European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes thursday August 8, 1991 commentary games 5th rate for . Athletes by Steve Wilstein a Yankee go Home Quot that old anti imperialist War cry takes on new meaning when the Yankee is George Steinbrenner and the ones saying it Are americans. Steinbrenner endeared himself to no one on the . Pan american games team with his harrumph Ings in Havana sunday about the athletes who stayed away his not so Subtle suggestion that those who came arc losers and the implication that America Send a team at All if it can to Send its this time though the banished Boss of the new York Yankees and vice president in Good standing of the . Olympic committee can to just fire someone Call in a new manager buy ballplayers and carry off a Hoard of Gold. He can sue which he is threatening to do to one of the athletes on his own Florida clippers track team a High hurdler Tony Dees who agreed to come Here but withdrew to compete in a meet in Europe. But that wont solve anything and Steinbrenner knows it. The problem is not that Steinbrenner is wrong Quality of the american team struggling in the heat of Havana a no one can deny that most of americans top athletes chose to skip this show to attend others a but that he Speaks too truthfully. Unpleasant though it May sound to those Happy to be Here the pan am games just Arentt real important to a lot of . Athletes nor to an american Public that gets excited about track and Field swimming and diving gymnastics Amateur baseball and boxing Only once every four years during the olympics. To the athletes the pan ams Are fifth rate theater trailing the olympics world championships the Goodwill games . Championships and anywhere they can get Good Money for showing up. To american television viewers and sports Page readers the pan am games offer either a Slaughter by . Athletes if the Best show up As they did in Indianapolis in 1987, or a Boring melange of mediocrity As some believe it is this year. Should then the United states bag the whole Deal let the other countries in the hemisphere compete every four a years if they want and just join them when Europe and the rest of the world also Are invited to make it a Little More interesting that a not so simple. Ollan Cassell executive director of the athletics. Congress governing body of track and Field acknowledges that the idea of the United states pulling out of the pan ams has been discussed seriously but says it is unacceptable. A if the . Fades out there arc no pan am games a Cassell said bluntly sunday. A but there Are bigger considerations than just the games. There Are political and economic issues involved. Its difficult living in this hemisphere to withdraw. We Are talking about removing Trade barriers with Mexico and Canada and its important that we broaden our sports and cultural ties with them sports is not an Island by itself though some people wish it president Bush and Congress would no doubt take a dim View of a pan am pullout by the soc and could exert pressure to prevent it Steinbrenner sees sports in simpler terms distinguishing Only Between winning and losing. He puts his Money and time on the line Waves a tiny american Flag and expects his team to win. Yet he looks at the track and Field team and does no to find the big names a Carl Lewis Leroy Burrell Jackie Joyner Kersee Greg Foster Michael Johnson Mike Powell Renaldo Nehemiah Evelyn Ashford a All of whom qualified for Havana but chose instead to train for the world championships or compete in Europe. He looks at the menus basketball team and can to find Shaquille o Neal and Alonzo mourning two giants who could have come and made the team invincible. The boxing team is poorer for the absence of three of americans Best a lightweight Oscar de la Hoy it Junior lightweight Ivan Robinson and world Champion flyweight Eric Griffin. Missing from the swimming team Are America s swiftest a Janet Evans Matt Biondi Tom Jager summer Sanders a who Are pointing instead to the pan Pacific meet later this month. A anytime the , sends a team somewhere like the pan am games we should Send our Best a Steinbrenner said. A a it a a matter of National then As always with Steinbrenner it gets Down to hard Cash a a there a no excuse for them not to be Here. That stint to Stop. The soc supports them All year. Well just have to Tell them. Don t look to the soc for dollars. Get the europeans to pay Well give our Money to the younger kids a i want to emphasize that in a not criticizing those who Are Here. Bur most of them finished fourth fifth Quot sixth or seventh in our National Cassell is More sympathetic with those who stayed away. A this is not the Aba or nil where we can demand that the athletes show up. He said. A look at the schedules around the world. We have a world championship in 10 Days in my sport track and some athletes did t want to take a Chance on coming to Cuba and getting sick. A sometimes 1 disagree with George sometimes i agree with him. Track and Field is not ducking the pan am games. We in the . Arc on the horns of a dilemma. If we bring the Best we win everything and the countries get upset. If we done to they think we re slighting the Host country. So what do you do Quot if it were up to Steinbrenner the . Would bring its Best blast everyone in every sport and go Home Happy Yankees. The associated pres Jackson confident Chicago a to Jackson look a giant stride in his comeback attempt from what was considered a career ending injury when lie took batting practice tuesday with the Chicago White sox. A a in a confident ill be Back a Jackson said after the workout in which he faced real pitching for the first time since last september when he finished the season with the Kansas City royals. Jackson admitted he had butterflies when he took Early batting practice tuesday and then again with the reserves shortly before the game against the new York Yankees. He showed Little sign of any pain a the was awesome and hit some Over the Walls Quot manager Jacif Torborg said of Jackson a Early attempt. A a that a the first Lime he has swung a Bat against live pitching since last Quot i feel great Quot said Jackson. "1 Haven to been in an outside batting Cage since last year. In a looking Forward to coming Back tomorrow. I never had any doubt about coming Hack its All a matter of time. Right now its Day to Day Wick to Weck a a the s been hitting indoors for a week and a half Quot said Trainer Herm Schneider. Quot each Day we looked As to How he reacted How he was swinging. We decided last week that lie was ready but we decided to wait. A this health is of Quot Schneider said. Quot he was hitting with a smile on his face. A lot of people doubted he could do it and he did no to know Darmstadt sets wrestling clinic on the mend to Jackson takes a turn in the batting Cage tuesday. A a it a a sense of Relief Quot said Jackson. Quot its like coming out of my Shell All Over asked if he hit As Well As head like Jackson said a a in a never satisfied never comfortable. I always feel there a room for Schneider said the program for Jackson has included a lot of work. Quot lie comes out Early even Day and takes Hydro therapy. He swims. Stretches the hip Muscles in both legs. He throws runs and goes Back into the Pool. After that its to the weight room where he also docs squats leg curls then we treat the soreness that he Schneider said Jackson is a right on schedule but his strength is not where we would like to have the Usa eur clinic for wrestling coaches and officials will be held aug. 20-24 at Darmstadt a Cambrai Fritsch Cavern. James Horton an International category 2 referee will instruct officials. Coaches instruction will come from All Mentor Anthony Thomas. Registration for $25, at the Cambrai rec Center is from 8 30-9 . Aug. 20. Classes begin at 9 . Each Day and the Public is invited. A tournament for which there is a $5 per style entry fee. And limited to Active duty wrestlers will wind up the event. Freestyle Competition begins at 4 . Aug. 23, with weigh ins and physicals from 1-3 . Weigh ins and phys gals for the Greco roman Competition will be from 7 30-9 30 . Basketball g Lessen is planning a Community level menus labor Day tournament aug. 30-sept. 2. Team entry fee is $90, with a cutoff Date of aug 26. Contact David Dienhart at 3437801/6339 or civilian 0641-4027801/6339 for More details. Flag football Kaiserslautern is hosting a unit level preseason tournament aug. 30-sept. 2. Team entry Lee for the double elimination event is $50. Cord mittauer at 486-8330 or Donald Robinson at 0ti31-411-8289 have derails. Power lifting a Hench press Competition will be local sports held sept. 2 at the Lan Stuhl gym pre registration is $5 until aug. 30. On sept. 2, Sig will be taken from 10 . Until noon. The Competition will Start at 3 . Call 486-8330 or 06371-868330. Baseball softball seven teams make up the Field for the Usa eur youth services Junior a a Quot baseball and softball championships. Baseball begins today at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt softball will be held at Heidelberg a Patton Barracks beginning Friday. Osterholtz plays Vilsick at 9 30 . Today in the first baseball contest. Schweinfurt is. Hanau at 11 30 ., Vicenza is. Heidelberg and Berlin is. The opening game Winner Complete the today a schedule. In softball on Friday its Heidelberg is. Ramstein at 10 . And ludwigs Burg kor Westheim is Berlin at noon. The last two games feature the winners of the first games at 2 . While the losers clash at 4 . Martial arts the european martial arts tournament is scheduled for sept. 7 at Miller Hall in Giessen. Entry fee is $25 or 50 Marks for adults and $20 or 40 Marks for children. Registration will be from 8-11 . On sept. 7. A Lack Belt meeting will he held at 11 30 ,
