16- The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 16, 1998
Sosa misses chance to
go ahead of McGwire
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Gary Gaetti, not Sammy
Sosa, hit the big home run for the Chicago Cubs.
Still, it took a lucky bounce on the game's final
play in the 10th inning for the Cubs to hold off the
San Diego Padres 4-3 yesterday and keep their
wild-card lead.
The day began with Sosa getting the ball back
from his 63rd home run, a grand slam in
Wednesday night's 6-3 win. The afternoon ended
with the Cubs one game ahead of idle New York in
the race for the final NL playoff spot.
Gaetti hit a leadoff home run in the 10th against
Trevor Hoffman (4-2), only the second allowed by
THE &tig TALLY
SoSA:
63
McGWIRE:
63
YESTERDAY:
0-4, WALK
YESTERDAY:
DID NOT PLAY
and one walk.
Before the game, Fabian Perez Mercado of
Tijuana, Mexico, turned over the ball from Sosa's
slam, which tied Mark McGwire in the home r
record chase.
Every time Sosa came to bat, fans in the outfield
seats held up huge targets. One fan brought a
"Sammy Slam-O-Meter" set on 63. A few fans had
Dominican flags.
Some also seemed to want to salve the Padres
players' bruised feelings from Wednesday night,
when they were angered by the overwhelming tan
response for Sosa's grand slam.
Some players said they felt they were playing a
road game.
As the Padres took the field to start the game,
someone unfurled a banner that said, "We're :
You, Padres." There were scattered boos when Sosa
was introduced in the eighth inning, and louder
boos when Randy Myers walked him on four
straight pitches.
Hoffman, who leads the majors with 50 saves,
opened the 10th with the scored tied at 3.
Gaetti, signed last month after being cut by St.
Louis, hit a 1-0 pitch into the seats in left-center for
his 18th homer.
The Padres have lost three straight and four ou
five since clinching the NL West title Satur
night.
Tony Gwynn hit his 14th homer leading off the
Padres eighth to tie the game at 3. He also singled
leading off the 10th before being replaced by pinch-
runner Mouton.
Mark Grace hit RBI singles in consecutive at-
bats, tying the game at 2 in the sixth and giving the
Cubs a 3-2 lead in the eighth.
Chicago's Mickey Morandini homered off an
advertising sign hanging on the right-field wall in
the first. The umpires initially ruled it a ground-r"
double. Morandini protested and the umpires hu
'ited. then waved him home. It wa hie eighth.
The Padres went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the
inning on Wally Joyner's double and Andy Sheets'
single, both with two out.
the relief ace this season.
Rod Beck barely dodged a jam in the bottom half
to earn his career-high 49th save in his 55th oppor-
tunity.
With James Mouton on third and two outs,
Carlos Hernandez hit a grounder that glanced off
Beck's body to shortstop Jose Hernandez, who
threw across his body to just beat the runner at first.
The Padres argued the call to no avail.
The Cubs won the final three of the four-game
series, and have won five of six overall.
Felix Heredia (3-3) got the final two outs of the
ninth inning for the win.
Sosa, who lifted two high fly balls to center field,
went 0-for-4 with a walk. He finished the series 4-
for-18 with the homer, six RBIs, seven strikeouts
AP PHOTO
Sammy Sosa holds up the ball he hit for his 63rd home run. Fabian Perez Mercado of Tijuana, Mexico caught the ball. Mercado then gave the ball
to his 2-year-old son, Carlos Fabian Perez, who presented it to the Dominican hero.
Goss joins NCAA committee to consider changing regulations
By Rick Freeman
Daily Sports Writer
Wednesday, Michigan athletic director Tom Goss accepted a
position on the NCAA's Blue Ribbon comittee to reform college
basketball. He will be joining 26 other officials on the comittee,
which will be chaired by Syracuse Chancellor Kenneth Shaw.
Ever since he took his current job on Sept. 8, 1997, Goss has
said he was opposed to the idea of freshman eligibilty in the
sport.
But Tom Jernstedt, senior Vice President of the NCAA, said
"there are no preconceived solutions," to this problem, and that
"(Goss) will be one of 27 members" on the comittee.
The goal of the comittee is to "clean up basketball, put the
recruiting back into high schools, and force the NCAA to take
some responsible roles," Goss said.
Jernstedt further expounded on the goals of the comittee, list-
ing recruiting, players' "summer environment," the influence of
non-school officials, including apparel companies, on college
basketball.
Also to be studied by the group are the influences of agents,
the image of college basketball and the welfare of student-ath-
letes.
"Division I men's and women's basketball have become
extremely popular," Shaw said in a released statement.
"Millions of people watch games on television each year, and
the men's and women's tournaments acccount for a significant
portion of the NCAA's revenues.
Jernstedt placed the figure at 80 percent of NCAA revenues
and added, "We've never had an examination of this magni-
tude."
There are several other prominent figures on the comittee
other than Shaw, who stepped down as chair of the NCAA
Division I Board of Directors to head the comittee.
"I think this is a good step," Goss said, "creating this Blue
Ribbon comitttee that they have created."
Other prominent figures in intercollegiate athletics who will
serve on the committee are President Willian Kirwan of Ohio
State University and former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.
Shaw believes the group is essential to keeping NCAA bas-
ketball going.
"It is an appropriate endeavor to include a periodic exami-
nation of those activities that are essential to the continued fis-
cal viability of an organization," Shaw said. "For the NCAA, it's
basketball. Basketball is the association's most important asset."
In a telephone news conference Thursday, Shaw said the
group will meet six times over the next year and collect infor-
mation from high school and junior college associations, as well
as the AAU, coaches, apparel and equipment companies, the
media and athletes.
He declined to speculate on what action the NCAA might
take.
"We have many issues to consider," he said.
Shaw indicated there may be some interest in discussing the
small amount of funds available to a small percentage of bas-
ketball players for such things as emergency trips home and
winter clothing.
"I don't know there's any issue that can't be put on table,"
Shaw said. "But I'd have to tell you that in conversations o r
the years with college presidents, they have some difficulty 0
our student-athletes not being students. They have difficulty
with the concept that they're paid professionals. It would be
very hard for the NCAA to be in a position where it's a semipro
or professional organization as far as revenue sports."
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
?blt 80me o e in YOJ1 ,1r j)2
NATHAN RUFFER l0
Athletic director Tom Goss was named to a 27-person comittee to study possible
reforms in collge basketball Wednesday.
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