With NBA over,
baseball fails to
fill sports void
Is it just me or has anyone else no
ticed the incredible void in the sports
world after the conclusion of the NBA
season?
I think the fact that the NBA Draft
was such a big event speaks to the
magnitude of boredom that die-hard
sports fans are experiencing. Now I
know what you’re thinking: “Whatishe
talking about? Baseball provides for
summer sports entertainment.”
Well ... I don’t know if entertain
ment is the word. Even baseball players
will say that they can’t watch any games
they’renotplay
ing.
Currently,
the baseball sea
son is in its thou
sandth game
and it seems like
the teams still
have a million
left to play. Who
cares if the cel
lar-dwelling
Mets win a
game against
Corey
Brown
Staff
Writer
the first-place Giants? The National
League races primarily already are de
termined we can count out nine of
the 14 teams in the division races.
And in the American League, no
body seems to want to win those divi
sions, especially the AL West. Let’s
take a team like California. They are 10
games under .500, but the Angels are
still only nine games out of first place.
Doesn’t make much sense, huh?
Other teams such as Chicago, Hous
ton or Montreal in the NL, recordwise,
are having relatively successful sea
sons, but they can start looking ahead to
next year. With 60-plus games left, they
have no chance of winning.
Not only does the season frustrate
me, but the pace of the games do as well.
It’s not so much that games take three
hours to play; I’ve sat through football
games of the same length. The little
things get to me, like the amount of time
it takes to put in a relief pitcher.
First the catcher will visit the mound,
then the pitching coach will make the
trip. I wonder what takes place in these
conversations. Everyone viewing the
game knows exactly what is going on,
but the managers feel a need to pains
takingly prolong matters.
And please don’t let a runner be on
first base. The starting pitcher will throw
to first so often to hold the runner, when
in actuality it’s just a stalling tactic.
How many times does the pennant
racedspetid on th 6 final day of the
regular season? I only can think of iso
lated seasons, but football always has
its share of teams fighting for playoff
spots. I’m counting down the hours
until Buffalo at Detroit kicks off the
NFL preseason this Friday. With all this
excitement generated from baseball, I’m
bound to explode.
While looking in USA Today last
week, it showed that the top five tele
vised sports events of the past year were
all NFL games. (To my surprise, none
of the Final Four games were listed.)
The evidence is overwhelming: base
ball is losing its appeal. America’s pas
time might just be past its time.
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UNC-Nike agreement
still not a done deal
By John C. Manuel
Sports Editor
To just do it or not to just do it.
That is the question perplexing UNC
athletic officials this week in the wake
of Athletic Director John Swofford’s
agreement with sports shoe giant Nike.
S wofford announced July 20 that the
University had reached an agreement
with Nike to outfit all 26 North Carolina
varsity athletic squads with shoes, equip
ment and apparel. This would include
the men’s basketball team, thus ending
a 32-year relationship between Dean
Smith-coached teams and Converse.
But apparently Swofford, Smith and
football coach Mack Brown are the
only members of the athletic depart
ment with a working knowledge of the
agreement.
Chancellor Paul Hardin, who would
have to approve a contract, told the
Board of Trustees on Friday, “I have
seen no contract, so there isn’t one.”
Swofford, Smith and Brown were all
unavailable for comment. Financial
‘Buffet Killer’ and ‘Big Cookie’
highlight football media guide
The 1993 UNC football media guide
is out this week. Media guides, pro
duced by the sports information depart
ments of college programs, serve as
major tools of the trade for sports writ
ers, providing a wealth of information.
Aside from team records and reviews
of the past season, the UNC media guide
provides “Notes On ... “ select players
throughout the
player-profile
section. This
year’s model
has some inter
esting selec
tions.
Takeredshirt
sophomore
Russell Babb’s
entry. The re
serve offensive
lineman has
some interest-
Overtime
John C. Manu
Sports Editor
ing advice for college-bound students
with which I must: “Do not, under any
circumstances, buy aNintendoorSega.”
Babb goes on to write that the title of
his autobiography would be, “Another
Day, Another Buffet.” Again, I can re
late.
This buffet motif appears again in the
media guide in the notes on offensive
guard/center Shawn Hocker. Last year,
I nicknamed Hocker “Loqgie,” but his
teammates have given him a far supe
rior moniker: “Buffet Killer.” He lists
his favorite food as, “Free (or bulk),”
and his hobby is “Searching for die
ultimate buffet.” Sounds like my kind
of guy. Hey Shawn, let’s do lunch.
Apparently, senior co-captain Rick
Steinbacher has. The inside linebacker
follows Hocker’s lead in the hobby de
partment, listing “Following Shawn
Hocker on his never-ending quest to
find the world’s ultimate buffet,” as his
favorite way to spend leisure time. I
terms of the Nike deal were not dis
closed, but Nike Public Relations Man
ager Keith Peters said the shoe com
pany hoped to sign a four-year contract.
Peters emphasized that the deal in
volved more than just the basketball
team.
“I’m sure there are things that still
need to be resolved,” he said. “Our
agreement is for us to supply as much
footwear and apparel as we humanly
can to teams.
“Obviously, there are some teams for
which we do not make footwear or
apparel, and it’s my understanding that
those sports are free to go out for sources
from other manufacturers. At some
point, I think it will be up to the coaches
to decide if our product is appropriate.”
Materials the Beaverton, Ore.-based
giant does not make include lacrosse
sticks, baseball bats, gloves and hel
mets, Peters said. “I think there will be
some sports we’ll be able to accommo
date and some that we won’t.”
Zachary Albert con'ributed to this
article.
wonder if new strength and condition
ing coach Jeff Madden knows about
this.
Hocker’s sobriquet of “Buffet Killer”
wins top honors for humor on this year ’ s
team. But for accuracy, no nicknames
beat the one the Tar Heels have given
Peach Bowl defensive MVP Bracey
Walker. He’s called “Stalker.”
Defensive linemen Greg Black and
Troy Barnett enjoy several nicknames
each. Black responds to “G-Money,”
“Big G” (he is 290 pounds), “G-Force,”
See OT, page 9
THAr^r
The following get technical fouls:
1. San Diego Padres
One more time. Trading Greg
Harris for a minor-league catcher
was pathetic.
2. Vince Coleman
Chidren shouldn’t play with fire
crackers.
3. Dante Bichette
Rockies RF misplayed two hits into
inside-the-park homers in two days.
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Important leal
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Starting August 1 we're serving
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310 W Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, 933-3767
SPORTS
Wenstrom looking for a job
with Celtics at summer camp
By Justin Scheef
Staff Writer
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Almost
four months ago, Matt Wenstrom cel
ebrated a national championship with
his Tar Heel teammates. But now, like
most graduating seniors, the 7-foot-1
center is looking for a job.
Wenstrom’s search brought him to
the Boston Celtics’ summer league team,
composed of young NBA players, rook
ies and free agents.
The Celtics competed in the Doral
Arrowwood N.Y. Summer League at
the Westchester County Center last
week, hosted by the New York Knicks.
The Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey
Nets, Washington Bullets and Philadel
phia 76ers also sent squads to the camp.
The summer league provides players
an opportunity to prove themselves in
the professional ranks. Hubert Davis,
who finished his UNC career in 1992,
did just that last summer in-the league,
averaging 21 points for the Knicks.
Wenstrom started his summer by par
ticipating in a NBA pre-draft combine
in Chicago in June. After being passed
over in the draft, Wenstrom joined the
Celtics for the free-agent camp.
A highly touted All-American com
ing out of high school, Wenstrom en
countered high expectations early in his
North Carolina career. But the Katy,
Texas, native never lived up to his lofty
billing. That’s why playing in the camp
was important to Wenstrom.
“Coming here, when I did get in the
game, I had to play well, show them
what I had so they could look and try
assess my abilities,” Wenstrom said.
“It’s hard coming out of college with no
stats. So I did have something to prove.”
Wenstrom had a chance to prove
himself with the pros last week. On July
21, Wenstrom was a key factor in lifting
Boston over Washington. In 17minutes
of play, the 250-pound center scored 15
points on 4-of-5 shooting, hit all seven
of his free throws, snared six rebounds
and made two steals.
“I don’t think that I played above
myself that night,” Wenstrom said. “I
think I had a solid game. I rebounded
well, and I shot well from the field,
which I think I can do consistently.”
Wenstrom was relatively quiet for
the rest of the week, his time limited by
the presence of the Celtics’ first-round
draft pick, center Acie Earl of lowa.
Wenstrom still had time to get in the
face of Knick Jack Haley after the jour
neyman center dealt him a hard foul.
Wenstrom picked up a technical foul in
one of the confrontations.
If Wenstrom does not make the
Celtics squad, he said he may head for
Europe or play in the Continental Bas
ketball Association.
Head coach Chris Ford said Boston
wanted to give Wenstrom a chance to
show what he could do since he didn’t
get that much playing time at UNC.
The Daily Tar Heel/Thursday, July 29, 1993/
DTH/Debbie Stengel
Former UNC center Matt Wenstrom is trying to latch on with the Boston Celtics
“He played pretty well atrookiecamp,
which earned him a spot here at this 10-
day camp,” Ford said. “It’s an opportu
nity not only to be seen by us, but by five
other teams who are participating here
and maybe he’ll get invited back to the
big camp in October.”
Hubert rolls on
UNC alumnus Hubert Davis, who
called New York reporters “sir” last
year as a rookie with the Knicks, led the
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Davis averaged 23.4 points at the
camp. A fan favorite since hitting a key
3-point bucket in the playoffs against
Charlotte, Davis got the loudest ap
plause of any player at Doral.
Davis said he didn’t feel left out of _ ,
the UNC national championship (“1 had X
my,9france” he toa 1994 "
Final Four trip), but he said he taped aadf -t
watched every UNC game of the 1992-
93 season.
7