The Newark Advocate from Newark, Ohio • 46

AUG. 17, 1988 PAGE 6 THE ADVOCATE, NEWARK, O. Sager changes sport, keeps young arm for a strike. I now have a fastball, So, 1988 has been a busy year for tear on it of most pitchers his age. With his "old" age and young arm, curve, change and a slider.

Sager said, at 23, he's a little old to be in Class A. But, because he didn't pitch during the four years he played football, his arm is that of a younger man. It doesn't have the wear and he hopes he'll move up faster. "I don't think they drafted me with the idea of not moving me up," he said. "But, at the same time, that's no guarantee.

ances, compiling a 7-4 record and 2.67 ERA in 77 innings, striking out 37 and walking 17. He was named to the All-Mid American Conference second team. His seven victories led the team, which was 30-25. His ERA was second on the club. "In '87 I was more of a thrower, not a pitcher," he explained.

"The Great Lakes was a college league, but it was pretty good competition. In the fall, I worked on off-speed pitches and spotting pitches. I've still got a lot to learn and you learn Sager. The Padres drafted him on June 1, signed him on June 6 and he left Toledo for Spokane on June 11. He has compiled a 4-3 record in Class with an ERA over 4.00.

The Spokane Indians are in first-place by one game. "I lost a couple tough ones and won a couple maybe I shouldn't have, too," he said. "It's going as well as I could expect right now. They said stats aren't that important. It's the ability to develop pitches and the ability to throw them OPEN NIGHTS TILL 8 P.M.

SATURDAY 10-5 P.M. Back-To-School Clearance through trial and error. a Nike Adidas Reeboks Converse Trenton NOW ONLY $23.99 special place to visit, right now! Boys Nike, Basketball Hi Top $24.99 Mens Nike, Basketball Hi Top $29.99 Stride Rite School Tennis Shoe Special FQM Serving LUNCH-DINNER FUN Homemade Soup Salads Fresh Baked Breads Quiche Featuring: FUZZY NAVEL FLOAT Cooling Summer Fresh Treat tor Everyone and BLUEBERRY SUNDAE Sooo good! y3 By KENTMALLETT Advocate Sports Writer You might call A.J. Sager the Bo Jackson of Licking County. Although he has not played football and baseball at the same time, the 1983 Watkins Memorial graduate has shown considerable talent in both sports.

Few athletes can say they quarterbacked their college football team into a bowl game and played professional baseball. Sager has already done both, but hopes his best days are ahead of him. Sager went to the University of Toledo on a football scholarship and was the team's starting quarterback three of those years. In 1984, he guided the Rockets to the MidAmerican Conference title and an appearance in the California Bowl. In 1987 and 1988, Sager pitched on the baseball team while finishing his schooling.

This spring the Padres liked what they saw and drafted the 23 year-old in the 10th round. He is playing for the team's Class A Spokane, club. When Sager found out he was chosen by the San Diego baseball team, he was quite surprised. "They hadn't been in touch with me hardly at all," he said. "They talked to me once (about the draft).

I knew there were different people looking at me, but I didn't know what my chances were." After his football eligibilty was used up (in 1986), he decided to try out for the Toledo baseball team, "for the fun of it, I guess." He said some people told him baseball was his best sport, and he's glad he now has the chance to prove them right. The way it has worked out. he has no regrets. "I enjoyed football and had a lot of fun up there with it, and it got my education paid for," he said. "And, I still got an opportunity to play baseball.

I guess, if I wouldn't have played baseball or wouldn't have been drafted, I might have said, 'What if (I would've tried baseball Between the spring of '87 and the spring of '88. Sager became a much-improved pitcher. In '87 at Toledo. Sager pitched just 2023 innings, with a 1-4 record and 6.22 earned run average. He walked 18 and struck out 20.

After playing ball in the Great Lakes Summer League and then fall baseball at the university, Sager returned to the Rockets a different player this spring. He started in 11 of his 13 appear- Nike Football Shoes "Best Prices Carefully Fitted" ON RT. 13 ONE MILE SOUTH OF UTICA, OHIO OPEN 11 AM -8 PM DAILY Nike Shark 24.60 Nike Open Field $44.75 Nike Strike Force $33.56 Adidas Lightning M7.99 345-2098 32 S. Third St. QjeUt ICE CREAM PARLOR, PICNIC AREA, GIFT SHOPPE MUSEUM Hi Mil--' DIN l- SOW THR" Get it while it's hot (and free too!) IJ i vu lV JFK ABMKgold sy h.s.

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