Page Twelve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, July 1, 1977
Page Twelve THE MICHIGAN DAILY Friday, July 1, 1977
...
Rain stalls streaking Tigers
By DON MacLACHLAN
special Tn The Daily
DETROIT - The opposing
players in their respective dug-
outs carried quite different
views about the steady rain
which fell before last night's
scheduled Boston-Detroit clash.
The Red Sox couldn't wait to
get back home to the friendly
confines of Fenway Park. But,
in contrast, the Tigers weren't
so sure they wanted to leave.
The rain didn't stop, and
both teams quickly headed for
charter flights out of town
after the game was postponed.
The Bosox left Bengalville
with a six game losing streak,
three at the hands of Detroit..
Tonight, the division leaders
open up a homestand of their
own, battling the third place
Baltimore Orioles.
"We're going to get it back
together," said Boston slugger
Jim Rice. "We gotta get more
runs, and we are capable of
doing it."
In tiny Fenway Park, the
Bosox have won23 times
against only 13 defeats. In
those 36 games, the Beantown
boys have belted 68 home
runs,
"We'll get our share of home
runs," said Boston manager
Don Zimmer. "But we've got to
win ball gamesand we don't
really care how.
"You gotta pitch to win, and
we just haven't been getting
good pitching lately," Zimmer,
added.
The Boston staff has a 4.20
ERA and has hurled only 18
complete games in 72 outings.
On the other hand, the Tig-
ers weren't so anxious to em-
bark on an eight-game road
trip which opens tonight , in
New York.
The Bengals are riding the
crest of a four game winning
streak and finished the recent
homestand with a 7-3 record.
"I sure hope we can keep it
going," said Tiger mentor
Ralph Houk. "We need enough
bitting to suufport our pitch-
ing." JasonThompson and Ron
LeFlore have been hitting real
good.
"Really, it hasn't been any
one man, though," Houk added.
"Tom Veryzer has played out-
standing at short, making some
defensive plays that really help-
ed our pitching. And Tito Fu-
entes along with Steve Kemp
have been popping the ball."
LeFlore has rapped safeties
in each of his last seven
g a m e s while the torrid
Thompson possesses a six
game streak, hitting .550 dur-
ing that stretch.
Thompson has moved amongst
the league leaders in homers
and RBI's with 15 and 51, re-
spectively. Meanwhile, the big
first sacker has also upped his
average to .276.
Centerfielder LeFlore has
been shakyy in the field -
dropping a ball one night and
making a fine running snare
the next - but has hit up to his
potential lately.
"I'm staying back and not
lunging at the ball any-
more," said LeFlore, who has
raised his average 42 points in
the last month.
"I know anyone is apt to
make mistakes in the field, so
I don't let it bother me," add-
Leflore, "Now I go up to the
plate and concentrate strictly
on hitting."
With a four game streak un-
der their belts, the Bengals
musut be ready to battle the
Yankees and then the Orioles
in back to back four game ser-
ies.
"This road trip will be
tough, and we will see a lot-of
good lefthanded pitching,"
Kemp said. "We'll be facing
the better teams in our divi-
sion and that makes these
crucial games."
Amazingly, Detroit is 8-4
against the top three Eastern
Division teams and only 12-13
versus the remaining trio.
"You have to get them all in
the win column no matter who
you play," Houk said.
"I don't see any sense in our
team being in sixth place," Le-
Flore said. "We know we have
a lot of talent and the guys are
giving 100 per cent.
"Our pitching staff man-
handled Boston," added Le.
Flore, the owner of 18 base
thefts. "The mistakes are be-
ginning to iron out and I think
we are on our way."
By The Associated Press
Bad luck of the Irish
SOUTH BEND, Ind.-The loss of halfback Al Hunter, suspended
for violating dormitory visitation rules, is "obviously going to
hurt," Notre Dame Football Coach Dan Devine said Thursday.
"When you lose a 1,000-yard gainer, it's always hard to find a
replacement."
THE IRISH, 9-3 last year with a victory over Penn State in the
Gator Bowl, lost only two starters through graduation and were
considered contenders for a national championship this fall,
Devine had molded his backfield around Hunter, a 5-foot-11,
195-pound senior from Greenville, N.C., the first Irish runner ever
to gain 1,000 yards in a, single season. He had 1,160 yards and 13
touchdowns a year ago.
But the suspension came Wednesday following a long ordeal
in which Hunter and five other players were charged with violat-
ing rules regarding visitation by women in the men's dorm. It
apparently involved a series of visits over a period of time.
Jazz pick up truck
NEW ORLEANS Free agent Leonard "Truck" Robinson, who
played out his option with the Atlanta Hawks, has been signed by
the New Orleans Jazz, the National Basketball Association citb
announced Thursday.
The team did not disch-se any details of Robinson' sctract
However, the New York Post reported in its Thursday afternoon
editions that Robinson received a forr-year, $1.6-million contract
IN ADDITION, the Jaz will have to compensate the Mltkh
and if the two teams can not agree ron something, NBA ('mmir
sioner Larry O'Brien will mike the determination.
Robinson is the first free agent in the NBA to switch teams
this summer and only the second since the NBA and Americen
Basketball Association merged last season. Coincidentalty, he .an
also signed the other, Gail Goodrich, formerly of the Los Angeles
Lakers, and it cost them two No. 1 draft picks in compensation
Kenyan eclipses distance mark
HELSINKI-Samson Kimbombwa, a virtually unknown 21-year-
old long-distance runner from Kenya, set a new world record
in the 10,000 meters at the Internatkooal Track and Field Games
in Helsinski's Olympic StadiumT hursday night.
KIMOMBWA WAS timed in 27:30.47 which j st beat Briton
Dave Bedford's record of 27:30.8, set in London in r73. Kitnornbwa,
a student at Washington State University, was named the best
athlete of the competition.
Mnjor" League Stauding
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East
w L GtB
Boston 41 31 -
New York 42 33 Y
Baltimore 39 36 3
Cleveland 36035 41,
Milwaukee 36 38 6
Detroit 34 38 7
Toronto 29 44 13i
West
W L Pet. GB
Minnesota 42 32 .568 -r
Chicago 40 32 .556 1
Kansas City 38 35 .521 3'.
California 36 35 .507 4%a
Texas 35 37 .486 6
Oakland 32 41 .438 9'
seattle 34 45 .430 10%'
Yesterdays Games
Boston at Detroit, postponed, rain
Cleveland 4, Baltimore 2, 5 inn., rain
New York 11, Toronto 5
Late games not included,
Today's Games
Balatimore (Palmer 8-8) at Bos-
ton (Cleveland 6-3), 7:30 p.m.
Texas (Alexander 6-5) at Toron-
to (Byrd 0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Kansas City (splittorff 6-5) at
Cleveland (Waits 5-0), 7:30 p.m.
Detroit (Hiller 4-8) at New York
(Torrez 8-6), 8 p.m.
Minnesota (Butler 0-1) at Chi-
cago (Knapp 6-4), 8:30 p.m.
Oakland (Mitchell 0-2) at Cali-
fornia (Ross 2-5), no:s0 p.m.
iwaukee (Haas 4-5) at Seattle
(Wheelock 4-4) 10:35 p.m.
Chicag
Philad
St. Lo
Pittsbi
New Y
Montrf
NATtONAL LEAGUE
East
w I.GB
a , 47 23 -
elphia 40 32 8
uis 40 33 g.
urgh 39 4
lork 31 4' itt
eal 30 42 18
Los Angeles
Cincinnati
San Francisco
Houston
san Diego
Atlanta
West
60 26 -
40 :3 '
34 43 161,
33 43 17
32 4619
28 47 2
Yesterday's Games
Cincinnati it, San Francisco 5
New York 4, Montreal 3
Los Angeles 4, Atlanta 5
Pittsburgh 1, Philadelphia 8
Late tames not included
Today's Games
New York (Matlack 3-8 and T dd
2-2) at Montreal (Bahnsen 1-a and
Stanhouse 4-7), 2, 6:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Candeleria 8-3)
Philadelphia (Kaat 3-5), 6:05 P"
Chicago (Bonham 8-6) at it
Louis (Forsch 9-4), 8:35 pm.
Atlanta (Collins 1-6) at Hoost
(Richard 6-6), 8:35 p.m.
Cincinnati (Norman 8-3) at S
Diega (Shirley 6-8), 10 p-m.
Los Angeles (Ran 3 t-)at: o
Francisco (Williamsn 3-1), 10:35 P"0
.Win*ner at Wimbledon
Jimmy Connors leaps to return a shot off thle racquet of his 18-year old semifinal opponent John
McEnroe. Connors beat the young amateur 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the finals against the
defending champion Bjorn Borg. Borg reached Saturday's title match by outlasting Vitas Geru-
laitis 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6. See related story on page 11.