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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Tuesday, October 5, 1999
Swimmers set to open season Thursday
PECOS, Oct. 5, 1999 -- The 1999-2000 swimming season opens on Thursday
for the Pecos Eagles, and while the start will be a lot like recent years,
the Eagles will have more to shoot for at the finish than anytime since
the program started 16 years ago.
That's because for the first time ever, Pecos and other Class 4A and
below schools will have their own division to compete in at both the regional
and state meets in January and February. Previously, all schools from Class
A through 5A competed together at regionals, with the larger schools dominating
the state finalists. Pecos' boys have won eight of the last 10 District
4 titles and the girls have won district seven of the past nine years,
but only one Eagle swimmer has ever made it past regionals to Austin.
This year, the Eagles are in the re-designated District 3-4A, and coach
Terri Morse said, "The boys are seeded seventh in the state, based on where
we stood last year."
She also said the regional divisions should help Pecos come February,
when the regional meet is held in Lubbock, since most of the other top
Class 4A squads are in Region II or III.
There's also a Class 4A district in El Paso for the first time, and
Morse said the Eagles would compete in that division in the Border Invitational
on Dec. 2, the first time Pecos has traveled out to El Paso for a meet.
Some Pecos swimmers may also head to Austin the following week for the
TISCA Invitational. "It depends on if they qualify," she added.
The season opens at home on Thursday with a dual meet against Monahans
and Fort Stockton at 6 p.m., the first of two home meets this season for
Pecos. They'll host the Pecos Invitational on Nov. 12-13 after trips to
Andrews and Big Spring, while their other pre-Christmas meets are in Monahans
and Seminole.
The Eagles will have two meets after the holidays, in Fort Stockton
and Lubbock, and will then head back to both those sites for District 3-4A
and Region I-4A competition on Jan. 28-29 and Feb 11-12.
"Our numbers are up this year. We've got quite a few out," Morse said,
though not all will be competing in Thursday's opener.
"Eight girls and 12 boys will be swimming," she said. Overall, Morse
expects to have about 20 boys swimming, with a few less on the girls' side.
"Once I get all the girls out, we'll be able to have two (relays) in every
event."
Eagles open home stand with San Eli
PECOS, Oct. 5, 1999 -- After playing one home game in six weeks, the Pecos
Eagles volleyball team begins a stretch of three home games in eight days
tonight, when they host the San Elizario Eagles at the Pecos High School
gym.
Pecos will face San Elizario about 6:45 p.m., following the freshman
and junior varsity contests at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. It marks the halfway
point in the District 2-4A schedule for San Elizario, but not for the Eagles,
after their Sept. 25 game at El Paso Mountain View was canceled due to
a lack of referees.
The Eagles lost their district home opener last week to Clint, but have
won their two road contests, at Fabens and Canutillo. Pecos beat Canutillo
on Saturday by 15-4, 15-3 scores to improve to 2-1 in district, and 13-9
on the season. San Elizario, meanwhile is 2-2, having also beaten Fabens
and Canutillo while losing to Clint and Mountain View.
Although the Eagles had one of their easiest matches of the year on
Saturday, coach Becky Granado said the team still looked flat in the victory.
"We're not motivated right now. That's the most frustrating thing," she
said. "I don't know what it is. When the girls got back home Saturday night,
you would think they would have wanted to go out, but they all said they
were just going home and going to sleep.
“I don’t know if we’re working them too hard in practice,” the Eagles’
coach added. “Hopefully this weekend when they’ll have Friday night off
and then Saturday and Sunday, maybe 2½ days of rest will help.”
The Eagles will face Fabens about 3 p.m. on Friday at the Pecos High
School gym, in a game moved up from Saturday due to SAT testing. Pecos
then hosts Mountain View a week from tonight.
Rangers have better shot at Yanks this year
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 1999 — The Texas Rangers didn't do anything in the
playoffs against last year's New York Yankees, who could legitimately claim
to be the best team ever.
Now Texas gets a shot against a Yankees team that was simply the best
in the American League.
"I think the main thing is they're human this year," said Rangers manager
Johnny Oates, whose team opens its division series against the Yankees
tonight. "Last year, that was not only a team of the decade, it was the
team of the century."
That team won an AL-record 114 games in the regular season, swept Texas
in the first round of the playoffs, beat Cleveland in the AL championship
series and swept San Diego in the World Series.
The only time they were even threatened came against the Indians, when
New York fell behind 2-1 before winning the final three games. Orlando
Hernandez, this year's Game 1 starter, won the pivotal fourth game in that
series.
"The Yankees had a sense of invincibility last year," Todd Zeile said.
"They were the best team in the history of the game. They are still a good
club, but we are confident playing against them."
The Rangers lacked confidence last year against New York. More importantly,
they lacked offense.
They brought one of the best offenses in the game to the playoffs.
Overall, New York has won six straight playoff games against Texas since
losing the opener of their series in 1996.
"We know they will be ready for us," New York's David Cone said. "Their
whole goal this season has been to beat us. Now they get the chance. And
we are ready for it."
The Yankees won 27 of 35 meetings between the two teams before dropping
three of the last five this year. To advance beyond the first round for
the first time in club history, the Rangers need to win three of the next
five as well.
"It's important for us not to get caught up in the past few series or
the last three or four years," Oates said. "We're trying to talk about
our guys focusing on the opportunity as opposed to the obstacle. Sometimes
you start looking at the obstacle and it becomes too big to overcome."
The biggest obstacle for the Rangers will be the Yankees' starting pitching,
which held Texas down last year. Manager Joe Torre will send out Hernandez
(17-9, 4.12 ERA) in Game 1, followed by Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and,
if necessary, Cone.
That quartet has 13 postseason wins — 13 more than Texas starters Aaron
Sele (18-9, 4.79), Rick Helling and Esteban Loaiza.
"We've all pitched big games, we all have experience," Cone said. "We
feel good about our overall depth of pitching. That has been the hallmark
of our teams, and it has to be again if we want to move on."
Shutting down the Texas offense won't be as easy this season. The addition
of Rafael Palmeiro (.324, 47 HR, 148 RBIs) has added balance and depth
to the lineup, which was second in the AL in runs scored this year.
They had four players with at least 100 RBIs, six with at least 20 homers,
and led the league with a .293 average.
"It's really made that ballclub a lot more potent," Torre said. "I didn't
think they needed that, but they certainly have added to their offensive
output with him."
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
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Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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