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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1989)
.The Battalion SPORTS ^Wednesday, November 8,1989 Sports Editor Tom Kehoe 845-2688 The Cowboys won, but let’s remember it’s a loong season finally happened. B<ot many people around the league, or the nation for that matter, thought it ever would. But it did. The New and Improved Dallas Cowboys has its very first mark in the win column. More impressive is the fact that they picked up the win against long-time division rival Washington. life is sweet. ■ 'll admit I had little faith in the Cowboys’ ability to post a win after their 0-8 start, the worst in franchise history. I had visions of an 0-16 mark looming on every sports page around the country. I mean, last year’s 3-13 record was bad enough, but the possibility of a fat goose egg under the win column sent cold chills down my spine. The last game the Cowboys won before Sunday’s victory was in RFK Stadium over the Redskins. It was Tom Landry’s last victory as the Cowboys’ head coach. ■Ironically, Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson received his first regular season victory in the same place over the same team. ■Gould this be a sign? ■‘It’s been a hard, frustrating year and there will still be some rocky days ahead, but the future of the team is bright,” Johnson said after the win. “Now we can go about our business.” tnd just what is the Cowboys’ business? ome would say, theoretically, that winning games is Dallas’ business. If that’s the case, I’d say Johnson and the organization are about to go bankrupt, ■fhe Cowboys had such high hopes at the dose of preseason. They were 3-1 and were talking about the possibility of going .500 in 1989. ■Instead, they lost eight straight. K hen came the Redskins. re the Cowboys really improving, or is Washington just a lousy 5-4 team? ■gMy guess is the latter. “The defense is really starting to come See Rasmussen/Page 8 1989 season begins for Metcalf, Aggies Ags hope to start year on right foot By Richard Tijerina and Clay Rasmussen Of The Battalion Staff Texas A&M Coach Shelby Metcalf has some big questions he needs to answer about his basketball team in 1989. Can the Aggies pick up where they left off last season, when they had the best re cord in the Southwest Conference over the last half of the year? Can the Aggies find a replacement for All-SWC forward Donald Thompson, last year’s leading scorer and rebounder? And how much can Metcalf de 1988-89 SWC Final Standings T*«fn Arkansas Texas TCU Houston Texas A&M Texas Tech SMU Rice Saylor SWC Record 25-7 • 25-9 17-ia 17-14 1S-14 13-15 13-1:6 .. 12-16 5-22 pend on the new faces in the Aggies’ lineup? It’s a pretty long list for Metcalf, consid ered “the dean of SWC coaches” because he’s in his 27th year as A&M’s head coach — the longest tenure of any other SWC coach. “We have more experience back than we’ve had the last few years, but we lost our top scorer and rebounder and one of oyr better shooters,” Metcalf said. “Our success hinges on how soon (junior college transfer David) Harris can acclimate himself to Divi sion I basketball. “He is essential to us.” Harris, along with two other newcomers to the A&M roster, will be counted on heav ily in 1989. Harris was a second-team JUCO All- American last year. Freshman David Peter sen, a brother of former Houston Rockets star Jim Petersen, was the top-rated high school player in Minnesota last season. Freshman Brooks Thompson was named the prep player of the year in Colorado. The three new Aggies will be joining a team that brings back four of its five top scorers from 1988. Senior Tony Milton (12.5 points/4.2 re Photo by Mike C. Mulvey A&M’s Ray Little (43) dunks over two Arkansas defenders last year. Little is expected to be one of the Aggies’ team leaders in 1989. bounds/5.3 assists), junior Lynn Suber (10.8 points), senior David Williams (8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds) and junior Freddie Ricks (9.2 oints/3.0 rebounds) return this season. All ut Suber were starters in 1988. The Aggies started off poorly in 1988. They suffered through a 1-7 first half of the SWC season. A 58-51 defeat by Texas Christian prompted Metcalf to redesign A&M’s offense into a more open, fast-break philosophy. The Aggies rebounded in the second half of the SWC season. They lost only to Houston 86-82 on their way to a 7-1 confer ence record. A&M averaged 80.1 points per See Basketball/Page 8 Coaches tab Hogs as SWC favorite DALLAS (AP) — The Arkansas Razor- backs were picked by Southwest Confer ence coaches on Tuesday to successfully de fend their league basketball title, and as far as Texas coach Tom Penders is concerned, the Hogs will make it all the way to the NCAA’s Final Four. “Arkansas has no weaknesses,” Penders said. “They are the best team we played last year. You’ll very definitely see them make the Final Four.” Arkansas received seven of nine first place ballots. Nolan Richardson of the Hogs and Texas A&M’s Shelby Metcalf gave Houston the other two first place ballots. Baylor coach Gene Iba seconded Pen ders’ notion that the Hogs could be good enough to play for the national championship. “Arkansas had a great team with Sidney Moncrief years ago but this one is better,” Iba said. “There’s no doubt in my mind Ar kansas will be in the Final Four.” Richardson laughed when told about Penders’ bold pick. “That Tom,” Richardson said. “I think I’ll predict he’ll make it also and we will probably play each other in the finals.” Arkansas was picked first in the nation by The Basketball News and Richardson said he doesn’t mind all the preseason top-bil ling. “I love it,” Richardson said. “I’ve been under pressure all my life so that’s no big deal. We do want to win the conference championships but our goal is to win a na tional championship. Getting to the big party (The Final Four) means a lot to me.” Richardson said his team was “the best group of guys I ever had, the best team. We are deep.” . Richardson said the Hogs will have to be better because the conference overall has been upgraded. “The Southwest Conference is twice as good as it has ever been in the history of Southwest Conference basketball,” Rich ardson said. “I’ve never seen as many teams capable of winning it all. From top to bot tom, this conference will be playing some bigtime basketball. The rest of the country will find out this year that we play basket ball, notjust football.” Arkansas had 78 points, followed by Houston 71, Texas 66, Texas A&M 53, Texas Christian 43, Rice 32, Texas Tech 30, Southern Methodist 21 and Baylor 11. V: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY RECREATIONAL SPORTS See the visions and concepts of General Motors DATE: November 7 and 8, 1989 PLACE: Rudder Fountain TIME: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM General Motors and GMAC Financial Services are pleased to be associated with your campus' "GM Auto Expo." See the latest GM cars and trucks in the convenience of your own campus . community, and ask about the wide variety of financing plans available to college students through GMAC Financial Services, including the GMAC College Graduate Finance Plan. HOW TO WIN: By attending your school's GM Auto Expo event, you can be eligible to win one of two $500 grants toward your tuition expenses provided by General Motors or GMAC Financial Services. While attending the Expo, just fill out an entry form and drop it in the convenient entry box. The two $500 winning entry forms will be drawn at the end of the GM Auto Expo event. No purchase necessary to enter or win, and the winner need not be present. Good luck! CHEVROLET ■ PONTIAC • OLDSMOBILE BUICK-CADILLAC-GMC TRUCK GM GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 IRRITABLE BOWEL STUDY $100 $100 f^nn Sy m P tomat i c patients with recent physician diagnosed, irri- finn ta b' e bowel syndrome to participate in a short study. $100 $100 ' ncentive fP r those chosen to particpate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 US PAINFUL MUSCULAR INJURIES gS $50 Individual with recent lower back or neck pain, sprain, strains, $50 $50 muscle spasms, or painful muscular sport injury to participate $50 $50 i n a ° ne week research study. $50 incentive for those chosen $50 $50 to participate. $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY Individuals with high blood pressure, either on or off blood pressure medication daily to participate in a high blood pressure study. $300 incentive for those chosen to participate. $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 FEVER STUDY $100 $100 $100 Short at home study to evaluate individuals 17 years and $100 $100 older who have a temperature over 100° f.$i00. incentive for $100 $100those chosen to participate. Nights and weekends call 361- $100 $1001500. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 sioo Cold Study ^ $100 Individual 18 years & older with active cold symptoms to partici- $100 $100 pate in a 1 day Cold Study with an over-the counter cold medica- $100 $100 tion. No blood drawn. $100..incentive for those chosen to partici- $100 $100 P ate $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 CALL PAULL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 776-0400