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Sporting View
Will pennant history
repeat itself?
By John Musser
Collegian Sports Editor
Don't get overly concerned if you see baseball fans checking
their calendars. They're just confused by the league standings.
It's not that they can't figure out who's strutting their stuff in
first and who is sucking canal water in last. It's just that the
standings are reminiscent of the 70's.
You remember that decade, don't you? Oh, yeah, some of you
were born in the 70's, so you probably don't remember much, at
least not about baseball, and therefore have no idea what I'm
talking about.
I'm talking about a team rivalry that highlighted three League
Championship Series. Between the two, they captured 11
division titles, six pennants, and triumphed in four of six World
Series appearances.
These two east-west opponents even had good nicknames:
The Lumber Company and the Big Red Machine.
Obviously, I'm talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates and the
Cincinnati Reds. And it looks like they are on track to meet in
the LCS once agaih.
Also, I'm talking about a team that won five consecutive
division tides and three World Series tides in a row. Plus they
seem ready to repeat as baseball's kings, which hasn't been done
since the *7B New York Yankees.
Unless you're a complete loser, you know that I'm conversing
about the Oakland Athletics.
Of course, the AL East has kept a firm grip on reality. While
Boston is still near the top, the Baltimore Orioles and the
Yankees are floundering at the bottom. All three fought for the
pennant in the 70's.
So, the question everybody wants to know the answer to:
Who's gonna win it? A better question might be: Is history
going to repeat itself?
You betcha.
The Pirates and the Reds will finish on top in the National
League to renew their post-season battles. The Reds should win
the pennant in six games. The American League will see a repeat
victor, with the A's sweeping the Red Sox.
And the World Series winner? Hey, I've got to save
something for next week.
• Everybody was laughing when they won only one game
under their new head coach. They also snickered at the thought of
their first round quarterback starting for a winning NFL football
team.
What sorry team was this? Well, it could be the Dallas
Cowboys of Coach Jimmy Johnson, who looked clueless during
his rookie year in the pros last year. He couldn't figure out why
Troy Aikman, his strong armed signal caller, didn't put more
points on the board.
This sorry team could also be the 1969 Pittsburgh Steelcrs,
who finished 1-13 under first year Coach Chuck Noll. He had a
first round QB (in 1970) named Terry Bradshaw, whose
credentials read of a strong-arm and the intelligence of a rock.
The Steelers went on to become team of the decade, winning
four Super Bowls.
Is Dallas, 20 years later, headed in the same direction for die
90's? Heck, why couldn't they be?
I know what you're thinking. Jimmy Johnson could coach
college, but he doesn't have a grasp on die pro game. Baloney.
Sure, Johnson looked like he was trying to find his luggage
on the sidelines most of the season. But the man has a great
football mind and has the patience to handle a young team.
Sound familiar? Chuck Noll has built his career on patience. And
he's entering his 22nd year as coach of Pittsburgh.
As for Aikman, well, Bradshaw didn't lead his team to the
playoffs until 1972. It so happens that was Franco Harris' first
year in black and gold, and he rushed for over 1000 yards. In
other words, get Troy boy some offensive weapons and Dallas
could bring back its glory days. Until then, the Cowboys' feeble
rushing attack will hinder Altaian's performance.
Another reason for optimism is the Herschel Walker trade,
which left Dallas a truckload of future draft picks to play with to
further solidify the foundation that has been set.
Will Dallas be the next dynasty team? That will depend
greatly upon their draft decisions in the coming years. They
probably won’t even win five games this year, much less make
the playoffs.
But remember, Noll didn't make the playoffs until his fourth
campaign and the Super Bowl until his sixth. Let's just say that
the Cowboys are on the long road back to earning their title of
The Collegian
Homeless spikers start season
Women's volleyball team awaits opening of Erie Hall
by Steven R. Smith
Collegian Staff Writer
There's no place like home, or
in the case of the women's
volleyball team, there is no
home.
The lady spikers, ousted from
their usual practice courts by
renovations to Erie Hall, have
been forced to pull their young
team together at courts all across
Erie.
This has meant busing the
team to the local YMCA, to
Behrend's sand court below Erie
Hall, to local scrimmages, and
even to the Iroquois High School
gymnasium.
Another problem is the
schedule. There are only four
home matches this year.
Coach Jan Wilson, entering
her 15th season as coach, says it
has been tougher practicing away
from home all the time, but the
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MONDAY
Begins
5) •
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expanded gym is worth the wait
Worth the wait is also how
returning letter-winner Erica
Scribner feels about this year's
squad. "It's the best team I've
seen in my four years here," said
the senior hitter.
Scribner's enthusiasm is also
shared by her returning
teammates, junior Kellie Jordan
and sophomores Pam Allshouse
and Sara Moss, who hope to use
their experience to make the
squad even more competitive.
Last year's returning letter
winners are joined by a group of
new faces. Five freshmen and one
sophomore have joined the team
this year.
Among these rookies is
Alexis Pasteur, a freshman from
Riverdale Baptist High School in
Suitland, Maryland.
Pasteur helped to lead her
team to a 33-3 record and a
ranking of third in the nation
NIGHT FOOTBALL
September 10th
with
SAN FRANCISCO
VS*
NEW ORLEANS
Exclusively on
"THE TALK OF ERIE"
Thursday, September 6, 1990
among high school teams during
her senior season.
Wilson sees Pasteur, as well
as two other freshmen, Chrissy
Whiteman and Lori Connick, as
high-impact players this season.
That awaited season begins
this weekend as the ladies travel
to the SUNY-Cortland
Tournament, where they will face
teams from all over the
Northeast, including a first-round
match against former regional
champ Ithaca College.
"There is a real team
atmosphere this year, the women
work very well together. If things
go good, we should equal or
surpass last year's record," said
Wilson.
NOTES: The women's home
opener is scheduled for Thursday,
September 20 against Thiel and
John Carroll.... The gym is
scheduled to be completed on or
around September 17.
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