WEDNESDAY
October 2,1996
Portland falls
flat on its face in
NHL test
It doesn’t look like professional hockey
is coming to Oregon anytime soon.
The Anaheim Mighty Ducks and
Pittsburgh Penguins faced off in a
game at the Rose Garden in Portland on
Sept. 23, and you have to wonder if the
NHL was using the game as a way to test
the waters for future considerations.
If it was a test, Portland failed with a cap
ital F.
The idea was a good one, at least I was
excited about going. I thought that it would
be worth the drive there and back in one
night in order to see the game. But it
wasn’t. In fact, if I lived in Portland it
wouldn’t have been worth the time.
The Rose Garden, though unimpressive,
was a good setting for a hockey game. All
seats seemed to have a
good view, even my $10
spot in the third section
OPINION
I up. Sure 1 couldn t see
| the expressions on the
players faces, but it was
still possible to hear
them check each other
into the boards.
_ „ Of course, maybe the
flBlDUJ reason this was possible
was because there was
nobody there. Ticket prices were generally
less expensive than they are for the Blazers,
and radio stations in Portland were even
giving a lot away. But by my estimate, the
place was about one-quarter full.
The crowd was also spread out through
out the arena, making it impossible to get a
wave going. What’s a professional sports
game without the wave? Even the crowd it
self was pretty pathetic. It seemed like it
was the first game for many of the “fans”
because they didn’t know when to cheer.
This may have been the fault of the
teams, though. Although it was the Mighty
Ducks that was the home team, there were
as many Penguin fans as there were rooting
for Anaheim. Some people were wearing
jerseys and hats from other teams, but they
at least seemed to be hockey fans.
Except the one guy who was walking be
hind me and said, “I don’t really watch
hockey, but I like the Steelers so I came to
root for the Penguins.” Sure, whatever.
Being the home team, Anaheim tried to
sell its merchandise and constantly was
showing commercials for “The Mighty
Ducks 3” on the scoreboard that hung over
center ice. That was probably the most an
noying thing about the whole night. Not
only is the movie a bad idea, but whoever
Turn to DeYOUNG, Page 23A
MARK McTYRE/Emerald
Keri Sanchez watches over the Ducks at practice on Tuesday afternoon on the soccer field behind McArthur Court. Sanchez came to
the Ducks after a four-year playing career at North Carolina and a six-week tournament in Japan.
The Ultimate Mentor
■ WOMEN’S SOCCER: After a long
playing career Keri Sanchez brings
experience and knowledge to the
Ducks
By Ryan Frank
Sports Reporter
The night Bill Steffen was hired as the
new Oregon women’s soccer coach, he
made two phone calls. The first went to
his wife, Refilwe, and the second went to
his new assistant coach — Keri Sanchez.
Steffen’s quick action proceeds
Sanchez’ reputation.
In her four seasons as a defender at
North Carolina she finished with four
NCAA championships, three NCAA all
tournament selections and two game-win
ning goals in two national title games.
“It was pretty exciting to go through a
program like Carolina because it doesn’t
get any better than that; good people, good
coaches, good school,” Sanchez said.
North Carolina initiated its women’s
soccer program in 1979 and three years
later it began a domination of the sport
that has been matched by only the
Louisiana State women's track team’s 10
consecutive national championships.
Since 1982, the Tar Heels have won 12
NCAA national championships — in
cluding nine straight. And the two years
they didn’t win the national title (1985
and 1995), they finished no worse than
third.
“The four national championships
were the most memorable for me because
it was the ultimate accomplishment and
each one was different,” she said.
While each championship was differ
ent for Sanchez, her sophomore season
has been called the best collegiate
women’s soccer team to ever take the
field. The Tar Heels went 25-0 in 1992
and the team included three starters from
the 1996 United States Olympic team:
Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Ven
turing
“We had a great team, probably down to
our 25th player,” Sanchez said of the 1992
team. “That was the year that a lot of peo
ple thought our reserve team could win it
Turn to WOMEN’S SOCCER, Page 22A
Unhappy Kemp skips
training camp opener
■ NBA: The Sonics
forward is unhappy
about his current
contract
By Jim Cour
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Unhappy with his $3 mil
lion salary this season and unsure when he
will join his teammates, Shawn Kemp was a
no-show T uesday at the opening of the Seat
tle SuperSonics’ training camp.
Kemp, a four-time All-Star who helped
the Sonics make it to last season’s NBA Fi
nals, will be the sixth-highest paid player on
the team this season.
Under the labor agreement between the
league and union, a player’s contract can’t
be changed until three years after it is
signed. So Kemp must wait another season
Turn to NBA, Page 23A
Baseball postseason begins as planned
■ PLAYOFFS: Baltimore, St. Louis and Texas
win playoff openers
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — The delay and all the controversy
were quickly forgotten once Brady Anderson per
formed his specialty — the leadoff homer.
Anderson opened Baltimore’s first playoff appear
ance in 13 years with a first- . _
inning shot, B.J, Surhoff K|
homered twice and Bobby I
Bonilla added a grand slam as I ’
the Orioles beat the Cleveland K
inaians iv-q luesaay in tne
opener of their first-round AL playoff series.
“That homer by Brady was huge,” Rafael Palmeiro
said. “It really turned the game, because before that all
the focus was on Robbie.”
Umpires from both leagues threatened to boycott the
playoffs unless Orioles second baseman Roberto Alo
mar was immediately suspended for spitting in the face
of umpire John Hirschbeck on Friday night.
Replacement umpires were on hand in case the regu
lars stayed away. The scheduled umpire crew finally
showed up. but their late arrival delayed the start of the
game by approximately 20 minutes.
Baltimore, on the other hand, got started early and
never let up.
“That home run was big,” Alomar said. “It put the
pressure on them right away. We’ve been doing that for
the last half-month.”
Anderson set a major-league record this season by
leading off a game with 12 homers. He had 50 overall.
"The thing with Robbie took away from the game at
the beginning,” Palmeiro said. “It was tough today be
cause of this thing with Robbie.”
The Orioles, who set a major-league record with 257
home runs during the regular season, proceeded to
build a 4-1 lead in the opening three innings against the
Turn to PLAYOFFS, Page 25A