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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1992)
Suit doesn’t fit baseball It’s taken a while, but I’m fi nally convinced that Major League Baseball is America's most disor ganized and uncompromising sport, as it’s daily operations can only be paralleled by a Chinese fue drill. Just by looking at baseball’s latest occurrences, it’s easy to see why former New York Yankee bossGeorgeSteinbrenner deserves to be reinstated to his team so he can continue to contribute to the Major League’s daily comedy of errors. Examples of baseball’s latest fiascos are not hard to find. First of all, players’ salaries are now at the highest point ever, with the average player making more than $1 million per year, and the majority of these players con Crib utmg little more to their respective learns than making sure the water jugs arc full in the dugout. Secondly, the Steve Howe drug situation is interesting. The Yan kee pitcher has been caught with illegal narcotics eight times in his career, and he’s still fighting baseball’s drug policy (a contra diction in terms) to gel reinstated into the sport. Now in baseball's latest en deavor, the Chicago Cubs are su ing baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent for moving the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals to the National League’s western division and pulling the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. East for geographic reasons. It does makes sense that the financially-minded Cubs sue, be cause heaven forbid an appropri ate decision go over smoothly within baseball’s confines. In all reality, the Pittsburgh Pi rates should be the ones suing Vincent, since the Pirates now wifi no longer be able to dominate the N.L. Least, and will have to play the majority of their games against a couple of divisional foes that aren’t on the high school level. But since the Cubs are going to go through with their law suit, I thought i I’d mention my Top-10 other neces sary suits that make about as much sense as the Cubbies suing the com*: missioner. 10. NCAA vs. the University of Oklahoma. The NCAA will be look ing far compensatory fees for having Jeff Singer to send so many investigators to the OU campus to investigate the annual rules violations committed by the Sooncrs. 9. John Stockton vs. his barber. The Jazz All-Star and member of this year’s basketball Olympic team will be asking for compensation after look - ing in his mirror. 8. Harry Caray’s liver vs. Harry Caray. The Cubs’ announcer’s liver will be suing for some sort of restitu tion after years and years of damage from Caray’s problem of never hav ing met a drink he didn’t like. 7. Ace Hardware vs. the Nickro brothers. The hardware company is upset over the way the famous cradfty/ bal 1 - doctoring pitchers misused Acc ’s portable tools (Hi the mound. 6. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chi cago Bulls. The Blazers will be claim ing Bulls Coach Phil Jackson slan dered them, but not for Jackson’s alleged quote saying the Blazers arc n' t smart enough to win an NBA champi onship, but rather for when he claimed in June that the B lazers would be good competition for the Bulls. 5. Cleveland Indian players v$. Major League Baseball. The Indi ans wifl sue Vincent for not only forcing the 25 players to play for the Indians, but for making them live in Cleveland for six months of the year. 4, Minnesota Vikings vs. Dal las Cowboys. The Cowboys will receive a subpoena from the Vi kings for making Minnesota the laughing stock of the National FootbaU League when the Vikings traded their past, present and fu ture to Dallas for the Philadelphia Eagles newest running back Herschel Walker. 3. UJS Angeies VAJumy mcui cal Clinic vs. Wilt Chamberlain. The clinic has decided to sue the former Lbs Angeles Laker great who claimed in his last book to have slept with more than 20,000 women, therefore backing up the clinic’s waiting list until 1995. 2. Norm Stewart vs. the devil. The Missouri basketball coach is upset that after selling his soul away 25 years ago, he hasn’t re ceived as many Big Eight titles as he had been promised. 1. Russell Maryland vs. Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys’ top draft pick last season will sue the Dallas coach, who Maryland also played for at the University of Miami, because Johnson is not paying him as much as he did when he was a Hurricane player. But none of these suits are as humorous as the Cubs’ latest law endeavor, as the Cubbies arc con tinuing to support the participants of our country’s national pastime — not baseball players but attor neys. Singer is « senior news-editorial and po litical science major and is the Summer Daily Nebraskan’s copy desk editor and is a senior sports reporter. Cornhusker State Games kick off Friday with arrival of torch From staff reports The Gillette Dairy Comhusker State Gaines Torch Run will com plete its927-mile journey with a torch run celebration on the north steps of the State Capitol at noon Friday. Lincoln Mayor Mike Johanns and Nebraska Secretary of Stale Allen Beerman will carry the flame on the final leg and welcome the torch to Lincoln. The fesliviiies will include free ice cream for spectators and appearances by Nebraska football players Mike Anderson and Jim Scott and Husker basketball players Jamar Johnson and Bruce Chubick. The celebration also will feature a presentation by the Nebraska Law enforcement Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. KLIN Sports Director Jim Rose will serve as master of ceremonies. The Torch Run is the annual cross slate prelude to the Cornhusker Mate Games, which will be held July 10-19 in Lincoln. The927-mile journey from the Wyoming-Nebraska border, in volving a relay of runners in one-mile legs, will end at the opening ceremo nies at Lincoln’s Seacrest Field, Fri day. Games officials are expecting about 16,000 Nebraskans to compete in 29 sports in the state’s annual mid summer amateur sports festival. Former Husker Mitchell signs contract with New York Jets HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Jels are 10 for 10 in con tract negotiations. By agreeing to terms with seven draft choices, including top selection Johnny Mitchell of Nebraska, the Jels assured that all of their picks were on hand for Wednesday’s official open ing of camp. Two-a-day practices begin today. Mitchell, a light end who left Ne braska after two seasons and was the 15th overall choice in the draft, made f it clear earlier this week that he had no intention of missing any of the pre season. “I need to be out there, in the thick of things from the start/’said Mitchell, who stayed in New York after the Jets’ mini camp and worked out, los ing 20 pounds. He was the only rookie who stayed at the training complex for workouts after the team’s condi tioning program for rookies ended three weeks ago. “I figured out that the longer I hold out the more it wouia nun me, Mitchell said. “It was best that we come loan agreement and get it all pul aside.” No terms of the contract were re leased, but a four-year, $3 million pact would be a fair guess. The 6-foot-3,253-pound Mitchell became the 10th No. 1 pick to agree to terms. He has a strong shot at a start ing berth at tight end, a weak position for the Jets since they released Mickey Shuler in 1990. Former Nebraska basketball player Rich King, now playing with the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics, shoots over Kansas' Mark Randall in the 1991 Big Eight Tournament. Former Husker goes from King to pawn By Jeff Singer Senior Editor For former Nebraska basketball player Rich King, it’s difficult no longer being the center of attention. The former Comhuskcr center now is trying to adjust to his new role as a backup with the Seattle Supcrsonics following his first year in the National Basketball Association. The 7-foot-2 King played in only 40 of the Sonics’ 82 regular-season games this past season, after compet ing in all 34 games during his senior year at Nebraska in 1990-91. King said uie reduced playing time was his hardest adjustment in the NBA. “It’s tough, but I’ve gone through it before, since I didn't start my fresh man year at Nebraska. I’m just wait ing for my opportunity,” King said. King averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in his rookie sea son after Seattle made him the 14th pick overall in last year’s draft. But the Omaha native said his first year did have its positives. “It was good from an experience standpoint and learning what it’s all about,” King said. King said he thought his playing lime and production would increase this season. “I need a good training camp to show that I can play,” King said. “I want to be able to crack the rotation on this team and be among the lop seven or eight players and average 20 min utes a game.” The former Huskcr said although he spent most of his first year on the bench, his time in the NBA had been a positive experience. “This is a great job, because I love playing basketball and it’s hard to imagine doing something else,” King said. “I’m getting to travel and go to every major city in the country and I’m making good money in the pro cess, so it’s been great.” wnue ai iNeorasna, rving sei nu merous school records from 1988-91 as well as helping to lead the Huskers to their best record at 26-8 during his final season. King holds the Husker career records for games played (124) and for blocked shots (183), and is fourth on Nebraska’s career scoring list with 1,475 points. The 23-year old gave Nebraska Basketball Coach Danny Nee credit for his ability to physically compete with the NBA’s best. “Nebraska was good in that Coach Nee stressed weight training,” King said. “A lot of guys here didn’t have that type of weight training in college, and now they feel like they’re be hind.” King, who has three more years remaining on the contract that ne signed last summer, said his goals in the NBA are simple. “I want lo win a championship and be a starter, whether it be with the Sonics or another team,” King said.
