Page 12-Thursday, August 14,1980-The Michigan Daily
Lopez smokes Sox, 2-1
4
4
By MARK MIHANOVIC
special toThe Daily
DETROIT - In an incredible display
of clutch relief pitching, Aurelio Lopez
worked out of bases-loaded, no-out
situations in the eighth and ninth in-
nings without allowing a run as the
Tigers nipped the Boston Red Sox, 2-1,
last night at Tiger Stadium.
Lopez' eighth-inning heroics were
preceded by some Bengal bungling in
the field. Tony Perez started the Red
Sox off with a sharp single to right-
center. Carlton Fisk followed with a
double play grounder to third baseman
Tom Brookens, but the third baseman
threw the ball into right field, placing
men on first and second with nobody
out.
SPARKY ANDERSON then brought
on Tom Underwood in relief of Dan
Petry (8-6) and he promptly forced Carl
Yastrzemski to tap a grounder- right
back at him. He hestiated with it,
however, and when he finally fired the
ball to Lou Whitaker covering first,
Yastrzemski knocked the ball loose
from Whitaker's glove.That loaded the
bases with no outs, and it was time for
"Senor Smoke" to emerge from the left
field bullpen and set down pinch-hitter
Dwight Evans, Butch Hobson, and pin-
ch-hitter Ron Hancock on strikes, much
to the delight of the 24,565 partisans in
attendance.
Lopez got himself into trouble in the
ninth by allowing singles to Rick
Burleson and Dave Stapleton and inten-
tionally walking Fred Lynn to load up putting runners on second and third. scored Wockenfuss with the winning
the bases. But Perez screamed a liner Red Sox starter John Tudor (3-2) then marker.
to Whitaker, who doubled Stapleton off intentionally walked Lance Parrish to
second, and Lopez finished the Red Sox fill the bases. Boston had produced its solo tally
off by fanning- Fisk on three straight against Petry in the second inning.
deliveries. After Jim Lentine popped out to Perez led off the frame by doubling and
THE TIGERS notched their pair of Stapleton, Al Cowens' ground ball to with one out, Yastrzemski slapped a
runs in the sixth inning. Steve Kemp led Stapleton's left brought in a run, as the grounder that Tiger first baseman
off with a base hit to right field. John second baseman tossed to second for Richie Hebner stopped, but he couldn't
Wockenfuss then slapped a grounder to the force. Mark Wagner then followed convert the play, and runners stood on
second baseman Stapleton, who over- with a hard grounder off of Tudor's first and third. Jim Dwyer then lined a
threw Burleson for a two-base error, glove that bounded into right field and single into center to score Perez.
B T P enacl presidents ask
repeal offre sha eligibi1ity rule
should take a leadership role with the NCAA, and that
DENVER (AP)-Presidents and chancellors of the position was strongly emphasized today in light of our rulings
Pacific 10 and Big Ten conferences have called for the on ineligibilities Monday," Hallock added.
elimination of the freshman eligibility rule in major college The Pac-10 presidents and chancellors ruled Monday that
sports. Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona State
The two conferences, meeting jointly here Tuesday, also are ineligible for the conference football title and all post-
agreed to work together to seek reform of National Collegiate season play this year.
Athletic Association (NCAA)rules and bylaws. It also ordered all of the five except Southern Cal to forfeit
THE REPRESENTATIVES of the two conferences all games played in recent seasons in which ineligibel
agreed to seek NCAA rule changes to make freshmen players participated.
ineligible to compete on varsity football and basketball THE RULINGS WERE in response to revelations that the
teams. five schools used athletes that had obtained phony academic
They also decided to seek a widening of the base of finan- transfer credits.
cial grants-in-aid based on need. The two conferences traditionally have opposed the
"It was difficult to sit down and literally cross all the t's eligibility of freshmen in varsity sports on the grounds that it
and dot all the i's on these issues, but we did reach an leads to undue pressures on students and coaches to keep the
agreement in principal," said Pac-10 Executive Director players academically eligible. Those benefits were
Wiles Hallock. strengthened by the rash of academic irregularities un-
"OUR TWO CONFERENCES have always felt that we covered in the recent Pac-10 investigations.
4
4
Pressing the academic case
cITH THE CALL for the elimi-: To rise to the level of a USC, an Ohio reviews from almost all quarters. achievement. Like the classroom.
nation of the freshman-eligi- State, or a Notre Dame on the foot- "It's good for the game," they say, MICHIGAN ATHLETIC Director
bility rule in football and basketball,. blal field, the developing teams had and they're right. It's good for the - Don Canham strongly opposes
presidents of schools in the Big Ten to use their top recruits right away game. freshman eligibility. "It's
and Pacific 10 conferences made it in order to draw larger crowds and academically unsound," he said
clear that winning records and large more exposure and, thus, pave the The real losers yesterday. "Let me give you an
crowds in the stadium aren't their way for the successful recruitment example. Now I'm not trying to put
only concern. Just as important to of even better athletes next season. BUT IT ISN'T good for the in- down these schools, but a freshman
them, it seems, is that the big-time They wanted to do it today, not coming freshman football player kid goes to Northwestern, Ohio
athlete receives a big-time tomorrow. who does battle on, the gridiron State, or Michigan State and plays a
education:-one that has alluded THE COACH of a losing program before classes even start, who never football game before he's ever gone
many players at five academically can tell a high school senior: "Hey, has the chance to adjust to academic to class. Now how the hell can that
ineligible Pac 10 schools, and that if you come here, you can be running rigors because athletic rigors take be justified?
certainly alludes others at major in- the ball this fall. But if you go with too much time and effort, and who "ANYBODY AT A good academic
stiutions. Schembechler at Michigan, you'll doesn't care because "Coach" told insitution, like Notre Dame or
When Southern Cal, UCLA, get lost in the shuffle." And nobody him he'd take care of everything. Michigan or Southern Cal or UCLA,
40
60
Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona.
State were eliminated from conten-
tion for the 1981 Rose Bowl before
the season's first kickoff, the time
was ripe for change, and the Big Ten
was wise to join their rival league in
the west in leading the adoption of
that change.
THE FRESHMAN-ELIGIBILITY
rule today exist because some less
successful institutions tried to catch
up with their bigger-name adver-
saries (and rake in more money) in
a quick fashion. They wanted to.
build a powerhouse football or
basketball squad in the shortest
possible time-and for that to hap-
pen freshmen recruited in the spring
would have to play for the varsity
squad the next fall and winter.
Many schools didn't want to (and
in some cases, couldn't afford to)
pay an 18-year-old's four-year
scholarship when he was only com-
peting during three of those years.
* . .ANDINTHIS
CORNER ...
Mark Mihanovic
wants to be lost in the shuffle.
ONE OF THE effects of freshman
eligibility has been positive.
Throughout the country, there's
more equality between football and
basketball teams than ever before.
This should be especially evident to
followers of Big Ten basketball, who
enjoyed an incredibly unpredictable
1980 campaign. Since sportswriters,
broadcasters, and fans thrive on un-
predictability,. the freshman-
eligibility rule has received positive
Obviously, there are going to be
athletes who possess no desire to ob-
tain a worhthwhile education
whether the current situation exists
or not, but the freshman-eligibility
simply encourages that attitude.
Whereas a basketball-plying fresh-
man may be fulfilled by pumping in
22 points a game until it doesn't mat-
ter whether he obtains a B-plus or a
C-minus in English, the freshman
who isn't scoring touchdowns on
Saturday might look elsewhere for
is opposed to the freshman-eligibile
rule."
Canham admitted that the recent
negative publicity some major
universities have received with
regard to their athletes' academic
indiscretions-all of which
culminated in Monday's ruling by
the Pac 10--probably provided
needed impetus for the two con-
ferences' call for change. But he is
convinced, that elimination of
freshman eligibility will relieve
most of the pressures that even-
tually cause such illegalities.
"The presidents (of the Pac 10 and
Big Ten universities) are dead
right," Canham asserted. "All of the
problems that you're having with
phony transcripts are with first-year
students."
Let's hope that when NCAA
representatives convene next
January, they'll follow the lead of
the Rose Bowl conferences.
6