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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1982)
sports Battalion/Page III April 7,1982 Voice without a A&M sports announcer known more by sound than by sight by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor During 17 years at Texas A&M University, Dr. Roger Feldman has witnessed many sports events. He’s officiated many sports events. He’s taught in the Department of Veterinary Medicine. And he’s probably been as involved with Texas A&M athletics as anyone at the University. Of course, at 56, he’s not an athlete. Most people don’t know him at first glance. They know they’ve heard his voice, but it takes a great deal of thought to remember where. Broadcast Feldman’s voice across a public address system and it suddenly hits home. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to G. Rollie White Goliseum for tonight’s Southwest Gonference basketball game between the Texas A&M University and the University of Houston. Here are the starting lineups ....” That’s Roger Feldman. Feldman has been the public address announcer for Texas A&M football, basketball, and track events since 1969. After he began teaching here in July 1965, his accomplishments have grown into what seems to be a list without end. Feldman started working with Texas A&M athletics as a press box football statistician in 1968, and took the job of doing the internal press box public address announcing the follow ing year. During the same year, Feldman began working Aggie basketball games full-time. And where did it all start? “My first experience as a pub lic address announcer was in 1940, when I was sophomore in high school in a little town called Kalona, Iowa,” Feldman said. “I was in the band, and I did the Roger Feldman announcing for the football games. The band only played during halftime, so I could announce during both halves.” Feldman’s voice carried to a student body of less than 100 in those days. It’s now heard by as many as 70,000 spectators at Texas A&M football games. “I have really gotten into pub lic address announcing since I got to A&M,” Feldman said. “I have really enjoyed every mi nute of the 17 years I’ve been here.” Public address announcing constitutes only part of Feld man’s career at Texas A&M. In the winter of 1966, Feldman be gan officiating basketball prac tice scrimmages for Texas A&M coach Shelby Metcalf. Feldman, an associate profes sor of veterinary pathology in the Texas A&M Department of Veterinary Medicine, umpired Southwest Gonference baseball games during 1969-71. He be gan his officiating career in 1945, and was a referee for Lone Star Conference basketball and football games in the earlv 1970s. Feldman received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in 1950 and finished his master’s work at Auburn University in 1964. Feldman, who says he takes pride in his work with stu dents and youngsters, is a mem ber of the academic council of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. “I’ve been very involved with young people,” Feldman said. “I am concerned with young peo ple and seeing that they steer themselves in a positive direc tion.” But Feldman admits that his announcing, along with a per sonal feeling that he’s doing the job right, brings the greatest personal satisfaction. “One of the secrets of my announcing is that I listen other public address announ cers, and if I like what they do, I somehow try to put it into my repertoire at the appropriate time,” Feldman said. “The one thing I pride myself on in public address announcing is my neutrality. A public address announcer is supposed to be an information relayer. There may be people there with out any interest in an event, and they simply want to know what happens. “I’m not there to elaborate on the quality of the players,” he said. “The public address anouncer is there to save people the trouble of looking in their programs.” Feldman says his football announcing has been given an added boost by an unea^ helper. His son, Scott,aln old freshman mechatt® gineering major, hasbtt® man’s press box assistant' the past four seasons. “I think thesystenilwl football annountingis que,” Feldman said.“Si: done the outside announcing, I’ve hadoi as my helper. He spots f ense and I spot the of we know exactly who's in each play. In most there’s a lot more I have only two people," Cards’ offensive attack defeats Houston United Press International HOUSTON — Cleanup hitter Darrell Porter dis solved the early season anxieties at the plate and pitcher Jim Kaat made Major League history in the St. Louis Cardinals’ season opener. Porter blasted Nolan Ryan’s first hanging curve ball of 1982 for a three-run home run in the first, inning to unleash a wicked bunch of Cardinals bats and start a 14-3 route of the Houston Astros Tuesday. Kaat, 42, became the only pitcher who has appeared in 24 Major League seasons when manager Whitey Herzog inserted him in the ninth inning. He got Art Howe to ground into a double play and Kiko Garcia to ground out to end the game before only a handful of the original 33,521 people in attendance. “The record is nothing I want to brag about,” Kaat said. “In competitive professional sports, you never have a chance to look back on your successes until you are finished. You honor the past, but you don't lean on it.” Cards’ starter Bob Forsch pitched eight strong in nings, although he didn’t seem satisfied with the seven- hit performance. Astros Howe and Alan Ashby touched him for home runs. “I didn’t have a very good fast ball and my curve ball was only pretty good,” Forsch said. “I wasn’t getting behind the hitters too often. That’s what happened on the home run balls.” Forsch was supported by 18 hits and he pitched with a cushion all night after the Cards tallied five runs in the first inning off Ryan, who last year owned the lowest earned run average (1.69) in the National League. “I tried,” Ryan said, “but I couldn’t get the curve ball over. I didn’t experience these location problems in the spring. I felt like I had the best spring I’ve ever had and this was the worst outing I’ve had.” Lead-off hitter Lonnie Smith reached base three times off Ryan in the three innings he pitched, rapping two singles and getting a free pass when hit by a pitch. But no one was more surprised with his success off the former American League pitcher than former Amer ican League slugger Porter. “I don’t enjoy hitting off him. He’s got me a lot more times than I’ve got him,” Porter said. “The pitch I hit was a real mistake. It was a hanger. It wasn’t a very good Nolan Ryan curve ball, but it was a very good Darrell Porter homerun.” His homer seemed to losen up his teamates. George Hendrick, Dane lorg and Steve Braun all got hits be hind Porter in the first inning and then eighthplace hitter Ozzie Smith, a .230 lifetime hitter with San Diego before he was traded in the off season, drove in the first of his two runs. “I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind,” Porter said, “that this ball club is going to hit and score runs. People talk about Ozzie Smith being a poor hitter. But as I’ve said before, put him on a good hitting ball club and he’ll be a good hitter. He was real confident up there tonight.” Cards’ first baseman Keith Hernandez drove in three runs with two doubles and every Cardinal starter, including Forsch, collected at least one hit. Strong singles matches help women to 8-1 tennis victory over Lamar by Denise S. Sechelski Battalion Staff The women’s tennis team’s 8- 1 victory here Tuesday over Lamar University came as a pleasant surprise to Texas A&M coach Jan Cannon, especially since the Aggies won five of six singles matches. However, Lamar coach De- bby Ghezzi said the Aggies’ strong singles play ruined the game plan her team had brought to Texas A&M. “We knew that to win,” Ghezzi said, “we’d have to come in and win the singles. But coach Gan non has so many good players, and it’s hard to play a team with so much depth.” The only Aggie loss came in the No. 1 singles match when Ligia Mattos beat Amv Gloss 0-6, 7-6, 6-1. Lili Fernandez def. Natalie Morales 6-2, 6-1; Pam Hill def. Linda Nicholes 6-2, 6-2; Teresa Landry def. Denise Rhodes 6-0, 6-1; Laura Hanna def. Cheryl Simcox 6-0, 6-1, and Sonja Hutcherson def. Carol Core 6-1, 6-0. In doubles, Hill-Maylyn Hooten def. Mattos-Morales 6- 4, 6-4; Fernandez-Landry def. Core-Simcox 6-3, 6-1, and Hutcherson-Cheryl Stanford def. Nicholes-Sandra Gallien 6- 1, 6-1. Miller HOUSTOI one thing in Tuesday nigl did — barely Under a i i ets’ 6-10 cent grab 21 reboi “We did controlling t Kareem Abd man to defer tonight. “In the foi : ind 1 took the they went in.’ jabbarsco victory. Eventhoiq day night, Co; over yet. He s again in the p “We were d tonight by hir perimeter, we Vtalone and (1 They are a igain in the p Marketing Presentation mist; The Aggies improved their record to 10-13. WEEK The Miller Marketing Presentation is a 55-minute multi image presentation about the marketing strategies that brought about Miller Brewing Company’s phenomenal success during the past 10 years. This program will be Presented by Kevin Flynn of the Miller Brewing Com- United Press As long as has kept Ralph Br nembered as i ;aye up the hoi homson that c Dodgers the 5 pennant in '195 I It was unfoi Branca and the has long since ope with those out it. Calmly a calls attention ivasn’t the only Ipitched for the I le had a fine 11; gers, winning them, including Which bring Steve Rogers, w pitched Tuesd; Montreal in Pitt postponed by tl Rogers is tin pos’staff and tin SaTne old story. These College guys love uou atSirgHt and Moss l{cu in the morning. Any dinner on our menu, just $ 2.99 Offer good through this Sunday No substitutions, please ■they’ve ever hat he’s like Branca, Imbre he’s bout someone who’ll i |heWas the pitch the home run t (that cost the Exj r in 1981. Rogers isn’t Branca handler Truthfully, he’: jterested. He’s s< jpened, sure. But jand Rogers is all new season. After the E: game to the Do pennant along ’ .wen! back hot; Arrow, Okla. “I love it th ‘What I like ab< don’t think base there. Everyboc really was posit i happened to mi fclub. I honestly hear anything a came back to Me the year to go on I hare. Then I hea Ken’s Aufi 421 S. Main 822-2 A Complete / Service C • Tune-Ups • Br; • Clutches • McF • Front End Parts • Standard Transrr Repairs All Americ VW-Datsui Toyo