Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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You're taking Monday off, and so are we. Look for us Wednesday with Kurt Johnson stirring up more trouble. St? Sorting the Carolina <7 EDITORIA Jennifer Stanley Sara Ladenheim, Kurt Jqhnson, 1 Rob Gioielli, Assista Kathleen McCormi McGwire redeem! Monica Lewinsky can't hit a fastball 500 feet. McGwire's t In fact, many chase i nonnlp rnn't Hit JL- T" i home run anything traveling over 2 mph in the ________ direction of their middle torso. This ^ category of people The race < does not include saved the Mark McGwire. American Say what you will about his al leged over-thecounter steroid use and the bulkiness of his physique. Add to that the fact he continues to play for a team, not for the money, but because he likes to play there. Don't forget to mention the nepotism he shows his son, who's the bat boy for the St. Louis Cardinals when he visits his dad. All of these things can't hold a candle to the good in Mark McGwire: his challenge of the home run record. His name is in every paper of any national interest daily. When he doesn't hit a homerun, these papers print stories about the heroes of the past and their inability to chase the record that McGwire has almost broken. Opposing team's fans wait for up to three hours before the game to see his 10 swings of batting practice, hoping to see just one sail over the fence. In the midst of presidential infidelity and the lack of candidates for childhood heroes today, McGwire fits the bill of hero perfectly. Take, for instance, the 1998 allstar game. Fans were so upset that McGwire didn't win the homerun derby they blamed the pitcher for his inability to 'pitch down the middle.' olixroT/o Vmirirr fVin rron. iflVVITTU^ OlTTajO UVUlg U1V gV/li - tleman, apologized to his fans and to America for not doing his best. In an era of greed, Albert Belle and 'Show me the money,' McGwire is exactly what major-league sports needs to redeem themselves. And over the course of this summer, Mark McGwire has not only showed us what a hero should ffe Hie (5a Vn iiift the (.{intliiui (.on The tianx-ccxk is the student newspaper i>i Tlx- I niversit Friday during the tall and spnng semesters anel rive tinx-s during periods. (tpininns expressed in Ilk-1 lunxvix* are tlx we- of tlx- ed Tlx- Board of Student PuWicatioas and tamimunications is tlx- pt dx- newspaper's parent organization The Gamecock Jennifer Stanley Editor in Chief Rob Llndsey Sara Ladenhelm Managing Editor Jessica Barfl Kurt Johnson Vieujxnnts Editor Jackie Posto Josh Lonon Setts Editors Todd Money Erin Reed Rosalind Ha Kristin Freestate Features Editor Bryan Johnston Editorial Assistant Rob Glolelll Nathan Brown Sports Editor Brad Walter Nlkkl Thorpe llmto Editors Kenley Youi Sean Rayford Ruth Nenles Brian Rish (inline Editor Denlsha Gra Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Carolyn Grl: Student Media Jim Green Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager Erik Collins Sherry F. Holmes Classified Ail Jeff Stenslar Manager Don't like what Disagree Write us a letter, It's chea or give us a hoil Viewp Take ou m Microtis ommimily since 190# LBOARD Editor in Chief Managing Editor Viewpoints Editor nt Viewpoints Editor ck, Editorial Writer >aseball be, but like all th iiSHHi ! greatest athletes, h 2ndSosa's has redefined ho\ rfthe this country looks a record. hissT^rt' This may seer premature, and th pundits and sports ^ , , writers will reflec o62has on it for years an greatest months to come, bu pastime. McGwire, along wit Sammy Sosa, ha saved baseball. Fans who gav up on the game, or people wh were never really fans in the firs place, are tuning into ESPN ever night to see who hit one out tha day. Baseball will always be calle America's national pastime, bu it's a sport that really peaked i the late '50s and early '60s. After that, pro football move to the forefront of professions sports in the 70s, and then th NBA burst on the scene in the '80 Baseball was always then trodding along, knowing as Ion / as me latiiei/sun game ui eate was a staple of American life, could always survive. But with free agent player: who would go any where for th money, getting more and mor distant from their fans, people b< came disillusioned with the spoi that was supposed to define ou country. The last straw for many wa the players' strike of 1994. Wit so many other sports to watch o television, baseball became lost t the channel-surfing generatior But thanks to McGwire an Sosa, the boys of summer are oui once again. Some might say it's only game, played by men who ge ridiculous amounts of money fc swinging a bat. But baseball is a part of us an will always be so. It has been thei longer than any other sport. It's reflection of our lives and the tim we live in. Maybe now fans will redisco^ er the game that, for our parent and grandparents, wasn't simpl a something to watch, but a pai of life. y of South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday ar the summer with die exception of univeisity holidays and exai litors or author and not those of The I nhersity of South Carol In iblishet of Hie Gameeixk. The Department of Student Media All area codes are 803 (JM hlU"rs Ixlitor 777-391-1 eld n View | H >ints 777-7726 rvey /3/Wic Kciaiums News 777-7726 IXnxlor Assl I'ieiijxiiuls liililor '-tc >77-3913 s .Ixsf .Viis lulilun lg Sports 777-7182 l.nutrv lulilor Online 777-2833 iham Asst. features Iditor Student Media ? Advertising 777-3888 filn Business Manager Creative Director Classified 777-118 i Faculty Advisr >r id Graduate Assistant 1 ;lx " ~(r l8" Oftice "?-3888 you're reading? with us? p, easy and non-fattening, ler at 777-7726. wints r word. VlEWI i ^Ml WD WW e s Beer, TV 1 d TTwas sitting around the house the I other day with my roommates, when n JLl was struck by the healing power ^ ?| of drinking about' and' e RV OKMELLI for many col,e column^ Iege guyg> 3- this activity -t is the mainstay of their social life. ir It's the basis of our life until that dreadful day when you actually contemplate marriage. , But, drinking beer therapuetic? I guess a little history on my situation is n needed. ;o I've been friends with my current l- three roommates for our entire cold lege career. We met as freshman and s have been close since. a :: Tourism la< d e a A "Inis column is the second in a ie I series exploring my observations JL of Americans abroad. i- Of the ;s many iny suits other rt My cultures nation's citIizens, I venmost comI ' MM mon, and ! : H least neces hk??sary, is ig' EMILY STREYER no;anc?. columnist Ignorance I is not a terminal condition of unknown origin; it can be cured by taking an interest in something besides oneself, and it generally stems from insularity. One might find it curious, however, that someone who travels to another country can still remain ignorant of other cultures. An explanation for this phenomenon might be the fact that the approach taken to visiting a foreign country is inextricably intertwined with whether ig laiaUHHUili Mormon explains his side of the story To the Editor: My name is Ryan Stroud and 1 am a first year Masters of Human Resources (MHR) student. I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, otherwise known by the nickname "Mormons." >oiisrre ?f13 rrj mm wr w>\mr .PDSlMfr KEb, |3? 1 king frien For the first two years of college, our social life centered around a couple cases of beer, sitting around and talking or watching T.V. None of us had fake I.D.s our freshman year, so we couldn't go out. Sophomore year we all had I.D.S, but we didn't want tn an nnt TIU11V vu gv wuv. Women were never really involved in this whole equation. There were long distance girlfriends, and occasionally one of us would be dating someone on campus. But in certain ways, it was like our own four-man fraternity. 1 Sometimes I thought we were anti-social and really should get out more, ' but I always enjoyed myself. I really s didn't want to do anything else. I could \ go out, meet new people, do interesting things, but that would take money and | energy (two things I am still lacking), j Last year a number of events disrupted this idyllic scene. I spent the year in England, so my only connection was e-mail and the occasional phone j call. Relationship problems also forged a deep gap between two of my friends, ' a gap that is still being bridged. So when I moved back in this year, i I was hesitant about how things were < :ks new exj; norance evaporates or solidifies after the experience. The most important distinction in evaluating the impression one makes as a visitor is that between "tourist" and "traveler." Tourists want to see; they tick off the sights and take pictures to prove they were there. Travelers want to experience; they seek a new perspective of the world. Perhaps the worst symptom of tourism is demonstrated by the existence of tour groups. No matter what the brochures might say, tour groups are not an economical way to see the world. They are, however, a pathetic way of examining a culture without getting dirty hands. From the U.S. airport at the start to the U.S. customs station coming back again, the typical tour group binds its members in language, experience and perspective. Few tour groups make a priority of ednratincnts memhers: the clients have paid their money to see the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe and that's really all they care about. I asked one girl who was traveling with a program called People To PeoJ|j|l|j. i l.ind H plKNlC IHimlXT. 11k I was disappointed by the article written by Kurt Johnston titled, "Mormons take fun out of polygamy," in the Monday, August 24th issue of The Gamecock. Kirk didn't do his homework about what we believe. He mentioned many things that are not true, but I will only point out one. We do not believe in polygamy. There are many polygamists in Utah, but they are not affiliated with the Church. If anyone in the Church is practicing polygamy they are excommunicated. ii 1 )Kin Pres WP' ids back t "It was simply a retui were going back to a had been one of the f friendship since the t joing to go. Only an extreme optimist )n good drugs would think we could oack to the way it was. I really don't ;hink I wanted them to. But I did want to see if we could reouild the bond that had been so severely strained by absences, hurt feelings, misinderstanding and heartbreak. As I was sitting there that night, ;he four of us drinking beer and watching "Monday Night Football," I realized low strangely therapuetic it was. We weren't talking about all our problems or something else that a professional counselor might recommend, [t was simply a return to normalcy. We were going back to i. regular activity [hat had been one of the foundations of iur friendship sines the beginning. )eriences o: "Tourists want to see sights and take pictui were there. Travelers pnrp. thpir CPPIC Q OPT J M JLAV world." pie what the purpose of her trip was. She said, and I quote verbatim, "Yeah. We're like, promoting world peace and stuff." Americans are not singular because they take tours (although they have an affluence to do so which the average citizens of other countries lack), but my conservative estimate is that nine out of every 10 tour groups I served were composed of Americans. This is not to say that Americans who travel in tour groups are solely responsible for our image overseas. Other visitors have no claim to originality just because they make their own hostel or hotel reservations or rough it with a second-class rail pass; there are just as many college students as there are aggregates of middle-class ; will try to print all lot'.its received letters six hi Id lx* 25O-.W0 words and must lx- personally delivered by the author to The (iamecu k newsroom t - im/w /vl rt'MTvcv ilw nulil to .-/til ill fur sivl.' nnssiblc lilx'l of si I understand that Kurt was simply trying to entertain his audience, but he was making tun of things I hold sacred. I sincerely believe in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. I know that the true church of Jesus Christ is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the "Book of Mormon" is another testament of Jesus Christ, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God because I have prayed and asked God about these things and He has answered my prayers through the Holy Spirit. "It's not what they did n high school, but what they can do for USC." 1 Dickerson, Student Body ident on Freshman Council an O 1 ? I ^ I ^ ^ m*} ?? i OP WORK. g J Y v ogether n to normalcy. We regular activity that bundations of our >eginning." Maybe i am taking this a bit too seriously. We might just really be "four meatheads on a couch." My admittance of my enjoyment of this activity is going to wipe away any smidgen of in tellectual credibility I've managed to attain these past few years. Often times, just honesty and trying to hang out together can be a lot more beneficial in a friendship than self-help books and expensive counselors. Guy's don't need these things. We want to be able to sit down with one hand in our pants and the other holding a beer and watch sports. I used to just enjoy doing this, but now I realize how important it is to my life and my sanity. f traveling ; they tick off the res to prove they want to experiv perspective of the families tramping through Europe leaving a wake of insularity and 'gnorance hphinH thorn But anyone who travels as one of the ducklings following a tour guide on a path with permanent footprints is definitely not a traveler. Such a person is a tourist. And tourists are usually ignorant. Traveling is an individual choicethere are many more tourists than travelers in the world. But tourist or traveler, no one traveling abroad is absolved of the duties of being a good guest. And as long as Americans remain enveloped in the cocoon of this culture, we will not be welcome in other countries. Send comments to The Gamecock or to esstreyer@mindspring.com I must include full name professional tiile or year and major iJ a student in Russell I louse nx>m 4M I- mail letters must include tlx* author s tele Xkc limitations. Names will not lx( withheld lor any circumstance In the Bible we are told, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him as God that giveth to all me liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be giveth him (James 1:5)." Anyone can pray for themselves to know if these things are true and receive an answer from the Holy Spirit. In the future I simple ask that Kurt Johnson, and the rest of the staff of the The Gamecock respect the beliefs of others. Thank you for your time and attention. Ryan J. Stroud r*? j i _ oj jnn^