Spoirts
NU swimming coaches leery of proposal
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
Nebraska men’s swimming coach
Cal Bentz and women’s coach Ray
Huppert arc taking a cautious ap
proach toward a proposal created by
the NCAA Presidents Commission.
Bentz and Huppert said they are
leery of the proposal because any rule
changes could have a negative effect
on collegiate swimming.
They said restrictions like those
proposed by the Presidents Commis
sion and the College Swimming
Coaches Association could cause the
top amateur swimmers to bypass their
collegiate careers in favor of training
with club teams.
The College Swimming Coaches
Association has proposed that the
number of practice days and the number
of dual meets each season be reduced.
The proposals were made in response
to a report by the Presidents Commis
sion, which wants to place a restric
tion on the number of hours swim
mers devote to practice.
The Presidents Commission, which
is chaired by University of Nebraska
Lincoln chancellor and NU Interim
President Martin Massengale, is im
plementing changes in a number of
sports because student-athletes said
in a recent survey that they were
devoting too much time to their re
spective sports.
The College Swimming Coaches
Association responded to the survey
by asking the Presidents Commission
not to tamper with practice hours
because of training concerns. The
coaches said if cuts need to be made,
they should be implemented in the
practice days and dual meets.
The coaches’proposals call for all
swimmers to have at least one day off
a week, and also ask that the maxi
mum number of meets allowed per
year for Division I schools be reduced
from 24 to 20. Division II programs
would be allowed to compete in a
maximum of 16 meets each year under
the coaches proposal, while Division
III squads could compete in 14.
Bentz said he is concerned that the
Presidents Commission will not take
the coaches’ proposals into account.
“My feeling is the decision is going
to be made regardless of what kind of
input we have,” he said. “This kind
of input is going to be after the fact.
Bentz and Huppert said the Presi
dents Commission needs to listen to
the coaches because training restric
tions could have a disastrous impact
on collegiate swimming. They said a
typical training schedule consists of
two-a-day workouts that begin in
September and continue until mid
February.
Both coaches said their teams then
taper -- a process in which swimmers
try to improve their times by resting
and shaving — in preparation for the
Big Eight and NCAA championships.
Team members then go through a
rest-down period in which they swim
1 1/2 hours four-to-five times a week
to stay in shape during the off-season.
Bentz said the loss of any of the
training time would hurl swimming.
“If you cut the training time dra
matically you’re really going to be in
a position where you have a negative
impact on the sport. You’re going to
hurt the Olympics because the top
athletes are going to bypass their
collegiate careers,” Bentz said.
“Swimming is an aerobic-based sport,
so you’re just going to have to spend
so much time training.
“There’s no shortcut.”
See CAUTIOUS on 8
Loud-mouthed sports broadcasters make cliches an art form
As I lounged around with some
friends Monday night, watching UNLV
obliterate Duke in the NCAA men’s
basketball championship, I realized
something very important about sports.
Chuck
Green
I realized that the last year or so
has been a pretty gloomy one for the
sports world.
Pete Rose’s gambling scandal, an
earthquake at the World Series, drug
abuse and jail sentences among ath
letes. the deaths of former Colorado
i
quarterback Sal Aunese and Loyola
Marymount basketball star Hank
Gathers, major league baseball own
ers and players bickering like 3-year
olds ... the list goes on and on.
But along with that realization
(which I’ve had for a few months
now), I concluded something much
more important: No matter how shock
ing or- sad or downright disgusting
something is in the world of sports,
there is at least one thing of which
you can be sure.
No matter how an incident or ac
complishment makes you laugh or
cry, or chums your stomach, one thing
will always happen: There always
will be some wise-ass television sports
broadcaster there to tell you just how
sad or courageous or nifty something
is.
I came to the conclusion Monday
night that I hate I V sports broadcast
ers.
Now, I don’t want to offend any of
my friends who are sports broadcast
ers or reporters at Omaha television
stations, or people who do sports for
KRNU radio. They’re a little differ
ent.
I’m talking about the nauseating
contingent of loud-mouthed, arrogant,
know-it-all TV sports broadcasters
who make cliche-usage an art form.
People like Brent Musburger and Dick
Vitale.
As I watched Musburger’s 15 years
with CBS Sports come to an abrupt
and merciful end Monday night, I
couldn’t help but smile.
Throughout the tournament, he
displayed a prime example of the
knack television sports broadcasters
nave ior turning one woru imo iuu,
and an even primer example of the
sensationalism many TV sports broad
casters thrive on.
I honestly believe that if 1 had one
more time heard Musburger tell the
world what a “tragic loss” Gathers’
death was, or how “courageous” his
Loyola-Mary mount teammates were
for deciding not to cry and pout and
quit basketball to become yak farm
ers, I would have had a heart attack of
my own.
In every game he worked during
the tournament, Musburger treated
the viewing audience to a tear-jerk
ing testimony of Hank Gathers’ cour
age.
He slobbered all over himself
coming up with new ways to glorify
Loyola-Marymount’s players for
appealing in me luuinaineni auer
all they had been through” (as if they
would forfeit their hard-earned berth
— Hank really would have wanted
that, wouldn’t he?).
I’ve always been a firm believer
that if someone has to tell me how sad
or great a story was, the story must
not really be that sad or great.
And courageous? Gathers died of
heart failure. He didn’t really have a
choice in the matter.
But that didn’t seem to bother
Musburger. After all, what else would
he and his colleagues talk about dur
ing lopsided games?
So long, Brent.. . and take Dick
Vitale with you.
Green is a senior news-editorial major, a
Daily Nebraskan senior sports reporter and
sports columnist.
Shutout lets NU
score win over
Northern Iowa
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
Paul Fanucchi shrugged off
his seven-inning shutout in his
first start of the season Tuesday
against Northern Iowa as some
thing close to beginner’s luck.
‘rl’m getting the feel of it,”
he said.
But the Comhusker right
hander was comfortable enough
in his new role to shut down the
Panthers on three hits with five
strikeouts and three walks in
Nebraska’s 2-0 victory at Buck
Beltzer Field. The Huskers,21
10, also played Northern Iowa
in a late, nine-inning game.
Fanucchi allowed a triple with
one out in the third inning and
hit the next batter with a pitch,
but the Huskers turned a double
play to keep the Panthers score
less.
Fanucchi said he used a good
mix of pilches, except for the
fourth inning when he walked
three batters. Nebraska turned
another double play after the
first walk, though, and Fanuc
chi struck out Northern Iowa’s
P.J. Conlon to end the threat.
No Panther reached base then
until Conlon’s two-out double
in the seventh, and Fanucchi
retired Brett Elson on a fly ball
to left to end the game.
Fanucchi, 1-0 with a team
leading 1.61 ERA, could see
more first-inning lime on the
mound, according to Nebraska
coach John Sanders.
“Our rotation has been such,
with Mike Zajeski out now,
•we’ve got to look for another
starter,’’ he said.
Sanders said Zajeski, who
leads the team in innings pitched
and strikeouts and is second in
wins, has a lender arm and will
miss his start this weekend. He
said Fanucchi may take Zaj
eski’s turn against the Oklahoma
Sooners, Nebraska’s opponent
in a four-game series Friday
through Sunday.
The Huskers gave Fanucchi
an unearned run to work with in
the first inning. Brian McAm
singled with one out. Kevin
Jordan walked, and the runners
went when Kevin French struck
out. Catcher Brian Dixon’s throw
glanced off third baseman Tom
Bach’s glove, and McAm ran
home with the run.
The other Huskcr run came
in the third when Eddie Ander
son singled, went to second on
an errant pick-off attempt, and
scored on French’s single.
That error was one of Pan
ther pitcher Steve Dreyer’s few
bad throws. He struck out 10
while giving up six hits and four
walks. Dreycr is 1 -5 for the 9-22
Panthers, but he leads Northern
Iowa in ERA.
“That was a bonus to get a
quality pitcher against us,’’
Sanders said.
Not so good was Nebraska’s
offensive execution, he said.
“Our discipline at the plate
has to improve,’’ Sanders said.
“Basically that means wc were
taking good pilches, swinging
See FANUCCHI on 7
L*-BUK*-l->_• ■ —’ *3W.m " i
William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan
Pitcher Aaron Bilyeu wings one home during the sec
ond game of a doubleheader against Northern Iowa at
Buck Beltzer Stadium.
Women s tennis team ends
non-conference schedule,
readies for Big Eight play
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
Nebraska women’s tennis coach
Gregg Calvin said his team needs a
little more consistency than it showed
on its Spring Break trip to California.
“We need all six players to be
playing at the top of their game again,”
he said.
The Comhuskcrs finished their non
conference schedule with three duals
in San Diego. Nebraska defeated
Washington, 6-3, lost to San Diego
Stale, 2-7, and defeated Cal-San Diego,
8-1.
A fourth match against U.S. Inter
national was rained out.
Calvin said the Huskers were steady
throughout the matches, which were
played against three differently styled
learns, t idiko Cuba won against each
of those teams, and Calvin said she is
one player already playing at the top
of her game. Guba, who plays No. 1
singles, went unbeaten in March.
On the other hand, Nebraska’s No.
1 doubles team, 21 st-ranked Nancy
Tyggum and Rachel Collins, lost both
matches they played in California.
But Calvin said the duo, set back
when Tyggum missed time earlier
this year with a cracked rib, will be all
right.
“They’re not playing quite as well
as early in the year, but I think they’ll
get back going here soon,” Calvin
said.
Last year, Tyggum and Doneta
Holmen played No. 1 together. This
year the sophomore Collins has taken
over.
“Rachel’s done a super job step
ping in for Doneta,” Calvin said,
“probably even better than 1 thought
she could.”
When the Huskcrs get into the Big
Eight, he said, key spots will be No. 1
doubles. No. 2 doubles and No. 6
singles. Calvin said the Huskers in
those spots are sim ilar cali ber of play
ers as the foes they will face in the Big
Eight.
Already this year, he said, some
spots have come up with key victo
ries.
‘‘At different times in the year,
different players have come out and
picked us up,” he said, using Collins
and Ann Flannery' against Weber State
and the No. 3 doubles team against
Northwestern as examples.
For the spring trip, Calvin said
Washington was close to Nebraska in
ability. San Diego Slate is a top-15
team, he said, but the Huskers took
two matches and found out some things
about themselves.
we learned we can t get real
impatient,” he said. “We tried to do
a little loo much.”
The Aztecs were not hitting many
winners, he said, but the Huskcrs let
points slip away.
“We need to make them finish
points,” he said. ”1 think we’ll be
better at that in the Big Eight.”
Cal-San Diego is a Division 111
power, and Calvin said the Tritons
were more competitive than the re
sult suggests.
The Huskers now head into the
conference season, starting with Kansas
State on Saturday. Oklahoma Stale, a
team on the same level as San Diego
State, is the favorite, but Calvin said
the rest of the race is open.
“For two through seven, it will be
the team that overachievcs and im
proves in the last month,” he said.
Calvin said his team, which is a
little better than he anticipated in
September, has that potential.
“We’ve got some individuals who
could really improve,” he said.
