Article

With the Big Green Teams

JULY 1966 PETER J. GOLENBOCK '67
Article
With the Big Green Teams
JULY 1966 PETER J. GOLENBOCK '67

IT would be hard to single out any one individual," beamed varsity baseball coach Tony Lupien. "They were all outstanding and each had his moments of glory."

Coach Lupien and his players had just completed the finest baseball season Dartmouth has had in forty years, finishing the year with an 18-10 record. Five regulars had hit over .300 and four Indian hurlers had won four games or more.

The 1966 baseball squad was an inspiration to those who followed the team throughout the season. After losing its opening Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League contest to Navy on the spring trip, the Green ripped off six straight league wins to vault into title contention.

After a closely fought 2-0 loss to powerful Army, the Indians were still in a position to tie for the league lead. A win over upset-minded Cornell coupled with a Navy win over Army would have put the Indians into a three-way tie with the two service academies.

Cornell led 3-2 going into the seventh inning, but a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, a single by relief pitcher Jim Shaw from Penacook, N. H., and a beautiful suicide squeeze by Mickey Beard of Newton, Mass., gave the Green three runs, and a 5-3 victory. Indian ace Pete Barber went four innings for Dartmouth, allowing but two runs, and Shaw had given up only one unearned run the rest of the way. The win gave the Green a highly satisfying 7-2 EIBL record.

Army refused to cooperate and defeated Navy 7-3 to win the league honors, but it was nevertheless an unforgettable season for the Green.

Gene Ryzewicz, the versatile soph from Springfield, Mass., was named to the All-EIBL team by a unanimous vote. A nifty second-baseman, he finished the season with .315 average, tied two Dartmouth records, and set another.

Gene scored 32 runs this season to break the old record of 27 set by Ray Lindquist '51, and he connected for 34 hits to tie Mike Nyquist's mark which was set in 1962. Ryzewicz's four triples tied the record set by Ken Lapine '63. Furthermore, though his 20 steals left him only one shy of the Dartmouth record set by Steve Dichter in 1964, the fleet competitor did win the Princeton A. A. Cup, awarded to the stolen-base-leader of the league. Gene pilfered five bases in league play.

Shortstop Mickey Beard tied his own walks-in-a-season record as he was awarded 25 free passes for the second year in a row. Mickey batted .304 this year. Captain Barry Machado of Fall River, Mass., also set a Dartmouth record as he connected for 11 doubles to break the old mark of eight set by Ernie Torres '6l and Dick Horton '64. "Much of the season's success was due to Barry," lauded Coach Lupien. "He was a fine captain and will be sorely missed."

Besides losing Machado, the Indians will also be without the services of seniors Pete Barber of Williamsville, N. Y., and Henry Clapper of Monet, Mo. Pete was named to the second-team EIBL squad after posting a 4-2, 1.96 EIBL record. Over all, Barber finished with a 5-2 record and a 2.00 earned run average. Clapper, a modest young man who had not figured to play a prominent role this year, was the most pleasant surprise of the season as he compiled a 4-1 record with a sparkling 1.62 e.r.a.

The two other big winners for the Green were Shaw with a 4-2 slate, and sophomore reliever Dolph Highmark of Indianapolis who finished with a perfect 4-0 record.

Ted Nixon of Minneapolis was the leading Indian batter at .324. Ryzewicz at .315 was second, followed by soph John Blair of Rialto, Calif, at .314, Machado at .308, and Beard at .304.

Meanwhile, lacrosse mentor Whitey Burnham was just as proud of his charges, despite the fact that his club had finished the season with a 4-7 record. "This was the best losing team I've ever had," asserted the youthful leader. "On paper everything looked rosy, but the league this year was just too strong for us."

And yet throughout the season the members of the squad conducted themselves like the defending Ivy champs that they were. "The boys had a lot of pride and went down fighting in every ballgame," praised Burnham. "Cornell thought so much of us that they left the first team in almost the entire game."

Cornell, whom Burnham calls "AllWorld" in ability, downed the Green 21-5. In extra-man situations the Indians tallied just one goal. Cornell scored eight times in extra-man situations in the first half. When the teams played with both clubs at full strength, the Green tied Cornell at 2-2 at the half.

"Our best offensive drive of the day was from the motel to the playing field," moaned the overpowered coach.

And yet there was much consolation to the season. Senior midfielder Bruce Mc-Kissock of Wynnewood, Pa. was named to the All-Ivy first team for the second year in a row, and four other Indian performers were given honorable men- tion. Two defensemen, Capt. Chuck Vernon of Springfield, Mass., and junior Bob McLeod of Malibu, Calif, were named, as were soph highscorer Rob McCormick of Baltimore and Dick Curtis of West Chester, Pa.

The unsung star of the Indian golf squad was undoubtedly Captain Dave Goldstein of West Hartford, Conn. A clutch performer who compiled a 10-4 record up North this year, Goldstein teamed with senior Dave Potthoff and soph Ken Kotowski to form the nucleus of the 8-13 golf squad.

Against powerful Army, Goldstein was one down with one hole remaining. Birdying the 18th hole, Dave tied his opponent and won the match on the 20th hole.

Playing a qualifying round with other teammates, Dave was chided by Jack Garamella of Danbury, Conn. "I'll buy you a drink if you get a hole in one," laughed Garamella. Goldstein calmly strode to the 12th tee, pulled a five iron from his bag, and then aced the hole. "I'll take a scotch," nonchalantly retorted the Green captain.

Next year Goldstein will enroll at Central Connecticut College where he intends to get his Master's in Education. He plans to teach and coach golf in the future. Discussing his two star teammates, Goldstein says, "Kotowski is a fine golfer; if I could putt the way he can, I'd go on tour. In fact, if I could drive like Dave (Potthoff), I'd go on tour. If Dave continues his fine play (he shot a record-breaking 64 on his home course) he just might go on tour anyway."

FOILED AGAIN DEPT.: Fencing made a comeback this year with the formation of the Dartmouth Fencing Club. In preparation for eventual varsity competition, the club has offered fencing for physical education credit for the past two terms under the direction of Lt. Col. Ernest Reid (USAF).

This spring, in fact, three members of the club entered individually the New England Prep Foil Championships and took first, second, and fourth places. The captain of the club, Jan De Amicis, is a junior from Suisum City, Calif., who began fencing this fall. Son of a major in the Air Force, Jan has lived in eight different cities across the country. A sociology major, he spent five weeks in Russia last summer. "I like to live dangerously," commented De Amicis.

Al Brainard, a freshman from Springfield, won the New England Prep meet for Dartmouth. Dick Livingston '68, from Haworth, N. J., is the club's most experienced member. "We plan to expand our program next year," noted Livingston. "We are the only Ivy school without a fencing team and hope to remedy that situation soon."

CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN DEPT.: Catcher Bruce Smith, a 20-year-old lefthander from Louisville, Ky., has been named captain of the 1967 baseball squad. "Bruce will make a fine leader," is the word from Coach Lupien.

Also announced by Athletic Director Red Rolfe is the election of Grant Monahon, from Basking Ridge, N. J., as captain of next year's lacrosse team. Injured almost the entire season, Monahon came off the bench to spark the Indians to victories over UNH and UMass. PolePalos Verdes Estates, Calif., has been elected captain of the winter and spring track squads for next year. Harris set a new Dartmouth record this year with a vault of 14 feet, 6¼ inches.