Wednesday, April 3,1996 Page 7 Mike Kluck Death steals emotion away from the game A child will have seen 18,000 deaths or acts of death on television by the age of 18. Because I’m slightly older than 18, that number is probably closer to 30,000. Of those 30,000, none will stick in my mind more than the one I saw Monday. Watching National League um pire John McSherry walk four steps from home plate, fall face first into the warning track and die on tele vision has left me with a variety of emotions from uncanniness to sad ness. It’s an eerie feeling to watch the scene unfold on television, but to see the scene in real life and watch a person die in front of you is per haps the most depressing thing in the world to experience. In 1994, I had the opportunity to go to a Texas A&M football game with friends of mine who were boosters of the school. The 1994 season was the 100 year celebration of football at Texas A&M. On this particular Saturday, the university was recognizing alumni members of the band. Texas A&M’s band is almost as important as its football team. By halftime A&M had a decent lead over Mississippi State. Every one in the stadium (except the Bull dog fans) was having a good time. When the alumni band entered at halftime, I turned to my friend and joked with him how excited the members must be and how fast their blood was probably racing through their veins. The alumni band did its tradi tional military march for about five minutes. Then it stood at attention. Near the 40-yard line, a man had fallen and it wasn’t long before doc tors and trainers were rushing to his side. And despite being at least 40 yards away, you could still distin guish the pumping of the chest. The stadium, which just a few minutes ago was whooping and hollering, was quiet enough to hear the sobs of the man’s wife as she was led on to the field. And as people around me broke into tears, silently prayed or just stood there stunned, defibrillation was administered. Finally after 16 minutes, which seemed like hours, the patient was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital and the game con tinued. It was eerie for everyone in the stadium to yell and clap for crush ing tackles. Probably one-third of the stadium cleared out after half time, which is not common at Aggie games. Even the people I came with didn’t stay until the end of the game for the first time in 16 years. We just didn’t have the emotion. Cincinnati and Montreal’s sea son-opening game was played on Tuesday, probably without a lot of emotion. t Kluck is a journalism graduate stu dent and a Daily Nebraskan senior re porter. Jay Calderon/DN Ahman Green was Nebraska’s leading rusher a year ago and the first Husker freshman to rush for 1,000 yards. Green, who has been bothered by a sore quadricep this spring, ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash in January. Green ready to take over top spot By Trevor Parks Senior Reporter Ahman Green doesn’t mind being part of a banged-up group of Nebraska I-backs. Sure, he is concerned that there might be a lack of depth at the posi tion, but that means Green, a sopho more in the fall, will get the chance to be a little more selfish during spring practice. “It’s kind of tough to practice when there’s not many I-backs healthy,” Green said. “But you get a good work out. I don’t mind all the extra work because it will pay off next season.” No. 3 I-bacic James Sims pulled a hamstring during last Saturday’s scrimmage and reserve Chad Eicher also missed time, leaving Green, his backup Damon Benning and Steve Raymond as the only healthy horses in the Husker stable. Green, too, has missed time this spring because of injury. He was slowed at the end of winter conditioning after having his tonsils removed. Green sat out of the Comhuskers’ first scrimmage because of a sore quadricep and groin muscle, and on Monday he battled through practice with the flu. A healthy Green will be an impor tant part of Nebraska’s offense next fall. In his first season, Green started six games and rushed for a freshman record 1,086 yards on 141 carries. He finished just 81 yards shy of setting June Henley’s Big Eight freshman rushing record. “He had a great year last year, and so far he’s showed himself very well,” running backs coach Frank Solich said. “He’s an experienced back now. He has a great talent level, and he knows what he wants to get accomplished this spring. “At this point he’s really showed well through the practices this spring.” Before spring practice began, the 5 foot-11, 210-pound Omaha Central graduate came within a fraction of a second of becoming the fastest player in the history of Nebraska football. On Jan. 19, he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time in school history. His time was one hundredth of a second behind the Ne Umpire’s legacy lives on By Mike Kluck Senior Reporter Bill Kinnamon knew of John McSherry’s weight problem long before the National League umpire collapsed and died Monday at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. But Kinnamon, a former two sport letter winner at Nebraska who graduated from Lincoln High, also knew the McSherry who had gained the respect and admiration of Na tional League umpires, players and managers. Kinnamon, who now lives in Largo, Fla., was the head instruc tor at the Somers School of Umpir ing in Daytona Beach, Fla., when McSherry, a minor league umpire at the time, enrolled for training in 1969. The school became part of the Major League Umpire Develop ment Program. Kinnamon, a former National League umpire, lettered in football in 1945 and baseball in 1946 while at Nebraska. “I didn’t have to supervise John for very long,” Kinnamon said. “He moved up very fast and eventually took over in helping the Umpire Development Program.” He also quickly moved up in the National League. In 1971, McSherry umpired his first open ing day baseball game. Monday’s game was his last. Seven pitches into the season opener between the Reds and Montreal Expos, McSherry, 51, turned, took a few steps from home plate and had a massive heart at tack. Reds’ team doctor, Richard Jolson, said McSherry died almost instantly. After an autopsy, it was an nounced Tuesday that McSherry died of severe heart disease and an irregular heartbeat. His funeral will be Friday in New York. The 6-foot-4 McSherry was listed at 328 pounds, although Kinnamon said McSherry, who had battled weight problems throughout his career in the National League, probably weighed more. McSherry was never able to take off the weight, Kinnamon said. A few years ago at the request of the National League, McSherry entered a weight-loss program at Duke Uni versity. “It worked for a while, but then he put it back on again,” Kinnamon said. “He was always able to work and got around real well for being See McSHERRY on 8 braska record of 4.33 set by Keith Jones in 1985. Green’s 1.45-second 10-yard dash tied Jones’ school record. Those times and Green’s 4 percent body fat are a result of a tough work ethic, he said. “There’s one thing I’ve done all my life and that’s work hard,” Green said. “Lately I’ve been a little under the weather, so I’ve had to hold back some and I’m real worn out.” Entering fall camp last season after an All-American high school career, Green was listed sixth on the depth chart. But after struggling in fall prac tice, he moved up the chart quickly. Lawrence Phillips was suspended See GREEN on 8 Sooners blast NU into cellar By David Wilson Staff Reporter The Oklahoma bats were on fire Tuesday night as the Sooners lit up the Nebraska baseball team 24-7 with 25 hits, including five home runs. A season-high crowd of 1,031 fans witnessed the massacre at Buck Beltzer Field. But no more than 40 remained at the end of the three hour and 40 minute game. Oklahoma (21-10 and 8-2 in the Big Eight) was led by senior leftfielder Bobby Brown, who finished 4-for-7 with five RBIs and ignited the Sooner See OU on 8 4 I - I -1