Page 6
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, July 14, 1986
if
qiniestosiLai vents addled to games
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By Jeff Apel
Sports Editor
Officials representing this year's
Cornhusker State Games hope a one
year layoff has a positive effect on the
equestrian sports.
Dick Hudson, the games' equestrian
coordinator, said he and a group of
approximately 30 followers chose not
to make equestrian events a part of last
year's initial state games in hopes that
details for this year's equestrian com
petition could be worked out.
With approximately 35 competitors
already signed up to compete in the
equestrian competition of this year's
games, Hudson said the group's deci
sion to wait is beginning to pay off.
"We could have been in last year,"
Hudson said. "But we didn't want to
have a haphazard event."
Hudson said the riders in this year's
competition have the opportunity to
smooth out any rough areas they may
have by being given practice time at
the Windhoek farm.
The farm, located at 114th and Van
Dorn Streets, is a 10-fence course
which is similar to the course which
will be used in the Cornhusker State
Games.
Hudson said that while the practice
course at the Windhoek farm is fairly
small compared to most of the courses
the riders will compete on, it serves its
purpose since state game officials were
unable to come up with a big enough
arena to host a 13-fence course.
This year's equestrian competition
will be held in the state fairgrounds
coliseum, which lies adjacent to the
Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Corn
husker State Games will be Friday
through Sunday; the equestrian com
petition will be Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Hudson said he hopes the competi
tion will serve as a learning process so
interested persons are able to learn
more about the sport.
Nationally, he said Nebraska lags far
behind the East and West coast, as well
as most of Europe in interest in eques
trian sports.
But with the type of exposure the
group will be receiving when they com
pete in the Cornhusker State Games,
Hudson said, he is confident the sport
will catch on in the midwest.
Brush with greatness inspires all-star
Here in the midwest it has become a
tradition to spend those usually dull
evenings by staying up until the wee
hours of the morning and watching the
"Late Night with David Letterman"
show.
Jeff Apel
While the Letterman show is nothing
but purely ridiculous, I must admit
that I, too, have gotten swept up in the
craze.
My main reason for watching this
show is the segment "brush with
greatness." In these segments, members
of the studio audience are selected to
tell their stories about their brush with
famous people.
To make these stories more exciting
than they really are, the selected
members of the studio audience often
tell a gripping conclusion which makes
the entire story seem anything but
believable.
Anyway, I would like to tell you
about my brush with greatness before
the focus of this column switches to
who should participate in the 1986 All
Star game.
My encounter with a person of fam
ous caliber occurred during a recent
Ml
Fifty-nine year-old Elmer Epp
for the upcoming Cornhusker
"This is only t he beginning," he said.
"We are just now starting to see increa
ses in the level of interest."
Dee Slagel, an international eques
trian rider who will be competing in
the open division of the state games,
said the sport was originated by early
man while he was on fox hunts.
During the course of chasing foxes,
Slagel said, the hunters often would
encounter fences separating farm pro
perty. road trip to St. Louis.
Following the New York Mets three
game sweep of the Cardinals, I ap
proached New York outfielder George
Foster in pursuit of an autograph.
As I held up a baseball I had stolen
from Met batting coach Bill Robinson, I
asked Foster if he might sign this "real
fast."
He gleamed at me, and asked if I was
in "a hurry." I responded with a sur
prised, "well, yeah."
Foster looked at me through his
three-piece suit and responded, "not
now," as he shrugged me away with his
hand.
I could go on and make up some
fictitious ending to this true story like
they would on "Letterman," but I think
I will conclude it instead by listing a
bunch of people I would like to brush
into one day.
These people, unlike Foster, are the
individuals I think should represent
both the American and National League
in the 1986 All-Star game.
The individuals I feel should be
given the opportunity of starting in this
game will be in bold. The people I have
chosen as reserves for both teams will
be in regular type.
National League
Catchers Gary Carter of the
New York Mets and Tony Pena of
the Pittsburg Pirates. My only problem
with these two catchers is that they are
the same two I chose to play in last
year's all-star game. No one, however,
"v ' '
' . II" I -
: -- ' -- IS- . . . i
and his horse, Mr. Chip Wind, run
State Games.
That's when man would command
his horse to jump, and thus began the
equestrian sports.
"It's come a long way since then,"
Slagel said.
Slagel said each rider competing in
any of the four categories offered in the
state games will spend time analyzing
the course before competing.
This not only allows the rider to bet
ter familiarize himself with the course,
but it also allows the competitor a bet
has risen to the point of being able to
challenge either Carter or Pena.
First base Glenn Davis,
Houston and Bob Horner, Atlanta.
While Horner has made a successful
comeback from a career-threatening
wrist injury, Davis continues to pound
out homeruns in the spacious Astro
dome. Just think what Davis would do
if he played in Wrigley Field.
Second base Wally Backman
of the New York Mets and Steve
Sax of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Back
man is an overshadowed player on a
loaded Mets team, while Sax is one of
the most consistent offensive players
in the game.
Third base Chris Brown, San
Francisco and Mike Schmidt, Phila
delphia. The rookie-sensation Brown
has surprised everyone in the baseball
world by consistently hitting above the
.300 clip, while Schmidt falls into the
category of repeat performers who seem
to make the team every year no matter
what their numbers are.
Shortstop Shawon Dunston
of the Chicago Cubs and Ozzie
Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals. Dun
ston and Smith do such a superb job in
the field that they can outdistance
their closest competitor, Hubie Brooks
of the Montreal Expos, by a wide
margin.
Outfielders Dale Murphy of
Atlanta, Dave Parker of Cincin
nati, Vince Coleman of St Louis,
Darryl Strawberry of New York and
Paul VonderlageDaily Nebraskan
through the course at the equestrian riding school in preparation
ter chance to realize what the physical
capabilities of his horse are.
"It's critical that an individual real
izes what their horse can and can't do,"
Slagel said. "Communication between
the two is critical."
Slagel said she tries to brush aside
the slight amount of risk involved in
competing.
During a recent competition in Ariz
ona, Slagel was thrown from her horse
when it hit a rut in the ground after a
Barry Bonds of Pittsburg. I feel the only
individual I need to justify here is
Bonds, who had eliminated the gloomy
shadow cast by his father, former major
leaguer Bobby Bonds, to become the
National League's premier center fielder.
Pitchers Mike Scott of Hous
ton, Todd Worrell of St. Louis, Lee
Smith of Chicago, Fernando Valenzuela
of Los Angeles, Floyd Youmans of Mont
real, Dwight Gooden of New York, Rich
Goosage of San Diego, Rick Rueschel of
Pittsburg, and Scott Garrelts of San
Francisco. I like to take the policy of
never commenting on my pitcher selec
tion. Just take a look at the statistics, I
think they speak for themselves.
American League
Catchers Carlton Fisk, Chi
cago and Lance Parrish, Detroit. Des
pite the fact that both are aging, Fisk
and Parrish continue to perform so well
behind the plate that they are the
clear-cut favorites at this position.
First base Wally Joyner of the
California Angels and Pete O'Brien
of the Texas Rangers. The rookie sensa
tion Joyner has stolen everyone's heart
in California, while O'Brien has been a
key reason for Texas' surge to the top.
Second base Lou Whitaker,
Detroit and Willie Randolph, New
York. Sweet Lou Whitaker is definitely
anything but sour to watch, and Ran
dolph earns an all-star berth via the
traditional route.
Third base Wade Boggs of the
jump.
An Arizona doctor examined Slagel
after the accident, but said the source
of her pain was a bad bruise on her leg.
Slagel said she spent the next three
weeks competing, only to find out on
her return trip to Lincoln that she
actually had broken her leg.
"I knew something was wrong," Sla
gel said. "But I just had too much time
and money invested in the competition
to stop competing."
picks
Boston Red Sox and George Brett of
the Kansas City Royals. No doubt about
it, Boggs and Brett are the two premier
third basemen in baseball.
Shortstop Alfredo Griffin,
Oakland, Tony Fernandez, Toronto
and Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore. It's
unfortunate that the American League
is blessed with so many good short
stops, because I still have two to three
individuals in my mind who I feel are
just as worthy as either of these three.
Outfield Jose Canseco, Oak
land, Jesse Barfield, Toronto,
Phil Bradley, Seattle, Kirby Puck
ett, Minnestoa, Robin Yount, Milwau
kee and Pete Incaviglia, Texas. You
may be asking why I ever picked both
Incaviglia and Yount to be on the team.
I can justify Incaviglia by saying that
the former Oklahoma State slugger had
made a fairly smooth transition to the
majors, while Yount has made an even
smoother transition to the majors, while
Yount has made an even smoother
transition to the outfield.
Pitchers Phil Niekro of
Cleveland, Donnie Moore of Califor
nia, Don Aase of Baltimore, Roger Cle
mens of Boston, Bob James of Chicago,
Dennis Rasmussen and Dave Righetti
of New York. Again, mum is the word on
my pitching selections.
There you have it. Of course, not
everyone is going to agree with every
selection I made. But remember, this is
only an exhibition.
