UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Wednesday, December 4, 1996 3B General managers welcome Selig reopens winter meeting The Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball acting commissioner Bud Selig is allowing general managers to attend the winter meetings this weekend in Boston. But most will be staying away. The decision was announced in a letter to the general managers sent last week by Bill Murray, executive director of baseball operations at the commissioner's office. The only teams known to be sending their general managers are Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh and Toronto. At least 15 teams said their general managers would not attend. "It's an individual club decision." Selig said. "It merely they want to." Baseball has not had a traditional winter meeting since December 1992, when the general managers dominated the meeting. Selig ordered the general managers to stay away for the next three years. Selig's turnaround, according to one baseball official, came after he was lobbied by Red Sox chief executive officer John Harrington, the host of this year's meeting. Those general managers planning to attend probably will arrive Sunday or Monday and leave Tuesday or Wednesday. Without any major league general managers, the session turned into a gathering of minor league officials and people trying to land jobs in baseball. Selig said he did not envision a return to the old-style winter meetings, when owners and general managers gathered and trades were announced, sometimes in rapid succession. Selig pushed back the December owners' meeting a month. He invited general managers to the meeting in Los Angeles last Jan. 16-18, but most teams decided to wait until spring training to make major moves. "I think we'll keep the owners meeting in January," Selig said. "I think owners like that. That's really worked out quite well." Meanwhile, players arrived at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico, for the annual meeting of the union's executive board. Players are expected to ratify the five-year labor agreement owners approved last week, but union head Donald Fehr wasn't sure what dav the vote would be taken. If the deal is ratified, 14 players will gain the right to become free agents, including Alex Fernandez, Moises Alou and Mel Rojas. Lawyers have started discussing whether to postpone some of the free agent deadlines for the group. The first, on Saturday, is the deadline for those not offered salary arbitration to re-sign with their former teams. "We hope to work that out in the next day or two," Fehr said. Baseball officials met with the Fox network Monday and decided the first nationally telecast interleague game will be between Baltimore and Atlanta. Ripken may move to position at third The Associated Press BALTIMORE — Shortstop Cal Ripken has met with Baltimore Orioles management to discuss plans to move him to third base. "Cal had the opportunity to express himself, and we did the same thing," assistant general manager Kevin Malone said. "It was a very productive meeting. Our philosophies are on the same page, and we're both going in the same direction. "We told Cal that if we can upgrade at shortstop and make the team better, that's what we're looking to do — not just at shortstop but at all positions. We just won't move Cal for the sake of doing it." If the Orioles don't move Ripken, they would be interested in Boston Red Sox free agent third baseman Tim Naehring, Malone said. Naehring hit. 288 with 17 home runs last season "It will be very difficult to find someone that would allow us to move Ripken to third," Malone said. "We're looking at all the options. We wanted to go on the record telling him that's the case." General Manager Pat Gillick spoke with representatives of Oakland A's free agent shortstop Mike Bordick during the weekend. Bordick said he wanted to speak with Ripken before signing with Baltimore. Bordick's agent said he had not received an offer from Baltimore. The Orioles also are considering New York Yankees free agent Tony Fernandez, who played third and shortstop for Baltimore manager Davey Johnson at Cincinnati. The Orioles reportedly have made an offer to Fernandez, a career .285 hitter who was hurt all last season. The Orioles have not contacted but are interested in Texas shortstop Kevin Elster, Malone said. Pitt starts search to fill vacant coach position The Associated Press Pederson spent his first full day on the job at Pitt Monday in Atlanta interviewing Cavanaugh, a former Pitt quarterback and a Panthers assistant coach in 1993 under former coach Johnny Majors. Pederson returned Monday night and is expected to discuss the Pitt opening with several other candidates, including Brown, the Nebraska receivers coach who has sent 17 players to roc football since 1987. PITTSBURGH — Steve Pederson, Pitt athletics director, anxious to hire a football coach, already has interviewed San Francisco 48ers assistant Matt Cavanaugh and also will talk to Nebraska assistant Ron Brown. Brown was offered a job by Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy in February but chose to stay at Nebraska, which has won the last two national championships. Brown and Pederson worked closely together at Nebraska, where Pederson was the assistant athletics director in charge of football until being hired by Pitt in late October. Pederson stayed at Nebraska until the regular season ended Friday, then flew to Pittsburgh for Pitt's season-ending victory Saturday against Rutgers. Cavanaugh, 40, was the quarterback of Pitt's 1976 national champion. onship team and later spent 14 seasons as an NFL player. He left Pitt's staff after one season to become the Arizona Cardinals quarterback coach and was hired by the 49ers a year later. Cavanaugh has strong ties to Pitt but has only one year of college coaching experience and never has been a head coach or an offensive coordinator. Steele was a finalist for the University of Memphis job in 1995, but the school instead hired Pittsburgh-area native Rin Scherer. Among those also interested in the Pitt job are Tim Lewis, the Steelers secondary coach and a former Pitt player; Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden, who may interview at Indiana; Penn State assistant Tom Bradley, who recruits western Pennsylvania; Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel and Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Kevin Steele, who once worked with Pederson at Nebraska. Steele also played for Majors at Tennessee. With nearly two dozen Division I schools looking for coaches during an important recruiting period, Pederson apparently hopes to hire a coach by early next week. Majors resigned under pressure before the final game of a 4-7 season, his four consecutive losing record since returning to Pitt in 1993. Reynolds to help run Buckeye program World record holder returns as track coach The Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — Butch Reynolds, the world record holder in the 400 meters, has returned to Ohio State as an assistant track coach. Reynolds, 32, who set the world mark of 43.29 seconds in 1988, will focus on recruiting and work primarily with the Buckeyes' sprinters and middle-distance runners, coach Russ Rogers said. "The people in the track community respect Butch," Rogers said. "He can help me most with his recruiting because he communicates well with kids. He is very positive and he knows what he is doing." Reynolds, who won gold and silver medals in the 1988 Olympics, will continue to compete on the professional circuit, including the Mobil indoor meets and European outdoor championships. "I want to work with kids who want to get to where I've been," said Reynolds, a 10-time Big Ten champion at Ohio State from 1985-87. "A lot of these kids we are recruiting don't know what we are expected of them." He dropped out of the 400-meter semifinals in the Atlanta Games because of hamstring cramps, and he failed to qualify for the race in 1992 while fighting a drug suspension handed down by the International Amateur Athletic Federation. Reynolds later won a $27.3 million judgment against the IAAF, but the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the award in May 1994, saying the case involved events in Europe. "I want to work with kids who want to get to where I've been." 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Before / Meeting / Baby ADD.M.P / Impaired / Sustained Crown Cinema BEFORE ARM ADULTS 50-75 LIMITED TO SEATING SENIOR CITIZENS - $3.60 VARSITY 1015 ATASSA HUUSTYNE 841-5191 STAR TREK (PG-13) 4:45, 7:15, 9:45 HILLCREST 925 IOWA 841-5191 RANSOM (R) 4:30, 7:10, 9:50 SLEEPERS (R) 4:45, 7:45 GHOST & THE DARKNESS (R) 4:45, 7:15, 9:30 SPACE JAM (PG) 4:30, 7:00, 9:15 SPACE JAM (PG) 5:15, 7:50, 9:50 820 Massachusetts (913) 841-0100 CINEMA TWIN 3110 IOWA 841-5191 $1.25 FIRST KID (PG) 5:00, 7:10, 9:15 TIN CUP (R) 4:45, 7:20, 9:50 SHOWJIMES FOR TODAY ONLY The Office of New Student Orientation is currently accepting applications for the position of: Orientation Assistant Application and job information available at 45 Strong Hall Deadline is Friday, December 6, 1996