Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 14, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Gold eyes manager Best in the league losing Lanier bound to Hurt As he stood beside his locker late Friday night Winnipeg Gold eyes manager Hal Lanier hold Back his emotions. Although the consummate gentleman who is always Happy to discuss his baseball team Lanier holds his personal cards close to his Chest. Since he came to Winnipeg two seasons ago he a said baseball is about the players not the Guy who finds the players and gets them to work together. But Friday night after the Gold eyes had been beaten 3-1 by the Duluth Superior Dukes in the championship game of the Best of five Northern league final Lanier talked freely about his past and his future. He talked about his team about the season and about the Joy of baseball. He also talked about managing the Winnipeg Gold eyes. While he enjoys his Job in Winnipeg it May be time to go in a different direction. Next year Uncertain a a in be really liked managing this Ball club a Lanier said his voice cracking. A a owner Sam Katz and i really get along and general manager John Hindle and i really get along. That makes it work. A but i still done to know about next year. In this Type of situation Independent minor league baseball the work you do in the Spring to find the Ball players and put a team together is rewarding but right now a now that its Over and we did no twin a i done to feel that great. And i done to have any plans for next season. A a in la just have to sit Down with Sam at some Point and see what there has not been a better manager in the Northern league during the last two seasons. In 1996, Lanier steam lost the Western division final to Fargo despite going 50-34 during the season. This year the Gold eyes went Down in five games in the championship final to the Dukes after a 53-30 season. Overall the fish won 58 of 93 Ball games this year. With 103 regular season wins in the last two years nobody can touch Lanier a winning percentage. Still he a never been named manager of the year. Fargo a Doug Simu Nic won in 1996 and Duluth a George Mitterwald surprised even himself by winning the award this year. And while Lanier would never say it publicly it bugs him. Of course it bugs Katz so much that he wants to change the Way in which the league votes on its individual awards. Right now the managers vote and they can to vote for themselves or any of their own players. In essence it Means there Are seven total votes and if a Guy gets two he could win a major award. Apparently that a what happened in the Case of both Mitterwald and player of the year Mike Meggers. A we have to let the Media and the managers vote together a said Katz who will take his proposal to the Northern league meetings sept. 26-28 at the Delta Winnipeg. A right now its just a popularity contest. Hal does no twin the award because he a competitive and he wins. Its obvious the other managers done to like that. We need More than just seven votes to determine our major still while Lanier would like the manager of the year recognition its not what a making him question his future. At 54, head very much like to get Back to the big leagues and if a major league coaching or managing Opportunity comes along hell take it. In the meantime the teams owner has a lot of work ahead of him. Hell need to get his pitching staff and some of his fan favourites Back in the fold a Guys like Brian Duva Brent Watts Mike Hickey John Dorman Chris Kokinda and even no batting Champion Terry Lee he says he a finished but hey its Only sep Lanier left and Katz Chat during team Windup party last night. Tember. Katz has Only a few months to get his Ball Park project rolling because the entire league is desperate for Winnipeg to have a real Park to play in at some Point next season. And he has to get Hal Lanier Back. If Lanier gets a shot at the big that a one thing. Creating major league opportunities is what the Northern league is about. However if he does no to get a Call there is no Man better in the Gold eyes clubhouse than the former National league manager of the year. Losing Hal Lanier would be harder on the Gold eyes future than losing Terry Lee. Fish sad to go separate ways tightly knit 97 Gold eyes share heartache of losing final each other i by Dave sup eve sports reporter i in time the Success of the 1997 Gold eyes will be measured in ways a other than won loss records. It will be recorded in How Many of them move into organized baseball where the major leagues await the most talented. It could be measured in friendships the lasting variety that endure in the very nomadic life of a baseball player. Finally it could be remembered by the lingering Pang of heartache that will prevail for Many years. The 1997 Gold eyes started going their separate ways yesterday Mere hours after losing the decisive game of the Northern league championship final to the Duluth Superior Dukes. The Gold eyes were close but who Zimmerman cares nobody remembers runners up. A to get this close and not get it the ring makes you wonder if you re Ever going to get a Chance again a said Pitcher Dan Guehne at the teams wind up dinner at the elephant and Castle. A the whole team had its Hopes up and we did no to get it. A the �?T97 team is the �?T97 team All of us Guys can never be together again and that a what the Gold eyes were a Northern league Marvel arguably the Best team assembled since the leagues rebirth in 1993. It did not however claim the league Crown so its legacy is muted. A a that a the Way baseball is a not always the Best team wins a said Man Ager Hal Lanier. A this Ball club has nothing to be ashamed Lanier has been the architect of the last two Gold eyes teams the �?T96 squad that lost the West division title and this years team that came within one win of the franchises second Pennant. Lanier a return is anything but a certainty. He dearly wants a return to a major league system where he spent three decades As a player manager and coach. More importantly he wants to reassess the time he spends away from his seven year old daughter who lives about 25 minutes from his Home in Ocala Fla. A i done to know when ill decide my future shortly probably a said Lanier. He brought together a team that was very unified a team that enjoyed each others company. A it was a very close team we had a Good time and a lot of Good Guys to have in the clubhouse a said third baseman Mike Hickey. A this was a very unselfish team that carried with it the idea of doing the fundamental things or giving yourself up for the Sake of the team a said Lanier. A nobody complained when i took out a Pitcher nobody complained when they weren to playing. In a proud of these Guy not Only for the Way they performed on the Field but off the Field. They re very Classy the majors will lure some of the Gold eyes. Pitcher Jeff Zimmerman is a leading candidate. The new York Yankees have watched him pitch at least three times but Are showing some reluctance to use one of their 25 work permits on the Canadian. Second baseman Brian Duva deserves a shot As do shortstop John Dorman or outfielder Chris Kokinda. A a we re All suffering As one right now this is a Tough Way to end a year a said Guehne. A this was a special year and a special baseball a new look hinges on talks by Ronald Blum associated press n son new York a will Anaheim Oakland and Seattle really play in the National league next sea Joe Bryksa Winnipeg free press will Florida and Montreal shift to the american league will Houston Kansas City Milwaukee and Philadelphia switch leagues too and will the san Francisco giants sue to prevent the athletics from moving to the no these questions probably will be answered when owners meet in Atlanta from tuesday to thursday. Heading into the meeting the Only certainty was that Radical realignment in which 15 teams would change leagues next season has no Chance of approval. Acting commissioner Bud Selig was still trying to convince teams to support the Radical plan in which the Montreal expos and Toronto Blue jays would compete in the same division. That proposal also would link the Chicago cubs and White sox the los Angeles dodgers and Anaheim Angels the san Francisco giants and Oakland athletics and the new York mets and Yankees. Eastern teams would be in the Al and Western teams would be in the no. A its logic is overwhelming a Selig said. But Many no teams have threatened to vote against it including the braves cubs giants mets padres pirates and reds. Because the mets braves reds and pirates would be shifted to the Al each of those teams has veto Power to kill the plan. A How does it help the Chicago baseball fan if All the same teams come into Wrigley Field and then they go play nine Miles South a cubs president Andy Macphail said after Selig tried to change his mind. A you reduce the number of teams that come through the City from 30 to 23.�?� while there was less opposition to less Radical plans it appeared at least one team opposed every proposal. Meanwhile an new plan has surfaced which would put the expos in the Al Central with Toronto Detroit Cleveland and Tampa Bay. The Blue jays Are against it. A your fans care about new York Boston and Baltimore a jays pm Gord Ash told the Toronto Sun from Seattle. A if someone can give me a lifetime guarantee the expos will stay in Montreal moving the three Al West coast teams to the no has a lot of support. But the giants citing surveys of their own season ticket holders Are vehemently against it and Are seeking help from other no teams to Block it. Quot Quot Golf Quot allay a a Golf All Day with shared Power cart. Maximum 36 holes a a sunday through Friday i a valid beginning 1 to i september 22, 1997 of of i a Coupon valid for f a j up to one foursome or plus taxes person Coupon must be presented. A not valid with any other offers. Not valid for a tournaments group bookings. Subject to cart availability. F Falcon Lake j Golf course i Falcon l Lake 204 349-2554 Call for reservations football game Only a sideshow As Parcells revisits Foxboro by Dave Goldberg associated press it rpm i i Hose who forget the past Are doomed to repeat it a George Santayana philosopher. A a there a no use to revisit history a Bill Parcells football coach. Tina May not be revisiting history. But he a revisiting Foxboro tonight 7 . Cd ten when he takes the new York jets to new England to play the patriots the team he took to the super bowl last season. There Are parallels. The patriots were 2-14 the year before Parcells arrived in 1993, the jets 1-15 last season. And the new coach of the patriots is Pete Carroll who was allowed one season As head Man of the jets a going 6-10 in 1994, or two More wins than Rich Kotite had in the next two seasons. Some of the patriots like Carrolls More relaxed approach. A a Bill a gone Peters Here and in a Happy about it a says linebacker Chris Slade who was benched by Parcells last season but is again a major Factor in the new England defence. A this is not just another Day at the office. This is what the fans have been siting for what certain players hav Parcells a we need to move on been waiting for and its on right its a Good test of the Progress made by the jets who opened with a 41-3 win in Seattle then lost 28-22 to Buffalo in their Home opener last week. New England is clearly in the a Fly supper Echelon picking up where it left off last season. Its outscored two opponents 72-13 and Drew Bledsoe who did no to particularly like Parcells has thrown eight touchdown passes to a eight receivers. He leads the nil Wilt a stratospheric 134.6 rating. But the game is Only the sideshow this week. Parcells who has kept in touch with some of his new England players and brought others to new York with him has been trying to downplay things. A a in a coaching this team. They have a new coach. Their team is playing Well a he says. A hopefully we re going to play better than last week. There Are other things going on now on both sides. A we just need to move on. They be moved on. We re going to move he said something similar last year when his patriots played the giants for the first time a and that was six years removed from Parcells last game with his old team the 1991 super bowl. After new England escaped with a 23-22 win he acknowledged that the week leading up to the game had been one of the toughest of his career. Yes Tina remembers the past even when he says he does no to. In other games today Arizona is at Washington Baltimore at the new York giants Buffalo at Kansas City Detroit at Chicago Miami at Green Bay Oakland at Atlanta Tampa Bay at Minnesota Carolina at san Diego new Orleans at san Francisco St. Louis at Denver and Seattle at Indianapolis. 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