SGeof f .a rCOlt1 Ballplayers overaid .. are they worth it? W W~ILL ROGERS once said, "America will go down in history as the only country to drive an automobile to the poorhouse." Now you have to wonder if we'll have enough gas to do even that. However, perhaps an even more appropriate historical irony for America would be: They paid their ballplayers more than their President. The Pittsburgh Pirate with the golden mitt and bat, Dave Parker, will make a cool million this season, the result of a five-year pact he signed this winter with the Pirates. Floating along at that income clip, Parker is making five times what Jimmy Carter makes a year ($200,000). Seems strange.at first, doesn't it? The man entrusted with preserving world peace makes less than someone who spends his summer afternoons : chasing flyballs in the sun and drinking water in the dugout. Nor is Parker alone in raking in the megabucks. Estimates put Rod Carew's yearly salary at $900,000, with Pete Rose, George Foster, Jim Rice, z and Vida Blue all hovering around the $700,000 level. Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers, who will turn 24 this September, is making $470,000, while Oscar Gamble of the Texas Rangers will earn $475,000 after hitting .275 and driving in 47 runs last year. In all, 22 players will top the $420,000 mark this year. Of course you can joke about it as Babe Ruth did when he signed his record $85,000 contract during the depths of the depression. When informd that he was making more than President Hoover, the Babe retorted, "Why not? I had a better year." Salaries are TV-inflated Taken out of context, these salaries appear utterly absurd. That Yount is making more than Carter boggles my mind. But the fact is, club owners can justify these' salaries due to one factor: television. The blossoming :n marriage between pro sports and network television has enabled owners to a pay skyrocketing salaries to ballplayers of less than superstar caliber. I've no quarrel with that. If sponsors find it financially beneficial to shell out $200,000 per minute during the World Series, then the owners should pay the players accordingly. Ballplayes are no more than a sound or a bad in- vestment to the top brass. Dave Parker talent is easily worth a million in season revenues to the Pirates, and you know Gene Autry feels he's made a sound move for the Angels in paying Carew so much. If the player makes the club a certain amount of dollars, pay him proportionately. What bothers me is when a player signs for what he feels is an adequate amount for a certain period, then later wants to renegotiate the contract. The player sees those around him of lesser ability naking more money and cries foul play. The time for straightening out injustices of that kind is when the current contract expires. That's why Rusty Staub's actions this spring rkle me so. Rusty's dead wrong Tiger GM Jim Campbell has always taken a hard line on escalating player salaries. The free agent war isn't for Campbell, and the Tigers have suffered in the standings because of it. Yet the man's on target in denying Staub the chance to renegotiate. Rusty made an agreement, and he should stick to it. The logic here is obvious. Nobody clamored for a Mark Fidrych pay cut when the Bird came up lame. Nor would anybody have demanded Staub renegotiate downward had he not performed so well these past three years. Staub is 35 and may feel that this year it would be difficult to sustain the type of hitting he's given the Tigers. Staub batted .299 the first year he was here, following that up with a .278 mark in 1977 and a .273 average last year. * Staub's consistency has been amazing. He had 176 hits in his first year with the Tigers, with 173 and 175 the next two. That's reliability. Staub last season tacked on 121 RBI's (second only to Jim Rice) to make him the league's best DH. To lose him just when the Tigers are playing themselves into respectability woulti be tragedy. You wonder if either Campbell or Staub are aware of how the fans would be cheated if Rusty doesn't play. You have to wonder if they even care. I think Campbell is right in his refusal to renegotiate. Yet at the same time Staub deserves an ample reward for these past three years. Why couldn't Campbell assure Staub that he will be well paid once this contract expires? Even if Staub's skills erode some over the season, a raise or exten- sion will still be called for. He's been worth that much to the Tigers, hands down. It's very sad these two can't reach some sort of an accommodation. They're both stubborn men, reluctant to change the principles they've based their careers on. Yet you'd think the absurdity of the situation would be ob- vious to the two. The league's best DH, working in the restaurant business, after his best year in the majors.... C'mon guys, let's think of those of us who pay the freight a little. C - 'Columbus club stifles Blue stickmen, 11-10 The Michigan Daily--Sunday, April 1, 1979-Page 11 DE TROIT PICKED FOR FIFTH IN AL EAST Yakees will rule again st ~ IA vxE inwcKTYnf By DAVE JUHN5ON "The measure of a ballplayer," says philosopher and self-acclaimed Yankee superstar Reggie Jackson, "is not what one does when the trees are green, but what one does when they start turning brown." The same most assuredly holds true for entire teams. Just as the Tigers are the perennial spring training cham- pions, they're also perennial fifth place finishers in the American League East, thanks to General Manager Jim Cam- pbell and his dry pen. Likewise, the World Champion Yankees are a dismal 5-16 this spring, but they're still favorites to capture their fourth consecutive AL flag and third straight World Series. ALREADY BLESSED with the American League's BEST pitching corps (3.19 ERA), owner George Stein- brenner (with checkbook-in hand) adds Luis Tiant and Tommy John to his "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" staff. Tiant (13-8 , 3.31) and John (17-11, 3.30) join Cy Young winner Ron Guidry (25-3, 1.74), Ed Figueroa (20-9), Catfish Hunter (12-6), and Jim Beattie as star- ters. AL Fireman of the Year, Rich Gossage (27 saves), anchors the bullpen. 1979 will be the final year for the Cat as he winds up his illustrious 15-year carer-five of them with New York. Hunter goes into the 1979 season with a 222-157 record, five 20-win seasons, and five World Championships in the past seven years. Although pitching has been the key to the Yankees' success, they also possess the other ingredients of a World Cham- pionship club: defense, power, and speed., Jackson (.274, 27, 97), Graig Nettles (.276, 27, 93), and Chris Chambliss (.274, 12, 90) supply the power, while Mickey Rivers (25 stolen bases) and Willie Randolph (36) supply the speed. ALTHOUGH THE Yankees failed to land superstar Rod Carew in a winter deal like they had hoped, it may be bet- ter that they didn't. They would have been giving up a lot in return, and sometimes the trades you don't make are your best. The Boston Red Sox, despite losing Tiant to the Yankees and perhaps some of their confidence, should hold on to second place, mainly due to their offenr sive efforts. Jim Rice (.315, 46, 139), the league's MVP, returns to DH as the Red Sox en- ter the season with a healthy outfield.. Dwight Evans (.247, 24, 63) and Fred Lynn (.298, 22, 82) hold down right and center fields, respectively, with Carl Yastrzemski (.277, 17, 81) back in left Dave's Discernment 1. New York 4. Baltimore 2, Boston 5. Detroit 3. Milwaukee 6. Cleveland 7. Toronto since George Scott's (.233, 12, 54) resurgence at the plate this spring. HOWEVER, CATCHER Carlton Fisk and third baseman Butch Hobson (48 errors) are both ailing with elbow pain. Fisk has only caught one game this spring and may be relegated to DH, with Rice switching to the outfield. Meanwhile, rookie Gary Allenson, last year's MVP in the International League, has been donning the mask. Nonetheless, Boston can rely on a productive offensive season since its regulars are all proven. In order to compete with New York, however, the Red Sox are going to need an outstan- ding season from each of their pitchers. If two reliable starters were enough, Boston would be in great shape. Dennis Eckersly (20-8, 2.99) and Mike Torrez (16-13, 3.96) are all the Red Sox have for starters. Bob Stanley (15-2, 2.60) could be moved into the rotation from the bullpen if Bill Campbell can regain his form, but the situation remains doub- tful. DESPITE HIS pitching worries, Manager Don Zimmer is confident that his Red Sox will win the divison, while remaining clearly aware of the acute competition. "We're good," said the Boston skip- per, "but so are Milwaukee; Baltimore, and Detroit. It's going to be a helluva race." Zimmer is probably right. But as they lack the depth of the Yankees, it'll be a hell of a race for second place. Milwaukee, the surprise team of 1978, is expected by many to replace Boston as the runner-up to New York, while others even think that the Brewers have championship material. But few realize that six, of the Brewers' starting nine batted more than 30 points above their career average. To produce as they did last year is highly unlikely. But if they do come through as some expect, and the pitching remains sound, the Brewers could be a serious contender. MANAGER George Bamburger, a pretty good pitcher in his own day, believes his staff is one of the best in the division. Ex-Tiger Jim Sigton (17-11) joins Mike Caldwell (22-9), former Michigan hurler Lary Sorensen (18-12), and Bill Travers (12-11) in the starting rotation. The thunderous bats of Larry Hisle (.290, 34, 115), Ben Oglivie (.303, 18, 72), Sal Bando (.285, 17, 78), and Cecil Cooper (.312, 13, 54) should keep the Brewers percentage points ahead of the Orioles, who also have superlative pit- ching and adequate hitting. Baltimore seems to be the darkhorse this year. True, they have won at least 90 games in nine of their previous 11 seasons, but like last year, they're not really being taken seriously as title con- tenders. THE ORIOLES have an outstanding four man rotation in ace Jim Palmer (21-12), Mike Flanagan (19-15), Scott McGregor (15-13), and Dennis Martinez (16-11). Don Stanhouse had 24 saves last year out of the bullpen. Detroit seems to have the personnel to compete with the leaders, but its questionable pitching staff may be its downfall. Only Jack Billingham (15-8), Dave Rosema (9-12), and injury-prone Mark Frieder to stay NASHVILLE -- Richard Schmidt, an assistant basketball coach at the University of Virginia, was named head coach yesterday at Vanderbilt Univer- sity. Michigan assistant coach Bill Frieder was one of the candidates being con- sidered for the job. Schmidt, 36, succeeds Wayne Dobbs who was fired at the end of the 1978-79 season after three years as coach at the Southeastern Conference school. Schmidt has been an assistant coach at Virginia for two years. Prior to that, he coached for 11 years at high schools in Louisville, Ky. Fidrych have , been seriously tested. The Tigers -need outstanding years from Kip Young (6-7, 2.8) and Milt Wilcox (13-12) to compete. DETROIT'S STRENGTH lies in its infield. Jason Thompson (.281, 26, 96), Aurelio Rodriguez (.265, 7, 43), and the double-play combination of Alan Trammell (.268, 2, 48) and Lou Whitaker (.285, 3, 58) may be the best defensive setup in the major leagues. But the absence of DH Rusty Staub (.273, 24, 121) will have a great negative impact on the club, probably even greater than Campbell suspects First baseman Thompson predicts that Staub's absence will cost the Tigers ten victories, maybe the dif- ference between a division title and fif- th place. Without the red-haired restaurateur, Detroit's title hopes are quite dim. CLEVELAND AND TORONTO will fight for sixth place. Neither team has an abundance of talent. Pitching and defense aren't found in either team's vocabulary. But they can both hit. The Tribe acquired Bobby Bond (.287, 31, 90) and Toby Harrah (.229, 12, 59) 'from Texas in a winter deal that sent relief pitcher Jim Kern (10-10)packing. First baseman Andre Thornton (.262, 33, 105) and catcher Gary Alexander (.225, 27,84) should give Cleveland fans someting to chear about. The Blue Jays sport imposing sluggers Rico Carty (.280, 31, 99) and John Mayberry (.250, 22, 70). Unfor- tunately for Toronto fans, they have lit- tle else. is preserved on OOmni WOBURNBJ~ The Michigan Daily 420 Maynard Street AND Graduate Library SPORTS OF THE DAILY Tigers lose, 4-0 By the Associated Press LAKELAND-Left-hander Richard Wortham gave up just five singles in his eight innings and ran his exhibition baseball record to 5-0 yesterday as the Chicago White Sox shut out the Detroit Tigers 4-0. Wortham entered the game with a 1.50 earned run average, best for the White Sox. Eric Soderholm of Chicago hit a three-run homer in the seventh off star- ter Milt Wilcox, now 3-1-designated by Tiger Manger Les Moss before the game to be the opening day pitcher Thursday against Texas. Detroit's exhibition record is 13-9. Soderholm's homer came with two outs after Wilcox intentionally walked Ralph Garr to get at Soderholm. Lamar Johnson had singled earlier. The other run .for. Chicago, 11-13, came in the fourth inning when Harry Chappas walked, Claudell Washington singled him to third and Chet Lemon's double-play grounder drove home Chappas. * * * Rangers 8, Royals 6 FORT MYERS, Fla.-The Texas Rangers cracked 16 hits, including 12 off Kansas City starter Dennis Leon- dard, in posting an 8-6 exhibition vic- tory over the Kansas City Royals yesterday. Oscar Gamble was 4-for-5 with two runs batted in as the Rangers struck for four runs in the second, added another in the third and finished off the Royals' ace hurler with two runs in the fith. Kansas City rallied for four runs in the second on four hits off Dock Ellis. The Royals added a run on four hits off Ed Farmer and scored once on three singles off Jim Kern, Hal McRae slugged a double and two singles for the Royals. Texas' Bill Sample, Buddy Bell, Richie Zisk, Mike Heath and Nelson Norman had two hits apiece. Pete LaCock, Clint Hurdle and John Wathan each had two hits for Kansas City. * ~* * Orioles 2, Yanks 0 MIAMI-Scott McGregor and Tim Stoddard combined to blank the New York Yankees on two hits last night as the Baltimore Orioles scored a 2-0 exhibition victory on Al Bumbry's two- run homer in the third inning. Bumbry's first homer of the spring, an opposite-field shot over the left field wall, came after a single by Rick Dem- psey off Ron Guidry. Guidry, the American League Cy Young Award winner when he won 25 games last season, is now 0-3 in exhibition competition with an earned run average of 6.64. McGregor retired the first nine New York batters before the Yankees loaded the bases without scoring in the fourth, and set down the last 10 batters he faced before being relieved by Stoddard in the eighth. The Yankees are now 5-18 in exhibition play, worst in baseball. The Orioles are 8-14, including 3-0 against the Yanks. , ' ^ - 1 ' } . ,; 1EQUII4U!K WANTTO BE A CAMP COUNSELOR? SPEND YOUR SUMMER IN CAMP EQUINUNK OR CAMP BLUE RIDGE, A BROTHER-SISTER CAMP IN THE POCONO'S Openings in all field sports, general, waterfront (with WSI), 'water-ski, tennis, gymnastics, pioneering, nature, science, music, archery, and hockey. Stop in or cell Ann Cooper at CAREER PLACEMENT AND PLANNING (Summer Placement), 763-4117. STUDENT ACTIVITIES BUILDING, ROOM 3200. and sign up for en ON CAMPUS INTERVIEW on FRIDAY, APRIL 6, from 9:00 to 5:00. RISNGSTAR the U-M poetry and translating journal Accepting Submissions now In the Hopwod Room 1006 AH) or mail to our office at 420 Maynard A2 48109 include name, phone number, school, major. * * Wings clipped * By TOM STEPHENS A furious Michigan comeback was thwarted last night when Paul Eldridge of the Columbus city lacrosse club drove in from the left side, was stopped short only inches in front of Wolverine goalie Rico Silvera, and slammed the ball into the bottom of the Michigan net to provide the winning goal with only 45 seconds remaining in Columbus' 11-10 victory on the soggy Tartan Turf. Columbus, overcame a 7-6 first-half deficit in the third quarter to run up a 10-8 lead at the beginning of the final period. Michigan then got two goals in the torrid fourth quarter from Bill Kalbfleisch and John Kovanda, both assisted by Bobby Fleischman on beautiful feeds from behind the net, to set the stage for Eldridge's showstop- per- "I'm not unhappy with the way we played," commented Michigan coach Bob Di Giovanni. "That was a very deep and talented team and I think our record will show a lot of improvement from here on." The loss was the second Mike Waring opened the scoring after only 51 seconds of the first quarter, and Michigan staged a similar blitz in the first two minutes of the second as Simon tallied twice with the help of nearly identical Fleischman feeds from behind the net, followed rapidly by an unassisted Anderson goal from far- outside in the slot. But the speedy Columbus attack and a very tight defensive zone at both ends of the field kept such Blue spurts from becmong runaways until Columbus could wear down the Wolverines with their ex- perienced, precision passing. DETROIT-Mike Murphy scored with 15 seconds to go as the Los Angles Kings rallied to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 yesterday and clinch a National Hockey League playoff berth. The Kings, who trailed by two goals three times in the game, came alive late in the final period after Errol Thompson had given Detroit a 4-2 lead earlier with his 22nd goal of the season at 12:36. DISCO n' ROCK. 737 N. Huron (at Lowell, just east of the E.M.U. Campus) vi what's6 GREEK WEEK AT E.M.U. ALL FRATS & SORORITIES NO COVER This Monday-Thursday With Proper ID r 1% yovernight MON: Pitcher Night-all college students admitted FREE dv ) '