August 31 - Texas Tech in First Big 12 Game Ever

August 31 - Texas Opens Big 12 Play Against Missouri

August 31 - ACU Hosts New Mexico Highland in Football Opener

August 31 - Rangers Beat Indians: The Texas Rangers, needing a win to keep from sliding closer to second-place Seattle, beat the Cleveland Indians Friday night, 5-3.
....Juan Gonzales belted out his 41st homer of the season, and teammate Ivan Rodriquez hit his 18th of the year.

August 31 - Tiger to Play in Texas: U.S. Amateur Golf champion Tiger Woods will play in the La Cantera Texas Open Oct. 10-13, the PGA Tour has announced.
...."We are just as excited as we can be to get this marquee player here," said Reid Meyers, president of the San Antonio Golf Association. "We would love it if he could be our winner."
....Woods, the most heralded amateur golfer since Jack Nicklaus, is embarking on his professional career this week in the Greater Milwaukee Open. Woods said he'll play up to six more events this year.
....The 1996 NCAA champion from Stanford won an unprecedented third straight U.S. Amateur title Sunday. He announced Tuesday he was turning pro.

August 31 - Houston Voters to Decide Astros Fate: Voters will cast ballots this fall on whether Harris County should build, operate or renovate baseball and football stadiums if property taxes are not used.

....The non-binding referendum, to serve more as a temperature gauge than public edict, was approved Friday by Harris County commissioners.
....The outcome will help officials decide how to proceed in the tenacious stadium dilemma.
The move comes as Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. considers beginning talks next week to sell the team. He has given the county until then to strike a deal.
....Calling the Nov. 5 ballot referendum sends a message to McLane that county commissioners want to proceed with their involvement in the ongoing negotiations to build a new ballpark.

August 30 - Wylie to Scrimmage San Angelo Lake View

August 30 - A Modest Proposal on the School Boundary Issue

August 30 - Texas Quarterback Says He's Just Fine, Thank You

August 30 - ACU Volleyball Season Starts: Abilene Christian University opens its 1996 women's volleyball season this weekend at the Colorado Coca-Cola Classic at Mesa State College.

....The Wildcats will meet Mesa State and Utah State today and Adams State and Western State on Saturday. Other teams participating in the eight-team tournament are Seattle Pacific, Madonna, Mich., and Alaska-Fairbanks.
....ACU, expected to challenge for the Lone Star Conference title this season, has four starters and two other letterman back from last year's 23-9 team. Among the key veteran members of this year's team are hitters Emily Hale and Heather Huff, blockers Shalon Taylor of Breckenridge and Jessica Mayes and setter Emily Worly.

August 30 - HSU Spikers Open Season,Too: Hardin-Simmons University will open the 1996 women's volleyball season this weekend in the Trinity University Tournament. The ....Cowgirls are scheduled to face Trinity and Wayland Baptist in their opening matches today.
....HSU has three starters and five lettermen returning from last year's 5-25 squad, led by sophomore Misty Williams of Breckenridge. Williams was the co-freshman of the year in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association last year.

August 29 - ACU Quarterback is All Business

August 29 - PDogs Lose One, Rain Wins One: The Abilene Prairie Dogs finally got a game in Wednesday night, but it did little to improve their mood.
....The Dogs lost the first game of a scheduled doubleheader, 7-2 to Rio Grande Valley, but saw the second game washed out by Wednesday night's heavy rain. The first game, in fact, was stopped with two outs in the top of the sixth, but because five innings were played, the game is considered a complete game.
....Abilene and Rio Grande will try to complete their four-game series today with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 5:05 p.m.
....If the teams do get the twinbill in, it will be the first of three doubleheaders the Dogs will have to play in the final six days of the season. And if the club wasn't in too good a mood because of the rainouts before, it might be in an even worse temperment with all the doubleheaders on the schedule.

August 29 - NBA Suing America Online: The NBA is suing America Online and Stats Inc. for using game scores and data without permission, an NBA lawyer said Wednesday.

....The NBA wants to block AOL from using real-time information on its games.
....Its suit is almost identical to one against Motorola that the NBA won last month. In that ruling, a federal judge said Motorola could not put out NBA scores on a pager because the NBA owned the scores.

August 29 (early) - AHS, CHS Scrimmage Thursday: Coaches at Abilene High and Cooper will get their first chance to see how their players fare against outside competition tonight when the two teams take part in their only scrimmage before the season starts next Friday.

....Abilene High will go to Brownwood tonight to take on the Lions at Gordon Wood Stadium while the Cougars will stay at home to play Lubbock Estacado at Shotwell Stadium.
....The Eagles and Lions will get started with the freshmen at 5 p.m., followed by the junior varsity at 6 p.m. and the varsity at 7:30 p.m. AHS head coach Steve Warren said the varsity scrimmage will see the two first teams go against each other in two 15-play sets, followed by the second teams with two 15-play sets.
....Following that will be two running 15-minute quarters in game-type situations.

August 29 (early) - Aguirre New Mavs' DPV, Scout: Just when it seemed like the Dallas Mavericks were starting from scratch, along comes a blast from the past.

....Mark Aguirre was named Wednesday director of player development and a scout for the team he bitterly left in 1989.
....Aguirre has been working behind the scenes for the Mavericks all summer, partly as a favor to the new owners (friends from his playing days) and partly as an audition for new coach Jim Cleamons.
....It worked. Cleamons took to him, and so did the players, prompting management to officially add him to the payroll.

August 28 - AHS, CHS Volleyballers Win: Abilene High defeated Graham 15-9, 15-11 in volleyball action Tuesday night.

....Kelly Armbruster had eight kills and Tabatha Breeding had seven kills.
....The Cooper volleyball team made a double killing Tuesday, downing Killeen Ellison 15-5, 11-15, 15-10 and beating host Brownwood 15-6, 16-14.
....The Lady Cougars, who improved to 4-3 on the season, were led in kills by Melisse Watkins, with seven.

August 28 - Rain Postpones PDogs Again: Tuesday night's heavy rainstorm forced the postponement of the scheduled game of the Abilene and Rio Grande Valley with two outs in the bottom of the third inning.

....Abilene led the game 6-1 when home plate umpire Bill Cochrane stopped play at 8:27 p.m. The game was postponed at 9:30 p.m. after the storm made the left field area look more like a lake than a baseball field.
....The game will be made up today as part of a doubleheader that will start at 5:05 p.m.

August 28 - Rangers Lose: Michael Tucker beat out a two-out infield hit with a headfirst slide in the 10th inning, driving in the winning run Tuesday night to give the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

....David Howard walked to open Kansas City's 10th off Jeff Russell (3-3), who was lifted for Ed Vosberg. Jose Offerman walked and Johnny Damon sacrificed before Joe Randa was walked intentionally.

August 28 (early) - Golfers Need Good Results, Fast: Local golf fans who follow the careers of Abilene's Bob Estes, Mike Standly and Jaxon Brigman know that all three need to have a good final 1-1/2 months on the pro golf tours to make their life easier later this fall.

....Estes currently ranks No. 135 ($102,940 in earnings) and Standly No. 156 ($79,784) on the PGA Tour. The top 125 in earnings are exempt for the following year, meaning they won't have to go back through the National Qualifying Tournament.
....Brigman ranks No. 137 ($6,209) on the Nike Tour. The top 10 on the Nike Tour money list receive an exemption on the PGA Tour next year. Finishers 11-25 are exempted to the finals of the National Qualifying Tournament and are fully exempt on the Nike Tour if they don't earn their PGA Tour cards.

August 28 (early) - Night Indy-Car Racing Coming: The first nighttime Indy-car race will debut at the Texas Motor Speedway next June 7.
....The Indy Racing League announced the race plans Tuesday at the Fort Worth Stockyards. The speedway will host the Inaugural Longhorn 500 under lights, the first of its kind.
...."The physical presence of Texas Motor Speedway is awe-inspiring," IRL president Tony George said. "The opportunity to bring the cars and stars of the Indianapolis 500 to Texas and race in the back yard of the huge Fort Worth-Dallas market is similarly awe-inspiring."
....The Texas Motor Speedway, currently under construction, will seat 150,061, making it the second-largest sports facility in America, following the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

August 27 - What!? Pennant Fever Breaking Out in Texas?

August 27 - MVP Candidates to Show Stuff at PDog Games

August 27 (early) - HSU to Play Baylor: Hardin-Simmons University will play Baylor in a men's basketball game in Waco on Feb. 10.

....Details on the game were finalized Monday.
....This will be the third time in the seven years since Hardin-Simmons dropped athletic scholarships in a move from NCAA Division I to NAIA that the two Baptist schools have met in men's basketball.
....Hardin-Simmons has played at least one Division I opponent each year since dropping scholarships in 1990. But the Cowboys will play three Division I teams this season - Southern Methodist University on Nov. 23, Southwest Texas State on Dec. 14 and Baylor on Feb. 10.

August 27 (early) - Gould to Coach: Former Mavericks All-Southland Conference outfielder Clay Gould will return to his alma mater as an assistant baseball coach.

....Gould, who graduated from the University of Texas-Arlington in 1993, served as a graduate assistant coach at Texas A&M last year after completing a professional playing career with the Tyler Wildcatters.

August 26 - Second Half Race for Prairie Dogs Is Nip and Tuck

August 26 - Rangers Shell Twins: The Texas Rangers were mad and they had a 23-year-old rookie pitcher to take out their frustrations on.

....The result was seven first-inning runs on the way to a 13-2 shelling of the Minnesota Twins.
...."He got us on the wrong day," Texas' Kevin Elster said of rookie Travis Miller, who was making his big-league debut.
....The Rangers hit five homer runs, two off Miller, and Bobby Witt pitched eight strong innings as Texas gained a split of the four-game series.

August 26 - PDogs Postponed Again: Sunday afternoon's heavy thunderstorms forced the postponement of the scheduled doubleheader between Abilene and Amarillo at Scott Field.

....The doubleheader was to have been played to make up Friday's rainout between the two teams at Scott Field. But the Prairie Dogs and Dillas were able to play just one game of a scheduled three-game series.
....The games will be made up Sept. 3 in a doubleheader starting at 6:05 p.m. at Scott Field. That is one day after the regular season is scheduled to end.
....Lubbock, which is tied with Abilene for first place in the second half of the Texas-Louisiana League standings, also had its scheduled doubleheader against Rio Grande Valley rained out in Harlingen.

August 25 - PDogs Lose to Dillas: The one-hour rain delay didn't hurt Al Kermode Saturday night as he pitched a complete-game six-hitter to lead Amarillo to a 3-1 win over Abilene.


....The start of the game was delayed because of the heavy thunderstorms that hit the Abilene area Saturday afternoon. But it didn't effect Amarillo's big right-hander as he shut down the Prairie Dogs, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end in front of 1,538 fans at Scott Field.
....The loss also dropped the Prairie Dogs into a first-place tie with Lubbock in the second half standings. The Crickets were rained out Saturday night at Rio Grande Valley. The Prairie Dogs and Crickets have identical 25-14 records with just nine days left in the regular season.
....Abilene and Amarillo will play a doubleheader today starting at 5:05 p.m. at Scott Field.

August 25 - Rangers Lose, 6-5: Frank Rodriguez became the Minnesota Twins' first 12-game winner in three years, and Marty Cordova and Matt Lawton hit solo homers Saturday night in a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers.

....Rodriguez (12-10) allowed six hits in seven innings to become the winningest Twins pitcher since Kevin Tapani went 12-15 in 1993. Mike Trombley gave up two runs in the ninth but finished for his third save.

August 24 - UT Ready for Big 12 Action

August 24 - Rangers Lose to Twins: Rick Aguilera pitched nine innings for the first time in seven years and struck out a career high 10 Friday night to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.

....It was only the second loss in six games for the AL West-leading Rangers, who came in with a .293 batting average, best in the majors, and had scored at least 10 runs in four of their previous five games.
....But they couldn't do much against Aguilera (7-5), who pitched an eight-hitter.
Aguilera's only mistake was a two-run homer by Kevin Elster in the fifth.

August 24 - Rain Postpones PDog's Game: Friday afternoon's thunderstorms turned Scott Field's outfield into a lake and forced the postponement of the game between the Abilene Prairie Dogs and Amarillo Dillas.

....The two teams will make it up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. The first game will start at 5:05 p.m. with the second game starting 30 minutes after the end of the first seven-inning game.
....Abilene and Amarillo will meet in their regularly scheduled game tonight at 7:05 p.m.
....The Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems Prairie Dogs Baseball Cards promotion, which was originally scheduled for Friday, will be moved to Monday's game with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings.
....Fans holding tickets to Friday's rained-out game may exchange them as rainchecks for tickets to any of the remaining six regular season games. Rainchecks are not redeemable for playoff games.

August 24 - AHS Netters Win: Abilene High won one close match and trails 5-4 in a second in the Bryan Invitational tennis tournament this week.

....Rain stopped both matches, but the first match was awarded to the Eagles, who led A&M Consolidated 9-6 and had an advantage in sets won.
....But the second match, against 1995 state qualifier Katy Taylor, was stopped with AHS trailing 5-4 in a match that is every bit as close as the score would indicate. Several of the matches still on the court have split sets.
....The Katy Taylor match, which will resume at 8 a.m., will be a big one for the state rankings. Katy Taylor is picked to win its region again this year.

August 24 - ACHS wins scrimmage: John Estes threw two touchdown passes to lead Abilene Christian High School to a 3-1 victory over Loraine in a Six-Man scrimmage Friday at Elmer Gray Stadium.
....Estes' scoring tosses were 18 yards to Joe Rodriguez and 57 to Jason Strader. Rodriguez also threw for a touchdown, a 62-yard hookup with David Strickland.
....Loraine scored on a 24-yard run by Pablo DeLaCruz.

August 24 (early) - Mavs' Pick Signs: First-round draft pick Samaki Walker has agreed to a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

....Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
....The Mavericks gave Boston the No. 6 pick in the draft in exchange for center Eric Montross and the No. 9 pick, which they used for Walker. It was the first addition to the team for new coach Jim Cleamons.

August 24 (early) - Astros Put Wagner on DL: The Houston Astros placed rookie closer Billy Wagner on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander John Hudek from Triple-A Tucson before Friday night's game against St. Louis.

....Wagner, a left-hander, strained a left groin muscle in Thursday night's game against Pittsburgh.

August 23 - AHS, CHS Coaches Pleased with Football Workouts

August 23 - Prairie Dogs Already Making Plans for the Post-Season

August 23 - Rumors of Prairie Dogs Leaving are 'Asinine'

August 23 - Rangers Win Again: Ken Hill pitched his sixth complete game of the season and the Texas Rangers took advantage of 11 walks by Twins pitchers Thursday night for an 11-2 victory over Minnesota.

....The AL West-leading Rangers won for the 11th time in 13 games. Texas moved a season-high 20 games over .500.
....Ivan Rodriguez of the Rangers hit his 43rd double, setting a major league record for most doubles by a catcher.

August 23 (early) - Bev Bell Classic This Weekend: The Abilene High and Cooper volleyball teams will play host the Bev Ball Classic this weekend.

....The 15-team tournament, featuring teams from all five classifications, will be played at both Abilene High's Eagle Gym and Cooper's Cougar Gym, beginning with pool play at 1 p.m. today.
....Each team will play three matches in pool play today, with the top two teams from each of four pools advancing to the eight-team championship bracket on Saturday at Cougar Gym. The two teams with the poorest records in pool playwill compete in a challenger bracket Saturday at Eagle Gym.

August 23 (early) - UIL Delivers Public Reprimand: The University Interscholastic League's State Executive Committee on Thursday gave South San Antonio High School basketball coach Gary Durbon a public reprimand and placed him on probation for one year for verbally abusing an official.

....The committee's decision culminates a case in which Durbon's father, Ron Durbon, the South San Antonio School District superintendent, was also found to have verbally abused the basketball official, Steve Hamman, after a Jan. 16 game.
....The superintendent's actions resulted in South San Antonio High School receiving a public reprimand and a year's probation from the UIL on April 22.

August 23 (early) - HSU Holds First Football Practice: The Hardin-Simmons University football team will hold its first practice of the 1996 season Friday.

....The Cowboys, ranked seventh in the NAIA Division II pre-season poll, are seeking a fifth straight trip to the NAIA playoffs. The HSU team will work out at 9 am. and 3 p.m. Friday.

August 22 - Wylie and Stamford Scrimmage Thursday

August 22 - Rangers Sign Top Pick: The Texas Rangers signed right-handed pitcher R.A. Dickeyof Tennessee, their top selection in the 1996 free agent draft, just before hestarted fall semester classes on Wednesday.
....If Dickey had enrolled in school, the Rangers wouldn't have been able tosign him until he dropped out of the four-year school. Contract terms were notannounced.

August 22 - Cooper Pigskin Preview Saturday: Football fans will get an early look at the Cooper Cougars when the second annual Pigskin Preview will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.
....There will be intrasquad scrimmages of seventh and eighth graders from Clack, Madison and Jefferson first, followed by scrimmages by the sophomore and junior varsity teams from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
....The Cougar volleyball, tennis and cross country teams will be introduced along with the band, Cougarettes, Cougar Pride, junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders between 7 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The varsity will be introduced after that and it will scrimmage until 9 p.m.

August 22 - ACHS opens home volleyball season: Abilene Christian High School will play its first-ever home volleyball matchTuesday when it hosts Moran at 5 p.m. in the high school gym.
....The school started the program this year and already has played two matches, beating Santa Anna, 15-7, 15-10, but losing to Moran, 15-5, 15-6.
....Reinette Hensley is the coach and she has 20 players in the program.

August 21 - Texas Tech's Schedule One of Toughest Ever

August 21 - Prairie Dog's Monroe Heating Up Down the Stretch

August 20 - Houston Rockets Hope Barkley Adds up to Championship

August 20 - Rangers Beat Indians: The Rangers maintained the lead in their division, beating the Cleveland Indians, 10-3, Monday.
....Dean Palmer smacked his 29th homer for the Rangers, while Albert Belle connected for his 40th for the tribe.

August 20 (early) - Deion's Civil Trial Begins: After two false starts in the personal injury lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders, the civil trial opened Monday with jury selection and opening statements.
....Sanders is being sued for $1 million by Riverfront Stadium security guard Herbert Kohus over a dispute following a Cincinnati Reds game two years ago.
....Judge Robert Kraft of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court delayed the trial twice last week after Sanders didn't show and then "had urgent family matters" that prevented him coming.
....Kohus' attorney, John Rockel, said his client was out of work for six weeks because of injuries he received when Sanders, who was playing with the Reds at the time, allegedly dragged Kohus with his motor scooter as he tried to leave through a pedestrian gate.
....Rockel said Kohus injured his wrists, neck, back and shoulder trying to hold on to Sanders. He has lost thousands of dollars because he can't wear the protective vest or gun belt required for security work, Rockel said.
...."The issue is if a uniform police officer is hanging on to you, you don't have any right to resist arrest," Kohus said following opening statements.
....Sanders' attorney, Kenneth Lawson, said Kohus grabbed Sanders in anger.
...."Mr. Kohus could have let go of Deion at any point," Lawson said.
....Lawson said Kohus didn't seek medical attention until after he found out the man on the scooter was Sanders.

August 20 (early) - Clarkson-Frazier Honored: Jennifer Clarkson Frazier, who led the Abilene Christian University women's basketball team to a third-place finish in NCAA Division II last season, has been named NCAA Woman of the Year in Texas for the 1995-96 school year.

....The two-time Division II player of the year was selected by an NCAA committee among 333 candidates as one of the state winners in the annual program honoring outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community service.

August 20 (early) - Abilene High Volleyball Season Starts: The 1996 high school volleyball season begins tonight.
....Abilene High opens the season at Miles.
....A solid core of returning starters along with considerable senior experience should be the strengths of the Abilene High volleyball team which will try to make a playoff bid under first-year head coach Didi Pierce.
...."The kids have worked really hard," Pierce said. "I was happy with some of the things we did in our scrimmage, but we've still got a ways to go."
....The returning starters for the Lady Eagles include 6-1 senior Kelly Armbruster, 5-4 senior Kristi Moore, 5-8 senior Tabatha Breeding, 5-5 sophomore Leah Galloway and 5-8 junior Candace Oliver.
....Armbruster and Breeding are middle blockers, Moore and Galloway are setters, and Oliver and 5-6 junior Jennifer Jurrius are outside hitters.

August 20 (early) - Cougar Volleyballers Start Season: Only three starters return, but help from a strong junior varsity team as well as a recent winning tradition could vault the Cooper Lady Cougars into the volleyball playoffs this season.

....Gloria McDonald, Kris Lukauskis and Catherine Weir are the only returning letter-winners for head coach Beth Wills, and Weir is the only returning starter.
...."We are a completely different team from last year," Wills said. "This will be one of the quickest teams I've had here. This is also a very scrappy team - they'll fight for every ball and every point."
....The Cougars open their season today with dual matches against Stephenville and Weatherford. Wills was encouraged with what she saw from her team in a scrimmage Saturday.

August 19 - Charles Barkley Traded to Houston Rockets

August 19 - Rangers Win Again: Will Clark drove in four runs with a single, double and homer and Dean Palmer and Kevin Elster each hit two-run homers Sunday night in the Texas Rangers' 10-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
....The win kept Texas six games ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

August 19 - Rangers: It Might Have Been the Heat in the Past

August 18 - McMurry Football Players Reporting: McMurry University head football coach Steve Keenum and his staff will welcome approximately 100 new and returning players to campus Monday through Wednesday for the start of the 1996 football season.


....Freshmen, transfers and returning quarterbacks and centers will report today. Returning wide receivers, defensive backs, running backs, tight ends and linebackers will report on Monday, and the first workout will be at 4 p.m. Monday.
....All other players will return on Tuesday and three-a-day workouts will be at 8 a.m. 1:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
....McMurry opens the season on the road at 2 p.m. on Sept. 7 against Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie. The Indians play their first home game against Howard Payne in a non-confrence matchup at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.

August 18 - HSU tickets go on sale: Season tickets for the 1996 Hardin-Simmons University football season will go on sale Monday at 8 a.m. The Cowboys will have six home gams this season at Shelton Stadium, with the season opener Sept. 14 against Prairie View A&M.
....Fans can purchase option seat tickets or season tickets by calling 670-1435 between 8 a.m.-noon and between 1-5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the HSU athletic department during normal business hours.
....HSU, ranked seventh in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, will be looking for its fifth straight trip to the NAIA playoffs. The Cowboys have won or shared the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship the last three years. This year the TIAA has become the American Southwest Conference.

August 17 (early) - Astros Won't Appeal: Henry Rodriguez of the Montreal Expos and Danny Darwin of the Houston Astros decided not to appeal their suspensions and began serving their penalties Friday.

....Darwin was suspended for six games and Rodriguez for four following Monday night's brawl between the Astros and Expos.
....Houston's John Cangelosi, also suspended for four games, decided Thursday not to appeal and began serving his penalty Friday.

August 17 (early) - Floridian Interested in Astros? Florida financier Norton Herrick is interested in acquiring the Houston Astros if Drayton McLane decides to sell the team, USA Today reported Friday.

...."We have the money, we have the site, we have the stadium design," Herrick said. "We have everything but the baseball team."
....Astros senior vice president Bob McClaren confirmed Thursday that Herrick called at the end of 1995 to ask if the team was for sale.

August 16 - LSC Adds Two Schools: East Central University and Southwestern Oklahoma State were added Thursday to the Lone Star Conference.

....The schools will compete in individual sports immediately and in team sports beginning in the fall of 1997, Commissioner Fred Jacoby said.
.....The additions give the conference a 17-school membership in four states, divided into two divisions.
The North Division consists of Cameron, Harding, Central Oklahoma, East Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Ouachita Baptist.
....The South Division consists of Abilene Christian, Angelo State, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Commerce (formerly East Texas State), Texas A&M-Kingsville, Texas Woman's and West Texas A&M, all in Texas, and Eastern New Mexico.

August 16 - Jenkins Cleared to Play for UT: Former Cuero High defensive back Levar Jenkins has been cleared to play college ball for Texas.

....Jenkins, one of 24 signees this year, was OK'd Thursday by the NCAA Clearing House, which reviews student-athletes' academic and registration eligibility.
...."We are excited to have Levar cleared and ready to go," said coach John Mackovic.
....At 5-10, 175-pounds, Jenkins recorded 152 tackles, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks in his senior season. He returned a punt, an interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns.
....While Jenkins celebrated, the team announced that sophomore linebacker Mark Kuper would leave the team after being plagued with injuries.

August 16 - HSU Leading Rusher Gone: Hardin-Simmons University will have to find a replacement for its leading rusher of a year ago, running back Mark Pawelek.

....On Thursday, HSU coaches confirmed that the 5-10, 193-pound senior from Falls City will not be eligible because he didn't complete the summer school hours he needed.
....Pawelek led the Cowboys with 1,273 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 256 carries in 1995. He was the rushing champion in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, averaging 112.1 yards a game during the regular season.
....Among the leading contenders for the starting job are Jeff Callaway, a junior from Dublin; Nathan Mays, a freshman out of Abilene High, and Cameron Creager, a junior from Dawson.

August 16 - Mirelez to play at McMurry: Former Abilene High third baseman Pascual Mirelez has agreed to play baseball at McMurry University.

....Mirelez was a two-year starter at third for the Eagles, and helped them reach the playoffs in 1996, their first playoff trip in 24 years. He hit .315 as a senior, and picked up the save in Abilene High's wild 17-16 bi-district win over Amarillo High.

August 16 - Howle named HSU assistant: Jeff Howle was named Thursday as the new assistant baseball coach at Hardin-Simmons University. Howle replace Travis Waldon, who left HSU to become the head baseball coach at Vernon Regional Junior College.
....Howle has spent the last two years as the head baseball coach at Haskell High School.

August 15 - Sanders Lawsuit Postponed: The personal injury lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders was postponed again after his lawyer told the judge in the case Wednesday that Sanders had "urgent personal family matters" to take care of.

....Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Kraft had delayed the trial until Wednesday after Sanders did not appear Tuesday. After meeting with attorneys for both sides in his office, Kraft postponed the trial until Monday.
....Sanders' lawyer, Kenneth Lawson, declined to say what specifically prevented Sanders from coming to Cincinnati.
...."He had some urgent personal family matters," Lawson said. "He will be here Sunday night. He reiterated that something came up and he wants to defend this case. He's not ignoring or taking this case lightly at all."
....Sanders is being sued for $1 million by Riverfront Stadium security guard Herbert Kohus concerning a dispute following a Cincinnati Reds game at the stadium in 1994.
....Sanders, who was playing baseball for the Reds in 1994, is accused of dragging Kohus with his motor scooter as Sanders tried to leave through a pedestrian-only gate.
....A jury acquitted Sanders of criminal charges last year in connection with the incident.

August 15 - Talks About New BallPark for Houston: National League President Leonard Coleman was in Houston Wednesday to meet with Astros owner Drayton McLane and local officials as the two sides try to agree on a proposal for a new stadium.

...."I think it's important you get a new ballpark in Houston," Coleman told television station KRIV. "The Astros are doing very well in the standings. Fan support has been up. But we really need a new ballpark to make this economically feasible."
....McLane said last week that a Virginia businessman's offer to buy the Astros is more appealing than a stadium proposal by Harris County officials. However, McLane said he hasn't given up on Houston.
....The Astros owner said Bill Collins' offer last fall to buy the team for $160 million was better than Houston's current offer for a $250 million retractable-roof stadium. McLane has said he can provide about $50 million, not the $100 million County Judge Robert Eckels has insisted.

August 15 - ACU Volleyballers Begin Work: Coach Kent Wieb's Abilene Christian University volleyball team will open preseason training Thursday.

....Six lettermen, including four starters, return from last year's 23-9 team.....The Lady Wildcats finished fourth last season in the Lone Star Conference, and are picked in the 1996 preseason poll to finish fourth again.
....The Lady Wildcats, who reported Wednesday, will begin three-a-days today at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

August 14 - Resurgent Rangers About to Make History

August 14 - Prairie Dogs Return for Last Regular Season Home-Stand

August 13 - Rangers Win Again: Ken Hill pitched a five-hitter for his third shutout this season Monday night, and Darryl Hamilton went 4-for-4 and drove in three runs to lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.


....Hill (13-6) struck out four and walked one en route to his fifth complete game this year. ....With John Burkett shutting out Toronto Sunday, the Rangers have consecutive complete-game shutouts for the first time since Bobby Witt and Nolan Ryan combined to blank California on Sept. 29-30, 1989.
....Hill has won six of his last seven decisions.

August 13 - AHS booster club planning Extravaganza: The Abilene High Booster Club will hold a planning meeting for the Eagle Extravaganza Monday, August 19 at Abilene High. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in AHS room 200.
....The Extravaganza will take place Friday, August 23 at Shotwell Stadium. Events will include scrimmages by the AHS Jr. Varsity and Freshmen teams, introduction of varsity athletes competing in volleyball, cross country and team tennis and at 8 p.m., an AHS varsity scrimmage.
.....The AHS band, Bold Gold, and Gold Rush will also be performing.

August 12 - New Ranger Burkett Feeling Like a Kid Again

August 12 - Rangers Sweep Jays: John Burkett pitched a six-hitter in his American League debut Sunday as the Texas Rangers completed their first road sweep this season with a 6-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

....Burkett (1-0), acquired from the Florida Marlins last Thursday, struck out eight and walked one in his second shutout this season and fourth of his career.
The Rangers have beaten the Blue Jays six straight times and are 8-1 against Toronto this year.
....Juan Gonzalez drove in two runs for AL West-leading Texas, which despite the win is still a sub-.500 road team (28-29).

August 12 - Volleyball Tryouts Today: Cooper High School volleyball tryouts and practice begin today at Cooper High.

....10th and 12th grade athletes must check in and begin workouts at 8:15 p.m., while freshmen should report at 10:15 p.m.
....All athletes must have had physicals to tryout.

August 11 - ACU Footballers Prepare for Practices

August 11 - Juan Gonzalez Tops 100 RBIs: Juan Gonzalez hit the 100 RBI-mark and Friday night when the Texas Rangers beat theToronto Blue Jays 5-4.

....The 26-year-old Gonzalez reached 100 RBIs for the fourth time in hiscareer, most in Rangers history.

August 11 - Tour de Gap is Saturday: The 1996 Tour de Gap bicycle tour will be held Saturday. Registration will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Farm-to-Market Road 1235 one mile north of Buffalo Gap, and the tour will start at 8 a.m.

....Entry fee is $15 per person.
....There will be three different routes, depending on the level the participants want to ride. ....There is a 10-mile tour over mostly level terrain, the traditional 27-mile route by Abilene State Park to Coronado's Camp and back to Buffalo Gap, and a new 54-mile route for the more adventurous.
....For more information, contact Bill Leach at 692-7903 or Mike Sparks at 672-9165.

August 10 - Eddie George's Signing With Oilers May Have Saved His Mother's Life

August 10 - Aces Release Satre: The Alexandria Aces' release of pitcher Jason Satre means that Abilene Prairie Dogs first baseman/outfielder Scott Malone is the only member of Cooper's 1987 and '88 state championship teams still playing professional baseball.

....Satre began the year with Rio Grand Valley, but the WhiteWings released him because of tendonitis in his shoulder. He then signed with Alexandria, but the Aces gave him a medical release last week because his shoulder apparentlystill wasn't well.

August 10 - Oilers Won't Play in Front of a Lot: Head coach Jeff Fisher wants to see Steve McNair in the starting lineup, and so do Houston Oilers fans.

....But only a few fans.
....The Oilers scrimmaged the Dallas Cowboys before 51,000 fans in El Paso's Sun Bowl on Thursday night, but McNair will likely make his debut as a starter in front of fewer than 15,000 fans against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday at the Astrodome.
....Season-ticket sales fell sharply in the off-season after the Oilers' impending move to Nashville was made official.

August 9 - Rangers Get Burkett: The Texas Rangers acquired right-hander John Burkett from the Florida Marlins on Thursday in exchange for minor-league right-hander Ryan Dempster and a player to be named later.


....The 31-year-old Burkett, who was 6-10 with a 4.32 ERA in 24 starts for the Marlins this season, said he expects to start for the Rangers on Saturday or Sunday in Toronto.
....The Rangers acquired Burkett in a trade once before, when they obtained him in a deal with San Francisco in December 1994 during the baseball strike. But the Rangers released him when the strike ended, and he signed as a free agent with the Marlins.

August 9 - Astros Beat Expos: Doug Drabek pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game in more than a year Thursday as the Houston Astros defeated the Montreal Expos 6-2.

....Drabek (6-7) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Mark Grudzielanek got a two-out single off the glove of second baseman Craig Biggio.

August 9 - Dallas to Host WAC Championship: Dallas will be the inaugural championship site for the 16-team Western Athletic Conference, with new member Southern Methodist playing host to the combined men's and women's cross country on Nov. 2, the league announced Thursday.

....Women's soccer will follow on Nov. 6-9, with the top four finalists from each division meeting at the site of the Pacific Division champion.
....Men's soccer is set for Nov. 16, with the top two finishers at the site of the regular-season champion.

August 9 - Reyes Signs with ACU: Cassandra Reyes of Abilene, a 1993 graduate of Cooper High School and a former MVP at Cisco Junior College, has signed an agreement to attend Abilene Christian University to compete in women's softball.

....She is the 15th player to sign with ACU coach Carol Tabor for theuniversity's new softball team.
....Reyes was all-conference and second team all-region and earned MVP honors in softball for Cisco Junior College. She competed in track and field,volleyball and basketball at Cooper.
She is the third player from the Abilene area to join the ACU squad.

August 8 - Nothing Coming Easy to Tony Dorsett's Son

August 8 - Tigers Beat Rangers: Travis Fryman and Bobby Higginson hit first-inning home runs Wednesday night, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers 4-2, handing Roger Pavlik his fourth straight defeat.
....Pavlik (12-6), who was selected for the All-Star game, is 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his last four starts. He struck out 10, but allowed four runs on eight hits in 71/3 innings. He has not won since July 13 and his four-game losing streak is a career worst.

August 8 - Virginian to Buy Astros? Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane asked baseball's ruling executive council Wednesday for permission to negotiate a possible sale of the team to Virginia businessman Bill Collins.

....National League president Len Coleman said the council would consider McLane's request, which had been expected.
....McLane is negotiating for a new ballpark in Houston, and talks with Collins would increase his leverage during negotiations for a new stadium in Texas. If Collins buys the Astros, he would move the franchise to northern Virginia.
...."It's obvious to all of us, for baseball to survive in Houston it needs a new facility," acting commissioner Bud Selig said, adding the committee is "frustrated that the process hasn't moved along further than it has."

August 7 - Rangers Beat Detroit: Kevin Elster homered in his fourth straight game and Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run shot to propel Texas to a 4-2 win Tuesday night over the Detroit Tigers, just the Rangers' second victory in their last six games.


....Elster's 19th homer, off Richie Lewis in the ninth, tied a Ranger record for homering in four straight games held by three others. Juan Gonzalez was the last to do it, in 1992.
....Ken Hill (12-6) scattered seven hits, including a home run by Andujar Cedeno, with seven strikeouts and two walks in eight innings. Hill, who one-hit Detroit in his last Tiger Stadium start on May 3, won for the fifth time in his last six decisions.

August 7 - PDogs Open Road Trip with Win: Eric Gonzalez provided the early offense and Kerry Knox the pitching Tuesday as the Abilene Prairie Dogs opened a 10-game road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Tyler Wildcatters.

....The win, coupled with Amarillo's 9-2 win over the Lubbock Crickets, moves the Prairie Dogs into sole possession of the second-half lead in the Texas-Louisiana League with a 15-9 mark. Abilene also won the first-half crown.
....Gonzalez scored the first run of the game in the first inning, coming home on Ron Brewer's RBI single.

August 6 - HSU Ranked in Top 10: Hardin-Simmons Univesity is ranked seventh and Howard Payne 12th in the NAIA Division II preseason football poll which was released Monday.


...This is the fourth straight year that HSU has started the season ranked in the NAIA preseason top 10. The Cowboys finished the 1995 season with a 9-2 record and tied for the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship with Howard Payne. HSU advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals before losing 40-20 to Central Washington.
Hardin-Simmons has gone 37-10 over the last four seasons.
...The Cowboys will be looking for their fifth straight trip to the NAIA Division II playoffs when they open the 1996 season at home Sept. 14 against Prairie View A&M.

August 5 - Dillas Come Back to Avoid the Prairie Dog Sweep: The perplexing roller-coaster ride that is Jared Baker's season continued Sunday night.


...The Abilene righthander gave up seven runs in six-plus innings as the Prairie Dogs lost to Amarillo, 8-4, in front of 1,103 fans at Scott Field. The victory helped the Dillas salvage one game in the four-game set.
...Abilene, however, didn't lose any ground in the Texas-Louisiana League standings because Lubbock lost to Rio Grande Valley, 2-1. The Prairie Dogs and Crickets are still tied atop the league standings at 14-9.
...Baker's night fell apart at the very beginning as he gave up three runs on three hits, walked two and hit one man in the first inning.
...But between the second and seventh innings, Baker was dominating as he retired 15 of 18 Dillas he faced. He struck out just one man, but allowed just one Dilla to reach at least third base.
...After a day off today, the Prairie Dogs head to Tyler to start a 10-game road trip that will take them to Tyler, Amarillo and Lubbock. They'll then return home to start their final homestand of the regular season, a 13-game stand in 14 days.

August 4 - Prairie Dogs Send the Dillas Packing: Sometimes, as David Haas discovered Saturday night, it really is better to be lucky than good.
Haas gave up 12 hits but only three runs as the Abilene Prairie Dogs won their fourth straight game, 8-3 over Amarillo in front of 2,361 fans at Scott Field.
The victory was the 10th on the season for Haas, who leads the Texas-Louisiana League with that total.
But it wasn't vintage Haas as evidenced by the 12 hits, three walks and one error he committed. In all, 16 Dillas reached base against the Abilene ace, but only three of them scored.
"Lucky," was how Haas describe his seven-plus innings on the mound. "When you get runners on base, the secret is to remain calm and get lucky."

August 2 - It All Came Together for Prairie Dogs Against Dillas

August 2 - New Yankee Bops Rangers: Cecil Fielder scored the go-ahead run of his Yankees' debut on Darryl Strawberry's sixth-inning single, and New York held on to beat the Texas Rangers 6-5 Thursday night.
....Fielder, acquired Wednesday night from Detroit in baseball's biggest trade this year, was 1-for-5. He hit into a forceout in the first, grounded into a double play in the third, singled in the sixth, popped out in the seventh and grounded out in the ninth.

August 2 (early) - Gonzalez Player of the Month: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers was selected Monday as player of the month, and the Toronto Blue Jays' Pat Hentgen as pitcher of the month in the American League.
....In his 27 games during July, Gonzalez lead the league in all three major offensive categories, batting .407 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs.

August 1 - Harding Loses as Hendrick Sectionals Continue

August 1 - Gonzalez Powers Rangers to Win: Juan Gonzalez tied a major-league record with his 15th homer in July, a three-run shot off Jimmy Key, and Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer Wednesday night to give the Texas Rangers a 9-2 victory over the New York Yankees.

....In the third inning, Key (8-8) walked two batters before hanging a 1-2 breaking pitch to Gonzalez, who drove it 415 feet into the left-field stands to give Texas a 3-0 lead.

August 1 - PDogs Finally Beat Alexandria: The Abilene Prairie Dogs had 14 hits, including Darryl Monroe's 4 for 5 performance, as they salvaged one win in their three-game series with Alexandria, with an 8-4 win Wednesday night.

....The game marked the end of the Prairie Dogs' two-week road trip. They will host Amarillo tonight at 7:05 p.m., the first of four games at Scott Field against the Dillas.
....Abilene, which finished its season record at Bringhurst Field at 7-3, is now 11-8 in the second half of play in the Texas-Louisiana League.
....Abilene starter Kerry Knox improved to 8-2, going 62/3 innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, while striking out six and walking one.

August 1 - UT Hires Garrido: The University of Texas is replacing legendary baseball coach Cliff Gustafson with the third winningest active coach in Division I, Augie Garrido of Cal State-Fullerton, Texas announced Wednesday.
....Garrido has coached at Cal State-Fullerton for 21 years. His teams have won three national championships, including one in 1995. He is only the second coach to win national titles in three different decades.

August 1 - Rangers Get Stanton: The Texas Rangers acquired left-hander Mike Stanton from Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night for right-handers Mark Brandenberg and Kerry Lacy.

....Stanton, 29, is 4-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 59 appearances, all in relief. He has one save and is second in the AL in appearances.

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