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■ SPORTS I ■ ENTERTAINMENT I ■ TOMORROW
/Vetters fall to third place 6 I ‘Bad Girin' an bad as it looks..3 I ‘Fastest Man Alive' Is coming
Qpff team signs three 6 I ‘Serial Mom’ funny, perverse...3 I to town for Twilight. Look out.
— Weather
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1994 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 101, ISSUE 123
K-ii
Reason for Polo’s dismissal cloudy
By BRAD SCHRADE
Staff Writer
Although players on the Georgia baseball
team will not comment on the recent dis
missal of the their star hitter, the incident
can only be pieced together by sources out
side the athlefic department and possibly by
a report expected today.
Coach Steve Webber said he kicked Jim
Polo, Georgia’s best offensive player, off the
team for disciplinary reasons during
Sunday’s game against Tennessee.
Brian May, the Tennessee first baseman,
saw Sun da/s incident from his position,
approximately 20 feet from the Georgia
dugout.
“All I saw was everybody in a pile trying
to pull each other apart,” May said in a
phone interview Tuesday evening. “I heard
Polo say, 'You started it from what you said.
You said goddam nit.’
“And Webber said. ‘You said, Shove it up
your ass.’ I heard Webber say, ‘Get him out
of here.’
“I said to the first base coach, ‘Polo must
be real Christian or something,'” May said.
Polo said earlier this quarter that he is a
Catholic and and a Eucharistic minister.
Neither Polo nor Webber could be reached
for comment Tuesday.
Athletic Director Vince Dooley said in an
interview Tuesday, “The only thing I know
is that I heard that Polo had pushed Coach
Webber after there was some exchange of
words. I say all of this based on my limited
knowledge.”
However, May said there was specula
tion among Tennessee team members about
whether Webber or Polo initiated what
looked like a shoving match.
Dooley said he expects to receive a report
on the incident from Senior Associate
Athletic Director Lee Hay ley today. Hayley
would not comment. Tuesday night on what
the report reveals, but said he asked coach
Webber to prepare the report for Dooley.
Dooley, who coached Georgia football for
25 years, said that he has been in situations
similar to Sunday’s incident but has never
been struck by a player.
“The coach has a position of authority,”
Dooley said. “You don’t push a coach - but at
the same time a coach doesn’t push a play
er, either. When that happens (when a play
er hits a coach), that is absolutely grounds
for dismissal - on the spot.”
At 16-24 (5-10 in the SEC), Georgia could
be headed for its second losing season since
Webber came to Athens in 1981. The other
was 1991, when they went 27-31. Since
Georgia won the College World Series in
1990, its SEC record is 34-58. Only two
teams have worse SEC records in that span,
Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Fraternity adviser
leaving for UNC
By LAUREN CASWELL
Staff Writer
After eight years of service, Ron Binder is leaving.
The adviser to the University’s fraternities will fin
ish spring quarter, and said he will then transfer to
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The move will mean a pro
motion for Binder, who will
have a position in the Greek
Life Promotion Affairs, a
department for sororities as
well as fraternities.
Binder said that he has
had several accomplishments
at the University.
“In the eight years I’ve
been here, the system has
been made over,” Binder said
in a phone interview Tuesday
evening. “There’s a different
image and attitude for frater
nities now.”
Chris Carr, Interfratemity Council president, said
the University is losing a key part of the whole sys
tem.
“He’s done a lot for the Greek community, and I’m
sad to see him go,” said Carr, a senior from
Dun woody. “He made my job easier, and he was easy
to work with.”
Binder said his job at the University has been
gratifying and he feels he’s leaving the system in good
shape.
“Significant progress has been made,” Binder said.
“We’ve become very aggressive against hazing and
increased the quality of community service and cam
pus involvement.’’
The new position will offer a higher salary and pre
sent challenges for Binder.
“UNC has problems similar to the ones this
University had eight years ago,” Binder said. “There
are several opportunities for change there.
“I want to create a Greek Life Program and a
Greek community that has as good of a reputation as
the academic reputation at UNC.
Binder added that he has mixed emotions about
leaving the University.
Although some fraternity members are sad to see
Binder go, not all of them said they will miss him.
Jimi Davidson, a pledge at Beta Theta Pi, said he
is not sorry to see Binder leave.
“Although I don’t know him very well, it was
always hard for me to take him seriously,” Davidson
said. “I do know *hat he was the brunt of*a lot of jokes
among the fraternities.”
Josh Sternberg, a member of Tau Epsilon Phi, said
UNC is lucky to have Binder.
“It will be hard to find someone to replace him,”
Sternberg said. “He did so much for us, and Tm sorry
he’s leaving.”
iarth Fest ’94
brings music,
awareness
to Legion Field
By STACEE DANIEL
Staff Writer
To the background of blaring music,
Earth Fest ’94 at Legion Field set out
Tuesday to encourage students to get
involved with environmental groups.
Although the purpose was educating
people through a vast array of literature
and displays presented by environmental
groups from the University and Athens -
the focus was fun.
Students for Environmental
Awareness sponsored and coordinated the
celebration.
Simone Hudson, a member of SEA, was
there to inform people of the group’s pro
jects.
“Right now we’re talking about endan
gered species, because (the endangered
species) regulation is going to be renewed
this year (in Congress),” she said.
Some members of the Oconee Audubon
Society were present to answer questions
from Earth Fest participants.
“Last year they had (Greenfest) at the
mall and we did the same thing there,”
said Kathy Barker, a member of the OAS.
“Festivals like this do better when you’ve
got an outdoor situation and people are
coming for that reason, like Earth Fest.
When you go to a mall, you go to shop.”
Greenpeace also set up a table and dis
plays. Members passed out literature and
requested signatures for petitions con
cerning environmental causes.
Danna Smith, a canvasser and fund
raiser, said, “We get to talk to a lot of peo
ple and see what levels of consciousness
there are out there.”
Smith said Greenpeace operates on
individual contributions and refuses
grants from the government or corpora
tions.
“That’s how we get the funds to do the
work that we do,” she said. “It’s critical for
us to come out here and try to reach peo
ple.”
Andy Irwin, a junior from Athens, said
he was interested in Greenpeace after he
Two women kick ground a hackey sack at Earth Fest on Tuesday.
spoke with some members of the organi
zation.
*Tm interested in a lot of the stuff they
do,” he said.
UGA Clean and Beautiful was present
at the festival in hopes of getting assis
tance with their latest project, according to
member Chris Moran.
“We’re trying to get some people
involved in our Adopt-a-Stream project,”
she said.
The Vegetarian Student Union set up a
display on the effects a person’s diet might
have on the environment.
“Our primary goal is to educate the stu
dent body about issues pertaining to vege
tarianism,” said Jason Edens, co-chairper
son. “Most people aren’t aware of the con
nections between environmentalism and
their diets.”
•COTT ANCEMON/ Ttw R*0 and Blaok
Diamond Dogs stung again by Yellow Jackets, 13-2
Hyatt picks up the loss
as Tech’s top players shine
By JJ. COOPER
Staff Writer
When Georgia last faced Georgia Tech,
the Yellow Jackets two All-Americans were
kept in check. On Tuesday, Jason Varitek
and Nomar Garciaparra gave Georgia a
taste of why they are considered two of the
top players in college baseball.
In Atlanta last night, Garciaparra hit
two home runs and Varitek added a three-
run triple as the Yellow Jackets cruised to
a 13-2 victory.
The loss was the sixth consecutive
defeat for the Bulldogs. Georgia’s next four
games are also against opponents ranked
in the top-25.
Kenny Hyatt (1-2) picked up the loss in
his second start of the season. Tech jumped
on Hyatt early, as Garciaparra led off the
bottom of the first inning with a home run
to centerfield.
Todd Crane’s RBI single scored Chad
Whittemore and tied the score in the third
inning, but from that point on, Georgia
Tech blew away the Bulldogs. Tech had
three runs in the third, three more in the
fourth, three in the fifth and three more in
the seventh.
Georgia’s other run came in the top of
the sixth, as Roger Nylen singled home.
Pete Arenas
Garciaparra finished the ninth with two
home runs, four runs scored and five RBI.
Jay Payton added three hits and two RBI.
A1 Gogolin (8-2) picked up the win for the
Yellow Jackets.
The Bulldogs will face the Tech again
today at Foley Field. Georgia will attempt
to avoid losing the season series against
Tech for the third consecutive year.
Taranto
ticket
wins
New president,
vice president
to be sworn in
today at Tate
By ANN MARIE QUILL
Staff Writer
Scott Taranto and running mate
Amy Hogan defeated the team of
Scott MacDonald and Marc Jackson
in Tuesday’s Student Government
Association presidential runoff.
Taranto and Hogan, who have
both served as SGA senators, won
by a margin of 160 votes, gaining 59
percent of the 827 votes cast.
Taranto, who had 50 friends
passing out fliers on Tuesday, said
that although most of his votes came
from friends, fraternity brothers and
SGA members, he wants his gov
ernment to be run by the students,
not just senators.
“Since the attitude is that SGA is
not very important, we need to prove
to the students that we will work for
them,” Taranto said after winning
the election.
He also said he wants as many
students as possible to serve on SGA
committees.
At the heart of Taranto and
Hogan’s campaign was a course
review handbook and improved sen
ator-constituent relations.
“We didn’t just sit down one dav
and create a platform,” Hogan said.
“Our platform came from student
and senator suggestions.”
MacDonald and Jackson, whose
campaign promises included creat
ing a campus of unity, spirit and
fun, took 332 votes, 40 percent of the
votes cast.
Jackson said he had a wonderful
time campaigning.
“You win some, you lose some,”
he said. “This time we lost some.”
The 827 votes were about half the
number that voted in the April 19
election in which 1,600 votes were
cast.
Outgoing SGA president Telvis
Rich said less students vote in a
runoff because no senatorial candi
dates are on the ballot, adding that
students aren’t willing to vote a sec
ond time.
The new president and vice pres
ident will be sworn in at the Tate
Center Plaza today at 2 p.m. during
SGA’s annual awards reception.
Awards will also be presented to the
senator and general committee
members of the year.
Saxophonist Billy Mitchell to highlight the opening of Twilight jazz
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By JANELL HOBSON
Staff Writer
From bike races to arts and crafts
to swinging jazz, the Classic City is
once again home to some diverse
events in the eighth annual Fresca
Twilight Festival.
In particular, the Twilight Jazz
Festival kicks oft tonight at 9 with a
promising performance by jazz great
Billy Mitchell at the Morton
Theatre.
“Billy Mitchell’s very happy
about coming here, ” said Randy
Anderson, jazz musician from New
York City and friend to Mitchell.
“It’ll be good for him to get together
with his friends (in Georjpa)."
Mitchell is a legendary saxo
phonist who has been performing for
nearly five decades. He has also
served as music director for such
celebrities as Stevie Wonder, Della
Reese and Dizzy Gillespie, according
to Anderson.
Mitchell, who recorded his first
album in 1949, has been on stages
in the U.S., Europe and Japan.
“He’s played with every other big
band except for Duke Ellington,"
Anderson said. “He loves to perform.
He performs for the people.”
Performing with Mitchell will be
guitarist Frank Vignola, pianist Bob
Kaye, baritone saxophonist Turk
Mauro, bassist John Ray and drum
mer Joe Ascione.
Mitchell and his jazz ensemble
will perform pieces from his 1993
recording, “Apple Direct," which
includes performances by both
Ascione and Vignola.
“This is a very diverse record,” ■
Anderson said. “When you hear him
play, you’d be amazed by the inten
sity and command that ho has."
Dori Caymmi, a Brazilian vocal
ist and guitarist, and Nnenna
Freelon, a jazz vocalist from
Durham, N.C., will also perform this
week. Caymmi will appear on the
Washington Street Mainstage on
Friday at 8:30 p.m. Freelon will i
form on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
“(Mitchell) will probably be the
best jazz player to play here in
Athens," Anderson said. “I’m hoping
his performance will bring some
really hot, swinging jazz!"
Tickets range from $10 to $15 for
tonight's performance and are avail
able at the Morton Theatre.
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