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___Sports_ The umpires strike back By Ronald Blum Associated Press Philadelphia - In what might be their last chance to save 22 jobs, umpires went before a federal judge Tuesday asking for an injunction against the Amer ican and National leagues. Tire Major League Umpire%Association, in papers filed Monday in U.S. Disnict Court, claimed the 22 are,being terminated against their will. Union head Richie Phillips said “permanent unemployment... is a virtual certainty” without a court order. “The leagues’ refusal to retain the 22 umpires, fully a third of the um pire work force, threatens to complete the destruction of the union's effec tiveness as a collective baigaining agent,” Phillips said in papers filed with the suit. Management lawyers said they think the case is a rehash of earlier alle gations. Baseball said the umpires aren’t being fired, but that it accepted the resignations of the 22, effective after Wednesday’s games, as a result of a failed mass resignation strategy the umpires embarked on after the All Star game. The union filed a grievance against the AL and NL late Friday. Tuesday’s hearing was before U.S. District Judge J. Curtis Joyner. lmmeuiaie injunctive reuei is appropriate ana necessary to maintain me status quo to permit the arbitrator to consider and act upon the dispute,” the 16-page complaint said. “Unless promptly enjoined, the leagues will not cease and desist from their unlawful course of action.” Umpires said they would be irreparably harmed if they are let go, partly because they would lose health insurance. They also sued baseball July 26, but withdrew the case Aug. 16. Baseball says all the matters are covered by either binding arbitration or the National Labor Relations Board. Umpires filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB’s New York regional office Aug. 3, asking the agency to issue a complaint and to seek an injunction. The NLRB has not yet fuled on the chaiges. “We’re still evaluating the evidence,” said Daniel Silverman, the NLRB’s New York regional director, Monday. “I’m still hopeful we’ll have a decision this week.” Presumably in an effort to humanize the case, the complaint listed ali the umpires scheduled to be terminated along with their marital status and the number of children and grandchildren they have. Umpires, who held a series of three conference calls Monday, said the sport would be injured if the 22, who have a combined 355 years of major league experience, were let go. “The baseball-loving public will be harmed by having less than the best umpires in place during this critical portion of the 1999 season, as well as the playoffs,” they said in a a 34-page legal brief filed Monday. The brief began with a quote from President Richard Nixon, who arbi trated a 1985 dispute between umpires and baseball. “The leagues should recognize that umpires have a special relationship to the game, which is different from that of players, ” Nixon said. “Umpires should not be treated as employees, but as judges who are in dependent of both players and owners, whose primary responsibility is to main tain die integrity of the game.” The brief went on to say that, unless the court issues an injunction, base ball “will succeed in destroying two of the most sacred principles in major league baseball: the independence and integrity of major league umpires and the sancdty of arbitrating disputes under the collective baigaining agreement. ” Feiuful baseball would lock them out after their labor contract expires Dec. 31, umpires announced July 14 they would quit en masse to try to force an early start to negotiations. dui uie strategy oaciuireu wnen z / or uie os umpires eimer reiuscu 10 re sign or quickly withdrew their resignations. Baseball then hired 25 new um pires from the minors and accepted 22 resignations, effective Sept. 2, even though all umpires tried to rescind them. Acknowledging that umpires have split into pro- and anti-Pliillips factions, the brief said “the union will effectively be gutted and rendered powerless” if the 22 are let go because they are among the most hard-core supporters of the union leadership. The court case in Philadelphia will be a key to Phillips’ future. “Obviously, if we win tomorrow’s case in court, his stock goes up tremen dously,” NL umpire Terry Tata said. “If not, that’s to be evaluated as time goes along.” Umpires now claim that they never intended to quit and that the resig nations were merely symbolic. They also claimed AL ump Drew Coble, one of the 22, never actually resigned. Bowden not comfortable in Death Valley just yet by Mark Pratt Associated Press Clemson - Tommy Bowden now has his dream job as Clemson’s head coach, but he says soaking up the atmosphere of Death Valley on opening day Saturday against Marshall will have to wait. He won’t savor touching Howard’s Rock. He won't relish sprinting down the hill through a gauntlet of fans. He won’t bask in the adulation of more than 80,000 orange-clad faithful. He’d like to, he said Tuesday. It’s just that he has more pressing matters on his mind, like how the Tigers will deal with the Thundering Herd. “There’s so many problems, not so much with the team, but you’ve got new staff communicat ing on the sidelines for the first time, you’ve got special teams, and those are tilings you wor ry about more so than lining up and running down the hill,” said Bowden, who was hired in De cember. He also has to figure out how to slow down a Marshall team with a clear goal - to go unde feated, just like Bowden’s Tulane team did last year. “We have a really good chance at 13-0 this year,” Marshall linebacker Giradie Mercer said. “All the pieces of the puzzle are here.” Marshall’s returning quarterback, Chad Pen nington, threw for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Running back Doug Chapman is aim ing for his fourth straight 1,000-yard season. They’ll operate behind an offensive line with an enor mous size advantage and the defense returns 10 starters. “They will put a veteran team on the field with depth and that has talent,” Bowden said. In fact, Bowden said he would rather not be opening against a team the caliber of Marshall, which went 12-1 last season, won the Mid-Amer ican Conference title and beat Louisville 48-29 in the Motor City Bowl. Clemscn opened the 1998 and ‘97 seasons with victories over Division I-AA teams. “I’d like a game where I can make some mis takes ... and still win by 21,28 points,” Bowden said. That’s not a sentiment shared by the players. “It’s really important we start off with a I-A team rather than a I-AA team,” junior quarter back Brandon Streeter said. ‘ ’Starting with a good I-A team liki; Marshall will really help us see where we are.” Win or lose, Bowden doesn’t want Clemson fans to rush to judge a team coming off a 3-8 sea son, its worst since 1975. “The problems didn’t happen overnight and the problems can’t be corrected overnight,” he said. “What we’ll start Saturday is a barometer for how far the program has to go.” He has confidence the Tigers, always more at ease with the run than the pass, will feel comfortable in the balanced attack that made Tu lane’s offense so prolific. “I think eventually they will. I just don’t know when they will. I think eventually we'll put a pretty good product on the field offensively,” he said. The Slate (late GAMES NOT included) National League Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str Atlanta 83 50 .624 - 9-1 L-l New York 80 52 .606 2.5 6-4 W-l Philadelphia 67 63 .515 14.5 3-7 L-4 Montreal 55 76 .420 27 5-5 L-l Florida 53 78 .405 29 3-7 L-6 Central Division Houston 78 55 .586 - 5-5 L-l Cincinnati 76 54 .585 .5 5-5 W-l Pittsburgh 65 67 .492 12.5 4-6 W-l St. Louis . 63 69 .477 14.5 1-9 L-7 Milwaukee 57 73 .438 19.5 2-8 L-l Chicago 54 76 .415 22.5 3-7 L-l West Division Arizona 79 53 .598 - 9-1 W-3 San Francisco 70 61 .534 8.5 8-2 W-3 Los Angeles 61 70 .466 17.5 7-3 W-l San Diego 60 72 .455 19 5-5 W-2 Colorado 60 73 .451 19 6-4 L-l Wild Card Race American League W L Pet GB L10 Str Boston 73 58 .557 8.5 6-4 W-4 Oakland 71 60 .542 7.5 5-5 L-2 Toronto 70 63 .526 12.5 5-5 W-l Seattle 65 66 .496 13.5 5-5 W-l Chicago 62 70 .480 19 3-7 L-2 Baltimore 58 73 .446 23 4-6 W-l Tampa Bay 58 73 .443 23.5 6-4 W-l Minnesota 55 74 .426 24.5 5-5 L-l National League New York 80 52 .606 2.5 6-4 W-l Cincinnati 76 54 .585 .5 5-5 W-l San Francisco 70 61 .534 8.5 8-2 W-3 Philadelphia 67 63 .515 14.5 3-7 L-4 Pittsburgh 65 67 .492 12.5 4-6 W-l St. Louis 63 69 .477 14.5 1-9 L-7 Los Angeles 61 70 .466 17.5 7-3 -W-l San Diego 60 72 .455 19 5-5 W-2 American League Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str New York 81 49 .623 - 8-2 W-4 Boston 73 58 .557 8.5 6-4 W-4 Toronto 70 63 .526 12.5 5-5 W-l Baltimore 58 73 .446 23 4-6 W-l Tampa Bay 58 73 .443 23.5 6-4 W-l Central Division Cleveland 80 50 .615 - 7-3 W-l Chicago 62 70 .480 19 3-7 L-2 Minnesota 55 74 .426 24.5 5-5 L-l Detroit 52 78 .400 28 5-5 W-l Kansas City 51 80 .389 29.5 2-8 L-4 West Division Texas 79 53 .598 - 7-3 L-l Oakland 71 60 .542 7.5 5-5 L-2 Seattle 65 66 .496 13.5 5-5 W-l Anaheim 51 79 .392 27 2-8 L-6 Tuesday’s Top News • USC free safety Arturo Freeman reportedly out for four weeks after spleen injury • Pete Sampras withdraws from U.S. Open with ail ing back • Tiger Woods sets new standard in World Golf Rankings • Broncos bypass Bubby Blister, aive starting QB job to Brian Griese, son of Hall of Famer Bob Griese • Florida Panthers’ Dino Cicarelli’s back problems cause him to retire after 19 seasons • Mets’ Edgardo Alfonso joins Ty Cobb as second player in history to go 6-for-6 with three home runs in one game • Former National League MVP Kevin Mitchell arrested Tuesday for assaulting his father Coaches pick Arkansas for SEC cross country titles Cross Country Roundup The Gamecock SEC cross country coaches have picked Arkansas to sweep both men’s and women’s conference titles in 1999. The Arkansas men’s team, which has won eight straight SEC titles, was a nearly unanimous choice to continue that trend. The Razorbacks received all but one first-place vote in the preseason poll. If Arkansas proves the coaches right, it will have captured its 26th straight conference title, dating back to 1974 when UA started its reign of 17 straight South west Conference titles. Alabama second in the men’s poll, received the oth er first-place vote. Tennessee, the 1998 conference run ner-up, was in third with 65 total points behind Arkansas’ 81 and Alabama’s 70. Rounding out the poll were, in order: Florida, Geor gia, Louisiana State, Auburn, Mississippi, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. In the women’s version of the poll, the Lady Ra zorbacks were picked to stay at the top of the SEC af ter winning five straight titles after entering the league in 1991 and another in 1998. Arkansas received 10 first-place votes on the women’s side for a total of 120 points. Florida was given the other two first-place votes and finished with 109 points. Tennessee (100 points), Alabama (83) and Georgia (81) rounded out the top five. The rest of the poll included, in order: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Auburn, Mississippi State, Louisiana State, Kentucky and Mississippi. The 1999 SEC Cross Country Championships, host ed by Vanderbilt, will be held Oct. 30 at the Vaughan’s Creek Course in Nashville, Tenn. SOUTH CAROLINA CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE Fall 1999 Sept 3 Charleston So. Invitational Sept 11 Gamecock Invitational Sept 27 Roy Griak Oct 2 Disney Invitational Oct. 16 S.C. State Championships Oct 30 SEC Championship Nov. 13 NCAA Southeast Regional (at Furman) Nov. 22 NCAA Championships (at Indiana) Kaplan can help. Each year, Kaplan helps thousands of people make the transition to graduate school. In fact, we prepare more students for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, and GMAT than all other major test prep courses combined. 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