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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2002)
ruK SP( )R I S FALI THE BATTALION 3B Friday, September 6, 2002 CiHouston ready for NFL’s return wiowboys, Texans look to begin a new 1-45 rivalry ■HOUSTON (AP) Bragging rights in a state as big jas Texas can be huge, especially whi'n they involve Dallas and ! Houston. JMake that a football game | between the expansion Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys an< he barbs can get downright | po' ited, although so far the comments from fans have been mere caustic than anything the players have said. JOn Sunday night, the Texans wll be playing their first-ever re! .i! season game, and it I cot nes in their new $449 mil- bin Reliant Stadium home. Bluing inclement weather, the NFL’s only retractable roof will be open. ■ When all 69,500 chanting Texans and Cowboys fans get infade. it probably could open on its own. I It may not be the intense rivalry outsiders expect, but it’s gening there. ■ “People in Houston say peo ple in Dallas are stuck up and pe pie in Dallas say people in Houston are country and ghetto an that kind of thing,” Texans cornerback Marcus Coleman said. “I don’t get it. it's a little weird. But I've always heard people going back and forth about that." Cowboys fan who said: “Yeah, we’re real jealous about what happened with Enron and (Arthur) Andersen.” The Cowboys see the poten tial for an in-state feud, but they also realize it lacks the history of their battles with the Washington Redskins. “It’s an instant rivalry,” Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis said. “It’s perfect that Texas has two football teams again. We want to continue for us to be the No. I team in Texas.” “Confidence comes from great preparation and knowing you’ve gone on the practice field and done some things suc cessfully.” Capers got a big scare in the final preseason game when Carr suffered a bruised right knee after being hit by his own left tackle, rookie Chester Pitts. He’s worn a brace in practice this week. One of Carr’s first state ments after signing his Texans contract was a desire to beat the Cowboys. While the fans argue, a pret ty uood game could break out 1 r olem lan is in a go« ad spot with Texans quad ter back David to he ar be >th s ddes. He w as born Carr, the No. 1 pii i'k in the NFL in 1); illas draft, starting hi s card er and 1 Horn live in 1 ■Jouston, I work in Cowboys running back I Emmilt .ton. I guess I’m a Smith starting tc > track down Horn itoni an now.” C oleman the 540 yards he net sds to said. “Hi ate? I don’t think I become the NFL' s caree r rush- COllk 1 halt ; anybody. But 1 could ing leader. dislik :e th< mi ; i little bit.” Texans coach Dom Capers I Talk shows in Houston have crackled all week about the bur geoning rivalry. I One Texans fan called in to suggest that Dallas fans were jealous of Houston’s success in all areas. The next caller was a has good-naturedly acknowl edged the tension between the fans of the two teams. He's more interested in getting his players lined up correctly. “We have to put a confident group out there,” Capers said. “Yeah, we got to beat Dallas, I don't pull back from that,” Carr said. “To be 1-0 is what all teams want, especially an expansion team like us. That would be huge. It would be a morale booster for the rest of the season for both teams.” An expansion team hasn't won it's first regular season game since the Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears in their inaugural game in 1961. Cowboys coach Dave Campo took the politically correct approach, praising the Texans, but admitting losing to an upstart franchise would be bad. “This one is unusual just by the nature of being a Texas team and the expectations we have of our football team,” Campo said. “For people in our area, this would be a tough loss.” The Cowboys, coming off consecutive 5-11 seasons, are hoping for a return to the play offs. Owner Jerry Jones isn’t predicting 10 wins as he did last season, but he expects improvement. Quarterback Quincy Carter is healthy after missing part of last season with injuries. The Texans, however, will look to stop Smith. “He’s a childhood hero and he’s been in the league for a long time and he’s going for the record,” Texans linebacker Jamie Sharper said. “He’s a good guy to go against. He cuts back good, he has good speed still and he’s durable.” The Texans offensive line struggled through the preseason because of injuries. Five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tony Boselli. recovering from shoul der surgery, didn't start work ing out until Monday. Right tackle Ryan Young is recover ing from groin surgery and will not play. Texans cornerback and native Texan Aaron Glenn, who played with Coleman on the New York Jets, last season, feels a growing rivalry between the Texans and Cowboys. “You can’t say it’s the same as with the Jets and Giants," Glenn said. “It's similar, but I wasn't from New York. In a state rivalry, it's always a big game because you always want those bragging rights.” Reminded that Coleman grew up in Dallas, Glenn said: “I never thought about that. I hope he’s not rooting for Dallas.” Williams’ alleged stalker enters plea of guilty I NEW YORK (AP) — A German man pleaded guilty Thursday to stalking top- ranked tennis player Serena Williams. I Albrecht Stromeyer, 34, entered the plea to fourth-degree stalking — a misde meanor — in Criminal Court in Queens. He is expected to be placed in the custody ol the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I Judge Suzanne Melendez told Stromeyer to stay away from Williams and her family and at least 1,000 yards from any WTA Tour or U.S. Tennis Association tournament, including the U.S. Open. I “My absolute concern is the safety of Serena Williams and her family,” the jiidge said. I Stromeyer waived his right of appeal arid agreed to get psychiatric treatment in his hometown of Frankfurt. An Oct. 23 hearing was scheduled to review the case; Stromeyer is not required to attend. I “This is the outcome that my client wanted,” said Gerard Savage, Stromeyer’s Legal Aid attorney. I Savage also apologized on behalf of Stromeyer, saying, “In his mind, it was a love story. ... It was romantic poetry.” Stromeyer’s brother and cousin attend ed the hearing; no member of Williams’ family came. The judge denied a request by Stromeyer to speak in court. “His family has assured us that he will receive appropriate psychiatric care and that every effort will be made to prevent him from engaging in this kind of conduct in the future," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “Today’s disposition will hopefully get Mr. Stromeyer the help that he clear ly needs and will assure that he is kept far away from Ms. Williams and other members of the women's tennis tour,” Brown added. Following his plea, Stromeyer was to be placed in the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Stromeyer was arrested Saturday at the National Tennis Center and held on $3,000 bail. He was charged with two counts of stalking after police spotted him watching through a fence as Williams, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion. played her third-round match against Nathalie Dechy. Williams has been traveling with a bodyguard since May. Stromeyer admitted in a written state ment to police that he had been following Williams around the world. He was arrest ed outside the gates of Wimbledon in July after scuffling with police and told the offi cers he loved her and would never hurt her. In May, Stromeyer was ordered to leave Italy after police at the Italian Open received word of his history of harassing Williams. Two months earlier, Stromeyer walked into an Arizona hotel-resort where she was playing and asked to see her. When he was turned down. Stromeyer began undressing in front of the desk clerk. He was charged with disorderly conduct and indecent exposure. Williams’ mother, Oracene, also report ed seeing Stromeyer at a Berlin tournament in May and at the French Open in June. 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