Thursday, September 24, 1987/The Battalion/Page 9
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Sports
Harris undaunted by lack of catches
Aggie receiver says winning is the main i ssue
Battalion File Photo
cas A&M flanker Rod Harris goes high for a touchdown recep
tion during last year’s 16-7 victory over Southern Mississippi.
tstios’ won’t resign
>ionff2-year veteran Cruz
f° 1T < AP ) -JKOUSTON (AP) — Jose Cruz,
s condition one 0 f ^ Houston Astros’ most
U ednesday tr |^) U i aI ; in d successful players, will
cnous, as the; n0 { ^ offered a contract for 1988,
c began develc ^
ney problems r(^R ruz rac ^ ec \
up several re-
ma, hosptta: C ords since he started playing for the
.^pos in 1975, but his performance
/O, remained ^^,.1 ear ij er t hi s year and he has
are unit of h fnainlv been used as a pinch hitter
and is underg .^j Ce (hg All-Star break,
vsman Chris K;
lys events J rf |'.Jhe 40-year-old Cruz said he is
ut. hitd sp^’-teaving the team with no hard feel-
Steinhauer, j n „ s an{ j hopes of playing for an-
it read by otjr club.
mgs have notmff «j thought they would offer me
lammation a: Something,” Cruz said Tuesday
>ment of fibrous Wjjht in Atlanta where the Astros
s) continue ins lost to the Braves 6-2. '
e treatment and tip
Bl hey offered me nothing. Maybe
las experience thcreason is the money I make. But
eart function,k'-W
lem is still hisiuifi®
grandson of ila ®^VVVVVVVVV , ^ ,
Ford Motor &
Ford Hospital, v
Sept. 12 after
teveral days at a!,
)etroit suburb ufi
arms.
was president are
a of Ford Mote
1980, and retirk
>any on Oct. 1,1ft
mains a membtt
I directors for Itf!
aompany and eta;:
mmittee.
I thought they might offer me some
thing at a little less money.
“I just hope to play for somebody
next year. I know I can still play,” he
said. “I just hope I get a chance. I al
ways thought I’d finish my career
here. I guess they don’t like me any
more."
Cruz is in the final year of a con
tract that pays $733,333 per year.
He will be a free agent at the end of
the season.
General Manager Dick Wagner
told Cruz of the team’s decision dur
ing a meeting Monday before the
Astros left on their final road trip of
the season.
“With his age, we unfortunately
do not see him in the picture,” Wag
ner said. “He took it like a gen-
Ueman, and I appreciate that. He’s a
good guy, but good things come to
an end.”
By Anthony Wilson
Sports Writer
To hear people talk, you would
think Rod Harris has died.
The 5-foot-l 1, 183-pound junior
flanker, who caught 21 passes last
year and averaged 15.5 yards per
catch, was named to the 1987 pre
season All-Southwest Conference
second team and was expected to be
one of the big guns in the A&M of
fensive artillery.
But through the first two games
of this season he has caught only one
pass for six yards. And that seems to
upset everyone.
Everyone, that is, except for Rod
Harris.
“It’s not that I’m not contributing
to the team, it’s just that it’s not no
ticeable right now,” Harris said. “I
feel like I’m contributing to the team
by blocking and other things. Better
receivers contribute not only by
catching the ball and making big
plays by catching the ball, but by
blocking also. You can make a key
block to spring running backs or
things like that.”
A&M coaches have said that Har
ris has a chance of being one of the
best receivers to ever play at A&M.
Harris believes that too, but he
would prefer to win rather than rack
up some flashy stats.
“I don’t look at it as just because
I’ve only had one pass, I can’t be (the
best),” Harris said. “Even if I don’t
catch the ball, I just want to win and
play on a winning squad. That’s the
way I look at it.”
And Harris believes he will be see
ing more action soon.
ms
aJm
“It takes time,” he said. “We’re
working on putting people in the
right place right now. We’re working
on the offense. That’ll come — me
catching the ball more. And if it
doesn’t and we win, who cares?”
Because of his 4.4 speed and the
success he enjoyed last year, teams
would seem to be more apt to double
team Harris this year, resulting in a
lack of production. But that’s not the
case, Harris said.
“We’re just trying to get things
together,” he said. “It’s not that I’m
seeing any double coverage or any
thing like that. They’re trying to fig
ure out how other people play, like
Percy Waddle.”
Neither is it the quarterbacks’
faults that he’s only caught one pass,
he said.
“I have been open sometimes, but
the quarterbacks have a certain re
ad,” he said. “We (the receivers)
have a certain read. If a play is
called, it might not be to me or he
just has to read between two other
receivers. Even if I am open, it prob
ably wouldn’t be right for him to
throw me the ball way across the
field when he has someone closer
who’s open.”
Although Harris is not catching
passes, he is chipping in to the of
fense with his kickoff and punt re
turn work. And when the subject of
returns arises, Harris’ eyes grow
wide with excitement and his face
lights up with a big grin.
“I like them both, but I love punt
returns,” he said. “I guess because
it’s more exciting, you know? It’s
more exciting to the fans. People are
looking down and you’re the only
one back there. And you have a
chance to make something happen.
It’s just a little more exciting to me. I
don’t know why I like it.
“It’s not really difficult until our
team goes for a block and they go to
block the punt and don’t block it, so
I don’t have anyone back there to
help me,” he continued. “You know
what I’m saying? I catch the ball and
the opposite team is down on me.”
Contrary to what a lot of people
believe, the game Saturday against
the University of Southern Missis
sippi in Jackson,Miss., won’t be an
easy one, Harris said.
“I think people misunderstand
Southern Miss,” he said. “Southern
Miss may be on a different level, but
they’re really good. We almost got
beat by Southern Miss last year.
“Of course we made some mis
takes, but every team is going to
make mistakes. Southern Miss is
really good. This is a chance for us to
get better. Playing against a team
like Southern Miss, it’s no pushover.
“We can’t look at it like they’re less
than Washington or LSU. Every
body we play, we put them on a level
as if they’re the best. There’s no let
down at all.”
Harris was pleased to see the of
fense improve against Washington.
But to do well against Southern Mis
sissippi, Harris said he knows the of
fense will have to perk up and play
even better.
“I was pleased to a certain extent,
but the way I see it, everybody on the
team knows we’ve got to get better.
We’ve got to equal the defense. The
defense is one a roll right now.
We’re getting better. We’re just find
ing who can play and who can help
us right now.”
Despite playing a position whose
success depends upon the success of
the quarterback, Harris said he has
not taken a side in the Great Aggie
Quarterback Controversy.
“Hey, if Pavlas plays, Pavlas
plays,” he said. “If Stump plays,
Stump plays. We’ve all got one goal
and that’s to win. Whoever the
coaches feel should be in, that’s the
coaches decision. It’s not up to me. I
can play with both of them. Both of
them are good in my eyes. I don’t
have any preference.”
Harris said he continues to im
prove everyday and he gives a lot of
the credit for his improvement to
defensive back Chet Brooks.
“Me and Chet, we want to make
each other better,” Harris said. “We
get after each other. That’s the way
we are. I feel like he’s one of the best
defensive backs in the nation, that’s
the way I look at him. I go against
the best everyday. I don’t think I go
against anybody better than him —
in the conference or whoever we
play.”
NFL negotiators continue talks despite strike
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Full-
scale talks aimed at quickly ending
the NFL strike began Wednesday as
players stayed on picket lines and, at
three camps, tried to stop busloads
of substitutes from going to work.
Among those reporting were two
union defectors — Randy White of
the Dallas Cowboys and Mark Gasti-
neau of the New York Jets.
The NFL, meantime, said Sun
day’s games still had not been offi
cially canceled.
Negotiators sat down at 3 p.m.
EDT, midway through the second
full day of the strike. By 7 p.m., they
were just starting to discuss what was
expected to be the most critical item
of business — free agency.
“The two sides are continuing to
meet. There is no indication how
long the meeting will last,” John
Jones, a spokesman for the NFL
Management Council, said at a press
briefing. “Free agency is the key is
sue. There is dialogue and dis
cussion but no sense that a set
tlement is at hand.”
From 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., the two
chief negotiators, union boss Gene
Upshaw and management head Jack
Donlan, had met twice face-to-face
and twice reported back to their re
spective executive committees.
“I’m hoping we can get it done.
That’s why we’re here,” Upshaw said
before the bargaining session
started. “There is no time-frame.
Our agenda is to reach an
agreement, however long it takes.”
Said Donlan: “The next two days
are critical. If there’s no movement
after two days, we’re looking at a
long one.”
The union is demanding free
agency for players with four years’
experience. Owners, so far, have re
fused to modify the current system
under which teams are compensated
if a player signs with another team.
Only one player in 10 years has
changed teams under that system.
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