Tim Kupsick Photographer
Aaron Brooks (with ball) and Kedzie Gunderson were two of a number of Oregon basketball players who played in a charity wheelchair
game to raise money for leukemia patient Davie Untz, who needs a bone marrow transplant.
HAGER
continued from page 7
"So and so arrested for marijuana pos
session" or "so and so stands trial for as
sault," we often read.
Most times, we dick on these sto
ries and give a cursory glance. "So
what?" we think, it's not as if we
haven't seen this before. Tomorrow,
there could be more, so why care
about this "isolated" inddent?
Only once in a while, like in the case
of Kobe Bryant or Leonard Little —
who recently was caught driving under
the influence six years after committing
involuntary manslaughter in a vehide
— do our ears perk up.
"That's horrible," we think to our
selves. "1 Iopefully, he or she doesn't get
away with it if they did it" we mutter
under our breath.
Then comes along a group like West
endorf, who is an Oregon volleyball
player, and the rest of the athletes that
played. We commend them in the back
of our minds for helping raise money
for a child with leukemia. We praise
them for what they did, and say "Keep
it up, we want to come back next year
and watch you guys all over again."
We do this with a shrug of the shoul
ders, a casual walk to the exits and a bit
of forgetfulness. We know there's still
350 more days before the event even
comes into our frame of mind, so until
then, we'll remember it, but still, forget
about it in a way.
Ihat's the shame
According to the Doembecher Chil
dren's I lospital (Portland) Web site ap
proximately 2,700 children are stricken
with leukemia each year. It's a cancer of
the blood and one that usually requires
a bone marrow transplant.
That's what Untz has.
He is lucky, in that sense, as Westen
dorf and others have helped provide a
better chance for him.
We should all remember those like
Untz. We need to remember people
with debilitating diseases that make
their lives hard, if not impossible. If re
membering an athlete who has a dis
ease makes it any easier to do so, go
right ahead. But we all need to remem
ber how good we have it sometimes.
And there are people like Westen
dorf who know that, who want to
make a difference and don't just sit
there. They know they have the tools
to change and better the life of an un
fortunate soul.
There should be more opportunities
to better the community through the
athletic world. Athletes do a lot most of
which none of us ever see, but there's al
ways more that can be done
That's the key.
Remember, nothing is ever enough.
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
SPORTS BRIEF
Team USA
may lack true center
NEW YORK — The latest edition
of the Dream Team has been rolled
out, subject to change, for the Sum
mer Olympic Games in Athens.
Once again, the U.S. basketball
team will find the rest of the basket
ball world is gunning for them and
that the international game, collec
tively, has improved.
Stu Jackson, the National Basket
ball Association's senior vice presi
dent for basketball operations, said
the experience in the 2002 world
championships, when former Mil
waukee Bucks coach George Karl
coached the U.S. entry to a sixth
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place finish, and the qualifying
games last year in Puerto Rico
showed how the game had ad
vanced globally.
In those Puerto Rico games, the
American team beat Argentina by
only eight points in a second-round
game.
"No longer can we take a team
without our very best players," Jack
son said last week. "Our team has to
adjust to the international game and
not the other way around. The game
is a lot more perimeter-oriented and
has a lot of passing and cutting."
Even the margin of victory in the
Olympics is narrowing. In 1992, the
original Dream Team won by a
whopping average of 43.8 points per
game. In 1996, it was 32.3 points
per game. In 2000, it was 21.6
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points, and that included a narrow
victory over Lithuania.
This year, the Olympic team, as al
ways, is loaded with stars. But Jack
son admits it's missing one key ele
ment: a true center.
The team consists of Mike Bibby
(Sacramento Kings), Tim Duncan
(San Antonio Spurs), Allen Iverson
(Philadelphia 76ers), LeBron James
(Cleveland Cavaliers), Richard Jef
ferson (New Jersey Nets), Jason Kidd
(Nets), Karl Malone (Los Angeles
Lakers), Stephon Marbury (New
York Knicks), Shawn Marion
(Phoenix Suns), Tracy McGrady (Or
lando Magic), Jermaine O'Neal (In
diana Pacers) and Amare
Stoudemire (Suns).
— Don Walker
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (KRT)
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SPORTS BRIEF
Ex-Negro League players
get compensation
WASI1INGION — Major League
Baseball agreed Monday to pay $ 1
million to 29 former players from
the Negro Leagues who were exclud
ed from the big leagues in the late
1940s and 1950s.
The money is compensation for
being left out of the major leagues
even after Jackie Robinson broke the
color barrier in 1947. In reality,
many major-league teams remained
segregated until the late 1950s.
Under the compensation plan,
the 29 surviving players can choose
to receive either $833 a month for
four years, or $375 a month for life.
To qualify, ballplayers must have
played in the Negro Leagues for at
least four years between 1947 and
1957.
"It's good that we're getting to
the climax of this thing," said Bob
Mitchell, 71, who pitched for the
Kansas City Monarchs during
1954-1957 and who fought for the
compensation package. "I'm very
happy for the guys to be able to re
alize this because it was a long
struggle on my part, and it was a lot
of patience on their part, waiting
with hope for this to happen."
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