Daily
Nebraskan
Thursday, April 28,1984
Sports
Osborne: Summer conditioning key to ’95 title hopes
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska football team has an atti
tude.
The Comhuskers’ approach to spring
practice, which ended Saturday, differed
from last year.
But the Huskcrs hope
it will produce Ihe same
result as last year—a shot
at a national title, line
backer Donta Jones said.
“We got an attitude that
we have to work together,”
he said.
Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne said he was im
pressed by what that atti
tude produced in spring
practice. But he cautioned against judging
Osborne
his team by what it did in the spring.
“My impression is that we have a chance
to have a little better football team,” he said.
“But that doesn’t necessarily transfer into a
better season.”
Osborne said the summer would be even
mqre important to his team than spring ball.
“A lot depends on what the players do in
the next two or three months,” he said. “We
need to be a lot better condi tioned come fal 1.”
Husker players said they planned to act
on their coach’s advice.
After taking a couple of weeks off to heal
from the spring, the Huskers will be back in
the weight room, quarterback Tommie
Frazier said.
“I’m going to hit the weights and condi
tion hard,” he said.
Jones said another national champion
ship shot might depend on the Huskers’
conditioning habits during the summer.
- ((
My impression is that we have a chance to have a little
better football teamr But that doesn’t necessarily transfer
into a better season.
— Osborne
NU football coach
--
“We have to work pretty hard in the off
season,” Jones said.
After the Red team’s 43-19 win in the
Spring Game, Osborne said it was evident
that the Huskers worked hard during the
spring.
“We had an aggressive spring,” he said.
“Everybody worked hard and hit hard.
“We made a lot of progress as a team.”
But one area that needs further improve
ment before the Huskers’ Aug. 28 opener
against West Virginia in the KickofTClassic
is the kicking game, Osborne said.
Nebraska is searching fora replacement
for three-year starter Byron Bennett at kicker.
Bennett also punted last season.
The Husker kickers missed three extra
points Saturday, and one pass for two points
failed.
“The kicking game still needs work,”
Osborne said. “We need to find someone
who’s a good holder.”
Jay Calderon/DN
First baseman Alvie Shepherd attempts to put a tag on Missouri first baseman Jay White
during the second game of the Huskers’ doubleheader with Missouri Wednesday.
Nebraska, which won both games over Missouri, will take on Creighton today at 3:30 p.m.
in Omaha
Huskers claim
two from Tigers
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team found
the cure to shaking its three-game
losing streak Wednesday:
Forty-degree weather.
The Comhuskers swept Missouri
5-1 and 11 -5 in front of 103 people at
Buck Beltzcr Field.
Nebraska improved to 12-10 in the
Big Eight and 28-19 overall, while
Missouri dropped to 9-11 in confer
ence play and 30-16 overall.
“You have to lav it aside in this
k ind ofwea thcrNebraska coach Joh n
Sanders said. “It’s kind of like a mud
wrcstl ing match. You’re ou t them slop
ping around just trying to stay warm.”
Sanders said the cold weather was
just another obstacle the Huskcrs had
to overcome.
“There’s some pressure to play in
weather like this,” he said. “The guys
have to focus.”
Following a one-hour rain delay,
Nebraska beat Missouri 5-1 in the
opener behind a complete game from
Alvie Shepherd, who improved his
record to 2-3.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander struck
out nine Tigers and allowed seven
hits, while going 3-for-4 with a run
scored and an RBI.
The victories were the Huskers’
first since April 20, when they beat
Kansas 5-2 in Lawrence, Kan. Ne
braska dropped three straight games
to the Jayhawks last weekend in Lin
coln.
Sanders said the sweep was impor
See SWEEP on 8
Dukart approaching
hitting streak record
By Tony West
Staff Reportwr_ __
Nebraska senior third baseman
Derek Dukart became two steps closer
Wednesday night toowning Nebraska
baseball’s longest hitting streak.
Dukart, whowent5-for-8 with three
RBls.extendedhis hitting streak to25
games in leading the Huskcrs to a
doubleheader sweep of Missouri.
Dukart is now only three games
away from tying Kenny Ramos’ Ne
braska record on 8 consecutive games
with a hit.
“I’m really confident now ,” Dukart
said. “I go up thinking I’m going to
get a hit every time.”
Dukart passed Robin Ventura’s
streak of 24 consecutive games in
1986 to move into a three-way tie with
Monty Farias (Oklahoma State, 1988)
and Otto Kaifes (Kansas State, 1987)
for fifth on the Big Eight’s all-time
list.
See DUKART on 8
1993-94 sports highlights provide relief from finals
OK, folks.
Forget abou t fi nals. Close the books.
Turn ofT the night light.
It’s time to shine the spotlight on
the highlights of the ’93-’94 sports
year.
Consider this jog down memory
lane a cure for brain bog.
Because, more than anything, ’93
♦’94 proved that the people who per
spire often inspire.
Unfortunately, they also retire. _
The fall semester began with the
end of a few inspirational careers.
Nolan Ryan and George Bret t called
it quits on three decades of profes
sional play in early October.
But their legends live on.
No one will soon forget the mark
the lone Ranger made on a generation
of fans. Ryan taught that it s possible
to remain active — and fire a fierce
fastball — at 40. Likewise, Brett
showed how to complete a career on
top.
Michael Jordan took Brett’s ex
ample to heart. When Jordan decided
to land after a quick gravity-defying
NBA career in October, he said he was
going to watch the grass grow and
then go cut it.
Few took him literally. Nobody
thought Jordan would be tearing up
the turf in right field as a member of
the Chicago White Sox baseball orga
nization.
And when heshowed up for spring
training in February, few took him
seriously. Jordan offered a simple, yet
profound, cxplanat ion for h is attempts'
to succeed at a sport he hadn’t played
since high school:
“I can accept failing,” Jordan said,
“but I can’t accept not trying.”
After leading the Double-A Bir
mingham Barons in batting during
most of April, Jordan has proven that
neither the prospcctsof failing—nor
his dad’s tragic, inexplicable murder
— can keep him grounded.
' It seemed like nothing could keep
the Nebraska basketball team down
after winning the Big Eight Touma
Todd
Cooper
ment Championship.
Then came Penn. Nebraska’s
fourth-consecutive NCAA Tourna
ment loss at the hands of the Quakers
cast a deep shadow over the Big Eight
tournament title.
Nevertheless, Pike’s peak and the
Huskers’ play in the Big Eight Tour
nament provided one of the most ex
citing moments in Husker hoops his
tory.
But no other Nebraska sporting
event could match the excitement of
this year’s Orange Bowl.
Who could forget the one-armed
bandit, Trev Alberts, relentlessly pur
suing and pounding Florida Stale
quarterback Charlie Ward?
Who could forget Tommie
Frazier’s performance, which stole
the show from the Seminoles’ draft
dodger?
And who could forget Tom
Osbor ne’s c lassy respon se J an. 2, w he n
instead of joining the crowd and cry
ing about the officiating, he com
mented on the character of his play
ers?
Courage was all over a different
playing field earlier this month.
While waiting for a doublchcader
to resume after a rain delay. Bob
Offenbacker, father of Nebraska soft
ball player Amy Offenbacker, suf
fered a heart attack.
Nebraska assistant coach Lori
Sippcl and trainer Chris Oclling ad
ministered CPR to Offenbacker until
paramedics arrived.
Two weeks later, the elder
Offenbacker is resting comfortably at
home. But his attitude toward life
wasn’t the only one affected.
“It really docs change your out
look,” Amy said. “It’s not as impor
tant anymore to be winning or los
ing.”
April Yarmus, a freshman tennis
player from Mesa, Ariz., echoed that
perspective.
While her mom’s battle with bone
cancer loomed overhead. Yarmus up
set the 54th-rankcd player in the na
tion and went on to finish the season
with a team-leading 14-4 record.
Anu an along, snc promised 10
keep fighting for her mom.
“My mom’s illness has made me
look at things differently,” Yarmus
said. “I realize how fortunate I am to
be able to play sports or even just to
walk. It gives you a new perspective
and shows you what is really impor
tant.”
And it— along with the rest of the
year’s inspirational stories — makes
getting through finals seem incred
ibly easy.'
Cooper is a senior news-editorial major
and la the Dally Nebraskan sports editor.