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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1996)
^'">1 The Battalion ?! P ,A If O r vJ ri 1 u Page 7 Tuesday • October 1, 1996 ial Circulation, era 11 goal remaii e risk of heartdi: ?w focus on jwing incidence chers. said the public tten the message.; ducingfc ■ cholesteci I but ni I import® m y of iter mainta healthy weight. A sir taken in I ary by Harris ami sociates cated tint percent Americans e ove a year ago and oik years ago, dated guideline! that people at h in sugar andli urn intake to 6® alent of about able salt. That’s(k 11 1/2 teaspoon the list is the ret i of 25 to 30 grai ay from foods, no ■ments. medsrud nd White eadline week nen the lex Ross Hecox jlleyball Notebook W as A&M Vol leyball Team defeated the University of Oklahoma last Friday, it extended its winning eak to seven matches. In the o teams’ history, A&M owns 0-1 record over the Sooners. When the Lady Aggies opped their first game against :Sooners, it was only the third ^“■ae this season they’ve lost the I ening game of a match. ™A&M improved its record to J-2, and is 2-0 in the confer- ice with victories over OU id the University of Texas. ■ Jromi A Some Gulf vessw* severe MS*# bouts e! nauKis** Going for the kill Junior outside hitter Kristie aedsrud reached the 1,000 ca- irkill milestone with 23 kills rsus Oklahoma. She is only e seventh Lady Aggie to reach emark and trails all-time kills iderCheri Steensma by 477. It’s a really neat accom- (ishment for me,” Smedsrud “I didn’t realize I was get- igclose (to 1,000 kills) until ielast match.” Force in the Middle Senior middle blocker Page bile was named Big 12 Volley- illPIayer of the Week for her erlormance against Texas and klahoma. She recorded 13 kills, iila .400 hitting percentage, adinade four solo blocks apt the Longhorns, and sled 17 kills for a .448 efficien- on Sunday. Over the past tee matches, White hit .464 to ing her hitting percentage up .328 for the season. Head Coach Laurie Corbelli idWhite has been more of a i)—Protects face, eyes m sses through valves into 8® emical and biological age* cts the head. Bulyl-rutite®* 1 Is vapors and droplets older* 1 ds and provides a seal forsW* ly but restricts movement and accessories, total covering of the body. Jetmological Board, AP research ting AID r thinks she’s in a® otect herself,” he® jy, ton Marx of the# i Center in tee in the middle because of r effort and team strategy. “Early in the season she was a tie nervous about the new :es (on the team) and the new s,” Corbelli said. “We have en trying to get the ball to her ore, and because of her atti- .1 progesterone ft. [| e she’s made adjustments hen a low doseol at have worked in the team’s the AIDS virus , or 51^ worked really hard.” pnas. tonkeys with tte- 1, vs. only onen 1 mts. The reason, ^ been battling ,es erone ma shmanSummerStricklandfor aking it easier + ^ esearchers said I ^ ou s ^ e hl “ e !' start t ln g 1 Inc., whichni# le ’P la y ed the whole match study will bent 1 Right side Platoon Junior outside hitter Jennifer gs mean forpe®! ries, maker of 1 ' 1 iv the research. WORLD! lainst Oklahoma. She hit for a !3 percentage with seven kills, r assists and 12 digs. [Corbelli said despite Wells’ jtong play, she will still pla- on the right side position ^ th Wells, Strickland, and ju- or Brooke Polak. “[Which person plays] de- inds on the state of the team id who the opponent is,” Cor- isaid. “I don’t know that ere will be a definite starter the rest of the season.” Inside the numbers The Lady Aggies are hitting v season, averaging 16.60 Us per game and 2.74 blocks r game as a team, as opposed opponents’ .159 average, •46 kills and 2.22 blocks. The team’s remaining 18 atches are against Big 12 op- inents. The Lady Aggies will ay six of their next eight atches in G. Rollie White Coli- Um, then will be on the road ven matches out of their final A&M is 5-0 at home. VanderWoude kept on defensive The junior middle blocker won A&M Defensive Player of the Year honors last season. By Jamie Burch The Battalion W hen eavesdropping on a conversa tion at an average sports bar, one might hear several fat guys weigh ing the merits of perennial NBA shot block ers Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar over a beer and a stogie. In a similar setting in Aggieland, the topic of conversation might center around junior middle blocker Cindy Vander Woude, the Texas A&M Volleyball Team’s blocking specialist. Tim Moog, The Battalion Junior middle blocker Cindy Vander Woude ranks seventh on the all-time A&M career block list with 296. • VanderWoude began her career as a vol leyball player and block specialist in high school after growing up watching her two older sisters play. VanderWoude, a native of Escondido, Calif., was a three-year high school letterman while leading her team in blocks and kills. In 1993, VanderWoude played for the San Diego Club 17 Red team with current Aggie teammate Kristie Smedsrud. Both players helped lead the team to a regional championship and a fourth-place finish at the UC Davis Festival. VanderWoude said she enjoyed play ing with and against Smedsrud while in high school. “It was fun,” VanderWoude said. “We (myself and Smedsrud) competed a couple of times in high school and then we were together on the club team. It was neat coming (into A&M) already knowing some body. It helped a lot with the transition into college.” VanderWoude brought her stuffing abil ities to A&M the following year. As a fresh man, VanderWoude played in all 33 match es, led the team in blocking, and ranked first in the Southwest Conference with a 1.50 block average in SWC matches. VanderWoude also ranked third on the team and tenth in the SWC with a .242 hitting percentage. Halfway through her freshman season, VanderWoude earned a starting role and went on to start 17 matches. In just her second start of her career, Vanderwoude posted 17 kills, in cluding 10 in the first game, versus then No. 21 Duke. Senior middle blocker Page White said that VanderWoude made vast improve ments throughout her freshman year. “She came in and was already a strong player,” White said. “She polished up what she already knew. She improved a lot on her quickness in the middle and on her at tack. Her blocking and digging are big as pects of her game. She’s done really well.” VanderWoude’s role increased last sea son. She started 26 of 30 matches her sophomore year, playing in 107 of 109 games and was named to the All-SWC sec ond team and All-SWC tournament team. Leading the team for the second con secutive year and finishing third in the SWC with 1.20 blocks per game, Vander Woude was voted A&M Defensive Player of the Year. She broke into the top 10 of the A&M career records tfc* total blocks, block solos and block assists. After her award-winning season, Van- derWoude took a step backward with a left knee injury. During the offseason, she had surgery to repair the patella tendon of the left knee. Instead of spending time honing her skills on the court, VanderWoude had to devote hours of rehabilitation to strengthening the damaged knee. VanderWoude said that her knee is not 100 percent. “It’s doing okay,” VanderWoude said. “I’m not as strong as I need to be. But it’s a different kind of pain. The knee aches rather than stings, so that’s good.” Off to a slower start this season, Vander Woude said she worries about the knee. Despite the hindrance, VanderWoude has started every match this season and leads the team in blocking once again with a 1.25 average. Ranked fourth in the Big 12 in blocking, VanderWoude has led or tied for team-high honors in blocks in 7 of 13 matches, and has led the team in digs in three matches. VanderWoude currently ranks seventh in A&M career records for total blocks (296) and block assists (241) and is eighth in block solos (55). A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli said she feels that VanderWoude’s knee has hampered her effectiveness. “I think it has started her off a little slower,” Corbelli said. “She’s a little weaker than before, which hinders her offense. I think it’s affected her negatively, but she hasn’t looked at it that way. She’s trying to overlook the pain and weakness. But with that type of injury, you have to wonder ‘can I still play at this level?”’ Following the season, VanderWoude will marry her fiance Rick Lothspeich. Once the fall semester ends, she will have nine days before her wedding on December 28th in California. VanderWoude said that teammates Smedsrud and Jennifer Wells plan to at- Stew Milne, The Battalion Junior middle blocker Cindy Vander Woude blocks a spike in a game against Alabama Sept. 1 4. tend, along with Corbelli. For now, VanderWoude said that Cdr- belli has told her she is not to think about her wedding. “Coach (Corbelli) said I’m not allowed to think about it,” VanderWoude said. “She just wants me to concentrate on volleyball.” When her volleyball and college days are behind her, VanderWoude said she plans to teach special education at the ju nior high or senior high school level. “I want to teach adaptive P.E.,” Vander Woude said. "I’d like to work with the handicapped. I did some of that with my volleyball team in high school, and that’s what got me interested in it.” After long playoff drought, Rangers thinking big Sportswriter Jeremy Furtick Senior journalism major A fter enduring 25 long, gruel ing and disappointing sum mers, the resilient Texas Rangers and their playoff-hungry fans have finally made it. The American League Western Di- vision-champion Rangers, post-sea son newcomers, open their best-of- five Divisional Playoff Series tonight at Yankee Stadium against professional sports’ most successful franchise, the Eastern Division-champion New York Yankees. The Rangers, an underrated, overachieving squad, will be making the franchise’s first post-season appearance in its 25-year history. The Yan kees, winners of 22 World Series championships, will be making their 39th trip to the post-season. Sounds like a practice round for the Bronx Bombers, doesn’t it? Don’t be so sure. Rough Road Yankee pitching staff ace David Cone (7-2, 2.86 ERA), after missing four months of the regular season with an aneurysm in his pitching shoulder, will start Game 1 against John Burkett (5-2, 4.06 ERA), the Rangers’ late-sea- son acquisition from the Florida Marlins. This match up does not look good for the Rangers. In addi tion to their 2-4 record at Yankee Stadium this year, Cone owns a 4-2 lifetime record against the Rangers with a 1.09 ERA. Game 1 goes to the Yankees, but then things get interesting. Game 2 on Wednesday will be more to the Rangers’ liking, featuring probable American League Cy Young Award-win ner Andy Petitte (21-8, 3.87 ERA) and Rangers’ right-hander Ken Hill (16-10, 3.83 ERA). The Rangers have dominated left- handed starters this season, going 25-14 while pushing their opponents’ ERA to 6.56. The left-handed Petitte is 2-1 in three starts against the Rangers this season, but owns a 7.56 ERA. Ken Hill went 2- 2 against the Yankees this season, and earned one of their two victories in New York. The Rangers come away with a victory in Game 2 and a split at Yankee Stadium. Home, sweet home The series shifts to The Ballpark in Arlington on Friday, where the Rangers were one of two American League teams to post 50-win home records, including a 5-1 mark against the Yankees this season. The Rangers will start 25- year-old lefty Darren Oliver (14-6, 4.66 ERA) against Jimmy Key (12-11, 4.68 ERA), another left-handed starter who felt the wrath of the Ranger bats in 1996. Key went 0-2 with a 8.71 ERA in his two starts against the Rangers this season, while Oliver won his only start against New York, giving up two earned runs in eight in nings on July 31 at The Ballpark. The Rangers win Game 3 to set up the series clincher in Arlington on Saturday. After having his two top lefties roughed up in Games 2 and 3, and also facing elimination, Yankee manager Joe Torre will probably opt to start David Cone on just three days rest, rather than let the Rangers take a hack at Dwight Gooden or Kenny Rogers, both of whom have been shelled at The Ballpark this season. The Rangers will start either Bobby Witt or Roger Pavlik, who, unlike Gooden and Rogers, shut down their playoff foes in the regular season, going 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 2- 1 with a 3.66 ERA respectively. The Rangers defeat the Yankees in four games. Surprising? It shouldn’t be. The Rangers are the dominant team. With the exception of their bullpen, the Rangers are better position by position. Behind the Plate Pudge Rodriguez is the best catcher in Major League Baseball. His defensive domination and potent bat will AP Photo Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez congratulates pitcher Bobby Witt after defeating Milwaukee 7-1, Sept. 8. probably earn him his fifth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove and second consecutive Silver Slugger award. Joe Girardi is good, but Pudge is in his own league. The Corners At first base, Tino Martinez is still trying to grow out of the shadow of former Yankee great Don Mattingly, while Will Clark has become the Rangers’ intangible leader on and off the field. Martinez wins the statistical battle, but until Donnie Baseball releases his hold on the Yankee faithful, Tino will have to deal with that infamous New York scorn. Wade Boggs has been generally accepted as the top American League third baseman for the last decade, but Dean Palmer has put up better numbers than Boggs in al most every offensive category this season. Palmer collect ed 163 hits along with 38 home runs, 107 RBI and 98 runs scored compared to Boggs’ 156 hits, 2 home runs, 41 RBI and 80 runs scored. Boggs has the better batting average, but doesn’t he always? Up the Middle The Yankees boast the duo of Mariano Duncan at second base and shoe-in Rookie of the Year Derek Jeter at shortstop. Duncan and Jeter rank first and second on the team in bat ting (.340 and .314 respectively) and have become a steady double-play tandem. The Rangers field two players that have spent 1996 resurrecting their careers. Second baseman Mark McLemore and shortstop Kevin Elster have both had banner seasons after spending most of the last three years in back-up roles. McLemore hit .290 while leading the team in stolen bases (27) and committing only 12 errors, a team record at second base. Elster hit 24 home runs and drove in 99 runs, both career highs, while playing stellar defense. This comparison is a toss-up, but gives a slight edge to the Rangers and their overachieving middle infield. In the Outfield The Rangers have the trio of left fielder Rusty Greer, centerfielder Darryl Hamilton and right fielder Juan Gon zalez. The Yankees will field Tim Raines, Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill. Gonzalez should be the American League’s MVP this year. He is personally responsible for getting the Rangers through July alive (winning AL Player of the Month with 17 home runs and hitting over .400) and allowing them to make their playoff run. Even with Gonzalez, Greer is the heart of the team. His teamwork and sacrifice set the standard his teammates have followed all season. Hamilton finished 1996 without making an error in centerfold, and also led American League leadoff hitters in first inning on-base percentage. Paul O’Neill (.302, 19 HR, 91 RBI) is a clear understudy to Gonzalez (.314, 47 HR, 144 RBI) in right field and Greer (.332, 18 HR, 100 RBI) is a step ahead of Raines (.284, 9 HR, 33 RBI) in left. The centerfold match up goes to Williams, despite Hamilton’s solid defense. Williams has put up career num bers this year, hitting .305 with 29 home runs and 102 RBI. Designated Hitter The Yankees will alternate Cecil Fielder (against lefties) and Darryl Strawberry (righties) at DH to combat Mickey Tettleton. This is a draw, with neither team having a domi nant player at this position. Be aware though, any three of these sluggers has the potential of blowing a game wide open with one swing. If the Rangers can get to the Yankee starters early to prevent comeback attempts against New York’s overpow ering bullpen, the Rangers will wake up Sunday morning in the American League Championship Series.