Show Page 18— The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday March 28 1999 USU KSL sign By Mike Strauss USU Athletic Media Relations Brigham Young University Wyoming Kansas State and Nebraska among others The In a milestone for the signed a men's schedule Utes Cougars and Fresno State “This is certainly the beginning of a wonderful partnership" said USU Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde “It means a great deal not only to the athletic department but also to the entire University There are so many alumni in the state — our count is 75000 — that it should be a win-wi- n situation for the University and for KSL" “Utah State University and its athletic program are first-rat- e and we are excited to bring the Aggies to fans and alumni in Utah and three-yecontract with for unprecedented coverage of the football men's basketball and Title IX programs The three-yecontract with Salt Lake City's top-rattelevision station calls for an annual minimum of five televised USU games — two football two basketball and one Title IX contest that likely will he women's gymnastics Utah State has never had a three-yecontract with a television enti- KSL-T- basketball includes contests involving the Utah State has university ar V ar ed ar ‘y- - Utah State's football schedule over the course of the contract throughout the Mountain West President region” said KSL-T- includes games with the Utah V LHS’s Stephens honored as a TV deal 3-y- ear Steven Lindsley “This agreement fits perfectly with the station’s long tradition of televising outstanding sporting events" Although the contract calls for KSL to televise Utah Suite football basketball and gymnastics Van De Wide believes KSL was attracted to Utah Stale because of the success the total spoils program has experienced “We have had success in all our sports programs and we have done it with integrity" Van De Velde said "I am proud of the job our are coaches and student-athletand field both the on court doing and in the classroom" Utah State has won 24 conference championships in the 1990s and is expected to compete for three more this spring in gymnas es tics and men's and women's track and field “They have strengthened their schedules annually playing many WAC schools and Utah State has a long 100-yetradition in intercollegiate athletics” Lindsley said Besides Utah and BYU Utah State has competed in recent years against Colorado State New Mexico Fresno State and San Diego scholar-athlet- e ar Stephens said the outspoken Anderson was the highlight of the evening By Scott Dunn spofta writer The Olsens with NFL Hall of Famer Merlin and his brother Phil will forever be revered as First Family of Football in Cache Valley But if there is a “Second Family" of gridiron greatness in the valley it just may be the Stephenses The trophy case at the Stephens' household became a little more State and has games scheduled with Wyoming and UNLV “Geographic rivalries create good ratings for television and games of this kind create great passion from fans everywhere because of tradition” Lindsley said “This television contract is a major coup for Utah State" said Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell cramped Thursday night in Orem where Jason Stephens an tight end from all-sta- te Aggies drop fwinbill to NMSU Logan High accepted an award honoring him as one of Utah's top football scholar-athletes The award which is given by The Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation is the same one Jason’s brother Brandon received in 1997 This year only 13 student-athletwere honored and Jason joined Bonneville wide receiver Brett Cooper as the only honorees from Region 4 Stephens and the rest of the lucky 13 attended a black-ti- e ceremony at the David O McKay Events Center on the campus of Utah Valley State Roadrunners ruin USU’s home opener es By Scott Dunn sports writer Utah State softball coach Pam McCrcesh tersely described her- self as "numb" following the College where they were awarded a crystal trophy a computer software package Aggies' twinhill with New Mexi- co Stale on Saturday And this much is certain: McCreesh's numbness was lnotI of the and a football autographed by Atlanta Falcons players Jamal Anderson and Travis Hall Anderson a former standout at the University of Utah and Hall a former Brigham Young lineman were also honored at the ceremony and st smiling wide-eye- d sort caused by a pleasant surprise palm-to-che- h McCreesh was just plain cold She was also more than a little eager to flee the Uh-u- chilly windblown scene at Johnson Field where the Aggies had just been unceremoniously swept in their 1999 home debut Making McCreesh's cold long day colder and longer were the visiting Roadrunners The 'Runners had lost eight of their last 10 games prior to Saturday but they pul down the Aggies 4 in nine innings in the opener and then ofled them 3 in the nightcap and beep-bee- p just like that e Utah Stale's went up in V a pulT up smoke "We played cold and they didn't" McCreesh said summing up the day Alabama Mitch MascanVHerald 8-- ‘ one when with the bases loaded and the Stars and Stripes beyond the outfield fence flapping plate-war- d NMSU second baseman Niki Bernal tattooed a fastball from Aggie starter Kelly Martin into the far reaches of centerfield Bernal's blast a three-ru- n triple shattered what had been a 4 lie since the lop of the sixth and proved to he the game-winn- 4-- er "She piped it" Bernal said of Martin "Before that she threw inside on me a couple of times and I grounded to the first base- - ’ t five-gam- NMSU's warmest moment came in the ninth inning of game Journal NMSU's Bartfe Eltef la forced out nt home by Aggie catcher Breanne Nickle Saturday afternoon pipe" Bernal the smallest player on NMSU's roster — "I only weigh like 105 pounds!" the junior declared — carried into Saturday's contests a lightweight batting average of 216 with only two hits in 91 plate appearances But on the day she went with five RBI and two runs scored "I'd been struggling a lot" Bernal admitted "but throughout the whole game I was seeing the ball and I was getting a good piece of it and I knew when I got up there (in the ninth inning) I was going to get a extra-bas- hit" e HutXil Utah Stale vs NMSU SUNDAY 1 PM JOHNSON FIELD Neither team managed any offense in the first three innings as NMSU starter retired her initial nine batters in order and Martin allowed only a harmless single in the second The Roadrunners finally squeezed out a pair of runs in the lop of the fourth thanks to an Aggie error an RBI double by Tomiko Teranishi and some aggressive baserunning with two outs "We manufactured a couple of runs we didn't deserve" New Mexico State head coach JoAnn Ferfieri said "We did some we bunted a lot of situations and we tried to move on the bases That's kind of our game — we have to do that kind of stuff because we're not a great hitting team" Utah State cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of four singles the last of which was an RBI grounder by with two outs Emily Wilson-Pla- tt and the bases loaded Down 1 the Aggies leapfrogged into the lead an inning later when with two outs runners on second and third and Heather Curtis facing an 0-- 2 count NMSU reliever Kabri-n- a Bates fired consecutive wild 2-- See USU on Page 24 Security Bank Chairman Spencer Eccles former high school coach Udell Westover and longtime NFL referee Doug Toole Stephens — whose mother incidentally grew up down the street from the Olsens’ Logan household — boasts a 39 GPA and will join Utah State’s football team when he completes his upcoming LDS mission Stephens' future coach USU’s Dave Andaman attended Thursday’s festivities as did his brother Brandon's coach BYU’s LaVeil Edwards Utah’s Ron and Weber State’s Jcny Graybeal were also Mc-Bri- de in attendance Accompanying Jason at the affair were his parents Gary and Louise as well as former Logan coach Perry Christensen Logan Athletic Director Ron McBride and trainer Brad Nelson “I’ve never seen anything so impressive as far as banquets go” Gary Stephens said of the ' 4ft ceremony which showcased each honoree in their owa f highlight film ‘They really put together a nice program for all the boys” coming the No 1 1 team would be the other top 12 team which back on March 13 and left with a 19685 to 195575 win over the Aggies USU did have to count a fall “We all saw how close we were to Alabama now we get another shot” Corn said “We can lake second in our regional meet as easy as anybody” That's because with Alabama hopes to beat come April 10 “Hosting a regional meet gives us an opportunity to accomplish a goal we have not accomplished since 1991 and that is getting to the national championships” Com said The Aggies should find out on Monday who will be coming to the Spectrum top two teams from each regional meet will advance to the NCAA National Championships to be held at Utah this year Corn doesn't think the The Crimson Tide visited spot will be a team USU I BaltimoreTOrlolesl InTCubol Cubans prepare for game Cuban connection rekindled by Orioles HAVANA (AP) — Don Zimmer can d barely contain himself He gets talking about those old times when he played in Cuba “Oh what a great place!" the New York Yankees interim manager said "Cuba — Havana Cuba! People fought to get to Cuba bug-eye- HAVANA (AFj — Toting trumpets drums and plastic bottles filled with cheap rum tens of thousands of Cubans will celebrate the return of major league baseball to the communist island after 40 years base-ball-cr- ay “They loved their baseball It was electric They went goofy for their players Oh Havana Cuba was something I'll never forget!” Starting pitcher Scott Erickson and the rest of the Baltimore Orioles will always "Tell the Orioles to bring their earplugs!" Jorge Leis screamed shaking a gourd rattle amid the musical clamor of a playoff game at Latinoamer-ican- o remember their visit too The 55000 stadium last week “And tell them to get ready to lose!” Sunda ’s exhibition game at has been the hottest topic of discussion on Havana street comers in bars workplaces and schools AP photo Cuba's thousands of baseball experts disagree on who will win who are the best players the virtues of wooden bats versus aluminum Baltimore Orioles pitcher Scott Erickson signs an autograph for Anthony Taylor of Washington DC during a visit to a neighborhood park in Havana Cuba ones But after four decades what they the Americans They also insisted on really want to know is how their beloved “peloteros” — ballplayers — nieavurv up to the big leaguers “I think it is going to be a great show considered one of Cuba's best players The Cuban team was practicing in private at a field outside Havana and sports authorities denied media access to the players The Cubans' roster included third between the two countries both of baseman Omar Linares considered (me whom have great teams" said Evel of the country's top players catcher Juan Bastida third baseman for Havana's Manrique and pitchers Jose Ariel ConfrIndusUiales “It will be a good test to see if the American big leaguers really are the best in the world" said Industriales teammate and infielder Lazaro Vargas eres Pedro Luis Lazo and Jose Ibar Since the middle of the month Cuban players have traded in their traditional aluminum bats for the wooden ones used by players ii the United States The switch to wood was a condition made by padding along the walls of the field While the players have remained low key baseball fans have not Grumbling began late in the week as word leaked out that entrance to Sunstadium day's game at the 50000-sewould be by invitation only Among those expected to be invited are members of the communist government's sports organizations and schools at See CUBA on Page 20 I one-minu- te Aggies can get into the top 12 but is pleased with Alabama coming back to Logan Qualifying Scores (RQS) are split up and sent to the six different region meets If a host site is among the top 12 then they' get Id stay home The Aggies had hoped ranked among the top 12 and were two weeks ago The to-b- e man Other than that she was just going in and out on me — she didn't really give me anything "But that one it was down the time and trash talking BYU a lot Most of the stuff he said only we could hear because we were sitting up on the stand next to him" Other honorees sharing the dais with Stephens were First is currently Florida The remaining four teams would come from within Region 2 “We are presently at No 18 but less than four tenth! of a point (in RQS scores) separate No 10 and 18" Corn said r I Rounding out the field for4 the April 10 meet at USU'f- ' will be No 15 Minnesota yWi No 16 Iowa State No 17 s'V Denver and USU BYU has mathematically been elimi-y- -‘ nated from making the field There could still be some changes in the rankings as this final weekend of meets wraps up Com thinks No 9 Ohio State could slip to No 11 Whoever ends up in that Continued from Page 17 teams based on Regional 7-- “Jamal was hilarious" Stephens related “He was cracking jokes the whole fans who pack Latinoamericano Stadium for Sunday’s game between Baltimore and the Cuban national team will make sure of it “I will let our players know that this will be the seventh game of the World Series for their country” Orioles manager Ray Miller said In fact it might mean even mure than that It's been 40 yean since a major league e team visited this International the old home of CincinLeague hotspot nati's Triple-dub the Havana Sugar Kings Cincinnati pitcher Brooks Lawrence made that final trip in March 1959 when one-tim- A the Reds played the Los Angeles Dodgers in an exhibition game at the same park called the Gran Stadium de La Habana when it opened in 1946 Thai game took place two months after a former University of Havana right-ha- n der — Fidel Castro — took power on the communist island nation “It was a crazy atmosphere” Lawrence said “The new reign was coming in Fidel came to the dugout and talked to a few of the players “You saw the people walking around with guns and shooting over the ballpark It was something” Former Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall also played in Havana that spring “There were guys with machine guns and machetes standing everywhere” he said “Right away we said 'What's going on?’ I'd go to the ballpark and they were all over out there It was scary" In July 1960 the Sugar Kings moved to Jersey City NJ and American ball never returned Pretty soon the Cuban stars who played after the likes of Tony Oliva Luis Tianl Tony Perez and Cami-l- o Pascual stopped making their way out Later some young boys who left the baseball-craze- d country blossomed into big leaguers — Jose Canseco Rafael Palmeiro and Tony Fossas among them And more recently Cuban defectors have been making a major impact in the majors — 1997 World Series MVP Livan Hernandez his older Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez Rey Ordonez and Rolando Arrojo The Communist Party's Granina newspaper prims nothing about the defectors although it occasionally ran stories last half-broth- er See O's oo Page 20 ftl |