San Antonio Express from San Antonio, Texas • Page 49

1 £tin Antonio rpress Eva Tietjen is waiting, waiting Eva Tietjen, a middle-aged divorcee with an average income, is not a poor person, but she certainly rich. The mother of two small daughters, Eva works six days a week, nine hours per day and, like most of us, she operates on a tight budget to make ends meet. Ms. Tietjen is just one of a few thousand local residents who is confused and concerned about an investment she made several months ago. She is a Wing season ticket holder.

Her problem is no secret. She owns tickets to games which have been canceled. Her team, the Wings, and her league, the WFL, no longer exist. The players who her daughters idolized now reside in various parts of the country. The coaches who her 65-year-old mother praised and adored are now scattered across the nation.

But Eva Tietjen, her two daughters and her mother are still here. And so are about $150 worth of old Wing tickets. still there on a shelf, waiting to be exchanged for cash. Like most other Wing season ticket holders, Ms. Tietjen is worried.

The $150 is not a matter of life and death, but it certainly could be put to good use. is this one thing which I would like to buy my 11-year-old daughter for Christmas, but it costs $30 and I afford she explains. explained to my daughter that we still have $150 in Wing tickets, and that if we get our money back in time I would get her this present. she continues, maybe I can get her something else for Christmas, and buy her this thing when and if we do get our money Why no word? Eva realizes that Wing officials have more than their share of problems, but shejuelieves they should be more considerate of those who supported the team when it was' alive. Her only complaint is that she has not heard a single word from Wing officials since the league called it quits.

went to their offices the day after they she remembers. man told me to give them a couple of days to work it out. couple of days later I called them and a secretary told me the same thing. 1 She was still waiting on Oct. 28 when she read in this column that Wing officials planned to announcement in two weeks.

That was six weeks ago but Ms. Tietjen and other season ticket holders still been told anything. It is not hard to understand why she is becoming more and more angry. feel the least they can do is tell us the she says. should let us know hat's gonna happen.

But nothing, we have heard nothing. This is why disappointed. they could find us when they wanted us to buy. tickets, they could find us now. We know who to go she continues.

family had to make many sacrifices to afford the season tickets. had to give up everything else. No more movies, no allowances for the kids. We go anywhere else, because we wanted to be at all the games. The girls felt they would enjoy the games more than other things.

mother, too. 65 but saw all the games. It was all we did go to the Still sad about the death of the Wings. Eva says fans would understand the money woes if only they would explain the problems. think people are more understanding than they know.

If they had told me in the beginning what the problems are. I said nothing. 1 would have understood. we've heard nothing. This makes me wonder if they are even worried about us (season ticket holders).

They are not treating us Word is coming After hearing Eva's story yesterday, I called Norm Bevan, who was governor of the Wings. best thing for all season ticket holders to do is call Bill Stevens at suggested Bevan. Stevens took over accounting duties for the Wings after the season had started and trying to determine the exact amount of assets and liabilities. If you have Wing tickets, call Stevens. Season ticket holders are on record, but if you have single-game ducats, you must call Bill and give him your address if you eventually want to be reimbursed.

By the way. take out your frustrations on Stevens. He has been handling this depressing, nasty job since September without pay. That's right, without pay. When the final figures are in.

estimated that the Wings will have about more in liabilities than they will have in assets. likely, therefore, that season ticket holders will not get a full refund. the next two weeks we hope to have everything liquidated and begin mailing letters to our ticket holders explaining when and how to get says Stevens. Some time this morning, alter preparing breakfast and getting her daughters off to school, Eva Tietjen will find time to read this column the next two weeks we she will read, just as she did six weeks ago in this paper. It mas help tier fee! a Into belter, a little less frustrated, but it sum i do 111 1 a i oimI because, like hundreds of others 1- In.

irom the people she gave her mones CPHDTC or vjmk Vols 2E 4E Baseball Page 6E Bellard Page 7E Wednesday December IO 1975 Page 1 -E Jim Smith accepts Thunder GM post v' By KARL SPORTS EDITOR The San Antonio Thunder very tidily switched general managers Tuesday as Mike Boyle stepped down and Jim Smith took over officially at an early afternoon press conference. Smith, 34, was president and general manager of the Houston Aeros for their first three seasons and was able to build a winner quickly in the Bayou City. The club won the World Hockey Association championship the last two years. Boyle stejis down NEW THUNDER GM Jim Smith, left, chats with club owner Ward Lay, center, and outgoing GM Mike Boyle staff photo by ron jones Indiana retains top spot ASSOCIATED PRESS Indiana, which kept a low profile for nine days after its rousing season opening victory against defending champion UCLA, retained the confidence of the voters and its No. 1 position in The Associated Press major college basketball poll.

Whire the Hoosiers rested on their laurels of an 84-64 triumph over UCLA in St. Louis on Nov. 29, Maryland, Marquette, North Carolina, UCLA and Louisville took to the courts and successfully defended their rankings of The Top Twenty ttamt in The Assoct ated Press weekly college basketball poll with tirst-place votes in parentheses, seo son records through games ot Sunday Dec 7 and totol points Points based on 20-U14 14-12 10 21 1 tndiona (57) Maryland 3 Morquetle 4 North Carolina 5 UCLA 4 Louisville 7 Tennessee (2) Notre Dome Cincinnati 10 Arliona 11 Alabama II. San Francisco 13. Carolina St 14 Kentucky 15.

Washington 14 Nevada Las vegos 17. Auburn It Michigan IT Ariiona State 20 Missouri 1-0 3-0 2 0 3 0 2-1 2-0 3-0 3 0 4 0 4-0 3-0 3-0 J-0 0 1 4 0 4 0 2 0 1-1 3 0 4-0 1.174 1.041 131 743 314 374 541 355 327 270 237 141 75 44 45 57 54 42 second through sixth places, respectively. Bobby Hoosiers. unbeaten in the 1974-75 regular season and the preseason favorites this season. received 57 No.

1 votes from a nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and 1,176 of a possible 1.180 points in the poll released Tuesday. TLC loses grid coach By CLIFFORD BROYLES OF THE EXPRESS STAFF SEGUIN Dr. Jim Wacker, the man who led Texas Lutheran football to national prominence, resigned Tuesday as head coach to take a similar post at North Dakota State. The decision ended a month-long, tightly cloaked vigil in which Wacker pondered offer and kept it secret from his football team. am really excited about the said Wacker from the Fargo, N.D., school.

hate to leave these kids and the situation had here." Pressure never felt more pressure about a game than that one," said Wacker of last Saturday's 34-8 win over California Lutheran which brought TLC second straight national title. want to go out on a losing Wacker was interviewed for the position during the Thanskgiving holidays but did not tell the team of his decision until Monday afternoon. told them he was 91) to 95 per cent sure," said defensive backfield coach and athletic director Ray Katt. said he was almost sure hut he wanted to have a few more questions told me he would call me back if he changed his mind Monday said his wife, Liz. call and I knew it then." 39-15 Bulldogs have posted a 39-15 record over five seasons in his first college head coaching job and TL( has won 26 of its last 27 games, including nine in a row.

Before the 38-year-old Wacker arrived from Au- gustana, S.I)., TLC had only five winning seasons in 23 years and won as many as six games only once. The longest win streak in school history was four. have a great tradition already and that the ease when I came to Wacker said. TLC President Dr. Joe Menu was out of town on business Tuesday but is expected to name a committee to study the naming of a new coach.

is a new said Wacker. was the hardest deeision I've ever had to make. is the finest college and community ever been associated he said. just feel it is an offer 1 turn down. 1 have to see il I can handle it.

Wacker. who graduated from Valparaiso, University, was a three- year lettermen, co-eaptain and most valuable lineman in his playing days. He earned a degree from Wayne State, in 1959 and completed work on in secondary Nebraska in his doctorate education at 1969. This will not be the Detroit first stop in the Dakotas. He was defensive coordinator at Augustana, S.D., when he took the TLC job in 1970.

Augustana is a North See WACKER, page 2E Pacers entertain Spurs Boyle In resigning, Boyle said he felt the job had outgrown his abilities. feel my forte is in sales and the job of general manager has expanded so much that talent acquisition, contract negotiations, and such things arc of more significance. felt that someone more experienced in those fields would be better able to give San Antonio the winning team it deserves and 1 asked Ward Lay several weeks ago to begin a search for such a man think hi1 lias found that man Jim added Boyle, who said he would stay in San Antonio for a couple of weeks and then go to California for the holidays before making a commitment for another job, but that he had been in contact with several other sports franchises. Skills Lay, the president and principal owner of the Thunder, had originally set up the operations of the club so that Boyle would be chiefly concerned with promotion and sales while coach Alex Perolli would take care of the player personnel. Perolli was lired in season, however, and Don Batie replaced him Batie is also heavily involved in player procurement, but Smith brings special skills to the job that will dovetail with Batie s.

An attorney, Smith got involved in sports ment by an indirect route when he left his home tow of Dayton, Ohio, and went to Houston to arrange for an arena lease lor the hockey club, which was owned by Dayton people. He then agreed to stay for three months to get things off the round, then six months. He move from Houston lor three years, until his resignation last June Changes en had been Through two changes of he said of his resignation, feel like going through a third one, which was coming Smith is famed in hockey circles as the man who signed the Howe family and his sons, Marty and Mark. The move pul people in the stands and a winner on the ice. He was voted WIIA Executive of the Year in 1974 by both the Sporting News and Hockey Nows.

He was a candidate, one of the last two being considered, lor president of league but withdrew his name in commitment to Ids Aero pact. Lay said he began his search for Boyle's successor looking lor a man with several attributes, one of them having been up against insurmountable obstacles. He said Smith had filled that bill, since he brought a game to Houston that was rarely even seen on TV', educated the public about the game and created See TIIUNDEK. page 7E vif Ttrj pij I cy pj i Ki if A p. REMEMBER WITH A GIFT OF LEISURE FOOTWEAR SOFTEE SCUFF IN CHOCOLATE WITH BLACK TRIM, SUEDED SOLE.

JAY FROM THE FREEMAN WM. JOYCE COLLECTION, BONE COLOR SOFT DEERSKIN WITH NATURAL CREPE SOLE. SIOUX SLIPPER, BROWN GLOVE LEATHER, WARM LINED, SOFT LEATHER SOLE. Ac fcJ A i't SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS INDIANAPOLIS One of the fiercest rivalries in the ABA will be renewed Wednesday night when the Spurs tangle with the Indiana Pacers iu Market Square Arena. The matchup is the first of the year between the two teams that have been first-round playoff opponents the last two seasons San Antonio and Indiana will see a great deal of each other starting with contest.

The ABA schedule makers have paired the Spurs and the Pacers for 17 regular season games. A win for the Spurs would push them past the Pacers and into third in the revamped ABA. Going into the game. S.A. owns a 12-7 record and Indiana stands 13-7.

The Pacers have really performed better than many preseason guessperts figured After all, Indiana lost George McGinnis, last year's leading scorer and co-MVP. Big George lected to the NBA Philadelphia 76crs and many foresaw doom for the Indianapolis eagers However, Coach Bob Leonard has regrouped his forces and is getting excellent performances from forwards Billy Knight and Darnell Hillman. Knight, a second-year man from Pittsburgh, is the No. 2 scorer in the ABA with a 27.5 points per game The Spurs-Pacers game will be broadcast by WOAI Radio, 1200, beginning at 6:45 p.in. average.

He started the season strong with games of 36. 40 and 43 points in first three Indiana games IDs front court mate Hillman is a four-year pro from San Jose St. The 6-9 forward is averaging 15,1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Starting center Len FI- more. another second-year player, is injured and playing in his place is the well -traveled Dave Robisch Elmore has missed the last six games because of a twisted right knee and is doc back (his weekend.

Ro- bisch, who came to Indiana from San Diego when the Sails folded, is averaging 15 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He played particularly well in the three S.A.-S I), encounters In the back court are veterans Billy Keller and Don Buse. Keller, the master of the three- point shot, is averaging 18.7 points per game for Indy He lias canned 34 three-pointers this year. is a strong uneter shooting team and they go the boards Spur Coach Bob Bass said as team practiced Tuesday in preparation for the Indiana game. He continued, take lhe outside shot and they will run you when thev can 1 think rebounding will be the key.

We are about even on paper, but paper count out there, it is the team willing to box out and be physical that will get the boards Bass said he will use his regulars against the Pacers. Allan Bristow and Larry Kenon will be at the forward slots. Billy at center and George Gervin and James Silas in the back court. Following the game in Indianapolis, the Spurs will travel across the Ohio River for a Friday match in Louisville against the Kentucky Colonels before returning to the Convention Center Arena Saturday and 7:30 p.m. date with the Colonels WM.

JOYCE JAY SIOUX SLIPPER pincus pnmnonv Houston st. at broadway company H0 McCullough DOWNTOWN: 9:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Saturday SUBURBAN: 9:30 to 6:00 Monday thru Saturday FREE PARKING BEHIND DOWNTOWN STORE. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS HONORED.