Friday, May 19, 1972 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Eleven Friday, May 19, 1972 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Eleven L",. :+, ',. by.r }. r' ."}e::fi:: G::{{:":E""r :{v: il:::.:...: v :".v::: :L: ::: r:. :LL, esp.:. L:: " '"f.................... " ..L} :x .ti Mets crac o trea fi _ ~~~. . 1:: '^::.........::i" «::" ~........ ..... 'EltLeo Sorry Detroit, the Tigers don't have it! J'OR THE Detroit Tigers it's like going from the frying pan into the fire. First they met the dangerous Baltimore Orioles and now they tangle with the first-place Cleveland In- dians. Billy Martin's Bengals didn't fare so well against Balti- more, and even if that doesn't really mean too much this early in the season the team's lack of improvement over last year is evident. The Tigers still have two pitchers and a lot of old homerun hitters. Their starting staff is thin, their bullpen is weak and their age is finally beginning to show. Somehow Detroit fans have decided theirs is the team to beat this season, but the reasons are unfathomable. The same team that last year finished a relatively distant sec- ond is back with the unimportant addition of Tom Haller and another year on all of its starters. Haller won't make any difference to the Tiger fortunes and the only reason the club could improve in the standings is if everyone else in the AL East is worse. Or particularly if Baltimore is worse. A Tiger pennant in 1972 depends mainly on the Orioles' ability to fold, If Mike Cuellar, Pot Dobson, Boog Powell, etc., don't came through, then maybe the Tigers have a chance. If not, forget it Detroit. Mickey Lolich might really be the best pitcher in the American League although that sounds incredible, and Joe Coleman pairs with him to make an excellent top two. But then what? ... Nothing. Tom Timmerman had a few good starts early in the sea- son but it's unrealistic to expect a 31-year old professional re- liever to blossom into a strong every-fourth-day starter. You can't teach an old dog too many new tricks. And Les Cain ... he still impresses no one. When the season moves into the middle of July and Au- gust with teams playing eight or more games a week at least four and probably more starters will be needed. The Tigers don't have them. The Orioles probably do. Even if Cuellar is about finished he beats Cain and there is also Doyle Alexander waiting to move in. Although most baseball experts-or pseudo-experts-- agree that pitching is something like 90 per cent of the game, Detroit has never believed that wisdom. The Tigers have been trying for ten years and more to win on hit-. ting, and ance they succeeded. But they never made the logical move and swapped some of their excess hitting for pitching. Since Don Demeter was exchanged for Earl Wilson De- troit has been almost silent in the trade market, except for the Bowie Kuhn forced deal with Washington that added three young stars to the team. Bowie's better for Detroit than Jim Campbell. But with the exception of Aurelio Rodriguez, Detroit has an old club. No team in the American League East comes close to the Tigers in age. Maybe some players-like Norm Cash and Al Kaline - can last into their mid-thirties, but most can't. Jim Northrup seems to be on his way out, as does Dick McAuliffe and even Brinkman, Freehan, Stanley, and Horton are into or nearing their thirties. So, it's now or never Tigers. As many prospects come out of the Detroit farm system as chicken hatch from grapefruits. The last good one was Stanley, about seven years ago. Tigers By The Associated Press The league leading clubs in baseball kept pace by all scor- ing victories in an abbreviated schedule in baseball yesterday. Even Detroit continued its erratic path towards winning riding Joe Coleman's eight strikeout pitching to a 7-2 romp over the Boston Red Box. Willie Mays and Company rode a two run first inning to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos as the Mets widen their National League East lead. Mayo came home on Timmy Martinez' triple. Martinez fol- lowed Mays' lead by scoring on a sacrifice fly. Ex Mets Foli and Hunt com- bined for Montreal's only scor- lug. Magic Number Now 133 Knowing that Detroit fans all over the country want to get a head start on their friends, the Daily, as a public service, presents the Tiger Magic Number. Today it is any combination of 133 Tiger wins or Cleveland losses. Col- lect all the magic numbers, trade them with your friends. Joe Coleman fired a three- hitter and Detroit tagged Lew Krausse for four runs in the fifth inning as the Tigers down- ed the Boston Red Sox 7-2 Thursday night. Coleman, now 6-2, gave up a second inning single to Rice Petrocelli and double to Carle- ton Fisk in the fifth, and Reg- gte Smith's homer in the eighth. Coleman struck out eight giv- ing him 51 for the season-four behind teammate Mickey Lo- lich who leads the American League. Norm Cash gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a towering hom- er in the first, landing in the upper deck in right. Tony Tay- lor connected in the eighth. A triple by Tom Haller led off the Detroit second and he Pacers.. slip by Bosox WILLIE MAYS comes right on in to score after his Met team- mate Martine tripled. Mays and Company combined to grab a 2-1 decision over the Expos. And by the way, the Tigers won. nip Nets INDIANAPOLIS (P - Freddie Lewis sank two free throws with nine seconds left last night to give the Indiana Pacers a 100- 99 victory over the New York Nets. It gave the Pacers a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Ameri- can Basketball Association cham- pionship playoff. Rick Barry, who got 33 points came home on Dick McAuliffe's double. In the fifth Jim Northrup doubled in a run following a single by Gates Brown and walk to Willie Horton. Hailer then unloaded a two-run dou- ble, with the fourth run scor- ing on the second wild pitch by reliever Bill Lee. Fisk's double led to the first' Boston run. He scored on a wild pitch by Coleman. Ken Rudolph pounded a two- run triple highlighting a three- run fifth inning and the Chi- cago Cubs rolled to a 6-4 vic- tory Thursday night over the faltering St. Louis Cardinals. Rudolph, batting .111 begin- ning the night, delivered his big hit against Cards' right- hander Al Santorini, 2-5. The shot went to right center bouncing to the wali. The triple tied the contest at 2-2 and Rudolph, the Cubs' substitute catcher, scored mo- inents later on Don Kessinger's bloop single. Kessinger drove in two with another single in the eighth. St. Louis, which lost its eighth straight game, pounced on Cubs' starter Milt Pappas for its runs on four hits in the op- ening inning. Lou Brock opened with a single up the middle, raced to third on Ted Sizemore's double down the field line and both runners scored on Ted Sim- mon's single. Simmons drove in two more runs in the ninth. Pappas was forced to retire from the game with a sore right elbow after facing six Cards batters. Veteran Juan Pizarro, 2-1, the second of four Cubs' pitchers, was credited with the victory on 4 2-3 innings of re- lief. Syd O'Brien opened the 12th inning with a double and cam around to score on a two-out singledby Mickey Rivers, giving the California Angels a 4-3 vic- tory over the Oakland A's last night. O'Brien had come into the game as a pinch runner in the seventh inning after Ken Mc- Mullen doubled. He came on to score the tying run on a pinch single by John Stephenson, who was making his first appearance since being recalled from Salt Lake. Oakland struck with four sin- gles good for two runs in the first inning. Campaneris and Joe Rudi led off with base hits and Reggis Jackson followed with a run-scoring single to right. After Sal Bando fanned, Rudi scored on Dave Duncan's sacrifice fly. Hal McRae drove in four runs with a single and double-his first of the season - and the Cincinnati Reds rolled over the San Francisco Giants 8-5 Thurs- day, for their eighth consecutive victory. The Reds pounced on Giants' starter and loser Sam McDowell, 5-1, for three runs in the first inning. Consecutive singles by the first four men in the Cin- cinnati lineup, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, John Bench, and Hal McRae produced two runs and Julian Javier's bases-loaded bunt one out later added another. This weekend's series doesn't mean life or death to the for the Nets and led all scorers, Tigers, but it does give them another chance to test their 99-a9 leaw irk a seemingly sa pitching staff before the going gets rough. If the pitching can't on two free throws, but Pacer come through now it's unlikely it will ugder more pressured Billy Keller hit his fourth three- conditions. If the Tigers sweep the series all Detroit will be point goal of the game to pull ecstatic once again about its first place team, but how about the Pacers within one. Lewis using some sense this time Tiger fans. Your team isn't that then stole the ball and was foul- ed by Ollie Taylor to set up the good. winning free throws. :.::-. .:.:::...::::::;..;. Keller and e i a h fns e it with 22 points to lead Indians. Professional League Standings buwa York started strong and M, built a40-20 lead i the second American League National League period. The Nets maintained a East lead of between 13 and 19 points Eastw2G1WL Pet. GB the rest of the first half. But the Cleveland 15 9 . Gil N Yor i 7 7 Pacers started a rally at the out- isa.625 - 'hiiadeiphia is i2 .556 5V. Detroit 15 10 .600 1s Pittsburgh 14 12 .538 6 set of the third quarter sparked Baltimore 13 12 .OBJ2% Chiago 14 13 .5i 96j by Keller and rookie George Mc- Boston9 14 .391 5Y BMstreali1is15a.464 8 Ginnis. New York 9 15 .375 6 St. Louis 10 20 .333 12 Milwaukee 7 15 .318 7 , west Keller hit three straight three- west Houston 17 10 .630 - point goals as Indiana outscored Minnesota 17 7 .708 - Los Angeles 18 11 .621 - New York 17-4 in the first four oakland - 1 9 .6522 Cincinnati 16 13 .552 2 minutes of the second half. Chicago 15 10 .600 21! San Diego 13 16 .448 5 Tea s11 55O.423 7 .Atlanta 1to1so.3a7 71/z4 tG..> Y O~) t Kansas City is1it6.403 07/jSan Francisco923 3.281 101 California 11 16 .407 7Y1 Yesterday's Results Yesterday's Results New York2, Montreal 1 itK Detroit 7, Boston 2 Cincinnati 8, San Francisco 5 California 4, Oakland 3, 11 innings Chicago 6, St. Louis 4 r Other clubs not scheduled luston at Los Angeles Ann Arbor Ohrcusnot scheduied Lirar Today's Games Today's Games Pubic Libc Bostcn at New York, night New York at Philadelphia, night Baltimore at Milwaukee, night Montreal at Pittsburgh, night ADULT BOOKS--50 cents Oakland at Kansas City, night Chicago at St. Louis, night CHILDREN'S BOOKS--25 cents MInnesota at Texas, night Cincinnati at San Diego, night sponsored by the Cleveland at Detroit, night Houston at Los Angeles, night Friends of the Library California at Chicago, night Atlanta at San Francisco, night -)<=I>=><=ot 603 East Liberty 8TH SMASH WEEK! Phone 665-6290 NOW THE ALL-TIME RECORD- f MGVIE H IT 11 EVERYWHERE! "'THE GODFATHER' IS A MOVIE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE EVERYTHING! WARMTH, VIOLENCE, NOSTALGIA; OPEN 12:45 THE CHARISMA OF MARLON BRAN- She s Ul L 30 ANCES, AND THE DYNAMIC SWEEP OF AN ITALIAN-AMERICAN 'GONE $2.00 AFTER 4:30 WITH THE WIND'!" -Time Magazine