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Penguin’s
leaves team
for daughter
by John Musser
Collegian Sports Editor
By now, everyone knows
that Mike Tyson has been
defeated by James Buster
Douglas for the heavyweight
title. But can you name the last
man to hold that title before
Tyson's reign as heavyweight
supreme began? Keep reading
for the answer.
As if the Pittsburgh
Penguins of the National
Hockey League didn't already
have enough problems, they
can now add another one to
their list.
As of last Friday, their top
goaltendcr and one-time Vezina
Trophy winner (given to the
league's best goalie), Tom
B arras so, announced that he
would be leaving the team for
an indefinite time to take care
of his 2 1/2-year old daughter,
Ashley. Ashley had been in a
Pittsburgh hospital for several
months undergoing treatment
for cancer. Barrasso and his
wife have decided to move
Ashley to a hospital in
California for furthbr treatment.
The 'B9-90 season has been
a difficult one for one of the
league's most respected
netminders. Barrasso has
suffered through several
injuries and has put up with
one of the worst defensive
clubs in hockey. All of this
has been nothing compared to
the plight of his young
daughter. Add up these factors
and it doesn't take a Bachelor's
degree in Psychology to figure
out why Barrasso has been
playing below his expected
level of play.
While the loss of Barrasso
will certainly hinder the Pen's
chances of qualifying for the
playoffs, the team has been
understanding. It is nice to see
that Barrasso is not the only
one who has things in
perspective here.
A quick look at the NHL
schedule provided an interesting
scenario for Penguin's superstar
center Mario Lemieux.
If his scoring streak
continues, he will tie Wayne
Gretzky's mark of SI
consecutive games with at least
one point against the New
York Islanders next Thursday
night in Pittsburgh.
Should the streak continue,
Lemieux will get his chance
two nights later to break the
record in, of all places, the
Montreal Forum. In case you
didn't know, Lemieux was
raised in a suburb of Montreal
and dreamed of playing for the
Canadicns. Of course, Mario's
got to make it through this
week, and he is now wearing a
goalie
to care
back brace, but wouldn't it be
something....
It looks like major league
baseball players will be locked
out of spring training practices
until a new labor contract is
hammered out. Negotiations
may take days, weeks, or
possibly months.
Maybe I'm just being
picky, but isn't the average
baseball salary in the
neighborhood of a half-million
dollars? And this is somehow a
problem for the players? What
about the owners? Would it
really hurt them if they shared
some of the take?
Cut the garbage guys, and
settle this contract squabble
quickly.
Boy, was Michael Jordan
impressive in the Long-
Distance Shootout in the
NBA's All-Star Weekend
festivities. Jordan was the only
participant who failed to rack
up double figures in the event.
Out of a possible 30, "Air"
managed a five. But hey, can
he dunk or what?
Wonder how long it's going
to be until we have the
championship of the NBBL
(National Bud Basketball
League)?
I know I've made a little bit
of fun of Budweiser's "Bud
Bowl" promotion, but beer
bottles playing football just
doesn't make sense. If I was
running this brewery, I know
exactly how I'd promote it: The
Bud Cup hockey
championship. Lets face the
facts, beer on ice is far more
appealing than beer on Astro
Turf.
After watching this past
weekend's Georgia Tech-
Louisville basketball game, I
couldn't help but be impressed
with the performance of guard
Kenny Anderson. The Tech
freshman virtually controlled
the game with his pinpoint
passes and deadly accurate
perimeter shooting. What was
even more amazing was the
way Anderson did it. He
displayed court intelligence
which normally takes years for
most players to acquire.
If Pierre Turgeon of the
Buffalo Sabres doesn't win the
Caldcr Trophy, the award given
to the NKL's best rookie, then
they may as well bum the dang
thing.
Answer: Tony Tucker won
a boxing match in 1987 for the
vacant IBF heavyweight title.
His opponent: Buster Douglas.
Hoops and bucks: At a recent home game, women's
basketball coach Jenepher Banker (left) and men's
basketball coach Doug Zimmerman (right) each received 300
dollar checks. The money was donated by the Penn State
Club of Erie County and will be used for the teams' needs.
MB
News * Talk and Sports Radio
The Collegian Wednesday, February 14,1990
Giving to the team
photo by Rick Brooks