European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 20, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday now Ber 20. 1986 the stars and stripes pal 18 Chi i i who his a i Iii Hafl games outlasting fan interest did you notice people yawning tuesday morning How about the number of bloodshot can that were seen around the country you can blame the abundance of tuesday on the monday night Marathon bowl Between the Washington Redskin and the Sanfrancisco 49ers. So let s go Over the television spectacular de scribed by one nil observer As four hours of solid commercials uninterrupted by that May be a Tad harsh but then this game was a lad tedious for the Hearty tools who had the staying Power to go and the Way from the Kickoff to the final gun 3 hours 48 minute later. Everything that could happen to delay a football game delayed this football game. There were 50 incomplete passes the clock Stop Ping every time the football hit the ground. There were 18 penalties accepted and at East another 10 called making Frk stadium look like a yellow Flag outlet As the zebras first huddled and then announced the infractions. There was a 10-Minule in jury delay a 17-minute half time and much Tim spent standing around waiting for something to Hap pen. Not much did happen in Washington s 14-6 Victory which by the Way ended at the entirely civil hour of 9 57 . In san Francisco. We re concerned with the length of games but not if they Are interesting said Tex sinramm president of the Dallas Cowboy and chairman of the nil i Competition committee. If the entertainment level is High people stay with games no Nutter How Long they go. A is inning baseball game takes maybe four hours but if it s exciting that does t the tedium Titoff for Schramm is in the stands. Fans Are More sophisticated today than they used to be he said. Before people would slay no matter what now if they Don t like what they re seeing they go by game s end monday night perhaps 23 percent of the Washington crowd had left. Government does after All begin operations Early each Das at Home television sets also were clicking off As viewers nodded off. The game s Overall rating was 17.7. It started with an 18.4 at Kickoff moved up to 20.9 from 10 to 10 30, and then slipped to 16.7 Between 11 30 and Midnight to 14.4 from Midnight to 12 30 am. And finally to 13.1 in ill last half hour. Last year games averaged 3 hours and 9 minute through the firt 11 weeks. This year the avenge is 3 hours and 12 minutes. Our problem in trying to shorten games is to do it without taking out the entertainment the plays Schramm said. That translates to cutting Down the dead time be tween plays. If you Cut five seconds off Between each play and multiply that by the number of plays that equals Many minutes Schramm said we get resistance from the coaches though. With today s wide open sophisticated game you re substituting on every Down. It makes for a belter game but it takes for All the time it took the Redskint-49ers contest was not the longest game of the season. In fact it was t even the longest game of the weekend. Kansas City and Denver needed 3 hours and 49minutes to Complete 60 minutes of football sunday. The redskins and 49ers could have payed even longer. Both teams had timeouts left As the first half ended and the redskins had one remaining at the end of the game. Perhaps they were Yawn just too sleepy to Cal lit. Ohio state in rare position of being underdog at Home by Rusty Miller Columbus Ohio a it is Toften that an Ohio state football team is rated an underdog when playing in front of a partisan crowd of 90,000 at Ohio stadium. Bui even though Michigan i listed As a two Point favorite going into sat urday s big ten showdown with Ohio stale Buckeye coach Earle Bruce said that Thoulin t Haw any bearing on his Wolf Scoto Earle Brac would Settle for lie "1 Hope they Don t look at that Bruce said at his weekly press luncheon. "1 Don t think that i important. We just want to go out and play football play our game. "it1 still a matter of the great players having to play great plus the next level whatever that might be playing above Ohio state enters the game hoping to Clinch an outright conference championship and a Date with Pac 10 Champion Arizona stale in the Rose bowl. The buckeyes who have won their last nine games after losing their first two locked up a share of the Crown last week with e30-17 Victory Al Wisconsin while Michi Gan was losing to Minnesota 20-17, at Home. The upset left Michigan at 9-1 Overall and 6-1 in the big ten with Ohio stale at 9-2 and 7-0. I would normally like Michigan to come into Ohio stadium undefeated said Bruce. They lost a Lough football game to a Good Minnesota team. I dont Enow if that make it any easier for us. Well had out on saturday.1 Bruce shirt the 83rd meeting of the two old rivals will revolve around the usual big game basics. Ii i always a defensive Battle be said. The team whose defense plays the Best and whose kicking game Guys Well will win the game. When you watch the game films of the past turnover always Are critical too. You also have to Pul More Points on the Board these Days because the score shave gone up. The games Aren t 10-10 or 7-6 anymore. There More offence More skilled people More passing.1 the Ohio state coach who is 4-3 against Michigan said that if Given a Choice with time running out Between a tie game and taking a Chance on a two Point conversion and a Victory he would go for the lie. You d be crazy not to he Laid. Ohio stale s team would still go to the Rose Bow in the event of a tie. Quarterback Jim Arsalos mined the second Hal of the Wisconsin game with � shoulder injury but Bruce said he would not miss a practice. Tar heels 1 St in preseason Cage poll by Jimo Connell a sports writer North Carolina buoyed by a solid Barf court and one of the nation s leading freshman big men has been selected the no i Teamon the associated frets pre season College basketball poll. The tar heels 28-6 last year received 3i Flat place votes and 1,215 Points from a nationwide panel of sport writers and broadcasters. They edged out the de fending National Champion Louisville for the top spot. North Carolina lost a amen can Brad no. 1 selection association to graduation. But senior Kenny. Smith and Sophomore Jeff Lobo Rotum in the Back court and the addition of 6-foot-10 Iresh nuts ii Bould help ease the loss of Maui erty s rebounding. This is nto Honor for our and Tunny Smit Mim Joe la u Oik Dean Smith id. With the loss of Brad Daugherty Steve Hale and Warren Martin they Are now our key the North Carolina coach believes the introduction of the three Point Field goal will ensure that ibis basketball season will be even More balanced with 50 or 60 capable teams. Louisville which a North Carolina in last year s Mcaa tournament in the regional semifinals received 22 first place vote and 1,196 Pomis. The Cardinal 32-7 last season return Only two starters from heir National championship team Junior Forward her Bert Crook and Center ferns Ellson voted the most outstanding player in then Caa tournament a a Maomao. The big ten conference got four teams into the preseason poll and two of them. Indiana and Purdue were third Sandfo Uitz respectively. Indiana which returns three doable figure scorers including senior guard Steve Alford from last season s 21-8 team received two first place votes and956 Points. Purdue 22-10, matched in Diana s first place vote total and collected 935 Points Overall two other team received Fust place votes no. 5 Nevada Las vegas had two and no. 6 Georgia tech had one. Nevada Las vegas lad 901 Points while Georgia tech finished with 770. Oklahoma Kansas Navy and Iowa rounded out the top ten. Oklahoma and Kansas both members of the big eight received 684 and 645 Point respectively while Navy anchored by 6-11 Center David Robinson bad 360. And Iowa another member of the big ten bad 531. Kentucky led off the second Tea just As it did in last year1 preseason poll the Wildcat went on to a 32-4 record and a no. 3 ranking in the final Pou following Kentucky in the second ten were fellow Southeastern Confer ence members Auburn and Alabama ii Georgetown Atlantic coast conference with North Carolina Georgia tech and Nort Carolina state lie Sec and the big bail with Syracuse Pittsburgh and George town each had three representative Pott. Cleveland state which upset Indian and St. Joseph s in last season s Mcaa tournament before losing to Navy by on Point made its first appearance la the top Twenty. The Vikings 24, return four starter from a learn that averaged Duke Fieh Toft to Louis Jue in the devils out of the preseason poo. Georgia tech which went of to Finis Shu in the final poll was last year a. No. 1
