European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 18 a the stars and stripes sunday february 16, 1992baseball Springs Back this week by Ben Walker a baseball writer skip the skiing and skating. Bag the bobsledding and biathlon. Lose the luge too. Break out the bats and balls its time for Vero Beach not Val do is Ere. Mesa is much better than Meribel and Bradenton beats brides Les Bains anytime. France or Florida Albertville or Arizona pretty easy Choice huh there a Only one French phrase you need to know and this is it lancers and rec veers report to Camp next week. A i like the olympics Fine a Nolan Ryan said Quot but i think Spring training is about my favorite time of and for once old Nolan is not standing alone. There a just something special about baseball especially after its been away for awhile. A i done to mind if the off season is always this Short a Pitcher Kevin Tapani of the world series Champion Minnesota twins said. �?o1 had a couple of weeks to just relax and enjoy myself then it was the holidays the super bowl and now Here we so we Are again. By the time pitchers and catchers Start showing up thursday at 15 Sites it will have been 115 Days since last seasons thrilling end that 1-0 Victory in 10 innings by Jack Morris Over Atlanta in game 7. More importantly it will be Only 46 Days until opening Day on april 6. Some folks like Ham Higgins can to wait. Higgins runs the Concession stand in front of municipal stadium in West Palm Beach fla., where the braves train. He a already done a brisk business with those tomahawks. The braves and twins will be among the first teams to begin Camp and they like everyone else have plenty of business ahead. A year ago no one really thought any club could go from worst to first because it had never been done now that Minnesota and Atlanta have both done it that Means its never too Early to Start pointing toward october. There seven Hope in Cleveland where the indians led the majors with 105 losses last season. A a we re going to win 110 games a first year pitching coach Rick Adair predicted with a Grin. But if there a any time to be optimistic and downright Giddy this is it. Every team is 0-0 Ana who knows what lies ahead. This will be an historic Spring training of sorts for a couple other reasons. For one it will be the last time that baseball begins the Spring with 26 teams a next year the Colorado Rockies and Florida marlins join the National league. Also the configuration of the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues will change next season. The indians have announced plans to move from Tucson ariz., to Homestead fla., a Little South of Miami while it remains Uncertain where the Seattle mariners will be. Quot six weeks of Spring training is a Beautiful thing a Bobby Bonilla said. A a in a definitely looking Forward to Holmes May get title shot by de Schuyler or. A boxing writer new York a fourteen years after he became heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes appears headed for a title shot against evander Holyfield. Shelly Finkel Holyfield a manager and Dan Duva his promoter planned to meet with the Champion saturday to see if he would accept a May match against the 42-year-old Holmes. Finkel would not pinpoint what the purses would be for the fight. But he said it would be approximately $21 million for the Champion and $10 million for Holmes who won his sixth straight comeback fight feb. 7 with a 12-round decision Over previously unbeaten Ray Mercer. Holyfield a purse was $20 million last april when he scored a 12-round decision Over George Foreman who was 42 at the time. Foreman a guarantee was $12.5 million. With Mike Tyson convicted of rape it appeared that Holyfield a next defense would be against Riddick Bowe ranked second by the world boxing Council fourth by the International boxing federation and fifth by the world boxing association Holmes is not in the top 10 of any of the three organizations. Finkel said that he and Duva met with Rock Newman bowels manager and Milton Chwasky Newman a lawyer and Newman said he wanted More Money. The purse for Holyfield Bowe would be $28 million with $20 million for Holyfield. To increase bowels purse would be to decrease Holyfield a. Chwasky called Finkel wednesday evening and said a Rock Quot has come around a said Finkel who told Chwasky a it might be too negotiations already had begun with Holmes. After Holmes beat Mercer there was talk about him fighting Foreman. Tyson was not convicted until three Days later. When it was pointed out that he might be Able to make More fighting Foreman than fighting Holyfield Holmes said a i want to go straight to Holmes who began a comeback last april 7, has said he does not plan to fight beyond this year. He was Champion from june 1978 to september 1985, then made a one fight comeback in 1988 and was knocked out in the fourth round by Tyson in a bid for the undisputed title. Finkel and Duva did not want to risk having Holyfield stripped of any piece of his title by signing to fight anyone but Tyson while Tyson was on trial. Sellout crowd has a Ball at ice dance compulsory is by Barry Wilner Albertville France a to get to the extraordinary ice dance fans first must put up with the tedious a except in France where they treat even the compulsory is As something special. A sellout crowd a rarity in itself for the event cheered loudly and wildly for French stars Isabelle and Paul Duches at the olympic compulsory is Friday. No matter that the world champions finished an expected third in the required dances Worth 20 percent of the total score behind Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko and Maia Usova and Alexander Zhuolin of the unified team. American champions april Sargent Thomas of Ogdensburg n.y., and Russ Witherby of Cincinnati were 10th. Rachel Mayer of Wellesley mass., and Peter Breen of Brockton mass., were 14th. A we were a Little surprised to see so Many people a Paul Duchesnay said. A it was very that a not a word often associated with the opening portion of ice dancing. Before the Duchesnaye and the soviet couples present their unique free dances they must get through the compulsory is and the original program in which each team does the same dance. The catchword for compulsory is often is boredom. Just How Many required moves All done to the same music can an audience and skaters stand by the reaction of the fans the skaters could have danced All night. In sundays original dance a polka the skaters can choose their music. But it wont be until monday night and the free dance that the event really catches fire. In compulsory is each pair must perform to prescribed rhythms and do specific Steps in an exact manner each time they skate around the rink. Only one Mark is Given for each dance. A the compulsory is can be difficult because sometimes you just want to get them out of the Way a said Witherby who won the american championship with Sargent Thomas for the first time last month. A but if you done to do them Well it can Hurt you for the rest of the indeed. In 1990, the Duchesnaye were third in compulsory is at the world championships. That kept them from winning the title even though their free dance a missing a was remarkable. Few people have seen the full free dance they will perform monday set to music from Quot West Side Story and choreographed by Isabella a husband Christopher Dean the 1984 Gold medallist with Jayne Torville. If the Duchesnaye Are in front by the free dance it is unlikely they will be passed. But they Arentt expected to Lead two time world champions Klimova Ponomarenko the 1988 olympic Silver medallists through the first two segments. Sargent Thomas and Witherby won the nationals just three weeks after she had undergone ovarian cyst surgery. They beat relative newcomers Mayer and Breen who soared from sixth in the United states to second in one year
