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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1989)
/ ^ V V. 1 / More Golf For Less Money ■" ( $6.25 r ( j /"* ^ Daily Course Fee \ ' $7.25 Weekends & Holidays C / \ j | Call for a tee time ^ Y> ^ ^ <- r/ Baltimore’s Olson has big-time fastball OLSON from Page 10 On the contrary. He was a bully -- and when he let loose his overpowering fastball, he’d grunt. It was enough to make a 125-pound second baseman throw up on the on-deck circle. I know the feeling; I was a 125 pound infielder with a batting aver age not much higher than that when I faced the brute in 1985. Olson was a junior in high school, I was a senior playing for Columbus. Against Olson, I felt like a sixth-grader. But I brought the bully to his knees. Well, maybe not, bi” I know I angered him because I heard the expletives the boy-man grumbled that day at Columbus. You see, Olson and his Northwest buddies were issuing Columbus an _ other sound whipping in a Legion ’ baseball double-header in front of about 23 bored fans in the sweltering heat. Olson carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the seven-inning sec ond game. Northwest had an eight run lead. Due up were Columbus’ seventh, eighth and ninth hitters. I hit eighth, so I got to watch Olson walk the first batter. Now in that situation, most hitters would go up to the plate thinking “get a hit’’ or maybe “avoid hitting a double-play ball.’’ I was thinking “survival.” I liked the summer months, I liked beer, I liked girls. I didn’t like the thought of a fastball lodged in my temple. I looked at Olson’s first two pitches and wondered why in the Ijell anyone would even think about fac ing a Nolan Ryan heater. You could hear Olson’s pitches coming. First you’d hear his sickening grunt, then a whiz, then tne pop oi me caumci » mitt. I’m getting kind of ill just reflect ing on it... Anyway, for some reason, on Olson’s third pitch, I swung --1 still don’t know why. It was a neck-high fastball out over the plate and I lined it up the middle. Clean single. Bye bye no hitter, hello euphoria. The crowd didn’t go wild. Some body in the stands may have raised their eyebrows, but probably not. In the dugout, a few of my teammates were laughing. Meanwhile, Olson was going wild, but he didn’t keep it to himself. He was visibly disgusted -- he slammed his glove to his thigh. It was music to my ears. I got tagged out in a run-aown about two pitches later. Considering my state of mind after “The Hit,” that’s not surprising. Neither is the dirty look my manager shot me when I returned to the dugout. It didn’t matter. The significance of “The Hit’” wasn’t diminished by the fact that the next hitter ~ whose talent as a hitter rivaled mine but who weighed 125 pounds more — doubled to left field. Nothing mattered. I had broken up a no-hitter against a man I feared more than my dad’s tirade after I violated curfew. And as Olson continues to strike out the major league’s best hitters, I’ll just grin. Sipple is a senior news-editorial major from Columbus and is a Daily Nebraskan sports reporter and columnist. ^ormoreINFORMATION CALL 475-7010 Make Money Hand Over Fist If you know your way around a keyboard-typewriter, word processor or computer we know a way to make your knowledge pay off this summer, lust register with us at Kelly Temporary Services. We've got the kind of summer jobs you’ll love to get your hands on. Choose your own assignments. Work as much as you want. Or as little as you need. And if you're not a keyboard wizard, there’s still plenty of work to go around. Receptionist. File Clerk. Accounting Clerk. I^roduct Demonstrator. Stock Handler. Check the white pages for your nearest Kelly office. It doesn’t cost you a thing to register. And chances are we can am a t help you make the coming summer If L| |\# Temporary months everything you want them to be. |\K_LL# Services Richly rewarding. The Kelly GW People-The First And The Best. ” -.. .->11(0 M. hi i/m jtxud-Jdaio m j n,i4yimo\nonn«o •inad^t? “ ~*:r~ ~ jvf no Y3XHAMYAH -hwJ 'AOl a&bdtoni ^nibliud n? Moo8WAJ&e8 COMPUTERIZED ALIGNMENT DIAGNOSIS FREE Don’t pay for an alignment... unless you need one! BRAKES • We install new guaranteed brake pads nr shoes (semimetallic pads extra) • Kesurbiee drums or rotors • lns|M'ct (root grease seals • Inspect front wheel bearings • Knad lest your car LWCQIN 2318 *N” Street 7030 “0" Street 477-7724 464-2252