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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1991)
Scott Maurer/DN csu Continued from Page 8 “(The Rams) average something like 250 pounds across the front line, Mitchell said. “We should be able to run the ball well.” Should Nebraska pass, Mitchell said, the Husker receivers will run into an experienced backfield. “They have a fairly strong secon dary,” Mitchell said. “They’ve de fended the pass well in their first two games.” The Rams gave up 84 yards pass ing last week. Regardless, Mitchell said, the Huskers are concentrating solely on their offensive production. The Husk ers gained 787 total yards against Utah State, accounting for an NCAA record 44 first downs. “There’s a lot of room for im provement,” Mitchell said. “We just ran over (Utah S late) .right over them. “We didn’t have to be smooth.” But the Huskers will have to guard against overlooking Colorado State for their Sept. 21 match-up with fourth ranked Washington. “Thai’s a big concern on the play ers’ and coaches’ minds— not look ing ahead,” Mitchell said. “But that’s going to be a game. “I sure won’t miss it.” Much is bad, but. . . Cosell forgot about Connors _Big-time sports in America stink. I recently heard these words ut tered from a man who used to repre sent everything there was to represent about sports—the good, the*bad (and most would say ugly) — Howard Cosell. Like him or not, when I was grow ing up he was the essence of the word “sportscaster.” Now he’s saying the topic that he built his career around slinks. Most people would say, “Oh, that’s just a bitter old man running off at the mouth.” But is it? Looking at sports headlines lately I have to say Howard may have a point. Some days it’s hard to tell the difference between a sports page and a police report. S Scott Stempson Howard also mentioned that it has become so important for college pro grams to win, they’ll stop at nothing to do so. A perfect example of this is the football program at Oklahoma. Ev eryone has heard about the rapes, shootings and drugs, but after reading Barry Switzer’s book “Bootlegger’s Boy,” I was shocked to hear of all the things that went on during Switzer’s reign at this “winning program.” The tolerance of programs as long as they’re winning is one of the big gest problems as I see it. As Switzer said, he was told by the Oklahoma president that as long as he wins a national championship, his job was safe even if he was “caught smoking dope.” That stinks. Howard said another problem is the greed of athletes. You don’t have to look far to see that. Earlier this year, when the baseball negotiations were in full swing, we watched as players were no longer satisfied with a measly $2 or $3 million a year, but had to have $5 or $6 million. . Of course Rickey Henderson held out for $63 million or whatever it was. I ’m sure the Oakland A’s wanted to pay him something an All-Star like Rickey deserves to keep him in Oakland and bring the team another pennant. (The last time I looked, Rickey was batting around .260 and the A’s were about nine games behind the Minne sota Twins. Of course, Rickey proba bly pulled his hamstring again, so he’s got a good excuse.) More recently, the NFL holdouts were just more examples of the greed in sports. Even our own Bruce Pick ens, a guy who has never played a down in the NFL, was offered $1 million to play for the Atlanta Fal cons — and he lumed it down. This happening when most college gradu ates can’t find a job, letalone be in the position to turn down an unbelievable salary. That’s greed, and that slinks. Howard said there are no heroes in sports anymore, no one to look up to. After all my searching I was about to throw my hands up and agree with him. I was about to say, “Yes, How ard, you’re right. Everything you said — greed, win at all costs, and I didn ’t even mention the drugs — all that is right.” . . .. i was aDoui iu give u an up auu become an opera or ballet fan, but 2 1/ 2 weeks ago, someone came along to change my mind. He reminded me and everyone who watched him what’s good about sports and ourselves. That someone was a 38-year, 358-day-old tennis player by the name of James Scott Connors. Just one week before his 39th birth day, Jimmy began on his trek through the U.S. Open, capturing the hearts of everyone who watched him along the way. Most of the “experts” didn’t give him a chance to still be playing on his birthday, but Jimbo’s never been one to bsten to the experts. Jimmy played on. He beat players half his age (which was most of the field). He came back from deficits that most players would have given up on. He played past his birthday and into the semifinals, where he finally was beaten by what many consider to be a younger version of Jimmy—Jim Courier. Courier even admitted he tries to emulate Connors’ style and “never give-up attitude.” The mere fact that Jimmy won or lost is not important,' the important thing is the way he played. There is the old saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.” It may sound trite, but Jimmy exemplified those words. He didn’t play for the money; he’s got enough of that. He didn’t play for the fame; the fame of Jimmy Connors is long-since established. There were no drugs involved (except maybe some Nuprin after those five-setters).. He played for one reason, the righi reason. Simply put, Jimmy plays because he loves the game. He once said he would play until it killed him and you believe him. Can you imag ine Rickey playing baseball until i killed him? Maybe if there was z bonus in his contract for dying on the field. I think some of the younger tennis players can take a lesson from Jimmy as well. Not just his playing, but his attitude. He showed that maybe im age isn’t everything, Andre Agassi. By the way, how far did you gel in the tournament? When he finally was beaten, he didn’t blame an injury instead of giving his opponent his due, although no body could’ve blamed him if he had, could they, Boris Becker? I'll be tnc first to aamu, nowever, that Jimmy is no angel. He had some explosions on the court that were embarrassing, and reminded us all of the Jimmy of old. Not defending those scenes in any way, I think those stem from his passion and love for the game and I honestly believe that passion is so strong that sometimes he loses his head and has no idep what he’s saying out there. That passion seems to be lost in tennis, and all sports today. It seems that as long as these athletes can make a living, never mind that they might be killing their sport in doing that, they’re content I don’t think content ment is a word that has ever entered into Jimmy Connors’ vocabulary. We can all lake a lesson from those two weeks in Flushing Mead ows, N.Y. Draw your own conclusions, but what I’ll take from Jimmy’s perform ance is that no matter how many people count you out, and no matter how far down you arc, if you’re competing for the right reasons, and you try hard enough, no matter whal the scoreboard reads, you’ll never lose. I think that’s what sports were originally meant to be. And, Howard, that doesn’t stink. Stempson is a senior news-editorial ma jor and Daily Nebraskan sports staff re porter. Runners start season By Scott Stempson Staff Reporter It will be two youthful cross coun try teams that travel to Crete tomor row when the Nebraska men’s and women ’ s teams compete in the Doane Invitational. Coach Jay Dirksen’s teams will consist mainly of true and redshirt freshmen. He said his more experi enced runners will begin the season next weekend at the Woody Greeno/ Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park. “This will be a good opportunity to let the younger runners have a chance to get into the season,” Dirksen said. “These younger people are going to really help us in the next year or two.” The women’s team will consist of freshmen Kris Ellenbecker, Stepha nie Quandt, Michele Schaefer, Kerry Spires and Kirsten Walz. Sophomore Julieanne Campbell also will make the trip, as well as junior Sylvia Veit, who has been sick. “Sylvia is the most experienced lir runner we have going on this trip,” Dirksen said. “We thought this would be a good chance to get back into shape after being sick.” The men will field freshmen Rcnier Henning, Brian Roth, Erik Skaden and Jeremy Skinner. Juniors Steve Coulter and Frank Lee also will compete. Dirksen said he thinks the compe tition will be good for this meet. The Nebraska men will compete against Concordia, Creighton, Fort Hays State, Hastings College, Nebraska Wesleyan, Northwest Missouri State and host Doane. The women’s competition will include those teams as well as Ne braska at Kearney and Nebraska at Omaha. The women’s 5,000 meter race will start at 10:30 a.m. and the men’s 8,000 meters will begin immediately following the women’s race. Dirksen said he didn’t want to underplay the importance of this meet. “Our ultimate goal is the Big Eight,” he said. “But all the meets we com pete in are important.” .i) INDIAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION WELCOMES All New Students From India GOOD LUCK! Experience the Best * * Nebraska's First Technical College * * Excellent Graduate Placement * * 20 Minutes from Downtown Lincoln * * Active Campus Life * * Financial Aid and Scholarships I * * On-Campus Housing I * * Tuition Only $322 per Quarter Southeast community college Milford Campus Openings in... October • Diesel Truck/Construction • Pans Management January • Air Conditioning, Healing ft Kefrigeralion • Diesel Farm, Truck/Construction • Electronic Hnginccring • P lect romcchanc ia I GM's ASPP Automotive • Manufacturing Pngirtccring GATE Let Misty’s put you in the "Front Row” • Have Lunch with Misty's before the and ride with us to the game for $1.50 (Buses leave one hour before kick off) • Football Tours to all away games. Pep Rallys Friday nights before all home games with the UN Fep Band (Havelock only) BIG RED SPIRIT Misty's Style Come and eniov... at both locations Havelock Av <Urd*H.v.lock,