Page 12-Thursday, July 12, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Sportfolio
From one sport to another. . .
CHICAGO (AP) - Southpaw quar-
terback Bobby Douglass, who for years
was known as a somewhat wild but
' rifle-armed passer in the National
Football League, is going to try to make
it in big league baseball as a pitcher.
The Chicago White Sox signed
Douglass to a class AAA minor league
contract and insisted he has major
league potential.
The 32-year-old Douglass hasn't
played organized baseball since his
college days, but has been throwing
batting practice for the White Sox and
Chicago Cubs in recent days.
"This is not a gimmick," said Roland
Hemond, Sox vice president.
"If his name was not Bobby Douglass
and you saw him pitch, you'd say,
'you've got to sign this guy.' So that's
what we did."
Bobby Douglas
"We signed him as a major league prospect," Hemond said yesterday.
"What he does in Iowa will dictate what happens."
Douglass will report to the Iowa American Association club in Des
Moines Friday and after breaking in will probably be used initially as a
hurler, Hemond said.
"My goal is to learn as much as I can," Douglass said. "It might take me
two weeks or two months to get my control. I have a pretty good fastball,
some might even say exceptional. They like my slider. I'm not concerned
about getting my control. I had excellent control when I was young."
As a quarterback for the Chicago Bears, San Diego, New Orleans,
Oakland and Green Bay, Douglass' passes were rifle shots and some say his
limited success may have been because he threw too hard.
Before his standout career as a quarterback at the University of Kansas,
Douglass attracted major league baseball scouts with a 23-2 pitching record
in American Legion ball. He didn't play college baseball, but played semi-
pro during those years.
Hemond said White Sox coaches have watched the 6-foot-4, 225-pound
Douglass at batting practice and think he may have what it takes to come
back to Chicago asa major league pitcher.
Miller blazes the comeback trail
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Johnny Miller's golf game has been in a three-
year slump, but it hasn't hurt his charisma.
Camera shutters clicked furiously and clusters of young women strained
to get closer as Miller, who resembles a younger Robert Redford with blond
hair bleached by a California sun, strode to the first tee at Tuckaway Coun-
try Club yesterday.
Miller has made only seven cuts in 14 Professional Golfers Association
Tournaments this year and ranks 106th on the money list with $7,350. But
only Lee Trevino attracted a larger gallery during the pro-am prelude to the
Greater Milwaukee Open, and Miller's presence is a major reason why
ticket sales are up 20 per cent over last year.
Miller's career has come full circle since he tied for 10th as a little-
known 23-year-old in the 1970 GMO.
He won the Southern Open in 1971, and 16 more victories quickly
followed, including the U.S. Open in 1973. He was PGA Player of the Year
the next year when he won $353,021, a record which stood until Tom Watson
earned $362,429 last year'
He beat runner-up Jerry Heard by an incredible 14 strokes at Phoenix in
1975, but his fortunes were soon to slide. He last won in the 1976 Bob Hope
Desert Classic, and his earnings dropped to $61,025 in 1977 and $17,440 last
year.
"It all happened very fast and I guess I got semi-bored with it," Miller
said. "It was like I had climbed a mountain top and when I got there I said,
'Well, that was fun. What do I do now?'
"I started to relax a little," he said. "That's the first step going
downhill."
Still, he thinks the GMO can be as good for him as he is for the tour-
nament's gate.
"I'm playing a lot better lately," said Johnny Miller
Miller, who tied for ninth in the
Canadian Open three weeks ago. "I'm
not unhappy. I'm ready to go. My
goal now is to make the top 25 every
time I tee it up. I feel close to playing
good."
The GMO historically has had trouble
attracting names of the caliber of
Miller. He said Trevin, one of the'
GMO's most ardent promoters, per-
suaded him to enter.
"I need a good week to prepare for
the British Open," Miller said. "Lee
said this is a great course and an ex-
tremely well run tournament. That's
good enough for me."
AP Photo
'his, kind sirs, is elemnentary'
At 77 years old, clad in Scottish knickers as usual, Gene Sarazen's golf swing is
still as fluid as a fountain. Sarazen was teamed with former President Gerald Ford,
who signs an autograph in the background of yesterday's final round in the Jerry
Ford Invitational Golf Tournament.
SPORTS OF THE DAILY
Star reserves tabbed
NEW YORK - The California Angels
placed three players including out-
fielder Don Baylor, the major league
runs batted in leader, among 12 reser-
ves named yesterday to American
League All-Star team.
Second baseman Bobby Grich and
catcher Brian Downing also were
named from the Angels for the 50th All-
Star Game against the National League
scheduled for next Tuesday night in the
Seattle Kingdome.
THE WORLD champion New York
Yankees had outfielder Reggie Jackson
and third baseman Graig Nettles selec-
ted for the team by Manager Bob
Lemon.
ALso chosen were first baseman
Cecil Cooper of -the -Milwaukee
Brewers, shortstop Rick Burleson of
the Boston Red Sox, catcher Jeff
Newman of the Oakland A's, first
baseman-outfielder Bruce Bochte of the
Seattle Mariners and outfielders Chet
Lemon of the Chicago White Sox, Steve
Kemp of the Detroit Tigers and Ken
Singleton of the Baltimore Orioles.
Tell and kiss
SEATTLE - Morganna, baseball's
self-style kissing bandit, will make an
appearance at baseball's 30th All-Star
Game at the Kingdome Tuesday night,
her manager said yesterday.
"Morganna ... plans to have a sur-
prise victim," Bill Cottrell said. "Wat-
ch out for her pucker power. She will be
there."
Morganna has been running onto
major league baseball fields and
kissing players - or attempting to kiss
players - for the past decade.
* * *
Title bout is on
NEW YORK - John Tate, a black
American, and Gerrie Coetzee, a white
South African, will fight for the World
Boxing Association heavyweight
championship Oct. 20 in South Africa, it
was announced yesterday.
THE FIRST world heavyweight title
bout in South Africa's history will be
held in Pretoria and televised live in the
United States. The network was not
disclosed by promoter Bob Arum of Top
Rank Inc., of New York, or Sol Kerzner,
managing director of Southern Sun
Hotel,
The WBA title became vacant when
Muhamad Ali sent a letter to the
organization saying he was retiring.
Tate became the WBA's top-ranked
contender by stopping former South
African policeman - Kallie Knoetze in
eight rounds June 2 in Bophuthatswana.
Coztzee, the No. 3 contender, stopped
forr--r world champion Leon Spinks in
the first round June 14 in Monte Carlo.
* * *
So long, Isiah
LOS ANGELES - Isiah Robertson,
the controversial Los Angeles Rams'
linebacker, was traded to the Buffalo
Bills yesterday for an undisclosed
future draft choice.
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