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* PAGE 18 - PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2>, H84 Sport$ Chris Juzwik Sports Editor At Wrigley Field: Lights? Action? Lest I remain unenlightened about the major issues en­ compassing sports today, I had better lighten up and discuss the possibility of adding lights to Wrigley Field. That's lights - as in Tom Edison's invention, the electricity deal. Not the beer. The Cubs have remained, for the most part, in a hibernation of sorts for almost 40 years. Yes, there have been weak, flimsj attempts at success, but all were short-lived. They weren't reed threats to become a decent organization, they were just gags to keep the public interested and the money clips thick. But now, only a short time after new management takes over, a new general manager and president enter. The GM brings over some leftovers from his old team in Philadelphia, plus a few key trades here and there (who's Mel Hall?), and suddenly, the Cubs are the toast, as opposed to the milquetoasts, of the town. SO, IN AN OBVIOUS, and rather overdue act, major league baseball has decided to treat the Cubs as a real organization. 'They've frolicked around in that ivy during the day for too long,' the bigwigs reasoned. 'They want to be contenders now? Well, we can play hardball too.' And thus it seems the Cubs are in jeopardy of either losing the home field advantage of playing under natural lights, or losing the home field advantage entirely. It's a losing proposition either way. See, the big brass figures television, which always to seems to be the impetus behind these things, will lose revenue if the Cubs play during the day. Too many people work then, they figure. Ideally, they would like a California-New York series somewhere along the way. Bigger markets, they think. I'm not sure when daylight savings times stops or ends or starts or does whatever it does in the fall, but I think it's around Ffalloween. This keeps the darkness away until 8 p.m. or so. Therefore, the Cubs could begin playoff and World Series games, if that's in the cards, at the ever-popular hour of 3 p.m., a time which the Cubs' organization has found fruitful. No, it wouldn't totally solve the problem, but it would lessen it. SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, some more ludicrous than others, that the Cubs play their home post-season games elsewhere, like Comiskey Parte. First off, it would be a terrible travesty for Cub fans to have to go to the South Side to watch a series they have waited 39 years for. Is Wrigley Field not good enough? And what ifthe Sox make the playoffs as well? No, in the name of Minnie Minoso, it doesn't appear likely, but stranger things have happened. I'm not sure of the exact manner in which the league decides which team is at home and when, but I would assume it would be decided in terms of record. If that's true, then the San Diego Padres, who lead the NL West by a comfortable, if not downright cushy margin, would host three, if necessary, at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Eastern winner, say the Cubs, will handle the other two. I d bet the league could schedule its way around this thing. Let the Cubs host their two games on a Saturday and Sunday. Solved. Nobody works on Sunday, (except for those sports columnists with topic problems). ANOTHER IDEA FROM THE EVER-BRIGHT, ALWAYS thinking baseball leaders, was to send the Cubs and their fans to Milwaukee, of all places, to play post-season games. What is this, a conspiracy? The Cubs should be allowed, no matter what, to have the opportunity of the home field ad­ vantage. Television, Bowie Kuhn, nobody should be able to tell Jim Finks and Dallas Green where they have to play baseball. But, as these things usually go, Finks and Green will probably have no say in the matter. I heard a blurb on the news over the weekend which said night baseball would be a violation of state statute. There are also citizens who live in Wrigleyville, who won't stand for night games, no matter the circumstances. Baseball officials had better realize who they're dealing with here. The people who care most about the Cubs don't give a hoot who watches the playoffs and Series on TV. They don't care if Joe Garagiola doesn't reach the maximum possible number of homes. The Cubs are in first place heading into the far turn, and they have the inside track on becoming the NL East representative in the playoffs. That - is the bottom line. The Cubs and Padres could just forget to tell everyone about their playoff series, sort of conduct it behind people's backs. As long as the fans knew, and the Cubs and Padres knew, nothing else would matter. ) As for everyone else, I guess you could say they'd be in the dark about the whole thing. V. Hauser's English Channel bid fails By Chris Juzwik Plaindealer sports editor In his bid to make history by beating the English Channel and his epileptic stigma, McHenry native George Hauser came up short, as the elements prevented him from attaining his goal. Hauser, 35, who began his plunge last Thursday evening on Shakespeare Beach, Dover, England, had his dream shat­ tered nine hours later in the briny Channel depths, as nature again overcame man. "I'm dejected, it was very emotional," Hauser, in a phone conversation from France, said. "You train for a year, talk about it for six or seven months, and it comes down to this." HAUSER, A GRADUATE OF McHenry High School and McHenry County College, was struck in the head at age 14 by a baseball, a mishap which may have triggered his epilepsy. After various problems with doctors and treatments, Hauser found help in Boston physician Dr. Linda Buchwald, and a drug called Tegretol. He has been seizure-free for five years. His English Channel swim was designed to help dispel the Haldeman still leads myths which surround epilepsy, and show epileptics their dreams can be attained. AS HE BEGAN HIS JOURr NEY, Hauser said, the sky was clear and the wind was only four miles per hour. The seas were calm, and "I felt real good," he said. "I took a route out with the tide, and for the first seven hours, everything was great. There were no difficulties, except for my goggles," he said. Condensation formed on the inside of Hauser's goggles, but he persevered. He began by feeding on tea and honey from a bottle every hour, and then shortened it to every thirty minutes. "At daybreak, it started to rain. Hie wind picked up quite a bit," he said. "That was at about the halfway point, 14% miles out. "The last two hours, with the wind and all, I only swam a mile. There was a high tide and a southerly wind, which I didn't expect," Hauser said. HAUSER SAID THfe WIND caused the waves to pick up, and he began to take in a lot of water. "It exhausted me," he said. "I hit the wall and they (his crew) pulled me out." "The weather, Mother Nature, beat me. I can't fault anyone. It's just one of those things." Hauser said his legs stiffened from treading water, and his throat was raw from taking in the saltwater. "People don't realize how immense the Channel is. The currents are unbelievable," he said. "It could take you one hour to go one way, and five minutes to get back. It just sweeps you. I never expected anything like that. "I STILL FEEL, WITHOUT THE weather problems, I could have made it. I'm told very few people make it on their first try. Maybe next year I'll try it again. I'm hooked now." Hauser said it "boggles my mind" to think about the challenge the Channel imposes. "I covered so many miles, but it didn't really seem like it. The last two hours though, they beat me up pretty bad. It's just the mystique of the Channel." Hauser said that if he were to try the swim again, he wouldn't alter his training method too much. "I prepared mentally for the swim. I felt good about it. The crew was outstanding, and I was prepared. . I would get new goggles though," he joked. "Some I could see out of." THE NEXT STEP FOR George Hauser? "I'm going to stay in France for another week or so, and figure out what I'm going to do next. I tried to champion the cause of epilepsy, and I hope I accomplished something in that regard. I hope to be back in McHenry in autumn, but Christmastime for sure," he said. "I said before the swim that just my stepping in the water would be a victory. When people remember this, they should remember that you don't always win. "Whether you make it or don't, you're still a winner. Just because I foiled doesn't mean I'm gonna quit "You just have to pick yourself up and try again." "I don't want people to correlate failure with epilepsy," George Hauser said. We should all have such triumphant failures. Gray, McHenry netters optimistic about '84 By Chris Juzwik Plaindealer sports editor McHenry has lost three girls from last year's 7-4 tennis squad, but coach Gary Gray is still optimistic about the team's chances in the rough-and- tumble Fox Valley Conference. Gone from the '83 Warrior unit are number one singles player Kris Sorling and Sarah Prust, both to graduation, and junior Melanie Smith, an exchange student this year in Denmark. Preview "We would definitely be a stronger team with Melanie," Gray said of Smith, a state tournament participant last year. "But we'll try to do some things to win some dual meets. We'll go out and do our best." "WE'LL DO SOME C H A L L E N G I N G , " G r a y predicted. Last season, Gray expected his young team to be a "snake in the grass" and sneak up on the Fox Valley contenders. "No one was really looking for us, and we came close to beating (conference champion) Crystal Lake Central." Central is again the league favorite, as the Tigers return all but one player from last year's squad. Woodstock's Kathy Meyer is again rated as the top player in the area. Meyer, just a sophomore is expected to again win the conference singles title. As a freshman, she lost to the eventual state champion in the state tournament. "It should be Central, followed by Woodstock and Crystal Lake South," Gray said of the FVC race. "And then the rest of us. But I think we'll have a winning season." LEADING THE WAY FOR THE WARRIOR netters will probably be Melissa Rhode, whom Gray has tabbed as the number one singles pl&yer, at least for now. "She has a lot of potential," Gray said. "This year, her concentration is better, and she's working on some things that cost her some points last year." Gray believes the junior will have a good season. "She'll do well. It could take some time for her to adjust to playing number one, but it can do nothing but make her better. GARY GRAY "She will beat some people." Gray also has great con­ fidence in both of the Warrior doubles teams. Seniors Sara Bird (a state performer last year) and Kris Wolff will probably team up at one doubles slot, according to Gray, while junior Michele Landis will form the other unit along with Geri Haner. "ON ANY GIVEN DAY, WITH any given team," Gray said, "no doubles team will blow ours off the court. Bird's problem last year was an erratic serve, but she has matured, and it has gotten better. She's a natural leader." CL Central boasts the reigning SQHWrtffifce doubles champs, but Gray echoed his "any given day" sentiments regarding them as well. Gray, who is entering his 13th season as McHenry's girls tennis mentor, said he will do a lot of lineup switching in order to win some dual meets and get both doubles teams seeded at the sectional meet. McHenry will host its own invitational on Sept. 29, and will also participate in two other tourneys - Sept. 15 at Dundee- Crown and Sept. 22 at Batavia. "That a real 'cream'-type tourney," Gray said of Batavia. McHenry will open its season next Tuesday with a home meet against Antioch, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The conference slate will open Sept. 17 at Jacobs. Funk's rolls to Recreation League 12" title By Barb Ansell Plaindealer sportswriter Again, it was Funk's Plum­ bing and Cullom Knoll I battling the competition in the 24-team McHenry Department of Parks and Recreation 12" League, with each team having taken the title once. In their last playoff contest, it took Cullom Knoll I 17 innings before they could defeat Funk's 8-7. But this year, the ending was different. Funk's regained the first place title in the men's 12" rec league by downing the Knoll 7-2. In the third place battle, Doug's Dogs downed the Back Door Tavern. AS THE CHAMPIONSHIP contest began between Funk's and Cullom Knoll, it looked as if another extra-inning contest might be in order. Cullom Knoll broke open the scoreless deadlock in the third when Tim Klapperich led off with a single, and later scored on pitcher Charlie Todd's single. The Knoll was on the move again in the fourth inning as Dave Clark's single started the inning. Lenny Jensen singled to center scoring Clark, upping the Knoll's lead to 2-0. But that advantage was short-lived. Funk's had men in scoring position in the early going, but couldn't managed to bring them across the plate. BUT GREG BARTOS, WHO HAD managed to get a hit in the early innings, got things started for Funk's again in the fourth with a single. Brock Olsen's single advanced Bartos to third, and Dale Lundius' double brought in a run to make the score 2-1. But an inning-ending double play quashed the rally. Funk's didn't, however, let the twin-killing dim their spirits, and after they retired the Knoll, Funk's pitcher Mike Kotiw led off the fifth for his team with a single. John Wilkinson's fly ball to left center was misplayed, and the error allowed Kotiw to ad­ vance to third. BARTOS CAME TO THE PLATE, and came through with his third hit of the night, a double to right center, scoring Kotiw with the tying run. Joe LaFontaine then made sure Bartos and Wilkinson weren't stranded- on---the Continued on i Lon Haldeman has slowed his frantic pace in the Race Across America '84 somewhat, but the Harvard bicyclist still main­ tained a comfortable cushion as the race enters its final leg. At 5:10 CDT Monday morning, Haldeman was at the Indiana- Ohio border and in first place. He was about 3% hours in front of second-place rider Peter Penseyers. Michael Secrest remained in third place, seven hours behind Haldeman, and Jim Elliot was in fourth place 12 hours back. Haldeman, who was 8% hours ahead of the RAAM Officials' schedule on Friday, has slowed his pace. Haldeman is now ahead of schedule by two hours with approximately 750 miles remaining. His present pace would put him on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., sometime late Tuesday or early Wed­ nesday morning. No other information has been available on the rest of the riders. Several have dropped from the race in accordance with the RAAM Drop Rule. The Crystal Lake Central duo lock around Europe By Steve Metsch Plaindealer News Service CRYSTAL LAKE - When Hal Stinespring and Scott I Puma rule states that any cyclist who returned to the halls of Crystal is more than 36 hours behind the leader once the leader has crossed the Mississippi River will be officially dropped from the race. The dropped cyclists may chose to finish the race, however, but they are not covered by RAAM rules or regulations. Their finish will not officially be further races Dy committee. A Huntington Beach, Calif., (where the race began) bicycle shop has offered a $5,000 purse to be divide^ among the top four finishers in the race. recognized in by the RAAM Lake Central High School Monday morning, they probably heard the usual tales of summer excursions. But the two Tiger soccer players are well-prepared to match their classmates' stories about vacationing in "exotic" places. Stinespring and Puma spent their summer representing the state during a soccer tour of Europe. They returned Aug. 8 from their 35-day trip. Besides souveniers and a hunger for some home cooking, the two Tigers returned with the idea Scott Puma, left, and Hal Stinespring led an Interesting touring Europe with a soccer troupe. that life here isn't as bad as it's sometimes cracked up to be. THE HIGHLIGHT, AND LOW SPOT, of the jmirney was a visit to the SovietrUnioh. The classic line about somewhere being "a nice place to visit, but..." ap­ plies to Russia, the two said. "The people gave us dirty looks. We felt foreign," Stinespring said. "The hotels we had were nice to give us a good impression. We drove from Moscow to Leningrad at night so we couldn't see how some of the people lived." Puma will also take a pass on a return trip to Russia, but, like his teammate, found the visit fascinating. ^'Moscow, it's very huge and Continued on pog« 17