The Problem With So-Called 'Minor Sports?
Nobody Seems To Care About Them
There's a lot of sports material produced that you never get a chance to read or hear.
There are press releases and media guides concerning the colleges' so-called "minor" sportsgolf, tennis, volleyball, women's basketball, even track and baseball.
The sports information departments of the various SEC schools are equal opportunity publicity mills. They grind out the same facts and figures and feature material for those activities that are sent to the press for football and basketball. The problem is, not many papers, radio or TV stations will use
1 -fA	
	Stan Torgerson Cats' Pause Columnist
	
the stuff.
Shades of "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
The sports information director of your favorite school can send out material until he's blue in the face, but he can't get it published.
The reason is simple. In the opinion of most sports editors, nobody cares. That's a shame, too, because the kids who participate, their friends and relatives care, but the general public doesn't give two hoots in Hades if coach Three Putt Brown has four members back from last year's golf team to challenge for conference honors.
With the exception of baseball at certain schools, the Southern sports fan wants football, football and then more football.
He'll soak up some basketball, particularly at tournament time, but a story of football recruiting in the "off season will bounce a basketball release in the "on" season right back to page two.
Women's Basketball Gets Bad Shake
My strongest sympathy lies with women's basketball. The game once was patticake. but no more. Now it's drive on goal, give 'em the hip and be prepared to bruise and be bruised under the basket. It's a good, hardfought activity that is well played, particularly in our part of the country, but very few care.
Yes. very few. I classify a crowd of 1,200 or 1,800 or even 2.000 for a girls' conference game very few. The fact is, there are more crowds under 1,500 than there are over 1,500 for stand-alone girls' games.
Why do you think so many schools play the girls' contest as part of double headers with men's games? It's plain and simple an effort to have someone in the stands when the women are on the court.
It's a shame, but that's the way it is.
Baseball, except at Mississippi State and one or two other schools, is also a near orphan. Spending a pleasant afternoon in the sunshine watching a college baseball game is a good way to go but only a few hundred fans at each school apparently care.
As for golf, tennis and the other poor relations of sports, nobody comes to see them play and nobody writes or reads about them, either.
Your favorite paper will run a small story about the results of a match, and once in awhile you'll see a feature on a college golfer or tennis player, but if such a story does run, it's usually well back in the paper and primarily used as a filler.
It really is a shame. The minor sports participants train hard, approach their sport as intensely and get as emotionally competitive as the finest football or basketball star.
But again, very few people care.
And so while you probably have several football or basketball games you will never forget, the only minor sports memories are in the minds of those who participated. They're entitled.
If it takes football and basketball dollars ot keep track, swimming, gymnastics, golf and tennis going, it seems to me that that's money well spent. In it's own way, a well-rounded minor sports program proves that somebody does care.
Not For Broadcast
Looking at the Ole Miss spring football brochure will give anyone the idea that the Rebels will be one of the favorites in this year's SEC race. They return nine starters on offense and an equal number on defense. Fifteen lettermen in all will return from last year's team which finished 7-3-1. Their problem will be, of course, that no matter how well they play it will be a disappointing year. The Rebels won't be able to appear on TV or play in a bowl game
because of NCAA probation. That could either discourage the team or give them incentive to blow some people away. Knowing coach Billy Brewer, I believe the "drive to win" will prevail. . The opposite situation is at Alabama where new coach Bill Curry welcomes only three defensive starters and five on offense. To further complicate Curry's life, the man has yet to coach his first game at Bama and he's already under fire, simply because he's not a graduate of the school. He may make believers out of his opponents, but he's going to have to win big to do it. . .At the end of the conference's women's basketball tournament, the top six SEC teams Auburn. Georgia. Ole Miss, Tennessee. Vanderbilt and LSUhad a collective won-lost record of 145-31. That's an 82 percent mark. . .Speaking of attendance for women's basketball, here are the figures for the recent conference tourney: Game 1Kentucky vs. Florida, 1,500. Game 2Alabama vs. Mississippi State, 1,600 Game 3Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss, 750. Game 4Tennessee vs. LSU 1,100. Game 5Georgia vs. Kentucky, 3.500. Game 6Auburn vs Alabama. 2,000. Game 7Georgia vs. Vanderbilt, 3,500. Game 6Auburn vs. Tennessee, 3.200. Game 7Georgia vs. Vanderbilt, 3,500. Game 8Auburn vs. Tennessee, 3,200. Game 9Georgia vs. Auburn, 5,000. The tournament was played in Albany, Ga., and that's reflected by the size of the crowd for Georgia's games. But other than when the Bulldogs took the court, the attendance was, to say the least, disappointing. . .Vanderbilt played in the NIT back in 1983 and then again this year. All five of their tournament games were played on their home court. The Commodores have never been sent to play an NIT game away from home. Do you sup pose their 15,000-seat gym and great crowd support can be the reason? You bet your sweet bippy. . .Seven of Tennessee's 12 football games this year are in Knoxville. Six of their 11 1988 games will be at home. Talk about a long year. The Vols' first game is Aug. 31. They close out the slate on Nov. 28. Should they make it to a bowl, the Volunteers will have played football for virtually five straight months, plus 21 days in the spring. Who said college football was just a sport?. . .The range in scoring this past basketball season is almost unbelievable. Florida led the league, averaging 84.4 points per game. Mississippi State brought up the rear with 57.6. That's a spread of almost 27 points per outing from top to bottom. Unbelievable. Other interesting stats include Florida's 43.5 success percentage in three-point goals. Everyone expected the Gators to be the league's best and they were. However, Alabama was just a hair behind at 43.4 percent. Mississippi State's scoring problems are clearly shown by its very low 33 percent three-point shooting percentage and its overall mark of 42.3 percent. Both were the poorest in the league. No matter what you say, basketball always ends up as a shooter's game.
r . '
Alabama's Wimp Sanderson
The Last Word: When asked about Dale Brown's vigil of not going to bed before the LSU-Alabama championship game of the SEC tournament in order to fire his team up, Alabama's Wimp Sanderson quipped:
"1 went down to talk to Dale Brown before the game today but I found him asleep on the bench."
Bat Cats Squeeze 2 Of 3 From The Big Orange
The University of Kentucky baseball Wildcats won two of three games this past weekend against conference rival Tennessee at Shively Field. Kentucky split the double-header on Saturday, winning the first game 10-9 and losing the second 7-5. The Bat Cats, 5-4 in SEC play, then went on to post an 11-5 victory in the series finale.
UK won the first game Saturday, with a two-run rally in the seventh inning after UT had taken a 9-8 lead in the top of die inning.
Freshman Darin Rieman led off die seventh for the 'Cats with a walk. Two outs later. Robbie Buchanan also walked off Tennessee reliever Greg McMichael. With Scott Pruitt pinch-running for Rieman, Billy White then drilled a single to right which scored Buchanan, giving the hosts a 10-9 victory.
UT came out swinging in Saturday's second game, pounding seven hits and six runs off Kentucky starter Tom Deller. The Wildcats appeared to be making a comeback in the sixth, hitting three consecutive homers on three pitches, but Tennessee starter Dan Eskew held on to claim the win, retiring the last five batters to raise his record to 3-2.
Sunday's single game ended at 11-5, after a six-run rally in the seventh inning by the home team, thus breaking a 3-3 tie. The Bat Cats hammered out seven hits in the bottom of the inning to break the game open. Singles by White and Terry Shumpert were turned into scores when Mark Blythe belted a double. Blythe and Chris Estep scored on a Mark McClain error after Mitch Knox grounded a ball into shallow centerfield. Knox was called out at second.
Buchanan then blasted a two-run homer over right center which scored pinch-runner Pruitt. With two outs. Rieman doubled into left field, getting the seventh and final hit of the inning.
* * * *
Earlier in the week Keith Madison's Bat Cats defeated Ohio Dominican 8-5 at Shively Field. UK's Sam Taylor picked up the win.
Wildcat Grid Slate
1987
Sept. 12 UTAH STATE
Sept. 19 INDIANA
Sept. 26 at Rutgers
Oct.   3 OHIO UNIVERSITY
Oct.  10 MISSISSIPPI
Oct.  17 at Louisiana State
Oct. 24 at Georgia
Oct. 31 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov.   7 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 14 at Florida
Nov. 21 TENNESSEE
1988
Sept.   3 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Sept. 10 at Auburn
Sept. 17 at Indiana
Sept. 24 KENT STATE
Oct.    1 ALABAMA
Oct.   8 Open
Oct. 15 at Louisiana State
Oct. 22 GEORGIA
Oct. 29 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Nov.   5 VANDERBILT
Nov. 12 FLORIDA
Nov. 19 at Tennessee
1989 Sept.   9 INDIANA
Sept. 16 NORTH CAROLINA
Sept. 23 at Alabama
Sept. 30 Open
Oct.    7 AUBURN
Oct.   14 RUTGERS
Oct. 21 LOUISIANA STATE
Oct. 28 at Georgia
Nov.   4 CINCINNATI
Nov. 11     at Vanderbilt
Nov. 18    at Florida
Nov. 23 TENNESSEE