Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 6, 1994 TAG: 9406060005
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The battle between Olympic-style festivals in Virginia has waned after early shots fired several years ago. Now, it appears the Virginia State Games finally may be attempting to challenge the Roanoke-based Commonwealth Games of Virginia.
The State Games have been moved from Richmond to the Tidewater, and the Hampton Roads Sports Task Force and Virginia Beach Events Unlimited have impressively grabbed the baton from Richmond-based Sports Virginia Inc., which still holds rights to that event.
After attracting only 6,500 athletes in five years in Richmond, the State Games expect 5,000 to compete in 34 sports this weekend. The plan is to alternate annually between Richmond and Hampton Roads.
Those Games still are chasing the Roanoke Valley's festival. The Commonwealth Games have included 23,000 athletes. Next month, the Commonwealth Games expect almost 8,000 competitors in 41 sports.
\ SALEM SLIDERS: The Salem Buccaneers are the only club in pro baseball to show an attendance gain 11 straight years, and in a new ballpark, turnstiles should really spin next season. This year, because of a cool May, the Bucs are slightly trailing their record pace.
Returning to Municipal Field to start a six-game series tonight, Salem's attendance of 53,582 is off 3 percent through the same number of dates in 1993, when the club drew 145,657, 14th among 60 full-season Class A clubs.
Infielder Tony Womack's return to Pittsburgh last week continued the parade of former Bucs to reach the bigs. Although Salem has 11 straight losing half-seasons, 35 former Buccaneers have reached the majors since the Pirates returned as Salem's parent club with the 1987 Carolina League championship.
\ WARD WATCH: Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward of Florida State, who wasn't selected in the NFL draft but was taken in last week's baseball draft and will be chosen in the June 29 NBA draft, intrigues the Charlotte Hornets.
Charlotte could use a backup point guard to Muggsy Bogues. The Hornets' problem is they only have one pick in the two-round draft - 38th overall - about midway through the second round. Ward is projected as a late first-rounder by some scouts.
Much depends on how Ward plays in the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago later this week. However, there's always baseball. The New York Yankees drafted Ward as an infielder in the 18th round last week, although he hasn't played the sport much since his high school days in Thomasville, Ga.
\ BIG HIT: With Georgia Tech and Florida State in the College World Series, the ACC has two teams in the eight-team NCAA baseball championships for the first time.
The ACC hasn't fared well in the World Series, with only four berths from 1979-93 and a 1-8 record in the event in that span.
Added to regional titles for FSU and Georgia Tech was Clemson's No. 4 ranking in the last Baseball America poll. North Carolina State also received a regional bid, giving the ACC at least four schools in the NCAA field for the third straight year. Duke, tied for second place in the ACC, just missed an at-large bid.
Those aren't the only barometers on how good ACC baseball has become. The ACC record for first-round draft picks was three (1992), but the league had five of the first 24 players picked in Thursday's free-agent draft. That's why 43 scouts watched the ACC Tournament in May.
At the other end of the standings is Virginia, which with an underfunded program has won only 12 of 68 ACC regular-season games the past three seasons. That won't change unless the Cavaliers decide to get serious about the sport, as in lacrosse and soccer.
\ CALL WAITING: Tennis stars who demand silence while they play have a new reason to whine. During his French Open victory over Pete Sampras last week, Jim Courier stopped in mid-serve. Seems too many cellular phones were ringing in Roland Garros Stadium. And people wonder why tennis' next step always seems to be a foot fault.
by CNB