SPORTS
Page 12 Tuesday, July 12, 1983 The Michigan Daily
Panthers allbusine-ss...
THE SPORTING VIEWS ness.
...Fasdo the celebig
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By KATIE BLACKWELL
Like most Detroit-area natives of the younger
generation, I can remember being dimly aware of
the Tigers doing something great the summer of
my fifth year, 1968. In the fourth grade, I got in
trouble for having a portable radio at my desk,
listening to the Oakland A's take the American
League pennant at Detroit's expense. These are
all the champions I've had to savor in 15 years.
But wait! Weren't the Pistons red-hot about 10
years ago? And remember "Another one bites the
dust" of Lion fame? Unfortunately, these were
merely illusions of grandeur as both teams faded
in the stretch.
Well, the long wait is over for frustrated Detroit
sports fans. We finally have a winner in the
Michigan Panthers of the United States Football
League. The 60,237 wild screamers packed into the
Pontiac Silverdome is proof enough that the Pan-
thers are just what Detroit needs.
The marketing of the USFL, and the Panthers in
specific, is one reason for the apparent success of
the league's first year. It is football designed for
the fans. Exciting, fast-paced play held the fans'
attention Sunday, and during breaks in the action,
the scoreboard took over, flashing an incredibly
corny sing-along that the crowd ate up. The tune of
"This Land is Your Land," was modified to,
"from Grosse Point Shores to Mackinac Island,
this team was made for you and me." Great! I
always wanted to have my own professional foot-
ball team. Silly, yes. Childish, you bet. But work it
did, the fans clapping right along.
With about two minutes left in the game, and
Michigan solidly ahead 37-14, thousands of fans
began to gather in a huge ring at the edge of the
seats surrounding the field. "The Michigan Pan-
thers ask you to please remain off the field" was
the background music to the fans' chants of
"Goalposts, goalposts!" The fans won out. With 25
seconds on the clock the crowd streamed onto the
field and the goalposts soon followed.
It took me a while to make my way through the
merry makers to the locker room where I expec-
ted the same sort of celebration. Outside the
locker room door, a reporter I didn't recognize
took pity on my youth and sex in the huge mass of
anxious journalists and told me to follow the
biggest guy I could find into the locker room,
pushing me along all the while.
Once inside, I was startled by the contrast bet-
ween fans, starved for a winner, and the Panthers
themselves.
Head coach Jim Stanley was answering
questions in a rather tired fashion, his face com-
pletely void of expression. Was I mistaken or
didn't this man just lead his team to the cham-
pionship?
I looked around the room for boisterous, cham-
pagne-bearing players, but instead found them to
be strangely subdued like their coach. I looked
around for good-old, recognizable Number One
(Anthony Carter) and found him sitting amongst
about 10 reporters and several television cameras.
He kept his head bent and although I was only four
feet away from him, I could not hear a word he
said he spoke so softly.
It must have been a tough game because I have
seen more excitement in the Pistons locker room
after an every day, ordinary win.
Disappointed with my first championship locker
room, I headed back to the stands.' There wasn't
any champagne there either, but there was a
celebration worthy of the long wait for a cham-
pionship team that Detroit fans had to endure.
Tarpley's 35 sparks Round Haus
By DAN COVEN
Sophomore center Roy Tarpley scored 35 points
and pulled down 19 rebounds to lead Roundhaus to a
89-86 overtime victory against Franklin-Wright.
Thad Garner led Franklin-Wright with 21 points
and Eric Turner, just returning from the World
University Games in Edmonton, Canada, added 20.
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In the second game, Moe's Sport Shop defeated
Washtenaw PAL 82-77. Richard Rellford scored 22
points, including five dunks rally Moe's from a 10-
Tarpley
... scores 35
point defecit in the second half. Ex-Piston Terry
Duerod of Moe's led all scorers with 26 points and 16
rebounds.
In the third game, G & S Leasing forfeited to
Hathaway House.
Daily Photo by DOUG McMAHON
There are lots of stars and recognizable faces in Sandy Sanders summer basketball league. These are not two
of them. Star or not, though, the action is always intense, exemplified by these players in action last Friday.
The league meets every Monday, Friday, and Saturday evening in July.