1996 may by Sports Spectrum

IV1

An Expandi g Universethe conversation. CAN sm.L RECAL.L

About 7 years ago our executive vice president asked me, "How many peopl e would it take to handl e th is magazine?" From my experience at heading up two other publications, I put my best guess forward and said we could do it with three people. Our proposal to bring this magazine into the RBC Ministries' fold was accepted, and in late 1989, the name Sports Spectrum was selected to rechristen this venture. Actually, we needed four people at the beginning: Tom Felten, Lisa Quist, Steve Gier, and me. And we put together six editions a year. As the years have sneaked past, we've added some people-four to be exact. Ken Van Prooyen and Chuck Swirsky came on board to ki ck off our radio program, followed by editorial assistants Rob Bentz and Bev Flynn, and designer Laurie Nelson. But that's not nine people doing just that singular activity. The ori ginal four of us, combined with the five new folks, now have eight Sports Spectmm ventures to juggle. In addition to this monthl y glossy, we offer these Sports Spectrum products: ..,. Sports Spectr um Radio. The brainchild of producer Van Prooyen, SS Radio is hosted by ve teran sportscaster Swirsky, whose clay job is sports director at WJR in Detroit. SS Radio is broadcast each Saturday on more than

250 stations nationwide. ..,. Straight Trax Tapes. This is a cooperati ve effort teaming the resources of Campus Crusade for Christ International and Sports Spectrum. On these action-packed audi o tapes, David Robinson, Reggie White, and Orel Hershiser come at you with this clear message: The most vital thing in their lives is their faith in Jesus Christ.

..,. Special Issues. Recentl y, we have produced two special, onesport issues of Sports Spectrum magazine each year. This year, as any good shooting guard would do, we're going for three. In addition to th e Super Bowl and Olympic editions and the 10 other mon thlies our subscri bers will receive, we'll produce a 13th edition of SS-a NA SCAR issue that'll be distributed at racetracks during the summer and fall. ..,. SS Curriculum. Beginning in the fall, we will produce a tool that parents and teachers can use to encourage their children to read. Called Get Yo ur Head In The Game, this curriculum uses Sports Spectrum ar1icles to help students develop their vocabulary, comprehension, and other skills.

..,. Site for the Internet. Now you can log on the Internet and look for us at http://www.gospelcom. net/rbc/ss/. This new medium of relaying Sports Spectrum information, put together each month by Dave Korff, gives you a glimpse at the current issue plus a look back- through our archives. ..,. Super Bowl Parties. In cooperation with Athletes in Action and other sports organizat ions, we have worked to give Super Sunday a whole new perspect ive. In January more than 5,000 Super Bowl parties were held, and hundreds of thousands of people watched a video that featured the fai th stories of Brent Jones and Steve Wallace. ..,. Shirts and Caps. Sports Spectrum clothing is the latest venture to join the SS un iverse. Now you can get classy shirts and caps with the Sp011s Spectmm logo. If you' re a fan of magazine back covers, you've probably already noticed that we've begun telling you about these activities in that spot during the past few months. We' ll continue to do so-giving you a clearer look at our growing universe of SS products. We hope you'll take advantage of these varied aspects of Sports Spectrum as we stri ve to give you as many opportunities as possible to explore the real issues in sports and life.

Dave Branon, managing editor Sports Spectrum

Great Return A career-threatening injury gave tennis pro Meredith McGrath time to make some vital changes by Christin Ditchfield

14 Striking Back Tiger third baseman Travi s Fryman found something to like about the strike by Gwen Oiaz

Sports Spectrum Connection SS Radio station information, Straight Trax tapes, T-Shirt/Cap orders: 1-800-653-8333. Magazine subscriptions: Phone 1-800-283-8333. Mail PO Box 371 20, Boone, lA 50037-0120 Mailing: Correspondence PO Box 3566, Grand Rapids, Ml 49501-3566. E-mail dbranon@rbc.org Internet site: http://www.gospelcom.neVrbc/ss/ Fax: 1-616-957-5741 2

S PORTS SPEC TRUM 路 MAY 1 996

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Discovery House Publishers

The Healing Season Milwaukee pitcher Cal Eldred faces the 1996 season with a rebui lt arm by John Long

22 The Fisher King For Ray Scott, BASS fishing was not th e big one that got away by Lee and Sharon DeBevoise

Open Court

The Swirsky Report

Ace returns from Sports Spectrum readers, SS Fan Poll

by Chuck Swirsky

Front Row

A closer look at Felipe Alou by Victor Lee

Perhaps your first up-close look at Andy Linder, the Joe DiMaggio of Buka ball by Mike Sandrolini

The Lee'd Story

Champions

Airing It Out

Winners who know that life is more than a game by Dave Branon

Coaching the coaches by Tom Felten

Leaderboard Markus Naslund by Lois Thomson Janet Glasman by Bev Flynn

Stats Central compiled by Rob Bentz

Volume 10, Number 5 SPORTS SPECTRUM MAGAZINE A DfSCOVERY HOUSE PUBLICATION. PUBLISHER Discovery House; MANAGING EDITOR Dave Branon; DIRECTOR Tom Fetten; ART DIRECTOR Steve Gier; PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Rob Bentz: GRAPHIC DESIGNER laune Nelson; EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bev F~nn: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Usa 0\Jist: PHOTO PROCUREMENT Usa Wad.n; ADVISORY COMMITIEE Chock Swirsky, Sports Director, WJR Radio, Detroit: DICk Mason. Chairman ol lhe Board , Discovery House Publishers; Kyle Ro~eJr., Presidenl, Athletes Resource Management Dave Burnham. Teacher. Day of Discovery. COVER PHOTO: Robert Skeoch!The PICILXe Desk SPORTS SPECTRUM is produ<:ed 12 rmes a year by Discovery House Publishers, Box 3566. Grand Ra~d s , Ml 49501 ·3566. which is alf11iated with ABC Ministries. a nondenominational Chnstian organization whose purpose is to lead people of all natioos to personal faith in Jesus Cl"vist and to growth in His ~keness by teach ng principles lrom the Bible. Printed in USA. Copyright~ 1996 by o.scovery House Pubhshers. Bible quotations. unless otherv.ise noted. are taken from the HOLY BIBLE , NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. CopyrightO 1973. 1978. 1984. International Bible Society. Used by permission ollondervan s·b!e Publishers. Freelaflce writers should query the managing ed,tor by mall for writers' guide!mes ar the Grand Rapids address. SPORTS SPECTRUM subswptions are available lor $18.97/twel\/e issues or $23.97 outside the USA (in u s funds) br writing to SPORTS SPECTRUM Subsaiptions, Box 37120. Boone, lA 50037·0120, by calhng toll free 1·800·283·8333. Of" br sending a FAX to 1·616·957·5741.

SPORTS S PEC T R UM • MAY 1996

For Subscription Services,'

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1-800-283-8333 · New subscriptions, change of address, or other corrections 3

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When I received Christ into my life, I started a "marathon" that wi ll not stop until death or the return of Jesus. Ray Diggs, I thank you for the inspiration of your story. I'll see you in Boston!

Series. Jnterleague play diminishes the whole point of the World Series. The dream will be gone.

- JOE STRANGE Tuscaloosa, AL

What is the best real-life sports story you know? My family lived in Atlanta for 2112 years ( 1991-93). One day my husband stopped at a Burger King. There was a young man sitting alone read ing a book by Charles Stanley. My husband, a pastor, was curious and asked the man if he liked the book. This led to a conversation. When my husband was leaving, he asked the man's name. It was Derrick Moore. We've since followed his NFL career closely. At the time, Den-ick was on injured reserve with the Falcons. He has since been traded several times. He was discouraged at the time, but he told my husband of his faith in God. We tried to get together after that, but Derrick was signed by the Lions and traded to the 49ers, who cut him. Last year he had a great season fo r the Panthers. The Lord rewards those who are faithful to Him ! Since Derrick's coming to the Panthers, the Lord has directed our family to South Carolina. We are true, blue Derrick Moore fans.

- DAVID VAN

Message Fro:an Mosco-.N Pavel is a 17-year-old Moscovite with whom I have struck up a friendship. His dad died last year. He lives in a flat with his mother and grandmother. Pavel is nuts In Pete's Defense Regardin g the letter in the about the NBA, asking for any March edition criticizing Pete articles that I can pass on to him. Yes terday, I was at Post Metzelaars: I have kn own Pete and Barb for about 10 years. They International Couriers, picking up are two of the most unselfish and our mail. On their "For Sale" rack was the February issue of Sports compassionate people in the NFL. Pete and Barb did not "succumb Spectmm! I could not believe my to the almighty dollar." I won't go eyes. I already subscribe, but into detail, but after they consid- • sometimes "customs" decides to ered a number of issues-most of : "read" my copy. all mini stry opportunity-the : Someone had moved, and they "almighty doll ar" was at the were "re-selling" his copy. Great! So I grabbed it. What a great bottom of the list. Pete and Barb are generous in issue! Every article is excellent ... givi ng to people in need. They then I go t to Calvin Duncan 's give their money, time, and heart. story. Tears came to my eyes as I They have a mjnistry with players thought of Pavel, his dad's death, and peo ple in the co mmunity. and his desire to help his grandThey have put their heart and trea- mom and mother and to grow sure in heaven. God called them to in his newfound faith in Christ. go to Not1h Carolina. Thanks for being there for me, a - SHELLY ELARDO - J. PAT BRANCH pastor of 27 years before sensing Taylors, South Carolina Kimberly, ID God 's call to mini ster here in Moscow. Thanks for being there Ne1N Question for young men like Pavel! I will What is the most popular Relating To Ray I can really relate with Ray Diggs look at the "For Sale" rack weekly pro sport and why? story on his return to running when I go for our mail. SS Lette:rs (March). I also returned last year JAMES McNEIL after being out for 2 years with Moscow, Russia To send a feller to the editor or to voice C/11 opina knee injury. My goal, after ion about the SS Fomm quesmy surge ry , was to run the Talk Back To SS tion, write to: Birmingham Marathon. I hit similar walls and had simiSports Spectrum Lellers lar cramps. God helped me cope SS Foru:an with race problems and pushed What do you think of inter- Box 3566 Grand Rapids, Ml 49501 me to the finish of the race with league play in baseball? the time of 4 hours, 32 minutes, As a big fan of baseball, I think Fax: 616-957-5741 and 12 seconds. I was mad at the idea of interleague play is ; Allention: SS Lel/ers myself for not training as hard as I absurd. The baseball season builds up to the climax in the World : £-mail: dbrcmon@rbc.org should have.

SPORTS S P ECTRUM· MAY 199G

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Felipe A l o u : The Expos' Great Catch By Victor Lee

The Young Man llnd

The Sea 'Y The tropical storm was heading straight for Raina, Dominican Republic. The Alou family had little to eat, and it would be days before the waters would be calm enough to fish. With little time to spare, Jose Alou raced to the beaches to take one desperate shot at feeding his family. Fourteen-year-old Felipe followed his father and watched as he cast the line from his bamboo pole into the stormdriven waves. Time after time Jose tried, but caught nothing. All the while Felipe begged for one chance, but his father feared the waves would overtake his son. Finally, Jose said Felipe could try once. The father watched anxiously, staying close by in mise the waves swept over his oldest son. Felipe flung the line as far as it would go. "Immediately I felt something," Felipe says. "It was a 4- or 5-pound grouper." The family ate. The storm passed. But the memory has stuck in the heart and mind of Felipe, who turns 61 this month and is perhaps his country's most revered and accomplished athlete ever. He was a baseball and track star as an amateur in the D.R. Then he played 17 seasons in the major leagues, amassing 2,101 hits, 206 home runs, and 852 RBI while hitting .286. He and brothers Jesus and Matty made history with the San Francisco Giants in 1963 as the only three brothers ever to play in the same outfield. As a manager he has a 304-241 record in the major leagues and 884 wins in the minors. He was National

League Manager of the Year in 1994. But Felipe says, "To me, catching that fish is the biggest achievement of my life, because that day we ate. There were no odds possible for catching that fish, but I caught that fish. This happened 46 years ago, and I still feel really excited about this."

back in the big leagues, this time as a coach. Felipe saw that as God's provision for his family. Less than two months into the season, the Expos manager was fired and Felipe took over, beating t he odds by becoming a big-league manager at age 57. It appeared Alou would lead his team to the World Series. The Expos had the best record in baseball in 1994, but the Th e Look of strike came and wiped Wisdont For Alou, honors do out the World Series. not reflect the man; Since then, the club's honor does. Alou is financial woes have a faithful man and forced it to trade most an immensely of its outstanding talent, leaving Alou with respected one. He a team not likely to does not have to yell make the playoffs. at or intimidate his He could be frusplayers-a look from trated, but Felipe Alou will draw a young man to him sees God 's hand. "After the 1994 basefor guidance. He ball season, when we wears his wisdom didn't get the chance well, and he is careto win, the Lord ful to give credit where it is due. seemed to tell me, 'I "I found out in life didn't send you here to win the pennant; I that you've got to be sent you here to be a humble," he told me witness for Me.' once as we stood on "We'll try to win the a pier overlooking 900AOSATO pennant, but the main the ocean off South A Forward-looking. The first Dominican-born manpurpose of my being Florida, doing what ager In major league history, Felipe Alou brought here was not to win Felipe does bestwith him a glowing optimis m, which he needs on a team that has jettisoned so muc h talent during his fishing. "You've got the pennant There is stay in Montreal. a greater pur pose." to stay low-key To be watched. To when you're way up be learned from. To be a beathere, especially in sports. of my life as a Christian, as a You can be humiliated at any con. A former coach under Alou manager, and also as a fishersums it up best. "When you time. I don't want to boast man." talk about Felipe the player, he about anything. God has was outstanding," he says. given me every good thing I Still Feeding "The man is better." have, and He has punished The Fantily me when I have done some Then his wife, Lucie, a things that were not so nice. Montreal native, announced You must stay humble. " Victor Lee, who has covered they were going to have their Alou remained humble and second child. Class A manthe Miami Dolphins and patient through a long minor agers don't make a lot of Florida Marlins during his league managerial career. "I money. At 56, Felipe was nearly 20 years in journalism, was here in West Palm for 6 concerned about his family's lives in Wake Forest, North years managing Class A, and well-being. Then the Expos baseball-wise I didn't have called to say they wanted him Carolina. any future," Alou said in March during spring training in Florida. "And I wasn't complaining about not having any future or worrying about it. I was very happy to be here, because the 6 year s I had here were the most wonderful years

S P OR T S SPECTRUM· MAY 1 996

US Open Doubles Cha1np Meredith McGrath has co~ne all the way back {ro1n personal and physical struggles about life on the professional tenni s tour is the travel. Most pros spend 30 or 40 weeks of the year on the road. With that kind of schedule, you' d expect them to spend their time off resting and relaxing. But not 25-year-old Meredith McGrath. Her idea of R 'n' R is hiking, skiing, and mountain biking ! Last year her brief vacation included a 5-day safari in Tanzania. At the end of the week, she still had enough energy left to scale Africa's highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro - all 19,340 feet of it! "It was a wild experience," recalls McGrath. "We reached the summit while the SUn was just rising, and the view was spectacular. It's hard to even put it into words. I recommend that vacation to anybody." Vacation? Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? That's Meredith McGrath. She thri ves on O NE OF THE TOUGHEST THINGS

meeting challenges, not just in sports but in life as well. For instance, to become a tennis player, she first had to change sports. As would be expected, her career did begin on a court with a netbut it was a basketball net. Glenn Williams, a coach in an elementary basketball league in Midland, Michigan, saw Meredith and was impressed with her athletic ability and coordination. He challenged her to give his favorite sport, tennis, a try. She accepted the challenge and was soon confirming Willi ams' assessment of her potential. She attacked her new sport with enthusias m, and rose qui ckl y through the amateu r rank s. In high school in Midland, she was named a three-time All-American. By the time she graduated, she had established herself as one of the finest junior players in the world by capturing 19 national and international titles. She played on the USTA Nati onal Junior

BOBTHOMASPHOTOGRAPHY/CAROl NEWSOM ASSOCIATES

By Chris tin Ditchfie ld 6

S P ORTS S P ECTRU M - M A Y 1996

COURTESY: COREL WT A TOUR

S P ORTS SPECTR UM • M/\Y 1996

GREAT

Hometown: Midland, Michigan Residence: Zurich, Swit7erland Height: 5' 7" Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand Honors WTA Comeback Player of the Year 1994 Volvo Tennis/Rookie of the Year 1990 College All-American 1990 State Champion, 1987-90 High School All-American 1987-89 Pro Career. Wins Doubles-25 Singles-3 Grand Slam Highlights Semifinals: Australian Open, doubles, 1996 Winner: US Open, Mixed doubles, 1995 Fourth round : Wimbledon, singles 1993 Sponsors Yonex racquets, Nike clothing and shoes, Oakley sunglasses, Babolat strings 0

Team and the Conti nental Cup Team, and she became the only person in history to win the Wimbledon junior doubles title 3 years in a row. A six-tim e winn er of National Champi onship Sportsmanship Awards, McGrath was offered a full scholarship to Stanford University. There her extraordinary success continued. She won the NCAA doubles title with Tami Whitlinger and helped Stanford win its fourth consecutive NCAA Division I team championship. Her record for collegiate doubles was an astoundi ng 26-0. Having conquered most of the challenges that junior and collegiate tennis could offer, McGrath decided it was time to take on the world's best. She turned pro in 1990. In just 8 months she earned a singles ranking of No. 26 in the world , reaching the quarterfinals at Indianapolis, Newport, and Indian Wells, and the semifinals at Oakland. Her singles results were impressive; her doub les results were astounding. She won five tournaments and reached the semifinals or better in six others. Tem1is magazine lauded her achievements by crowning her "Rookie of the Year." Then suddenly her remarkable rise in the rankings came to an abrupt halt. She ran into the toughest opponent any athlete faces- injury. At the French Open in 1991, she suffered a pinched nerve in her hip joint. In December of that year, McGrath had hip surgery to repair the painfu l injury. Refusing to be discouraged by the setback, she viewed it as just one more challenge. She applied herself to intensive physical rehabilitation, working hard to get back on the Tour. She made her comeback attempt in the spring of 1992 at the Lipton Championshi ps in Miami. Unbelievably, she injured her shoulder in the very first match she played and was sidelined again! At that point, most tennis insiders felt that what seemed to be a very promising career was now over. Meredith began wondering herself. She went back to rehab and spent most of her time faithfu ll y practicing and working out at the community tennis center back home in Midland. Her parents decided to move to Indianapolis, but she remained behind so she could be close to her coach and maintai n her train ing and recovery program. Even so, her tennis future seemed uncertai n at best. "It was a hard time in my life," recalls McGrath. 'The only thing I had was taken from me, and I was bitter." She was unwilli ng to give up, but unsure how to continue. Then she met Bob and Maggie Charlton and their famil y. Their friendship became a source of strength and encouragement to Meredith. S PORTS S P ECTRUM â&#x20AC;˘ M/\Y 1 996

Play It Again, Meredith. After coming back from Injuries, McGrath won her first major sing les title at the 1994 1GA Tennis Classic In Oklahoma City. She and partner Patty Fendick also captured the doubles crown at the same event.

"From the moment I met them, they welcomed me into their famil y as if I was one of them," she says. The Charltons opened their hearts and their home, and Meredith soon moved in with her "adopted" family. What had started out as a time of despair and discouragement became one of great personal and spiritual growth . " It turned out to be the biggest blessi ng," she says. "God placed this family into my life. It was a warm, lovi ng home, and Jesus was the center of their lives-of everything they did. I wanted my life to be like that. I thi nk livi ng in their home and seeing the way they lived turned my life around. I' ve learned about relationships and fami ly, dealing with good times and bad . And there's always a lot of love." Mered ith made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, a decision that gave her the peace and security she had been looking for. With her newfound fai th and much improved physical condition, McGrath hit the courts once again in 1993, 18 mon ths after her initial injury. As before, her persistence paid off. When she made her initial appearance that year, she came back ranked 610 on the women's circuit. By October, she was up to 66. Along the way, Meredith won two doubles titles

GREAT

and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in singles . In 1994, McGrath won her first two singles titles. She also captured seven doubles titles with partner Patty Fendick. She achieved a career high ranking of No. 24 in the world, and she was named Women's Tennis Association Comeback Player of the Year. In spite of her subsequent ups and downs in the rankings, McGrath found 1995 to be a breakthrough year. She took seven more doubles titles, including five with partner Larisa Neiland. And she won her first Grand Slam title-the US Open Mixed Doubles-with Matt Lucena. "lt was a pretty big surprise!" she says with a huge smile. "Going into it, I was hoping we'd win a match, really. It was the first time I'd ever played with Matt. We had a tough first round aga inst the No. 2 seeds (they defeated Raymond/Knowles 6-4, 6-4), and then one match after another everything fell into place." ln the final, the unseeded team of McGrath and Lucena shocked the No. 3 ranked Gigi Fernandez and Cyris Sui, 6-4, 6-4. "We both had a great time, and I think just enjoying it helped me to relax and play well." During her pro career, McGrath has wo n three singles titles and more than 25 doubles titles. She continues to deve lop her aggressive serve and volley game, which has earned her wins over players such as Amanda Coetzer, Jana Novotna, Pam Shri ver, and Martina Navratilova. As she looks to the future, she says she'd like to keep her singles ranking in the top 30 (her doubles ranking is consistently Top I 0).Âˇ And of course, she' d love to add more Grand Slam doubles titles to her record. "I have a new coach this year, Urs Walter, and I'm working really hard with ~ Holding

court. In 1995, McGrath ruled in doubles. She won in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Scotland, and Flushing Meadows, New York.

RET U RN

him. I feel like if J stay health y, I should be able to reach those goals." Her friendship with the Charltons continues to be a special support to Meredith. When Bob was transferred to Switzerland, McGrath moved with the famil y to Zurich, where they have li ved for the past 3 years. "It's been pretty challenging wit h the language (Swiss-German) and trying to fit into a different kind of lifestyle," observes Meredith. "But all in all , it's been a great ex peri ence. It' s reall y forced us to become closer as a family, because you don' t have as many friends and neighbors. You 're really reliant on one another." The Charltons and McGrath will be heading back to the United States before summer, but meanwhile, they're making the most of their time in Europe. Meredith especially enjoys the outdoor emphasis of the Swiss (lots of hiking!) and the proximity to other countries. She's spent vacation time biking in Greece and visiting the Alps and Morocco. The intense competition and nomadic lifesty le of the professional Tour can make every day a new challenge, but McGrath keeps it in perspective. "When it gets to be too much, I have to step back and reall y he thankful that I can go out and compete at a sport and make a li ving at it-a good living! My friends from college have gone on and had to get 'real jobs!'" she says. Meredith McGrath has met and overcome many challenges, both on and off the co urt. But she believes her greatest challenge is one that everyone faces. "We' ll all be here for just a short time, and what we' re gearing for is eternity. It's doing things for Jesus Christ that reall y matters!" L:l

"I HAVE TO STEP BACK AND REALLY BE THANKFUL THAT I CAN GO OUT AND COMPETE AT ASPORT AND MAKE A LIVING AT IT."

Christin Ditchfield lives in Sarasota, Florida, where she works as an 011-air personality for a radio station SPORT S SPEC TRUM â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 1996

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Winners Who Know That Life Is More Than AGa By Dave Branon -----------~-----------------------------------------share of bad days as a young with 2

Volunteer Spirit r

quarterback for the Washington Redskins, so it was natural for ...,_ Heath Shuler him to have some sympathy for Blaine, Tennessee Mrs. McFarland. BESSIE McFARLAN D wasn't havWhen he heard her discussing ing a good day. her plight with a ticket agent, he First, her flight from Baltimore interrupted the conversation and to Kno xv ille was delayed by asked Bessie if she was trying weather. Then, the pl ane was to get to Knoxville. "I told him I was," McFarland found to have mechanical probrecalls, "and he stated he was try ing to ge t there also and th at he wo uld be glad fo r me to tag along with him, and he would see to it th at we go t to Knoxville that night." Shuler looked the situ ation over and called an audible. He booked them on a flight to Atlanta. At the Hartsfi eld Airport, he convinced airline offi cials to hold a plane for him and hi s guest so they could connect to Knoxvill e. Once they arri ved in Tennessee, Shuler made sure Mrs. McFarl and had a taxi ride home. Then, the Knoxville grea t-g randm oth er recall s, Shul er "said goodb ye and disappeared in the crowd." The former Univer~ Shuler the Starter. In his second seasity of Tennessee QB son in the NFL, Heath led the Redskins is a true Volunteer to a 3-2 record in games he started. indeed.

!ems. Finally, the airline cancelled the flight altogether. For Bessie, a great-grandmother fl ying alone, this meant trouble. She had flown just one other time in her life, and she wasn't sure what step to take next. That's whe n Hea th Shul er stepped in. Shuler has had his 10

Her Toughest Call ...,_ Lee Nunamaker j ackson , Tennessee

LEE NUNAMA KER HAD MET challenges while under enormous pressure in her athletic career. Her

free throw seconds remaining against Southwestern Okl ahoma sent Union Uni versity of Jackson, Tennessee, in to the 1993 NA JA wo men's national championship game. Her 22 points led Union to within I point of winning the title the next night. She became onl y the third NAIA All-American in Union history. Off the court , she mas tered th e art of conversation as the hos t of Sp ortsta lk on WN WS-FM in Jackson. But nothin g prepared her for the test of nerves she would .6. The voice of Union basketball. face earl y in 1995 . Lee Nunama~er does play-by-play for Nun amaker became Union University' s m en 's and w o men' s the fir st wo man in basketball teams. The NAIA women's team had a very successful 1995-96 season, Tennessee hi story to finishing with a record of 34-4. do pl ay- by-pl ay of a college basket ball telecast. Her fa ther, former "You may no t thin k your Buffalo Bills linebacker Julian praye rs have been answered Nunamaker, was rightfully proud. because my father is not going to "She's scared to death," the li ve," the young athlete-turnedelder Nunamaker said the week broadcaster said, fi ghting tears. before the telecast. "B ut she's "But they have, because they've never fa il ed to stand up to a been the greatest comfort to my challenge. She' ll do it." famil y. Many of you know that But Julian Nunamaker wasn' t my father was a winner. But not abl e to enj oy hi s daughter's because of any game he ever success. played. He was a winner because While Lee was preparin g to he knew Christ. That's the legacall the ac tion between Union cy he's left me." and Blue Mountain (Missouri ), When Lee Nunamaker was on her father's car was broadsided the basketball court, she was as he was on hi s way to the known as a tough young player. game. The family's vigil over But as one caller described her the next week wo uld test the 24the night of her emotional mesyear-old's faith. sage on her sports talk show, Six days aft er the accide nt , "She's a tough girl with God's the family learn ed that Juli an tender heart." wo uld not survive. Lee called - Steve Beverly her own radi o show from the hospital that evening.

SPOR T S SPECTRU M • MAY 1996

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Making The Grade

...._ Davett Starkey ,. Normal, Illinois

DAVETI STARKEY'S problem with trying to ge t into Illinois State University as a gymnast was that her high school education had been anything but normal. Her teac hers were co llege grad uates, and one of them is even working on his doctorate.

..&. No holds barred. Starkey has maintained a good balance between academics and athletics. As an ISU Redbird, Davett won top honors with a 9.450 on the uneven bars when competing against the nation's top team , the Georgia Bulldogs.

And she had passed all of the tests normall y required by the public schools in her community. But when she tried to enroll at Illinois State as a student-athlete, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) told Davett she couldn't. Prob lem was she had been homeschool ed. Back home in Edgewater, Florida, her parents, Dave and Daline, had decided when Davett was in the fourth grade that her time would be used more efficiently if th ey monitored her progress themselves. So for the last 9 years of her pre-college education, Davett studied from 8 am until 2 pm, then headed for gy mnastics lessons at Brown's Gym, home of one of the top gy mnastic programs in America. The Starkeys took their task seriously. Both parents are college educated, and Davett's dad, who serves as minister of music ad mini stration and education in a ch urch in New Smyrna Beach, is working on a Ph.D. In addition, the Starkeys had a certifi ed teac her monitor Davett's progress, and each year she took achievement tests to check her progress. Yet the NCAA wasn't happy. First they wanted her to get a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GE D) . Then they decided instead th at she should attend a community college so she'd have a transcript. The NCAA didn't ac tually grant Starkey her eligibility until the family was already on its way to Normal, Illinoi s, to enroll Davett. Dave Starkey kept stopping to check as the family drove up 1-75. Finally, during a phone break in Georgia, they got the good news that Davett could compete in gymnastics at ISU. All Davett has done si nce

It seems that when th e Chi efs call ed Danny, they said, "We need yo u to get on the next plane and get out here now." O'Neil's reply was that he had a Bible stud y with his high school students scheduled for that ni ght. Could he catch a plane tomonÂˇow? The Chiefs said no. Either come out today or forget it. COURTESY: NEWPORT BEACH OAl.V PILOT The choice for ..&. 0 Danny Boy. Former Oregon Duck QB O'Neil was this: Keep Danny O'Neil fields questions after being his commitment to his announced as the first signee in the history of the Anaheim Piranhas. teens or go for the NFL. He had told the enrolling is achieve a 4.0 gradekids he would be there for them, point average in her first so he kept his word. The NFL semester of college and earn the would have to wait. only all-around spot by an ISU In the meantime , O' Neil is freshman on the gy mnastics getting ~orne pro football experiteam. ence while wo rking with the It looks like things are back to young people at Calvary Chapel normal for her. in Costa Mesa. He is playing quarterbac k for the Ana heim Piranhas, an arena football team. It's not the NFL, but it allows him to work on his skills while doing what he thinks is much ...._Danny O'Neil more important: Guiding young ,. Costa M esa, California people through the toughest times You LEAD YOUR TEAM to the Rose of their li ves. D Bowl. You are named the MVP of the biggest game of your life. You finally get a call from an Champion Search NFL team. Heard any good stories lately? You say no. If you know of an athlete who To an yo ne who has ever has done something that qualiplayed sports, the ultimate comfies him or her as a champipliment is to be asked to try out on- someone who has done for a professional team. To just something unique and hearthave a chance. ening- let us know. You can But when the opportunity write to this address: came for Danny O'Neil, he Champions, Sports Spectrum, didn ' t hesitate. He told the Box 3566, Grand Rapids, Ml Kansas City Chiefs he wouldn't 4950/ ; or you can E-mail us be coming. at dbranon@rbc.org with your He had something more imsuggestion portant to do.

First Things First

S P O RT S S PECT R UM â&#x20AC;˘ M A Y 1 996

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••••••••••••••••••• • •• •• • •• •

• Athletes Who Lead By Example Ma..kus Naslund • Winginglt MARKUS NASLUND HAS come ohso-close. Three times he's played in World Championship hockey games and come away with a silver medal. Not bad, but not quite good enough for him. "''ve never won anything big," he says. Perhaps that's why, when the Pittsburgh Penguins made him th eir No. I pick in 199 1, the Swedish lad was quite excited. "I li ked the way Pittsburgh played. They had just won the Stanley Cup, and I knew it would be tough to crack the line-

up. But I thought it would be a challenge for me." It has been a challenge, because for a long time the lineup was too formidable to penetrate. Despite his talent, Naslund wasn't able to repl ace wingers Kevin Ste ve ns, Joey Mullen, or Luc 12

Robitaille, and he spent much of : Canucks for fellow his time on the bench. But those • winger Alex Stojanov. Naslund has struggled players departed this past summer. Prior to the trade , to fit into the NHL and Naslund admitted that Wh ile Naslund isn't happy about adjust to a new cultheir exodus, he realizes the moves he didn' t really want ture, but his life would improved hi s situati on. Sure to leave, "I realize I enough, as his ice time increased might have to move have been tougher if on, and if I could get so did his point production. he had not had "someIn his first full season with the more ice time I'll be thing to lean back on." Penguins, 1993- 1994, Naslund happy." With the Canucks, played in 71 games and registered Naslund just might get more ice Naslund has struggled to fit II points. His average this season into the NHL and adjust to a new is closer to a point a game, yet time and more hockey happiness. As he grew up adm iring culture, but his life would have he's still not getting the ice time he would li ke. In fact, countrymen Hakan Loob been even tougher if he had not and Mats Nas lund had what he calls "something to he spent some anxlean back on." (no relation}, Markus worked to develop his He's talking about his faith in own skills. He led his Jesus Christ. His parents taught team, MoDo, with goals him about Jesus, and he trusted (22) and points (40) in Christ as Savior early in his life. 39 games in 199 1-92, "I 've had my strugg les, of and was successful on course, but I' m trying to build a a national level. The good, everyday relationship with highl igh t came when God. You shouldn't be looking to God just when tough times he played in the 1993 Wu rl u Champio ncome." ships for Sweden . Naslund ex plains that the "The first time yo u books of the Bible have di fferent put on the nat ional names in Sweden, but his favorite is "Adv ice for Young Men ," sweater is a big thing," he recalls. "It's somewhich is known on this side of thing you always wanted the ocea n as Proverbs. "I like chapter 3. It's nice to read when I to do when you're you ng. It was exciting, have tough times; it gives me but we lost to Canada courage." During the summer, Naslund by one goal." Bu t the NHL was helps other young men with both always on hi s mind. hockey skills and learning about "Ever since I was little, Jesus Christ. He participates in a it had been my dream," hockey camp in Skill inga ryd, says the 22-year-old. Sweden, sponsored by Hockey However, both he and Mini stries Internati ona l. He learn ed about HMI when its the Penguins felt it was better for him to stay in founder, Don Liesemer, spoke to Sweden after the draft. at hletes at the World Jun ior "I was 18 when I was Championships. Liesemer invited drafted, and not too many playhim to hel p at the Swedish site, ious moments as thi s seaso n's ers can step right into the lineup trading deadline neared. "I thought and Naslund has participated the past two summers. I played well and put up the at that age," he says. He attended the Penguins' trai ning camp If he ever win s that big points," he says, "but obviously it championship he's looking for, to "get a feel for it and see a litisn't enough." demand for Markus Nas lu nd's On March 20, the Pengui ns tle of [Pittsburgh], " then rejoined the team a coup le of camps will reall y soar. ended Nas lu nd 's anx iety and seasons later. - Lois Thomson shipped him to the Vancouver S PORT S SPECTR UM • MAY 1 996

Janet

Glasn~.an • Still Kicking STANDING IN THE DOORWAY of the darkened storefront , he looks for a target. Dusk- it's his favorite time. It's the time he "makes" his money. He looks for the easy victim. And he can't believe hi s luck. There she is. At 119 pounds, a mere slip of a woman. Long, dark hair covers a head that doesn't clear 5 feet. He rubs his hands in anticipation. Whatever she's got is his. Image his surprise when, with • one swift kick, she knocks him to the ground. On this night, he'll be seeing stars and bars rather than the rings and things he had expected. He's just met Janet Glasman, 4-time Ohio state champion and 1995 Taekwondo silver medalist plines. She made the transition in 1991 to Taekwondo, a more at the US Nationals. And though she doesn't reall y spend her sports-oriented style of Tang Soo ni ghts knocking out muggers, Do requiring greater finesse and she's got the skills to send misfancier for ms or routines. Relocating to Dayton , Ohio, to creants to the pavement. Glasman, now 27, has been train with Luong Pham, a 5-time kicking it up in the Korean marnational champion, she took the contact with the opponent above tial arts since 1985. shift in stride and went on to win the navel. The combatant with the At 16 years old while living in her first state championship just most points is declared the winNaperville, Illinois, she decided a month later. ner. An extensive penalty system she wanted to participate in If you picture a Taekwondo helps prevent injury to competisports. For her, marti al arts competition looking like a Chuck tors. In fact, a Taekwondo athlete packed a double-punch. "It's will be penalized for things an individual sport. But it's other sports take for grantIf you picture a also a group sport," Janet ed, such as trash-talking Taekwondo competicomments. "It was more like and grand-standing. tion looking like one a famil y atmosphere, and I Since the 1988 Olympics, kind of enjoyed that. of the climactic scenes Taekwondo has been a "My brothers and sisters demonstration sport, which from the Karate Kid are a lot older than me, so I means medals earned do not series, think again. gre w up without another count in the countries' offiperson in the house with cial totals. That will change that camaraderie. To go so me Norris flick or one of the climacin 2000 when Taekwondo will place where I could spend a few tic scenes from the Karate Kid beco me an official Olympic hours everyday with people with series, think again . Participants sport. the same interests-it was good are padded almost from head to But thi s year' s Games held for me." foot; protection covers the head, some surprises. "We're not going Glasman started out in the trunk, groin, shins, and forearms. to be represented in 1996." Hapkido and Tang Soo Do disciPoints are awarded for making Glasman says. "We won't be parSPORT S S P ECT R UM- M A Y 1 996

: : : : : : • :

ticipating until the year 2000. There's a big disappointment there." But Janet is not one to let disappointments or difficulties stop her. She 's still kicking strong despite obstacles she's had to hurdle. Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in high school, Glasman needs lots of rest, or she gets sick. Her training has been disrupted numerous times by physical problems, such as a tumor in her hip that had to be removed and a knee that had to be reconstructed. In the spring of 1994, an even greater difficulty entered her life-her dad died of cancer. But if you talk to Glasman about her problems, she puts an interesting spin on what many would co nsider a depressing time in her life. ''I'm reall y thankful for the knee injury. [It] brought me back home. I had to be in my house that whole summer [1993]. So I got to spend all that time with my dad. People would say, ' Oh, th at injury was too bad,' but I would say, 'No, it's not.' It's because of the Lord's mercy." When yo u've had your feet kicked out fro m under you as many times as Janet Glasman has, it's natural to start thinking about another career. "At different points you have to really ask the Lord, 'Is this what I'm supposed to be doing right now?' And for me, I felt that answer kept coming back, ' Yes.' So I could be at peace to go forward and keep doing it," Glasman says. For Janet, her future in or out of Taekwondo "is a day-by-day thing. The biggest thing that helps me is if I stay in touch with the Lord and ask Him what He wants me to do. When I don't do that, that's when the problems start to happen." 0 - Bev Flynn 13

FEATVRE

RAVIS FRYMAN' SDREAMHAD COMETRUE. He found himself in the visitor's clubhouse at Fenway Park-covered with ketchup, mustard, and every other condiment that could be rustled up from Fenway concession stands. Some wise guy had come up with two eggs that were added to the mi x, aloJlg with some Coke and cold coffee. Yello f ,...ooze as dripping from Fryman's hair a1~ nto his eyebrows. This was the fulfillment f a A{yam? It was a dream that had ~st S'parkled in the eyes of David Travis Fryman lltagtt"'.5 w)!~o be grabbed his new infielder' s mitt..'ln'd r~t!on~Q the field to scoop up bouncing gro& der . 1 1 It was a dream that caused h' ~to mi s hunting and fi shing trips with h two yop ngt

found himself standing next tOone of the greatest keystone combinations of all time, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker, taking infield practice. It was a night of firsts for Fryman. It was his first start in the major leagues. It was his first time to be on the fi eld at Tiger Stadium. And it was his first time to take the field at third base. Before, it had always been Travis' responsibility to protect the vast area between second and third. He had never played anywhere but shortstop. Yet there he was- in hl~first major league start , in Tiger Stadium::-<:ha\\ed with guarding the hot corner! A quiet, inte1~sely competitive person, Travis tried to introduce him e f to his new teammates his own way. In the seventh i ning of his second game in the majors, h~ jumped all over a Jeff Montgomery pitch and

could stay home and play base a~ ll r ~ 3-run,.ho"ler. e towering blast off Royals relief ace It was a dream he took with hi n e~~p ti ~~ ,Jeff Monrg~rn h was Travis' first big league hit. he stepped up to the plate for Tat Hi~Scbool )Evi~entl Iii teammates felt this introduction wasn't in Lexington, Kentucky. .,:./ e1~i, Tha t hy, when they got to Boston, the Tigers It was a dream that caused h~to tul1~o~nn j~ttooQ'cetl them~elves to Travis in their own time-honan ~ppointment to West Point in Mareh of''M~~ore~~pr~fessional 'manner. While R~b .Deer and Pete semor year. ' lncaij&hi\ beldcFryman down, the rook1e mfielder met all Just a few days before the "ketchup" incident of thef:r\gefs~rfe at a time, on the Fenway clubhouse in 1990, Travis had been packing his bags in a small floor. A sticky survivor of the rite of passage known as apartment in Toledo, preparing to travel to Las Vegas the "Three Man Lift," Fryman was now one of them: to play in the Tri ple-A All-Star Game. His packing was An initiated member of the big leagues and the official interrupted by a call from his manager, who told him third baseman for the Detroit Tigers. he would be going to Detroit instead of Nevada. After hi s introduction and initiation in Jul y 1990, The next night, at age 21, the kid with the dream Travis has established himself as one of the game's - continued on page 18

PHOTO BY ROBERT S.-:;EOC H/TttE PICTVIlE OESK

SPOR TS SPEC TR U M â&#x20AC;˘ M A Y 1 996

STR IKIN G

HOW TO fSCHP[

JH[ PRfSSUR[ Travis is quick to explain that the pressures a major league player faces in the clubhouse are really no different from those a high school or college athlete faces every day in the lockerroom or on the field. "There is a lot of idle chatter, girl talk, substance abuse, and promiscuity. I face these now, but I also faced them in high school." The real issues boil down to peer pressure and self-esteem. "When we realize that our value comes from God and what He thinks we are worth," says Travis, "we will no longer struggle with what others expect of us." Travis gives four keys to dealing with these pressures: 0 Spend daily, personal time reading the Bible. @ Spend lots of time praying. @ Find Christian teammates or friends if you possibly can. Spend time learning and growing with them. 0 Don't be afraid to take a stand. You'll feel a lot better about yourself and your relationship with God if you. refuse to compromise. -Gwen Diaz

Travis' second point suggests a lot of prayer. If you've ever wondered how one goes obout talking to God, perhaps we can help. Ask for the free booklet Praying With Confidence. Write to Sports Spectrum, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 . Ask for the booklet by title and this number: Q0712. 18

B ACK

top young stars. In less than 5 h seasons, he' s already have," says Fryman. "He was the perfect manager for played in 3 All-Star games. me. He turned me loose, let me play, let me make misShortstop Alan Trammell, in his 20th season with the takes, and corrected me when I messed up. He showed Tigers, has high praise for his young understudy. " In this a lot of confidence in me. game, when you take the field, you're never sure if you're "Probabl y the best piece of advice I ever received going to win or lose. But you can be sure of one thingcame from Sparky. He said, 'Watch what Trammell Travis will give you 100 percent. He's great to play next does. Do what he does, then you' ll be all right.' He was right. Trammell has influenced me more than any other to. He's a gamer!" Chad Curti s, Ti ger centerfi elder, al so admires player. J came up as a shortstop, and he's the best there Fryman's ski lls. "He's definitely got great tools. His ever was. Being a veteran, he took me under his wing. arm is probably one of the best in the game. He's a real He's the embodiment of what a professional ballplayer solid hitter and a great defensive player too.'' should be.'' As brilliant as Fryman's early career has been, the posAnd then Anderson categori zed Fryman in his own sibility of fulfi lling his dream seemed at one time to be as quirky, yet accurate way. "He's legit," says his former slim as a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Fryman's first 2 skipper. " He's no made-up thing." years in Single-A ball Cecil Fi elder has didn' t seem to substantibeen an inspirati on as ate the faith the Detroit well. " It 's a trea t to play with him and be organization had placed in him in 19 87 when hi s f ri end," Fryman says with a smile. they drafted him in the third round. Playing first " Every at bat is fun to watch. You never know in Bri stol of th e when he's gonna hit a A ppalachian League and then in Fayetteville 600-foo t home run. I of the South Atl antic was on second base when he hit a ball out League, Fryman hit of County Stadium in onl y .234 both years Mi l waukee. He' s th e with a total of just two only pl ayer ever to home run s. Hi s pro have done that!" career was not off to a In 1994, Trav i s memorable start. Later, while playing Fryman was enjoying a in th e Instru ctional career season. He was on his way to highs in League, a scout from his hometown approached home nms, doubles, and Fryman and offered his RBI. He had enjoyed a services. If th e minor 15-game hitting streak l eaguer wanted some and had been named to hi s third strai ght Allextra batting practi ce during the winter, Ken Star team. Then came Parker was the man. the infamous strikeending it all ! About a week after he Wh en he resum ed arri ved home, Travi s play in 1995 aft er a call ed and reques ted Ken's assistance. From shortened spring trainA08ERT SKEOCHfntE PICTURE DESK ing , Tr av i s had the th e first week of November until Travis ÂŁ Fielding Fryman. Always willing to accept fielding tips worst 2 months of his from teammate Alan Trammell, Travi s has become one of profess i onal ca reer. left for spring training, the game's best at the hot corner. And Tiger fans will He played as poorly as Parker threw batting continue to see #24 at the corner of Michigan and he had ever played in practice 5 to 6 days a Trumbull as he is signed through the 1998 season. his life. week. " It was the turnThat' s why hi s review of the effects of the strike i s ing point in my career," acknowledges Fryman. "The next year I had my first really good year in pro ball." Playing surprising. "The stri ke year, by everyone else's meafor London in the Eastern League, Fryman hit .265 and surement, was a nightmare. But to me it was actually led the league in doubles in 1989. a blessing." A year and a half later, Travis was invited to Detroit. It was during thi s unexpec ted time at home that Travis also credits Sparky Anderson for his early ri se Travis made some maj or life decisi ons. Although to stardom. The front office in Detroit was not eager to everything about his life and career appeared great bring Fryman up until Trammell had retired from his from the outside, on the inside he was not happy. He felt he shoul d be. He was marri ed to K athl ee n position at shortstop. But Sparky fought for Travis, seeMcCarthy, a beautiful woman he had fallen in love ing great potential in him as a third baseman. "Sparky gave me an opportunity earl ier than others would with back home in Kentucky. He had signed a multi1

S PORTS S PECTRUM â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 1996

STR I K I N G

year contract. He was known as one of baseball 's rising stars. But something was wrong. Baseball had become his No. I priority in life. It was con suming him. He had begun to define his whole identity by the successes and failures he had in th e game. " Baseball brought me the most joy and the most pain at the same time," he admits. He became temperamental, bringing every game home, particularl y upset with any bad outing. Fryman knew something needed to change, and he knew what it was. He had grown up going to church. At age 7, while attending a backyard Bible study, he understood th at he could have a rel ation ship with God because Jesus had died for him on the cross. Travis had even started to read the Bible on his own at age 15 after his parents went through a difficult divorce. But baseball had slipped into the No. I slot in his life as he devoted himself more and more to his career. Fryman knew he wasn't getting the most out of his relationship with God. He knew he wasn' t using his talents the way God wanted him to. Although he attended the Tigers' chapel services and went to some Bible studi es with teammates whil e th e team was on the road, he knew he left his relationship with God at home when he headed to the ballpark. Just before the strike, Travis' wife had ridden to the ballpark wi th Cathy Tanana, wife of pitcher Frank Tanana. On th e way, Kathl ee n had asked Cathy many questions about God and life-apparently intrigued by a Bible story she had just heard from John 3. In the parking lot at Ti ger Stadium, she understood for the first time how she too could have a relationship with God. She bowed her head and prayed, asking Jesus to become her Savior. Later that summer, when the strike interrupted Travis' career and yanked him temporarily away from baseball, he and Kathleen had an opportunity to regroup and refocus. They began to attend church, something Travi s had not done for a long time. There, Travis rededicated his life to God, promising to make that relationship his No. I priority. Travis and Kathleen started spending time studying the Bible and praying 1ogether. They realized the importance of having an "eternal" perspective-that the game of baseball , their careers, and their stats, were not of utmost importance and that God had so much more in mind for them. When he returned to baseball in 1995, Fryman's new commitment was immediately challenged. During the second game of the year, against Seattle, Travi s had a horrible at bat, and he lost it. " I snapped!" he admits, "just like I had most of my career," referring to his occasional helmet-flinging episodes in the past. How quickly his "eternal" perspecti ve had vanished! He was miserable about his reaction. The nex t morning, Travis spent 30 minutes in prayer. " I don' t care how I play or how poorl y I do, God," he

BACK

prayed. " I don't want this game to come between us." Later that night, he proceeded to play the worst game of his career. He went 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts! But Travi s didn' t lose control. He was actuall y able to smile, realizing that God was probably testing the depth of his most recent decision. For 2 months Fryman continued to stru ggle at the plate, but he also continued to pray and read his Bible. He learned from Romans 12:3 to measure who he was by God's standards, not by the world's. He continued to play with intensity, knowing that God wanted him to do the best he could, to work as hard as he could, and to use every talent he had been given. Guys on the club began to notice the change. A few of the skeptics were just waiting for Travis to explode and return to his temperamental ways. Others-men who share his faith-such as Mike Moore, Chad Curtis, Scott Fletcher, and strength coach Brad Andress encouraged him, nudging him to stay on track. " I reali zed during that hard time that I had more impact on other guys around me than I ever could have had if things were going great," Travi s acknowledges. "In the last year I have seen tremendous grow th in Travi s," says Jeff Tott en, chapel coordi nator for the Detroit Tigers. " It is ev ident on the field as well as in the dugout and the clubhouse. You can even observe it when you watch him play on TV." Eventuall y Travis climbed out of his slump and turned in a very good season. He became th e mos t consistent player on hi s team, both offe nsivel y and defensi vel y. He started every game for the Tigers, even when things were tough. He was the only maj or league player in all of baseball to play in every inning of every game in 1995. For the shortened season, he hit .275 with 15 home runs and 81 RBI. He put toge th er a pair of 9-ga me hitting streaks and hit 2 grand slams. He had fiv e 4- hit ga mes , and 4 tim es he knocked in 4 runs. But Travis is quick to admit that it may be even harder to keep an eternal perspecti ve when things are going great on the field than when they' re tough. " It's a constant challenge. I'm sure there' ll be new issues this year for me to deal with. But I' m looking forward to it. There's a lot of younger players. I'm a veteran, but young enough that they still feel comfortable around me. I' m sure God will bring me some unique opportunities." He smiles in anticipation. " I' m very fortunate that the younger players have a person like Travis to learn from," says Buddy Bell, new manager of the Tigers. "He' ll be around for a long time!" adds Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame ' Voice of the Detroit Tigers.' "The Tigers will use Travis Fryman as an anchor for the future!" And maybe as an occasional ketchup dispenser.

.A. Power stick. Fryman has driven In 450 runs over the last 5 seasons.

"I OON'l CAR(

HOW I PlAYORHOW

POORlYI 00, GOO," ITRAVISl PRAYfU. "I DON'l WANl lHIS GAM[ 10 COM(

BHW HN US."

Gwen Diaz lil'eS i11 Lakeland, Florida, where she ll'rites a column for the Lakeland Ledger.

S P O RT S S P ECTRUM â&#x20AC;˘ M /\Y 1996

Travis Fryman is one of 35 guys in and around baseball who have been selected to promote FoxTV's contract with Major League Baseball. In a humorous, off-beat sketch, Travis is promoted as a player who contributes a lot more to baseball th an just what he can do on the field. The commercial depicts him selling hot dogs in the bleachers, tearing tickets at t he ticket booth, and mopping bathroom floors. Travis Fryman's face, as well as his name, will soon be easily recognized across the Unit ed States. "It's been nice up to now," says Travis. "Even though the All-Star games gave me a lot of exposure, I've been able to go out without being recognized by everyone- unless I use my credit card or wear a baseball ca p. It'll be interesting to see what happens now!" - Gwen Diaz 19

STATS

CENTRAL

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

• Keeping Score of#hscina:ling ~.bets and 'Lerri Compiled by Rob Bentz

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

FOCUS ON SPORTS

TOM O!PACE

.A. The Express way. Ryan rolled to 138 victories in 8 seasons

with the Angels and 51 wins in five years of throwing heat In Texas.

• or,nce as Nice It's an incredible honor to have your number retired, but imagine having it done by two different teams. In September, the Texas Rangers will make Nolan Ryan just the fifth player in major league history to have his number retired by two teams. Ryan's No. 30 was retired by the Angels in 1992. Here's the list of other players with a pair of honored numbers, their number, and the teams that retired the athletes' special numeral.

Hank Aaron ••••• 44 •••• Boston-Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers Rod Carew .••••• 29 •••. Minnesota Twins and California Angels Hollie Fingers •••• 3 ..... Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A's Frank Robinson •. 20 ••• . Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles Casey Stengel ••. 37 ••.. New York Yankees and New York Mets

• Changes at the Top Six major league teams changed managers for the 1996 season. Here's a look at the teams that made the changes, their former manager and his managerial record, and the new skipper and his manageri al record. You make the call \yhether the following teams made the right decision.

Baltimore Phil Regan

71-73 .493

Davey Johnson

733-541 .575

Detroit Sparky Anderson 2,194-1,834 .545

Buddy Bell

0·0 .000

313-288 .539

Joe Torre

894·1,003 .471

1,320-1,183 .527

Art Howe

392-418 .484

NY Yankees Buck Showalter

Oakland Tony LaRussa

Cincinnati Davey Johnson

733·541 .575

Ray Knight

0·0 .000

St. Louis Mike Jorgensen 20

•

42-54 .438

Tony LaRussa 1,320-1,183 .527

• Strange But Tnae that Ward never played college baseball. In fact, Ward hadn 't ..... New York Yankees outfielder played competitively since high Ruben Sierra owns four Paso school some five years earlier. Fino show horses and shows them in a number of national • Most lanpJrOved competitions. Teaan? ..,.. The Sacramento Kings have sold out every Maybe the NBA should give the home game since 1996 Most Improved Pl ayer they moved from Award to a team this year, rather Kansas City in th an to an individual. Why? 1985. It's the Because the Washington Bullets NBA's longest are deserving of the honor. such streak. Yet As the NBA headed into its the Kings haven't All-Star break, the Bullets had had a winning record since 1983. : already surpassed their win total ..,.. The Green Bay Packers of last season. Washington posthave never beaten the Miami ed a 21-61 record in the 1994-95 Dolphins. The two franchises campaign, and equaled the same have played each other eight victory total in just 42 games thi s times, beginning with their first season. The Bullets got win nummeeting in 197 1, and the teal and ber 21 with a I 02-77 thrashing orange has won every time. of the Vancouver Grizzlies on ..... The Milwaukee Brewers draftJanuary 27, and bettered last seaed current New York Knicks son's total with a 11 3-97 victory guard Charlie Ward in the 1993 over the Portland Trail Blazers free agent draft, despite the fact on February 2. • B.-ealcing Up The

Monopoly It had been a long time since anyone other than Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi had seen the No. I spot in the ATP rankings- since November of 1994 to be exact. That i s, until Austri an Thomas Muster took over the top spot on February 12. Muster claimed the top ranking with some top performances and a bit of a scheduling quirk. The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking system is based on a player's best 14 tournaments over a 52-week period. Because the Sybase Open was played one week later thi s year due to the Davis Cup, Agassi, the defending champion of the Sybase, lost enough points to let Muster sneak past him and into the No. I ranking. So, the Sampras/Agassi monopoly has officially ended.

SPORT S SPEC TRUM • M A Y

1996

.A. The Muster Mash. A clay-court

specialist, Muster is also known as a powerful server. He was once clocked at 126.2 mph.

Trivia frona the "World of Sports

a6oooooooo6oo60oooooo606o6oo

•

ROO SKEOCH/THE PICTURE DESK

.&. Speed? Big Cecil has 0 stolen

bases in his big league career.

• The Best ... So Faa' In case you missed it, the first half of the 1990s is over. And so is the first half of this decade's baseball statistics. What pitchers have the most wins in the 90s? What hitters have cracked the most home runs? With those questions in mind, let's take a look at baseball 's best of the 90s. Or should we say the best of half of the 90s? Wins Greg Maddux .................. 105 Tom Glavine .................... 101 Jack McDowell ................ 98 David Cone ........................ 90 Randy Johnson ................ 89 Saves Lee Smith ........................226 Dennis Eckersley ............226 Rick Aguilera ..................204 Jeff Montgomery ...~ ........ 199 TomHenke ...................... 189 Home Runs Cecil Fielder....................219 Barry Bonds ....................208 Fred McGriff .................... 199 Matt Williams .................. 191 Albert Belle .................... 187 Runs Batted In Cecil Fielder.................... 678 Joe Carter ...................... 642 Barry Bonds .................... 641 Frank Thomas ................ 595 Fred McGriff ....................586

Statistics through the /995 season.

•

• What is former major league pitcher Rick Sutcliffe do ing now that his major league career is over? Chuck: The former Dodger, Indian, Cub, Oriole , and Cardinal hurler is still involved in the-game. The winner of the 19791Rookie of the Year Award and the 1984 Cy Young Award is ~ow working in the San Diego pactres' organization as a minor league pitching instructor. Rick had a solid major le~e career that spanned 18 seaspns.

•• The Los l).ngeles Lakers have had a num,ber of great players, such as Magic Johnson, Kaneem AbdulJabbar, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain. In Your opinion, who is the Lakers' most valuable player? ' Chuck: The most valuable Laker of all tillfe could be their play-by-plai' announcer Chick Hearn. Born Francis Dayle Hearn, Cltick is now in his 36th season of giving Laker fans a 1•word's-eyeview." He currently holds a consecutive garrl.e string that would make even Gal Ripken Jr. stand amazed. Hearn has called more than 2,800 consecutive games (regular season and playoffs) for the Lakers. In fact , Hearn is the lone play-by-play man in Los Angeles Lakers' history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall M Fame on May 9, 1991, and also has a star bearing his name on Hollywood Boul~vard's "Walk of Fame." Chick Hearn is truly a man with a great work ethic and a golden voi9e. e e Will Dennis Rodman

put the Chicagq Bulls over

the hump and bring the Bulls an NBA Championship this season? Chuck: Obviously Dennis Rodman has had a major impact on the Chicago Bulls. He is one of the most prolific rebounders the game has ever seen. The Worm is also a tremendous defensive player and even makes a difference on the offensive end of the floor with his hustle on the boards. He's been a huge addition to an already talented team. What remains to be seen is if Rodman will keep his questionable attitude in check long enough for the Bulls to win the title. You have to like the Bulls' talent. If they can consistently stay within the team concept, the Bulls should win it all.

•e

When Chicago Cubs great Ryne Sandberg retired in 1994, why didn't he accept his retirement money? Chuck: Sandberg is an oldfashioned ball player. He felt that if he wasn't playing he shouldn't be paid. He gave up the remainder of his multi-million dollar contract because he was dealing with some things away from the game that needed his attention, and he wasn't satisfied with the direction of the club's front office. Sandberg always enjoyed playing the game and didn't play just for the big bucks. He's truly a throwback player. It will be great to see Ryno back in uniform at the Friendly Confines this summer!

•e

Who is the all-time leading scorer in New Jersey Nets history? Chuck: Buck Williams, now of the Portland Trail Blazers, is

SPORTS SPEC TR U M

• MAY 1 996

CHUCK SWIRSKY, host of Sports Spectrum radio, is the sports director at WJR radio in Detroit . the Nets' career scoring leader. Buck scored 10,440 points in his Nets career that started with the 1981 -82 season and ended in 1989 when the Nets traded him to Portland for Sam Bowie and a 1989 firstround draft choice. Williams won Rookie of the Year honors in 1982 and left the Nets as their career leader in eleven different categories, including rebounds and games played. Hungry for an answer? Have you been trying to satisfy your appetite for the answer to that really tough sports question? Stop it! Give Chuck the chance to fill you up with the answer to your nagging question. Write to The Swirsky Report, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. SSRadio You can tune in to hear Chuck Swirsky on Sports Spectrum radio each Saturday at noon Eastern time. Call 1-800-6538333 to find out where you can hear the program.

~ Mention the sport of largemouth bass fishing, and it ~ won't be long before someone mentions Ray Scott. We have been among the tens of thousands of anglers who have followed his exploits in BASSMASTER Magazine and on The BASSMASTERS television show. And we have watched over the last 6 years as Scott turned the annual BASS Masters Classic into the (~reatest fishing show on earth." His charisma and spontaneity are something to behold. Imagine getting a crowd ofalmost 20,000 people excited about a few bass. Scott has done this and more. We wanted to know what started his dream that has become a reality, .-. making him known as the father -..J of pro bass fishing. We were waiting for Scott in the snack bar of the hotel that ~ served as headquarters for the BASS Masters Classic. There was no mistaking his arrival. As he walked through the lobby, people stopped to say hello to this lanky bassfishing entrepreneur from Alabama. He was not, nor has he ever been, too busy to chat, shake hands, or sign autographs. Upon arriving at our table, his first words were, (Tm sorry I kept you waiting."

SPORT S SPECTRUM路 MAY 1 996

1967. He's a insurance salesman who had an idea: Start an orga ni zation that wo uld altract all of the bass anglers in the country. "One day in late March of that year, I was frozen to the bone after being out fishing," explains Scott. "God stepped in . It was like so mebody just snapped the li ghts on. I saw Beave r Lake in northwest Arkansas, a lake I had never been to. In a split second it was all there. I remember standing on the bed and yelling, 'BINGO.'" But planning a bass tournament was easier than actually holding one, as Scolt soon found out. He brought his idea to the Chamber of Commerce of Springdale, Arkansas, the town adjacent to Beaver Lake. "They listened, then discussed it," recalls Scott. "They called me back in the room and told me they couldn't sponsor my tournament. They did agree to let me use the little back storage room as long as I didn't use their address." After the meeting, a man whom Scott remembers only as Mr. Applegate, approached him and asked how the meeting went. "I told him the Chamber had turned me down, but that I knew I could do it. He handed me a check for $3,500." "If you make it, you can give it back to me," said Applegate. "If you don't COTT'S SAGA BEGAN IN

~ successful

~"Mr. Bass" Goes Fishing. Known by that prestigious moniker, Scott has enjoyed bass fishing for most of his life. But with Ray, it's not just fish or cut bait. At the 1993 BASS Masters ~ Classic, he left his pole behind and entered the â&#x20AC;˘ festivities riding an elephant. ( GERALD CRAWFORD

.-.,.

--..-.. S PORT S S PE C TRUM â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 1 996

T HE

"~ay Scott ~~s raised t~e st~t~re

of bass fishing" - Dove Precht editor BASSMASTER Magarin2

F I S H ER

make it, all I ask is one th ing. Don't ever tell my wife I gave you this check." "A little bit of faith, that's all I needed," Scott says with a smile. His first "All-American" bass fishing tournament was held on Beaver Lake later that year. The prize was $2,000 cash and an all-expenses-paid trip to Acapulco. As a result, l 06 anglers from 13 states paid the $100 entry fee. Scott' s second tournament the following year drew even more anglers. He decided to get his new bass fishing organization off the ground. Scott named it B.A.S.S. and set up headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama. "I had no earthly idea what B.A.S.S. stood for. It just seemed li ke the perfect name," he recalls. Scott called his friend and outdoor writer Bob Steber of Nashvill e, Tennessee, and asked him what he thought the initials should stand for. Without hesitation, Steber responded, "How about Bass Anglers Sportsman Society?" Scott set the annual membership dues at $10, with a lifetime membershi p costing $100. He was also determined to give each B.A.S.S. member information and services far exceeding his dues. So, he created a fourcolor magazine known as BASSMASTER. "My whole aim with BASSMA STER was to give inside information on bass fishing that the angler could get nowhere else," explains Scott. In 1968, B.A.S.S. toumament contestants were taught how to rig a "kill switch" to their outboard motors. This device has saved the lives of many anglers because it cuts power to the motor if the fisherman is thrown overboard.

KING

Other safety features initiated by Scott include: limiting horsepower of the outboard motors in any B.A.S.S. tournaml!nt and the mandatory use of personal flotation devices (PFDs) whenever outboards are used. By 1970, B.A.S.S. had eight employees and 10,000 members. That year plans were made to hold the fi rst BASS Masters Classic in 1971. "The first Class ic was li ke a ride to America by Christopher Columbus," remembers Scott. "Everythi ng was new and pioneering. The plan was to have a press angler in the boat with each competitor. The whole scheme was to get the press involved. We wanted the heavy stuff- magazines." Homer Circle, one of the deans of outdoor writing, believed in Sco tt. He sat down with the youn g entrepreneur before the first Classic. "I knew he was serious because he had sold his lucrative insurance business," explains Circle. "Ray made meticulous notes as I explained every aspect of all of the bass tournaments that I had attended and covered." When he held that first Classic, "no rules were changed that he had set and everything was up front," according to Circle. "It was all because of the integrity of this man." The first Classic also had some mystique about it. No one except Scott and Bob Cobb, then editor of BASSMASTER Magazine, knew where it was to be held. "When we announced it, we were asked where we would be fishing. I told them it was a good lake, 'but I' m not going to tell you where it is,' " Scott explains. All the contestants were loaded onto a plane. Not one of them had a clue until they saw the lights of Las

Eagles of Angling In 1990 Ray Schrader, a book publisher and one of Ray Scott's best friends, said, "Ray, you know what we ought to do? We ought to build a church." Scott agreed, and set out to raise money to build a new sanctuary for his church in Pi ntla la, Alabama. Support from the professional bass fishing world was phenomenal. Some of the greatest names in bass fi shing competed. When it was over and the prize money had been awa rded, all of the partici pants attended a special service at the ch urch. When the offering was collected, there was $110,000 in the plate. "To showyou how God works: After the tournament appeared in BASSMASTER Magazine, President George Bush called me and offered 24

COURTESY: B.A.S.S., INC .

A. Presidential seal of approval. When Ray Scott invited then-President George Bush to join him In the bass fishing tournament, he accepted. " I really love fishing with Ray," said the former Commander In Chief.

his support. So, I invited him to fish in the second tournament," recalls Scott. "He did, and the rest is history." "Ray Scott is a close friend and strong supporter who

has done more for the great sport of bass fishing than anyone in the world," explains former President Bush. "I love fishing with Ray. He's a good man."

Atotal of $1.6 million was raised at four tournaments. The Pintlala Baptist Church now has a beautiful new sanctuary that seats 600 people. "As you walk into the

S PORTS S P ECTRUM路 MAY 199 6

vestibule, a sig n reads, 'Dedicated to the Glory of God by the Bass Fishermen of America,' " Scott explains. -Lee & Sharon De Bevoise

T H E

F I S H ER

K IN G

PHOTOS BY LEE

Vegas. The secret was out. The first BASS Masters Classic was held on Lake Mead in Nevada. Scott's dream was to have B.A.S.S. become more than a magazine and professional tournaments. One need he saw was protecting the environment. Fishing had deteriorated on some lakes and streams because of misuse. So B.A.S.S. established Anglers for Clean Water (ACW). As Scott remembers, "I got concerned and upset. Then I decided, we (B.A.S.S.) will just sue [people who pollute)." He did not confine his efforts to problems in Alabama, but sought out problem areas throughout the nation. Scott used the 1899 Refuse Act as his banner. This pollution law states, "Refuse cannot be dumped into the country's navigable waters without a permit from the Corps of Engineers." B.A.S. S. then filed suit against 2 14 businesses in Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas. It was finally ruled that B.A.S.S. did not have the jurisdiction to bring suit in this matter. According to the judge, the federal government has that responsibility. A few months later, the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) was created. Scott's efforts had been successful after all. Washington legislators had gotten the message. Scott continued to bring conservation issues before bass anglers through BASSMASTER Magazine. A "Don' t Kill Your Catch" program was a forerunner of today's Catch-and-Release philosophy. Furthermore, li vewell aerators were soon required in all boats entered in B.A.S.S. tournaments, with a penalty assessed for any dead fish brought to the weigh-in scales. Red Smith, the first sports writer to win a Pulitzer Pri ze, once wrote about B.A.S.S. tournament anglers, "These guys don' t kill fish. They can' t do a lake any harm. If they enjoy the competition, what's the harm?" Scott also brings his personal faith in God to each B.A.S.S . tournament. "We pray before we launch each tournament," he explains. "When you are doing

something for the first time, it stimulates the people who are Christians. "I was about 8 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior," remembers Scott. "People try to complicate getting saved- that is accepting Christ as your Savior. Nothing Christ ever said was anything that even a child couldn 't understand." "Some people are too edu cated ," he ex pl ain s. "Susan, my wife of 9 years, was like that until she understood that she had to humble herself like a child. She became a Christian after we were married. "I can't say for sure why so many professional bass anglers are Chri sti ans," states Scott. "When Jesus picked His disciples, he picked fishermen. Christ used many examples of fishing in his parables. You won' t see the reference to God used more anywhere else in the world than in these fishing tournaments." Today, more than 660,000 bass anglers from throughout the world belong to the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. There are B.A.S.S. Federations, consisting of organi zed bass clubs, in 46 states, Asia, and Africa. Dave Precht, editor of BA SSMASTER Magazine and a staff member at B.A .S.S. since 1979, observes, "I was impressed with Ray from the first tournament he held. Most sports are pretty secular, but he starts each tournament day by giving final instructions, ending with a prayer for safety and a good day. "Ray Scott has raised the stature of bass fishing through promotion and conductin g tournaments," Precht continues. "He made the sport more sophi sticated and advanced." As Scott's dream continues to unfold, the sport of bass fi shing keeps growin g. Bass anglers now have boats, electronics, and tackle that have been specifically designed for them. And it all began as a result of one man's dream and his personal faith. D

SHARON DE BEVOISE

"" Fun for the whole family. Fishing is not just for adults, at least in Ray Scott's thinking. He's also created a Casting Kids championship. Scott and a representative from Rubbermaid hand over a $5,000 check to Derek Schreiber, the winner in 1994 (left). Bob Hamilton {right), the 1993 BASS Masters Classic winner, shows his "catch" to his family and Scott.

Lee and Sharon DeBevoise are outdoor writers who live in Millville, New Jersey.

SPORTS SPECTRUM 路 MAY 1996

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f.llt ________________________________________________________________________~

<!!>INI"iP

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Taking You On the Scene For A New World Record

Andy Linder: Buka Man By Mike Sandrolini are usuall y broken at familiar venues like a track , a skating rink , a swimming pool, or an arena. But Andy Linder shatters world records-hi s own, normall y-in the most peculiar places. On this day, Linder will be shooting for a new record within the confines of a 3' x 8' carpet next to the Disc-O-Toss exhibit booth at the annual Nat ional Sportin g Goods Associa tion World Sports Expo in Chicago's McCormick Place. All Linder has to do is kick a 6inch Buka ball- a ball that is hand woven out of syntheti c plasti c strips and used in th e popular Southeast Asia sport of takraw12,000 times. In a row. Without stopping. If Linder succeeds, he would surpass the mark of I0,000 consecutive kicks he set last June in Washington D.C. Ever watc h a soccer player bouncing a ball off his feet, heels, or knees to keep it airborne? Well, Linder tries to keep the much smaller Buka ball from touching the ground too- thousands upon thousands of times. To accomplish that, he taps the ball from one foot to the other using the insteps of his feet. If he wants,'Andy can use his knees and head to keep the ball airborne, but tapping the ball with his feet is much faster and enables Linder to get into a rhythm. At I: 18 prn, Linder begins his quest for a new worl d record. Passersby cast a curious glance in his direction but proceed on their way. That will change as hours pass and Linder gets into a groove. Eighteen minutes later, Linder has kicked the ball I,300 times. By 2 o'clock, Linder is up to ORLD RECORDS

: :

4,884 consecuti ve kicks. At 2:3 1, Linder has reac hed 6,800 consecuti ve ki cks. (He's averaging 92-93 kicks per minute.) Fin all y, peo ple wa nder ing the exhibits are starting to take notice. Groups of two, three, or four stand a few feet from Linder, their eyes ri veted on him as he continues bouncing the ball from instep to instep. "I could do that," jokes one woman as she walks away, "if my back didn't hurt." Most onlookers, though, simply walk away shaking their heads in amazement. "Andy's an animal," says Jason Rice, a sales manager for Buka, \ -z_ k:1c. Inc., the Californi a-based company that markets Buka balls in the U.S. "He's fi nally sweating. And if he wasn' t sick, he wou ldn't be sweating." Linder is run ning fl fever, whi ch, he said afterwa rd , left him feeli ng "pretty weak" as the afternoon progressed. Time marches on, and so does Linder. A few feet away to Linder's left, a young man named Joe sits in a folding chair using a clicker to keep track of Andy's kicks. About a half-hour later, Linder is informed by Kurt Sonderegger - founder and president of Buka, who was on hand for Linder' s record in June, that he is about to break his old record. Linder has accomplished this in I hour and 46 minutes- longer than the I hour and 3 minutes it took him to reach 10,000 consecutive kicks. The pace does n' t matter; Andy's going for more. As Linder surpasses the II ,000 mark, a man calls out , "He just dropped it." Fortun ately, th e man was kidd ing. COURTESY: MJ<E SANORCXJI-I Linder is closing in on 12,000 .A. Getting a kick out of life. In about the time it takes to run a worldkicks. He senses the end is near, so class marathon (2 hours and 7 minutes) Andy Linder set a new world he asks Sonderegger and Joe the record for keeping a Buka ball aloft. bean counter how many more

/V[V-J

OP--LD RccoeD )o oo rs

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SPORT S SPECTRUM · M AY 199C

Trying to set a new record in a limited amount of space, though, caused Andy Linder an anxious moment or two. kicks he has to go because he wan ts to finish off with a bang. Linder kicks No. II ,999 high enough so the 12,000th and final kick bounces off his head. A handful of people who've gathered to watch the fi nal minutes of Linder's performance give hi m a round of appl au se as Sonderegger announces the new world record. And Linder, a picture of concentration earl ier, breaks into a smile as he's greeted with congratul atory handshakes. Being focused is important in any sports-related endeavor. But for Linder's purposes, it's critical. "You shut the rest of the world out," says Li nder. "One thing I noti ced with thi s: There was so much noise going on around me with thi s game [the Disc-O-Toss] going on next door and people talkin g. It was not a distracti on because it j ust blended together." Linder says mai ntainin g hi s concentrati on has never been a probl em. Trying to set a new record in the limited amount of space all ocated for hi m at McCorm ick Place, though, did cause him an anxious moment or two. At around the 4,000-5 ,000 kick, he got too close to a nearby fire hose. " That made me a li tt l e nervous," he says. "That's when I got too relaxed. Fortun ately, I was able to regain contro l.. There were may be a couple of times in each of the records where I may have go tt en a litt le too rel ax ed and mi ght have gotten out of my rhythm. That's just helped me to remember that I had to balance relaxing and concentrating." Although Linder brings a boombox wi th him to ex hi bitions to pro vide background mu si c, tunes alone don' t help him reach the l evel of concentration he needs to complete his unique and demanding athl etic goa ls.

: : : : : : : : : •

" I really try the Lord unfold to pray to God these opport uto re new my nities for me. I strength and to try to let Him help me with my l ive and speak conce ntrati on through me." and focus," says Linder , who Li nder. "Every first beca me time I heard [Joe involved with counting off] Buka, Inc., las t I ,000 [kicks] , I March, is a piotried to pray and neer in kicking th ank God for the Buka ball for getting me that world records. far and renewing Th ere were no my strength to records estabkeep going." li shed pri or to Meditating on his setting them. Bible ve rses i s Actually , he's j ust as important better acquai nta part of Linder's ed with footpre-ex hi biti on ba g -mor e pr e para ti o n co m m o n I y as stretching exknown as Hacky erci ses, if not S a c k- a n d more so. holds several " The ve rse doubles records I read before with partner Ted I started was Martin . Their A Follow the bouncing ball. Coloss i ans 3:2 As McCormick Place visitors records are listed whi ch says set watched, Linder kept his focus in the Cuiuuess your mind on on the Buka ball. Book of World heaven rather Records. than the things down here. That's A nd y's and T ed's doubles what I try to do-keep my mind records includefoc used on Chri st, to try to • 27,956 kicks in just under four renew my strength in Him." hours in doubl es one-pass. Before, during, or after hi s (Conditions: A person kicks the world-record attempts, it's com- foo tbag once, then passes i t to mon for Linder to wear T -shirt s hi s partner. ) that help him share his faith • 622 consecuti ve passes in 9'12 with audiences. minutes in doubles distance, one " I certain ly hope to represent pass. (Conditi ons: A person must Christ well when I compete," he stand I 0 feet away f rom and says. "I'll put on aT-shirt like 'The : continuously pass the footbag to Lord's Gym.' I will pu t a Bible : his partner.) verse on autographs that I si gn. : • 23,25 1 ki cks in 3 1/2 hours I've also set several records with a : in one-up, fi ve-down doubles. Philippians 4: 13 T-shirt (" I can do : (Conditions: A person kicks the all things through Christ who gives : footbag once, then passes it to his me strength ." ] I try to take the : partner. His partner kicks it once, opportunities [to share my faith] as : then passes i t back to the other they present themselves. I try to let : partner, who kicks it twice. The S P O RTS S r i:CTR UM - MAY 1 996

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one who kicked it twice then passes it back to his colleague, who also must kick it twice, and so on through fi ve consecutive kicks.) Th e duo di d hold a doubles record of I 00 ,00 I consecuti ve kicks (where one person kicks the footbag 25 times, then passes it to his partn er)-completed in 15 hours, 38 minutes. That record, set in 1994, was broken in November by a team from the West Coast. Andy and Ted have been tracting worl d si ngl es marathon records in footbag for the last several years. Linder se t his first record of 17,872 consecutive kicks i n 3 hours bac k in 1983 and increased that to 36,230 in 1986. M arti n holds the current world record of 51,155 kicks. "The mos t co mmon f orm of footbag you' ll see is people kicking it in a circle," says Linder, who is featured, along with Martin, in the 1996 Cui1111ess Book of World Records. "You ' ll see it in parks." You mi ght think the pair is always successful when they go after a new record. Not so. During a fundraiser for L inder's church last fal l, they failed to break their doubles onepass mark of 27,956. They bobbled an exchange at 18,3 13, and the footbag fell to the floor. But Linder's faith enables him to keep success, as well as failure, in perspective. " It's important to have your priorities straight, and my No. I priority is my relationship with Christ, then my family, then my career," says Linder, an outpatient cou nselor for the Minit1h-Meyer Clinic. He lives in the far west Chicago suburb of Carol Stream with his wife Dawn and son Josh. "God loves you uncondi tionally and gi ves you peace no matter what. Life doesn' t offer guarantees that you're going to win. You ' re not going to always win." 27

A. The Brewers' Best. When Cal set the American League on its heels In his rookie season of 1992, he posted numbers that no other Brewers' pitcher had ever accomplished. Eldred's 11 -2 record, good for an .846 winning percentage, was the highest percentage in team history. For his performance, the hard-throwing right-hander was honored by The Sporting News as the 1992 Rookie Pitcher of the Year.

SPORTS S P ECTR UM â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 1 996

FEATURE

HE REPORT LAY IN THE CENTER of the otherwise clear desk. Neatly written. Every blank filled in. The office, like the desk, is neat. It seems less like the domain of John Adam, the Milwaukee Brewers' head trainer, and more like the office of a highly-placed corporate executive. On one side of the desk sits a state-of-theart computer, for the moment silent and dark. The walls are decorated with baseball art. A homey

Cal Eldred was Milwaukee' s workhorse. He had given them a lot of innings since bursting on the scene in 1992, and they had ridden his strong right arm to the threshold of the American League East crown his rookie year as he finished 11-2. But then, in early 1995, came the news the whole organization dreaded. Cal's elbow was injured-a pitcher's worst nightmare.

THE

It was a tough 1995 for Brewer pitcher Cal Eldred and his fam-ily By John Long touch here and there. A tru ly personal retreat from a high-stakes profession. But no matter how neat the office, the words on the report are not softened. Everyone in the Mi lwau kee Brewers' organi zation knows the contents of the report, and it scares them. DATE OF INJURY: May 9, 1995 NAME OF INJURED PARTY: ELDRED, CAL Pitcher (R) SYMPTOMS: Pain, weakness in right elbow. Tired arm. Decreased velocity. INITIAL DIAGNOSIS: Strain/partially torn ulna collateral ligament. INITIAL TREATMENT: Rest, light therapy. Symptoms do not indicate the ulna-collateral is c01ppletely torn. Healing may occur clinically. No surgery now. Oral prescription anti-inflammatory to inhibit swelling. CONSULTING PHYSICIAN: Dr. Lewis Yokum, Jobe Clinic, LA, Cal. California Angels Team Orthopedic Surgeon. CONSULTATION DIAGNOSIS: Complete tear ulna collateral ligament. Repair necessary. TREATMENT RECOMMENDATION (CONSULTATION): Elbow reconstruction (Tommy John Surgery). Remove torn ligament. Replace with tendon from left arm.

Eldred had flown to LA to be examined by Yokum, and he received the bad news. If there was any chance he'd pitch again, it was slim. He thanked the doctor and flew home to his wife Christi and their son C.J. Uncertainty played a major role in the life of fami ly Eldred last year. Calvin John (C.J.) was born on May 6. By the ninth, Cal Sr. felt stiffness in his elbow. He traveled with the team to Kansas City to throw under the watchful eye of John Adam. Christi and C.J. went along to offer whatever support and comfort they could, although Cal wasn' t particularly worried yet. He threw, but the pain was too much M>TC><<LLLAVTON/oooMo to ignore. Suddenly the prospect of life outside the white lines loomed large. The club arranged for the examination by Yokum. He is th e man in elbow reconstruction, and he doesn' t cut unless absolutely necessary. At the Jobe Clinic, the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was just inconclusive enough to suggest a look inside. Cal had to choose between resting his arm for several months or letting Yok um go in and do whatever was necessary. He opted for the operation.

TOM DIPACE

SPOR TS SPECTRU M 路 MAY 1 996

THE

"' Smiling Again. The whole family, Christi, C.J., and Cal, went through some tough times in 1995. But a return to health and a new season gives them reason to smile.

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT

HURTS As Cal Eldred did, we all go through times of pain and struggle. It is impossible to sail through life without illness, injury, and other kinds of physical setbacks. For help in goi ng through times like that, write for the free booklet Does God Want Me Well? Write to Sports Spectrum, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI" 49501-3566, or call 1-800-598-7221 to order this booklet. Use the title and this number: 00104.

L O N GEST

After surgery, Cal and Christi packed up C.J. and headed to the Brewers' winter and spring home in Arizona to begin rehab. John Adam and Keith Kocher of Physical Therapy Associates were on hand to oversee his therapy. "Keith is the best therapist for Cal," Adam says. "They just clicked, and they work great together." As Cal's accelerated rehab was getting off the ground, th ough, another cri sis was brewing. A much more troubling crisis. "We moved to Ari zona in August so Cal could heal and get back in shape," Christi says. "In early August, I noticed a small bump on top of C.J.'s head and decided to take him to a pediatrician and have it looked at. It looked like a little blister. The doctor had no idea what it might be and suggested we have it looked at in Phoenix if it didn't disappear in a couple of weeks. When we went to the pediatrician in Phoenix, he raised the possibility that C.J. had a skin condition known as JXG. If so, he would grow out of it in a couple of years, but the doctor wasn't sure and wanted another opinion in case it was something worse." "We both leaned heavily on God and our support system through our friends at church and through the club," Cal says. "I was concerned going into surgery about what might have to be done and what that could do to my career, but I knew God had everything planned. Baseball was secondary to that. Then the problem arose with C.J., and I knew I had to give it over to God and let Him carry us." The next doctor who examined C.J. mentioned that he could be suffering from a rare cancer-like condition requirin g an oncologist and long treatment. It was frightening for Cal and Christi, and they turned to their support system once again. " It would have been horrible to go through this wi thout God, our family, and friends," Christi and Cal agree. "We had to remind ourselves that God was sovereign and has this under co ntrol. We had to trust Him. Not just pretend, but truly trust God." Finall y, after three bi opsies, a plethora of blood work, and a host of X-rays, C.J. was diagnosed with the

SEASO N

less-threatening JXG. A long-term crisis was averted. Yet there was still the possibility that Eldred's pitching career was over. John Adams thought otherwise. "You know, Cal is the perfec t candidate to come all the way back from this," he said last winter. "He has taken little steps forward from the beginning and hasn't slowed or hindered his recovery by overwork and trying too much too soon. He wi ll pitch up in Milwaukee this summer, barring a major setback, and his velocity will be back where it was before the injury by 1997. He's coming along great, and it's been a joint effort among Dr. Yokum, Keith Kocher, his clinic, and the Eldreds." Says Cal, "Christi has been showered with love and support from our friends and particularly Jeannette Foli [wife of Brewer third base coach Tim]. She has stood beside us li ke a rock, and so has Tim. Chris Banda [brother of Brewer G.M. Sal] has been promoted to the big club as a coach, and he and Mary Beth were a large pmt of the reason Christi and I have grown so much in the Lord. They hosted our Bible study group, and we can't wait to get them here so we can do it again." Last year was a roller coaster for the Eldreds, but they were determined to place their trust in God from the beginning. When a serious injury was compounded by their baby's illness, they never wavered. "We were both firm about that," Christi says emphatically. "We know that God is our strength. Not just when things are great, but when they're really bad. When Cal was thinking about having the surgery, I was reall y at peace. I told him he didn' t have to put his body through all that. He doesn't have to play baseball anymore. We have each other, and we have C.J. God gave us all the rest and was free to take it back." By earl y 1996, Eldred was far enough along in his rehab to take an overseas trip. "We went to Australia on a short-term mi ss ions trip in January, and it focused me so much more on God and His plan for us," Cal says quietly. "Bill Wegman (former Brewer pitcher] and his wife were with us, and we learned an important lesson on prayer. Even the little things like where to eat to satisfy everyone can be a problem on a trip like that, so when we couldn't agree on a place, someone would suggest prayer and it resolved the difficulty. "When this whole crazy year was wearing us down, I felt an awesome sense of peace and the power of prayer covering all three of us. There were many friends and famil y members holding us up through 1995. God has been so good and faithful to us. He proved again and again just how much we can lean on His strength." As a new season looms ahead, new challenges will face Eldred as he tests his arm against m<~or league batters. But one thing is sure, he' ll have lots of help to face whatever comes his way.

S P O R TS S PE C TRUM 路 MAY 1996

John Long is a freelance writer who lives in UIH'I'ence, Kansas.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Hey, Coach!" You're a coach, huh? Why'd you go and do a thing like that? I'LL ASK YOU AGAIN . WH Y DO YOU COACH?

Maybe it's for a lot of the right reasons. But maybe you should take the whi stle off and sit the pine for a spell. To help you with a little selfanalysis, let's take a look at some of the wrong reasons I have seen and/or experienced for why people coach- focusing on coaches who wo rk with children and youth from age 2 to 22: • Wl'ong Reason #1

I had a mediocre or unfulfilled

sports career and am now fl ying to vicariously experience success through kids I am coaching. There's nothin g wo rse than playing for a frustrated ex-jock. I had that "pleasure" in pee-wee football once. My vocabulary (four-letter words especially) was embellished, my self-worth was deflated, and my desire to put the pads on again was sacked. If you're coaching to sati sfy your own selfish desires, it's time to leggo your ego. When yo u coach for personal success, yo u care less and less about the players. If your team is underachieving (in your eyes), your own feelings of inadequacy and insecurity will bubble to the surface. A coach who was never satisfied with his own performance will have a tough time being satisfi ed with hi s you ng crop of players. This kind of coach will resort to using anger, manipulation, threats, rough language, and harsh criticism to "inspire" his or her charges. Sound familiar? If it does, do yo ur team a fa vo r and retire before yo u take another wideeyed yo uth and turn her into a sad-eyed , unhappy, unfulfilled athlete- much like the one you once saw in the mirror. • W:rong Reason #2

My son or daughter needed a coach, and I reluctantly agreed to

• : : : • •

•

coaching and want to work with the other kids on the team. work with the little varmints. Don' t get me wrong. There are her team, do it. But leave the • W:rong Reason #4 a lot of parent volunteer-coaches heavy-handed approac h and I CO/IIIIake a few extra dollars if I out there who kn ow what they unrealistic expectation s in the coach the high school team. You gotta have the love; it's are doing. Mike Krzyzewski and gym bag. If yo u want a kid who hits a true. Bill Cowher, look out. : But this means love for your But there is also a breed of : ball a country mile when he's 8 coach that needs to be removed but won' t want to get within ten team, not for the green. from the pac k. These parent- miles of you when he's 28, coach • The Right Reasons coaches look forward to practice your kid with stars in your eyes. It's a joy to watch a coach who really knows what she's doing and games with all the enthusiasm Or if you want to create a monster that carves up the competi- and really know s why she's of a tax audit. They do stuff like: .,..Show up late to practices and tion but lacks interest and con- doing it. Coaches like this leave games (Nice display of commit- cern for important life issues like an indelible impression on their morality and character- just keep athletes- they leave the mark of ment and responsibility!) .,.. Muddle through practices with- feeding him that steady diet of : a winn er. All coaches leave out a remote indication of being "the game's the thing, the game's marks. Some, however, are not the thing, the game's the thing." pretty (see above). prepared Not only are prodigy-focused The coach who coaches for the .,.. Put kids in awkward and emotionally-harmful situations during coac h-parents bad news for right reasons is known for: games because they don 't have a their own child , they also make .,.. Love and concern for his players playing the game miserable for .,.. Patience and careful planning clue what they' re doing .,..Positi ve reinforcement and .,..Di spl ay a coac hing style rewards steeped in self-pity- lacking real .,..Respect for his athletes, his interest for the kids opponents, and the game If you' re coaching because you .,.. Fairness and integrity were "forced into it" or "my wife .,.. A balanced life signed me up," it's time to take .,.. Not worryin g so lely about a long look at what you're wins and losses, but being reall y acco mplishing. occupied with building You may be hinderthe character and values ing instead of helpof his athletes. ing your athletes. Does that sound like • W:rong yo u? Are yo u a coach Reason #3 who will leave a legacy I want my son (o r of changed li ves and daughter) to become solid citizens? a world-class athI hope so. lete- the next And I hope one of Michael Jordan my kids plays for you. or Troy Aikman And I hope one day or Steffi Graff he will gro w up and or . .. coach just Iike you. If yo u really want If yo u' re lac king the to create the next athletri ght moti vation, however, ic wonder, why not train a consider these words found guinea pig to play croquet? in the Bible, 'The Lord gives Or how about that amazing wisdom, and from his mouth billiard-playing hamster? come kn ow ledge and und erBut making yo ur child the standing" (Proverbs 2:6). object of yo ur great athletic You may need more than a experiment is downright mad- as coachin g chan ge; yo u may in cuckoo. If your child enjoys a need a change of heart. sport, encourage her. If you enjoy 31

If you want to share the Good News around the big sports event of 1996-the Olympic Games in Atlanta-check out these two resources:

this 23-mi nute cassette. Listeners also get playby-play calls from David's stellar career, upbeat background music, and some interesting sound effects. And the tape is hosted by Fred Hickman of CNN Sports. The cassette concludes with David passionately presenting the gospelallowing individuals to pray and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Afo ld-out card reinforces how listeners can know God personally.

Sports Spectrum Olympic Edition 1 magazine-Same fullcolor design, same 32page format that clearly communicates the gospel through features of top Christian Olympians such as: Dream Team member/gold medalist • Mike Marsh Sprinter/two golds • Becky DyroenLancer Top synchronized swimmer • Tara Cross-Battle Top U.S. Volleyball player in 1992 The stories and liferelated issues covered in this edition will reach people of all ages in your community.

Both of these resources are perfect for doorto-door distribution or for handing out at church, school, and work. David Robinson Straight Trax cassette2 David Robinson, 1996

When you call, ask about the free More Than Gold catalog, with Olympi c Dream Tea m more great Summer member and NBA MVP, Games resources! shares his life and faith in

* Minimum quantity order of 25 for magazines, 10 fo r cassettes.

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