Page 12 THE BATTALION
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 7, 1978
David
Boggan
Sports Editor
Life aint easy
for true Texans
That was some commotion the boys at the National Broadcasting Co.
stirred up in the Lone Star State last Sunday, wasn’t it?
With NBC scheduling the Dallas-New England game and the
Houston-Pittsburgh game at the same time, folks all across Texas were
a mite upset. Two opposing groups of loyalists came forth, with Dallas
fans snarling at Houston fans, Houston fans snarling at Dallas fans and
all fans collectively snarling at NBC.
The situation almost got so bad in San Antonio that Cowboy fans
were rumored to be taking refuge in the Alamo while Oiler faithful
were heard practicing the Deguello. And things weren’t much better
elsewhere. NBC affiliates across the state had to decide which game to
air and which set of fans they could most afford to offend. Needless to
say, the television stations didn’t stand the chance of a snowball in
Laredo in this battle.
THERE WAS ALSO a third group ofTexas fans that was affected by
Sunday’s simultaneous telecasts. A fan in this third group can he
labeled a true Texan. A true Texan is someone who will bet his Tony
Lamas on anything associated with the Empire wide and glorious. A
true Texan is a fan who roots for the Cowboys and the Oilers, as well as
the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets, the Texas Rangers and
even the Houston Astros. The man you saw buying a new channel
selector for his television set Monday was a true Texan.
But regardless of whether they live and die with the Cowboys or the
Oilers or both, Texans are notorious football fans. Yes sir, you can
regulate their natural gas, raise their taxes and even take away their
gusto. But don’t tamper with their football.
Now, with the hostilities of the past weekend behind, Texiis football
fans can look towards the NFL playoffs.
AFTER DEFEATING NEW England, the Cowboys, who are to
the playoffs what Santa Claus is to Christmas, clinched the NFC
Eastern Division playoff spot. Dallas is now going to post-season play
for the 12th time in 13 years.
The brused but equally brusing Oilers need only defeat New Or
leans and San Diego to assure themselves of their first playoff spot
since 1969.
Now what if, just what if both the Cowboys and the Oilers go
through the playoffs, win their respective conference championships
and find themselves in Miami on Jan. 21? This will he an unprece
dented situation. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have never meet in the
Super Bowl, nor have Miami and Tampa Bay or Cincinnati and Cleve
land.
CALIFORNIANS HAVE NEVER seen either the Rams or the
49ers go against the Chargers or the Raiders for the big money and the
Giants have never met the Jets or the Bills in Super Bowl.
Of course, an all-Texas Super Bowl will he super for the Texas fan
who supports either the Cowboys or the Oilers. But once again the
true Texan is faced with a dilemma. Should the true Texan go with the
defending World Champions or grab a pompon and back Bum and the
boys?
Should events transpire that woidd bring Dallas and Houston to
gether in Super Bowl XIII, I have no solution to the problem confront
ing the true Texan. I can only offer an idea on how to cope with the
situation.
Come Jan. 21, grab a longneck, mosey over to the easy chair and
enjoy the dilemma.
Bird’s return delayed
United Press International
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Detroit
Tigers’ hope for 1979 — the return of
a healthy Mark Fidrych to the pitch
ing lineup — has been dashed.
Fidrych, who was sidelined for the
second half of 1977 with tendonitis
and missed all but his first three
starts of 1978, probably will not be
able to pitch again until 1980, if at all,
doctors said Tuesday.
That was the consensus of mem
bers of the Association of Profes
sional Baseball Physicians, who ex
amined “the Bird" and evaluated the
condition of his ailing right shoulder.
They prescribed an extensive pro
gram of rehabilitation, including
weightlifting and exercise, but pre
dicted it woidd take months for Fid
rych to build up strength in his arm
and shoulder. They also said the
right arm and shoulder has shrunk in
size from disuse during the year and
a half he has been sidelined.
“He can’t pitch until he has built
up strength in his arm, said Dr.
Harvey O’Phelan, the Minnesota
Twins’ team physician and chairman
of the doctors’ association.
“It could take all of next year, and
it could take longer, he said.
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North Texas patiently seeks SWC membersli
United Press International
DENTON — C.C. "Jitter Nolen
is a short, jovial fellow given to
welltailored suits and elegant con
versations.
He is president of Texas fifth
largest intstitution of higher learning
and is well-versed in the art of fund
raising.
And, in his own words, he is
tenacious.
"I have the patience of Job, said
Nolen, president of North Texas
State University. "We are not going
away.
Nolen s comments were directed
at the nine member schools of the
Southwest Conference, a group that
his school hopes eventually to join.
And his remarks came on the eve of
the annual winter business meeting
of the Southwest Conference in Dal-
said Nolen. “So we will
North Texas officials originally had
planned on being a part of the SWC’s
agenda and had prepared their case
for admission to the league. At least
two schools were ready to place
North Texas on the list of discussion
items.
Now, however. North Texas will
not be on the agenda.
On the recommendation of what
Nolen calls “our friends in the con
ference, North Texas will await
another occasion to make its pres
entation.
“They say to us, 'we've got a lot of
controversial issues right now. We
just can’t stand another controversial
question,
wait.
The controversial questions that
will be thrashed out during the meet
ings involve complaints about the
SWC’s broadcast package and state
ments and deeds attributed to
coaches and officials of the Univer
sity of Arkansas that could bring
about a private or public reprimand.
Most North Texas officials have
been lobbying quietly for the past
two years in hopes of gaining admit
tance to the SWC. But head coach
and athletic director Hayden Fry has
used the blustery approach, taking
advantage of any forum to sell North
Texas.
Recently Fry said he was through
speaking out, that it was all in the
hands of Nolen and the board of re
gents.
“Work as hard as Hayden has and
you get no recognition by others
then frustration sets in,” said Nolen.
"I think he has been speaking out of
sheer frustration and I cannot blame
time. There is not any problem of the
stature or scope of our academic or
athletic program.
“I think it is mainly a matter of
finances. They want to make sure
that we won t be one more mouth to
feed and that we can contribute
some thing.
“And that has been good to hear
is not a case of where they have rele
gated us to secondary status.
Nolen, a former cheerleader at tlu
University of Texas who before com
ing to North Texas headed the fund
It
raising department at Tea
tian University, saiditisako
his school shifted it.sapproK
“1 think we are ftoingto
form another strategy anil
know what that will be, k
“Right now all we can continue to
do is work our tail off to prove to the
conference that we would be a good
addition. We have accumulated a
great deal of information and for
warded it to the schools.
"I have talked to school presidents
who have read our material and said,
T didn t know this about your
school. So we are at least making
ourselves known.
"The feedback 1 get from other
presidents is that it is just a matter of
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