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The Battalion
Wednesday - July 9, 1997
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Strike a pose
1957 Heisman winner Crow has accomplished
a lot in his career but treasures family most
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By Travis V. Dabney
The Battalion
len one thinks of Texas A&M and sports leg
ends, there is one name that comes to mind:
John David Crow.
The first thought about Crow is the Heisman Trophy
he wonafterthe 1957 season when the Aggies ended the
season ranked No. 9 in the country. But to limit one’s view
Photograph: Tim Moog
Associate athletic director John David Crow poses with his 1 957 Heisman Trophy at the John J. Koldus Building.
Passion for game puts
Sodriguez among elite
to these few small moments would be a large injustice.
Crow left A&M after graduating in 1958 to pursue a
career in professional football. After several years in
the pros, he began what turned out to be a 12-year
coaching career. The coaching stops included the Uni
versity of Alabama, the Cleveland Browns, San Diego
Chargers and Northeast Louisiana State University.
“I enjoyed my time in coaching, and I am grateful
for all the opportunities that sports have provided for
myself and my family,” Crow said.
After Crow’s stint in coaching came to an end, he
pursued other options including a beer distributor
ship for the Coors Bottling Company. Finally, after
being away from A&M for 25 years, Crow returned to
take the position of associate athletic director in 1983
under Jackie Sherrill.
“My duties consisted of mainly the non-football
operations while Jackie handled the football side,”
Crow said.
Crow took over a troubled athletic department in
December 1988 and returned it to respectability. Dur
ing a television interview on ESPN the day he took the
position, Crow was asked how it was that he was sure
that A&M would not fall into the same problems with
cheating and Crow answered, “Because I don’t lie.”
After serving A&M until May 1993, Crow resigned
to become a partner in Gulf Greyhound Park in
LaMarque, Texas. While his duties as athletic direc
tor ended, his work continued with the University.
Crow took over the position that he holds today,
director of development for the Athletic Department
for special projects.
“My job consists mainly of raising funds for the Ath
letic Department from private sources,” Crow said.
Photograph courtesy of sports info
While Crow acknowledges that there have been
some great moments for him in the sporting world,
he still keeps family at the top of his list.
“My most memorable moment has nothing to
with sports, but rather the birth of my first son and
my other children after that,” he said.
Crow’s family has grown considerably over the
years to include several grandchildren. One grand
son, Tommy, attends high school in Tyler, Texas,
and is a budding linebacker. This is a combination
that all Aggies would have to love, a Crow family
member playing linebacker. Maybe the Aggies
have another Crow family member in their future.
As Crow continues to work with the University he
says, “I am proud of what we accomplished in my time
here at A&M, and the fact that it was a team effort from
the top to bottom of the Athletic Department.”
While Crow seems be happy with the progress of
A&M’s Athletic Department, there does not seem to
be any complacency. In fact, he continues to make
the Athletic Department and the University feel lucky
to have had such a strong leader involved with the
program for almost 15 years.
RLINGTON —As far back as he can re
member, Ivan Rodriguez loved to play
Lbaseball.
s earliest memories of his Puerto Rican
Nldhood are of begging his father to take him
pthelocal baseball field so he could practice. No
1 See All Star Game Result, Page 4
t his father was the first person to see
ge” writhing face down in the dirt over an
ttjury that wasn’t exactly serious.
( Rodriguez’s tendency to overreact to the
'lightest hurt is amusing, but the pain was real
*lien a knee injury prevented him from play-
ion Puerto Rico’s “Dream Team” in the
34-95 Caribbean World Series.
"1 actually cried because I saw my
'earn down there playing and I
touldn’t be there,” Rodriguez said.
This passion for baseball, born on
he hometown fields of Vega Baja, is
% Rodriguez said allows him to main-
ainhis focus and keep his mind from wan
ting toward such trivial matters as All-Star
James, all-time records and multiyear, multimil-
ion-dollar contracts.
“I don’t think about those things,” Rodriguez
aid. “I think about doing my job every day. All
hose are things are nice; they mean you’re the
lest at your position. But I just love to play base-
)all and play the game hard. If I do that, at the
nd of the year I’ll go home and decide if I had a
[ood season.”
Rodriguez might be stretching the truth
vith his stock answer. There might be a time
)r two when Rodriguez thinks about his future
ind which teams will be willing to throw $40
million or more at him this off-season. He did
lave lunch with agent Jeff Moorad last week
n Los Angeles.
But Rodriguez’s numbers strongly back his
laim. Despite impending free agency, Rodriguez
shaving his best season, playing in a sixth con-
lecutive All-Star Game with a batting average of
340 and 56 runs scored, 11 home runs and 40
runs batted in. He is leading the league with 116
liits, which no catcher has done for a full season
hmajor-league history.
The defense remains superb. Rodgriguez, 25,
also leads the league in throwing out 46.3 percent
of base runners attempting to steal, and is posi
tioning himself to win a sixth consecutive Gold
Glove, which would tie him with former Rangers
catcher Jim Sundberg for the most by an Ameri
can League catcher. Sundberg didn’t win his first
Gold Glove until he was 26.
“There’s no question he’s the top catcher of this
era,” said Kansas City manager Bob Boone, a for
mer Gold Glove catcher. “When you put it all to
gether, his ai m, his defensive skills and his hitting,
there’s no question he’s an outstanding talent. If
he can duplicate what he’s been doing for a long
time, he will be in the Hall of Fame.”
The superlatives are easy. Rangers gener
al manager Doug Melvin agrees that Ro
driguez has “the total package” and
“we’re very fortunate to have him
here.”
But putting a price tag on that is
difficult, which is why Rodriguez and
the Rangers have yet to reach agreement
on a long-term contract. If they fail again
this off-season, Rodriguez will be playing with
another team in 1998.
“It’s hard to predict, but I’m optimistic that at
the end of the year, we’ll work something out,”
Melvin said. “We’d like to have him back, the fans
want him back and we get the sense he wants to
come back.”
Rodriguez agreed, saying: “I’ve been here
my whole career. I like it here and the fans have
been great. I want to stay here. But it’s got to be
fair, a contract that I’m happy with and feel
comfortable with.”
The price of the superstar continues to go
up. Albert Belle earned $55 million over five
years from the White Sox the past off-sea
son. Gary Sheffield received a six-year, $61
million extension in April and Sammy Sosa
received $42.5 million over the next four
years last week.
Rodriguez is not that kind of power-hitting
offensive player. He is also not Ken Griffey Jr.,
Barry Bonds or Juan Gonzalez. But he is the
only major-league player who has won both
the Silver Slugger (for top offensive player at a
position) and Gold Glove Award each of the
Texas will fudge
or sign ‘Pudge’
T
AP File Photograph
Texas Ranger catcher Ivan Rodriguez signed a
$6.6 million contract for the 1997 season.
past three seasons.
Rodriguez is making $6.64 million this season
on a one-year contract. The only other catcher in
his financial league is Mike Piazza, who received
$15 million over two years in January.
Piazza is a great offensive player who is
mediocre defensively. The Los Angeles
Dodgers are likely to move Piazza to another
position in a few years to take full advantage of
his offense, as the Houston Astros did with
Craig Biggio in 1992.
There are no such plans with Rodriguez be
cause, as San Francisco manager Dusty Baker
said, “He’s the best all-around catcher I’ve seen
since Johnny Bench.”
The Cincinnati Reds, though, never had to
worry about giving Bench a multiyear contract
worth millions of dollars to keep him from play
ing elsewhere. The Rangers were willing to do
that with Gonzalez in 1994, but Rodriguez’s po
sition makes it more difficult.
Please see Pudge on Page 4
I he day of reckon
ing is upon the
Texas Rangers as
Major League Base
ball’s July 31 trading
deadline approaches.
The defending Ameri
can League West Divi
sion Champions will
have until then to de
cide the fate of one of
baseball’s most domi
nating players — catcher Ivan
“Pudge” Rodriguez.
Three weeks ago, before the
Rangers buckled and lost nine of
10 games to fall eight games be
hind first place Seattle, the trade
rumors floating around Arling
ton were shifting from center-
field to shortstop. But after the
two-week free fall, talk has
turned to Rodriguez, who will be
an unrestricted free agent after
the season.
There are basically two
schools of thought surrounding
the issue — trade Pudge now and
receive ample compensation, or
wait and try to re-sign him after
the season and risk losing a
chance for anything.
But there is a problem with
both of these scenarios and sup
port the less-mentioned third op
tion — keep Rodriguez, make a
few moves to improve the team,
and win the division. Then give
the game’s best defensive player
his due and re-sign him, whatev
er it takes.
All of the talk centered
around the fate of Pudge is real
ly unnecessary, unless the orga
nization and its fans have al
ready conceded the division to
Seattle and the wild card to New
York. Texas is not out of the
Sportswriter
Jeremy Furtick
Senior journalism major
playoff race, they have
too much talent and
too much character to
fold now.
So why doesn’t Texas
get back to what they
need to do to win the
division, not what they
can do to salvage the
future — which is en
tirely unpredictable to
begin with. The Rangers
won last season with
pitching and defense, and that’s
where they are losing now.
Even though Roger Pavlik is
not a franchise pitcher, his ab
sence from the rotation has killed
the Rangers. Texas had one of the
toughest one-through-five rota
tions in the American League.
But now Texas doesn’t.
It sorely needs a starter, and
Philadelphia’s Curt Schilling (9-8,
3.59 ERA, 159 strikeouts, 133 in
nings pitched) is ready to move to
a contender. Texas would have to
sell the farm to acquire him, but
his presence would create a staff
with John Burkett as the fifth
starter. Not many teams can
compete with that.
As for defense, build the
team up the middle. With Ro
driguez catching and Mark
McLemore at second base,
Texas has a great start. Damon
Buford may be an offensive lia
bility, but he doesn’t give up any
runs in centerfield. Plus, with
McLemore hitting .340 since re
turning from the disabled list
and filling the lead-off spot, Bu
ford’s production has improved
with the lessened pressure of
hitting down in the order.
Please see Furtick on Page 4
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