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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1997)
ON THE TUBE Major League Baseball Atlanta vs. Chi. Cubs, TBS (3), 10:00 Emerald Sanders now NFL’s highest paid player ■ NFL: The running back surpasses Troy Aikman as the NFLs richest man with a reported contract of $5.7 million per year The Associated Press UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Bar ry Sanders has added another record to his long list: he is now the NFL’s highest paid player. Sanders agreed Sunday to a five-year contract with the Detroit Lions, with an option for a sixth year. The team did not disclose the financial terms of the con tract, but several media reports placed it above $34 million. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported today that Sanders agreed to a $34.56 million contract that averages slightly more than $5.7 million a season. Troy Aikman had been the NFL’s top paid player, averaging $5,671 million a year. “The thing that sets this apart is that we finally broke the glass ceiling for quarterbacks,” Lamont Smith, one of Sanders’ two agents, told the News. “Barry’s the highest-paid player in the league. The News and the Free Press reported the deal includes an $11 million signing bonus. The News reported that Sanders agreed to rewrite the 1997 year of his contract, reducing his salary-cap number from $4.2 million to $3,233 million. “My opinion was, if they were going to get this type of cap relief, Barry should realize a windfall,” Smith said. “The windfall becomes the escalating aver age.” The contract also includes a clause mandating Sanders be the highest-paid running back in the NFL in the sixth year of the contract, the Free Press reported. “We were able to do this and I give the Lions a lot of credit,” said Sanders’ oth er agent, David Ware. “Despite the fact Barry had a year left on his contract and they could have used the franchise tag on him, we were able to work out a deal.” The Free Press cited sources as saying the biggest sticking point in the negotia tions after the financial package was de termined was the structuring of pay ments. “This was obviously a complicated deal, and we’re glad we could iron out the final details,” said Chuck Schmidt, the Lions’ executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Barry’s been an Turn to NFL, Page 8 MONDAY'S RESULTS American League Chi. White Sox.3 Detroit.0 Boston.3 Cleveland.1 Baltimore.5 Texas.1 NY Yankees.7 Milwaukee.3 National League Pittsburgh .3 Philadelphia.2 Los Angeles.4 Atlanta.5 San Diego.10 Florida.2 Cincinnati .3 NY Mets.5 Colorado.4 Montreal.8 San Francisco.2 St. Louis.7 EMERALDS BASEBALL . . MIKE BARKIN/Emerald Mike Terhune fouls a pitch during the Ems’ 12-4 loss to Southern Oregon on July 16th. The Ems have lost four of their last five games. Ems welcome Spokane for homestand ■ EMERALDS: Second-place Spokane faces the Ems, who have lost four of their last five through Sunday By Ryan Frank Associate Editor The Eugene Emeralds return home from their five-game set in Yakima on Wednes day night to start a five-game series with Spokane at Civic Stadium. Tonight Eugene finishes its series in Yakima where it has posted a 1-2 mark through Sunday. Through Sunday night, the Ems have lost four of their last five and six of their last eight and sit in the Southern Division cellar at 10-23, 8 1/2 games behind first place Portland. Spokane has the Northwest League’s second-best record at 22-11 and is sitting in second place in the Northern Division, two games out of first place. This will be the first meeting of the year between the two teams. After breaking their three-game losing streak Saturday night in Yakima, the Ems began another losing streak the next night. After losing the final two games of their five-game homestand with Southern Ore gon last week and the opening game of their five-game series in Yakima, the Ems, led by the pitching of Ryan Schurman, beat the Bears 8-2 Saturday. Schurman gave up only four hits and two runs in eight innings while striking out six to improve his record to 3-3. Jeff Spencer and Brett Pierce both had three hits for the Ems. In the final game of the their five-game homestand with Southern Oregon last Thursday, the Ems took the loss, 5-4, on a controversial call in the 10th inning. With the score tied at four, the Bears’ Ed die Lara hit a bouncing ball down the third base line that home plate umpire John Bul lock called fair. Lara’s double scored Rodney Clifton with what would be the winning run. The Ems held the lead early in the game, 3-1, but the Timberjacks came back and took the lead, 4-3, in the fifth. Two innings later, Eugene came back with a run of their own to tie the game, and eventually send it into extra innings. One night later, Eugene opened their five-game set in Yakima with a 10-2 loss to last season’s Northwest League champion. The Bears got on the board first with two runs in the first inning on two Ems errors. Then in the third inning, Yakima broke the game open with five runs, two of them coming on Nick Leach’s home run and one more on Eric Floures solo home run. Sunday night, the Ems’ woes continued as the Bears tattooed Ems pitching for 19 hits in their 8-6 win. ■ MLB: Darren Daulton said in training camp he would have preferred to go to an AL contender The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Darren Daulton, the pillar of the Phillies’ 1993 World Series team, was traded today to the Florida Mar lins for outfielder Billy McMillon. “What we’re doing now is right for everybody,” Daulton said at an emotional news conference today at Veterans Stadi um. “I grew up from being a boy here to be ing a man, and I’ll always respect that.” As a 10-year veteran who has spent the last five seasons with the same team, Daulton had the right to veto any trade. He has spent 13 years with the Phillies and 17 years in the organization — the longest tenure with one team of any active Nation al Leaguer. He decided he would go after talking it over with his wife, Nichole. Daulton has advocated a trade since training camp, telling management he would prefer going to a contender in the American League that could use him as a designated hitter. Such a trade would al low Daulton, 35, with nine knee operations behind him, to extend his career after his $5 million contract expires after the sea son. With the Marlins, Daulton could play mostly first base, his preferred position. The team plays on grass, and its home base is close to Daulton’s Largo, Fla., home. Daulton’s son from a previous marriage, Zachary, also lives in Florida. In 269 at-bats, Daulton has a .264 aver age with 11 home runs, 42 RBIs, 54 walks and 57 strikeouts. Before spring training, the Phillies doubted he would even be able to play. The clubhouse leader of the Macho Row team that won an unexpected NL pennant in 1993, Daulton missed much of the past two seasons after tearing up his right knee in 1995. He already had undergone eight operations on his left knee. The longtime catcher attempted to come back with the Phillies as an outfielder last year. But only a week into the season, he said his knees weren’t ready to take the strain and he missed the rest of the year.