The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 29, 2000, Page 12, Image 12
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 ■
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