European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday december 28, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary wild cards make Odds hard of figure gather roomkiddie., for a Holiday fable Aesop never told. Once upon a time Many years ago. There was a fou Iball league. And this football league had playoffs ill admission reserved far winners Only f you won Wiir division the payoff was a postseason berth it  designed As a Reward fur previous accomplishment. This was called the incentive system popular concept in our country. In the beginning this league had just two divisions and inc winners of the divisions would play off for the championship. La was Nice and simple. Then a strange event occurred. It was called expansion and it ballooned membership in his Nice simple league from the manageable 10 teams thai had operated most of the time from i93j until 1951 to 16 teams by 1967. This growth was linked to an other strange event which was called merger in which the neat Little league welcomed 10 More team from a rival league. Further expansion added two More teams creating a Goliath like Structure of 28 teams. It was still Nice but rather unwieldy and certainly not very simple. These teams were divided Inlo six divisions creating six first place finishers and unbalanced playoffs. To solve thai problem the league decided that it would add two More teams to the playoffs awarding the berths to the teams with the Best remaining re cords. They would be called wild card learns. No longer would finishing first be a prerequisite to making the playoffs. There wire those who suggested this might cheapen the postseason event but the Nice big league slowed ahead with the plan. Actually the introduction of the wild cards was rather innocent nothing More than a matter of convenience a neat Little device used to balance the play off Field into workable proportions. They were not expected to win. And for the first five years from 1970-1974, they did not. The wild cards were an entirely cooperative 2-10 Over that period. Then another strange event occurred. In 1975, Dallas was a wild card team and won two playoff games. Those cowboys reached the super bowl and breathed fresh life into the wild card concept before losing to Pittsburgh. If one wild card in each conference was Good the league decided two would be even belter. So in i97s, Afler i cumulative 5-Lfi playoff record fur previous wild card teams their number was doubled. Sure enough almost As vindication fur the system that was admitting teams to the playoffs through a Side door. Oakland there once was a learn in Oak land you know charged out of the   in i to to claim the league s no i pne. The super howl championship. The raiders accomplished this against he most difficult hurdles winning four playoff games instead of the three that non wild cards need and playing every one of those games on the Road. If you eliminate the first round games when the four wild card teams play against each other their record since i97k against regular playoff Quali Fiers is 7-11. And that includes Oakland s three Victo Ries in 1980. Added to the previous 5-16. That comes to 12-27, distinctly Longshot numbers for the four teams that embark Down thai thorny path this week end. Ordinarily that bit of wild card history could be depressing unless of course this year s teams choose to concentrate on the five year Cycle their predecessors have followed. In 1975, wild card Dallas reached the super bowl. In 1980, wild card Oakland won the super bowl and in 1985. How will the fable end1. The aug Clatt part hearing Aid built into helmet gives Arizona guard sounds of the game Aba from Page 21 by Iier Scigiel Nissinson Elpaso Texas a Lee Brunch i s football helmet is different from those worn by his teammates at the University of Ari Ona. Brunolli s helmet was specially designed in or Cilcy colo., where he was enrolled in a hearing impaired High school program in 1982-83. It has a customized hearing Aid inside one of the car holes with a wire Lead ing to a Standard hearing Aid in his eat. It s like a speaker Brunelli says. It picks up voices around me and gives it directly to my  a 273-Pound freshman Brunelli be came ari7.Ona s starting nose guard this season after three years on the sidelines. He did t play during his final two years in High school and sat out last season As a Rcd shirt. And although he finished third among Arizona s Down linemen in tackles and third on the team in sacks Brunolli s hear ing problem is what most people want to know about As the wildcats prepare for Satui Day s Sun bowl meeting with Georgia. Brunolli will line up nose to nose with All american Center Pete Anderson. When i was about 1 or 2, i got a real bad car infection and was real a k on top of that he says. My hearing is slowly going Down it s 50 percent in both ears. Eventually i la be to tally deaf. Every year it gets worse but Noth ing dramatic. I be Learned to lip read. "1 grew up in a very Small farm town Brush Colo and we had about eight kids in my class. I played dumb about my hearing problem and the teachers thought i was dumb. The teachers would turn their backs a lot to the class when they were talking and a lot of times i could t understand what they were saying. They thought i was retarded until they found out How bad my hearing problem  besides his hear ing problems Bru Nelli had anything but a Normal child Hood. The Good was real Good the bad was real bad. He says i was a Mascot Lee Brunelli of the Denver Bron cos when 1 was 6 years  says Brunolli whose Uncle Sam Brunolli played eight years with the Broncos mostly As an offensive lineman. I d go out for the Coin flip and run off the Field he says. It was like a kid s dream really. I wrote on a piece of paper that my goal was to be a professional foot Ball  in 1982, he suffered a broken ankle when he tried to Dunk a basketball. He missed the football season. That same year he moved in with his Uncle who be came his Legal guardian. Family problems have always been a thing in our family and my mom War just getting off a divorce Brunelli explains. I guess my childhood was t that  but Uncle Sam was the major influence the reason i got into  Bru Nulli says. He gives me pointers weight lifting tips Overall condition stuff secrets of the  Sam and Lee moved to Las vegas. Nev., the following year but acc was a fifth year High school senior Ard did t play because of an eligibility question although he practice with the scout team. Despite the inactivity. Arizona recruited him after he resumed a routine questionnaire and the wildcats have never regretted it. I Don t think Lee has a  says defensive line coach Bob april. He does t miss anything. He plays the run As Well As anybody we  if you could take Lee Brunelli s Alti tude toward life bottle it somehow and then sell it you could make a Fortune says coach Larry Smith. I be always thought that you just have to Lake advantage of the Silva lion you Are in and make the Best of  Brunolli says. "1 just take things Day by Day and Hope for the  in other bowl action saturday. No. 9 Brigham Young the 1984 National Cham Pion takes on i7th-Rankcd Ohio state in the Florida Citrus and no. 15 Alabama opposes Southern California in the Aloh bowl. Scoring honors with Lloyd and contributed 15 rebounds and a career High nine blocked shots. Ralph Sampson dominated the boards with a career High 25 rebounds and added 15 Points. Bucks 105, pacers k7 Milwaukee Paul i Resse Scon. 22 Points for Milwaukee which Beal Indi Ana despite the loss of Star guard Sidney Moncrief. Moncrief was kicked in the knee during practice thursile in. 76crs 117, c Lippi i of los Angellis Moses  scored 31 Points and Bobby Jones and Maurice Cheeks "21 each As Philadelphia whipped los Angeles in a game marred by a fight Between the 7dcrs Charles bark Luyand Cedric Maxwell. Bolh players were ejected in the third Quarter Afler exchanging punches under the Philadelphia Basket. The 76crs already were missing Julius Erving. Who was in Philadelphia to attend the funeral of announcer Dave Inkoff. Marques Johnson led the clippers with30 Points. Mavericks 105, suns 98 Phoenix Ari. Mark Aguirre. Playing for the first Lime after a two game suspension scored 24 Points and Dale Ellis scored i of his 17 As Dallas rallied in the four in Quarter against Phoenix. Larry Nance scored 33 Points for inc suns while Charles Piltman added a Ca reer High 22. Warriors 131, Kings 121 Oakland calif.1-Urvis Short scored a season High 41 Points and Joe Barry Carroll had 30 for Golden stale  Sacramento 55-33. Newcomers Tippett Dent Hopkins highlight All pro new York a linebacker Andre Tippett of the new England Patri ots defensive end Richard Dent of the Chi Cago bears and safety was Hopkins of the Philadelphia eagles three of the nation Al football league s rising stars Are among 17 newcomers on the associated press All pro team. The to pm announced thursday is headed by five members of the Chicago bears whose 15-1 regular season record was the Best in the nil. Also on the team arc four members of inc los Angeles raid ers who finished 12-4. Miami Seattle Philadelphia the los Angeles rams and new England each placed two players on the squad chosen in voting by Ihrck writers or broadcasters who covered each of the nil s 28 teams. The most telling characteristic of the team was transition with players like tip Pelt Dent and Hopkins making the team for the first time. Only 10 players were repeaters from last year s 27-Man squad. Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the new York giants made it for the fifth time in his five professional seasons. In addition to Taylor the repeaters included running Back Walter Payton and linebacker Mike Singletary both of the bears guard Russ Grimm of Washington Center Dwight St Phonson and quarterback Dan Marino both of Miami defensive end Howie Long and Cor Norback Mike Haynes both of the raiders defensive tackle Randy White of Dallas and safety Kenny Easley of Seattle. The other members of this year s squad include wide receivers Steve 1.argent of Seattle and Mike Quick of Philadelphia tight end Todd christens in of the raiders tackles Jimbo Covert of the bears and an Thony Munoz of Cincinnati guard John Hannah of new England running Back Marcus Allen of inc raiders defensive tackle Sieve Mcmich Aci of the bears nose tackle Joe Klocko of the new York jets inside linebacker Karl Mecklenburg of Denver cornerback  Wright of san Francisco place kicker Nick Lowry of Kansas City and punter Rale Hatcher and kick returner Ron Brown both of therms