The Battalion
19|Vednesday % ‘July 16, 1997
up
funes
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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
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