Page Eight THE SUMMER DAILY Tuesday, August 21, 1973
Weak US. team is our own fault

By CHUCK BLOOM
Many sportscasters, newspapermen,
and sporting fans are up in arms over
the atrocious showing of the United
States' contingent to the World Univer-
sity Games min Moscow.
While the Russians have been gather-
ing up the gold like Midas, the United'
States didn't garner its initial first place
until yesterday, barely squeaking by in
the men's 440-meter relay.
Commentary
This bad showing prompted WXYZ's
Larry Adderly to comment on the air
last Sunday, "I wonder just who set up
these Games? With the results coming
in, it seems obvious to me."
All the bally-hoo and wailing is both
inappropriate and uninformed.
FIRST, CRITICS should realize t h a t
the competition is only for university
students or athletes between the ages
of 18-28. Thus, the United States, which
places less stress on certain olympic
sports at the collegiate level, is at a
distinct disadvantage in these games.
Among those sports which do not receive
much emphasis at a collegiate varsity
level are undoubtedly women's sports. So
it is no wonder that American women

Summer Daily
Spo)rts

are not faring well in Moscow.
Second, these games come right on the
heels of last year's Olympics. Unlike
previous years, this year has seen high
American turnover in all areas, espec-
ially track and swimming. In 1968, the
United States sent an extremely y o u n g
Olympic team to Mexico City and many
of those athletes returned to Munich for
their last international competition.
Hence, we have a very inexperienced
team in Moscow.
THIRD, MANY of America's topflight
athletes considered the games, not, as
the Russians have proudly proclaimed,
"the most important competition this
year," but rather secondary in import-
ance. Heroes like Wottle, Milburn, and
Williams chose to pass up the meet,

rather than go through rigorous training
for an "important meet."
The swimming contingent best proves
the point. The Moscow competitors a r e
far from being the best Amercina aquatic
athletes. In fact, many passed up the
University Games in favor of the upcom-
ing World Aquatic Games to be held
September 2-9 in Belgrade. One who did,
Michigan's Tom Szuba, stated, "It (The
University Games) just wasn't as good
a meet as Belgrade and the U.S. com-
mittee in charge of selecting both teams
wouldn't allow you,(swimmers) to go to
both. So I would rather swim against
the best."
In addition many athletes simply could
not stomach more competition in a sea-
son seemingly saturated and declined the

invitation to travel again.
LOOK AT WHAT A TRACK and field
star has to train for:
The Olympics every four years as well
as the Pan-American Games, the World
University Games, and numerous invi-
tational events. Add to that the various
NCAA and AAU championships, and you
see that seldom does an athlete have
any time to rest, either mentaly or phy-
sically.
SO WHILE the poor Yankee showing
at Moscow is not a cause for "an athletic-
Sputnik" reaction, there still exist some
strong weaknesses that the Games have
brought to light.
The failure of most American Uni-
versities to maintain women's athletics
at a respectable level is obvious. This
failure has been abetted by major news-
papers, of which this sheet is one, down
playing the importance of women's
sports.
And just like too many cooks spoil the
broth, too much competition ruins the
athletes. Any athlete can get surfeited
with competition days.
The U.S. Olympics Committee, the
AAU, and the NCAA knew full well that
they were't sending their best representa-
tives to Moscow and the American public
would be well advised to understand why.

U.S. squad nets
first gold medal
in Weorld Ga e~s

MOSCOW (A) - America's
speed men finally caught up with
their Soviet rivals yesterday and
won two relay races-one on a
foul and after a vigorous Russian
protest-which restored some of
Uncle Sam's honor in the World
University Games.
The U.S. sprinters outsped the
Russians in the 400-meter relay
for their first gold medal of
these Games and shortly after-
ward victory came also to their
quarter-mile teammates in the
1,600, which the Soviet team won
and then lost on a technicality.
There were some tense mo-
was made by the appeal jury
ments before the final decision
long after dark.
In the 1,600, Semyon Kocher,
the Soviet anchor, broke the tape
in front of the United States'
Dennis Schultz of Oklahoma
State but it didn't count. The
The Russians were disqualified
for fouling.
In the baton pass from the
second to the third leg, Darwin
Bond of the University of Ten-

nessee was interfered with by
Valery Yurchenko and momen-
tarily stumbled.
"I felt the Russian's hand
around my leg," Bond said. "But
I passed the baton okay, and kept
going."
Te crowd of 30,000 at Lenin
Stadium, which at first cheered
an apparent Russian victory, be-
came incensed, whistling and
jeering, when the United States
was declared winner.
The Americans added two sil-
ver medals and four bronze in
the action packed final day of
the track and field competition
- ending a four-day virtual
draught-and also collected a
bronze when blonde Christine
Loock of Fort Worth, Tex., a
student at Southern Methodist
University, finished third in the
women's platform diving.
Dramatic victories in the re-
lays for the Americans were al-
most matched by silver medal
performances in the 1,500 and
5,000 meter runs.

Glenn Herold, distance ace out
of the University of Wisconsin
lost by less than a second to
the stretch-running Mikhail Zhelo-
bovski of the Soviet Union in the
5,000, won in 13 minutes, 41.3
seconds.
In the 1,500 Tony Waldron of the
University of North Carolina lost
by only three strides to Britain's
Francis James Clement, who
broke the tape in 3:42.3. Reginald
McAfee of Cincinnati and the
University of North Carolina was
a close third.
The United States' other three
bronze medals at Lenin Stadium
were won by Robert Joseph of
Los Angeles and the University
of Arizona in the men's high
jump, Wardell Gilbraith of Ama-
rilo, Tex., and the University of
New Mexico, in the men's 200
meters and Tony Hall of Norfolk,
Va. State in the javelin.
The 200 went to Pietro Mennea
of Italy in 20.5 seconds while
Russia's Ianis Sirnis captured
the javelin with a toss of 262
feet, 8 inches.

The new champion
Bret Allen Yarborough holds his second place trophy from Satur-
day's Soap Box Derby but Yarborough is not second anymore.
Yesterday Derby officials declared him the winner after John Gro-
nen of Boulder, Col., was disqualified for using a magnet in his
machine.

Orioles squeeze out another;
Reds whip Mets in 16, 8-3

BALTIMORE 0)2 - Brooks
Robinson's single, the 2,500th hit
of his major league career, tide
the game in the bottom of the
ninth and the winning run scored
two batters later on Merv Retten-
mund's grounder, giving Balti-
more a 4-3 victory over the Min-
nesota Twins last night for the
Orioles' eighth straight triumph.
Eddie Bane gave up a leadoff
walk to Tommy Davis and a sin-
gle to Boog Powell before Bill
Hands, 5-10, relieved. Paul Blair
greeted him with a single, scor-
ing Davis with pinch runner El-
rod Hendricks taking second.
Robinson tied the game with
his single to left after trying
unsuccessfully to bunt and then

fouling off three pitches.
Earl Williams sacrificed and
Bobby Grich was walked inten-
tionally, filling the bases.
Then Rettenmund bounced a
high bouncer to shortstop Danny
Monzon with Blair beating the
throw to the plate.
Mets turn Red
NEW YORK UP) - Jo h n n y
Bench's run-scoring single snap-
ped a 16th inning tie yesterday
and the Cincinnati Reds went on
to score four more runs, beating
the New York Mets 8-3.
With the score tied 3-3 and
one out Denis Menke and Tony
Perez singled then Bench brought

in Menke for the tie - breaking
run. Tug McGraw, 0-6, then
walked Larry Stahl to load the
bases before yielding to Harry
Parker. Cesar Geronimo added
two runs with a single and Ed
Crosby closed out the scoring
with a two-run triple.
Astros in orbit
HOUSTON (P - Six-foot-eight
James R. Richard pitched a two-
hitter - Al Oliver's two-out sin-
gle in the seventh and two-run
double in the ninth - and Bob
Watson belted a grand slam
homer and Lee May added a
three-run blast, giving the Hous-
ton Astros a 10-2 victory over
the Pittsburgh -Pirates last night.

Major League Standings
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGE
East East
Wi'L5,Pet. (5B1W1 L.Pct. 0G
Ba-ltimor e 690 52 .570 -. 5t. Louis 63 61 .500 -
Dtroit 6756 .545 3 Pittsburgh 562 .487 2'
Bostson 66 s7.536 4 Montre1l59 04 .079 : 2.
New York 68 59 .535 4 Chicago - 5865.472 4'
Milwaukee 59 62 .488 10 Philadelphia 57 66 .463 5:
Cleveland 41 74 .408 20 New York 55067 .451 7
West West
Oakland 72 51 .585 - Los Angeles 77 47 .1)21 -
Kansas City - 71 55 .563 214 Cincinnati 76 50 .603 '
Minnesota 59 64 .479 13 SanIFrancisco 68 55 .553 R0'-
Chicia 50006.460141-Houstona6 0001 4.51. 1'
Catitorni- 56 64 .007 14'-. "Atlant1-60 67 .472 18.
Texas 43 79 .352 28. San Diego 45 78 .366 :1
S - Yesterday's Results Yesterday's Results
Baltimore 4, Minnesota 3 Cincinnati 8, New York 3, 16 innings
Kansas City 6, New York 2 san Francisco 6, Montreal 4, 11 innings
Boston 5, Texas 4 lis o ton 10, Pittsburgh 2
Tonitght's Gantes Today's Games
netroit (Fryman-s at Oakland San Franyisco (Bryant 18-8) at
(Holtzman 18-10) Montreal (Renko 11-7)
Milwaukee (Colburn 15-8) at Cali- San Diego (Jones 3-3) at Philadel-
tornia (Eyan 14-14) phia (Brett 12-5)
Soston (Moret 7-0) at Texas (Dun- Los Ang01es (sutton 15-7) at New
nine 0-6) York (Sadecki 2-2)
New York (Peterson 8-11) at Kan- Cincinnati (Gullett 14-8) at Chi-
sas City (nrago 12-12) cago (Jenkins 1s-52)
Minnesota (Blyleven 15-12) at Bal- St. Louis (Wise 13-8) at Atlanta
timnore (Palmer 17-6) (H~arrison 7-4)
Cieao (ahssens 15-14) at Cleve- Pittsburgli(Morlan 1-1) at Houston
- land (Tidrow 10-11) (Wilson 9-13)