European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday May 16,1990 the stars and stripes commentary Little Al inherits big piece of history they Call him a Little this is to distinguish him from his father who is big Al. He san Unser which Means he probably Wasny to bom he was assembled. If you prick him he does t bleed he leaks. Oil. Users the popular theory goes come into the world with wheels instead of legs a Carburettor for a heart a crankcase for a digestive system and a Lola Chassis and Power Plant made in England. They go right from a crib to a cockpit. Their first Bonnet is a Bubble helmet. If it ainu to going 100 Mph a or 200 a it ainu to an Unser. They Tell the Story of the Guy who was passing himself off As an Unser at a Midwest Bank once when they saw him Stop at a stoplight. They knew he Wasny to an Unser. The cowboys Are americans team. The users Are americans chauffeurs. The users have paid their dues. There a a Little piece of them in every race track in America. Uncle Jerry was killed in a race car at indy in 1959. Uncle Bobby has been peeled off every Wall there. He made two whole laps his first race around the Speedway. The next year he made Only one. Bobby always wanted to go faster than the car. Brother Al was More respectful of a race car. He made sure they turned left. His first race he went not two but 196 laps. His second he went 161, his third 198. By his fifth race he was not Only going the full 200, he was winning. He is the last Back to Back indy Winner and Only the fourth such in indy history. The Unser act is a Tough one to follow. Even for another Unser. Will Little Al Ever be the racer his father and uncles a and Grandfather a were its a Large order. You re talking seven Indianapolis wins a runaway family record and scores of other races from pikes Peak Hill climbs to Stock cars to sprint cars to dirt trackers. Users have run under More Check ered flags than any family of Drivers in history. Little Al May never add an Unser to the Borg Wamer or pig trophies but he has already set a family Standard in one Unser category a love of the game. Little Al like big Al is a master at holding a car s run together. He races rapidly but not recklessly. In six indy races he has tasted for More than 190 Miles four times. He is a Cool Heady Driver who has been in a car since he was 7 and a race car since puberty. He was about to put the Unser name on an eighth indy win last year in a spectacular wheel to wheel slug est with the canny brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi. It was to be the closest finish since Mears John Jim my r Ray Al Unser or. Rear Sticks close to father Al or. Cock in 1982 a and that was the closest in history. 3/1 oohs of a second. The cars were hurtling toward the White Flap Lap out of turn 3 when suddenly Fittipaldi a car lifted from the track and spun into Unser a left rear wheel. Little Al spun out of control careened across the track and slammed into a Wall and out of the race. It was what happened next that stamped Al As not so Little but big in spirit. Here was a Man who had come within a Lap of every Unser a dream and had been shockingly knocked out of it. His rival Fittipaldi was proceeding unharmed to the Check ered Flag. A Quarter of a million fans at the Oval and uncounted millions on to were watching and wailing expectantly for the 27-year-old�?Ts explosion. The was to bet was head throw a Tantrum flip a Finger clench a fist kick a tire scream for vengeance howl at the Steward raise hell. A safety crewman nearby even scanned the Young Driver for telltale signs Young Unser was non compos Mentis. Temporarily deranged by injury. Or outrage. Thirty two of the 33 Drivers might have been convinced by his next actions that indeed he was. Not so Little Al stood by the Side of the track and applauded the circling Fittipaldi. He shot him a thumbs up signal cheered his flight to Victory Lane. What kind of demented reaction was this a Well Quot explains Young Unser �?o1 had about a minute and a half to make up my mind what to do. The safely crewman looked at me. A Are you Gong to flip him off a he asks me. A right then it pretty much hit me that everyone expected me to do something like that. Everyone at the race track and the millions looking on expected me to do something negative to shake my fist or throw a Tantrum. Quot i had about a minute and a half As he came around again to decide what to do. A lot of things flashed through my mind. 1 thought of the negative press id received at Long Beach the month before when a shunt with Mario Andretti put that Driver out of the race. Quot i knew everyone was waiting for an outburst. In that moment 1 knew that if i lodged a protest that race would be run in a courtroom for a year or More. "1 decided to do the opposite of what everyone expected. I decided that what had happened was racing Luck. It was no one s fault hut that racing could Only be Hurt by a big controversy. Quot the entire indy 500 audience those at the race and the millions watching on to expected just that. 1 just stood there and applauded Emmo for a Fine piece of driving. 1 rooted for history records that no one was More startled by this than Emmo Fittipaldi when he pulled into Victory Lane his face tight expecting at least a loud acrimonious debate. Instead Young Al did everything but ask for his autograph. It was another Unser contribution to the sport of racing. It was t an eighth Victory at indy a or was it the sigh of Relief from the officials was almost audible. An indy 500 was safely in the books. Another major sporting event was kept out of the courts. An Unser was making indy history As usual. The lob Annlea to Mufti up England a map in the running for Job with jets by Al Harvin new York times Hempstead . A until Victor Ebube Dike showed up last week the most promising new York jets player anyone could remember coming out of England was Bobby Howfield a place kicker who preceded Pat Leahy. Howfield however was a converted soccer player who had never played american football before coming to the United states. Ebube Dike a running Back has. Quot in be been playing football for seven years now a said the London Boni Ebube Dike whose parents Are from Nigeria. �?o1 used to play soccer when 1 was younger. A Friend of mine introduced me to football. Its real big Over there now. 1 think if the Media started to show it on to soccer would soon be out the if Ebube Dike pronounced air boo Bay Dee Kay were Back at Home he would be in the midst of a season playing for the London Ravens a semipro team. Although he made his living working at several jobs for a clothes company a he was Good one As a Secundy manager enough at american football to be named most valuable player on England a National team which won the last euro bowl game. And he was Good enough to come to the jets minicams highly recommended by american scouts. A a Guy named Terry Smith who used to be a free agent defensive Back with the patriots six or seven years ago went Over to England and actually became a very successful coach Over there a a Dick Steinberg the jets general manager said. A the has recommended players throughout the years to us but this was the first Guy he was really enthusiastic a then i spoke to Jack Elway who a a Friend of mine Quot Steinberg continued. A the went Over to England to coach a team that eventually folded. He called and said this was one of the Guys that was going to play for him and he was the Best Guy Over there. A a he a got Good size 6 feet 216 pounds and he ran the 40 slightly under 4.6. You can Sec he does no to look out of place out there at just How the 24-Ycar-old Ebube Dike fits into the jets plans is unclear. Although the team made the Penn state running Back Blair Thomas its no. I draft Choice he has not signed yet. Freeman Mcneil the jets starting running Back at the beginning oblast season is 31 years old and unsigned. Johnny Hector the Man who beat Mcneil out of his Job is 29 and also unsigned. Bruce Coslet the jets head coach has said he planned to use a lot of people in different roles in the Backfield and everybody seems to believe that Ebube Dike will be invited to training Camp when it opens july 22. The jets new running backs coach. Kippy Brown who spent the last seven years As the receivers coach under Johnny majors at Tennessee said of Ebube Dike a a he a working hard he a just a Little Green. He a a Fine athlete who just has t played enough football. Sometimes he gets a Little nervous and jumps for the Ball instead of just feeling it into his arms. If he a committed hell get better and
