Astros Take
First Pick
In Baseball
The Houston Astros will hsv#
the first pick in the 1992 Pros
Ag*nt Amateur Selection Meeting
to be held through Wednesday in
New York, major league baseball
announced.
The selection rotation is deter
mined by the clubs’ reverse order
of finish in their respective leagues
at the close of lest season. The Na
tional League selects first in even
numbered years, with the leagues
alternating selections to form the
rotation. A coin toss last month
awarded the 27th pick to the Colo
rado Rockies. The Florida Marlins
will pick 28th.
The order of the selection fol
lows. Also noted are selections
from the regular rotation that
have been assigned as compensa
tion under terms of the Basic
Agreement.
1. Houston Astros
2. Cleveland Indiana
3. Montreal Expos
4. Baltimore Orioles
5- Cincinnati Reds
6. New York Yankees (second
rqund to Kansas City for signing
Danny Tartabull; third round to
Oakland for signing Mike Gallego)
7. San Francisco Giants
8. California Angels
9. New York Mats (second round
to'Pittsburgh for signing Bobby
Bonilla; third round to Los Ange
les for signing Eddie Murray)
10. Kansas City Royals (second
round to California for signing
Wally Joyner)
11. Chicago Cubs (second round
to Los Angeles for signing Mike
Morgan)
NBA Players
Featured On
Card Series
Sky Box International, Inc., the
exclusive licensee of the United
States Olympic Committee for
trading cards, will release the
“U.S. Olympicard 1992 U.S. Olym
pic Hopefuls Series to the public
on June 15.
Featuring America’s Olympic
hopefuls for the 1992 Olympic
Summer Games in Barcelona,
Spain, the 110-card set also in
cludes 10 NBA players on the U.S.
Olympic Team.
Last month, SkyBox Interna
tional announced the signing of
basketball great Earvin “Magic''
Johnson as its corporate spokes
person. Johnson will be a part of
the HopefVils Series and will be
promoting the card line as part of
his multi-year agreement with the
company.
Autographed cards from past
U.S. Olympic Team gold medalists
and gold-foil holograms of the U.S.
Olympic logo will be randomly
packed, and a special U.S. Olympft
merchandise card is included as
the 11th card in every pack. Sug
gested retail price for a foil pack is
99 cents. Two checklist cards are
included.
"We are excited to be working
with the’ United States Olympic
Committee on this first-ever prod
uct," stated Scott McCauley, direc
tor of marketing for SkyBox. "In
terest in these cards is extremely
high due to the excitement over
the Summer Games."
SkyBox, founded as Impel in
1989, is headquartered in Re
search Triangle Park. It is the
largest producer and distributor of
entertainment trading cards in the
$1 billion-plus trading card indus
try. The company has announced
20 product lines for 1992, includ
ing U.S. Olym picards and cards li
censed by the NBA and NFL along
•vWith AA and AAA baseball cards
vpnder license from MLB. The en
tertainment lines have included
"Marvel Universe®, Star Trek®
•and Disney Collector Cards.
Feelin
Fit! ©
With the advent of
summer, be sure to com
pensate for extra dehy
dration. If exercising
outside, ensure for ade
quate access to liquids as
the warmer weather de
hydrates the body faster.
t '>92. Tribune Media Services
II III
IT. AIM'S ATHLETIC BANQUET-During St. Augustine's
CaSngn’i 1992 Athlutic Banquet, Antonio Pettigrew,
shown third from loft and ERxaboth Poortroo, shown sixth
from loft, woro honored at outstanding ethlotes. Thoy both
roetlvod the Fathor Beatty anlor Athletes Awards. Those
Recreational Drowmngs Increase,
Ranks Third In Accidental Deaths
In recent yean, drownings have
become the third leading cause of
accidental deaths in the United
States. Drownings occur every
where—at home, at work, in motor
vehicle accidents, as well as in rec
reational activities according to
Whit East of the staff of the YMCA
of Greater Winston-Salem
July is the peak month, account
ing for more than 20 percent of all
drownings; more than 60 percent
of drowning victims are under 25
yean of age; nearly 30 percent are
teenagers 15 to 19 years of age;
males make up nearly 85 percent
of the victims; weekends account
for more than 40 percent of
drownings; and more than 70 per
cent of all drowning victims didn’t
know how to swim.
Annual drownings have in
creased from 6,500 in 1960 to a
present level of 9,351 in 1991. To
combat this growing death rate by
drowning, the National YMCA of
fers these 12 basic rules for your
.swimming safety, East said.
1. Never go swimming alone. If
you do, there will be no one to help
you if you get into trouble.
2. Never go swimming at an un
guarded spot. Docks, piers, and
river banks are dangerous places
to swim.
3. Never dive into strange water.
You might hit your head on the
bottom or get caught in debris.
4. Don’t attempt a water rescue
unless you are trained and are a
strong swimmer. If you attempt,
you are likely to get into trouble.
5. Don't show off in the water.
“Showoffs* cause many fatal acci
dents every year.
6. Cool off before plunging into
cold water. Cramps or heart fail
ure may be brought on by sudden
changes in body temperature.
7. If you can’t swim, stay out of
small boats. Never go out in a ca
noe or rowboat unless you are
wearing an approved flotation de
vice.
8. Pay strict attention to warn
ing signals. They are put there for
your protection.
9. Race and swim toward shore,
not away from it. When swim
ming, “go out like a lamb and back
like a lion* ..... ....... ...
10. Know your limitations. Don’t
go beyond your limits just because
someone dares you.
11. Don’t leave small children
around water—even for a minute.
Small children don’t realize the
danger inherent in water.
12. Never mix alcohol and water.
Drinking intoxicating beverage
and swimming don’t mix and otten
leads to fatal results.
East pointed out that the lead
ing cause of drowning is not know
ing how to swim. He stressed the
importance of learning to swim
and to continue to develop swim
ming skills for safety and as an ex
ercise that simultaneously in
creases muscle tone, flexibility, im
proves posture and coordination,
enhances circulation and physical
endurance.
Eddie Robinson Still
Calls Grambling Shots
BY BARRY COOPER
He’s 372-132-15 as the football
coach at Grambling, yet Eddie
Robinaon shows no signs of slow
ing down. If former Grambling
quarterback Doug Williams wants
to succeed Robinson as rumored,
he may have to wait a while.
Robinson says he’s got some
more coaching to do.
He recently was inducted into
the Southwestern Athletic Confer
ence Hall of Fame, but that’s just
one more in a seemingly endlesj
line of great honors for Robinson,
who will be starting his 50th
year—that’s right, 50—at
Grambling this fall.
He’s one of the most famous
football coaches of all time, rank
ing right up there with Knute
Rockne, Don Shula and Tom
Landry.
“I have been truly blessed,”
Robinson told the Associated
press. "I have lived my life doing
what I loved. There are so many
moments and so many individuals
that really stand out. I’m so proud
of the guys I’ve coached over the
years.”
Because of integration, Gramb
ling no longer is a national power.
There was a time that Gambling
could beat any team in the coun
try. Notre Dame? Southern Cal?
Texas? Chances are, any of those
schools would have had its hands
full with any of Robinson’s teams'
in the 1950s and 1960s. But even
tually, the big colleges began sign
ing the top black players.
The great running backs and de
fensive ends who used to sign with
Grambling, or Florida A&M or Al
bany State, woqnd up casting
their lot with UCLA or Michigan
or Auburn. It didn’t take long for
the level of play to drop at
Grambling and other black
schopls. Last year, Grambling was
5-6. In their heyday, the Tigers
never lost more than a game or
two.
But Robinson maintains he has
no regreta. And the fans who have
followed Grambling in the past
continue to come out. Even with a
losing record last season,
Grambling attracted crowds total
ing nearly 300,000 for an 11-game
schedule. And Robinson keeps
sending players to the pros. More
than 200 Grambling players have
moved on to the NFL.
It’s obvious that Robinson is go
ing to continue as Grambling’s
coach for as long as he feels able.
Today, many coaches are seeking
fame or fortune. Robinson has
never cared much about either.
"People ask me what my record
is now. and I can’t tell them,”
Robinson said. ‘Td be ashamed to
walk around memorising some
thing like that I like winning. I
think it is important, but the main
thing ie what we train theee young
people for as a school. I don’t
worry about football. I worry about
the echool part of it. We train
these kids to stand up to the com
petition of life."
Summer CamD
For Baseball Set
LAURINBURG-St. Andrews
College is sponsoring a week-long
baseball camp July 19-24. Day
campers may be 8-18 years; resi
dent campers must be between the
ages of 10 and 18. The least expen
sive baseball camp in the Caroli
nas, it will include individual in
structional periods, videotaping
and evaluations. Players will ben
efit from demonstrations, drills,
practice sessions, games and a
championship game. Awards will
be given at the week’s end, as well
as a tee-shirt to each camper.
A nun-refundable application fee
of $25 is due by July 12. Players
are also required to present a per
mission slip from their family dor
tor.
For more information and to re
quest a brochure, call Gary
Swanson at (919) 277-5276.
SPORTS LIKE
By Dale Dualap
Who ha* a higher ca
reer batting average
against left-handers: Don
Mattingly, Wade Boggs
or Alvaro Espinosa?
Alvaro Espinosa hits
.308 vs. lefties, leaving
Boggs (.304) and Mat
tingly (.302) in his wake.
That refreshing tidbit
was provided from “The
1092 Elias Baseball Ana
lyst” by Seymour Siwoff,
Steve Hirdt, Tom Hirdt
and Peter Hirdt. ($13.96,
Simon and Schuster).
Drawn from the Elias
Sports Bureau, which
provides statistics and in
formation to the major
leagues, the book has ev
erything the hardcore
baseball fan may want to
know — and a lot more he
may not. *
It contains essays on
the mpjor-league teams.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’
has a fascinating study on
the potential breakup of
the teeth’s high-priced
stars. Going back in his
tory they found three
similar teams and showed
how they declined over a
10-year period.
After that the book
turns to individual batter
and pitcher breakdowns.
You can find out how
Jose Canseco hit against
lefties (.250), righties
(.271), in home
(.270), in road
(.262), on grass (.257) or
turf (.305).
Canseco also is tracked
by months of the season
and breakdowns on how
he hit in late-innings with
runners in scoring posi
tion - he hit .347.
The best part of the
book, though, is the
“Loves to Pace” and
“Hates to Pace" section.
There you find out that
Canseco has no clue
against John Habyan (0
for-19), Erik Hanson (0
for-16) and Greg A.
Harris (0-fi»r 14).
Nuggets’ Owner Bynoe
Gains Little Respect
BY BARRY C0OPER
You can bat that whan Jack
Kant Cooke or Jerry Bum walk
into a room or an arena, lota of
heads turn. Cooka owna the Wash
ington Redskins. Buss owns the
Los Angolas Lakers. Liks most
owners of professional sports
teams, they are vary powerful
man, and attract a lot of attention.
The same cannot be said for Pe
ter Bynoe, who is part-owner of
the Denver Nuggets and is the
team’s managing general partner.
The Nuggets are the only major
professional sports team partly
owned by an African-American,
but that apparently hasn’t brought
Bynoe much reapect.
"People come tip to me at our
home game and hand me their
tickets. They think Pm an usher,”
Bynoe recently told the Chicago
Tribune. "It’s still not how much
you've done, and how famous you
are. Being blade in America still
means having to boar the cross."
Bynoe decided to take on a very
large burden when he put together
an ownership group to buy the
Nuggets in 1990. It has been al
most as difficult for him to gain
acceptance as it was for Jackie
Robinson when he became the first
blade player to play major league
baseball.
Robinson was subjected to radal
taunts by the fans and cheap shots
by the players. Fortunately, that
type of hatred hasn’t been aimed
at Bynoe. But he has taken his
lumps, and they have been large.
The Nuggets were in aad shape
when Bynoe bought into the team,
and it has taken two years of hard
work to begin to turn the club
around. Last season, the Nuggets
drafted Georgetown center
Dikembe Mubombo, who became
an instant star.
New general manager Bemie
Bickerstaff, who also is black,
brought some stability to that po
sition. Bynoe’s former partner,
Bertram Lae, gave up his active
role in the club. Lee, who also is
black, suffered much embarrass
ment after apparently developing
cash flow problems. He main
tained an expensive apartment in
Denver but was evicted for failing
to pay the rent
Through all the missteps, Bynoe
has hung tough, refusing to give in
to critics who urged him to sell his
share of the dub. A white man,
Robert Wussler, purchased con
trolling interest of tho Nuggoto af
tor Bynoo and Loo war# unablo to
rfcise onough monoy to eomploto
thoir purchaoo. But Bynoo io in
ehargo of tho day-to-day opera
tion«. Ho’a running tho ohow.
"Somo pooplo havo boon vary
poaitivo and opon-mindod about
this," Bynoo aaid, apoaking of tho
madia. “On tha othar hand, thara
an pooplo who think I'm out of my
loaguo. I'va gotten critidam tho
fbrmor ownora didn't havo to doal
It ha« hem difficult tor him
to gain acceptance like
moot owners of professional
teams. Being Black, he still
has a cross to bear.
with. There's a lovol of antagoniam
that’a higher and not eondatont
with tho pact rva boon aerutiniiod
and studied man, and a lot of it
hao to do with mo being black.”
Until thorn an more black own
ora, chancea an Bynoo will con
tinue to come under tho doeo ecru
tiny ho talka about If Cooke or
Buao aaya something stupid or
makes a wrong move, pooplo shrug
thoir shoulders and attribute it to
bad luck. If Bynoo masses up, tho
media an all over him.
Maybe that isn't a fair compari
son. Cooke and Buss havo led
teams to championships. They’re
among tha richest men in
America. It’s obvious they know
what they're doing. Unfortunately
for Bynoo, tho same isn’t being
said about him, although ho pulled
off a major accomplishment by
overseeing the construction of the
now Comisksy Park in Chicago.
A Harvard Law School graduate
from Boston, Bynoo headed up the
Dlinais Sports Facility Authority,
which raised more than $100 mil
lion to build Comisksy.
That accomplishment alone
ought to havo gained Bynoo accep
tance in lots of circles, but it
didn't. As tho owner of a profes
sional sports team, he is still hav
ing to prove himself.
Perhaps one day, reporters will
write a feature story about him
and not feel obligated to make his
race an issue. Chances are' only
then will Bynoo have gained hill
acceptance.
“If it happens in my lifetime, it
would be a tremendous step for
ward,” he said.
Portland Looks Forward
To Playing In NBA Finals
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP)—
The Portland Trail Blazers took a
road that faw taama croaaod all
aaaaon to advanco to tho NBA fi
nal!.
"I don’t think anyono thought
wo could win her* with the record
they have," Portland coach Rick
Adelman said after the Trail Blaz
on won tho Weotern Conference fi
nal 4-3 with a 106-07 victory over
Utah oiMhursday night.
It waa juet a tnmendouo win
fa- uo." Adelman said.
For the Jags, it was only their
fifth loss at the Delta Center in 50
games and their first defeat in
nine playoff games at home.
“We didn’t want to have to go
back to Portland [for Game 7] be
cause wo knew they could beat us
thee," Adelman said. “We went
into the fourth quarter knowing it
would have to be our best quarter
of the year.”
It may have been.
The Blazers used a smothering
defense to hold Utah offensive
mainstay Karl Malone to two
paints in the final 12 minutes. Tie
Jazz, who shot nearly 63 percent
from the field in the first half,
made nine of 40 shots in the sec
ond half, 22.6 percent.
Clyde Drsjder—who along with
Jerome Kersey and Terry Porter
scored 18 points for the Trail Blaz
ers—looked forward to playing for
the NBA crown.
“Every player’s dream is to win
an NBA championship,” Drexler
said. “We’re playing well right
now. We made it to the finals once
again, and it’s a fantastic feeling."
Utah coach Jerry Sloan said he
had "no excuses,” just praise for
the Trail Blasers.
“Portland is a tough team,”
Sloan said. “They deserved to win.
I thought we played hard... we got
beat fay a better team. They never
let up.”
Malone also was gracious in de
feat.
"Portland has boon thara bafora
and it shows," ha said. "We hava
nothing to ba aahamad of."
Tha victory mowaa Portland into
tha NBA finale for Ota second time
in three years against the winner
of tha Chicago-Cleveland aeries
and tha defending champion Bulla
lead 8-2. Tha finale begin Wednes
day night in Portland if tha Cava
liers win and in Chicago if tha
Bulla win.
Tha Trail Blasers, despite flail
ing behind 9-0, pulled away in the
second half by holding the jass to
38 points alter halftime.
Malone had 28 points and 19 re
bounds for the Jass, who won one
of seven playoff road games while
they won their first eight at home.
But he scored just two paints in ~
the fourth quarter as the Jass
failed to mount a rally.
John Stockton, who missed the
second half of Came 5 after being
accidentally poked in the eye by
Dreader, finished with 15 points
and 12 assists. He led the Jass to a
59-55 halftime lead with 10 points
and 109 assists.
Tyrone Corbin had 22 paints for
Utah, making its first appearance —
in the conference finals.
Falcons Move
Into Early Lead
In Track Event
St Augustine’s moved into the
lead with 20 points after the first
day of the NCAA Division II trade
and field championships at San
Angelo, Tesas.
Indianapolis is second with 18
points. * '»
St. Augustins’* had three of the
top eight in the long jump finals.
Jeffrey Clark was fourth at MW* .
Mark Mason was fifth at 24*11*V,
and Chris Coleman was eighth at
24*4H".
!V