Friday, July 22, 1988/The Battalion/Page 5
Sports
A&M sprinters falter at Trials
Heard, Kerr narrowly miss 1988 ‘Seoul Train’
By Anthony Wilson
Sports Editor
Texas A&M sprinters Floyd
Heard and Stanley Kerr failed
Wednesday evening to reserve
their tickets to the Seoul Train.
Heard and Kerr reached the
semifinals in the 200 meter dash
of the U.S. Olympic Trials in In
dianapolis with Heard advancing
to the Finals. However, running
against an extremely fast field
that included 1984 gold medalist
Carl Lewis, Heard finished
eighth.
University of Houston tra-
ckster Joe DeLoach won the event
with a personal best 19.96 to up
set training partner Lewis, who
finished second. Texas Southern
University’s Roy Martin, a former
SMU sprinter, took the third spot
on the team with a time of 20.05.
The A&M duo breezed
through the first two rounds with
relative ease. Kerr finished third
in his first heat in 20.95, .06 sec
onds faster than 1984 silver med
alist Kirk Baptiste. Heard fin
ished second in his heat in the
opening round, .32 seconds be
hind Lewis’ 20.32.
Heard and Kerr finished third
and fourth in the same heat of
the second round separated by
.12 seconds.
Kerr finished seventh in the
third round with a time of 20.76,
failing to advance from the semis
to the finals.
“Stanley did a really good job
getting to the semifinals,” A&M
Assistant Coach Ted Nelson said
Thursday in a phone interview
from Indianapolis. “He ran two
good races in the first and second
rounds. Yesterday he didn’t run
the middle part of his race. He
ran a good turn, but the middle
part of his race was not strong.
Then he came on pretty strong
toward the end. Unfortunately he
was in a fast heat and didn’t make
it to the finals.”
Battalion file photo
A&M’s Stanley Kerr battles McNeese State’s Brian Cooper during a meet held at the Anderson Track Field in
1987. Kerr reached the semifinals of the 200-meter race at the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Indianapolis.
Heard finished third in his
semifinal heat, but an injury suf-
fered earlier in the year may have
prevented him from running his
best in the finals, Nelson said.
“Floyd was in another heat and
ran a really strong race to make it
to the finals,” Nelson said. “In the
finals I think having the stress
fracture earlier in the year proba
bly hurt him a little bit. He just
didn’t get enough strength work
to make the Olympic team.”
Heard has clocked a collegiate
record 19.95 in the 200 which
would have won the race. So the
results of the race may have been
different with a healthy Heard
running, Nelson said.
“I think he had a chance to
make the team,” he said. “Roy
Martin ran extremely well so I
can’t say he’s run as fast as they
ran last night to make the team.
But Floyd would have had a very
good chance had he been well.”
Like A&M shotputter Randy
Barnes, who did make the Olym
pic team, Heard sat out this sea
son to prepare for the Trials so
the loss was obviously disappoint
ing. Nelson said he doesn’t know
whether Heard’s plans for the fu
ture include returning to and
competing for A&M next season,
but he doesn’t expect him to do
so.
Considering injuries which set
back Heard and Kerr’s training,
the two performed about as well
as could be expected at the Trials.
“I assessed that they would do
just about what they did,” Nelson
said. “I wasn’t sure but I thought
Floyd, not having run anymore
than he has this year, would make
it to the finals.”
And contrary to belief, Kerr’s
draining collegiate season may
have improved his performance
in Indianapolis rather than im
pairing it.
“I tliink it affected him posi
tively rather than negatively,”
Nelson said. “Running tough ev
ery week got him ready to run.
Stanley had a little trouble at a
meet three weeks ago. His ham
string got a little tight on him. I
think that affected his training a
little bit. We had to lay him off for
a few days. It didn’t affect him up
here at all.”
" Veteran Sundberg returns home to Rangers
ARLINGTON (AP) — The Texas
angers Thursday signed Jim Sund-
fcerg in a deal that will pay the vet-
ftran catcher about $30,000 the rest
B>f this season, team General Man-
iagerTom Grieve said.
1 Sundberg returns to the team as
its all-time hit leader, batting .253
Vith 54 home runs and 459 RBI
Irom 1974 to 1983.
I He has a career lifetime batting
average of .248 and has won six
■American League Gold Gloves since
entering the majors in 1974.
Sundberg was released by the the
Chicago Cubs Friday and became a
free agent Wednesday.
He batted .241 with 2 home runs
and 9 RBI in during 24 games this
season.
Rangers officials said Sundberg
would be in uniform when the club
begins a four-game series at Milwau
kee Thursday night.
To make room for him on the ros
ter, Texas has placed outfielder Bar-
baro Garbey on the 15-day disabled
list with a pulled left rib cage muslce.
“The Rangers are very pleased
that Jim Sundberg has decided to re
join the Texas organization,” Grieve
said.
“He is a quality player and a qual
ity person and is one of the most
popular players in the Rangers’ his
tory.
“Jim has been one of the finest
catchers in the majors for a number
of years and we feel that his experi
ence will be a geat value to our
team.”
Sundberg originally signed with
the Rangers in 1973 and spent one
year in the minors before becoming
the Rangers’ regular catcher for the
next ten seasons.
Sundberg is a two-time All-Star
selection and was named the Rang
ers’ Player of the Year in 1977. He
was traded by Texas to Milwaukee
for catcher Ned Yost and pitcher
Dan Scarpetta in December 1983.
He was traded to the Kansas City
Royals in January 1985 and was ac
quired by the Cubs in March 1987.
Higgs’ leap impresses the coaches at Cowboys’camp
IKK
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP)
The coiled springs in Mark Higgs’
muscular limbs may give the 5-foot-
7, 188-pound rookie from Kentucky
|a place on the Dallas Cowboys’ final
^roster as the running back who takes
|Tony Dorsett’s spot.
Higgs has a vertical leap of 43
inches, highest in the club’s history
according to Gil Brandt, player per
sonnel director.
The sixth round draft pick has
been able to dunk a basketball since
he was in the seventh grade.
“I’ve always had tremendous
spring in my legs and it just freaks
people out,” said Higgs, who scored
|10 touchdowns for the Wildcats last
[ jyear, some of them kangaroo leaps
over the defensive line. Higgs
rushed for a school record 1,278
yards his senior season.
Higgs didn’t take the Spud Webb
route to the NBA because of what
happened to him on a recreation
league team in Owensboro, Ky.
He was beaten out for a guard po
sition by Rex Chapman, who re
cently was drafted in the first round
by the Charlotte Hornets.
“Rex beat me out fair and square,”
Higgs said. “He was a better all-
around player than I was. I learned
right then I had better stick to foot
ball.”
Higgs got to Kentucky on a foot
ball scholarship by rushing for over
6,000 yards in his high school career.
“I rushed for 2,800 yards in my
senior year, an all-time Kentucky re
cord,” Higgs said. “When I got to
Kentucky for college there was Rex.”
In the offseason, Higgs would
amuse Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton
by slam-dunking the ball with feeds
from Chapman.
“Eddie got a big kick out of it,”
Higgs said.
Higgs said he got more thrill from
scoring on long runs or diving over
linebackers than dunking.
“When you fly over the top you
can hear the crowd go crazy,” he
said. “I liked basketball but every
body wanted to compare me to my
brother and I didn’t want any of that
business.”
Higgs’ brother, Kenny, played
three years in the NBA for the
Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver
Nuggets. He led Denver with 408 as
sists in 1981.
“I think I could have been an
other Spud but I like football better
and I think I can really play,” he
said. “There’s no kick like scoring
touchdowns. It beats dunks.”
Higgs said his size is an attribute
not a hindrance.
“When I’m behind those big 300-
pounders it’s like finding a rabbit be
hind elephants,” he said. “The de
fensive players have a hard time see
ing me and they never really get a
good shot at me. That’s how I’ve sur
vived this long. ”
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Richardson gets
new shot to play
professional hoops
NEW YORK (AP) — Micheal Ray
Richardson won clearance to return
to the NBA Thursday but his agent
and attorney both said the former
All-Star guard may choose to con
tinue playing in Italy.
Richardson, banned from the
league Feb. 25, 1986, after testing
positive for drugs, has a two-year
guaranteed contract to play with Bo
logna of the Italian League.
“He will honor that contract,” at
torney Ed Milstein said after Rich
ardson was reinstated by NBA Com
missioner David Stern and the
players association.
“At this point, he needs that guar
antee,” said Charles Grantham,
Richardson’s former agent and an
official of the Players Association.
“His career can be extended over
seas. Financially, he can play three
or four years over there at figures
comparable to $500,000 or $600,000
here. He’s in a situation where he
needs that.”
Milstein said he thought that two
years in Italy would not prevent
Richardson’s return to the NBA in
1990, even though he would be 35
then. “One of the attractive things is
that they play a 30-game schedule,”
the attorney said. “That’s signifi
cantly less wear and tear.
“There are other contingencies.
An NBA team could buy the con
tract out. There has been significant
interest in him by two teams today,
New Jersey and the (Denver) Nug
gets.”
However, Nuggets’ General Man
ager Pete Babcock said, “Our roster
is pretty well set. Where’s he going to
play? If we bring in somebody, we’d
bring in somebody younger.”
Nets General Manager Harry
Weltman said in a statement:
“We are happy for Micheal Ray
Richardson in that the NBA has con
fidence in his rehabilitation and has
chosen to reinstate him. Any return
to the Nets will require careful con
sideration by the entire organiza
tion. The matter is further confused
by the NBA statement that Richard
son has signed a contract with the
Bologna team in the Italian League,
and may be obligated to play there.”
There was no confusion on that
matter for Grantham, however. “I
expect he will go over to Italy for two
years,” the agent said.
The NBA said Richardson would
be a full free agent, eligible to be
signed by any NBA team.
“If Richardson remains drug-
free, and otherwise comports him
self in an apporpriate manner, Rich
ardson will remain eligible to play in
the NBA when he completes his Ital
ian League contract,” the league
said.
Richardson was playing for New
Jersey when he became the first
player banned under the NBA anti
drug program adopted in 1983.
Twice that year he went through
drug rehabilitation programs and
the next season was voted the NBA
Comeback Player of the Year. But
seven months after winning that
award, he admitted a drug relapse
and returned to rehabilitation.
Reinstated by the Nets on Jan. 20,
1986, he lasted just five weeks before
failing another drug test and becom
ing the first player to be banned by
the league for cocaine abuse. Under
terms of the program, the ban was
for life but permitted him to apply
for reinstatement after two years.
In 1987, Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell
Wiggins, both of the Houston Rock
ets, were also banned for drug use
under the program.
Last season Richardson played for
the CBA champion Albany Pa-
troons, averaging 14 points and 3.2
assists per game.
On Feb. 25, he filed for reinstate
ment by the NBA.
Pennison inks new
contract with Oilers
SAN MARCOS (AP) — Hous
ton Oiler starting center Jay Pen
nison signed a three-year contract
with the Oilers Thursday and
now both of his careers, pro foot
ball and acting, are in order.
Pennison spent part of his off
season playing the role of “Biff,”
a member of a dastardly gang in
the soon-to-be released movie,
“Blind Fury.”
If Pennison’s acting career par
allels his football career, he’ll
struggle early but one day he’ll be
getting his share of strong-man
roles.
Pennison has had to fight for
recognition since his days as a
walk-on at Nicholls State, where
he was a four-year starter.
He was cut by the Jacksonville
in the USFL and the Washington
Redskins before the Oilers gave
him a chance, late in their 1986
training camp.
“A big thing about pro sports is
being in the right place at the
right time,” Pennison said. “Fi
nally, things started working
right for me.”
Pennison started 12 games in
1986, five at guard and seven at
center, and last season beat out
Jim Romano for the starting job
at center.
But Pennison was beginning to
wonder if the right-place, right
time theory would ever work in
his favor.
“When I went to Jacksonville, I
thought I was better than the guy
they kept but it was one of those
situations where they had their
minds made up before camp ever
started,” Pennison said.
Pennison also faced a stacked
deck at Washington but almost
beat the odds.
“They were coming off a Super
Bowl victory and had that great
offensive line so I really wasn’t
too optimistic,” Pennison said.
“But I actually came close so
that gave me more confidence,”
he said. “Then, things started
working out for me.”
Pennison now is lodged in the
middle of a young offensive line
that helped the Oilers reach the
playoffs last season for the first
time since 1980.
And they’re all together at the
start of training camp.
“This is the first time in awhile
we’ve all been together at the start
of camp,” Pennison said. “An of
fensive line has to be together
from training camp throughout
the season.”