The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 15

SPORTS Section February 3, 1991 Rusty Burson Be wary of Plan list bargains hristmas has apparently arrived a month and some change late for many NFL teams. And like most post-holiday sales, there appear to be some real bargains out there. Star players like Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, Mark Bavaro, Tim Krumrie, James Lofton, Ottis Anderson, Mark May and Scott Norwood are for sale to the highest bidder. You pay, they play maybe. Difficult to imagine Lott in a uniform other than the 49ers? Hard to conjure Bavaro not in Giants blue? it.

Plan the league's limited free-agent pool, is in its third year of existence. It allows each of the 28 teams to protect 37 players, with the rest becoming free agents who revert back to their original teams if they don't sign with another team by April 1. As a result, this year's list of 518 unprotected players looks almost like an All-Pro team of the past decade. A nice Texas look And admit it Texas football fans: Ronnie Lott or Deron Cherry would certainly look nice roaming the secondary inside the Astrodome or Texas Stadium. But why would the 49ers or Chiefs dangle such steady superstars in front of 27 other teams? The recent trend seems to be directly related to age.

When teams make their list, they protect prospects and leave the aging, the infirm, kickers and highly paid stars who aren't going anywhere unprotected. The New York Giants are a perfect example. On Friday, Super Bowl MVP Ottis Anderson was left unprotected, as well as Matt Bahr. who kicked the winning field goals in both the NFC title game and the Super Bowl, and tight end Mark Bavaro, who needs knee and shoulder surgery and will make $750,000 next year. On the other hand, they protected Clint James, Tim Downing and Roger Brown.

Who? Well, consider: James and Downing, both defensive linemen taken in last April's draft, spent the entire season as injured-reserve red- shirts. Brown, a cornerback, was cut by Green Bay and the Giants before being activated for the season's last four games and the playoffs. All three are outstanding prospects. They are young and they are not tied to the Giants because of loyalty or long-term service. Not going anywhere However, players like Anderson and Bavaro aren't likely to leave the Giants even if an offer is extended to them.

The player has the final choice, and a guy like Anderson, at age 33, isn't likely to want to leave an established, successful team like the Giants. Ditto for Lott and Craig. Even if Lott received an incredible offer from, say, the Detroit Lions, it would be almost impossible to imagine that he would want to leave the best team in football over the last decade for Detroit. Buffalo coach Marv Levy may have explained the reason for star players being on the Plan list best. "Some players have come to me and said, 'Coach, you don't have to protect me.

I'm going to be he someone else so this team will stay together." So, stop dreaming and drooling bargain hunters. The fine print in this sales message is the most important of all. Rusty Burson is a sportswriter for The Galveston Daily News. A cure for the wintertime blues Pro Classic a big hit in Texas City WALTER SEVERS The Daily News TEXAS CITY On a day when sunshine and warm temperatures poured down on the area, baseball brought a great deal of joy and happiness to kids of all ages. The first annual Texas City-La Marque Pro Baseball Classic, sponsored by The Texas City and La Marque High School Booster Clubs and AMOCO Oil Company, brought out over 600 fans to begin another season of baseball on the Gulf Coast.

Jim Owens, president of the Texas City Booster Club, smiled as one by one, each of the professional players lined up along the fences at Robinson Stadium to sign autographs and have pictures taken with every fan who wanted them. "We really appreciate all the pros who came out today," Owens said. "The kids are the beneficiaries of our efforts. Not only are the little ones having a good time, but those older kids (adults) are whooping it up just as much." Among the pros in attendance, Jeff Banister, a La Marque High School product, seemed to sum it up well. "It feels real good to be back in this place," Banister said.

"There are a few good memories in this Staff phoio by Vines Stiglich Jr. Charlie Kerfeld signs an autograph for a fan stadium, and every time I get a chance, I'm back here." Some of the memories passed around from ball player to ball player were taken in by the many autograph seekers surrounding them. Banister told of his last high school game, in Robinson Stadium against the Stings. His home run over the old fence, was the climax to an abbreviated schoolboy career at La Marque. This year, Banister is hoping to spend the entire season with the big show in Pittsburgh.

Last year, he split time between the Pirates and their Buffalo minor league affiliate. With Don Slaught and Mike LaVallier ahead of him, Bannister expects a repeat last season. Another La Marque ex, Jeff Calderone, now in the Braves organization, signed anything handed to him, including T-shirts and gloves. I love doing things for the community," Calderone said. "Galveston County needs something like this." Calderone said he expects to be playing in Greenville, South Carolina with the AA Braves this season.

"As ballplayers, we put back in the community what they give to us," Calderone said. "Signing autographs and doing fundraisers in the cities where we play encourage the fans to come out and brag, Tve met him' to their As the autograph session broke See CLASSIC, 2-B Staff photo by Vince Stiglich Jr. Hats off Former La Marque player and current Pirates catcher Jeff Banister signs a cap for J.R. Post during the first annual Baseball Classic in Texas City. SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT Thundering thighs of Dallas Newhouse proved bigger not always better for Cowboys Staff photo by Vince Stiglich Jr.

Former Dallas Cowboy fullback Robert Newhouse Champions crowned in tournament By MANUEL MORENO JR. Tho Dally News GALVESTON Mick Grant of Clear Lake and Sarah Chester of Klein reeled off respective singles championships in the Fourth Annual Beachcomber Tennis Classic, which concluded Saturday afternoon at Menard Park. Grant, seeded second in the two- day tournament, knocked off fourth-seeded Fred Taino of Klein, 6-3, 7-5, to win the title. Meanwhile, Chester, seeded first in the girls' event, downed third- seeded Michelle Magid of Bellaire, "Taino had beaten him twice before, so it was a great win for Mick," said Clear Lake head coach Susan Jackson, who was later named the recipient of the Chad Nelson Coach's Award. "I'm really proud of the way he played today." Clear Lake, which finished third in the state last fall in team tennis competition, edged Klein Forest for top team honors, 22-20.

The boys' team championship finished in a two-way tie between Clear Lake and Klein Forest with 12 points each, but Klein Forest By RUSTY BURSON The Dally News GALVESTON After 12 years of professional football with the Dallas Cowboys and eight years away from the game, individual plays, games and even years have become a bit fuzzy to Robert Newhouse. Nevertheless, the memory of one rather remarkable season still conjures vivid images in the mind of the Cowboys' fourth all-time leading rusher. It was a glorious year in Cowboy history, a year when the improbable dream came true. It was the Cinderella season of 1975 and quite possibly the year that the Dallas Cowboys became "America's Team." Newhouse, who led the Cowboys in rushing that year with 930 yards, played a major role in helping a team that had failed to make the playoffs a year earlier reach Super Bowl X. The Cowboys had not been given much of a chance to even reach the playoffs in '75.

And even when they did as a wildcard, the odds were stacked heavily against Dallas, especially with only a few seconds left in the opening-round playoff game on a frigid day in Minneapolis. Trailing the Vikings 14-10 with the Cowboys at midfield, Roger Staubach launched a desperation "Hail Mary" in the direction of Drew Pearson. Pearson made the catch and the Cowboys went on to the Super Bowl, eventually losing to the Steelers, 21-17. All year long the Cowboys had defied the odds. That, more than anything else, is what made the year so special to Newhouse.

After all, the 1975 season was written like a page from the story of Newhouse's life as a football player. The little guy, who was told he didn't stand a chance, made an awfully big noise. And in the process, the team and the player captured the attention and the hearts of many fans across the country. "The 1975 season jogs my memory quite a bit," said Newhouse, who was in Galveston Wednesday to speak at the Ball football banquet. "We came in as the wildcard that year.

We struggled real hard, and nobody believed we could do it. We were the underdogs, but we went all the way with it. Staff photo by Vinco Stiglich Jr. Singles champion Mick Grant of Clear Lake was awarded the top trophy because of head-to-head matchups. Klein and Kingwood tied for third place with seven points apiece.

Bellaire, which also claimed the Peter Andrew Sunseri Sportsmanship Award, won the girls' team championship with 12 points. Clear Lake grabbed second with 10 and Klein finished third with nine. SM TENNIS, 2-B WaS fiSii TTjj were shut out of that game. Roger; to Drew. It was unbelievable.

If we- don't make that pass and that catch, it's over. We're back home. But we did. We beat Los Angeles the next week and went on into the Super Bowl. We just had to work hard, go forward and never look back.

Against the odds all the way." Likewise, Newhouse's football career has been against the odds all the way. At 5-10 and coming from a small high school (Galilee in Hallsville), college recruiters didn't exactly wear a path to Newhouse's door. In fact, only the University of Houston showed any interest at all. It wasn't apparent then, but the Cougars had just landed one of their top recruits of all-time. Newhouse still holds the UH record for single season rushing with 1,757 yards in 1971.

He finished second in the nation in rushing that year, and up until last year when Chuck Weatherspoon him, Newhouse held the Cougars' all- See NEWHOUSE, 3-B Galveston team off to fast start in tourney By RUSTY BURSON The Dally News GALVESTON There is no relation to the former lead singer of the Beatles, but Galveston's Paul McCartney did his own singing Saturday afternoon in the first day of the Mardi Gras Rugby Tournament. More precisely, McCartney left Sam Houston State and Alamo City singing the blues. McCartney scored twice as the Galveston A-side team collected a 22-0 victory over Sam Houston and a 30-3 win over Alamo City. With the two victories, the A-side advances into today's semifinals. Another key to the win over Alamo City was the performance of Gary Heitman.

Tim Schilling, Andrew Estiphemis and Jola Ominera also scored in the two wins. Galveston's B-side, however, was not nearly so fortunate. The SM RUGBY, 2-B.