CAPITAL TIMES, April 4, 1990 College Programs Misguided Hank's pen rambles Mark "Slcippy" Jordan Capital Times Sports IS COLLEGE BASKETBALL JUST BIG BUSINESS? The game of basketball started with a heavy leather ball and a peach basket. It has evolved into a multi-million dollar business. This is fine for pro basketball where players get paid and owners make money. But is it fine for college basketball? College basketball was created to give students an opportunity to participate in an athletic event. It is presently a big money-making tool for colleges and universities while the players gain only pride and satisfaction with the job they have done. No wonder college institutions have become so corrupt! The bottom line in business is winning. Therefore, most colleges are out to win. Loyola Marymount's star player Hank Gathers collapsed and died while playing a game for his school. After a previous collapse he was given the medication, Inderal. This took care of his arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Hank's play became sluggish so he asked his doctors to cut back on his doses of the medication, and they allowed the dosage cutback. Autopsy results showed that he had far too little of the drug that was necessary to combat his illness. Did the school doctors allow the cutback because it would enhance his play as well as the play of Loyola as a whole? I am sure JOIN OUR TEAM PERMANENT PART-TIME POSITIONS Work one of these LO UNLI 12:00 Ni 5:00 P. 10:30 P Paid V Receiv ups Ahead of the Rest in Service and Careers United Parcel Service Central Pennsylvania District 821 South 19th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104 ALWAYS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/FIJIN Hank loved the game very much, and was perhaps eyeing a big professional contract a bit too much, but I believe these doctors might have been looking at possible school wins and losses when agreeing to allow the cutback of Inderal. If the administration did place too much emphasis on winning and was wrong in allowing Hank to cut back on his medication, lam sure that they will have to pay the Gathers family dearly. However, that obviously will not change the fact that Hank is gone. The Loyola Marymount example is just the most recent in a long line of wrongdoing by colleges throughout the country. Another happening that takes place many times each year is the firing of a coach. Most times coaches are fired simply because they are not winning enough games. Losing games means lost revenues for the schools and most probably lost recruits that the schools might have gotten if they were winning. The coach could be running a clean program and graduating his players, but if he does not win consistently, he is very eligible for firing. Notre Dame's coach, Digger Phelps, has been under fire this past season after posting a mediocre record. He has only helped graduate 100% of his players throughout his 17 years at Notre Dame. In the words of Howard Cosell, this man is " an educator." His firing would only provide more evidence that college More College Ball on 15 SPORTS Yes all you sports-crazed cats and dogs, from high atop the Cap Times office comes another wild, zany Hank's Pen Rambles... Not only will it inform you, but it entertains at the same time. It dices, it slices...it is guaranteed to make you smile. If not, too bad. Hah just kidding. So, how about it? Let's go rambling... Baseball, oh-sweet baseball. Once America's game! Now? Who knows? The answer is no one knows. Everyone involved in baseball is too busy striking. First it was the players threatening to do so, then the the owners staged their own version "A.K.A. the Lockout." Now the umpires got into the strike of things. The umps, because they weren't consulted in the lockout settlement, staged a strike of exhibition games. Oh, 800-HOO to those "blind" men behind the plate... Let's talk more about baseball. This year the average salary is $557,000 and we ain't talking chickens. Just in from the lock-out. Part of the settlement includes: bumping the base salary from $60,000 to $lOO,OOO and the owners now must contribute $55 million instead of $39 million to the player's pension fund. OK fine, but I knout who got screwed in this situation. Any guesses? How about the fans? Ticket prices will rise and so will the, food/beer prices. When will it all end? My guess is they will start charging us fans for using the john at the ballpark. But hey it's only a guess!... The road to the Final Four was bumpy and full of potholes this year, and many teams found these holes via-upsets. Close games also were prevalent in this years tourney. An NCAA tourney record of 23 contests being decided by 3 points or less was established. UNLV didn't know about this or they just didn't care. The Running Rebs slaughtered Duke 103-73 to win the NCAA tourney and capture the national championship. "Unbelievable!" Mark Jordan discusses college basketball in this issue. Check it out... Did the Indianapolis Colts fumble Eric Dickerson away or are they letting him slip away? Dickerson threatened to $B-9 Hank Rappoki Capital Times Sports Editor retire from football unless the Colts traded him away. Dickerson now wants a career in broadcasting. Let him go Colts, don't sweat it... For the who cares department comes a real interesting topic from Toledo, Ohio . Jim Penak beat Chris Warren 223-214 to win a PBA event and win the $54,000 purse. Way to go Jim, but can you top Peg Bundy's perfect 300...Fr0m bowling we go to boating. Chris Dickson of New Zealand recently won the Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA. Dickson swept the best of three finals and sailed away from the competition by winning the first race by 19 seconds and the second by 30 secs. Just something I thought you'd like to know... From boating to boxing. Mike Tyson is expected to fight Greg Page sometime in June. Page is the person who knocked Tyson down while sparring with him before Tyson's loss to Douglas. I don't know who I pity more. Page or Tyson... Mud volleyball might not be allowed in Meade Heights during the Rites of Spring weekend is a rumor I recently heard. This makes Hank upset. Mudvolleyball is one thing that can be used to draw our campus together--you know bring some feeling to PSH--and now I hear housing won't let it happen. That isn't cool, daddy-o. People let's get together and tell the housing we demand mudvolleyball. Lets save ' mudvolleyball... Birthday wishes to the Houston Astrodome. The Bth Wonder of the World turns 25 this year. Can you believe it? I remember the dome when it was only knee-high to a little league field... After recently attempting the "Electric Slide" at Shanes, I feel that all NFL receivers should be required to learn this dance step along with down and out fly patterns. This would dramatically increase their ability to change direction in the openfield... Another comment on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue "Look at those @s*&A%s?—"... Something other than sports. The BSU at PSH just celebrated its 20th anniversary, and I would like to extend my congratulations. Good luck and here's to another 20... Cap. Times Sports Run With Them
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