European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday june 15, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25commentarya Dod for Oil sports seasons sunday will be the first fathers Day without my dad. He died last july 3 at age 77. No More letters from him extolling a that terrific ironman Streak of Cal Ripken. No More notes ripping a those Crummy if my dad were still cheering he would Roar for his beloved underdogs. Guys like Buster Douglas and Andres Gomez. Teams like the Pittsburgh pirates and Portland Trail blazers. And however futile the . Soccer team. Without my dads trans Atlantic rooting this will be my quietest fathers Day. Time to think. Remember a dad who handed Down his sports interest with the touch of a Bridge player which he was. If there were Ever a dad duty its to enlighten his son to sports history. Spotlight the big names Muhammad Ali Jesse Owens Jim Brown Pete Rose. Flash the big scores Colts 23, giants 17 Texas 15, Arkansas 14 notre Dame 71, Urcla 70. My dad switched on my Light in the summer of 1968. We were camping. The radio had the Oakland a a swamping the Detroit tigers. A Young player named Reggie Jackson belted two homers. I asked who was this Guy who held the Home run record who was the Best hitter in history. Questions questions. My dad answered them. When we returned Home he pulled out a baseball Book from 1914. It detailed the hitting of Tycobb and Honus Wagner the pitching of by Young and Christy Mathewson. I was hooked. Our sports Bond strengthened. In 1970, we Rode around the East coast catching baseball games. Made sure to see Willie Mays at Brand new three Rivers stadium Cap flying off and All. Saw the wonderful Green Outfield under the lights of Yankee stadium. Rooted against the original version of the big red machine at Shea stadium. The grandest part of that trip was finding the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown . I spent so Many hours in the museum even my dad needed a break. He went out to see an american legion game. We returned to Cooperstown in 1986. Our game plan this time was to research unassisted triple plays. We spent hours in the museum Library until we determined How Many unassisted triple plays had been turned. The number was eight not nine since Paul Hines did no to accomplish that rare feat in 1878 after All. My dad had this fetish for unassisted triple plays. He marvelled at the rarity of one Guy getting three outs in one play. Especially the Only one in world series history that of Bill Wambsganss in 1920. My dad was so intrigued that he visited Wambsganss in 1984. Drove All the Way from his Home in Carlisle pa., to Cleveland to Chat with 90-year-old Wamby. The former Cleveland Indian died the next year. My dad was stuck in other sports grooves. He loved Jim Thorpe Yogi Berra Kansas state football Johnny Unitas the olympics Joe Louis babe Didrikson babe Ruth Willie Stargell Nancy Lopez and Abbott and costello so a who son he hated the dodgers for moving and George Stein Brenner for staying. My dad Wasny to exactly fond of a certain announcer. If you did no to know Howard Cost Llu a proper name my dad made you think it was that bum. We drove All Over to watch sports. An hour to get to a to for the 1971 Nebraska Oklahoma classic. Down to Munich for the 1972 olympics. Across three states for the 1979 Hall of Fame bowl in Birmingham Ala. A Quick ride to Washington for the 1987 old timers baseball game at Frk stadium. Always to Baltimore for the orioles. When my dad Charles Dickens Fox was dying of Bone cancer at Washington a Walter Reed army medical Center last summer he considered Wheeling to Baltimore for another Oriole game. But while we talked he read that they were on the West coast. By the time he was buried at Arlington National cemetery the orioles had returned Home and hit the Road again. I wanted to Tell him that on the Day he died they won at memorial stadium. Alta Star and stripes sch Ottenheimer charges up chiefs by Walt Morrissette St amp of writer Rhein main a West Germany a the prospects for coach Marty Schotten Heimers 1990 Kansas City chiefs Are much sunnier than the Gray june drizzle that greeted him upon arrival in Europe. Sch Ottenheimer landed wednesday with an entourage of eight nil players wives girlfriends and cheerleaders from the los Angeles raiders and Philadelphia eagles. They re Here for a 10-Day morale boosting tour of military bases in Europe sponsored by the Uso Volvo and gatorade. At the Berlin Airlift memorial on the bus and at the Headquarters of the 435th civil engineering so the chiefs head coach talked about the future of his team and the aug. 11 american bowl in Berlin against the los Angeles rams. A a we re really excited about the Berlin game a sch Ottenheimer said. A we think its a great Opportunity for an experience that very few people will have a Chance to share. A obviously there Are a lot of things going on in Europe right now. We re going to come Over Here to get some work done which in a sure Well do. But on the same Token we re going to enjoy the experience and we think leave Here better for having been sch Ottenheimer was a winning coach in Cleveland and has brought stability to the Kansas City franchise. His 1988 Browns mushed 10-6, two games behind the 12-4 Cincinnati bengals in the acc Central. He managed this despite going through tour quarterbacks because of injuries. Bemie Kosar broke his Arm in the first Quarter of the season opener. Gary Danielson broke his leg in week 2. Mike Pagel went Down in week 6. Don Strock guided me Browns to Victory Over the eagles in week 7. Kosar returned Only to be knocked out by Miami in the next to last week of the season. Strock helped Cleveland beat Houston in the season finale to Clinch a wild card berth. But Houston came to Cleveland in the wild card game and won 24-23. Schotten Heimer Calls his own offensive plays and took heat for his play calling. He decided tonal in Europe leave Cleveland rather than hire an offensive coordinator. What does a coach who is in Between jobs look for in his next team a we had made the decision to leave Cleveland and Kansas City was a very attractive situation to me for a couple of reasons. They have some Good players. There a a tradition there. A a they be struggled Over the past 10-12 years but there was a tradition there. Players like Bobby Bell Mike Garrett Lenny Dawson and Otis Taylor which i thought we could use As an example of what you can Kansas City a 1988 chiefs struggled through a miserable 4-11-1 season under coach Frank Gansz. Owner Lamar Hunt brought in Carl Peterson As the new club president. Peterson fired Gansz and hired sch Ottenheimer. Under sch Ottenheimer the �?T89 chiefs went 3-5 in the first half of the season but went 5-2-1 Over the second half to just miss the playoffs at 8-7-1. A we had dug ourselves in too deep a Hole in the first half sch Ottenheimer said. Chiefs offensive tackle Irv Eatman had High Praise for sch Ottenheimer a system during a recent visit Here which was unexpectedly extended when Eatman picked up Chicken pox during a visit to Wiesbaden air Force regional medical Center. A someone told me he caught the Chicken pox a said sch Ottenheimer. Is he Here on base a sch Ottenheimer was told that Eatman was recuperating in Ramstein which was fridays Stop on the tour. A we set some goals which were rather lofty and frankly we did no to fulfil any of them a sch Ottenheimer said of his first season in Kansas City. A but we did establish a foundation of winning and an understanding of How you be got to work and prepare to be successful. And that a what we re going to try to build and just How was he Able to turn around losing programs in both Cleveland and Kansas City a amps Scott a. Miller Kansas City Smarty sch Ottenheimer a a we re really excited about the Berlin a i done to think there a any magic a he said. A you Deal with people you done to Deal with a lot of is and of. I think the common thread you have to have is the Quality of person that you know you can count on to work and prepare to give everything he a got. And that Way i think you have the Best Chance of being successful. A they had Good football players in Kan Sas City. They just did no to have a positive direction. Nobody in this thing is going to get anything out of it unless we pull together and we be been Able to do that. Three Quality players were the Bedrock of the Kansas City resurgence in 1989 fullback Christian Okoye who led the league in Rushing linebacker and defensive Rookie of the year Derrick Thomas and quarterback Steve Deberg the Journeyman who led . To three wins m their last four games. Okoye a is extremely talented and has great Speed and Power. If he can remain injury free we think hell continue to be one of the great running backs in this league. A the fits our offence quite Well. We like that big Strong Back that can do those things a sch Ottenheimer said. Thomas a is a very talented Young Man with great Speed. Speed is what sets him apart. He a got the ability to get upfield and put pressure on the pass protector. He a still got a ways to go in the running game. He has to develop consistency in that area. But if he can stay injury free he can be successful in this league for quite a Long time a the coach said. Deneig a is the incumbent who will face challenges from former cowboys quarterback Steve Pelluer and Mike Elkins the Rookie from Wake Forest. The chiefs picked up Pelluer in mid season a because of his athletic ability even though he was surrounded by a bad situation in Dallas a sch Ottenheimer said. This group should be bolstered by first round draft Choice Percy Snow a linebacker and Butkus award Winner from Michigan state. A i think we had a pretty Good draft. We drafted Percy Snow. We drafted Timmy Grunhard a notre Dame graduate whose father is a policeman in Chicago. A one Quality we think was evident about All our picks in this draft is they re All Tough ornery Guys which we maybe this entourage should be careful As it explores Europe. On tuesday the group is scheduled to visit the same place where Eatman picked up the pox Wiesbaden a Hospital
