Wednesday, august 23, 1978
page 44
daily nebraskan
Student manager is unsung hero
of behind-scenes football business
V
By L. Kent Wolgamott
It is a job that involves a lot of work and receives very
little credit. You may never make the headlines if you
hold it, but you are an integral part of the Husker football
team.
The job is student manager.
Mike Frei, a senior agricultural economics major from
Grand Island, is in his fourth year as manager and is the
head manager this season.
Frei said he became a manager because of his interest
in football.
"I just hever had the ability to play football, but I
liked the sport. It (becoming a manager) was the easiest
way to still stay in touch with it," he said.
He said the managers' main duty was to take care of
equipment such as the blocking sleds and dummies and
keeping track of the 35 footballs used during a Husker
practice.
On game weekends, Frei said, the managers help take
care of room assignments in the Nebraska Center for
Continuing Education, if the game is at home, or in a
hotel or motel if the game is away.
The manager's also make sure the players are on buses
to and from the hotel, airport, or stadium and wake up
the players on game days.
As head manager, Frei said he records the number ot
minutes played by each player durihg the game while the
other managers help keep the sideline in order and keep
the coaches' headphones untangled.
He said that the eight managers are split between the
freshman and varsity teams, with two or three working
with the freshmen and the others working with the
varsity. ,
The head and junior managers attend the away games,
Frei said.
He said managers work 4J4 to 5 hours a day and re
ceive one hour of credit per semester.
Frei said he would encourage anyone interested in be
coming a manager to apply but he warned "you've got to
like the sport, it takes up a lot more time than a guy
would think."
He said he enjoyed working with the players and
coaches and that his experience on the inside provided a
completely different picture of Nebraska football than an
outsider would observe.
"I think well have a good season. I'd sure like to be in
Miami come the 1st of January."
i.W
.
Photo by Bob Pearson
Student manager Mike Frei
Neck-and-neck races make for exciting baseball season
By L. Kent Wolgamott and Jeff Taebel
Despite lower run production, major league baseball
races are much tighter than they were at this time last
year. And as a result, baseball attendance has soared.
Three of the four divisions feature exciting races that
could go down to the final day of the season.
Only in the American League East, where the Boston
Red Sox have opened up a substantial lead over the de
fending world champion New York Yankees, does the
race appear decided.
The Yankees, Milwaukee and Detroit remain in striking
distance of the Red Sox, but only a substantial slide by
Boston will enable one of these teams to go on to the
American League playoff.
In the American League West, Kansas City and Califor
nia seem to be locked into a two-way battle for the
division pennant crown.
Kansas City is favorite
Although both teams have records worse than the top
four teams in the East, Kansas City probably is the
favorite, based on its late season surge of last year and the
return of injured starters Geroge Brett, Frank White and
Fred Patek.
California has been able to score and get good starting
pitching but often not in the same game.
Early season leader Oakland has faded and pre-season
favorite Texas has been struggling all year.
Both races in the National League are close and could
result in surprise winners.
But perhaps the three best teams in baseball are
fighting for the National League West championship.
San Francisco, Los Angeles and Cincinnati have traded
the division lead day-to-day for the last two weeks.
Giants are surprising
The Giants, the surprise team of baseball, have depend
ed on strong pitching and timely hitting by Jack Clark and
Terry Whitfield, but their bullpen often has let them
down.
Cincinnati, loaded with hitting, has had a slew of in
juries in addition to their perennial pitching woes. Even
ace Tom Seaver's record has slumped below .500.
Defending NL champs, the Dodgers, are first in pitch
ing and tied for first in hitting in the league, reflecting the
balance of this strong team.
The return of left-handed relief pitcher Terry Forster
and the recent explosion of Reggie Smith's bat make the
Dodgers extremely tough in the stretch.
i. K
X
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The remaining three teams in the division can only play
the spoiler role for one of the leaders and must wait until
the distant future to have a real shot at the big boys on
the block.
Strange race in East
The strangest race of the year is occurring in the NL
East where the Chicago Cubs are defying a historical pat
tern by coming back in August, which has traditionally
been the month for the Cubs to fold.
The Philadelphia Phillies may be the victims of the
Cubs streak while they struggle to combine both pitching
and hitting in the same game.
Montreal and Pittsburgh still may be heard from, but
it would require a swoon by both of the leaders for them
to advance substantially.
Which leads us to the playoffs.
In the American League, we see Kansas City and
Boston for the pennant.
Always a bridesmaid
Expect Kansas City to once again be the bridesmaid
since the Red Sox, with the best record in baseball, have
been headed to the World Series all year long.
In the senior circuit, we see Los Angeles playing our
darkhorse selection, the Chicago Cubs, for the NL
championship.
But don't expect too much from the Cubs; Los Angeles
should sweep this series.
And in the World Series, expect Boston's left field wall,
the famous Friendly Green Monster to turn a shade of
Dodger Blue as the righter power of Smith, Ron Cey.
Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker lifts routine Dodger Sta
dium flyballs over the wall, to provide the necessary ad
vantage for Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda to bring a
World Championship to L.A.
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