"ag iwiv -T .-V--'lIriA II-IL MI,AiI -AN kD AIL Thrsay May 22 19751M
Page T welve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday, May 22, 1975
BRIAN DEMING'S COLUMN
The Social Scene al
Editor's note - Sports Editor Brian Dem-
ing recently spent a pleasant Saturday af-
ternoon at the Indianapolis race track
watching the qualifying runs for the Indy
5s. The following is his report on the
goings-on at Indy.
INDIANAPOLIS - A football game in
Ann Arbor might attract as many as
100,000 spectators. If this is evidence of
the popularity of football then what of
the over 200,000 who witnessed the time
trials for the Indianapolis '500' last Sat-
urday?
Of course the Indianapolis '500' is the
premier auto racing event in America,
if not the world, so there is little wonder
that 300,000 pack the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway for the annual Memorial Day
Event.
What seems amazing, however, espe-
cially to someone who doesn't regularly
follow auto racing, is the attraction
there is just for the preliminaries to the
event. Over 200,000 witnessed a practice
session last Friday, at least as many
came for the battle for the pole posi-
tion Saturday, and many thousands
came Sunday and will come this week-
end not to see even a race but to merely
see the competition for positions to
start the race.
THERE IS much to attract fans to
these sessions and many prefer the
trials to the race itself. For two dollars,
cheaper than even standing room tickets
for the race, a fan has a seat just about
anywhere around the huge raceway.
The atmosphere is more like a county
fair or a picnic than a sports event.
Only rarely does the audience seem
fully attentive to the action on the track.
Drinking, catching a sun-tan, or, more
likely, sun burn, sleeping, and stacking
beer cans are the order of the day.
Many bring ample beer and chicken
and stay over ten hours. There is plenty
of room to spread out and relax in the
stands and in the infield.
The action on the track, for those who
are watching, is faster than the race
itself. Saturday's highlight was A. J.
Foyt's 193.976 m.p.h. for the ten mile
trial to wrap up the pole position ahead
of Gordon Johncock. The average speed
during the race has never been more
than 165.
PERHAPS THE TENOR of the '500'
time trials is only one of many charac-
teristics of auto racing that seem to set
it apart from other sports.
One of the ironies of the spectator pop-
ularity of racing is the fact that in al-
most no sport is the spectator so far re-
moved. Physically, various barriers and
fences keep fans far away from the
track although pit passes allow a few at
least get into the pit area. Cheering, the
fan's universal perogative, is noticeably
subdued under the roar of the engines.
Even if drivers could hear the crowd,
the fact that the sport depends so heav-
ily on the performance of an imperson-
al machine makes cheering ludicrous.
Obviously the auto itself is what dis-
tinguishes this sport from typical sports.
And the auto has given this sports char-
acteristics subdued or nonexistent in
other sports.
THE USE of cars has encouraged co-
operation between car racers and indus-
try has produced an abundance of tech-
nicological advances and commercializ-
ation.
VIndy
Improvements such as high compres-
sion engines, superchargers, overhead
camshafts, hydraulic shock absorbers,
carburetors, fuel injection systems, hy-
draulic brakes and tires were all tested
and developed at 'Indy', No sport has
done so much to develop improvements
anplicable to society.
It is also true that no sport has em-
braced commercialism so ardently.
Cars are adorned with names of spon-
sors and tires. After each trial Saturday
drivers were interviewed and most man-
aged to plug some product while on the
air. One can understand Valvoline motor
oil or Monroe shock absorbers but when
Johnny Rutherford sang the praises of
Gatorade it seemed a bit absurd.
Auto racing is a world ways away from
just about every other sport. For some
the Indianapolis '500' is the only auto
racing event that deserves attention.
But, as evidenced by the support given
to the time trials and the race, the sport
has to be considered, at least during the
month of May, one of the most popular
in America.
B
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Hiller blows it;TTigers lose
By AP and UPI It was his seventh homer of the baseman Craig Kusick missed second to put Detroit ahead
BLOOMINGTON-Larry Hisle season, and gave Ray Corbin a pickoff throw. 4-0.
ted a two-run homer off re- the victory after 10/ innings Willie Horton gave the Tigers But Detroit starter Vern Ruhle Majr League
ace John Hiller with none of relief, a 3-0 lead in the first inning on couldn't hold the lead. 0
in the 11th inning last night Gary Sutherland's 11th in- his league-leading 10th homer The Twins countered in theira. s
give the Minnesota Twins a ning single drove in Ron Le- of the season, a blast into the half of the second on Eric Soder- ,"
triumph over the Detroit Flore from second base to short left field porch. holm's two - run homer, and
ers. give the Tigers a S-4 lead go- made it 4-3 in the third when AMsErinCAN LEAGUE
ing into the bottom of the Sutherland singled and Dan Tom Lundstedt, who was on East
isle, the American League inMeyer walked before Horton's base on an error, scored from
I leader with 28, delivered WLPshot. third on a double playw .Pct.
game-winning blow after LeFlore singled with one out Gene Michael hit his first Steve Braun's fifth inning Boston k 15 .545
ve Brye led off with a walk. and moved to second when first homer of the season in the homer knotted the score at 4-4. Detroit 16 17 .485
3:
Baltimore 16 19 .457 4'.
New York 16 21 .17 6
Cleveland 14 20 .412 6
Oakland 21 16 .568 -
Texas 21 16 .568 -
Kansas City 21 19 .525 1'
California 20 19 .513 2
Minnesota 17 17 .50017
Ciiage 12 21 .412 5'.
Yesterday's Results
Boston 7, Oakland 3
Cleveland 3, California 2
Kansas City 4, New York 1
Texas 5, Milwaukee 4
Baltimore 6, Chicago 2
Minnesota 6, Detroit 5
Today's Gaines
Texas (Hands 4-2) at Milwauk ee
(Colborn 0-1)
California (Singer 3-5) at os-
ton (Wise 4-3)
' Baltimore (Cuellar 2-3) at Chi-
cago (Kant 6-1)
Only games scheduled
NATriONAL 1LEAGU1E
East
Chicago
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
New York
Montreal
St. Louis
Los Angeles
San Diego
Cincinnati
San Francisco
Atlanta
Houston
W . IPc. G
22 13 .629 -
20 17 .541 3
17 16 .715 4
16 16 .500 4'j
13 19 .406 7
14 21 .400 8
West
25 15 .625 --
20 19 .51. 43 )
21 20 .512 4'
19 19 .500 5
20 21 .400 51'
16 27 .372 10I'i
Yesterday's Results
San Francisco 2, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 6, Montreal 3
Cincinnati 11, New York 4
Houston 4, Philadelphia 0
San Diego 1, St. Louis 0
Chicago at Los Angeles, inc.
Today's Games
Pittsburgh (Rooker 2-2) at SaO
Diego (Frelolebea 3-3)
Chicago (aurrio 5-2) at Los A'
geles (Hooton 1-4)
Only games scheduled
AP Photo
CALIFORNIA ANGEL outfielder, Lee Stanton appears to be (andi is) intimidated by a high hard one tossed his way by Cleveland
Indian hurler Jim Kern. Kern picked up his first major league victory and manager Frank Robinson hit two home runs as the
Indians beat the Angels 3-2.