Nebraskan SPORTS
Wednesday, April 27, 1994 JL JL
Season ends; clock winds down on men’s gymnastics
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
A group of world-class athletes gathered
last weekend at the Bob Dcvancy Sports
Center to compete i n the NCAA Gymnastics
Championships.
Many hearts were broken and several
dreams were fulfilled during the two days of
competition, but every athlete left with an
empty feeling.
The emptiness wasn’t caused by loss in
the meet or any single event. Rather, it was
caused by the inevitable end of an entire
sport.
For the last 30 years, men’s gymnastics
has been a part of Nebraska sports, and since
1969, Francis Allen has been at the helm.
Allen carried hiscighth national champi
onship trophy off the podium Saturday.
It may be his last.
Proposal 158, which states that a sport
must have at least 40 participating schools to
be recognized by the NCAA, will go into
effect on Aug. 1, 1995.
Thirty-six schools participated in men’s
gymnastics this season, Allen said, and there
is no hope ofadding four more schools in the
near future.
Allen can only hope the NCAA changes
its mind.
“We have got to fight this thing,” Allen
said. “There is a chance that the NCAA will
take the rule away. Now, all of a sudden, the
See END on 8
Coach: Revenge to motivate baseball team
Huskers to play
two against Tigers
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Editor ____
A ftcr d ropp in g th rcc s tr ai gh t ga mes
at home against Kansas during the
weekend, the Nebraska baseball team
will look to rebound against Missouri
inadoubleheadcrWcdncsdayat Buck
Bcltzcr Field.
The Comhuskcrs, 26-19 overall
and 10-10 in the Big Eight, will open
the two-game set with the Tigers, 29
l 4and 9-9, at 2 p.m.
After winning 12 straight games,
the Huskers were stunned by the
Jayhawks at Buck Bcltzcr Field, where
Nebraska was 17-1 before the scries.
Nebraska coach John Sanders said
the Huskers must forget the frustra
tions of the weekend if they were
going to stay in the Big Eight race.
“Fortunately, wedon’t have to wait
long to get back on the field and get
back to winning some games,” Sand
ers said. “We arc looking at the games
with Missouri as a chance to put the
losses this weekend behind us and get
back in stride.”
Along with trying to regain their
winning ways, the Huskers may also
be looking for a little payback against
the Tigers.
Nebraska was swept by Mizzou in
a three-game series on March 25-27
in Columbia, Mo.
“1 think there is definitely some
extra incentive there,” Sanders said.
“I think our players are looking at it
just like theydid with the scries against
Oral Roberts earlier in the year.”
The Huskers were swept by the
Golden Eagles to start the season, but
NU returned the favor on April 8-10
at home.
Sanders said that because of
Nebraska’ssuccess in avengingcarly
season losses, he expected his team to
bounce back this week.
“I think we arc taking our losses in
stride, and we arc ready to get on with
the next phase ofour season,” Sanders
said. “We have an opportunity to get
some important wins in the Big Eight
and improve our chances in the con
ference race.”
Going, going, gone JonWaller/DN
Clockwise from top left: Kansas’ Joe DeMarco tries to avoid the tag of Nebraska’s Scott Wulfing at second base. DeMarco
then scrambles before diving for the base and getting tagged out by Wulfing. Nebraska will try to atone for three straight
home losses to the Jayhawks when the Huskers face Missouri in a doubleheader today beginning at 2 p.m. at Buck Beltzer
Field.
In a rare instance, Alberts causes noise off the held
Who would have thought Trev
Alberts could have possibly started
such a commotion?
But that is exactly what the former
Nebraska linebacker did during
Sunday’s National Football League
draft.
In the first controversial — and
probably most disputed—pick of the
day. the Indianapolis Colts used the
fifth pick of the draft to select Alberts.
Then the fireworks started to fly.
The Colts traded their seventh pick
of the draft, along with their third
round selection, to the Los Angeles
Rams for the fifth pick.
Indianapolis had already used the
second pick of the draft to snatch San
Diego Slate running back Marshall
Faulk. The next expected pick for the
Colts, who will have Jim Harbaugh
cal ling the signals next fal I, was Fresno
Stale quarterback Trent Dilfer.
But when NFL commissioner Paul
Tagliabuc announced, “The India
napolisCol is sclcctTrcv Alberts, line
backer from the University of Ne
braska,” the crowd buzzed and booed,
as did ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper
Jr.
Kiper strongly stated Harbaugh
wasn’t the guy to lead a team to the
Super Bowl. And Kiper might be right,
because Harbaugh probably couldn’t
take a Class D team to the state cham
pionship in Nebraska.
After Kiper finished criticizing the
Coils for the decision to draft Alberts,
ESPN went We to Indianapolis to
interview Colls vice president Bill
Tobin.
Tobin defended the selection of
Alberts, stating he was the second
best defensive player in the draft. Then
he took his shots at Kiper.
“Who the hell is Mel Kiper?” Tobin
said while clutching a glass of ice
water as if it were Kiper’s neck. “He
sits there and criticizes every choice
Derek
Samson
by every team. Mel Kiper has no more
credentials to do what he’s doing than
my neighbor, and my neighbor is a
postman.”
Tobin went on attacking Kiper’s
credentials, saying he doubted Kiper
had ever put on a jock strap to play the
sport. Further, Tobin said, Kiper cer
tainly had never been a coach or a top
official for an NFL team.'
Now it was getting really good.
And look who started it all?
None other than Alberts.
Kiper refused to let the subject
drop when ESPN switched back to
him.
“I’m secure about what I do and my
job,” he said. “Obviously. Bill Tobin
is not.... It’s these kind of picks that
lead to the Colts continually being the
laughingstock of the NFL.”
ESPN2 later reported that Tobin
had received phone cal Is from 16 NFL
teams congratulating him for the ver
bal attack on Kiper.
But Alberts is the one who should
be congratulated, since he turned the
draft into an all-out war.
However. Alberts wasn’t out of the
spotlight yet.
During “Calling All Sports,”
CNN’s sports talk show, on Monday
night, the Colls’ selection of Alberts
took up about 15 minutes of air lime
from callers.
During the show, Len Pasquarclli,
the pro football beat writer for the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said
Alberts provided draft day with quite
a spark.
“I think Trev Alberts is really One
of the most compelling stories of the
NFL draft.” he Said. “Tobin, if you’re
listening, I liked your draft. Tobin
went for another fine defensive player
in Trev Alberts.
“I don’t know if Alberts was the
choice at No. 5, because they probably
could have got him at No. 7, but he’s
a quality pick.”
After Pasquarelli wenton boasting
about Alberts’ character, sports agent
Leigh Steinberg jumped in to give his
opinion on the ordeal.
“I thought the Colls drafted very
well,” Steinberg said. “They needed
to reconstruct their defense. Put
Alberts there ... and you have some
very active linebackers.”
How Alberts, Mr. All-American
Everything, could cause so many
people to fight, name-call and lend
opinions is beyond me.
But wasn’t it great to watch?
Samson Is a sophomore news-editorial
major and a Dally Nebraskan senior reporter.