Nantz Will Speak At Banquet

CBS-TV sports anchor Jim Nantz will be the featured speaker for the 1996 Greater Spokane Sports Association Sports Awards Banquet and Youth Awards Luncheon.

The banquet and luncheon are scheduled Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Spokane Ag-Trade Center. Banquet tickets are available through the GSSA office downtown or by calling 456-5812.

Hockey great Dennis Hull is returning as master of ceremonies for the evening banquet, said GSSA executive director Eric Sawyer.

Nantz joined CBS Sports in 1985 and became the lead play-by-play announcer for the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament in 1990.

Other assignments include the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Winter Olympics, Cotton Bowl and the Masters golf tournament.

Nantz is a graduate on the University of Houston where he played on the golf team with PGA standout Fred Couples of Seattle.

Price tabbed for Shrine game

Washington State coach Mike Price will assist UCLA coach Terry Donahue on the West sideline in the 71st East-West Shrine game, Jan. 13.

Donahue, who became the Pac-10 Conference’s all-time winningest coach this season, will also be aided by Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick.

Paul Pasqualoni, of Syracuse, will head the East squad.

Triple-A baseball hopes fade

A plan to seek a Triple-A expansion team has received a lukewarm reception, Spokane Indians officials said Tuesday.

The owners of the Class A Indians announced Nov. 9 that they would accept season ticket contracts as a show of community support for seeking an expansion team.

General Manager Andrew Billig said nearly 200 season ticket plans and 90 20-game packages have been reserved, far short of the 2,500 season ticket contracts and 1,500 packages officials had hoped to sell by early December.

“We have fielded a lot of inquiries and there seems to be a lot of talk about Triple-A baseball, but the actual number of season ticket commitments has not been significant,” Billig said. “We are still optimistic, despite the initial response.”

President Bobby Brett and his ownership group have until mid-December to submit a formal application for a Major League farm team. Brett has said he isn’t willing to put up the non-refundable $15,000 application fee without a successful season ticket drive.

Billig said comments on bringing in an expansion team have been split between those who support Triple-A and those who want the Indians to remain in the Class A Northwest League.

“The response to Triple-A so far has been positive, but there are a large number of people who have called and written to voice their support for Single-A baseball,” he said.

The Indians are accepting deposits of $100 per seat for the 1998 Triple-A season with a commitment to buy season tickets for five years. Season tickets would cost no more than $450 a seat for the 72-game home season.

Olympic wrestling trial tickets on sale soon

Group sales for the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Trials June 7-8 in Spokane go on sale Friday, tournament organizer Toby Steward announced.

Steward said all-session tickets, priced at $65 each, will be available for groups of 15 or more. Individual session and individual tickets will go on sale in February.

Tickets are available by calling 1-800-325-SEAT or at the Spokane Arena G&B Select-A-Seat outlet, 720 W. Mallon.

“We have been taking telephone calls from all over the U.S., so it is definitely going to be a hotter event that even I envisioned,” Steward said. “We’ve sent out group ticket order forms to every high school wrestling coach and wrestling club in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana.”

GSL comes up big in wrestling poll

Four Greater Spokane League teams are ranked among the top 10 in Washington’s first coaches preseason high school dual meet wrestling poll

Defending AAA champion Moses Lake is No. 1 with defending GSL champion University fourth, Mead fifth, Rogers eighth and Central Valley 10th.

U-Hi and CV open the season Thursday in the All-Valley meet at East Valley. The GSL schools square off against West Valley and East Valley beginning at 6 p.m.

Cashmere is No. 1 in the A-B poll with Northeast A rivals Lakeside and Deer Park, ranked fifth and seventh, respectively.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo