Rim The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 9,1980--Ptrge 15 Spo rtsmu The Sporing Views By DREW SHARP In esterday'u Daily. sportswriter Buddy oorehouse denounced Detroit Tiger outfielder Al Cowens' attack on Chicago While Sox pitcher d Farmer. Today sportswriter Drew Sharp takes an oppoing riew. Detroit outfielder Al Cowens had been waiting for this opportunity for over a year. He was to bat against his old nemesis, Chicago's Ed Farmer. It was a Farmer fastball that broke Cowens' jaw last year when the rightfielder was with the Kansas City Royals and Farmer wore a Texas Ranger uniform. It was a chance for him, in his own mind, to even the score between the two. Cowens did engage in an altercation with Farmer on the pitcher's mound in the 11th inning of that contest. Afterwards, he was immediately suspended and fined for his actions by the American League. But more importantly, he was labeled as a coward by many people throughout the country, who felt it was foolish of him to hold a grudge for that long a period of time. My evaluation of Cowens' act is very much to the contrary. He was within his rights to beat up Farmer that night. It was a matter of self- defense. Major league pitchers today are getting away with murder. They have in their possession an object which can maim or kill someone if thrown towards them at 90 miles an hour. And in such instances where a batter is struck by a pitch, the pitcher can merely clear himself by saying the ball got away accidentally or that the pitch was a mistake like the hanging curve which was drilled into the upper deck for a home run. Baseball pitchers should be ready to face the consequences if one of their "mistakes" should occur toea player with a highly volatile temper. This is not to say that Farmer had fully intended to injure Cowens with that ill-fated pitch. Only Farmer himself knows that for sure. But it's time for batters to stand up and refuse to be taken advantage of in this manner. Brushback pitch the enemy The reason for all of this fury is the use of what is known as the brushback pitch, considered to be a pitcher's best friend. It is used when the pitcher feels the batter is getting too comfortable at the plate. It is meant to keep the batter honest and has come under much scrutiny. Former Los Angeles Dodger star pitcher Don Drysdale, now an ABC sportscaster, is an open advocate of the brushback. He says that it is essential for the pitcher to use the brushback, in order to maintain an advantage over the batter. Drysdale, in his playing days, was never shy about giving a batter the high, hard one and having hin bite the dust so it is not so hard to see where he got his views. Well Don, here's a message for any of your fellow hurlers, who may play by your philosophy. Don't be surprised if after one of your eat-the-dust throws, you have to confront an enraged 220-pound catcher, wo's charging the mound with the ferocity of a bull lunging for the bullfighter. The reason for the brushback pitch is plain and simple - intimidation. It is a form of psychological warfare meant to scare the daylights out of opposing hitters. Well, in that case, batters should have their own form of intimidation to use against opposing pitchers, such as hitting a line drive right past the hurler's skull. That has been known to rattle the pitcher's nerves on occasion and also makes him aware that two can play this game of psyching out the opposition. It would be nice if all of the problems and conflicts we face could be settled in a peaceful, non-violent fashion. Unfortunately, there comes a time when the best prescribed medication is a swift kick in the butt for your adversary. Possible court battle In the Cowens case, his retaliation could lead to a trial in court. Last week, a Circuit Court judge in Chicago ordered an arrest warrant to be served to Cowens when the Tigers return to the Windy City in late August. There is much deliberation among the Tiger top brass on whether they should allow Cowens to travel with the team when they return to Chicago. Cowens should go to Chicago, accept his warrant when served and set a trial date so that he can make fools of the White Sox management, who vehemently demanded his head on a platter three weeks ago. The chances of Cowens being convicted are slim and none. This case is similar to the Dan Maloney hockey trial three years ago. Maloney was indicted on the charge of aggravated assault when he was involved in a fight with Toronto's Brian Glennie. Maloney, who was a Detroit Red Wing at the time, was acquitted when it was proved that Glennie provoked the altercation with his excessively physical play. If Cowens was to be convicted, it would give pitchers the green light to throw at opposing hitters, knowing that they are protected by the law in case of retaliation. So let 'em have it, Al. Give them a fight they'll never forget. East Germany main benefactor of boycott By The Associated Press East Germany, which finished second in the medals standings in the 1976 Olympics, is expected to reap a solid share of the gold left up for grabs by the beycotting countries. The United States, West Germany and Japan - the top competitors among the approximately 50 countries that are boycotting - ranked third to fifth in nation's standings with 53 gold medals, 53 silver medals and 52 bronze medals amng them at the 1976 Olympics. And East German athletes are expec- ted to fill the void left by many of the boycotting athletes, although there is speculation in the West that they would not want to embarrass their hosts by finishing as the top medal winners if they were in a position to do so. "WE HAVE used the recent months for intensive preparations," said Man- fred Ewald, head of the East German Olympic Committee, during a recent interview, adding, "We will, together with the representatives of the Soviet Union, try to delight the public with superb results at Moscow. The East German women swimmers in particular are expected to benefit from the absence of the United States because of the Russian intervention in Afghanistan. After dominating the Montreal swimming events, the East Germans suffered a humiliating setback by the U.S. team during the last world cham- pionships in West 'Berlin in 1978 and were looking for yet another tight battle with their American archrivals. DURING THE recent East German national championships Ute Geweniger bettered the world record for the 100 meter breast stroke to 1:10.20 minutes and Petra Svhneider, her teammate from Karl-Marx-Stadt, set two new world marks for the individual medley, clocking the 200 meters in 2:13.00 and the 400 meters in 4:38.44 minutes. The East German men swimmers also look for a larger collection of titles after the U.S. team took 12 out of 13 possible gold medals at Montreal. Another field where East German athletes are sure to do well in is track and field, with the women traditionally providing the decisive push. With Marlies Goehr-Celsner's world mark for the 100 meter dash of 10.88 seconds bettered earlier this month by one hundredth of a second by Ludmilla Kontratjeva of the Soviet Union, the classic sprint event should be one of the top events at the Games. EVELYN ASHFORD, the U.S. sprin- ter also on the books with a time below the 11-second mark and rated a title contender, will not compete at Moscow. On the men's side the boxing com- petition also was thrown wide open by the U.S. boycott. The American team took five golds at the Montreal Olympics, all of which will most likely fall to the East Bloc now and East Germany is ready to reap at least some of the profits, along with the Russians and Cubans. While it appears certain that East Germany will surpass the medal total of 40 gold, 25 silver and 25 bronze they bagged at Montreal, western sports of- ficials doubt that they will attempt to overtake the Soviets, even if they were in a position to do so. RUSSIA GAINED 47 gold medals, 43 silvers and 35 bronzes at the Montreal Games and it is expected to emerge as the strongest team, especially since they are the host. "In my opinion, the East Germans will hold back if they should ever get in- to the position of overtaking the 'socialist motherland' ", remarked one ranking West German sports official. "After all, how would it look if the pupil walks away with more prizes than the teacher," he said, asking not to be identified. "Sports relations must go on, even af- ter the Mbscow games", he said. Action Sportswear FACTORY, CLOS.EOUTS9 Footwear Swimwear Bodywear 406 E. Liberty-2 blocks off State St.