THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, July 23, 1974
{ f ff) Gaylord checked
S {JiC1 MANAGER Dick Williams of
the American League All-
Stars and the California An-
gels checks to see where Gay-
lord Perry of the Cleveland
Indians has been hiding the
greasy kid stuff. Perry, on
the other hand, is examining
whether that is really an An-
gels' cap the ex-Oakland
skipper is wearing. Both of
them found the ir way into
Pittsburgh for today's Mid-
summer Classic, where Perry
will oppose the N a t i o n a l
League's Andy Messersmith.
- -_-_AP Photo
BASEBALLERS IN PITTSBURGH
BY GEORGE! All-Stars play tonight
George Hastings By CLARKE COGSDILL .
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Billie Jean King ...
. .. superstar of WTT
THE THRONGS at Cobo Arena crowded around the star athlete.
Hordes of teenage girls squealed and pushed in closer for an
autograph or a better look. The hapless television crew tried to
keep the mob back to get their post-game show started.
The object of this adulation? Jerry West, perhaps, or maybe
Walt Frazier? No, the famous jock drawing all the attention
Saturday night was none other than Billie Jean King, proving
just how far women's athletics and the game of tennis have come,
even in Detroit.
Billie Jean was in town with her Philadelphia Freedoms
of the World Team Tennis, and better yet, she was scheduled
to take on Rosemary Casals, the Detroit Loves top player and
number three-ranked woman in the U.S. in the women's
singles.
With that confrontation in mind, 8,671 fans paid their way into
the contest, well more than double the Loves' largest previous
attendance. Not only are the Loves and the Freedoms the league's
best two teams, but King and Casals sport the loop's best singles'
mark by either men or women.
The fans may have been there to worship King, but they were
there to cheer for Casals. And Rosie gave them lots to cheer about
as the set started. King served the first game, and three pinpoint
passing shots and a perfect leaning overhead smash by Casals
later, the monarch of the sport had lost her serve without gaining
a point.
The crowd went absolutely ape, and the home town favorite
continued to look strong through the next three games, taking the
fourth game again in four straight points to pull ahead 3-1.
But then, Casals' serve deserted her, and more important,
King started to get her own devastating game together. The
Freedoms' player-coach slowly took control of the match,
getting in nearly every first service, and waiting for her op-
ponent to make mistakes. King took four straight games, to go
ahead 5-3.
But in this grudge match between these two proud, fiery, and
scrappy athletes, Rosie was not giving in yet. Glaring at her
long-time doibles partner King with as menacing a look as Wilt
Chamberlain ever cast on a hapless official in that same arena,
she fought back gamely, breaking King's serve in the ninth game
and then pulling even at 5-all.
But the best female tennis player in the world was just too
tough for Casals. King swept the eleventh game, and Rosie's
concentration was broken. Incrediblv, she doublefaulted on the last
two points of her final service to fall 7-5 in an epic battle.
More imnortant than the outcome, however, was how tre-
mendously entertaining the set was, and the reaction it brought.
The excitement the match and the appearance of King engen-
dered shows how ponular an athlete a woman can be, and
proves that peonle will not only come and pay a good piece of
cash to see tennis, but will cheer like maniacs too.
Afterward, King proved to be as big a ham as any male
superstar, but, refreshingly, a lot more honest. Noting the way
Casals gave away the final game that she obviously wanted so
badly, King admitted that "It was a choke match."
But regardless of Rosie's collapse, it was also a very good
match. If anything will bring some of the Detroit fans that
attended back for more WTT action, the King-Casals battle will.
The way the Tigers and the Wheels have been playing lately,
right now the Loves are the best sports show in town.
iyour mina hasn't come
down from last week's Arts
Fair yet, today's All-Star game
might be just what you've been
looking for. With all the pre-
dictability of a Ron Ziegler
press conference, the best
players of the American League
square off every year against
their counterparts from the Sen-
ior circuit, and lose.
It's been that way for ten of
the last eleven years, and al-
though AL prexy Lee McPhail
has resorted to desperation
measures (most notably, order-
ing his managers to keep the
All-Star pitchers well-rested for
tonight's game), all logic sug-
gests that the National League
ought to be able to make it
eleven out of the last twelve.
BUT IT SHOULD be interest-
ing for awhile, because this
year - for a change - the AL
has a starting lineup that com-
pares favorably with what their
competitors have to offer. At
first base, Dick Allen of the
White Sox is far superior to
Steve Garvey of the Dodgers-
even allowing for the latter's
super RBI season - the Twins'
Rod Carew is the only second
baseman in the game who can
be mentioned in the same
breath with Joe Morgan and not
draw giggles.
The left side of Bert Campa-
neris and Brooks Robinson is
far more experienced (and cap-
able) than Larry Bowa and
Ron Cey; and Reggis Jackson is
so much better than Hank Aa-
ron in every phase of the game
that it almost makes up for
Jeff Burroughs' and Bobby Mur-
cer's inability to keep up with
Jimmy Wynn and Pete Rose.
The American League's only
seriousiweakness is behind the
plate: it doesn't have a legiti-
mate All-Star catcher, while
the National League will start
Johnny Bench and have Ted
Simmons in reserve. But cat-
chers don't mean that much.
How else would the Tigers have
won for so long with Bill Free-
han?
IN PITCHING, too, the Amer-
ican League does quite well,
partially because of the qual-
ity of its staff, and partially _
because of Yogi Berra's ques-
tionable judgement. The Na-
tional League cohort "features"
such aces as Jon Matlack - a
.500 pitcher with a good ERA
-and Steve Rogers, a .500
pitcher who's been getting
bombed all year. Couldn't Yogi
have picked a different Expo?
American League starter
Gaylord Perry has been strug-
gling his last two, starts, and
Te Lineups
American League National League
Rod Carew, Minnesota, 2b Pete Rose, Cincinnati, if or rf
Bert Campaneris, Oakland, ss Joe Morgan, Cincinnati, 2b
Reggie Jackson, Oakland, rf Hank Aaron, Atlanta, rf or If
Dick Allen, Chicago, lb Johnny Bench, Cincinnati, c
Bobby Murcer, New York, cf Jimmy Wynn, Los Angeles, cf
Jeff Burroughs, Texas, If Steve Garvey, Los Angeles, lb
Brooks Robinson, Baltimore, Ron Cey, Los Angeles, 3b
3b ' RnCy o nee,3
Thurman Munson, New York, Larry Bowa, Philadelphia, ss
c Andy Messersmith; Los An-
Gaylord Perry, Cleveland, p geles, p
could get the quick hook. But belong in the Hall of Fame,
with Rollie Fingers and even not on the playing field, and the
John Hiller in the bullpen, that only reason Dave Chalk is on
shouldn't cause too much con- the squad is that a California
cern. Angel had to make the team
The NL pitchers - Steve somewhere.
Carlton, Ken Brett, Buzz Capra, The National League bench,
and Lynn McGlothen - are yTcenNatooksLsuspic ,
capable enough, but they ab- by contrast, looks suspiciously
saleelynougdabstrongthe e like the list of "National League
soltitely need a strong three Leaders." Such notable stick-
innings from starter Andy menas.Ralphnabe.3t)Rk-
Messersmith (and they should ie as Ralph32arr (.363) Reg-
get themr) and you can bet that g h 316), Dave Cash (.315),M
Mike Marshall will be in thereScmd (.316),DavJCahnny3tGruMik
sooner or later. Schmidt (.314) Johnny Grubb
On paper, the AL secondlin- (.300) and Cesar Cedeno (.299
ers:-Steve Busby, Jim Hunter with 19 HR and 75 RBI) will all
Lois Tiant, Wilbur Wood a n sit out the first three innings.
Mike Cuellar - stack up Simply put, the National
much more favorably than their League has better players, and
counterparts. They did last more of them. Over a series
year, too, and you remember of any length, this difference
all those Nolan Ryan gopher would be enough to establish
pitches, don't you? superiority. T h e American
WHEN IT'S time to lose the League could, I admit, win this
game, the American League one, but even Richard Nixon
will lose it with the bench. tells the truth every now and
Frank Robinson and Al Kaline then.
The galaxy of Stars
American League National League
PITCHERS-Gaylord Perry, PITCHERS - Andy Messer-
Cleveland; Steve Busby, Kan- smith and Mike Marshall, Los
sas City; Jim 'Catfish" Hunt- Angeles; Jon Matlack, New
er and Rollie Fingers, Oak- York; Steve Carlton, Phila-
land; Wilbur Wood, Chicago; delphi;SeeRgr,'Mn
Mike Cuellar, Baltimre-e Lois dphis; Steve Rogers, Mon-
TikenCueBlasBa-tiJore Hisr treal; Buzz Capra, Atlanta;
Tiant, Boston; John Biller, Lynn McGlothen, St. Louis;
Detroit. Ken Brett, Pittsburgh.
CATCHERS-Thurman Mun- C
son, New York; Darrell Por- ATCHERS-Johnny Bench,
ter, Milwaukee; Jim Sund- Cincinnati; Jerry Grote, New
berg, Texas. York; Ted Simmons, St.
INFIELDERS - Dick Allen, Louis.
Chicago; Rod Carew, Minne- INFIELDERS - Steve Gar-
sota; Brooks Robinson and vey and Ron Cey, Los An-
Bobby Grich, Baltimore; Bert geles; Joe Morgan and Tony
Campaneris, Oakland; Cookie Pe r e z, Cincinnati; Larry
Rojas and John Mayberry, Bowa, Dave Cash and Mike
Kansas City; Don Money, Mil- Schmidt, Philadelphia; Chris
waukee; Dave Chalk, Califor- Speier, San Francisco; Don
nia; Carl Yastrzemski, Bos- Kessinger, Chicago.
ton. OUTFIELDERS - Ha a k
OUTFIELDERS - Jeff Bur- Aaron and Ralph Garr, At-
roughs, Texas; Bobby Mur- lanta; Pete Rose, Cincinnati;
cer, New York; Reggie Jack- Jimmy Wynn, Los Angeles;
son and Joe Rudi, Oakland; Cesar Cedeno, Houston; Reg-
Frank Robinson, California; gie Smith and Lou Brock, St.
George Hendrick, Cleveland; Louis; Johnny Grubb, San
Al Kaline, Detroit Diego.