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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1978)
Page 8 THE BATTALION THURSDAY. APRIL 6, 1978 =X ATTENTION jj JvpTnamba The following positions are now open on the UiylJlr Summer Programming Committee: sports Eddie Dominguez '66 Joe Arciniega '74 Chairman Vice Chairman - Lectures Vice Chairman - Recreation Vice Chairman - Entertainment Secretary/T reasurer Public Relations Chairman Astros prep for seaso Come to Room 216 MSC FOR MORE INFORMATION Deadline for application is April 11 If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned . . . We call It "Mexican Food Supreme.” Dalles location: 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 one DOC rxtc DOC DOC DOC DOC IJICO BELL By MARK PATTERSON Battalion Sports Staff The Houston Astros road show rolled into town Wednesday for their final pre-season game before opening up the National League season against the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon. Wednesday’s game against the Aggies was the last stop on a barnstorming tour for the Astros in which they’ve played five games in five days in five different cities since they broke camp Friday. Their pre-season tour has taken Houston to Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Tulsa, San Antonio and back to Houston for a series of games against the Texas Rangers as a final tune-up for the season ahead. The Astros took three out of four games from Texas on the road-trip. Last night, both the Rangers and Astros faced the University of Hous ton in exhibition games in the As trodome. After the games yesterday, the Rangers left for Austin where they faced the University of Texas Wed nesday in an exhibition game. And the Astros traveled here to face the Aggies. So what was the purpose for all the extra games that the two teams have been playing since breaking camp in Florida? Simply, the Astros and Rangers are professionals and the two, as all sports teams, are a business. In order for a business to prosper, good public relations have to be developed with its paying cus tomers. So the Rangers and Astros have adopted the idea that a few extra games right before the season could possibly help the two teams at their gates. Help or no help at the gate, the Astros’ players have their own views of the extra games they are asked to play. “Playing these games is just like an extension of spring training for me,’’ said J.R. Richards, the Astro’s pitching ace and starter today against the Reds. “I don’t know how the owners approach it, hut at least it keeps my mind on baseball. “But I just can’t see why we play an exhibition game the day before we open up the season. We’ve al most got some guys hurt on the trip. But we re professionals and we re getting paid for it.” Relief pitcher Gene Pentz voiced an opinion for the five-game series. "I like breaking camp and getting away from Cocoa Beach," said Pentz. “We’ve been down there for By David Boggan five weeks and I’m tired o( t |n threi place. ■> men “The only thing I don’t likHm’s at playing on all the bad fields iiMdget o been playing at. Plus the Irani [etie proj ditions can really get you down, oflapproji playing the college teams is rei{B\t Te> good time. ■eratin One of the Astros startingpjHoO,000 ers, Mark Lemongello, seestkeBed $2 vantages in doing the presnwhile th tour. Hen alkr “It’s really good to promnt grain th game around the area, $1675,0( Lemongello about playing ai i program. A&M. "It gives people a chawHEven t see us and hopefully becomelglovv tin terested in us this season. Enures, th we have to do something befonHmted : season starts. " Kt few Bill Virdon, in his third y«K felt tl the Astros’ manager, sees thi the area as the fi nal tune-up for histiHrhe As going into the regular season. Athletics “I think playing the teamsi:Hdy of the cities is both a training and sAolarsf trip,’ said Virdon. “In myiwomen’s we re still in spring training, teams an “But these games are goodf jcholars It gives us a chance to play and jports ar before the season starts. Bi irships p anytime you play a game, nontfirhis y who it’s against, it’s good or schol team." Hat in el rants an | ‘ Our < aoney f we 1 SPECIAL Astros are colorful ■e its levis. “1 aartial st |ney h Taco Bell welcomes spring with this special coupon for Aggies good anytime 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week. VALUABLE COUPON TACOS * TOSTADAS PINTOS N CHEESE * FRIJ0LES ONLY WITH THIS COUPON Must be a student at Texas A&M QUANTITIES UNLIMITED!! 3901 S. TEXAS AVENUE * Void after April 30, 1978 Good Anytime 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. This special offer is for Texas A&M students only. Please be prepared to show student I.D. IHCO BEbb 3901 S. AVENUE BRYAN mfm What is it about an afternoon of professional baseball that brings out the kid in me? As a youngster, I traveled to Houston twice to watch the Astros play ball. The first time I saw Doug Rader, Jim Wynn, Joe Morgan and Co. take the field, they lost a game to Philadelphia. On my next outing at the Dome I saw the Giants, with Willie Mays unfortunately on the bench defeat the Astros. But both times I remember clutching a baseball and a pen in my small hands, running down to the fence and getting the autographs of as many of the Astros as happend to pass my way. I thought about this yesterday as I walked out to Olsen Field to watch Cesar Cedeno, Bob Watson, Jose Cruz and Co. play an exhibition game with Texas A&M. “Those were the days,’ I said to myself, knowing that my autograph-seeking years had passed with time. Yes, I was ready to shake hands with the Astro stars, but surely I was too old to he asking for signatures. Then, there I was watching my third Astros’ game from the Hous ton dugout. To my complete sup- rise, I found myself clutching a baseball and a pen in my hands. There I sat with the grin of a 10- year-old on my face asking, “Can I have your autograph?" And in be tween comments and questions about baseball at Texas A&M, the Astros were kind enough to say, “Sure,’ to this 21-year-old kid. The Houston Astros are as color ful in the dugout as their rainbow- striped uniforms are on the field. The variety of accents that come from the Astros’ dugout indicates that the Houston club is one of biggest cultural conglomerates in baseball. "The crowd here is great, ” Jesus Alou said in his Carribean accent. But the 36-year-old Alou had a question about the Aggies’ between-inning yells. “Do the) practice that or do they just come out here and do it?" Pitcher Joe Sambito said that the Astros could use some of the Aggie fans in Houston., “We ought to ship these guys to the Dome, the Brooklyn native said. "We couldn’t get 10,000 people to make this much noise down there. We couldn’t even get 20,000 people to make this much noise. Then, in the seventh inning when Kyle Hawthorne made an over-the- At Te noney c shoulder catch of a foul bito looked surprised. . 1 ,, ,, iooster Inese guys really want lora this game, don’t thev,’ SaiH’, i ■j , ,, ,• . ■olarsr said. 1 hey re really playing a;* , game, the score indicates that K , Cesar Cedeno, the Astros’»■ Schc lion man, agreed that the A; played good baseball. “This is a good ball club,"Ceil said in a Carribean accent oT own. “They definitely haveaHil I am particularly impressed first right-hander who against us (Mark Boss). “This was really a tremei perience. We re helping I club and their club and at the: time it was really enjoyable. But one facet of Aggie impressed the Astros mori anything else. “I hope we come hack next! and start doing this regiilarlvi can come back and look at thepi| girls, Cedeno said. The Astros have no Diaul Darlings. [ No, I don’t know what it isj watching major league baseball brings out the kid in me, but It I d do it again tomorrow. ^iiimimiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiifiiimiimiimiiiiiiiimu 1 DANCE 1 AUNT FRANNIE’S, LAUNDRY i The Velvets i Silver Wings Ballroom | Brenham, Texas | 8:00-12:00 1 aiiimiiiiimiiimiiiiimiiimiiimiiiiiiiummiiiii APRIL SPECIAL WASH, DRY & FOLD SERVICE % PRICE Good during April with this ad only 1-DAY DRY CLEANING SERVICE Attendant on duty • Color TV • Comfortable Furniture “SELF SERVICE OR LET AUNT FRANN1E DO IT FOR YOU” 1502 HOLLEMAN (Across from Sevilla Apts.) 693-380f | Interested in studying oversea! 1 during Fall Semester ’78 —bti 1 you need some money to he| | you get there? The MSC Travel Committee wants to hel with loans from the MSC Overseas Loti Fund. Loans are available to full- Texas A&M students who wish to stud; overseas for a summer, semester or wha ever the loans are interest free & repayablf after graduation. Interested students should pick up applica tion forms in Rm. 216 MSC (at the Secre taries’ Desks) and sign up for an interviei' time. Applications Open: Tues. Apr. 11 8an Applications Due: Mon. Apr. 17 5 p.m Interviews will be conducted from 6:30' p.m. on Tues. April 18 in the MS^ Council Conference Rm. — 138 MSC MSC Travel Committee