Page 12 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1980
TANK MCNAMARA by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
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REGULATION OF NFL C1EERLEAPERE'
COSTUME'S-.
Dynasties take time to build
By KURT ALLEN
Battalion Staff
It may be a bit premature to start talking about build
ing a dynasty, but the Texas Aggie basketball team is
certainly well on its way to laying the groundwork for
one.
There’s no doubt that Texas A&M is overdue to
dominate in one Southwest Conference sport or
another. That seems logical for no other reason than the
fact that Aggies for years earned their spurs while the
Texas Longhorns, as the big brothers of the conference,
pretty much had their way.
But that was before Texas A&M grew up and matured
into its present form. No longer does the University ol
Comment
Texas exert unchallenged power and influence in the
conference (some would argue that it ever did).
The fact is that Aggie athletics have become a big-time
program. At the same time, Southwest Conference bas
ketball has also hit the big time. Happily, the two events
have coincided to the benefit of Texas A&M.
Perhaps never before has any group of Aggie cagers
possessed the wealth of talent that this year’s team does.
Oh, there have been occasional bursts of brilliance, as in
1964, ’69, 75 and ’76. But never has a Texas A&M team
been blessed with such awesome personnel on a scale
which is steadily increasing.
One only has to look at the current roster to realize the
depth of the Aggie program. In the persons of Rynn
Wright, Vernon Smith, Rudy Woods and Claude Riley,
Head Coach Shelby Metcalf has four big men whose
collective shooting and ball-handling abilities are un
matched by any other school in the conference. To
gether, the four starters comprise the Aggie “Wall.”
A fine pair of guards is developing in Tyrone Ladson
and Reggie Roberts. Ladson is showing improved play
and new-found enthusiasm in his new role as the senior
starting point guard who directs the Wall.
Meanwhile, the freshman Roberts has already come
on strong following a phenomenal career at McKinney
High School. Metcalf uses him either to rest Ladson or
as part of a two-guard attack when the Wall occasionally
falters.
Completing the picture is a bench which shows more
depth than in recent years and features several experi
enced lettermen. This is opposed to years past when the
complaint heard most often about Aggie teams was no
bench depth to back up a good starting five.
So far, the team seems to be right on target for where
it should be at this early point of the season. After a
shaky start against Maine, the players have improved
slowly with each game. Now 3-0 on the season, the
Aggies own the only undefeated mark in the conference
and are ranked 12th and 14th in the nation by AP and
UPI respectively.
Based on last year’s 26-8 record (14-2 in SWC play)
and 1979’s 24-9 mark (11-5 in SWC play), some fresh
men and sophomores might be given the mistaken im
pression that Texas A&M has always been a self-
perpetuating victory machine. But that’s hardly the
case.
Rather, today’s well-balanced Aggie basketball attack
owes its existence to a rebuilding program begun in
1977-78 after the team’s talent and success bottomed out
following the championship years of 1975 and 1976.
Only those who suffered through the drought seasons
of 1976-77 and 1977-78 can appreciate the magic that
Metcalf has shown in transforming a mediocre squad
into a nationally-ranked power inside of two years.
To accomplish the transformation, Metcalf first
started in 1977 with a good crop of recruits which in
cluded Wright and Smith. As the year wore on, Wright
and Smith established themselves as the wave of the
future with surprisingly consistent play for freshmen.
Building on those two young forwards in 1978, Met
calf next captured one of the most sought after players in
the country in Bryan center Rudy Woods. He also
brought in guard David Britton from West Virginia’s
Potomac State Junior College to go along with junior
Dave Goff at that position.
The combination of these five players proved to be
unexpectedly electric. Before they could stop and real
ize what they had done, the Aggies had gone 24-9 on the
season, including some memorable tournament upsets
early in the year. That performance earned the Aggies a
trip to the National Invitational Tournament.
Using the same starting lineup last year, Metcalf sup
plemented the roster by adding Crockett postman
Claude Riley and guard Jay McHugh for depth. This
enabled Metcalf to shuttle players in and out. The team
responded with a record 26 wins while suffering 8 de
feats.
The point of this whole discussion is that it takes time
to build a winner, no matter what the sport. In Metcalf s
case, building a winner has become a cyclical thing.
After each conference championship, the Aggies have
fallen apart and bottomed out, then regained their form
in time for the next championship.
Metcalf s success in rebuilding can be partially traced
to the fact that he has had a free hand in developing his
team.
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We have tried to run our
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telling your friends to do
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
from
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Baseball winter meetings continue
Cubs shuttle Sutter to
United Press International
DALLAS — Lots of teams came to
baseball’s winter meetings deter
mined to wheel and deal all week,
but thus far only one has.
The St. Louis Cardinals did it
again Tuesday and they may do it
again today. And in the process they
have reshaped their ball club.
They have reshaped it so much
that Chicago Cubs general manager
Bob Kennedy, whose club took part
in the Cardinals’ latest swap, thinks
St. Louis is now the team to beat in
the National League East next
season.
“With Bruce Sutter they can win
the pennant,” said Kennedy. “With
Sutter alone we didn’t think we were
going to be in the pennant race.”
Sutter, the National League’s Cy
Young Award winner in 1979, was
dealt to the Cardinals Tuesday in ex
change for outfielder-first baseman
Leon Durham, third baseman Ken
Reitz and a player to be named later.
That bit of business gives St. Louis
two of the best-known relief pitchers
in baseball — Sutter and Rollie Fin
gers, acquired in an 11-player deal
with San Diego on Monday.
But Fingers might not be around
St. Louis long enough to try on a
uniform. The Cardinals appeared
ready to send him off to the Oakland
A s for Steve McCatty, one of the
crew of hurlers that carried the sur
prising Athletics into second place in
the American League West last
makes it easier to do the things I
want to do as a manager.
“If I can make a few more deals
this week I will have done my job as
general manager. Then if the mana
ger doesn’t mess up we’ll be all
right.”
Fingers has only one year remain
ing on a contract he originally signed
with Oakland and he said he wants to
negotiate a new contract of three or
four years.
V0l. 74
“I’ve heard a lot of talk that I might
be moved, ” said Fingers, who was in
town to accept an award in conjunc
tion with the winter meetings. "But
as far as I’m concerned I’m going to
be in St. Louis next season.
“I think I can pitch effectively un
til I am 37 or 38 years old,” said
Fingers, who celebrated his 34th
birthday in August.
“When I was with Oakland we had
three relievers who got into 60
games. I’m sure there would be
enough work for both Bruce and my
self. ”
“I’ve never had a top relief pitcher
since I ve been a manager,” said St.
Louis general manager-manager
Whitey Herzog. “Now I have two. It
Other than the St. Louis-Chicago
trade, Tuesday’s activity was high
lighted by the surprise firing by the
San Francisco Giants of manager
Dave Bristol and the signing of free
agent power hitter Lee May to a one-
year contract by the Kansas City
Royals.
“I am happy we are getting Lee
May,” said Royals
Frey. "1 was withhimfj®
sons at Baltimore and litiii
lent RBI man and clutcllj
role will be to back uptil Kg p a (
and designated hitter aoillf | ^
hitter.”
May, 37, has a menmn
. 266 and has hit 351 taut
runs in his 15 years in
Bristol’s-firing cameas;i
and apparently
public statements thl |l
had made a mistake lasttij|
ing Rennie Stennett.
It was the fourth time
been dismissed from am
job. Bristol was told hewail
go by Giants’ owner
meeting between
Tuesday.
“He was very upset ova
1 had given out,”
ally asked him, ‘B
fire me?’ And he said,'lid
would be best to bring)k|
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