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.”
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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
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