Hand ED SOI
RESTRICTED
UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING /DD/SST
PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN
CDLUMBIAW
picturesLI
DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SONY PICTURES RELEASING
© 2000 COLUMBIA PICTUBES INDUSTRIES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
www.sony.com/whatplanet
COMIN G SOON
SPORTS
Page 12
THE BATTALION
Thursday, March 2,U
riwrsday. Mart
JP BEAT0/Th til
The Texas A&M men’s swimming and diving team prepares to host the Big 12 Men’s Swimming and Div
Championships this weekend at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium.
Aggies prepare to host
Big 12 Championships
BY MATT LAG ESSE
The Battalion
For some swimmers, a season filled
with preparation will come down to a
single race as they compete in the Big
12 Men’s Swimming and Diving
Championship at the Student Recre
ation Center Natatorium.
Heading up the field of competition
is the No. 1 ranked University of Texas
who has yet to receive a blemish to its
record, going 10-0 during the season.
The 15th-ranked Aggies are also
projected to finish strong as they
dropped only two meets during the
season. Rounding out the field compe
tition is Iowa State University, the Uni
versity of Kansas, the University of
Missouri, and the University of Ne
braska.
A&M men’s swimming coach Mel
Nash said that although UT is expect
ed to win the title, there is still some
uncertainty on who will vie for the sec
ond and third spots.
“UT is far and away the favorite, on
paper they should take the title hands
down,” Nash said. “As well as we are
swimming with the guys we redshirt-
ed 1 think that we are looking for a bat
tle for third place with ISU.”
According to Nash, the key to cap
turing the second or third spot may be
contingent on how well the relay teams
perform.
“Our relays are always a major part
on how we do,“ Nash said. “We have
really good well balanced depth but
they must come together as a group.”
Nash also said that many of the
swimmers use the Big 12 Champi
onship as an evaluation tool as they
prepare to compete in the NCAA
championships later in the year.
“There are two different groups,”
said Nash, “For some people thisisil
peak meet of their year, while oni
other hand we have some guys whoa
using this to get to the NCAA’s.”
The preparation process for lit
championship has almost becomeroir
tine for A&M, namely because the As-
gies have hosted the event three ofthe
last four seasons. Despite this fact
Nash said that planning for (he chant'
pionship involves the collaboration
a number vital people and element!
“Fortunately for me we have agreat
sports staff,” Nash said, "There isa
tremendous amount of work that goes
into it ahead of time.”
“Because we have hosted it
it kind of runs on cruise control soilis
not like we are starling from scratch'
Both swimming and diving prelim
inaries are scheduled to begin
a.m. Thursday and run through (
Finals begin at 7 p.m.
tudents
four suf
must sit
clause
ibstance-frei
tobacc<
id will not n
iese subst;
The Residi
wed substa
ring becausi
inujfcpressed a dt
students. Whi
such anoptioi
questions that
First, subst
ly to exclude!
stances. No si
use the substa
A&M stud
heed, the call
from non-user
College sh
world w here f
are numerous
dents to live ir
tnout fron
One must <
dorm as subst;
the environme
have access to
lions barrings
substance-fret
While desi
0 | ingthepurpos
of which dorn
testing stage, I
if an entire do
Not only v
substance-usii
around substa
Me
T
Strawberry entering drug rehab i
/ O O April 1
STRAWBERRY
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — For the third
time in 10 years, Darryl Strawberry is
taking a side trip to a treatment center,
hoping he can get
help for the cocaine
problem that ended
his season before it
ever began.
The New York
Yankees slugger dis
closed his plans
Wednesday, two
days after commis
sioner Bud Selig suspended him for one
year.
“By the time you read this statement,
I will have checked myself into a drug
rehabilitation clinic, where I intend to be
for trie foreseeable future,” Strawberry
said in a release faxed to the team’s
spring training office by his agent.
“My goal is to take control of my
drug addiction once and for all, and I be
lieve this step is required in order to do
so,” Strawberry said.
It was his first comment since the
penalty, the third drug-related suspension
of Strawberry’s career. Selig did not
make any provision for the troubled star
to return early for good behavior.
The statement, sent by agent Eric
Grossman, did not detail where Straw
berry is having treatment.
A baseball source, speaking on the
condition he not be identified, said the
center is in Florida but not in the Tampa
area.
Strawberry thanked his teammates,
manager Joe Torre, owner George Stein-
brenner, the entire Yankees organization
and his doctors for support and “a
bedrock of love, understanding and hope
beyond which I could have never imag
ined.”
“I also want to say to the fans every
where, many of whom 1 certainly under
stand are disappointed and perhaps even
angry at me, I will work everyday of my
life to restore the belief you have had in
me,” he said.
Steinbrenner has been one of Straw
berry’s biggest backers. Asked if he want
ed to comment, Steinbrenner said no.
In 1990, Strawberry entered the
Smithers Center in New York for alcohol
rehabilitation. And in 1994, he spent 28
days at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho
Mirage, Calif., for treatment of a sub
stance abuse problem.
Strawberry’s latest suspension has
been the talk all week at Yankees’ camp.
Early in the morning, on his first day
at a spring training instructor, former
Yankees captain Don Mattingly spoke of
Strawberry’s problems.
“Once I get past the general feelings
at first — how could he do it? why did he
do it? — you think about the person,”
Mattingly said. “Darryl is a great person.”
David Cone, perhaps the Yankees
player closest to Strawberry, voiced the
same feeling on Tuesday.
“I’m extremely depressed,” the
pitcher said. “It’s tough watching close
friends stumble again. Because he’s sus
pended and won’t be a Yankee this year
doesn’t affect our friendship. I’m
everybody in here feels the same.”
While they hope he can come bad
next year, his teammates know there’si
chance the eight-time All-Star —wk
turns 38 in two weeks—might bed®
in baseball.
“I just don’t know at his age,”firt
baseman Tino Martinez said. “1 til
this was going to be his last year anpvaj
1 think it would be hard to miss the wlioli
year and come back.”
The two-time World Series chi
ons hoped Strawberry would be lltit
main designated hitter this seasonal!
salary of $750,000. He is a career Jif
hitter with 335 home runs and 1,W
RBIs.
Last week, it was revealed Strawber
ry had failed a cocaine test in January,!
day later, baseball ordered himi
practice field.
Strawberry has not been at
since that morning.
While banned from the majorsanda!
affiliated minor league teams, Straubtf
ry could play for a club in an independent
league. He did that in 1996 with the Si
Paul Saints ofthe Northern League.
The Newark Bears, owned by forme!
Yankees catcher Rick Cerone,
Atlantic City Surfol'the AtlanticLea^
want him. So do the New Jersey Jackals
of the Northern League.
The Solano Steelheads in Vacavill
Calif, a team in the independent West
ern Baseball League, also offeredStra 1 ,'-
berry a contract.
he Fed
t reau of
gation
hiding sometl
April 19,199.
sb al agents ston
and I
WHO fAYS YOU CAN T CiT A fOil LUNCH??
our faMe oufsiefe Rutlefer Foutrfatrt
^'lortfay ard ^"ueselaij, 4^7
to sign up for tickets to trie
Vx/omen s Week Awards Luncrieon
featuring ^liss Jennifer Harris
fligrit Dirctcr, ^1ars Fatrifinder Operations
£>0
Student woMimwiiK.TiiMu.iDu'
Gender Issues Education Services
979.845.1 107, GIES@TAMU.EDU
live;
Africar
also re
In response t
ing Africa n-Ai
I acknowb
blacks and v
battalion for
do think sevi
unsaid. It ap
I feels t
a the hands
While it is
flag flying off
, a large
attitudes wit
they have ad
lites ar
socializing w
time campus
amanner th;
Welcome. Wt
Wte people
m just sittir
die racial elk
aiake the me
Furthermc
ferson on cs