SDOilj DCil BV BILL JOHNSON IF YOU ASK ME Muhammad Ali should hang up his boxing gloves. It was both difficult to understand and disappointing to watch a national hero lower himself to the position of a clown as Ali did Monday night in the televised defense of his highly prized heavyweight championship. It's one thing to toy with an opponent. But it is â far more serious undertaking to take the American public too lightly. That, in my opinion, is what Muhammad Ali did Monday night. He apparently gave no thought to the fact that he is a hero. Bigger even than President Jimmy Carter or the $6 million man...No other man, black or white, on the face of this earth can match the power and influence of Muhammad Ali. T"T -· ne a(i|Micuu; gave uu uiougni 10 uie iact mat » millions of his hero-worshippers put aside their normal chores for the express purpose and rare opportunity of watching the great one perform on the tube. No doubt Ali failed to seriously consider that heroes are unique in that it takes years of toll and sacrifice and luck to reach their lofty status. Ali built his mountainous position in public respect with exceptional sacrifices. If you recall, he took a firm stand against the wars, and his 1 ultimate victory against government, state and public officials, who denounced him and stripped him of his title, built for him an unusual ly loyal following. His great desire to help the downtrodden, those less well known and those with financial problems built him an even larger unusually loyal following. All in all, Muhammad Ali has been the utmost in most hero worshippers' dream of what it's like to be on top of the mountain. He was good at his trade. He was a man that stood tall among all men. And no one, absolutely no one, can point an accusing finger at him for any wrongdoings. He was more than just a credit to the boxing profession...Ali was the boxing proiessionai. As a result, Ali built public support like no other athlete in modern times. Support that , - made such heroes as Joe Louis, Willie Mays,·· Babe Ruth, "Sugar Ray" Robinson and others look small in comparision. Muhammad Ali should put his boxing gloves in moth balls. No one, not even the great Muhammad Ali, should take such great honors so lightly. I find it difficult to forgive Ali for his performance Monday night. I can readily understand that an athlete cannot perform at his best at all times, and that the older he gets the more likely he's to occassionally turn in an unspectacular performance. That's to be under stood. However, it's unforgivable for a national hero to deliberately act unprofessional at any time. And for one to deliberately clown as Ali did Monday night is an unpardonable crime. The American public - most especially the ones who support the boxing profession - should take a firm stand now and boycott future Ali fights until they have the assurance that he is going to perform up to his true capabilities - one that will —give the fana their money's worth. After all, where did the $2.5 million that Àli received come from? r Each year thousands of minor earthquakes occur in California, though only about 500 are strong enough to be felt. In recent months, a build up of stress on the earth's crust along California's San Andreas Fault has alarmed geologists. This build-up makes the area highly vul nerable to Blzeable earth quakes. No earthquake has receiv ed as much attention as the one that hit San Francisco on April 18, 1906. To date, it la the largest seismic disaster In recorded Calif ornia history-β. 3 on the Rlchter scale. The intensity of the 1906 earthquake caused some 700 deatha and millions of dol lars worth of damage. Since then, life-saving precau tions have been instituted through stringent building codes. Increased awareness of the need for emergency procedures In the 8an Fran cisco Bay communities has resulted in civic action pro grams. One group that helped to save lives and provide an aura of càlm during the 1906 earthquake was the corps of Army ROTC cadets from the University of California at Bstfceley. According to newspaper reporte of the 1906 disaster, the Army ROTC cadets pa trolled the streets of San Francisco for two days and two nights, without food or sleep, before aid could ar rive. Many homeless resi dents were brought to the Berkeley campus where first aid stations, tents and food kitchens were set-up. Today, the Army ROTC unit on the Berkeley campus is part of a civilian earth quake disaster relief team. They are conducting their voluntary work with the co operation of the university authorities, the Red Cross and Ule Alameda County police and fire departments. Besides giving lectures to community organizations on emergency procedures, the cadet· also participate in weekend rescue exer cises. These operations can include such search and rescue situations as: aiding victims of a plane crash, re moving people from burning buildings or evacuating large numbers of residents from stricken areas. The efforts of these col lege volunteers may help to save lives in the San Fran cisco Bay communities if another disaster strikes. Thursday. May 19. 1977-THE CHAKLOTTE POST-Page 9 Basketball Program Melvin Watkins, Kevin King ( Jffer Different Perspectives On 49ers By James Cuthbertson ed d urine m ν «ta ν hur„ ■ ■ * rosi Mal! Writer Melvin Watkins and Kevin " King offer different perspec tives on the future situation of ' the University of North Caro lina at Charlotte basketball program. Watkins is finished with the program that went 96-19 dur ing his tenure there, including two frustrating 22-4 seasons in which the club was invited nowhere. King is a member of the noveau-rich of the club, hav ing been on the squad that has a 52-11 record during his stay with trips to the National Invitational Tournament, fi nals in New York and the National Collegiate Athletic Association finals in Atlanta. Reflecting on his four years most important thing I learn the ability to deal with people. Coming from high school as a freshman you need to learn quickly how to deal with diffe rent people and different situ ations." One of the people he deals with regularly is Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity brother Kevin King who believes he will have to step into the leadership role of the team that will have gaping holes to fill when Wat kins and Cedric Maxwell gra duate. Kevin, says, "1 will have to score more and still contri bute as a defensive player. This past season "K.K." re ceived the assignment to guard the other team's tough est shooter which found him checking Ricky Green of Mic higan anri Roderick Griffin of College Cadets Ready For Earthquake Emergency will give them an advantage morale-wise, but the disad vantage will be that no one will be caught napping Last year was just a stepping stone in the program's success," he added "K.K." is happy about the prospect for 1977-78. "The pro spects coming in have been rated as excellent," he said. This includes Henry DeV'ane of Hobbton. a highly recruited player "Losing Maxwell and Wat kins will hurt. We will lose rebounding and scoring stren gth." King added. What are the players doing now? "Enjoying their leisure time and catching up on stu dies," says King. "Also hav ing a little social life." The philosophy that helped this team eo so far is nrnhahi*/ summed up in Watkins state ment on what he would like to do for the rest of his life. "I would like to be helpful to mankind as an athlete," he added, with the unselfishness that inspired the 49ers to great heights MERCHANTS WHO ADVERTISE IN THE POST ARE TELLING YOU THEY APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS PATPr»MI7C Tucil ι Kevin King ' ...49ers star Wake Forest. But Watkins is a believer that the program's success is not a fly-by-night affair and will fnntiniw» Cedric Maxwell •Leaves legacy Next year, the 49ers will be successful," said Watkins, who is pursuing a pro contract and an Economics degree. "The trip to the nationals m gooofYEAR • 1976 Indianapolis Winner John try Rutherford says: ■se a winner... Go Goodyear' SAVE *16 to $22 on 1AL / Sale Ends Saturday SERIES; HAiH-OMtCK - (f w· Mil C ι « rein check. a*»urlnf fvtor* tftfltory at t*« «Orert!»·* prie·. Save On APolyglas' White Letter Or White Stripe 'Custom Wide Tread Polyglas' SALE ENDS SATUMDAV Now *12 to *19 Off xPolyglas'GT Wide Treads 60-Series... 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