Wednesday, August 16, 1995
SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
19B
Ashe statue site sparks protest
Memorial will stand with Confederate Civil War leaders
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Ground was broken today for a statue of Arthur Ashe on a street dotted with memorials to Confederate heroes while a handful of protesters carrying Confederate battle flags stood by quietly.
Relatives of the late tennis star and human rights activist said they were not bothered by the protest.
"They aren't a distraction," said Ashe's brother, Johnnie Ashe of Atlanta. "They have a right to express themselves."
The protesters said they did not object to a statue of Ashe. They just opposed putting it on Monument Avenue, which features statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and other Confederate icons.
A group called the Council of Conservative Citizens organized the protest.
"They aren't a distraction. They have a right to
Johnnie Ashe
express
themselves."
Johnnie Ashle Brother of the late Arthur Ashe on those protesting new statue
The crowd of about 600 appeared in favor of the statue and the site.
Former Governor Douglas L.
Wilder said, "I know he would be overwhelmed at this great and strong outpouring of recognition from his fellow Virginians." Wilder broadcast"his syndicated radio program live from the ground breaking ceremony. Ashe, a Richmond native who became the first black
man to win Winbledon and the U.S. Open, died of complications from AIDS in 1993. After a contentious
debate, city officials last month voted to place Ashe's likeness on Monument Avenue.
Some residents argued that Ahas would never have wanted his statue in the company of Confederate leaders, while other opponents of the Monument Avenue site said the street should be preserved as a memorial to Civil War leaders.
But proponents of the site said placing Ashe's memorial there would show that Richmond has become integrated.
The dedication of the statue is expected next spring or early summer, Di Pasquale said.
The sculptor said five people were working full time at a foundry in Waynesboro to complete the monument. The statue will depict Ashe holding a tennis racket and books while four children look up at him.
Baseball owners still negotiating in quiet meetings
Fans are impatient for announcement of labor agreement
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — Baseball negotiations? What negotiations?
They're ongoing, acting commissioner Bud Selig said. You just can't see them or hear much about them these days.
"There are negotiations going on. They're just quiet," Selig said Monday after a meeting of baseball owners lasted more than four hours.
"We have negotiators who are meeting this week again. I keep reading and hearing we're not making progress, but in my judgment we're having meaningful discussion. They are less public and I think that is a positive. I think it is important for us not to continue to deal in the glare of publicity. I think it makes it almost impossible to accomplish anything. The only time we will have a big announcement about labor is when we have a deal."
But the question is when. Fan disenchantment is still high, especially with no new collective bargaining agreement.
Attendance is down about 19 percent, reflecting fan anger over the strike and the cancellation of last year's World Series.
"I think someone deludes themselves to think that an agreement and just solely an agreement wins people back," said Selig, promising a major marketing campaign soon. "That's totally unrealistic. We have a lot more work to do."
During the owners' meeting Monday, Selig said the issue of a timetable for getting an agreement was brought up.
"There is no way logically or scientifically or objectively we can do that," he said. "It's two-party, not one-party."
"There is nobody in this room that would debate the issue that we need to make a deal as expeditiously as possible."
Selig said the owners' meeting was harmonous and covered a variety of subjects.
"Are there people who have different views on labor and revenue sharing? Of course, there are. But I would say they are less pronounced.
"We covered every subject that confronts us today from TV to marketing to state of the game to labor to revenue sharing and had a very healthy discussion on all subjects."
The game's TV package took a hit when NBC and ABC announced they were pulling out of The Baseball Network after this season. The uncertain labor picture was a factor.
Owners soon are expected to appoint a new negotiator. One report has identified him as Randy L. Levine, New York City's commissioner of labor relations. Selig would not confirm or deny that Levine would be appointed to the post.
Stolen baseball valued at $100,000 returned
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — A baseball autographed by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and members of the 1934 American League All-Star team is back at the Babe Ruth Museum after the man who bought the stolen ball decided to return it.
Michael Gibbons, the museum's executive director, noticed the ball was missing
from its display case on Friday, prompting the museum to issue a public plea for its return. The ball is known as the "Matchless Ball" because of the number and caliber of players who have signed it. It was signed
"I really was just walking by, and it hit me," he said. "I sensed a void there."
said it could have been taken any time in the previous two weeks
Gibbons walked over to the case and pulled at the bottom of the half-inch thick Plexiglas case. Instead of being securely fastened, it gave way. He said several screws that attach the case to the wall had been
by 22 members of the 1934 American League All-Star Team.
Michael Gibbons
Babe Ruth Museum executive director
Although the worth of the ball is hard to determine, museum officials say it could be worth as much as $100,000.
A caller told museum officials Monday that he had bought the ball, not realizing what it was stolen. After listening to news reports, he decided to return it. The ball was found a half hour later in a paper bag at an undisclosed location in Baltimore.
Gibbons said he noticed the ball was missing from its display case about 10 a.m. Friday. He
removed.
Dan de la
Torre, 50,
of Holiday,
Fla., said he
was relieved
the ball was
back. Torre
loaned the
ball to the
m u s e u m
after buying
it in 1992 for
$1,200 from
a small baseball
card
shop in
Roswell, Ga.
He loves
one day to open a museum centered around the ball.
"My whole life and future revolves around that ball," de la Torre said.
Gibbons said he wants to know how the museum's security system was breached so it can't happen again.
But in the meantime, he's thankful for its return.
"It's a very happy day for the Babe Ruth Museum," Gibbons said Monday, holding the baseball with Babe Ruth's signature on the "sweet spot" between the seams in the center of the ball.
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