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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1979)
THE BATTALION TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1979 Page 11 the sports ^ Aggies come back to College Station PLAQUE SALE TO SUPPORT YOUR CAMPUS CHEST. viewpoint By SEAN PETTY Battalion Staff Whe eyes of Texas were upon Colorado Here we are back at school after yet another spring break. Everyone spent the quick nine days in different ways. Some people went to the Texas coast (where the sun failed to show its tanning face). Some went to different parts of the country and some people just regrouped at home after a tough half-semester. Still others headed northwest to the mountains to cast their lot on the ski slopes. j|was one of those who opted for the cold of the mountains and the risk of breaking every bone in my body instead of slowly sipping suds by the seashore soaking up the sun’s rays. I was ready to melt the snow on a few slopes. I We’ve all heard “The Eyes of Texas are upon you” (yeah, I know, .soijbds like hell) but those words never made more sense than during |our week-long stay in Crested Butte, Colo. The size and reach of the ang arm of Texas followed me everywhere. THE FIRST PLACE, it took over 13 hours just to get out of s, our Texas. And once we got to Colorado, all I saw were Texas kse plates along with many Oklahoma plates. jiad heard that most people who frequent the Colorado ski resorts i from Texas but now I believe Texas should be given credit for of Colorado’s income. Just as Texas oil and gas flows to all parts e country, so goes Texas money like a pipeline to the Colorado In tains. | Everywhere I walked or skied I heard the familiar twang of South- accents. I was haunted by people flying down the slopes wearing boy hats. As I rode the ski lifts, I looked down on people wearing Her shirts, Texas Longhorn hats, Dallas Cowboy hats, SMU hats ■Houston Oiler t-shirts. The barrage of Texas paraphernalia was ■^EN ON THE LIFTS, I ask people where they were from Hthe most common answer was Texas. I came to the conclusion |f a bumper sticker I had seen was correct. It read, “God wanted ns to ski, that’s why He gave them Colorado.” le interesting aspect of the trip was the Coloradoans’ view of •igners” overrunning their state. One man who has lived his Be life in Colorado Springs summed up the general feeling to- aiips Texans and other outsiders: “All the money is great but the ople ... well, we could do without most of them. They sure raise a t Of hell around here.” Hit like the popular saying goes, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds ou. And the hand that feeds many of Colorado’s ski resorts pays a y penny to leave the warmth of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, ama and various other states to ski in Colorado. For example, ski ickets were $12 a day at Crested Butte. When all the lifts are lliing, 7,300 people an hour can be zipped up the mountain. That s a lot of greenbacks being made just getting people up the mountain. SKI RENTAL IS MORE REASONABLE. Skis, boots and poles are$8 a day and there is no charge if you break a pole (like I did) or other equipment. The people of Colorado, or at least of Crested Butte, provided a lot of entertainment. It was interesting to watch and listen to the last of theliippies who apparently hang out and work at ski resorts around Colorado. Listening to them talk was like being back in the late 60s. I kept waiting for them to talk about Woodstock or start protesting the war in Vietnam. ifoverheard two of these men talking at the ski lodge: “Like man, sBust not happening in Boulder anymore. Boulder used to be where it’s at but it’s just not there anymore.” |ke man, I guess I don’t know where “it” is at either. “It” must not be in Texas because I bet I would have found “it” if “it” was here. I telllyou what, if I find “it” I’ll call those guys in Colorado so they can get to “it.” GETTING BACK TO THE 70s, I had to wonder what keeps people coming back year after year to the Colorado ski slopes. It’s not just the parents or college kids that return, but small kids, too. I inQ Wouldn’t believe it. It looked like some sort of kindergarten had taken a field trip skiing. The slopes were covered with kids who wore skis longer than the kids were tall. And what really killed me was that thev were all better skiers than me. Ilcould just picture some of these kids’ parents taking them to get their first skis even before they could walk. I talked with one eight- year-old girl who told me, “We try to go skiing at least once a year. 1’mlsupposed to be in school right now but I got to ski instead.” Then 1 wjhtched her stay on the lift and go to the expert slopes while I slipped and tumbled on to the beginners’ slopes, p well, keep your ski tips up. By DAVID BOGGAN Battalion Sports Editor Birdwatchers in San Juan Capis trano, Calif., were worried Monday morning. The swallows, tiny birds that return to that town each March 19, were late. They finally arrived at the old mission two hours behind schedule, apparently delayed by a rainstorm. Fifteen-hundred miles east of San Juan Capistrano, the return of the Texas A&M baseball team to Olsen Field is also in doubt because of the weather. If rain does not prevent it, the Aggies, who just flew in from Florida, are scheduled to host Arizona in a double-header begin ning at 1 p.m. this afternoon. While in Florida, the Aggies par ticipated in the Hurricane In vitational Tournament, playing 10 games in eight days. Playing in what Aggie coach Tom Chandler calls a “tournament of champions,” Texas A&M compiled a 6-4 record in Florida. “I’m reasonably satisfied with our Purdue, Indiana in finals United Press International NEW YORK — Indiana and Pur due usually let their hostilities out on the gridiron each year where they compete for the Old Oaken Bucket, but Wednesday night for the first time in history they’ll square off for one of college basket ball’s most prestigious prizes — the National Invitation Tournament championship. The state and Big Ten Conference rivals reached the championship round by disposing of Alabama and Ohio State, respectively, in Monday night’s semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Purdue, led by 7-foot-l Joe Barry Carroll’s career-high 42 points, crushed Alabama, 87-68, and In diana staved off Ohio State, 64-55, to set up a third meeting between the two squads this year. The clubs split their previous two games this season. Carroll was just too big and too agile for Alabama. The Crimson Tide stayed with a man-to-man de fense throughout the game, but their biggest player was only 6-feet-9 and Carroll acted like a starved wolf going after a lamb chop. The gangly junior hit on all eight of his field goal attempts in the first half and connected on 16 of 19 shots overall in the finest showing of his collegiate career. Alabama might have had a better chance against Purdue if they’d em ployed some of Indiana’s defensive tactics. The Hoosiers were being hurt by Ohio State’s Herb Williams in the first half but enveloped the 6-10 center like an octopus in the second half and held off the late- charging Buckeyes. Williams had nine points in the first half but scored only five after the intermission and did not score a point in the second half until 13:40 had elapsed. results,” Chandler said as he stood in the dugout and watched the rain soak his field Monday afternoon, his 53rd birthday. “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t score more runs. There were several factors involved in that. There was an all Astroturf field and there was a wind. All the teams, not just A&M, experienced diffi culty in getting runs across.” Aggie third baseman Mark War- riner, who was voted all tournament, said that Texas A&M also experienced difficulty at the plate. “We didn’t hit the ball like we can,” Warriner said. “Our team bat ting average dropped because of that. But I believe it (the tourna ment) will do us good in the long run.” Chandler agreed that his team is not hitting as good as it is capable of doing. “We left far too many men on base,” the Aggie coach said. “But our boys will hit; they’ve hit before. “While we didn’t hit and weren’t productive, our pitching really came to the front. Our pitching through out the tournament was good.” Chandler was especially pleased with the pitching of John Pockrus, who he has named as the third pitcher in Texas A&M’s rotation. This announcement was fine with Pockrus. “I’ve always wanted to start,” said the senior right-hander, who has served the Aggies from the bull pen before this season. “If that’s his de cision, that’s great. I’m tickled to death.” Pockrus said that he feels a start ing position will improve his game. “When you’re starting, you know what game you’re going to start in and you know how to prepare,” he explained. “When you relieve, you could relieve every day. You never know when you’re going to pitch. “When I was relieving, I could use one or two pitches — a fastball and a slider. Since I’m starting, I have to add a change up. This does two things. It helps save my arm and it gives batters something dif ferent to look at. “When I was a reliever, I knew how to throw strikes. I think that has carried over. A reliever has to know how to throw strikes because a lot of times when he comes in, the bases will be loaded.” The Aggies could face several bases-loaded situations against Arizona. “They are hitting real well right now,” Warriner said of the Wildcats. “They’re a good, solid ball club. ” Chandler agreed that Arizona will be a formidable opponent. “I understand that they’re a fine ball club,” he said. “They’re coming off a weekend series with USC. And they play in the toughest baseball conference (Pac-10) in America. They call it the 6-Pac and it’s tough. There’s USC, Stanford, California, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA.” The Aggies are scheduled to play the Wildcats again Wednesday as well as hosting Minnesota. Texas A&M and Minnesota will play a double-header Thursday. While in Florida, Texas A&M de feated Miami (Ohio) 8-2 and de feated Florida International 15-3. They then lost three straight to Southern Illinois, 4-0; Oklahoma State, 2-1 and Miami (Fla.), 3-1. The Aggies defeated University of Wisconsin (LaCrosse) 3-1 and de feated Southern Illinois 4-3. They lost again to defending Big Eight champion Oklahoma State 2-1. Fi nally, the Ags beat Bowling Green 4-0 and Miami (Fla.) 4-3. ON SALE MSC 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 3/19-3/30 COMMONS 11 a.m.-l p.m. 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. CAMPUS CHEST IS AN EMERGENCY, NO-INTEREST LOAN FUND FOR STUDENTS. SPONSORED BY STUDENT GOVERNMENT m i MSC AGGIE CINEMA THE GOLDIK AGS OF COMEDY £ -AUREL & HARDY—WILL ROGERS—JEAN HARLOW CAROLE LOMBARD — BEN TURPIN — ANDY CLYDE HARRY LANGDON — EDGAR KENNEDY CHARI IE CHASE — and THE KEYSTONE KOPS rated G Tuesday 8 p.m. March 20 Theater Y- JUNE Aggies go to Europe for info: rca II MSC Travel 845-1515 What movies do YOU want to see next Fall? The MSC AGGIE CINEMA movie polls are available at these locations: • Memorial Student Center (next to staircase) • Commons Lounge • Zachry Lobby • Academic Building • Sbisa Cafeteria Please come by and give us your input. Thank you. MSC GREAT ISSUES COMMUNICATION DQ ROGER POUTS Institute for Primate (Studies MARCH 21 12 NOON RUDDER FOUNTAIN FREE