The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 03, 1990, Image 13

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    Tuesday, April 3,1990
The Battalion
Page 13
2 Doran trying to avoid 1989 nightmare
45-28
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KISSIMMEE,
Fla. (AP) — Hous
ton second base-
man Bill Doran
tried hard, very
hard, to put 1989,
the worst season
of his career, into perspective this
winter.
“It wasn’t the end of the world, I
don’t know anyone who ever died
from a slump,” Doran said, the twin
kle back in his eyes following an off
season of eradicating 1989 mem
ories.
"Compared to other things going
on in society, my problems were very
small even though I was probably
worse at my job than anybody else in
America last year.”
Doran may have felt his slump
was terminal while it was happening.
He hit .266 with eight homers and
49 runs batted in prior to the All-
Star break. In the second half, he hit
131, no homers and drove in nine
Doran’s dilemma was com
pounded by his own personality;
he’s the spark the Astros have relied
on in the past because of his intense
style of play.
“When the season is over and you
see your team is six games out and
then you look at your year,” Doran
said, “you realize if I could have had
a normal year, we’d be a lot better
off.
“I kind of felt responsible for
what happened. I care about that
and it was tough for me to swallow.”
Doran started the year at a .394
clip and appeared to have fully re
covered from off-season arthros
copic knee surgery. From May 16-24
he had his season best hitting streak
of nine games, batting .459.
Then the bottom fell out. He went
six for 78 between July 17 and Aug.
17 and watched his batting average
fall from .261 to .228.
He drove in his final run of the
season on Aug. 19, going the final 22
games without an RBI.
“I couldn’t accept the fact that was
what Bill Doran was capable of
doing,” Doran said. “If I’m not capa
ble of doing any better, then it’s time
for me to go home for good.
“It was either get back to normal
or quit, and I’m not a quitter.”
Doran took a month off after the
end of the season, then went to work
on his swing, watching video tape,
analyzing and working with a bat-
ting-T set up in his home.
“It didn’t take an Einstein to look
at my swing and know it was all
wrong,” Doran said. “I couldn’t
swing the way I did last year if I
tried. It was a terrible swing.”
Doran said he was hooking, or
coming out around the ball, thus
leaving a hole in his swing that pitch
ers could exploit.
“The way I was swinging, there
were only a few pitches in certain
areas that I was able to handle,” Do
ran said. “If you give major league
pitchers that big a hole to go to.
they’ll get you out and that’s what
happened.”
Doran’s career best season was
1987 when he hit .283, played in all
162 games and was named the club’s
most valuable player by the Houston
chapter of the Baseball Writers As
sociation of America.
He played in a career low 132
games the following year, hampered
by back, shoulder elbow and ham
string injuries.
It has been suggested that Doran’s
aggressive style of play could
shorten his career if he continues to
abuse his body.
“It’s the only way I know how to
play,” Doran said, “if it shortens my
career, so be it. I couldn’t do it any
other way if I tried.”
Manager Art Howe expects Do
ran to return to his normal role this
season.
“I know the kind of player Bill
Doran is and what you saw the last
half of last year wasn’t it,” Howe
said.
Sports Focus: Running
Senior citizen organization runs for science
50 + ’ 4 Science
Mimi Abernathy (I), a physical therapist at the
A.P. Beutel Health Center, jogs across the A&M
Battalion file photo by Frederick D.Joe
Golf Course with her mother, Mary Sicilio (r). Se
nior citizens now jog in the name of research.
Associated Press
Athletes run for many reasons,
but members of the Fifty-Phis
Runners’ Association have found
a new one: They run for science.
Of course, the members run
for all those other reasons, too:
keeping fit, losing weight, im
proving their heart and lungs,
dealing with tension or depres
sion, or becoming or staying com
petitive.
Their personal goals dovetail
nicely with researchers’ desires to
learn more about the effects of
extended physical activity on
older people.
“We see this organization as a
role model, a pioneering group.
It’s a whole new lifestyle for older
men and women,” said Keith
Johnsgard, president of Fifty-
Plus and a professor at San Jose
State University in California.
Fifty-Plus is not a club. Spon
sored by the Center for Research
in Disease Prevention at Stanford
University, its goal is to gather a
list of highly active seniors for re
searchers to plumb. Fifty-Plus has
1,600 members.
Topics already being studied
include how continued physical
exercise affects osteoarthritis and
osteoporosis. Researchers have
found that older runners, male
and female, had about 40 percent
more bone mineral — and no
more tendencies toward os
teoarthritis in their knees — than
seniors who don’t exercise.
“Before this, it was generally
thought that people who spent a
lot of time running would inva
riably damage their knees,” said
Peter Wood, a biochemist, former
Fifty-Plus president and co-au
thor of the study.
Wood said good mineral den
sity was important, especially for
women, because it helped pre
vent problems like dowager’s
hump or osteoporosis.
Researchers also have found
that Fifty-Plus members con
sumed 40 percent to 60 percent
more calories daily than their se
dentary peers — but had higher
levels of the “good” cholesterol
(high-density lipoprotein choles
terol), which has been associated
with a relatively low risk of heart
disease.
The group’s most recent sur
vey found that 85 percent of its
members were men. They aver
aged 59.8 years old, have been
running for 13.7 years and cov
ered 26.4 miles per week. Forty-
five percent had completed a
marathon (26.2 miles) and the
vast majority had run at least one
10-kilometer (6.2 miles) race.
Fifty-Plus women averaged
58.8 years, had been running for
9.5 years and covered an average
of 21.2 miles a week.
Fifty-Plus now is looking for a
corporate sponsor to help in
crease its membership and attract
a wider group of scientists.
“We’d like to expand mem
bership, and get some really good
long-term studies going,” Johns
gard said. “Bring in some young,
hot-shot epidemiologist who can
study us until we’re all dead. We
are too old to do the really long
term stuff.”
Several members cited the re
search emphasis as the reason
they joined Fifty-Plus.
“The research they’re doing is
not only interesting, it’s impor
tant,” said Bob Binzer, 67, of
Madison, Ind. “It’s inspiring, and
you get good advice from the or
ganization.”
Binzer was referring to the as
sociation’s quarterly newsletter,
which summarizes research in
volving members and publishes
health and sports-related articles.
Lady Ags travel for back-to-back SWC show downs
By VINCE SNYDER
Of The Battalion Staff
The Lady Aggies tennis team will
play two Southwest Conference op
ponents over the next two days, as
they compete against Texas Chris
tian and Texas Tech for advance
ment in the conference standings.
The team will travel to TCU today
where the first serve is set for 1:30 at
the Mary Potishman Lard Tennis
Center. The Lady Horned Frogs are
10-8 and 2-2 in SWC dual match
play.
TCU has lost its last two SWC out
ings as they fell to Houston, 3-6, and
Rice 0-9. Texas Christian is ranked
#23 in the latest Volvo Tenni-
s/ITCA national rankings.
“We can’t let the fact that TCU
has lost their last two games affect
our play,” A&M Coach Bobby Klei-
necke said. “We need to remember
that they are a ranked team and they
play us tough.”
After the TCU game, the Lady
Aggies will then travel to Lubbock
for another T.30 start at Texas Tech
Varsity Courts on Wednesday.
Tech is 16-5 and 1-5 in SWC play.
They are coming off a 1-2 weekend
with a win against University Texas-
San Antonio, 8-1, and two SWC
losses to Baylor, 6-3, and to Hous
ton, 8-1.
“Tech always plays us. tough on
their home courts, and the weather
is an equalizer,” Kleinecke said. “
With Susan Williams injured we are
going to have to dig down deep and
hope our charecter carries us
through.”
The Lady Aggies have improved
their record to 8-13 for the year fol
lowing their 2-1 record this past
week. A&M is 3-2 in SWC matches
this season, and is ranked #24 in the
latest Volvo Tennis rankings.
A&M’s last match play was Sun
day against Trinity who they de
feated by a 5-4 victory.
“We had tremendous singles play
from our players,” Kleinecke said.
“After the one hour rain delay we
came out playing very focused ten
nis.”
A&M’s Churchwell/Stanely were
the only doubles team to win their
matches.
SUPERIOR
AUTO SERVICE
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WHERE SERVICE REALLY IS SUPERIOR!
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Battalion Classifieds 845-0569
PRE-LAW SOCIETY
Meeting Wed. Apr.4
7:00 p.m. Rudder 701
OFFICER
ELECTIONS
PRE-LAW SOCIETY
For info. Fatima 693-8776
LEARN RUSSIAN ON THE BLACK SEA!
The programs are organized by Dafna Rohn-Oxley in cooper
ation with Sigma, a privately-owned Russian cooperative in So
chi, Russia. Courses are under the auspices of the A. S. Puskin
Russian Language Institute in Moscow. Tests, grades and a cer
tificate will be given to those who complete course work.
First session is full.
Second session July 6-August 8 includes 80 h class taught by
teachers qualified at university level, plus 20h history cul
ture discussion and also exhurs is ns in the area + 4 days in
Moscow. COST: $2680. Price includes language course, acco
modations with local Russian families, 3 meals/day, all air and
land transportation. For information call 1-800-274-9121 (24
hours a day) and leave your name and address. Deadline for re-
questration April 10, 1990.
/
Texas A&M Debate Society Presents
Parliamentary
Debate
“Resolved that the United States
should cut Military spending in order
to balance the budget”
•Pro and Con Speakers
•Open Forum Debate
•Free Admission and Refreshments
Tuesday April 3,1990
Rudder 701
7:00 p.m.
Dept, of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts