday and Tuesday. But while some players said the union should take management’s offer, the overwhelming majority said the ex tra year of arbitration was worth fighting for. “We’ve got a good beef and we’ll stick by it,” Kent Hrbek of the Twins said. “We don’t want the status quo because of how much money the owners have been making in the past couple years. Our percentage of rev enue isn’t keeping up with what the owners are making.” After a four-hour meeting with 100 players — almost a tenth of the union membership — Fehr said the dissidents were a small minority. “It’s safe to say there’s no senti ment among any of the players here that they should roll over and con cede to the owners,” Fehr said. “We will let them know if they were wait ing for a change in our position be cause of this meeting, they’re not going to get it.” Fehr said he would go to Los An geles on Thursday and Florida on Friday to hold more briefings with the players. Management sources, who spoke on the condition they not be identi fied, said the Player Relations Com mittee spent the weekend consid ering two ways of reaching a compromise over the salary arbitra tion issue. One source said a method would be to create a bonus pool for players with between two. and three years of UT commitment can throw heat ARLINGTON (AP) — Martin High School pitcher Todd Van Poppel, considered the top prospect in the spring amateur draft, said Sunday he would sign a let ter of intent to play baseball at the University of Texas. Saying he wanted to make the decision before the high school baseball season started Monday, Van Pop- pelchose Texas over Miami, Fla. The schools were so equal, he said, “but I’m from Texas and I always want to live in Texas. 1 f eel I can ac complish all my goals there.” Though oral commitments are non-binding. Van Poppel said he’ll sign a letter of intent for 1 exas in April. Then he’ll wait for the majoi league draft in )une, af ter which he will choose between college and the pros. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. Van Poppel has had pro scouts flocking to Arlington to see his 9.3-mph fastball. Van Poppel, 18, hadn’t even started practicing this year when Baseball America magazine named him the top prospect for a draft more than four months away. “Everybody knows about him,” said Jim Hughes, a Toronto Blue Jays scout who came to see Van Poppel pitch in a scrimmage. “He’s got a great arm and good control. You don't see loo many who can throw hard and throw strikes. He’s going to he heavily scouted all season.” Van Poppel proved himself to the scouts last year, going lb-0 for the Dallas Mustangs in summer league baseball. He led the Mustangs to second place at the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. “We re going to throw him as much as we can and see what happens,” said Van Poppel’s coach, Terry King. “This year, he’s a senior, so we’re going to stick him with the pressure.” Van Poppel went 8-2 with a 1.79 FRA last year. But instead of letting the attention get to his head, Van Poppel said he’s been concentrating on his senior season, tests and the normal activities of a high school senioi. “There’s a lot of pressure on me, but I’m not worry ing about it,” he said. “When we go out, we re not wor rying about other people’s expectations. Were just going out there to win and have fun. Van Poppel said his four favorite pitches are: fast ball, fastball, fastball and fastball. One low and inside, another high and inside, a third low and away and a fourth high and away. To get the bid or not get the bid SWAC may lose automatic NCAA bid HOUSTON (AP) — Southwes tern Athletic Conference basketball coaches expressed coqcern Monday that the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs would be withdrawn when the method for awarding bids is changed. For the last 10 years, the winner of the SWAC postseason tourna ment, scheduled here next week, has received an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I postseason tourna ment. But the NCAA is looking into changes for the postseason format, and SWAC coaches f ear they will be the losers. Shane Lyons of the NCAA Legis lative Services Department said the NCAA hasn't decided that the SWAC will lose its automatic bid al though the possibility exits. “The basketball committee will use their rating percentage index to determine how the conferences in the country rank,” Lyons said. “The bottom four conferences will partici pate in a ‘play-in’ with the two win ners receiving automatic berths to the tournament. “There is a chance the SWAC will be one of those conferences having to participate in the ‘play-in’, but it is not discrimination against smaller Division I schools.” Texas Southern coach Robert Moreland said the SWAC has a diffi cult time putting together a strong schedule, and that hurts its chances for retaining its automatic tourna ment bid. 'We've. (SWAC) done well in the (NCAA) tournament,” Moreland said. “We have won only one game, but each year we have matched up with one of the top teams in the country. Rockets sign Lloyd to 10-day contract HOUSTON (AP) — Former Houston Rockets guard Lewis Lloyd has signed a 10-day con tract with the Houston Rockets and was en route Monday night to join the team in Detroit. “Fm glad to do the signing and go up to Detroit and try to get a win” Lloyd told KRIV-TV. “I don’t think it’s any pressure. “1 think it’s a matter of me proving myself and getting our there and showing them I can still do the same things I’ve been doing in the past.” Lloyd started the season with the Rockets but was waived after suffering an ankle injury. He later signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76er$ and was cut. Lloyd said he re-injured his an kle with the ?6ers. “I feel as though my ankle is better,” Lloyd said. “When I was in Philadelphia, I sprained my ankle all over again in the first game. 1 feel much better and my weight is down.” To make room on the roster for Lloyd, Rockets rookie guard Byron Dinkins was placed on the injured list Monday with a frac tured bone in his left hand. He sustained the injury in the first half of Saturcfa against Atlanta. fays game Snyder (Continued from page 9) is how it’s going to be in the future for us weekend golfers. Sure it would be great to cut five- to-10 strokes off my game, but I'd like to achieve that accomplishment without the help of this so-called super ball. I thought golf was created to challenge a person’s ability in hitting a little white ball into a slightly larger white cup. And 1 also thought the game of golf was a chance to show your intellect by mapping out different strategies in order to reach the hole. If you have this ball, all you would have to do is halfheartedly swing your club and WHAM MO, you’re on the green before you could finish your beer. And won’t beer companies be a little upset after watching their sales ol drinks go down on the course (do to the fact that more strokes could mean more beer.) They should then call this ball “Speedo” because for a round of 18 holes, you’d be on the course and off it within two hours. You know what that means, don’t you? That’s right. All you married guys would have to rush home in order to do house chores for your wives. Wouldn’t that be fun? Nevertheless, the ball is available. But there’s one catch that just might save us “True-to-the-heart golfers”. The only way to puchase this round object is through the mail. What a punchline. Phi Slama (Continued from page 9) games against Rice and Arkansas. And while Thornton said he’d like the Aggies to perform the same, he’s not guarantee anything. “At this point in the season, (play ing as well as they did) is one of those things that could easily happen,” Thornton said. “If I knew what but tons to push, I’d do it. But I think there are only so many things in bas ketball a coach can control. “Whether somebody has a hot hand is not one of them. The only thing I can do is to get them to go out, and try to do the things to get them that way.” The Houston-A&M game will fea ture the SWC Co-Players of the Week. Herrera was honored with his performance in Houston’s victory over Texas Christian and Southern Methodist. Senior point guard Tony Milton was named because of his stellar play in the Aggies’ loss to Ar kansas and win over Rice. Milton is often considered one of the SWC’s most consistent players. He has started in all games this year and has scored in the double figures TAMU Italian Semester; Spring 1991 Study and live at the TAMU Center, “Santa Chiara,” in Castiglion Florentine) INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS: March 2 10:00 -11 MO a.in. Room 504 Rudder FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Study Abroad Office 161 Bizzell West, Phone: 845-0544 arles Aggies Get Ready For Spring Break With These Specials From Charles & Sue’s Haircuts Reg $4 75 Now $3.50 Perms Reg. $27.50 Now $19.95 Long Hair Extra Specialty Wraps Excluded 1711 Briarcrest Dr. (across from Oxford Street) 776-4375 FEVER STUDY Do you have a fever of 101° or greater} Earn $200 by participating in an 8 hour at home research study with an investigational over-the-counter fever medication. No blood drawn. Call Pauli Research Int'l 776-0400 After 6 & Weekends call 361-1500 o MSC VISUAL ARTS PRESENTS AN ANNUAL STUDENT ART COMPETITION T A T ENTRIES ACCEPTED IN THE MSC VISUAL ARTS GALLERY ON FEB. 28, AND MARCH 1 & 2 FROM 10 am TO 3 pm. ENTRY FEE $4.00 PER PIECE WITH A FOUR PIECE LIMIT. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL- VISUAL ARTS 845-9252. N T T in 26 of 28games. Milton is averag ing 20.5 points per game and is shooting! / percent from the field. Thornton pointed to the Aggies’ recent success as evidence or the team’s growing confidence. “We didn’t wilt against Rice,” Thornton said. “In the second half they starting shooting well, so we went to work inside. Sure, they cut into a 20-point lead, but we were on the road, coming off the Arkansas loss. It would have been easy for them to fold, but they didn’t. “They want to win.” And Thornton said winning is not out of the question for the Aggies. He said A&M continually has been able to play up to the level ol its com petition. Thornton said the Aggies must do two things if they are to be successful Wednesday night: play the up tempo basketball they’re suited for, and then hope the ball falls. “Defensively, we need to stop Houston’s transition game. The Cougars are excellent at putting the pressure on the defense and then kicking the ball off to the big guy for the jam underneath.” Hence the rebirth of Phi Slama Jama. POWER READING ONE HOUR LESSON Read 3 times faster (at least)!! Emphasis on: Textbook/Technical Reading Memory • High Comprehension Test Taking • Study Skills Long Term Retention More Time For FUN Better Grades Money Back Guarantee When: Thurs., March 1 or Mon. March 5 Where: Rudder Tower, Room 510 Times: 8:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. Power Reading (713) 320-9671 (Direct or Collect) '■ '■ ‘ . ,-T - Let Us Help Balance Your Books. Student Loans from BANK ONE Juggling t he costs of a college education today can really throw you off balance. Add in living expenses, books and other incidentals, and you’ve got. quite a handful. But. don’t lose heart. BANK ONE can help with three popular types of student loans: the Stafford Student Loan. the Supplemental Loan for Students and Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students. It 's easy to apply, approval is fast, and these loans are available at simple interest. Your repayment schedule can even be geared to your particular financial situation So get BANK ONE involved in your balancing act. Call our toll-free Student Loan Hot line at 1-800-777 2001 nationwide. BANK=ONE YES, I could use some help financing college. Please send me more information on your loan program. NAME. ADDRESS. CITY STATE. ZIP. PHONE AND AREA CODE _ O 05 Send to: BANK ONE Student Loans, P.0. Box 910, Fort Worth, Texas 76101 Ho