Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

. n* tmrll. Noyrnkrr I. 19XS
SPORTS-,
The Extra Point
U\ Marc Under
Being Ihe ardent sports spectator thut I sin. leads me
to nsk the following question. "What has happened to the
Bay Area's profession.il sp-j.-ts !:ams? '
It seems as if al! ±z fun has gone out of attending professional
baseball, basketball .-ind football games around
the Bay Area.
There is minimal far. support for the two Bjr Area
baseball teams, the Oakland A's and the San l-mmisco
Giants, and for tlic Golden Sialc Warriors basketb. .1 team.
The World Champion 4°crs have had -^cir share uf losing
seasons, but havo been playing like a contending foothall
team the last five years. This year though, it swrrn
as if their hmds arc loo big for th'ir iwlxcts and it's
scriouily affecting their play.
The Giants have been plagued with trouMc since they
moved Irom New York to San Francisco in 1958. Between
ihe scncnl ma.iagcr'-= propensity for making b:u!
tniJts and t)ie epic! and harsh elements of Candlestick
Park, its no wonder the attendance has been steadily
declining for years.
This season the Giants managed to sink lower than ever
before by losing 100 games. However, they wcun"; the
worst team in all of baseball, they finished a promising
24t)i out of 26.
Added to their dismal season were the perp^jjl talks
of selling the team and moving it out of San Francisco.
I really don't sec how following the Giants or even just
going to a game could bo fun anymore.
So.nc people will argue that bnscball is boring to watcii
ar;ywsv. That couid be where the Golden S. . '.Vji.iors
basketball teem come in. Unfortunately, right iio.v. tli.it
would only include three o r thc five starters.. That's right,
the Warriors' top draft picx and highest scorer have not
cotra: to terms on a contract yet. When fan and ".cam loyally
gots out the door over money, so docs the fun.
Well, just when 1 was about give up on Bay Area
sports and head over to the- lihr.iry to do something cjuc.iiionat.
my lather cam.* into my room ;iml 'viih a hint of
hopcluh-cy; in his voice asked. "Son, how vould you like
to go to .-. hockey game with your old dad?"
Hockey! But it couldn't be true. The I'-.y Area hasn't
•ad a hockey team since the Seals departed in I97ii. Su'.'
must be dreaming, I thought.
I wasn't drrsming. It was true. The Cow Pala.e was
hosting two nights of n.o-seasi'n hotkey gjnn-s hriwcin
ihe Washington CapiU'ls and & Minnesota Noitli Stars.
Having only seen a feu garr.es on my cable television
ports network and "Slapshot." a hockey movie starring
Paul Newman, the sport v.as an entirely foreign experience
r
or me.
My head -.vas throbbing with unanswered questions:
'"Wh.il should i wear?", "How should I act?". "Who
should) dicer for?" I brought ihcse questions •(> my father
who enlightened me. "Do whatever you \ ant. We re.iusl
going to have fun."
Fun! That was the one elcm-nt I was missing in my
sports viewing. Since it was i Wednesday night. 1 anticipated
a si.L'ill crowd, consisting primarily o( men my
father's age snd oldc who used to ncqucnt the Ei^il;
games.
I was ovenvheima!. yet pleasantly rurprised when I
ibght .1 glimpse of thi- 8.000 plus e.xubcr-inl hockey
lunatics Men, womc.i and children of all ages turned ou;
for an action packed, fun-filled night of hockey.
T.ie stereotype hockey Ian is usnalK cljJ in the jersey
of li-s or her favorite team and a turgic:i!y •njpi.intcd
megaphone in hi> cr h;r csop: ,gus.
The game itself provic-n! more fun ind cvlicii'cm lhar.
1 have experienced at any spoiling r.vent in quite a whi.'e
The Capitals v;on the gan*c with the senn: ending up 3
to 1. Thfrc was even a classic hockey .s'ylc fijtht in the
second period of play.
There were two phyefs locke-l IORCUIL. in a heap on
the :« for nearly a inimtir, tugging and pulling ri rach
othti. Both received i5 minutes in the pcnaltv no\.
Witi't the enUuuiasm and fondness of ihe game I wi:r
ed by the fans around mt. it is hard to un.!ciMar.«l cs:
why cr how the Pay Ami lost £z Seals.
Perhaps it's tiinc for Bay Area politicians JO step iv'aDoriag
over new stadium plans and ci aidrr bringing back
hockey. Until then. Bay Area hockey fans will either have
.o travel down to Los Angeles snd watch a Kings' game
ot itay tuned to their cable television sports ncn>oik. ^
Boris Becker:
Is he another Bjorn Borg?
I*.; Krntbtk Cobh
Wh» n lu>tn tkeier? No, he K n. ;V tit\l ivn-wcd ."
*in Wtintilediin, an.1 ihe >iHj/ij;ir»l
f.iajc; lo e\cT plav in the
durrptotivhip.
Two >fjr» a/i*. £ki.Vcr i>uii(! icnnit p|j>cf jnj
\p*iR*'u* them lor c\tnt\ jnJ
Vitzn It.. p!4>nJ in Mimic CJ:I*».
at lhcjjx»if 15. Italtr w itn^fi-ttc-J
T:IMC th.it it.c r'jf^jit" ua: •«•
to inert HrcLcr'i pjrenn
A* a rciull nf frti mcenn^. UecLcr
quit ichixtl and changed hi* liie*:/-
With tlic hcl;i cf Tiriac anJ I'-o^h.
Ilcckcr hit ahlc lit tmpimc hit
trchri^ue. cipcvuliy IH% ftxx*n.V
Bcca-^c of hi* hetjthi (hc'i 67 Vi".
175 1M.I. IkxUr t\ 3 *Io* miver.
bui he 1 * p*lcn f JUTt » nh the help«•<
hi* nc* mip.ijcr.
In fact. U>l )car. HewLcr nu • tl
in the qualifying nuin ilraw JJ:JIP%I
Dill Scjnlon in the Wi.tihicdnti iitirrument.
Htr*c»tr, duni.g thcfj-ix.
IJct-Lcr tumtt* hx\ Iclt jnUc. lear.n^
tvm ligjiiKntk jrxj hjj to be venial
oU the court.
Wh«»*J h*\c ihtwfhi hcM bv ha.L
the nc\l >ejr mil wly ((luliUinj:. K.t
\« inning?
Maybe it UJ\ IlecLci'%
ptTvrvtnintc ihjt fy* htm KKI tt> the
n>u'njir» jlicr hiofH"'dtii>n
hrr wjv in icrubtliuiu.n
It L.-*.W be hi* cnun nunncr lh-ii
u-.l IkcVcr !>• win Wnnhlcdon He
d.v> anylhiti|t Uihit the Kill He n>IU
jnd V>KCU. dirt)i.i,* W shut aitd
Mi4«l>inp hi* Lnv- Hr kmrn* itr
tu\ tn m.iLc vwnlui% ti';ti uherc he Itnt in the qtunciflru!v
Pcopk had aiKKifuloJ a tennfinj
hv'Mecn SfcUntic M*\ Becker,
aixl Mjmnj Sa^fjtik^a. *c\en-tiinc
Wimbledon thjmpmn, MI« even
pUnninj? in Jllot.
hi.*' Becker tud to pb> Joulun
N>tin»m. flecker »ho h*J Seen
known for pl*> in/ frot'cfully under
pmvurc MA pul lo the lc%t. In the
nutch. he fell hchn-d and nude
CJICICW miuakes Kinjll). the UM
iKir»:c he hod io cj'.ch up. N) tinwri
hit the hall to ll*c imtde t»f the line.
Iteckcr. thinktnp it ojt *\iyt," did
n«t try in return it. He left the court
in taty n he hjd the pre*u«u* >ear
Ikxker i% \ciy jiuchcd t» hi« fjini-
liiin before Wi.iJ. HI 5.
il Tlie gin's on this (earn are highly
dedicated. Tliey are willing to make
great sacrifices. ''
n All-Cit) Chonipin»m
hip
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