European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday june 21, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Bias died with everything to live for inconceivable. Len Bias was dead apparently of a heart attack. Dead at age 22. Dead wit everything to live for. It seems so unfair so pointless Here was an athlete an impressive physical spec Imen with basketball skills that put him a Cut above his Peers. Here was a Young Man Aboul to embark on the dream nurtured by every kid who Ever bounced a basketball on a schoolyard court. And now he is dead. Dead with everything to live for. Bias had been the second player taken in the National basketball association draft on tuesday a tribute to his outstanding athletic ability. What s More he had been picked by the Best team in the league the Champion Boston celtics. He had the unqualified endorsement of red Auerbuch who called him the Best athlete in the draft. For four years at Maryland Len Bias raced up and Down the court relentlessly Canning that soft jump shot or soaring Over the hoop and jamming the Ball through the Basket. For four years he Hond the skills that made him an All America his school s All time leading scorer with 2,149 Points the Atlantic coast conference s leading scorer for the last two years and the acc s player of the yen r. All of the numbers All the rebounds and assists All the Field goals and free throws were pieces of a Puzzle carefully put in place by Bias like an architect designing a building. Even As his achievements grew. Bias fell he was Only scratching the surface of his ability. Every Day he said i do things 1 did t know 1 could m nowhere near my As a senior he came awfully close averaging 23.2 Points per was close enough to convince Aurbach a savvy judge of basketball Talent. When commissioner David Stem stepped up to the microphone at the draft tuesday Bias raced. He was seated with a half dozen or so of the top prospects invited to the proceedings by the league. The pc draft word was that Boston would pick him Over Chris Washbum Over William bed Ford Over Chuck person and Over All the others. But you never know about these things. Priorities change. Opinions change. Trades come up. Now Stem was ready to announce the pick. The Boston celtics the commissioner paused for dramatic effect turning up the tension another notch. From the University of Maryland the crowd roared. Bias grinned. No further identification was necessary. Stern finished the sentence any Way. Len Bias bounced out of his scat like a kid on Christmas morning racing downstairs to look Over the loot Santa Claus has dropped off. He had a smile on his face that seemed big enough to cover the whole state of Maryland. Little kids dreams do come True. Len Bias would be a Boston celtic in de studying Larry Bird and Kevin Mchale. Somebody handed him a celtics Hai and he put it on at a Jaunty Angle a personal Celebration of his own Good Fortune. Other drafted players like Brad Daugherty at Cleveland Pearl Washington a new Jersey an Kenny Walker at new York would be forced into Impact roles immediately. Bias would have the time to develop his skills gradually to learn from perhaps the Best co Nermen in the league to grow Comfort ably into the celtic scheme of things. At that moment he was As Happy As he could be. And then two Days later it was Over. Len Bias was dead. Dead at age 22. Dead with everything to live for. Tow alhclat4 poll Bias from Page 21 made Bias their top draft Choice in tues Day s Aba draft. Lefty called me in the afternoon an said there was further information Auerbach said in a Telephone interview Wilh the Globe. He said he had been old by authorities that there were traces of cocaine in his Bias close Friend Madelyn Woods responding to the drug reports told a dam to in Washington that peer pressure could have been a Factor if drugs were involved. Len Bias would have never done this by himself not once Ever she said. She said if he had used cocaine the reaction was so severe because he had no my from Page 21 Hiu knocked in two runs and score twice to Pace los Angeles Over Atlanta. Orel Hershiser 6-5, survived a shaky Start to collect his first Triumph since May 25 the right hander allowed nine hits struck Oul three and walked one in his fourth Complete leu postponed new York the Chicago cub anew York it game was postponed be cause of rain. The game never started and was called after a 4 3-minute wait the game will a made up As part of night double header july 29. Mariners put Yeager on disabled list Cleveland a the Seattle mariners have placed Catcher Steve Yeager on the 15-Day disabled list be cause of strained Muscles in the Back of his rib Cage. The move was made retroactive to wednesday Tad Catcher Dave Valle was called up from Calgary of the class aaa Pacific coast league to replace Yeager an the manners roster. Valle bit .318 with 12 homers and 32 Bis in 55 games at Calgary. Tolerance for it. He had never had in in his system before and Hal s Why this resumed to Campus Aboul mid night after stopping at his parents House for a party As he made his Way Home from Boston where he had signed on Ashe newest member of the Aba Champi on Boston celtics. Bias spent Aboul two hours with his friends and teammates discussing his plans and his trip then left the dormitory and walked to his car accompanied by Keneia Covington a Maryland football player Covington later said Bias visited his Girlfriend with a Friend Bias had met just before going to Boston. Ninety min utes later. Bias and the unidentified Friend returned to the Washington Hal suite that Bias shared with five univer sity teammates David Driggers another Friend said he saw Bias at a party about 2 . Be fore Bias returned to Campus dodgers said there were no drugs or alcoholic beverages at the party. Some of Bias u a males were asleep when he returned to their suite but speedy Jones said that at about 6 15a.m. Bias woke Terry Long and the two talked in Long s bedroom. Then Terry said Lenny Laid Back and closed his eyes and started shaking said Jones. He said Long tried Mouth to Mouth resuscitation. Lenny started throwing up. Terr could not revive him. Then Terry called the ambulance said Jones. Ambulance attendants continued efforts to revive Bias until they reached the Hospital where doctors took Over. Jones said Long told hip dial personnel that Bias Drant one Beer. At 8 50 ., doctors pronounced the 22-year-old athlete dead. Or. Edward Wilson chief of emergency services at Leland said doctors did not know what caused the major damage they found in Bias heart. Soon after Bias death Prince George county police closed the doors of Washington Hall and searched the room i which Bias had collapsed. Later they rifled through dump Mars outside the Hall. We have made no recovery of an Type of drugs or alcohol from the room despite speculation that it was evident Atixhe party said Robert Law a spokes Man for the Prince Georges police. What we re waiting for now is some thing from the state medical examiner s office to confirm the enact cause of death. There has been All types of speculation but Well have to the slate s chief medical examiner or. John e. Smialek said full results might not be available for several Days. Formula one races drop turbos Rosberg says b Mike Harris Detroit a a Csc Rosberg in defending Detroit grand prix Champion has a solution to the problem of cutting horsepower in formula one racing get rid of the turbocharged engines. The former world Champion from Fin land finished fourth last sunday in the Canadian grand prix and will be among the favourites sunday in the fifth race through the streets Oldow town Detroit. The rules makers in formula one Are attempting to find a Way of culling the horsepower on the variety of engine used in the Glamor division of racing. The engines All turbocharged pro Duce a plaids of 1,000 horsepower. After italian Driver Elio de Angelis was killed in May in a crash during testing to France a decision was made to Cut that figure to about 600 horsepower. Bui How some have suggested pop Oft valves which Are used in lady car racing to re strict the amount of air to the Turbo chargers. And others Rifle real forms of air said a 600 horsepower Turbo engine will be the most Boring thing in the world because it will perform about like a 400 horsepower normally aspirated , it would be belter logo Back to the 3-liter normally aspirated engine Sand get rid of the turbos he said. That would eliminate the heart of the normally aspirated engines Don t have a screw to get More Power out of be got what you be got. It would be instant Power much better than a600 Hor Power Turbo which will have a big delay. It would add tothe safety in other ways too. If you got rid of the Tut. Bos you d get a tremendous heal source out of the cars which obviously could help on the fire Hazard a Mon real last weekend we had at least two cars catch fire from the tur bos without any Accident Rosberg Laid. Normally aspirated cars Don t , whose off track Demeanour is Rob tit similar to the aggressive style he display son the track also levelled some criticism at the organizers of the Montreal and Detroit think that both Montreal and de troit have arrived Al a Point they should begin improving their facilities said the Mclaren Driver. He teams Wilh defend ing world Champion and present Point Leader Alain Prost of France. In rained in Montreal one Day and there was not even a shelter in the Are no toilet facilities for the Drivers or Crews and there was All that computer equipment millions of dollars Worth laying around Oul there in therain. And it s the same at Detroit ironically Rosberg insists he like driving on the tight Road circuits at Mon Treal and Detroit the slowest of the 16-race formula one races except Monaco. But that does t mean he praises the of Isis in circuit which uses City streets the Circle the High Rise Renaissance Cen Ter in think that Detroit is a tougher Cir Cuit than any other said Rosberg who also finished second Here in 1982. And it does t Mailer How you can t make a Racetrack out of downtown Detroit. That s a
