Wednesday, July ;19, 1972
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Eleven "
WensaJl 9,17 H IHGN AL aeEee
Mus
Sports o The Daily
I
Fischer, Spassky draw
Russian risks
position trying
Better baseball. ..forotrip
the Senior Circuit
By DAN BORUS
MONDAY NIGHT before anational television audience, Robert
Lee Gibson, a lanky aging righthander for the St. Louis Car-
dinals mustered all the speed and excellence in his power, and
stymied a determined and youthful bunch of Houston Astros.
Accompanied by the dulcid tones of Curt Gowdy, the strike-
out leader of the National League who some earlier branded as
aged and over the hill, gave a vivid demonstration of a well-
known baseball fact.'The National League brand of baseball
is more exciting.
Traditional rebuttal from advocates for the cause of the
junior circuit holds that the American League is a pitcher's
league. There are just more good pitchers in the American
League than in the National League.
After all Lolich and Perry have won 15 or more 'games
and no onqin the National even comes close.
However the argument is not complete. Whether this speaks
for the superiority of National League bats or the American
League hurling can not really be determined. But what is shown
is that the hitting is much more intense in the senior circuit.
More hits, higher scores, and more home runs are the mark
of the National League.
I can hear you die hard Tiger fans crying, "Well, if you
can say that National League pitching is even and their
hiting is better, you could also argue that American League
pitching is better and that is why there is lower hit pro-
duction in the Anerican League."
Not so fast prospective Joe Falls'. Three of the leading
pitchers in the American League this year are ex-national
Leaguers. Gaylord Perry, who was no slouch in the National
League, Ken Holtzman and Nolan Ryun, the latter two not
especially prominent in their former homes, have been the
talk of the American League. Meanwhile Sam McDowell, the
Pride of Cuyahoga County, has been his erratic self.
But most of the proof is on the television screen. Regard-
less of the tale of the figures, which can be endlessly tossed
back and forth in hot stove league contests, the National League
has the speed and excitement that make baseball an attraction.
Whereas in he American League each pitch seems boringly
tedious, in the National League suspense rides on every offer-
ing.
Baseball excitement is predicated on a game breaker, on one
player that can start things moving when he is involved in key
plays. The Pirates and the Red are stock-filled with them and
Lou Brock and Bobby Bonds contribute in this role. The Amer-
ican League with Amos Otis and Dick Allen, a National League
discard, is a bit behind in this regard.
Part of the reason for the dominance of the National
Leajue can be traced to the predominance of artificial sur-
faces Hits which scoot right through in the National League
are sometimes stopped in the American. It is a bit different
game when played on a carpet. But there are still some
really ecologically sound parks in the National League, so
the difference would be of ability, not conditions.
Two more major reasons can be cited for the rise of the
National League over the last decade: the drift of black players
and the lack of a real dynasty.
Although organized baseball can never be termed a haven
for blacks, the National League, primarily because it was the
pioneer league and primarily because the league was fortunate
in attracting skilled players, got more than a goodly share of
black stars. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Roberto
Clemente, Frank Robinson head the National League greats.
The American League has not been as fortunate in attracting
blacks, as a result, the quality of play has suffered.
While not drawn strictly along racial lines, blacks have been
more daring in their play, more likely to take an extra base or
attempt to steal. White players, on the other hand, have been
less fluid in their style of play. Black sluggers could also stretch
singles into doubles and batter the fences even when the ball
did not clear the wall.
Black players also had a more fluid movement in the field.
and black outfielders flourished in the National League. With
baseball being the way for upward mobility, the aggregation of
blacks is a reason for the advance of the National League.
The second reason has to do with the lack of dynasties
in the senior circuit. While the Yankees and the Orioles
were consistently coming up with championships and the
good players, the rest of the league seemed psychologically
beaten in terms of getting new life blood. Year after year
of losing had a down effect on the American League teams,
some of which have been mired for a long time in mediocrity.
The National League, on the other hand, featured a pen-
nant race almost every year, and was always marked with a
bit of particularly tough infighting; the pennant race of 1964
being the prime example of excitement galore. Hence the teams
sparked by this competition, tried a little harder to sign those
good ball players and the strategy paid off.
But with the decline of the Orioles and the rise of young
clubs like Oakland and Kansas City, especially the hard
hittings Royals, the American League can look forward to
years of parity with its presently superior counterpart.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland WP) -
Bobby Fischer and Boris Spass-
ky struggled for five hours yes-
terday in the fourth game of
their world championship chess
match, then settled for a draw.
The score in the 24-game ser-
ies now stands at 2/ for the
Soviet champion and 112 for
the American challtnger.
They called it quits at the
45th move. The fight had been
hard, with a string of startling
turnabouts.
Each contestant got a half-
point for the draw. Spassky, 35,
won the first game and got the
second by forfeit when Fischer
failed to show. The 29-year-old
American won the third.
Spassky was stone-faced as
he left the auditorium, hardly
acknowledging the applause of
the crowd. Fischer smiled and
waved as he walked out.
Tugoslavia grandmaster Sve-
tozar Gligoric said Spassky had
made a bad error on the 29th
move, throwing away the
chance of a win.
U. S. grandmaster Robert
Byrne said Spasky, playing at
a slight disadvantage with the
black pieces, could have pocket-
ed a draw at the 18th move by
forcing an exchange of queens.
But the Russian chose to go
for a win. The game was pack-
ed with surprises, with first
white and then black setting
the pace.
For the first time in the ser-
ies, Spassky was late in arriv-
ing - but not so late as Fisch-
er. The Soviet champion walk-
ed onstage four minutes after
the clock started. The Ameri-
can chess whiz from Brooklyn
was 10 minutes overdue in the
2,500-seat auditorium.
Fischer looked confident and
relaxed, buoyed by his win Mon-
day. It was the first time in his
career Fischer had beaten Spas-
sky. He lost to the Russian three
times playing black and drew
twice playing white in their five
meetings before the world
championship round began a
week ago.
Fischer, playing the white
pieces, opened the game wih
his favorite Sozin attack, at
which he is generally acknowl-
edged to be the world's best.
Spassky went into the Sicilian
defense and countered agres-
sively.
The Brooklyn draw.
Fischer-white Spassky-black
1. P-K4, P-QB4
2. Kt-KB3, P-Q3
a 3 P-Q, PP
4. KtsP, K-Ki3
5. Kt-QB3, Kt-B3
6. KB-n4, P-K3
7. R-Kil, B-K2
. B-K3, O-
9. 0-0, 1'-QR3
10. P-84, KtxKt
11. B-Kt, P-QKt4
12. P-QR3, B-K2l
13. Q-Q3, P-QR4
14. P-K5, PP
5. PaP, Kt-Q2
16. KtxP, Kt-B4
17. BxKt, BxBh
18. K-RK, Q-Kt4
Elapsed time: Fischer 44 minutes,
Spassky 26 minutes.
19. Q-K, QR-Qs
20. QR-Ql, RxRt
21. RxR, P-R4
22. Kt-Q6, -as
Elapsed time Fischer 62 minutes,
Spassky 78 minutes
23. B-4, P-KR5
24. P-R3, B-K
Elapsed time Fischer 511 minutes,
Spassky 100 minutes
25. Q-Kt4, QxP
26. QRP, P-Kt4
17. Q-Kt4, -in
28. Kt-Kt5, K-Kt
29. Kt-Q4, R-R1
30. Kt-B3, BxKt
31. QxaB, B-Q3
32. Q-Q3, QxQ
33. PQ, B-K4
34. R-Q7, K-i3
35. K-M, naP
36. a-K, B-K4
37. K-Bi, R-QB1
38. B-5, R-a2
39. RxR, BxR
40. P-4, K-K2
41. K-K2, P-i4
42. K-Q3, R-K4
43. P-i4, K-Q3
44. n-n7, B-Kt6
45. P-inCh, draw
Final time Fischer 148 minutes,
Spassky 155 minutes
MINNESOTA backstop, Phil Roof, vainly stretches for a pop
foul off the bat of Yankee shortstop, Gene Michael, as a most
loyal fan of the Pinstripes makes sure it stays a strike. The
Yankees went on to homer their way to a 6-0 victory behind the
pitching of Steve Kline.
Ti gers win
in eleven
Stanley plates winner;
magic number now 72
DETROIT (A)- Eddie Brink-
man hit a one-out sacrifice fly
in the 11th inning to score
Mickey Stanley, who had trip-
led, giving the Detroit Tigers a
4-3 victory over the Chicago
White Sox in an American
League baseball game last night.
The winning run was set up
when Stanley hit a shot off the
right - field fence. Brinkman
thei blasted a fly to Chicago's
Walt Williams in right field and
Stanley beat the throw home.
Chicago's Dick Allen snapped
Joe Coleman's no-hitter with a
lead-off triple in the seventh
innning which Stanley mis-
played.
Detroit had taken an early
3-0 lead off Stan Bahnsen. But
Chicago sent Coleman to the
showers with three hits and two
runs ih the eighth to tie the
score.
NL Star pitchers
SAN FRANCISCO (') -
Gary Nolan, the National
League's leading winner, strike-
out leader Steve Carlton, and
streaking Bob Gibson lead the
nine man pitching staff chosen
by manager Danny Murtagh
yesterday for his NL All Star
squad.
Joining those three are five
righthanders, C lay -Carroll,
Steve Blass, Don Sutton, Bill
Stoneman, and Tom Seaver and
one lefty, Tug McGraw.
Garr, ignites
Brave rally,
edge Bucs, 4-2
By The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -Ralph Garr
cracked a double to spark
a three-run fifth inning rally
that lifted the Atlanta Braves
to a 4-2 National League base-
ball victory over the Pittsburgh
Pirates last night.
Steve Blass, 10-4, was nurs-
ing a 1-0 lead into the Atlant
fifth when Gil Garrido and
pitcher Ron Reed opened with
singles.
Garr followed with a double
to left center that drove in the
tying run. An intentional walk
to Henry Aaron then loaded the
bases before the Braves added
two more runs on an error by
third baseman Jose Pagan and
an Infield out.
Earl Williams provided an in-
surance run in the Braves' sev-
enth when he tagged reliever
Bob Johnson for his 14th home
run of the season, a solo shot
over the wall in right center.
CHICAGO - A home run by
Billy Williams in the bottom of
the 10th inning broke a 1-1 tie
and gave the Chicago Cubs a
2-1 victory over the Cincinnati
Reds yesterday.
Ferguson Jenkins allowed
four hits in pitching his 12th
National League victory of the
year against eight defeats.
Jenkins was in trouble in
both the ninth and 10th inn-
ings. In the ninth, he hit Bobby
Tolan with a pitch and Tolan
stole second and third before
Jenkins got Denis Menke to
ground out to end the inning.
Professional League Standings
American League National League
East East
W L Pet. OR W L Pet. GO
Detroit 48 35 .580 - Pittsburgh 53 31 .630 G
Baltimore 47 36 .568 1 New York 47 34 .580 4%
Oo0a40 39 .507 6 St, Souls 43 39 .524 8
New York 38 41 .482 8 Chicago 45 41 .523 9
Cleveland 34 48 .410 i31,E Montreal 36 45 .444 15%
Milwaukee 2 48 .40 14 Philadelphia 29 55 .34224
west
Oakland - 53 30 .640 -- Cincinnati West 52 32 .61
Chicago 45 40 .530 9 Houston 48 39 .552 5Y/-
Minnesota 42 39 20 Angeles 4
Kansas City 43 41 o517 10% Aaa s 3 40 .45414
California 38 48 .440 16% SanFrancisco 38 50 .452 16
Texas 35 50 .410'19 San Diego 32 52 .38039
Yesterday's Resu.ts
Baltimore 2, Texas 1, 15 innings Yesterday's Results
Detroit 4, Chicago 3, 11 innings Chicago 2, Cincinnati 1, 10 innings
New York 4, Minnesota 0 Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 2
Boston 4, Californiaa St. Louis at Houston, Inc.
Oakland 4, Milwaukee 0, Second New York at Los Angeles, inc.
game, inc. San Diego 5, Philadelphia 1
Kansas City 6-11, Cleveland 5-8 Montreal at San Francisco, inc.
Today's Games Today's (lames
Cleveland (Perry, 15-7) at Kansas City Atlanta (Hardin, 2-0) at Pittsburgh
(Drago, 7-9), night (riles, 8-3), night
Baltimore (Cuear, 8-7) at Texas Cincinnati (Griosley, 7-3) at Chicago
(Paul, 3-2), night (Pappas, 6-5)
Chicago (Wood, 13-10) at Detroit St. Louis (Wise, 9-9) at Houston
(Timmerman, 7-7), night (Dierker, 8-5), night
Oakland (Odom, 8-2) at Milwaukee New York (Seaver, 12-5) at Los An-
(Reynolds, 0-0), night geles (Osteen, 9-7), night
Minnesota (Perry, 7-8) at New York Philadelphia (Carlton, 12-6) at San
(Kekich, 8-8) Diego (Kirby, 6-9), night
California (Wright, 10-4) at Boston Montreal (Torrez, 9-5) at San Fran-
(Siebert, 7-5) rlseo (McDowell, 8-7)