The Baytown Sun from Baytown, Texas • Page 10

THE BAYTOWN SUN Tuesday, April 9, 1985 1-B SPORTS turning heads, 2-B to open season, 2-B Rogers, 3-B Fowler: There's more to the Tulane story His basketball coaching career began modestly at Baytown Junior School in 1966. Now, 19 years later, Ned Fowler has become embroiled in one of the most celebrated sports scandals in recent memory. Fowler, 41, resigned last Thursday as the head basketball coach at Tulane University in the wake of point-shaving allegations. Out of those allega- tions came an admission, by Fowler, that he paid members of the Green Wave in cash. "I can't get into the specifics and details of what happened," Fowler said.

"I have resigned, and you have no idea how tough that was for me to do. It's a tragic situation, point-shaving, and it's wreaked havoc with the entire sports situation here." In the aftermath of the scandal, an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted three of Fowler's players. Subsequently, Tulane is planning to drop men's basketball. "There's a lot more to come out of this than what's been in the papers already," Fowler said. "I can't get into the details, but I will say this: the things I did were to help young men.

If you look at my record up until now, you'll find it's been impeccable. We've had a short pocketbook here at Tulane but we've done well. Now, five of my players are in trouble and the school is dropping basketball. "Like I said, it's tragic. You never think it's possible and then all of a sudden it happens to you." Fowler said he plans to go into private businer Ed Campbell at least for a while.

"I'd love to get back into coaching someday," he said. "For now, I'll get involved in business or something. Maybe I'll try to be a normal person for a while and let my ulcers heal. When all this clears up, then maybe I'll try to get back into basketball." A 1966 graduate of East Texas University, Fowler's first coaching job was at Baytown Junior. The man he replaced there, Woody Walker, remembered Fowler as a highly successful coach.

"He was only at, Baytown Junior one year," Walker said. "He replaced me when I went over to coach at Ross S. Sterling in its first year. I didn't work with him, because Baytown Junior was in Robert E. Lee's zone.

Besides, we were pretty busy getting a basketball program started at Sterling." After his year at Baytown Junior, Fowler went to Ozona, Corpus King and Tyler Lee. In that time, he compiled a 279-88 record. Walker said he remembered Fowler better from his days at King. "They used to come to the Clear Lake tourna- LOU WHITAKER of the Detroit Tigers is greeted by coaches and teammates in Detroit Monday, while the snow falls during the team's season- opening game against Cleveland. (AP photo) Rebels edge Houston's JV Team will watch step By DAVID BERKOWITZ While the Lee College Rebels will mainly be concerned with San Jacinto College during the second half of the Texas Junior College Athletic Conference baseball season, they don't plan to overlook the other members of the league.

Starting with Wharton County Junior College, the Rebels must make sure they don't slip on their way to the junior college state playoffs. "If we don't get good pitching, it will be a struggle. They can swing the bat," said LC Coach Dick Smith, whose team will meet the Pioneers in a 2 p.m. game Wednesday at Jenkins Park. A 1 p.m.

Saturday double-header at Wharton is also planned. At the start of last week, the Rebels were tied with San Jacinto for the league lead. But while the Gators swept Bee County, LC dropped one of three games to Blinn College. That was only the third TJCAC loss of the season for the Rebels, against 15 victories. Besides an 8-2 loss to San Jacinto, LC's only other defeat came at the hands of Wharton.

The player most responsible for dealing the Rebels that loss was pitcher Scott Boudreaux, who hurled a four-hitter in gaining a 3-1 (See TEAM, Page 2-B) HOUSTON A run-scoring double by David Haltom in the eighth inning helped lift Lee College to a 6-5 victory over University of Houston's junior varsity Monday afternoon. The non-conference win improved LC's overall record to 2913. Greg Sims reached on an error to start the inning, and he moved to second base on a ground out. Haltom then delivered the double, which provided the Rebels with a 6-3 lead. Houston came back to score a run in the bottom of the inning and another in the ninth to make the finish interesting.

Dwight Fruge (2-1), who worked the first six innings, was the winning pitcher. He gave up only six hits and two walks, while striking out one. Also seeing action on the mound were Tony Foster, who pitched a scoreless inning, and Mark Braverman. The latter was touched for a pair of runs in the final two innings but still gained a save. LC took a 4-0 lead in the second on the strength of a three-run triple by left fielder Keith Graham.

He scored on a passed ball. The Rebels made it 5-0 in the third when Jeff Banister doubled and Lance Barnett came through with an RBI single. Houston's three-run outburst in the bottom of the third was the most damage done against Fruge. The freshman from Dayton allowed only two singles over the next three innings. Bill Vanderwel was the losing pitcher, giving up 11 hits.

LC Walker Graham Chavez Banister Trevinodr Sims3b Barnett Haltom Hoke rf DeRouen 2b Totals HOUSTON JV ab bt ab bl ...4 1 0 0 Piercecf 3 0 1 0 ...4123 Baldwincf ....2000 .5020 Soma3b 5 1 0 0 5120 Motarf 2 2 1 0 ..0000 Basso ss 4 4100 3111 Goiuales 2b 4121 Kuchta .3010 4010 CokerIb .36 611 5 Totals 37 1 1 1 1 2 020 010 0 1 1 1 2 0 510 4 LC Ml 000 Houston 003 000 Walker. Gonzalcs, Soma. DP Houston LOB LC 7, Houston 9. 2B Banister, Haltom OeRouen. Coker.

3B Graham. Hoke. SF Garibay. IP ER BE SO 6 63321 Foster i i 0 0 0 0 Braverman (S) 2 32111 Houston Vanderwel (L) 9 11 6 6 3 5 WP Fruge 2. Braverman.

HBP By Fruge (Basso SPAS CUSTOM DECKS JETTED BATHS CHEMICALS SAUNAS STEAM ROOMS What a way to relax enjoy! Over 14 years in the SPA industry 427-7887 2200 Garth ment," Walker said. "He always brought good ballclubs to the tournament. He was one of our speakers at the last coaches' clinic. It's always a shock when something like that happens, and especially when it's someone you're associated with. "I've been much more of his career away from Baytown than I was when he was here.

I don't even remember What his record was back then in 1966. But I remember him as a good coach, I think the biggest shame of all is that Tulane is dropping basketball as a result of the whole thing. "They're throwing out the baby along with the- bathwater." Pete Suitis was the head football coach at Robert E. Lee in 1966 and, along with Dan Stallworth, hired Fowler to coach at Baytown Junior. "Sure, he started here," Suitis said.

"Myself Mr. Stallworth were the ones that hired him. He seemed like a nice guy and he did some scouting for the football team. He wasn't'here very long, though, and I don't remember a whole lot about him. He was a good basketball coach, though.

I was very surprised when the word came out about his resignation." After his high school coaching days, Fowler went to Tyler Junior College, where he had a three-year record of 83-22. In his final season at Tyler, 1980-81, the Apaches were 31-4. Tyler's athletic director, Floyd Wagstaff, remembered Fowler as a solid(See TULANE, Page 3-B) NED FOWLER Corbell 'pretty disappointed' concerning move to Fresno By MICHAEL KE ARNS FRESNO, Calif. Charlie Corbell has moved from the cornfields of Iowa to the land of fruits and nuts. But he would much rather be stationed in bayou country.

So it goes in minor league baseball. Corbell, a graduate of Ross S. Sterling, was hoping for a quick promotion in his battle for a snot at big league baseball. For the past years, the promising right-handed pitcher was in the starting rotation for the Clinton, Iowa, team in the San Francisco Giants' Class A farm system. Last season, he posted a 9-11 record for the fourth-place Giants and finished the season with a team-best 2.60 earned run average.

He was also second in the division in innings pitched with 177. With such a sparkling sophomore season to prove his worth, Corbell felt he was headed for Class AA ball this spring with Shreveport. "It didn't work. I didn't get the opportunity to play with Shreveport," Corbell-said Monday from his present home base here, the Tropicana Inn. "They told me last year that I was going to get a shot with Shreveport.

"I think I had a good spring training; as good a spring as any other pitcher here. I gave up three runs in 21 innings, only 14 hits and four walks. But they left me in Fresno. I'm pretty disappointed. "I did everything you're supposed to do.

I didn't get my shot. I guess it's just the way things go." Corbell terms Fresno "a very small step up" in the Class A ladder. He said Clinton was more of a training ground, with the emphasis on honing skills. At Fresno, the change isn't only in the climate. "There wasn't a big emphasis on winning in Clinton.

But here it's high-A ball. Here there's a lot of emphasis on winning," Corbell said. "This is a fine place to play. "There aren't any real long bus trips, and we're only three hours from San Francisco, so we get to go up and see the big club every once in a while. We have a player's manager (Wendell Kim).

He really works hard for the players." Corbell will open the season on the mound for the Giants when they travel to Modesto to take on the A's Thursday evening. He's hoping a fine showing then, and on through the first half of the season, will aid him in catching the eye of the people in the know at Shreveport. "You just do your best, set up some good numbers, and you'll get your chance," Corbell said. "This will be a good place for me, if I do my job. I think I'll move up because there's a couple of guys (in Shreveport) that are on their last legs.

"If I pitch like I did at Clinton, I'll win 14-15 games. But I've got to keep my ERA at 2.50. This is a nice team, and I'm still playing ball. That's the main thing." Corbell spent his pre-spring training days workout with coach Dick Smith's Lee College Rebels. He said he reported to the Giants' training facilities in Scottsdale, in great physical condition because of that.

Corbell now hopes to bide his time, stay in peak form, and wait for his chance to ascend the minor league ladder. There's A Grand New Biggie's Blooming In Baytown This Spring Fit Your Family For Sports! Get your family fit for fun this spring, with a visit to Biggie's. Cleveland and Humble families already know about Riggle's brand of family fun. And, in April, families in Baytown can start getting fit at Riggle's, too. Nobody takes the time to be sure you're getting the right gear for your game, like Riggle's-people, who really know what they're talking about.

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