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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1999)
e Battalion Sports Page 9 • Thursday, October 21, 1999 5d fori nishtl. [uncre* oathir old ‘ IS Witffj venile,« id % gdest{ KJrtedtfj "narkfrj'.'j job stari; tylanfej )ne sait cCown shining s Aggies’ starter retui« lital p)- retumec >eing fos; 5 with so on treats leader ion Car t St. Pi ast twos rspers did non 1 BY BETH MILLER The Battalion When Texas A&M quarterback ndy McCown thinks about how wants his career at A&M to be membered, his preference is con- rned neither with being a pass- quarterback nor a running arterback. “I just want to be the kind that ins the most games,” lie said. ■ This season — McCown’s first jif full-time starter — the senior is feraging a school-record 254.7 ssing yards per game and com- (eting 53.5 percent of his passes. He threw for a career-best 362 ids last Saturday against the Uni- rsity of Kansas, which was his icond 300-yard plus game. His average completed pass is 6 yards, and eight of them have en for more than 40 yards. In 1998, McCown stepped into e starting quarterback position ;ainst Kansas after he completed 11 13 passes for 167 yards and two mchdowns against the University lig 12 Men’s basketball tourney heading to Dallas ^ouh Tilf MorthTexasaweekearliei. jle. >pend$| g watJ i. (AP)- il footbe : wo tears heir water lical cora' <s. He finished the season 66 for 130 passing for 1,025 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 91 carries for 139 yards, the most by an Aggie quarterback since Bucky Richard son rushed for 423 yards in 1991. After spending time during his first three seasons as a backup to departed quarterback Branndon Stewart, McCown said one thing he learned by observing Stewart is not to be affected by people’s negative criticism. ‘‘I have learned a lot each year,” he said. “I have worked hard, and I can handle anything now.” He said the most difficult part of being quarterback has been deal ing with the pressure associated with A&M’s passing game. ‘‘There is a lot of pressure on me to make every pass perfect,” he said. “It is partly me putting pressure on myself because I am a perfectionist. But also, other people put pressure on me because I am the quarter back, and everyone attributes good plays to the quarterback and bad plays to the quarterback.” McCown said being quarter- GUY ROGERS/The Battalion A&M senior quarterback Randy McCown is averaging 254.7 passing yards per game this season, which puts him on pace to set the school record. back automatically assigns him a role as a team leader. He said it has not been difficult to keep oth er players motivated because they are all of the same mindset — cooperation and determina tion pay off. “We don’t have a bunch of su perstars,” McCown said. “We have blue-collar guys willing to work hard. It doesn’t matter who makes the plays and who gets the credit, as long as it works out and as long as we win.” students* ig,home of the Dallas Cowboys. luring priK spitalited,) merican Airlines Center, scheduled to open in sly fii/rtli nes, stow lose seasons at Reunion Arena. id brig killed iccide M (AP I off a ft vo wome' ted in atf lies, 39,? ere ki jnderosa Si* lation.T' 696-5$ AVAILS DALLAS (AP) — The Big 12 men’s basket- all tournament will come to Dallas in 2003 and 04, departing its Kansas City venue for the |rst time in more than two decades, league di- dors decided yesterday. In 2001, the conference championship foot- all game will be played at Texas Stadium in Irv- The basketball games will be played at the . The women’s hoops tournament during The conference hopes to heighten the expo- are of league basketball programs in Texas, but topped short of cutting ties with Kansas City, which has hosted the men’s tournament since the inaugural Big 8 event in 1977. “There was a real strong feeling that Kansas City has done a remarkable job hosting the events through the years,” Big 12 Commission er Kevin Weiberg said. Conference directors made no decision on future sites for the league baseball tournament, traditionally conducted in Oklahoma City, al though they continue to consider the Texas Rangers’ home. “Our baseball negotiations are ongoing. I think that’s about the only thing I can report today,” Weiberg said. ’’Oklahoma City has done a wonder ful job. I fully expect that we will continue to hold baseball tournaments in Oklahoma City, but we’re also interested in a proposal to have the baseball tournament at The Ballpark in Arlington.” A decision is expected in the next month. The football championship, which will be in San Antonio this year, will move to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in 2000 before tfansferring to Irving the next year. While pigskin venues after the 2001 game have not been decided, conference directors want to continue to rotate the games between northern and southern locations. Right now, the game is conducted in alternating years in San Antonio and St. Louis to reflect the league’s northern and southern divisions. Spurs’ center taking time with decision DUNCAN SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tim Duncan, the big man with the mean jump hook, the killer bank shot and the deadly serious stare, is return ing for his third season in the league and aim ing for a second NBA champi onship. It could, how ever, be the end of his stint in San Antonio. “I’m keeping my options open,” said Duncan, whose three- year contract expires after the up coming season. “At the end of the year. I’ll figure out if I’m going to be here or somewhere else.” Plenty of teams surely will show interest in the 7-foot All- Star, who led the Spurs to their first title in June and was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals. Duncan insists his future with the Spurs will rest partly on a Nov. 2 vote in Bexar County on con struction of a new basketball are na. That vote could determine whether the Spurs remain in the city, and Duncan has indicated he wants to know where the team will be based before committing to another contract. Left unsaid are his other con siderations. It’s widely known, for in stance, that Duncan and Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers are friends. The chance to play for Rivers could be a big draw for Duncan come next summer. Rivers minimizes that scenario. “Guys are going to do what they want to do,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do to talk a guy into coming or leaving. I think that’s way overblown, to be honest. They have a champi onship team and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” A former Spurs player. Rivers was a television commentator be fore accepting the Orlando coach ing job in June. Rivers informally guided Duncan and his team mates in workouts during the NBA lockout last year when coaches weren’t permitted to have contact with players. “I know him,” Duncan said. “He’s a good guy. I worked out with him a bit during the lockout time. That’s about it.” The NBAs tampering rule pro hibits coaches and players from trying to entice players under con tract to other teams. The league recently admonished former Spurs player Will Perdue, now with Chicago, for suggesting Dun can might join the Bulls after his Spurs contract is up. “Tim Duncan is not married to San Antonio by any means,” Per due told reporters. “He’s made that very clear.” Rivers said he doesn’t know whether the arena vote and the possible relocation of the Spurs will be big factors in Duncan’s de cision. “Honestly, I haven’t talked to Tim about it, obviously. I can’t, even if I wanted to,” he said. Should Duncan want to sign a contract extension with the Spurs before the season, the deadline is Oct. 31. Under the league’s col lective bargaining agreement, Duncan could sign a six-year con tract for $70.9 million or a seven- year deal worth $86 million. Other teams could pay him a comparable amount under the collective bargaining rules. “It’s not a matter of money,” Duncan said. “I figure I’ll make pretty good money anywhere. ” How to ruin the moment #2fl “I’D LOVE TO HELP YOU CRAM FOR YOUR HUMAN SEXUALITY QUIZ, BUT I’M GOING BACK TO MY ROOM TO CHECK MY EMAIL” myTalk.com Listen and respond to your email over any phone- FREE- Sign up today at myTalk-com Earn extra cash as an on-campus my Talk rep. Contact our campus recruiter at campusreps@myTalk.com for details. HOLLYWOOD STOCK EXCHANGE* www.hsx.com STEREOPHONICS: