ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608050139
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: NOTES
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
Bruce Baumgartner's arm was raised after what was likely his final Olympic wrestling bout Friday night.
It doesn't mean he got what he wanted. The Edinboro (Pa.) University coach and storied U.S. heavyweight won the bronze medal on a referee's decision, beating Russia's Andrei Shumilin, who had decisioned the world's most celebrated amateur freestyle wrestler a day earlier.
``I didn't come here to win my 13th medal'' in Olympic or world championships, the mustachioed Baumgartner said. ``I came here to win gold, but I am proud of the fact I've wrestled probably longer than any human being at the world level.''
Baumgartner, who has become the sport's foremost ambassador since the murder of his friend and former teammate, Dave Schultz, seven months ago, won Olympic golds in 1984 and '92, a silver in '88 and now a bronze.
``This will probably be my most memorable Olympics,'' said Baumgartner, 35. ``I got to carry the flag [at the Opening Ceremonies], my friends and family were able to attend, as well as the familiar faces from around the U.S. that have followed my career.''
Baumgartner said he doesn't know if he will continue to compete. ``I have continued to wrestle because I love it, and I love the people in it. When I stop enjoying it or don't think I can win world-level medals for my country, I will step down.''
REAL KICK: Members of the U.S. women's gold-medal soccer team are hoping the tremendous Olympic crowds and their performance will do for the female game what playing host to the World Cup did for the male side of the sport in this country.
They're talking about a women's pro league.
Coach Tony DiCicco said, ``My vision when I took this job was to have women's pro soccer. This is a major step, and the fans can envision what's ahead by the entertaining style we played. This is a marketable thing.''
U.S. player Julie Foudy looked back instead of ahead, and considered where sports for her gender were not long ago.
``I just remember that when I was growing up prior to soccer becoming a neighborhood sport, I played football,'' said the Californian. ``I loved playing football. I was a nose guard with the guys, and I was pretty good. The progress is this [the Olympic gold].
``We're proud as women to say we're athletes. It's an evolution of our society. Female athletes are being accepted. It's OK for them to be successful. It's OK for them to want to be successful.''
CROWDED: Further research on the Thursday night crowd of 76,481 in Athens for the women's soccer gold-medal match determined that it wasn't just the largest crowd in history for a men's or women's Olympic ``football'' game.
It was the largest crowd in the world, in recorded history, for any women's sports event - period.
Between men's and women's competition at five venues, more than 1.2 million watched Atlanta's Olympic soccer. That's the highest single-sport attendance at these Games, edging track and field.
SEE Y'ALL: When IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch bids farewell to the Atlanta Games in tonight's Closing Ceremonies, what he won't say will be significant.
He won't call them the ``best'' or ``greatest,'' said another IOC poohbah, noting some of the transportation and computer problems that have dogged the Atlanta Games.
``We will not say these are the best Games ever, certainly not,'' said an IOC vice president, Prince Alexandre de Merode of Belgium. ``The organization was better in Seoul and Barcelona.''
De Merode said Samaranch will praise the Games for their hospitality and support. About 11 million tickets have been sold.
``The people are happy,'' de Merode said. ``In general, this has been a success.''
WATER WORLD: The U.S. synchronized swimming team that won a gold medal Friday with a perfect score has a new fan who's well-grounded.
After clinching the gold, U.S. team member Nathalie Schneyder said she and a few other synchros met track star Michael Johnson here at a media summit in April.
``We had a wonderful conversation, and Michael asked about our training regimen,'' Schneyder said. ``We asked him how many hours a day he trains and he said 2-4. I said, `Oh my gosh, we train like six to 10 hours a day.' It opened his eyes, and he's been supporting us left and right.''
GOING, GOING: The ``Launching Pad'' that's Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium lived up to its nickname during the Olympic baseball tournament.
In the gold-medal game, Cuba beat Japan 13-9, outhomering the losers 8-3. Cuba's eight and the 11 homers were Olympic game records.
Cuba hit 38 homers in nine games, six more than the bronze-medal United States. Japan had 23 of the 133 total home runs.
Also in the seats, the baseball tournament drew 919,961 fans (a turnstile count that doesn't include no-shows) for 32 games, an average of 28,749.
BIG BILL: There have been many memorable quotes at the Atlanta Games, but topping part of the conversation President Clinton had with Irish swimmer Michelle Smith during his Olympic visit will be difficult.
``I admire the way you've handled all the crap that's been thrown at you,'' Clinton told the triple-gold swimmer, dogged by rumors about drug suspicions. ``I've had to deal with that myself, so I know what it's like.''
SHORT STUFF: Dan O'Brien's gold medal in the decathlon stretched his winning streak in the event to 11, over four years. The last decathlon the Oregon native entered and didn't win was in Stockholm, four years and one week ago. ... Hundreds of illegally parked cars were towed in Athens on Thursday during the women's soccer final. Among the unlucky was the biggest Bulldog of all, Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley, who had parked next to a building near Sanford Stadium. ... Wheaties will announce which Olympians will go on the front of the cereal's boxes today. Two to four box covers could be used. The chosen few will include track star Michael Johnson, gymnast Kerri Strug in a solo shot and/or with her six U.S. team gold medalists, and possibly O'Brien. ... The International Hockey Federation - that's field hockey - changed its offsides rule Saturday in hopes of getting more scoring into the game. There will be no more offsides in the sport.
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. U.S. wrestler Bruce Baumgartner (left) battlesby CNBRussia's Andrei Shumilin during their heavyweight consolation match
Friday. Baumgartner won the match and the bronze medal.