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From the ^ Some athletes need respect for fans By JOHN REESE Staff Writer Sports is a big part of a lot of our lives. I admit it; I watch and play sports every chance I get. Sports offers us so many great characteristics: the win, the loss, hiiotlA th#? hf?rr?f?<2 and the latitudes. t The attitudes? Well, four out of five isn't bad. I would bet all you sports fans would be excited to meet your favorite sports hero, but remember your favorite sports hero may not be excited to meet you. Brian Sipe, ex-star quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, was my favotie sports hero as a kid. I remember, back in 1980, when my dad took me to Cleveland Vdunicipal Stadium to watch the Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the Browns lost the game 24-10, that day turned out to be one of the most exciting days of my life. A jr the crctmf mv HaH anH T wflitpB nut 6UI,IV) "V ~ - side the stadium to catch a glimpse of me of the players as they exited the players' gate. The first out was none other than No. 17 himself, Brian Sipe. ^ Expecting only a "how is it ^oing?" I was given the shock of my life when Brian walked over, introduced himself and signed my program. It meant a lot to me when Sipe took time out to talk to the other fans and me. I gained a great deal of respect for him, on and off the field, because Sipe, an NFL star quarterback, showed a great deal of consideration for the fans that day. ^ Unfortunately, not all athletes nave the integrity of Sipe. For example, some of my friends and I decided to go watch a Charlotte Knights game a couple of years ago. Jose Canseco's twin brother, Ozzie, was playing on the opposing team, and we wanted to see if he had major league potential. Canseco was a display of greatness that night... NOT! He went O-for-4 and struck out four times. He definitely wasn't for thi?. hicr leagues anv W'D O J ume soon. All of the little kids, however, wanted to get his autograph because of his famous brother. After the game, Canseco was the last player to leave the locker room for the bus. As soon as he entered sight of the fans, they ran up to him with their baseballs and programs begging for autographs. Canseco pushed his way ^trough the crowd and made up ome excuse about being in a rush. I can understand why he didn't want to talk to fans because he had a bad game, but he should have been used to having a bad game at that point in the season. He was only batting .175. Canseco, who isn't in the pros and probably shouldn't be in the minor leagues, has the "I'm so wonderful" attitude. It's hard to comprehend how someone can cocky when he doesn't even nave anything to be cocky about. That brings me to my final example. Last semester, I attempted to do an interview with an athlete here at USC. I tried all week to get him to answer a few ques tions that would be vital to an article I was doing. This athlete, however, never returned my calls, nor did he make any attempt to get in contact with me. Because of a big game coming up that weekend, I assumed he was too busy for the article. I saw this particular person doing interview for a local television station that very evening. It irritated the hell out of me that he granted an interview to a television station and not to his own school. It once again makes me ask the question, "What do these people think they have that makes them so superior?" This person is only playing in college, which to my recollection is not a professional league. My advice is to wait until you get to te pros before you start acting | like one. Women to Ladies take SEC break By SEAN RYAN Staff Writer The Lady Gamecock basketball team takes a break from its brutal Southeastern Conference schedule when they play a tough Old Dominion University squad at home Thursday. The women's team enters the matchup against the Virginia team with an 8-10 record, 1-6 in the SEC. The team faces the Lady Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas away Saturday. ODU's Lady Monarchs, from tL/\ n/t.i.Kt f^rvlAnial A fklrt uic iicwiy-iuiiiitHj ^uiumai nuiif tic Association, post an 11-5 record and will be led by red-hot sophomore forward Celeste Hill. Hill has hit double figures in points and rebounds in six of her past seven games. She leads the CAA in scoring and steals, with nearly 21 points and four steals a game. Hill also averages 8.5 rebounds a game. Hill gets plenty of support from ODU's backcourt, junior Pam Huntley and sophomore Deanna Vander Plas. Huntley may look small on the court, standing only 5-foot-4, but the junior guard plays a huge role for the Lady Monarchs. Each game she averages 11 points and 4 rebounds, and she connects on a whopping 49 percent of her 3-point attempts. Vander Plas enters the game averaging just under 10 points a game. Much of ODU's success so far this season can be credited to the team's swarming defense. The Lady Monarchs' main defensive weapon is an aggressive full court press that remains in action throughout the game. The defenuse Rugby returning s By AARON COUNCIL Staff Writer The USC Rugby Club is a source of Dhvsical activitv for the athlete who appreciates the exhilaration of stiff competition without the hassle of a collegiate program. Rugby coaches and players play for enjoyment. Practice is from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the band field. The team will be playing some fine teams this year including Bowling Green, Clemson and the Citadel. Brad Muller, team treasurer, is in his fifth season with the club. His interest in the sport began when his friend, who was club president at the time, asked him try it. He's been hooked ever since. "I like the comradery and family atmosphere involved, and the facl that you can knock someone's head off in a game and party with them later," Muller said. Team experience ranges from absolute beginners to seasoned vetRhett to miss A future of caree By The Associated Press USC forward Joe Rhett, whe collapsed in the second half of Sa turday's loss to Mississippi State will undergo further tests and wil likely be out for at least a week team doctor Bill McKenzie sai( Monday. McKenzie said there was no evi dence of any damage to Rhett': heart or his pacemaker, which wa implanted in February 1990 to reg ulate his heart beat. But he said ; second opinion was being sough because "we want to be sure he' A1/ " wrv. Rhett will undergo tests at Em ory in Atlanta with Dr. Paul Wal ter, who agreed with South Car olina doctors two years ago tha Rhett should have a pacemaker im planted. Rhett is scheduled to mee with Walter on Thursday, McKen zie said during a news conference. "When you're dealing with a de cision of this magnitude," McKen zie said, "I believe the more pec pie that are involved, the better w would all feel about it." McKenzie said he didn't kno> meet Old Doi M? 3^. ? % fllfV J . sv% ^ J*M@P ^ ^ P Wf .?|i j v w ' ,>$ ' I (f r fg j| .vj USC freshman forward Jenny Randall dri forward Charlotte Banks, sive press is forcing more than 26 be a 1 turnovers a game. In USC freshman guard Christi Marsl Timmons and sophomore guard pend Nikki Bass will carry much of the Amei load for the Lady Gamecocks, try- comii ing to move the ball past ODU's perfo: aggressive press. Timmons is com- avera ing off an incredible 18-point H-8 game against Ole Miss, in which wiH I she drilled six 3-point shots. Bass chelle had five assists, and more impor- Thi tantly, only one turnover. The ball ODU . . - *. . i Handling at tfte guard position will <-aroi club faces tougl tarters will ben - ????????_ ment "I like the comradery 19^L and family atmosphere bccn? involved, and the fact most that you can knock with someone's head off in a whici game and party with years them later." year eran Brad Muller "V more : erans. One assistant coach even seme played semi-pro rugby in lcrs( ? Australia. , . ^ Funds for the team are raised i through dues each player pays. oul' i The university provides financial marj help for road games and out of s town tournaments. "N in me ciud s ycai msiuiy, n Xs a t has had several victories at the RUgt : state tournament in Hilton Head, a foe i won a Mardi Gras title in New Or- 0f a leans and appeared several times in not f i the Southern Regional playoffs. men The club's most notable achieve- enou dabama game, under* r in basketball quesi &?? |& bask 1 * 1 tries _ mucl *ts s soon an e a jjk Jjfa cus 1 tem, MRhMKf ' are t Rhett "C how long Rhett would be in At- in tl lanta. But he said it would take that three to seven days to get the test not, lt results, which means the 6-foot-8 that Rhett will likely miss at least three said. :t games. "1 Rhett said he feels fine and may would have liked to play Tuesday prod when South Carolina took on No. that l" 22 Alabama. tion. "As an athlete, I was eager to now e come back and play right away," turb< Rhett said. "(But) I have to realize of s N life is more important, that basket- won 1 minion ;p||; ^ Eric Glenn/The Gamecock ves past Ole Miss's senior cey asset for USC. the paint, junior center ha Williams again will be deled on to have an A11 ican-level game. Williams is ig off a 26-point, 16-rebound rmance against Ole Miss. Her ges now tally 23.2 points and rebounds per game. Williams >e aided in the middle by Mi> Murray and Jenny Randall. 5 Lady Gamecocks will face at 7 p.m. Thursday in the ina Coliseum. i schedule, ofi f fno m tin icani is a No. 2 national ranking in ach Howard Hunt, who has involved with rugby for al14 years, is in his fourth year the team. Hunt said the team, h has struggled the past few , will be very competitive this because of a nucleus of vetplayers. /e've been having about 40 or people at every practice this ster, and about all of the starire returners," Hunt said, lany people have a wrong of what rugby is really all abhe said. "It's not just kill the with the ball. There is a lot of and a lot more rules involved. ormally the best rugby player good-sized soccer player. >y takes the physical power of tball player and the endurance soccer player. This sport is or everybody, but small or big can play it if they want to bad gh." ^oing tests, tionable is not everything." lett said he knows there is a ce he won't be able to play etball again. But he said he not to think about that too h. do want to play again," he "It's been my life. I hope that not taken away rrom me so Atlanta, Rhett will undergo xamination that will likely foon his heart's electrical sysMcKenzie said. He said there wo reasons for this check. )ne to see if there's a change ie system. To look to see if system is still intact. If it's that means one thing. If it is, * means another," McKenzie ^he other thing would be they attempt to see if they can reuce an abnormality in the lab would kind of mimic his situaIn other words, is his heart prone to some electrical dismce that would put him at risk uddenly collapsing or, even ;e, suddenly dying?" Despite cl lacrosse c to new co By TIM THORSEN Staff Writer Much like the Phoenix of ancient folklore, the USC lacrosse club has risen from its own ashes, and lives again. "We're rebuilding totally from scratch," defenseman Todd Garrett said. After this past year's team finished playing, all of USC's lacrosse equipment was given away. This year's squad began the year with what equipment they could muster up and university nets. Nonetheless, the team has continued to practice.. "The equipment situation is over and done with ? all we can do now is play with what we've got and forget about it," Garrett said. For USC's first two scrimmages of the year, each player had to bring his own uniform. "It's been a rough start, but . things are definitely looking up," ooiH ? onH /-?1nK 3aiu u^iviiduiiau anu tiuu president Matt Carr. The club now has enough members to comfortably play games. "We've been recruiting, and I think we have a good group of guys," Carr said. Club president Doug Carl agreed. "We have a good corps, with potential to compete with anybody, especially when things gel. The team now has a good balance of players with various levels of experience," he said. Carl said the team now has its own jerseys, thanks to the USC athletic department and some unrelenting players. Other necessary equipment has also been orMen's tenni: in SEC indo By BEN BREAZEALE Sports Editor The South Carolina men's tennis team took two of three singles matches this past weekend in the Southeastern Conference men's indoor tennis championships in Athens, Ga. Sophomore Mark Palus and junior Alex Schad were both victorious in the finals of their division. Palus won the B Flight singles category and Schad won the C Right singles division. Pains p.asilv dftfftfltftd Tenne.s see's Chris Haggard 6-2, 6-1 in the B Flight singles final on Monday morning. Schad battled to a 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Mississippi State's Sylvian Guichard in the C Flight finals. "I dropped the first set to him, but I wasn't really worried," Schad said. "I usually have a slow start and then come back because I have to get a feel for an opponent's strategy first. I also lost the Spring semesri opening for in / ( \ \ Floor f \ m Hockey jg ?vn SignUps this week By SHERRY DAVID Staff Writer Intramurals are in full swing this semester with team basketball, doubles racquetball and team racquetball in play. Participation is high, with 169 teams competing in team basketball compared to 147 teams last year. This includes three more fraternity teams than last year and 15 law school teams compared to none last year. Because of the increased participation, the USC office of campus recreation recruited many new officials. Basketball officials go through a two-hour classroom training session and get on-court training at scrimmages before offi hallenges, lub rises nference "We have a good corps, with potential to compete witn anybody, especially wnen tnings geL The team now has a good balance of players with various levels of experience." Doug Carl President dered with the dues each player pays to join the club, Carl said. The team recently joined the Southeast Lacrosse Conference. This move not only gave the . team a schedule of games for the year, but it adds legitimacy to the program. The conference includes archrival Clemson, as well as such teams as Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Because of lack of participation in previous years, the team may only be able to schedule one home game. And, unfortunately for this year's team, previous clubs did not always attend scheduled away games. "It's just hard to convince other teams that we will show up for games," Carl said. But this team plans to travel to build ties with other clubs. In its first game last Sunday, USC lost to Georgia Tech, 10-6. "We're just trying to keep up the enthusiasm," Carl said. "That shouldn't be too tough to do, since all they need do is look at where the program was just a few months ago. s does well or matches first set in the semi-finals 6-1. That is just the way I play." "There was a lot of good competition at the tournament," Palus said. "Competition will be harder in the SEC, but we have seen a lot of those teams before. This tournament is the first competition we have had this spring. Overall our team has some injuries, but we still look promising. We should have a good year." Gamecock coach Kent Demars was excited about the team's success in its first SEC season. "It is a very positive note for us to experience this degree of success in our first season in the SEC," he said. In other action at the tournament, doubles team Ben Cook and Jose Frontera made it to the semifinals before being eliminated by Mississippi State's Per Nilsson and Laurent Miquelard, 7-6, 6-1. er sign-ups tramurals dating intramural games. A single elimination tournament is being held for doubles racquetball and team racquetball. Sixteen people are participating in doubles play, and 11 teams are competing in team racquetball, each team composed of four members. Competition is high this semester because of increased competition, according to Herbert Camp, USC director of intramurals. All students, faculty, staff and their spouses are eligible for intramural competition. This week badminton play begins. Sign-ups for floor hockey opened Monday and close Thursday. Next week, sign-ups will open lor oowiing ana ieam oownng. Those interested can sign-up in Sol Blatt P.E. Center room 102. Other intramural sports opening later this semester include softball, tennis, swimming, soccer, ultimate frisbee, track and wallyball.