Coincidence?

Burglars get the jump on UH, Rice
Thieves steal baseball equipment

By JERRY WIZIG and BRIAN McTAGGART

Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

On the eve of today's NCAA super regionals, players from the Houston and Rice baseball teams were sent scurrying for backup equipment Thursday after discovering their locker rooms had been burglarized.

Burglars broke into both Houston's Cougar Field and Rice's Reckling Park Wednesday night and swiped baseball equipment -- including gloves and cleats -- as well as players' jewelry and some electronic equipment.

The thieves apparently had some familiarity with both teams, because most of the gloves that were stolen belonged to starters. At UH, they also swiped the cleats of Michael Bourn, the fastest player on the team, the mitt of catcher Chris Snyder and the glove of first baseman Brett Cooley. The players had replacements at home.

The thieves also targeted key players at Rice, taking the gloves of first baseman Vincent Sinisi, third baseman Hunter Brown and outfielder Austin Davis.

"Everybody's locker was torn up and things were laying over the place," said Sinisi, who had his favorite glove stolen.

The break-ins seemed to have little emotional effect on either team as they prepared for this weekend's super regionals, which begin today. Rice will play host to LSU at Reckling Park, while Houston left Thursday for Austin to face Texas.

"Both of us got hit, and it's just unfortunate it happens this point in time," Houston coach Rayner Noble said. "It's one of those things that's a distraction, and nobody likes distractions this point in time. You just have to overcome that and get on with business."

UH police chief Bob Wilson estimated a couple of thousand dollars in stolen personal items and about the same amount in dollar damage to the Cougar Field locker room, where thieves entered through the ceiling sometime between 9 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday.

The thieves broke a lock inside a dugout to gain entrance to the Owls' facility at Reckling Park sometime after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. Similarities in both crimes have led officials to believe the break-ins may be related.

"We have some possible suspects and have quite a number of fingerprints," Wilson said. "We are comparing notes and working closely with the police at Rice."

Several pieces of electronic equipment were also stolen from Cougar Field. The big-screen television in the Cougars' locker room was left behind, but not before being vandalized with a large smiley face and the words, `Thank you.' A similar message was found on a chalkboard at Rice.

"They took a lot of our starter's gloves and took some bags with some equipment and some jewelry and stole our VCR and some other electronic equipment," Noble said. "I think everybody scrounged up a glove, so we won't be fielding with our bare hands. We should be fine."

The Owls also had a videotape of their games against Houston stolen, though coach Wayne Graham said he had backup copies. Most of the players said they had backup equipment as well.

"A lot of the guys had their old gloves that they're now using," Sinisi said. "I've been using (the stolen glove) all year, but the glove I have now I've had for three or four years. When the strings would break on my real glove, I would use the other one for an inning or two here and there."

A lap top computer used to play music during games was taken from the press box at Reckling Park. The thieves left behind several other computers and an old television. Stereo equipment in the training room was also missing.

"The goal in building this facility was to host a super regional at this level," Graham said. "Somebody tried to mess us up last night, but it's still a really good facility despite a couple of broken doors. This won't hold us back.

"It's the not the first time it's happened here. I think we're going to have to put a little something more down in the dugout. They came in the same way both times. I don't know what to say. It's life in America, I guess."

Sinisi said Rice players have put the incident behind them and have turned their focus on beating LSU.

"We were shocked when we first got in there and were like 'What happened?'" he said. "But everybody has kind of forgotten about it and moved on. I don't think anybody's too concerned."

Chronicle staff writer Neil Hohlfeld contributed to this report.

 

I'm surprised an alarm didn't notify campus police, unless of course there is no alarm.

Very strange. Too many similarities to be random. Too thoughtout to be a prank.