European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 07, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 30 the stars and stripes sports wednesday september 7,1994 Why Waff cancel baseball now the end of baseball As we know it is still scheduled for. Friday but the question might As Well beaked now Why wait with the nil out of rehearsals and opening once again to blockbuster reviews America s National Pas time has already passed that tire of year when any body much cares about it. As Mike Ditka the sex player and coach who went on to become an nil anal stand cultural icon never tires of reminding us people move on. And judging by the mood at Pittsburgh s three Rivers stadium on sunday most of them have already moved on to football. This time though it lookalike fewer and fewer will be moving Back when if baseball resumes. Ill admit it for the first couple of Days after the strike things were dry said Jona than Siegal a 30-something banker taking in the dal Las Pittsburgh opener. But now we be got  who cares and not even the thorough 26-9 beating the cow boys administered to his beloved Steeles was going to change his mind. Let pm cancel the season. I m sick of  m sick of the owners. I m sick of the players. And i la Tell you what Siegal added a glint now in his Eye if that world league of american football comes Back in the Spring i won t care if baseball docs  Jim Litke commentary that might be a Little extreme but you get the Point. V / in a Normal year even the most football obsessed fans will interrupt their september to january reve Rie Long enough to catch some of baseball s postseason. But this year with no Pennant races and the store of Goodwill that a magical season had built up already squandered baseball is dropping its claim to even that Small Corner of the sports fan s limited at  indication of How bad things Are a re Porter called acting major league commissioner Bud Selig at Home in Milwaukee to find out if the owners still planned to cancel the remainder of the season unless an agreement was reached with the players by Friday.  was told to Call Back. The reason Selig was watching the Vikings packers game of television. And this is what Selig said when he finally took therall it s strangely and sadly quiet maybe from where he was sitting but that was the exception /  a re. Where nil commissioner Paul Tagliabue was sitting which just happened to be three Rivers stadium things were up for grabs. And had been for several hours v in a scene that was surely replayed in every City except Anaheim where the nil debuted the Park ing lot Here began filling up at noon with tailgater for the 4 . Start. By Luckoff the crowd inside was 60,156. That included More than 300 standing room onlys and constituted the third largest crowd Ever inthe sports mad town of Pittsburgh. Holding court in the Back of the press Box lunch room Tagliabue did his Best to hide a Smirk when someone asked what Impact the baseball strike was having on the nil. His sport has a salary Cap i place until the year 2000 and an almost unlimited future but it was Only last year that football was beset with the same kind of labor problems now Bede Iling baseball basketball and hockey. The value of getting labor peace Tagliabue said is very very  he could have been referring to the $1.6 billion Fox paid to jump on the nil s bandwagon. Or the fact that the league preseason ratings were the highest in five years. Or that for the foreseeable future the air Waves and newspaper pages devoid of baseball will be filled with breathless accounts of Deion Sanders Odyssey buddy Ryan s apocalypses Barry Switzer s quest to win friends and influence people Etc. Or even the fact that while baseball can Call Itsel America s pastime Survey after Survey shows that pro football has become America s passion which not coincidentally is the Centrepiece of the Market ing Campaign the nil has launched to celebrate . Anybody still have doubts i think football has always owned this town said Dallas cowboys Center Mark Stepnoski who played his College Ball at Pitt. But maybe i m not the right Guy to ask because m not really a big baseball fan to begin with. The Only strike i m really worried about he added  the associated press Junior scan was the game saying hero for the chargers sunday against the Broncos. By Dave Goldbe Gap football writer what happened when the nil started playing for real Many of the game s top names showed up Ana had terrific games from Joe Montana and Dan Marino to Junior seau and even Rookie Marshall Faulk. Of yes and Sterling Sharpe appeared after Aone Day walkout. There s More Montana and Marino along with John Elway Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith showed Why they re on their Way to Canton. And Boomer Esi soft and ran Dall Cunningham whose careers were in doubt proved they can still perform fit the Best. Faulk had 143 Yards in his first game on his Way to becoming the next Emmi Tsmith and Drew Bledsoe nearly out passed Marino on his Way to become the next Marino. Seau plucked a Fumble out of the Airt save san Diego s win on his Way to be coming the next Lawrence Taylor. And Barry Switzer won his firs game As coach of the cowboys. It was everything considered an open ing Day that commissioner Paul Taglia Bue could Only dream about. He even has baseball on strike keeping the entire focus on football. Everything was working for the Nylon sunday. All those new rules to increase scoring there were an average of 46.6 Points scored in the opening 14 games com pared to 41.9 the first weekend last year All told there were 652 Points scored Las weekend compared to the 587 in All the games on opening weekend last year. Two Point conversions Terry Kirby ran for two Points in Miami s 39-35 win Over new England preventing the Patri ots from going for a late Field goal. But Detroit coach Wayne Fontes went r real exciting nil analysis for the lie rather than the win when the Lions tied the Falcons with 30 second left in regulation. It worked the Lions won in overtime. All those rules to increase run backs of 122 kickoffs sunday Only 11 were touchbacks or 9 percent. Last year on opening week there were 48 touchbacks or 35 Perchem of a kickoffs. And there were run backs. Randy Baldwin of the Browns went 85yards with a Kickoff Stanley Richard of the chargers went 99 Yards with an interception and Tony Bennett of the Colts went 75 Yards with a Fumble. And those two return masters Eric met calf of the Browns and Dave Meggett of the giants took punts Back for ads Metcalf going 92 Yards Meggett 68.shootouts? Vrsan Diego 37, Denver 34 Miami 39,new England 35 Marino against bled Soe. 1ft m9ntana at 38? he ran his record to iy-0 in the super dome going 24-of-33 for315 Yards for the chiefs in their 30-17 Victory against the saints. The sour notes Jim Kelly and Warren Moon. Also Moon s successor at Houston Cody Carl son became the first quarterback to god Wil with an injury separated left shoulder. And Elway sort of. He was 36-of-46 Tor 371 Yards and three touchdowns but also threw two interceptions one that set a a an Diego touchdown the other attn end of the first half that Richard re turned 99 Yards for a to. As he seemed set for another come trom behind Victory the Ball slipped rom his hand at the san Diego 8 with 35 seconds left and seau plucked it fro the air. A r m 1 i