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
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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
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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.
