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The Battalion
SPORTS 5
Friday, August 10,1990
Sports Editor Clay Rasmussen 845-2688
Randy
Lemmon
Readers Opinion
SEC merger
not only viable
solution to SWC
woes, secessions
No Clay, the dust hasn’t set
tled, it only got in your eyes. You,
on the other hand, seem to have
lapsed into a comatose state with
your opinion on the state of the
Southwest Conference (Battlion
Aug. 7).
The dust is far from settling.
Texas A&M doesn’t have to join
the Southeast Conference to get a
bigger piece of the television pie.
With the upcoming meeting of
the athletic directors from the Big
Eight and the SWC, the stage is
far from being set, or should I say
added to, paving the way for
four, five or six superconfer
ences.
For the fat-cat television execs,
such an idea is what is so alluring.
Think about it, 12-team super
conferences. The SEC already
has 11 teams with the addition of
Arkansas. All they need is one
more family member.
For the sake of discussion let’s
say they extend their twelfth invi
tation to Georgia Tech, which
makes more sense than A&M or
the University of Texas. South
east Conference ... a school from
ihe Southeast... get it?
So, where does that leave the
likes of A&M?
That is what the meeting be
tween the aforementioned ath
letic directors will lead to. They
aren’t going to admit it now. Not
right before the start of the sea
son. It would have everybody’s
head swimming. Especially you
sports writers, who would chew
on that bone in desiccating fash
ion, forgetting about the season
at hand.
Merger mania
I give you the Big Southwest
Conference — Nebraska, Okla
homa, Oklahoma State, Missouri,
A&M, UT, Baylor, Texas Tech,
TCU, Houston, SMU and Rice.
The Pac-10 picks up Big Eight
rejects Colorado and Colorado St.
and becomes the Totally Gnarly
Pac-12. See?!
The Big Ten has already
promised a spot to Penn State.
Then, all they have to do is pick
up one more, either Pittsburgh,
Notre Dame or Iowa State. They-
would become the Tremendous-
12.
The Atlantic Coast Conference
pulls in Miami, Florida State,
West Virginia and/or one of the
bridesmaids that the Big Ten
doesn't claim. Now we have the
Awesome Atlantic-12.
Is the haze clearing. Clay?
That is four, 12-team super
conferences signed, sealed and
delivered. You ask, what happens
to the likes of Kansas and Kansas
State from the Big Eight?
Well, they were never big tele
vision draws in the first place and
someone has to be left at hte alter
in this whirlwind of courtships,
why no them? This is, as you say,
in the best interest of lucrative
television contracts, is it not?
Looming dust clouds
And what about the Mid
American, Western Athletic and
the Big West Conferences?
Once again, television pro
gramming execs haven’t been sa
livating over them, either. But re
member, I did say four, five or six
superconferences. If there is a
need for two more superconfer
ences and they have the metal to
pull it off... kudos to them.
They need to battle it out, and
create their own dust, or is all this
unsettled dust too much for you
to take.
Coming from a sports tele
vision background, I can see how
the television execs would rather
have four superconferences, and
with that gut instinct in mind, I
think the other conferences
would be left to fend for them
selves.
And to blow a little more dust
your way, Clay, this could dear
the way for a true National
Champion.
A playoff system, if you will,
that takes the top teams from
each superconference and plays
them in a post-season playoff, a la
the NBA or God forbid the NFL.
Laufenberg stuck in role as backup
Photo by Mike C. Mulvey
Quarterback Babe Laufenberg is content with his role as a third-
string quarterback behind Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh.
Cowboy retains
sense of humor
AUSTIN (AP) — Dallas Cowboys
quarterback Babe Laufenberg has
backed up the best. Joe Theismann,
Doug Williams, John Elway, Jay Sch-
roeder, Troy Aikman and Steve
Walsh.
Which one would he choose if he
were starting an NFL team?
“I’d sign me, probably,” he says,
“because I’d be the cheapest.”
Over his seven-year pro career,
Laufenberg also has backed up the
likes of Dave Wilson, Bill Kinney,
Mark Rypien and Jim Hart. Quar
terback heaven, unless you’re the
perennial backup trying to win some
playing time.
But that status has given Laufen
berg a perspective few, if any, quar
terbacks have had. And now he is
watching two potential all-pros —
Aikman and Walsh — in their
younger stages.
Laufenberg refiected on a few of
the quarterbacks he has played with.
On Elway (Stanford, 1978): “I just
think he lifts the team, lifts the peo
ple around him,” he told The Dallas
Morning News. “It’s almost like
Larry Bird. Sometimes in the games,
he makes one play that turns it
around for them.”
Laufenberg, a sixth-round pick of
Washington, said he learned the
most from Theismann. Incidentally,
Laufenberg came back to replace
Theismann on the Redskins’ roster
when Theismann suffered a broken
leg that ended his career in 1985.
“I learned how to work form
Theismann,” Laufenberg said, “let’s
say you’re just in a drill, throwing
one-on-one to receivers. You know,
you can loaf. You don’t have to drive
back hard. He’d go back and make
every pass count. Every time he
threw the ball. Somebody told me,
‘Pay attention to Theismann. Don’t
do what he does off the field, but fol
low him on it.’”
And Laufenberg’s favorite quar
terback to be around 10 hours a day?
The dry humor and laid back man
ner of Williams during the Redskins’
1987 Super Bowl season stands out.
“I remember when he was doing
well with the Redskins, everybody
was saying what a better player he
was, how much more mature he
was,” Laufenberg said. “He just
smiled and said, ‘Hey, it’s a lot easier
to throw when you’re standing up
than on your back.’ He could have
just said yeah, I’m the reason we’re
good. But he gave credit to the other
guys around him.”
On Schroeder (Redskins, 1984-
85): “Great arm. I mean cannon
arm. I’d say probably one of the
strongest arms in the league ... He’s
just not the most accurate guy in the
world.”
On Rypien (Redskins, 1986): “I
knew they drafted this guy out of
Washington State in the sixth round.
I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t
know he was 6-5 and whatever. So in
the mini-camps, the quarterbacks
have this meeting and this guy
comes in, and I said this is the quar
terback meeting. I thought he was
this wayward linebacker or some
thing.”
On Hart (Redskins, 1984): “It was
his last year, and he just joined the
Redskins. His hair was all gray and
nobody recognized him. This guy
walks through the locker room. I’m
thinking I better keep an eye on my
wallet. I’ve never seen him before.”
Laufenberg said he sees a little bit
of Theismann in Walsh: “Both have
good timing and probably physically
aren’t the prototype quarterbacks,
but they both get the job done.”
Laufenberg also says he sees simi
larities in Elway and Aikman:
“Troy’s looking for the downfield
throw. He wants to make the big
play.”
Laufenberg hopes he’s more than
comic relief for his teammates and a
communicator to the press box from
the sideline. Maybe, as a veteran ob
server of quarterbacks, there is an
osmosis that Aikman and Walsh can
learn from him.
“I’m sure I pass something along,”
Laufenberg said. “That’s an interest
ing question. I hope they do look
over occasionally and see something.
Maybe they’re picking something
up. It’s not like I’m a guru or some
thing.”
Denver coach suffers chest pains
caused by blocked heart arteries
DENVER (AP) — Broncos coach Dan Reeves was
resting comfortably in a hospital Thursday after he had
chest pains due to blocked heart arteries.
Reeves, 46, was in good condition at an undisclosed
hospital, his cardiologist, Dr. Randall Marsh, said.
“He has not, I repeat, he has not had a heart attack,”
Marsh said at a hastily called news conference. “This
morning, he is just fine. I’m not worried about him. He
has had a rude awakening by Mother Nature.”
Reeves was admitted to North Colorado Medical
Center in Greeley, Colo., Wednesday night after expe
riencing chest pains. He was diagnosed with arterioscle
rosis, or hardening of the arteries.
Reeves was moved out of the hospital to a small pri
vate plane at Weld County Municipal Airport, which
departed for an undisclosed location about 10 a.m.
Thursday. His wife, Pam, accompanied him on the
plane.
Sources close to the family said Reeves was being
moved to a hospital in Redwood City, Calif. Spokeswo
men at the city’s two hospitals said early 1 hursday no
one by that name was a patient in either facility.
Marsh said Reeves underwent tests Wednesday eve
ning and more were scheduled. The coach is expected
to remain in the hospital for four to five days, and to be
off the job for two to six weeks.
“The plan at present is to try to avoid surgery,” he
said. “The absolute decision has not been made and
probably won’t be made for another day or so.
“All alternatives are being considered ... they are try
ing to do this without surgery. There’s no rush. He’s
fine. We want to make sure we make the right deci
sion.”
Among the procedures being considered for Reeves
is angioplasty, a technique for repairing or replacing
damaged blood vessels, the cardiologist with North Col
orado Medical Center said.
Marsh said Reeves’ “spectacular” physical shape will
help him recuperate more quickly. He said he does not
expect the problem to harm Reeves’ career and that
there will be no restrictions when he returns to work.
A source close to the family told The Associated
Press that Reeves is in good physical shape. “He exer
cises daily and he bicycles because his knees are bad. He
is.extremely active. He eats very sensibly.”
“I am asking the media to leave him alone. Let him
recover,” Marsh said. “I don’t want to tell you where.
Give the guy some peace.”
When Reeves took over the Broncos in 1981, he was
the youngest coach in the NFL. He has led the team to
three Super Bowl seasons in the past four years, losing
big all three times.
In his absence, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips
has been put in charge of the Broncos, including the
critical decisions on cuts and trades that will need to be
made in the coming weeks.
None of the coaches or players will be allowed to con
tact Reeves, he said.
Reeves “was more worried about the players and the
coaches than himself ... he wasn’t feeling bad, and was
He has not, I repeat, he has not had a
heart attack. This morning, he is just fine.
I’m not worried about him. He has had a
rude awakening by Mother Nature.”
—Dr. Randall Marsh,
cardiologist
in good spirits,” Phillips said.
Phillips, 42, was the interim head coach of the Saints
for the final four games of the New Orleans team’s
1985 season. This is his second season with Denver.
“I’ve talked to the players and coaches and they know
we’ve lost a lot of leadership for a while ... but we just
have to pull together ... everything is blueprinted, so
there won’t be any real changes,” he said.
The players were notified of Reeves’ hospitalization
Thursday, about the same time Marsh and general
manager John Beake informed the news media.
“It came as a shock to the players,” linebacker Mi
chael Brooks said.
A&M netters
featured in
tournament
From Staff and Wire Reports
Graduation doesn’t mean you
have to leave Texas A&M and
former men’s tennis team stand
out Shaun O’Donovan is one to
prove just that.
O’Donovan is the No. 1 seeded
player in the Championship
Men’s Division of the Gary Ste
venson Quality GMC A&M Open
tennis tournament beginning 8
a.m. today and continuing
through the weekend.
The tournament, held at the
Omar Smith Tennis Center on
the west side of campus, draws
540 entries from throughout
Texas.
Sanctioned by the United
States Tennis Association, the sin
gle-elimination tournament has a
championship division as well as
open divisions for men and
women in singles, doubles and
mixed play.
Other Aggies in the men’s
championship division include
Doug Brown, Steve Kennedy and
Scott Phillips, all presently on the
A&M team.
Leading the Championship
Women’s Singles division is Aggie
player Cindy Churchwell.
Churchwell is joined in doubles
by teammate Tami Agassi and
holds the No. 1 position in the
Championship Women’s Doubles
division.
Mavericks mum on bid for free agent English
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks
weren’t saying T hursday whether they’d outbid
the Utah Jazz for free agent Alex English.
Both Dallas newspapers said English, late of
the Denver Nuggets, has agreed to a contract
with the Mavericks.
“We’re out of it,” Scott Layden, Utah Jazz di
rector of player personnel, said Wednesday. “We
were outbid by Dallas.”
English and his agent, Ted Steinberg, had
been talking with the Utah Jazz for several weeks
and were said to be close to an agreement.
But the deal with the Mavericks reportedly
came about after a series of discussions between
Steinberg and Rick Sund, the Mavericks vice
president of basketball operations.
“We don’t have a deal with Alex English as we
speak. Until we do I don’t think it’s really wise to
make any comment,” Mavericks spokesman Ke
vin Sullivan said Thursday.
Steinberg declined to elaborate on the dis
cussions other than to say, “We are now negotiat
ing with Dallas.” Sund also refused to comment.
Published reports speculated the signing could
come as early as Thursday.
English, who made $2 million with the Denver
Nuggets last season, had been seeking a one-
year, $1.2 million deal to return to the Nuggets
this season.
Chicago and Cleveland showed an early inter
est in the 6-foot-7-inch forward. But the Jazz
emerged as the leading candidate in recent
weeks.
Layden met with Steinberg and English Mon
day night and reportedly made an offer that
could have paid the 36-year-old up to $1.6 mil
lion this season. Sund called Steinberg later that
evening to express interest.
Two factors appear to have tipped the scales in
the Mavericks’ favor.
The first is money. Dallas offered a six-year,
$18 million contract in its efforts to retain Sam
Perkins. Once he left for the Los Angeles Lakers,
the Mavericks had plenty of room to maneuver
under the salary cap, a luxury the Jazz didn’t
share.
The second is Fat Lever. The guard, who was
acquired from the Nuggets in June, became close
friends with English in their days in Denver.
Mavericks coach Richie Adubato said he would
like to meet with English to discuss what his role
would be if he did sign with the Mavericks.
“We need scoring off the bench and he would
give us that. No question,” Adubato said. “At this
particular time in his career, we feel that is how
he will best help our team. He’s a guy who still of
fers you a tremendous amount of scoring.”
English is one of the most prolific scorers in
league history. He won the league scoring title in
1982-83 with an average of 28.4, and failed to
score less than 23.8 in just one of his 10 full sea
sons with the Nuggets. That came last season,
when he averaged 17.9 in a reduced role.
English also is just 150 points shy of the 25,000
point mark for his career.
Doug
Pils
Sports Writer
Oakland guns
for the lead as
summer goes on
They’re called the dog
days of summer. It’s the time
between baseball’s All-Star game
and the September pennant chase.
The August heat tends to keep
injured players out a little longer
and road trips can drag on
forever. Teams trailing the
division leaders are making deals
and juggling lineups struggling to
find the right chemistry for the
playoff drive.
It’s a time when the dreams of
spring training are either fulfilled
or the dreams are all that’s left.
The heat has wilted the
Montreal Expos’ “youth
movement” as the team is 9-17
since the break and nine games
out after being as close as three
and a half.
With the Expos’ downfall, the
New York Mets and the
Pittsburgh Pirates are left fighting
for National League East title.
Both teams are playing solid
ball — but when it comes down
to crunch-time in September, the
experience, leadership and power
that Darryl Strawberry and
Howard Johnson provide will
push the Mets past the Pirates.
A darkhorse in the NL East is
the Chicago Cubs. The Cubbies
are 17-8 since the break and
Andre Dawson is making a run
for Most Valuable Player.
Gunning above .500
i
About two weeks ago the NL
West race seemed all but over,
but the Cincinnati Reds are
sliding closer and closer to the
San Francisco Giants and the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
The Reds ace starter. Jack
Armstrong, is struggling with a 0-
4 record and has given up 21 runs
in his last five starts, while the
Dodgers’ Ramon Martinez
continues his hot streak. The
Dodger fireballer leads the major
leagues in strikeouts and he’s 5-0
with only eight walks in his last
five starts.
One word of note in the
Western Division. If the Houston
Astros could work out a deal
where they could play all of their
games in the Astrodome they’d
be the World Champs. The
Astros are 35-22 in the friendly
confines of the Dome. Only the
Boston Red Sox and Mets, each
with 36 wins, have won more.
The Red Sox still hold a slim
lead in the American League East
but in a division where the leader
is never far above .500, it’s still a
wide open race.
California feels quake
Since the break, the Baltimore
Orioles are the only Eastern team
playing above ,500. Sluggers
Randy Milligan and the newly
acquired Ron Kittle are carrying
the O’s toward the top of the
division after being nine games
out.
Wednesday, right-hander Ben
McDonald, the first player taken
in last year’s draft, became the
first Oriole pitcher ever to begin
his career with four straight
victories.
It makes no difference,
however, which team wins the
AL East — because the defending
World Champion Oakland A’s
are just too strong.
The A’s are withstanding the
assualt of the Chicago White Sox
and even the red-hot Texas
Rangers can’t get any closer. At
the break the Rangers were 12
games behind the A’s and after
going 17-9, Texas has only made
up half a game as the A’s have
matched them game for game.
Jose Canseco and the “bashers
by the Bay” will be too much for
any team to handle. The lineup is
solid all the way to the ninth hitter
and the pitching staff led by Bob
Welch (18-4) and Dave Stewart
(15-8) is too deep. The A’s will
repeat as champions as they take
the World Series from the Mets in
six games.