The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, July 09, 2003, Image 3

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Sports
The Battalion
Page 3 • Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Ress leaves
Aggie squad,
returns home
Staff & Wire
Tomas Ress will skip his senior year at Texas
A&M to play professional basketball in Italy.
The 7-foot forward announced his decision on
Tuesday after debating the decision over the past
few weeks.
Ress, who is scheduled to graduate in August
but had one year of eligibility remaining, aver
aged 7.4 points and 5.1
rebounds in Big 12 play last
season, starting in 15 confer
ence games.
“Texas A&M is like a sec
ond home to me and I’ll really
miss it here,” Ress said. “This
was a very difficult decision. I
didn’t sleep much for the last
ress month and a half, but I have a
great opportunity to play pro
fessional basketball at home in Italy. In my heart,
I know this is the right decision for me.”
Ress’ decision was not a complete surprise to
the Aggies. He had discussed his options with the
coaching staff in recent weeks. He could have
remained on the roster as a graduate student for
one more year, but decided to return home to his
family and begin his professional career.
Ress started in 12 games as a freshman in
1999-00, but missed the 2000-01 season while
recovering from a severe illness that almost ended
his career.
He played sparingly as a sophomore in 2001-
02 while attempting to regain his strength and
stamina before re-emerging last season as a main
stay in the starting lineup.
As a result of his comeback, Ress was a final
ist in March for the V Foundation Comeback of
the Year Award presented by The Jimmy V
Foundation and ESPN.
“Tomas Ress has been a big part of the Aggie
basketball family the last four years and we will
certainly miss him,” Watkins said. “We wish
Tomas all the best.”
Ress played in 81 career games, starting in 40
and averaging 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. He
posted career highs of 22 points and eight
rebounds against Missouri as a freshman, and
matched his career-best in rebounding four times
last season.
The Aggies will look to senior center Andy
Slocum to fill the void left by Ress’ departure.
All-Star game still meaningless
Despite Selig’s new rules, Mid-Summer Classic is lacking
I
£ £ "l"t’s as American as baseball and apple
pie.” This lovable old phrase plays off
.of things that Americans can take com
fort in. Baseball and apple pie are to America
what the Standards are to jazz, or the
Colosseum is to Rome. They embody American
values and culture.
Of course,
American culture
isn’t exactly what
it used to be, and
that is taking its JEFF ALLEN
toll on what was
once generally considered America’s national
pastime. Baseball is not a game of glitz and
glamour, and one need not look too far past the
founders of the great game to see that it was
never intended to be. Imagine Ty Cobb for
example, prancing around with frosted hair and
a couple of diamond stud earings. More impor
tantly, it is not a game of gimmicks, despite the
efforts of the reigning commissioner of Major
League Baseball, Bud Selig, over the past few
years.
The latest trick out of his bag? Major
League Baseball has dumbed the sport down so
modern mass media can handle it in this year’s
All-Star game. “This time it counts,” a gruff
voice proclaims to various audiences across the
nation, as viewers are dazzled by grown men
running around and screaming as they knock
over water jugs during a television commercial.
The reason “it counts” this year is because
Selig, a man who would make apple pie with
lemons if given the chance, screwed up. He
called the game a tie, and forced baseball
purists across the nation to turn and kiss their
sisters.
It was ugly, but it was indicative of baseball
today. The players had their fun, everyone got a
turn to play so they all packed up and went
home to make sure they wouldn’t overexert
themselves, but that’s not the point. The point
is the solution that has been brought forth.
To give some credit where it is due, at least
Selig presented a partial solution. They added a
new rule that says the winner of the game, be it
the American or National League, the team that
represents that league in the World Series this
fall will have home field advantage. They also
added a couple of roster spots, as well as allow
ing players to cast their own all-star ballot.
However, this solution is superficial.
The problem last year was the fact the game
ended in a tie. What happens if they tie again?
Sure they added a couple more roster spots,
but what happens if the game goes a few
innings longer? Do they then hold the game at
a neutral site since neither league deserves the
coveted prize? It sounds like the World Series
will have to go the way of the Expos and head
to Puerto Rico.
Fox has been touting that the game counts.
But who does it count for? There are players
from a few teams that are not exactly on the
doorstep of the World Series. What do they
care about who gets home field advantage, and
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
for that matter, why do they even need a repre
sentative? Detroit has won 21 of its first 86
games, the best and brightest that the American
League has to offer aren’t playing for the
Tigers, yet they will be represented, and don’t
forget, it’s going to count!
If the league really wants to make the game
matter, it should start by putting the best play
ers on the field, which, more times than not,
come from teams that have at least some hopes
of playing in October.
The only real way to make players care
about what’s on the scoreboard is by hanging
large money bags from the numbers, but who’s
going to pay for it?
U.S. cycle team ready for trials
By Chris Carmichael
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAINT-DIZIER, France —
Lance Armstrong is looking for
ward to getting the first week of
the Tour de France out of the way.
He was slower than planned in
the opening prologue time trial,
and barely escaped serious injury
in a massive pileup at the end of
Stage 1.
The U.S. Postal Service Team
will try to gain momentum with a
strong performance in
Wednesday’s team time trial, a
brutal and beautiful test of
strength.
THE TEAM TIME TRIAL: For
the men hoping to wear the yellow
jersey in Paris, there are two main
objectives in the first week of the
Tour de France: avoid the crashes
and have a strong performance in
Wednesday’s team time trial.
The team time trial (TTT) is
one of the most beautiful cycling
events to watch, and one of the
hardest to participate in. Each
team rides as a unit, and with iden
tical bicycles and uniforms, the
team formations resemble brightly
painted locomotives.
Each rider receives the time
recorded by the fifth team member
across the finish line, meaning
teamwork is essential and you’re
only as strong as your fifth rider.
Armstrong needs the combined
power of his eight teammates in
the TTT, and doing well in the
event is very important for his
overall chances of victory. You
can’t win the Tour de France in the
TTT, but you can definitely lose it.
The top teams will finish with
in a minute of each other, but
some of the weaker teams will
lose several minutes and take their
team leaders completely out of
contention.
Team time trials are brutally
hard for every rider on the team.
Nine men sharing the work of
pushing through the wind can go
faster than any one man by him
self, even Armstrong.
The riders take turns at the
front of the team formation,
punching a hole in the wind so
their teammates can recover in the
draft. The big guys are more pow-
TOUR DE FRANCE 2003
Petacchi takes third stage of the Tour
Alessandro Petacchi of Italy won his second stage in throe days,
beating out Romans Vainsteins, a Latvian, and Spain's Oscar
Freire in the dash into Saint-Qizier, tire third of the three-week
Tour's 20 stages.
Third Stage results (Charfeville-Jvtezieres to Saint-Dizier)
1 Alessandro Petacchi (Italy)
3 hrs. 27 min. 39 sec.
2 Romans Vainsteins (Latvia)
3 hrs. 27 min, 39 sec.
3 Oscar Freire (Spain)
3 hrs. 27 min. 39 sec.
4 Erlfc Zabel (Germany)
3 hrs. 27 min. 39 sec.
5 Robbie McEwen (Australia)
3 hrs. 27 min, 39 sec.
Overalt standing
1 Jean-Patricfc Nazon (France)
2 Bradley McGee (Australia)
3 David Millar (Britain)
12hre.25rrtn.59sec.
8 seconds behind
12 seconds behind
4 Baden Cooke (Australia)
12 seconds behind
5 Hasmar Zubotdia (Spain)
6 Jan Utlrich (Germany)
7 Jaan Kirsipuu lEstnnuj)
14 seconds behind
14 secwds
15 seconds behind
8 Robbie ftfcEwen (Australia)
18 seconds behind
9 Victor Hugo Pena (Colombia)
18 seconds behind
10 Tyler Hamilton (United States)
18 seconds behind
SCLSRCP. Asscciassd P
erful on flat roads, so when it is
their turn to pull at the front of the
team, they stay there longer than
their smaller teammates.
On the U.S. Postal Service
team, this difficult duty falls to
George Hincapie, Vjatceslav
Ekimov, Pavel Padrnos and
Armstrong. Later, when the roads
tilt upward in the mountains, the
See Tour on page 4
Hasek returns to Red Wings
Rockets keep new logo a ‘secret’
By Pan Easton
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Samples of the Rockets’ new logo are
appearing on caps in Houston.
The Rockets are mailing about 800 caps with the
team’s new logo to business executives and potential
suite buyers over the next week in boxes marked “Top
Secret,” the team said Tuesday.
The new design is supposed to resemble a rocket with
twin exhaust trails.
“They are obviously trying to make a statement
in the use of this graphic,” said Paul Swangard, man
aging director of The Warsaw Sports Marketing
Center at the University of Oregon. “On the surface
I can see it having the brand equities of the Rockets.
The name ’Rocket,’ I can see that in there. I can see
the upward movement of a team on the rise and a
spacey connotation to it.”
But Swangard said the team has to sell its new logo to
12-year-olds, not those in the sports marketing world.
Susan Newquest, Rockets manager of marketing
communications, said the team has received positive
feedback on the new logo.
“Everybody really likes it,” she said.
The team is supposed to unveil a new uniform in
September, Newquest said. The new design, which is
still in the works, will feature a still-unannounced color
scheme possibly featuring dashes of silver, white and
black. A new scheme would be the franchise’s fourth,
following green-and-gold, red-and-gold and the current
red-white-and-blue.
“The cynic says they have reinvented themselves
more than once,” Swangard said. “That is pretty aggres
sive by some standards.”
Gone will be the pinstripes or the needle-nosed car
toon rocket that have been on the team’s uniforms since
1995, prompting Charles Barkley to compare the look to
that of a clown suit.
Team owner Leslie Alexander has approved the new
logo, according to the Houston Chronicle, which first
displayed the logo on its Web site Tuesday.
By Mike Householder
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — The return of two-time
league MVP Dominik Hasek gives the Red
Wings a unique problem: too many top-
notch goaltenders.
The 38-year-old Hasek, who led Detroit
to a Stanley Cup title a year ago, announced
Tuesday that he plans to come out of retire
ment to rejoin the Red Wings.
“My batteries are recharged, and I have
the fire for competing for the Cup again,” he
said during a conference call.
The Red Wings late last month exercised
an $8 million option on Hasek, who lives in
the Czech Republic. It wasn’t clear until
Tuesday whether he would play this season.
Hasek’s re-emergence in Detroit means
the Wings have a glut of quality goaltenders,
including two set to earn $8 million each this
season.
Among those who will probably be trad
ed: Curtis Joseph, signed last summer to a
three-year, $24 million deal to replace
Hasek. He first would need to waive a no
trade clause in his contract.
“Ideally, as quickly as possible, I’d like
to get a goaltender moved,” general manag
er Ken Holland said Tuesday.
He added: “We’re going to have to be
creative with some other teams to try to put
something together.”
Holland said he planned to talk later to
the 36-year-old Joseph.
A message left Tuesday with Joseph’s
agent, Don Meehan, wasn’t immediately
returned.
“I know about the situation with Cujo,
about his no-trade clause,” Hasek said. “My
decision also unfortunately affects other
people. However, my desire is to play with
the Detroit Red Wings.”
In addition to Hasek and Joseph, the
Wings also have Manny Legace, considered
by some to be the league’s best backup.
Red Wings head coach Dave Lewis said
Tuesday that he would reserve comment
until the goaltending situation was resolved.
Hasek hasn’t played as much as a pickup
game as a goaltender since Game 5 of the
Cup finals against Carolina in 2002. But he
said Tuesday he felt he had more to con
tribute to the game.
“I will work hard to get into the same
shape like I was before,” said Hasek, who is
eight pounds lighter than his playing weight.
“I want to be ‘the Dominator’ like I used
to.”
During his year away from the NHL,
Hasek played squash, roller hockey as a
defenseman and soccer. He said he does not
Together again
Dominik Hasek is ending his one-year retirement and will return
to play for the Detroit Red Wings.
Regular Season
j Playoffs
Season Team W*L-T SO AVG I Season Team W4 GA SO AVG
’90-’91 Chi
’91-’92 Chi
’92-‘93 But
’93-'94 But
’94-'95 But
’95-’96 But
’96-’97 But
’97-’98 But
’98-’99 But
’99-’00 But
’00-’01 But
01-'02 Det
3-0-1
10-4-1
11-10-4
30-20-6
19-14-7
22-30-6
2.46
2.60
3.15
1.95
2.11
2.83
37-20-10 5 2.27
33-23-13 13 2.09
30-18-14 9 1.87
15-11-6 3 2.21
37-24-4 11 2.11
41-15-8 5 2.17
'90-’91
’91-’92
'92-‘93
’93-'94
’94-’95
’96-’97
'97-’98
’98-'99
'99-’00
’00-’01
01-'02
Totals
Chi 0-0 3
Chi 0-2 8
But 1-0 1
But 3-4 13
But 1-4 18
But 1-1 5
But 10-5 32
But 13-6 36
But 1-4 12
But 7-6 29
Det 16-7 45
53-39 202
2.61
3.04
1.33
1.61
3.50
1.96
1 2.03
2 1.77
0 2.40
1 2.09
6 1.86
12 2.03
Totals 288-189-80 61 2.23
► Won Vezina Trophy (goalies),
1994-95, 1997-99, 2001
► Won Hart Trophy (MVP),
1997-98
► Won Lester B. Pearson
Award (outstanding
player), 1997-98
SOURCE: Associated Press
regret the decision to retire.
“After I won the Cup, I had the feeling
that I had achieved everything in hockey,” he
said. “Without motivation, you shouldn’t
play — at least in my case. After one year
not playing in goal ... I feel I am ready to
play professional hockey again.”
Hasek is a six-time Vezina Trophy winner
as the NHL’s best goalie, two-time Hart
Trophy winner as the league’s most valuable
player and an Olympic gold medalist from
the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
It’s unclear how Hasek’s situation could
affect Detroit’s bid to retain key veteran
players that have yet to sign for the upcom
ing season.
If the Red Wings trade Joseph, they like
ly will have to pick up a portion of his salary
next season, diminishing the cash available
to pay other players.
Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman and Igor
Larionov are unrestricted free agents. Last
week, Detroit spent millions on free agent
defenseman Derian Hatcher.