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Sports
Page 16 Friday, June 5, 1981 The Michigan Daily
Sports and courts .. .
THE SPORTING VIEWS the two don't mix
By MARK BOROWSKI
SPORTS AND the courts . .. as of
late the two seem to go hand in
hand, sort of like baseball and hot dogs
or pizza and beer.
It's all part of America's newest
game, sue me or I'll sue you. It works
like this: your basic Joe off the street
suffers a hurt caused by Jill (no, it
doesn't have to be physical), so Joe
takes Jill to court to recover damages'
and up the magical court vine the case
climbs. The- winner is determined by
who can waste the most money, time
and energy in our legal system.
Notice that I said our legal system.
Yes, everyone in the U.S. has a right to
a fair and speedy trial but somewhere
along the way we have to draw the line
because right now our courtrooms are
being filled with a lot of hoopla, trash
and cry babies. Let it be known that the
litigation explosion is by no means a
game but rather a sickness that is
spreading like the plague and is infec-
ting the wonderful world of sports.
Let's take a journey over the last
year to focus in on some of the major
stories that have been battled in the
court instead of being settled by a board
of governors that should be allowed to
control its sport.
" Dave Wilson, a transfer student from
a California junior college wanted to
play football but the Big Ten said he
was not eligible. Mr. Wilson didn't like
this answer so he went to court, which
said he could play. But the Big Ten
didn't like that so it appealed and the
legal merry-go-round continued
throughout the '80 football season, with
Wilson playing quarterback all year for
the Fighting Illini.
* Last month the governors of the Ken-
tucky Derby set a specific number of
horses that would be allowed to run for
the roses and thus eight horses were
shutout. The horses weren't very happy
nor were their owners, so the owners
went to court to get an injunction that
forced the governors to allow the eight
ponies to run.
* Al Davis, owner of the Oakland
Raiders, wants to move his team to Los
Angeles but NFL Commissioner Pete,
Rozelle said he couldn't. Where does
Davis go for help? Our court system of
course.
* The baseball players threatened to
strike but before they could, the
National Labor Relations Board stuck
its nose in and took the players and
owners to court in hopes of obtaining an
injunction against the owners' plan to
unilaterally insert a compensation
provision in their Basic Agreement
with the players.
" And finally, an American League um-
pire by the name of Terry Cooney has
filed common assault charges against
one Billy Martin, manager of the
Oakland A's, for a bumping incident
that took place last week in Toronto.
Richie Philips, executive director of the
Major League Umpires Association,
said his group plans to seek an un-
specified amount of civil damages
against Martin. All this happened after
Martin had been suspended by
American League President Lee Mc-
Phail for seven games and fined $1,000,
the stiffest penalty ever levied against
a manager by McPhail.
The disturbing factor in all of the
above cases is that a decision was made
by a ruling body as to how each
situation was to be handled and because
one party wasn't satisfied it went out-
side the sports arena and into a cour-
troom.
The action filed against Martin is
completely ridiculous. Granted, the
fiery Martin should not have bumped
the ump, kicked dirt on his shoes and
then thrown dirt at his back, but the
umpires seem to forget that Cooney,
who is much larger than Martin, was
charging Martin as well.
What good is a regulatory body in
overseeing a sport if after the board
makes a decision a court is allowed to
overrule it? The answer is obvious,
courts must start refusing to hear cases
that have already been remedied by a
regulatory body.
In the Martin incident the umpires
are way out of line. Anything that hap-
pens on a baseball field or for that mat-
ter in any sport should be removed
from common law jurisdiction and con-
sidered a part of the game. And if one
believes another has broken the rules,
let the sport decide the consequences. If
today's litigation explosion is allowed to
continue, someday someone will be
taking Martin to court for deceit
because he was called out on the hidden
ball trick.
Hot dogs without baseball just don't
make it, but courts without sports
would make both systems function
much more effectively.
USAC TO SETTLE DISPUTE:
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Panel hears Unser appeal
IDIANAPOLIS (AP)-An attorney protests by Unser and car owner Roger Andretti. He showed a'Video tape of the statement, Binns said evidence "will be
Bobby Unser attempted to show Penske after the official standings were race in which Andretti appeared to shown that the manner in which race
erday that Mario Androtti, awar- posted Monday morning, May 25. have passed A.J. Foyt during a yellow stewards acted-without any regard to
the victory in the Indianapolis 500 period. the rules and regulations of USAC-was
r Unser was penalized one lap, also One protest claimed Unser did not so arbitrary and capricious it cannot
mitted a violation during the race commit the violation, passing other BINNS ALSO suggested that Andretti stand.
was ignored by the U.S. Auto Club. cars under a yellow caution period, and drove beneath a yellow line separating The stewards' ruling was based on
SAC convened an historic three- the other alleged Andretti had done the track from the pit entrance and the contention that Unser violated a
nber hearing panel to determine what Unser was accused of doing. exit-which also would be a rule prohibiting improvement of
ther Unser, who took the In- Most of Binford's testimony came violation-for "20 to 25 percent of the position on the track during a yellow
apolis 500 checkered flag and under cross examination by Binns, who race." slow-down period about three-fourths of
l d i t Vit Ln Mu 9 focused his questioning primarily on Earlier, during a half-hour opening the way through the race.
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wneeec intovctory Lane on may z , or
Andretti, handed auto racing's richest
prize a day later, will be listed in the
record hooks as the 1981 champion.
JAMES BINNS, the attorney for Un-
ser, told the panel that "bungling of
U.S. Auto Club officials" in assessing
the penalty to Unser after the race had
ended was responsible for the official
change in standings that gave the vic-
tory to Andretti.
The panel, consisting of Edwin Ren-
der, professor of law at the University
of Louisville, and former USAC
presidents Charles Brockman and
Reynold MacDonald, recessed the
hearing shortly after 7:30 p.m. EST. It
will resume today.
Unser attended yesterday's hearing
but was not called to testify.
THE ONLY witness to testify in the
six-hour hearing was Tom Binford,
chief steward of the 500 who issued the
penalty against Unser. Binford was
also responsible for turning down two
McEnroe loses at French Open
PARIS (AP)-Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia completed an
upset victory over American John McEnroe 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 today
for a place in the semi-finals of the French Open tennis tour-
nament.
The match began Wednesday night and Lendl won the first
two sets, but McEnroe led 3-2 in the third when rain halted
play.
MCENROE, SEEDED No. 3, briefly led when play
resumed yesterday on the center court of Roland Garros
stadium. Leading 30-0 overnight, he won the first two points
to break service for a 4-2 lead. Then he held his own service
with the loss of only one point and led 5-2.
But Lendl, the No. 5 seed, broke back and closed the gap to
4-5, driving every shot deep to the baseline, with McEnroe
netting three and overhitting another.
Two games later McEnroe, 21, dropped his service again.
He tried going forward, but sent a backhand volley yards out
of court, and then double-faulted. Lendl, also 21, finished the
service break with a backhand return down the line.
IN WOMEN'S action yesterday, Hana Mandlikova, the 19-
year-old Czechoslovakian tennis star, upset defending cham-
pion Chris Evert Lloyd 7-5, 6-4 today to reach the final round
of the tournament.
The result ended a run of 64 straight victories on clay by the
American, who was favored to win this prestigious title for
the fifth time.
Sylvia Hanika of Germany defeated Andrea Jaeger 4-6, 6-1,
6-4 in the other semifinal.
Mandlikova and Hanika will meet in the final tomorrow.
Neither has reached the final before.
It was Lloyd's first defeat on the slow, clay courts of
Roland Garros since 1973 when, at age 18, she lost to
Margaret Court in the French Open final.
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