| Show t tr J r JE IV CO ill 4 V By Eric Bresee Columnist fu After days and what seems to be 30 games missed the owners and players finally reached a settlement and ended the lockout Excuse me if I don dont don't t wet my pants In in excitement Unfortunately for the league this has been the sediment of many of the leagues league's fans Why all the animosity you ask Previously the was the only one of the four major sports leagues not to ever lose losea a regular season game to a labor fracas But V after 52 years of peace Union Head Billy Hunter and Union President Patrick Ewing killed the About now your thinking I dont don't what Im I'm talking about but follow me on this Four and a half years ago Major League Baseball player went on strike which forced the cancellation of the 94 World Series E- E Baseball and non baseball fans alike were S w 11 bent that a championship had finally been J pilfered from om them because of a labor dis dis- dis- dis Fans vowed not to go back to the ballpark ballpark ballpark ball ball- park when the dissent was finished All this from fans of the national pastime Americas America's first love The game the USA U.S.A. invented After years of history and lore and glory fans were ready to turn its back on the game that's as much a part of its history as Washington Jefferson and and Lincoln More Americans know who Babe Ruth and Ty TyCobb TyCobb TyCobb Cobb are than who Paul Revere and Alexander Hamilton are More people care who wins the World Series than who care about how rapidly the national debt is esca esca- lating And people were ready to turn their backs on it Until one year a large red-head red hit a ball over the fence Then another And another And another until a total of 70 balls had left the field of play But he was not alone and possibly couldn't couldn't couldn't could could- nt have hit that many without being pushed by a man of lesser size but greater heart A Aman Aman Aman man who himself would hit 66 of those rawhide sphere over the same fences So what does all this have to do with lockout V The key is in the history Baseball has been around longer than basketball The people peo peo peo- pIe are more connected to o it than any other sport Theres There's a bond between baseball and its fans that dwarfs that of its counter counter- parts i Yes the fans were disgusted by the cancellation cancellation cancellation can can- of the World Series Yes the fans said they wouldn't go back to the ballpark And yes they did go back But it was the thet t pursuit of the most hallowed record in all of sports was the reason The chase of legends and immortality lity that toot dragged Joe Baseball Fan to the stadium Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa purified a sport that wallowed allowed in its own muck for four and a half years The has no hallowed records that would be phenomenal if they were broken The tradition and glory is not there The legends legends legends leg leg- ends are just that legends They're not icons like Babe Ruth Joe DiMaggio Cy Young and Honus Wagner It was Home Run Derby that brought the fans back to baseball The BA has no Home Run Derby L 1999 Mens Men's Basketball Schedule Schedule Jan J an 15 Snow College UT J Jan an 16 16 Dixie College UT Jan 22 Southern Idaho Idaho Twin Falls ID Jan 23 V S Treasure Valley Ontario OR UT Jan 29 North Idaho Jan J an 30 Ricks College t Rexburg ID Feb 6 Utah Valley Orem UT Feb 12 Dixie College St. St George UT Feb 13 Snow College Ephraim UT Feb 19 Treasure Valley V 5 UT Feb 20 Southern Idaho UT Feb 26 Colorado NW NW Rangely CO Feb 27 Eastern Utah Price UT Ur |
