4The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, Octdber 2. 1984
Jl-FF HIHAY. Editor
oi:i. Broadway, Mjhuh Editor
MICH A LI. T(X)LH, Associate Editor
MARK SUNN!.! ORl, Associate VJitor
KF.I.LY SIMMONS, University Editor
WAYNF THOMPSON, State and National Editor
MF.l.ANIL WELLS; City Editor
VANCL TREFETHEN, Business Editor
STUART TONKINSON, News Editor
FRANK KENNEDY, Sports Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
CINDY DUNLEVY, Features Editor
JEFF NEUVILLE, Photography Editor
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92nd year of editorial freedom
Let the sun shine in?
CM
When the Board of Governors names
a successor to UNC President William
C. Friday it will do so after a long
search process, most of which will
probably take place in private confer
ences. The use of these private meetings
to consider candidates for the UNC
system presidency is in compliance with
North Carolina law and, or mostly
practical reasons, it's a good idea.
By no means is this to imply that
the BOG or any public body should
have the right to exclude the public any
time it wants. The public's right to
know certainly extends to the activities
of public bodies, like the BOG. But in
the case of a search process where the
private and professional lives of the
candidates must be discussed candidly
for an effective evaluation, it simply
makes good sense to allow the search
committee to do its job in an uninhi
bited atmosphere.
Some argue that such an important
decision process as the selection of the
president of the UNC system should
be open to public scrutiny. But the end
result of an open-meeting plan, as
explained in a recent issue of The
Chronicle of Higher Education, is that
top candidates tend to stay out of the
running. As the article puts it, search
committee members often refrain from
sharing potentially damaging informa
tion about a candidate in public, thus
"skewing" the selection process.
Whether a university system con
ducts its search for a president in the
open depends on that state's "sunshine"
laws. North Carolina law permits a
public body, such as the BOG, to
exclude the public "to consider the
qualifications, competence, perfor
mance, character ... of a (prospective)
public officer or employee." However,
the final action making the appoint
ment must take place in an open
meeting.
As was shown by the recent search
for a president of the University of
Florida, in which the entire process was
conducted in the open and even before
television cameras, the open search
process is not the most practical means
of finding a qualified candidate. The
above-mentioned report found that this
search produced "virtually no candi
dates with previous presidential
experience."
The truth is that even qualified and
thoroughly "clean" candidates might
shy away from a public discussion of
their private and professional life.
Thus, some of the best candidates might
be eliminated by an open process before
the search committee ever meets.
There are very few instances where
we condone the use of closed-door
meetings by public bodies, but in the
case of personnel matters like search
committee meetings the public good
is best served by uninhibited evalua
tions of the most qualified pool of
candidates possible.
I he Bottom Line
Poor Walter. As if Democratic presiden
tial candidate Mondale didn't have enough
to worry about, more news surfaced this
week that can serve only to make his image
pale further to President Reagan's. This time
the problem is not Mondale's voice, which
when he gets angry rises to a pitch that is
audible only to dogs. Nor is it the sloppy
way he looks when he rolls up his sleeves
in an effort to appear more accessible and
friendly. No, it's Mondale's teeth.
Apparently, in his effort to sink his teeth
into the issues of the campaign, Mondale
has caused one of his choppers to go awry.
It looks like a fang, says Dr. Ronald E.
Goldstein, the famous specialist in dental
aesthetics who is also known as the Doctor
of Smiles. Fangs, which vice presidential
candidates Geraldine Ferraro and George
Bush also sport, are a problem, according
to Goldstein, because they make people
think subconsciously about candidates: "If
they're smart enough to run the country,
why aren't they smart enough to fix their
teeth?"
Reagan's pearly whites arent perfect,
either. His lower teeth are crooked a
condition that leaves some people with the
impression that a person bearing such a set
is a crook. But with Reagan the condition
is not noticeable: it's hidden by his lower
lip when he smiles. Reagan critics would
probably say it's just one more instance of
the Teflon-coated president being able to
hide his faults. But then again, there are
those who would say Mondale's tooth
problem is appropriate for a man who, if
elected, will raise taxes and drain the
American taxpayer in Dracula-like fashion.
And that's the bottom line.
THE Daily Crossword by Elaine George
ACROSS
1 Plentiful
5 Circle or bear
10 Chimney stuff
14 Powerful mite
15 City in Portugal
16 Church
calendar
17 Word of action
18 Pup and Sibley
19 Animal's
resting place
20 Becoming
visible
22 Chink
24 Dobbin's dinner
25 Make headway
26 Contaminate
29 Dance of Oahu
30 Take to court
33 Opposite of
fragrant
34 Potatoes or
catch
37 Canonical hour
39 Hesitatory
sounds
40 Norse gods
41 Housing units
44 Social
engagement
45 Fanpref.
46 Take a bus
47 Type of bed
49 Containers
50 Prong on
silverware
51 Take
54 Change the
character of
58 Thickening
agent
59 Change and
correct
61 Corner
62 Atmosphere
63 Mallet
64 Equal: Fr.
65 Auxiliary verb
66 Lift one's spirit
67 Count (on)
DOWN
1 Declaim
irrationally
2 Particular
3 Van
4 Adorn'
1 2 3 4 f"-""""'l5 6 7 8 9 jlO 111 1 12 1 13
-
17 18 "19
20 21 22 23
"24 2?
26 27 28 29 30 31 32
H ' ' 34 35 36
"37 IT" "39 40
71 42 43 ' " 44
"45 """" "46 """ 47 HT
49"" " 50
51 j 52 1 53 mmmm 54 55" 156 jVT"
"58 " I-- 60" " 61
f
"65 "66 "67
1984 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Yesterday's Puzzle Solved:
5 Clothing sizes
6 Baking places
7 Protracted
8 Buchwald
9 Mischievous
kids
10 goose
(gannet)
11 Port in Algeria
12 Norse god
13 Extremist
21 Liquid
measure: abbr.
23 Lasso
25 Non-member at
the club
26 Movie star of
the 40s
27 One way to tie
the knot
28 Last
29 Lena or Marilyn
30 Mex. fiber
31 Combine
32 Plumed bird
35 Obeys
36 Important
38 Divest
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42 Numismatic
term
43 Spinning wheel
rod
48 Miscellany
49 Southerner
50 Principle
51 Bedouin
52 Fr. psycho
therapist 53 Heal
54 Hindu deity
55 Plead with
56 Actual
57 Squirming
60 de mer
Yawning through the 'October Classic'
By BOB YOUNG
Well sports fans, it's about that time of year
again playoff time in the oF major leagues.
Baseball returns to prime time. So I think that
the time is ripe to scrutinize the sport that is
"America's Pastime" and see just how American
it really is.
First, we have to define what "American"
characteristics are. For the sake of argument,
let's say that "American" means rugged, proud,
and loyal with a dash of fair-mindedness. You
know, John Wayne. Does baseball characterize
such American standards? Not by a long shot.
Let's check the ruggedness of baseball first.
You don't have to look any further than the
names of the players to see that they lack
toughness. Willie Wilson. Doyle Alexander. Dale
Murphy. Buddy Bell. Ryne Sandberg. Tell me,
would you want guys with names like those to
be on your side during a barroom brawl? And
how about George Brett? Didnt he sit (or rather
stand) out part of the 1980 season with
hemorrhoids? Hemorrhoids wouldn't stop Gen.
Patton. And rain? Baseball can call it quits for
a day if its raining too hard. Are the players
going to melt? They're wearing hats for crying
out loud.
Pride another "American" characteristic.
If the sport of major league baseball had any
pride it would have outlawed the American
League West this year. On an individual basis,
you have to wonder about some of the players
who stick around in the sport until their fifties.
Can they be proud of the fact that they are older
than their managers? How about the former "big
leaguers" who hack around in the minor leagues
for a few years before going into public relations
jobs or opening up "live bait" shops? Are they
proud of the fact that their careers ended playing
for the Triple A team in Stillwater, Okla.?
Americans are also loyal, whether it be to
family, job, or car manufacturer. It's a shame
that baseball players can't be as loyal. As soon
as they leave a team they write books about how
bad things were playing with their former teams.
That may be nit-picking, but I gave up the idea
of loyalty in baseball when Steve Garvey left
the Dodgers and Tom Seaver left the Mets, again.
When it comes to being fair, baseball has yet
learned how to spell the word, especially in terms
of fairness to fans. It's a simple case of economics.
It can be stated correctly, but not without some
argument, that pitchers have the highest average
salaries of any single position on the field. And
what do they get paid for? They get paid to make
sure that nothing happens. Really! The pitcher
is the only player assured that he will touch the
ball on any play, but he must initiate any action
that is to occur. But his job is to prevent any
action from occurring in the first place. Yes, the
batter is being paid to initiate action, but he
doesnt have eight teammates behind him giving
him a helping hand. And who pays the pitcher's
salary? The fans. How can anyone rejoice in the
fact that he went to a game that was a no-hitter?
He just paid to be bored for at least half of
the game.
For the above reasons, I feel that baseball has
a lot of nerve calling itself the "American
Pastime." It may be many things, but it's not
cowboys and Indians, God and family, beer and
pizza the stuff that makes America great.
Furthermore, I think baseball has a chore just
proving it's a sport.
Baseball seems to be more of a recreational
activity than a sport. Sport means instant action
and strenuous physical exertion. Is that baseball?
Let's look at a typical one minute segment of
a game and see.
". . . Jones steps up to the plate. He flew out
a signal, but doesn't like it ... He gets a pitch
he likes, winds up, and it's hit. . . . another foul
ball."
And how strenuous is an activity if the players
chew tobacco while the game is in progress?
Football players cant chew tobacco, it would
stain their mouth-pieces. And I bet that "wad"
looks great oozing all over the artificial turf. Well,
I guess some real, non-baseball athletes get away
with chewing tobacco during their activities, like
Harry Gant in the Skoal Bandit, or is that Dale
Earnhardt?
Yet, with all of these reasons to chide baseball
as un-American and barely a sport, millions of
people will tune in to watch the playoffs and
the "Fall Classic" itself on the networks in the
next few weeks. After all, if Howard Cosell covers
it, it must be a sport, right? Just like Battle of
the Network Stars. And what's more, most of
these people will enjoy what they're watching.
Baseball fans are something else. They can wait
a generation and a half just to see their favorite
teams win a division pennant and suddenly forget
how awful the team was a couple of short years
ago. A baseball fan shouldn't be treated with
contempt, however, but with pity. He honestly
likes the sport and willingly memorizes his teams
stats for the last decade. These people are akin
to those who think that the Stray Cats put out
quality music they're simply misguided.
So c'mon fans, rethink your sport and switch
your attention to something more worthy. I
myself used to be a die-hard Yankee fan. (Anyone
remember Mel Stottlemyre?) If I can give up
baseball, so can you. Boycott the Series. Just
pick up a six-pack, a good book (not The Bronx
Zoo and wait patiently for college basketball
to start again. Let's go Hoyas!
Bob Young, a sophomore journalism major
from Elmira, N. Y., is a staff writer for The Daily
Tar Heel.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
What Porto's not telling about the bond issues
To the editor.
Reading the recent DTH inter
view with Mayor Porto of Car
rboro, concerning the bond issue on
the Franklin Street extension
("Board approves Franklin Street
extension, DTH, Sept. 27), one
would have no knowledge that there
are actually two bond issues, not
one, to be decided by the voters in
November. "One of these requests
$1.5 million from Carrboro taxpay
ers for the specific purpose of
repaving roads and constructing
bikeways and sidewalks. Students in
Carrboro who are concerned about
these issues should consider voting
for this bond issue.
The Franklin Street extension, on
the other hand, is quite a different
matter. It proposes the construction
of a new traffic thoroughfare
between Chapel Hill and Carrboro,
and, although it has a provision for
bikelanes, its main purpose has
always been to move along the
largest possible volume of cars,
trucks, and other motor vehicles. It
is along this kind of highway, built
to absorb the lion's share of rush
hour traffic, that Mayor Porto
proposes to build his bikelanes.
Although bikelanes are in the
proposal, voters should know that
Carrboro is not legally bound to put
them there, even if the Franklin
Street extension is approved. If a
choice has to be made between two
bikelanes and an additional traffic
lane, voters should decide for
themselves which is likelier to be
sacrificed for the other.
The Franklin Street extension,
carrying 20,000 vehicles a day, will
cut directly across the middle of the
present bikepath. How this will be
accomplished is not yet clear. In the
past, Mayor Porto has suggested
that the path will be made into a
tunnel at that point. However this
is handled, it is clear that the
Franklin Street extension will make
biking to and from Chapel Hill a
far more dangerous and a far less
pleasant experience than it is today.
If students are concerned, as I am,
with the preservation of the present
bikepath, one of the nicest things
in our community, they will vote
'NO' on the $700,000 Franklin
Street extension issue.
It is understandable that Mayor
Porto might want to fudge the line
between the two bond issues in
order to get student votes in
November, but it is the DTHs
responsibility to make the distinc
tion between the two bond issues
clear. I have no doubt many Car
rboro residents who will vote 'No'
to the Franklin Street extension,
will also vote 'YES' to the Com
munity Improvements bond issue,
the 'other bond issue' which is
directly concerned with bikeways,
walkways and repaving.
Bill Birken
Citizens Against the Franklin Street
Extension
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Questionable
sources
To the editor:
As a senior journalism major, I find
Christopher Sanders' ideas about source
credibility and the "liberal media" question
able, if not ludicrous ("Charges of racism
wont stick to Helms," DTH, Sept. 26).
Sanders claims he is more qualified to make
editorial comments concerning Jesse Helms
than the average reader of the "liberal media"
because he knows the senator personally. For
whom do the editorial comments of the
president of the North Carolina chapter of
Young Americans for Freedom hold credi
bility? Probably not for the many who value
more balanced judgment.
Asking either Sanders or Claude Allen for
a character analysis of the good senator seems
rather like asking James Watt if Ronald
Reagan is a concerned environmentalist.
Tim Little
Carrboro
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