Page Fifteen
Saturday, May 8, 1971
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
NBA TO MERGE WITH RIVAL ABA
I
NEW YORK IP) - The National and
American basketball associations agreed
yesterday to seek congressional approval
for a merger that would bring an end to
the wild bidding war for player talent.
The announcement of the merger
agreement was made by NBA Commis-
sioner Walter Kennedy, who emphasiz-
ed that it probably would be a year or
more before congressional sanction could
be obtained.
Until that time, the leagues would con-
0 tinue to operate separately and continue
to compete for players.
Under terms of the m rger agreement,
Kennedy would become commissioner of
the merged league, the ABA would drop
its antitrust suit and each ABA club
would pay indemnity of 1.25 million with
the exception of the Virginia Squires.
The announcement of the merger
agreement came at the end of almost two
days of meetings between the owners of
each league with their merger commit-
tees in separate midtown hotels.
Kennedy said the vote by the NBA
was the required 13 of 17 owners.
"We agreed to immediately institute
action to bring the merger matter to the
appropriate committees in Congress,"
Kennedy said.
Larry Fleisher, counsel for the NBA
Players Association, said his g r o u p
would fight against Congressional ap-
proval of the merger.
The NBA Players Association has a
court injunction against the merger as a
violation of anti-trust laws.
"This is a violation and contempt of a
court order," said Fleisher. "I don't be-
lieve Congress will approve the merger
and we're going to be fighting it."
"We're optimistic there's no way the
leagues will succeed in getting Congres-
sional approval to make an illegal act
legal."
Asked about the merger of the Na-
tional and American Football leagues,
For items on Sid Abel's latest adven-
tures and baseball's most successful trip-
lers, see page 13.
which received congressional approval,
Fleisher said
"That was five years ago. The cli-
mate has changed in Washington. There
is more desire in Congress to look into
the abuses of sports."
Kennedy said the agreement allows
teams in both leagues to play inter-
league preseason exhibition games if they
desire. The agreement would put an end
to the bitter and expensive war between
the leagues.
Speculation that the end of the struggle
between the 4-year-old ABA and the
25-year-old NBA was near increased when
it was revealed that the merger com-
mittees had been negotiating for several
weeks.
The settlement actually was an agree-
ment on a plan that will be presented
to Congress for approval required to
grant basketball immunity from anti-
trust laws. That was made necesary when
a U.S. District Court judge in New York
issued an injunction last May barring
a merger until disposition of an anti-
trust suit filed against the leagues by the
NBA Players Association. Such disposi-
tion revolved around ruling by Congress
on the matter.
If Congress does approve the merger
plan, it would bring to an end the most
costly sports war in history. Not even
the National and American football
leagues, before their merger in 1966,
spent so much money or raided each
MILWAUKEE'S DAVE MAY races home last night as Boston catcber Duane
Josephson waits for the late throw from center field. Two walks had gotten May
from home to second, and Ellie Rodriguez's single got him home from there. The
run wasn't enough-Boston won, 5-4.
EXPOS, METS ROLL
other's ranks so ruthlessly for players as
did the two basketball leagues.
Because of the fierce competition for
players, such graduating college stand-
outs as Jim McDaniels of Western Ken-
tucky, Artis Gilmore of Jacksonville, ePte
Maravich of Louisiana State, Bob Lan-
ler of St. Bonaventure and Lew Alcind-
or of UCLA were able to command con-
tracts that reportedly ranged from $1.4
million to $3 million. And they were only
a few among big money signers.
NeUers squeak
past Hoosiers
The Wolverine netters barely b e a t
Indiana, 5-4, yesterday at the Varsity
Courts to stretch their dual meet record
to 16-4 for the season, 7-1 in the Big
Ten.
Five sets in the meet were stretched
to sudden death, and Michigan to o k
three of them in coming within one point
of first-place Indiana going into t h e
last day of dual meet action.
Coach Brian Eisner was pleased with
Batsmen rained o ut
special to The Daily
BLOOMINGTON - Michigan's dou-
bleheader with Indiana was cancelled
yesterday because of wet grounds. It
will not be rescheduled.
The horsehidemen will hopefully find
better weather today when they travel
to Columbus for a twinbill with Ohio
State.
his team's performance. "We thought
we were better than they are, and I
think we proved that today."
Eisner has special praise for Tim Ott,
who defeated Geoff Hodsdon, 6-4, 6-4.
"His performance was outstanding," Eis-
ner said. This was Hodsden's first loss in
the Big Ten at number two singles.
Eisner also praised Joel Ross, even
though the number one singles player lost
to Mark Bishop, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. "Ross had a
good performance, even in losing. He
played quite well."
Ross continued playing well in the num-
ber one doubles -match with teammate
Dick Ravreby. They defeated Bishop and
Geoff Hodsden, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
The match that clinched it for Michi-
gan was the number three doubles, in
which Kevin Senich and Ramon Almonte
beat Tom Snyder and Larry Lindsay 6-7,
6-4, 6-3.
"They were great," Eisner said. "They
had both lost their singles matches and
then fell behind in the doubles. Then they
just completely turned that match
around."
In other matches, Ravreby beat Tom
Dunker in number three singles, 3-6, 6-3,
7-6; Snyder beat Almonte, 6-3, 6-3, in num-
ber four singles; Indiana's Walt Herrick
beat Senich in number five singles, 2-6,
7-6, 7-6; Ware beat Lindsay, 6-4, 6-3, and
Dunker and Herrich defeated Ott and
Ware, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4,
Kentueky nips
Utah in ABA
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (/P) - Kentucky held
off a late Utah rally last night to post a
116-110 victory and pull to 2-1 in their best-
of-7 American Basketball Association
championship series.
The fourth game is scheduled for 1 p.m
Ann Arbor time today in Louisville and
will be televised nationally by CBS.
The outcome was in doubt until Ken-
tucky's Mike Pratt, playing in a reserve
role, sank a pair of free throws for the
game's final points.
Colonel Willie Wise was the game's
leading scorer with 29 points, but the
Stars' standout center Zelmo Beaty, aver-
aging 33 points per game in the cham-
pionship series, scored only 13 and fouled
out in the final period.
Lolich 'homer' beats Royals
From Wire Service Reports
DETROIT-Remember the days when you were ten years
old and you'd play softball and hit a ground ball that would
be kicked around so often you could circle the bases?
You'd come home and brag, "I hit a homer today!" It
wasn't really a homer, but you'd be proud anyway.
Mickey Lolich hit that kind of homer for the Tigers last
night, and it gave him a 3-1 victory over the Kansas City
Royals.
With the Tigers losing, 1-0, and Ed Brinkman on second
on a double with nobody out in the seventh, Lolich dropped a
bunt toward pitcher Mike Hedlund.
Hedlund's throw went low and wide past third base and
then skipped by left fielder Carl Taylor, who was alertly run-
ning in to back up the play.
He turned around and finally got to it somewhere near
the left fence. By that time, Brinkman, Lolich and Lolich's
famous stomach had all scored. Dick McAuliffe promptly
added a homer for good measure. -
Lolich scattered eight hits and struck out 13 on the way
to his fifth win against two losses.
Major League Standings
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
East East
W L Pet. GB W L Pet. G
Boston 17 8 .680 - New York 16 9 .640 -
Baltimore 16 9' .640 1 Montreal 11 8 .579
Washington 13 14 .481 5 Pittsburgh 15 11 .577
Detroit 12 13 .480 5 St. Louis 16 13 .552
New York 11 14 .440 6 C.hicago 11 i6 .407f
' Cleveland 8 308 9t Philadelphia 8 7 .310
West West
Oakland 19 11 .633 -- San Francisco 20 7 .741 -
Kansas City 14 13 .519 3! Los Angeles 15 14 .517
California 15 14 .517 3!/2 Houston 14 14 .500f
Minnesota 13 15 .464 5 Atlanta 13 i4 .500
Milwaukee is 14 .440 5'A Cincinnati 10 15 .400
Chicago 10 16 .385 7 San Diego 7 19 .269 U
Yesterday's Results Yesterday's Results
Boston 5, Milwaukee 4 Monireal 3, Chicago 1
" New fork 4, Chicago 3 Pittsbugh at Los Angeles
Washington 6, Minnesota 5 New York 3, St. Louis 1
California 4, Cleveland 2, 11 inn. Atlanta at San Francisco
Detroit 3, Kansas City _1 Cincinnati at San Diego, postpone
Oakland at Baltimore, postponed Houston 8, Philadelphia 1
Today's Games Today's Games
Oakland at Baltimore, night Houston at Philadelphia
California at Cleveland Chicago at Montreal, night
Kansas City at Deteit, night St. Louis at New York
New York at Chicago Cincinnati at San Diego, night
Boston at Milwaukee Pittsburgh at Los Angeles, night
Washington at Minnesota Atlanta at San Francisco, 2
In the tight National League East, Montreal and New York
continued to win. For the second time in two weeks, Tom
Seaver outpitched Bob Gibson in a battle of Cy Young Award
winners.
Jerry Grote doubled home the tie-breaking run in the
eighth inning as the Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1.
Gibson held the Mets scoreless until the seventh, but
Gibson gave up a triple to Bud Harrelson and then wild-
pitched him home. That tied it up, 1-1, and the Mets went in
the eighth on doubles by Ed Kranepool and Grote and former
Michigan star Ted Sizemore's throwing error.
The surprising Expos jumped back into the first division
by beating the Cubs, 3-1. Chicago's Bill Hands was nursing a
three-hitter and a 1-0 lead in the seventh, but the patient
died, as Ron Fairley opened the inning with a homer to right.
Three men and two hits later, the Expos were out in
front. Carl Morton allowed seven hits, one of them a fourth
inning homer by Joe Pepitone.
The Red Sox also continued winning, but they had to
weather a bases loaded jam with one out in the ninth to do it.
The inning before, Duane Josephson had driven in Billy
Conigliaro with what ended up the winning run, and Bos-
ton, holding down the first spot in the American League
West, won, 5-4.
The Red Sox got three off starter Marty Pattin in
the first on Conigliaro's homer, In the ninth, reliever
B Sparky Lyle got pinch-hitter Floyd Wicker to ground
into a bases-loaded game-ending double play.
12 In other action, Paul Casanova homered with two out
2 in the ninth to send the Twins and Senators into extra
6 - innings and Tony Oliva lost a pop fly in The Big Dipper
the next inning and dropped, as Washington rallied
to overcome a four run deficit and win, 6-5
s% In another extra-inning game, Syd O'Brien slam-
655 med a two-run homer in the 11th to give California a
214 4-2 victory over Cleveland,
In the National League, Joe Morgan rapped four
hits, scored four runs, stole two bases and Houston past
Philadelphia, 8-1.
d , Cincinnati was rained out in San Diego, and Reds'
outfielder Bobby Tolan's season was rained out in Cin-
cinnati. Tolan, who was scheduled to be reactivated
next week after tearing an acchilles tendon.
Tolan reinjured his leg jogging. Surgery may be
needed, If so, Tolan said, "This could wash me up for
the season."