Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 49

Austin AmoritQn-Stalcsman sports Sunday, June 3, 1979 D1 Two tied at Kemper While second-round leader Craig Stadler slips to a 73, Jerry McGee storms into a tie for the lead after three rounds of the Kemper Open golf tournament. Page D6. On top Houston stops Montreal 2-1 to retain its one game National League West lead over the Cincinnati Reds, who stopped Philadelphia 4-2. Baseball roundups, Pages D4-D5. 11-5 Longhorns roll in jim trotter opener 9.fi Sports Editor Miami first to go at CWS, D8 doubles by Walker and a sacrifice fly by Salazar tied the score.

"They weren't expecting that off their ace," said Gleaton. There were more where those came from. Eleven Texas batters went to the plate in a six-run sixth inning that brought McLaughlin's exit and Mark Winters to the mound, a fact that may prove costly to the Huskies since they have already dispensed with their top two pitchers. TEXAS' BIG INNING came after Connecticut See Series, D5 Gleaton named All-American i If-" fc if-. w.w&ti i '4 MX ttr i La i GBsr 4 zV By KIRK BOHLS American-Statesman Staff OMAHA, Neb.

In a College World Series game that seemed to help bridge the gap between baseball in the Northeast and that in other regions around the country, Connecticut and Texas sank to new lows Saturday night. However, Connecticut sank a little lower. After spotting the Huskies a 3-0 lead in the second inning without benefit of a hit, the Longhorns finally showed a glimpse of the team that entered this tournament with the top ranking in the nation and spread 15 hits around Rosenblatt Stadium for an 1 1-5 first round victory before 11 ,047 fans. Jerry Don Gleaton 13-0) and Keith Creel combined for a five-hit win. Texas' 60th win of the year against six losses preserved a 12-game winning streak and sent the 'Horns into a game at 8:10 tonight (radio, 8 p.m., (KLBJ-AM 590) against Mississippi State, a 6-1 winner against Cal-State Fullerton in Saturday's late game.

THE 'HORNS' Series-opening win was lowl-ighted by eight errors, four by each team. And, if Gleaton, who gave up all five hits, and Connecticut's Colin McLaughlin are All-America pitchers, someone might ask for a recount. For sure, they gave all-too-bad performances as Gleaton, a first team choice, had a season-high nine walks and McLaughlin named to the third team walked six and allowed five hits and five runs in five innings. In addition, Gleaton had a wild pitch while McLaughlin had two, to go along with his two errors. "We looked terrible the first four said Texas shortstop Ronnie Gardenhire, who along with Keith Walker and Terry Salazar, had three hits.

"We stunk up the field. We barely looked like we were in the Top 20 tonight. But we did hit the ball. That saved us." Texas definitely needed saving. In the second inning, the Huskies (31-12) scored three runs almost by just showing up at the plate.

Gleaton walked the first two batters, who were advanced on a sacrifice, and Randy LaVigne came home on a grounder to Salazar. Gleaton then walked a third batter and had a full count on Ben Ruggles when the vaudeville show began. BALL FOUR GOT BY catcher Kevin Shannon for a passed ball, allowing a second run in, and the third came home when Shannon's throw got away from third bazeman Mark Chelette. Three runs, no hits, four walks, one error and a passed ball. A three-run Texas rally in the third on two wild pitches, Joe Bruno's single, the tirst of two OMAHA, Neb.

Jerry Don Gleaton, who wasn't even in Texas' starting rotation until the Longhorns' third Southwest Conference series, has been named to the 1979 Coaches' All-America Baseball team. The junior lefthander from Brownwood was the only player from the SWC to be chosen to the first team. Arkansas catcher Ronn Reynolds, a .397 hitter, was a second-team selection, and Texas' senior center fielder Joe Bruno made the third team. The other first- team pitcher was Hawaii uereK Jerry Don Geaton Tatsuno, who won 20 games an NCAA record in 21 decisions, while the first-team outfield consisted of Robb Townley of Long Beach Mark Seeger of Northern Arizona (.421) and Mike Kelley of Mississippi State .416) KIRK BOHLS Texas' Joe Bruno disputes call after being tagged by Connecticut's Al Garray. Paige, VTEP steal show at NCAA track meet First Hook 'Em hangs up horns Most Texas Longhorn fans wouldn't recognize Albert McMullen in his street clothes if he parachuted into the Cotton Bowl on OU day.

Nor would they know him if he streaked through the Super Drum in his underwear at halftime of the Aggie game. But Albert has served the UT faithful well these past two years. They just didn't know it was him. McMullen was the student who dressed up in the Longhorn costume for the football and basketball games. "HOOK 'EM" or "Little Bevo," as he was called, rejoiced when the Longhorns were doing well, mocked the opposition when they weren't, and generally went berserk in the heat of the battle of any game.

He swept Houston's Shasta the Cougar off her feet, tried to charge Texas Tech's Red Raider and offered a sage opinion on TCU's Horned Frog: "Man, that's the ugliest purple costume I've ever seen." McMullen is hanging up his horns, though, as he was one of the thousands of UT students to graduate last month. You really can't blame Albert for this. He hung on long as he could, coming back this past year to pick up an extra degree and be "Hook 'Em" for one more season. WHEN HE PASSED through Austin to pick up the rest of his belongings a couple of weeks ago, McMullen was like an actor whose play on Broadway has folded after a successful run, reflective and proud, but just a little melancholy. "It's fun to get up there and make a fool of yourself when no one knows who you are," Albert said.

"People didn't believe me when I told them that I did this, and I didn't go around bragging about it. But it was fun, definitely a worthwhile experi-, ence." McMullen first sought the Hook 'Em role as a way to let off steam. "1 had put in three years of pre-med and I was gradually going nuts. I was spending 50-60 hours a week on the books and was becoming warped in a bad way. It was one of those things when you think you're carrying the burdens of the world." HE SOUGHT the mascot role in cheer-' leader tryouts and was given the position of alternate cheerleader, which allowed him to don the costume.

"I had to play it from scratch. We've never had a steady one (mascot) before. During the first year, I just tried to establish what I wanted to do, and I did everything any-; body asked. "I appeared at coaches' birthdays, worked for the Muscular Dystrophy campaign you name it." McMullen was a success, and this past year he became an official part of the Texas entourage, with his expenses being reimbursed by the athletic department. "They have been really nice to me," he said of the relationship.

"AT FIRST people were worried. We've got a live mascot, of course, in Bevd, and they were afraid I was cutting over into Bevo's turf. But my response was that I could do much more. I can appear with kids. I can be a Ronald McDonald for UT." Playing to the children at the ballgames was the nicest part of the role, McMullen recalled.

"It's a child's game that people are playing out there and kids are pure fans. They haven't been affected or spoiled by it. It really made it satisfying to be able to entertain them." Needless, to say, Hook 'Em also had his moments of peril. "I got attacked by some Aggies once. I got attacked by this little jerk who was trying to rip the costume.

I've been kicked. Vinnie Johnson (Baylor's great basketball player) gave me a slug one time. He must have misunderstood took a big swing. "IN THE COSTUME, my voice is muffled and I can't see very well. I bump into people accidentally and they take it wrong.

My uniform has battle scars," McMullen said with a smile. The costume was so heavy and hot that McMullen, 6-foot-2, 190, routinely lost 12-13 pounds at each peformance. Now that his career as Hook 'Em is over, Albert is more than satisfied. "It was my one chance of being in the limelight," he said. "I got self-confidence from it." Family tradition called for Albert to be a doctor.

But his years as Hook 'Em changed his mind. He discovered that he wanted to be a journalist. "Most cheerleaders wonder if there's uta after cnUeee'" Albert mused with Relays, javelin thrower fall short on bittersweet day for Longhorns 'fits; AP From Staff and Wire Reports CHAMPAIGN, 111. The Texas Longhorns made Saturday's final day of the 1979 NCAA Track and Field Championships one to remember. Mostly for the wrong reasons.

While Texas-El Paso was blitzing to the team title with 64 points and Don Paige of second-place Villanova was making history with a grueling double victory in the 800 and 1,500 meters, the Longhorns experienced a bittersweet afternoon at the University of Illinois that included a heartbreaking defeat in their specialty, the 1600-meter relay; a career-best time by Owen Hamilton in the 800 that was good for only sixth place; and a dismal conclusion to a great collegiate career for javelin thrower Frank Lyons. LYONS, WHO HAD a personal best of 261-2 this year, could do no better than 227-3 in Saturday's trials. It was his worst showing of the season and he didn't make the finals, won by Washington's Tom Sinclair in 261-3. "This is really ridiculous. This is a terrible way to end the year and my career at Texas," said Lyons.

"Right now I feel really lousy. It was terrible sitting there watching those guys in the finals, seeing them place with marks I've beat all year. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do now," he added. "After a day like this I don't feel like ever touching a javelin again." TEXAS, WHICH finished tied for 19th place in the team standings, entered the 58th annual national championships with the country's fastest time in the 1600 relay, 3:04.64, but the Longhorns finished second Saturday to LSU in a dead heat, both quartets recording times of 3:04.67. LSU anchor Greg Hill dove at the tape to nip freshman Ricky Faggett.

Faggett, normally the second man in the Longhorn order, learned he was switching places in the lineup with Ben Omodiale 40 minutes before the race. He responded with a leg of 45.1 to make up four yards at the handoff and pull even with Hill, who ran a 45.7, down the stretch. "THEY BROKE IT (his move to anchor) gently, but painfully," said Villanova's Nate Cooper lands in the sand after leaping to first place in the triple jump. La Grange, Fayetteville win, advance to state tournament Faggett, who preferred the second leg this year. "I argued about it for about 15 minutes but as you can plainly see, I lost.

I was getting tight at the end, but I heard Ben yelling at me to loosen up. I thought I beat him (Hill), but I guess not." Another disappointment came in the discus, where Oskar Jakobsson finished 11th with a 186-8 throw in the trials and didn't make the finals. Villanova's Paige, similar in looks and running ability to the great Jim Ryun, made NCAA history in winning both the 800 and 1,500 a feat that has not been accomplished in 21 years. PAIGE, A JUNIOR, became the first runner since 1958 to win a double in those two distance races, or their equivalent, the 880 yards and one mile, when Ron Delany, also of Villanova, did it. In the 1,500, run first, Paige was seventh in the eight-man field with one lap remaining in the four lap event, and he still trailed in fourth place coming into the stretch before starting his kick.

His time was 3:39.20, faster than the stadium record of 3:39.89, set by 1977 NCAA champion Wilson Waigwa of UTEP. Finishing second was Baylor's Todd Harbour at 3: 39.27. FORTY MINUTES later, Paige was back for the 800. Again, he lagged at the outset. He was fifth after the opening 400 meters and fourth as the field approached the final 100 meters.

But again he turned on the speed and won in 1 45. 16. Setting the pace in the 800 was Texas' Hamilton, who took the lead early and held it until the final curve. The sophomore transfer student faded to sixth but still recorded his career-best time of 1: 47.28. Teammate Charlie Taliaferro struggled most of the way and finished eighth at 1:51.36.

Texas coach Cleburne Price, who will serve as the host coach for the 1980 NCAA nationals in Austin, insisted Saturday's conclusion was not a downer to a generally upbeat season. "THIS REALLY wasn't a disap- See Track, D5 t. By GEORGE BREAZEALE American-Statesman Start Fayette County will have outstanding representation this week as the University Interscholastic League, for the first time ever, determines five state schoolboy baseball champions. La Grange came from behind twice to defeat George West 3-2 in a 12-inning Saturday game for the Region 4AA championship, while the Leopards' neighbors, the Fayetteville Lions, qualified for the Class division of state by turning back D'Hanis 6-2 for the Region 4B title. Junior righthander Jeff Cook went all the way for La Grange and Greg Trlicek, another outstanding pitcher in the Leopards' 18-6 season, doubled in the winning run in the 12th inning of the game, played in Kenedy after the teams were rained out Friday in Seguin.

George West, closing its season at 16-8, went ahead 1-0 in the first inning and 2-1 in the sixth and the Longhorns finished with 10 hits, while senior righthander John Bumgardner was holding La Grange to seven. Cook, now 7-2, had 10 strikeouts. Fayetteville, lifting its season record to 20-3, received a solid pitching performance from senior lefthander Stanley Krebs in the regional game, also played at Kenedy Although Classes AA, A and are determining state winners for the first time, La Grange is a former champion. The Leopards won the 1973 title in AAA. La Grange will be joined in AA by East Chambers, Kermit and San Augustine, while the Class A field includes Riviera, China Spring, Ore City and Elkhart.

Baytown Sterling, Carrollton Turner and Bra-zoswood are definite entries for the AAAA bracket, while Duncanville, a two-time state winner, will seek a fifth consecutive trip when it plays Spring Monday in Bryan. Class AAA entries include South San Antonio West, Pecos, Cleburne and DeSoto, which defeated 1978 state champion Mount Pleasant in the Region 2AAA finals Saturday night in Brenham. typical thoughtfulness, "but I've learned enough from it to know that it can only be better. Lonehorn fans, meet and say goodbye to Albert McMullen..