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Gamecock Sports Upcoming baseball season offers redemption for hoops, football Kyle Almond Staff Writer When the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets face off today in the “Open ing Series,” Major League Baseball will begin its first season of the new millen nium. And all I can say is THANK GOD! Just like you, my NCAA basketball bracket was tom to shreds. Fifty-two-year old Brian Cardinal and super freshman Joe Forte managed to prove to the world that I have no idea what I’m do ing when March Madness comes around. (In fact, I still wake up in a cold sweat at night, scared that the ghost of James Nai smith will punish me severely for pick ing the Oklahoma Sooners to make it to the Final Four.) Earlier this year, Kurt V&mer, com plete with his Sonic The Hedgehog look alike wife and Isaac Bruce, taught me that I don’t know a thing about pro football either, when he led the Rams to the NFL title. So you can see why I need baseball. It’s a return to normalcy. I know I can count on baseball to assure me that hell hasn’t frozen over and pigs definitely don’t fly. You see, in MLB, you can pretty much predict that the teams with the high payrolls, the Yankees, Braves and Indi ans, will cruise into the postseason without much trouble, and teams with small pockets, like the Royals, Twins and Marlins, will be in the cellar. This fact will never change because baseball, un like football and basketball, has no salary cap. Yes, baseball is here to save me and my sensitive sports ego. However, even as America’s Pastime remains fairly constant, there are a few new things to look forward to this season. And in case you haven’t been paying much attention to baseball in the off-season, I am here to bring you up to speed. This . way, we can all feel a little smarter. And after Wisconsin’s rise to the Fi nal Four, I’m sure we can all use the ex tra knowledge. 1. Pedro Martinez isn’t human. No mortal man can be this good. His change up is absolutely unfair and moves more than half the girls you see on MTV’s Spring Break. Witch a Red Sox game and just ad mire the best player in baseball. 2. This is the best season to be a Milwaukee Brewers season ticket hold er. No, the Brew Crew is still trash, but they have a brand-new stadium in Miller Park, and now with Ken Griffey Jr. be coming a Cincinnati Red, Milwaukee will see a fair share of him, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa - the three premier slug gers in baseball, and all in the NL Central division. 3. With the acquisition of free agent starter Chuck Finley, the Indians, who scored a ridiculously high 1,009 runs last season, now have two money pitchers (aloqg with Bartolo Colon) for the play offs. 4. The previously mentioned “Open ing Series” between the Mets and the Cubs will be played in Tokyo. It is the first time baseball’s first games of the regular sea son haven’t been played in America. It was originally supposed to feature the Cardinals, but McGwire was a big op ponent of the idea, and MLB threw in the Cubs instead. 5. Team on the Rise- the A’s. They’ve got tons of power with Jason Giambi and Matt Stairs, a budding star in Ben Grieve and the best pitcher you haven’t heard of, Tim Hudson. 6k Team on the Decline - the Orioles. They’re too old and Albert Belle is a club house leader like Darryl Strawberry is drug-free. Chalk it up to poor manage ment: the O’s could still have Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown and Rafael Palmeiro if it wasn’t for shoddy decision making. And finally, my picks for the sea son, and a shot at personal redemption: NLMVP: The Expos’ Vladimir Guer rero. ALMVP: Martinez. CHAMPIONS: The Mets over the Indians in... seven games. Sorry Braves fans. No Smoltz equals No Ring. Enjoy the season! Hall from page 11 “Coaching’s not about the acco lades, or the pats on the back or the plaques, it’s about people,” Raines said. “It’s caring about each other.” “I wanted those guys to graduate. Do something with your life to help other people,” Raines added. “ I’ll be honest with you, most of them have. I’m very proud of that fact. And that’s what makes me proud to be a Game cock.” Raines also took time to thank his wife, Elaine. “You’ve seen me through the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly,” Raines said. “But you’ve always been there with me, and I love you for it.” During his career with Gamecock baseball, Raines went to the NCAA playoffs 11 times and advanced to the College World Series four times. He also placed 55 percent of his teams in the Top 25 and 25 percent in the Top 10. “Twenty-three wonderful years here at Carolina,” Raines said in clos ing. “And I really only had one bad day. But tonight makes that bad day look as of the sun is shining all over again.” The three inductees were added to the 54-member Hall of Fame as its 23rd class. The Hall, chartered in 1967, also has inducted Gamecock greats such as Heisman Trophy winner Geoige Rogers, former all-time leading USC scorer and NBA legend Alex English, former basketball coach Frank McGuire and NFL head coach Dan Reeves. Fogler from page 11 Kitchings finished in the top five of USC scorers. Also, Ivan Howell opened eyes by coming off the bench in four confer ence games and playing perfect offen sively. The Columbia native made all sev en of his attempted field goals (six of them 3-pointers) and both free throws to score 22 points in just 11 minutes of SEC play. Fogler was rewarded for his efforts by being granted a new contract from USC Athletics Director Mike McGee. Although McGee has said before he does n’t like to renew contracts after losing seasons, Fogler was given a one-year ex- - tension on the basis of accomplishing four goals in the next year - finishing in the top half of the SEC, going to the NCAA Tournament, beating Clemson (Fogler is 1-6 against the Tigers at USC, with the one win coming in his first season) and continuing the team’s progress in the class room. “The goal should be the NCAA Tour nament every year,” Fogler said. “That’s not realistic. Wfe’ve been to seven NCAA tournaments in the history of the uni versity. Arkansas has been nine of the last ten years, Kentucky has been nine of the last ten years. The other ten teams in the Southeastern Conference, no one has been more than four times in the last ten years, so why would it be realistic all of a sudden, for any of us, to go every year?” Although Fogler disagrees with McGee’s expectations on that point, he isn’t trying to start a dispute with him. Fogler, who has taken two of USC’s seven teams to the Big Dance, said he simply disagrees on that point. “Twenty percent of the NCAA teams go to the tournament,” Fogler said. “It is really hard to go. Before we can be an NCAA tournament team every year, I’d like to think we can do it more consis tently.” Fogler is welcoming back a solid nu cleus of returning players, along with a three-player recruiting class ranked in the Top 25 in the nation. Besides Michael Boynton and Greg Taylor, Fogler also signed McDonald’s All-American Rolan do Howell for his returning team. “Wfe are positioned now to make an other run at I think an SEC championship caliber team in the next three years,” Fogler said. “Hopefully a run in post-sea son play.” Will Carolina beat Clemson next year to meet another of McGee’s criteria? “I don’t know,” Fogler said. “Even tually. South Carolina State will win [in Columbia] eventually. You know? Every thing comes to an end.” Whatever the case, Gamecock fans’ hopes are high for the 2000-01 Game cock squad. This year’s fast-paced finish has made fans realize the team could of fer a few surpises in the future. “Expectations are too high,” Fogler said. “I’m glad. We have good numbers now, we will just add on to what we’re doing. We just get better at what we’re doing and add on a little bit more because we’ve got a lot of people back.” The team could get extra practice over the summer if Fogler decides on an abroad trip, where the team would play in different countries. However, neither the trip or the team’s 2000-01 schedule has been finalized. per polls, which were announced Mon day. The.24-3 Gamecocks won one of three games at LSU this weekend and de feated Wofford 17-2 earlier in the week. The Gamecocks were ranked second in the Collegiate Baseball poll and third in Baseball America's ballot last week. Following Tuesday’s home game against College of Charleston, the Game : cocks will take on Hon tonight at 7 p.m., and Will play host to Alabama in a SEC weekend series beginning Friday at 7 p.m. Men’s Tennis The South Carolina mens’ tennis team traveled to Baton Rouge yesterday to face the No. 12 Louisiana State Tigers. After a one-hour rain delay, the Tigers de feated the Gamecocks 7-0 and raised their record to 13-2 and 4-1 in the SEC South Carolina’s Olof Akesson was back in the lineup after missing Fri day’s match against Tennessee due to a sprained ankle, He is the fourth player this season to miss a match because of an ityured ankle. Carolina will play host to Arkansas Friday March 31at 2:00 p.m. at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center. Singles Matches 1. No. 40 Guillaume Legat vs. No. 35 Michael Chmeia LSU 5-7,6-3,1-0 2. No. 58 Roben Steckley vs. No. 20 Tom Hand LSU 6-3,6-3. 3. No. 100 Jerome Jourdon vs. Ajay Ramaswami LSU 6-2,7-5 4. Juan Gamboa vs. Daniel Kieman LSU 6-4,64 5. Seth Rose vs. Jesse Smatt LSU 6 3,6-2 6, Olof Akesson vs. Ed Rubin LSU 4-6,6-2,7-6 Doubles 1. Jourdon/Steckiey vs. No. 21 Chmela/Kieman LSU 8-5 2. Akesson/Legat vs. Hand/Rubin LSU 8-4 3. Gamboa/Neison vs. Smatt/Ra maswami LSU 9-7 Equestrian USC senior Ruth Sorrel and Junior Jennifer Wood will be representing Zone 5 Region II in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association’s National Competi tion in mid-May to be held in Conyers, Ga. Sorrel held a commanding lead in Western Competition all year arid will compete in the AQHA Trophy Class. Wood also led the Hunt Seat Division all year and will compete for the Cacchione Cup. Mundy Bums finished third in West ern and Amy Bell was fourth in Hunt Seat. The Palmetto Health Foundation ^Children’s Hospital of Palmetto Health Congratulate the USC Dance Marathon Executive Committee and the 200 Dancers who raised more than $67,000 for Palmetto Children's Hospital ;j»- Shooting for the *for*:]pj Dancing fop the Dreanstjjfj Siving Hope to the BdsripV USC Dance Marathon Executive Committee 2000 Kate Stewart Tunis Hunt Missy Brazzell Edward Bender Jenn Arp Stacey Brown Aimee Reynolds Kristen Cullen John Willie Dillard Katherine Veldran David Bush Katherine Huckabay Cedric Scott Brandon Moore Reid Sherard Will Busbee Callee Kaiser Lynsey Traynham Melissa Fletcher Meg Derrick April Mann Buzz Lambert Carl Johnson Cindy Benton Thank You Dance Marathon! PALMETTOfHEALTH „ . . ■ FOUNDATION OF PALMETTO HEALTH ■ " _ : ■ . ■ • • ; _|_*_S_ I m —■ 1 ———