European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 9, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday october 9, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 10 commentary mosquitoes were Frue Home Feam by now the mosquitoes in the old col stadium have reached epic proportions As big As Hawks As big As Pterodactyl As big As the concorde itself. The mosquitoes were big enough to Saddle and ride the mosquitoes were big enough to shatter a bulb in the lighting system the mosquitoes were big enough to Block the Sun. After All this is Texas Sun their Breeding ground has been hidden by the pavement of the parking lot but their spirit hovers Over the Astrodome an unseen Symbol of the Early years when the col .45s used to beat the mets Mostof the Lime but the mosquitoes got the draw on everybody. Everybody talks about their  says Rusty slab a Folk hero for both teams in his time. Sure they were huge but size was not the problem. Quan Tity that was the  the mosquitoes were the True Home team when National league baseball came to Houston for the1962 season. Judge Roy Hofheinz had a dream of building a domed stadium the eighth wonder of the wond he would Call it and people still do with straight faces but they took out their erector stand built a temporary Park named Colt stadium. It was built Over a swamp recalls Jim Doc Ewell the Trainer in 1962, the Trainer emeritus today. There had been Oil Wells before and the soil was extremely nutritious for grass and  the heat and the humidity were brutal Cor players and fans alike but at least the fans could beat their arms to Ward off the airborne predators. A Batter could t very Well swat himself when Sandy Koufax or Don Drysdale was pitching inside. We kept Mosquito repellent in the dugout and we d Spray ourselves before we went on the Field recalls slab who arrived in the 1963 season. Ron Swoboda the former Mel who is doing some work for lbs television during this series recalls his Rookie year in 1965 and playing in the Brand new dome they told us we were Lucky Swoboda  said the mosquitoes in the old Ball Park used to pick cats right off the ground and Fly away with  Tim Mccarver the met announcer who will be working with the Abc Crew recalls his Early trips to Houston when he was a Catcher with the is. Louis cardinals the mosquitoes did t stay on the Field either Mccarver says. They d go right into he clubhouse and get into the pos game spread. You d have to fight pm for it the mosquitoes were no fools. Who would want to hit on Tim Mccarver when you could dive into the Barbecue sauce provided by Norm Getteman the Host of the visiting clubhouse his food was legendary and Gene Mauch treated it As his Persona enemy during one slump by his Philadelphia Phil lies slinging spareribs around the clubhouse until his players suits were stained. The temperature and the humidity in the Ticky Tacky stadium were enough to make anyone throw spare lbs. There was no place to hide slab recalls. The dugout roof had tar on it. Everything was metallic. I remember Ernie Banks whom i dearly love always used to say let s play two i remember one Day they carried him out on a Stretcher in the first game of a doubleheader because management did not want hous ton to gain a reputation for dismal weather in would not cancel a game even when the water was rising to ankle level the grass was growing so fast you could Sec it Spraul and the mosquitoes were staging strafing runs on players and patrons alike. I remember one game was supposed to Start at 7 30, but they did t Start until 10," slab recalls. The cubs got 10 runs in the top of the first inning. It was one of the wont games i Ever spent in my  eventually baseball officials gave Houston per Mission to play All its games at night even on Sun Day a near sacrilege in the Bible Belt. The players used to buy their own fans for the dugout recalls Ewell. I remember Norm Larker who had the worst temper on that 1962 team used to kick his own fan. By the end of inc season he had eight broken fans on top of his  As bad As it was for the Home team it was More of a Shock for the visitors. Ewell does not recall one of my players Ever oing  but he has seen Visi tors wave the White Flag. Johnny Podres had a no hitter going into the eighth he recalls. As soon As we got he first hit off him he raised his hand for waiter Alston to come get him. I be seen people in the stands go Down like  Conlan the Umpire used to sit in his under Wear outside the umpires room which was just a Little cubicle said Ewell. A couple of times he swore he was t going to go out there on the Field it was so hot. I had to join and talk to him. The two clubhouses were exactly alike both Lik Chicken coops. See the club knew we were Only going to be in there a few years and they did t want to spend Money on the  perhaps the mets used an inferior Brand of Mosquito repellent or else they were out foiled by the Colt .45 management in the expansion  Way the Colts astros tormented the mels nearly every year starting with a 13-3 margin the first season to a 10-2 advantage in 1969 when the mels won the world series. Dreadful things always seemed to happen to the mels against Houston. Outfielders ran together As if directed by poltergeists common singles look Home run bounces off the Rock hard artificial turf in the Outfield the astros beat the mets 1-0, in a 26-inning game in 1968 and inc famous doubleheader toss in1969, in which Gil Hodges trudged to left Field to remove a lethargic Cleon Jones took place against none other than the astros. The iwo expansion teams never developed a bitter rivalry Between themselves but Houston s series re Cord of 192-145 still haunts this series like a giant Mosquito trapped under the pavement of the Astro dome looking to bile  a figment of statistician Freak s imagination Verne to Verafe Aims at Flutie Mark byjoe Holleman Coral Gables Fla. A with very Little fanfare Vermie Loverde is closing in on Doug Flutie s major College career passing yardage record. Part of the reason for the Lack of Atten Tion is Loverde s identity problem. He also goes by the name Binny test avar. In reality he s a figment of a statistics Freak s vivid imagination a four year combination of the passing figures of Bemie Kosar and Virny Testaverde As starters at quarterback for the University of Miami. Kemt passed for 5.971 Yards in the 1983 and 1984 seasons at Miami before leaving with two Yean of eligibility remaining for the National football league draft. Tet verde followed and he has racked up 4,423 passing Yards As a Darter in 1985 and the first five games of 1986. Put them together and you gel 10,394 Yards or just 185 less than flu tic s division i a record of 10,579 set at Boston College from 1981 through 1984. At Testaverde s current Pace of 236.6 passing Yards per game the Kosar Tesla verde combination will pass Flutie this saturday when the unbeaten top ranked hurricanes play at West Virginia. What gives this statistical creature some significance is the fact thai Kosar and Testaverde arrived at Miami at the same time in the fall of 1982. Had things worked out differently either one could have started four seasons and made a Strong run at flu lie s record on his own. The consummate team player Testa verde won t take a lol of Riedil for his Success. But coach Jimmy Johnson gave credit where in is due when it came to the Tesla verde Kocsar Success. First it fowl that both of them Are very talented individuals said Johnson who is in his third year at Miami. Sec Ond it shows what a great program and a great supporting cast they be  in order to be a fair comparison to the record Flutie established in his four sea sons the 10,394-Yard figure includes Only statistics Testaverde and Kosa have amassed As starters. That does t include 184 Yards Tesla verde racked up As a backup to Kosar in 1984 or the 79yards he passed for As an emergency fill in for the injured Jim Kelly in 1982, Kovar was red shirted in 1982. Testa verde was supposed to be. But when Kelly went Down with an injury coach Howard Schne Llenberger who recruited both of them had to play one of his two Young quarterbacks. The following year be had to choose Between the two again this time in Theattle for inc starting spot. It was a close Competition but san Nollenberger decided to go with Kosar because he appeared to be More mentally ready to fact the hostile crowd at Honda in inc opener. Kosar now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns was Well on his Way to re writing the College record books when he decided to turn pro. He had enough credits to graduate after three years in school. Nobody was happier than Testaverde. He had been considering transferring to another school until Kosar tipped him of his plan. The hurricanes passing attack had no letdown under Testaverde his 1985 passing yardage of 3,238 is second in the school record Book Only to Kosar s 3,642 in a 12-game regular season in 1984. Testaverde could pass Moit of Kosar school passing records this year but he s More interested in tying one Mark set in Kosar s reign the National title after the 1983 season. Usel seeks injunctive Relief from ruling new York a the United states football league will continue its Legal Battle against the National football league by asking the Federal courts for injunctive Relief within the neat two weeks Usel commissioner Harry usher said tuesday. We will ask the court to ten the nil what it can and cannot do As an illegal monopolist said usher after presiding at an owners meeting. Part of that will be the n pm s relationship with the television networks a jury last july awarded the Usel 1 Dollar trebled to 3 dollars in its 1.69 Billon Dohar antitrust suit against lie nil. In its verdict the jury found the nil liable on one count of being a monopoly and determined television was an essential element in the Success of a major professional football league. The nil however was found not Lia me on the charge that it bad monopolized television. The Usel bad hiked . District judge Peter k. Leisure to Grant a of trial on damages but that request was denied last thursday. Additionally Lei lure also denied an nil request to vacate the one count that it had engaged in predatory conduct against the newer league and. He said in fact there a Evi Dence of such conduct usher would not Dabonne on what will be contained in the Usel i injunction request