Page 12-Wednesday, June 13, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Moss axed
Anderson replaces rookie skipper
DETROIT (UPI) - Sparky Ander- that things did not work out with Les, Anderson's capabilities is available at a for tomorrow's home game against
son, baseball's most available who earned his chance to manage in the time when a change is necessary." Seattle. Third base coach Dick
manager, was hired yesterday to take major leagues. Anderson has agreed to a five-year Tracewski will run the club in the in-
over as skipper of the Detroit Tigers - contract for a reported $125,000 a year. terim.
198 days after his abrupt dismissal by "BUT I AM glad that a man of Sparky He will take charge of the team in time The move caught the baseball world
the Cincinnati Reds - for an es- totally by surprise. Campbell had given
timated $125,000 a year. no indication he was dissatisfied with
Anderson, 45, who led the Reds to five Moss and in the market for a new
division titles, four pennants and two manager.
World Series' crowns, succeeds Les ANDERSON HAS been eager to get
Moss, who was unceremoniously fired back into the game since he was fired
less than halfway through his first by the Reds after nine years last Nov.
season as a major league manager._27 in another shocker.
TIGER PRESIDENT and General He had been mentioned prominently
Manager Jim Campbell said he was as a top candidate for a number of
"not satisfied with the progress" of the y:managerial posts in 1980, but the
club under Moss, 54, who had managed Tigers' apparently were the first team
a number of Tiger farm clubs before he to offer immediate employment.
succeeded Ralph Houk at the helm in No immediate changes were planned
Detroit. His big league career ended af- in the coaching staff.
ter just 53 games.%2 Anderson's 865-585 record as
Detroit, the fifth place team in the manager in Cincinnati included five
American League East with a 27-26 division titles, National League pen-
record, had won 11 of its last 16 games. nants in 1970, 1972, 1975 and 1976 and
"This change is dictated by the cir- World Series championships in 1975 and
cumstances," Campbell said. "I regret I ( MOSS Sp rt V Afld'r'ofl 1976.
UNDERWOOD WINS HOME DEBUT:
Tigers rout A's, 9-2
Ex-Reds don't hold a
grudge with Sparky
By LIZ MAC
Special to The Daily
DETROIT-The Oakland A's seemed
to represent everything that is bad in
baseball.
The Tigers, led by the pitching of Pat
Underwood and aided by a number of
Oakland miscues, cruised to a 9-2 vic-
tory last night under the guidance of in-
terim manager Dick Tracewski.
UNDERWOOD, 2-0, was masterful
throughout, allowing six hits and
striking out eight in his Tiger Stadium
debut.
Staub opened the scoring in the
second inning with a solo home run
which glazed the facing of the upper
deck in right field.
But the fifth inning proved to be star-
ter Craig Minetto's (1-2) downfall as the
game took a circus-like atmosphere in a
barrage of Tiger runs.
JERRY MORALES started the in-
ning by tagging the first pitch into the
seats in left field.
Two juggling acts by the A's and only
two Detroit hits later, the Tigers had
scored four more runs to make it 6-0.
In the top of the sixth the A's scored
two runs on a double by left fielder
Larry Murray.
EVEN AFTER this, the humiliation
wasn't over for the Oakland squad.
In the bottomof the sixth inning, Alan
Trammell blooped a single to center.
Second baseman Lou Whitaker drew a
walk, and Steve Kemp churned out an
infield single to load the bases with two
outs.
Staub again provided the power. He
stroked a double which scored Tram-
mell and Whitaker increasing the
margin to 8-2.
THE TIGERS added their last run in
the eighth. Trammell anid Ron Leflore
led off with singles, Whitaker's ground
ball forced Leflore at second and
allowed Trammell to move to third. Af-
ter Kemp struck out swinging, Oakland
catcher Jim Essiga tried to nail
Whitaker who st iepeond and that
enabled Trammell Itame.
- Kemp, the third Ietng hitter in the
Amgerican League,.8fied three of the
Tigers ten hits.
The Seattle Mariners come to town
next, with Milt Wilcox (4-4) going again-
st Mike Parrott (4-1) tonight.
Steve Kemp
BILLBOARD
The Co-Recreation Spring Tennis
Tournament will be held this Saturday
and Sunday, June 16-17, at the Palmer
Field Courts adjacent to the CCRB.
Playing time will be from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. Each team (one woman and one
man) must supply its own racquets and
one new can of USTA approved balls.
Entries must be submitted to the In-
tramural Sports Building office before
4:30 p.m., Thursday, June 15. The office
will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30
pm. each day until then. For more in-
formation stop in at the IMSB office or
contact Rochelle Bast at 763-3562.
SCORES
Amrcan League
Detro i9, Oakland 2
New York4. 14 +usa
NattwtLeague -
ewidrepha 4,IfeuattIn0
New York 1.nclepati 6
By JAMIE TURNER
Special To The Daily
DETROIT - If Jim Campbell hoped
that today's announcement of a new
Tiger manager would be shock therapy
to the Tigers, he got half his wish: the
Tigers are thoroughly shocked.
The imminent arrival of George
"Sparky" Anderson caught most of the
players as they were preparing to
arrive at the stadium last night. Not
surprisingly, most were hesitant about
voicing comments on the move, other
than to say they thought Anderson was
a good manager.
Les Moss had only managed the
Tigers for 53 games into his rookie
season before suddenly receiving the
ax. Moss was canned for his inability to
improve those players he had coached
in the Tiger farm system. This was
thought to be his main qualification for
the post, but Tiger brass obviously
weren't satisfied.
Campbell said he was "not satisfied
with the progress of the Tigers under
Moss."
Now the task of molding a winner out
of Detroit's promising youth falls on the
45-year-old Anderson. In 1970 the Cin-
cinnati Reds hired Sparky with an
equally young squad, and he led them
into the World Series four times.
Baltimore and Oakland beat Cinci' in
1970 and '72 while the Reds won the '75
and '76 classics over Boston and New
York.
Two Tigers have played for Ander-
son, both Champ Summers and Jack
Billingham commented before last
night's game.
"I think he willbe good for the team,"
said Summers, who spent six
'rustratifng years in the minors waiting
o crack into the big time. "f didn't play
much there because they had such a
super team. But I think he will help us
and I think I can play for him."
Billingham had the most to say about
the change. The Tigers acquired the
veteran after Anderson had banished
the righthander to the bullpen midway
through the season two years ago.
"I can't say anything bad about him,
everyone knows we had some differen-
ces, but I was always able to go into his
office and talk to him about it," said
Billingham.
"I left on bad terms there because I
thought they had given up on me," he
continued. "They had some veterans
there, like (Bill) Bonham and they bad
just acquired (Tom) Seaver so there
was no room there for me. They also
had some young players whose options
had run out, so there was no room there
either.
"The day I was traded, he came up to
me and wished me the best of luck. I
saw him just last week while we were in
California and he told me he had
something lined up and it wasn't New
York," Billingham added.
Billingham was happy to see Ander-
son coming to Detroit, being a manager
able todo a good jobevery day. "I think
Sparky is a good man. He can com-
municate well with different players. A
manager has to manage off the field as
well as on the field,"
Dick Tracewski handled the
managerial chores last night and will
do so again tonight for the opener of the
Tigers two-game set with Seattle. An-
derson is due to arrive tomorrow with
his five year contract. At that time,
Dotroit find will find out how much
world se ies manager can help a fifth
place tean.