Page 12
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1979
e on third
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Texas A&M’s Mike Hurdle looks a bit tired son. The Aggies are scheduled to host Arizona
after diving into third base earlier in the sea- this afternoon at 1 p.m.
Reynolds happy in Houston
United Press International
COCOA, Fla. — Sometimes
going home can be a painful experi
ence. Many athletes prefer to show
case their talents in strange cities
rather than endure the microscopic
scrutiny and criticism of the
hometown folks.
Craig Reynolds, however, can’t
wait for the opportunity to once
again perform his athletic skills for
the people of his native Houston.
An All-Star shortstop for the Seat
tle Mariners a year ago, Reynolds
was obtained by the Astros for
pitcher Foyd Bannister at the
winter baseball meetings last De
cember and will be returning to the
city where he earned state-wide
acclaim as a high school basketball
and baseball star.
Ironically, Bannister will be re
turning to his hometown of Seattle,
making it the only trade known to
baseball historians where both
players involved were dealt to teams
in their native cities.
“We like Seattle,” said Reynolds,
also referring to his wife, Josey,
another Houston native. “It’s a nice
city. We enjoyed being there, but
when a person has a chance to go to
his home city it’s a big break.
“We couldn’t be happier in Hous
ton. In fact, we were already looking
forward to purchasing a home there
before the trade. I’ve gotten a lot of
phone calls and a lot of mail from
people, welcoming me back home.”
Once the season starts, though,
Reynolds will be on the spot. Be
cause he is a hometown boy and had
such a brilliant high school athletic
career, folks will be expecting to see
the player they remembered from
eight years ago.
On top of that, the Astros traded a
promising pitcher in Bannister to
get Reynolds. They see him as a key
toward making them a contender.
The fans may settle for nothing less
than near perfection from the 26-
year-old shortstop.
People who understand the
nuances and fundamentals of the
game should get their money’s
worth watching Reynolds. Last year
he hit .292 for Seattle and turned
102 double plays, the second high
est total in the American League.
Houston has never had a
shortstop who combined allround
skills like Reynolds.
“We have a lot of good hitters on
this club and I think my responsibil
ity is going to be to move them
along,” said Reynolds. “You know,
move them first to second or second
to third either by sacrificing and giv
ing myself up.
“That’s what my skills are more
conducive for. All I want to do is be
a consistent day-in and day-out
ballplayer, do the kind of fundamen
tal things it takes to win games.
Player for player we have guys who
can do the job at every position.
“From strictly an average point of
view, we might have one of the
highest hitting clubs in either
league. Seven of the eight regulars
who will play this season hit around
.290 last year. Those are pretty awe
some statistics.”
Reynolds is especially looking
forward to playing for a competitive
team again. In his two years with
the Mariners the club lost over 200
games.
“One thing about an expansion
team, you don’t have any pressure
to win. People don’t expect you to
win,” said Reynolds. “So, when you
win it’s icing on the cake.”
WE BUY BOOKS
EVERY DAY!
And remember we give 20% more in trade for used
books.
LOUPOT’S BOOKSTORE
Northgate - Across from the Post Office
*1.2 MILLION
COME TO AN OPEN HEARING AND EXPRESS YOUR OPINION
ON HOW TO SPEND YOUR STUDENT SERVICE FEES.
THURSDAY, MARCH 22 7:30 P.M.
ROOM 141 MSC
This hearing is being held by your Student
Senate Finance Committee.
GANT FOR HER
Mm
GANT BLAZER
$ 78
Khaki and Navy
Sizes 4-14
OXFORD CLOTH
Button down
shirts $ 25
ties *5 and *6
GANT SKIRTS
$ 38
Houghton at home in wat$
Khaki and Navy
Sizes 4-14
By BETH YOUNG
Battalion Reporter
From lifeguarding on the sunny
beaches of California to swimming
on the Texas A&M swim team
comes Cheryl Houghton.
After her mother taught her to
.swim at an age so young she can’t
!even remember, Houghton has
been swimming competitively for
almost 11 years. She started compe
ting on Amateur Athletic Union
teams at the age of nine and was on
teams at her high school in Simi,
Calif, at Ventura Junior College in
Ventura, Calif. Now she is at Texas
A&M.
What started out as family swim
ming with her three brothers and
parents turned into a college educa
tion for Houghton, who is on schol
arship at Texas A&M.
“I’m the only one (in the family)
still doing it (swimming),” she said,
“and I guess my own interest has
kept me with it.”
Houghton said that her parents
and coaches have kept her interest
up as well.
“When I was younger, we be
longed to a country club and as I got
older, I joined the AAU clubs,”
Houghton said. “My mom espe
cially helped me out because she
would drive me to work-outs that
were two hours away and would
take me to meets that were some
times five hours away.
“My coaches helped me get
where I am and kept me interested
in swimming.”
It was because of the scholarship
that Houghton decided to come to
Texas A&M. She said that she was
offered scholarships at schools in
San Diego and Oregon but was of
fered more at Texas A&M.
“I also wanted to get away from
California,” the 21-year-old junior
said, “but if USC or UCLA had
made me an offer, I’d have gone to
one of them.”
Houghton said her decision to
come to Texas A&M was made at
the last minute.
“My AAU coach knew A&M’s
coach (Dennis Fosdick) and told him
that I was interested in swimming
and he called me,” she explained.
“Another girl on the (Aggie) team
called and talked to me and the next
thing I knew I was taking off in a
plane for A&M.”
One thing Houghton said she
didn’t like about the sudden deci
sion was the fact that male swim
mers who are looking at Texas A&M
as a possible college choice can
come and see the school, and then
decide if they want to sign. Women,
on the other hand, have to sign first,
then visit?
“They’re trying to enforce that
what the men get, the women get,
too,” she said, “but right now, the
men get their airplane flights home
paid for and we don’t.
Houghton suggests that other
women interested in swimming
competitively should go to meets
and let coaches know that they are
interested in swimming.
Houghton does not limit her tal
ents in the water to swimming. She
played water polo in high school and
played on several AAU teams.
“Our high school didn’t have a
girl’s team,” Houghton said, “so I
had to play on the boy’s water polo
team. There was only one other girl
on the team.”
Houghton, who is playing on
Texas A&M’s women’s water polo
team, says she likes the break from
swimming that she gets from play
ing water polo.
“I’ve been swimming for a long
time, she said, “and just swimming
gets tiring.”
It might seem as though swim
ming and water polo would conflict,
but Houghton said they don’t.
“From August to November is
water polo season at A&M,” she
said. “During this time, we swim for
an hour every morning and practice
water polo two or three hours in the
afternoon. When swim meets start,
usually in early December, we swim
at both work-outs.”
Houghton’s swimming career has
been filled with breaking records
and All-America titles. Currently,
she holds records in four events at
Texas A&M: 50-yard freestyle,
200-yard freestyle, 50-yard butterfly
and 100-yard butterfly.
Although Houghton said she just
recently set these rej
added “they may changejl
two weeks, too. Records J
being broken and don’t
long.” Many of tli«|
Houghton has brokenktj
own.
Houghton was seleottl
America teams in higl
junior college as wellii|
A&M. “All-America t
ming are honor awards J
committee for meetings
standards in certain evenj
H oughton said sheL
swimming as more ofaJ
her through school ttianj
else.
‘Some people say I’m I
said, “and maybe it’s(J
helped me express mysell
“I don’t have anyolymj
anything like that,” Houa
but quickly added, Tdpl
if I had the chance. I
Bickham has surgei
United Press International
DALLAS — SMU starting
pitcher Sammy Bickham underwent
surgery for a recurring knee prob
lem Monday night and will be lost
for the remainder of the season, a
spokesman said.
Bickham, 20, had been expected
to lead the Mustangs to a Southwest
Conference baseball championship
this year following his transfer from
Baylor, but suffered from knee
problems all this season.
He was operated on Monday
night at Baylor Hospital for a staph
infection resulting from a 1977 oper
ation, the spokesman saii
The Plano, Texas, natl
ferred from Baylor to SJll
after the SWC Faculh]
Committee granted hima
of eligibility to play foi]
tangs.
Bickham was the SWtBn
freshman of the year inf
pitched for Baylor in
World Series that year. ]
the Bears’ starting quaitt^H
two years.
Bickham’s season reco
was 1-3.
GRAND
OPENING
B.
SNOOK OPEN RODb t
APRIL 13th & 14th
Rough. . . Tough. . . Action
Packed Excitement. Tickets
available at Court's Western
Wear & Saddlery or at gate,
IVi miles west of Snook on FM 60.
(Intersection FM 60 and FM 3058)
STARLIGHT BALLROOM
2 nights - April 13th & 14th
RED STEAGALL
and the Coleman County Cowboys
oV ^ftVOND BROAC^-
* DIAMOND IMPORTERS & WHOLESALERS * O
SPRING SALE
(Special offers expire March 31, 1979)
I
Round AAAA $145
MQ AAA 372
PS AAA
PS AAA
Oval AAA
Oval AAA
Oval AAA
Oval AAA
PS AA
MQ AA
PS AAA
Heart AA
PS AAA
PS AAA
PS AAA
1 -Carat
Rubies
300
00
.48
.28
MQ
MQ
680
223
504
416
492
470
270 §
828 ^
1410 &
1492 V
240 §
750 &
360 ?
372 V
410 ^
.75
.52
1 /2-Carat
Emeralds
150
00
2.32
S 1.49
102
§108
LAY-AWAY AND
FINANCING AVAILABLE
& 1.10
& - 50
I 51
§ .28
& 31
1 .47
E.C.
E.C.
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
Round
1224
800
9480
2600
1224
1280
Testa
5-point Full-Cut
Aggie Diamond
Just 30 00 !!!
FREE 14Kt. Gold
Engagement Ring with
Diamond Over % Carat 1
Absolutely ^ =ree ‘r 1
DIAMOND BROKERS
L© O
[©W
Diamond Importers & Wholesalers
College Station, Texas 77840
US
1-713-693-1647
Ask for Pat or Eddie 693-3037