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Show "rffiMliii "frrrf nTJi'--- T nil If the Fire Bums, Keep It Stoked Win Against Weber Has Utes Hopeful ERIC WALDEN Cnronicie Sports Editor When your team has more injuries than wins, and your season's schedule is filled with nothing but opponents at the top of the food chain, it might be easy to get depressed. However, while not much has gone right for coach John Tsumas and his Utah women's tennis team this year, he hasn't yet given up hope that the Utes can still salvage something meaningful out of the mess otherwise known as the 200I season. Though Utah's regular season came to an end on Tuesday night with the Utes stalled at 2 on the year, 4 in the Mountain West, Tsumas still iih r imiMimMiw i i iy,i i n in in ERIC WALDEN believes his athletes are capable of great things as they head into next week's MWC Championships in Fort Collins, Colo. You see, following the Utes' season-endin- g 2 upset of No. 72 Weber State, Tsumas is inclined to forget about his 5-- team's dozen losses to nationally ranked opponents and focus on the three wins the Utes have earned over teams in the nation's top 75. What other choice does he have, d given that Utah's likely opponent at the MWC meet is national powerhouse New Mexico? "Our matchup as the fifth seed in the conference is that we're going to first-roun- 3-- I see TENNIS, page 10 iiiwhiiiii W ffil I f I 1 Chronicle Sports Editor to hang Isiah Thomas from one of the basket supports, but that wasn't my primary source of dismay. After all, when starting shooting guard Byron Scott tore his hamstring just before the series began, and when starting point guard "Magic" Johnson tore his hamstring in Game 1, and when the team had to field a starting back-couof Terry Tcagle and Tony Smith thereafter, defeat was a forgone conclusion and I had plenty of time to get used to the idea of a World Championship banner hanging in someone else's arena. Instead, it was the knowledge that my hoops hero, was just moments away from never Karccm playing professional basketball again. So when Lakers coach Pat Riley used a deadball timeout to send in a sub and thereby get Karccm a standing ovation from the soid-ou- t Great Western Forum crowd, the floodgates burst uncontrollably. I mean, here was the former Lew Alcindor, undeniably the top collegiate hoops player of all time, and certainly one of the greatest pros as well, pulling the curtain closed NBA career. on a Karccm did not have the flashy showmanship of workman-lik- e appeal of "Magic" or the lace up a the best ever one to was he of Bird; simply Larry and he did it and sneakers the of hardwood, pound pair with a quiet dignity. And while the end of 20 years of greatness certainly hurt, what hurt me even more were the critics' assertions that he'd stayed around too long and should have retired years earlier. Because, in his last years, he'd struggled to keep his scoring average in double digits, and failed to keep his field goal shooting above 50 percent; because he labored a bit rt It's got nothing to do with machismo, bravado or a lack of tear ducts, but the fact of the matter is, I just don't much. I do realize that any female readers I might have had just labeled me an insensitive chauvinist and flipped the page, but they've got me figured wrong. It's not that I'm incapable of crying or that I avoid doing it. It's just that, when your life is characterized by shades of gray, lethargy, mediocrity, apathy and uncvcntfulness, you don't have much of a reason to cry. It hasn't always been that way for me, though. One day back in June of 1989, I bawled my eyes out. Cried like a baby. From all the screaming, hollering, wailing and gnashing of teeth going on, you'd have thought my dog had been hit by a car, knocked into the gutter, carried to a raw sewage refinery, and had worked its way into the water supply before its mangled carcass came squeezing out the kitchen faucet when I went to get a glass of water. Well, that wasn't it, 'cuz I never even had a dog. No, it was the waning moments of Game 4 of the 1989 NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and my Los Angeles Lakers.' Now, it wasn't necessarily that the Bad Boys were just seconds away from sweeping L.A. in the Finals and wresting away the title that the Lakers had held for the previous two seasons. Granted, that did upset me enough to make me want to rip out Bill Laimbccr's large intestine and use it cry-ver- Abdul-Jabba- r, 20-yc- ar great-white-hop- e, see WALDEN, page i an Evening with LEGENDARY ALPINE CLIMBE JIM DONIM 'ALASKA - A 15 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE" The women's Jim Donini has pioneered first ascents in some of the world's premier and most challenging alpine arenas. Jim has established new routes in such diverse areas as alaskaatagonia, and the Himalayas, notable climbs like tne north Ridge of Latok I in the Karakorum, first ascent of Torre Egger in Patagonia and the Diamond Arete in Alaska stand at the forefront of American Alpinism. In 1999, Jim was awarded the prestigious Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement by the American Alpine Club. tennis team feels reinvigorated following an upset of Weber. 208 South 1300 East Salt Lake City, UT North of Brumby's Mon - Fri 8 Sat 6 9-- 9-- No Appointment needed. . Ever. Your Choice Quick & Easy Perm or Virgin color Includes shampoo & Perm or Color Service. Haircut and specialty wraps extra. Price may vary according to length and condition of hair. Offer CorxJ Only 708 S. 1300 E Locate D C. K .T C.rrureaSII95S TinitasttcSainsr 4Hip-Hop- t KU S 1300 E i Expires HU0 Includes Shampoo, Conditioning Rinse and Haircut Com) Only Sk Expins 5V01 Tia&astieSasnsr 45 Adult Cut Offr Location THE SLIDE SHOW WILL BE A RETROSPECTIVE of Jim's 15 expeditions to Alaska, including exciting photos highlighting first ascents of the Diamond Arete on Mt.Hunter and the Central Pillar of Thunder MountaiYi. Featured climbs include "The Bourbon Bottle Route", "The Cobra Pillar" and "Shaken, not Stirred" on The Moose's Tooth. This unforgettable show will feature, as always, Jim Donini's dry humor and controversial views about style and the current state of world alpinism. Don't miss it! SATURDAY, APRIL 21st 7:50 P.M. Free to the Public at 1 I i " Color for Guys 9 THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2001 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Includes Shampoo Conditioning rinse Haircut & Highlighted Tips $ S49 9S Expires 54WI Cimtmre in 3& ea r products m M fbrtfastteSamsr 3 1 25. So. State 4864161 Mon.-Sa- t. 9:30 to 9:00 Sun: 11:00 to 6:00 www.kirkhams.com 11 |
