Hi 70 / Lo 59
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Hi 70 / Lo 59 |
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Volume 70, Issue 87,
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Sports Cougar, Owl fans celebrate H-town rivalry By Tom Carpenter
Alumni and fans from Rice and UH gathered at a noon luncheon Monday in the O'Quinn Great Hall at the UH Athletic/Alumni Center to kick off the 2005 Cougar season and celebrate the eighth year of the Silver Glove Series. The series pits the crosstown rivals against each other in what has traditionally been a five-game series to determine the city champion. The format changes to a three-game series next season when Rice begins competition in Conference USA. The Owls lead the Silver Glove Series 6-1 and have won four consecutive series in a row. The Cougars captured the 2000 series 2-1 and then booted the Owls from the NCAA tournament by taking the three-game series 2-1 before falling to San Jose State in the Super Regional. "Talent and luck can get you a long way in this sport," said Wayne Graham Rice baseball head coach and 2003 National Coach of the Year. Graham should know -- his Owls won the 2003 College World Series and captured the school's first national title in any team sport. Graham's teams have won nine consecutive league championships. The Owls captured the final Southwest Conference tournament in 1996 and have won every Western Athletic Conference championship since the Owls joined the WAC in 1997. "What it's all about is getting better through competition," Graham said, describing the Silver Glove Series and what it means to college baseball. "It's honest and pure competition. Everybody's playing for the right reasons. When we join C-USA, I expect an era when both teams will get into the (NCAA) regionals every year." Cougar baseball head coach Raynor Noble echoed Graham's sentiments about the rivalry and voiced his admiration for Graham. "We don't go far getting players," Noble said. "It's friends against friends and nobody likes to lose. That's the flavor of this rivalry. It's always a joy to work with someone at the top of his profession. (Graham's) a great man and a great coach. I look forward to the season and Tuesday when we get together for this rivalry again." Barbara Sudbrook, project manager for the Center for Academic Support and Assessment located on campus, joined Betty LaRoche at the luncheon for some fajitas and Cougar spring fever. "I've been at UH for 18 years, and I'm a big Cougar baseball fan," Sudbrook said. "I've got season tickets right behind the Cougar dugout." LaRoche said she's carrying on the tradition that she and her husband established before he died. "My husband was a Cougar and a big baseball fan. I'm just continuing his support for winning teams." Attending the Silver Glove Series luncheon for the first time were Ricky and Sherry Hargrove of Katy, proud parents of Cougar newcomer Ricky Hargrove, a freshman pitcher from Katy High School. "We've got a young team and we're expecting a lot of young guys to come in and fill some important positions," Sherry Hargrove said. "We hope our son will be in that mix with them." Her husband Ricky put it succinctly. "I just expect them to win," he said. "I don't expect to wait for next year. I think you do it your first year." Players from both teams attended the luncheon and Cougar freshman catcher Cody Waller said he thinks the Cougars had great fall and spring practices and that players have come together as a team. "The Silver Glove Series is a great rivalry," the Bryan native said. "Two schools at this level, I'm so glad to be a part of it." Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu |
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