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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1996)
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T SERVE 7’s plaase contact "son ® B45-1515 'i you register n the nation’s ^96-97 Texas st *30 + tax. \%\M TUESDAY April 16, 1996 Sports Page 7 sports GLANCE Tech plummets, UT vaults in latest poll TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Top 25 teams in the Collegiate Baseball poll, with records through April 14 (voting by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors): 1. Cal-St. Fullerton Record 36-4 2. USC 31-9-1 3. Wichita State 27-5 4. Florida 31-10 5. Louisiana State 33-8 6. Miami,Fla. 29-7 7. Florida State 33-8 8. Clemson 33-7 9. Texas 30-13 10. South Florida 32-9 11. Alabama 29-12 12. Texas Tech 36-9 13. UCLA 23-15 14. Georgia Tech 25-12 15. Cal.-Northridge 37-10 16. Tennessee 23-12 17. North Carolina St. 32-10 18. Georgia Southern 32-8 19. Mississippi St. 24-12 20. Stanford 23-17 21. Arizona St. 27-16 22. Missouri 26-11 23. Oklahoma St. 26-12 24. Arkansas 31-10 25. Long Beach St. 26-15 Johnson to miss three games for ref bump INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Magic Johnson, who recently criti cized teammates for irresponsible be havior, was suspended for three games and fined $10,000 Monday for bumping a referee in the Los Angeles Lakers' game a day earlier. Johnson will sit out games at Dal las on Tuesday night, at San Antonio on Thursday night and at home against Minnesota on Saturday night. He will be eligible to play again in the regular-season finale at Portland. “\ accept the league's fine and suspension and I want all the fans, the media, and everyone associated with the Lakers to know that my actions were unprofessional and wrong," Johnson said in a statement issued by 'the Lakers before he left for Dallas with the team. "I apologize to Scott Foster, to all the referees, and to the league and I hope they know, as I do, that the incident was accidental and that I respect them in their professionalism in what is a very difficult job. " SCORES ROUNDUP NL Cincinnati at Chicago (n) Cardinals 6, Pirates 4 San Diego at Colorado (n) NBA Knicks 1 25, Raptors 79 Heat 110, Nets 90 Indiana 90, Charlotte 87 Seattle 112, Houston 106 Sacramento 90, Denver 86 San Antonio at Portland (n) AL Cleveland 8, E^oston 0 Toronto 8, Detroit 2 Chicago 11, Kansas City 10 Oakland 8, Texas 3 California at Seattle, (n) Petru won’t stop short of perfection Dave House, The Battalion Texas A&M shortstop Rich Petru awaits anything hit his way in the infield of Olsen Field during a recent game. Petru has stepped into former All-SWC performer Robert Harris' shoes easily this season. By Lisa Nance The Battalion When on the baseball field, junior shortstop Rich Petru gives new meaning to the game of hardball. “I try to play hard every night,” Petru said. “If I had to pick something that people in the stands or my teammates thought of me, it would be that I play hard. Whether or not I win the game with a home run or go 0-for-4, I’d want them to know that I played hard and gave it my all on every play. I feel like I am playing with heart and praying hard. “I like the overall competi tion,” Petru said. “I like to com pete, and I like to get out there and lay it all on the line and see what happens. Baseball is a hard game because it can break your heart, and that’s what they say it was meant to do.” Petru hasn’t seen that many heartbreaks in his career as an Aggie. This season he is hitting .351 and has three home runs. He has started 37 of 39 games and has 34 runs batted in. In his sophomore season, he started 25 games at second base, two at shortstop and two at third base. He started the fi nal four games of the NCAA "That's the mark I want to leave, that of playing hard and playing with a lot of heart." — RICH PETRU Texas A&M junior shortstop “That’s the mark I want to leave, that of playing hard and playing with a lot of heart.” Petru’s hard work and heart are already established with his teammates. Senior second baseman Paul Barber said that he has definitely made his mark defensively. “What makes him stand out in my mind when I’m out there with him is some of the defen sive plays he’s made this year,” Barber said. “They’ve just been incredible. There are plays that he gets to and I’m thinking ‘Don’t throw it, don’t throw it, there is no way,’ and the next thing you know, he’s got them by a step and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, how’d he make that play?’” Petru is motivated to do his best by the competition of the game. regional tournament, turning in solid defensive performances in all games. His freshman year, he started the very first game of the season at second base and stayed at that position for 44 games, start ing in 41 of those. He had three home runs as a freshman and had a season-high, six-game hit ting streak. But along with the good come the heartbreaks at times. Petru remembers last season’s region al tournament as the highlight and the biggest heartbreak of his career as an Aggie. “Over the past three years, the highlight was last year, getting to the regional in Miami,” Petru said. “It was also the worst time, See Petru, Page 9 Wins = Postseason Ags need to stay hot for continued play Stew Milne, The Battalion A&M second baseman Brian Benefield hits the deck while shortstop Rich Petru relays the ball to first. By Lisa Nance The Battalion After a three-game sweep over the Horn-ed Frogs of Texas Christian University, the Texas Ag gie Baseball team will play a nonconference game against the Bear- kats of Sam Houston State tonight at Olsen Field. The Aggies improved their record to 30-14 and 8-7 in SWC action after defeating TCU in all three games of a weekend series at home. They bring a five-game winning streak with them into tonight’s game against the Bear- kats, who are 21-22 in the season and 12-9 in South land Conference play. SHSU enters tonight’s game after taking two of three from Southwest Texas State this past weekend in San Marcos. The Aggies are at the end of their schedule, and wins are crucial if they want to see postseason ac tion. Paul Barber, tonight’s probable starter for A&M, said that in or der for the Aggies to win, they will have to continue to play at the level they reached over the weekend. “We’re going to have to keep what we’re doing right now and take it on across the line,” Barber said. “Right now, we’re playing well. Our pitch ing is going well and’our hitters are hitting the ball well. We’ve got to keep that up. The Aggies are 56-31-1 against SHSU, and have faced the Bearkats twice this season. Sam Houston won the first meeting at home, 9-8 on a home run from Ryan Rosplock in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Aggies won the last meeting 17-6 at Olsen Field. The Aggies posted three solid wins over TCU See Baseball, Page 9 The one that got away: The White Shark’s agony Philip Leone Sportswriter ii H e’s tall, tanned and Aus tralian. I’m a short, red necked Italian-Texan. He has seven Ferraris, a handful of Suburbans and a he licopter. I drive an ’88 Dodge pickup with a bad paint job and a droopy headliner. He’s the No.l golfer in the world. My best score is a 103 on the municipal course back home. He’s known as the “Shark.” I’m known as ... I’d rather not say. This may come as a shock, but Greg Norman and I have absolutely nothing in common — except, of course, for a mutu al aversion to the color green. I won’t eat spinach or broc coli or asparagus. Greg, on the other hand, is a bit more ex treme. He even went so far as to blow a six-shot lead in the fi- -nal round of the Masters on Sunday just to make sure he wouldn’t have to wear the fa bled green jacket. My excuse for Norman is as lame as his self-destructing 78 that grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory and let his bud dy, Nick Faldo, walk away with his third Masters cham pionship. For Norman, what was sup posed to be a Sunday stroll to ward glory turned into the longest four hours of his career. For those of us who viewed his struggle on television, it was like watching one of those Faces of Death movies — we were disgusted, we felt bad for him, we wanted to look away, but morbid fascination would n’t let us. Not only did Norman give the tournament away, but he also enhanced his reputation as being golfs version of the Buf falo Bills, the guy who’s aces See Leone, Page 9 D. THE FINAL ROAD TRIP DESTINATION AGGIELAND DATE EVENT PLACE TIME APRIL 23RD PARTY ON THE PATIO WINGS N’ MORE Across from campus 7-10 P.M. APRIL 24TH OLD ARMY YELL RUDDER FOUNTAIN 6:30 P.M. APRIL 25TH SENIOR BASH TEXAS HALL OF FAME 8 P.M. - 1 A.M. APRIL 27TH SENIOR BANQUET HILTON HOTEL 6-8 P.M. RING DANCE MSC & RUDDER 9 P.M. - 1 A.M. *7cc6et coil $45-1234