14 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 16, 1994
Big changes in baseball
after strike ends season
Associated Press
On the day after the season was canceled, baseball was still in business -
firing managers, laying off workers, refunding tickets and making way for
football.
The Kansas City Royals fired manager Hal McRae on Thursday and began
pulling up the artificial turf at Kauffman Stadium.
The New YorkMets said suspended pitcher Dwight Gooden had again failed
drug tests, leaving his future in limbo. The Pittsburgh Pirates fired four front-
office workers and laid off about a dozen more.
Fans showed up at Yankee Stadium and other ballparks for ticket refunds.
Ptayers began other pursuits-Minnesota.Twins catcher Derek Parks is now an
assistant coach for a girls' soccer team. Umpires, whose contract was to run out
at the end of the season, wondered about their future.
All this a day after owners voted to call off the rest of the season, including the
gtayoffs and World Series, following amonthlong players' strike.
F The owners may soon be able todeclare an impasse in bargaining with players,
permitting them to impose a salary cap. The issue of a cap was the point of
contention in talks between the two sides; there are no new negotiations
$6heduled.
There has been talk that striking players might join anew league being formed
by agent Dick Moss. Potential cities that have been mentioned include St.
Petersburg, Fla., and Buffalo, N.Y., places that have ballparks but no major
league teams.
"Every time somebody wants to start a new league, they call Buffalo," said
kobert Rich Jr., who owns the Triple-A Bisons and the place where they play,
Pilot Field. "It's natural. We're not in it, and we have a beautiful stadium.
"But would we be burning our bridges and potentially eliminating ourselves
from consideration for a major league baseball team?" he said. "That would be
a consideration for me. I'd have to think about it."
The reaction in the rest of the world was lukewarm, at best.
The French sports daily L'Equipe did not mention it. The Times of London
and the Italian newspaper, LaGazzetta dello Sport, put in only a paragraph about
the cancellation.
Although just a few of Japan's sports dailies reported on the cancellation, the
baseball games went on there.
Francisco Cabrera, the hero of the 1992 National League playoffs for the
AtlantaBraves, got a big hit as the Orix Blue Wave beat the Nippon Ham Fighters
5-4, tightening a pennant race in the Pacific League.
Even though the Royals had won 14 in a row and pulled back into the AL
Central race, McRae was fired as manager. General manager Herk Robinson said
the Royals would have a lot of young players next year and that change was
needed.
"We want someone who can understand the young player when they come up
and what they have to go through," Robinson said.
Royals vice president George Brett sat next to Robinson at the announcement
and said he wasn't interested in the job.
"Because then," he said, "you'd have to situp hereone day and tell meI wasn't
coming back."
McRae was dismissed a day after the Texas Rangers fired general manager
Tom Grieve. Rangers president Tom Schieffer said yesterday he hoped to sort out-
asuccessor in the next month
Blue golf attempts to
use seniority advantage
By JOSH KARP
Daily Sports Writer
What do the Michigan men's golf
team and good spaghetti sauce have in
common?
They are both well-seasoned.
The Wolverines have an opportu-
nity to display their veteran squad to-
day in the 54-hole Falcon Invitational
- Michigan's first tournament of the
fall season.
The event takes place at the Air
Force Academy in Colorado Springs,
Colo. The 24-team field, which in-
cludes Big Ten foes Wisconsin and
Minnesota, will play on a mountain
course that measures roughly 6,800
yards.
"A top-ten finish would be a very
respectable finish," Michigan coach
Jim Carras said. "But I honestly think
we'll do better than that."
Last year, the Wolverines placed
11th in the tournament. But with the
emergence of sophomores Kyle Dobbs
and Brent Idalski, who gained invalu-
able experience last season, a higher
finish remains within reach.
"If we just go there and play our
match, then we'll finish in the top ten,"
Dobbs said.
"But if we play well, like I know
that we're capable of, we have a chance
of finishing in the top three."
If the squad falters, however, Carras
says it's not the end of the world.
"One tournament does not make a
season," he said. "And I expect that we
will be progressively better."
But Dobbs feels otherwise, stress-
ing that it is vital the team starts its
season off strong.
"It's very key (to do well)," Dobbs
said. "There's no excuse for saying
'This is our first match.' We have all
had the summer to be primed and ready
to go."
Along with Dobbs and Idalski, se-
nior captain Bill Lyle, junior Chris
Brockway and sophomore David Jas-
per will make the trip. While the others
all got their feet wet last season, Jasper
didn't play at all.
Carras explained that Jasper
clinched a spot on the squad by playing
very well in the team's three qualifying
rounds. Dobbs added thatJasper's play
is improving.
"He's hitting the ball solid and he
played pretty well during the summer,"
Dobbs said. "The thing I'm worried
about is his nerves. If he handles them
OK, then we're (in good shape)."
But which players does Carras ex-
pect the most from?
"I'm expecting a lot from Brent
Idalski," Carras said. "He's kind ofmy
silent hero. He just goes out there and
gets it done. And I would suspect that
(Dobbs)will be one of our top players,
if not our top player."
Carras also said that the Wolver-
ines must shoot consistent rounds.
"If we can shoot under 300 (every
round), we'll be competitive," Carras
said.
And for now, just being competi-
tive is what matters.
AP PHOTO
With the baseball season cancelled, ballparks, such as Wrigley Field
(above), remain empty, except for maintenance workers preparing playing
fields for winter. Talk of a new league formed by agent Dick Moss has
sparked interest amongst many players and several cities.
A The Rachel Brett
t AMES DACHMAN ORREST
Michael Chad
OSENBERG AFRAN
Iowa at Penn State
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Last Week
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