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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Friday, July 14, 2000
Pecos teams look to reach subesctionals
PECOS, July 14, 2000 -- The Pecos Little League All-Stars have had things
easy in the 11-12 year old division so far, outscoring their opponents
33-7 in three District 4 Tournament games.
Pecos' 9-10 year olds have also won three games, but things
have been a lot closer, as they edged Crane in their opener and did the same
this past Monday in Crane against North Concho, while the Junior League
has had one close game and one blowout so far in their 13-14 year old division.
All three teams will try to remain unbeaten, or at worst, suffer only
one loss this weekend, as the semifinals and finals of the
double-elimination tournaments are held in San
Angelo. The winners will advance to subsectional play next week.
The 9-10 year olds start first, at 8 p.m. tonight at San Angelo Lake
View against San Angelo Northern. Since both teams are unbeaten, the
teams will play again at 8 p.m. Saturday and possibly face a deciding game
on Sunday.
The 11-12 and 13-14 year old teams will both face San Angelo Lake
View on Saturday _ the Junior Leaguers in the tournament semifinals at 11 a.m.
at Nathan Donsky Field on Knickerbocker Road, and the Little Leaguers at 5
p.m. at San Angelo Northern (West 19th Street), with a second game if
needed at about 7:30 p.m.
Coach Vaughn Garnto is hoping Eddie Vela, who threw a no-hitter
in the tournament opener over Crane, can keep Pecos from having to play
a 7:30 p.m. contest. The 11-12 year olds only need one win, while Lake
View, with a loss in sub-district play, would have to be Pecos twice to win the title.
The
Junior Leaguers edged San Angelo Northern last Saturday by a 6-4 score.
Hilario Bustamante got the victory, while Rigo Ramirez, who beat North
Concho earlier in the day, 14-3, figures to start Saturday morning.
Baseball eyes dumping Expos, other team
By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK — After 40 years of the expansion era, baseball might find itself reversing course. Owners appeared set to put off realignment until 2002 when they
met Friday, and there was talk they might even discuss getting rid of
the Montreal Expos and another team.
Colorado owner Jerry McMorris first discussed so-called
contraction a year ago, but commissioner Bud Selig played down the idea.
When asked the question on national TV last weekend, Selig
said: "I don't want to rule anything out because there's no question that
we do have to solve that problem, because (disparity) is getting
worse by the day."
Owners gathered to receive the sport's latest economic study
report, and to be briefed on the format of next year's schedule and the
negotiations for new national TV contracts.
While contraction may not be on the formal agenda, two
owners, speaking on the condition they not be identified, said the idea is
being given increased attention by team heads because of Montreal's
inability to get a new ballpark. The idea probably will be discussed in
the hallways.
"It is being taken more seriously," McMorris said Thursday night.
"It's just because of disparity and how do we find our way out of
difficult situations."
If baseball ever decides to shrink, its central fund, which gets
money from national broadcasting and licensing contracts, could be used
to buy back the Expos along with one other team, one of the owners said.
"If we disappear, they're going to have to come up with another
club that could produce as many Guerreros and Martinezes and Walkers,"
Expos manager Felipe Alou said, referring to Valdimir Guerrero, Pedro
Martinez and Larry Walker, who became stars in Montreal.
"We've heard all kinds of stuff in the last two years about us and
about baseball, so nothing surprises me," Alou said.
While there is no obvious choice for a second team, Florida,
Minnesota and Oakland have failed to get new ballparks, and Tampa Bay has seen
a large decrease in attendance.
As for realignment, Texas had been pushing hardest in order to
get out of the AL West, where it has late TV start times for intradivision
road games. But the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City and Minnesota
were against the plan to place six teams in the AL Central and just four in
the AL East and AL West.
In addition, Arizona objected to the plan, under which it would
move from the NL West to the AL West.
Selig, several owners said, does not appear ready to call for a vote
on realignment any time soon, effectively putting it off until the 2002 season
at the earliest.
"Nothing seriously has been debated in the last few
months," Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane said. "I think most
likely significant realignment will be put off a year."
The two owners who spoke on the condition of
anonymity confirmed McLane's assessment that no realignment would take
place for 2001.
The one change owners were to hear Friday is the format for
next season's schedule: Teams will play division rivals 18 times each
instead of 12 or 13.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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