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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1998)
Page 12 • Friday, September 4, 1998 Sports S ONT ER CIT ston MFA < es life in th - AGGIELII :3 The Big Show: McGwire’s home run bii' / all it the “McGwire Effect.” John, a 42-year-old businessman, left work early on Thursday, June 18, reserved tickets for the evening Astros game, grabbed his son and daughter and sped from Austin to Houston for a Mark McGwire pow er display. “I drove like a bat out of hell to get here in time for batting practice,” he said. “We probably went 80 miles per hour all the way here. My son would have never forgiven me if we’d missed it.” That son he spoke of was nowhere to be found. JEFF WEBB “Oh,” he said. “He's in the outfield hoping to get a ball.” Smart kid. When McGwire strutted to the plate for “BP,” the hush reserved for the singles and foul balls hit by other batters grew to an deaf ening din for the red-headed batsman. People in line for concessions vacated their places for a glimpse, lowering their necks un der the overhang to actually see where those monsters were landing. One pitch equaled one ball muscled into the upper deck, just three rows below the massive lighted Enron ad in the upper deck of left field. That ball had some company as "Big Mac" parked four more homers in the same vicinity. Robert, a long-time Astros fan and auto graph seeker, sat three seats down from John. “That’s the furthest I’ve ever seen any body clobber a ball,” Robert said. Tve been coming to games here for 24 years, and that's the biggest disservice I've ever seen done to a baseball.” The unofficial home run count for the day’s practice was 14, leaving many spectators feel ing their price of admission was fufilled, the game a mere added bonus. ‘Tve never seen anything like that in my entire life,” John said. “1 hope my son got one.” The boy returned empty-ha: brimming with excitement. Far recounted the whole session,, monstrous whack. However, the best part offe to come. In the fifth inning, Astrosp Reynolds stared down McGw no one out. It’s amazing how McGwire, mistake into a thing of beauty Reynolds hung a curve ballc of the plate and ai later, the ball landed. Three n> — ed Enron ad in left field. Sound NuinlHM > v History in thetK0| etti what you will, but it wassimpiv 1 block to the monument of powe wire has been constructing afiss The upcoming weekend sene Astros and Cardinals is soldo® The only tickets left are gene . outfield seats that go on salea! : |^ of the game. The lines will proL^’ midnight the night before. Want some advice? Skipdae- a touring part of history. Youm VJ| Jeff Webb is a senior jar Astrodome increases seen • Houston beefs up protection for lucky fan who catches McGwire home run. Brad Graeber/The Battalion HOUSTON (AP) — Mark McG wire is so hot he might very well hit history-making homer No. 62 before he and the St. Louis Cardi nals arrive in Houston next week. But the Astrodome is bracing just in case. ‘ ‘They are going to have extra se curity,” Astros spokeswoman Alyson Footer said Thursday. ‘‘Once the person catches that ball, that person will be pretty well protected.” McGwire has seven games to pass Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 home runs before the Cardinals begin a weekend series here next Friday. On Thursday, his tally stood at 59 after he hit two home runs Tuesday and another two Wednesday at Florida. McGwire plays his next five garpes at home against the Cincin nati Reds and Chicago Cubs, then his Cardinals travel to Cincinnati for two more before moving on to Houston. As if the melee for No. 62 is not going to be hectic enough, wher ever it occurs, officials fear that re ported offers in excess of $1 million for the historic piece of rawhide will intensify the fan scramble. The Astros plan to have extra se curity guards stationed in the out field stands just in case that scram ble happens here. “It could be scary,” Footer said. “If they’re not careful, there could be serious riots out there.” The highest reported local offer for the ball has come from furni ture mogul Jim “Mattress Mac” Mclngvale. who says a representa tive will be on hand next weekend to offer the lucky fan a $500,000 check on the spot. Also, Mclngvale said, the ball must be caught “in a sportsman like manner.” The purchase would be for pro- I motional purposaaBI timent. Ii hecan , tiB®|| ey by selling the bii"; said he’d considersfey to display it at thene5VvJ| , / ballpark, set to oper “It would bean, of Houston sports All reserved seats # been snapped up, Fay . v the 3,000 general„ in center field 'f'fF the house — might choicest spots nenB^^I * 1 The Astros expr||B^^ form early in then® seats, which donoy til 0 a.m. each ga : ee Cockei zy will be tnagn 'ield. The t still has not hit ;i Jr| d aft °f t Footer saih sonnel accustomed::" pie from sneakingi tion of hard-backed have the opposite (Caine uuir&fiip witti u&i Cavitt Church of Christ 3200 Cavitt Ave. Bryan 822-4844 2 blocks south of Villa Maria Sunday AM Sunday PM Wednesday Bible Study Worship Worship Devotional/ Bible Study 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p. m. 7:00 p. m. 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