Thursday • October 23, 1997
S The Battalion
PORTS
\3abe Ruth—
Inefor the ages
r he face of professional sports in America has
changed dramatically over the past century.
But two things have remained constant:
baseball and its records. Sta
tistics from the early 20th
century still mean some
thing i n baseball today, while
other sports have a hard time
making that claim.
In 1927, Babe Ruth hit
.356 with 60 home runs and
138 RBI. A year later, Ty Cobb
finished his 24-year career
with 4,189 hits and 892
stolen bases, both modern
day baseball records.
In 1956, Mickey Mantle
won the Triple Crown with a
:53pitting average, 52 home runs and 130 RBI.
bout 20 years later, Lou Brock swiped his 893rd
I, )UTS ^ ase, breaking Cobb’s 49-year-old record. And
len in 1989, Rickey Henderson surpassed Brock.
Jeremy
Furtick
staff writer
Chairs anc
1985 saw Pete Rose collect his 4,190th hit, break-
ig another Cobb record. And more recently, Barry
I through' onds captured 1993 National League MVP honors
hi to sit ftef hitting .336 with 46 home runs and 123 RBI,
umbers similar to Mantle’s ’56 campaign.
Looking at these statistics from three genera-
ons, one thing stands out: baseball hasn’t changed.
The stars of the early NBA and NFL would be
icky to be water boys today, but Cobb and Man-
e would still be All-Stars in baseball. But one
layer from the game’s storied past could step on
re field today and rewr ite the entire record
ook—George Herman “Babe” Ruth.
The legacy this slugger left on baseball has been
assed down for decades. But most people only
link of him as a free-swinging, overweight drunk-
:d who made a name for himself by hitting home
ms. He’s thought of as a player who won a few
/brld Series titles playing for the most dominant
anchise in the history of professional sports. But
inch has been lost in the translation of Ruth tales,
om lather to son, in the past 60 years.
People have forgotten that Ruth didn’t just play
irtlie Yankees, he created them, and he didn’t
mply break records, he set them. Babe Ruth rev-
iutionized the Great Game more than any social
rovement, rule change or equipment improve-
rent. He was that good.
But he could have been better.
The Sultan of Swat finished his career as the
mind over 11-time leader in five offensive categories: home
ms (714), RBI (2,213), walks (2,056), on-base per-
entage (.474) and slugging percentage (.690). He
as since been passed by Hank Aaron in home
uns and RBI, and by Ted Williams in on-base per-
entage while still standing second to Cobb in
ms (2,174) and is sixth all-time in batting (.342).
Please see Furtick on Page 8.
Sue Grata
ht like to
along and
The First Line of Defense
Marcus Heard's emergence has been vital to the Wrecking Crew's success
By Chris Ferrell
Sports editor
W hen A&M defensive line coach
Bill Johnson was told Marcus
Heard was looking for him the
week of the Texas A&M-Southwestern
Louisiana football game, Johnson could
n’t help but smile.
At the end of 1997 spring training,
Johnson had set forth a challenge to
Heard — get his weight back down to
278 pounds, and he would be in the
starting lineup. Heard’s weight had
climbed over 300 pounds and Johnson
feared the excess pounds would limit
Heard’s football abilities.
“Marcus is a guy who gained a little
weight,” Johnson said. “We were real con
cerned in the spring as far as his perfor
mance was concerned because of his
weight. We told him, if you don’t get down
to 278 pounds, you’re not going to be able
to help us. He didn’t start the first football
game this year because he was not quite
down to that point yet.”
Heard said Johnson’s challenge forced
him to rededicated himself to football.
“Coach J. came up with a weight of 278
pounds and he told me that if I got to 278
pounds, I would be the starting nose-
tackle,” Heard said. “I was like, ‘Man, I
haven’t been 278 pounds since maybe my
sophomore year.’ It was really hard for me
but I worked hard.”
Heard walked up into the training
room and stepped on the scale.
“It surprised me because I just went into
the training room and got on the scale and
it said 277.3,” he said. “I got off, kind of
shook my head, and got back on and it still
said 277.3.1 said 'somebody go get coach.’”
So when Johnson discovered Heard,
who is not one of the more vocal mem
bers of the team, was looking for him, he
knew it was good news.
That Saturday, Heard made his first
start for the Aggies and has been a force
in the middle ever since, posting 18
tackles, including three for losses,
through six games at a position which
sees him face constant double teaming.
“It [starting for the first time] was a
tremendous rush,” Heard said. “I was
fired up and excited to get my chance to
be in the starting lineup. It was one of
my greatest thrills at A&M.”
The road to the starting lineup has been
a long one for Heard as well as his fellow
starting senior defensive linemen Brad
Crowley and Zerrick Rollins.
“ [Former A&M defensive end] Brandon
[Mitchell], Marcus and I all got here the
same year,” Crowley said. “Me and Marcus
redshiited and Brandon didn’t. Marcus and
I played on the scout team together when
we were both freshmen. We always talked
about how it was going to be when we ran
the show. It’s a lot of fun now seeing all of
our dreams now that we’re the big dogs.”
Crowley and Heard, along with Rollins
who transferred from Oklahoma in 1994,
were forced into backup roles while
Mitchell, Edward Jasper and Pat Williams
starred for the Aggies. All three are are on
NFL rosters.
“All three of those guys took a role of
they were just the backups to three re
ally good players,” Johnson said. “I think
that might have been some motivation
DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion
Senior Marcus Heard has battled his way into the starting lineup for the Aggies.
past, but we’ve got some fight about us.”
Heard said all of the questions sur
rounding himself and the other defen
sive linemen served as motivation for
this season.
to those guys.
“They sat around all those years and
heard about how good those other guys
were and they’ve got pride about them
selves. They have feelings and egos and
they knew they could get the job done.
We’re probably not as talented as in years
Please see Heard on Page 12.
Aggies limp into Lubbock to battle Red Raiders
NOTEBOOK
/4
l/C
Chris
Ferrell
Sports editor
P ack a lunch and a change of clothes,
kids, it’s time for a road trip. The 20th-
ranked Texas A&M Football Team
Ravels to BFE (also known as Lubbock) to
take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders this
weekend in a Big 12 showdown.
Tech has developed into a strong
program over the past decade, not just
on the gridiron, but on the basketball
courts and baseball diamonds as well.
It’s been a miraculous climb, leaving
many to wonder how they’ve accom
plished such a feat.
Maybe it’s the fans. They try so hard
to have traditions, but tortillas, good
one guys.
Maybe it’s the campus. Mmm,
maybe not. After, all, when God created
the Garden of Eden, surely Lubbock was
the furthest thing from his mind.
So if it’s not the ambiance of our ex
otic neighbor to the North which draws
athletes to town and its not the student
body, what could it be? A few months
from now the NCAA will probably tell us
exactly what it was.
Banged up Aggies
Along with the beating the Aggies
took on the field at the hands of Kansas
State last Saturday, they also took a
beating from the trainer’s point of view.
Sophomore tailback Dante Hall will
probably not play this weekend after
suffering a deep bone contusion to his
knee on the first play of the 36-17 loss to
the wildcats.
Hall underwent an MRI on Monday
which showed no ligament damage. He
also had 35 cc’s of fluid drained from the
injured knee.
Junior Sirr Parker will play an even
bigger role than usual in the an A&M
ground attack which ran for minus 35
yards last week.
The Aggies will also be without start
ing tackles Cameron Spikes and Chris
Ruhman. Spikes did not play last week
after tearing his retina against Iowa
State. Ruhman injured his knee during
the first series against KSU.
Ruhman, a senior from Houston, has
started 34 games over his career for the
Aggies. Ruhman’s team-high run of 30
consecutive starts will end against Tech.
Please see Ferrell on Page 8.
James Joyce
les—fiction
etter to
ejects from
jry, topics
omputers-
fre looking
late to (lis
le, so come
nner ora
: browsers
te here!
at Like Air
ww Six free tickets
Visit us on the web and find out how to win six free*
round-trip tickets anywhere American flies in the
continental (j.S. See web page for rules and specifics.
Special Low air fares
Sign up for College SAuAver Fares 5 "
and Net S/faver Fares™ announcing special savings
to selected destinations via your e-mail.
Receive travel Certificates
Receive American Airlines/Citibank® Student Travel
Savings Certificates when you're approved for a
noannual-fee Citibank credit card.
COLLECT AADVANTAGE’ MILES
Enroll in the AAdvantage travel awards
program and also learn about many other
ways to travel for less with American.
AmericanAirlines
American
’NO PURCHASE OR BOOKING NECESSARY. Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the United States of America who are full-time students at a college or university located in the U.S.A., aged 18 or older as of the date of entry 1. How to Enter: Sign up to receive American's College SAAver Fares e-mail on the American Airlines web site at
pc//www.americanair.com/college and you will be automatically entered in the College SAAver Fares Sweepstakes. You may also enter by writing your name, address and daytime phone number on a 3"x5" card and mailing it to College SAAver Fares Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 165447, Irving. TX 75016-5447. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00 a.m., Eastern time on September 19, 1997, and all online
ries ffiust be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern time on December 1, 1997. All mail-in entries must be postmarked by December 1, 1997, and received by December 8, 1997. A maximum of one entry per person will be accepted. Receipt of entry constitutes the right of the Sponsor to post winner's name. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Other rules and restrictions apply,
ompk te list of sweeptakes rules will be posted on American Airlines web site, or for a copy of sweepstakes rules, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by December 30, 1997, to: College SAAver Fares Sweeptakes Rules, P.O. Box 165447, Irving, TX 75016-5447. 2. One (1) Grand Prize: Six (6) round-trip travel passes, having an approximate combined total cash value of $2,000.00, that are good
pEconomv Class travel on American Airlines for one (1) person for one (1) year from the date of the postmark on the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release executed by the winner. Travel may be to any location in the 48 contiguous United States, Bermuda. The Bahamas, Canada. Mexico and the Caribbean to which American Airlines flies. Travel passes are transferable but all taxes,
X)rt tees and all other expenses associated with their use will be the sole responsibility of the winner. Travel arrangements are subject to availability. Blackout dates and other restrictions apply. Sweepstakes void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. 3. The name of the winner will be posted on the American Airlines web site. You may also obtain the winner’s name by sending a
faddressed. stamped envelope, by December 30, 1997, to: College SAAver Fares Winner, P.O. Box 165447, Irving, TX 75016-5447. American Airlines, American Eagle and AAdvantage are registered trademarks, College SAAver Fares is a service mark, and Net SAAver Fares is a trademark, of American Airlines, Inc. American Eagle is American’s regional airline associate. American Airlines reserves
right to change AAdvantage program rules, regulations, travel awards and special offers at any time without notice, and to end the AAdvantage program with six months notice. American Airlines is not responsible for products or services offered by other participating companies. Schedules subject to change without notice. ©1997 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.