Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 1980)
Page 10 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1980 Reflections by Richard Oliver Politics interference unfair It’s that once-in-a-lifetime chance. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and all that jazz. “All that jazz” is the Olympic Games, and in this Olympic year, “all that jazz” spells all that disappointment. Next week begins the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore., and for hundreds of America’s finest tracksters, the trip may prove to be as much a shambles as this year’s Moscow games should be. One of the strongest Texas A&M University track teams ever will be represented at those trials by six stars who deserve better than this year’s debacle. Tim Scott, Jim Howard, Chuck Perry, Billy Busch, Leslie Kerr and Randy Hall have sweated and trained all their lives for a chance to succeed in the Olympics; or if nothing else, to represent the United States in international competition. In fact, this year’s Olympic squad, to be picked next week, was scheduled to compete in many “alternate” events, created as substi tutes for the Moscow games. Now, even those events, which would give these athletes some thread of purpose, are falling by the wayside. Two meets which were to be held in the U.S. this summer were cancelled Wednesday. The Olympic Games, which constitute the greatest sports event ever, have been reduced to nothing more than a stage for political plays and gains. Now, that same political bullshit is threatening to defeat even the lesser track meets. One meet, scheduled for July 22-23 at the University of Pennsylva nia, one day before the start of the Olympics, has been cancelled because the promoters felt it violated the by-laws of the International Amateur Athletic Association. Just a few hours later, TAC-USA, the new governing body for amateur track and field competition in the United States, nixed a meet at the University of California, to have been held July 17-18. The group claimed the meet had become too “politicized.” The director of TAC-USA, Ollan Cassell, said no other attempts to reschedule international events in the United States are being made. Now that we have made a decision to boycott the Summer Games in Moscow, no matter how politically-motivated the decision, I believe the choice has been made, and should be adhered to. But, when even those competitions which are designed as substi tutes for the Olympics are swamped by the same political flim-flam that has crippled the Games themselves, a line must be drawn. When will it end? Perhaps the very political officials who are making the decisions affecting the meets need to sit down and confront the athletes themselves. I’m sure more than one athlete will tell those officials what it feels like to run a race and win. They’ll tell of the feeling of exhausted satisfaction after jumping the highest or farthest, running the fastest, or throwing the longest. It makes me wonder when these same athletes can relax and run for the sheer enjoyment of it. To accomplish a goal is the whole meaning behind athletics — to strive for perfection. Boycotting an event that is clearly politically-defined and run is one thing, but telling athletes that even their home track meets are biting the dust because of political turmoil is wrong. What’s more, it’s ex- trememly unfair. It’s time to start running track meets once again because of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, not because of the thrill of getting the OK from the hierarchy, or the agony of dictatorial refusal. Puhl’s beaning starts Feeney investigating United Press International HOUSTON — The National League president is investigating a beanball incident in which Chicago Cubs’ manager Preston Gomez ordered a pitcher to intentionally throw at Houston Astros batter Terry Puhl, an Astros’ official confirmed Wednesday. Team president Tal Smith said he received word of an investigation by the league office but that he would not push for a ruling even though Puhl was hit in the side by a Doug Capilla pitch in a game Tuesday in Chicago. Smith said he would not say any thing to influence the investigation apparently being made by National League president Chub Feeney. “I’m not going to comment. To do that would be to put pressure on the league office,” Smith said. “It is an unfortunate incident. ” Gomez, a former Astros manager, told reporters after Tuesday’s game he ordered Capilla to throw at Puhl in the sixth inning because he felt Puhl had tried to embarrass the Cubs by stealing a base three innings ear lier with Houston leading 7-1. “Yes I did,” Gomez said when asked if he had ordered the beanball. “I’ve done this before. Let sleeping dogs lie.” Puhl was restrained by a coach from charging the mound after he was hit, but he said Wednesday he did not know at that time why the pitch was thrown at him. “There is no way I was trying to embarrass the Cubs or Preston Gomez,” Puhl said. “No lead is big enough in Wrigley Field. Things can get out of hand really quickly. You need all the runs you can get. ” Puhl said he was surprised a pitch was thrown at him but that he was shocked Gomez would admit it to reporters. 'He had made his point with the pitch. Why say anything else?” Puhl said. The Astros outfielder, who said the media is not the place to adjudi cate such instances, refused to judge Gomez’ actions. “I can understand his reasoning, but I think he should see it from our viewpoint. We are a running team who does not score that many runs. We need to run all the time. “If it’s 9-1 or 10-1 I’m not going to steal a base.” ★★★★ ★★★★ * * * * * * * * * * + * * * I HAPPY HOUR 4-71 J 1201 Hwy. 30 in the Briarwood Apts., College Station 693-9781 if J * 4- ★★★★*★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ZACHAR1AS GREENHOUSE club & game parlor never a cover charge Enjoy our good music and fine drinks on our outdoor patio. n n.n.n n n n n n m m n n n n n n n n z r-* SODALICIOUS SUMMER SPECIAL LP 3 J Come into Swensen’s during the month of „ June to relax, cool off and take advantage ■ ^ /—IK: .kQTtOO of our Sodalicious Summer Special! _ | l if 'yWC When you order a Swensen’s — SANDWICH or HAMBURGER OF - " vour choice, have an fevN VWL-LWi t -V jd - ICE CREAM SODA OR A 5*^. it tea TREASURE ISLAND FLOAT. ' „ SWENSEN’S 1 * CnUege StatlonJV-HlL. offer not good with kiddie corner 693-6940 OPEN Mon.-Sat. 11:30 IT ) or in conjunction with any other discount „ Sunday 12 noon on*. .Jim m, itao w Dundee: Leonard fit Niekro st °P s Cards United Press International MONTREAL — The relentless style of Roberto Duran has been a problem for rival fighters, but Ange lo Dundee, the trainer for Sugar Ray Leonard feels he has the solution. Duran, the former lightweight champion, who has won 69 of 70 fights, faces Leonard, 27-0, Friday night at Olympic Stadium, with Leonard’s World Boxing Council welterweight championship on the line. Leonard remains a 9-5 favorite, despite the fact Duran has looked sharper in training the last few days. “Roberto has to rank among the great lightweights in boxing his tory,” said Dundee, who also trains Muhammad Ali. “But he just hasn’t fought enough as a welterweight to prove anything. He was a killer with the lightweights with all those knockouts (55), but with the welters, he’s hitting bigger guys and his pun ches don’t have the same effect. “People make a big mistake in thinking that Duran is the knockout puncher in this fight. My guy is the banger in this one, not Duran. Ray is the knockout guy. Duran in his whole life has never fought a guy with a left like my guy. It’s like a lightning rod. He can let it go from any angle and he can hurt you with it anywhere.” Dundee says on Friday night Leonard will unveil the secret to stopping Duran. The fight is sche duled to begin at 9:35 p.m. GST. “Nobody has ever figured him out, but Ray will,” said Dundee. “We have watched films of him and we have him clocked perfectly. We know what he likes to do, how he likes to do it, when he likes to do it, and what to do when he does it. “Ray knows that you can’t throw a lazy jab at him, because he likes to counter over it. We know he’s what we call a heel and toe fighter — he likes to get a certain rhythm — and we won t let him get it. Also, remem ber this — Duran has never been hit where he lives — downstairs. “We’ll hit him there. He likes to go underneath and punish the body a lot and we re going to see how he li^es his body hit. No one has ever got to him there, but Ray will.” Dundee also said he warned Leonard about possible foul tactics by the aggressive Duran. “Ray doesn’t fight that way — he never has,” said Dundee. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t fight back if the other guy fouls him. I’ve told him to give Duran back whatever he gives us. If he goes south of the bor der we ll go south of the border. We’re not going to let him get away with anything like that.” Duran and Leonard met briefly Wednesday for a prefight weight-in. Duran weighed in at 153, but step ped on the scales wearing his shoes and pants. Leonard, who wore only blue briefs, was exactly 147. Both fighters must be at the 147-pound welterweight limit by the official 11 a.m. GST weight-in on Friday. as Astros win, 3-0 United Press International HOUSTON — Enos Cabell and Cesar Cedeno each drove in a run and knuckleballer Joe Niekro pitch ed a six-hitter Wednesday night to lead the Houston Astros to their 11th straight home victory, a 3-0 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals. Niekro, 7-5, earned his second shutout of the season with his sixth complete game. The righthander struck out five and walked one. The Astros, who have won 12 of their last 14 games, got to starter Jim Kaat, 1-4, when Cabell’s two-out single in the first inning knocked home Terry Puhl. Cedeno drove in a third-inning run with an infield grounder after Rafael Landestoy and Puhl had opened the inning with singles. In the fourth, the final run scored on Niekro’s double-play grounder following singles by Joe Morgan and Art Howe. The 11 straight wins in the Astrodome tied a team record set in 1969. Joe Niekro DYER'S PRE-INVENTORY OND BIG WEEK! Sole ends June 30! TOSHIBA COMPLETE STEREO SYSTEM Nikko Audio SAVE *258 Complete Systemmrilh Cassette^ CLEARANCE Power Amp/Preamp/FM Tuner Got a complete stereo at a Clearance price! In cludes AM-FM stereo re ceiver, automatic record player, pair of deluxe speakers, front-load cas sette recorder. SALS Save on a Special purchase of Nikko Professional Components. Alpha Two power amp delivers 110 watts per channel minimum from dual power supplies; Beta Two preamp has variable phono inputs; Gamma One FM tuner has incred ible specs. NEVER BEFORE AT THIS PRICE! V. A specU tion Tei the blis ss> TOSHIBA Portable AM.FM with Cassette Recorder Enjoy radio and tapes anywhere! CUARANCi SALS ALL PISCES SSi *799 @SANYO iAKAIIS2*l£5, AKAI Dolby Cassette AM-FM 8-track w/ Pushbutton Radio • FM muting for static elimination • Dial-in-door styling • Local/distance switch Nikko Audio Mini AM-FM Cassette w/ Auto-reverse • Sanyo FT-C6 goes where others can't • Convenient auto-reverse • Famous Sanyo sound quality k uni iaingep ar and; teacher war” to e he hai liis incest | is accu lading 10 i on th( :surger) for a h TOSHIBA New from Akai, the CS-M01 has verti cal VU meters, Dolby noise reduction, tape selector, and more. CLEARANCE ( SALE < Graphic Equalizer Make your good stereo super Record the improved # sound on your tapes ▼ Nikko model EQ-2 AM- FM Clock Radio Digital readout of exact time Wake to music or alarm Model RC-7000 came on t directed al ing, 45, bu ^Sunday m and open said. M |ht King v ^’s serm< w hen som as Na2 church, lat King’s a (Car-old w< flailed bef « building pe on tfr taliber pis Wen who Person d ital, and aid outbv IF YOU'VE EVER HAD TO TAKE A PHYSICAL INVENTORY, YOU KNOW THE LESS STOCK THE BETTER! THAT'S WHY EVERY DYER STORE IN TEXAS IS SELLING EVERYTHING THEY CAN BEFORE JUNE 30! CHECK THE ODDS & ENDS DISPLAY AND MAKE US AN OFFER ON ANYTHING YOU WANT. NOTHING REASONABLE WILL BE REFUSED* ^g then w Nikko Audio NA-890 NT-890 Top-of-the-Line Cassette Deck • Full-logic solenoid controls • Sendust head • Fade-in/fade out editor • 3-position meters £4 Amp & Tuner Combo Was $369 70 watt per channel integrated amp Power meters and tape dubbing Top-of-the-line tuner with MOSFET front end Both have 3-year transferable warranty *349 Nikko Audio dyer dyer 20 watt per 0 y electronics 3601 E. 29th Dolby Cassette Stereo Receiver Quality recording on a budget Dolby noise reduction and tape selector £ Model PC-X10 139 • Model NR-519 has all most-wanted features • Full circuit breaker protection • 3-year warranty £ transferable 149 846-1768 wmmm w mm Purchase Cartf J 'ENICE, to deer ne\*« asstrat producti < 16 Unite Germ j it. : allied ‘Use the a V abo 1 an. re siden It.” Part of Produe ~ taction, ®da to £. 16 allied to P prio^ (heal diE ^ joL Frever rz T gy. ecor-