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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1972)
Ducks should coast past Huskies Bowerman to shift Buford, Lathers, Pre in mile Washington won’t present much of a problem for the Duck track team Saturday. The dual in Seattle is already labeled no contest. Last week Washington got two first places in the five-team Oregon Invitational, the Ducks picked up 15. All right, so the Huskies were holding out a few of their studs for the “big” one this week. Those secret weapons (Jim Johnson in the steeplechase and Gary Quitsland in the javelin are the top names) don’t seem to hold much of a threat to the final Oregon team total. By BOB BAUM Of the Emerald The situation has gotten to the point where head coach Bill Bowerman is already talking about “com placency” on the Duck team, after three meets. And Bowerman, always the man to compliment his obviously weaker opponents just before mowing them down in competition, had only kind words for the Huskies. “The Washington athletes have a number of ad vantages up there, like a big, warm fieldhouse to work out in.” Sure coach, but the weather couldn’t get much worse than it was last Saturday at Hayward Field, and the Ducks responded with two new school records, five Frosh marks and more all-time bests than most could keep track of. Oregon spikers may grumble about the weather but most of them have learned to live with it. Washington coach Ken Shannon told Bowerman over the phone earlier this week, “that’s certainly a fine track team you have . . . don’t see how you can help but win the NCAA championship.” That’s the kind of platitudes Bowerman has trouble dealing with. He would like to take his meets one at a time, but most of them are foregone conclusions. So when Bowerman warns about not getting over confident, no one seems to be listening—except hopefully his team. He simply has nothing much else to talk about. Bowerman did some shifting on Oregon’s 440 relay team that narrowly missed setting an Oregon record last week. Vincent Buford, whose speed on the turns helped the sprint team reel off a 40.2 clocking, ran just two tenths of a second off the Or^<?on record. “I hate to pull him out of here,” Bowerman said, “but he’s too valuable to us on the mile relay.” Bowerman calls Buford “at least our second-fastest quarter miler,” which may explain the switch. The Ducks have two sprinters who can at least equal Buford’s time in the 440 relay, Robert Martin and Ross Blackman, and one of them will fill the vacancy. The main reason for the switch is Buford’s annoying habit of banging his knees together while running the turns. The result is an injury which hampers his 400 meter per formance. Several other Ducks who did well last week are switching events. Todd Lathers led an Oregon sweep in the 1500 meters and switches to the steeplechase Saturday. He hasn’t run the steeplechase yet this year • but had a 8:40 clocking as a freshman last season when he finished second in the Pac-8 championships behind teammate Steve Savage. Steve Prefontaine will enter the mile for the first time this year. His best is 3:57.4 and he should be pressed at the shorter distance by a bevy of young Duck distance threats. If the Ducks or Duck watchers choose to look ahead, they can find some solace in the scheduled April 15 dual against Nebraska at Lincoln. There they should gain a measure of revenge (for what that’s worth) for the football debacle there last fall. WSU boasts four .400 hitters Pray for rain, Mel Oregon’s struggling baseball team hit Pullman today carrying a .228 team batting average, a 5-7 record and a somewhat maligned pitching staff. Worse, the Ducks are scheduled to open Pacific-8 play at 3 p.m. when they tangle with the home standing Cougars in the first game of three to begin the chase for the Northern Division title. Barring rain or maybe a tornado, the two teams play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. By PAUL BUKER Of the Emerald Coach Mel Krause won’t be bugged by nine-foot baskets or snowstorms, but after the weekend series he may wish he was playing basketball and find himself begging for rain. Statistically, it looks like an EBAA team matched up against the Oakland A’s, with plumbing exec. Vida Blue slated to pitch all three games. The power-laden Cougars—who won the Northern Division crown last year—are 12-4 on the season and wield a team batting average of .294. The WSU mound staff owns a cumulative 3.31 mark. Sophomore Mike Shoup (1-0, 4.80) is scheduled to pitch today for the Ducks opposite the Cougars’ Barry Sbragia, who has an earned run average (0.64) that looks like last year’s tax refund. Sbragia is 2-1 on the season. In the Saturday twin bill, Krause has tabbed leftys Steve Greenough (1-2, 1.20) and Bob Claydon (1-0, 4.18) with freshman Randy Lanning in relief. WSU will go with Joe McIntosh (4-2, 4.38) and Larry Angell (2-1, 3.06). McIntosh won 10 straight last year, then lost his first two games this season before winning four straight. While Oregon has been coming up empty at the plate in clutch situations (and commitMng 26 errors in 12 games), the Cougars have been awesome. The defending champs have four men hitting .400 or better and four more with averages better than .300. Firstbaseman Frank Jackson clouted three homers and drove in 11 runs in a tournament at Hawaii, but his .442 batting mark is second on the team behind Jim Chapados’ .457 pace. That’s fast company for everybody but the Ducks' Dave Roberts, who’s waving what's probably the hottest bat on the coast at this moment. Roberts peppered Southern Oregon this week for nine total bases, six RBI’s, and a tape-measure homer. SOC wisely walked the dangerous third baseman in the ninth inning with two men on in that one and held on for a 12-9 victory. You might say Roberts has been the dominating factor in what’s been a building season otherwise. He leads the team in RBI’s, homers, batting average (.374), total bases and times at bat. The problem has been support. Stalwarts Guy Krause (.147) and Greg Brosterhous (.125) have looked like Aunt Alice against live pitching, so coach Krause has freshman Dean Roberts up from the junior varsity to play centerfield. f Sports Briefs Varsity Varsity action takes place on three fronts this weekend. The tennis team meets Washington today at 3 p.m. on the indoor courts at the University. Saturday the Ducks take on the Portland All-Stars at 10 a.m. at Portland. The crew team, coxswained by Vicky Brown, is at Seattle for a four-way meet with Washington, Seattle University and Western Washington State. The gymnastics team con tinues their NCAA Cham pionships appearance at Ames, Iowa today and Saturday. Sky diving Thirty stouthearted men and women will take to the air Saturday to compete in a sky diving meet sponsored by the University’s Webfoot Sky Divers. Scheduled to start at noon at the Springfield Airport, com petition will take place in three divisions: hit and run, flour bombing and accuracy. Novices will participate in the first category, intermediates in the second and advanced jum pers in the latter class. Trophies will be presented in each division. Registration, which is open to all persons with sport parachuting experience, bejgins at- 9 a.m. Entry fee is $1 for novices and $2 for intermediate and experienced jumpers. For more information call 342 8600. IM deadlines Deadlines for three PE events were released Tuesday. Last day Buy 2 Delicious 79* Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwiches GET ONE FREE! Special on now thru Sunday, April 9th 435 East Broadway to enter the Men’s Double’s All University AAU Handball Championships and the Mixed Doubles All-University Tennis Championship is April 24. Entry forms may be picked up at 171 PE Tuesday noon is the deadline to submit entry forms for the Co-Ed Slowpitch Softball Tournament. Forms for the four women-five man team can be obtained in 171 Gerlinger. In completed action, Dale Wood defeated Bill Pettit 10-21, 21-7, 21-13 to take the all University racketball cham pionship. Howard Bonnett and Tiel Verbeek teamed to down Mark Ludwig and Wayne Rheingoid 7-5, 6-1 to capture the all-University men’s doubles tennis championship. Robb Kaufman and Rob Garratt combined to beat Bruce Strauman and Bill Hillar in the all-University Oregon handball doubles championship. Lacrosse times Four lacrosse games have been scheduled for the Football Practice Field. Today at 3:30 Oregon meets Brigham Young. Saturday the Ducks take on Stanford at noon followed at 3 p.m. by a Washington BYU tilt. Sunday at 11 a.m. Stanford and Washington clash.
