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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1979)
Page 12 THE BATTALION FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1979 Baylor Invitational Tracksters travel to Waco By SEAN PETTY Battalion Sports Staff It’s that time of the year when times on the track should get lower and distances in the field should get higher. And the Texas Aggies men’s track team is doing just that as the time draws nearer to the Southwest Conference championship meet in Austin. Coach Charles Thomas’s troops will run in the Baylor Invitational this afternoon and tonight, hoping to improve their performances as they prepare to defend their conference title in three weeks. “Everyone is finally coming around,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be a tough meet but I think we have a chance to win several events and possibly, the whole meet. “I guess our best chances to win will be in the 440-yard relay and the mile relay.’’ The sprint relay will consist of Steve Willis, Leslie Kerr, Vernon Pittman and Curtis Dickey while running on the mile relay will be Willis, Kerr, Pittman and Ron Wilson. “Tim Scott could win both the shot put and the discus,” Thomas said. “I think Kerr and Willis both have a chance to win the 440-yard dash. Randy Hajl should win the pole vault and I think Curtis can win the 100- meter dash if he runs it.” Dickey, who is through with spring football for the year, is still Spurs, 76ers meet again United Press International PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had change on their mind Thursday as they pre pared to get back into their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series with the San Antonio Spurs. The Central Division champion Spurs shot the lights out of the basket on their home court to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and the Sixers must come back with a pair of wins tonight and Sunday to have any chance at all of advancing in the playofis. Sixers Coach Billy Cunningham said defensive ace Bobby Jones, who guarded league-leading scorer George Gervin Tuesday night with out much success, would go back to E laying Larry Kenon, who had 13 of is 27 points in Game 2 during the fourth quarter. Even though they’re moving away from their home court, the Spurs were confident they could win at least one game in Philadelphia to allow them to wrap up the series next Thursday in San Antonio. “We’re going to get one up there,” said guard James Silas. “It’s possible we could get both. ” sore from the hard-hitting practices. Thomas said Dickey has a hip pointer, a sore hamstring and a slightly pulled quadracep muscle in his left leg. “I’m more beat up than last year because we’re doing a lot more hit ting this year,” Dickey said of the spring drills. “I’m just glad to be out of football. I may not run the 100- meters this week but I’ll be ready for the Drake Relays next week. I’m just really sore.” The Aggies are coming off an im pressive dual victory over Baylor last week much to the surprise of the Baylor coaches. “They didn’t have a couple of guys running but it wouldn’t have made a difference if they had,” Thomas said. “Our guys just got after it and are really performing now.” Thomas said one of the meet fa vorites would have to be Missouri which has an outstanding sprint medley team and several strong in dividuals. “They have a guy who’s run a 46.1 quarter mile and a high jumper who’s cleared 7’3”,” said Thomas. “And they’re sprint medley won at the Texas Relays so they’re are going to be very tough. “But you never know, we could just come away with the whole thing if we do as well as we can.” The running events start at 2 p. m. with the field events start at 3. The finals will start at 7:05 p. m. in Waco. remnnnrmnnra'B tnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrinrfl^~oTi~e~o'innnnrvTnnrinnnrB'^ GET ’EM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE! now is your last chance to take advantage of the savings on a wide assortment of sale books ... Reference ... Scientific ... Academic TEXAS h&n BOOKSTORE In the Memorial Student Center a ft ft. ft &JLSULSLSLJLA A.BJLfi-fl. B fl g.O-O.Q.fl a.g.g fl.a.a-ILft.a.aJLfl-B-B.g-fl..g g-B-B-g fl. ft flJULA-gJLfl-fi-O-O.H fl ad! SUPER PARKING LOT SALE SUNDAY APRIL 22 12-6 P.M. <v£> e <b ot rV-* JACK NICHOLAS AND HUSH PUPPY GOLF SHOES SPECIAL TABLE OF SHOES BROOKS VANTAGE RACK OF MEN’S TENNIS SHOES y 2 PRICE A.C., $JJ88 $ 24 90 GYM SHORTS $1 99 Much Much Much More — ONE DAY ONLY — OPEN 9:30-6:00 )]] £=~ ) *1 / 1 Lorfctr Room “SPORTSHOES UNLIMITED" One last shot at the buzze One year ago this week, I took my seat in the worn, gray oftice chair that, several volumes back, had been designated The Sports Editor’s Chair. It sat, appropriately enough, in front of a desk known as The Sports Editor’s Desk. A piece of labeling tape reading “Sports” clung to the wall above the desk, presum ably to prevent any confusion as to who the furniture belonged to. The Chair, I was certain, had ac commodated in its time some quite famous and possibly some quite in famous persons, all trying as best they could to present an accurate, fair and entertaining account of ath letic activities in Aggieland. Surely, they had all followed their fair share of winners and losers, angered their fair share of fans and bathed in their fair share of fleeting moments of glory. And now here sat the tall, skinny country boy trying to get comforta ble in the old, gray chair — con templating the year ahead. Little did I know that it would be one of the most interesting years for sports at Texas A&M in some time. As my tenure began, I could al most hear Jim McKay’s voice echo ing in the background: “The thrill of victory!” Mark Thurmond pitched a no hitter against Texas Tech in the Ag gies’ brand new baseball stadium on April 22. A few weeks later, in Fayet teville, Mike Hurdle caught a fly ball to center field, ending a game be tween Texas A&M and Arkansas and giving the Aggies their second straight Southwest Conference championship. Aggies and championship seemed viewpoint By DAVID BOGGAN Battalion Sports Editor to be synonymous that spring. The young Texas A&M track team won the SWC track and field cham pionship in Austin by an almost un believable 44-point margin. “This is going to be great,” I thought. As every sports writer soon learns, it is much easier to listen to a winner than to try to interview a loser. But the good fortune of spring soon turned into the bad omens of summer. During the off-season, the Aggies lost George Woodard, Eddie Hardin and Karl Godine, the first two to injury, the last to opportunity. The -summer yielded to the fall, and fall in Aggieland means only one thing — football. graduated from high school and the day Emory Bellard resigned as Texas A&M’s head football coach and ath letic director. Following losses to Houston and Baylor, Bellard said that he was told he was going to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. Bel lard decided to beat the powers that be to the punch; he resigned on Oct. 24. What followed was a week of emo tional press conferences, upset players and, finally, the naming of Tom Wilson as new head football coach. The Aggies finished the sea son with an 8-4 record. The Texas A&M football team picked up where the baseball and track teams left off. The Aggies won their first four games of the 1978 sea son, outscoring their opponents 170-21. But then I heard of Jim’s voice again, echoing the inevitable: “The agony of defeat. ” There are three days in history that I’ll never forget: the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the day I The Aggie basketball team finished an exciting 1978-79 season with a 24-9 record. Shelby Metcalf s young team (all five starters will re turn next year) made it to the quar ter final round of the NIT before its season ended. And, to complete the cycle, the baseball team is fighting the rain and the opponents, trying to win its third consecutive conference title. Now it is time for me to surrender The Sports Editor’s Chair to the next man in line. What kind of year can he expect:' It promises to be anotlie; sports mixed with politico canny combination that mi lege athletics the interest nomenon that it is today. You see, I believe thatl A&M athletic de feeling the aftershock of j resignation a half a year( only did Bellard take hist offense with him wheniisJ also took his leadership. The athletic departmeilj had a permanent athletic! six months. Instead, i power-happy group ol are running the show.' been several resignationsijj partment recently andsevei rumors of job termination come. While no onei being pressured by then and-white-leisure-suit I Brister hinted at the p faces Aggie athletics. “Everybody can’t site yard line,’ the formerexec president of the Aggie ( he resigned last month,] words, you can’t please il| alumni all of the time. And it is too bad thattl situation has to exist. Itis|| that people are runnings: athletic department have heard that the alumnij ling in their direction, that an athletic program h marred by possible NCAAl tions because of outsidei ence. It is too bad that thenextui in the old, gray chair mus only a sports reporter, buti| analyst as well. Spaghetti Dinner all you can eat for 025 Comes with salad and garlic toast. Every Sunday Evening 5-10 in the Aggieland Inn TEXAS HALL oflFAME BUILT TO BE THE BEST; DESTINED TO BE THEBIGGI! NO DANCE TONIGHT! — SATURDAY NIGHT 8-1 - “The Jimmy Carter Ban|> $3 per person No reservations Saturday April 28 - Johnny Rodriguez Advanced tickets $8 at WTAW, Tip Top & Hall of Fanu Put ive ly dt A short course in Bonded Bourbon. First lesson: Bonded Bourbon is so unique that it took an act of Congress (in 1897) to establish the standards for Old Grand-Dad and other Bonded whiskeys. Old Grand-Dad Bonded is authentic Kentucky sour-mash Bourbon, made with pure limestone water, the finest grains, and aged in new charred-oak barrels. Only Bonded whiskeys have a green tax stamp. It's your guar antee that the whiskey is at least four years old. Old Grand-Dad Bonded is always aged longer. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 10° Pwf- Bottled in Bond. Old Grand-Dad Distillery Co., Fran