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Tale of two Mk LARRY WILLIAMS Out of Bounds In the past few weeks, the return of two Mikes has added much needed flavor and spice to their respective sports: boxing and professional basketball. Mike Tyson, who was released after serving three years in the Indiana Youth Center for a rape conviction, is a free man and, if all goes well, should be in the ring within the next year. Michael Jordan has returned to the hardwood complete with his bald head and famous i. : ? 1 r 1 i: iL. T3..11 umgue wagging in nu}*? ui ieauing uie uuiis iu a late season resurgence. For Tyson, the memories are farther away but still clear in our minds. For Jordan, our minds were still adjusting to the monstrous void left by his departure in 1993. Who can forget Tyson's run to the Heavyweight Championship at the tender age of only 20, just three months removed from his teen-age years? Tyson rampaged and rocked the boxing world, striking irreplaceable fear into the hearts of whoever dared to step into the ring with him. In the summer of 1988, Michael Spinks dared to challenge this Boy Wonder. Prior to one of the most hyped fights ever, Sports Illustrated ran a cover story that told of the trials Spinks faced throughout his lifetime and how he had overUSC offers inten NIGEL RAVENHU. Staff Writer International Week is enveloping the cam] bratory blanket of foreign films, discussions and door Festival. For the more sporting students wl from afar to develop their athletic prowess, their status and nassoorts are forgotten the moment field, track or court to represent USC in sport tions. NCAA coaches have long realized that one o enues to victory is to take their recruiting effort To foreign places with names that beg for an at] assurance that they indeed exist, coaches sen< letters asking whether you'd like to bring you "the he$ proba I . I <o Visa U.S.A. Inc. 199S *y? T! :es: Jordan and 1 come them. In a nutshell, SI actually gave Spinks: the sentimental choice to win the fight. In its dreams. After 93 seconds, Tyson had reduced Spink* to a semiconscious feeble man who would soor retire. Iron Mike continued his domination for a while, and then came the destruction. Star actress Robin Givens entered the pic ture with her eyes on TV8011'8 wallet. Playing hin like a fiddle, she put Tyson in some sort of trance and they were soon married. Predictably, not too long after that, Given! filed for divorce. Able to snag almost half of Tyson's wealth, she indeed had made a wise "business decision." Barbara Walters interviewed Givens and Tyson about their fallout. In a pitifully orchestrated sob story, Givens told the nation that Tyson was a horrible mar and that he was selfish and cunning. Now, is this just minutely hypocritical? In 1990, Tyson was in Tokyo for a fight agains a man by the name of Buster Douglas. Not ai overly important event, this fight was suppose< - to be an exhibition of Tyson's talents in a foreigi i land against a weak opponent. About an hour and a half later, the Tokyi Dome and the world turned upside down whei Iron Mike went down and the lowly Douglas wa crowned the new Heavyweight Champion of thi i world. ! During his attempted resurgence and an in i evitable prize fight with Evander Holyfield, Tysoi t was hauled into court to dispute the charge o rape by Desiree Washington, a Miss Black Amer national students arrogant forehand to a small city pus in a cele- Many teen-agers answer with ; I today's Out- travel thousands of miles overlar ho have come and compete in Columbia. Golfer S international lete who came from a land wher they take the strange notion, especially dressed ;ing competi- Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, M extremely well to the Southeast e if the best av- star of the Lady Gamecock golf t& 3 on the road, the international level by virtue c as just for re- Malaysian national women's team 1 exploratory uate to the professional ladder, r fleet feet or Gamecock tennis is the sport v ture is most evident. Of the nine n Bfgrj . B5 ' -> wjnoever it things in Lbly had a It's* -yen i? Oatwcock Wwlroiday, tyson mark needc } ica contestant. Despite the facts that Washington was the one to make the trip to Tyson's hotel room at 3 i a.m. and that there was no sign of a struggle, i Tyson was later convicted of rape and sentenced i to prison. Three years later, Tyson is out, and promot er Don King is back on the Tyson bandwagon i and is reportedly going to represent the boxer in , his return. ESPN boxing analyst Charlie Steiner reported that sources at the Indiana Youth 3 Center said King visited Tyson no more than 12 3 times in the three-year incarceration period ? 3 four immediately following his conviction, five 3 before his release and three times during the time in between. Don King, such a role model, 3 humble man that he is. l The day of judgment for Tyson will be the 3 first time he steps into the ring. If s not a sure thing that the boxing instincts that made him ( so nowerfnl will still be Dresent. However, as i many betting men have learned, I wouldn't bet 1 against Iron Mike. 1 Michael Jordan burst onto the scene in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, fresh with a National a Championship ring and an Olympic gold medal, i An immediate impact, Jordan claimed Rooks ie of the Year honors, racking up points and daime ing notice. Jordan's first real breakthrough came in game five of the opening round of the 1986 playoffs l against the Boston Celtics in the hallowed halls f of Boston Garden. In an eye-popping performance, - Jordan racked up 63 points, serving notice to the athletes chance to in South Carolina. Messay Abebe (Ethiopi i confident affirmative and jamin Cassaigne (Frano id, by air and sea to study Jimenez (Venezuela). iew Ai Lim is one such ath- Women's coach Arl< e a Gamecock is a rather al members in his squ in garnet and black. Karolina Bulat (Poland [alaysia, she has acclimated covic (Canada) and Tol ind currently ranks as the coaches Helen Cook (En im. Already experienced at complete the trans-Atl; >fher long presence on the Three Canadians, her career goal is to grad- tee and John Stoikos ner Marvin Watts as ini /here the international na- Peter Van Elswyck < len, five come from abroad: Canadians on scholarsh Said life are free trust fund x waXtt to be.? April 5,1995 id improvement rest of the league that he was there to stay. The Bulls lost that series, but everyone knew there was more to come. In 1988, Jordan and the Bulls returned to the playoffs to square off against the favored Cleveland Cavs. In game five of the series, Jordan got some help by a rising star named Scottie Pippen in leading the Bulls to the second round, where they lost to the Detroit Pistons, who would later take the Lakers to seven games in the finals before falling. The Bulls, led by Jordan, emerged as a true power in the 1989 playoffs, where they again played the Cavaliers in the first round. CI eve land had claimed the best record in the league that season, and the Bulls barely made the playoffs. In game five of that series, Jordan stabbed a dagger that will forever remain in the hearts of the Cavaliers. With six seconds left, Jordan took the inbounds pass at the hash mark, dribbled across the court, pulled up at the free-throw line, faked out Craig Ehlo in midair and drilled the shot at the buzzer. That shot sent the Bulls on a tear that will forever be remembered. In the next round, the Bulls took it to Patrick Ewing and the Knicks to continue thai* improbable run. They met their match in the Eastern Conference finals, where the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons proved too much for Jordan and the Bulls, winning in six games. The next year, the Bulls took the Pistons to seven games before falling. Then, in 1991, it was compete against iol IT.nvirma Alarann n?./*nqHnrl Ran. a KaaVatV> e), Jorge Esqueda (Mexico) and Maxsy takes to tl ter/forwai ) Elkins also counts five internation- The rc ad of eight: Muriel Abella (France), volved foi ), Victoria Davies (Wales), Sophie Ljju- but for m( oi Rakic (Canada). Student assistant sidized ed gland) and Pauline Rodriguez (France) agaipst tl antic roster. perience1 - throwers Chad Moreau, Glen McA- spas, -join Jamaican middle-distance run- The C ternational track and field Gamecocks, athletes i of Hamilton, Ontario, is another of the extra mill ip in Columbia. He is halfway through garnet an 1800-77; I _ <p" 8E| "What Can i ^ Wedne WCIDWAMI'a ar [{?) Humanities and Sc ijplp Persons n< ^ ^ disability, ^ fl&M o Bv < a ** . Si fo some r Please call Convenient!) in tt IpobPti 4 for sports world! finally Jordan's turn. Defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in thfl NBA finals, Jordan finally shook the monkey ofl his back and won the title. It would continue for the next two years, afl the Bulls became the first team since the CelticH of old to win three in a row. In the summer of 1993, disaster struck. OiH an interstate highway, Jordan's father, JameH Jordan, was slain. Many believed this to be thfl C T ] ' 4..?1 J i.., C *V. j easun iui uui\uui ? eventual uepai tui e u urn ui< NBA, which shocked the world. Well, after his unsuccessful minor leagu baseball venture, Jordan has shocked the work again with his return to basketball. "Michael Madness" has breathed life into s sport thafs dominated by bickering owners an< spoiled players. Every arena the Bulls frequent is sold ou now, and there's an excitement that can onl come with a player such as Michael Jordan. A USA Today cover story March 30 read, "Ir Chicago, where the Bulls play Boston tonigh and Philadelphia Saturday, radio station WMAC asked listeners Wednesday to vote on whethei Jordan 'should be proclaimed King of the World. Results: 41 percent said yes." In the two Mikes' return to the sports world the interest and excitement they left with theii respective sports should also gracefully return Such a change from the "harmonious" basebal talks that dominate news coverage would be glad ly welcomed by people such as myself. ; top competition all career that has shown increasing promise. He le Frank McGuire court with teammate Czech cen H Clan-ma PYirmnrmlr ute to Columbia may have been slightly more in these athletes than the rest of their teammates, wt, the effort pays off. Benefiting from a highly sublucation and the opportunity to frequently compete le best age-group competition in the world is an exworth investigating if you're a young athlete overarolina community should be thankful that these ind the rest of their international peers went that e, both literally and figuratively, to compete in the d black. 7-0112 -syi I VIAim STA TRAVEL VCIDWAMl" >nounced wicked whammy) Sjfcwi&i Do With A Major In... fl 5NGLISH T m isday, April 5, 1995 1 Gambrell Hall j?p| 3:00-4:15 pm e brought to you by the College of toi:: *cial Sciences and the Career Center. QSr ceding special assistance for a call Sally Rowell at 777-7280. ^ ygUjC)1 ?a/ee/> ?afej// iv one pair / M. if glasseS: ~~ nd get the icond pair (L)S|:^rice! / ;S: ,.py J& .. % estrictions apply... [ or stop by for details ' located in Carolina Mall le Russell House 777-2569 >BIHK & DRIVE k i