Phe Battalion
PORTS
7
Tuesday, December 5,1989
Sports Editor Richard Tijerina 845-2688
Richard
Tijerina
Sports Editor
-
)tin?|
out
.
e
all i
ov«1
last
ans
ibcu'l
,e[
[’ni
o
omtl
nl 1 !
at I 1
n,'
t atf
as "l
■aKl'l
TJ’s Diary:
A day in the life
of a sports editor
Honest. Yesterday’s front page of the
Houston Chronicle — right below the
masthead and right above the story that
should have led the paper, appeared
The Story.
Headline:
Ware: ‘I guess it still hasn’t really hit
me’
Yuck.
As if we hadn’t been bombarded with
enough Andre Ware hype this season;
now we have to know of his “first-person
account. . . Andre Ware describes the 24
hours after being named recipient of the
award Saturday afternoon . .
Double yuck.
Actually, I cared about as much about
Ware’s day as what you’re going to read.
Headline:
Tijerina: T guess it still hasn’t really
hit me’
Editor’s Note (that’s me) : In a First-
person account written exclusively for
The Battalion, newly named sports
editor Richard Tijerina describes the 24
hours of his First day on thejob. The
Texas A&M junior also discusses next
year’s football season, and whether he’ll
still be an Aggie on academic probation.
He was assisted by former Battalion
sports editor Doug Walker.
The alarm clock rang. It was 2 in the
afternoon on a bright Sunday. I turned
on the television and noticed the
Cowboys were beating the Rams, 31-21.
This was a glorious day, 1 thought.
Then, I remembered.
In a few hours, I would have to go to
work on my new job: Battalion sports
editor. Wow. Me. I couldn’t believe it.
How could I be so lucky? I immediately
thought of my mother — she was
probably weeping at this very moment. .
. so proud of her son.
Still feeling the effects of a large party
that 1 hosted the night before, I went
into the bathroom and swallowed three
Alka Seltzers. Boy, the entire populace
of Aggieland must be itching in their
| pants to know what I’m doing right now.
11 decide I won’t tell them. They must
never know.
I went to lunch at Schlotzsky’s.
j Medium original with no olives. Cheetos.
| Large Pepsi.
Then I went to work. My very first
staff meeting. I showed the new
sportswriters how to use the computers.
s But after that tiring job, I didn’t have
time to lounge around because I had a
story to write about the A&M-Texas
|game.
You see, I always was a firm believer
that you get what you work for. That’s
why I’m not going to accept any freebies
from friends or sources now . . .
Throughout the Fall, I kept
reminding myself whenever I got down,
“You can do it, TJ — never give up.”
'’ Veil, I guess I never did give up, and
tow all my hard work has paid off.
Don’t cry, Ma. I’ll be home for
Christmas.
Boy, next semester will be just great,
rue, The Battalion isn’t exactly loved
y the general student body at A&M,
specially after all the shenanigans
during last year’s Jackie Sherrill
scapade.
ee Tijerina/Page 8
Ags stay at No. 16; Miami moves to No. 2
John Hancock Bowl tickets on sale
tomorrow for students at G. Rollie
FROM STAFF & WIRE REPORTS
Texas A&M enjoyed perhaps its sweetest
victory of the season Saturday, but still
came up sour in Monday’s Associated Press
Top 25 College Football Poll.
A&M, which defeated Texas 21-10 in
front of 76,803 at Kyle Field, stayed at No.
16 in the next-to-last football poll of the sea
son.
The Aggies will play No. 24 Pittsburgh
Dec. 30 in the John Hancock Bowl in El
Paso.
Tickets for the bowl game go on sale
Photo by Eric H. Roalson
Kevin Tucker (90) and Aaron Wallace (23) record a sack.
AP Top 25 Poll
Team
Last Week
1. Colorado
1
2. Miami, Fla. ^ :
4
3. Michigan
3
4. Notre Dame
5
5. Florida State
6
6. Nebraska
7
7. Alabama
2
8. Tennessee
8
8; Auburn
11
10. Arkansas
9
11. Illinois
10
12. USC
12
13. Houston
13
14. Clemson
14
15. Virginia
15
16. Texas A&M
16
17. West Virginia
17
18. Penn. St.
18
19. Brigham Young
20. Duke
19
20
21. Ohio St.
21
22. Michigan St.
22
23. Hawaii
23
24. Pittsburah
25. Texas Tech
24
25
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
A&M Coach R.C. Slocum hugs quarterback Lance Pavlas in the locker
room after the win over UT. Pavlas was named Player of the Game.
Wednesday for A&M students at 8 a.m. in
Ticket Windows seven and eight in G.
Rollie White Coliseum.
John Hancock Bowl tickets cost $24 each,
and students must bring their student I.D.
cards.
Bowl tickets may be purchased for any
section of the Sun Bowl. Students may pur
chase as many tickets as wanted.
A&M and Pittsburgh will meet for the
first time. It’s the 17th bowl appearance for
the Aggies, and the fourth in five seasons.
A&M is 10-6 overall in bowls with its last
appearance coming in the 1988 Cotton
Bowl — a 35-10 win over Notre Dame.
The Aggies have played once before in
El Paso, a 37-14 win over Florida in the Sun
Bowl played on Jan. 2, 1977.
Pittsburgh was the school where former
A&M Coach Jackie Sherrill was hired from
in 1982.
A&M had been ranked as high as No. 14,
but dropped two spots in last week’s poll af
ter its 23-22 loss to No. 10 Arkansas. A win
in the John Hancock Bowl might jump the
Aggies a couple of spots in the final poll of
the season after all the bowl games.
A&M could have been playing Jan. 1 in
the Cotton Bowl against No. 8 Tennessee
for a Top 10 spot in the final polls, but Ar
kansas clinched the Southwest Conference
championship and Cotton Bowl berth with
the victory.
Elsewhere, the University of Miami
moved two steps closer to its third national
championship this decade.
After the Hurricanes (10-1) improved
two places to second in the poll to No. 2,
first-year coach Dennis Erickson quickly as
sessed his team’s chances of overtaking No.
1 Colorado.
“We’re excited about that,” Erickson
said, “because it puts us in a position where,
if we focus in and take care of business at
the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, we’ve got
the opportunity to win the national
championship.
“If we’re able to beat Alabama ... and
Notre Dame were to beat Colorado, then I
would say that because of where we’re
ranked right now,.our chances are pretty
good.”
Miami will play in the Sugar Bowl on Jan.
1 against Alabama (10-1), which fell from
second to seventh following a 30-20 loss at
Auburn Saturday.
The Buffaloes (11-0) will play in the
Orange Bowl against Notre Dame (11-1),
which moved up one spot to fourth.
Michigan (10-1) still is No. 3 and will play
No. 12 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
If Miami loses and Notre Dame wins, the
Fighting Irish stand to win their second
consecutive national championship.
Miami finished No. 1 in 1983 and 1987
and No. 2 in 1986 and 1988.
The Hurricanes’ only stumble this year
was a 24-10 loss at Florida State. They
ended Notre Dame’s 23-game winning
streak with a 27-10 victory Nov. 25.
Miami received four first-place votes and
1,407 points, while Colorado received 55
first-place votes and 1,492 of a possible
1,500 points from a nationwide panel of
sports writers and broadcasters.
Michigan received the other first-place
vote and 1,374 points. Notre Dame’s point
total was 1,323.
Rounding out the Top 10 are Florida
State, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee, Au
burn and Arkansas.
Florida State, winners of nine in a row
since opening the season with two losses,
moved up one place to fifth after beating
Florida 24-17 Saturday.
Nebraska, which was idle, advanced from
No. 7 to No. 6. Tennessee remained eighth
after defeating Vanderbilt 17-10.
Auburn jumped two places to No. 9 fol
lowing its victory over Alabama, and Ar
kansas fell one spot to No. 10 following a
38-24 win over Southern Methodist.
Illinois is 11th, followed by Southern Cal,
Houston, Clemson, Virginia, Texas A&M,
West Virginia, Penn State, Brigham Young,
Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State, Hawaii,
Pittsburgh and Texas Tech.
Other than Illinois, which dropped one
spot, all of those teams held the same posi
tion as the previous week.
Sooners face new charges, may get death penalty
DALLAS (AP) — National Collegiate
Athletic Association investigators were told
that improprieties continued within the
University of Oklahoma football program
after it was placed on probation last year,
according to a newspaper report.
In a copyright front page story in Tues
day’s editions, The Dallas Morning News
reported new charges have been brought
against the university by Otha Armstrong
III, a friend of former Sooner quarterback
Charles Thompson.
If the violations are substantiated, the
Sooners could face the NCAA’s “death pen
alty,” a suspension of up to two years.
Oklahoma was found guilty of several re
cruiting violations last December and pro
hibited from post-season play for two sea
sons and banned from live television
appearances this season. A team becomes
eligible for the death penalty if the NCAA
finds a major rules violation within five
years of such penalties.
Armstrong, 24, is serving two years in a
federal penitentiary in Big Spring, Texas,
for stealing 25 championship rings and
other items from the home of former
Sooner coach Barry Switzer.
Armstrong says he served as a middle
man through which a Tulsa booster sent
cash to Thompson and Jamelle Holieway,
another former Sooner quarterback. He
also told the NCAA that freshman running
back Dewell Brewer received improper
benefits during at least one unofficial visit
to Norman before signing his letter of in
tent in February, the Morning News re
ported.
David Berst, the NCAA’s chief enforce
ment official, refused to comment on his
staffs activities.
Oklahoma sports information director
Mike Treps told the Morning News the uni
versity had not heard of any preliminary in
vestigation by the NCAA.
“We have no comment whatsoever,”
Treps said. “To my knowledge, I don’t
know if we’ve even paid any attention to ...
(Armstrong’s accusations).”
A former Sooner player who was prom
ised anonymity by the Morning News said
Armstrong and Thompson were close
friends.
Armstrong said Thompson asked him
several times to go to a Western Union out
let and sign for wire transfers from a
booster in Tulsa. Once he obtained the
money, he gave it to Thompson, who gave a
portion to Holieway, Armstrong said.
Texas A&M University
MSC FORSYTH CENTER GALLERIES
The Public is Invited to an
ARTISTS' RECEPTION
Wednesday, December 6,1989, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Honoring the following
New Art Exhibits
DICK DAVISON: From the Leonard's Auto Parts Series
INTRODUCTION: NINA BEALL
LEE ESTES: Parochial Subjects
Located in the Southwest Corner of the Memorial Student Center opposite the Post Office
Admission Free
When you finish reading The Battalion
pass it on to a friend, but please... don’t litter!