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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1973)
Just like UCLA’s Bruins can lose it Would Oregon fix the meet? ByPAULBUKER Of the Emerald What started months ago as a dual meet with unobtrusive Nebraska has turned into a full-scale war between track powers Oregon and UCLA. The Bruins, awesome victors over five straight dual opponents and winners of the NCAA Championship two years running, hold all the aces as they hit Hayward Field for the first time since 1970. That is, unless you’re listening to UCLA Coach Jim Bush. He’s unhappy because the four-way meet Saturday which in cludes Nebraska and Washington State will be scored on a European basis of 10-8 6-04-3-2-1. “I’m very disturbed with this type of scoring,” complained Bush this week. “We naturally thought the NCAA scoring system (5-3-2-1) would be used when we scheduled this meet.” It’s hard to find the logic behind scoring the meet the NCAA way. Nebraska is the team that was originally scheduled to complete a home and home series with the Ducks. WSU joined the field as an af terthought to fill an open date in the schedule. Bush wanted Oregon to prove a paint and get a mid-season test from one of the country’s better track teams. Now he wants NCAA scoring and that would level out both WSU and Nebraska to near zero. The man at UCLA commandeers perhaps the strongest dual meet team in collegiate history. He’s got two world class triple jumpers in Harry Freeman (54-6 Vi) and Milan Tiff (53-6 ¥4), a seven foot high jumper in Hick Fletcher, and 26 foot long jumpers James McAlister (26-6 Vi land Finn Bendixen 26-1 ¥4). Oh yeah — throw in Francois Tracandli, who’s gone 17-8 Vi in the pole vault. Scoring the Oregon way of 10-8-6, etc., the Ducks are outclassed by a nightmarish 45-50 paints in those events alone. What does Bush think? “Our chances of beating Oregon are very slim with this unusual type of scoring. tit’s tough enough to beat Oregon at Eugene at any time and under normal and regular conditions.’’ Even Bill Dellinger smiled at that logic. “Obviously,” said the Ducks’ coach Tuesday morning, “UCLA doesn’t care about Nebraska or Washington State.” This all conies after the campus newspaper in Los Angeles moaned about Field were fixing the meet against a team mey’ve never beaten in dual competition. Dellinger looked up from his office chair and grinned. “If we wanted to fix it, we’d have added the six-mile, too.” It seems the Bruins don’t like the Photo by Phil Waldstsin 440 star (45.6) Benny Brown Bowerman’s switch months ago to the international point system and his addition of the steeplechase and three-mile. Clearly, the badboys from Hayward hammer throw, euner. They’ve got nobody to throw it. j “When we have home meets," says Dellinger, “we always throw the hammer. All the Northern Division schools do it and if we don’t ihe event won’t get *he recognition it should get. - And the steeplechase is an NCAA event.” While all eyes are on the result between the NCAA champs and Oregon, thefe’s still the matter of the Comhuskers and Cougars. They offer no help to the Ducks by slicing into Bruin points. In fact, they’ll v ork the opposite effect. “We’d almost be better off in a dual meet against them (UCLA),” nodded Dellinger. “WSU and Nebraska hurt us in our strengths. They’ve got good half-milers, teeplechasers, and milers.” Notably, Cougars’ Dan Murphy (13:41.6) and John Ngeno (13:39.8) in the three mile, half-miler Dale Scott (1:50.1) and Nebraska Miler Lynn Hall (4:03.8) hurt the Duck distance domination. Steve Prefontaine is almost a certainty to win the mile. Less certain is the per formance chart of Oregon’s three-milers, Bob Grubbs (13:49.8) and Gary Barger (13:56.2). Bandy James comes off an injury and runs the event for the first time all year. Could Pre double and go in the three mile? “Not unless it means winning the meet,” Dellinger says. “Let’s say it’s unlikely Pre will double.” Sound reasoning. UCLA two weeks ago took apart track powers Kansas and Tennessee, winning 14 of 18 events. “We’ve never had such togetherness on a team,” Bush was moved to say. Last Saturday the Bruins made final preparations with a 101-50 victory against Stanford. UCLA was called flat and Bush painted to upcoming Oregon as the reason. “They certainly look strong," Dellinger quipped. “But I guess we’ll be in more.of a position to evaluate that after the weekend.” Local television audiences will get to see for themselves. KEZI (Channel 8) is showing the meet live beginning at^ p.m. Jim Bush, the master bluffer, will get a chance to prove his point. Face Linfield today at McMumvUle Ducks rap four HRs, rip Vikings by 10-1 The Oregon varsity baseball team pounded out fourteen hits, including four home runs, en-route to a 10-1 victory over the Portland State Vikings Tuesday at Howe Field. The hitting exhibition was matched by a superb performance by four Duck pitch ers. Greg Richards, Mike Shoup, Steve By KEN MAYS Of the Emerald Townsend and Craig Husband held the Vikings to one run on just four hits. The four also combined to strike out ten and walk only three. PSU got its only run in the second inning, off winning pitcher Richards, when Viking first baseman Bill Taylor doubled and shortstop Dana Kutcher singled him home. It would be hard to single out a star among the Oregon batters. Eleven dif ferent players collected at least one hit, and eight Ducks had at least one run batted-in. Steve Wolf and Don Reynolds hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches in the first inning. In the seventh, reserve outfielder Fred Kay tagged a pitch by Dick Bergman over the left field fence. And pinch-hitter Artie Salveson, later on in the inning, smashed the first pitch Bergman threw him over the center field fence. Head coach Mel Krause was pleased with the performance of his charges, starting pitcher Greg Richards in par ticular. His six-inning stint earned Richards a starting spot against Oregon State this Saturday. The Duck pitching staff was dealt a blow in the eighth inning, however, when Steve Townsend, one of Krause’s few experienced starters, in jured his arm. Townsend said after the game that he apparently hurt his elbow when he started throwing hard. Krause said it didn’t look like Townsend would be ready in time for this weekend’s action against Oregon State. I ||Of «|||||e returns from ode classifieds ^ 1^o^c^f^f^r«nB3nn=nn8nR5nramr»wranr^r^rT=Tirai,^,Jai,r= The Ducks go on the road today to play Linfield. “They’re supposed to be a good ball club,” said Krause, adding that he would test the arms of pitchers Steve Miller, Brian Shandera, Dick Galloway and Craig Husband in the encounter. The third starting spot behind Shoup and Richards will be decided on the basis of the pitching performances against Linfield. Looking ahead to the weekend action against Oregon State, Krause pointed out that the Beavers have almost everybody back from last year. Their experience proved itself last weekend with a three game sweep of the Washington Huskies. The sweep gave the Beavers at least temporary possession of first place in the Pac-8 Northern Division. Linescores: r h e Portland State 010 000 000 1 4 3 Oregon 230 000 32x 10 13 0 Winning pitcher: Richards Losing pitcher: Childs Golfers compete today HOUSTON — Oregon’s rapidly improving golf team is at Houston’s Atascocita Country Club today for the opening round of the four-day All American Classic. The Ducks have .won two straight tournaments since their loss to Oregon State in Corvallis a week ago aud last year were sixth in this prestigious tourney. Seven of the top eight finishers in the NCAA team competition last year await the Ducks in Texas, Houston, Florida, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Georgia, ar)d Southern Methodist. All-American Craig Griswold, whose dramatic birdie gave Oregon a victory in Seattle’s Alderbrook Invitational last week, tops all the Ducks with a 73.5 stroke per-round mark. Next best is Peter Jacobsen with a mark of 74.6 strokes per round and Dick Shafer has an average of 75.1 strokes. Both Pacific-6 champion Griswold and Jaoubsen have low rounds of 69 this season
