Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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__Gamecock Sports_ Johnston's date with Cinderella Rick f OH N S TON The Rick Says This is a great time to be a sports fan. Not only is collegiate baseball in full swing, but the major leagues are right around the comer. And, of course, it is Christmas all over again for col lege basketball fans as it is now offi cially “March Madness.” The tournament time is great for me. I seem to turn into this whole dif ferent person. I overdose on games and throw my money into any kind of pool t I can Find and get fully immersed into the madness. It’s kind of like Mr. Hyde meets Dick Vitale. But, the one thing I love about tour ney time more than anything else is hooking up with my old friend Cin derella, or Cindy, as I like to call her. Cindy js a very strange person, as whatever team she is hanging around come tournament time always seems to do well. Depending on what side of the fence you are on, she is either the love of your life, a gift from heaven above or just a cheap $2 bar whore with whom you wouldn’t associate, even while wearing your favorite pair of beer goggles. Now my personal relationship with Cindy has been very love-hate in re cent years. As a Gamecock fan, I had some pretty nasty run-ins with her. I remember in 1997 leaving the cozy confines of Wade Hampton High School just dead certain my SEC Champion and No. 2 seeded Gamecocks would just thrash this little team from Mary land, Coppin State. Well, needless to say, the grief I caught the next day from the Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky fans who were rampant at WHHS made me seriously regret not graduating early. Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that after that debacle and the one that next year against Richmond, Cindy and I were on pretty bad terms. However, I ran into her in Charlotte last year when I was taking in the action in the first and second rounds of the East Re gional of the NCAAs. After a few drinks and some discussion, she and I made up. She told me to keep an eye .on Southwest Missouri State. She had been helping them as only Cindy could. Well, sure enough, the SMS Bears were the “Cinderella” team of last year. Thanks to Cindy and the Bears, I was able to realize a lifelong dream when the Tennessee band obliged my request to “quit playing that God forsaken song” upon their 5,619th play ing of “Rocky Top.” Of course, the fact the Vols fell by 30 points helped my cause just a bit. Well, as far as this year goes, I thought Cindy might help out the Gamecocks as they started to pick up steam in the SEC Tournament. As it turns out, she was just still drunk from Spring Break and didn’t mean to help us out. I guess you could say she was a ‘cock teaser of sorts. When it was time for the Big Dance, however, Cindy packed up her game and headed out West. And, well, after all that making up we did last year, she has managed to rochambeau me again with my picks for the NCAA tour ney. Let’s look at the four teams out of the West who are going to the sweet 16. First there is Purdue. The Boiler makers are the only bright point in my West bracket. Then there is LSU, who beat out my pick of Texas. Now, LSU’s victory was not any of Cindy’s doing. Instead, this is a case of Rick Barnes biting me in the ass once again. I thought that crap would have stopped when he left Clemtech. Then there is Cindy’s main group of boy toys, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. I don’t know what Cindy’s obsession with John Stockton’s alma mater has been in recent years, but after toppling Louisville and St. John’s, I know she • * A is in rare form once again. And let’s not foiget Cindy’s little affair on the side with the Wisconsin Badgers, who knocked off “Tark the Shark’s” Fresno State Bulldogs and No. 1 -seeded Arizona. I think it’s pretty ironic that she chose to play around with Wisconsin, considering that last year, the Badgers were knocked off in the first round by, you guessed it, Southwest Missouri State. See what I meant by that “it depends on what side of the fence you’re on” comment? Well, as I write this, I’m hoping she didn’t leave any loose ends back east as my bracket is on its last legs as it is. I don’t need any more of her “help.” Please take this column as a warn ing. Don’t get involved with this vixen. Her black magic works in mys terious ways. Although last year’s “Cinderella” was SMS, I hope all the pundits out there remember how they frlled out last year’s brackets, you know, giving Duke the title and filling in the other 62 games just because you had to. I’m not trying to take away from Con necticut, but if you know Cindy like I do, you’re always left to wonder. Just be careful and think very hard about your tournament picks in the fu ture, because you never know who “she” is associating with. » Women's golf For the third consecutive day. No, 1 Duke had the best team round of the day Sunday and the Blue Devils cruised to then third consecutive Lady Gamecock Classic crown at The University Gub. The Blue Devils, who also captured the 1999 NCAA East Regional at The University Gub and have wot their last four tournaments here, won the title by 19 strokes on tire par 72, 5.996-yard course. Host and No. 13 South Carolina had ' its best round of the tournament and the second lowest score of the day (300) as the Lady Gamecocks surged from seventh to “third plat® in their own tournament No. 11 Louisiana State finished second. .TW* *> Duke’s fifthLad»«Cu,nvctXh”Cia»sic title ana the fourth m tire last five years. The Blue Devils, who had a 299 Sun day, extended their lead from one stroke (Friday) to 14 Saturday and had a final mar gin of 19 strokes over Louisiana State af ter 54 holes of play. Scores lowered sig nificantly despite temperatures in the low 50s with seven teams posting scores of 311 or lower compared to just six teams com bined in the first two days., The Lady Gamecocks, after disap pointing rounds of 317 ^ 520 the lint two days, had all fivp of its players score in the 70s and finished with the second best scA^or (he day at 300. Their three • day 937 total was 37 strokes off the lead and 18 strokes back of LSU. Florida (939) and Tennessee (943) rounded out the top five. Louisiana State’s Lizette Lee played steady golf throughout the entire tourna ment and captured medalist honors with a four-over 220 score after a three-over 75 Sunday. Lee was followed by Tennessee’s Young-A Yang, who also had a 75 Sunday and finished two strokes back overall at 222. A trio of Duke players rounded out the top.ftve, including Kalen Anderson (223), Beth Bauer (226) and Maria-Gar cia Estrada (227). For the second day in a row, the La dy Gamecocks got a great day from an in (fividual playing for medalist honors only. Freshman Irmo native Kacy Thompson had a two-over 74 Sunday ami finished tied for sixth place at 12-over 228. Sophomore Dal las Ambrose was USC’s top team finisher at 17-over 233 < 17th place). Senior Apiyl Arrants improved her second round score by eight strokes with a 74 Sunday and finished tied for 23rd place at 236. Softball from page 8" homerUn. Laundry took the loss for Florida. Friday - Game 2 Florida 7, USC 0 The winds changed for USC’s soft ball team as it faced UF for the sec ond time Friday. Whereas the Lady Gamecocks commanded the Gators in the first game, they suffered a hard 7 0 loss in the late game. McMillin gave up seven runs in six innings to earn the loss, her firstsince Feb. 12 against No. 3 Fresno State. Head coach Compton looked past McMillin as the reason behind the de feat. “[McMillin’s] going to be more of the type of pitcher we have-to play behind and we didn’t do that today,” Compton said. “You’re going to have some good days and some bad days. She’s thrown a lot of good games for us.” Redshirt sophomore and pitcher Heather Culver (1-0) made her sec ond appearance for the Lady Game cocks, relieving McMillin in the sev enth inning. Florida’s play was highlighted by home runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, the former bringing in three and the latter two. Dieter earned the win for UF, throwing a no-hitter and striking out two. Notes: The Lady Gamecock softball team faces No. 21 Mississippi State and Ole Miss in dual doubleheaders this week end. Men's ten nis falls to Gators, Rose wins another Men’s Tennis Roundup Gamecock Sports The South Carolina men’s tennis team traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to meet the No. 4 Florida Gators at the Scott Linder Tennis Stadium Friday, where it lost 5-2. Once again, freshman Seth Rose had a great performance. He took down Florida’s top newcomer Matt Behrmann in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0. Rose has won three in a row for the Gamecocks in three different spots. Also in the win column for Car olina was senior Olof Akesson. Akesson defeated Troy Hahn, 6-4, 6-3. The team welcomed back senior Juan Gamboa and freshman Marc Pich ler who both were coming off ankle injuries and didn’t play in the last match against North Carolina. Both players put in a strong performance in their singles matches. Gamboa went to a tie-breaker in the first set with the Gators’ Nathan Overholser, but eventually lost that set 7-6 (7-4). Pichler won the first set in his match against Florida’s Olivier Levant. Want to know what the talk is about? L-, muse Listen and find out._90“5p|D selected merchandise land novelty items .--^^Sweatshirts • t-shirts • cups The Official Bookstore I 14qq Greene Street - Russell House I Where your purchase benefits both you and the scholarship programs of the University of South Carolina » 777-4160 • * i * t ■ i While we're cleaning, check out our daily specials and in store sale table.