The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 31

Sports (the (Marione Therm Thursday September 14 1989 Section Score Phone: (704) 379-6535 -1r- lift ematch Notre Dame Michigan Set oisy 6 Associated Press SOUTH BEND Ind When it comes to crowd noise Lou Holtz says there's a double standard Crowd noise has been a bugaboo for the Notre Dame coach for quite a while Especially it seems whenever the Irish play Michigan Top-ranked Notre Dame meets the No 2 Wolverines Saturday and the 105000 fans at Michigan Stadium will produce a roar to rival space shuttle launches and make it tough for the Irish to hear quarterback Tony Rice calling signals Crowd noise is a problem for a lot of visiting teams but Holtz says his team has gotten hurt both ways "There are a lot of things you can't say" he said Tuesday to about 40 writers Then he went right ahead and said them anyway grumbling about a seeming double standard that never works to Notre Dame's advantage "We went up there two years ago in front of 105000 people" he said of his team's 1987 victory at Ann Arbor "We were down deep in their territory and the crowd was screaming and we couldn't hear So they penalized us for delay of game "Then they came down here last year and we got charged with a timeout because they can't hear their cadence" Holtz said "Now I didn't realize our 60000 people made that much noise compared to 105000 So don't ask me about crowd noise I can never quite figure that situation out "It seems like nobody has problems at Michigan But Bo (Schembechler) has problems at Iowa he has problems at Ohio State he has problems at Notre Dame But nobody else has problems" But Holtz added that there wasn't much for Michigan's stadium "This is not fiction this is fact" Holtz said "He built 60000 just like Michigan" he said of Notre Dame Stadium whose official capacity is 59075 Only the players' entrance was different But Michigan upped the ante with a new stadium The Irish haven't matched the stakes Holtz has no sympathy for the new NFL rule that punishes home teams if their fans make too much noise If the offensive team can't hear the audibles he says simply let them return to a huddle call the play there and run it he could do "That's all in the judgment of an officials" Holtz said "It doesn't have a thing to do with coaching" Schembechler speaking at the Big Ten coaches' press conference said he might miss Saturday's game if the condition of his 87-year-old mother worsens Once upon a time the war of noise between Michigan and Notre Dame was a more evenly matched contest Knute Rockne had seen to that When Notre Dame was planning its current stadium Rockne traveled to Ann Arbor and came back with the blueprints nto: le 1 on vv 1 Green Oakland Slips ty Milwaukee All-Star Game NFL Possibilities: It's A Fine Time Henderson's Homer Redeems Eckersley 'i -'2 Is'1 49' 40ve4 i 's''''' 11 -'s 1 f0: 'iit' 4'h 1ti -0- -1' 1 i -4 I plp i i 44 '4 slih- '14-4 --''I N1'V' 41 oA i 0 'i t' i 's X4' ill 1:: ''-1 lt tft00 -I's- -4 "1 ''N I) li 4' 111t'-'1wtiI4 -i'''' 0 4 tt 49 t-ti WkIli7 v' V': I W'4 '4 -te i 's4- 7 (Nii -A''''''' x- '1 Isotoooloo rrno7761w' nik104 li 5: i 0--- -e 4 1' 0'4 4 -s- 4: 0 4 --1- Associated Press OAICLAND Calif Dennis Eckersley was a very unhappy winner Wednesday Oakland's relief ace cost Dave Stewart his 20th victory when he served up Milwaukee rookie Greg Vaughn's second two-run homer of the game in the ninth inning Even though Dave Henderson broke the tie with a game-winning homer leading off the bottom of the inning Eckersley sat slumped in front of his locker after the 7-6 victory "It hasn't even sunk in yet" said Eckersley who was credited with the victory "I feel terrible' Then in Eck-ese he explained his mistake "He's hot man" he said of Vaughn "You throw a cookie to a hot hitter and he's going to lose it That's exactly what I did" Cookie or no cookie a fattening pitch by any description the victory salvaged a split of the two-game series and kept the Athletics three games ahead of Kansas City in the American League West The Royals defeated Texas Wednesday night Stewart who got his 19th win on Sept 3 has three scheduled starts remaining as he tries to become the first pitcher to win 20 games in three straight seasons since Jim Palmer did it for Baltimore in 1975-78 His next attempt will be Monday in Cleveland "There's no doubt in my mind I'm going to win my 20th game and I'm going to win some after that" he said "Eck's been there all year He's bailed me out of I don't know how many games The law of averages is that he's going to make a mistake every once in awhile and it's going to cost him He's still the best in the league to me the best" Henderson hit a 1-0 fastball off Chuck Crim (9-6) over the center-field fence for his 12th homer snapping the Brewers' six-game winning streak "We were worried about a ball game not Dave Stewart" he said "He'll get his 20 wins The bottom line is winning the ball game" Eckersley (2-0) inherited a 6-4 lead in the eighth before blowing his fourth save opportunity in 33 tries this season Vaughn's homer his third in two games followed BJ Surhoffs single It was the fourth allowed by Eckersley in 43 appearances this season "I wanted to do well for the hometown people" said Vaughn 24 a rookie from nearby Sacramento who drove in eight runs in the two games "I'm in a good groove right now I was fortunate enough to come up with men on base" Box score in roundup Page 4B When I want to feel the pulse of the city I go to The Head Shop on Monroe Road and get my ears lowered At The Head Shop you can have all of your tonsorial needs filled and learn the mood of the people for one price Barbershops are generally that way have ever been that way but this one is especially good for pulse-feeling because its clientele is so wide-ranging culturally economically and opinionatively The mood at the Head Shop Wednesday was upbeat bordering on game-day excited You have to believe that is how it has been all around Charlotte this week after news broke that the 1991 NBA All-Star game would be played here and the Charlotte City Council began negotiating to land a new football stadium uptown These are fine times for sports fans in this city and this area filled with good things and the promise of more The talk at The Head Shop focused on those two hot and savory topics a football stadium uptown and the NBA All-Star game Plans were already being made sort of for the arrival of our NFL team never mind that it hasn't been awarded has no name no home not even any footballs A liquor salesman waiting for a trim wondered about parking if a new stadium is built uptown and a barber replied that he wouldn't worry about it he was going to be there early for a tailgate party every Sunday the team was at home anyway Another said he would be riding one of the buses that would run from local restaurants and taverns They aren't talking about if we get an NFL expansion franchise They're talking about when NFL Will Be A Hit That decision is still a ways off a year two years maybe longer The competition for the franchises is stiff but I think we're going to get one and when we do on this I have no doubt it's going to be a sensation just like the Charlotte Hornets Landing the NBA All-Star game for 1991 a landmark achievement in itself should help in the bid for football That's a pretty strong endorsement of Charlotte putting that game here Building a big new coliseum turned out to be a brilliant stroke made at the right time Landing the NBA Hornets changed the city as little else if anything has pulling it into the major leagues in more ways than one We got the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Final Four keeping the ball rolling But when the NBA decided to place its all-star game here it essentially erased any lingering doubts about Charlotte And that should carry weight with the NFL owners when they consider the Carolinas for a franchise I'm in favor of the uptown site for the new stadium proposed by the Jerry Richardson family the folks seeking the NFL franchise I thought we should build the coliseum uptown and still think we should have It will be the Richardsons' call if it's done I don't think the proposed uptown site can be matched Uptown An Ideal Spot The city gets all those thousands of work force cars into and out of the uptown area in relatively rapid fashion five times a week There are plenty of ways in and out The clogging occurs on the arteries away from center city Parking wouldn't necessarily be concentrated on the stadium grounds There are tens of thousands of parking spaces in the city to supplement the lots that would border the stadium Walking from existing uptown lots would be no problem could be pleasant actually and could acquaint fans with businesses along their routes Rarely if ever would there be football traffic during periods when there was already heavy business traffic Critics point to in-town stadiums that have encountered problems but there are others that have been well-received We can sort through their pluses and minuses and use the information to do ours right Wherever it winds up if it happens here just the news that stadium planning is getting hot put some more electricity in the air this week and had the guys at The Head Shop mirrors of our minds talking about tailgating and all that good stuff These are indeed fine times around here Associated Press New On The Job John Hart who managed the Class AA Charlotte O's in 1984 and '85 made his major-league debut on Wednesday as the interim manager of the Cleveland Indians Hart named to replace Doc Edwards won his debut 1-0 over Detroit but lost 3-1 to the Tigers Thursday aseball Commissioner Vincent Named nearly 10 years as chief executive officer of Colombia Pictures Industries Inc He quickly won the respect of baseball officials with his business and financial acumen and his quiet gentility On the subject of Rose being allowed to apply for reinstatement after one year Vincent refused to discuss hypothetical situations and said: "That application should it arise will be dealt with in light of the circumstances at the time" Vincent's first announcement was to reveal that in memory of Giamatti the players will wear black arm bands at the World Series and the balls used will carry Giamatti's signature Some owners had expressed thoughts of turning elsewhere for a new commissioner but the consensus was that there could be no delay because collective bargaining negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players Association start after the World Series Thus baseball owners again chose a commissioner whose background is completely different from his predecessor's Kenesaw Mountain Landis the first commissioner was a federal judge He was followed by Happy Chandler the former Kentucky governor who was followed by Ford Frick the National League president Frick was followed by Gen William Eckert then lawyer Bowie Kuhn Then came Peter Ueberroth who ran the 1984 Olympics and Giamatti former Yale president get this job" Vincent said at a news conference Vincent who was given the unofficial title of acting commissioner by the executive council on Sept 2 will serve the remaining 412 years of Giamatti's term through April I 1994 He is baseball's eighth commissioner He spoke of Giamatti's agenda at the news conference "I think Bail had it just right I think the transition ought to be relatively seamless" Vincent said "There's very likely to be a deputy commissioner I don't have any candidates in mind" Vincent who headed baseball's negotiations with Pete Rose began his professional career as a securities lawyer worked briefly for the Securities and Exchange Commission and spent Associated Press MILWAUKEE Fay Vincent was elected baseball commissioner Wednesday less than two weeks after Bart Giamatti died 'tr' of a heart attack 7 '4' Vincent 51 had 1 been deputy corn- 1 4tit 1 missioner under Giamatti His elec- tion was recom- mended Tuesday I during a meeting of 1 baseball's executive 4e council which had been running the Vincent sport since Giamatti's death Sept I "I take this job I do not replace Bart I know that this is not the way to Key Hornets Dates Sixers Expressing Interest In Rambis Penske Reportedly Trying To Buy Atlanta Raceway Upcoming Hornets dates of note: Friday-Sunday NBA meetings at La Ouinta Calif Oct 6-10 Hornets training camp at Appalachian State Oct 12 Hornets' first exhibition vs Dallas in Waco Tex Oct 15 Hornets appearance in Rock Hill vs Washington Oct 21 Hornets exhibition in Charlotte vs New Jersey I Oct 29 Last Hornets exhibition vs Miami in Greensboro Nov 3 Season opener vs Washington Dec 5 Only appearance in Charlotte by Boston and Larry Bird's expected first appearance in Charlotte Challenge To Durham By RICK BONNELL Staff Writer Charlotte Hornets general man ager Carl Scheer says he hasn't heard from the Philadelphia 76ers about Kurt Rambis But if the Sixers want to discuss acquiring Rambis Scheer will listen A report in g' the Philadelphia Daily News listed Rambis as one of the players the Sixers are interested in ac- Rambis quiring enter- ing this weekend's NBA meetings in La Quinta Calif The Sixers have a need for a big physical forward to complement Charles Barkley "I like what he does I don't like his age (31)" Sixers owner Harold Katz said of Rambis "We've gotten younger with (former Duke guard) Johnny Dawkins in our backcourt I don't know if we want to take a guy a little older "What we want is a forward to play opposite Charles a guy who can go inside or outside There are a few around" While Katz is talking to the media about Rambis the Sixers haven't yet approached the Hornets according to Scheer Still Scheer said he has heard rumors of the Sixers' interest in Rambis for months In fact Barkley told Rambis this summer that the Sixers wanted to make a trade See SIXERS Page 78 By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer Motorsports magnate Roger Penske apparently is negotiating to purchase Atlanta International Raceway The Charlotte Observer learned Wednesday A Penske representative is scheduled to meet speedway majority owners LG DeWitt and Walter Nix this weekend to discuss a possible sale according to sources who asked that their names not be used DeWitt said he would be in Atlanta but was non-committal about the possibility of a deal Asked whether he was going to Atlanta to "talk business" about the track DeWitt chuckled and replied "It seems Eve been talking business about that place for 15 years" Neither Nix nor Penske could be reached DeWitt of Ellerbe NC is president of both Atlanta Raceway and NC Motor Speedway at Rockingham Nix of Atlanta is chairman of the board at the 1522-mile Georgia track scene of two NASCAR See RACEWAY Page 711 The owner of the Durham Bulls says a Southern League baseball team in eastern Wake County isn't going to bankrupt his team Page 66 Awaiting Word As of Wednesday the Broncos still hadn't heard from the NFL as to whether Kay will face disciplinary action after his arrest Friday for driving while impaired NFL Page 5B.