Allen
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
ally be the undoing of the franchise.
Look at the Philadelphia Phillies,
another franchise that was mired
in decades of rot.
Through it all, it had passionate
fans, and finally won a World Series
in 1980, the first title in its check
ered 97-year history.
The city went wild, people
danced in the streets, but aside from
a 1993 Series loss to the Blue Jays,
nobody cared about the Phillies any
' more. The team plays in a half-emp
ty stadium every night, and except
for its wacky mascot and manager,
it has absolutely no buzz about
them.
The same fate would await
Boston, if the beloved Sox ever
climbed baseball’s Everest. For gen
erations, fathers have taught sons
to hate the Yankees, and viscously
hissing and booing their rivals is
just as much a tradition as chowder
and baked beans. The curse, real
or imagined, is what fills Fenway
Park each hopeful April, and pads
the bartabs and therapy bills each
downtrodden October. It is what
makf't- them great fans, but if they
actually beat the Yankees, the Sox
would just be another team.
No sport prides itself in tradition
like baseball, and there is no greater
baseball tradition than Red Sox fans
hating the Yankees. Every now and
then, they should thank a guy
named Ruth for ensuring a lasting
identity for a team he meant to
curse.
Allen is a first-year history
student.
Track
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
the anchor leg. Signee Kenneth
Ferguson ran the leadoff leg and an
other signee Bershawn Jackson ran
the third leg in the semi-finals. The
USA’s time was 3:03.71.
“I saw Lashinda anchor her team
to win a win, so I knew I had to win
too,” said Fortenberry. “All the gold
medals the Gamecocks won tonight
- it shows you how good the school
really is. Coach Frye has done a
wonderful job with both teams this
year and with us at this meet. It’s re
ally incredible. I got the stick in first
j place, and I knew I had to finish
first. I am thrilled.”
1 Comments on this story?E-mail
j gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Jon Fortenberry
and Lashlnda •
Demus proudly
display their
gold medals.
They won at the
World Junior
Track
Championships
In Kingston,
Jamaica, thiS^
past weekend.
In the outing,
USC brought
home a total of
six medals. Two
USC signees
also brought in
gold medals.
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE
GAMECOCK
Iverson case gagged
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA - A judge issued
a gag order in Allen Iverson's as
sault case Monday, saying he want
ed to "buffer" prosecutors and de
fense attorneys from intense media
coverage.
Municipal Court Judge James
DeLeon barred police, the district
attorney’s office and the lawyers in
volved from talking to reporters
about Iverson's criminal case. He
said he would revisit his decision
after Iverson's preliminary hearing,
scheduled for July 29.
"We are putting a bubble over the
proceeding, so that between now
and the time of the preliminary
hearing, the commonwealth and the
defense will have the opportunity
to prepare their case without any
type of problem, as far as publicity
is concerned," DeLeon said.
A reporter for The Philadelphia
Inquirer protested, arguing the pa
per's lawyer should have a chance
to appeal before the gag order was
enforced. DeLeon denied the re
quest.
i nave uie ease now, su 1 uuu i
want to have any unnecessary in
formation when I read the newspa
per on a daily basis that might taint
my decision-making," DeLeon later
told WCAU-TV
The preliminary hearing for
Iverson was scheduled to determine
whether prosecutors have enough
evidence to try the Philadelphia
76ers' guard, who is accused of
storming into a cousin's apartment
with a gun and threatening two men
while looking for his wife.
Iverson was not required to be in
court Monday and did not attend.
PHOTO COURTSEY OF KRT CAMPUS
Iverson will plead innocent.
IVVIOUU YV 0*0 U11VOIVU JLUOl H VOU
on 14 felony and misdemeanor
charges, including assault, terror
istic threats and weapons offenses.
Iverson's uncle, who allegedly ac:
companied him, was also charged.
Iverson has been the subject of
intense local media scrutiny since
the allegations surfaced nearly
three weeks ago. Hordes of re
porters and photographers camped
outside Iverson's suburban mansion
in the days before he turned him
self in to face the charges.
DeLeon told reporters he took it
upon himself to issue the gag order;
it was not requested by prosecutors
or defense attorneys.
most oi tne aetaus oi tne prose
cution's case against Iverson have
already been released in court doc
uments. Iverson's lawyers have con
sistently refused to comment, oth
er than saying Iverson will plead in
nocent.
Wanna be a sports writer? Contact
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
BRIEFLY
a ■ ■ a ■ ■■■ #■ ■ ■ ■ aa ■ ■■
American gun ream
gets win over Japan
The United States held on for
a two-point win over an elite col
lection of golfers from Japan in
the Fuji Xerox USA vs. Japan
Collegiate Golf Championship
at The Glen Club. The win
marks the seventh-straight vic
tory for the Americans, who lead
the series 20-6.
Entering the final round trail
ing by four points, Japan tied the
score at 29 with only one match
to play. The Americans secured
the victory when South
Carolina's Kristy McPherson
closed out a nine-stroke win over
ChiharuTsunekawa.
McPherson, along with
Georgia Tech's Kris Mikkelsen,
garnered MVP honors by post
ing the low 54-hole totals for the
tournament. Mikkelsen shot 204
(-12), highlighted by his record
performance today, while
McPherson carded a score of 217
t+1).
Mikkelsen continued the
trend of setting the course
record during the competition.
Mikkelsen posted a 10-under-par
62, bettering the record set yes
terday by Brandt Snedeker by
three strokes.
mew position Tinea
on volleyball team
The USC volleyball team re
cently added another player for
the 2002 season: freshman Amy
Benson, a 5-foot, 7-inch libero
from Illinois. Benson is USC's
fourth commitment for the 2002
season.
“Amy is a great addition to
our team. She will play as a
libero, which is a new position
to the NCAA lineup this sea
son,” said head coach Kim
Christopher. “Amy will be a
tremendous asset in the class
room as well.”
The libero is a designated
back-row player who cannot
serve, attack or set the inside at
tack line. The position is used in
international play and is in
tended as a ball control special
ist. The libero can replace any
player in the back row without
counting as a substitution.
The Crystal Lake, 111. native
was a four-year letterwinner for
Prairie Ridge H.S. and was
coached by Stefanie Otto. During
her sophomore year, she helped
lead her club team, Sky High, to
a fifth place finish at nationals.
In her junior year, they finished
11th. Benson chose USC over
North Florida and North
Alabama.
%
swimmers, uivers
have winning GPAs
The College Swimming
Coaches Association of America
announced its 2001-2002
Academic All-American stand
ings with both the USC men’s
and women’s swimming an^d'v
ing teams placing among the top
ten schools in the nation.
Carolina’s women’s swim
ming and diving team had the
second highest GPA in Division I
with 3.498, and the men’s squad
finished with the seventh high
est GPA in Division I men's
swimming with a 3.258.
Eight Gamecock men and
women swimmers and divers
also earned Academic All
American honors. On the wom
en’s side, divers Holly Hodges
(3.917) and Tracey RichaiTTSon
(3.833) and swimmers Capi
Adams (3.870), Kristen Butler
(3.637) and Amy Vinson (3.560)
all earned recognition. For the
men’s team, swimmers Javier
Botello (3.742) and Chris
McCrary (3.676) and diver
Brandon Hulko(3.523) received
Academic All-American honors.
38 DAYS TILL
FOOTBALL!
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