European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Page 21 How would you like to get some mail to me Tell you Vou get a Job As a sportswritcr1. Then you write a column nine what you think about Auto racing. If you like Auto racing ii la probably get a few letters. If you dislike Auto racing i mow for sure the mail will Start coming in. In my last column july 15after dwelling on race deaths and the Neonile who go to watch the races 1 wound up by saying that would t walk across the Street to watch the Indianapolis 500. Then came the mail let me Tell you right now that spectators do not attend motor adne to see Smas tips injury or death. Football has killed More people in the . Than Auto racing Ever has. The ratio of injury and death for number of competitors is far greater in football than it is in motor racing. On and on they raved. Then came a letter from a race fan James finn which mad sense and reassured me that some people go to the tracks to watch skill full Drivers perform not crash. Dear or. Wicker As an Auto racing fan of 10 years i am compelled to reply Tovo Tir article of july 15 concerning racing. The one thing i will Grant you is that it has been a terrible year for fatalities in racing looking More closely you will find that Only one Driver Ronnie Duman has been killed in an american race this Yea Mike Spence was killed in a practice session at a track he had never seen before this year. Speaking of spectators there has never been a loss of life Suchias occurred at lemans some years ago when Over 80 people were killed by crashing racers. Time and time again i read and hear of spectators and bystanders being killed during a formula or sports car race Here in Europe simply because officials do not take pre cautions both for the spectators and for the Drivers safety. Fans Here say they like to get close to the race to really enjoy it. If they do this is their own risk and the officials can t be held responsible. I have said much about european racing because i am a Little tired of the raw Deal american racing has received from the press and magazines the past few years. People who Are supposed to be responsible writers and reporters have All of a sudden decided that american racing is not Worth writing about except in a derogatory manner. I was at Indianapolis from 1962 to 1966 for five Andy 500s. The Accident which killed Eddie Sachs and Dave Macdonald happened right in front of me. Cant you imagine Complete and utter silence in a crowd of 300,000 people quite unusual considering we Are All supposed to be blood thirsty sadists gleefully looking for this sort of thing. Tin s crowd was As quiet As any i have Ever heard. With no cheering or clapping though i Don t doubt that some who were there left with that As their Only memory of that particular race. I will agree that there Are those who go for that reason Sutto see a crash or a fire but please Don t put us All in that category. There Are some of us who go for the pure Joy of watching Manana machine together no matter How corny thai sounds. I have come to the conclusion that racing is something that people either like or dislike very strongly with no Middle Road. I am of the former Type and i stopped trying to change the minds of the Latte Type Long ago. I found i was wasting my time and i do not particularly care whether they become fans or not. But i can t sit Bac while people put the rup on the sport simply because they Don t i Are for it and suddenly forget the fact that there Are certain risk involved. I believe i have As much regard As the next Man for the value of human life and i also know that i do not go to 0a race expecting or looking for an Accident. Very few real racing fans do. I will plead no More for racing because i do not feel it need defending. The press which writes mostly of the crashes and deaths to catch the Public s Eye and thus its Dollar is largely at fault Here. Knowledgeable writers who know their business and Are really interested in the sport could change All that. We will never see them because they would not sell papers. 1 suppose in an oblique Way this says that everyone simply wants to read of the accidents but they must not be race fans because i have never seen that Type at any of the races i be Ever been to. There is room for All kinds in this world and racing is a thrilling melting sport and yes a dangerous one demanding a lot of nerve and courage. Baseball basketball football and the like Are fines Anies demanding a lot of skill but there has to be room for some Intong a Little different also or this old planet would get very dull.1 am not asking you to like racing but at least give those of us hat do a Little credit for some intelligence. I am truly sorry you would t Cross the Street now to see thei lady 500. You really Don t know what you Are missing. Thanks for your time you know some of us racing fans Aren t80 bad. Once in a while we go to a race and actually watch the race vim if there Are no truly Eliot of Wiesbaden High school 2nd it. Mar Mertel head coach of the 3rd brigade team a the 3rd army div league and Rich Tucci assistant coach of the Wuerzburg warriors of the Marne league for the 1968 fal Campaign. Is photo by Damon defensive talk Melvln Robertson a defensive coach at the University of Houston uses a drawing on the blackboard to get a Point across to coaches at the Usa eur football clinic at Frankfurt High school. Listening intently at the Board Are left to right Jim do something Robertson says enthusiasm " needed for defense v11 done James. But you re forgetting one thing the sports los who cover the big races like racing. Because they Are competent reporters working in the press boxes at places like he Judy Nuermburg ring lemans and brands Hatch is like playing 111 the major leagues where Only the Best survive. They report Nat happens even though it might not be pleasant Reading for e True racing fan. Any newspaper that shows Only the Good Side of any sport is not will buying. By Ben Abrams staff writer Frankfurt is when that Ball is snapped do some is the Basic fundamental behind defensive football Accord ing to Melvin Robertson chief of defense for the Houston s the first thing we try to get across to our men Robertson Here for the Usa eur football coaches clinic said wednesday. We want our line men to whip the Guys in front of them and get to the Ball. And we want our linebackers and secondary to do something. We want them to Check for pass and. Seeing no pass devel Oping we want them after that Man with the ranked 10th in the nation on defense last year an the cougars plucked off 26 enemy passes to prove the do something theory definitely works of course defense is linked to enthusiasm and emotion Robertson continued. If a Man does not have enthusiasm and Stuttgart based yank wins in German Golf Cologne Germany a Ralph Schlicht an american stationed in Stuttgart gained the quarterfinals of the German International Golf championship tuesday but two other yanks were , of Madison wis., downed Ralph Pickering of eng land 5 and 4. Charles Bishop a Terrell tex., golfer serving i Heidelberg lost a 1-up match to German newcomer Peter Lurk and maj. Gen. Jamie Gough from the . Embassy staff in Bon bowed to Robin Hunter 1-up. Bob Falkenburg. The former Wimbledon Tennis Champ now Liv ing in Brazil also reached the quarterfinals with a 5-4 Victory Over Charles Kre Glimmer of Bel Gium. Do his Job with emotion in my estimation he cannot play Tough defensive Check the history books and you la see that every great achievement every invention every symphony has been accomplished in a moment of enthuse 1 asm and emotion. It s the same in football if you Don t have that enthusiasm you Don t react As Quick As you , along that same line we also go for simplicity Robert son stated. I be found out Over the years that you can t play i with emotion and enthusiasm i your system is too complicated. Simplicity leads to better execution incidentally is the key word Robertson s Boss i Houston football coach Bill Yeo Man uses a great Deal. Yeoman has been stressing offensive Maneu vers in the clinic being staged at Frankfurt High school this week. We use a Basic 4-3 foundation for our defense and we think local it is Good for our Robertson said. Mind you. Now. I m not saying the 4-3 is the Best defensive system in football. I m saying that it fits our need at Houston. The kids believe in it and they get the Job "6-3 or 6-2 might be just what the doctor ordered at Ala Bama or Mississippi but that s because the coaches there have sold their boys on the merits of such alignments. Championships have been won with both methods it s not the methods that wins but How the program is Robertson said that to has used basically the same idea throughout his coaching career 17 years 14 of which were spent in the rugged Texas High school association before his affiliation with Yeoman at i Houston. And the system must have something going for it because Robertson has enjoyed tremendous Success at Stanton. Sweet Slater Amarillo and Odessa. His Stanton teams compiled a 31-9 record he ran up a 59-10 Market Sweetwater was 7-3 in Amarillo and 24-7 at Odessa and his teams made the Texas play offs five times. One of his Sweetwater team stopped two fabulous Texas High school winning skeins. A 19-0 Conquest of Abilene ended a 54-game winning Streak and a 41-0 Conquest of stantus teammate that school s 35-game spree. 13th career Aee helps Tuni Esa tourney win Sac Harbor . A Jim Turnesa who won the National pea championship in1952, won the in my Island pea title tuesday aided by a Hole in 55-year-old Turnesa got the Ace the 13th of his career on the 222-Yard ninth with a no. 4 Wood As he posted rounds of75, 69 and 72 to win the 54 Hole 216 Over the Par novae country tourney with a72, 7,103-Yard club Letellier of Manhasset. Finished second with a 220. Mik Fetchick Westbury. N.y., a for Mer Western open Champ was third at 221.todi nieporte Locust \ Alley ., and Carl Lohren. Sea Cliff,n1 lied for fourth at i l s
