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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2000)
FIGHT THE OCA BRING YOUR DANCIN' SHOES! s own Queen of the Jump Deb Cleveland and her smokin' will play a benefit concert for the anti-OCA / No On 9 movement this Thursday, Oct. 12th 5:00 to 8:00 pm Wild Duck, 169 W. 6th This is a great opportunity to hear fun music, dance till you drop, and support freedom and diversity in our community. Sponsored by the No On 9 Campaign. CampusV.com Check school email Anywhere! Earn $15© in minutes ! Q Go to www.oampusi.com ^ Click Cashln (FREE service)! 1860010' WURST STUDENT DISCOUNT 10% Off a Basket During U of O Street Faire OF OREGON exp 10/14/00 t P I ALLDAY TUESDAY ALL YOU CAN EAT EVERY TUES! includes Garlic Bread 11:30am-10pm pizza ptTe$ 2673 Willamette • 484-0996 You can spare it... so why not share it? GIVE BLOOD SAVE A LIFE 009111 BRING PICTURE ID EMU Fir Room Tuesday and Wednesday October 10 & 11 jj^ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Lane Memorial Blood Bank ODE CLASSIFIEDS... QQ worth looking into! McGwire ready to step to the plate By R.B. Fallstrom The Associated Press St. LOUIS — If the St. Louis Car dinals make it to the World Series, Mark McGwire believes he’ll be ready for DH duty. “I’d love to get four or five at bats,” McGwire said Monday. “It would be great.” McGwire hasn’t gotten that type of action since early July, when he went on the disabled list with se vere knee tendinitis. Since he re turned Sept. 8, he’s been limited to one at-bat per game. McGwire said running out a grounder as a pinch-hitter in At lanta at pretty much full speed was a huge step in the right direction. “It’s going away,” he said of the pain. “I got out of the box and I started running and said, ’Hey, this isn’t feeling too bad.’ I was pretty encouraged.” He also felt that it was about time, considering all the rehab he’s put the knee through this season. “We haven’t stopped doing any thing,” he said. “You think over a course of time, it’s going to heal some day.” Manager Tony La Russa was pleased that McGwire, limited to 32 homers this year after hitting a record 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999, was feeling better. “Potentially, it’s real exciting,” La Russa said. “I know it’s been de pressing and discouraging. To speak in a positive way, none of us has seen that.” La Russa wasn’t getting too excit ed because the Cardinals first have to get past the New York Mets. Their best-of-seven NLCS begins Wednesday night in St. Louis. “It doesn’t mean he’s going to play first base in this series,” La Russa said. “The worst thing you can do is make plans for the next one.” More at-bats during the potential four games at the American League ballpark in the World Series would be more than enough for McGwire. He doesn’t think trying to play first base would be wise because he’d be so rusty, and because Will Clark has played so well. “There’s no way,” McGwire said. “Why put a wrench into what’s go ing on right now? Will’s a Gold Glover, so there’s no reason to even think about it.” The progress he’s made is raising McGwire’s hopes that he won’t have to undergo surgery. The team will discuss the options after the season is over. “There’s been no decision, but my hopes are better now that I won’t have to do it,” McGwire said. “But then again we might have to.” Jeff Smith continued from page 7 becher Children’s Hospital in Port land and is paralyzed from the shoulders down. He is listed in se rious condition. Immediately after the injury, Ty acke had to endure eight hours of surgery and is currently attached to feeding tubes and lines, as re ported by The Oregonian. When hearing of the news, it made me sick to my stomach. For those of us who have played high school sports, we know what it’s like to be on the field to make that key tackle, or drill that clutch three-pointer, or knock home the game-winning RBI to help your team win. But when you were playing, did you ever think of it be ing the last time you would ever stand on your own two feet? Fortunately — if there is any hope to be had from this incident — injuries such as Tyacke’s are rare. But wouldn’t you know, six days after Beaverton’s loss to Glencoe on that fateful night, two other teenagers were seriously hurt. Justin Goe, a 15-year-old sopho more at Rex Putnam, was injured playing in his junior varsity foot ball game on Sept. 28. He came out of the game with his head throb bing. Soon thereafter, he became incoherent and lost consciousness. Goe is staying in the same hospital as Tyacke and is listed in critical condition. On the same night, 14-year-old Joshua Carlson of Milwaukie also came out of his freshman football game with a headache. And yes, he also became incoherent and ended up collapsing. Carlson was treated for a bruised spinal cord and re leased two days later. And then, just last Friday, 17 year-old Matt Murray of Castle Rock High School was airlifted off the football field after suffering a - head injury. He is listed in critical condition. My point in sharing these recent sad tales is not to say that high school football is a horrible thing. It’s not. It’s a great growing experi ence for young athletes as they learn to unite with a group of teammates. But hearing of these awful in juries begs the question: How se cure are teenagers when they strap on those pads every Friday night under the lights? Does something need to be done to prevent such in juries? The answers to these questions are not easy to come by. High school football will not lose its im portance, and therefore, the only thing coaches can do is teach their players the correct techniques for tackling and blocking. I have two younger brothers who both currently play high school football, and while they may know the potential for injury is high, I doubt they realize the severity of some of the risks. But prep athletes probably shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts when they are playing. Because whenever you worry too much about a certain thing, it be gins to play with your mind. Back on that night in Roseburg, Kris Tyacke certainly was not thinking it would be one of the last times he would ever play football again. He did not realize that he may always remember talking into a recorder in the pouring rain — while being able to shake hands with his teammates. “It’s great to beat a team that has been the best for the past 20 years,” Tyacke said after that game. “But they’re going to get better and bet ter as the year goes on, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them again.” Beaverton and Roseburg may in deed fight it out for the state title sometime in November, but for Kris Tyacke and his family, there is a much more immediate fight to be had. The fight for the 17-year-old’s life. jeff Smith is the Emerald’s sports editor. He can be reached at Smittside@aol.com
