ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607150058
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COMMONWEALTH GAMES NOTES
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
To borrow from an old saw, there may be no ``I'' in ``team,'' but there are some serious numbers in team sports as far as Virginia Amateur Sports is concerned.
Usually, Olympic-style sporting events are noted for their individual performers. VAS, though, estimates one-third of the expected 9,000 participants in this weekend's Commonwealth Games of Virginia will be involved in a team sport.
There will be more than 300 basketball, softball and soccer teams playing in the Roanoke Valley this weekend, in addition to four all-star baseball teams and several teams from other sports such as volleyball and badminton.
``There are probably more than 3,000 athletes playing a team sport of some kind this weekend,'' said Pete Lampman, the VAS president. ``Our team sports have all grown tremendously the past few years. Sometimes it's hard to find a place for everyone to play.''
There are approximately 140 men's and women's softball teams playing at Moyer Complex and other fields in Roanoke County, 126 basketball teams playing in 14 gymnasiums and 36 soccer teams playing at River's Edge Sports Complex and William Byrd High School.
The team sports usually provided the Games with more competitors from the urban crescent that runs from Northern Virginia to Tidewater. VAS has tried for several years to get more participation from those heavily populated areas.
``Track and field and wrestling usually attract a lot of people from those regions,'' Lampman said. ``Other than those two [sports], the team sports probably bring the most people'' from Tidewater and Northern Virginia.
SCOUTING: As usual, the first day of baseball workouts attracted a slew of scouts from professional and college teams to the Cave Spring High School field. Before the weekend is through, more than 60 scouts will have watched some of the state's best high school players.
Among the best are two players from the two-time defending champion East squad - pitcher-shortstop Michael Cuddyer of Chesapeake and Jason Dubois of Virginia Beach. Cuddyer, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound rising senior at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, probably is attracting the most attention for his power and his throwing arm. He finished second in the home run derby during the prestigious Team One National Showcase Camp in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago.
``Cuddyer is the real thing,'' one coach said during Friday's workouts. Asked whether Cuddyer was a better prospect as a pitcher or as a hitter, the coach said, ``He can do both.''
Dubois, who batted .513 and was 10-1 on the mound for F.W. Cox High School, was named the Beach District and Region II player of the year, The Virginian-Pilot's player and pitcher of the year and the Norfolk Sports Club player of the year.
Several Timesland players are on the West roster: Larry Bowles and Brian Strong of Franklin County, Ricky Eubanks of Salem, Justin Likens and Chris Manning of William Byrd, Brandon Painter of Liberty and Scott Early and David Trumbower of Cave Spring.
ETC.: Lampman said Roanoke will be the host for the 1998 National Congress of State Games symposium. The State Games national athlete of the year is named during the three- to five-day conference. Roanoke's Dominick Millner was a finalist for the award last year. ... The Colonial Capitals Basketball Club of Williamsburg 12-year-old girls' team had to pull out of the Games because three players were injured in a car accident this past week.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB