The Michigan Daily-Friday, August 11 1
'You're blind
and so are
your tonsils!
Rocky Colavito was taking no
chances. Having already questioned
Steve Palermo's eyesight, he made
sure to voice his opinions from a tight
range thinking the umpire might also
have impaired hearing. The result: the
Cleveland coach was disqualified from
the game. The Indians rallied around
their coach to blow a 5-4lead and drop a
13 inning, 6-5 decision to the Boston Red
Sox. Game story is on page 16.
Oliver
ARLINGTON, Tex.-Al Oliver is
teaching American League pitchers a
simple fact of life that National League
hurlers have known for years-he's a,
tough out.
"If a guy can hit, he can hit, no mat-
ter what league he's in," Oliver said.
And there's no doubt Oliver can hit.
He had a .296 batting average in nine
seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and
his .322 mark so far this season with the
Texas Rangers is second in the league
behind Minnesota's Rod Carew, the AL
batting champion five of the last six 1
seasons.
"We're both contact hitters and
whoever wins the title depends on how 1
many hits fall in," Oliver said. "In 1
other words, whoever gets lucky."
"The guys who have trouble when
they switch leagues are usually guys
with weaknesses," Oliver said. "And I
don't feel I have any weaknesses as a
batter."l
Oliver is enjoying his third con-
secutive .300 year and the chance of a
winning his first batting title.
BASEBALL IN THE NEWS
'tough out'
"A lot depends on staying healthy," day.
said Oliver, who was leading the NL Brett was in
with a .360 average in 1976 when he was against Seattle
sidelined with an ear infection. This Royals have lI
year, he says, "I just got over a pulled he was injured
rib cage muscle and I'm about 90 per- Brett's 15 d
cent healthy." ended yesterd
But Oliver also knows batting titles would not be
are useless unless you're a winner, ready to play.
"Right now the batting title is secon-
dary as far as I'm concerned. We still
have a shot at a division title and if the,,,0 * so s
occasion should arise where I have to
give myself up for the good of team, I'll BLOOMING
do it.
"My approach is 'Baseball is
baseball.' You have to throw and hit the
ball to be a winner."
* * *
Brett's back ... Deinq
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Kansas City By T
Royals third baseman George Brett is
expected to be back in action within INDIANAP
three to five days following the removal a the end of
of a cast from his right thumb yester- Manuel Orani
in AL, too
jured July 26 in a game
e and the division-leading
ost six of 13 games since
-.
ays on the disabled list
day, but the club said he
activated until he was
* * *
Mauch
GTON, Minn.-Minnesota
Twins Manager Gene Mauch will be
released from St. Mary's Hospital
today and will return to his playing field
duties for a doubleheader this evening
against the Oakland A's, a team
spokesman said yesterday.
The spokesman said that Mauch, 52,
had been suffering from staph Infection
of the right foot. He was hospitalized
earlier this week and had missed the
Twins' last two games.
Coach Jerry Zimmerman handled the
team during Mauch's absence.
ry, wrong number
iient digit causes distractions
he Associated Press
OLIS-Ron Ingram was
his rope when tennis star
tes called to ask the time
us %aISUW ,+ uhsr1ua . s ~Opeu n-i
Vruggink named new,
SID at Northwestern
By BOB MILLER
A new season of Big Ten athletic competition will begin in just a few
short weeks. When it does, people will see alot of new faces at Northwestern.
Football coach Rick Venturi will be starting his first campaign as Wild-
cat head coach and basketball mentor Rich Falk is also a rookie at his
position.
BUT SOMETHING else will be new at NU. Starting Monday, Jim
Vruggink, the assistant sports information director at Michigan will be the
new sports information director at the Evanston institution.
Vruggink will replace Susie Prichard who resigned shortly before the
Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago in late July. Previously, Vruggink was
a part-time SID assistant at Central Michigan, his alma mater. After
graduating in 1970, he also worked at the Mt. Pleasant Daily News and the
Ypsilanti Press before coming to Michigan in 1974.
VRUGGINK LANDED the job after talking with Northwestern athletic
director John Pont. "Pont indicated that there would be a serious commit-
ment on his part toward the sports information department. Northwestern is
serious about staying in the Big Ten and is anxious to prove it. Pont wanted
someone who was already familiar with the Big Ten," said Vruggink.
"It's obvious we didn't select him because his name is easy to spell or
pronounce," kiddedPont.
ONE OF THE FIRST things the new Wildcat SID will do is create a Nor-
thestern'Sporits Linsirni dr ttth nef that is currently ini is'ehere:
of nis match at the U..open Lay
Courts championships.
"He said, 'time please,' I looked at
my watch and said 9:15. The voice said,
'morning of evening?' and I said
'evening,' and hung up."
That brief exchange between Ingram
and Orantes resulted in Ingram being
called a yoyo and a prankster by tour-
nament officials, a flood of telephone
calls from strangers accusing him of
trying to sabotage the tennis matches
and a lack of sleep for his wife and son.
Orantes, the defending Clay Courts
champion, was 45 minutes late for his
scheduled match at the Indianapolis
Racquet Club on Tuesday morning.
Orantes said it was because he was told
he would play at night.
Tournament director Stan Malless
later said the mixup was caused by a
typographical error in the players' in-
formation packet. The phone number
had one incorrect digit.
And, instead of getting tournament
information, the callers got Ingram's
home.
The situation worsened for the 31-
year-old radio station sales represen-
tative when his number was published
in a loe'al news'perfticle'about-tie
folu -- - - - - - - /"" /""
"I am new to the area and know
nothing about tennis or the event,"
Ingram said. "I don't appreciate being
labeled as ayoyo or a prankster."
Janie Malless, wife of the tournament
director and the event's publicity direc-
tor, had said it was "some yoyo out
there having a ball," who caused the
problem for Orantes.
Ingram said he had been getting calls
since Sunday, when most of the players
checked into town. At first, he tried to
convince the callers to check with tour-
nament officials, but since many of the
players speak little English, it was
doubtful they understood.
Clay Courts officials sais there were
other players who were given wrong
times, but Orantes was the only player
who showed up late.
Ingram saidhe probably will have his
phone number changed.
If
Anything about
the Union
starts at
UINMIES.
to6pm
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