rage Twelve THE MICHIGAN DAILY Saturday,. Mauy 28. 19771 RACE ON SUNDAY Fans pour into Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS l' - Race fever starts almost the instant you cross the state line from Michigan, from Kentucky, from Ohio, from Illinois. As you ap- proach dead - center it be- comes a deluge, a Mosaic in black and white. Dead - center Indiana is In- dianapolis, the home of the black and white checkered flag, the STP oval with the "Wel- come Race Fans" tag, the wide tired hot rod, the beer- clutching motorcyclist, the bare - chested boy and his bare- bellied girl. Indianapolis Motor Speed- way's population during the months from June to April is about 15,000. During the first 3/2 weeks in May each year it grows to about 10 times that number. And each Me- morial Day weekend it ex- plodes to close to half a mil- lion, All for the chance to see and hear 33 drivers careen around 2'12 miles of asphalt for about three hours. Those three hours can be al- most anticlimatic when the rac is run as it is supposed to be. A safe, accident free race somehow leaves a portion of the multitude feeling cheated, as though it had paid not for the sheer beauty of precision control of machines but for the flaming, shrieking moment that turns artistry into ashes. Those three hours are the centerpiece-but at the same time they are a small part of the scenario played out in this heartland of conserva- tism. Only a few hundred feet from the track itself and the pits sits Gasoline Alley where surgeons with wrenches hover protective- ly over their $100,000 creations, oblivious to the swirling mass of humanity watching them from beyond the doors of their garages. Unless you're one of them, or a driver or owner, you'll nevbr be noticed. Eye contact is scrupulously avoided, as though a moment of recogni- tion could constitute an invita- tion into the sanctum. And only a few feet from the edge of Gasoline Alley is race day's throbbing - perhaps even terrifying - entity, the infield crowd. They pay $7 apiece to watch not the race but each other. They can't see the track. They can only hear the cars. But the mere fact of being there, to be able to say later on they were there, draws them by the thou- sands into the vortex of the speedway. And they become their own entertainment, sing- ing, dancing, smoking, drink- ing, sleeping, and eating-glut- being enveloped in all that steel But out of the bedlam, as tons of every type performing and fuel and rubber when the the race near the three hour their rites while another rite only visible portion is a crash mark, as the field of ma. spins around them. helmet peering over the lip of chines dwindles, as the sha- For the most part, they the cockpit. dows change direction, comes have the best seats in the And seeing the cars and a the knowledge that there is house. Those who pay $20, segment of track mean little something very human going $30 or more for a few square once the race is more than a on down there. feet of space in the bleach- few laps old. As cars string As the number of remaining ers which ring the track get themselves out over the 21/2 laps decrease, the imagery of only a disjointed view of the miles and make pit stops, the chaos gives way to the realits spectacle, a glimpse of the ability to determine just who is of two or more drivers playing straightaway or a turn. leading becomes warped. Only cat and mouse at incomprehen. The cars shoot by so quick- the voice of the track an- sible speeds - on a track that ly that numbers become a blur nouncer-when he can be heard was built nearly three-quarters and colors become the means over the whine of the engines- of a century ago for speeds less of identification. One does not saves the spectators from than half those which will be relate to the driver, the human wholesale confusion. run Sunday. Mariners spoil Fidrycl's return; edge Tiers 2-1 I. 41 the sa j By The Associated Press Fined fighters NEW YORK-Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers and Maurice Lucas of the Portland Trail Blazers were fined $2,500 each by National Basketball Association Commissioner Lawrence F. O'Brien yesterday as a result of their fight during Thursday night's playoff gamze. O'BRIEN NOTIFIED the two players of their fines by telegram and also warned coaches Gene Shue of the 76ers and Jack Ramsey of the Trail Blazers to avoid any similar incidents during the balance of the championship series. "Your conduct ceiuld have resulted in a serious injury to an- other player and it created the potential for a violent crowd re- action that might have led to a serious injury to innocent spec- tators," O'Brien told the players. "The type of conduct you displayed last night will not be tolerated by the NBA. You are hereby informed that any similiar action on your part during the remainder of the series will be dealt with even more severely." THE NBA RULES permit the commissioner to inflict a fine up to $10,000 as well as a suspension. Dawkins and Lucas squared off in the final five minutes of the game after the 76er center had swung at Portland's Bob Gross. The punch connected with Dawkin's teammate, Doug Collins, who suffered a four-stitch cut over his eye. Cubs close in CHICAGO-Home runs by Manny Trillo and Bobby Murcer backed the sharp pitching of Bill Bonham yesterday and powered the Chicago Cubs to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. THE TRIUMPH was the 19th in 24 games for the Cubs who moved within one-half game of the first place Pirates in the National League East, Trillo's homer, his fourth, capped a two-run fourth inning. Murcer hit his seventh of the season in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie and hand John Candelaria, 6-1, his first loss of the year. Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the second on singles by Al Oliver, Rennie Stennett and Phil Garner. CHICAGO SCORED twice in the fourth. Larry Biittner singled, took second on an infield out and scored on a single by Jerry Morales who was cut down trying for second. Trillo followed with his homer, The Pirates tied it in the sixth. With one out, Frank Taveras who was hit by a pitch and stole second. Dave Parker grounded to short and Taveras was called out by umpire Andy Olsen for interference. Oliver followed with a double to score Parker. DETROIT (UPI)-A two- out error by Tito Fuentes on a routine ground ball per- mitted Dan Meyer to score from second base in the sixth inning with the run that beat Mark Fidrych in "The Bird's" season debut last night, a 2-1 Seattle Mariners victory o v e r the Detroit Tigers. Meyer had doubled with two out and then disappointed a crowd of 44,207 when he raced home as Bill Stein's grounder skipped up Fuentes' arm, over his head and into right-center field. ' Rain Stym ies Blue Special to the Daily NORMAN, Oklahoma - The scheduled baseball game be- tween Michigan (31-13) and Oklahoma (36-9) was postponed yesterday due to wet grounds. Hard rain and tornadoes Thurs- day night forced the cancella- tion. MIDWEST REGIONAL offic- ials are hopeful of getting the tournament underway this aft- ernoon with games at 1 and 4 p.m. (CDT). If the weather re- mains bad here, and showers are predicted for this morning, then the site of, the regional mighttbe moved toOklahoma City-and tape away the home field advantage from the Soon- Michigan southpaw Steve Howe (9-2) will oppose Okla- homa ace Mark Nipp (11-1) this afternoon if the weather coop- erates. Regional play will con- tinue Sunday and Monday -un- til three teams pick up two losses - and the winner ad- vances to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. University facts Each year, 12 professional journalists undertake nine months of study at the Univer- sity. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, h ey engage in independent study and specially-designed seminars to deepen their un- derstanding of the humanistic content of the profession. GLENN ABBOTT and Mike Kekich combined to hold De- troit to just three hits for the third straight game, Abbott, 2-4, went the first 6/3 and gave up all three hits before yielding to Kekich, who got his second save. The obly Tigers' run came in the third on Tom Veryzer's second home run of the season. Fidrych's first two pitches of the season were stroked for base hits, but he retired the next three batters and pitched shut- 5-C O R E S seattle 2, Detroit 1 Baltimore 6, Minnesota0 0 Caitornia 4, Toronto I Boston 10, Kansas City I Cleveland 3, Oakland I Chicago (NL) 4, Pittsburgh 2 Philadelphia 5, New York (NL) 4 St. Lois7,Montreag)3 New Yarks (AL)S5, Chicato (AL) 6 out ball until the fifth. BOB STINSON singled and went to third on a one-out dou- ble by Larry Milbourne, which Ron LeFlore dropped after a long run in center field. Date Collins then scored Stinson with a sacrifice fly to left. Fidrych was to be Detroit's opening-game pitcher but under- went knee surgery March 31 ti repair torn cartilage suffered while shagging fly balls in the outfield 10 days earlier. Detroit Manager Ralph Hors insisted all along he didn't want to rush the Bird and risk re- newed damage. Fidrych got his first test May 19 at Cincinnati in an exhibition game. He pitch- ed seven innings against the Reds and gave up just one run and four hits. App PhotO DETROIT TIGFERS' star righthander Mark ::The Bird" Fld rych grimaces while following through against the Seatl Mariners last night In his first official start since inji knee.