Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 11

Pro Football Quarterback Leaf calls it quits. 5B battlecreekenquirer.com Sports Editor: Bill Broderick, 966-0678 Battle Creek Enquirer Saturday, July 27, 2002 IB Cats vs. Kings Lions open camp New faces on hand at new training facility Huffman signed by Raptors Lakeview grad gets shot at NBA Enquirer wire, staff reports TORONTO The Toronto Raptors signed free agent center Nate Huffman to a two-year contract on Friday. Huffman, 27, averaged 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for Israeli is HIP 1 IL 1 iioM'Mt'" 11 1 1 1 1 11 1 --''r: riff 1 Mike Householder Associated Press ALLEN PARK Matt Millen weaved in and out of the rows of players stretching, slapping their hands, clapping his own and shouting, "Let's go! Let's go!" h7 League champion Maccabi Elite Tel-Aviv last season. Huffman is a 1993 graduate shoved He playfully defensive line coach and at Charles Haley, smile a times teaturea a mile wide.

Such was the beginning of train ing camp Friday at Huffman 0f Lake. view High. He went on to play at Lansing Community College, Central Michigan University and the CBA, then went to play in Europe. He was the MVP of both the Suproleague and Israeli League for the 2000-01 season. "We are very happy to add Nate to our team," Toronto general manager Glen Grunwald said.

"With his success in Europe, Nate has shown that he is an excellent player and should have a significant impact on the team next season." Huffman's signing came a few days after the Raptors rescinded their qualifying offer to free agent Keon Clark, all but officially ending the center's tenure with Toronto after two seasons. Hornish faces new challenge at MIS DOUG ALLENTHE ENQUIRER The Blues Brothers throw T-shirts into the crowd in between innings at a recent Kalamazoo Kings game. The Kings are in their second year of existence and have joined the Michigan Battle Cats in bringing professional baseball to the area. 1 V'fefrHyyW Kings Cats 4 KALAMAZOO Local pro teams both want to entertain fans 4rith good baseball KINGS Inauaural INO season: yuui League: Frontier League MLB affiliation: none Home parte Homer Stryker Field Capacity: 5,395 Kalamazoo county population: 238,544 2002 average paid attendance: 2,432 (60,374 total) 2002 record: 28-24 2001 average paid attendance: 2,453 (103,031 total) 2001 record: 25-59 Lifetime average paid attendance: 2,445 Lifetime record: 43-83 Highlights: 2001 Frontier League Organization of the Year; hosted 2002 Frontier League All-Star Game; made more than $2 million in stadium improvements following first season. MICHIGAN Howie Magner The nquirer They come from different denominations, but practice the same religion, each worshiping at the altar of baseball.

Battle Creek's Michigan Battle Cats and the Kalamazoo Kings are the two major professional baseball franchises in this area. Are they simply two teams differing in only the uniforms they wear or are there significant differences in how the two franchises conduct business and play the game? Both follow the popular minor league baseball pattern. They market their games as gathering grounds for family and friends, a place where children can marvel at pro players in between scrambles for foul balls and flying t-shirts. The Battle Cats, cour tesy of their ties to the Midwest League and the Houston Astros, can rightfully say some of their players will be major leaguers some day. The Kings, a Frontier League team without a major league affiliation, can rightfully say each of their players are still chasing that same major league dream.

And the people in charge of both teams say they want nothing but the best for each other. The only competitions they're worried about, it seems, are the ones on the field. "There are enough fans in the surrounding communities to support both of us," said Tony DaSiveira, now in his second season as Michigan's general manager. "If people are looking for a fun night out to do something, they'll look at both of us as viable options." DOUG ALLENTHE ENQUIRER Fans of all ages love to go out to the baseball game like this one at Homer Stryker Field in Kalamazoo. the Detroit Lions' new $36 million practice faculty.

Millen, the team president brought in by the Ford family a year ago to resurrect a franchise long known for its ineptitude on the field, embodied the new enthusiasm present on day one of the new season. Millen and head coach Marty Mornhinweg have much they'd like to forget about their first year at the helm: an 0-12 start and a 2-14 finish. So, on Friday, Detroit was ready to start over with a new practice field, new players and a new mindset. "We don't talk much about it," Mornhinweg said of last season. "I don't want them (the players) to forget it.

I'll remember it for a long, long time probably forever." "It's a good motivating factor," he said after the first of the team's two practices. The practice facility came in handy almost right away. After 90 minutes of work on the outside field, a hard rain began to fall. Immediately, all of the players, coaches and personnel took off in a sprint toward the building. They worked for another 30-45 minutes on their indoor field, a luxury not many teams have during training camp.

"There would have been a big disruption in our very first day," Mornhinweg said. While much of the focus was on the offense, including rookie quarterback Joey Harrington, the No. 3 pick in the draft, and the team's two new wideouts Bill Schroeder and Az-Zahir Hakim the defense shined during drills on the indoor field. With Millen watching by himself from a perch high above, cornerback Eric Davis made a number of good plays, defending passes thrown by Harrington, starter Mike McMa-hon and backup Ty Det-mer. "Our defense created two turnovers," Mornhinweg said.

"The guy that stood out was Eric who made an interception; on a slant (pattern)." Davis, who is entering his nth season and Todd Lyght, entering his may have to start while rookies Andre Goodman and Chris Cash learn what it takes to play in the NFL. The significance of the number of new players on the field Friday was not lost on guard Tony Sem-ple, who is entering his ninth year with the team. "That's what happens when you go 2-14," he said. Even the mayor of Detroit was on hand to see Please see LIONS, 4B we're taking theirs. We're not advertising against each other," said Wright, who brought the Kings to Kalamazoo in 2001.

"I wish the Cats all the luck Please see CATS, 4B The view from. Kalamazoo is equally cordial in the eyes of owner Bill Wright, a longtime presence in his city thanks to his car dealership. "I don't see it like they're taking our fans or BATTLE CATS Inaugural season: 1995 League: Wright is king of Kalamazoo Larry Lage Associated Press BROOKLYN It's hard to imagine Sam Hornish Jr. being uncomfortable before any Indy Racing League event. The defending IRL champion is the only driver with three victories this year and he has finished third and second since winning at Richmond International Raceway a month ago.

But Hornish has never turned a competitive lap at Michigan International Speedway, which on Sun-, day will host its first IRL race, the Michigan Indy 400. "I'm not comfortable here with the car on this racetrack, Hornish said Friday. "But we've got until Sunday to get that taken care of." Buddy Rice, making his IRL driving debut, had the best lap of 221.833 mPn during two practices sessions on Friday. Hornish turned a lap of 219.809 mph, which ranked ninth among 25 drivers. Qualifying is today.

While Hornish wasn't familiar with the speedway's 2-mile oval, he did win the Yamaha Indy 400 in March at California Speedway, which is similar. Hornish said about the only difference is there is more banking here. "Both are 2-mile tracks and they're wide, so you can pass and it will probably be a close race," Hornish said. "Those are the aspects that make it similar." Hornish would like a shot at winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytonasoo. Dale Earnhardt Inc.

has had preliminary discussions with Hornish to explore the possibility of Please see MIS, 4B "The reason I brought the club to Kalamazoo in the first place was to do something good for the surrounding Kalamazoo area. None of us did it to make money at it. We do it to help the community." Bill Wright. Kalamazoo Kings owner Midwest; League MLB affiliation: Houston Astros (formerly Boston Red Sox) Home park: CO. Brown Stadium Capacity: 6,000 Calhoun County population: 138,031 2002 average paid attendance: 1,149 (59,836 total) 2002 record: 63-41 2001 average paid attendance: 1,180 (66,088 total) 2001 record: 82-57 Lifetime average paid attendance: 1,620 Highlights: 2000 Midwest League champions; only one 1 losing record in team history; "sent 18 alumni to major leagues.

denotes U.S. Census July 2001 estimate. plenty of success with its second incarnation in Kalamazoo. Wright's group convinced the league to award Kalamazoo an expansion franchise for the 2001 season, upping Howie Magner The Enquirer Bill Wright's magic kingdom comes not with a mouse, but a bat. Actually, it comes with lots of bats, not to mention leather gloves and stitched balls, too.

You need those things when you're running a professional baseball team, and Wright's Kalamazoo Kings fits the definition. The Kings are in their second season as members of the Frontier League, and though they're unaffiliated with Major League Baseball, Frontier League players showcase their skills for an average of about $700 per month. It doesn't make them rich, but it does make them pros and exposes them to major league scouts, who may give them a roster spot in a big to make-money, at it. We do it to help, the community." Frontier League baseball had already failed in Kalamazoo once before. The Kalamazoo Kodiaks entered the league in 1996, but by 1999, they had moved north of the border to Ontario and become the London But the Frontier League, league organization.

Those organizations have already passed on Frontier League players once, either avoiding them in the amateur draft or releasing them from their minor league squads. But the refusal of those players to give up on their baseball dreams keeps them playing for peanuts. Their baseball, in turn, makes Homer Stryker Field a viable venue for family enter tainment. That's what Wright was after when his ownership-group of Kalamazoo businessmen purchased the team prior to the 2001 season. "The reason I brought the club to Kalamazoo in the first place was to do something good for the surrounding Kalamazoo area," said Wright, who owns a car dealership by day and the Kings by night.

"None of us did it now in its loth-anniver- sary season, is enjoying Please see KINGS, 4B.