Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1975)
I’m not the Quarterback THE BATTALION Page 15 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 1975 A&M baseballers ignore Longhorn syndrome By DAVID WALKER Well it’s no secret who’s coming to town this weekend. Those mean old Texas Long horns. No doubt several thousand Aggies will start running for the hills to escape the evil plague that follows those orange fire-breathing creatures. It’s a strange phenomenon that changes Aggies everywhere from imdominatable optimists to in veterate pessimists. The phenomenon occurs during the week preceding the meeting Netters prepared for Raider match By NICK VOINIS Staff Sports Writer The Texas Aggie tennis team winds the regular Southwest Con ference season by traveling up Lub bock way to play Texas Tech. Coach Richard Barker’s forces came through to win a couple dual matches this past weekend. First the netters defeated Sam Houston State 8-1 in Huntsville Friday. Saturday the team returned to the friendly atmosphere of the A&M courts and promptly defeated Texas Christian 6-3 in a dual SWC match. Barker said his team looked pretty good as TCU was a tough op ponent. The match was close as the two teams split their singles matches 3-3. The Aggies then came on to sweep the doubles competi tion. “I was proud with the way they (A&M) played. They’re coming around just fine,” Barker said. “The match put us in fifth place (SWC standings behind SMU, Texas, Houston and Rice).” Barker will be going with his reg ulars once again, as seniors Bill Wright and Billy Hoover will make their final regular season appear ance as Aggies. The rest of the team making the flight to Lubbock in clude Charles Emley, Tom Cour- son, Mark Silberman and John Kir- wan. “It’s been a long year and I think they’re (the A&M team) tired and ready for the season to end, Barker said. “I’m proud of them for not giv ing up even though they were al ready out of the (SWC) race. ’ The Aggies finish the year with the SWC Tournament in Lubbock on May 22, 23, and 24. The Tour nament was rescheduled to coincide with the SWC golf and track meets. It was previously scheduled for this weekend. LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tennis Star Jimmy Connors demanded Tuesday that a new playing surface be instal led for his $850,000 match against Australia’s John Newcombe on Saturday. He backed the demand with a vei led threat of withdrawing, claiming contracts called for a different sur face than the one now installed at the Caesars Palace indoor court. Newcombe has refused to agree, saying he doesn’t want to change. Connors called a news conference on his arrival in Las Vegas, said he could"j£>lay the'AOs^ie on any court, but maintained the contract must be followed. At issue is an artificial surface known as Supreme Court. Connors and his manager. Bill Riordan, maintained their contract required the new version of that sur face. The presently installed surface with the same name was used by Connors and Rod Laver when they played a $100,000 winner-take-all match Feb. 2. Connors won 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Before that match, Jimmy had threatened to withdraw in a hassle over the referee. Describing the newer court, Connors said, “It’s a little bit rougher and takes more to spins, slices and a variety of shots. Who knows if it’s slower?” Generally, it was agreed, a slower surface would be to Connors’ advan tage against the swift serve of New combe, who has beaten the left- handed American the three times they have met previously. Asked if he would withdraw from the match if a new surface were not installed, Connors answered, “I don’t know. I could go see Paul Anka and rehearse my song. I don’t have to play tennis.” Connors, No. 1 rated in the world, came to Las Vegas after win ning the World Championship of Tennis Blue Group tournament at Denver on the new footing. Riordan maintained advertise ments already in print said the new Supreme Court would be used and this put- Connors and himself in a position to be sued if it wasn’t. Sidney Gathrid, director of spe cial events and promotions at Caesars Palace, maintained, “The contract said only they will play on a Supreme Court surface.” Orioles rap Milwaukee in shutout MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Grich’s home run with two out in the eighth inning lifted the Balti more Orioles to a 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night behind Jim Palmer’s six-hit pitching. Palmer, 2-1, walked four and struck out six in hurling his second shutout of the season. The right-hander, coming back from e'lliow trouble last year, has allowed only one earned run in three starts. Grich slammed his second home run of the season into the left field stands after Milwaukee starter Pete Broberg, 2-2, had fanned the first two batters in the eighth. It was the seventh hit off Broberg. Palmer allowed only one hit until Bob Coluccio reached on an infield single to start the sixth. Coluccio advanced to third on a sacrifice and a fly ball but, after a walk to George Scott, Don Money popped out. Robin Yount singled with one out in the eighth and went to third on Scott’s double, but Palmer retired Money on a fly ball to end Milwaukee’s most serious threat. The only other Brewers to get as far as second were Pedro Garcia, who doubled with two out in the third, and Sixto Lezcano, who dou bled with two out in the ninth. Palmer then retired Garcia on a pop fly to end the game. AGGIELAND FLOWER & GIFT 209 UNIVERSITY Nothing speaks a woman’s language like a bouquet of flowers! DON’T FORGET! NATIONAL SECRETARIES, WEEK. APRIL 20-26 LET OUR FLOWERS SAY THANK YOU. of the two institutions on the field of athletic combat. Ags, young and old, are heard to utter such strange things as, “You know we can’t beat them, we never do,” and “Why should we beat them this time, we couldn’t do it last time.” There is another strange word that evolves dur ing Longhomitis week, that’s choke. Oh, dreaded choke! The Long horns and Aggies have met three times this year with champion- r '- ' . I ships on the line, the Aggies lead the series 2-1. Choke! After the Thanksgiving Day plus 1 massacre this year Aggies were screaming, “I knew it would hap pen,” and “I figured we would choke.” Haven’t they ever heard of just being outplayed? Can’t a team just get beat? And then there is basketball. Where was the choke in basketball. What happened? Oh no, the choke is dead. Think about it. While the inveterate pessimists are griping about the men in orange this imdominatable optimist is go ing to take a look at the records. The Aggies have been to Austin twice this year with a 1-1 showing. The Longhorns are 0 for one in their College Station trip. Of the three sports completed this year (baseball included because the Horns have won the SWC and the Ags have already clinched sec ond) the Longhorns have finished ahead of the Aggies in the confer ence standings only once. That’s baseball and the two teams haven’t even played yet. Only the Baylor Bears finished ahead of the Ags in football and no one finished ahead of them in basketball. If the Aggies have had such a good year why does this ever pres ent Longhomitis stick around? The main reason it sticks around is because most people won’t let it go away. They are used to the Aggies losing. Yes, traditions do change at Ag- gieland and there is one big change: the Aggies aren’t losers anymore. Let’s see, 8-3 football, 20-7 bas ketball, 30-6 baseball (so far), that adds up to 58-16. Granted my math isn’t the best but even with bad math I can still see that that ain’t bad. At College Station the Aggies are even better. In the same three sports the Ags are 34-3 on home grounds. What I’ve been trying to say is that the day of the choke and jinx is over. The Aggies are winners, even against the Longhorns, the Aggies are winners. The only losers against the Long horns are those of you who keep the jinx talk going. Another reason the talk continues to go around is because the media will not let it go away. I know that just by talking about it in my column today will give Longhomitis victims something to talk about this week. But don’t talk too loud because the Aggie baseballers aren’t going to listen. No. 1 rated Connors wants new surface Club Sports Skeet and Trap The Texas A&M Skeet and Trap Club recently attended the Inter collegiate National Tournament at the National Gun Club in San An tonio. The Aggies took second place overall behind Trinity University with a 968x1000 and third overall in the combined American and Inter national events with 2493x2800. Last year’s class B skeet champ ion, Derek Davis of A&M finished second in this year’s International Skeet competition with a 95x100. He was closely followed by Rick Hopkins with 94x100. Other Aggies in the tournament: Les Mwineke with 199x200 to win first place in class B American skeet, Danny Thomason 194x200 runner up in class B Skeet, Jamie Martin 191x200 for third place in class three, and Marshall Blalock 180x200. Other Aggies entered were: Mike Vasovski, Mark Eng land, Gary Wheeler and Bill Nor man. Rifle Team The A&M rifle team posted its best Southwest Rifle Association finish in a decade when it placed second in a Saturday shootoff in Houston. They were tied for first with two other teams going into the match. A&M, the University of Houston and St. Mary’s University had a loss each in association matches. U-H won the shootoff, with 2,747. Texas A&M claimed second with 2,724, reported SFC Max Schill, team coach. St. Mary’s placed third, at 2,717. Rice Univer sity posted a 2,715. All five top Aggie shooters return next year. Four are freshmen. Their individual scores for the Houston shootoff included a 538 by Claude Boggs, a junior and the only upperc lassman of six shooters at the match. Mike Selby shot 557 of a possible 600; Bob Lunsford, 552; Jim Beal, 539, and Jeff Potter, 538. Ernest Hugo, whose score did not figure in the team total, shot 533. The team’s last match of the year will be April 26. The Aggies will fire in the Fiesta Invitational in San An tonio. Yxi’re due for a break, and you’ve got it. NOW. THE*87® AMEMPASS 15 days of unlimited travel at half the regular price We're giving you a big break this year by cutting the price of America's biggest travel bargain—the Greyhound Ameripass—in half! Repeat. Half the price of our regular $175 one-month Ameripass. Now, for a limited time, only $87.50 buys you 15 days of unlimited, unrestricted travel, anywhere in America. Canada too. On your way home this spring, go where you like. See what you like. Be a real free spirit. And spend a lot less than a plane or train costs. With the $87.50 Ameripass, you don't have to travel on certain days. Or pay for mm 4S j* 31 -rrw% fyft i your ticket in advance. (But you can ship all your stuff home in advance. Up to 1 50 pounds. For free.) Like our regular $175 and $250 two-month Ameripasses, the $87.50 Ameripass gives you special discounts on hotels, meals, sightseeing. So get in touch with us about today's biggest travel bargain. The $87.50 Ameripass. Because you're due for a break. The $87.50 Ameripass fare is good thru May 31. Ameripasses purchased May 31, good for following 1 5 days. GREYHOUND BUS STATION 1300 TEXAS AVE. 823-8071 ^fGreyhound 9R6AT issues " fUF AFRICAN GCONOr^y" SCRITS presents : SPEAKING ON FDITOR OF "RUSINFSS fyF£«' /A AG AZ INF AlPtRICAN BUSINieSS peRspecuiue /tep Into the m/c circle