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
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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.
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