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
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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.