a
e 8-Saturday, March 22, 1980-The Michigan Daily
The Sporting Views
By STAN BRADBURY
"We're number 49! We're number 49!" This is what a jubilant Virginia
team could claim after the Cavaliers had won the National Invitational
Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. Sym-
bolically, in the midst of the post-game celebration could be the Virginia
starting five holding up a!1 but one of their collective 50 fingers.
There used to be a time when the NIT championship meant something
beside a free trip to New York City. There used to be a time when just getting
in a post-season tournament was something special. This is because there
used to be a time when college basketball was not run by money-hungry
promoters.
College basketball has become obsessed with the pursuit of money.
There is one basic equation every collegiate Athletic Director has memo-
rized:
More games= more fans and more televison coverage= more
money.
It's that simple. The regular season is slowly growing longer, and almost
every conference now has a post-season conference championship tour-
nament of their own.
It is also apparent the NCAA and NIT tournament officials got wind of
the magical money equation. The NIT has expanded from 16 to 32 teasms in
just two years while the NCAA has increased their field from 32 to 48 in two
years. Ata growth rated like that all 231 Division One basketball teams plus
a few good intramural teams will make these tournaments in ten years.
As it is now 80 teams, over one-third of those eligible, make it into one of
the two once prestigious tournaments. This is a joke. College basketball is
NIT REDUCED TO SHAM
Basketball for the love of money
beginning to'resemble pro basketball where the regular season is cheapened
by an inordinate amount of post-season play to the point where the regular
season means practically nothing.
Who knows? Pretty soon college basketball may become as boring as the
pros.
The fans have not suffered from the recent changes in college basket-
ball-most enjoy all the games, especially dramatic single-elimination tour-
naments. Coaches like it. Most got bonuses for making a tournament and it
helps recruiting. The recent shifts have also been a financial gold-mine for
most basketball programs.
The only people who really suffer from the longer season are the,
players. It has become almost a full-time job to be a college basketball
player, making schooling extremely difficult from November to the end of
March. But then, that's only 12 to 15 people, and there's lots of money waiting
out there to be made off those people.
Nowhere is the greed so obvious as this year's NIT tournament. They
didn't have any tournament brackets set up so that they could hand-pick
each game to maximize gate receipts. The teams with the largest expected
attendance would host each game.
The tournament officials used their method to hand-pick the final four.'"
All four teams, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, and Nevada-Las Vegas,
played all of three qualifying games in their home arenas.
Why run a fair tournament (using neutral courts) when you can make a
lot more money by giving one team an enormous advantage. None of the NIT
preliminary games were played on neutral'courts but then they really didn't
care as long as they made the most amount of money possible.
The one instance where the NIT did not maximize gate receipts was the
Michigan-Virginia contest, the reason being they wanted Virginia to win.
Apparently the tournament officials felt the Cavaliers and Ralph Sampson
would draw better and help make a more attractie final four than the no-
name Wolverines.
Not only is the NIT just in the business for the money, it is also
meaningless. Since the NCAA tournament takes the top 48 teams the NIT
becomes nothing more than a tourney for 'almosts.'
The conference tournaments, which cover the countryside at the end of
each February, are also meaningless except as a means of making more
money of the athletes. The conference title should be decided through the
long regular season and not in three games in four days at some foreign
court.
The Big Ten and the Pac Ten should be commended for opposing the
conference tournament scheme as they are about the only conferences
which do not have season-ending tournaments.
Thouglthose two conferences are not benefiting financially by avoiding
the conference tournament, they have done quite well for themselves in the
NCAA tournament. Iowa and Purdue have made it from the Big Ten and
UCLA is representing the Pac Ten in this year's final four. Louisville is the
only team which participating in a fiasco conference tourney.
Other conferences, such as the Atlantic Coast Conference and the
Southeastern Conference, have fared poorly in the NCAA not only this year,
but in previous years, for as long as they have had conference tournaments.
One reason has been given for this trend--the conference tournaments tend
to drain a lot of the players emotions right before the NCAAs begin.
The success of the Big Ten this year speaks for itself. They stand 9-1
against non-conference opponents and their only loss was UCLA's upset of
Ohio State.
a
6
4
Red Wings give
up on Kromm
DETROIT (AP)-Coach Bobby
Kromm, who weathered increasing
criticism from his Detroit Red Wings as
their sluggish National Hockey League
season wore on, was fired Friday.
The ouster came less than,24 hours
after owner Bruce Norris told General
Manager Ted Lindsay to "straighten
out" the Red Wings, in particular the
criticism of Kromm.
LINDAY AND defensive coach Mar-
cel Pronovost were appointed to guide
the club until a new coach is found. The
club did not, say when that would be.
"It had to be done, I couldn't wait any
Kromm
tIA~EounJ
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presen ts
SSATURDAY
9pm Cla
Ui
NO COVER!:
theCou i
of
1140 South University
CGhruEGLFi
. -t
Ponderosa is having afabulousfishfry.
For just $2.99, you can enjoy all the fish fillets
and salad you can eat. Dinner also includes
baked potato orfrench fries and warm roll
with butter. Catch this outstanding value
longer," Lindsay said in a statement
Friday in Vancouver, where the club
was playing, and released in Detroit.
"This is the toughest thing I have ever
had to do in my life."
The Red Wings were 24-36-11 when
Kromm was fired, last in the division
named for the Norris family and 17th in
the 21-team league. Sixteen teams will
make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
THE CLUB HAD a five-game losing
streak and were two points behind Van-
couver and Washington in the race for
the 16th spot.
It was the second dismissal of a coach
by a Detroit professional sports team
this week. Richie Adubato of the
National Basketball Association's last-
place Pistons was told Wednesday he
would not be asked back next season.
Red Wings center and captain Dale
McCourt earlier this week said Kromm
no longer had the respect of his players.
Norris said from his Miami home that
he told Lindsay to settle things.
"I'M CERTAINLY disappointed with
the way they're playing," Norris said.
"I told Teddy to straighten it out.
Netters
take on
Cinei
By MARK BAROWSKI
After a sweeping 9-0 victory on
Thursday over Kalamazoo College the
Michigan men's tennis team will swing
into action against Cincinnati today in
the Track and Tennis building at 4:00
p.m.
At the number one singles position
will be Michigan's Matt Hortwitch and
the Bearcats' Bob Kronage. Both
players competed in the NCAA tour-
nament last year.
KRONAGE DEFEATED UCLA's
number two singles player in the first
round of the tournament which was
quite an upset because Kronage was the
number five seeded player from the
Midwest region.
Medieval and
Renaissance Collegium
MARC Student Housing
falle and Winter 1980-81 r
Would you like to live in am elegant
neo-Tudor mansion (East Quad)? Dining hail,
library, cultural events, interesting asso-
ciates, old-world ambience. The MVfedieval
and Renaissance Collegium is now accept-
ing reservation for student accommodations
in the MARC Residence House, effective
September 1980. If you are a MARC con-
centrator or if you are interested in the
Middle Ages and the Renaissance, you are
eligible to live in the Marc House. For
information or to reserve a room for the
Fall, call BOTH the ousing Office (763s
3164, 1011 SAB) AND the MARC office
(763-2066, 206 Tyler, East Quad). with
your name and address.
Act nowon your reservation. Only a
limited number of places are available.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CHAMPS:
"And I don't particulary care for the=
criticism of Bobby Kromm by the
players. Bobby was NHL coach of the
year one year. You can't be a bum the
next, you know."
Kromm stayed behind in Detroit
when the club left for Vancouver and .
said only, "I'm very disappointed.
"I HAVEN'T really taken it yet.
There are a lot of things I can say, but
Tumblers sixth in region
I'll take it like a man."
KROMM, 51, was hired in the sum-
mer of 1977 from Winnipeg, where he
spent two years as coach when the
franchise was in the World Hockey
Association. The Calgary, Alberta'
native brought the WHA title to Win-
nipeg in 1975-76.
He was NHL coach of the year for the
1977-78 season, after the Red Wings
placed second in their division and
made the playoffs for the first time in
eight seasons
But the following year, Detroit
finished last in the Norris and,15th in
the then-17-team leagueand were out of
the playoff picture again.
Kromm for eight years coached
Dallas of the minor league Central
Hockey League.
By DAN CONLIN LL
Special to the Daily
CHAMPAIGN-Ohio State's Donna
Silver mounts the beam in a thundering
roar from the floor exercises as
Southern Illinois' Pam Harrington
closes the meet for her top-seeded
team.
Illinois' Gayle Fleishman dismounts
from the bars while Michigan State's
Bonnie Ellis takes her last vaults.
The crowd roars.
All heads dart back to the beam, with
the thump of bare feet on the wood.
Donna Silver smiles as she confidently
corrects her balance.
She owns the crowd. The Women's
Gymnastics Regional title is in her
hands.
Silver toys with a back handspring,
moves right into a back walk-over and
dismounts with a full Arabian and half-
twist.
The Southern Illinois crowd is stun-
ned. Did Donna Silver single-handedly
upset Southern Illinois? Silver's 9.5 on
[the vault and 9.15 on the bars worries
the crowd.
The dust clears. Silver receives an 8.9
on the beam. Not waht her coach had
'expected. The Ohio State'fire burns out.
Southern Illinois is the Regional
Champions with a team score of 140.80.
Michigan State's solid 138.8 passes Ohio
State at 137.05. And Illinois takes fourth
with 137.
Michian was edged by Kent State,
134.40-134.14 to leave the Wolverines in
sixth position.
Michigan's team score didn't stand
up to the phenominal scores of the last
season.
As a whole the team's score could
have been the best of the year for the
Wolverines. The vaulting score of 34.25
was the second highest of the season
while the uneven parallel bars' total
was the top mark of the year.
"34 points on the bars is much better
than we ever expected;" said Michian
coach Sheri Hyatt. "The bars haven't
been our strong point this year."
But the event that ruined Michian's
hopes of a National Championship bid
was the beam.
"The beam is usually our strong
point," continued Hyatt. "Our first
three girls did well, but our final three
took some falls." "
Five falls in all.
"If you are confident and stay tight
after your flips you will stay on," said
sophomore Laurie Miesel.
"I just didn't stay as tight as I should
have and lost concentration," said
Dana Kempthorn. Kempthorn, a junior
transfer from Clarion State, has
decided not to return next year.
Thirteen years of gymnastics is
enough for her.
For today's competition of the top
eight individuals in each event,
Michigan has placed only three women
in the competition. Cindy Shearon has
placed in the vaulting competition with
an 8.8.
Senior Sara Flom placed in the floor
exercise competition for this after-
nmoon's event. Freshman Angela
Deaver followed her experience team-
mate's example also qualifying for the
floor exercise with an 8.75.
No one from Michigan did well
enough in the all-arounds to receive an
award yesterday. Teresa Bertoncon
had a bad day with her lowest all-
around score, 32.25. Angela Deaver had
her highest all-around score of the year
despite two falls on the beam. Her scoe
of 33.25 wasn't enough to give her
{honors, however.
Freshman Diane McCleen turned in
her second highest all-around score,
33.35, which was enough to lead the
Michigan squad. Sophomore Laurie
Miesle scored above her season in th4
all-arounds with 32.10, which ends the
seasonon a bright notefor Miesle.
4
AP Photo
BOARD FOR
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
ELECTIONS
(Held with MSA Elections)
ONE STUDENT MEMBERSHIP OPEN
King on the court
36year old Billy Jean King returns a Wendy Turnbull volley, en route to a 6-2
victory over the Australian Turnbull, in the Avon Tennis Tournament at
Madison Square-Garden.
Michigan Student Assembly
is now accepting applications for the
Central Student Judiciary (C.S.J.)