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Spring Sports
I'exas ’ MVP
By JOHN PLATZER
After a few winks like those of someone who has just
awakened from a long nap, the lights on the Tower of Texas
University at Austin came on Saturday night to cast an
orange hue over the area.
In times past, the lighting of the tower was used to
signify a special victory. Victories of any kind, especially
those over A&M, have become so rare, however, that Sat
urday’s lighting can be traced to either: 1) Texas seeing if
the bulbs still work, or 2) the Austin school saying thanks
to its most valuable baseballer, Torrential Downpour (rain).
It was the weekend rain combined with a Southwest
Conference rule, archaic from its conception, that allowed
t. u. to crawl backwards into the conference baseball cham
pionship. The combination also bestowed upon Texas the
dubious distinction of being one of the few teams in history
to win the title while losing the season series to both major
challengers.
The rule in question has just completed its initial sea
son in the SWC, with its only accomplishment being to prove
itself completely absurd. In short, the rule says that can
celed games in the second half of the season cannot be re
scheduled, except by moving them back one day to make a
doubleheaded out of a single game.
With the passing of this rule, the conference fathers
known for bad decisions in the past, completely outdid
themselves. Conditions arising where a team less than the
conference’s best can slide into the throne room are nu
merous under the act.
Among the possibilities are a team winning the crown
while playing only the league’s lower teams and a school
taking the championship only because the better teams
couldn’t get in enough games.
The conference seems to be applying a variation of a
famous Grantland Rice quote to the awarding of the base
ball championship: “It matters not that you win or lose,
but rather when it rains.”
Texas, always quick to obey the SWC standards to the
hilt (that is when they are to t. u.’s advantage), was the
rule’s beneficiary in its first year.
The Aggies and Texas were to play Friday and Satur
day games last week that would decide the SWC champion
ship between Texas and Texas Christian (the rule had al
ready eliminated A&M). Either a sweep of the two games
by the Aggies or a split would have given TCU, who de
feated t. u. two out of three times this year, the title.
Outside of a double rainout, Texas’ only chance of win
ning the championship was a sweep. The odds against such
an occurance were astronomical, to say the least. A&M de
feated Texas the only time the teams met in the season.
The slim hope Texas had began to materialize Friday
as heavvy rains blanketed most of Texas, including Austin.
T. U. did nothing outwardly to help along the rule (although
students wearing strange customes were reported doing
. strange dances in parts of the city) but they certainly didn’t
try too hard to get the games in either.
By the time the downpour quit, around 4 p. m. Sat
urday, there was no question that the games could not be
played because of the condition of the field. The fact is,
however, that if the rains had stopped within hours after
starting, the games could still not have been gotten in.
Few precautions, if any, were taken to keep the field
in a playable condition. A small tarpaulin was noticed over
the pitcher’s mound while the rest of Clark Field was left
completely susceptible to the elements. By 4 p. m. Friday,
the infield around shortstop was under water and looked as
if a group of young children has used the area to make a
box full of mudpies.
Every time a situation arises where the SWC baseball
crown is awarded through a conference misjudgment in
rules, t. u. seems to be first in line with its hands out. This
was the third time in eight years that Texas has won the
title through a rule technicality.
In 1966 they won a coin flip (an obvious way to tell the
best baseball team) after they had tied with A&M, TCU
and Baylor for the crown.
Baylor was denied the championship in 1961 in favor
of Texas because of its exam schedule. Texas went to Waco
to play the Bears in the final two games of the season, need
ing a split to take the crown. Baylor won the first game
and then the teams started a marathon which was called in
the eighth inning because of darkness, with the squads tied
9-9.
Final exams started at Baylor the next day and SWC
rules say that a game cannot be played after exams begin.
Baylor asked that the called game be moved to a lighted
field but Texas refused because of obvious reasons.
Considering the success Texas has had in beating the
Aggies in face-to-face athletic competition during the “Year
of the Horns”, it is not hard to realize why they have re
verted to lighting the Tower in honor of their ability to
control the weather.
The people who predicted the t. u. year, probably the
same ones who said Landon would defeat Roosevelt and
originated the Suberbill Bradley label, have a hard time
explaining why no Texas varsity team has defeated an
Aggie team all season.
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A GAME OF TAG
Adolfo Phillips (20), Chicago Cubs, goes like a streak, but is tagged out by New York
Mets’ Bud Harrelson in a run-down between second and third bases in second inning of
National League game in Chicago. Phillips doubled to get in. He was caught between
bases when Bill Hands tapped back to pitcher Tom Seaver. Hands was safe at first. Um
pire is Lee Weyer. Cubs won, 3-1. (AP wirephoto)
THE BATTALION
Tuesday, May 14, 1968 College Station, Texas Page 5
Basketball Program
Gets All-American
Texas A&M’s basketball re
cruiting program was boosted
Saturday with the signing of Joe
Hamilton, an All-American junior
college player from Christian Col
lege of the Southwest.
Hamilton is the first Negro
basketball player to be recruited
by Texas A&M.
The 5-10, 170-pounder is from
Louisville, Ky., and was a high
school All-America at nearby Lex
ington Dunbar High School.
Hamilton entered Christian Col
lege, located at Mesquite, two
years ago and led the junior col
lege to two straight winning sea
sons. This season, his team made
the quarter-finals of the National
Junior College Basketball Cham
pionships where they were elimi
nated by the subsequent cham
pion, San Jacinto of Pasadena.
Following the JUCO champion
ships, Hamilton participated in
the Olympic basketball team try
outs, After the completion of the
tryouts, he was named as an al
ternate to the 1968 Olympic team.
He will compete in all the team’s
practices but would only partici
pate in the Olympics should one
of the regular members of the
team be unable to compete.
In his first year at Christian
College, he averaged 32.3 points-
a-game, while last season he hit
at a 31.3 average. In those years,
the team finished 25-6 and 30-6
respectively.
Head Basketball Coach Shelby
Metcalf, who signed Hamilton,
said that he (Hamilton) will be
able to play next season and be
eligible for post-season play.
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APPROVED
*1,298,000
For A&M UNIVERSITY
By The Legislative Budget Board
...
for the Veterinary Diagnostic
Laboratory
*641.000
to beef up A&M Agriculture
Extension Services
Lt. Gov. Preston Smith
is a Chairman of The Budget Board and
voted this approval!
Support PRESTON SMITH
for GOVERNOR of TEXAS
Pol. Adv. by Citizens for Preston Smith for Governor
TRAVIS BRYAN, JR., Chairman
.