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Show Page 6 - THE HERALD. Provo. I'tah. Friday. August 19. 1983 Herald's Dunn on Tour WAC Skywriters Utepoirv'mg In Laramie and Casper; in Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs; in Albuquerque and El Paso; in Provo and Salt Honof Lake City; and in lulu, men and women who earn their living writing about WAC football today are busy packing their bags, checking traveling arrangements and making sure they have plenty of pencils and writing paper available. The 1983 WAC Skywriters wasn't as lopsided as the score indicated. "We should have beaten them," they said. Then they said, "We'll beat them this year. We promise you that." I told them I would pick them to beat the Aztecs in the paper along with the fact they predicted they would win. "You're on, man," they said. I did predict in the paper that UTEP would win and The Daily Herald was the only, paper in the country that far-of- Tour starts Saturday morning with the lodge gathering in San Diego to hear Doug Scovil and look at his Aztecs before moving out as a group. Scovil's turn starts Saturday afternoon when the Skywriters watch the Aztecs' practice. After that Scovil will report on his team, player interviews will be held and the tour will be underway. From San Diego, the Skywriters visit Hawaii, Texas-E- l Paso, New Mexico, Air Force Academy, Wyoming, Colorado State, BYU and Utah. The tour arrives in Provo in the afternoon of Aug.29. For the first time in the history of the Skywriters, the group will stay overnight in Provo. That might not exactly turn you on, but it is progress. Every city in the WAC except San Diego will have at least one representative on the tour and some of the towns have several. For some reason San Diego hasn't yet admitted it is in the WAC. One year the Los Ange- - Cougar Count Down By DOROTHY KNOELL Herald Sports Writer Cougar football hopefuls will go from today to posing Saturday as the countdown towards BYU's season opener in Waco against the Baylor Bears continues. Today is the dreaded 1.5 mile run, a yearly ritual that helps the coaches determine what kind of shape the players are in as they prepare for the even more y dreaded drills, which begin Monday. The players are required to finish the 1.5 mile run in a predetermined amount of time, according to positions, size, etc. One thing that keeps the players panting and puffing along is the knowledge that if they don't meet the required time, they have to do it again. . More than 40 returning letter-me- n from last year's 4 squad, who reported for the first time today, got their physicals this morning before going to the starting line of the run. Freshmen players reported and had their physicals earlier this week. So far in the freshman workouts, there has been no reports of injuries. Marion Dunn SPORTS EDITOR les Times sent its San Diego writer, but he is the only one from the area to make the trip. I don't know if the Union and Tribune think they are too good for the WAC or what. Actually, I think it stems from the fact the fact the Aztecs didn't make the big splash in the little pond they expected when they joined up back in 1978. Playing a largely home schedule, the Aztecs were accustomed to winning eight games a year. When they joined the WAC, the Aztecs were sure they were going to come in, mop up the WAC and play every year in the Holiday Bowl. Alas and alack. Things didn't work out that way. In their first WAC game, the mighty Aztecs went to the West Texas town of El Paso, expecting to have a dance in Rosie's Cantina, but instead were bushwacked on the road by a UTEP team that wasn't expected to be in the same league as San Diego State. But they were in the same the WAC. UTEP league and upended the Aztecs, the California team has not yet recovered. So, since the Aztecs can't beat the WAC, the sportswrit-er- s there put their heads in the sand and ignore the Skywriters Tour. Hey, if one of them had gone on the tour in 78, he might have been able to carry the word back to town that UTEP was on the prowl for them. That year I had lunch with several of the Miner players. We talked about San Diego State and the fact they expected to dominate the conferj ence, The two schools had played in 1977 and San Diego State The Miner players won, 49-loudly proclaimed the game - 31-2- 4, 7. picked UTEP. There was no writer from San Diego on hand to get a feel of the WAC, so they were fat and sassy and ready for the kill. You know the story. never Well, some peop! learn. The San Diego writers are still boycotting the Skywriters and the Aztecs haven't been in the Holiday Bowl yet. But Scovil is building a on paper, at least power and he'll get a lot of attention from the Saturday. This should be the best Tour yet. The league is better balanced every year. BYU will be after its eighth consecutive championship and coach LaVell Edwards has a potential powerhouse in camp. Yet two publications have picked against the Cougars. One predicted a 6 season. Is there a basis for that? 5-- None that I can see. But we'll all know a little more by the time the Skywriters show up here Aug. 29. It will be a case of looking and listening and learning. The report on the WAC as the Skywriters see it, will begin in Sunday's paper. This is an invitation to join me here each day. It's the only way to fly. report and commentary on winners, losers and coming events A full Sports headers Pick Yearn AII-iY- U pant-and-pu- ff All Daily Herald readers are invited to select an BYU football team. All that is necessary is to list your choice at each position on the accompanying blank and mail it to: e BYU Football Team Care Marion Dunn The Daily Herald P.O. Box 717 Provo, Utah 84603 All-Ti- Ail-Tim- two-a-da- The ballot will be carried in each edition through Thursday, Aug. 25. The deadline for turning them into The Daily Herald is Saturday morning, Aug.27. lay in a supply of Cougar photos for the coming season. The holding still will last only until Saturday afternoon, however. At 3:30 p.m., the coaching staff will begin putting players through their paces in the first full-squa- practice. d The practice will be in light gear only, no pads, but it marks the beginning of the drills that will prepare the Cats for that opener Sept. 10. DB DB DB Offense 8-- Tomorrow the players stop running and start holding still, as the annual media picture day kicks off at the stadium beginning at 10 a.m. Players will face cameras from all over the state as newspapers and magazines Defense Mark Byrne Photo Danny Lopez, left, puts a shot to the midsection of his former trainer Stan Chynoweth. Lopez Hits Acting Circuit By DOROTHY KNOELL Herald Sports Writer Danny "Little Red" Lopez is facing an entirely new challenge after retiring three years ago from the boxing ring. The former featherweight champ may be exchanging verbal jabs instead of left hooks as he gears for a new career in acting. "I've been studying under Ivan Markota at Van Mar Academy in Hollywood," Lopez said. "I'll probably be doing a Miller Light Hollywood. "I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild and I've got an agent to get me going in regular acting," he said. "It's tougher than boxing but I'm enjoying acting. You can be someone you aren't." One thing Lopez will always be, however, is a former featherweight champ. "The first two years (after retiring) it was hard to stay away. But I got over it. I'm not planning any comeback," he said. ' Beer commercial right away, and I'll be out on auditions when I get back from this vacation." Lopez said when he retired from boxing he "didn't know any trade except how to make pizzas," so he considered starting a pizza restaurant. But when a friend contacted him about a Miller commercial and Markota offered him six weeks of free acting lessons, the the vision acting lure of the pizza parlor and Lopez opted for the bright lights of QB LB RB LB RB LB WR DB WR Sp. Teams TE Punter Kicktr j j Returner Gifford Dodges Hurricane Winds Provo Youth Tops Young Mel nroe Brad Pearce By JON MARKS Special to the Herald PHILADELPHIA, Penn. -Brad Pearce awakens this morning, he'll pinch himself then realize it wasn't a dream. Yes Brad, you really did beat When top-see- Pat McEnroe in the d quarterfinals of the USTA International Boys Grasscourt s, your first grasscourt tournament. Did it in style, in fact, as you fought off two early d set points, the brother of the world's best player in a gutty tiebreaker, then put him away in a second set which had young Patrick talking to himself. ''I'm pretty shocked," admitted the from Provo Thursday night following the 74 3 surprise which left Cham-pionhip- out-laste- (9-7- ), 6-- tournament officials in dismay now that their top draw has been knocked out. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet, but I still have the rest of the tournament to play. McEnroe's a tough player but he's a real nice guy. I wouldn't want to make a big deal out of it. "This is probably the best win of my life. McEnroe's been in the semis or finals of every tournament he's played. He got to the semi-final- s at Wimbledon Junior tournament." The possibility of an upset didn't enter anyone's mind early, as McEnroe powered his way to a lead. Both players then held serve before Pearce broke to stay in the set. Brad made it then evened it with 5-- 4-- 1 an array of brilliant returns that befuddled McEnroe. "When he was serving at 4 I had some awfully good returns," Brad said. "It was more that than anything he did wrong." They stayed even into the tie5-- breaker, better-know- n a specialty of Patrick's brother John. But the younger Mac squandered two set points in the breaker, then fell behind When a McEnroe volley hit the tape and fell back, the set belonged to Pearce. "After the first set, it seemed like he lost a little spunk, " said Brad. " I figured if I got up one break, I could pretty well cruise 8-- home." And that's exactly what happened. Pearce and McEnroe stayed on serve until the eighth game. With Brad leading 4-- 3 and the score deuce, Pearce hit consecutive winners for the crucial service break. Then he served out the match, watching McEnroe net an easy volley on match point. "Pat's a pretty low key guy who doesn't get excited," said Pearce of John's baby brother, who along the temperment dif- ference is tall and "He volleyed a lot better than I thought he would. Throughout the match I was returning as well as I can, but he was getting them back. It was a combination of my returns and consistent volleys that won it." Two more wins and Brad will have his first major singles title. He goes againt No. five seed Bill Stanley of Rye, N.Y. today. right-hande- d. Former BYU quarterback Gifford Nielsen, who is used to dodging charging defensive linemen, proved to be pretty good at dodging hurricane winds, too. Nielsen took off Thursday morning from the dry, calm San Texas training camp ot the An-gel- o, Houston Oilers and headed straight into Hurricane Alicia's winds and rain to get back to his wife Wendy and four kids who were weathering the storm in their Houston home. "The Oilers wouldn't let them off the day before because last time a hurricane was supposed to hit they released the players and then it didn't hit." said Lois Nielsen, Gifford's mother. "I knew he would go right into the hurricane to get home, and 1 was one worried mother." A major worry was that Giff drives a small domestic car, she said, and the water was so high on some of the roads that it was literally swallowing some of the smaller vehicles. But Nielsen made it through the "rivers" to his family. But when Giff arrived, he found eight kids and two women instead of the expected four and one. Gail Ashby, wife of Houston Astro catcher Alan Ashby and a neighbor of the Nielsens, was also at the Nielsen's with her four kids. A big upstairs window in her home blew out and Wendy invited her to stay with them until the storm passed. "There they were, two wives and eight children with both husbands out playing ball," Mrs. Nielsen laughed. "Wendy said they probably won't have lights for four or five days, but they have plenty of food, they're all water and juices so set." |