THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 26, 1994 TAG: 9408260764
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
The International League will end up on ESPN, after all. The cable network and the league have reached an agreement to televise the entire Governor's Cup championship series that begins Sept. 10, as well as a regular-season game this Sunday between Pawtucket and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
After the major league players went on strike, ESPN originally had decided only to show a few Double-A Birmingham Barons games involving Michael Jordan. But a change of heart will put the International League's division champions on ESPN and ESPN2.
ESPN will cover the second and fourth games of the five-game series. ESPN2, not received in South Hampton Roads, will televise the others. The best-of-five division playoffs begin Sept. 5.
ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN: Shortstop Aaron Ledesma aborted his attempt to return to action Thursday after completing pregame work and experiencing pain in his right shoulder.
Ledesma had pronounced himself ready to play the field again for the first time since Aug. 8 and was in the original lineup.
It remains undetermined whether Ledesma will be back this season. Infielder Fernando Vina, meanwhile, thinks he's done. Vina came down from the Mets before the strike and played four games before being hit by a pitch on the right ankle Aug. 17.
The pitch apparently did everything to his ankle but break it. The severe contusion feels worse now than it did last week, said Vina, who tried to play last Monday in Richmond and lasted two innings.
``It'll probably be another three weeks, four weeks,'' said Vina, who led the National League in being hit by 12 pitches in only 124 offical at-bats. Vina said he doesn't crowd the plate more than anybody else, but thinks his tendency to roll his shoulders and body into inside pitches, rather than jump away, increases his chance of getting hit.
``Most of the time they got me on the muscle, on the back. This one was flush on the bone.''
Greg Graham, who has replaced Ledesma and Vina at short, entered Thursday with one hit in his last 27 at-bats and was batting .175 overall.
ON DECK: The Tides play their final game before a five-game road trip tonight against Ottawa. Joe Roa (8-7, 3.38) is scheduled to pitch for the Tides vs. Rod Henderson (5-8, 4.92). by CNB