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. 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