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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1997)
BEST BET Major League Baseball Chi. Cubs vs. Atlanta, TBS (3), 4:35 p.m. Emerald UO’s Walker resigns for post at Texas Oregon senior associate athletic director Barbara Walker resigned from her post tc accept a position as assistant athletic direc tor at the University of Texas, the Universi ty announced Friday. Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos said a national search will begin for a replacement this fall. Walker, 41, had served as one of Oregon’s top athletic department administrators for 8 1/2 years. Walker, who was promoted to senior as sociate athletic director last year and served as the school’s senior women s administra tor since arriving in Eugene in 1989, will oversee all compliance issues between Texas, the NCAA and the Big 12 Conference. At Oregon, Walker laid the foundation for the addition of Ore irnl_MB gon s first new inter WALKER collegiate sport in 10 years with the addition of women’s soccer in 1996. During her tenure at Oregon, Walker was in charge of the department's 13 non-rev enue sports as well as the Ducks’ medical treatment, equipment and strength and con ditioning areas. She also served as a vice president of the Pacific-10 Conference dur ing 1995-96 as well as chaired the league’s compliance and enforcement committee. She currently was a member of the Pac 10’s budget and finance, women’s revenue sharing and executive committees. Walker has also served as the tournament director for the NCAA basketball and golf tournament hosted by Oregon within the last four years. She came to Oregon as an associate ath letic director after eight years at the Univer sity of Alabama-Birmingham. The former women’s cross country and basketball coach was elevated to the post of women’s athletic coordinator there in 1984 before be ing promoted to assistant athletic director one year later. SPOKANE 4, EMS 2 CHAD PATTESON/EmeraJd Pooh Hines is tagged out while attempting to steal second base during the Ems’ loss at Civic Stadium Monday night. Ems lose on ninth-inning home run ■ EMERALDS: Spokane’s Scott Key pitched two perfect innings of relief and struck out two for his second win of the season By Ryan Frank Associate Editor The Eugene Emeralds first three-game winning streak of the 1997 season will have to wait. Despite leading Spokane for three innings and tak ing a 2-2 tie into the ninth inning, the Ems suffered their sixth loss in their last eight games in a 4-2 de feat. Spokane’s designated hitter Juan LeBron put an end to any thoughts of Eugene’s third straight win when he sent a David Lebejko fastball over the left field fence with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Indians a 4-2 win in front of 2,743 fans at Civic Stadium. “I left it right over the middle of the plate,” Lebe jko said after the game. “He was waiting for a fast ball.” LeBron said Lebejko tried to sneak a fastball by him. “Earlier in the game they threw me a lot of off speed pitches,” LeBron said. “That time he tried to surprise me with a fastball.” The loss drops the Ems to 12-28, last place in the Northwest Leauge’s Southern Division. Spokane’s win improves its record to 25-15, second place in the Northern Division. Lebejko, who relieved starting pitcher Rich Thieme with one out in the sixth inning, pitched 3 Turn to EMERALDS, Page 8 EUGENE ■ WHAT’S NEXT: The Ems begin a | three-game set today in Portland, then return to Eugene Friday for j an eight-game homestand. The Ems play three games against Portland, then a f five-game series against Boise Messier leaves Rangers for Canucks and $18 million over 3 years ■ NHL: Mark Messier was happy to return to his Canadian homeland and called his new team a “great fit” The Assocaited Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Mark Messier, the heart of the New York Rangers and only player to captain two different NHL teams to Stanley Cup titles, joined the Vancouver Canucks Monday. The 36-year-old star center, one of the NHL’s pre mier players, signed a three-year contract reportedly worth at least $18 million. Messier donned a No. 11 Canucks jersey to cheers and applause at a news conference at GM Place, the Canucks' new arena. “The last 10 days have been pretty hectic, but here we are in Vancouver and we’re certainly happy about that,” Messier said. He called the Canucks, who missed the playoffs last season, a “great fit” and said his goal was to bring Canada and Vancouver a Stanley Cup. “I can’t wait to get started,” he said. Said Vancouver general manager Pat Quinn: “His winning attitude is something that’s going to rub off on all of us.” Messier, who made his name with the Edmonton Oilers, was happy to return to his homeland. “Being a Canadian and being born and brought up in Edmonton, Alberta, to have an opportunity to come back and finish my career in Canada, that was one of the things that came into the decision-mak ing process,” he said. Canucks captain Trevor Linden welcomed Messier, saying he had learned from him while with Team Canada at the World Cup last fall. “It’s going to be great to be on his side for a while now and not take all those faceoffs against him,” Linden said. “For Vancouver it’s outstanding. We truly have one of the greatest centers to ever play our game.” Coach Tom Renney said Messier embodied in tegrity. “We appreciate him being here very very much,” he said. ESPN and UPN 9, a TV station in Secaucus, N.J., reported Sunday that Messier’s three-year deal is worth from $18 million to $20 million, and the offer was made after he met with team owner John Mc Caw in Seattle over the weekend. The Daily News reported that the Vancouver deal may have options for a fourth and fifth season, mak ing the contract worth more than $20 million. The Rangers had reportedly offered Messier a two-year contract worth $10 million plus an option year. “I very much wanted to keep him as a Ranger, keep him for the rest of has playing days,” New Turn to NHL, Page 8 IN SPORTS NFL (AP) — Mark Brunell, who led Jacksonville to the AFC champi onship game last season, signed a new contract today with the Jaguars that makes him one of the NFL’s highest paid players. Fie signed a five-year deal that keeps him with the team through 2001 ./6 Jurisprudence (AP) — Charles Barkley, who is be ing sued over a bar fight, mouthed an expletive at his accuser as the trial began today and even had time to sign a few autographs. The scuf fle took place last summer when the NBA star was in town with the U.S. Olympic team78 Horse Racing (AP)—Jockey Richard Pfau pleaded guilty Monday to federal sports bribery charges for holding back his horse during a 1995 race at Los Alamitos Race Track. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ed Weiss said Pfau admitted taking a $2,100 bribe to influence the race. Tennis (AP) — Steffi Graf's father reported to a prison hospital Monday to treat his alcohol problem and begin serving a sentence for tax evasion. Peter Graf was convicted in Janu ary and sentenced to three years and nine months and ordered to re port to the high security prison. MLB (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers turned their first triple play since May 15,1979 in the fourth inning of the second game of a twi-night doubleheader against Toronto on Monday.
