Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 9

Mattoon (111.) Journal Gazette Wednesday, August 9, 1995 CD) HN n'-Ha ST. Rams' Miller denies retirement talk B2 r) OjlCnrrlC Rookies finish 2nd Down Under B3 Records B4 I Wave First day of football practice ibnngs back prized memories soccer team 1 -1 sttairte Cox era? 'i AD across the state, hidi school Jdd4 have circled this date, fer- vently hoping for a break in the jumhier long heat and humidity. A From ntioch to Carbondale 2nd everywhere in between, ugh school football players are Irapingon their helmets and fitting the football fields with DlayoffdreamsmmindL It doesnt matter if you're from Mourit Carmel (either the one in Chicago or the one in southeastern Illinois, right next to the Wabash River) where tradition tells you that the playofis are in the future, or if you are from a school that has fallen on hard times, today is a day for dreams of playoff runs and state champi-, onships. It's also a day for running, crawling on your belly, stretch- ninning, doing those funny httle exercises that strengthen your neck, bear crawling, hitting blocking sleds and ninning. It's the first official day ofhigh school football practice.

It a day of extremes. Lots and lots of conditioning, as well as work on learning the offense and defense. It's about finding out who the punter is going to be and learning new blocking schemes. It the last year of football for many seniors who won't continue their careers at the college level and it's something completely new for many freshmen. And more than anything else, if hot.

It doesn't matter if the first practice for two-a-days is in the muddy dew at the crack of dawn or in the mid-afternoon heat, it will be an uncomfortable experience. Thafs part of what football is about. Thafs especially what two-a-days are about Ask anyone who has lived through those uncomfortable two 1 2 Scott Lambert Lambert te a Vr sports writer for the Journal 4 Gazette and Times-Courier weeks for an entire high school career and they'll be able to tell you about the mosquitoes the size of footballs, chinstrap-induced heat rash and the screaming coaches who just can't seem to understand why you didn't sprint those last two yards of the torturous running exercise of their choice. They'll speak with a mixture of horror and amusement of those wonderful agility drills that always, seemed to include Padres' New coach hopes to build upon strong soccer program By KEN RYAN Sports Editor MATTOON Mark Cox doesn't think hell have a hard time adjusting to a winning tradition as the new Mattoon soccer coach. "When I first started at the school I came from, the soccer team had lost 84 games in a row," Cox said.

"So this should be quite a change. I'm really excited." Cox, who was the soccer coach at Newark High School the past three seasons, was named Mat-toon's soccer coach at a school board meeting Tuesday night He replaces Tom Oakley, who started Mattoon's program in 1986 and resigned in January. "I was looking for a coachingjob for a while," Cox said. "My wife and I just moved down here from the Aurora area and we thought this was a good opportunity. The only bad thing is there's not any teaching vacancies right now.

But this will help me get my foot in the door and it's a good program." Cox was actually partially responsible for the losing streak at Newark. He lost his first two games as the coach, but did lead the school that was once on shaky grounds to a respectable 26-35-5 record in his three years. Mattoon Athletics Director Steve Parker acknowledged that not having openings for teachers was a problem in filling the coach- in? vacancy. "It was a difficult position because we have very few teach (Cubs fail to stop NBA, union reacfii CHICAGO (AP) Joey Hamilton's arm wasn't the only thing that hurt the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night. The San Diego starter sin gled in the deciding run, and pitched 6 2-3 strong innings as the Padres beat the Cubs 3- After a wild three-game series last weekend in Denver, where the Padres and Rockies combined for 15 homers and 60 runs, San Diego was glad to leave Colorado.

It seemed like a normal game tonight," said San Diego manager Bruce Bochy. This was a good ballgame tonight Joey did a great job and helped himself with the bat It was a well-played game for lis." Hamilton (5-5) allowed one run, struck out five and walked Ifcwo. V- He also got a single that made if 2-0. It was his sixth hit and fourth RBI. fSc'I've had some bad luck against the Cubs," Hamilton said.

hadn't beaten them (0-2) It was good to go out there and keep us in the game and give us a chance to win." He noted that his location more than anything was the key to his success. "I threw my fastball where I fwanted to," Hamilton said. "My curve and slider were working pretty well My changeup was not sai gooa, out i was getting aneaa the hitters. I was able to throw riypitch-Thatwasthebigadvan-V Trevor Hoffman loaded the ises in the ninth before getting awon Dunston to line out for is 19th save. the Padres leading 1-0, jan Diego Scott Livingstone labor agreement empty tires and of something called karaoke (a running style, not standing up in a bar and singing a song).

They'll laugh at how tired they were and fondly remember that smell that can only come from a locker room. And of course, they'll remember the excitement. That's one thing everyone who played football will remember the excitement. The fact that after those first couple of days they finally got to pad up and really hit someone. Or the fact that in just a little over two weeks, they were hitting someone from another team.

And that's why this day is so special to so many. Not only is it the promise of football soon, it's the chance to remember surviving two-a-days and feel a little jealous of those kids out there suffering through the heat today. Gee, I hope it warms up a httle. pitcher AP Photo as the ball gets away Dunston. down to get a run that does get frustrating.

"We had chances to take the lead or pad the lead." Finley led off the Padres' third with a single, and moved to third on Jody Reed's base hit. Tony Gwynn followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Fin-ley. Kevin Foster (7-8) pitched five innings, gave up three runs, seven hits walked one and struck out three. Coach Tears Record 13-31 22-33 44-57 0- 0 8-2 55-19 28-36 32-43-2 29- 26-1 1- 10 77-89-1 Roy Gregory 4 John Mumford 5 Don McLeary 9 Del Miller 0 Rick Comegy 1 Terry Allen 6 JackHarbaugh 6 JimHeacock 7 Randy Ball 5 Shannon Watson 1 Dennis Raetz 15 proved from last year's 5-6 team. This will be Eastern's third straight test against a team from the Ohio Valley Conference it joins next year.

In coming weeks we will learn more about UT-Martin's football team but more importantly we will try to find out why it dropped the name of Pacers. Southwest Missouri. The Bears are 0-8-1 at O'Brien Stadium. Even Jesse Branch's 1989 Gateway champions could not win at Eastern. But maybe the jinx when they came to Charleston was Branch, who has been replaced by new head coach Del Miller who is looking to guide Southwest back from Continued on B3 ing openings here," Parker said.

"So we're very pleased with getting Mark Cox. It's difficult to find a qualified head coach and I think we found one." Cox said the opportunity to coach soccer at Newark was just by chance, but he believes it worked out for the best. "Newark ran an ad for a soccer and head basketball coach," Cox said. "I applied for the basketball position and didnt get it, but they offered me the soccer job and I thought I'd give it a shot. They said with the losing streak it couldn't get any worse and there was no place to go but up.

That, was my first soccer experience, but I learned a lot" Parker was impressed with how Cox helped turn Newark into-a competitive soccer program. "From my understanding, he took a program up there in poor shape and turned it Parker said. "He built interest in; soccer at the school. He's a very; positive individual and thafs portant in a coach." Oakley had a nine-year record of 78-45-32 while at Mattoon, including a regional championship' in 1992. Parker believes Cox can continue the success Mattoon has had through the years.

"We have a good program here in place and I think hell step into the program and continue the traditions we have here," Parker said. "Tom Oakley built us a strong program and did a tremen-; dous job and we believe Mark Cox; will build on the program." Susan Harris was also named; the head girls' track coach at the jneetiT. She replaces Pam Fit! -eeason. PS an agreement at 5 minutes, 10; minutes before midnight A lockout has been in effect since July 1, and the talks were a last effort to get a new deal before the union relinquished its authority as the players' bargaining agent, a step union leadership said it would take by midnight unless there was an agreement Twenty-five players attended the meeting at a midtown hotel, including Utah's John Stockton) Phoenix's Danny Manning, Dallas' Jimmy Jackson and Cleveland's Mark Price. About a hour and a half after the players went behind closed doors, NBA officials came to the hotel, and Stern arrived a short time later.

Eastern v-- Photo by Doug LMtiead an autograph for a fan during Tuesday at O'Brien I I i. San Diego Padres' Ken Caminiti steals second base from Chicago Cubs shortstop Shawon First fivef ootlbaU games could malte NEW YORK (AP) The NBA and its players union reached agreement on a labor deal Tuesday night, but it must still be ratified by a divided union membership. In announcing the deal, commissioner David Stern said passage would allow the 1995-96 season to start on time. The proposal eliminates the luxury tax, a sticking point with players in an earlier agreement, and includes a $1 million exception for teams over the salary cap to sign free agents. "We're very happy the NBA Williams, president of the union, said during a news conference.

"We feel very fortunate that we could work out or break ie Wiit.itosafiaMtJsK A mt -suslik jsji.rit. i 44 i Safety James Dorsey signs Eastern's -football media day Tn? rr scored Ausmus to give the Padres a 3-0 lead. Sammy Sosa opened the Cubs' fifth with an infield single, stole second and scored on Mark Grace's double to make it 3-1. It's frustrating when you're hitting line drives and not getting the hits," said Chicago's Brian McRae. "When guys are lining out to left field, lining out to right field with runners in scoring position that ball goes Team at Austin Peay Last year 7-5 5-6 SE Missouri Tennessee-Martin Southwest Missouri Central State at Northern Iowa at Western Kentucky Illinois State Western Illinois at Southern Illinois at Indiana State 4- 7 8-2 8-4 5- 6 5-5-1 8-3 1-10 5-6 breather on Eastern's schedule.

But last year the Indians had their best I-AA season at 7-6, getting to play 12 games because they made a trip to Hawaii, which beat SEMO 34-0 but did not count on the usual limit of 11 regular season games. SEMO has 16 starters back and is picked as high as second in the Ohio Valley Conference by Bob Griese's College Football magazine. Tennessee-Martin. While Southeast Missouri still has the nickname of Indians in an age when others are changing, UT-Martin apparently succumbed to protests ofnorsee and has switched from Pacers to Skyhawks. StartmgitafcnirthlnAA season, UT-Martin is expected to be im opened the fourth inning with a single and, one out later, Brad Ausmus doubled.

Hamilton, who entered the game hitting .192, singled to score Livingstone and send Ausmus to third. That was big hit," Bochy said. That was huge, second and third, Joey seemed like he knew what he was doing going the other way. That was a big part of the game, right there Steve Finley's sacrifice fly Brian Nielsen Nielsen sports edttorofthe Times-Courier ball from a 4-7 team. And EIU defensive coordinator John Smith has spent much of his summer fretting about what changes Austin Peay is making for its 1995 debut "We hear they're going to break the (wish-bone and open it up," Smith said.

"It would be eas- ier if we could settle in and defend the bone but if more of an open offense now." So while Eastern's staff has some films to assess Austin Peays returning personnel, the coaches have to rely on hearsay as to the Governors' game plan We called and talked to other coaches," Smith said, "and they said themselves in their spring prospectus they were going to throw the ball" Southeast Missouri. Until 1989 this was a Division II pro-gram that might have been a CHARLESTON Onetime Austin Peay is followed by ur home games on Eastern's jotball schedule. LiNot inconceivable is that the Panthers could take a 5-0 record into an Oct 7 Gateway Football Conference showdown at North-em Iowa. But take a closer look before Counting on that Granted, part of every coach's lob description must be to talk about how strong his team's Icheduleis. I But the fact is Austin Peav.

Southeast Missouri, Southwest Missouri, Tennessee-Martin and (Central State of Ohio probably fare stronger than a first glance at that EIU schedule suggests. With the season opener three Weeks and a day away, let's zip through the Panthers' first part of the season as they look to extend he four-game winning streak xm the end oflast year's 6-5 v-' Austin Peay.For fans Eastern routs of 44-0 5d 36-0 in 1988 and '89, this ight sound like anautomaticW. 7 Since then the Governors have Jtten tougher. Eastern managed just a 14-9 win in the teams' Last meeting, the 1992 season Opener at Clarksville, Tenn. Now Austin Peay has 10 starters back on each side of the.