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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1997)
The Battalion 19|Vednesday % ‘July 16, 1997 up funes real Will)! iite. ft ot dogs, apple pie, alignment? By Jeremy Furtick The Battalion Baseball is a game which has gone virtu- | funchanged for over a century to be- s me a staple of American society. But ; maj ilethe actual game hasn’t evolved much, iface of Major League Baseball is almost eign to its 19th Century counterpart — irbioi lecially after the overhaul baseball has rest! dergone in the past five years. Starting with MLB’s first expansion in 16 himl) irs, the Colorado Rockies and Florida | irlins came onto the scene in 1993. Since fratffi n baseball fans have experienced two earsaj ortened seasons and a player’s strike in i 94and 1995, realignment from four to six tohiii! isionsin 1994 and finally, regular-season erleague play in 1997. But even with its e-year facelift, baseball will apparently i Ini ntinue to renovate itself through the turn the century. Next season, the Arizona Diamondbacks dlampa Bay Devil Rays will make their ijorleague debuts while realignment fol- raght on their heels. With other rumors teams switching leagues, removal of the signaled hitter, and even further expan- mfilling the air around the commission- ioffice, I talked with Texas Rangers’ Pres- ent and General Partner Tom Schieffer out the future of MLB. fEngli Centet Q;What is the status of the plans to re- aryfgnMLB? Mr. Schieffer: There are a lot of different djjeas, but I think people recognize that seball’s interest would be better served if ucould line up teams in the same time mes. You could then have a lot more mes in prime time, and if you have more Rangers President Tom Scheiffer discusses future of baseball n i n B s Dies in prime time you get more fans to watch them. With more fans watching the games, more will follow the team. It’s just better for everybody. Q: MLB’s television revenue would obviously increase if more games were played in prime time in each time zone. Is this the main goal of realignment? Mr. Schieffer: You could enhance television rev enues, but I think you could enhance the number of people who come to the ballpark also because more people will watch the games and want to see you when you play at home. It will bring more revenue into the game, but it will also be more convenient for the fans, better for the own ers and good for the play ers because of less travel time. It would be a win-win situation for everybody. Q: There has been talk about realigning teams from the same city into the same divisions. Wliat is the likelihood of this proposal and your opinion? Mr. Schieffer: It’s a possibility, but I think it’s less desirable than putting teams in geographic regions. The problem with same-city teams would be the visiting team coming in twice. I don’t know if marketing the visiting team would be as advantageous as it would putting same-city teams in dif ferent leagues. I think what you do is make a great inter league rivalry instead of a divi sional rivalry. I think we can figure out a way to have the Yankees play the Mets every year with out putting them in the same division. I would prefer that. Q: In a geographic realignment plan like you’ve mentioned, would teams be willing to switch leagues, including the Rangers? Mr. Schieffer: The main thing is people have to be flexible. They have to look at what would be best in the future for baseball as a whole and try to put that in the context of, “What should 1 do?” But there are some teams that don’t want to change leagues. You don’t want to see the Yankees leave the Ameri can League or the Dodgers leave the National League. But other teams with less tradition? I don’t think it makes that much of a differ ence. I also don’t Graphic: Brad Graeber think it would have a dramatic effect on the game. We would pre fer to stay in the American League, but we would consider a move to the National League if it made sense in an overall re alignment plan. I don’t think we would move for the sake of moving. Q: So with some probable league switching in the future, what will be done about the designated hitter? Mr. Schieffer: I think the majority of owners would like to do away with the DH. It’s pretty evenly split down the middle in the American League and the National league is unanimously in opposition to the DH. The [Players’] Union has lobbied very hard to keep the DH under the theory that they would get more money. But I think you have a tendency to spend the money on the whole ball club as op posed to one player if you did away with the DH. I would like to do away with the DH just from a strategic standpoint. I think the game is much better and more strategy is involved when the pitcher hits. The Players’ Union is very strong, but I hope the pitch ers within the Union will want to do away with the DH. Q: Do you think removing the DH would solve some of the game-length problems the rules committee is looking into? Mr. Schieffer: I think without the DH you have faster games. The problem with the additional hitter is that it puts too much of fense into the game. In a time when pitch ing seems to be pretty thin and everybody’s looking for pitchers, adding another hitter into the lineup makes too much offense. Please see Alignment on Page 4. owboys ride off Jaley, Novacek retire from football F 1 IRVING (AP) — Charles Haley ire inf as the best pass rusher in Dallas I&S01 owboys history. Tight end Jay No- icekwas the best third-down re el liver. Both retired Tuesday because fac i similar back injuries with eight upetBowl rings between them. “Thisisa sad day for our organi- "said owner Jerry Jones. “Like said, we couldn’t spell Super Bowl Util Charles joined us. He was our i,pleafeing!ink. Jay had that magic abil- toget open and it was so routine (almost took it for granted.” Haley, 33, resplendent in coat- fd tie, had 97.5 career sacks in his '•year career and was the only NFL flier to own five Super Bowl rings, played with all my heart igh my pain because I loved , game," said Haley, who had tee operations in the last four JJars. “I wanted to retire as a Cow- 'tZ ^because of the respect I have for try Jones.” Haley thanked everybody, in- r jding San Francisco manage- «nt and some of the 49ers players, Ihough he bitterly left the organi- Hionin a 1992 trade. He also praised Barry Switzer but tint mention Jimmy Johnson’s M line. Johnson, who brought Haley Dallas, wrote a book that caused a falling out with the defensive end. Novacek, who came to Dallas in 1990 as a Plan B free agent, showed up in a T-shirt, ball cap, shorts and tennis shoes. “Unfortunately, I have to talk to the media another day,” Novacek said. “It’s been a heck of a ride. I see Troy (Aikman) in the audience and I want to thank him for what he meant to me. He gave me a great compliment one day when he hit me with a pass while he was going down. I asked him how he did it and he answered, T knew you would be there.’” Said Aikman: “I always looked for Jay on third down because I just knew he would be open. Most of the time he was.” Novacek, who missed last season with a degenerative back condition, caught 339 passes for the Cowboys, a club record for tight end. “Jay was 65 percent of our third down offense and you saw what hap pened last year when we didn’t have him,” coach Barry Switzer said. “We were 24th in the league in offense.’ Novacek, 34, caught 422 passes for 4,630 yards and 30 touchdowns in his 12-year career that began with St. Louis. Haley said it was hard for him mm Photograph: Associated Press Dallas Cowboys defender Charles Haley (left) strips the ball from New York Giants quarterback Dave Brown causing a fumble in a game last season at Texas Stadium. “I’ve been fighting depression for along time because of this injury, but you know ... I’ve had a pretty good career,” Haley said. “It’s time to move on.” Neither Cowboy plans to ride off into the sunset far away from Valley Ranch. “I might show up in training camp and help out with some of the Haley said he would take his family to Virginia for a visit then re turn to Dallas. “I told Jerry I owed him to help with some of the young guys on the team,” Haley said. Jones gave them both an im pressive piece of crystal and a promise: “They’re destined for the Ring of Honor.” Interleague play may save baseball F or those of us traditionalists who don’t be lieve the phrase “pos sible World Series pre view” should ever be uttered except in spring training, inter league play is about as palatable as stewed mustard greens. What makes the Fall Classic such a classic is that the series pits two teams from differing leagues, each with its own philosophy on how the game should be played. The National League and the American League vy ing for bragging rights is like Jackie Chan squaring off against Hulk Hogan, before that painted on stubble. It’s force vs. finesse. Power hitting vs. masterful pitching. The designated hitter vs. skin- ny guys who rarely make con tact. And that’s what provides such a captivating spectacle for both the die-hard fan and the casual observers of America’s pastime. Aside from the flap over American and Na tional Leauge rules and which do’s and don’ts to use where, the logistics of the whole grand scheme are just plain screwy. Baltimore traveling to Atlanta to face the Braves is little more than a Sun day drive, but Minnesota travel ing to Houston spans roughly the width of the entire country. At least when the Mariners ven ture from the Pacific Northwest to face the Rangers, division ranking provides possible spoils to the victor. But in the midst of the hand-wringing and doomsay ing, a ray of reality bangs the noggin with the force of a Billy Wagner fastball — interleague play may well save baseball as we know it. Please see Mitchell on Page 4. PART-TIME POSITIONS Universal Computer Systems, Inc. is looking for candidates for the following positions at our College Station office. Operating hours of the facility are 6 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Candidates must be able to work at least ^ 15 hours Monday-Friday & every other Saturday and have completed at least one semester of college. Data Entry - We handle computer repair for all our clients nation-wide, with over 60,000 pieces of equipment per year. Our data entry positions are responsible for maintaining info on more than 2,000 parts shipped to & from the facility. Cleaning and Reclamation - This group must maintain upkeep of all equipment received and shipped from the facility. Involves disassembly of equipment, cleaning and reassembly Technician Trainee - Technicians will learn to use an oscilloscope and multi-meter to trouble-shoot and repair malfunctioning hardware. Each individual will be trained thoroughly in t> r I the repair of one particular piece of equipment including CRT’s, terminals, keyboards, PC’s, mainframes, controllers, modems, and others. Parts Inventory - Responsible for maintaining inventory of more than 2,000 parts that the facility may handle at any one time. Support Staff - Deal with clients and techs via telephone to provide problem solving and clerical support. Full time positions also available. To apply, please call our Recruiting Department. E.O.E. Universal Computer Systems, Inc. (409) 846-1213 http://www.ucs-systems.com UCS hires non-tobacco users only. 693-8498 6P .(fl- Shrimp Boil 1 $1® Doz. *3.75 Pitchers 75$ Pints & 75$ Bar Drinks 9-11 p.m Fall/Spring Internships WITH Northwestern Mutual Life® The Quite Company http:/www.Nor(HwesternMutual.c 1 fortune’s “Most Admired” Company ' “America’s Top Internships” - one of 1997’s top ten intership programs ’ “Jobs 96" -Insurance sales compensation averaged $50,000 per year, increasing to $70,000 after 10 years. 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