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Warriors face toughest test at Naismith Classic her already winning two Ammeason tournaments and think the odds might be in their favour. But the Waterloo Warriors men's liasketball team face their toughest preseason test during homecoming festivities this weekend. And that's win- ning the Warriors" own Nai- smith Classic basketball tour- Forgetting about Western for a second, who are going after their fourth consecutive ’Naismilh title. the tournament will also feature the PEI Pan, thessandthe laval ftougretor who both made it lo the CIS national championships in Halifax last my»). The mst of the oompetition are no slouches either. as the York lions have just come oil of a finals berth in the Raptor Cup last weekend. while the ThtawaGeeGeslteit won their own toumamenL They finished second last year to the Westem Mustangs oe so the, mil another golf cor umn But it was - all thmgs corvud, ered - a good year to end my self Imposed exile from the fandom of big-league baseball Here's a little history from a Inngrllmc hardball fan who was "mad as hell and wasn't gmng In take " any more," when spoiled millionaire ballplayers and whiney billionaire team uwners couldn't get their act together and can celled the Wnrid Series m I994 They tuvent won their own home-court loumamenl since 1998, but they'wbeen dos; And Western is just one of the teams returning this year, in what Warriors head coach Tom Kieiwetter is calling the [angina Naismith yet. The final two entries are the Mohawk Mountaineers and I, and millions of other people m North Amerwa and around the world. said enough Is enough and I vowed that would be the end m a nearly 50 year love affair I had with big-lime pro hawhall ‘World Serious' gets an old fan hooked on baseball agam Thai's right. 50 wan of watch 318mm: the Canaesmial t bib. perennial favourites in the Ontario Col- Iqrrs Meat Association. But the Warrion are bring- ing their own quiet confidence to the court after winning the laurier tournament two weeks agu and following it up by win- ning the University of Sashatdtewan tournament in Saskatoon this past weekend with a perk“ 3-tl mud. The Warriors started off with a 92-82 over Saskatchewan. before heating Trinity Weslem 92-88 and the University ofVkaoria fW4%. Mike Stu/Ian was named the tournament's MVP, after finishing as an all-star at the llawks‘ tournament. and (ha NA‘IgDr/QTTH ing, reading. cheering and sup" porting the game they used to call America's pastime. From the moment I saw my ftrst mayor league game m person at old Briggs Stadium m helm" m 1945 -e- I was an excited sevenr yrarold at the lime -- until the strike shutdown in '94, l was in that umque T.anadian group that could actually spoul more stats and delalls ahoul baseball than I could about our beloved hockey gamo That thdn't mean I didrit love hockey. tt lust meant I seemed to be a more avid fan at baseball, starting Cirrrt with the Tigers as I spent extensive ttmp Wllh my grandparents m Chatham. Ihtt laier. m my home-town of Nia BER 10TH " ELECI ham Jarman had another smmg lmmwnem filling in for the Warriors" injured point "We haveaudid team right now,whoaremayirHand playing with-a lot of confi derive." said WEI. With the top- 12 players had: fiom Last year's duh, and with the mun dsix~fot)H-ight centre Mili Milidrag. the War rims are looking for big things The Naismith starts Hal, loween Friday at noon Kieswetter hopes to have a luck onwo uplim - "We're dde," he said. "We hope it's all with and a treat for (€574,332 SPORTS‘ gara Falls. I would herome a the hard booster of the Cleveland Indi- ans Back In the Roar City in the "ws, my link- hedside radio could e sum“ clouds will be I brewing (we! the hi. lawrence this Saturday as the Wilfrid I auner Golden Hawks take on the Queen's Golden Gaels In (NM semifr nal acuon in Kingston And Hawks head coach Hawks' kicker Brian Devlin, above. was good on five of five field goal attempts against Ottawa Hawks hope to weather the Gaels' perfect storm By Boa VRMNM, f .hmmde slag only pick up two stations which carried live play-hy-play baseball the Indians were on one and the New York Yankees were on the other Bernmmg a full-time sports wnter in the late 'SOS meant less time was spent following the pur- suits of pro hall because I was nnw focusing on amateur athletes In Niagara. esperiallv high school performers Having been a "ngers' fan. " wasn't hard In swnch to the lndi ans and there were memorable trips to old Municipal Stadium m Cleveland where 80.000 fans were Jammed In for Sunday douhle headers against the hated Yankees _ However, " didn't mean I had abandoned my tnttsrest In the Gary Jeffries said his team is ready to weather the perfect storm of Hurricane Tommy Denison and the Queens quarterbacks high- powered air-attack by keeping his club's feet frrmly planted on the ground. {We’re going io grind " out and take what they give us." said Jeffries. "We're going summer activity When the Mon Heal Expos became the frrst ( Lamar dian team m the bags I made more than a few tops over the years to Iary Park and then the Big ( l II was still a loyal Expos mom even after the Blue Jays [lapped their wings In Toronto for the first tune hut eventually " was just can In and cheaper to he on the Toronto bandwagon, culminating with hack-to-hack World Series honours m '92 and '93 However. from 194 unnl the middle of September this year. I told anybody who would listen that I had turned my hack on big money baseball I didn't watch ll. read about it or talk about the sport In retaliation for the way the The Hawks quartemnal wm over the the Ottawa Gee Gees Iasl Saturday War, a to keep them tthe Queen's offence) offthe field. "We've done a wonderful job of doing that all season and we certainly have to do it again with these guys" Continued on page M Continued on page 34