The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 28, 1978, Page page 14, Image 14
page 14 daily nebraskan friday, aprit 28, 1978 Short people got no season to play There is something seriously wrong with the programs offered by the athletic department on this campus. The main prerequisite to play football, basketball (men's or women's), baseball or almost anything is that you be big, tall, strong, fast, muscular, coordinated and loaded with natural ability. Unfair, we say. What about those of us who are short, small, weak, slow, flabby, clumsy and loaded with natural disability? (We turn into sportswriters, right?) Jim i kcajmccQrthij Seriously folks. Something has to be done to drag us physical celibates out of our sloppy apartments, resi dence halls, houses, where we comfortably sit nursing our beers. Jogging doesn't count. That's too common and we need something unique that could carry some prestige. We all want to participate, to possibly be the big hero. So we've come up with a few ideas the athletic depart ment might wish to incorporate. Solitaire basketball (one-on-none, if you prefer). The basket height will be five feet and there will be no mam moth ox with arms down to his ankles obstructing your view of the basket. Imagine the exhilaration as all of you under 5-foot -6 soar through the air and viciously slam the ball through the hoop. Escalator marathons. Who needs all those miles of running and self-abuse? Rent Sears department store and line up your contestants at the bottom of the escalator. At the gun they're off for hours upon end of tireless com petition. Riding the rails is not permitted. The 100-yard stroll. It's such a short distance anyway. Why exert all that energy on blazing down the track so fast the soles of your sneakers melt? This event would be especially nice on pleasant days. ("A stroll on the track, my dear?") Low jumping. The bar will be set no higher than the top of your knees. On the other side of the bar will be placed a two-ton glob of jello, assuring an injury-free landing. Broad jumping. With real ones, of course. Your imag nation alone should be enough to get you by on this one. Even these events may be too much for some of the less nimble among us. Therefore, we suggest conceptual sports. It would be safe, easy and you would never have to leave the comfort of your living room. So, you always wanted to be a big gymnastics star? Okay, line up your friends and explain the situation to them. "Okay fellas, I'm approaching the vault. There is an air of confidence about me that almost exudes arro gance. I pause a moment to psych, and then I'm off. Oh geez, am I ever blazing down the runway. The vault comes closer and closer and then BOOM, I explode off the springboard, give a half twist in mid-air, plant, one flip, two flips, extension and ZAP. A perfect landing. The crowd roars. I fling my arms skyward and the judge smiles and acknowledges my effort." You lean back and sip on your beer. "Watcha think?" Your friends scribble on notepads and then look up. "8.9" "9.0" "8.8" "9.3" You glare at judge number three. "8.8?" you say. "You're crazy. Didn't you hear the crowd reaction. Charlie there gave me a 9.3." "Hey look, I'm sorry, but. . ." "No, no. Just forget it. I don't want to talk about it. Man, this is the last time you ever come over here and drink my beer." Yankee scout covers UNL games By Jim Hunt With fewer minor league baseball teams today, college baseball programs become more important in the develop ment of players for the big leagues, according to the mid west scout for the New York Yankees. Russ Sehon said, "major league clubs used to have ten or twelve farm clubs. Now most of them have five, maybe six at the most. With this scarcity, college ball clubs should be better." However, college baseball programs never will take the place of the farm system, Sehon said. "These guys are here (in college) as students," he said. "Allegedly sports come behind their studies. Under these circumstances they aren't able to play every day like they do in the minors and this hurts them some. "However, colleges are coming up with better clubs which are producing better players." Sehon, in his first year with the Yankees, scouts Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Illinois and for special assignments. Before joining the Yankees, Sehon spent 1 1 years with the New York Mets, eight years with the Milwaukee Braves and one year with the Major League Bureau, a general scouting service for major league clubs. He also played and managed Hutchinson, Kansas, of the Western Association in the minor leagues. 'Tony (Sharpe) and I are good friends," Sehon said. "In fact I've been scouting games here for so long that I remember when right field was where home plate is now." Although Sehon said he was in Lincoln for general coverage, he said this is the busy time of the year for him with the Free Agent Draft scheduled for early June. Sehon said he travels between 28,000 and 30,000 miles a year covering baseball. He also sees between 350 to 375 games a year on all levels from high school to professional. Wednesday's doubleheader with Wayne State is the third time Sehon has watched UNL play this season. UNL "didn't play with a great deal of enthusiasm today," Sehon said. "That is understandable though since it is harder for a team to get up for somebody like Wayne rather than one of the Big Eight teams. "Nebraska is a well-balanced college ball club. The way they play it is showing that they are using funda mentals and showing their talent on the playing field," he said. Emotionally trying9 spring to culminate in Red-White game By Rick Huls The unually quiet Tom Osborne had to set his football players straight on some thing Wednesday afternoon. With the spring football drills ending and players trying to impress coaches one last time, some flareups occurred between players during the last contact practice. The sixth year Husker head coach talked to the team after the workout. "Now I know it's been a long spring and it's always the offense against the defense," Osborne said. "But we've got to remember the team concept. We are all one unit." Osborne said some problems could have been caused by players who are frustrated and trying to make one last impression. "It's emotionally trying for the play ers," he said. "They know that we're going to cut some players and they're trying awful hard not to let that happen." Despite injuries, which caused a short age of running backs and defensive backs, Osborne said the coaches will evaluate players Saturday. The 29th annual Spring Football game will begin Saturday at 1:30 at Memorial Stadium. The first and fourth teams (Reds) will go against the second and third teams (Whites). During the 28-year history of the game, the Reds lead the Red-White series, 9-8. Before Red-White games alumni players played the team. In these Varsity-Alumni games, the varsity has won nine of 1 1 games. Last year the Reds edged the Whites 23-21. Injuries have hampered returning starters this spring. The injury list includes: running back Rick Berns (hamstring), defensive back Jim PiDen (hand), defensive back Jeff Hansen (knee surgery), defensive tackle Randy Poeschl (knee surgery), line backer Tom Vering (shoulder), and split end-punter Tim Smith (foot). Only two on the injured list, Berns and Pillen, are likely to compete in Saturday's contest. Berns, who was bothered by an injury most of the spring, said he hopes to be at full strength Saturday. He said his game time experience will help him despite not practicing much the first weeks of spring drills. 'This spring was. different for me be cause I had to learn the fullback position," Berns said. "But I'm finally learning my assignments and getting to know the position." Pillen was doubtful for ,c xday's scrimmage until his hand, which was thought to be broken, was diagnosed as having "only stretched ligaments." The junior from Monroe, Neb. said now he's ready to play. Pillen said that at Nebraska, a player never can relax and think he has his position sewed up. "There's always somebody behind you knocking at the back door if you don't perform well," he said. Pillen and defensive teammate George Andrews said the defense will run basic formations Saturday. "We won't run many different forma tions or any new stuff," Andrews said. "We don't want to show too much because the films are sent to the other schools." Andrews said the spring game may be more important at UNL than some other schools because of the "intense, competit ive spirit here." Kelvin Clark said he thinks this spring's practices have been more intense than in other years. "I've been hit harder this year than any other year," said Clark, who was given the Husker Weightlifter of the Year award Wednesday. "1 think there's more depth and more quality athletes than before." Clark said the Huskers' offensive line, which was questionable at the beginning of the spring, could be just as good as last year's. "We were big and fast last year, but we might be a little quicker this year," said the 6-foot 4 250 pound junior. Three-year letterman Steve Lindquist also agreed that the offensive line could be quicker. 'Well be just as good if not better next year," he said. The many injuries, Lindquist noted, are an indication of the hard hitting this spring. Quarterback Tom Sorley said he's not worried about the scuffles that occurred Wednesday. "It's been a long spring," he said, "and the offense and defense go against each other every day. Some of the players just might have gotten frustrated. "1 think this year's team has the type of individuals who can develop the close team unity we had last year." Sorley added ? iff sz jvS"- -" - Photo by Td Kirk Junior I.M. Hipp will run out of the first team offensive backfield Saturday in the 29th Spring Game. The game between the Red and White teams signals the end of spring football practice at UNL.