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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
Eagles girls get hoop drills at clinic
PECOS, July 26, 2000 -- About two dozen Pecos Eagle basketball players
took advantage of a two-day camp conducted by former Sul Ross State University
coach Chet Sample, which was held Monday and Tuesday at the Pecos High
School gym. "We had 27 here on Monday, but a couple of them had to work
today," said Veronica Valenzuela, the new Pecos Eagles' varsity coach.
UIL rules kept Valenzuela from participating in the clinic, as
Sample ran the girls through drills during a pair of three-hour sessions.
"Yesterday (Monday) he mostly worked on offensive skills and
drills. Today they also did some work on offense but they're also going
over defense," Valenzuela said. "It's a
lot to cover in two days, but they've picked up a couple of new things."
Pecos has gone nine years without advancing to the playoffs, and
last season picked up just one win, with a lack of offense being the team's
main problem in recent years. Valenzuela said of last year's varsity squad,
six players were among the 24 working out at the gym on Tuesday.
"We've got a lot of young players out here," she said. "They're
mostly freshmen and sophomores, and we've got a couple of eighth graders."
Pecos' boys, who are coming off a winless 1999-2000 campaign,
have been getting in their workouts as part of an area summer basketball
league, competing against teams from Monahans, Fort Stockton,
Odessa, Rankin and other area cities.
"We
may be going with a five-guard offense," said coach Tino Acosta, who -
like Valenzuela - can only watch the summer workouts from the sidelines.
He has most of his guards back from last year's squad, but going into the
2000-2001 season will have no player taller than 6-foot-1 on his roster.
Rangers alter style without Rodriguez
ARLINGTON, Texas, July 26, 2000 (AP) — Texas Rangers manager Johnny Oates
says he's going to do things a little differently with All-Star catcher
Ivan Rodriguez out for the season with a right thumb injury. Oates is known to sit back and wait for the three-run homer, but he
played hit-and-run twice in the eighth inning as the Rangers scored three
times Tuesday night to break a tie and score a 9-6 victory over the
Anaheim Angels.
"We've lot our MVP, our No. 4 hitter, so we might have to
gamble more and change how we approach the game," Oates said. "You're
not going to replace him. Life goes on. But you're going to have to do
things a little differently."
Pinch-runner Scarborough Green hustled across the plate with the
go-ahead run in the eighth inning on an outfield overthrow and Gabe
Kapler had a two-run triple later in the inning.
Rodriguez underwent a one hour and 20 minute operation Tuesday
to repair three fractures at the base of his right thumb, an injury suffered
in Monday night's 6-5, 12-inning loss to the Angels.
Before Tuesday night's game, Oates spoke to several team
leaders on the importance of remaining focused over the final
two-plus months of the season.
"His injury has a huge impact on this club," said Rangers closer
John Wetteland, who pitched the ninth for his 26th save after wasting
a three-run ninth-inning lead Monday night
In the eighth, David Segui singled with one out off Mike
Holtz (0-2) and Green came in to run.
Green raced to third on Bill Haselman's hit-and-run single
off Mark Petkovsek, and when left fielder Darin Erstad's throw to third
eluded Troy Glaus, Green scored to snap a 6-6 tie.
Haselman went to third on Erstad's error, and Kapler drove in
two runs with a triple on another hit-and-run call by Oates.
Kapler also homered and is in the midst of a hot streak with a
nine-game hitting streak and three homers in his last seven games.
"I'm pleased with how things are going," said Kapler, who's added
a leg-kick in an effort to improve his timing at the plate.
"I still have a lot of work to do. I've gotten excited in the past so
I don't want to jump to any conclusions."
Rookie Doug Davis (4-2) pitched 2 2-3 innings of one-hit relief for
the victory. Davis had allowed 10 hits and eight runs in his previous 5
2-3 innings.
"He was in command," Oates said. "They didn't hit one ball well off
of him."
Rafael Palmeiro hit his 387th career homer in the first inning for
the Rangers. Palmeiro is in 37th place on the career list, two behind
Johnny Bench.
Frank Catalanotto and Rusty Greer also homered for the Rangers,
who had four homers and seven extra base hits.
Anaheim's Tim Salmon hit his 20th homer and 24th for his career
against Texas, his most against any opponent. He has 23 against Cleveland.
Erstad maintained his blistering pace at the plate, going 3-for-5 with
a triple and a double. It was the 13th time in 19 games he's had at least
two hits.
Even though the Rangers are buried in the AL West
standings, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Texas is a team to be respected.
"That's a terrific offensive ball club over there," Scioscia said.
"You can't take anything for granted with them. Even with
Pudge out, there are still a very good offensive team. You start
making mistakes and they'll make you pay."
Jr. high physical forms needed
PECOS, July 26, 2000 -- Crockett Middle School seventh and eighth grade
volleyball players need to have their physical forms filled out by a doctor
and returned before they can begin practice for the 2000 season. Workouts will start on Monday, Aug. 14, and coaches must
have the forms back before any workout clothes will be handed out.
Crockett football players also have to have their forms filled
out and returned to their coaches before starting practice on Aug.
14, while high school football, volleyball and tennis players
need to have their forms in the week of Aug. 7, when practice for
ninth through 12th grade players gets underway.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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