1993_04 The Daily Collegian April 1993

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Collegian Sports
6— Daily Collegian
Wednesday, April 21, 1993
gjg^] Clock ticking on Wright's'Dogs
Please say
it ain't so,
WillieShoe
This week, Sports Illustrated set
aside 13 pages and dozens of rolls
of color film to tell the depressing,
disheartening, dispicable story of
Willie Shoemaker, a Kentucky
Derby-winning jockey-turned
quadriplegic after he lost control
of his Ford Bronco II on April 8y
1991, and drove off the side of
Route 30 in Southern California.
Shoemaker was on his way home
from a round of golf and some
drinks with a few pals. After the
accident that forever changed his
life. Shoemaker's blood-alcohol
level was measured at .13, well-
over California's legal limit.
As the story in SI vividly de¬
scribes. The Shoe now spends his
mornings training horses from a
wheelchair that moves only when
he blows or sips through a me¬
chanical straw.       i
His afternoons are spent looking
for a scapegoat   ■       w;n:.*»:v
Dodging responsibility
In an effort to dodge taking re¬
sponsibility for the accident that
took from him the ability to do
what he loyed most — race horses
— Shoemaker and his attorney,
Neil Papiano. have sought dam¬
ages from anyone and' everyone
who could possibly have been at
fault in a one-car, drunk-driving
accident. V>
The pair has sought legal action
against CalTrans for not having
guard rails on the side of the free¬
way from which his drunken body
tumbled. And against the Ford Mo¬
tor Co. because of a propensity the
Bronco II had to roll over. Appar-
endy; the fine print never said any-,
thing about not drinking twice your
body weight before hopping be¬
hind the wheel.
Public outcry
The\public — the suckers who
will have to pay agy damages The
Shoe incurs from CalTrans — re¬
acted angrily to the news that he.
was seeking to have other entities
pay for the self-inflicted inurie's he
sustained. •'   .
And well they should.
Shoemaker is a bitter, money-
hungry sleezebag whose name
should be forever enshrined with
the likes .of Marge Schott and
George Steinbrenner in the sports
hall of shame.
As sports fans, we should cel¬
ebrate the heroes who have over¬
come forbidding physical obstacles
to succeed: Jim Abbott, Bo Jack¬
son, Mario Lemieux, and the like.
At the same time, we should pity
those, like Shoemaker, who are
truly handicapped.
FSU title hopes,
hinge on weekend
doubleheader
against Hornets
Collegian Sports Staff
Any aspirations of Fresno State
winning the WAC softball cham¬
pionship have been on hold since
CS N< rthridge arrived in town for
last Sunday's doubleheader.
t On that day, the 15th-ranked
Bulldogs(26-17,6-6),stuckinfifth
place before playing host to the
No. 2 Matadors, managed a split
but could only rise to a fourth-
place tie with New Mexico (6-6)
but still behind Utah (7-5), the
Matadors and No. 11 Sacramento
State (both 9-1).
The Bulldogs' next chance io
pull closer to the leaders is Satur¬
day afternoon, when the WAC ccr
leading Hornets are in for another
doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m.
Sacramento State was not very
friendly when FSU traveled north
to the state capital on April 10,
when Hornet freshman pitcher
Tami Blunt won both ends of the
doubleheader,
1-0 over now
17-51 Marcie
•Green, and 2-1
in anil-inning
second game.
The Hornets
(27-10overall) ,
have been led Hnl
all season by Blunt, who has led
the WAC in previous weeks in
earned run average, strikeouts,
complete games, and fewest hits
allowed per seven innings. As of
April 13, she had a record of 17-5,
with opponents batting a meager
.139 against her. \
In the doubleheader against FSU,
Blunt tossed a four-hit shutout and
struck out nine. In game two, the
Bulldogs took a 1 -0 lead in the fifth
inning, only to see Sac State tie the
game in the bottom of the inning.
The Hornets won the game in the ■
11th, with Blunt again going the
distance, allowing six hits and two
walks while striking out five.
In WAC play, the Hornets were
batting just .238 as a team through
eight games, good enough for sec¬
ond in the conference. The Hor¬
nets are, led by seniors Kim .
See Softball/page 7
Smith quietly racks lip wins
By Shondell Reed
Staffwriter
K ri sty Smith is keeping quiet
and letting her racquet do the
talking this season.
The sophomore, from
Pqrterville may not get as much
publicity as teammates Amy
Gallagher and Mary Fallara, but
she still manages to put up some
impressive numbers.
Smith is currently tied with
Gallagher for best dual record
on the team at 14-10. Her over¬
all record of 15-12 is the sec¬
ond-best on the squad.
Despite the individualistic na¬
ture of tennis, Smith, a business
administration major, believes
in a total team concept But any
publicity her teammates receive
is well deserved. "I feel every- .
one on the team contributes,"
Smith said. "We win together
and we lose together."
Head Coach Irene Harris says
k Smith has played a lot of close
'■        jmatches, but inevitably comes
/through when .the pressure is
onto get the team a victory.
"When the match is close,"
Harris said, "I want her out
there."
Smith, who has been playing
since age nine, has pinpointed
thecauseofher numerous three-
set marathon matches."! lose my
concentration sometimes,"
Smith said. "But I have won my
last two matches in straight sets."
Harris has seen a lot of im¬
provement in Smith's.game
since last year. Although Harris,
sees her weaknesses, she never
loses sight of her strengths.
"Herimproved aggressive net
play and her forehand are her
best weapons," Coach Harris
said. "But her backhand and sec¬
ond serve need improvement."
Smith's teammate and room¬
mate Gallagher, FSU's No. 1
player, has noticed a different
kind of improvement in Smith's
game from last season to this.
'  J  rintrt
Jeremy Cloud
V
Sophomore Kristy Smith is 36-23 in her two seasons at FSU. The team is 35-18 in that time.
"Her attitude has really im¬
proved," Gallagher said. "When
her attitude is good, she plays
good.''
When Smith isn't playing ten¬
nis, she likes to spend her free time
shopping, hanging outwiuj^ends,
but most importandy: the all-im¬
portant beauty rest.
"My favorite hobby is sleeping
because it seems like I'm always
tired," she said.
Even perpetually tired. Smith has
been a major contributor to the
Bulldogs' successful campaigns
the past two seasons.
And not only is she appreci-   j
ated by her teammates for com¬
ing through in the clutch, but
for her personality, as well.
"She's a doll." Gallagher
said. "She adds a lot of spice to
the team."
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