Ernehtkl
Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Sports Editor: Tim Pyle
Best Bet
MLB Postseason
N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta
5 p.m., NBC
Still expect a
gold rush in
January
I have bad news for anti-San Francisco
fans who are ready to throw up the red flag
on the winningest team of the 1990s — the
49ers could easily strike gold again this
season.
I spent my weekend at Candlestick Park
— not 3Com Park — where I watched the
49ers play the Carolina Panthers on a beau
tiful 85-degree day in the Bay Area. It was
my first trip to the stadium, where my
childhood heroes such as Joe Montana and
Roger Craig had proven their dominance
every Sunday on television.
Montana and Craig have been done for
some time, but one constant still remains.
Jerry Rice, the best receiver to ever play the
game of football, showed that he could still
play with the best. One of football’s great
est iron men, Rice beat All-Pro cornerback
Eric Davis en route to a five-reception, 59
yard performance, including a touchdown
in the waning minutes that gave the 49ers
a chance to tie the game. The two- point
conversion, however, failed.
True, these weren’t the same 49ers I
have been watching the last 16 years or
even the team I saw last year. Injuries and
free agency continue to rob the 49ers of
their talent.
m quarteroack, tne 49ers clearly have a
dilemma. Steve Young cannot continue to
suffer concussions without facing serious
ramifications later in life. Does this mean
that Jeff Garcia — an ex-San Jose State
quarterback whose only pro experience is
in the Canadian Football League — is the
49ers’ quarterback of the future?
For San Francisco’s sake, I hope not. Al
though Garcia is seeing his first NFL expe
rience as a starter, some of his play Sunday
was inexcusable. His first-quarter misfire
to Rice in the end zoj ve — Rice probably
could have caught th>: ball fair if it was
anywhere near him — was the beginning
of a long day in the red :one.
49ers general manager Bill Walsh must
have been wincing watching Sunday’s
game, wondering what ould have been.
Two years.ago, Walsh wcnted the 49ers to
draft Jake Plummer, now a starter for Ari
zona, instead of Jim Drun*;enmiller in the
late first round. Walsh was only a consul
tant at the time, and he w vs overruled by
the front office. Since vhen, Drunken
miller has been cut and is currently third
string in Miami behind Dan Marino and
former Washington Huskies flop Damon
Huard.
But the 49ers have proven in the pas't
that they can win when Young is injured.
Quarterbacks such as Steve Bono, Elvis Gr
bac, Ty Detmer and Drunkenmiller have
tallied wins in a 49ers uniform, and Garcia
should be able to do the same for the time
being. He is not, however, the 49ers’ long
term answer at quarterback, and he has
proven such thus far this season.
San Francisco has had trouble in the
past with Carolina, which no matter how
outmatched, has found ways to win against
the 49ers, even at Candlestick.
Former 49ers and Oregon coach George
Seifert knows San Francisfco’s system, one
Turn to Williams, Page8A
M6NIBJ uiuifiuuii unciaiu
Junior-college transfer Bryan Bracey, a 6-7 forward, shows off some of the athleticism Saturday night that has Ernie Kent planning to use him both inside and outside.
Kent happy again with JC crew
■ a quartet or junior-college
recruits has Ernie Kent hoping tie
found a few more marquee players
By Tim Pyle
Oregon Daily Emerald
During the spring of 1998, Ernie Kent
scourged the junior-college ranks, ulti
mately landing three recruits.
By the end of last season, two of those
transfers — point guard Darius Wright
and forward Alex Scales — had firmly es
tablished themselves as indispensable
members of the Oregon men’s basketball
team.
Last spring, Kent was at
it again.
The new crop of junior
college signees funs four
strong, and Kent expects
similarly bountiful pro
duction when the Ducks
begin their season, which
starts with a Nov. 12 exhibition game.
Although Oregon has been picked to
finish fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference
and secure only its second NCAA Tour
nament berth since 1961 in most preview
publications, Kent said those prognosti
cators still did not take into account the
impact that the newcomers will have.
“(The writers] are going on what the
coaches are telling them in the conference,
they’re going on how strong we finished
last year coming down the stretch,” said
Kent, in his third year as Ducks head
coach.
“I don’t think they’re going so much on
what’s coming in the door at this program.
Turn to Basketball, Page 12A
UO hopes to cash in
on Tobbagi’s return
Something will be different
when the Oregon volleyball
team takes the court against
Washington State on Friday in
Pullman, Wash.
A familiar face will most like
ly return to the lineup, a team
mate whose presence on the
court has been missed by play
ers and coaches alike.
Monique Tobbagi — the
Ducks’ best offensive weapon —
is back. *
“It’s huge, she‘s our best play
er,” Oregon head coach Cathy
Nelson said. “It’s going to hurt
your team a lot when your best
player is out, and obviously
that’s the case with us.”
Before being sidelined with a
leg injury, Tobbagi led the
Ducks’ offense, compiling 164
kills in 45 games.
But for the past couple of
weeks, the sophomore has
watched from the sideline as
Oregon’s offense sputtered. Ju
niors Amy Banducci and Halie
Mazza provided much of the
Ducks’ explosiveness during
Tobbagi’s absence, and fresh
man Nicole Allen stepped up to
play some big minutes as well.
But not one Duck can kill the
ball like Tobbagi can. Had she
been in the lineup, Oregon
would probably not be winless
in the Pacific-10 Conference.
While Tobbagi’s return
should give the Ducks a much
needed confidence boost, keep
in mind that Tobbagi is not
flawless. She has committed her
share of errors this season, and
her jump serve — which can be
deadly when it barely skims
over the net and bullets in the
heart of the opposition — often
gets called for net violations.
Nelson said that aside from
her abilities on the court, the
mental impact caused by Tob
Turn to Volleyball, Page 8A
Scott Barnett Emerald
Oregon is anticipating the return of its offensive standout, Monique Tobbagi.