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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Thursday, April 16, 1998
Track teams seek regional slots
PECOS, Apr. 16 -- There's not going to be much suspense
about the team titles Friday, at the District 4-4A track
meet in San Angelo.
San Angelo Lake View's boys and Big Spring's girls have
those titles all but wrapped up going into the meet at
Angelo State University. But the Pecos Eagles track teams
will be looking to get as many regional berths as possible
and move up in the point standings, after fourth and fifth
place finishes a year ago.
"Our goal is to score 100 points in the district meet and
place second, and I feel those goals are more than
reachable," said boys' coach Mike Ferrell, whose team scored
75 points despite their fifth place finish a year ago.
Whether or not Pecos gets to the 100 point mark will
probably depend on how they do in Friday morning's field
events, set to begin at 9 a.m. Senior Jeff Brownlee advanced
to regionals last year behind his brother Bryan in both the
shot put and discus, and the Eagles will try to sweep those
regional berths again this year with Brownlee and Jake
Fowler.
"If we can go 1-2-3 or 1-2-4 (with Brownlee, Fowler and
Chris Reyes) in the shot and discus, we could get 44 points,
and that would go a long way towards helping us," Ferrell
said.
He lost two of his field event competitors, pole vaulter Len
Carson and high jumper/long jumper Jomar Gallego to grades
this week, but is still hopeful Reyes and Roy Marta can
score in the pole vault.
"There are only four entries there, so we're assured of a
minimum of 10 points if we clear the opening height," he
said.
Going into Friday's meet, the Eagles' best shot at a state
berth appears to be senior Billy Rodriguez in the 800 -- but
that's if he can get past the district meet.
"We've got three of the top five times in the state in the
800 in Billy, (Sweetwater's) Jason Sepeda and (Lake View's)
Justin Daniel," Ferrell said. All have run 1:58 times or
better this season, and only two will advance to regionals.
"I have all the confidence in the world Billy's going to
come through," Ferrell said.
The Eagles' coach added that Reyes, Marta and Orlando Matta
drew good heat assignments for Friday afternoon's
preliminaries in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes, and is
hoping Lucio Florez can move up in the 300 meter hurdles,
after a fourth place finish at district a year ago.
Pecos' 1600 meter relay team is also seeded fourth going in,
but Ferrell said "We have Lane 2 right next to (No. 1 seed)
Lake View, so they can bring us through with a good time."
While Brownlee is the only returning regional qualifier for
the boys, coach Lily Talamantez has two girls who'll be
seeking to return to regionals, in seniors Penny Armstrong
and Marisol Arenivas.
Both qualified in one event last year -- Armstrong in the
high jump and Arenivas in the 3200 meters -- but will be
trying to add second spots this time around, in the discus
and 1600 meter runs respectively.
Arenivas will be challenged by Lake View's Brandie Powell
and Crystal Watson in the mile and two mile races, while
Armstrong's main challengers figure to be Big Spring's Gina
Watson and Lake View's Korina Daniels in the discus, and the
Steers' Kristi McWherter and Alexis Casillas in the high
jump.
"Hopefully the 800 meter relay team also has a chance, and
even the mile relay team is not too far behind Lake View,"
said Talamantez, who added that "Annette (Marquez) also has
a chance. She has the second fastest time in the 200, so I
expect her to do something there."
The Eagles picked up 53 points at last year's meet, and
should have a chance to surpass that with good efforts by
their seniors and from the 800 and 1600 relay squads.
Running finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and the two
top finishers in each event will be back in San Angelo for
the Region I-4A track meet on April 30-May 1.
Three Eagles seeded at 4-4A tennis
PECOS, Apr. 16 -- The Pecos Eagles will have both their No.
1 singles player and their doubles team seeded on the boys
side of the District 4-4A tennis tournament, which opens
Friday morning at Midland College.
Jonathan Fuentes drew No. 2 seed in the singles division,
while Mark Marquez and Jeff Lam are seeded fourth in
doubles, coach Bernadette Ornelas said. The top two
finishers in the tournament advance to regionals later this
month in San Angelo.
"As far as those boys are concerned, they're playing
aggressively, and playing hard. I feel they have a good
chance to get to regionals," Ornelas said.
Big Spring's Hsiao Hsuan Li is seeded ahead of Fuentes in
the singles bracket, and the four top seeds all drew first
round byes. Fuentes will face the winner between
Sweetwater's Jacob Roberts and Big Spring's Pevor Swofford
in the second round, at 2:30 p.m.
Tye Graham is the other singles entry for the boys, and will
face Benny Cornet of Fort Stockton in his first round match
at 11:30 a.m.
Lam and Marquez also have a first round bye in their
division, where Sweetwater's Daniel Howard and Brandon Hix
are seeded No. 1. They'll face either a team from Fort
Stockton or Big Spring in the second round, at 4:30 p.m.
Friday.
Ornelas said illness may keep her other doubles team, of
Alan Fleming and Craig Wein, from participating in the
tournament.
Pecos' boys fared better than the girls during this past
fall in team tennis play, but Ornelas said because other
teams had lost players since then, the Eagles' draw is
better than expected this weekend.
In girls' singles, Tiffany Jarrett drew a first round bye,
and will face No. 4 seed Melissa Ward of Andrews in the
second round. Meanwhile, Nichi Dannelly will take on Farrah
Schooler of Fort Stockton in the first round, at 11:30 a.m.
In doubles, the Eagles will have Rachel Pharoah and Erin
Dominguez facing Derby and Harrell of Lake View, while
Teresa Minjarez and Vanessa Miranda face Garcia and DelO of
Fort Stockton in their first round match. both matches are
set for 1 p.m. starts.
The Eagles have only three players entered in the freshman
division, all in singles play. Prescilla Levario will face
Amy Gardner of Andrews and Sarah Metler plays Cristal Smith
of Sweetwater in girls singles, while Anthony Casillas will
take on Lando Yanez of Fort Stockton in boys singles play.
Ornelas said the finals and third place matches will take
place at 9 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Midland College
tennis courts. A third-place playback would be held at about
11:30 a.m. between the finals loser and the third place
winner, if they two did not play in the semifinals Friday
afternoon.
New troubles may seal Yankee Stadium's fate
By PAT MILTON
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK, Apr. 16 -- A close inspection of Yankee Stadium is
turning up more signs of wear and tear, and mayor Rudolph
Giuliani could be ready to rule out further renovations in
the ballpark that turns 75 on Saturday.
``You are dealing with a 75-year-old baseball park, so
that's something as we make plans for the future we have to
take a good look at,'' the mayor said Wednesday. ``I think
it means it's more likely that you would build a new
ballpark than try to renovate it for a second or third
time.''
Two days after a 500-pound steel-and-concrete joint
collapsed into the stadium's middle deck, New York Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner said he expects a decision soon on
where his team will play after its current stadium lease
runs out in 2002 -- the Bronx, Manhattan or New Jersey.
``I think we will see a decision in 1998,'' Steinbrenner
told The Associated Press. ``All our options are still the
same, but we should make a decision this year.''
Since the collapse Monday, city inspectors have been
examining the Bronx stadium. Giuliani said Wednesday they
found concrete on the stadium's facade that has been damaged
by seeping water.
``They are not structural problems that would affect the
stadium long term, or even from opening, but they are things
that now that we have the time we should correct,'' the
mayor said.
City buildings commissioner Gaston Silva said workers will
erect scaffolding around the stadium and check for water
damage in the facade, which was built during a 1974-75
remodeling. Any weak area will be repaired, he said.
``You don't want these pieces floating off and hitting
someone on the ground,'' Silva said.
Also Wednesday, the American League said the Yankees'
weekend series with the Detroit Tigers will be moved from
the Bronx to Michigan. That puts the team on the road
Saturday, the 75th anniversary of the day Babe Ruth opened
Yankee Stadium with a home run.
Monday's collapse of the joint already forced the
postponement of two games between the Yankees and the
Anaheim Angels. The teams played Wednesday at Shea Stadium,
home of the New York Mets, with the Yankees winning 6-3.
Before attending that game, Giuliani said the joint collapse
``underscores the need both (New York) teams have for a new
baseball field.''
The Mets are already negotiating with the city for a new
Shea, and the accident Monday has prompted speculation that
the Yankees will increase pressure for a new stadium.
``I feel no pressure,'' said Steinbrenner, who repeatedly
has threatened to leave the Bronx when the team's lease on
the city-owned stadium expires in four years.
One option mentioned by Steinbrenner has been New Jersey;
another is midtown Manhattan, where a 1996 study
commissioned by the city, state and team said a stadium with
a retractable dome, built over rail yards between 30th and
34th streets, would cost at least $1 billion.
The last detailed inspection of Yankee Stadium's structure
was in 1979, when cracks appeared in the concrete. City
Parks Department spokesman Ed Skyler said Wednesday that the
city ``had not been inspecting Yankee Stadium
cellar-to-roof'' before Monday's collapse.
Giuliani said that will change, at both Yankee and Shea
stadiums.
``What we will do every year is go through the kind of
inspection we're doing now,'' he said.
With this weekend's series moved to Detroit, the Yankees now
are scheduled to return to their own stadium on April 24 for
a three-game weekend series with the Tigers that previously
was scheduled for Detroit, AL president Gene Budig said.
``Obviously, issues of safety override all other
considerations,'' Budig said. ``Along with the Yankees and
mayor Giuliani, the league wants the unequivocal assurance
of city inspectors that Yankee Stadium is a safe environment
for our fans and our teams.''
Giuliani said the series swap should buy enough time for the
city to finish its inspection and reopen the stadium.
``When Yankee Stadium reopens a week from Friday, we can be
assured it is a safe facility,'' he said.
Associated Press Writer Tim Whitmire contributed to this
report.
Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, 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
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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise
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Pecos Enterprise