The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 30

I i fig 4) tuwUy. Jim 8 1W4 THE TENNESSEAH 4ftirjBiii fetjfeiar.Awi tm.hm Jordan better with wms No argument here: dan's demeanor. "I called him out on a steal play early this year in Carolina, and he jumped up and was in my face," Wagner said. "I called him out on strikes twice recently and I dont think he liked the calls, but he didnt say anything." Wright said that even if Jordan doesnt hoot on a call, the umpires are sure to hear it from the crowd. "If it's a close pitch and you call it a ball, people think you're just giving it to him because he's Michael Jordan," he said.

"If you call it a strike, they think you're sticking it to him because of who he is." Jake ODonnell was he could say, 'I blew if" ODonnell, a prominent NBA referee, was a former baseball umpire. In the Southern League, in fact on a crew with Bill KunkeL Jordan, however, was the one admitting a mistake recently. It happened after that play in which he was called out for sliding wide. "I saw the film the next day, and I was out" Jordan said. "That night I went up and apologized to Fletcher and told him I was wrong." Marv Wright and Randy Wagner, another Southern League crew, have seen the difference in Jor umpires and the job they do and dealing with them." King has seen improvement "He uses our names now when he argues.

He didnt do that before," he said. "There's nothing wrong with him questioning a call. There's just a right way and a wrong way to do it" To Jordan, it's how the umpire handles himself that matters. "I always try to get along with officials. Sometimes, they wont let you.

They build a wall when they wont admit they're wrong. I admit I am wrong, when I am wrong. "One of the great things about and how to jaw with the ump is one of them. It's not like the NBA, where he got superstar treatment from the officials. "I told him you cant try to show me up or make a scene every time," Fletcher said.

"Andy said there was a problem and that I needed to fix it," Francona said. "I appreciated that That was the right way to do it I think, to let the manager deal with a problem with one of his players." Next Francona took aside Jordan. "I dont really remember what I said. It wasnt much," Francona said. "I think we just talked about HOOVER, Ala.

(AP) Early April, early innings. Michael Jordan is called out on a close pitch, and he doesnt like it He stomps around the batter's box, goes face-to-face with umpire Andy Fletcher and angrily flings his bat toward the dugout Mid-May, middle innings. Jordan is called out again by Fletcher for sliding out of the basepath "trying to break up a double play. The interference ruling with the bases loaded is a big one, and Birmingham Manager Terry Francona goes crazy and gets ejected. Jordan, however, stays cool.

In stead, at the end of the inning, as he runs past the umpire on his way to right field, he stops and calmly says, "Andy, I'm ft-foot-6. I think I can reach the bag from there." Fletcher patiently points out he doesnt think so, and that's it "I think the problem early in the season was that Michael didn't know how to argue with an umpire," said Brian King, Fletcher's partner on the two-man Southern League crew. "He's gotten much better at it" There have been a lot of things for Jordan to learn this year in his quest to become a baseball player, What to play, what to play, what to play 47 4 12 27 3 4 bt 14 21 3 12 I 12 7 11 II 0 12 11 2 ab 192 1M 113 20 192 lit 136 42 W4 130 170 8 135 127 39 4 1772 13 32 22 43 4 14 25 11 3 29 12 14 4 17 13 29 2 17 13 6 0 209 21 19 12 9 10 II Nashville Tlnutfi Fflckv'f pnw BMr (v Anltnw Bvrd 245 SO Set Cepickv Ted Cort Xf) 34 VJke DanM Xt 6 Adal Dawnport 250 51 Andres Duncan 2S 40 Ed Gerald ZD 41 Pedro GrtW 13 Stev Haztefl III 49 Damian Miter 41 Tim Moore 253 SO Paul Ruuo SO 2 Midi Simons 274 31 Ken Tirpack 220 37 Ricky Ward 205 12 Al others JOOO Total 251 PUdiar w-l sv htrc Barceto 4-1 0 Rich Garces 1-3 2 Sean Gavaohan 1-1 9 LaTrov Hawkins 5-1 0 Jon Henry 5-0 0 Jeff Mansur 0-3 0 rVJke Msuraca 4-3 0 Joe NorrH 4-3 0 Brad Radke 4-4 0 Todd Ritchie 0-2 0 Erik Schutstrom 1-1 5 Orris Sweeney 1-1 0 Al others 1-0 3 Total 31-23 19 37 a I 0 44S 0 159 30 til II 12 19 13 4 12 11 54 2S 37Vi 28'i 26 49 50 66V It 20 are 2A7 482 1.69 251 623 111 SM 284 424 201 4.41 36 33 16 21 15 65 27 21 10 7 21 26 Wi 13 461 i XW 136 4A 473 221 175 146 354 6 -i 4 i 1 1 A 'WW ''V Three-sport star leaves behind UNC basketball By ANTHONY COLEMAN Sports Writer Decisions, decisions, decisions. That's what Nashville Xpress leftfielder Ed Gerald been making all his athletic life. This would have been the senior year in college at North Carolina for Gerald had he decided to stay in college.

But Gerald decided to give up basketball after his sophomore season to concentrate on another sport At St Paul (N.C) High School, Gerald was a standout in three sports. Imagine for a minute being so good in high school (where he averaged 38 points per game his junior year and 35 as a senior) that you get offered a basketball scholarship to play at North Carolina. The class Gerald came in with at Carolina won the 1993 NCAA championship, although Gerald had given up on the sport by then. In high school, he played in the Dapper Dan Classic and the BC Five Star camps, where only the top players in the nation are invited. But first, Gerald had to decide if he even wanted to play basketball in college.

Earlier in his senior prep season he set the national record for career passing yards (more than 9,300) in football. Colleges bothered him to come to their school for that sport Then to make matters even more confusing for Gerald, he was named the state of North Carolina's Gatorade Circle of Champions Baseball Player of the Year in the spring of his senior year. In other words, he was picked as the top baseball player in the state his senior year. He was named first-team all state in football at quarterback and was a first team All-America in basketball. "I always looked at baseball as a sport that I would play, but that I would make it in basketball as a professional," said Gerald, drafted in the third round by the Kansas City Royals.

"I always played for them during the summer. I 1 never played baseball in college. I just always played basketball and then spent my summers playing for the Royals organization." An Achilles heel injury his sophomore year at North Carolina made him think about baseball as a future. I Last season he missed the whole year with a medial collateral ligament tear. "That was scary.

It could have all been over. But I think I'm about 90 percent back now." But he admits it hurts mentally to sometimes think about playing basketball. "I play as much basketball as I want," Gerald said. "I decided against football right after high school. "But basketball was different Dean Smith came to my school when I signed my letter-of-intent It's like they say.

You can take away the game from the man, but you can't take the man away from the game." The Minnesota Twins are glad he likes baseball better. The Royals failed to protect Gerald on their 40-man roster this past offseason, and the Twins ac-; quired him with the Rule 5 draft on December 13. Because Gerald played so many sports, he realizes he might have to work extra hard to catch up. "I do try and pay as much attention as I can." Gerald started the season a little slow at the plate i i i 4 1 1 i mr 1 a i 1 I A. Xpress closing in on division lead Nashville defeats Cubs, 7-2 By ANTHONY CQLEWAH Sports Writer The Nashville Xpress is trying to duplicate the feat of the 1993 team: a first-half title in the West Division of the Southern League.

Last night Nashville's Marc Barcelo scattered three hits over seven innings and the red-hot Xpress blasted 13 hits en route to beating Orlando 7-2 before 1,517 fans in a Southern League game at Greer Stadium. The Xpress swept the three-game series. The Xpress, which has won 21 of its past 29 games, is now within two games of first place. The top position in the division is held by Huntsville. "They are really starting to mature as a group," Xpress Manager Phil Roof said.

"We have a lot of balance." On Friday, Nashville smashed three home runs in one inning. Last night, Nashville got three homers again, but they all came in different innings. Adell Davenport hit his second homer of the week and 10th of the year in the second inning. Scott Cepicky knocked one in the third inning for his seventh home run of the year. And then in the sixth inning pinch-hitter Mike Daniel popped his second home run of the year.

"Our power has surprised us," Roof said. "Coming out of spring straining I didn't think we'd have that much." Meanwhile, Barcelo was handcuffing the Cubs hitters. The former Arizona State star gave up a two-run home run to Ed Smith in the seventh inning, but otherwise was unhittable. He allowed only the one hit and struck out six batters. "I though I had command of everything," Barcelo said.

"It makes it easier when you have a big lead." Reliever Joe Norris came into the game in the eighth and Jeff Mansur closed out the ninth inning without allowing a Cub to score. Ricky Rotors Staff Xpress leftfielder Ed Gerald was a high school superstar in baseball, basketball and football. and hovered around the .220 mark in early May. But as the season has progressed, Gerald has shown more spark at the plate and belted his second home run of the season Friday night He also had a double and two singles to go 4-foot-4 at the plate for the first time this year. His average is now at .250 and the speedster has also shown flashes of speed and brilliance in the outfield.

"Ed has a lot of potential," Xpress Manager Phil Roof said. "He's a real good athlete." But Gerald is surprisingly humble for someone who has been so great in so many sports. "I'd just like to be a .285 or .290 hitter in the major leagues and a guy who hits a lot of balls into the gaps," he said. "That's what I'd like to do if I get the chance." SOUNDS: Nashville ends a 10-game road trip when it plays at 1 p.m. at Louisville.

Right-hander Robert Ellis (1-6, 5.46 ERA, loser of last six decisions) starts for the Sounds. Left-hander Rigo Beltran (4-1, 3.13) goes for the Red-birds. Nashville is off tomorrow, then hosts Indianapolis at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday. That game begins a six-game homes-tand.

XPRESS: Right-hander Brad Radke (4-4, 2.84) pitches for Nashville in a 2:05 p.m. game at Huntsville, which will start lefty Scott Baker (2-2, 4.88). The game begins a nine-game road trip for the Xpress. Standings, game statistics, 11C. Sounds pounded by Redbirds Devils open by topping top-seeded Hurricanes Nashvtllo Sounds stats Through Fridav'S semes Better evg ab rhhrrNbbsosb Clements Alvarez 313 32 19 7 19 1 I 4 20 0 Drew Denson 25054196 3449 9 3719 31 1 Ray Durham 314 51 194 33 61 6 31 24 33 12 Dan Howitt 274 34 124 21 34 5 27 16 27 2 Doug Undsey .196 35 92 11 1 5 I 17 0 Domingo Martinez 246 52 175 16 43 3 19 15 49 1 Dave Mfctein 311 6 22 4 7 0 1 1 4 0 Geovanv Miranda J67 12 30 6 11 0 7 1 1 0 Javier Ortiz.

20742 140 1629 4 14 16 22 4 Mike Robertson 219 17 64 6 14 3 I 4 9 0 Gary Thurman 254 51 111 29 46 2 23 15 32 5 Brandon Wilson .111 42 138 12 25 1 I 13 30 6 Jerry Wolak 253 41 146 16 37 3 9 6 23 1 Al others 279 323 43 90 6 34 2736 6 Total 2S2 1914 254 J3 44 231 169 334 31 PUdMr w-l sv era to er bb so James Baldwin 6-3 0 32064ft 5930 233363 Rodney Botton 4-3 0 230 74M 64 25 19 25 41 Chris Bushing 0-10 4 12 12 7 6 9 16 Robert Els 0 S.46 59VS 71 40 36 29 44 Brian Keyser 1-1 0 423 31 19 23 Isidro Marquez 2-12 1J9 JPh 24 16 7 11 31 Mike Mongteto 1-2 0 5J4 25 31 II 17 19 25 Dennis Powat 1-3 2 4A4 21' 25 11 11 IS 26 Scott Ruffcorn 6-2 0 245 77 62 24 21 19 65 Steve Schrenk 7-3 0 409 66 69 36 30 31 44 Jeff Schwartz 0-0 0 4.50 22 IS 3 2 7 26 Al others 1-0 13 082 13ft 13 9 7 4 11 Total 30-27 17 131 SWt 471 232 119 210 414 "We've run into a buzzsaw here in Louisville," said Wolak, who has four homers on the season. "They're getting hitting and good pitching, and we're not helping the cause." While Louisville pounded out 16 hits en route to the victory against four Nashville pitchers, the Sounds continued to struggle offensively and scraped together just five hits. Robertson had two of them. Jeff Schwarz, who relieved Ruffcorn in the sixth and worked one full inning, suffered his first loss as a Sound in his first decision. Schwarz gave up three earned runs.

Gary Buckets improved to 4-0 with the mound decision for Louisville, coming on in relief of Redbird starter Brian Barber in the seventh and allowing one run in 2 innings. LOUISVILLE Howard Prager drove in three runs and John Mabry added a three-run home run as the host Louisville Redbirds dropped the Nashville' Sounds 11-5 last night For the Sounds, the defeat extended their losing streak to five, their worst of the season. Gary Thurman doubled to score Doug Lindsey and Mike Robertson in the sixth inning, giving Nashville (30-28) a 2-1 lead. Louisville came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning, chasing Sounds starter Scott Ruffcorn and taking a 4-2 advantage. Nashville managed to rede the margin at 4 on Jerry Wolak's two-run homer in the seventh, but never led again as Louisville (33-24) scored seven runs in its last two at-bats before a crowd of 20,275 fans.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Home runs by Todd Cady and Damon Lembl supported the shutout pitching of Billy Neal and Noah Peery as Arizona State beat top-seeded Miami 4-0 in the opening round of the College World Series yesterday. Neal (9-4) gave the eighth-seeded Sun Devils seven strong innings, scattering seven hits. Peery came in after a leadoff single in the seventh and collected his 12th save. "This is everything I ever dreamed of," Neal said.

"It's the best feeling I've ever had. I was going to go right after them. I was going to make sure I didn't have anything left when the game was over." "Billy Neal did his job," Arizona State Coach Jim Brock said. "We caught Miami on a day when they didn't take us for granted, but a lot of good things happened to us today." Arizona State (44-16) advanced to tomorrow's second round against Oklahoma (47-17). Brock, who is providing his team with an emotional edge with his presence while battling cancer, said the edge showed against Miami.

"We are an emotional team," he said. "If we don't play with emotion, we don't win. Now you have to recapture the emotion." Miami (48-13) fell to the losers bracket and will face Auburn (44-20). Miami relief ace Danny Graves tore a knee ligament in the ninth inning, trying to make a pivot in the grass on a run-down play. He is not expected to be available the rest of the tournament Graves had 21 saves on the season, one short of the NCAA record of 22 by Cal State-Fullerton's Scott Wright in 1984.

Oklahoma Auburn 4 Ryan Minor had two hits and two RBI to lead an 11-hit attack as Oklahoma outlasted Auburn 5-4 in the first round last night Auburn starter John Powell (5-4), the NCAA's career strikeout leader, got No. 600 in the third inning. The Sooners knocked him out of the game in the tag RUSSIAN MAKAROV .380 Auto 2Magt Holster On Week Only DAWN'S WHIRLPOOL GUN MART II QUN MART 626 S. Gallatin Rd. 6682 Charlotte Pike Nashville.

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