PANE SEC
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1966
PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1966
I
Pro Baseball's Talent Theft Irks College Coaches
The
fIue lin e
By GRAYLE HOWLETT
The story broke some time last
summer that Garry Moore, an
outstanding Tulsa athlete, had
signed with the Los Angeles Dod-
gers.
BroKe! How could a news item
like that possibly even make a
dent?
The real important element of
this AP squib is not the name Gary
Moore or even the Los Angeles
Dodgers, but the relationship, or
lack of relationship, between their
two stations in life. Gary is a senior
at the University of Texas, here
the colleges, and the Dodgers rep-
resent the major leagues. Gary
Moore is just one more college
athlete who has decided against
playing out his eligibility and
playing for money.
To Sign or Not to Sign
The problem facing Gary Moore
and some 900 other prospective big
leaguers is what effect the Major
League draft and their subsequent
signing will have on their college
careers and the future of college
baseball.
Consider the Major Leagues'
point of view.
Don Lund, Director of Player
Personnel for the Detroit Tigers worth more than any bonus can ballplayers: "The trend is dsfinite-
and former Wolverine baseball offer." ly for the boy to go to college and1
coach, sums up the attitude in the Moby Benedict, who directs the the proof is in the large enroll- 1
professional baseball camp: "I Michigan baseball team, comment- ments.:
think the majority of baseball ed on the effect of signing top "We realize this, and for this
people feel that they would rather college players by saying, "I feel reason the majors have established'
have a younger boy. This gives I'd be a much better ball club this a central fund, where leagues such
them a chance to take a look. They year with Carl Cmejrek, Bob Reed, as the Cape Cod League, the Basin
feel that they have a longer time and Dick Schryer (All signed to League, and the CIC (summer col-'
to spend with the boy, and that major league contracts before their lege leagues) can get money, as
there are more games, and, with- college eligibility was up). Why, sanctioned by the NCAA, and
out knocking the knocking the col- that's like takin Juan Marichal handle it to run these programs.
lege system, there is more instruc- and Willlie Mays from the Gi- We're not trying to hurt college
tion. But the important thing is ants." baseball as I think is witnessed
more games, and that's where you Consider the player's point of by this central fund for the sum-
learn-through experience." view. mer leagues."
Consider the college's point of Dick Schryer, Michigan's base- Lund also emphasized that the
view. ball captain last year who would major leagues, while negotiating to
The colleges in seeking a four- have played his last year in 1967 end a boy's athletic elgibility at
year rule, which would make col- if he hadn't signed with tne Dod- college, are not also negotiating to
lege baseball players ineligible to gers, put it this way: "I felt I was end his scholastic elgibility. "It's
sign a professional contract until getting older and was anxious to pretty common today to have an
their class graduates instead of the start my baseball career and the education clause in a contract, and
present two-year rule, oppose the Dodgers just made too attractive a scholarship plan is available
draft because a boy's education is an offer." where a boy is given $1000 per
disrupted and it hurts their overall Major League Outlook , semester for his schooling up to
baseball program. The essential problem seems to eight semesters where he can get
Hy Simmons, the able baseball be deciding whether or not the his degree or close to a degree."
coach at the University of Mis- major leagues are tampering with "Education is There"
souri, talked about the first point: the aims of college baseball. Lund Schryer is under just such a
"I feel a college education is much points to the fact that the major plan with the Dodgers and is cur-
more important to a boy, and I leagues are looking more and more gently completing his studies at
"it's pretty prevalent today for the sideration. "The only way you sn- By Jim Tindoll
boys to have some kind of educa- prove in baseball is by playing and -
tion clause in their contract. I this is what professional bail can
myself didn't finish college but I give. the college boy: experience. 'Block M M 'aSpirit
always felt that I could have. In We at Michigan cannot offer lhe J JIL
other words, I wouldn't say that boy the game experience he geiAsUUd th
signing a major league aontract in the pros. l 1 V*
hampered my chances for in edu- But the program here is almost
cation." equal to anything you'll get in the "Block M is dead. Block M is dead. Long live Block M." But no
The major leagues, of course, pros. I can't give them.the game
point to the Bill Freehans and experience but by working six throngs cheered.
Curt Blefarys who finish their weeks in the fall on fundamentals Michigan's op, pop, and flop card section. which has developed
education and even mentioned and starting our spring training in a bad case of cancer (of the spirit) over the last few years finally
.. ...,, the first of February makes up for expired this year, and no one cares.
the fewer games a boy plays hcre
and in the summer leagues. I The Wolverine Club has had an uphill fight on its collective
think the major leagues wuo y go naize and blue paws these past few football seasons-they have
for this type of program." had to overcome bad spirit and bad seats. They have accom-
Hy Simmons is just as positive plished neither. As far as spirit is concerned, I would cite the
that the colleges can develop the "Wiz factor" as most important.
baseball player: "We can spend
more time with a boy. The college Grant me this: Michigan fans do not really like to be blatant
schedule plus the summer leagues about their cheering. A little post-touchdown rah-rah is ok, but no
give the boy his game experience, one is going to let himself get carried away with this yelling -bit.
We feel that the summer leagues As the old saying goes, MThe fans speak only to their neighbors, and
y - and the college teaching of funda- their neighbors speak only to God."
A-'
mentals is much more imp~a otcit.
The fact that there are no more
Class B, C, and D leagues in the
minors proves that the majors are
looking more and more to us. We
can do the job."
High Pressure System?
figure his college education is to the colleges to develop their
Iii
CAMPUS-WIDE
VOLUNTEER DRIVE,
OCTOBER 13-14
the University of Michigan as are Since a two-year rule 's in effect
Carl Cmejrek and Bob Reed. "I - in which the major leagues cannot
always considered going to col-3sign a boy until his sophomore
lege," Schryer noted, "and for . year is up, or until he's 21, which-
this reason the scholarship Mich- ever comes first, the question of
igan offered me was much more DICK SCHRYER pressure also arises. Is the base-
advantageous than what the ma- during Sunday's final World Series ball prospect unduly pressured into
jor leagues could offer at that game that 94% of the ballplayers signing?
time. The Dodgers did not offeru o signed before they completedther Don Lund of the Tigers teels
me the education clause that some schooling, actually are going on that the new draft system has
get, ume extra eliminated the unnecessary pres-
money to complete my education toward a degree. sure on a boy. "You can negotiate
and left it up to me." Dissenting View exclusively with a ballplayer now
Max Alvis; third baseman for But the colleges remain sKepti- instead of bidding for him. It used.
the Cleveland Indians who signed cal. "They (the major leagues) to be that a talented boy like a
after his sophomore year at the dictate when a boy goes to school," Rick Monday was pursued by 20
University of Texas, added that, Simmons stated, "and his educa- ballclubs waving high figures at
tion is disrupted by spring training him. Now, only one club has the
and winter ball. The history of right to talk i to him under the
the matter is that 90% of the boys draft rules.
signed out of college don't even "Let me also say that when the
finish." Tigers talk to a prospect we merely
l T e The question also arises as to point out to him the advantages
the calibre of the baseball educa- of going into pro ball. We talk
tion a boy receives in college. The money naturally but we let him
DA~major leagues contend that they weigh the matters and 11 t him
can do a better job because of tne make the decision. It's a ooy him-
game experience they offer the self who makes the decision. We've
boy. Dick Schryer emphasized that made ours in deciding to talk to
playing a 100-plus game schedule him.
was far more advantegeous than "We're not trying to put undue
w ill tear up the standard 40-game schedule in pressure on him . . . . I'm sure if
college: "Absolutely without a a boy has a desire to play ball'and
doubt it's better. Playing everyday go to school, and if he is given a
sometimes is a chore but there's whopping sum to do both, he will."
a lot to be said for it. This is the Opposition to Draft
major league attitude and it is the The colleges, however, figure
only way to learn. that pressure is exerted. "I'm op-
Name of the Game posed to the draft system," Sim-
Coach Benedict agrees some- mons commented, "not only be-
-- -- -------what but adds an important con- (Continued on Page 7);
Who makes the racket at the games then? Well besides the Boy
Scouts, the "Wiz" factor is supreme. Some frosh and a few upper-
classmen have simply not grown out of the "Gee Wiz" high school
stage. They have not yet been indoctrinated by Michigan sophistica-
tion.
Others cheer when they are half-bashed. When you are
blitzed, there are some times when you just have to leap to your
feet. It is sort of like a fact of life. Besides, decibel is a true
measurement of how drunk you are. In fact, I would submit that
the amount of jumping-up-and-down and yelling is a function
of how full one's bladder is. Hence, the second facet of the
"Wiz factor."
Well, all that the Block needs is 1000-1500 seats together in an
uncurved area of the Stadium. Unfortunately, while ticket manager
Don Weir usually has blocks this size sitting around in little piles,
he ran out this year. Actually, it would appear that in order to get
seats anywhere out of the end zones, the Wolverine Club would have
to induce juniors or seniors to give up their present seat voluntarily.
Sitting on the visitors side is out of the question because of the
vested interest of season ticket holders and visiting schools.
Unfortunately, upperclassmen are not about to fork over
their "seats of a lifetime" to some eager frosh. If, some year,
students who have been sleeping for days outside the Inter-
mural Building should awake to find prime seats taken over by
Block M there might be a little bit of protest. In fact the I-M
facilities might be razed on the spot (a good idea?); however,
running this risk seems to be the only way to get Block M out of
the end zone and into the hearts of millions-force it on them.
Well, this would seemingly solve the numbers problem, but how
do you solve the matter of interest-it only takes participants one
game to find out that holding colored cards under your nose "on the
plane of the Stadium" is really a pain. Certainly, Block M stifles
individuality since it prevents one "Block M"er from proudly display-
ing his purple card when the frustrated Block M Master Sargeant
yells, "All yellow, now, you should all be yellow." Also, the moving
card stunts that were so ably demonstrated at last year's final home
game appear to be frowned on by the administration since the risk
of serious injury is too great.
Result of all of the above: A Maize and Blue fiberglass Block
M gloats silently from underneath hundreds of Michigan alums
every Saturday.
4
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