Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Qualifying Tournament Tomorrow, 10:00 a.m. CCRB SPORTS Softball vs. Indiana Today, 3:30 p.m. 'M' Varsity Diamond The Michigan Daily Friday, April 12, 1985 Page7 a1 marttin Geronte By Adam Martin Boxing means big business.. a...But whatluappens to the fans? "Hey, big fight tonight.' "Yeah, I know. But it's not on TV." "Isn't it on HBO or something?" "Naw, just closed-circuit tv and I don't have 30 bucks to shell out." "The whole thing sucks." It sure does. But its a continuing trend in professional sports, a trend that began back in the '70s and seems interminable. First, salaries skyrocketed. Now, major league team owners are cutting deals with cable networks to generate added income. Maybe these deals are requisite to pay the players salaries, but somehow I find that hard to believe. George Steinbrenner does more than break even. It all adds up to a bum deal for the average sportsfan, the one lacking ac- cess to the myriad wonders of Ted Turner TV, Home Box Office and Spor- tschannel. These are the ones who have bank notes and bragging rights riding on Monday night's bout. And amazingly, Monday's fight can't be seen by anyone in the sanctity of his own home, not even with a couple cold ones. That's right, neither Marvelous Marvin nor The Hitman agreed to any arrangement with any broadcasting network. Either you pay $200 for a plane ticket to Las Vegas and $300 for a ringside seat... or 30 bucks and gas for a spot in front of the big screen at Joe Louis. Any takers? I didn't think so. The hard facts are most people will listen in on the radio if they get a chance, read Tuesday's sports section and then watch ABC's taped broadcast on Wide World of Sports three weeks later. THE SPORTING VIEWS ) AV F By JIM GINDIN "Guess what, hockey fans, it's time for the annual National Hockey League playoffs! You know, those tense and exciting hockey matches that last from the beginning of April to the end of May... "Why, if things go perfectly, you could see your favorite team play 26 times before it hangs up it's skates in time for Memorial Day and a trip to the beach... "Our featured match-up has the vaunted New York Rangers, coming off it's worst season in the last few epochs, playing the Philadelphia Flyers possessing the league's best record. The Rangersneeded an in- spiring final week to hold off Pittsburgh and New Jersey for that coveted last playoff spot... "What? You didn't know there were teams that didn't make the playoffs? Come on, this is the NHL. This isn't some overnight league like the USFL. Every team has to endure an eighty-game season before the playoffs. And five of them, with the very worst records, don't get to play. "Oh I see, you didn't know we had a regular season. Yeah, I realize the only coverage we get is on Can- adian television and a couple of cable channels, but surely you read the local newspapers? "No, that's the USFL... No, I guess I don't expect you to read anything that comes after the high school volleyball report. "Okay, our regular season begins in October and ends around April Fools Day. It's sort of like baseball's training camps, only much longer. "...So Wayne Gretzky can break all the scoring records and make lots of money endorsing jewelry and dolls in Canada... "He plays for the World Champion Edmonton Oilers. He dominates the sport just like Martina Navratilova does - women's tennis-only his girlfriend's a lot prettier... "No, I don't know when Wimbledon starts... "Sure, hockey's a rough game, some of those guys are paid to fight and do nothing but. "It's called intimidation. You see, if one team has a star player doing real good, the other team needs someone to beat him up so he won't do so well, and then the first team needs a guy to protect the star and this other guy gets into a fight with the first one and ... "It's just part of the game. "I don't think Marvin Hagler can skate... You're right, Hagler would make a great hockey player. Maybe the management will let him wear just the boots without the blades. "...Well, be sure to catch Detroit in the playoffs. They started in Chicago Wednesday and they're a real exciting club... "...The Red Wings. "Yeah, they're from Detroit, too. They play in Joe Louis Arena, where the Pistons play now, after the Silverdome fell down. "...No, I don't think Isiah Thomas can skate either..." Yes, it's NHL playoff time... didn't you know? '?I M' neuters eye wins over Ilini IS NOW HIRING Account Executives for the Spring and Summer Applicants must be available to work full time both Spring and Summer terms - GREAT RESUME EXPERIENCE - PAY IS BASED ON COMMISSION - HOURS ARE FAIRLY FLEXIBLE Somehow, I don't see the logic in it. Hagler- Hearns could be the fight of the decade, and the majority of boxing enthusiasts will watch it on three-week tape delay. This fight has everything. A southpaw, a Hearns knockout artist, a Detroit-Boston confrontation, even a shaved head. And the most important part of it all: both fighters revel at the thought of beating the excrement out of the other after a few rounds. A case can be made for both fighters. Hearns is 26, Hagler 32. Hearns has longer reach and is bigger than Hagler. Hearns KO'd Duran; Hagler went 15 rounds before decisioning the pesky Panamanian. Then again, Hagler takes punches well and lacks a serious knockdown; Hearns was punched almost senseless against Sugar Ray. And Marvelous Marvin believes Hearns evaded him out of fright in 1982, when their first fight was scheduled. Nope, no TV. Zilch. Zippo. Nada. What's left for legal assault? There's the obligatory "Top-Rank Boxing" on ESPN, the 24-hour bazaar that brings us luge, curling and Australian Rules Football. But "Top-Rank Boxing" just doesn't cut it. Watching no-name minorities battle for inconsequential crowns isn't my idea of an event. These amateurs just may be the next Sugar Rays, Mar- velous Marvins and Hitmans, but most will fade into oblivion. And I couldn't care less. Bacle in the '70s, I wouldn't be writing this column. ABC caught hold of the majority of Ali fights, and they were memorable events. Ali-Frazier, Ali- Norton, Ali-Foreman. Hagler even made the tube, only to be besieged by a foray of bottles and other sharp objects after he disfigured England's Alan Minter in the U.K. Boxing wasn't always the way it'll be Monday night, a spectator event denied its spectator status. It's a dangerous trend. I can see it now. A seat at on NBA playoff orchampionship game will cost $150, or there'll be the closed- circuit route. I don't like the option: For now, Spring is a sportsfan's fantasy. Baseball returns, the NBA crowns another champion, and hockey heats up with its combat-oriented Stanley Cup race. its all televised, too. h, I'll be watching Wide World of Sports on that Saturday afternoon in May, but I won't be happy about it. By EMILY BRIDGHAM Taking on the Fighting Illini today at 8:30 a.m., the women's tennis team is preparing to net some victories in the match that kicks off the second half of the season for the team. The netters are a disappointing 1-4 in the Big Ten going into today's and tomorrow's matches, which head coach Bitsy Ritt predicted should boost the club's record in the standings. "I AM playing better than I was," said freshman power Leslie Mackey, who is currently playing at the number two singles spot for the team. "It has been getting so hard trying to balance tennis, school and my social life." But whether hard or not, Leslie has been playing well, winning in Tuesday's match-up against Toledo, where the team managed a 8-1 victory. If things go like last year, the Illinois meet should be a good one for the Wolverines, who upset the Illini 6-3. The Wolverines have defeated Illinois for four straight years. The same story holds true for Saturday's match-up against the Boilermakers of Purdue, which Michigan picked off by a score of 6-3 last year.sI So with the improvements in the young team and the spirit left from Tuesday's meet, the women netters should have no problem knocking off two of the four Big Ten opponents yet to be faced. USE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS 'T-SHIRT 'PRINnNQ Ann Arbor's fastest! From 10-800 T-shirts screenprint- ed within 24 hours of order. Multi-color printing our specialty. You supply art or use our expert design staff. Hundreds of surplus T-shirts only $2. each. L ocaedbehind the Blnd Pig Cale 208' s First St Phone994-1367 A o ' " NPRI contact Dawn Willacker at 764-0554 for further information -- J7 .ANIN ARIWllk Mackey ...playing better SUt African a bane from BiSoston run. S BOSTON (UPI) - A South African :runner will be barred from the 89th Boston Marathon because of an inter- -national ban on athletes from his coun- try, marathon officials said yesterday. Mark Plaatjes, who reportedly traveled to the city from Johannesburg, had been assigned No. 5 in the April 15 race and was considered a top conten- der in America's oldest marathon. BUT THE Boston Athletic Association, which sponsors the race, announced Plaatjes could not par- ticipate after all because of a ruling on his citizenship by The Athletics Congress (TAC) of the United States. "TAC has regrettably found it necessary under the rules of open com- petition and according to international regulations to not allow any South African competitor," said Len Luchner; a member of the BAA's race committee. "We of the BAA in turn regret the S-need to not allow Mr. Plaatjes to par- ticipate." THE, INTERNATIONAL Amateur Athletic Federation has banned South African athletes from participation in sporting events for about a decade because of the country's apartheid policies of racial separation. "He can't run," said Pete Cava, a spokesman for TAC which enforces IAAF regulations in track and field events. "There's just no way. "If a South African runner competes in an international race, and contestan- IM SCORES I.M. Volleyball Fraternity A-A Sigma Phi Epsilon 2, Phi Gamma Delta 0 Sigma Chi 2, Phi Delta Theta 0 sigma Chi 2, Theta Chi 0 Fraternity A-B sigma Phi 2, Alpha Tau Omega 0 Phi Kappa Psi 2, Alpha Epsilon Pi 0 Fraternity B-A Sigma Phi Epsilon 2, Phi Delta Theta 0 sigma Alpha Mu 2, Chi Phi 0 Sigma Alpha Mu 2, Alpha Epsilon Pi 0 Fraternity B-B Theta Chi 2, Phi Kappa Tau I Sigma Chi 2, Phi Kappa Psi 0 Independent A-A NADS 2, IM Awesome 0 Independent A Dirty Drunks 2, Noxious Beasts 1 Independent B Murray's Kids 2, KSA 0 Al & Al's Shooting Stars 2, DSC Codebusters 0 Graduate/Faculty/Staff B P/F Flyers 2, Legal Soul 0 Mini Soccer Adam 12's 4, Williams House 0 Rogues 8, House Maggots 3 Chi Phi 4, MES Fury 2 The Stentch 7, Taylor Tigers 5 ,G 'S AR wwv KERASOTES THEATRES MOVIE DIRECTORY WAYSIDE'1+& 2 3020 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti, 434-1782 RETURN OF THE JEDI Daily: 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 Sat., Sun.: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN Call Theatre for Show Times HE-MAN Sat. & Sun. 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