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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1990)
Tuesday, April 10,1990 The Battalion Page 9 1991 iss . l^uijohn- ind sankj eh the vie- 'iraight it un. engi- and three ilackmahi deficit into left in the n climaxed 1 3-pointet ir of free ers’ margin rites left in iving layup lock, John- behind the othing but leir binges day ruled Stulce in- in during ■eason for University k&M Ath- r Tedi Za- • in ques- olation of eligibility ared ineli- ved Stulce lotput tide ndianapo- Lggies fin- standings, ps the Ag- r tie in the lease imer nn. (AP) - f either first passing cat- ita Vikings. , team at & first-round iniversitv in rings' oldt-' 1 dd General ild him tb al i better that' quarterback ild him ib al Id be the No- t Rich C ,al1 ' »d from N e " (change for 1 ith-round would ge ta : with the Vi- a statemeo' “I don’i I’m looking allenge aim nity> olea M m. It shottl many y earS reached im minent, veteran f quarterback ,st couple ol tings lef‘ free agency rdnotsignc" contracts ie n er chibs un- ' arleft ° n J (tensin' 1 |lt: "would have lion this sea now d Angels’ Abbott makes ’90 pitch quietly PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — The clamor and the curiosity have subsided. Jim Abbott goes — quietly, he hopes — about the business of be coming a successful pitcher. “This year, I’m going to go out there and blend into the woodwork and let the big guys do their thing,” he said, referring to California’s other pitchers. “At the end of the year, hopefully people can look back and say, ‘Hey, you did a good job, too.’” Abbott, who went directly from pitching the United States to a 1988 Olympic gold medal to pitching in the majors last year, was a natural as a story and as an athlete. He was an Olympic hero, a Sulli van Award winner, and a pitcher who was born without a right hand. Fans and media besieged him as he made his first circuit of American League cities. He survived well; he had a 12-12 record that could have been even better with improved fielding and hitting support, and he showed re markable patience with fans and re porters. “A guy who comes right out of college and makes the major leagues, that’s a tremendous adjust ment,” Angels catcher Lance Parrish said. “Then he was in constant de mand by the media. Most of us would have gone crazy, but I never saw him lose his temper. He was very gracious.” Heading into his second season, Abbott has been concentrating on his craft with one priority: adding a dependable changeup to balance his overpowering fastball and darting slider. “It’s a lot more pleasant,” Abbott said. “It’s nice to be able to not have to worry about all sorts of things, just to go out and work on pitching. Now each time I pitch, I’m not going to have to repeat my whole life story every time afterward.” Last year is kind of a blur in his memory. “Everything happened so fast,” he said. “I guess it was a crash course.” “I know we (players) say we don’t pay any attention to what we read,” Abbott said, “but there were times when all the things that were writ ten, saying I didn’t belong, bothered me.” But, he added, the confidence shown in him by Angels manager Doug Rader and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann never wavered, and that helped him keep going. He finished the year with a 3.92 earned-run average, striking out 115 in 181 1-3 innings. He lost six times in games where the Angels were held to either one run or were shut out, and allowed 16 unearned runs, more than any other California starter. €&€ Crawfish Farm Live, purged, farm raised crawfish Call and order now! 580-*0ttS SUPERIOR AUTO SERVICE “SUPERIOR SERVICE FOR TOD A YS CARS” • On Board Computer and Electronics Repair • Fuel Injection Diagnosis and Repair • ASE Certified MASTER Technicians • Air Conditioning Service • 12 month / 12,000 mile limited warranty Where service really is SUPERIOR! Sports Focus: Texas Tech football No more shades of Gray Tech overcoming loss of star runner in 1990 Battalion Hie photos by F. Joe Texas Tech must recover from the loss of stellar running back James Gray (above), who led the SWC in rushing last season. The Red Raiders will return junior quarterback Jamie Gill (left), who led them to a 28-24 win over A&M, even though linebacker Anthony Williams got the better of him last year in Lubbock. LUBBOCK (AP) — Texas Tech was the surprise football team of the Southwest Confer ence in 1989, using big plays and a slashing running back to com pile a 9-3 record and finish the season with a bowl victory. But a treacherous schedule in 1990 and heavy losses to gradua tion on offense have the Red Raiders’ “backs to the wall” head ing into the fall, says Tech head coach Spike Dykes. “We’ve got some work to do,” said Dykes, who was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1989. “I look at our schedule and think we have got to get good in a hurry.” After five of the first six games on the road against teams includ ing Ohio State, Arkansas and Texas A&M, the Red Raiders re turn home for a date with the reigning national champion Mi ami Hurricanes. “Boy, that’s a tall order,” Dykes said. “We could be worse than 2- and-5 at one point and be playing pretty good football.” Texas Tech was the only SWC team to win a bowl game last year, beating Duke 49-21 in the All- American Bowl. But the sweetest xictories came at mid-season wheq .the Raiders, who finished the season ranked No. 19, used late-game pass plays to beat Texas and A&M. Tech, which completed spring practice Wednesday, lost nine of 11 starters on offense, including All-Southwest Conference run ning back James Gray and the en tire offensive line. “The offensive line is tender,” Dykes said, adding that some of the players vying for starting spots have never played in a col lege game. “Any time you lose a James Gray you don’t replace him. You just hope to go on to the next stage and develop from there,” he said. “But we have got some tools. We are not barefooted.” Without Gray, who averaged 100-plus rushing yards per game last season, returningjunior quar terback Jamie Gill and junior running back Anthony Lynn will highlight a pass-oriented offense, Dykes said. Defensively, the Raiders return eight starters, including the en tire defensive backfield. Anchored by senior linebacker Charles Rowe, a consensus All- SWC selection last year, and sophomore free * safety Tracy Saul, who was named SWC De fensive Newcomer of the Year in 1989, the Raiders’ “bend but don’t break” style defense is the backbone of the team, Dykes said. The defense gave up an aver age of 400 yards total offense per game last year, but Dykes said “we can improve on that with the experience we’ll have.” The kicking game worries Dykes the most, he said. Junior Lin Elliott, who con nected on nine of 19 field goal at tempts last year, has struggled this spring. Dykes said no one has emerged as a solid replacement for de parted punter Jamie Simmons, who led the SWC in net punting in 1989. Gill thinks 1990 will be a fun year for the Red Raiders. “Everyone picked us down in the conference last year and we surprised some people,” he said. “We could smell the Cotton Bowl last season and I really think we can get there this year.” The Battalion SPORTS Only the Battalion has cartoonist dp. And only you can enjoy his witty sketchings and scribblings about Texas A&M sports. If there’s a cartoon to be drawn, dp’s got the pen. Football, basketball, baseball — whatever your sporting interests are — dp’s your artist. You’ve seen his piece in today’s issue, so get out your 1990 Aggie Sweeper and catch dp’s next cartoon ... only in Friday’s Battalion. VcCn^^tlNEMA/ Serica. ThcacKta A TAXING WOMAN (Tuesday. April 10-7:30 P M ) 701 Rudder Admission is $2.50 Tickets are available at the MSC Box Office. 'faulenuncttett, <yuu<t t&e ‘7ftS& flyukut *7tt&Utute fan, /Ycvafieuete,. Aggie Cinema Information Hotline - 847-8478 (ffiTTENTION: fill RECOGNIZED STUDENT ^ ORGANIZATIONS MSC OPEN HOUSE REGISTRATION IS BEGINNING. OPEN HOUSE SEPTEMBER 2.1990 EARLY REGISTRATION APR. 11 - MAY 4 $20.00 LATE REGISTRATION MAY 4 - AUG. 31 $25.00 ^Registration forms can be obtained outside Room 216 C-D in the Student Programs Office. *Forms are to be turned in to Geiinda Lara in Room 216 MSC. *For more information, call the Student Programs Office at 845-7627. ^ - J 111 Royal Street • Bryan • 846-5344 Summer Employment Opportunities /or Liberal Arts Major’s Wednesday, April 11 5:15 p.m. 302 Rudder Presented by the Placement Center and Cooperative Education Office. WANT TO BE A RESIDENT ADVISOR (RA) FOR SPRING 1991? To be considered, you must register for the RA Class for the Fall 1990 semester. (Th«r« Is no RA Class In tha summer) This Is an 11 week, 1 credit hour class listed under: A maximum of 40 students will be allowed Into each section. Take the challenge and apply for a Resident Advisor position. For more information, contact Tom Murray, 845-1229. Department of Student Affairs A part ot the DMalon of Student Sarvicaa Professional Computing HAS A CALCULATOR FOR YOU! CALCULATORS FOR BUSINESS 10B....S37.50 12C....S70.00 14B....$60.00 17BII...$82.50 19BII..$132.00 CALCULATORS FOR SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 205.. ..$37.50 215.. ..$37.50 225.. ..$45.00 275.. ..$60.00 BUSINESS HOURS M-F 8:00-5:30 SAT. 10:00-3:00 32S $52.50 42S $90.00 28S $176.25 48SX..$262.50 HEWLETT PACKARD Authorized Dealer 505 CHURCH STREET .COLLEGE STATION (409) B46-5332
