The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 31

THE NEWS OBSERVER SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19 1998 Baseball From One 3c RACE Mudicats hook up with Rockies The Mudcats were in the market for an affiliate after the Pittsburgh Pirates Carolina's parent club for the past eight years moved to Altoona Pa There was political pressure on Pittsburgh to relocate one of its Double-A teams to the state of Pennsylvania for next season "We have extremely fond memories of the Pirates" Bryant said And we still have a good relationship with them" Good enough that the Pirates are negotiating with the Mudcats to play an exhibition game against another major-league team in the new stadium next year The first phase of a $15 million renovation at Five CountyStadium will be completed during the offseason with plans to finish the stadium after the 1999 season large crowds since moving to 50000- seat Coors Field and led the majors with an attendance of 38 million in 1997 That kind of financial stability should filter to the Double-A level Bryant said Unlike the Pirates who have one of baseball's lowest payrolls and moved players quickly through the minor-league ladder the Rockies have indicated they will leave players in one location longer "The Rockies' philosophy is to let them stay a little longer and make sure they are ready to go up" Bryant said "That will be beneficial to us This year we had 117 player moves I felt like every time that I went into the locker room that I had to introduce myself because there were so many new faces "The Rockies have told us they are concentrating on building their major-league team through the draft instead of focusing on free agents" The Mudcats talked to six of seven teams that had Double-A openings for next season including the Pirates Bryant said The Rockies who had their Double-A affiliate in New Haven Conn since 1994 now have three minor-league teams in proximity with Class A teams in Asheville and Salem Va Paul Egins the Rockies director of player personnel said other appealing aspects of an affiliation with the Mudcats are the mild weather of the South and a great playing surface at Five County Bill Woodward can be reached at 829-8952 or billwnandocom Bryant said he hopes to bring in the Rockies for an exhibition game during the 2000 season He said the Mudcats and Rockies signed a two-year agreement instead of a four-year deal because "you can tell how good a relation ship it is going to be after two years" and because the Rockies want to be sure the stadium will be finished "At the end of two years if we are as happy with them as we think we are going to be and the stadium is as nice as they think it is going to be I don't foresee us having anything but a long-term relationship" Bryant said In 1993 the Rockies' expansion season the team set a major-league attendance record in Mile High Stadium drawing more than 44 million fans They have continued to attract Sosa gets 61st HR ball at a bargain price I'--4- l''' 4sr' iliT 1 r- fi i I -ld 1 1 1 I -1 -4' 1 l' I 't s' I IN: 1( 1 A 4z BY BILL WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ZEBULON The Carolina Mudcats will get off to a rocky start in their new stadium next season but owner Steve Bryant couldn't be happier The Mudcats announced Friday that they have signed a two-year agreement to be the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies "The Rockies are one of the 'haves' in baseball" Bryant said "Everything about what they are doing there and in the whole organization is first-class "The National League club has demonstrated the ability to lead the major leagues in attendance They have made commitments to us directly from the owner that they want to be here This was their No 1 choice" MINBULLS REPORT Bulls Steve Cox watches the last inning when Durham went three up three down BUFFALO ab hbi DURHAM ab bl Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 Robinson cf 4 0 00 Lovullo 2b 4 1 2 1 Buccheri II 3 1 2 0 Ramirez rf 40 00 1 4 0 1 1 Cruz If 4 0 3 2 McClain 3b 4 0 1 0 lb 40 0 0 Wilcox 14 4000 Selby 3b 40 1 0 Mormon dh 4000 Hiaft dh 4 0 0 0 DCos 3000 Miller 4 0 1 0 Patterson 2b 4 0 1 0 Soliz 4 1 1 0 CMartin ss 2 0 1 0 Totals 36 3 9 3 Totals 32 1 6 1 Buffalo 102 000 000 3 Durham 000 000 010 1 2 Robinson McClain 1 7 Durham 8 Cruz McClain Buffalo lp er bb so income (W 2-0) 7 6 1 1 2 3 Nichting I3 0 00 0 1 ToMartin 12 0 0 0 0 0 Sexton (S 1) 1 13 0 0 0 0 2 Durham lp er bb so Eiland (1 0-2) 613 7 3 2 0 6 Pennington 113 2 0 0 0 1 Gaillard 113 0 0 0 0 2 Umpires: Facto A-4853 LINTfRNATIONAt LEAGUE' PLAYOFFS GOVERNORS' CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best-of-five) MONDArS RESULT Buffalo 9 Durham 6 TUESDAY'S RESULT Buffalo 6 Durham 4 WEDNESDArS RESULT Durham 9 Buffalo 8 THURSDAY'S RESULT Durham 7 Buffalo 6 FRIDAY'S RESULT Buffalo 3 Durham 1 (Buffalo wins series 3-2) ti i BULLS REPORT 4 i I :77: 7 i I if l''' A i 1 1 I it1: f''' Durham Bulls manager Bill Evers questions a fair-ball call by first-base umpire Marty Foster that led to a Buffalo Bisons run STAFF PHOTOS BY ROBERT mum CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 an all-Ford front row for Sunday's race He went 155723 but said it could have been faster "I was a little out of the gas too much down in turn three" he said "It was the same old car we had here last time and it ran just as good" The Pontiac of Derrike Cope who got one of his two career victories at Dover in 1990 was third with a lap of 155481 The Ford of Kevin Lepage was fourth at 155420 The third row Sunday will have former Dover pole-sitter and qualifying record-holder Bobby Labonte and Winston Cup points leader Jeff Gordon Labonte's Pontiac went 155380 a tick faster than the 155367 Gordon posted in his Chevrolet "We should have gone faster than that but the sun came out and changed the car a little bit" said Gordon a three-time Dover winner and reigning series champion "I was sliding around a little bit more than I thought I was going to" The pole was the 37th of Martin's career but just his second this year It was his fourth at Dover Downs tying him with Ricky Rudd for the most among active drivers Rounding out the top 10 were the Pontiac of John Andretti and the Fords ofJerry Nadeau Dick and Dale Jarrett Rudd a four-time Dover winner qualified 11th Jeff Burton who beat Gordon in a thrilling finish last Saturday night in Richmond Va was 26th The remainder of the 43-car field will be set today At Dover Del Qualifying results Friday's qualifying for positions 1-25 with car number driver hometown type of car and qualOng speed in mph: 1 (6) Mark Martin or 155966 2 (2) Rusty Wallace Ford 155723 3 (30) Derrike Cope Pontiac 155481 4 (16) Kevin Lepage Ford 155420 5 (18) Bobby Lobonte Pontiac 155380 6 (24) Jeff Gordon Chevy 155367 7 (43) John Andretti flontiac 155239 8 (9) Jerry Nadeau Ford 155092 9 (90) Dick Trickle ford 154992 10 (88) Dale Jarrett Ford 154879 11 (10) Ricky Rudd Ford 154859 12 (28) Kenny Irwin Ford 154832 13 (1) Steve Park Chevy 154785 14 (00) Buckshot Jones Pontioc 154 699 15 (7) Geoff Bodine Ford 154606 16 (94) Matt Kenseth Ford 154487 37 (22) Ward Burton Pontiac 154440 18 (46) Jeff Green Chevy 154281 19 (42) Joe Nernethek Chevy 154136 20 (31) Mike Skinner Chevy 154103 21 (13) Tod Musgrave ford 154037 22 (44) Kyle Petty Pontiac 154024 a (36) Ernie Iron Pirtioc 153879 24 (5) Terry Labonte Chevy 153846 25 (26) Johnny Benson Ford 153846 Failed to qualify 26 (99)10180ton Ford 153787 27 (12) Jeremy Mayfield Ford 153767 28 (33) Ken Schrader Chevy 153708 29 (23) Jimmy Spencer Ford 153636 30 (11) Brett Bodine ford 153590 31 (21) Michael Waltrip Ford 153 485 32 (40) Sterling Marlin Chevy 153394 33 (35) Darrell Waltrip Pontiac 153368 34 (81) Kenny Wallace Ford 153315 35 (78) Gary Bradberry Ford 153211 36 (97) Chad Little Ford 153029 37 (91) Todd Bodine Chevy 152398 38 (4) Bobby Hamilton Chevy 152892 39 (41) Steve Grissom Chevy 152853 40 (961 Morgon Shepherd Chevy 152704 41 (3) Dale Earnhardt Chevy 152375 42 (71) Dave Marcie Chevy 152162" 43 (50) Wally Dallenbach Chevy 151950 44 (75) Rick Most ford 151854 45 (98) Rich Bickle Ford 149421 46 (77) Hut Stricklin Fond 149316 cket homiriime VIDEOMINEWS EROTICA MAGAZINES VIDEOS NOVELTIES VIDEO ARCADE CD ROM OPEN 24 HOURS 1433 Wilmington St 828-2019 r-1 Checs -MOWOMMTrl: police car which took him away from the scene FAN KEEPING MCGWIRE'S MTH FOR NOW: A dive from the bleachers was worth the bumps and bruises for the fan who ended up with Mark McGwire's 64th home-run ball Jason King 24 a waiter from Madison Wis doesn't know what he's going to do with the prize For now he's taking the ball home "I got it!" King said "A dream come true" When McGwire's 417-foot shot in the fourth shot through an exit tunnel in the left-center field stands King left his seat on the aisle He injured his knee and his right arm was bandaged as he talked about the ball which was placed in a stadium vault and guarded by a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy until after the game CATCHING A LOT OF FLAK: When John Grass caught McGwire's 63rd home run he didn't realize he would catch a lot of flak too "It's become a nightmare" said Grass who decided to keep the ball "I'm worn down" Grass has been a target for callers on local talk radio since catching ball No 63 and holding out for money The fans who caught Nos 56 through 62 all traded theirs for a handful of balls bats and jerseys autographed by McGwire plus minor perks "Most of the people who are ripping me don't know me And they're jealous" said Grass a 46- year-old groundskeeper for a suburban school district BIG MAC GLAD END IS NEAR: As much as he's enjoying this home-run derby McGwire can't wait for it to end "Damn right" McGwire said during a news conference before Friday night's game at Milwaukee "I wish we were going to the playoffs and it's unfortunate that we're not but it's going to be a nice winter It's not easy believe me and probably never tell the story I'll probably keep it to myself But it's a mental grind" son in their 37-season history Despite his unexpected lapse in concentration Johnson struck out 12 and won his sixth in a row He is 9-1 with a 128 ERA since the July 31 trade by Seattle that may have altered the NL balance of power Johnson is 6-0 with a 113 ERA in his last six starts and is 17-11 overall with Seattle and Houston after going only 9-10 with the Mariners He has given up only nine runs in his last nine starts FROM WIRE REPORTS Steve Ryan paid $10000 for No 61 All it cost Sammy Sosa was two signed baseballs a jersey a bat and five minutes with Ryan's two young sons The sports memo-RUN rabilia collector and FOR THE his sons Eric 9 and RECORD Matthew 6 came to Wrigley Field on Fri- day morning just to give Sosa back No 1 61 It was the first i time the Cubs were c-17- back at Wrigley Field since Sosa knocked Nos 61 and 62 out of the park Sunday The Ryans who didn't have tickets to the sold-out game against the Cincinnati Reds left before the game began "My kids got to meet him You know how cool it is that my kids got to meet Sammy?" Ryan said sounding like a kid himself Meanwhile a judge Friday ordered a man who claims to have caught Sosa's 62nd home-run ball to keep it locked up during a court fight over who owns it Attorneys for Gary Mullins had asked for a restraining order preventing Brendan Cunningham who says he has No 62 from selling it or giving it to anybody else Judge Michael Getty said if the ball really was taken from Mullins "it is irreplaceable" Getty said he was granting the order because Mullins' lawsuit has some likelihood of success He ruled the ball must be locked up in a mutually agreeable safe-deposit box during the term of the restraining order at least 10 days or until another hearing Mullins claims he grabbed Sosa's record-tying homer after it flew out of Wrigley Field on Sunday only to be jumped by a mob of people who tried to take it away from him Cunningham came away from the scramble with the ball and ran to a nearby own way of being ready to pitch He has a sort of confrontational challenging demeanor" Johnson displayed a lot of emotion for a game meaningful only because the NL Central champion Astros are pursuing Atlanta for the league's best record and home field throughout the playoffs Craig Biggio went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs for the Astros (98- 5'7) who must win only twice in their final seven for the first 100-win sea BULLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1C ers did exactly what we needed" Jacome who also won Game 1 in the series and was rewarded by being called up to Cleveland following Friday's game blanked Durham for seven innings before being stung by Jim Buccheri's single and Steve Cox's RBI double in the eighth Datz turned to Chris Nichting Tom Martin and Jeff Sexton who retired the next three batters in order Sexton retired the bottom of the Bulls order in the ninth to pick up the save "I threw a low fastball on the double-play pitch and Cox didn't get extended on it" Jacome said "I thought Morman's fly ball was too high to get out I threw my fastball to locations and tried to use my changeup and mix it up" said Jacome who had three strikeouts and two walks and allowed six hits The Bisons put Durham in a hole quickly as Jolbert Cabrera led off the game with a single and scored as Cruz ripped a two-out double The "Big Unit" (9-1) suddenly lost his control after six dominating innings surrendering four hits hitting a batter and walking another over the next 1 1-3 innings He scowled after being lifted by manager Larry Dierker in the eighth and only brushed hands with teammates as he hurriedly left the dugout He was heard cursing as he stormed into the clubhouse upending chairs along the way "I kind of lost my focus for what 'Big Unit' blows cool but beats Pirates for Astros down the first-base line In the third Steven Soliz led off with a single was sacrificed to second by Cabrera's bunt and scored on a hit by Lovullo who doubled later in the game Cruz singled to score Lovullo who had reached second when his single was misplayed and had taken third on a groundout "The wind blew Morman's hit back in but we have no control over that and can't use that for an excuse" Durham manager Bill Evers said "Give the credit to Buffalo because they played great and earned the win We've come back before and had a chance until the end tonight" Buccheri was 2-for-3 to lead Durham Starter Dave Eiland struck out six batters allowed two earned runs on seven hits and took the loss NOTES: Durham's Kerry Robinson Mike Duvall and Scott McClain were promoted to Tampa Bay following the game and Mark Eichhorn announced his retirement Buffalo's Alex Ramirez and Martin who was in Buffalo on injury rehab joined Jacome in being promoted to Cleveland ever reason and it didn't come back" Johnson said "I got frustrated out there I was in a pretty good groove but for some reason I lost it" With the NL playoffs coming up in only 10 days he added "I can't lose it that quickly" "He's really intense on the day he pitches" Dierker said "You don't want to be around him until after it's over Between starts he's a great guy on the club He has his ba THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PMSBURGH Randy Johnson was much more upset about losing his concentration than he was losing a Astromimt5 no-hitter Johnson the Pirateont2 Nils most dominating pitcher since beLng traded to Houston took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up four hits in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Friday night EMNISMalmtRiNmmmr kDi wiIp IRO lVatiq) 0 tbirrowdi 14024 11 ataaativ'al taq1 fialtzrzo () 00 kMOMneldkM 1st: 4t 1 1 I olmoi oxwito 11 to)10.