Quack Cracks
Touch ?Ball
Means Pass
By DAVE BARONTI
Emerald Sports Editor
TOUCH FOOTBALL is one game where San Jose State
University would stand a chance with the Green Bay
Packers.
That’s because San Jose has Danny Holman as quarterback—and
that’s about all the Spartans would need.
Everything in this game is centered around the quarterback. And
everything he does is throw.
It’s a wonder they call the sport “football” at all. “Aerodynamics
or “model airplane flying” would be more appropriate.
If you want to know how badly their standard of values is mixed
up, feature what would happen if the Wisconsin legislature decided
that professional tackle football was too brutal and so replaced it
with the professional touch version of the sport.
You know what would happen?
The first thing the Packers would do would be to trade Paul
Hornung. Jim Taylor, Jim Grabowski, Donny Anderson, Herb Ad
derly, Ray Nitschke, and Boyd Dowler for Terry Baker, or a quar
terback of equal propensities.
And Baker would only be a backup man.
Baltimore, with Johnny Unitas at the controls, would average
about 90 points a game in such a league.
But they wouldn’t go undefeated. Middle-aged Norm Van Brocklin
the coach would turn into middle-aged Norm Van Brocklin the
quarterback once again, and Minnesota would trim Baltimore by
about 300-200, or so.
Runners just don’t have a chance in this game. A scrambling
quarterback such as Fran Tarkenton wouldn’t even be allowed to
scramble back into a passing position from the split T. He’d be
touched by then. He’d have to use the shotgun.
Aa ideal passing-rushing balance for a team in this game would
be about 800 yards passing and 0 yards running.
Bat that’s really too ideal. Practically speaking, no team’s going
to do better than 400 yards passing and minus-400 yards rushing—
unless the quarterback throws the ball away as soon as he gets it
every down. i« J
There is still much to be said for such a league, however.
To begin with, the injury situation would be virtually non-existent.
Furthermore, there wouldn’t be any need to have penalties such
as unsportsmanlike conduct. Things would never progress far
enough for a fight. For example, touching the ball-carrier with
more than one hand would probably be called “roughing the
runner.”_
HOWEVER, DESPITE THESE advantages, touch football
would obviously be a flop on the professional level. The
game is to be played, not watched.
So on the intramural level it is at Oregon, it is not surprising
that over 500 men from about 50 teams are playing the sport.
And the situation facing a team here is the same as anywhere:
find the best quarterback.
In that case, the freshman dorms have a distinct advantage. For
if an ideal IM quarterback is to be found, he has to have the follow
ing two characteristics.
One, he must have an arm like Joe Namath.
And two, he must be dumb enough not to know how to do any
thing except pass (otherwise he’d be on the varsity team).
Such a guy is unlikely to live in any other place but a freshman
dorm. His January grades and the subsequent selective service
notice would insure that.
So for the dorms that don’t have such a guy (and for the last
zillion years, that has included all of them) as well as for the rest
of the organizations playing defensive 0-0 scores are the rule, count
scoring zero, maybe one touchdown a game.
Practice Already Underway
Heads Up for Baseball
By RON EACHES
Km r raid Sport* Writer
It’s “heads up” around Ore
gon's Howe Field where base
balls have already started Hy
ing.
They began filling the air and
skimming the ground as early
as the first day of school when
some 60 freshmen and varsity
ballplayers under head coach
Don Kirsch began fall practice
in preparation for spring’s com
petition.
“This is baseball for t h e
younger players,” explained
Kirsch.
There are a few older players
working on specifics but most of
those at practice are fresh
men or sophomores.
“It gives me a chance to get
acquainted with them and it
gives them a chance to get ac
quainted with me,” Kirsch said.
“We can evaluate our per
sonnel before spring and get
an idea of what they can do on
the field.”
Fall practice covers a span
of three weeks and generally
lasts from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. each
day. Practice is optional and the
players furnish their own gear.
“We began with ten days of
fundamentals,” said Kirsch, “and
now we’re preparing for a se
ries of intra-squad games to be
gin Thursday.”
The intra-squad games will be
played on a freshman vs. var
sity situation, according to
Kirsch.
“It’s not usually as one-sided
as it sounds since most of the
varsity are sophomores,” said
Kirsch. “If it’s too much of a
mis match I’ll switch the var
sity and freshman pitchers
around.”
Regular practice sessions fol
low no set pattern from day
to day. "It depends on what
we’re trying to accomplish,”
said Kirsch. “We begin with
hitting practice and then move
on to special sessions.”
These special sessions are
conducted on a small group ba
sis and cover pitching, catching,
infield and outfield. Baserunning
is covered during batting prac
tice. “We handle these groups
almost instructional like and se
lect the practical work as we
go along,” Kirsch said.
“Most of what is done is in
group work. There is very little
individual conference. We need
to know the ballplayers’ strength
and weaknesses and then talk
to the individual during the win
ter.”
Emerald
SPORTS
WRA Volleyball
Set for Tuesday
The Women’s Recreation Asso
ciation’s volleyball intramural
tournament gets under way Tues
day, with all teams entered play
ing one night a week until No
vember 17 when the two teams
with the most overall wins meet
for the championship.
Last year’s winner was Delta
ta Gamma.
A practice session for all those
wishing to participate is sched
uled for this evening at Gerlin
ger Hall.
Today is the deadline for appli
cations. Any team interested in
participating should have an en
try slip in the volleyball intra
mural box in Gerlinger Hall by
tonight. Any further information
may be had by contacting Janet
Bush, IM director, at ext. 2282.
MIKE WREN
DUO
Tues.-Sat., 10 p.m.-l a.m.
UNO'S 15th & Willamette
FREE
LUBRICATION
ON
ALL IMPORTS
We would like to invite you to visit our
service department where we have factory
trained mechanics and complete parts facili
ties to handle all of your automotive needs.
Bring in your sports car or imported sedan
and take advantage of our free lubrication
offer during the month of October.
HANSEN BROS.
TRIUMPH and ALFA-ROMEO
Sincerely,
FOR
Sales
245 E. 6th
342-3315
Service
646 Pearl St.
344-6277
Conditioning also plays an Im
portant part in the fall pro
gram.
Klrsch explained that condi
tioning for baseball is different
than any other sport. "We work
hard on running,” he said. “Not
the long distances hut the short
sprints. The arm is all impor
tant too, especially the training
and handling of it."
After a week and a half of
practice the squad baa suffered
no serious injuries. This is part
ly due to the physical condition
of the players.
“We warn them in the sum
mer about practice and they’re
supposed to stay in shape,”
Kirsch said.
Most of the squad played
summer ball and did stay in
shape, but not all, and Kirsch
tries to discourage those who
didn’t from coming out. "They
come out here too eager and not
in shape so they get a sore
arm,” ho suid.
Klrsch keeps his players work
ing during the winter months
also. They lay o(T actual work
through November and Decem
ber but many will work on the
weaknesses they discovered dur
ing fall practice.
In mid-January the pitchers
and catcher* begin workouts
und three weeks later the team
starts hitting practice in batting
cages. All this is done indoors
unless the weather breaks.
Among the returning letter
men attending fall practice are
junior pitchers Clary Kniser and
Mike Nicsic, junior catcher Hot)
Lindsay and senior second base
man Ted Amato.
Kit sch also has some outstand
ing sophomores In pitchers Ter
ry Ley and John Wheeler, who
threw back to back no hitters
last year, third baseman Larry
Hansen and catcher Steve Ar
nold.
"PIZZA"
UNO’S SPAGHETTI HOUSE
We Deliver Pizza, Spaghetti,
and Ravioli — 5 p.m.-Midnight
Live Entertainment Nightly
10:00 p.m. Till ?
Open 5 p.m.-l e.m.
Closed Mondays Lots of Parking
1491 Willamette 344-2453
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