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Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, December 5.1983
Traditions to blame
for loss of UT game
Unfortunately, this year’s loss to the
University of Texas was nothing new.
Texas A&M has lost 63 of the 90
games they have played against UT. By
now Aggies ought to be used to losing to,
or being outscored by if you prefer, the
Longhorns.
By now Aggie fans should be through
Two traditions down, one to go.
The entire football season revolves
around a single game, heck the fall
semester revolves around a single foot
ball game, heck an entire University re
volves a single football game.
Bonfire, that mass of burning lumber,
involves countless hours of man-time (ex
cuse me, person-time), sweat and skir
mishes with University officials. And I
love it as much as the next Ag. It sure
beats what UT and OU fans do in the
streets of Dallas the night before their big
game.
But I disagree with the meaning of
bonfire. It has the sole purpose of symbo
lizing “our burning desire to beat tu.”
Why? How about our burning desire to
have a winning season? Or a burning de
sire to have a true “world class univer
sity.
with their moping and pouting and talk
of suicide.
So that a week later, it should be safe to
attempt to analyze the game, honestly.
But wait, you may not like the analysis.
Especially if you are a hardcore, red neck,
ever livin’, ever lovin’, Rock the Good Ag,
Aggie fan.
And if you are, I wish you would stop
leading right here and now.
If you don’t, it may be hazardous to my
health.
This column is about to strike at the
very of heart of Aggieland — its tradi
tions. And not just any traditions. The
traditions — The Twerlth Man, its kick
off team and bonfire in all its blazing
glory, so to speak.
Those traditions cost A&M the ball
game, no matter how you look at it. At
least no matter how I look at it.
If you’re the kind who likes to point to
a specific play, it was Jackie’s brainchild,
the Twelfth Man kickoff team who blew
it. They had managed to pin the ’Horns
deep in their own territory only to lift
Texas out of the only hole they would be
in the entire second half.
Head coach Jackie Sherrill: “The big
gest play of the game came when we tack
led them (UT) at the 9 and then got called
for piling on.”
Now to the next tradition, The
Twelfth Man itself.
Let’s let the Longhorns explain it
themselves.
UT head football coach Fred Akers:
“A&M had a lot of momentum to start, I
was thrilled when we got the field a little
quieter.”
UT Linebacker Jeff Lieding: “I think
that last score of ours (at the end of the
half) really took the breath out of them.
The Twelfth Man stopped doing the
only thing it is capable of to help the
team, make noise and sustain
momentum.
What would happen if A&M went 1-10
with a win against UT? Ags would consid
er the season a success.
“Yeah Fred, the Rice Owls killed us,
but did you see what we did to Texas?”
What would happen if we went 10-1?
“Yeah Fred, we lost to Texas, but we’re
going to the Cotton Bowl.”
Therein lies the problem.
A long time ago somebody here came
up with the idea that we could minimize
the effects of having a losing season. If we
could win just one game then we could
live with ourselves. It’s a cop out.
But now even that scheme has worked
against us, we can’t handle the pressure.
The new problem which makes the
situation worse has something to do with
the old cliche “The bigger they are, the
harder they fall.”
The bigger the expectations,(hopes,
dreams, whatever) the harder they fall.
The football team lives with the hype
and propaganda of the Texas game all
year long.
Every time they hear the Aggie War
Hymm they are commanded to “saw var
sity’s horns off.”
Every time they drive by the south end
of campus they see “the stack.”
And every week they hear about UT
moving higher and higher in the rank
ings.
The pressure must be enough to make
grown men weep. Or football players
fold in the third quarter.
The A&M-UT game is a balloon. And
we inflate it bigger and bigger with bon
fire activites. Stretching the balloon until
it seems it can’t hold any more.
Then the game begins. And an early
13-0 Aggie lead pumps that balloon up
even tighter until — POP. With two quick
touchdowns before the half, Texas has
burst our bubble pnce again.
Why don’t we move bonfire to the be
ginning of the football season or the start
of conference games. Let’s get excited
about a whole football season and not act
like the first ten games are simply a war
mup to the Thanksgiving Day game.
Socialist ban of plate-smashiij
leads to questions about the
H wanted
Id set up
■rking loi
Bing to m
Columbia s|
ler the Bi
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Like many another
E roduct of the free enterprise system, I have
mg been vaguely discomforted by socialism,
without exactly knowing why.
Now, at last, I may have found the reason
for my unease.
Reports from Athens tell us the socialist
government of Greece has moved to ban
plate-smashing in nightclubs.
The socialists are said to regard this time-
honored form of critical acclaim as wasteful.
And they may be right. But if, after a particu
larly enjoyable floor show, a patron of the arts
can’t show his appreciation by breaking a bit
of pottery, what’s the point of going out in the
first place?
One might as well stay home and watch the
late show on television. Although in socialist
countries, smashing television screens prob
ably is frowned upon, too.
A good nightclub act in Greece, I under
stand, can inspire as many as 4,000 or 5,000
broken plates in a single evening. In the Un
ited States, that would be the equivalent of a
standing ovation.
With Dolly Parton on stage, the audience
might even shatter a few cups and saucers.
“If people feel like spending their money
on breaking plates, why should the govern
ment want to stop them?” one Greek night
club owner was quoted as carping.
Why ? indeed! Gertainly that type of ap
plause seems more genuine than clapping,
stomping and whistling, which don’t cost any
thing.
Imagine a demand for an encore being
transmitted by the sound of ceramic shatter
ing. If that doesn’t bring a few curtain calls,
nothing will.
Be advised, however, the plate-smashing in
Greece apparently is not the same as dropping
silverware on the floor, as some of my dinner
guests are wont to do.
Nor should this manner of expression be
used to express displeasure over the food
being served in the plates.
I f restaurant customers got into the habit of
hurling tasteless entrees across the table, it
might result in some improvement in the
cuisine. However, punching out the waiter or
cook will get your point across quite nicely,
thank you.
Plate-smashing and socialism being incom-
patable, a political scientist is entitled to won
der where that system of government might
strike next.
Should Greek leaders be unable to break
the crockery-breaking tradition, will they then
decree that all restaurant
only Tupperware?
■re a.
in the coue®
■ Bill Hob
of the local
And what of the custom of throwin|l sollie mem!
into the fireplace after drinkingato£l r:insm i ss i,
Ibwen Garr
Plastic glasses undoubtedly woulds»« II I H)tt w
better chance of surviving thatsortofrcP 1 ' 111 ’
But wouldn’t sipping champagne friB‘1 think t
breakable goblets detract from the spHji area
the occasion? K eventu
“He’s been
Purely from a governmental stand®actual
socialism perhaps has something top
mend it. But when any regimebeginsto
cafe society of its color, and other®
some of the fun out of life, it may bet
bring back the lories.
Letter:
Volleyball over-played
by
Recorded voices can be
whenever they put their
persuasive
minds to it
by Art Buchwald
One of my last columns dealt with
subliminal voices. This one deals with
liminal ones. We are now entering the
age of recorded messages. I didn’t realize
how pervasive it was until I had to fly to
Atlanta the other day. After I deplaned, I
took a long walk and then a long escalator
ride into the bowels of the earth, and
waited for a two-car train to take me sev
eral stops to another long escalator which
would bring me back up to the crust to
claim my baggage.
Slouch
by Jim Earle
“Want a money-saving hint?
Wait’ll after Christmas; they’re
much cheaper then.”
The train pulled in and a voice said.
“This is the B Station. Please enter and go
to the rear of the train.”
This was a reasonable request, but as I
followed the mob trying to board, my
carry-on bag got caught and I held the
door so I wouldn’t be dragged along the
train. The voice said, and I swear I am not
making this up, “Someone is holding the
door and preventing the rest of you from
moving.”
“I can’t help it,” I shouted. “My strap is
caught.”
The voice sounded angrier. “Someone
is holding the door. Thr train cannot
start.”
I finally broke the strap and squeezed
on the train. Everyone was staring at me.
I tried to smile. “It wasn’t my fault,” I said
defensively. A dozen hostile eyes were on
my. The voice said, “Please do not stand
near the door as we approach Station A.”
“I’m not standing near the door,” I
shouted at the loudspeaker. “Does any
one see me standing near the door?” The
other passengers looked away in disgust.
By the time I got to Station A I was in a
cold sweat trying to figure out how to get
off the train by not standing near the
door. I made it to the platform just as the
doors closed behind me.
Then I went to rent a car. It was a new
sedan and when I started it up a voice
came out of the dashboard and said,
“Your safety belt is not fastened.” I could
have sworn it was the same voice who
bawled me out on the train. I quickly
fastened the safety belt. The voice repe
ated itself, “Your safety belt is not fas
tened.” I undid it and fastened it again.
The voice repeated, “Your safety belt
is not fastened.”
After being told two more times I cal
led over the rental attendant. “This car
keeps telling me my safety belt isn’t fas
tened.”
“Don’t pay any attention to it,” he said.
“It’s been telling our customers that for
three days.”
I drove to my hotel. By the time I got
there I was smashing my fist against the
dashboard.
I checked into one of those huge glass
greenhouses with the elevators on the
outside of the building. As soon as I got in
the voic^said, “There is no smoking on
the elevator. Press the button just once.
This elevator does not go to the roof gar
den. If you wish to go to the roof garden
take the elevators on the other side of the
lobby.”
“I don’t want to go to the roof garden,
and I’m not smoking,” I yelled. A couple
took one look at me and got off.
I finally got to my room and locked the
door. The first thing I did was search it
for loudspeakers. If they were there they
were carefully hidden. Then I called
down for room service. A recorded voice
answered, “All lines for room service are
busy now. Please hold on until someone is
available to take your order.” I slammed
the phone down.
Then I turned on the TV set. It was the
same voice. “In case of fire follow these
instructions carefully.” I turned off the
set.
There was nothing left but to go to
sleep. I left a wakeup call for 7 a.m.
“Thank you,” I said. “What’s the
weather like outside?”
The voice said, “It is 7 a.m.”
“Look, is it cold or raining or snowing
or what?”
Editor:
Now that the 1983 women’s varsity
volleyball season is over, there are some
comments I would like to make about this
season.
The publicity that the 1983 team re
ceived is very ironic. The volleyball team
finished just above 50 percent and re
ceived a good amount of publicity that
has been lacking in past years. After
almost every game this year, a person had
no problem in finding out how the team
fared. The local radio and television sta
tions, the Bryan Eagle and The Battalion
had something to say about how they
played, its opponent and if it won or lost.
It seems from the publicity that the
team had a chance to tie Texas for first
place in the Southwest Conference be
fore playing them in its final home game.
But Texas was too much for the team and
they finished second.
Coach Terry Condon said that the fans
made the team a little nervous at the be
ginning of the match, and that might
Batta
plore tha
Bed up fo
|g preregis
ite registrar
■ts at least
■before cl;
jay, Jan. 16
have affected the way the team
Well coach, if the team would havEiujentg’ j 0
100 percent mentally prepareiileek
would not have noticed if there wei
fans or 2,400.
Also the publicity seemed tomail
point that second place in the SiC
pretty good, but this makes the#!
in a row that A&M has finishedstB
Also, if a person was to ratethete*
the SWC on their ability to play(
volleyball on a scale from Itol
being the best), Texas, wouldrateistitute will f
ximately as a 9, Texas A&M asaljjanuary at"
ton as a 6, and the rest of the con: Mi act agr
playing volleyball that might get lx !0V(r l he co
the Texas 5A high school state(l!) 1 , 0 ^ ^
pionship volleyball team. Thiste®^^
how competitive the SWC is. » nuarv
Last year’s team was more higlil) , i i| as p art " 0
then this year’s team but received)! cation proy
amount of publicity than thisyearst ami present
They deserved it more. Rudder Ce:
®This is t
Charles Pietsch
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Memtvr ot
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conferetu <
“It is 7 a.m.”
“Hello. This is a guest in room 1209. Is
anybody there? This is a guest in room
1209. Is anybody there?”
The voice said once more, “It is 7
a.m.,” and then there was a click and dead
silence. There was nobody there.
Editor Hope E. Paasch
City Editor Kelley Smith
Assistant City Editor Karen Schrimsher
Entertainment Editor .... Rebeca Zimmermann
Assistant Entertainment Editor Shelley
Hoekstra
News Editors Brian Boyer, Kathy Breard,
Kevin Inda, Tracey Taylor,
Chris Thayer, Kathy Wiesepape
Photo Editor Eric Evan Lee
Staff Writers Robin Black,
Brigid Brockman, Bob Caster,
Ronnie Crocker, Elaine Engstrom,
Kari Fluegel, Tracie Holub,
Bonnie Langford, John Lopez,
Kay Denise Mallett,
Christine Mallon,
Michelle Powe, Stephanie Ross,
Angel Stokes, Steve Thomas,
John Wagner, Karen Wallace,
Wanda Winkler
Copy Editors Kathleen Hart,
Susan Talbot
Cartoonists Paul Dirmeyer,
Scott McCullar
Photographers Michael Davis,
John Makely, Dave Scott,
Dean Saito, Cindi Tackitt
/Vie lion also serves as a fa/wiaion » (l
for students in reporting, editing ;tn<lphotojpf
ses w ithin the l)epnrtmcnt of Commun/caw*
Questions or comments concerning Mi 11
nuitlct should he diteeted to the editor.
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