'Page Twelve
THE SUMMER DAILY
Wednesday, May-23, 1973
Brock nears record haul
By DAN BORUS
.HENRY AARON didn't pop any out of
the park this weekend, but he still
stands on the verge of breaking one of
baseball's cornerstone records: the 714
home runs of Babe Ruth.
Aaron's quest has received the atten-
tion of the entire sporting world and well
it should. But there is another record on
the line this year which is just as re-
markable in its way as the home run
record.
The record: the most seasons with 50 or
Commentary
more stolen bases. The man after the
mark is a 5-11 speedster from El Dorado,
Arkansas and the record he is currently
chasing was set by Ty Cobb.
Although he is 34 years of age, no one
is betting that Louis Clark Brock is not
going to get his 50 for the ninth year in a
row and establish himself as the most
proficient practioner of lucrative larceny
in baseball annals.
Age and the strong arms of National
League catchers are not the only ob-
structions in the way of the Cardinal out-
fielder: An early season groin injury has
slowed him down considerably. As a result
his name is absent from the top five base
thieves in the league.
Yet slowly but surely, Brock is climbing
back to his old form. With a theft against
Montreal Sunday, Swift Lou has nine to
his credit. The warm summer months
could again mean that Brock will prosper
on the base paths.
One thing Brock certainly doesn't have
in his favor is the element of surprise.
With his reputation, you can bet that the
opposition hurler and backstop are keep-
ing a sharp lookout for his streaking form
whenever he reaches first..
But despite all precautions, Brock has
a success ratio of 75%. Three out of every
four attempts result in a stolen sack for
Lou. That's consistency .and that's nearly
a National League record.
Much has been made of the Cardinals'
slow start this spring, but old National
League hands know that as goes Brock,
so go the Redbirds. His presence on base
is a constant source of RBI's for the likes
of Joe.Torre and Ted Simmons.
At one point this spring, Brock was
swinging at a hard to fathom .108 clip.
But now that he is hitting at a .295 pace,
the Cardinals don't have that cellar-
dweller look.
Brock's arrival in St. Louis was met
with the kind of response that rhymed with
his first name. After all, the floundering
1964 Redbirds had disposed of a twenty-
game winner in Ernie Broglio and Brock
was an unknown quantity in a somewhat
shaky outfield. "Brock as in Rock," the
name that the Wrigley Field Bleacher
Bums had given him, had the distinction
of a) hitting a hugemongous blast to center
field at the Polo Grounds and b) playing
the worst defensive left field in the
business.
Well, he won the pennant for the St.
Louis team that year and added to titles
in 1967 and 1968. In 1965 he started his
run at Cobb's mark and is still going
strong.
Detroit fans will remember him for his
record 13 hits in the World Series and
first baseman Norm Cash probably can't
tell you what he looks like since Brock
didn't make a habit of hanging around
With flashes like Astro Cesar Cedeno
and Dodger Dave Lopes in the league,
Brock most likely won't win the theft
title which has been his private property
for these eight or so years. But until they
can steal 50 sacks consistently, they won't
be able to tie his laces.
Summer Daily
S$ports
DROP 7-2 DECISION
Hart's bat stops
T i
gers
DETROIT UP) - Designat-
ed hitter Jim Ray Hart
started a two-run rally with
a double and climaxed a
five-run uprising with a
three-run homer, leading
the New York Yankees and
Mel Stottlemyre to a 7-2
victory over the Detroit Tig-
ers last night.
Hart, the American l eagoe's
leading designated hitter, also
had two singles and raised his
batting average to .368. He dou-
bled to open the second inning
against loser Wooie Fryman, 2-
4, and scored on Thurman Mon-
son's double follwing a walk to
Graig Nettles. Felipe Al'i's in-
field hit sent home Nettles.
With two u-t in the seventh,
Horace Clarke and Roy White
singled, moved up on Fryman's
wild pitch and scored on Matty
Alo-'s single.
Fred Scherman relieved Fry-
man and walked Bobby Murcer
before Hart smashed his third
home run of the season off the
facing of the upper left field
stands.
Stottlemyre, 6-4, was nicked
for a run in the eighth on two
singles, an error and a wild pitch
Major Lecgue
Stop-dines
American Leagu
New York 7, Detroit 2
Cleveland 5, Baltimore 3
Milwaukee 5, Boston 2
Chicago 6, California 2
Texas, Oakland (night)
. American League
Cleveland Wilcox 3-0 at Baltimore
Cuellar 1-5.
Milwaukee Champion 0-2 at Boston
Pattia 2-7.-
New York Peterson 3-6 at Detroit
Coleman 8-2.
C alifornia Singer 7-1 at Chicago
Fishee 4-3.
Kansas City Busby 3-5 at Minne-
sota Kaat 5-2
Texas Siebert 1-2 at Oakland Blue
3-2
National League
Yesterday's Results
St. Louis 5, New Tack 3
Philadelisla 7, Pittsburgh 4
San Francisco 7, Atlanta 3
Montreal 4, Chicago 3 (11 innings)
Cincinnati 6, Houston 4
San Diego, Los Angeles night
Today's Pitchers
St. Lakis Faster 2-3 or Spinks 0-4
f it New Tack Seaver 5-3.
Pittsbugh Manse 3-3 at Philadel-
phia Ruthven 1-3 or Brett 2-1.
Chicago Baaotan 5-3 at Montreal
Torrez 3-5.
San Francisco Willoughby 3-3 at
Atlanta Reed 2-4.
- Mouston Wilson 4-4 at Cincinnati
Dillinghsama7-1.
San Diego Corkins 3-4 at Los An-
geles Messersmith 4-3.
AP Photo
'Tiger second sacker Dick MacAuliffe fires the ball to newly-wed No rm Cash as the Tigers complete a double play in last night's game.
Felipe Alou is the Yankee sliding way late into second. In losing~7-2, t he Tigers are now only one game up on the Yanks and the Brewers.
Fischer winner
Left fielder Tom ' Kettinger
was awarded the Ray L. Fischer
Trophy, emblematic of the Most,
Valuable Baseball Wolverine,
yesterday. Kettinger finished his
senior year with a .349 batting
avera pe
II
Sports of The Daily
I
__
YMCA squad in the finals. The
club will be playing a triples
Spiker flyhigh schedule this summer and if you
are interested. in playing 3-man
Michigan volleyballers, beset Andy at 663-3084 will give you
by manpower shortages at one the low-down.
point, captured the champion- a a * '
ship of the B Division of the Hockey notes
Region 7 at the USVBA held at 'n t
Ball State this weekend. After Gentleman Gill Perrault of the
starting off slowly against weak- Buffalo Sabres carried off the
er teams, the spikers came on honors as the most sportsman-
strong to destroy the Fort Wayne like player in the NHL, as he
captured the Lady Byng trophy.
Perrault is the seventh center in
eight years to win the award .. .
The Boston .Bruins, whose goal-
- ies at times have, done 60 min-
ute imitations of a SIEVE dealt
forward Freddie Stanfield to
the Miinesota North Stars for
goalie Giles Gilbert. The Bruins
indicated that Gilbert, third
string up north, would be their
-number orie netminder as they
had sent Eddie Johnston to Tor-
onto.
New loop
CHICAGO - A new tennis
league, World Team Tennis, was
announced yesterday. The league
will have franchises in 16 cities
and will have both male and fe-
male players. 1974 is the blast-off
date. Another wonderful way to
spend your sports dollar.
On tab...
The Tigers go after the Yanks
again, same time, same place
and maybe tomorrow it won't
rain. If it does, then WJR will
be the perfect way to keep up
with the Bengals.