Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1995)
The Battalions Tuesday • July 25, ^ PORTS SPORTS 'Air' McNair's contract still needs finetuning SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Steve Mc Nair's debut at Houston Oilers training camp is on hold, at least for a few more hours. The Oilers had hoped their top draft pick would be signing his nearly $30 million pact and arriving at the Trinity University campus Monday, but last-minute contract details lingered Monday evening. McNair, the quarterback from Al corn State who was the No. 3 overall draft pick, reached an agreement in principle Saturday with the Oilers. The pact reportedly will pay $28.4 million over seven years, including a $5.3 million signing bonus and an ad ditional $4.3 million in guaranteed money. Incentives could make the contract worth almost $30 million, the richest rookie deal in NFL history. McNair traveled from his home in Mount Olive, Miss., to Houston to re view the contract with his agents Sunday night. Former Astro wins Mexican Triple Crown MEXICO CITY (AP) — Former ma jor leaguer Ty Gainey has become the first player in 39 years to win the Triple Crown in the Mexican League. Gainey, 34, hit 27 home runs, batted .41 0 and drove in 11 5 runs over a 11 3- game season while leading the Mexico City Red Devils to the league playoffs. He ended the regular season on Sunday going 1-for-4 as Mexico City beat Puebla 9-7. Gainey played for the Houston As tros from 1985 to 1988, hitting .214 with one homer in 111 at bats. He spent several years in Triple-A baseball and came to Mexico in 1992, leading the league with 47 home runs. He played for the Orix Bluewave in Japan in 1993 and 1994. The last triple crown winner in Mexi co was Alonso Perry in 1 956. The Mexi can league is rated at Triple-A caliber. Astros' comeback falls short. Dodgers win 6-5 HOUSTON (AP) — Chad Fonville drove in three runs as the Los Ange les Dodgers held on to beat the Houston Astros 6-5 on Monday night. Ramon Martinez pitched his sec ond complete game despite allowing a three-run homer to Derrick May in the ninth. Martinez (10-6) allowed eight hits, walked three and struck out eight. The Dodgers snapped Greg Swindell's four-game winning streak. Swin dtdl (6-4) had troubles in the second and fourth innings when the Dodgers scored their runs.Swindell struck out four and walked one over seven innings. Eric Karros got four hits and scored three runs to lead the Dodgers. The Astros remained 5 1/2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds, which lost to the San Diego Padres 1 0-8. Red Sox, Phillies swap starters Whiten, Hollins PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Mark Whiten to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dave Hollins on Monday in a deal in volving two players having subpar seasons. Hollins, who plays first base and third base, was batting .229 in 65 games. He was tied for the Phillies lead with seven homers and tied for third in the National League with 53 walks. Hollins, 29, started the season with a .262 average and 60 homers in six seasons. He was Philadelphia's regular first baseman this year until last Tues day when outfielder Andy Van 5lyke returned from the disabled list, allow ing Gregg Jefferies to move from out field to first base. Whiten, 28, was a disappointment after a spring training trade brought him and pitcher Rheal Cormier from 5t. Louis. Whiten had two stints at Pawtucket of the International League, the first for rehabilitation and the sec ond after he struggled with Boston. Three championships help Lady Aggies find hon □ The Aggie Softball Complex opened in March, 1994. The following story is the sixth in a series of articles about Texas A&M’s athletic facilities. By Nick Georgandis The Battalion Not many teams win three national championships before getting their own permanent stadium. But that’s the road the Texas A&M softball team took, earning national respect before finding a place to call home. The Aggie Softball Complex on West Campus opened on March 30, 1994, with the Lady Aggies winning both games of a doubleheader from the Universi ty of Texas-San Antonio. Then-freshman first baseman Mya Truelove provided the open ing day fireworks for A&M’s new Nick Rodnicki, The Battalion The Aggie Softball Complex was built during 1993 and opened on March 30, 1994, as the Lady Aggies de feated the University of Texas-San Antonio in a doubleheader. The stadium has a capacity of 1,750. Fighting Irish to expand home field □ Upon completion, the stadium will have a capacity of 80,990. SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame Stadi um is still going to look like “The House that Rockne Built” once its expansion is complete, only bigger. Much bigger. At a news conference this morning, university officials unveiled plans and drawings for the ex pansion, which will add 21,915 seats to the stadi um and bring its capacity to 8.0,990. Notre Dame Stadium has seen its J share of history since it opened in 1930, | and architects made sure that sense of i tradition would not be lost with the $50 million expansion. “We certainly could sell out a 100,000-seat stadium, that’s not the is sue,” said the Rev. E. William Beauchamp, executive vice president of the University of Notre Dame. “A Notre Dame football game is an experience. It’s not just the game itself, it’s the weekend on campus and every thing that goes along with it. “What we think we have done is provided an op portunity for more people to do that without signif icantly changing the way people experience a Notre Dame football game,” he said. Construction will begin after this season and should be done in time for the 1997 home-opener against Miami, Ohio. The stadium will remain in use during construction. Beauchamp said fans can expect some inconve nience during the 1996 season. “It’s not going to look very nice,” he said. A new outer wall resembling the current facade will be built around the stadium, and 26 new rows will be added to the top of the stadium, maintain ing its bowl-style design. The building’s current shell will still be visible as the inner edge of a corridor surround- ! ing the stadium. New goal posts and a natural-grass ! field will be added, though the field will ; not have to be lowered as first thought, i Parking lots that surround the current j stadium will be torn up and landscaped I to create a park-like atmosphere. Notre Dame’s lockerroom will more than double in size, from 3,800 square feet to 8,200 square feet, and the visitors’ locker room also will be expanded. A new three-level press box, additional restrooms and concession fa cilities also are part of the project. The expansion will make Notre Dame Stadium the 14th-largest in size among the 106 Division I- A football stadiums, up from its current ranking of 44th. Michigan Stadium is the largest, with a ca pacity of 102,501. Kennard refuses Cowboys’ minimum offer □The lineman said he will retire before accept ing the salary offered. AUSTIN (AP) — Former | starter Derek Kennard, asked by the Dallas Cowboys to re turn, probably would not play ; again for what the team could ; offer Mm, his agent says. The unrestricted free agent suspended contract discussions with other interested teams j while he awaits a proposal from ! the Cowboys to bolster their of fensive line. However, agent Jack Wirth j said Kennard, who made $800,000 with the Cowboys last season, would not consider play ing for that amount. “He will definitely retire rather than play for the mini mum,” Wirth said. ‘We could call the 49ers and have that much.” But the Cowboys, who con tacted Kennard’s representa tive Friday, are financially strapped because of the NFL salary cap, would likely have difficulty paying much more than the $178,000 league minimum. Wirth said Kennard has a standing offer from the Cincin nati Bengals and considers it important to be in training camp with a team soon. The Cowboys are attempting to find a solution to their cap re straints, said team vice presi dent Stephen Jones. Cowboys coach Barry Switzer and offensive line coach Hudson Houck told The Dallas Morning News after Sunday’s Blue-White scrim- i mage that they support the j team’s pursuit of Kennard, j whose weight has sometimes j approached 400 pounds. “We’re discussing Derek j Kennard because he is a proven ; football player,” said Switzer. He and Houck have not seen S Erik Williams, Mark Tuinei ! or Ron Stone perform in train- s ing camp. Stone, a projected starter 5 who contracted chicken pox, should report to camp this | week. Tuinei has a sore right heel. But it is unknown when ; Williams will recover from knee surgery to return to his right tackle spot and permit second-year player Larry Al len’s return to right guard. home by blasting a fifth-inning home run that won the game for the Lady Aggies. A&M conclud ed the 1994 season with a per fect 8-0 home record. Not only has the complex been home to plenty of A&M vic tories, but it has also given the team a better public image. “It definitely helps the expo sure of our team,” Assistant Soft- ball Coach Shawn Andaya said. “Not only that, but this facility has the ability to draw a crowd.” The complex can seat 1,750 people — a far cry from the Lady Aggies’ former home. Bee Creek Park, which has no per manent stands. In addition to the seats, the complex is equipped with sunken dugouts, two bullpens, four batting cages and a press box. The state-of-the-art design and large seating capacity have helped A&M attract better oppo nents and more special events to the campus. During the 1995 season, the Lady Aggies hosted the Aggie Mini Tournament, which included perennial na tional powerhouse Arizona among its competitors, and the Aggie Invitational. In June, the complex served as one of six sites for the 1995 National Softball Coaches Asso ciation Exposure Camp, which promotes the sport at universi ties across the country. As comfortable a home as the Aggie Softball Complex has been in its first two years of existence, A&M Head Softball Coach Bob Brock said he expects % better things to happer. with the beginning of the: Conference in the 1996-9L “I’m really happy force ity, it was really dons class,” Brock said. “Goir; the Big 12 is something' ways dreamed of. Wei- playing as an independec: these years (the Southwe; ference has no sanctione ball league.) “The Big 12 will givee incentives.” Despite housing theh gies for only two years,; gie Softball Complex k the home park for two most statistically-prolific; in A&M history - Jemc Falls and Kim Gonzalez. McFalls, who is cur competing in the U.S. 0 Festival, hit .367 in he season of 1994, and alsc team in runs scored triples, total bases and bases. A first-team can in 1993, McFall; the all-South regiont: 1994 while helping fr Aggies to an at-large bit NCAA Tournament. Gonzalez, the 1991 A&M Female Athlete Year, pitched in 46 oftk; 76 games that season.: together a 32-11 recor: with a minuscule 0.9 run average. She pith complete games indue shutouts and held oppos ters to a .199 batting ave: Festival’s finest athlete tal 26th gold medal since 15 q Iowa rollerskater Dante Muse took his fourth medal in 1995. DENVER (AP) — The most successful athlete in the history of the U.S. Olympic Festival added another gold medal to his collection Monday. Dante Muse, a roller skater from West Des Moines, Iowa, won the 500-meter quad race to run his gold medal count for this festival to four. He has won 26 gold medals at festivals since 1985. Sixteen sports were on the schedule Monday, including the final round of swimming, preliminaries in women’s 3- meter and men’s platform div ing and the first night of weightlifting. For the second straight day, a lack of wind caused problems with sailing. Still winds early in the day caused the cancellation of some events before breezes picked up later. The top qualifier in the 3- meter diving was Erika Sorgi of "If you become an Olympian, you join an elite group of people, a club you may never be expelled from." —John Naber 1976gold medal winner Mission Viejo, Calif. Sorgi turned 13 just a few weeks ago and is the youngest diver in the competition. Her score of 542.55 put her in first place ahead of festival platform champion Eileen Richetelli of Milford, Conn. (529.86) and Vanessa Thelin of Provo, Utah (527.28). The fi nals will be held Tuesday. “I’m going to try to be posi tive, think about the corrections and try to do the best I can,” Sorgi said. Meanwhile, the U.S. ( Committee announce! Monday to honor 100 country’s great Olympia:. The “100 Golden 01;: program commemorates: cesses of America’s Olji during the modernC Games. The athletes-- announced Monday — ; er at a dinner in Atla eve of the Centennial fe “If you become anO' you join an elite grout pie, a club you may neve polled from,” said Johr who won four gold ref- swimming at the 1976' al Games and is amo: Golden Olympians. “It’s the stories of the 1 movement that stay with, can’t remember the tic Jansen had when he" Olympic gold medal, but member the story of what to overcome to get there. I- stories I look forwards dropping on.” The other athletes ot for the announcemen speed skater Bonnie ure skater Scott Hac sprinter 1 Ashford, a- cathletes Johnson at Toomey. “What a 5 ful reward years of work,” saj £ ford, a four-time OlympC four-time gold medal wii# The Golden Olympiad chosen by the U.S. 0 Committee and the Olympic Alumni Assoc The other 80 athletes* announced at variousf leading to the 1996 Olyrei “I’m glad I didn’th; wait to see if I was goiri one of the 80,” said whose five gold medal; her the most successful U.S. Olympian. 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 25 12-1 Thursday, July 26 4-5 For more information, contact: Prof. John Hoyle Prof. Lynn Burlbaw 203 HECC 330 HECC 845-2748 845-6195 Study Abroad Programs • 161 Bizzell Hall West • 845-0544 Messina Hof’s Harvest Fun Continues This Weekend European Harvest Lunch & Wine-Food Seminar Noon - Sat & Sun •loin our I’iekers dull for an elaborate Furopean-style Harvest Funelieon in Messina Hof's Vineyard throve. Fnjoy Cheeses. Hreatls. Soups. Salads Fresh Veggies. After lunch, participate in a personal seminar with a Messina Hof wine expert who will teneh yon the art of correctly pairing food and wine. OAT A S15 FOH FVFIC YTHIAt,! Reservations: < JO!») T7U-3T1U Shake Hassell & •lack Saunders This Saturilay Aight Only. In the musical tradition of Fylc Fovcit Itohert Far! Keen Jr., groove to the eelectie sounds of Houston's llest in l*op-Folk-Fonntry. Yonil hoar hits from Shake & Jack's eight nationally ncelnimed alliums. OAFY SI3 f SIT /gate) Music starts at O 1*31 Oeli opens at 7 1*31 Old Heliance Hoad. Ilryan ■ Brought to yon hy Designer Fvenls 3Iore Information: ( IOO) 770-3118