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David Wilson
Craziness
surrounds
Maris chase
ST. LOUIS - A marching
band was tooting its way down
Market Street Monday morning
in front of Busch Stadium when a
light came on inside the Gate Five
Ticket Office.
Most of the 100 or so baseball
fans in the line jumped to their
feet and attempted to peer
through the blinds that prevented
employees from making eye con
tact with fans.
It was rumored this was the
only spot where a limited number
of standing-room only tickets
would go on sale for Monday’s
5<UUV.
Many of the true enthusiasts
had been at the stadium since sun
rise. It was now 10:30 a.m. - two
hours and 40 minutes before
game time.
Thousands of ticket holders
already were lined up to get in the
stadium.
People were getting antsy.
Baseball history was about to
happen inside - and you could
feel it
You could see, hear and
almost taste the excitement, the
anticipation and the love of the
game of baseball everywhere.
That atmosphere - a dream for
any baseball fan- came thanks to
Mark McGwire, who would hit
his 61st home run of the season
Monday to tie Roger Maris’ sin
gle-season record.
Unfortunately, not all of the
fans who had waited hours in line
in front of the ticket office would
witness McGwire’s solo shot to
left field in the first inning.
A large security guard came
and broke the news to the ticket
less fans that no tickets would go
on sale.
After a near riot, the line
transformed into hundreds of lost
souls desperately waving their
fingers in the air in search of tick
ets.
(Editor's note: Apparently,
David couldn 7 get in either. His
sou story mat ne a rove i,uuu
miles to see McGwire didn t work
on anybody.)
“Listen, man,” a scalper said
in a convincing voice. “You're
going to see baseball history. If
that’s not worth $250,1 don’t
know what is.”
Tickets went from between
$150 to $500 apiece. Face-paint
ed, sign-holding and McGwire
jersey-wearing fans just wanted
in.
That’s $500 for a regular sea
son game.
That’s insane.
That’s McGwire Mania.
That's baseball.
David Wilson is a senior
news-editorial major and a
Dally Nebraskan senior staff
writer.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - No. 61 flew off
Mark McGwire’s bat Monday, match
ing Roger Maris’home run record and
leaving just one question: How soon
will it be his alone?
History came quickly. McGwire
lauochedMike Morgan^pitoh430feet to
left field in die first inning, tying fee hal
lowed mark that has stood for 37 years.
McGwire immediately threw his
hands in the air after connecting and
then, wife a fist thrust high, began his
triumphant trip around fee bases.
Big Mac got a high five from Cubs
first baseman Mark Grace as he totmd
„ed the bag and got another high five
from former St Louis teammate Gary
Gaetti as he approached third.
The 50,530 roaring fans at Busch
Stadium stood all the while, except for
those in the midst ofa wild scramble for
the ball. Chicago’s Sammy Sosa, whose
58 home runs have pushed McGwire
down die stretch, joined the celebration
by applauding his rival from right field.
McGwire’s 10-year-old batbcy son,
Matt, was waiting at home plate where
the Cardinals slugger ended his trek
with a two-footed hop. McGwire hoist
ed his boy in a big hug, while
groundskeepers rushed onto the field to
replace the bases - no doubt headed to
the Hall of Fame.
The Cardinals spilled out of the
dugout to mob McGwire, and it took
him a few moments to make it to the
bench. But he didn’t stay there long,
springing back out to salute Sosa and
the Maris family, watching horn seats
on the first-base side.
In a touching tribute to die man he
matched, McGwire acknowledged
Maris’ children by pointing his right
index finger to the sty, tapping his heart
three times and blowing a kiss.
“He tapped his heart, like Dad was
in his heart,” said Kevin Maris, a son of
the former New York Yankees slugger.
McGwire homered in the
Cardinals’ 144A game and now has 19
left to become the home run champion.
Andwhen he does, certamly no asterisk
will be needed.
Maris hit No. 61 on the last day of a
162-game schedule in 1961. Toward die
end of that season, Commissioner Ford
Frick declared that any record would
have to carry a “distinctive mark” if it
did not beat Babe Ruthb mark of 60 in
154 games.
It also made it a nice day for Mike
Davidson, a 28-year-old fan from St
Louis who wound up with a historic
souvenir, which he planned to give to
McGwire.
McGwire and Sosa have homered
on die same day 20 times this year, twice
connecting in die same game.
It’s easy to keep track of how they
stand, too, by kxiking at the out-of-town
scoreboard in coder field. Right below
an inning-by-inning listing of the
Florida-Colorado game, there’s a sec
tion where it’s posted - McGwire 61,
Sosa 58.
McGwire and Sosa, who have
become friends throughout their friend
ly rivalry, spent the early part of the
morning holding a news conference
together. Sitting bicep to bicep, they
took turns praising each other.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we just
ended up tied,” McGwiresakL “I think it
would be beautiful”
_ Dawn Dietrich/DN
SENIOR NO MIDFIELDER KRISTEN GAY defeads the Hasten’ goal from a Wisconsin-Milwaukee
defeader Friday evening during the first soccer game. Tlie Huskers lost 2-1 la double over time.
Late goal costs Nebraska
in loss to UW-Milwaukee
By Darren Ivy
Staff writer
Within a period of 21 seconds Friday night, the
Nebraska women’s soccer team went through an
emotional roller coaster.
The No. 8 Cornhuskers led 1-0 against
Wisconsin-Milwaukee before Panthers’ striker
Fanta Cooper dribbled around NU goalie Jackie
Erdkamp and scored the game-tying goal with 21
seconds remaining in regulation.
On the ensuing kickoff, theHuskers got the
ball to freshman Kelly Rheem inside thePanthers’
goal box. She hit Kim Engesser with a pass.
Engesser then flipped the ball to freshman
Shannon Tanaka who score, what appeared to be
the game-wining goal as time expired
■3 But the referees waved it offand said &e clock
had run out
“I’m not sure if it went in before or not,”
Assistant Coach Megan Bechtold said “Whhyour
emotions, you work that hard that you want it to
count”
In overtime, foe teams went scoreless the first
15 minutes. However, after a two-minute break and
switching halves, UW-Milwaukee forward
Danielle Alberg beat Erdkamp for the game-win
ning goalat 1:06:19 before 1,266 fans at die Abbott
Sports Complex.
' Albeig’s goal gave Wisconsin-Milwaukee its
first win against a ranked opponent and ended
Nebraska^ 27-game home-winning streak.
“Losing hurts no matter how it happens,” said
senior forward Becky Hogan. “It’s a little more
heart wrenching to lose in overtime”
It also hurt that NU was playing shorthanded.
The Huskas had just 15 oftheir 22 players.
Isabelle Moraeau, Amy Walsh and Karina
LeBlanc were playing in a tournament with die
Canadian National team. Lindsey Eddleman,
Heather Brown, Jenny Benson and Karla Ledford
were out because of injuries.
“We have the opportunity to make a lot of
excuses,” Bechtold said. “Those excuses don’t
count fix’anything.”
On the positive side, the Huskers outshot the
Panthers 39-17 on the night Nebraska attempted
12 shots on goal, while Wisconsin-Milwaukee had
eight Acts and two more that hit the crossbar
ButNU can take no consolation in having more
shots than the Panthers.
Bechtold said not winning balls in the air was
an area that hurt Nebraska. She said when NU
players don't win balls, die Panthers get than and
have a chance to bring the ball the otter way.
Being complacent with a 1-0 lead also doomed
Nebraska.
“In the aid it is a tough lesson for us,” Bechtold
said. “Our team felt confident. When we let them
back into the game it was hard to stop dtem.”
Despite the disappointing loss, Hogan said she
was proud ofthe way her teammates played.
“Those 15 players all played really well,”
Hogan said. “Well bounce back fine. Some good
can come out of bad.” ' p
No. 4 Huskers
pound through
.
*« JUJt-.il- W . * T '.f v.,5 Jt
By Andrew Stenad
Staffwriter
A long week, which included four matches in
five nights, was well worth it for the Nebraska vol
leyball team.
The fifth-ranked Comhuskers (4-0) claimed
the San Diego State Tournament title in impres
sive fashion with a three-game sweep over San
Diego State on Saturday afternoon (15-11,15-7,
15-12).
The victory came off die heels of a four-game
win over two-time defending champion Stanford
(5-15,15-9,15-6,15-11) on Friday.
After dropping the fust game to the Cardinal,
the Huskers rallied to win game two, with several
Huskers stepping despite the kiss of junior out
side hitter Mandy Monson and sophomore outside
hitter Angie Oxley.
“We showed some toughness,” Head Coach
Terry Pettit said. “We got beat pretty soundly that
first game, and we were able to keep siding out
and siding out.”
Monson was out with a knee sprain, and Oxley
missed the second game because of a bloody nose.
Stepping up for NU in the match was senior
middle blocker Megan Korver, who led the team
with 21 kills, while sophomore outside hitter
Nancy Meendering add6d 18.
With the absence of Monson on the left side,
Pettit used sophomore Kim Behrends and senior
Jaime Krondak to fill in.
“We used a lot of people,” Pettit said.
“Krondak came off the bench and played great I
really thought our three seniors played big in the
match. They showed a lot of leadership in that sit
iiatinn ” > : J?jk
Behrends started in place of the injured
Monsdn and added a career-high nine kills with
out a single error against the Aztecs on Saturday.
Krondak, who has been plagued by a sprained
left foot for the last two weeks, sawlimited action
in the front row against Stanford before sitting out
Saturday’s match.
The Huskers ’ other senior, setter Fiona Nepo
was named the tournament MVP.
Meendering and Korver also were named to
the All-Tournament team.
Now the Huskers' focus will be on next week
end’s Ohio State Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
The n^ranked Buckeyes knocked off sixth
ranked Florida over the weekend, and Pettit will
now look to this week’s practices in preparation
forOSU.
“Right now I want us to get better defensively,”
Pettit stud. “I want us to understand our system a
little better so we’re in better position.”