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Th« Battalion •
SPORTS
8 Tha Battalion Wednesday, August 23,1989
Lewis remains low-key"
about Heisman chances
C?
F«OM STAFF A WIRE REPORTS
Darren Lewis doesn't want any
posters proclaiming his status on the
Texas AAcM football team.
“You make your own posters by
the way you perform.'* Lewis told
touring Southwest Con fre nee writ
ers and broadcasters Tuesday. “I'd
be very self-conscious if they did that
here."
The Aggies don't intend to pres
sure-market Lewis, the nation’s top
returning rusher and candidate for
post-season honors.
“It’s hard not to think about it, to
put it in the back of your mind," Le
wis said. "But that's what I'm going
to do. Mv only goal is to help this
team win."
AAcM sports information director
Alan Cannon mailed a subdued let
ter to media members, suggesting
Lewis' progress this season be
charted and, if deserving, he should
be considered for post-season hon
ors.
Cannon said Lewis also was pho
tographed in front of a military
tank, symbolizing his nickname.
“But he told me he thought the
war should be won on the field and
he reallv didn't want a lot of hvpe.“
Cannon said.
The Antes expanded their mail
ing list and will keep the nation’s vot
ers informed of Lewis' achieve
ments.
But the post-season is at least 11
games away and until then Lewis
and head coach R.C. Slocum don't
want distractions.
“We’re not trying to win any. Heis
man Trophies; we're trving to win
football games." Slocum said. “I've
talked to Darren about it and he's
not the type of ptaver that will be
caaght up in something like that.
“He walked in here as a freshman
and plaved prettv good and he's got
a prettv good understanding of the
game "
Lewis rushed for 1.692 \ards last
season, second on the Southwest
Conference all-time list to Lari
Campbell's 1,744 vards for Texas in
1977.
Lewis was a first team Asviciatcd
Press AB-American as a sophomore
and the SWC offensive plaver of the
year. He's rushed over 100 vards in
22 regular-season games.
He gained I6N vards last season
against Oklahoma State, outrushing
the nation's leading rusher. Barry
Sanders, who beat out UCLA's Trov
Aikman and USC's Calvin Peete for
the Heisman Trophv.
It will be hard to keep l>ewis* he
roics quiet this season, but the junior
from Dallas hopes the hype is kept to
a minimum.
“I don't want anvthing like what
happened with Peete and Aikman."
Lewis said. "They had all this
buildup and posters and then,
boom. Sanders wins the Heisman."
Lewis said that gmng into the pro
fessional ranks after this season was
something that he wasn't consid
ering. adding that the NFL would
still be there after his senior season
at A*M
Lewis will be a major part of the
Aggies' offense this season but Slo
cum has diversified by adding more
passing to provide an option when
defenses load up on Lewis.
"If I had to guess. I'd sav it would
he hard for Darren to come back
with the same kind of year." Slocum
said. "We’ll do some things with the
passing game to keep the pressure
off him.
Slocum wants to see fullback Rob
ert Wilson fun the football and quar
terback Lance Pavlas pass for vard-
age
Pavlas said tharVii position as the
No. I quarterhacw for Slocum has
enabled him to concentrate on his
game
“It allows you to relax, because
you know the job is vours." Pavlas
said.
Slocum said that talk of individual
awards comes after the season
“I've never been one to emphasize
individual awards." Slocum said
“You see some guys with tomahawks
on their headgear for sotrie accom-
F bshmem. Our No. I goal is to win
f you achieve 10 of vour 15 goals
and lose the game, you haven't ac
complished anvthins."
11 - 1 1 -
’ ' | * v ^ 4 jj* * * ;
■■ 11
Pfcoco brjmyji
In the Aggies' first fall scrimmage game in Kyle fondor No. 31 on his way to a good gain Two-a-
Field. Keith McAffee breaks through Aggie de- toys have been under way for several days
Ryan reaches 5,000-strikeout plateau
ARLINGTON (AP) — Nolan
Ryan struck out his 5.000th batter
Tuesday night, becoming the first,
and perhaps the last, to reach that
milestone when he tanned Oak
land's Rickey Henderson in the fifth
inning
Ryan went into the game needing
six strikeouts, and got them quickly.
Facing the Athletics for the first time
since 1979, he struck out Jose Can
seco in the first inning. Dave Hen
derson and Tony Phillips in the sec
ond, Rickey Henderson and Ron
Hassey in the third and finally got
Rickey swinging on a 3-2 fastball
leading off the fifth
Ryan tipped his hat to a thun
dering standing ovation while rookie
catcher Chad Kreuter ran the his
toric bail out to the mound. Ryan's
teammates on the field surged to
congratulate him and the
scoreboard flashed "5,00" as hun
dreds of flash bulbs popped in the
stands
As per Ryan’s request, the game
was not stopped and the Rangers in
the dugout did not come onto the
field Ryan returned to business and
Carney lamsford followed with a
sfcqBe
Henderson struck out after foul
ing off two 3-2 pitches and fanned
on a 96 mph fastball, matching his
fastest of the night.
A sellout crowd of 43.000, includ
ing Commissioner Hart Ciamatti and
Hangers owner George Bush son of
the president. gave Ryan three
standing os-at ions Iveforc the game
even started The fans cheered
loudly every time he got two strikes
on a hatter, and Rvan rare I \ disap
pointed them
Rvan s 5.000th strikeout put him
22 percent ahead of the runnerup.
Steve Carlton, who had 4.116 That
is the largest margin between two
leaders in any lifetime categorv Bert
Blyleven is second among active
pitchers with 3.536.
Ryan began the game with seven
straight fasthalls. but quicklv shifted
to changedps and curves. He struck
out three in the first two innings, all
swinging, and his fastest fastball was
96 mph
Rickev Henderson opened the
game with a double off the center-
field fence and took third on Carney
Lansford s grounder before Ryan
recorded his first strikeout, getting
Jose Canseco to miss a 1-2 curve
Ryan started the second inning hy
fanning Dave Henderson on a 2-2
changeup Mark McGwire walked
before Ryan gt>t Tony Phillips to fish
for an 0-2 curve
Seseral banners in the outfield
kept count of Rvan’s strikeouts and
the crowd began chanting every time
an Oakland flatter got two strikes.
By the time he made his first
pitch, a called strike to Rickey Hen
derson. Ryan already had gotten
three standing ovations He got
cheered when he walked into the
outfield to warm up. was applauded
when he was announced in the
lineup and got another loud cheer
when he trotted to the mound to
start the game.
Ryan had fanned 1,066 different
batters by the time he reached 5.000
The list includes 17 Hall of Famers.
42 Most Valuable Players, six father-
son combinations and 11 sets of
brothers
“If he gets me for the record. I’m
going to take the ball out of the
catchers mitt, go to the mound and
congratulate him.” Rickey Hender
son said before the game When it
actually happened, he just walked
slowly hack to the dugout. but even
the Oakland players were smiling at
Ryan's accomplishment.
laiter in the fifth. Ryan fanned
Hassey and Dave Henderson again
for his 227th strikeout this season,
breaking the team record of 225 by-
Ferguson Jenkins in 1974.
When the inning ended. Ryan
again doffed his cap as he left the
field to yet another standing ovation.
Teammates surrounded him. along
with a flock oiy photographers A
highlights film V ting Ryan's ca
reer was then played on the
scoreboard and Rickey Henderson,
walking to his position in left field,
watched a replay of his milestone
strikeout
Ryan struck out the first batter of
his career. Atlanta pitcher Pat Jarvis,
as a 19-year-old with the New York
MetsonSept 11,1966.
Jarvis first victim
of‘Ryan Express’
DECATUR. Ga. (AP) — Former September 1966. hatted 22 times
Atlanta Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis,
now a sheriff in suburban Atlanta,
was Nolan Ryan's first strikeout vic-
tftn the major leagues — but
didn t lliliiMnuch i^5wt ft
Ryan. 42 and now writh the Texas
Rangers, went into Tuesday night's
appearance against the Oakland
Athletics only six strikeouts shy of
5,000 — a mark no major-league
pitcher has ever approached.
The 48-year-old Jarvis, sheriff of
DeKalh County for the last 13 years,
pitched in the major leagues for
eight years, with Atlanta and Mon
treal. Jarvis, who had a . 121 lifetime
average as a hitter, doesn't recall that
time at hat on SepiLil. 1966. against
the hard-throwing Ryan.
“I really don *,'remember." Jarvis
said this week ["Tve h^en getting
calls from all oveLxbe^fountrv and I
tell everyone the same thing: I can't
remember ”
Jarvis, called up from Class AAA
Richmond by the parent Braves in
that season, but didn t get a hit that
vear.
He unwittingly )*ecame a part of
baseball histors when he struck out
against the then-19«Mar-old Ryan.
"Everybody knew of him. but he
was so wild no one wan ted to dig in
on this guy," Jarvis said. "I’m sure I
was standing wav in l»ac-k of the lx»s
and giving him the* whole plate
Ryan, who also was recaihil from
the minors late in the 1966 season,
hy the New York Mets. pitched only
three- innings that season, but struck
out six hatters He spent 1967 in the
minor leagues before returning to
the majors in 1968
“I didn t know from Adam's
housecat who Nolan Ryan was. Jar-
sis said "But I'll he* associated with
him any day of the week ”
Jarv is was not aware of his part in
baseball histors until Ryan, then
with the Houston Astros, broke Wal
ter Johnson's all-time strikeout re
cord six years ago
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