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Bethea With talented receiver going to NFL, USC can restore image Well, Ryan Bethea is talking to the Minnesota Vikings about a job. And that means the image problems he caused for the university, the football team and the academic department are most prooaoiy nnisnea. Bethea was the perfect football hero ? big, fast and strong with hands of gold that latched on tight to the football. He was the perfect wide receiver, except that he didn't think too much when he was off the field. He was arrested for theft once and went through a Pre-Trial Intervention program to clear his record. But later, he didn't show up for a practice before the 1987 Nebraska game, and coach Joe Morrison ^didn't start him. And then, last season, when he finally had become the big man on the football team, the star player in the receiving corps, finally able to come out from under the shadow of Sterling Sharpe, he was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The case was strange. The initial reports said he had many grams of cocaine but that was later changed to one gram. Then, paperwork for the case apparently disappeared, and it was discovered that the arresting officer misrepresented one of his sources. So the charges were dropped in the middle of the summer. All he had to do was do nothing, and Bethea would have been USC's star receiver this year. Bethea accepted plane fare to travel to California and see a lawyer about getting his car back from the Columbia police who had it impounded. And he met u;i cnArtr o uiui u agviii UU11115 Liiw uip ad wtn. It isn't against NCAA rules to meet with an agent, only to sign with one, which Bethea didn't do. But it is against NCAA rules to accept plane fare and other such gifts from a lawyer (or anyone else for that matter), while a player still has eligibility. The Gamecocks declared him ineligible, and Morrison said the team would not appeal to the NCAA to restore his eligibility. Bethea was given the ultimate opportunity. A bright, talented athlete, he could have used Gamecock football, and more importantly, the degree his scholarship allowed him to seek, to rise out of the rough neighborhood in which he grew up. He could have become one of the most talented college players in the entire country and gone into the National Football League as one of the brightest prospects ever. But that chance was dribbled away by his refusal to think and think carefully about his actions. He wasted away a chance thousands of kids dream of having. The Gamecock wishes no ill feelings to Bethea, but we are also glad to see him go. His presence gave the image of USC sports a black eye, and it's time to heal it. ~~i[NOMEED~TO WAIT TO TAKE A POSITION ON THIS1 I HAVE YOU HUG6ED YOUR HANDGUN I TODAY? \ &tTRrr. lmS (WtThe Gamecock Best Non-daily Collegiate Newspaper, Southeastern Region Society of Professional Journalists, 1987-88 Editor in Chief Datebook Editor STEPHEN GUILFOYLE JENNY SHARPE Managing Editor Graphics Editor SON HA MICHAEL SHARP Copy Desk Chief Comics Editor WAYNE YANG TRACY MIXSON News Editor Adviser HAL MILLARD PAT MCNEELY Assistant N??s Editor STEVE PRADARELLI PHILLIP MCKENZIE MARY PEARSON ",reCIOr ?f S,udenl Medl" ED BONZA Features Editor Advertising Manager SUSAN NESBITT MARGARET MICHELS Assistant Features Editor Production CHUCK DEAN LAURA DAY Photography Editors RAY BURGOS BRIAN SAULS Assistant Advertising Manager TEDDY LEPP BARBARA BROWN Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try lo print letters received. Letters should be, at a maximum, 250 to 300 words long. Guest editorials should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for style or possible libel. The Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstance. ' Nobody won Who won Wednesday night's Firing Line great debate in Longstreet Theater? Nobody ? both sides defaulted. The panelists generated lots of heat regarding arms control and the presidential race, but they shed little light on the debate resolution: "The Right is better able to deal with the Soviets than the Left." Instead, they quibbled about Pentagon procurement reform, Michael Dukakis's ideological stripes, and Andre Sakharov's view of missile defense. They even argued about which dead Democratic presidents ? including Jefferson, Truman and Kennedy ? would have jumped to the Republican party by now. These diversions made for two hours of amusing political theater. But the impressive brain trust ? including Henry Kissinger, George McGovern, Jeane Kirpatrick and Gary Hart, among others ? was capable of much more enlightening, substantive discourse. William F. Buckley Jr., the host of the long running, locally produced Firing Line, was quick to abandon the debate topic in his opening remarks. He chose to attack Dukakis as "pure McGovern" and to deride the American left as "the mistress of Michael Dukakis." The staid arms negotiator Paul Warnke, surprisingly, delivered the Oddball Remark Of The Night (and possibly the year), in describing the bipartisan Anyone else 1 I was sitting in my car this afternoon, wondering what I was going to write for my column. . . . Just kidding, folks. As you know, I haven't sat in my car for several weeks now. What? You don't know what I'm talking about? You weren't a die-hard fan of mine all summer? Come on, you're hurting my feelings. As you should have known from the registration issue of The Gamecock (remember, that 30-page sheaf of newsprint you fanned yourself with in the coliseum two weeks ago?), my car was stolen the night of Aug. 8 from the parking lot at Whaley's Mill. I wrote my heart out for that column, and you didn't read it? For shame. Several people, however, did read my article, and I am grateful. Some of them even liked it. And under other circumstances, I would have been flattered ? nay, honored ? to have people come up to me and say "That was a great article, dude. What are you going to right about next?" But when you think about it, having your car stolen is really a pretty expensive way to come up with a good topic for a column ? although it looks like I'm going to get at least two columns out of it. I was attached to my car, an '85 Monte Carlo SS, even though it came to me by a fluke ? a Styles of '70s A quick look around this campus will confirm the dreaded hypothesis that the '60s are back with a vengeance. A supply of tie-dye T-shirts and Grateful Dead stickers are a must for any selfrespecting student these days. Unfortunately, this '60s craze is exactly that ? a craze. Before long, tie-dyes (not to mention those little multi-colored bracelets) will be a fashion faux pas just like wearing parachute pants on the steps of Gambrell is nowadays. So what's next in the endless fracas of fashion? The graceful motion of time tells a story. With the styles of the '60s so hip now, the only answer to this question can be that the '70s will return to cool status. It will be a surprisingly easy transition, but here's a primer for those who fear that they will drown in the impending tidal wave of '70s trendiness. Part your hair in the middle. This simple act will place you on the cutting edge of the return to the great hairstyles of the '70s. Also, keep your hair as straight as possible. (Julie McCoy from early episodes of Love Boat serves as a fine role model here.) j.Letters to the J* J come, firstReporter didn t . g0od, que to me. prepare in time !; fishbowl, it To the editor: Servicemen Once again your leanings toward alive. I do the Democratic party were obvious in behavior for your anti-Bush-Quayle editorial. In people whicl the Wednesday issue of The tact with the Gamecock, you attacked Sen. Dan security clea Quayle (R-Ind.) for "cutting deals" with your fellow members of the Talking at press. Get a clue, editor. It's not Dan yours was nc Quayle with whom you have a bone ing you did r to pick, but your fellow members of get an appoii the press, who would slice each I guarantee) others' throats for a few minutes of to grant an i the senator's time. tion read by voters. I th So Dan Quayle manages his time planning ani effectively by scheduling interviews who made a rather than doing them on a first- ed" to notil D 11 rk-wT^ o <r. IJUtlVICJ 3 VJI rpri Steve " ? Hook ; disadvantages of nuclear holocaust: "Nuclear war isn't good for Republicans. They're fatter and burn easier." Jeane Kirpatrick, fighting a fever and not at her pugnacious best, managed to articulate the Right's traditional emphases on strength and "realism." But she was sent stumbling when Gary Hart asked if she, amid her calls for more weapons, "remembered" the national debt. "Yes. . . the debt," Kirpatrick countered, uneasily. Henry Kissinger, characteristically detached from the give and take, properly disputed Mcuovern s view that the Soviet Union entered World War II in the spirit of U.S.-Soviet goodwill. "What added the Soviets to the anti-Hitler rate automobi salesman's careless number-handling concerning my previous car's actual mileage. And it has been hard to look for another one, because I had been planning my post-graduaton new-car purchase ? I wasn't considering working with the figures I now find myself with. But wait ? what light from yonder cigarette breaks? Why, it's Joe Salesman, ready to ruin my day with his mundane discourse and obvious hunger for my insurance money. Just roll into a car dealership in a rental car ? they know they've got ? _ i iu reiurn win Bechtel ? V ,,,? Buy an eight-track tape player. For their remarkable convenience, these devices are just unbeatable. Plus, you can switch from song to song at the touch of a button. Scour used record stores for the best in '70s music. Be sure to look for songs such as Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz," the Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" and just about anything by the Bay City Rollers. (Don't forget that you're looking for eight-track tapes.) editor served basis ? sounds kept you from doing the s ime-management techni- lose, editor. F I in which the pope must Masters id in a bulletproof Personnel, employe takes an army of Secret to keep our statesmen a . -m not consider it foolish AXtlClC l?IC a candidate to screen the i will come in close con- 1 "Pcif1 :m. A press pass is not a -1 llvill -I ilv ranee. To the editor: How about making ? >out press passes, I guess reporters get the facts str; )t worth much consider- irresponsible to print tot plan ahead and try to without making sure it's ntment with the senator. Jim Morrison did not di /ou he would have loved cidental heroin overdose" nterview with a publica- Dean wrote in the Wedne more than 25,000 young of The Gamecock. Rati ink your lack of prior rison's death certificate sa d your fellow reporters because his heart stopped, ppointments (and "fail- albeit, but nowhere excepi fy you to do the same) has it been said heroin The Non-think^p. eat Debate' alliance. . . was Hitler," Kissinger drawled. Chalk one up for the Right. S.C. Educational Television, celebrating its 30th birthday, garnered some deserved attention in producing Firing Line and staging the debate. And USC, much to President James Holderman's satisfaction, received some valuable exposure. So perhaps there were some winners off the debate floor. The problem was that many issues debated Wednesday night defy debate. Whether "Star Wars" is "cockeyed," Dukakis a patriot or Truman a modern-day Republican are entirely moot questions. But they are more manageable ? among eight debaters on national television ? than attempting to tackle the real questions. In an election year that focuses on whether the candidates eat pork rinds or mow their own lawns, perhaps a debate like Wednesday night's was appropriate. But with the United States facing unprecedented economic and military challenges, and with the world becoming more complex every day, we'll need more from our leaders than election-year rhetoric and amusing gags. The display at Longstreet Theater was not encouraging. Steve Hooks is a government and international studies graduate student. 1 i o le salesmen: a cash deal coming. Sunday afternoon I drove through the Gene Reed Suzuki lot in North Charleston (looking for a used car, obviously. I'm not that desperate). I was perusing a Trans-Am that I had test-drove three weeks earlier but dismissed because it was impractical to bring to school; it had no trunk. The "lot boss" flagged me to a stop, browbeat me into roll-" ing down my window and ignored my claim of "Just looking, thanks." So when he went to get my salesman, I left. Just left. Was I right? Yeah, I think so. I generally despise car salesmen. They are loaded mousetraps, ready for someone to grab the cheese. Unfortunately for them, it better not be a touchy spring, or they'll be looking for afiother meal. I can window-shop from my car just fine ? if I want a salesman, I'll ask for one. Which I did. I picked a car, asked their price, knocked them down 21 percent including new tires and signed for it. I don't have it, because the insurance company is still desperately hoping my car will show up and be restorable. But as you read this column, I will be driving a conservative, low-key and necessarily anonymous replacement. Anyone want to make a bet? i a vengeance Look for brightly striped shirts with wide lapels, preferably something with a polyester weave, ror oesi eneci, Keep me lapeis over your coat collar. Seek out flared pants. Again, make sure they're a genuine polyester blend and fall well over the shoe. Try to find as many white belts and dress shoes as you can. With the belts, make sure they are as wide as possible, and women should get white stack boots ? the higher the heel, the better. If you follow these easy steps, you will be well on your way to being the coolest student on campus. For more pointers, carefully study The Brady Bunch, especially the later episodes when Greg is living in the attic. Those wacky Brady teenagers have a lot to say to today's college students. Listen to them. In fact, go ahead and get ahead of the trend. Don't wait and look like you're jumping on the '70s bandwagon when your best friend shows up in flared pants, white belt and a wide-lapelled shirt. Just follow these easy steps to '70s hipdom and become an extraordinary fashion plate. ,ame. You man. Neither the coroner nor his wife suggested what you say. In fact, ?ob Clarke Morrison's last letter home and intercandidate views with his father-in-law suggest e relations Morrison's final days were actually quite drug free, j And as for your contention that J?j? Morrison "displayed his penis" at a Miami concert, that has only been alleged. People close to the stage and 'IS fellow band members ? as well as Morrison himself ? denied charges { sure your on that account. aight? It's I'm not particularly a Morrison ; something fan, but I'd like to think The verifiable. Gamecock's editors have more ine of "ac- tegrity than to let this newspaper as Chuck become a forum for rumor mongersday issue ing on any subject. Check out your ler, Mor- information or stay out of ys he died journalism. . Obscure, : in rumor Pete Mackey killed the graduate student