Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1999)
Major League Baseball_ Juan ‘as in Gone’ Gonzalez missing from festivities By Josh Dubow The Associated Press BOSTON — Juan Gonzalez was a prominent topic of conver sation Monday after he decided he’d rather stay home than come off the bench for the AL team. “I think he is totally out of line refusing to be recognized as one of the greatest players,” said Carl ton Fisk, an 11-time All-Star and the AL honorary captain. “I don’t know whether that is a kind of attitude or selfishness on his part, but it is. I think down the line he may regret the deci sion.” Gonzalez, the reigning AL - MVP, was angered by the high number of votes for the Cleve land Indians. Despite being third ^ «in the league in homers and RBIs, he finished fifth in the voting, be hind Ken Griffey Jr. and three In dians. Nevertheless, his colleagues were confounded by the Texas slugger’s choice. “I think the decision he made wasn’t a very good decision,” said Sammy Sosa, Gonzalez’s friend and former teammate. “But that’s his business and there is nothing I can do about it.” Tony Gwynn, who has been selected to 17 All-Star teams, made the trip even though he is sidelined with a calf injury. “Juan decided he didn’t want to be here,” Gwynn said. “That’s his choice. They are not going to call off the game because Juan Gonzalez isn’t here.” Junior and Junior Ken Griffey Jr. was a late ar rival for his All-Star news confer ence. At least he had an excuse. “Sorry I’m late,” he said right before receiving the award for be ing the leading vote-getter in the AL. “My 3-year old, who just got in, wanted me to stay in the room and watch cartoons.” Once Griffey arrived, much of the talk was about his chances to pass Hank Aaron to become base ball’s career home rim king. Grif fey, who doesn’t turn 30 until af ter the season, has 379 career homers — more than halfway to Aaron’s record 755. “I’ve never really thought about it,” Griffey said. “The per son that I wanted to beat was my dad — over 2,000 hits, world championships, played every day. That’s the only person I wanted to beat because he was the guy I could physically touch. “Now they’re talking about me breaking Hank Aaron’s record, and I just say OK. It’s an honor that he says it and you people say it, but I still take it one day at a time.” All-Star Memories With 23 first-timers at this All Star game, AL manager Joe Torre reminisced about his first All Star experience. As a 22-year-old in 1963, Torre was thrilled to be selected as the third catcher, even if he spent the entire game in the bullpen. He finally got to play the next year, catching Don Drysdale at Shea Stadium in front of his hometown. The two went over the signs before the game for the fastball, slider, change-up, and even the spitter. They agreed that the fastball and spitter would have the same sign, and since Torre didn’t know which was coming, he had frouble catching some of Drys dale’s pitches. “He said ‘I’ll throw it off the fastball.’ And I said OK,” Torre recalled. “That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. In the first inning, I went back to say hello to Mayor Wagner (behind the plate) about four times. We had a sign for it after that.” Tribal Reunion There is a decidedly Cleveland flavor to this year’s game. And you can’t put all the blame on the Jacobs Field ballot stuffers. Former Indian Tony Fernan dez joins six current Cleveland players — Roberto Alomar, Ken ny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Charles Nagy and Omar Vizquel on the AL squad. The NL has six former Indians: Matt Williams, Jay Bell, Paul Byrd, Sean Casey, Jeromy Bumitz and Jeff Kent. “That’s a quality organiza tion,” Bumitz said. “They devel op guys and they can make trades with their prospects. I loved it there even though I did n’t play. I learned a lot there and so did a lot of other guys.” Many of the former players were forced out of Cleveland be cause there was no room to push out the All-Stars who were al ready there. “It was really tough with Jim Thome ahead of me,” Casey said. “You look at the long-term situa tion there and you realize there isn’t much chance. If I hadn’t got ten the opportunity to be traded, who knows how long I would have waited.” Equal Representation At least two All-Stars agree that baseball shouldn’t do away with the requirement that every team be represented at the All Star game. “If there wasn’t that rule, I wouldn’t be asked that ques tion,” Detroit’s Brad Ausmus said. “I know it doesn’t make everybody happy, but I don’t know if there is a perfect sys tem.” Minnesota’s Ron Coomer, an other player who wouldn’t be at Fenway Park without that rule, sees both sides of the issue. “When I was a kid, I remember waiting up all night to see the one Cub, Steve Swisher, get his one at-bat,” Coomer said. “I’m glad we have the rule, but it can keep some deserving guys out.” Tour de France__ Armstrong riding high again after remarkable recovery By Jocelyn Noveck The Associated Press METZ, France — Lance Arm strong can’t explain it. He’s not holding back. He just doesn’t have an answer to the question every one’s asking: How can someone recover so swiftly from an aggressive case of testicular cancer that spread, first, to his lungs, making him cough up “buckets” of blood, and, then, to his brain? But here he is. The 27-year-old from Austin, Texas, is riding better than ever. And at the moment, he’s winning the Tour de France, the most prestigious cycling race in the world. “There are no secrets,” Arm strong said Monday, sitting on the edge of a bed in a team official’s ho tel room. The day before, he crushed the field in a grueling time trial to re capture the yellow jersey and be come a decisive favorite. “I was sick as a kid could be. It was one of the worst cases my doctors had ever seen—and they were the best” Now, Armstrong said, he feels better than ever. Asked if he really means it, he leans forward for emphasis. “I can prove it,” he says, “With my re sults. With my training.” He can measure it on machines. For one thing, Armstrong is smaller and lighter than before, perhaps one benefit of his ordeal. But there’s something that’s changed him mentally, too — some call it a calmness, a more thoughtful attitude. Armstrong will only say this: “The mind is an amazing thing.” He won the 1993 World Champi onship, competed for the U.S. Olympic team in 1992 and 1996 and had signed a two-year contract with the French team Cofidis, when he started feeling sick in October 1996. He felt some soreness and start ed coughing up blood. “This was n’t drops — this was buckets,” he said. And then came the headaches, the blurry vision, the flu-like symptoms, the dizziness. He thought he was going to die. “I was scared when they first told me. Of course, they told me it was 95 percent curable, but that's when they catch it early. I knew I had a more advanced case.” Armstrong had surgery to re move his right testicle and brain lesions, then underwent three months of chemotherapy. He was out for the 1997 season and began his comeback last May. It wasn’t easy. People had for gotten him - fans and, more painfully, the European teams. “I understood the thing with the fans,” Armstrong said. “Frankly, I don’t really like the spotlight, the constant autographs. I prefer a qui eter life. So that was OK. But the thing with the teams - that was a surprise. A total shock. And I haven’t forgotten. ALL DAY TUESDAY with student 10 pizza § 2673 Willamette • 484-0996 g “this location only" Leo: What are you doing this weekend? Check your 001727j “34 years of Quality Service” Mercedes • BMW • Volkswagen • Audi Berman Auto Service 342-2912 • 2025 Franklin Blvd. Eugene, Oregon, 97402 Off AU Dishes Over $4.25* ora FREE DRINK with coupon ‘excluding special menu. Expires July 19, 1999. Korean & Japanese 'Cuisine Come join for the Jun and help us celebrate with... music by dj.'s pizza • Coke • games • prizes • music j> with P'aaz fun for the whole family pizza slice and a Coke for $1.00 Enter a drawing to win free pizza for a year or a new mountain bike! Drawing to be held at 3:30pm. 30 W. 29th Ave. (corner of 29th & Willamette) Saturday, July 17th, noon to 4pm
