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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2004)
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Test Prep and Admissions 1-800-KAP-TEST kaptest.com/business Williams’ future with Astros on shaky ground By Joel Anderson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Carlos Beltran left a team that was 15 1/2 games out of first place for one that believed he was the missing piece for its last-ditch effort to get to the World Series. Turns out, Beltran might be no closer to the postseason in Hous ton than he was in Kansas City. “I can’t believe it,” Beltran said Monday at an All-Star game news conference. “It’s like nothing is going our way. We need to start moving in the division because time is running out. We need to change the way we play the game.” Left unsaid was whether those changes need to start with man ager Jimy Williams. Speculation about Williams’ job security intensified Mon day, a day after the Astros lost their sixth game in eight days to finish the first half of the season in fifth place in the NL Central. The Astros are 10 1/2 games behind division leader St. Louis — the first time they’ve faced a double-digit deficit in the stand ings at the break in 11 seasons. “Maybe what this club needs is a little break,” said Williams, who is one of the NL All-Star team’s coaches. “No, we're not getting the results that we want. We know that. We know where we are and what we have to do. Maybe we can get this thing turned around.” Astros owner Drayton McLane and general manager Gerry Hunsicker have pub licly expressed support for the embattled manager, but their patience may be waning as the Astros chances of catching the Cardinals slowly slips away. Williams has guided the As tros to two second-place finish es, losing the division race last season in the final week. Much more was expected this season with the free-agent signings of former New York Yankees teammates Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. “It’s been very disappoint ing,” Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell said. “Obviously, we thought we’d be playing a lot better at this point than we are right now.” The Astros have been surpris ingly punchless on offense, rank ing only 19th in the majors in scor ing. Their highly touted pitching staff has struggled as both Pettitte and Wade Miller have spent time on the disabled list. And Beltran hasn’t been the quick fix they ex pected, hitting .263. Clemens acknowledged that the Astros’ struggles have put a damper on his comeback from a 78-day “retirement.” “That’s kind of your worst nightmare when you make these decisions,” Clemens said. "Re gardless if I’m playing well or not, I want to see smiles on the guys next to me.“ Hunsicker has repeatedly emphasized that the club has loaded up solely for an autumn finish — Beltran is a free agent, Clemens was coaxed out of re tirement, Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio are in the final years of their contracts and Bagwell is nearing the end of his career. Lakers, Clippers await decision from Bryant by cnns snenaan THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kobe Bryant wasn’t tipping his hand Tuesday night as the clock ticked down on the final hours of the NBA’s two-week moratorium on trades and free agent signings. Eager to learn his choice but uncertain when that decision might come, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clip pers awaited word from Bryant or one of his agents. Both clubs made formal presentations to the free agent guard on Monday night. The end of the moratorium came just two hours after the league released the new salary cap of $43.87 million for the 2004-05 season. Bryant is eligible to receive a starting salary equal to 105 percent of his 2003-04 salary of $13.5 million, but the Clippers have only $ 11.65 million of cap room — meaning they would have to trade at least one other player in the next few days to get far enough under the cap to offer Bryant a maximum deal. Several lesser free agents also were awaiting salary cap calculations to determine the amount of the average salary, which will be the starting sal ary in 2004-05 for any of them who receive the full midlevel exception from a team already over the salary cap. It came in at $4.9 million. While Bryant made ev eryone in Los Angeles wait, the process of trading Sha- quille O'Neal was being set in motion. The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were expected to complete a deal Wednesday sending O’Neal to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick. A few free agents were ex pected to sign offer sheets af ter the moratorium expired at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, while others — most notably Steve Nash going from Dallas to Phoenix — would finally be allowed to sign the deals they agreed to during the first two weeks of this month. Among the top free agents whose plans were not yet known were Rasheed Wallace of the NBA champion Detroit Pistons, Erick Dampier of the Golden State Warriors, Karl Malone of the Los Angeles Lakers, Vlade Divac of Sacramento, Derek Fisher of the Lakers, Darius Miles of Portland and Kenyon Martin of New Jersey. Malone, puzzled by the breakup of the Lakers, was be ing courted by the Spurs. “Without a doubt I’m se rious (about the Spurs),” Malone said. “I’ve had seri ous dialogue with them, and more than once. I’ve talked to Coach (Gregg) Popovich two or three times and (general manager) R.C. (Buford) one or two times. They call about every other day. I’ve had great dialogue with them.” Rangers second baseman Alfonso Soriono hits a three-run I the top of the first inning of the 2004 MLB All-Star game in Houstail Armstrong set for toils Tour de France stages By John Leicester THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Move over sprinters, time for climbers to shine. The charge for the Tour de France title intensifies with the first mountain stage — a chance for five-time cha Lance Armstrong and other contenders to test their legs mightier battles in the Pyrenees and Alps, “It will he hard, especially if the race starts a did today,” Armstrong said after Tuesday’s ninth stage. "AiL people will be going home if it starts like that.” Armstrong remained in sixth place overall, finishing44tlil| day behind stage winner Robbie McEwen of Australia. Tli;J year-old Texan is 9 minutes, 35 seconds behind leader Ik! Voeckler of France. Wednesday’s 147-mile trek through the Massif Central of:«! France is the longest of this Tour and has nine climbs, inclufai most difficult so far — 3 1/2-mile ascent to 5,243 feet, 'jfts| steeper as it goes up. “It’s going to be tough ... up and down all day,” Armstrong said. “Unfortunately, it’s a stage we haven’t seen. It’s a hard day ahead.” He acknowledged that his team mates are “a little anxious” hut insisted “they will be ready.” ' The team is great and healthy,” he added. “Everyone’s recovered from their small crashes.” Sprinters who have dominated the mostly flat early stages will struggle. Such speedsters in clude McEwen. Climbers and all-arounders like Armstrong will move to the fore — possibly offering an early look at howst| the main contenders are. “The Tour starts now,” American Tyler Hamilton, al teammate and rival of Armstrong’s, on Monday’s rest day. | upcoming stages will really show who is here to win.” Even with one bad leg, McEwen was still the quickest riderol| first half of the three-week Tour. Head down, the Australian put on a burst of speed to winlj day’s ninth stage, racing along the barriers and pushing his»l over the line just ahead of Norwegian champion Thor Husli Armstrong, who has been saving his strength for the to likely decisive last week, finished comfortably in the mainpacl| Ullrich, his main rival, was 25th. Both finished in the samel McEwen's 3 hours, 32 minutes, 55 seconds. The hilly 99 1/2-mile stage, the shortest this year except foil trial courses, started in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat in central Fnj the hometown of retired Tour great Raymond Poulidor. He isle by fans even though he never won the showcase race — 1 either second or third a record eight times between 1962 and 1| McEwen became the first rider to win two stages at this Touij when he set out Tuesday, he wasn’t even sure he’d make it to ish. Banged up in a mass crash on Friday, he rode with a sore! knee and said he started the day thinking, “I just hope I survive,j “It’s a beautiful victory,” the 32-year-old McEwen said, all of my energy to that sprint.” Spain’s Inigo Landaluze and Italian rider Filippo Simeonilrf| win snatched away. They pedaled way out in front of the i for much of the race, but were gradually reeled in and overtaM McEwen, Hushovd and other sprinters in the mass dash to the Need a Tutor 99Tutors.com helpful, friendly tutors for all so# u, . It s going to betough...upanc down all day. — Lance Armstr Tour de Francerik Apply at www.99Tutors.com just because you're a student doesrn mean you have to live like one, or be treated like one. rpAggieland Depo coming august 2004 www.warehouseapartments.com .aggieland-depc Are you on the dean’s list? C au ^- bS0 3680
