It's been a great few weeks for people who like to watch sports on television, but few of those bowl games have been very stimulating. One of my favorites was the Peach Bowl, broadcast on the afternoon of New Year's Eve by the Mizlou television network. Mislou had a nifty revolutionary device dubbe the "isolite," which consisted of a spot on the screen much lighter than the rest of the screen. Supposedly it was to show some significant move by one of the players, although in reality, it showed a large group of players converging in the middle of the screen, making it hard to distinguish anything.
But the highlight of that game for me was the awarding of the Trainer of the Year awards for divisions II and III--a prize second only to the Heisman trophy in the world of college football.
Those glory days of Christmas vacation may be past and reading period well underway, but there are still important sporting events to catch. For Harvard-Radcliffe sports, unfinished course work and the threat of impending exams has taken a heavy toll. This Saturday, January 15, is the last time most varsity teams will compete until after exams.
The Radcliffe swimmers will be the first team to go to battle. Facing Dartmouth, the meet that is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the IAB. Three hours later, at 2 p.m., the Harvard swimmers will be trying to sink Dartmouth in the same place.
Over the river (and through thewoods), the indoor track team will be running for its life against Northeaster. The meet, which begins at 12 noon in Briggs Cage, is going to be one of the toughest challenges for the tracksters this season.
Up at Hemenway Gymnasium, the squash team will be slicing up another contingent from Dartmouth. The annihilation will begin at 2 p.m.
The Boston professional sports scene will be filled with action because both the Bruins and Celtics had their exams before Christmas (their reading period was shorter than Harvard's). Tonight, the Bruins are playing the Los Angeles Kings. Saturday afternoon, they will face Montreal Canadiens, and next Thursday they'll skate against the New York Islanders.
The Celts will be playing the Portland Trailblazers and Bill Walton tomorrow night at 8 p.m. The New York Knicks will be at the Boston Garden Sunday, January 16, and the San Antonio Spurs will be in town on January 21. Julius Erving, George McGinnis, et al will be up from Philadelphia. January 23, but that game is already sold out.
If you really have to see the 76ers, you can go to the professional wrestling matches the night before and stay in a bathroom over night.
One of the biggest, untapped sources of spectator sports this time of year is watching people take exams. The best ones to watch are those in which the participants face real strain, such as exams in pre-med courses. This year, the season will be starting early, with Chemistry 170, "Bio-organic Chemistry' kicking off on January 18, with mammoth six-hour extravaganza.
But the official opening day of exam period is January 21. President Bok will pass out the first blue book in Science Center A at 9:15 a.m.--the site of Akkadian 230, "Elementary Akkadian."
The best bet for exam-watchers will come on January 25 at 9:15 when the major pre-med course, Chemistry 20, more endearingly known as "Organic," meets for its examination. Spectators at this exam are advised to bring molecular model kits with which to build functional airplanes and ships while real students try to construct benzene rings.
History 1421, "Boats," will meet in the afternoon of January 27, at three locations, Burr A, Burr B, and Science Center A. January 29 will be an action packed day, with both Urdu 101, "Introductory Urdu-Hindi" and VES 107, "Gas Stations," meeting in the morning.
The finale of exam period will be the Social Sciences 160, "Nonverbal Communications," test scheduled for the afternoon of February 2. This test promises to be a good time for all. Spectators will be encouraged to make gestures to the participants, although they won't be allowed to talk during the exam.
Oh yeah. Pete Rozelle asked me to tell you that the Pro Bowl--the showcase of professional football's greatest talents, the game that separates the AFC from the NFC, the battle that is fought so fiercely that few have lived to tell about it--will be on the tube this Sunday, January 16.
January 29 is going to be another big day for sports. At 7:30 p.m., Muhammed Ali plans to fight Peter Fuller, who owns a car dealership near Boston University. Fuller, who will be driving a Coupe de Ville, equipped with air-conditioning and a stereo tape deck, in the ring, is an early favorite.
Book him, Danno. Murder one. See you next month. Be there. Aloha.
