Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 22, 1994 TAG: 9408220011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem Buccaneers begin what may be the last homestand in the history of Municipal Field tonight and need 16,687 fans through the turnstiles to add to their current streak as the only professional baseball club with an attendance hike in each of the last 11 seasons.
The Bucs' attendance is off 2.5 percent from last year's record of 145,657, so the Carolina League franchise needs to average 2,384 over the final seven home dates to top that. Even without any more rainouts, Salem will play one less home date than last year, having already lost three dates to the weather.
A special pregame ceremony and memorial service tonight begins what could be an emotional and memorable sendoff for the ballpark, which ranks among the oldest 10 stadiums in the minors. It's the 20th anniversary of the death of Alfredo Edmead, a promising outfielder who was killed in a collision on the Municipal diamond on Aug. 22, 1974.
With Salem starting construction soon on a $5 million ballpark that is expected to be ready for next Opening Day, Sunday's 6 p.m. game with Lynchburg is likely to be the last professional game at Municipal, which opened in 1927 and is the oldest stadium in the Carolina League.
\ TOP RANK: Virginia Tech's start at No. 22 in the Associated Press' writers poll and 19th in the USA Today coaches' poll is the first time the football Hokies have been ranked in the preseason polls, but the 1954 team has Tech's ranking record.
That Frank Moseley-coached team rose to No. 14 in the AP poll Tech's best ranking in history after a 5-0 start. The Hokies and William & Mary then tied 7-7. Tech finished with an 8-0-1 record and was 16th in the final AP poll but was not in the coaches' poll, then run by United Press International.
Tech's other poll bests were 19th in the UPI poll after a 7-0 start in 1967, 18th by the coaches in the final regular-season poll of 1983 and 20th in the final AP poll in 1986.
\ MOOSE CROSSING: Muscle-man Moose Morrisette leaving Roanoke for the Minnesota Moose may be a good hockey promotion in more ways than one, but you have to be curious about this new affiliation with the IHL club. Isn't the Express supposed to be getting players from the Moose, not the other way around?
\ GOING DEEP: No matter who wins coach Norv Turner's quarterback derby in Washington, the one thing the Redskins must do to be respectable is throw the ball down the field more. Last season, the 'Skins completed only six passes of 30 yards or more, one for a touchdown, while opponents connected on 18 at least that distance, including nine touchdowns.
It won't happen without trying. Turner's offense features the short-passing game, and the Redskins' Smurf-like receivers will be harder for John Friesz or Heath Shuler to find.
\ TWO BOWLS: The games that didn't have enough bucks to be chosen in the new College Football Bowl Alliance are negotiating with conferences for their second and third teams, and it seems a few are being more creative than usual in the process.
There are several bowls considering teaming up. That would put some flexibility in where conference runnersup and third-place teams could land. Among those discussing going hand-in-hand are the Peach and Carquest bowls, which would like the ACC, Big East and Southeastern conferences to fill at least three of the four berths annually.
The potential for team and conference options changing annually is a selling point. For instance, if Miami were the Big East runnerup, it would be a better fit for the Carquest at Joe Robbie Stadium than for the Peach in Atlanta, just as a North Carolina would be better for the Peach than as a suburban Miami draw.
\ Write to Jack Bogaczyk at the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, 24010.
Keywords:
BASEBALL HOCKEY
by CNB