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Show S PACE -- A EDITOR 9 Thursday, August 29, 2002 Another strike will be Strike 3 David DeMille, V i L C- - TT My youthful love affair with baseball came to a grinding halt in August 1994, when I was 13 years old. That fatelul season, when we lost the World Series because of the latest baseball strike. I was still a baseball fan. I followed my favorite team, the San Diego Padres. I still paid attention to the baseball page of the newspaper. However, the zeal which I had manifest in my early youth was gone. It took about two years, but I was finally able to become a baseball nut again. Other baseball fans, unfortunately, found it harder to forgive. I hoped for something, anything, to pull baseball out of the horrible rut it was in. Enter Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Finally, baseball had the attention of the nation once again. I was thrilled to see stadiums selling out. Imagine my joy World when last season's seven-gamSeries pulled its highest TV rating in 10 years. Theyre striking again. They never learn. Donald Fehr, head of the Major League Baseball players union, set a strike date for Friday. This time, the fans wont forgive. Most fans, I fear, are fed up. And if theres another strike, baseball can forget the majority of its fanbase. The players and tire owners have once again betrayed their fans, those to whom baseball really belongs. They couldnt have picked a worse time to pull this. Sure, the players set the strike date for Friday because its when percent. Other sports such as skating, rock climbing and By RICH JOHNSiON DAVID DeMILLE and e they could hurt the owners pocketbooks the most. But what Fehr didnt bother to think about is that football season starts only a week later. 586-548- 8 wakeboarding also are enjoyed by SUU students. Blake DeMille (no relation to the Journal sports editor), a UNIVERSITY JOURNAL Plenty of students may find themselves bored after the 4 j jswajLi Q Q ERIN MADSON UNIVERSITY JOURNAL senior communication major first few days in Cedar City, wakelack of from it's not but things from Cedar City, chose as favorite his to do, only lack of knowledge boarding pastime. of what there is to do. Its something thats seasonal, Cedar City has much to offer. There is a golf course, bowling but youve got all the lakes near Cedar City, DeMille said. I alley and skate park as well as usually go to Lake Powell. Ive a number of public parks. I P.E. The Sorensen Building, got a boat. My wife and go accessible with a student I.D., with some other couples, and we always go to Lake Powell at has basketball and racquetball least once a month. an Olympic-sizecourts, team sports, Among swimming pool, a weight-roobasketball is the most popular. and an indoor track. It led all sports with 22 SUU is also in close proximity percent of the vote. Football to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Kolob Canyon, also was strong at 16 percent, Cedar Breaks, Brianhead Ski but baseball secured only 5 Resort and a number of other percent. Alex Menocal, a freshman places for outdoor activity. from undeclared Cedar major Students w ho are from said he has Calif., a Riverside, senior like Bulloch, Jana City, he was chemistry major, know there played basketball since to walk-o5 years old. He hopes are places to keep busy. and make the SUU team. We have awesome national Thats if said. my goal, he said. she So, youre parks, if But Ill be there or outdoor not, into rock climbing I wiiat watching them. thats stuff, Lauren Hill, a freshman recommend for Cedar. Students at SUU enjoy a communication major from Bountiful, enjoys basketball variety' of activities. According to a poll conducted by the because its active and easy to Journal, team sports proved to follow'. Its my favorite sport to be the most popular. However, outdoor sports watch because I understand it better than the other ones, were also popular responses, with snowboarding at 16 Hill said. d forward llene Dixon fields a pass from a teammate during last weeks loss to the Utes, Dixon match against Utah. Despite the will lead the Birds to greater success this year. team believes she unity says SUU 6-- Fed-ufans are most likely to run to the NFL, where a real financial system gives the parity that professional sports need. Tire NFLs hard salary cap allows even the smallest markets to compete. 0 season-openin- g p n When training camp starts, fans of any team have the hope that their team could reach the playoffs and may be the Super Bowl. Opening day in spring training usually includes the question, Which National League team will play the Yankees in the World Series this year? The answer is usually the Braves or the Diamondbacks. And fans are sick of it. I will always be a baseball fan, no matter how corrupt the system is. As a t fan of a team, I constantly life-lon- g small-marke- watch them wallow in mediocrity. Theyve been in the playoffs three times and the World Series twice. Theyve never won the title because they cant compete teams like the Yankees, with Dodgers or Red Sox. But I always come back. I think Im in the minority, however. high-payro- This time, there will be no McGwireSosa run to pull them out. Someone could break Hank Aarons career home rim record, but it would be too late. The novelty of die home rim is tainted now, anyway. ridiculous that these feel that a salary millionaires pampered cap would threaten them financially. Please! What? Are they going to have to settle for only two Ferraris? Of course, the owners arent much help. Padres owner John Moores claims hes ready to skip next season instead of reaching a compromise with the players Its utterly union. Way to go, owners. Way to show that flexibility. Oh, and I cant forget that Moores might be in trouble with the law, seeing as how hes accused of selling out stock from his software company, Peregrine Systems, just before the stock plummeted. Jim Litke of the Associated Press reported he made over $500 million with the sale. Fortune reported $646 million. How convenient that he dropped the stock just in time. It makes me almost ashamed to be a fan of this crooks team. Die bottom line: Owners and players are both greedy and overpaid and baseball cant survive without a salary cap. If things stay the way they are, the league's survival as a major national sport is about as likely as Pete Rose being reinstated into baseball: Possible, but I wouldnt bet on it. Rich Johnson is a Baseball Tonight addict. He covers SUU sports for the University Journal. struck out 95 and walked 54 in 149 innings. In his latest start against Colorado on Aug 27, he pitched 5 innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 runs, all 3 earned. He struck out 5 and walked 1 but did not figure in the decision. His next scheduled start is Sunday. Selfless focus on mutual success fuels driving force in SUU soccer By DAVID PAYSTRUP UNIVERSITY JOURNAL Although she just experienced a loss in last Saturday's exhibition to University of Utah, SUU soccer forward llene Dixon is optimistic that team unity will bring a successful 2002 season. For an athlete that had high school titles in basketball, cross country, track and field, and helped lead the Mountain View Bruins to a 5A region soccer title and two of Utah State 5A championship games, she keeps coming back to kick the black and white ball. cohesive group of players that drives Dixon to play her best in the first place. She came to SUU her freshman year in Fall 1999 as member of the cross country and track programs but Its having a missed soccer. Dixon cut back to the soccer scene during the early stages of SUU soccer when it was still the soccer club, not yet in official NCAA intercollegiate play. Cross country is team oriented in the fact that it gives points for overall team determined by how placement runners place individually; there is one key point of soccer that sets it apart from a cross country trail. Its not just running, she said. It's running with a purpose. Dixons individual cross country 5 A state title came as a side to her senior year of play on the soccer field. She joined the team to help them to another state title. her about Slow to brag one in week Dixon accomplishments, in October of 1998 not only ran but won after shaking off a mild concussion from a soccer practice two days previous to the race, according to an article in the Provo Daily Herald It just so happened that I won, she But I was still very sad recalled. because my team took second. So it was bittersweet She defeated Laura 7eigle of Bingham High School, but Mountain View's team fell to Bingham by one point that day, even though Dixon's objective in joining the team was to help Mountain View retain its fixe years of reigning over 5A girls cross country. I would much rather have had that team wan than the individual wan, she said. After high school, Dixon came to Cedar City. Although she visited a variety of campuses, she said she felt that SUFI was a good lit Though her play on the field is aggressive, Dixon looks at herself as a finesse player whose focus on the game is rarely upset by opponents. Shes not easily upset or offended by most things on or off the field. Its very hard for a person to get into my games, she said To get me away from my focus they are going to have to do a lot. At home in her room, that same easy attitude follows as she relaxes to U2 with photographs of her family around her. The second to youngest, she is known by her entire family as the athlete. Her older siblings danced, her younger brother is a runner, but her niche is sports, she said. Her earliest childhood memories stem back to recreation center soccer play when she was in the fourth grade. Shed kick the ball around in her backyard for hours. Everywhere she went on game day, she wore her jersey. Her fondest game memory came on her birthday, Sept. 10, when she scored a hat trick (three goals in a game) against Jordan High. Fler goals gave Mountain View the game, 3T. Everything was clicking, she said. It was my day. In the future she sees more than soccer games to win, though. Dixon dreams to take her endurance to play 90 minute stretches after her soccer days are gone to train and compete in marathons and triathlons. Some people think Im crazy, she explained. But its something Ive always wanted to do. She has plans academically as well. A physical education major, she wants to coach and teach mathematics. Open to travel, she has visited Italy, Honduras, Guatemala, England, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Israel, and Hawaii. New restaurants are always open to sandwiches, especially turkey, are her staple. And suggestion though shes got plans for that too. Someday Ill make a special sauce, she said. Ive got some of the ingredients in mind. That is where they are staying until she sells her idea someday. Speaking of food, eating oatmeal on the day of the game serves as her power food. She likes to sit and think, dream up the future, but on the soccer field she counts on drills of scenarios to guide her footwork and her strategy. I like to have it already in my mind, she said. So I dont have to think, I just do it. I like to have a clear head. I think ai the college level you have to. Good with the ball, this forward has good footwork, a sound mind, a progressively aggressive game, and the endurance to take on the other team. Each are talents she has felt will serve her team well at the approach of the game against Weber State on Saturday in search of the first season win. VJ IT tv' M Baseball .Soever Other 171 yZ Boxing Bowling Coif G?i 10?! GyrxnaBtLCB Hockey Running Rock Climbing 5k at lay Softball m Haketbo-ar- d MrcBil ing y 5 n:jwtea r di nq 17 .?ucitball Basketball UNIVERSITY JOURNAL WAYCE-- 3 SUU SPORTS INFORMATION The SUU gymnastics 24 17 i DAVID PAYSTRUP 'Hi HP ing squad academic the claimed national championship for the second straight season, beating out Utah with a and speak to the team, and gave the football players and coaches a place to have time with the members of the club, which helps fund athletic scholarships for the university. team-recor- d 3.78 average CPA. were Uuinderbirds presented with the award for the third lime in four years by the National Association of The Collegiate Cymmustics Coaches. Senior Harmony Greene led the team with a 3.97, and seven other team members finished above a 3 8. of the 13 team Tw'clvc members were named to the team. academic Junior Jame Morgan and senior Rachel Thomas also finished over 3 9. Meanwhile, senior Erica Burk, juniors Talayna Fortunato and and Overstreet, Caycc sophomores Jessiann Andrus and Sandy Crosby were named to the team. Bauer, Freshmen Molly Charlotte Scott and Megan Crane were also awarded. The Thunderbirds also won the honor in 1994, 1997 and 1999, never finishing worse than third since 1993- The Thundcrbird Athletic Club hosted its annual BBQ with the Birds Wednesday. The event allowed for members of the club to meet SUUs mens and womens cross country teams were picked as favorites to retain their conference titles this season, according to a poll of coao.es in the Conference. men were chosen The Eric Houles coach despite decision to redshirt four of the top six runners from last season to gear up for a monster season next year. The women w'ill be seeking their fifth consecutive title team w'ith four members returning. SUU opens the 2002 season Invitational on at the Sept. 7 in Irvine, Calif. UC-Irvin- e The soccer team begins its regular season with two road games on the w'eekend. The Birds take on Weber State, last years Big Sky Conference regular season champion, Friday, before playing Sunday at defending BSC tournament champion Idaho State in Pocatello. The Birds nearly came out loss to on top in a close ISU a season ago. 2-- 1 |