Tuesday, August 9, 1977
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Pge Eleven
'Bad News' sequel quite bearable
By The Associated Press
The Bad News Bears are
back, as boisterous and appeal-
ing as ever.
"The Bad News Bears in
Breaking Training," currently
being screened at the Michigan
Theatre, is good news for movie
goers. This is one sequel that
need make no apologies. It's
not quite as uproarious through-
out as last year's original, but
it's still a warmly amusing
comedy that's sure to please
the whole family.
Not all the Bears are back,
mind you. Star pitcher Tatum
O'Neal is gone, apparently
having played out her option,
become a free agent and
signed with the New York
Yankees for $4.8 million over
12 years-a contract negoti-
ated, no doubt, by Jerry Kap-
stein. And Coach Walter Mat-
than is also gone; maybe he
got the axe during the off-
season for not winning the big
one.
"What we are doing is not a
sequel in the traditional Holly-
wood sense," explained produ-
cer Leonard Go l d b e r g. "We
tried purposely to steer away
from that concept. That is
why we eliminated Buttermaker
(Ma tthau) and Amanda
(O'Neal). This film had to be
about something else-or we'd
end up r e p 1 a y i n g the same
scenes."
What is that something else?
"Independence," r e p l i e d
G o l d b e r g. "In 'Breaking
Training,' the kids are doing
it on their own. But they run
up against some snags. They
need the help of an adult. We
touch on that fine line between
dependency and guidance."
The star of this team is Kelly
Leak (Jackie Earle Haley), the
motorcycle r i d i n g, cigarette-
smoking, hard-hitting outfielder
who was a late addition to last
year's squad. Matthau has been
replaced by a Marine drill ser-
geant type of coach, but Kelly
runs him off the field post haste.
Kelly then takes over. He
brings in a new pitcher, a buddy
named Carmen Ronzonni (Jim-
my Baio), a pint-sized Fonz who
can imitate the pitching motion
of assorted big leaguers, but has
trouble locating home plate with
his own deliveries.
The Bears hustle up a fancy-
painted van and set out on the
road from Hollywood to Hous-
ton, where they are to play a
four-inning game against the
Houston Toros between halves
of a doubleheader-at the As-
trodome, no less.
The rest is predictable, but
fyn nonetheless. The Bears have
the sort of turnpike travels you
would expect of a van-load of
youngsters but somehow man-
age to arrive in Houston re-
latively intact. There they find
they need a coach, so Kelly en-
lists his estranged father Mike
(William Devane), w h o m he
hasn't seen for eight years.
As players, the Bears are still
bad news. A pickup game on
the road turns into a comedy of
errors, and a practice session
in Houston is not much better-
collisions, errant throws, drop-
ped balls, wild pitches, the
whole familiar, funny routine.
But under the tutelage of their
new coach the Bears show signs
of improvement, enough so that
when they take the field at the
Astrodome there is hope for
success.
Among the k i d s, Haley,
Baio, Chris Barnes, Alfred
Lutter, Erin Blunt and Jeffrey
Louis Starr-the latter as the
chubby c a t c h e r Engleberg,
whose idea of a training diet
consists of a bucket from the
Colonel and a fistful of cho-
colate bars-are all first rate.
Devane, in his first major
starting role in a feature film,
is smart enough not to try and
emulate Matthau, going his
own way, instead and turning
in a solid performance.
AL leaders
AMELICAN LEAGUE
G All R 11 Pct.
Care' Min 108 424 94 164 .387
Bostock Min 107 422 77 145 .344
Sin{ g1on Bal 99 347 56 113 .326
tice ,in 107 433 71 141 .326
Rivers NV 94 382 47 122 .319
Bailor Tor 96 387 51 123 .318
Yount Mil 103 413 48 130 .315
Hargrove Tex 100 345 52 107 .310
(N)wesO-s KC 106 414 64 128 .309
G1trett KC 90 319 66 117 .309
Borne Ro ns
Rice, Boston, 29; (;Svott, Boston,
27; Bonds, California, 26; Nettles,
New York, 25; lisle, Minnesot., 23.
Runs Balt,'d In
Hisle, Minnesota, t7; Munso Niew
York, 78; RIobson, Boston 77; Zisk,
Chicago, 77; Bonds, California, 76.
Pitlching (11 Decisions)
ToJoinson, Minnesota, 12-3, .800;
Guilet, New York, 10-3, .769; Roze-
ma, Del-roit, 11-3, .733; Barrios, Chi-
cago, 11-4, .733; Lyle, New York, 8-3,
.727; Bird, Kansas City, 8-3, .727;
Goltz, Minnesota, 14-i, .700; Wise,
Bost.on, 8-4, .667.
Salada says
It is much easier to be criti-
cal than correct.
SHORT or LONG
Haircuttinq By Experts
DASCOLA
STYLISTS
Arborlond--971-9975
Maole Villce-761-2733
E. Liberty-668-9329
E. Universitv-662-0354
Pre-season All-Americans
The training table was never this good. Michigan football players Walt Downing (1), John Anderson, and Mark Donahue (r) relax
after being wined and dined at the expense-of Playboy magazine, which chose all three as first team pre-season All-Americans. The
magazine also predicted that Michigan would win the national championship. Other publications have mentioned the Wolverines
anywhere from first to third, mixing rankings with Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
Recreational
- SPOTS
Anyone having a permanent locker in the Central Campus
Recreational Building, the Hoover St. SM Building, or the North
Campus Recreation Building must either renew it for next year by
August 19, 1977 or clear it out by the same date. After that date,
all remaining articles will be removed and disposed of.
IF YOU DO WISH to renew your locker, you may do so either
in person at the appropriate building or by mail during the August
1-August 19 renewal period. All lockers not renewed during this
period go on general sale on a first come, first served basis begin-
ning Saturday, September 10 at the three buildings.
New building hours have been announced for the period of
August 20-September 5. CCRB will be closed for the entire two
weeks for building maintenance. The Hoover St. structure will
close for the same reason from August 20-28, but will be open
August 29-September 4 from 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. It will be closed
again on Saturday, September 5
NCRB WILL REMAIN open from August 20-28 (Monday-Satur-
day, 9:00 a.M.-7:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.), then will
close until September 5.
Dorotj1
Et4
6f~ii
#'o c~4~q
lo'nto'Nn
)nn arbor
usa