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
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