The Battalion
Tuesday
October 17, 1995
Briefs Bench Brigade keeps A&M focused
Rockets waive Blanton,
cut roster to 13
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston
Rockets waived forward Ricky Blanton
[on Monday.
Blanton played a total of 12 min-
I utes in three preseason games.
The roster stands at 1 3 entering the
McDonald's Championship in London
this weekend.
■Astros add pitcher Small
Sto 40-man roster
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston
lAstros bought the contract of right-
[handed pitcher Mark Small from their
Jlucson club Monday and added him
|to the 40-man roster.
Small, 27, spent the 1995 season at
[Tucson. He appeared in a team-high
J51 games and had a 3-3 record with a
(4.09 ERA and club-best 19 saves.
Small won 11 games in relief in
11994, including three with Double A
[Jackson and eight with Tucson.
llimberwolves re-sign
[Gugliotta for five years
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Forward
Tom Gugliotta, a restricted free agent,
has agreed to terms with the Minneso
ta Timberwolves.
Gugliotta is believed to have
[agreed to a multiyear deal. Terms of
the contract were not available, al
though he was believed to be seeking
[at least five years at $5 million per sea-
[son.Gugliotta, acquired from Golden
[State in February in a trade for 1994
[No. 1 pick Donyell Marshall, was to
[be joined at today's practice by free
[agent guard Terry Porter. Porter, who
[played 10 seasons with Portland, also
[was to practice with the Wolves for the
[first time after agreeing to terms over
[the weekend.
Along with the weekend's signing
[of center Eric Riley, the Wolves have
[made five moves to improve them-
[selves since the NBA's labor dispute
[ended last month.
Under Kevin McHale, who became
Jhead of the team's basketball opera-
■ tions last spring Minnesota re signed
Doug West to a long-term contract,
and brought in free agent veterans Sam
Mitchell and Porter to provide leader
ship to a young team.
Ugly duds,
SMUand
Vanilla Ice
W ith the exception of
war, cancer and
Vanilla Ice, life is a
pretty good deal. But just
when you think you’ve got the
whole thing figured out and
going your way, BOOM, God
thumps you on the head,
knocks you on your tail and
throws things out of whack
again.For evidence, just look
at the sports world — there’s
some goofy things going on.
After a tie in the Alamo
Dome in 1994, SMU struts
into Kyle Field and nearly
prances out with a win over
our Aggies Saturday.
I had my deer rifle in hand
and was just about ready to
climb the nearest tower,
when Corey Pullig’s pass
found the leaping Albert Con
nell in the back of the end
zone with eight seconds left.
Barely beating SMU
speaks for itself, but a win is
a win is a win. I never
thought I’d actually be ner
vous about next weekend’s
game at Baylor — of course,
it’s easy to bitch when you’re
sitting behind a computer.
So the Houston Rockets
win their second straight
See Leone, Page 8
□ Although they contribute little
on the court, A&M's reserves
are integral to team success.
By David Winder
The Battalion
Glory in sports usually comes from
making the big play or winning the
important game.
But in the case of Bonni Chaffe,
Brooke Polak and Jennifer Wells of
the Texas A&M Volleyball Team, the
glory comes from watching their team
mates make big plays and win impor
tant games.
“Our role on the team is important,”
Polak said. “We’re always pushing
people to get better. There’s a strong
sense of pride when we win. Every day
at practice, we’re there giving our all.”
Only a few times this season have
the players been able
to give their all dur
ing a match.
Of the 58 games
the Lady Aggies have
played this season,
Chaffe has played in
18, Polak in two and
Wells in 28.
A&M Volleyball
Coach Laurie Corbel-
li said she feels for
the players because
she was a reserve on the U.S. National
Team for two years before finally get
ting a starting position.
“I’ve been there, and my husband
(John, who was on the U.S. Men’s Na
tional Team for the 1978-79 seasons)
has been there,” Corbelli said. “I know
what they’re going through. I sympa
thize because I know it’s not easy.
“But I still have to keep the goal of
our program in mind.”
The players have the same goal, want
ing the Lady Aggies to win every match.
But since the playing time is sparse
Chaffe, Polak and Wells have to come
up with different ways to help the
team win.
“My philosophy is if the team needs
a smile, I give them a smile,” Chaffe
said. “If they need anything, water, a
pat on the back or for someone to get
in their faces, I’m there.”
Wells said that even though she
would like to play more she under
stands what she has to do.
“I’m comfortable with my role,”
Wells said. “There can be only six
players on the court. I just cheer and
help them keep their intensity up.”
The shy Polak said she just tries to
be there for her teammates.
“On the team, I’m the quiet one,”
Polak said. “I just try to help keep
everybody pumped up. I try to be sup
portive to everybody on the team.”
Wells may have had the hardest
time adjusting to the lack of playing
time since last year she was a regular
off the bench.
“I think the team is a lot better this
year,” Wells said. “It’s more cohesive.
Plus, I think the coaches are more
comfortable with this year’s starters.
I’m comfortable with it.”
Polak said she
accepts her role on
the bench but it
has been difficult.
“In high school,
if you were physi
cally good you
could play,” Polak
said. “I never had
to sit before.
“But in college
everybody is good.
I’ve had to say to
myself, ‘Brooke, you are good, you can
play.’”
Even though the players do not play
as much as they would like, they do
not separate themselves from the
starters.
“There are no cliques on this team,”
Chaffe said. “My best friend is on the
court and my best friend is on the bench.
“There are 13 players on this team
doing the best they can. This team
gets along great which is unusual for
a girls’ team.”
And the whole team shares the glo
ry when Texas A&M wins.
“Laurie always tells us that only six
players can play at one time,” Wells
said. “But with only six players, a
team probably won’t win a game.”
"I just cheer
and help them
keep their in
tensity up."
—Jennifer Wells
A&M Volleyball Team
Evan Zimmerman, The Battalion
Members of the Texas A&M Volleyball Team's "Bench Brigade" watch in anticipation
during the Lady Aggies' three-game victory over Baylor Friday night.
Coleman to miss start of NBA
Evan Zimmerman The Battalion
Texas A&M Volleyball players Kristie Smedsrud, Suzy Wente, Stacy Sykora and Page
White participate along with the crowd during a yell at G. Rollie White Coliseum Friday.
season with irregular heartbeat
□ The New Jersey Nets super*
star will be on medication for
the next several weeks.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Derrick
Coleman has a “minor heartbeat irreg
ularity,” and the New Jersey Nets star
will miss at least the first five games
of the season.
The team said Monday the 28-year
old forward will be on medication for
several weeks and will be permitted to
run and ride a stationary bike.
The ailment was never previously
detected in Coleman, who is entering
his sixth year in the NBA.
Team spokesman John Mertz said
the exact diagnosis was not available,
and league policy bars release of the
medication Coleman will be taking.
The problem was detected by the
Nets’ medical staff when training
camp began earlier this month, but
Coleman was cleared to practice.
After a week, he was retested and
sent to specialists, who agreed with
the diagnosis.
The team said Coleman will be test
ed again after two weeks and and
could resume full workouts two weeks
after those tests are completed.
The NBA’s regular season begins
Nov. 3.
“We’re just going to make sure
everything is working,” Mertz said.
Over the summer, Coleman asked
the Nets to trade him, but reported for
training camp on time early this month
and refused to discuss the issue.
He missed 26 of the team’s 82
games last season with assorted, nu
merous injuries.
Nevertheless, he led the Nets with
by averaging 20.5 points and 10.6 re
bounds a game.
The Nets missed the playoffs by five
games.
Nets general manager Willis Reed
was in Memphis, Tenn., for the Nets’
exhibition game with the Orlando
Magic on Monday night.
Coleman’s agent, Harold MacDon
ald, did not immediately return a call.
Coleman, one of the league’s high
est paid players, is in the second year
of a five-year contract that pays him a
total of $37.5 million.
The Syracuse star was the No. 1
overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft.
He went on to win that year’s Rook
ie of the Year Trophy and has made
the Eastern Conference All-Star Team
three times, once as a starter.
Yankees take chance on Gooden San Francisco’s Young
out at least four weeks
□ New York signed the
pitcher, often plagued
by drug problems, to a
one-year contract.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hoping
Dwight Gooden can come back
from the drug and physical prob
lems that reduced a great pitch
er to mediocrity, the New York
Yankees on Monday agreed to a
one-year contract with the 30-
year-old right-hander.
The club has options for 1997
and 1998. Financial terms were
not disclosed.
Gooden, who won the Nation
al League Cy Young Award in
1985, a year after he was Rookie
of the Year, was suspended from
baseball for 1995 because of vio
lations of his drug aftercare pro
gram.
His signing with the Yankees
reunites him with outfielder
Darryl Strawberry, his team
mate with the New York Mets
from 1984-1990. Like Gooden,
Strawberry had been suspended
from baseball for drug problems
before the
Yankees
signed him
last summer.
“We’re very
happy to have
Dwight as a
member of the
Yankees,’’
owner George
Steinbrenner
said. “Scouts
from other or-
ganizations
who have
watched him pitch have been
very, very pleased with his
workouts and described his work
as ‘awesome.’
“I also have been very im
pressed with the sincerity of
Dwight’s commitment to restruc
turing his life. He is a daily par
ticipant in the 12-step program
of Narcotics Anonymous. He also
has been a very active volunteer
in working with youth groups in
the Tampa (Fla.) area.”
The Yankees’ negotiations
with Gooden were complicated
when the players’ union objected
to Ray Negron’s involvement in
the talks. Negron is not a certi
fied player agent and the union
warned any contract negotiated
with his input would be invalid.
Both Gooden and Negron in
sisted the contract was put to
gether by the pitcher.
“The chance to play for Mr.
Steinbrenner is one reason I
signed with the Yankees,” Good
en said. “I like him, I respect
him, and I want to play for him.
I turned down offers from other
clubs for the chance to play for
the Yankees and to return to
New York and play for the best
baseball fans in the country.”
□ The two-time MVP
may miss the Nov. 12
game against Dallas.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)
— Steve Young’s battered left
shoulder will sideline him for at
least four weeks, meaning the
San Francisco 49ers will be
without their two-time NFL
MVP for their Nov. 12 show
down with Dallas.
“Basically we’re rleaHrrr with
a strain and a fomis-q ii
shoulder,” 49ers coach George
Seifert said today.
Young was sacked six
times in Sunday’s 18-17 loss
at Indianapolis and left the
field in visible pain on sever
al occasions.
He underwent an MRI scan
after the game, which re
vealed the damage in his
passing shoulder.
Team ph vs 1H an Dr,
Michael D'UmgJ .-•m . viewed
the results.
“He said. Don’t plan on hav
ing Steve Young for a four-week
period,” Seifert said.
The injury ends Young’s
streak of 55 straight regular
season starts, the longest
among active quarterbacks.
Elvis Grbac will make his
first career start Sunday In St.
fending Super Bowl champions
in the NFC West.
Young, who was 28-for-40 for
229 yards against the Colts, had
been bothered by soreness in his
left shoulder since the second
game of the season.
Gooden