Wednesday,^ i
lestlay, July 18, 2001
Sports
Page 3
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THE BATTALION
For the love
of the game?
seball commissioner urges umpires to “hunt for strikes
^solution in 19)Mr'^^uring' the
i regardingpsvcM Blast several
school has betB-^years, all the
iearly a dozen® 1 aceomplish-
New Canaar.,W lts that have
latthews and “PP^'y'] "» 'I'*-'
i • ■Seball diamond —
. . pU Kipkcns sur-
: ycholop S t,.:*,i ngLol|
s 11 ouble ' v ’ It tiBhrig’s consecutive
>u receives sp games record, Mark McGwire and
>m the schoolsBnniy Sosa shattering Roger Maris’
l»le to get, hr sinele-season home runs record and die
la bel that has pitjehing mastery of Pedro Martinez,
Tinotation, rati 1 ;®eg Maddux and Randy Johnson —
saitl ..Matthew has e been overshadowed by juvenile
it her son’s nan B nscnse emanating from the board-
i- ■ ■ani. First, there was the 1994 players
inaandistnctotK, -n ■ t ^ J
I'mike. Iwo years ago, Major League
llI ^ n , ®Bipires threatened a mass walkout,
But MattnwOjy p or t | lc union to fragment and 22
>k cd manvott:m 1 pi res to i )e fi re d on the spot,
th the school?* ybe most recent stain on baseball
not threaten ■ mes directly from the office of the
on from class. B
lly thrilled ah.|
lie said, “herd
is an awareness]
Id beacleard
cen educariori
commissioner. Bud Selig has decided
that baseball games are too long and
has found a way to shorten them. In a
recent memo to the umpires, he told
them to “start hunting for strikes” in
order to speed up the game. Umpires
that did not meet “standards” would
be duly punished.
Not surprisingly, umpires and
many fans are appalled. “I’m not go
ing to sit there and say that I see
something that I just don’t see,” said
36-year veteran umpire Larry Barnett
in a Tuesday interview on ESPN Ra
dio’s Dan Patrick show. In response to
Selig’s memo, Barnett, who has been
the umpire supervisor for the last two
seasons, retired.
There are more than enough ways
to speed up baseball games, but forc
ing umpires to further damage the
integrity of the game is not one of
them. Actions like these from the
commissioner’s office makes one
wonder if the leader of the game
understands it at all.
Umpires are not without blame in
the length of ballgames. Umpires have
gotten away from the strike zone as
defined by the rulebook, which is from
the bottom of the armpits to the top of
the knees. Umpires now say they have
“my strike zone,” and pitchers and hit
ters are to adjust accordingly.
This is wrong, and should be
stopped. Major League Baseball took
steps in that direction this spring by
requiring umpires to call what is be
ing called the “high strike,” or a pitch
two ball lengths above the belt. Um
pires whined and complained, but
most have changed their zones. If
they are forced to call all pitches
that meet the specifications of a
strike in the rule book, Selig
would not require a “hunt.”
See Strikes on Page 6.
RUBEN DELUNA/Th£ Battalion
A&M to host 7-on-7 championship this weekend
Michael Balhoff
The Battalion
universities;
eport said,(i
srrictive poll.
I Fall practice is still a month away, but there will
be plenty of footballs flying around College Sta
tion this weekend.
I Some of the best high school football talent in
icitation Texas will convene on campus this weekend to
nies whileond compete in the 7-on-7 state championship. Many
ibited the:T of the state’s top recruits will be playing for their
I n some a$o. Respective schools, including some players who
student.'. have verbally committed to Texas A&M.
ketinghadpB The 64 teams in the field advanced to this lev-
to adopt: ’ e l by winning or performing well at one of 2 1
n-cam pus a: 9 regional tournaments held throughout Texas
earlier in the summer. The 7-on-7 tournament
was designed as a way for high schools to im
prove their football programs during the sum
mer months, and the event has grown larger
during the last few years.
Tournament director Bobby Burton said the
A&M staff has been helpful in making sure the
tournament is a success. Games will be played at
three sites on the A&M campus: the Penberthy
Intramural Sports Center, the O.R. Simpson
Drill Field and die grass practice fields.
“It looks like this year’s tournament will be the
best and most attended 7-on-7 championship to
date,” Burton said. “We expect at least 5,000
people to be attending the event on the A&M
campus on Friday and Saturday.”
The teams will compete in three round-robin
games on Friday, with the top two teams in the six
pools advancing to participate in a 3 2-team single
elimination tournament on Saturday for the
championship. The reexamining 32 teams will
take part in a consolation tournament.
The 7-on-7 touch-football format, complete
with its own set of rules, makes for a fast-paced
brand of football.
The game is played on a 45-yard field with two
20-minute halves and a running clock. There is no
punting, kicking, blocking or quarterback scram
bling. In addition, the quarterback has only four
seconds to throw die ball before losing a down.
Highly-touted Xggie commitments Reggie
McNeal of Lufkin, L’Tydrick Riley of Crockett
and Brandon Leone of Oak Ridge will try to lead
their teams into a title game berth at Kyle Field.
McNeal, who is rated by some analysts as the top
run/pass quarterback in the nation, helped his
team win the Lufkin regional championship and
a state berth.
Riley is another versatile Top 10 Texas re
cruit who has played quarterback, defensive
back and wide receiver during his Crockett ca
reer. Leone, who impressed A&M coaches with
his play during their yearly summer football
camp, is thought of one of the best athletes in
the competition.
s.
' Law and Wit
ts doors to iW
Jed by
n of the depr
cience and Cr 1
ill help tiW?:
minority^-
ey Martinez-'-
).
COLLEGE
846-3343
yooo usa
as call 764-n
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landango.com J
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st. Aggielife EA .
(sign Director ;
1554726) is
iduring the fall andS"' ■'
ugi Thursday during'
iMUniien'
Wednesday
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doors open at 9:00
$ 1.00 Mixed Drinks! j
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$ 1000 in cash & prizes!
Thursday
Ladies, Lids & Longnecks
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Ladies 18 & up FREE Til 11
Ladies 21 & up FREE Til midnight
Guys with Cowboy Hats FREE ‘til 10^
DON'T MISS OUT! July 23-27
Ages 8-12 meet from Sam to 1 Oam.
Ages 13-17 meet from 1 Oam to noon.
COST: $75 per camper. Space limited to first 20
golfers in each group.
This clinic will cover all aspects of golf including:
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• Rules • Etiquette
Registration forms are available at the Texas A&M Golf
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Ihe lew MM (oil Course
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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