The Battalion
SPORTS
Friday, March 31,1989
Texas baseball program catalyst for strong SWC
Longhorn coach Gustafson major reason for conference’
WACO (AP) — On a day all the
nation’s sports hoopla was directed
at college basketball, there was a
game being played in Ferrell Field
last week that spotlighted something
the Southwest Conference is good at
— baseball.
Mickey Sullivan’s Baylor Bears
were hosting Cliff Gustafson’s Texas
Longhorns, and it was fun.
The quality of play certainly ri
valed and surpassed some major
league games witnessed last year at
Arlington Stadium and the Astro
dome.
The crowd was lively: One Baylor
student wore a T-Shirt saying “You
can buy the Cowboys but I’m not
hollering soooo-iiiii-eeee pig!”
There were good natured gibes
flying from both sides of the stands
as the Longhorns finally prevailed 5-
4 in 10 innings.
Kirk Dressendorfer lasted the dis
tance for the Longhorns while Bay
lor’s Tommy Echols hit a monster
homer over the leftfield fence and
the ball rolled into the nearby Brazos
River.
A crowd of 2,500 fans paying $4 a
ticket attended the game. The next
day 2,700 jammed the facility for a
doubleheader that the two clubs
split.
SWC. baseball is a big-time sport,
not just an afterthought as it is in
some conferences.
I exas A&M, with a 30-1 record
when the week ended, was rated the
No. 1 team in the nation in all the
polls.
Arkansas (24-4) and Texas (31-9)
are in the Top 20 and Baylor at 27-6
deserves to be there.
Houston lost a weekend series to
Arkansas but still had 29 victories.
At one time last week A&M,
Texas, Houston and Arkansas were
rated among the top 17 teams na
tionally.
There are many reasons for the
SWC success in baseball, but perhaps
the primary catalyst is number 18 in
your program, Gustafson.
In 1988, Gustafson saw his base
ball team win for him his 1,000th
game.
He’s only the third man in NCAA
Division I history to surpass that
mark.
He’s fewer than 300 wins shy of
the all-time mark of 1,332 set by
Southern California’s retired Rod
Dedeaux.
Gustafson has two national titles
and 19 SWC titles to his credit.
In the College World Series, his
teams have also finished second two
times, third six times, and fourth on
three occasions.
His winning rate of 82 percent is
amazing.
Gustafson has caused other SWC
schools to upgrade their programs
and become more competitive. He
has noticed it’s harder for him to
win.
“The competition just keeps get
ting better,” Gustafson said. “Other
schools are recruiting harder; there
is increased emphasis on college
baseball.
“There are new parks, and a lot of
ambitious, eager guys who are
coaching.”
Recruiting for Texas’ excellent
high school baseball talent is so
tough that Gustafson has reached
down for an ace in the hole — son
Deron.
“He has taken over the bulk of
our recruiting,” Cliff said. “We want
to make sure we do the best job we
can of showing off our program, our
University and our city.
“It’s become a fulltime job. Now,
recruits are coming in during the fall
and are commiting to universities
then.
“The professional draft is the next
June. Following that, a player can
sign a pro contact until he enrolls in
school. We have to stay on top of it
from September until August, and
then it starts all over again.”
Schools are doing everything they
can to get more fans through the
turnstiles, including the installation
of lights.
Night baseball is coming to the
SWC to accommodate the growing
crowds who want to see their favor
ite team play after work.
For example, Texas A&M and
Texas had series scheduled this
weekend under the lights.
During the Baylor-Texas game
last week, Baylor assistant sports in
formation director Terry Tacker
made periodic announcements
asking the public to support a drive
to put lights around Ferrell Field.
SWC baseball is being seen fre
quently on national television
(ESPN) and getting lights also helps
national exposure.
The SWC might not be able to get
to the Final Four, but baseball is an
other story.
Through games of March 19,
SWC clubs had a 168-37 record
against outside competition, an .820
winning percentage.
Ag swimmers
have poor start
at NCAA meet
FROM STAFF & WIRE REPORTS
The Texas A&M men’s swimming
team got off to a slow start yesterday
at the NCAA championships in Indi
anapolis as all A&M competitors
failed to qualify for the finals.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team
of Matt Cerizo, Mike Varroza, Aa
ron McDonough and Ed Altman was
disqualified for a false start in their
preliminary heat.
Their time would have placed fif
teenth and landed them in the con
solation finals.
The 400-yard medley relay team
of Peter Staruch, Don Boyd, Var
roza and Altman swam a time of
3:21.90 in the preliminaries.
The time was almost two seconds
off their season best and left them in
28th place.
“We just didn’t put one together,”
A&M Assistant Coach Jay Holmes
said.
The Aggies didn’t fare any better
individually. Varroza finished 42nd
in the 50-yard freestyle with a time
of 21.04 seconds.
Mavs% Spurs’ dismal seasons could be blessing for next year
It now appears the San Antonio Spurs
aren’t the only team in Texas that will be
getting a lottery pick in this year’s NBA
draft. The Dallas Mavericks are perched in
the precarious position of being one place
away from participating in draft roulette.
Yes, the team that took the Lakers to six
games and 41 minutes in last year’s Western
Conference final is now on the brink of
holding the dubious privilege of being one
of the “magnificent seven”.
And that’s fine with me.
This season for the Mavs is a wash. You
weren’t really going out on a limb when you
may have predicted that this season was in
the tank after Roy Tarpley went back for a
second stint at Camp Detox. But it just kept
getting worse. Rolondo Blackmon missed
multiple games with a broken finger. A.D.
didn’t want to move to Big D. James
Dondalson went down for the season with
his knee.
I’ll bet (wait I can’t say that, I’m not Pete
Rose), I’d imagine John MacLeod’s wife is
leaving decals with the stress and suicide
hotline on the family phones.
But should he be killing himself to make
the playoffs?
This year’s draft crop is the richest
harvest in years. Pervis Ellison, Sean Elliot,
Stacy King, Glen Rice, Sherman Douglas
and Player of the Year Danny Ferry are all
seniors. I think all six are going to forgo
grad school and go straight to the NBA.
Then there’s the “hardships” that are
forgoing undergrad school and coming out
early. Derrick Coleman and Jay Edwards
have already committed to the draft and
most sources indicate that super Tar Heel
J.R. Reid will skip his last season too.
So there you have it, nine terrific picks.
The Mavs are solid at only two positions:
shooting guard (Blackmon) and big
forward (Sam Perkins). Any of those nine
would help immediately, lottery or not.
Add to the stud draft pick the return of a
healthy Donaldson a clean Tarpley
(courtesy of Bolivian Boot Camp) and A.D.
resolving himself to play and the Mavs
could very well be back on the road to the
NBA’s “elite”.
That is if the road isn’t blocked by the
team that could be the new terror in Texas.
The San Antonio Spurs.
No. Wait. Don’t turn tne page and start
reading entertainment. This could really
happen. I know it sounds like some
Orwellian fantasy but it could really
happen.
Think about it. The Spurs are a lock for
yet another lottery pick. They’ve only won
six more games than Miami. So they get to
pick from the best. And as they say on the
Home Shopping Channel: Wait! There’s
more!
The Man, David Robinson, will finish his
tour with Skipper and Gilligan this year and
is bound for S.A. That will make a lineup
including Robinson, the stud pick (probably
a forward), potential-loaded Johnny
Dawkins, Olympian Willie Anaerson and
All-Star Alvin Robertson. Add to that Larry
Brown, described by Denver coach Doug
Moe as the best coach in the world, and the
Spurs might actually return to the playoff
form they enjoyed when the Snowman, I
mean Iceman haunted the hardwood in the
Alamo City.
So get your licks in now on the lesser
teams in Texas, because next year the Lone
Star could be on the rise again.
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T/te Wizard Of Oz
It's All In
Your Mind !!!
March 30 -
April 2, 1989
The oldest and one of the
largest Science Fiction/Fantasy
Conventions in the Southwest
United States.
MAJOR GIJILSTS :
Writer Guest George R. R. Martin
producer of Beauty And The Beast (CBS )
Special Guest Octavia Butler
Hugo Award winner in 1984 and 1985
Media Guest Richard Arnold
official STAR TREK archivist
Artist Guest Real Musgrave
official Texas Renaissance Festival Artist
Toastmaster. Kerry O'Quinn
editor of STARLOG magazine
Comic Book Guest Chris Claremont
i writer for the X-Men
Produced Bu
MSC Cepheid Variable
REGIONAL cm:STS ;
Carole Nelson Douglas, Brad Foster,
Danny & Jude Gillies, Steve Gould,
Kurt Busiek, Lillian Stewart Carl,
Ardath Mayhar, Laura Mixon,
Katherine Eliska Kimbriel,
Barbara Bartholomew,
Sam Douglas, Rory Harper,
Warren Norwood, Doug Potter,
Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop,
C. Dean Andersson (Asa Drake),
Gregor Punchtaz, Nina Romberg,
Vicki Ann Heydron, Joe Lansdale.
EVENTS :
Art Show, Panels, Dealers' Room, Quest, Video Room,
Masquerade Guest Reception & Ball, Party Room, Gaming,
Warren Norwood Charity Auction, Game Shows, Readings,
Lazer Tag, Hall Costume Contest, Autograph Sessions
... and much, much more !!!
MOVIES :
All movie prices are included in convention passes.
Star Trek IV and Blade Runner (midnight movies) can be
seen without convention passes for one dollar each.
ENTRY VVAIS
Full Convention
One Day Pass
Children
(4-12 years)
$ 6.00
$ 3.00
Adults Students
$ 15.00 $ 12.00
$ 8.00 $ 6.00
Children under 4 years old are free
Dealer's Room $ 50.00 per table
Quest $ 5.00 per person
Art Show $ 5.00 per artist
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE AT THE MSC BOX OFFICE
AND AT ALL TICKETRON OUTLETS
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Star Trek II:
The Wrath Of Khan
Star Trek III:
The Search For Speck
Star Trek IV:
The Voyage Home