The Battalion • Page Tuesday • July 11,19) All-Stars try to shine through storm clouds of strike □ Big crowd sees Thomas win Home Run Derby. ARLINGTON (AP) — When it came to the All-Star home run derby, major leaguers didn’t have a million- doll ar swing Monday. While no one came close to hitting the scoreboard above the right-field porch at The Ballpark, a target more than 500 feet away, Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox beat Cleve land’s Albert Belle in the final, aver aging 432.5 feet per homer. “I think I was sitting with six or seven outs without a homer,” Thomas said. “I thought I had a chance of going the whole contest without hitting one. I slowed my body down and things fell into place.” With injuries to Ken Griffey Jr. and Mark McGwire, there was only one left-handed hitter in the con test: Boston’s Mo Vaughn. He hit three homers in the first round, his best a 460-foot drive into the right- field upper deck. On top of the home run porch — de signed as a tribute to Tiger Stadium in Detroit — is a Sony Jumbotron scoreboard. To the right is a white sign that reads “HIT IT HERE & WEN A FREE SUIT 501 FT.,” a takeoff on Abe Stark’s “Hit Sign Win Suit” bill board on the right field scoreboard at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. The Texas Rangers and Pinnacle Brands, a Dallas-based trading card company, said they’d contribute $1 million to charity if any player hit the scoreboard, the four billboards on it or the roof of the office building in left or right fields. No one came close. In 1993, Griffey hit the B&O Warehouse adjacent to Camden Yards. Last year, when Griffey edged Thomas at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Thomas hit the most dra matic blasts, including a 519-foot dri ve into the upper deck. He averaged 495.5 feet for his four homers. On Monday, in a new format, he averaged 438.9 feet for eight first- round homers, while Belle was sec ond with a 421.9 average for seven. Each player swung until he made 10 “outs” — swings that weren’t homers. After the first round, the field was cut to four, and another round left just Thomas and Belle. Belle, who didn’t speak to re porters after the contest, entered as a substitute Monday after Oakland’s McGwire was forced out of the All- Star game because of a concussion. 1995 ALL-STAR GAME THE BALLPARK IN ARLINGTON On July 11, the Texas Rangers will host the 66th annual All-Star Game. It will be the very first time that the Mid-Summer Classic will be held in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the third time the game has been played in the state of Texas. The 1968 and 1986 All-Star games were played in the Houston Astrodome. 'Jft 1 v\\\ 51 IE;u v AMERICAN LEAGUE STARTERS p,a y er Votes Ivan Rodriguez, Texas 1,151,708 Frank Thomas, Chicago 895,576 Carlos Baerga, Cleveland 1,152,652 Wade Boggs, New York 884,651 Cal Ripken, Baltimore 1,698,524 Albert Belle, Cleveland 1,056,134 Kenny Lofton-x, Cleveland 975,801 Kirby Puckett, Minnesota 997,623 x- replaces Ken Griffey Jr. (injured) 1,204,748 votes Future All-Star games Year Sites 1996 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia 1997 Jacobs Field, Cleveland 1998 Coors Field,-Colorado 1999 Site to be determined 2000 Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami NATIONAL LEAGUE STARTERS Position Catcher First Base Second Base Third Base Shortstop Outfield Outfield Outfield 1995 Honorary Captains American League Nolan Ryan National League Ferguson Jenkins Player Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Fred McGriff, Atlanta Craig Biggio, Houston Vinny Castilla-x, Colorado Barry Larkin-y, Cincinnati Barry Bonds, San Francisco Lenny Dykstra, Philadelphia Tony Gwynn, San Diego x- replaces Matt Williams (injured) y-replaces Ozzie Smith (injured) 1, All-Star Game wins Votes 1,195,136 871,904 825,062 604,823 948,945 1,392,130 903,952 898,951 1,029,519 votes; 367,518 votes 1 tie AP/Ed De Gasero □ Bargaining leaders left; home as on-the-field stan take center stage. ARLINGTON (AP) — The stars*: negotiated for the baseball union l- winter aren’t All-Stars this summer. Cecil Fielder, Tom Glavine, Bir Butler, Paul Molitor, Orel Hersh and Jay Bell dominated the spo: pages as the players’ associat: fought owners. Since the end oft 232-day strike, they’ve struggled dropped from their usual level. “The funny thing is, through;: winter, the people who were reguk attending were talking about ways try to find time to work out, to mi sure that doesn’t happen,” Toror.: Molitor said. “Now we look bad nearly half a season and you wore if it did have an impact.” Molitor is hitting .236 with sev homers and 32 RBIs, down fro: .341 average, 14 homers and 751 in the abbreviated 1994 season. Butler, cut loose by the Los k, les Dodgers during the strike, sip with the New York Mets forS2: lion. He’s hitting .255, s downfe: .314 last season. “Many fans have reacted tousr. atively, management has. I know come down on me in a negatives Butler said. “Some of us conside: retiring. But I don’t have any rep in getting involved. I got involved cause I thought I could help. I wo. n’t change a thing that I did.” Before the strike. Fielder hit. last season with 28 homers anc RBIs in 109 games. Prior tot year’s All-Star break. Fielder was ting .255 with 20 homers anc RBIs. Tigers fans even booed him “It took the fun of the first par the season for me,” said Fielder, * seemed uncomfortable in a suit!: winter as he lobbied on Capitol! “I’ve started slow before and I ak tried to not get too up or too do* but I was not really concentratin' baseball and it took the fun outoflk game for awhile. Now it’s resurfaq I’m a ballplayer now. I justdoi want to have to go through anyth:: like that again.” Tigers manager Sparky Anders: thought the strike set back Fielder. “He’d been going throu^A s much and it wears you down me: tally and physically,” Andersi said. “By the time they gottospr: training they felt like they had: really had any time off.” AL All-Star Stats Starters AVG AB R H HR RBI Rodriguez, Tex .332 211 29 70 6 31 Thomas, Chi .325 228 49 74 21 53 Baerga, Cle .327 281 43 92 11 45 Boggs, NY .295 207 26 61 2 28 Ripken, Bai .284 264 34 75 7 35 Belle, Cle .312 260 52 81 14 51 Lofton, Cle .313 249 43 78 5 27 Puckett, Min Reserves .280 264 36 74 10 40 Alomar, Tor .316 256 37 81 10 37 OiSarcina, Cal .324 250 44 81 :lil| 33 Martinez, Sea .363 240 58 87 14 56 Seitzer, Mil .323 232 24 75 2 : 37 Vaughn, Bos .290 262 52 76 24 60 Edmonds, Cal .291 261 54 76 13 52 O'Neill, NY .346 185 35 64 11 39 Ramirez, Cle .320 231 44 74 18 52 Stanley, NY .260 181 28 47 7 34 Pitchers W L SV BB SO ERA Appier, KC 11 5 0 45 120 3.04 Finley, Cal 7 7 0 4.4 97 3.56 Hanson, Bos 7 2 0 21 77 3.61 Johnson, Sea 9 1 0 34 152 2.88 Martinez, Cle 8 0 0 16 48 2.37 Mesa, Cle 1 0 21 8 25 1.84 Ontiveros, Oak 8 3 0 18 50 3.09 Rogers, Tex 8 4 0 37 64 3.05 Smith, Cal 0 2 20 16 21 3.22 Wells, Det 8 3 0 31 66 3.00 Baseball needs big show tonight Nick Georgandis T he tension will be so thick at tonight’s All- Star Game at The Ball park at Arlington, one would think the Rangers were in the World Series. The intensity won’t be on the field, but rather in the stands as the players try to woo back fans who have been so disillusioned by the recent players strike. With basketball and hockey seasons over for nearly a month and pro football’s train ing camp still three weeks away, baseball takes center stage tonight, and will attempt to use one of its crown jewels to reheat America’s love for its national pastime. Baseball officials have pulled out all the stops for tonight, even for the ceremonial first pitch. When former Ranger and baseball leg end Nolan Ryan takes the mound one more time to toss a fastball, expect to hear the Ar lington crowd’s roar in College Station. But Ryan retired the season before the trouble really came to a hilt in the major leagues. True, Ryan did strike along with the players’ union three times during his phenomenal 25-year career, but fans re member him as a symbol of the good old days of baseball. Although many superstars will be shining bright tonight for baseball, three of its biggest ones will be conspicuously absent. and the fans will un- doubtably notice. One is Ken Griffey Jr., who has been out of the Seattle Mariners’ line-up since breaking his hand last month while crashing into a centerfield fence while catch ing a fly ball. Seattle has sorely missed Griffey’s bat ting and fine fielding, but tonight’s game will miss his grace and his wonderful smile. Also missing the action will be Atlanta Braves ace Gregg Maddux, who strained a groin muscle over the weekend. Maddux, with his 9-1 record and 1.64 earned run av erage, easily could have been the National League’s starting pitcher tonight. Although the Los Angeles Dodgers’ standout rookie Hideo Nomo surely will dazzle the crowd with his funky delivery, he will also surely feel the butterflies in his stomach when he takes the mound. Maddux has seen this scene before and would have been at his very best against the powerful American Leagne line-up. With a nervous Nomo on the hill, the game could get ugly. Perhaps the saddest no-show of them all is St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith, who was voted in by the fans but has been injured all season. The All-Star game See Georgandis, Page 4 NL All-Star Stats Student Appreciation Night Every Wednesday Free Pool w/ college ID 7 pm-1 am Happy Hour 4-7 pm M-F $1.00 Draft $1.25 Longnecks $2.00 Chuggers $1.75 Well OPEN DART TOURNAMENT Every Ttiesday starting at 8:00 p.m $5 entry fee • Double elimination • 1st, 2nd & 3rd place prizes • Bud Light Chuggers $2.00 I Winn Dixie Shopping Center - Texas Ave. 764-8664 I [TUV 1 8 C HOOSE FEE OPTION 18 to order your copy of the 1995- 96 Campus Directory when you register for fall classes. The student directory includes listings of students, faculty, staff and other information about Texas A&M. Only $3.25. Italy Spring ‘96 for Future Teachers! Study with TAMU in Castiglion Fiorentino at the TAMU Study Abroad Center in Europe! Your international experience could be your students’ first look at the world! Interested? Please come to an informational meeting in 154 Bizzell Hall West on: Wednesday, July 12 2 pm Thursday, July 13 2 pm For more information, contact: Prof. John Hoyle 203 HECC 845-2748 Prof. Lynn Burlbaw 330 HECC 845-6195 Study Abroad Programs • 161 Bizzell Hall West • 845-0544 Starters AVG AB R H HR R8i Piazza, LA .377 162 32 61 13 37 McGriff, Atl .279 251 46 70 11 45 Biggio, Hou .280 264 55 74 10 41 Castilla, Col .31 7 262 41 83 17 48 Larkin, Cin .289 225 44 65 6 25 Bonds, SF .306 248 52 76 16 53 Dykstra, Phi .262 191 23 50 0 15 Gwynn, SD Reserves .364 269 43 98 6 52 Bonilla, NY .315 260 37 82 13 40 Grace, Chi .340 262 46 89 10 45 Morandini, Phi .282 227 33 64 4 21 Offerman, LA .303 251 43 76 1 18 Bichette, Col .336 274 43 92 13 48 Conine, Fla .322 227 40 73 14 48 Gant, Cin .291 230 51 67 20 54 Mondesi, LA ,315 270 52 85 13 40 Sanders, Cin .311 251 48 78 15 5t Sosa, Chi .273 278 37 76 15 54 Dauiton, Phi .221 213 29 47 6 31 Pitchers W l SV BB SO ER 1 Green, Phi 8 4 0 41 58 2f Henke, StL 0 0 17 8 21 lit Maddux, Atl 8 1 0 8 86 1.f4 Myers, Chi 0 1 21 13 33 2.4. Neagle. Pit 9 4 0 21 71 33 Nomo, LA 6 1 0 46 119 1* Perez, Mtl 7 2 0 14 53 3.? Slocumb, Phi 1 0 20 18 29 2.1* Worrell, LA 2 0 12 5 26 0.3. W" research abroad fULBRIGHI citizens with a 3.5 GPR are eligible Info Meeting in 154 Bizzell Hall West Tuesday, July 11 at 4:00 p.m. [Thursday, July 13 at 11:00 a.m.