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Page 7
Monday • February 10, 1997
\ggies bring out the brooms for home opener
ggies come back to take both games of
aturday's double-header against Broncs
By Dennis Ramiez
The Battalion
It was all brooms at Olsen Field this weekend as
the Texas A&M Baseball Team swept the UT-Pan
nerican Broncs in a three-game series.
The Aggies (4-1) started out the first game in an
portunistic fashion, as they came from behind
tid found themselves the winner by the score of 8-
7|With the bases loaded, Jason Stephens was hit by
a pitch. This allowed Jason Tyner to trot in from
■ird base and give the Aggies the win.
I On Saturday, the Aggies became the comeback
kids again in the second and third games of the se-
les. Although the wins were a bit shaky, Texas A&M
■ead Baseball Coach Mark Johnson is content and
hopes these successes will help later in the season.
I “I think it’s always good early in the season to
have some come-from-behinds, because it builds
lie team and it builds character,” Johnson said. “It
is a great reminder for you when you get into a
traugh ballgame and you are behind, because you’ve
had some experience doing it.”
I The Aggies] pitching was highlighted by Matt
Blanc, in the third game of the series, as he relieved
starter John Codrington with the Aggies down 3-0.
Last year in the same series, Blanc stood out with a
no-hitter. Although he did not rack up the same
feat, his performance was good enough to fire an
Aggie rally and boost them to a win.
“Matt gave us a chance to catch up and take the
lead,” Johnson said. “John had a rough outing and
we were down, and Matt comes in and keeps us
close and gives us a chance to do it. I was really im
pressed with his outing.”
With Blanc on the mound, the Aggie sluggers
awoke and put 10 runs on the board to push the Ag
gies to a 10-3 win. Blanc was just pleased that he was
able to come into the game and give the team a
chance to win.
“I came in and established my fast ball early,”
Blanc said. “I was throwing inside and with that
north wind blowing in, if they hit it hard it was prob
ably not going to blow out, so I just tried to get it in
on them.”
In the second game of the series, the Aggies were
forced to come back in extra innings when they lost
the lead in the last inning to a solo home run by the
Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
Rich Petreu slides into home during the first inning of the first game in Saturday's double-header against
UT-Pan America at Olsen Field.
Broncs. A&M’s Scott Sanduski then put a ball into
the outfield with the bases loaded in the bottom of
the ninth to give the Aggies a 4-3 victory.
The Aggies now await Arizona University for a
three-game series that begins Friday. While they
wait, they will certainly have the brooms handy, but
at the same time, they hope to rely on tough pitch
ing and a swift stick to pull out the wins.
Quat' Texas A &JVI y s 12th Man of Honor
*■ Elmendorf will be
inducted into the
College Football
Hall of Fame.
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
biking for the MGM Grand Hotel
and Casino, Dave Elmendorf
knows a thing or two about odds,
but in the late '60s it was opposing quarter
backs who knew that the odds of throwing at
he Texas A&M All-American safety were
tucked against them.
Elmendorf will become the twelfth Aggie
Enshrined in the College Football Hall of
to star in his own I
Dson: The Interview’
money-making opp ; ame Dec. 9 when he and J 1 other former
ilayers and coaches from around the coun-
ryare inducted.
“It is a great honor, and I am veiy thrilled
that the National College Football Hall of
Fame has chosen to recognize me,” said El
mendorf, who played safety for the Aggies
om 1968-70. “It will be an honor to repre
sent Texas A&M on the national level.”
An All-American in both football and
baseball, Elmendorf is regarded as one of the
top athletes ever to compete at A&M.
He was inducted into the Texas A&M Ath
letic Hall of Fame in 1978 and was named to
he Southwest Conference’s All-Decade
team for the 70s.
Elmendorf came to A&M from Houston’s
Afestbury High School.
“When he came to A&M he was thought
)f as one of the top players in the country,”
botball historian and Texas Football pub-
isher Dave Campbell said.
Although Elmendorf had his pick of
diools, he said his family background elimi
nated options outside of A&M.
“My father was an Aggie, as well as my
two brothers,” he said. “I was an Aggie
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Photo Illustration by Stew Milne, The Battalion
Dave Elmendorf wore #36 in football and #10 in baseball when he attended A&M. Elmendorf, who was an All-American in both
sports, will be the 12th Aggie inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
from the beginning.”
There were few highlights for the Ag
gies during Elmendorf’s career, which
saw the team go 8-23. Many of the bright
spots came via Elmendorf, who is tied for
fourth place on A&M’s career intercep
tions list with 12.
One of Elmendorf’s fondest college mem
ories was an upset victory on the road over
nationally ranked Lousiania State Universi
ty in 1970.
Elmendorf picked off a Bert Jones [who
would later go on to star for the Baltimore
Colts] pass deep in Aggie territory to pre
serve a 22-18 win. The interception came
just seconds after A&M had taken the lead
on a 79-yard scoring strike from Lex
James to Hugh McElroy.
The Aggies went on to lose the rest of their
games that season on the way to a 2-9 record,
but Elmendorf said the team was better than
the statistics indicate.
“In our defense, we weren’t that bad,” he
said. “We played five of the top 10 teams in
the nation and most of those were on the
road. We played at LSU and were at Ohio
State and Michigan on back-to-back weeks.”
Following the season, Elmendorf was
named to the All-Southwest Conference
team for the second consecutive year.
He was also an Academic All-American
selection that season. Elmendorf epito
mized the term student athlete. He gradu
ated from Texas A&M with an honors de
gree in economics.
After graduating in 1970, Elmendorf was
a third-round draft pick of the Los Angeles
Rams. He went on to play nine years and
earned All-Pro honors. Following the Rams
1980 Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh
Steelers, Elmendorf retired from profes
sional football.
However, this was not Elmendorf’s only
career option. He was drafted out of high
school by the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta
Braves and New York Yankees also drafted El
mendorf during his college career. Upon
graduation, lie had to decide between base
ball and football.
“What it finally boiled down to was if I had
played baseball, I would have had to play in
the minors for a fewyears before I even knew
if I would have a chance to make it to the ma
jors,” he said. “In the NFL I would get a
chance to find out right away and then I
could always try baseball.”
There are four steps that a player or coach
must take before Hall of Fame induction.
First, he must be named a first team All-
American. Then he must be nominated, usu
ally by a coach, sports writer, or member of
die College Football Hall of Fame Honors
Court. After nomination, the candidate’s ca
reer and statistics are researched. Finally, the
Honors Court elects its inductees usually
four backs,seven linemen, and coaches.
“ft (getting inducted) is very competitive,”
Campbell said. “I’ve seen Heisman Trophy
winners have to stand in line.”
Elmendorf joins former Aggie running
backs John Kimbrough, Joel Hunt, Joe Utay,
John David Crow, Jack Pardee and linemen
Joe Route and Charlie Krueger. A&M also is
represented by Hall of Fame coaches Dana
X. Bible, Madison Bell, Homer Norton, and
Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Elmendorf noted that athletics still plays
an important role in his daily life, because of.
the values it instills.
“Athletics is a great teacher,” he said. “It
teaches teamwork, responsibility, discipline
and, determination. All of these apply to liv
ing a good daily life.”
Today, Dave Elmendorf has returned to
his native Houston where he and his fiancee
Mamie Steward will be married in April. He
is a southwest regional marketing executive
for the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino out of
Las Vegas, and during football season can be
heard as the color analyst for Texas A&M
football games.
Elmendorf’s love for A&M remains as
sU’ong today as it was when he came to watch
football games while still in high school.
“Those who aren’t Aggies have no way of
knowing what this university means to those
of us who are,” he said. “I love the traditions,
the conservatism, the camaraderie. There is
just no way to explain it.”
ts
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pucker's career-ending injury
idds to painful Colorado loss
By Lara L. Zuehlke
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Team
ffered a double loss Saturday night before
02 atG. Rollie White Coliseum.
The Lady Aggies fell to the University of Col
lado 69-40, but the real loss came when A&M
hior guard Lana Tucker, diving for a lose ball,
|re a ligament in her right knee, ending her
eeratA&M.
“I hate losing this game tonight the way that
did,” A&M Head Coach Candi Harvey said.
r e obviously played a very good basketball
m, but in the big picture, more than any-
ng, I am so sorry and so sad that I will never
: to coach that kid again.”
The loss drops the Aggies to 2-9 in Big 12
|tnpetition and 8-13 overall, while Colorado
proves to 8-2 and 14-6 overall.
The Lady Gagers struggled on the court,
ooting a season low 23 percent (15-52) from
h field.
I The Lady Ags were led by freshman forward
ssy Sharpe with nine points, four rebounds
#d two steals, and by junior center Kim Lin-
i ^who contributed six points, six boards and
ee steals.
The Lady Buffaloes’ defense controlled the
itne, rendering A&M scoreless for 12 minutes
■the first half. Freshman guard Natalie Tuck-
Jfinally broke the drought by connecting on
Vo free throws with 27 seconds left in the half,
sending the Ags into the locker room down by
15 points, 28-13.
“We want to stand out as a defensive team,”
Colorado senior center Reagan Scott said. “This
was not at all a perfect defensive game for us,
because there are some things we still have to
improve on. We still have to get better.”
The powerful Colorado duo of Scott and se
nior forward Erin Scholz dominated the paint,
racking up a total of 34 points and 26 boards.
Harvey said the Lady Ags struggled to over
come their poor shooting and consequently
lost confidence in themselves.
“Colorado is an excellent defensive team,
and when things got a little shaky we went into
that scared shell that we often go into,” Harvey
said. “(We) start doubting our shots and won
der if we’re going to miss it, instead of expect
ing to mike it and that’s what happened.”
Harvey said the team will work past their
mistakes in the game, the absence of Tucker’s
presence on the floor will be difficult to endure.
“I think this is one of those times that we
need to look past the loss of the game,” Harvey
said. “We need to look more at the loss of a
tremendous ambassador to Texas A&M on the
basketball court.”
Tucker’s unexpected injury comes shortly af
ter she broke her career 1,000 point mark against
Kansas University, becoming only the twelfth
player in A&M’s history to accomplish this feat.
See Losses, Page 8
Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
Mellisa Rollerson drives to the basket in the Lady Ags' game against
Colorado at G. Rollie White Coliseum Saturday night.
► NBA All-Stars Game
East tops West
in historic game
CLEVELAND (AP) —Talk about an All-Star game that
had it all.
Michael Jordan had the event’s first triple-double,
MVP Glen Rice broke two scoring records and the East
had one of the best comebacks in All-Star history in beat
ing the West 132-120 Sunday.
If that wasn’t enough, it all happened in front of the
greatest collection of basketball players ever assembled.
Simply put, the NBA couldn’t have asked for much
more in the showcase event of its 50th season.
Jordan had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists —
his first triple-double since coming out of retirement 23
months ago.
Rice scored 20 points in the third quarter, breaking Hal
Greer’s mark of 19 in the 1968 game. The Charlotte for
ward also set a record of 24 points in a half, breaking Wilt
Chamberlain’s mark.
Chamberlain and Greer were on the court along with
45 others on the all-time greatest list for a halftime trib
ute that would have stolen the show at Gund Arena if not
for Rice and Jordan.
The parade of greats was a moment of showtime that
had never before been matched in NBA history. One af
ter the other, out came the legends of the game.
Jordan was first. Chamberlain stood alongside Bill
Russell and George Mikan. Isaiah Thomas bodied up his
own rival and buddy, Magic Johnson. Pete Maravich’s two
sons, Jaecen and Joshua, stood in for the only deceased
member of the 50 greatest.
There were roars for Larry Bird, Julius Erving and
Lenny Wilkens, boos for Shaquille O ’Neal — the only ac
tive player to miss the gathering.