Show Standard Examner Hollis Emotions mixed on pending split By BRADY BINGHAM Sandart&amner Thursday Jwv 30 1998 5C Sports stall - With the impending split of the Western Athletic Conference looming the annual preseason football LAS VEGAS meetings held Monday through “I am not realty for filled with tension Instead a surprising range of emotions circled around the interview rooms where the media had their first chance to speak with coaches and players about oragainst it (the split) ItUjust he Wednesday could have been the upcoming football season the last as the WAC Those in attendance offered words of complete disinterest to near elation about the split and BYU coach LaVell Edwards m prepared and ready to play when you step on the field is what matters” Edwards said “I am not really for or against it (the split) It'll just be different The strange thing is that is “I chose TCU I didn’t choose the WAC" he said “Frankly I don’t see a lot of dif- But that’s obviously unrealistic After all it’s the nature of the coaching profession that success will inevitably create a bigger and better job opportunity someplace else was equally optimis- ference between two 16-tea-m its ramifications But a simple desire to move on whether remaining in the WAC or becoming part of the new eight-teaconference was shared by all “From a personal standpoint I'm a little disappointed (in the split)” University of Utah head coadt Ron McBride said “But lm just a football coach and I don't worry about those things What I have to wony about is having a good football team” From a coaching standpoint McBride's rival at BYU LaVell Edwards agreed “I guess things over the last couple of months have changed things a bit But as far as the football is concerned you just play the game and those other issues don’t matter much Who's From 1C how highly regarded Utah State is around the country” conference tic different ” -- Sometimes it takes a situation like this to ban stronger together and I think we've done that I have no animosity about it” Texas Christian head coach Dennis Franchione who left New Mexico - one of the teams breaking away from the WAC - to coach the Homed Frogs who will remain in the seems like it has always been us (the WAC) against the world" Edwards said referring to how the conference has fought for spect around the nation “Now it’s us against us” re- The biggest disappointment Edwards says is that there will only be eight schools in the new league as of right now "I would have liked to have seen nine teams (in the league) to have eight conference games Plus if they want to still have a conference championship they need 12" he said “Eight is just perfect to have four home and four away games” Hawaii's head football coach Fred vonAppel in his typical dry wit said “Everything is business as usual Plus I'm too old for either emotion - madness or bitterness” Fresno State head coach Pat Hill had nothing but positive feelings about the split “People thought this was the end of the world or something I feel it’s the start of something new and exciting” he said “I like the way it panned out eight-tea- m divisions and two eight-teaconferences" Except for the separate revenue each conference can provide for itself n situa“I see this as a m win-wi- tion” he added Ted Tollner capped the feelings of most of the coaches near the end of the conference saying “I just hope the picture clears up a little bit before recruiting season begins" Tollner admitted that he was worried about what he is able to tell his recruits regarding bowl game opportunities and television appearances “We need to be able to sell our conference in a positive way and not wallow in uncertainty” notes WAC Two members of the best names were in attendance First is San Diego State defensive lineman Kabeer C This Aztec of Nigerian decent said his name means “Big leader" Second is LaDouphyous McCalla of Rice Gbaja-Biamil- a GOODWILL GAMES US slips Unfortunately though many USU fans have felt jilted when their coaches left Logan for gree- “Success can be a doubled-edge- d sword” said USU athletic director Bruce Van De Velde who after just one week on the job finds himself suddenly looking for a new head basketball coach to replace Eustachy “It is great to win but that also can mean that other schools come and try to recruit your coaches away It happens at every level” In Smith’s case the offer at Louisville was “Godfather” special too good to refuse - “When John L left people were upset” said USU assistant athletic director Mike Strauss who came to Logan less than two years ago himself when his predecessor John Lewandowski left for a similar job at Michigan State (See the scenario keeps repeating itself) “They couldn't understand how John L Smith could leave And you say ‘Hey he’s making three times more money than he did here He has support he has everything that you need to compete at this level’ Then they start to understand a little bit better “People can't understand why someone would leave Cache Valley And while I agree with them that it's a great place to live - to me it is one of the best places in America with no humidity and a beautiful mountainous setting -from a coaching standpoint there are some better opportunities out in swim relays there Ths Associated Press The diagnosis according to Ron Karnaugh MD: We just don’t work hard enough “I think it shows the success of your program that when you win different schools are going to be interested in your coach” anymore Strauss said “And if a coach leaves he’s just left your program in better shape than it was before he came” Karnaugh a medical doctor and a swimmer on national teams since 1986 said that’s why a rare US loss in the freestyle relay gave the Americans a dualmeet loss against Germany at 400-met-er Goodwill the Arslanian who is in Boise for the Big West meetings said Utah State's strong tradition both ath- Games Wednesday “There’s no shortcut to success in swimming and some of our younger kids don’t work as hard as they should” said Karnaugh 32 who won the 200 individual medley just before the defeat that allowed le-relay Germany to win 9 The United States led by three points going into the final race But the relays are wbrth seven points for the winner and none for the loser and the Germans’ time of 3 minutes 2148 seconds -125 ahead of the Americans decided the outcome US men have never lost an Olymfreesty- 63-5- wmmtm mmm Ml IACX WEI SQHT CF: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Onrin Hatch holds a baseball bat as Sen Patrick Leahy holds a baseball during a news conference on Wednesday Senate leaders have ironed out the last issues in a bill that would revise professional baseball’s exemption from antitrust laws and reduce the chances of another crippling players’ strike ld Proposal may prevent future baseball strikes pic 400 freestyle relay leaders say they have solved the last issues in a bill that would revise professional baseball's exemption from federal antitrust laws “As fans are returning to the ballparks they deserve to know that players will be on the field At Madison Square Garden a civday US boxing ch?£e ended abruptly in the semifinals Bantamweight Waldemar Font of Cuba outpointed Antonio Rodriguez of Waianae Hawaii 21-- 5 another bantamweight Jose Santa Cruz a from Monterey Park Calif lost 4 to Uzbekistan’s Timur Tulyakov and welterweight Miguel Espino of North Hollywood Calif was shut out 17-- 0 by Russia's Andrei Mishin 7-- Former Utah State basketball coach Larry Eustachy talks at a news conference on Wednesday to announce that he is taking a similar position with the Cyclones KEW HOME: The search for a replacement “People know more about us on a national scale than many people do in Our own backyard” he said “Whn John L left he was not looking to leave Louisville came calling on him And I think the some holds true for Larry at Iowa State “It all goes back to the positive v reputation that people around the country have for Utah State University I've been able to get in doors I never got in be- fore because of that positive name recognition” Arslanian admitted i “Siime people look at it as a stepping stone that could help launch them into something else 1 look at it as more of a challenge a great opportunity to make something ail it can be I “My goal right now is want the people in Logan to say we want this guy to suck around for a long time” Arslanian said "That’s the way 1 look at it” that coaches often approach certain jobs as stepping stones on their way up the coaching ladder he realizes how much Aggies fans resent their school being perceived as such But he doesn't see the USU situation at all “I haven't looked at it that way personally or professionally” he said “I haven’t ever been one to jump around from place to place” Obviously n now either despite the trend set by some of his Utah State prede- cessors his 17 years spent coaching at Weber State would certainly attest to that And he isn’t looking to jump around Sticking around for a long time is not something Aggie fans have grown accustomed to seeing their top coaches do I lO But they should be glad not mad or sad because that senes as a barometer of their success -and Arslanian is hoping to stand up to that “barometric pressure” and keep the Aggies glowing reputation intact i And he won't be looking for that revolving door anytime srii al soon Runity Hollis is spns editor of He cart be the SuiOiLml-Exunun9 or Intracked at 825-42- 6 at rhollis a standard net ” r : - er r Media me WASHINGTON - Senate not mired in labor disputes” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Wednesday “I am pleased that Congress will it now appears be able to help guarantee that this is the case” Hatch has for years been pushing legislation that would overturn parts of what he called an “aberrant” 1922 Supreme Court ruling exempting baseball from antitrust laws His bill would revoke that exemption for labor relations in the mjor for re- leagues while keeping it location and the minor leagues Passage has been stymied in the past both by the turmoil of the 1994-9- 5 players' strike and by minor league concerns that it wasn’t adequately protected But Hatch joined at a news confer- ence by the committee’s ranking Democrat Sen Patrick Leahy of Vermont said they had made small changes to satisfy the mi- nors Stanley Brand vice president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues the parent organization of the minors wrote Hatch a letter of support “We have been consulted about proposals to amend the bill to assure the continued survival of minor league base- ball" Union head Donald Fchr and commissioner Bud Selig also wrote Hatch to express their support “It will be a significant step toward minimizing the labor discord and disruptions in play” chance of breaking even on its NFC broadcast rights ABC failed to get its affiliates to cough up extra dough for the Monday Night Football rights There are also changes to remember from ABC Get home from work an hour earlier because the games start this year at 6 pm (Mountain Time) It’s no longer “Al Frank and Dan” but “Al Frank and Boomer” The network convinced Boomer Esia-so-n to retire from the Cincinnati Bengals after a solid end to last season and sent Frank Gifford to a pregame show Esiason faced a barrage of questions about his decision to leave the game especially when the Bengals gave former Pittsburgh Steelers’ and New York Jets’ quarterback Neil O’Donnell a four-ye$176 million contract to fill Esiason’s spot as backup to Jeff Blake “It was a very very difficult ar decision for me especially with the way that 1 ended up last year in Cincinnati" Esiason said “I’m already feeling the effects of not playing" “When the Bengals signed Neal O’Donnell for the contract that he had gotten I was wondering why they didn't offcr that to But I’m happy now and I consider that Lm with like the 49ers of television sports broadcasting which is great team to be on” CBS also lured Kansas City Chiefs’ running back Marcus Allen into retirement and into a chair for its studio show “I wanted to walk away at the right time and this was the perfect medicine for me" Allen said “CBS offered me the perfect op- portunity” But what about the games Who are we going to see a lot of this season? On Mondays you’ll see the Packers Broncos Patriots 49crs Dolphins and Steelers three times each The Buccaneers even make it back to the lineup twice The Bills Panthers and Raiders won’t be playing under the lights on Mondays this year ESPN’s Sunday night broadcasts distribute the wealth more evenly Fox and CBS are likely to give us a healthy dose of Broncos and 49ers We can only hope they’ll also give us some of the better matchups like when the Chargers are at Denver or the Saints at the 49ers Tho ABA remembered It was an era of big hair dunks and the basketball The American Basketball Associa showmanship hry )OIt COPY! '4 coach-ct-waitin- tion dunng its existence in the early 1970s forever changed the Feature stories with game details scores and stats Raptors schedule roster features and web links Salt Lake Buzz coverage Major League Baseball information j professional game Four of its teams - the Indiana Pacers the New Jersey Nets Denver Nug- gets and the San Antonio Spurs - sull exist in the NBA HBO's "Sports of the 20th Century” captured the spirit and history of the rival league in a re- - ! cent documentary The documentary had plenty of footage from the Utah Stars an earlier often forgotten era in the Salt Palace This documenta- ry is a VCR must if it shows up as a summer rerun ‘ j 1 Utah fans spiritedly supported the Stars with airport mobs and all - a forerunner to today’s Jazz As you might expect ' craze - If you have an old Julius Erv-in- g poster or a Utah Stars’ pen- nant you may wish the ABA was back in light of this summer’s lockout in the “brown-ball- ” broad- league and casts of professional wrestling w 7 1 ‘ Tom Christensen is the assistant sports editor for the Standard-ExaminHe can be reached at 625-42or at tc h ristensen si an- - ' er 63 dardnet online n Ml 4 alma mater plucked away he basketball coach on Wednesday Utah State Athletic Director Bruce Van De VekJe was making a list of possible successors to Larry Eustachy "We are moving with expediency and have started to put together a short list of coaching candidates' Van De Velde sad "We will try to hire someone tor that positxxi as soon as possible ’ Iowa State ntroduced Eustachy as Us basketball coach Wednesday a week after Tim Floyd left to become director of basketoaR operations and for the Chicago Bulls Van De VekJe who is attending Big West Conference meetings in Bcuse Idaho this week did not mention any names but USU associate head coach Steve Barnes and former Aggie associate head coach and current Louisiana State assistant coach Kermit Davis reportedly are likely candidates - The Associated Press After his L From 1C ANTITRUST BILL Ttw Associated Press Eldredge taking the lead after the men’s short program Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharolidze led after the short program in pairs letically and academically has made it attractive nationwide for many years J L - At Nassau Coliseum figure skating began with former world champion Todd X) ner pastures They take it personally and can't imagine why anyone would ever want to leave Cache Valley regardless of the opportunity wwwstandardnet t |