Fish Tales By MARK FISCHER The Michigan Daily--Wednesday, October 7, 1981--Page 9 No nightmares Bracken solves 'M' kicking woes By GREG DeGULIS prising how the Michigan people sup- BRACKEN DID much more than just 42.7 average to the current 43.8, close to It's one long punt from Thermopolis, port the team," Bracken said. Not only get by in 1980. The punter's 42.7 average his goal of averaging 44 or 45 yards. mU A shameful season... .Ainge wants out Riddle: What's the difference between the 1981 baseball season and the Toronto Blue Jays' handling of Danny Ainge? Answer: One's a sham and the other's a scam. It's hard to consider the strike-poisoned season as anything but a sham. Having to erdure two lazy summer months with no major league ball to wat- ch was certainly a downer for serious sports fans. But the owners answer to the strike -the two-season playoff system - was even worse. That's what really made it a sham(e)ful year. One need not dwell on this fact long; it's easy to see the ludicrousness of a season in which baseball's winningest team, the Cincinnati Reds (66-42, .611), didn't even make the playoffs while a 49-53 team (Kansas City) does. So now it's high time we forget about the 1981 baseball campaign, especially since there's a much more serious matter involving the life of one of America's most gifted athletes-Danny Ainge. A Basketball Jones Ainge is one of those rarities in today's big-time sports-a two-sport athlete. And ironically, in his duality of athletic excellence lies his major problem. During the last two summers, Ainge has played third base for the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League. During the last several winters, Ainge has starred at guard for the Brigham Young University basketball team. Ainge, a hoop All-American, was picked in the second round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics in June.I The Celtics' drafting him didn't bother Ainge a bit. He was batting about .180 for the Jays at the time, and he realized his future was with big bouncy balls, scot little hard ones. "I think I could be a basketball success in a year or two," Ainge said. "It would take me five or six years in baseball. I know that now." - In fact, Ainge was so willing to switch sports that he declared his readiness to return the $300,000 advance he received from Toronto, as well as his three year, $525,000 Blue Jay contract. (I've heard of having a Basketball Jones, but when you're talking about giving up $300,000, you really have a Basket- ball Jones.) The Boston draft didn't bother Celtic fans either. Many relished the idea of having a combo like Larry Bird (24 years old), Kevin McHale (23), Gerald Henderson (24), and Ainge (only 22) for years to come. And of course the draft didn't bother the Celtics' immortal cage wizard and general manager, Red Auerbach. He was the guy who drafted everybody in the first place. The only people it did. bother, apparently, were Peter Bavasi (Buzzy's son) and the rest of the Toronto organization, and that's where Ainge's problem really stems from. Bavasi took the Celtics to court in order to prevent Ainge's signing with them, and due to the sometimes-unjust intricacies of our justice system, Bavasi won. Ainge was under a legal contract with the Jays, the judge ruled, a contract which essentially prohibits him from playing for another professional team. Bavasi the tyrant Bavasi is acting like a tyrannical fool in this case, and for what? Ainge doesn't want to play baseball, let alone for bavasi, yet the Jay's owner nevertheless insists on holding him a slave to the diamond. Even if Bavasi doesn't care about Ainge's feelings (despite the fact that he admits telling Ainge in May to "come see me" if you're ever unhappy in your contract"), is he still too stupid to realize that a .187 hitter who has no desire for the game isn't worth $175,000 a year? Maybe it's not the money for Bavasi. Maybe he just loves the power of treating human beings like slaves, and that's why he became a pro sports owner in the first place. Or -maybe he's spitefully competitive, and he sees his retaining of Ainge as a personal victory over Auerbach, even though Bavasi and Red aren't and never will be in the same league. Whatever his motives, Bavasi's action is not only a crime to Ainge but a crime to sports fans as well, because Ainge is simply a better basketballer than he is a baseballer. Granted, that's basically a value judgment, and it's hard to compare an individual's different levels of talent in two different sports. But even the casual sports fan must agree that'Ainge was better as an All- American hoopster who took his team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA's-and he will be better as a quick, 6-4 guard in the NBA-than he was for the Blue Jays in batting. 187 with no homers and 14 RBI's while finishing dead last in the majors in hitting. Let's face it, wouldn't you rather see Ainge swish jumpers than whiff baseballs? You're probably answering yes-unless, perhaps, you're a Philadelphia 76ers fan. Hmmm. maybe that's it. Is Peter Bavasi from Philly? Wyoming to Ann Arbor, but sophomore punter Don Bracken decided to boot himself to Michigan last year for one simple reason. "I knew I could come here and do a better job," the soft- spoken punter explained. After the kicking game nightmares of 1979, a season in which the Wolverines finished 8-4, the sight of a quality punter in a Michigan-uniform was a welcome one indeed. Bracken was the too high school school punter (47.4), yes, but this was Michigan football. "In Wyoming, there really isn't a big team that people can cheer on. It's sur- did Bracken face the pressure of the football program, but the punter had to overcome the normal freshman anxiety. The 6-foot, 185-pounder went through a'type of culture shock last year, going from a town in Wyoming (5,000 pop.) to, a stadium which holds 20 times that many. Bracken admits the freshman experience was not a bed of roses, although the season ended up that way. "It took a while to change, to begin to like it," Bracken said. "Last year I was hoping to get by, but this year I'm more confident." set a new Michigan season record and the 73-yard punt in the Rose Bowl also went into the record books. Bracken finished second in the Big Ten with the 42.7 average, received Honorable Men- tion All-Big Ten (AP), and ranked 15th in the nation in punting. Not bad for a freshman seeking more confidence. This year, Bracken feels more at home in Ann Arbor, and the punter ,plans to spend a little more time here. "Last year I went home every chance I got," Bracken admitted. "This year I won't go home for Thanksgiving. I'm not like I was last year. Last year I was counting the days." This time, the Michigan fans are counting their blessings, ever since Bracken decided to come to Michigan. He was recruited by Washington and. Brigham Young out of high school, but the punting doctor, Ray Pelfrey, is the man responsible for bringing the Wyoming native to Ann Arbor. "I went to Ray Pelfrey's punting camp," Bracken explained. "He helped me alot. He cut down my steps, how to hold the ball. He contacted Michigan and they contacted me." And the rest as they say, is punting history. IN 1981, Bracken has improved on his The tremendous 'Rose Bowl bounce,' fast becoming a Bracken trademark, is the forward movement of the punt after it hits the ground. Bracken has no valid reason for the helpful caroms. "They always seem to go forwards," Bracken shrugs. "It's luck, I guess." Bracken may consider the bounces lucky, but the Michigan punter is too consistent to rely upon Lady Luck. An increased familiarity with the Michigan football program and the players results in a more confident and. relaxed punter. For example, Bracken and placekicker Ali Haji-Sheikh, the two Michigan specialists, have developed beneficial kicking comaraderie. "Ali and I are pretty close," Bracken said. We room together on road trips and we help each other out by en- couraging and giving support to one another. "Bo gets on us sometimes, when either of us makes a bad kick," Bracken elaborated. "He'll call us psycho,' I guess in an effort to make us mad enough to go out next time and do the job right. I think it works more on the other players than with kickers." With a 43.8 average, Bo doesn't have too much to rant about. Rent a Car from Econo-Cear OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK , '_ , ___ . -- -- . , -- , + . - ,. WE RENT TO 19 YR. OLD STUDENTS! -Choose from small economical cars to fine luxury cars. -Special weekend rates. -Pick up services upon request. -We accept cash deposits. Sports Information Photo DON BRACKEN dhows the form that made him one of the nation's top pun- ters as a freshman last year, with a 42.7 yard average, a new Michigan record. This year, Bracken's doing even better at 43.8 yards per kick. IM Scores Sunday Softball Fraternities Phi Gamma Delta 7, Sigma Phi Epsilon 2 Chi Phi 9, Evan Scholars 2 Sigma Nu 12,Theta Chi 4 Phi Alpha Kappa 10, Delta Tau Delta 8 Sigma Phi 9, Chi psi 0 (forfeit) Beta Theta Pi20, Delta Kappa Epsilon 1 ECONO-CAR' A GELCO COMPANY 438 W. Huron 761 8845 ANN ARBOR l " GRIDDE PICKS Two of the greatest off-beat bands in the world, The Ramones and The Tubes have descended on Ann Arbor this week, and each is expecting to win the free one-item pizza from Pizza Bob's that goes to the winner of the Gridde picks contest. * If you want to compete with the master of the unique, just get your, picks into the Daily at 420 Maynard by midnight Friday. And if you edge these two groups you will win the free one- item pizza from Pizza Bob's and a chance to compete with the "experts" frm the Daily football staff. 1. MICHIGAN at Michigan State (pick score.) 2. Indiana at Iowa 3. Ohio State at Wisconsin 4. Illinois at Purdue .5. Northwestern at Minnesota 6. Florida State at Notre Dame 7. Oklahoma at Texas 8. UCLA at Stanford 9. Arizona at Southern Cal 10. Oklahoma State at Kansas 11. Baylor at SMU 12. Maryland at Florida 13. Navy at Air Force 14. Columbia at Princeton * 5. Central Michigan, at Western Michigan 16. Washington at California 17. Virginia at Clemson 18. Slippery Rock at Indiana 19. Graceland at Mid-America Nazarend 20. Daily Libels at Moo U. EARTHWATCH A weekly series of environmental . talks BILLBOARD Signup for intramural touch football continues today at the IM Building from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The deadline for signing up is Thursday at 4:30 p.m. A meeting for football team managers will be held tomorrow at the wrestling room in the IM Building at 7:00 for co- rec, graduate and women's teams and at 8:00 for residence hall, fraternity and independent teams. The deadline for the all-campus golf tourney is Friday at 4:30 in the IM Building's main office. The tournament is on Sunday. "4 m 0 ..