Sport Talk
by Ron Sykes, Sports Editor
Dwight Braxton, newly crowned
light-heavyw eight cham pion, was
recently saluted by N B C as their
sportman o f today. Appearing with
host Bryant Bumbci, the 3-6 boxer
and ex-convict was honored for his
work in the community.
Braxton, from Camden, N J . just
recently opened a campaign to help
youngsters to stay in school. “ I just
want to show people that there is
another side to m e,'* beamed the
cham p. “ Boxing has allow ed me
this chance and I owe it to the game
and m yself to give something
back.“ .The Observer salutes Dwight
Braxton and wishes him well in his
next month’s title defense.
The W ashington Huskies have
shocked the nation by pulling o ff
two o f the top prep players in the
country.
Tailback Kevin Wilhite and tackle
James F itzp a tric k , two o f the na
tion's most-sought-after prep play
ers. . .each has verbally committed
that they will join Coach Don James
in Seattle.
W ilhite, who comes from Sacra
mento’s football hotbed’s Cordova
H igh, reportedly made his decision
Sunday after returning from a week
end visit to the U W campus.
The 6 -1 , 200-pounder, who
scored 33 touchdowns and gained
2,631 yards in two years at Cordova
had narrowed his choices to Wash
ington and Oregon before deciding
on the Huskies. I f anyone has ever
doubted the recruiting a b ility o f
Rich Brooks then his effo rts here
should s w iftly dispel all such
thoughts.
Oregon is on probation fo r two
years, yet Brooks came close to
grabbing o f f both W ilh ite and
James Fitzpatrick.
F itz p a tric k , a 6 -8 , 260-pound
giant, visited Seattle on M onday.
The Beaverton A ll-A m e ric a in d i
cated to the local press that U .W .
was his choice although he would
probably visit USC on the weekend.
W ilh ite , whose older brother
Oerald was an outstanding running
back at San Jose this past fall, has
already twice been named the na
tio n al high school player o f the
year, initially by Parade Magazine
and just recently by D ial Corpora
tion.
A cousin o f fo rm er N F L great
Oale Sayers, W ilh ite is also the de
fending state cham p in the 200-
meter dash and was clocked last
year in a fast 9.3 100-yard dash. It is
interesting to note that both Wilhite
and Fitzpatrick attended numerous
U W Rose Bowl practices.
shouldn't be w anting me. A t that
weight he should be going a fte r
Larry Holmes.”
Duran, at the advice o f his train
ers, moved to the mountains o f Pan
am a, where he could escape the
bright lights and fast women that
plagued him most o f his career. He
trained diligently with only Leonard
No mas! N o masl And with that in mind.
famous statement went the once-in-
Roberto took a tune-up fight at
vincible Roberto D uran . The leg 163 pounds to test his stamina. He
endary hands o f stone, the once quickly learned against a nobody
proud fighter from Panama, whom that the old d o u t wasn’t there. He
many called the greatest lightweight won an unpopular decision and
that ever lived, was reduced to a went quickly back to the gym, with
paper tiger on that memorable night visions o f Leonard still dancing in
in Las Vegas when Sugar Ray Leon his head.
ard, who is the best fighter in the
Meanwhile Sugar Ray was train
world today, reduced D u ran ’s im ing fo r Thomas H earns. W h ile
age on that hot summer night.
D u ra n ’ s m ind was obsessed w ith
D uran announced his retirem ent
Leonard, Sugar Ray thought only o f
that evening, but later changed his his next o p p o n e n t.. .th e D e tro it
m ind. His vendetta was to chase “ hit m a n .” A fte r disposing o f
Leonard until he could once again
Hearns in a grueling 14 rounds
get him into the ring. He (D u ra n )
Leonard decided to relax for a short
wanted to show the w o rld , as he time. But Duran still in pursuit o f
says, that Sugar Ray was a sissy.
his dream continued to pursue the
R oberto started his comeback
welterweight champ.
weighing 183 pounds, which
W ith both the N B A and N B C
prompted Leonard to crack, “ He
titles in his hip pocket Ray Leonard
Oregon State a strong tournament team
The O S U Beavers, currently
ranked among the nation’s top ten
basketball teams, are fast becoming
the scourge o f the west coast. The
15-3 Beavers came back Saturday
night to trounce a good Southern
Cal team after dropping a tough 74-
68 contest to the U C L A Bruins at
Pauley Pavilion. U C L A had to get
season highs from Kenny Fields (23
pts.) and Mike Sanders (29 pts.) and
still the game never got out o f reach.
The always tough Beavers refused to
bend under the pressure o f Pauley
and if not for some sensational play
from the entire Bruins team , the
m iller’ s men certainly would have
emerged the victors.
The Beavers are currently tied at
8-1 with the surprising Washington
Huskies. Left on the OSU schedule
is this weekend’ s visit to Corvallis
by the Bay area teams C a lifo rn ia
and Stanford.
O SU should have little trouble
with this pair and should delight the
Dad’s weekend party by taking both
teams easily. February 13 the Orange
express rolls into Eugene to take on
the hapless Ducks. One has to won
der just how much more adversity
this university can withstand. As if
things weren’t already bad enough
with Coach Jim Haney’s program.
It was learned yesterday the redshirt
team member John Cheatham has
been arrested on an attempted first-
degree burglary charge. Cheatham,
a 20-year-old sophomore is current
ly sitting out the season on academic
deficiency problems.
A fte r Oregon the Beavers must
ready themselves for the Feb. 18
date at Seattle then on Saturday af
ternoon they must lake on George
Raveling in the always tough Pal
ouse country. The following week
end it doesn’ t get any easier as
U C L A and USC fly into town. The
Beavers close the regular season
M arch 3 and 6 on the road at A ri
zona and Arizona State.
M ake no doubts even though
they’re young this Beaver team is as
good or better than last year’s 26-2
team.
Freshman A .C . G reen, chosen
last night at the annual H ayw ard
awards banquet as the stale’ s top
prep player, has added stability and
strong rebounding to this year’ s
Beavers. Sophomore Charlie Sitton,
6-8, center is making me eat crow.
Sitton has been outstanding since
moving to the middle. And if your
young man from M cM innville were
a couple inches taller the N B A
would soon witness the second com
ing o f a Bill W alton. Yes, Charlie
does possess (hose kinds o f talents.
Lester Conner and William Brew at
tack everything in sight and sopho
more Dan Evans drills 15-footers
like a wildcat oil man.
This is a Beaver team that could
make it to the elite final four.
They will finish no worse than 20-
4.
was content. But not R oberto
Duran. This Duran had known ad
versities all his life . H e grew up a
street urchin in the ghettos o f Pan
ama C ity. He met tough challenges
every day as he tried to eke out a liv
ing for his mother and himself. He
w o u ld n ’ t let L e o n a rd ’ s success
bother him. His pursuit was relent
less.
In his quest to conquer Leonard
he decided he needed one s tiff chal
lenge.
His followers disagreed w ith his
choice o f one W ilfre d o Benitez.
Those close to him advised that W il
fredo was too tough. That if he was
to Tight a tough fight, then take on
Leonard and get the payday. Duran
won the argum ent and signed to
fig h t B enitez, a fig h te r who took
Leonard 13 tough rounds, who
many believe to be nearly as great as
Sugar R ay. Benitez is the classic
boxer, elusive, in te llig e n t, and a
great counter-puncher. On January
30th from Caesar’ s Palace in Las
Vegas, a myth came to an end. W il
fredo Benitez gave Duran a boxing
lesson on this night. Benitez was in
total control as he punished the ex
champ over 15 rounds. When it was
over Duran refused to shake hands
in the traditional manner.
Thus showing that he was as sorry
in defeat as he was great in victory.
The legend has ended!
Jim Saul, a 4 2-ye ar-o ld form er
backstop w ith the Beavers, was
selected M onday as the next P o rt
land skipper.
Beaver O eneral M anager Dave
Hersh also announced that former
Cy Young winner Vernon Law will
be the team ’ s first pitching coach
and Tom Trebelhorn, a coach from
last year, was retired.
W ith M o n d ay’ s announcements
the Beaver staff is now complete.
In an interview with the Observer,
when asked by this reporter, “ W hy
can’t the Beavers attract more Black
fans,” Hersh simply replied, “ You
know we were just discussing that
last Saturday.”
The answer is obvious Dave. One
only has to look at the current Bea
ver roster and coaching staff. While
not lily i t ’ s a larm in g ly close to
being. Portland doesn’t need an all-
Black baseball team , but a little
som ething to id e n tify w ith and I
think the Black com m unity would
respond.
Do you agree?
I f you do - or if you don’t -- let
us know . W rite : Sports, P o rtla n d
Observer. Box 3137, P o rtla n d
97208.
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View from the guerrilla camp
(Continued fro m page ! coi. 4)
and here in Usulutan.
The concentrated government at
tacks followed the guerrillas* failed
all-out offensive in January 1981.
But according to U .S . government
estimates and Salvadoran sources,
the guerilla force o f 4,000 to 6,000
troops, plus peasant militia support
ers, has remained at fu ll strength
during the past year, replacing sub
stantial casualties with new troops.
The government force o f about
20,000 in the army and three smaller
security forces also has remained
stable, despite claims by govern
ment officials and the U .S. govern
ment that it must be at least doubled
to reach the 10-to-l ratio o f super
iority which counter-insurgency ex
perts consider necessary to win the
war.
The entrenched guerrilla presence
in U sulutan Is a strong indlcatin
th a t, in addition to the stalemated
war in the n o rth , the government
has been unable to prevent the
F M L N from expanding its position
in new areas. Guerrilla leaders have
said the camp was established last
M a y . They declined to say how
many troops are under M edrano’ s
command in the southwestern zone.
The guerrillas, giving dates and
places that generally agree with o ffi
cial m ilita ry reports, said they had
launched attacks involving as many
as 300 troops against the Usulutan
garrison, the naval port o f La Union
on the G u lf o f Fonseca, separating
El Salvador from N icaragua, and
several other cities in the zone.
U n lik e the northern provinces,
Usulutan is a rich farming area, and
its large peasant population has not
been displaced into refugee camps
by the fighting. The area also is stra
tegic because it lies along the coastal
highway, the second most important
artery in the country, and the guer
rillas* access to the seacoast p ro
vides ample opportunity to receive
supplies by boat.
The picture o f guerrilla life her is
far from the rom antic notion o f
“ liberated te rrito ry .” The Salva
doran armed forces, w ith vastly
superior numbers, heavy artillery,
napalm and helicopter gunships,
can overrun the area at w ill. They
did so last October in an attack by
forces including the elite A tlacatl
Brigade. The ruins o f a form er
school destroyed by a ir bom bard
ment and farmers* huts burned to
the ground were visible around the
guerilla camp.
But the guerillas returned to their
old positions a fte r three weeks,
when the government forces w ith
drew from the area. The guerrilla
leaders exhibited pride that they had
held o f f the elite brigade for six
days. They showed rem arkable re
spect for the fighting ability o f the
U .S .-tra in e d counterinsurgency
unit.
added that prisoners were givei
M edrano said the F M L N had
medical treatment i f necessary and
gone through a period o f “ defensive
released unharmed after a few days.
resistance” following the failed Jan
Independent sources with access
uary offensive, during which they
to intelligence in fo rm atio n con
concentrated on retaining existing
firm ed M ed ra n o ’ s id en tity. M e
positions, training and “ recovering
drano said he was a leader o f the
arms and, o f course, obtaining arms
guerrilla organization, the Revolu
anywhere, in any way, from buying
tionary Army o f the People (E R P ),
them elsewhere to buying them from
and a member o f the Unified Revo
the [Salvadoran] officers them
lu tio n ary D irectorate, the policy
selves.”
making board o f the guerrilla coali
Tactically, he said, they attempt
tion that includes four other organi
to keep the government troops tied
zations.
down and dispersed throughout the
The interview was preceded by a
country by g uerrilla sabotage at
display o f marching and a fo rm a
tacks on electric power lines and
tion o f a seven-man squad in full
other essential parts o f the econ
uniform , including olive-drab ber
om y. Since then, especially since
ets. They were armed w ith M -16s,
O ctober, he said, his troops have
which seem to be the g u errillas’
gained the capability to move about
standard weapon.
the country in large units and to
Later three separate columns o f
make incursions during the day into
troops marched by single file up the
medium-size cities.
steep path to the camp, exhaustion
On Oct. 13, during a m ajor gov
from the day’s practice maneuvers
ernment offensive, F M L N com
showing in their faces. Most were
mandos from the Usulutan area dy
armed. In addition, we saw dozens
namited the key Do Oro suspension
o f peasant men w ith auto m atic
bridge on the coastal highway, in
weapons. They were described as
what is considered the most signifi
militia who do not go on battle mis
cant guerrilla blow to the military in
sions but guard the civilian popula
the war. Medrano said that in some
tion.
attacks on small outposts they have
M ilitia m e n were seen p u ttin f
been able to overrun enemy posi
groups o f about 30 young girls ant
tions and capture prisoners and
60 young boys through m ilita r)
weapons.
marching and gun drill. The guerril
"S in ce December we have re
las had made no e ffo rt to camou
covered almost as many weapons as
flage the camp building we saw, nor
in all o f last y e a r,” he said. He
did they urge us to secrecy.
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