In the past four years, the Harvard sports scene has undergone a facelift. Nothing drastic, mind you, but enough alterations have been made to make today's scene far different from the one I first encountered as a freshman, three and a half years ago. The headline-grabbing sports, football and hockey, have multi-flexed their way into mediocrity the past two years, and every indication points to them staying there for at least a while. Squash hasn't won a national championship in two years, which is like a ten-year drought for anyone else, swimming and baseball are only now beginning their ascent to the top after a couple of off-seasons, while soccer, basketball and lacrosse, none too hot to begin with, are at least breathing some signs of life these days. Indeed, as far as championships are concerned, Harvard is in a slump.

Women's sports, in the meantime, have become a force to be reckoned with, if not yet in terms of titles, at least in terms of the annual athletic budget.

So what, you ask. You're right, so what, because regardless of who's up and who's down in the standings at present, it is doubtful that the future--at least my future--will be filled with recollections of the first-place finishes and the date that women's cross-country achieved Level I status. If you ask me in ten years what place the Crimson gridders finished my sophomore year, I probably won't remember. [O.K., bad example. That was the year they won the title, but do you see my point?] Ask me, though, to recite a few Bill McCurdy quotes, and I'm sure I'll be able to.

Having seen and covered more than my share of Harvard events, I have many memories, but most of them have nothing to do with the actual athletic competition. Following, then are a few of the memories which come quickly to mind, and which probably reveal my feelings about sports far more eloquently than I could do myself.

Everyone knows the ability to drive straight and true is an important prerequisite for any golfer. As the Crimson linksters discovered prior to their opening tri-meet of the spring two years ago, it's even more important than some might think.

It wasn't that the linksters were hooking or slicing their tee shots this fine spring afternoon. Indeed, their clubs never made it out of the back seat of the 1975 Matador that was transporting the foursome of Scott McNeely, Alex Vik, Randy Millen and John Bartlett to the match's scheduled site of New Seabury Country Club on Cape Cod. Instead, it was a shanked brake which caused all of the trouble, a two-car collision outside of a shopping mall in Wareham, Mass., and the assessment of a two-stroke penalty to the Crimson for hitting into an unexpected hazard.

No one was injured in the collision, which, according to Vik, was caused by "an apologetic policeman who was supposed to be directing traffic but who instead directed an accident." The damages to the automobiles, however, were considerably more costly than a package of Titleists. All of which goes to prove that in some cases, it's not how well you get off the tee that counts, but whether or not you get there in the first place.

In the fall of '75, Jim Kubacki rose from the ranks of anonymity to lead Harvard to its first undisputed Ivy League football title. In so doing, the junior from Cleveland set Crimson one-game and season total offense records. While Harvard dipped to third place in the standings the next fall, Kubacki still performed admirably enough to conclude his career as Harvard's all-time passing and total offense leader. As a result of these accomplishments, then, it was only fitting that Kubacki was selected to participate in one of the season's numerous post-season bowl games, right?

Right, sort of. For while Kubacki did indeed participate in last year's American bowl in Tampa, Fla., it was not in his customary role as quarterback. Kubacki did call a few plays from behind center, but for the most part, he spent his all-star afternoon operating from the flanker position.

But here's a funnier thing: he scored the game's winning touchdown. With just seven seconds remaining in the first half and Kubacki's North squad holding a 14-0 advantage, Purdue's Mark Vitali dropped back to pass and guess who he found free in the endzone? Naturally the South stormed back in the second half with three touchdowns, but a missed extra point after the final score produced a final tally of 21-20 in favor of the North. And Jim Kubacki, out of position and all, was the hero...sort of.

Did you ever want to own your own baseball team? Last spring two Harvard sophomores decided they did, so David Campbell and Bruce Shepherd attempted to form a public syndicate to buy the Red Sox. "Own a piece of the Sox," read an ad in the Boston Globe one weekend, and the next, Campbell and Shepherd had their pictures plastered across the sports pages of America, courtesy of the Associated Press, one of whose editors had seen the advertisement.

The rising enterpreneurs sought pledges of $20, and hoped to attract 900,000 buyers to meet the then $18 million asking price of the Yawkey estate. "There are a lot of fanatics around," Campbell explained, "and that is only one dollar from every man, woman and child in New England."

When reality and legal hassles set in, the proposed public syndicate had to be dissolved, but only after Campbell and Shepherd learned a few things not covered in Ec. 10. "We actually are pretty serious," economics major Shepherd said at the time. And why not? The Red Sox still remain unsold today.

The fact that for the last four years Boston University and eastern collegiate hockey supremacy have been synonymous is common knowledge. During that span, the Terriers have not only captured one national, three ECAC and two Beanpot championships, but they have also been victorious in nine of 11 meetings against Harvard as well. Few people realize, however, that one of the major cogs in the B.U. machine these past few years, All-American defenseman and junior co-captain Jack O'Callahan, nearly spent four years on this side of the Charles River.

Following an 8-3 Terrier triumph three Decembers ago at Walter Brown Arena O'Callahan explained the choice of Commonwealth Avenue instead of Soldiers Field Road as the site of his hockey education. "Harvard was trying to sell me on that education stuff," the then first-year defenseman from Charlestown said, "but I wasn't buying. I was looking for the best hockey around, and I guess this proves I found it."