The Kansas City Times from Kansas City, Missouri • 32

C-4 The Kamaa City Times TuewtoyJ jmryiiiW3 the assist because I'm a (hooter and a around and you scorer (Now it was mental time You coulfl ADDISON tape play andKuffbfcaSe "1'lived With the been there two times and just loved Addison said "Loved surf degree there and got in with some pto and all of a sudden the people your headphones behind jWWbtB jMrwite WtMfytten fm rttMwrnxnr I out I guess I had too much Fun has attached itself to Addison know him is to like like an aura scoring 18-20 a game there anymore I accepted that and said it would pay off for mesomedety But I kind of really lost my love Or the game and Iasi summer 1 could tell becatae I used to play in the Bell League (in Kansas City Kan land really look forward U) fte games and he lillfflHmiuminFU student-1 was jjkf the swimmer or something a different crowd because SMU real 1 Addison "I had like a New Wav haircut (or a he said- They didn't like that too much More defined (than now) Shorter on the aide and longer in the back It wasn't had It of a natural at all sports not the kind of kid fathers tell toeir sou to practice itop" he saj)d others say he1 being a bit too self-critical play football in the fall (at White said spent hours after school running up rad down the length of the (gym) floor Running up rad down he practiced being a quick shooter not (till shooter Anyone can learn tosbOot in place "He did work very hard As far as basketball Is concerned he molded himself into a good player Maybe It WS a case where he liked the game and enjoyed playing It and maybe that 's why he said it was easy thing him Mhas a rMdy infectious smile that breaks across his Angular face i dimpled bright an easygoing White said and ends ina He's just nice White that 7 Til f) i ft really eajoy myi to when people go play mer I had ball with the guys than playiag Hiking forward ketball I wash! looking me Last never a hot dog a showboat or a pri-ma donna He not an ego person He was just a fried and a friendly ri basketball career might have been I enjoy myfelf AMdiaOn said like had he not opted for Ms -three radical I Fas just trying it out for a while It was fun to So is wondering just what Addison The grand finale to this roundabout basketball tala would come In March wot Hawaii Hilo would If all want well win a trigs to the NA1A finals in Kemper Arena and Addison would end his collegs career in Kansas City )to ail probability though Addison has left both the mainlandand the mainstream His decision to enter the NAIA subculture should serve only to fuel the beliefs of thooe who see him as a talent perhaps lacking the neoes-sary hunger or resilience whose basketball experience has been wasted school odyssey "There obviously for him could hav been a bettor way tttta ft' he sail) At both Colorado and SMU Addison said people have called him the prodigal son "I guess that means Addison I played college no The news that Ad SMU teaqi "caught Uiatl surprise White said hit kind od like a he said "A lot of going I iaid know as much as I We were tickled and pleased that he had maybe settled in (at SMU)" White said he thought Addison's sitting out the 1980-81 season after he had transferred from Colorado would good for him "and give him another growth" "He just found the puzzle where his piece fits yet White said For a while last season the fit seemed perfect Addison was (eliding scorer but his 129 average on a 8-21 team was somewhat misleading He scored a season-high 30 points against sixth-ranked Alabama and as a small forward and big guard "things were going grant' Then an injury to a teammate brought about the conversion of Addison into a point guard just before the eighth game not a point he said in fact it was a joke around the team about me having to pass and get forward and sum "and I think that my smile is not just always laughing or goofingff smiling The coaches misinterpreted that Maybe it make some people feel uncomfortable like I they to know a friendly smile not cocky er comfoi Maybe enjoying myself and that makes some people feel uncomfortable Especially people who are re for my jsctioij lijjte coaches I think that maybe I just like I used He went back to SMU start playing again and good about it" but suffered bruise and missed about the first month of practice He regained hi starting position whcA the season started but much to his dismay found himself being shuttled in and out of games There were other problems as well got hollered at for having a jocular attitude in the locker Addison said "When time to be serious serious And what makes games fun winning and beating and just outdoing somebody else a practice you could clown it said: "Basketball a ctoor-die thing for me It either basketball or I was a failure I wanted to win I was a real competitor But I kept it in persepectlve so it was a game and it was fun Basketball is something extra something I got to do for fun because God gave me the ability to run and to jump and to shoot the ball He has now taken his jump shot to Hilo a port city of about 90000 on the island of Hawaii awake every day near a seductive beach but be looking all the while beyond the slowpaced zephyr pleasures to making a life in Hawaii after college wasting a good thing "he sald just that certain things hard to say but there are certain enjoy doing to a point And that spot you get to what con vinced you can do that i accomplished something Maybe it's more of a thing prove it to myefelf that I can play with the best in college Maybe living it out necessary for Addison claims that he nefer (petit endless hours perfecting his basketball skills and that he was something "I Ye wasted it to the norms! way of going through college Addison said I think gained a whole lot out of iL Maybe in lOyears if a bum somewhere they can aay that And maybe in 10 years wearing a straw hat and drawstring shorts on the beach I can laugh at wasn't moldable enough At SMU where he lived in a condo mtnium ohned by his family Addison rode his bicycle to class and Insulated himself from the outside world by KAMBIS Continued from Page C-l is a love story about a man and a woman and the art they have made for the last 28 years This year he tinned 50 she 47 and they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary They met one day in 1954 at the first artificial ice rink in Russia Even in the beginning he said the officials had little use for them Hiey were considered too old The Protopopovs paid no attention They won world championships four times (1965-1968) and the Olympics to 1964 ahd 1968 and changed the way people thought about skating Before the 1972 Games the team chairman asked the skaters to sign a paper promising to win "I said You know it is impossible to predict I will not write this report We will do everything to be first to sign a paper saying will be first' that is They returned home champions They became non-persons Their names disappeared from the newspapers "We felt tlyy went like he said marking a huge in the air In January 1973 they decided to turn professional It took nine months and the help of an important government official to get them a job in Leningrad 'sice show six years we skated incognito" he said "You could not find our names in the program she said There were many arguments with officials about where they would skate and the size of the rinks "It was administrative sadism" he Rambis became aggressive In the first minute of gafhe three in Loa Angeles he was cut over the eye while fighting far a rebound Instead of calling time he kept playing while blood streamed down his face Late in the final game of the series with Los Angeles fighting to hold its lead Rambis sneaked away from his mu Bobby Jones just as a teammate took a shot It hit the rim but instead of being blocked out Rambis reappeared amid the chaos and hammered the crucial rebound home No one is surprised that Rambis has retained his starting role despite the acquisition of James Worthy the No 1 selection in last college draft He is scoring more (more than eiht points a game) is averaging more than seven rebounds and shooting better than 60 percent Buck Williams will have to face him tonight in East Rutherford NJ I know that have to Williams said his game Besides me one of the hardest workers in the And the final word from Maurice Lucas: "I hate playing those guys who (font Why? Beause all they want to do is rebound and play Lucas said all game thinking damn now I've got to block this guy out and be all over my back and then go to the other end and try and score with him in my face all the time work" SKATERS Continued from Page C-l He pulled on both ends of an imaginary cord showing the stress they were under At first skating provided a release "Steam came out" he said "It preserved our hearts against breaking When it did not help we were forced to find a To leave "If I killed myself my mother would die immediately" he said saved her life and our own life but we are separated She has a sister there he has his mother Some times they call They receive no letters and can send none The Protopopovs live in a chalet ln Grindelwald in the Bernese Aips in central Switzerland They have two cats no children They travel where they want and perform when they want They came here recently to perform in the World Professional Figure Skating Championship In their suburban hotel room here they sat talking about their life their philosophy "Our life in Russia makes us he said He shrugged: is a life like a day Some days the sky is blue Others is it black gray rainy and foggy Hiis is our life We think about how much we have blue Theirs is a tale of romance ahd Intrigue and sadness But not regret It Small ice was the beginning and the end of them They diet on small ice and performed their first exhibition "Dream of on small ice One night in Leningrad with the spotlight shining in his eyes he looked for her over his shoulder ignoring the edge of the rink He fell over backward breaking his hand In 1974 during a rehearsal on a rink 100 feet long he tried to hurry a lift and she fell She was in the hospital for two months with a concussion Protopopov said needed almost five years to think do I want this to happen again or not? One official told him you have seen the world You have made so many tripe Please stop your traveling It is enough for you A few days later he met a very important person in the elevator of their apartment building Protopopov said the man said: why do you travel so much? You have seen the world It is time to connected it at Protopopov said "I understood the window for us is His wife said "After that we began to think how to live abroad In 1979 they agreed to go on tour to Brazil if they could first go to Switzerland to perform exhibitions The officials agreed The Protopopovs took a sewing machine a video recorder and 10 suitcases On Sept 18 they asked for asylum in Switzerland "It was the last chance for he said Rambis didnt have to accept the first offer he received "I told them more than a couple of times" he said had this idea that the Lakers were stacked with talent and that they just wanted someone to help get the veterans in shape And I interested "But the Lakers insisted I had a shot They said they needed help Hie 198881 season had been a traumatic one for the Lakers who were defending champions Injury and internal strife riddled them during the regular season and it ended when they were eliminated by Houston in a first-roundjlaypff series They were essentially defeated by a one-man assault: Moses Malone who so dominated Kareem Abdul Jabbar that the owner Jerry Buss went out and bought a power forward He Fas Mitch Kup-chak who had become a very attractive free agent after five seasons with the Washington Bullets Buss offered Kupchak a guaranteed contract worth $56 million over seven years Rambis was offered the loose change It wasnt long before his teammates started noticing him Johnson said: "One day I looked around and I said this guy in the glasses that's blocking all my Hien I saw he waspushing and shoving He even riled (he Big Fella a couple of times I said Hmmmm this boy can Then-Lakers Coach Paul Westhead made Rambis the team 12th man on the final day of camp Kupchak was lost for the season because of a knee injury that December and Rambis' was given his chance by Pat Riley who had received an unexpected op- portunity when he was promoted (sow an assistant to head-coach after West' head was dismissed eight games into the season Rambis is a recreation of players such as former Laker Rudy LaRusso More important than statistics was that LaRusso absorbed much of the physical pressures under the boards He is as unpretentious on the floor as he is inconspicuous off it He usually wears jeans and a T-shirt and eats at He switches the black horn-rimmed glasses for his wireframed ones He doesnt have a fancy car and it was only this year that he moved into his own apartment Last season he stayed with a college friend Rambis has also become a crowd favorite Someone decided that he resembled mild-mannered Clark Kent Now cries of "Superman Superman" arise from The Forum crowd every time he makes a key play After averaging 59 points 62 rebounds and 15 blocked shots as a regular-season starter his performance came to a peak in the third game of last championship series against the Philadelphia 78ers The Lakers were trounced on the boards in game two Afterward Riley told them that to win the title they would have to be more aggressive a solid 220 pounds typical dimensions for the classic power player But that is about where anything typical about Rambis ends First there are his looks In a league that is three-quarters black and on a team that has four black starters and three more black players filling the next most prominent roles he is wnSe But there is more to it than just that Relative to his exceptionally gifted teammates Rambis cant jump shoot or even run Yet he has found an important place on one of the best teams in basketball because he decided-long ago that his special talent woiild be hard work Jilin a firm believer that to get to thJf level just a matter of fitting in" he said before a recent game at The Forum The best people know their roles and they go beyond them "The perfect example here is Magic Johnson happy to help other players get their shots I realized from the beginning exactly what I was expected to do on this team That beginning come easily for Darrell Kurt Rambis the son of Michael Rambis a high school administrator and his wife Rebecca They litfi in Cupertino Calif a city about 50 miles south of San Francisco whdre Rambis played center for the Cupertino Panthers Rambis 24 chose to remain close to home and attend the University of Srath Clara He had a noteworthy college career averaging 16 points 96 rehoinds wad shooting 52 percent during ms four years i '5h Still the was skeptical He had good hands the pro scouting reports read was a good inside player and a fair shooter from the perimeter But the reports also said he had attained those numbers against relatively weak foes Besides observers said did you get a look at him Big slow kids just dont make it in the NBA Rambis was selected in the third round of the 1988 college draft when the Knicks made him the 58th choice overall He survived rookie camp but he was waived during the regular training camp Hie Rambis name is of Greek origin although he know how much of his blood is actually Greek Still it was enough to qualify him for a basketball league in Greece that oh quires its players to be partly Greek Rambis was a member of the AEK team in Athens He was their only American and their key player After leading the team to a championship in the 20-team tournament Rambis returned to California where he participated in a summer league in San Francisco There be drew the attention But getting Rambis to Los Angeles was not simple With a lucrative contract waiting for him in Greece I v-0 i elfilol 0 Five Nonstops to St Louis Los Vegas s155 OneVfay fo St Louis at and To Las Vegas 6t Mon Thurs Fit Sun and Wed Sat Choose from five convenient nonstops to St Louis with the final flight of the day a special value at only $58 one way Or take off for Las Vegas Ozark's way with a heallhy slice taken off of your fare! EATON Weekend exceptions may apply las Vegas (are does not apply on Thursdays Continued from Pago C-l KIDS UNDER 16 FtY FREE any day from January 10 through March 26 lOtor Floridd traveltpch child must be accompanied by one adult Deafer travdllo Mon-thur and ends March 24 4' CWer fl 553x5 KINGS NOTES: The Kings will play again tonight without point guard Larry Drew who haa already missed three games this seasdn because of strained ligaments in His left foot The latest medical news on Drew 'a foot la that a bone scan indicated no stress fracture Reggie King who missed Monday's practice because of a strained lower back said he expects to be available for duty tonight The Jazz has lost eight of its last 11 games Hie Kings have won six of their last nine In the latest league statistics Steve Johnson is first in shooting percentage 617 Larry Drew is third in assists 89 and Eddie Johnson is 18th in scoring 214 Fores When dollars are more valuable than minutes we cut as much as 60 off price of your ticket on certain flights that stop enroute or n3ke-6 connection Seating is limitedof course but look ttttese fates: Peoria $111 Philadelphia $99 Rochester MN $72 St Louis $103 San Antonio $99 Sarasota-Biadenton $149 lampa-St Petersburg $99 Washington DC $99 Waterloo $99 faros are ono way federal lax included and subject to change When you have something to sell call Classified 234-4000 and get results fast THE KANSAS CITY Detroit $99 Houston $109 Indianapolis $119 Ft Lauderdale $129 -ft Myers $149 iouisville $96 Madison $85 Miami $139 Milwaukee $85 Minneapolis-St Paul $77 Moline-Davenport $105 New Orleans $99 New York $99 Norfolk-VIrginia Beach-Wiiliamsburg $189 Orlando $99 i round Eaton eventually spurned all the European overtures and his options came down to signing with the Jazz or going back to fixing cars "I was looking for some kind of Eaton said "Frank (Layden Jazz coach-general manager) said think we can work that out' I signed a five-year contract (for a reported total of about $500000) and I have this year guaranteed I couldn't be happier" Hie club is also happy with the progress of its who is being brought along slowly much the same way Seattle brought along 7-2 James Donaldson you took his progress from when he got here (two weeks before regular training camp) to now say' improved about 800 percent" said Scott Layden a Jazz assistant coach In 36 games Eaton has scored 78 points and blocked 75 shots Even though he is shooting 306 percent he has played one outstanding game against the Kings (11 points 11 rebounds three blocked shots Dec 26) and two other better-thra-average ones "We made him look like an Kings Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said after one of Eaton 's performances Eaton said think I era be a domi-' na ting force in the game if I era get the offense Stove Johnson of the Kings who played against Eaton in college said he looking forward to that day about Atlanta Baltimore Brownsville Cedar Rapids-lowa City Chicago Cleveland Dallas-Ft Worth $119 $109 $197 $99 $69 $99 $91 THE GUN SHOP THE PRICE ON THE BEOFIEU) 4 WIDE ANGLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN 9995 ROQER8 OLATHE 782 6BOO OZARK FUES YOUR WAY WINES and SPIRITS LOW LOW PRICES 4 I INjljrijl HlHHt iillSIM IBgN Call your travel expert or Ozaik at 471-7383 IN STOCK AT AU WHO AMNUCA TIIM AND AUTO SmVKX SIOMS Johnson said 1.