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."