Page 6
Tuesday, July 8, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Keseareli firm helps teams pick
By Rob White
Staff Reporter
Professional sports teams put a lot
more effort into deciding which ama
teur players to select in the draft than
just finding the athlete with the best
statistics.
When it comes to determining which
players possess the psychological
makeup to excel professionally, the
National Hockey League's Minnesota
North Stars and the National Basket
ball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers
turn to Selection Research, Inc. of Lin
coln for help.
Senior analyst Bill Erickson said
SRl's role with the teams is "to help
them be more informed about who they
pick. We don't tell them who to pick,
we're only a piece of the pie for them."
Hurdle happy as new Cardinals utility
By Jeff Apel
Sports Editor
St. Louis The emptiness created
by the sudden departure of Jack Clark
reflected the mood shown by St. Louis
utility man Clint Hurdle.
Hurdle said the Cardinals are still
trying to find an answer why they
haven't been able to put together a
consistent winning streak this season.
After capt uring the National League
Championship crown last season, St.
Husker quarterback
takes break from football
to be Washington intern
By Mike Reilley
Staff Reporter
Clete Blakeman's summer plans took
a strange twist when he received a
letter with a Washington, D.C., postmark
last spring.
Blakeman, a backup quarterback
with the Nebraska football team, is
among six UNL students interning this
summer at Nebraska Sen. Ed Zorinsky's
Washington office.
1 nm
V V-Wii'-
Blakeman
"I just sent in an application like
anybody else would," said Blakeman, a
junior from Norfolk. "I got a letter a few
weeks later that said I was in."
His duties include sorting mail and
helping Zorinsky's secretary with various
office jobs.
Summer internships are new to
Blakeman. He has stayed in Lincoln the
last two years to take classes and lift
weights with other football players. He
expected to do the same this summer
before he got the letter.
Blakeman said Nebraska Coach Tom
Osborne tried to persuade him not to
go to Washington. Blakeman and
McCathorn Clayton had shared the No.
2 quarterback slot during spring prac
tice. Osborne encourages the top players
Be an exchange student v
SHI has done work for many national
companies in an effort to show these
companies how to get the best results
from its employees.
"We do a psychological study from
the other end of the continuum,"
Erickson said. "Instead of looking at
the problems and what's wrong with
talent, we try to see what's right with
talent. We find the people who are con
sistently the best in their field and find
out what it is t hat makes them so good
at what they do."
The North Stars came to SKI six
years ago when general manager Lou
Nanne, himself a former NHL player,
sought their advice.
"In the NHL they draft kids when
they are 17 or 18 years old," Erickson
said.
potential with such indexes as speed,
Louis is currently locked in fifth-place
in the National League's Eastern Div
ision. "We're just not playing good base
ball at all right now," Hurdle said.
"Everything seems to be magnifying."
Hurdle said the Cardinals' already
bad problems were made worse earlier
this season when the slugging Clark
went on the disabled list.
Without Clark in the St. Louis lineup,
Hurdle said most teams feel they can
to remain in Lincoln for conditioning.
"He (Osborne) left the final decision
up to me," Blakeman said. "I wanted to
do this for myself.
"I wanted to get away this summer."
So far, the choice has worked out
well, Blakeman said. He studies business
at UNL and is considering a career in
politics.
"I came out here to get a feel of
things. . .to see if I'm really interested
in politics," he said. "This is a part of
life that I've never seen before."
By working with Zorinsky, Blakeman
better understands a senator's job.
"He's great," Blakeman said of
Zorinsky. "I've talked to a lot of other
interns and they rarely see their sen
ators. Sen. Zorinsky is running around
here all the time."
During his spare time, Blakeman
tours the city. He has been to the U.S.
Capitol, the White House and has
attended Senate sessions.
"I still haven't seen the President,
though," he said.
Blakeman also finds time for football
conditioning. He lifts weights three
times a week at George Washington
University, where he lives in the
dormitories.
But a sport Blakeman hasn't found
time for is golf. His father, Glen,
manages a course in Papillion during
the summer.
In the past, Clete would drive to
Papillion to shoot a few rounds after
workouts in Lincoln.
"Clete's a hell of a golfer," Glen said.
"It's a lot of fun when he comes up here
to play."
Ciete will return from Washington
on July 9. The rest of the interns will
stay until August, but he has to come
back early to prepare for fall practice.
When he returns, Clete probably
won't head straight to a golf course.
"I'll get home and everybody will
take my money when I play them,"
Clete said.
ports.
strength, coordination or quickness,
and they gather that data. Unfortu
nately, though, sometimes those with
all the physical attributes never mate
rialize while others with lesser skills
become absolute stars.
"We try to measure which people
will use their physical capabilities to
their full potential through their own
motivation, heart, drive, perception,
response to pressure, and tolerance of
pain."
SKI's research division conducted
numerous confidential interviews with
some of the top players in hockey to
find out which qualities they possessed
that enabled them to excel. From this
information, SHI developed an inter
view for potential North Star draft
choices which was designed to uncover
these same qualities.
"Hopefully, the information helps
neutralize the Cardinals speed because
the threat of a bonafide homerun hitter
doesn't exist.
"It takes a lot out of us offensively,"
he said.
Hurdle said despite the Cardinals
downfalls, he is thankful for the oppor
tunity the St. Louis organization has
given him this season.
After spending three seasons with
New York, Hurdle was left unprotected
by the Mets following the 1985 season.
That's when Cardinal manager Whi
tey Herzog, who was looking for some
one to fill the void left by the departure
of former utility man Steve Braun,
drafted Hurdle out of the Mets AAA
organization.
Hurdle said he was hurt at first by
the fact he was made available for the
draft through being left unprotected by
the Mets.
But after learning he was chosen by
the Cardinals, Hurdle said he put aside
his feelings of anger because being
with St. Louis would give him a chance
' By Bob Asmuscen -Editor
. ;
' ST. 10UIS When the New York
Mets last won the World Series way .
back in IS3' D wight Gooden was I
four years old. The current National
probably more concerned with tyin
his shoes and learning the alphabet
than he was about blowing fastballs
by confused hitters.
Of the current players on the
Mets roster, only George Foster was
playing professional baseball in 19G9.
He hit .321 at Class A Fresno before
getting five at bats that season with
the San Francisco Giants
Comparisons between the two
teams are inevitable. One man in a
good position to make those com
parisons is Met's coach Bud Harrel
son. . .
Harrelson is currently the Met's
third base coach, But, In 19G9 he
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them pick who can help them most,
who they can get the most out of,"
Erickson said.
When North Stars owners George
and Gordon Gund purchased the NBA's
Cleveland Cavaliers, they asked for
SHI's assistance again.
Erickson said that the transition
from college to pro basketball involves
many factors, including the player's
reaction to an improved level of com
petition. "A certain player may be dominant
based on his skills and physical attrib
utes in college, and can maintain his
motivation, intensity and determina
tion on most nights.
"When they become professionals,
and face individuals that are just as
talented on every night, they need to
increase their motivation. For some it
to prove to the Mets they had made a
mistake.
"I always like to do well against
them," Hurdle said. "I think every
baseball player likes to do well against
his former teammates."
Hurdle said he willingly accepts his
role as utility player for the Cardinals.
To prepare himself for a game, Hur
dle said he tries to build himself up
both mentally and physically so he will
be ready if he is called.
The task of preparing himself, Hur
dle said, is made more difficult because
he has no idea which of the five posi
tions he will be called upon to play.
"It makes it hard," Hurdle said.
Hurdle said he sometimes looks
back on his minor league career which
included two stops in Omaha while he
was the property of the Kansas City
Royals.
In 1977, Hurdle made his transition
from A ball to AAA a smooth one by
leading the Omaha Royals in average,
hits, doubles and runs. He was named
fees lit the young Um thai made
the difference thU season.- - ;
, "in im nobody picked us to !
win, H irrskon said. "We just wanted
to finish the season. But, Gil, had
confidence in us."
The 1969 Mets swept the Atlanta
Bi-aves to advance to their first
World Series against Baltimore. After
losing the first game, 4-1, the Mets
took four straight from the Orioles
to win the title.
Harrelson said the 1969 team and
the 1986 team are also similar in
that both teams feature strong
-pitching staffs. The 1969 starting
rotation was Tom; Seave'r, Jerry
Koosraan, Gary Gentry and Nolan
Ryan, In 1986, the teams five-man
rotation includes four pitchers with
. a chance at 20-win seasons; Gooden,
Sid Fernandez, Ron Darling and Bob
nbtfc Ehrays tfiesrjsw Haralson i
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rr.J a nix cf experience J :
players
stays the same, others lose that edge
through intimidation. Another group
and this is the fun one has their
best come out and they go into over
drive." In formulating interviews for each
sport, SHI's research has turned up a
number of interesting factors which
may contribute to a player's success.
For example, potential hockey draft
choices often have a relationship with
their father that can lead to having the
desired motivational factors.
"There's something about the rela
tionship with a hockey player and his
dad," Erickson said. "If you learned
how to skate in 'Frostbite Falls, Sas
katchewan,' you'd have to get up pretty
early in the morning to get ice time.
And it's likely that it would be dad who
would take you. Hockey teams don't
lose very often on 'Dad's Night.' "
man
the American Association's most valu
able player while earning All-star and
rookie of the year honors. He was also
featured on the cover of Sports Illus
trated as a rookie sensation.
Hurdle spent the next three seasons
beteen Omaha and Kansas City, until a
back injury severaly limited his playing
time during the 1981 season.
A trade involving pitcher Scott Brown
then sent him to the Cincinnatti Reds
in 1982, but Hurdle was released after
spending the later part of the season
with the Reds AAA affiliate.
After unsuccessfully trying out for
the Seattle Mariners, Hurdle was signed
by the Mets and optioned to their AAA
farm team in Tidewater, Virginia.
It was there that Hurdle spent the
1984 season learning to be a catcher, a
move which he said could have saved
his baseball career.
"In this business you have to do
what other people want," he said.
"Otherwise, you are liable to be
unemployed."
.mi
comparisons, we wouldn't have even
gone to Baltimore Li 1CC3" Harrel
son eM, "Shit, everyone thought
we'd get killed by Baltimore, Eve
ryone was wrong."
Harrelson played 16 major league
seasons. Harrelson was the Mets
opening day shortstop from 1967-77.
His best year at the plate was 1973
when he batted .258 for the National
League champion Mets. He played
in two All-Star games.
- Harrelson said his career and his
experience in two World Series will
be valuable to this year's Mets.
, "I'll know what it's like to play in
the World Series, I'll have been
there," Harrleson said. "If I'd never
gone through it myself, I'd be blow
ing smoke if I tried to tell anyone
what it will be like."
As Mets third base coach, Barrel.
to the Mets nU.indgd hitters. He
eiso works with the team's ai2Ib :
