P age B2
M ay 3, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
BENSON WINS MEET
m D \ nns B ell
BASKETBALL
Collins To Coach
Pistons
Doug Collins will replace
Don Chaney as the coach o f the
Detroit Pistons. Collins, who now
serves as the color analyst for
TNT cable network, said that he
had agreed to terms w ith the Pis
tons.
He w as r e p o rte d ly w ill
m ake $1 m illio n a y ear on a
five y ear c o n tra c t. C o llin s has
been out o f c o a c h in g sin c e
b ein g fired from the C h icag o
B ulls a fte r 1989.
Eddie Lincoln who played bas
ketball for the Benson Techmen,
came out last Wednesday on the Grant
High School track and equaled a
state record for the fastest time in the
high hurdles, helping Benson contin
ue their unbeaten mark.
Lincoln won three events, lead
ing the Techmen past Grant, 8 1 -64 in
a battle o f two 4-0 track and field
teams.
The w in puts Benson at the head
o f the pack for the Portland Inter
scholastic League dual meet champi
on.
The girls competition was a dif
ferent story, with the Grant girls team
defeating the previously undefeated
Benson team 8 1 -64. That pullsG rant
into a first place tie with Benson,
both posting 4-1 records.
Grant sprinter Emily Pokorny,
won the 100 meters in 12.9 seconds,
the 200 in 26.8 seconds and anchored
the w inning 1600 relay team. Team
mate Megan Faris, a sophomore, won
both hurdle competitions.
Their combined efforts were
enough to negate the performance of
Benson’s Shei'm eka Newman who
won the longjump, javelin and triple
jump.
Lincoln, a senior who turned out
late for track because he also played
in Benson’s Class 4A semi-finals in
basketball, was the pivotal factor in
deciding Benson’s win. Posting a
time o f 14.5 seconds in the high
hurdles, then winning the longjum p
at 21 feet 1.5 inches and the 300
meter hurdles in 4 1.3 seconds.
” 1 didn't think the 14.5 seconds
was that fast when I was done,” Lin
coln said. "I don't think I'm as good
as I can be.”
Benson's coach Leon McKenzie
agreed.
“Technically, it was not a good
race for him. He’s only been out a
month too, so he's not in top shape
yet," McKenzie said
G rant’s Kenny Carter was able
to com e from behind and pass
Benson's Russell Jackson in the final
yards as the Generals lowered their
state best 400 relay time to 42.3
seconds. Carter also bettered Jack-
son in the 200 meters, but Jackson
was able to get the better ofhim in the
100 meters.
Eddie Lincoln of Benson High School is out front in the hurdles.
(Photo courtesy of the Oregonian)
Pack Injured
Point guard Robert Pack o f
the DenverNuggets has re-injured
his knee and missed games I and
2 o f the playoffs. Denver lost both
games.
PSU PITCHER EYES MAJORS
b \
FOOTBALL
Sapp Signs
W arren Sapp w hose stock
fell in the N FL d ra ft a fte r te s t
ing p o sitiv e for a d ru g te st
sig n ed w ith the T am pa Bay
B u c c a n e e rs . T h e fo u r y e a r
c o n tra c t is w orth $ 4 .4 m illio n ,
a lot low er than if he w ould
have been se le c te d in the top
fiv e as ex p e c te d . He w ill have
to su b m it tw ice w eekly to ra n
dom d rug tests as p art o f his
a g re e m e n t w ith the team .
BASEBALL
Arbitration
A fter sp e n d in g n early a
y e a r try in g to e lim in a te a r b i
tra tio n , the ow ners w ere cou rt-
o rd e re d to go th ro u g h the p ro
cess. T h irty -n in e p lay ers have
e x c h a n g e d fig u re s w ith th e
ow ners.
C a lif o r n ia 's C h ili D avis
asked for the most at $ 5 .1 million
and St. Louis pitcher Ken Hill
asked for $5 million.
Greg Wooten, star pitcher for Portland State University.
BOXING
WBU Upholds
Foreman Win
A fter v iew in g the v id e o
tap e o f the G eo rg e F orem an.
A xel S ch u lz fight the W orld
B o x in g U nion C h a m p io n sh ip
c o m m itte e
u n a n im o u s ly
ag re e d the o ffic ia ls w ere b e
yond rep ro a c h
Possible Rematch
G e o rg e F o r e m a n 's n ex t
fight may very w ell be w ith
A xel S ch u lz in G erm an y in
S e p te m b e r The p ro m o te r for
F o rem an . Bob A rum , said th at
such a fight c o u ld m ean $30
m illio n for Forem an who m ade
¡10 m illio n in his last fight
w ith Schulz
Greg Wooten at 6 foot 7 inches is
an athlete, but not the sport usually
associated with players of that stature.
Instead o f being on the basket
ball court, he’s an ace pitcher for the
Portland State University baseball
team.
The alert, astute, and observant
21 -year-old sophomore is already one
ofthe premiere pitchers in the North
ern Division o f the Pacific 10 Con
ference. Wooten possesses the natu
ral attributes o f a pitcher and is de
veloping techniques to take him all
the way to the big leagues.
“ I was offered scholarships to
Mt. Hood Community College, W il
lamette University and Linfield Col
lege to play baseball and basketball,”
he said. “ But I decided to go to
Portland State because it has a Divi
sion I (baseball)school, and I thought
I had a better chance o f making it in
baseball.”
Emulating the Seattle Mariner
6 '1 0 " p itc h e r R andy Jo h n so n ,
Wooten uses his height to his advan
tage on the mound. “ It helps a lot to
be tall," Wooten said. “Your arms
are a lot longer and that helps you
throw harder. My height is also in
THE GAME IS BACK
A Home For The
Devil Rays
T am pa B a y ’s new b a se
ball team . The D evil R ays, has
got the go ahead to a 3 0 -y ear
lease for the T h u n d e r D om e.
O p e ra tio n s are e x p e c te d to
begin in Jan u ary 1998.
D anny B ell
by
E ric N oon
For being called a thinking
m an’s game, baseball and the peo
ple who run it should have thought
a little more about people who sup
port it before coming back.
Professional sports are big
businesses and full o f greed and
selfish people that so often come
along with large amounts o f reve
nue and earnings. Many fans are
very disgruntled over the way base
ball has handled the strike on both
sides o f the fence.
T here's a lot o f fingers that can
be pointed, but the bottom line is,
it's the fans, not the play ers or ow n
ers, that suffer the most from this
still unresolved dispute.
The game has so many prob
lems that many fans are to wits end
and are not supporting the game
that made them fans from their ear
ly childhood. The fans think about
how they can get back at what the
game has gave them recently. The
record low opening day crowds is
an indication that many o f the long
time fans and biggest supporters o f
the game are stay ing away in sup
I
port o f their views, that the games
should be punished for its actions.
It’s easy to see the point the
fan’s are making by not attending
major league baseball, and in a lot o f
ways the owners or the players don’t
deserve the support that they’ve had
in the past. They still don't have an
agreement. The umpires are replace
ments. Rosters have shuffled so much
that one’s favorite team can have lost
identity over the winter. The number
o f reasons baseball is in very deep
trouble is troubling in itself, to the
owners, players and fans. The num
ber o f reasons that the game will
survive and make it through the times
o f turmoil is much smaller.
It only takes one reason for base
ball to survive, and that is the game
itself. They, the owners and players,
have taken away an enormous amount
away from the fans and have done
damage bey ond repair But the point
is the game is back The reason fans
are upset are understandable in a lot
o f ways, but these are still the best
players in the world. The quality of
baseball is as good as it gets. The best
players in the world are playing one
o f the oldest and greatest sports o f all
time and that remains for now.
A 144-gam e se a so n , lo st
records from last year, no true pen
nant race, and an unclear future give
the fans a clouded view o f the game
today. But for now, we have to take
what we can as fans and support the
game as a game, not as a business.
Ken Griffey Jr. is still one o f
the greatest players in the game and
for now he sti 11 plays not far away in
Seattle. Maybe Griffey w on’t be in
Seattle forever, or even the Mari
ners due to the way they are losing
money. But the fact is baseball is
back and the same love for the game
that got so many fans frustrated will
bring them back if this is true. To
have a true love for the game o f
Major League baseball, one has to
understand the history , the strategy,
and the talent it takes to play on the
level the Major League plays. True
love can be taken away and let go.
What you do with it when it comes
back is the biggest question. Just
having it back isn't alway s enough,
but know ing it is there will be aw ful
tempting for even some o f the big
gest fans whose heart has been bro
ken b\ the eame.
timidating to hitters because they
don’t see a 6 ’7" pitcher everyday.”
Intimidating is an understate
ment. Wooten has won his last five
decisions and is 8-3.
He has earned a 1.11 eamed-run
average which leads the division.
With 93 strike-outs in 97.67 innings
and four shut-outs, he has displayed
a significant improvement over his
freshman year. In his freshman year,
he was 6'4" and had 2.55 ERA and
85 strikeouts in 113 innings.
“ H e’s 6 foot 7 inches, but he was
like 5' 5" last year,” said Portland
State Coach Dave Dangler. “ He
would hunch way down. During the
off season, we talked to him about
taking advantage o f being 6'7" by
standing tall and driving the ball to
the plate with better leverage.”
His im proved statistics and
height have caught the attention o f
major league scouts. Because o f his
size, leverage and arm angle, he’s
going to miss a lot o f bats,” said Gary
McGraw, an area scout for the Mar
iners. “H e's got movement on his
fastball that will make batters miss.
Based on his physical size and
strength, he is potentially a No. I or
2 starter in the major leagues if he
continues to improve.”
Wooten said his best pitch is his
fastball, followed by a slider. H e's
developing a split-finger fastball and
change-up.
“ My strong suit is that I have
tremendous location with my pitch
es,” said Wooten who has walked
only 21 batters this season. “ I have
total confidence o f throwing a strike
when I need it. and I have the most
confidence when I get into trouble
with men on base. That’s when I
really bear down and almost always
get through it.”
Expectations are that Wooten
will be drafted in the June draft. “ I’m
unsure o f whether or not I would sign
this year or go on and graduate by the
end o f next year,” Wooten said. "It's
atough decision. It depends on where
I get drafted and by what team .”
W ooten's current attentions are
focused on helping the Vikings mak
ing a run for the division title. They
got off to a bumpy start, but now are
in the hunt for first place. Coach
Dangler commented that in spite o f
poor hitting by the V ikings as a team
early in the season, W ooten has
pitched brilliantly all season.
Naturally for anyone 6 ’7". the
idea o f aw kwardness and clumsiness
comes to mind. But W ooten's expe
rience in basketball has helped him
with his coordination.
"B eing a heck o f an athlete
doesn't hurt," McGraw said. “ You
need a guy who can field at his posi
tion. Greg is a guy who can handle
himself on the mound, and he's got a
chance to help him self by being a
good field end pitcher With his size
and arm strength, mental confidence
and athleticism, you've got a great
package.”
YOU'LL LIKE THIS
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May 3rd - September 30th
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and 10 minutes West of Multnomah Falls
NE 223rd & Glisan • Wood Village. OR
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