| OCR Text |
Show The Daily Utah Chronicle, Thursday, December 2, 1582 Pag e Seven miss competitive mrvairk. jofforringfon It that the death of a boxer may finally provoke rule changes in the National Football League. In the wake of Korean fighter Duk Koo Kim's death, a ce mood of is sweeping the snorts world. Following the fateful Mancini-Ki- m fight, boxing fans all over the globe clamored for reforms, some even insisting that the sport be banned. Now, only two weeks later, professional football is the target with Thanksgiving's matchup between the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions providing the stimulus. In that game, Giant return man Leon Bright was carried from the Silverdome field after being slammed to the turf by the Lion's Leonard Thompson while awaiting a Tom Skladany punt. , Last Thursday wasn't the first time Bright has courted serious injury. The daring return man, known for his proclivity to shun fair catches, has been knocked senseless four times in only two years in the NFL. Although subsequent reports indicated Bright escaped with "only" a bruised neck, the sight of medics taping his head securely to a stretcher following Thompson's illegal (and cheap) shot stunned a national television audience, motivating critics of the sport to scream for harsher penalties. Their concern was heightened this past weekend because of a similar incident that took place in the game between the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers. Jet linebacker Stan Blinka sent the Packers' John Jefferson reeling to the ground with a malicious forearm to Jefferson's helmet. Occurring away from the play, Blinka's blow was an is ironic Other sports refuse to tolerate excessive violence. Several players have been suspended by the National Hockey League for varying numbers of games (although admittedly the NHL has a long way to go), and the NBA fined wide receiver to the obvious attempt to force the All-Psidelines prematurely (perhaps permanently). It would be misleading to say that such behavior is condoned by the National Football League. This past year new standards for roughing the passer were adopted that have helped to deter anxious defensive linemen from hitting quarterbacks without just cause. But in both games the past week, mere penalties were assessed against the respective offender's team. In light of such meager punishment, many justifiably think the present rules may actually encourage unnecessary roughness. Cheap shots can eliminate critical players from a game, and overly competitive athletes may think a measly 15 yards is a sacrifice well worth it if the prize on the other side is an incapacitated Earl Campbell or Tony Dorsett. A case point emerged from a game last year, ironically involving the Lions and the Packers. Detroit defensive end William Gay drilled his helmet into the back of defenseless Packer quarterback Lynn Dickey long after the play had been completed. The Lions were penalized for roughing the passer. Dickey, on the other hand, misssed the remainder of that game (which the Lions won) and the next three contests, suffering temporary paralysis. Everyone associated with football at all competitive levels realizes that hard hitting comes with the territory, and players accept the risk of debilitating injuries. But cheap shots are not part of the game, pnd were never meant to be. They are premeditated efforts to hurt people. These reprehensible acts must be stopped. ro long-need- ed anti-violen- 15-ya- Kareem Abdul-Jabb510,000 for flooring Kent Benson several years ago. The time is past due to clamp down on the needless and senseless violence in professional football, and it can be checked without damaging the purity of the sport. Following Thanksgiving's near miss, Giant linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a fierce hitter himself, said Thompson should have been ejected from the game, fined and suspended without pay from future contests. Giant coach Ray Perkins echoed the same sentiment, and last year Green Bay officials tried to convince the league that similar action should have been taken against Gay. They have the right idea. Harsher treatment of these inexcusable acts would make the game safer without detracting from its competitive nature. Suspension and heavy fines would deter defenders from taking blind-sid- e swipes at opposing players. At the very least, it would represent a start. New England wide receiver Daryl Stingley will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life thanks to football. He was paralyzed by Jack Tatum, a man who publicly declared it was his desire to knock his opposition out. .Stiffer penalties won't revive Stinglcy's once-giftlegs, nor will it make his future more comfortable, but it will help to keep his tragedy a saddening exception, rather than the rule. ar rd ed Virginia leads poll; North Carolina, Oregon State slip by Dave Hosick Pennsylvania and the other game pits Western Kentucky against Chronicle staff Northern Iowa. great start for some of the Chronicle's elite of college basketball, as no. 1 ranked Virginia was less than impressive in its first two victories and North Carolina and It was not a ... Oregon State suffered losses. Top-rankVirginia gunned down hapless Johns Hopkins 124-6- 0 in the first round of the Virginia Tip-O- ff Tournament, but was pushed to the limit in the championship contest before escaping with a 69-6- 3 win over Virginia Commonwealth. Virginia tangles with James Madison and Virginia Military this week. Second-ranke- d Georgetown waltzed to a couple of easy wins last week over small Hawaiian schools. The Hoyas spring into action this week when they participate in the Wendy's Classic in Bowling Green, Ky. Georgetown will open the tournament by facing St. Francis of ed . Kentucky moves into the third spot following a 90-5- 3 battering of Butler behind strong performances by Jim Master, Dirk Minnifield and Melvin Turpin. Memphis State holds the no. 4 spot following a couple of Classic. rather easy wins int he Mid-Sou- th The Tigers opened the tournament by handling West Texas State 4. They then claimed the title with an impressive 7 win over defending WAC Champion Wyoming. St. Louis and Ball State will do their best to stop the Memphis State express this week. Fifth-rankIowa opened the season in style with a 0 win over BYU and a close 3 victory over Drake. Iowa will return home to its friendly confines this weekend to host the annual Hawkeye Classic. Other teams in the tournament besides Iowa incclude Hawaii of the WAC, Navy and Pittsburgh. 89-7- 45 91-8- ed 68-6- Louisville climbs all the way up to sixth following an impressive championship performance in the Great Alaskan Shootout. Two more wins should come Louisville's way this week when it faces Santa Clara and Purdue. UCLA claims the no. 7 spot following an opening season win over BYU. int It will be a tough week for UCLA as the Bruins face DePaul and Notre Dame. Eight-rankAlabama opened its season in easy fashion by blitzing Middle Tennessee State 104-5- 8. The only game this week for Alabama will be against Texas ed Tech. No. 9 Houston marched into the Chronicle poll as a result of two Kettle Classic wins over Arizona and always-toug- h Lamar. Houston should continue its roll this week when it faces Mississippi State and Biscayne. 5 Grcc3 Rccsons Co Duy Cx Dent Qucliiy IIC Goer from Qrtihcm's T Kirkham's unique custom package U discount program lets you choose the system you want Buy it at a sood price. of quality SOur sreat selection clothing, and accessories means that Kirkham's XC store. Kirkham's is your "one stop" le salespeople are and friendly. They care knowl-edgeab- about you. Guaranteed Fast Service. Mounting in 24 hours or less, and most times, r while you wait. Foer Caffing Birds SYou "Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. flgXgXMo) a. - can rent anything Kirkham's sells high top boots and edge skis. Try a high performance package designed for Utah skiing. epote .- oxsu pO56N0LvltvjWUIM. off and more on almost all merchandise at our "Twelve Days of Christmas" Sale is something to sing 20 -- 60 d. about. The sale runs December Watch for our ad on December 8th for more details. We're playing your song. 8th-23r- i nwmi LA ii ii lo nnrs outdoor products Holiday Hours: University Bookstore LL Mon-Tn- ur 9:30am-7p- m Plenty of Fret Parking Frl 9:J0am-9pSat 9: J0em-6p-m 3185 South State Street 4SM161 m |
