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Schedule ■ Women’s Soccer at Wake Forest, 7 p.m. ■ Volleyball vs. N.C. A&T, Wednesday Wic (5amecock page 9 Was Lou % wooed to USC by Hodges? by Pete Iacobelli Associated Press Fort Mill - Freshman Democratic Gov. % Jim Hodges might have made the most pop ular call of his administration well before he ever slid into the governor's chair. It was a phone call to talk football coach Lou Holtz into joining South Carolina. “I'm probably getting some credit that I shouldn't,” Hodges said at Knights Castle this week, as he took in a game with sons 6 year-old Luke and 3-year-old Sam. It's hard to say what thrilled Hodges, a South Carolinagraduate, more last fall - his election or Holtz's hiring. The governor's friend and sometimes tennis partner, Rep. Doug Jennings, D-Ben nettsville, says Hodges cherishes sports, bringing a fan's viewpoint to understand ing what the games mean to South Car olinians. “He’s a true fan who’s a very, very • knowledgeable fan,” said Jennings, who shared Carolina Panthers season tickets with Hodges in 1995-96. The two also have been to the Atlantic Coast Conference basket ball tournament. “He could probably name you the starting five for any ACC team,” Jennings said. Hodges won't brag on his achievements or boast about facts, but will leave you shak ing your head with his thorough knowledge, Jennings said. Sports has proved a solace for Hodges. The governor said would come in late at night last fall after a stump speech in Al lendale or Easley and check’the home runs for Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He is an Atlanta Braves fan who starts his morn ing by checking boxscores. “Sports is just a natural mental break for me,” he said. It’s also big business in South Carolina. 0i Clemson’s and South Carolina’s athlet ics departments each are the equivalent of $30 million corporations. The PGA Tour's MCI Classic and WTA's Family Circle Cup bring in $70 million to Hilton Head Island, the island's chamber of commerce says. Fans spend about $60 million at Darlington Race way's two Winston Cup events. The state Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department says the golf industry is worth $1.2 billion tn C'arnlina Hodges said he has already wooed busi ness clients at the MCI Classic golf tourna ment at Harbour Town this past April and was making plans for the same at next week's Southern 500 NASCAR race at Darlington. If Hodges' defeat of Republican incum bent David Beasley last year surprised some, -fcit worried others at South Carolina's high * profile events. “It made me a little nervous... to go from a personal friend where I had a com fort level to something else,” said Darling ton Raceway President Jim Hunter, who re ceived a proclamation from Hodges honoring the track's 50th Southern 500. But meetings with Hodges persuaded Hunter the governor would fight to keep Darlington's two Winston Cup races. “I feel as good as I've ever felt,” Hunter said. Hodges hopes his children eventually value sports as he does. He can instantly con nect with his older brother, a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, over baseball. "There are friendships you develop through sports, friendships that stick with you,” he said. _ 1 In other parts of the world, it's called football... Sean Rayford photo editor Back, USC midfielder Ryan Stocking defends a member of the U-17 National Team as he tries for a head er during Wednesday night's scrimmage at The Graveyard. Carolina went on to lose the match, 2-1. U-17s ambush USC by Shawn Singleton Staff Writer DeMarcus Beasley scored two goals and Bobby Convey added an assist as the Un der-17 U.S.Men's National Team beat the Gamecocks in soccer, 2-1. The bats that circled Stone Stadium during halftime pro vided an eerie sense of foreboding, even though USC went in with 1-0 lead. Sopho more Joey Worthen nailed USC’s goal in the 37th minute of the first half. Fresh man David Testo got credit for an assist on the goal. For most of the second half, however, the Nationals used a swarming defense to keep the Gamecocks pinned on their own dhd. "We put back in our starting lineup for the second half. They provided some fresh legs for us, and we put as much presr sure as we could on them," National Team coach John Ellinger said. Ellinger also said his team's advantages were its "youth and speed." USC coach . Mark Berson saw it differently, however. "I don't think it was their speed that beat us. We didn't link up our passes as well as we should have, but it takes a little time," he said. "I think nerves got to us a little and we weren't able to handle theif pressure the way we should have," Worthen added. The Gamecocks outshot the National Team 12-10, losing two valuable scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes of play when one potential goal sailed wide and an other caromed off the post. On the other side, the National Team, behind Beasley, took advantage of their Soccer see page io Olympic Fall Sports Luncheon Fall athletics beaming with confidence Hobnobbing with the good and great of USCfall athletics by Jared Kelowitz Assistant Sports Editor Players and coaches from several sports at USC were the featured guests at the annual fall Olympic sports lun cheon Thursday. Held in the Frank McGuire Room of the Volleyball Competition Facility, the luncheon was marked with high hopes for the coming athletic season. The proceedings were kicked off by USC Athletics Di rector Mike McGee. McGee recounted some of the year’s more memorable moments and then wished for more to come in 1999. “ Last year, the University of South Carolina finished 27th in the nation in the Sears Cup. That was our best finish ever, by far. This year, we hope to double last year’s success by cutting our rank in half,” McGee said. The Sears Cup is an award given to a university athletic department for having the most overall successful sports program in the country. The winner is determined by an awarding of points ac cording to each team’s national ranking in each sport. The institution with the most total points receives the cup. Some key moments that McGee mentioned in his speech included the following. Last year was the first time four fall sports programs went to the NCAA Tournament in their respective events (men’s and women’s soccer, eques trian and volleyball), soccer coach Mark Berson recorded his 300th career victory against the No. 1-ranked UGLA Bruins, and volleyball coach Kim Christopher recorded her fourth 20-plus win season. After McGee spoke, women’s soccer coach Sue Kel ly took the floor. Kelly spoke of last season’s success, her strong recruiting class and some of her returning play ers. “We have a very strong class of incoming freshmen, players who can fill many positions. Becker Leeper, a fresh man midfielder, as of right now is slotted to start Friday,” Kelly said. Some other newcomers who are expected to play a big role are Kelty Hudson and Corine Creech, both of whom, are coming to USC from Spring Valley High School. Goalkeeper Elise Matthews is also expected to make an immediate impact. Kelly also seemed very excited with the meshing of freshmen and senior talent. “The team has a tremendous amount of chemistry and a fabulous work ethic. The seniors especially seem very ready, and they are quite capable of being good lead ers,” Kelly said. After Kelly, volleyball coach Kim Christopher spoke about her team’s prospects for the 1999 season. Christo pher, who starts this season a mere six wins away from the 300 plateau, seems to be beaming with confidence. “This might be the best preseason we’ve ever had here at Carolina. We are more athletic and aggressive than ever, and more importantly, everyone is getting along with one another,” Christopher said. “Our main goal this season is to get into the top 25 na tional rankings, and to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAAs,” she said. After Christopher spoke of her team’s aspirations, she announced her team captains for 1999. Sophomore Cally Plummer and senior Crystal Moore will share the title this year. “This year, we want to get to the NCAAs like last year, but we want to improve upon the results of the tournament. Actually, we want to advance past the first or second round, and just continue to improve until we eventually win it all,” said Plummer, who is a preseason All-Conference pick. USC men’s soccer coach Mark Berson concluded the luncheon. Berson, the winningest soccer coach in Car olina history, started off by talking about his lethal combi nation of returning starters and incoming freshmen. “This year, we have a great mix of youth and experi ence. On the offensive side of the ball, we have some re turners, but some freshmen will also play an important role on that side of the ball. However, our defensive unit re turns every starter from last season,” Berson said. One coach who needs to be mentioned, but could not make an appearance Thursday afternoon, is men’s and women’s track coach Curtis Frye. Frye was named Coach of the Year last year in both the fall and spring seasons. Frye was also chosen as an as sistant coach of the U.S. national team at the World Track and Field Championships. THE SLATE (Late Games not included) National League Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str Atlanta 80 49 .620 - 8-2 W-7 New York 78 50 .609 1.5 7-3 W-l Philadelphia 67 59 .532 11.5 5-5 W-2 Montreal 53 73 .421 25.5 5-5 W-3 Florida 50 76 .397 28.5 2-8 L-6 Central Division Houston 76 52 .594 - 6-4 L-l Cincinnati 73 52 .584 1.5 5-5 L-3 Pittsbuigh 63 65 .492 13 4-6 W-2 St. Louis 63 65 .492 13 4-6 L-3 Milwaukee 56 70 .444 19 2-8 L-l Chicago 53 73 .421 22 2-8 W-l * West Division Arizona 76 52 .594 - 9-1 W-6 San Fransisco 67 60 .528 8.5 8-2 L-l Los Angeles 58 69 .457 17.5 5-5 L-l San Diego 57 71 .445 19 3-7 W-l Colorado 57 72 .442 17.5 5-5 L-2 >, k American League Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str New York 77 49 .611 - 6-4 L-l Boston 69 58 .543 8.5 4-6 L-l Toronto 69 60 .535 9.5 4-6 W-3 Baltimore 57 69 .452 20 6-4 L-l Tampa Bay 57 71 .445 21 7-3 W-l Central Division Cleveland 77 49 .611 - 5-5 W-l Chicago 61 66 .480 16.5 6-4 L-l Minnesota 52 73 .416 24.5 2-8 W-l Kansas City 50 76 .397 27 3-7 W-l Detroit 49 77 .389 28 3-7 L-3 West Division Texas 76 52 .594 - 7-3 W-l Oakland 69 58 .543 6.5 5-5 L-l Seattle 63 63 .500 12 7-3 W-3 Anaheim 51 75 .405 24 3-7 L-2 i m Thursday’s Top News • Randy Johnson reach es 300 strikeouts in 29 starts, fastest in history • Dolphins’ Tony Martin acquitted in money laundering case • Galloway says he might sit out entire sea son after contract dis pute with Seahawks • Rodman expects to be back with Lakers • Roberto Clemente’s nephew makes name for himself in Colorado • Cardinals dump former Gamecock Ernest Dye from payroll ... Todd Money Money in the Bank Baseball rides again o would’ve thought it? Just a / ttle more than five years ago, . ro baseball, my favorite sport, was shipped off to the Phantom Zone of the sports world by its own doing. In 'I its quest for power, baseball’s owners, players and especially its "negotiators" had neglected to consider what might happen if the game didn’t exist. Suddenly, it didn’t. The pro baseball world stopped. And the strike of 1994 began. Television networks raged. Well meaning sports journalists (we all are) took sides, most of them uiging baseball fans to quit supporting a game that didn’t love them anymore. Major league base ball was put on hold, and its fans found other things to do. After all,-1994 was the year of - Michael Jordan’s entry into the minor leagues. 1 he game would never recover, the a journalists said. It’s just a business, any- ~ way, they said, full of conceited money makers who would never be able to re pay such a debt to their fans. Well, it has recovered. And the events of 1994 might as well have hap pened 30 years ago. Yes, baseball is def initely back. It could even be said that the game has found the foothold in Amer ican popular culture that it lost from the strike and expanded it a little,‘secured it. And that’s good. Why? Because base ball, while far from being incorrupt, still retains a great number of qualities the three other major sports in this country - can only wish for. (Sorry, golf and rasslin’ Z enthusiasts. Read, leam and hope.) First, unlike foothill, baseball'sgreat- ' est players don’t normally flijpie out af- ; ter they reach 30. Heck, with a little luck, they get even better. Take the Mets’ Rickey Henderson, > who’s at least 9,000 years old, but is still ,/_ playing his heart out for a contender and leading the national league in stolen bases. J Or Toronto’s Tony Fernandez, who, * with 17 years in the big leagues, has led his league in hitting for much of this sea son. A .338 batting average? NFLers, imagine if, say, Tony Dorsett were still running for 1,000 yards a year. Second, pro baseball players don’t really carry the same arrogant, con temptuous tag NBA players do. Sure, there’s always Albert Belle. * And a baseball pitcher can make $8 mil lion or $10 million and still feel the need .A to peg a batter in the head once in a while. But that’s tradition. The NBA, with its 15-point quar- ,r ters and teen-age "superstars," can hard ly call itself a professional league any- > more. In fact, the fledgling WNBA is . more deserving of that title. Oh yeah, and remember the NBA’s - labor troubles over last winter? You’re <i an average basketball player in that league making around, say, $2 million a year. - o All you’re really interested in is keep ing your job. How’d you like Alonzo "The Scowl" Mourning or Patrick "The Ultimate Choke" Ewing "negotiating" for you? , Pro hockey has the worst disadvantage of all, of course. Eighty-two years since its inception, it’s a sport that has never appealed to mi- I norities and has no will to do so? Give f us a break. Baseball is back, and it has helped it self out in so many ways in 1999. You want pennant races? They’re all over the place, from Oak land to Atlanta. Superstars? Mark McG wire and Sammy Sosa, two of the most likable guys anywhere, now have their own permanent etchings in history after ,, breaking baseball’s home run record in * 1998. Wherever they go, crowds 2 flock, and more and more people are in- -■* troduced to the game every day because of them. Attendance? Bigger numbers than »> ever. National exposure? How about > huge, long-term TV deals and ads in all . kinds of media at a level comparable to, well, other sports. 1 never thought I’d see Javier Lopez in a commercial for hats. J Fan excitement? Ask anyone who watched July’s Home Run Derby, or anyone whose favorite team is getting a new stadium soon, if they haven’t al ready. Legends? Baseball employs at least nine definite, future hall-of-famers, out ^ of whom all but one could still make » an all-star team. - Baseball is back, and it’s probably » going to be here a while. All the bet- <Z ter.