4 Page Sixteen THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, June 25, 1975 BENGALS MUST WAKE UP 'Old' gTiers By CHUCK BLOOM ample opportur There are many times when the corner of Michigan of this ballclt Avenue and Trumbell in Detroit hides its real age. example. Two Tiger Stadium is an old edifice which blends in well Yankees from with the surroonding old, dying neighborhoods. plan to change Last year baseball exoerts and writers said the from past histc Detroit Tigers were an old balllhub. This season they Pail traded field a group of young lions. But as the wise old good playersi philosopher said many times "You are only as old you who is tied for think," the Tigers remain an old team. first sacker C This old age cannot be meas-red on the playing field, ishly gave up but in the front office, exezuti'e suites and scouting too soon. rooms of the Detroit oroanisation located in the sta- Paul and the dium. The old world thinking of the manager, general nlayers doth n manager, chief scout. and, ultimately, the owner, snread a little dictate the Tigers position today; holding up the rest fine bodies; bo of the league. Former Wolv for the waiver THE PEOPLE in control have stayed with the mold cer's job. Th of, past Detroit ballclibs, strong outfield, good up the mh-traveled middle, one or two outstanding pitchers, and adequate always dangero talent to get by elsewhere. Such thinking has allowed the rest of the American League to pass them by to EDDIE BRIP the point where a group of banjo hitters like California Anple wearing can humiliate the most impotent pitching staff in the former Oriole league to the tune of 14 runs in one game. rookie year at3 The demise of Detroit has been an exercise in Pat Dobson futility known as the Tigers pitching staff, which basks deal from Atlt in the rays of a 4.51 staff earned run average. Detroit more. Another has only four bona-fide major league hurlers on the sold to the Bro roster, an aged Mickey Lolich who relies more on California de reputation than heat to get opposing hitters out, Vern May in straigh Ruhle, the most promising rookie pitcher the Tiger off a particula farm system has produced since Lolich, John Hiller, I have rooted who just can't do it all, and Bob Reynolds, a proven When a play big leaguer who will help this team in the future. claim him for Otherwise you won't find any Cy Young winners in the standing among the names. Too often the Tiger staff has been time, Detroit w sprinkled with such stalwarts as Mike Strahler, Dave to pitching. C Boswell, Bill Gilbreth, and a Daryl Patterson or two. struggling, LaG was no fourth s THE FUNNY THING is that Detroit has had an MAY WAS F need iity to change the complexion and finish ub. Take the New York Yankees for years ago, Gabe Paul came to the Cleveland and instituted a progressive e the perennial American League kings ory to present contenders. with his old employers for several including third baseman Craig Nettles, r the AL RBI lead as of yesterday and lhris Chambliss, after the Indians fool- on the former Rookie of The Year much e New Yorkers realized that two ball- ot a pennant champion make, so they green around and came up with some th good voungsters and proven veterans. 'erine Elliott Maddox was sold by Texas price and blossomed into Bobby Mur- e Rangers also gave New York the Detroiter Alex Johnson along with his ous bat. NKMAN recently showed up in the Big those traditional pinstrins as well as Rich Coegins, who hit .300 plus in his Baltimore. was given to New York on a waiver anta after a 20-game season for Balti- promising young arm, Larry Gura was onxmen from the Cubs. livered Sandy Alomar and pitcher Rudy it cash deals. The latter name touches r complaint that I hold against a team for all my life. er is placed on waivers, any club can a sum of $20,000 and those teams lower gs have first rights. Last year at this as in similar circumstances with respect Coleman was floundering, Lolich was Trow was ready to bottom out and there tarter. PLACED on waivers by the Angels and new life grabbed up by New York even though the Tigers could have had him because of their dismal showing in the AL East race. May was a good -pitcher for a lousy team and even managed some fine seasons in 1971 and 1972 with E.R.A.s of 303 and 2.94 respectively. After a bad year in 1973, he was seldom used by California and was finally sold to the Yanks. The question is why did the Tigers, in dire need of pitching then, turn their backs on a proven major league starter? While all those around at least try to change, why do the Tigers remain stagnant? MONEY CANNOT be the answer, for the Tiger organ- ization prides itself on being a sound fiscal club with good attendance. New York came up with seven proven players that are now instrumental in the pennant chase without spending a quarter of the amount paid to Catfish Hunter. Yet the Detroit braintrust refuses to do any- thing but sit and watch a team that has Pbst 17 out of its last 21 games-half of which were over before they even started. Two years ago, the Yankees had comparable talent to that of Detroit but did more to better themselves. It is to their credit and to Gabe Paul's that they are close to the top in the AL East. AND NOW IT seems that even those die-hard fans may have had enough. Last Sunday, on the biggest give-away day of the season, Bat Day, only 31,000 showed up on a clear, warm day. In the past, tickets would have been hard to come by at 9 a.m. Attendance is down by 100,000, the biggest decrease in the Ameri- can League. I wonder if this is the handwriting on the wall? Must it take a financial setback at the turnstile for the Tiger management to wake up and see? But never end a column with a question. Chuck Bloom is a former Daily Associate Sports Editor. -C Bengals bombed Yanks gain AL By The Associated Press place in the American League's hurled a fit MILWAUKEE - Don Money, East Division, one-half game career vict playing his first game since and f i v e percentage points man hit a t hernia surgery May 28, slam- ahead of the Red Sox. New York used two hits and scored- twice The rival managers were seven-game to lead the Milwaukee Brewers w a r n e d by umpire Nick 35-inning s to a 5-0 victory over the Detroit Bremigan about close pitches defeating th Tigers in the first game of a after Hunter nicked Balti- 5-1 last nig doubleheader last night. more's Bobby Grich in the The Mets Bill Sharp drove in two runs sixth inning and both benches Curtis, 4-6, to back the three-hit pitching of emptied briefly in the eighth inning ont Jim Slaton, 6-8, who has allowed when New Y o r k catcher single, a at just two runs in his last 26 Thurman M u n s o n charged base error innings, pitcher Mike Torrez. Brock ew A single by Robin Yount, a Rookie Terry Whitfield, who Alou's line walk to Money, an RBI-single has hit safely in all seven games by Sharp and an error by left in which he has batted since Joe Tor fielder Dan Meyer staked the being recalled from the minors, the fourth Brewers to a 2-0 lead in the drove in two New York runs lowed with third inning. with a single and a sacrifice of the sea Yount doubled home another fly. New York Brewer run in the fourth, and Greg Terle Money doubled and scored on Cards Carded n Del U Sharp's single in the fifth. Mike NEW YORK-Jerry Koosman man's sacr Npn~ ilp ndD Tnrll D East ve-hitter for his 100th ory and Dave King- wo-run homer as the Mets snapped a losing streak and a coreless drought by he St. Louis Cardinals ht. :nicked loser John for a run in the first Gene Clines' leadoff tolen base and a two- by left fielder Lou h o dropped Jesus drive. re singled to open and Kingman fol- his 10th home run son. k added two more off ecky in the seventh nser's single, Koos- ifice, singles by lead Clines and Felix Millan and Alou's grounder. Phillies win PHILADELPHIA - Ollie Brown slammed a tie-breaking double in the seventh and scor- ed on a sacrifice bunt to lead the Philadelphia Phillies past the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 last night in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader. The Phillies trailed 2-1 when Mike Schmidt opened the sev- enth against Pirates' starter Jerry Reuss, 8-5, with a dou- ble to left field. Schmidt reach- ed third and Greg Luzinski was safe at first on a fielder's choice. again, 5-0 MajorLeague Standings AMERICAN I EAGUE East New Yurk 39 t29 .574- Boston 3732tO.M6 Milwaukee 36 32 .5153 Baltimore 30 36 .454 8 Clevetaant t7 39 .409 11 Detroit 52639.400 I1Wes we st Oakland 43 26 .623 - Kansas City 38 31 .551 5 Texas 34 35 .492 Catiornia 34 37 .479i10 Minnesota 31 34 .477 t Chicago 29 38 .432 iC Last night's games Mitwatukee 5, 4, tDetroit 0, 2 New York 3, Battimore I Cleveland 0, Boston 6 Chicago 7, Texas 5 Today's Games Cleveland (Barrison 0-2) at nos- ton (Pole 1-3), 3:30 p.m. New York (May 7-3) at Balti- more (Palmer 12-3), 7:30 p.m. Detroit (Ruhle 6-3) at Milwaukee (Broberg 7-7), 8:30 p.m. TeKas (Wright 0-3) at Chicago (Kaat 10-4), 9 p.m. Kansas City (Busby 10-5 or Leonard 3-3) at California (Tanana 5-4), 10:30 p.m. Minnesota (Corbin 4-3) at Oak- land (tHottzman 6-7 or BOnsrO 5-6), 11 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East W L Pet. G Pittsburgh 39 20 .000 - Philadelphia 30 31 .550 3 chicago 35 33 .515 5% New York 33 32 .507 6 S0. Louis 32 34 .484 71, Montreal 12835 .44 4101 west Cincinnati 44 27 .618 - Los Anteles 42 31 .575 3 San Feancisco 33 37 .471 10% San Diego 33 37 .471 10% Atlanta 29 41 .414 14% Houston t6 48 .350 19x Last night's games Chicago13, Montreal 6 Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 3 Cineinnati 3, Atlanta 0 New York 5, St Louis 1 Los Angeles 8, Houston 3 San Diego 2, San Francisco 1, Today's Games Cincinnati (T. Carroll 1-0) at At- lanta (Morton 7-7), 7:35 p.m. Pittsburgh (Ctandelaria 1-1) at Philadelphia (Lonborg 6-5), 7:35 p.m Chicago (teuschet 5-6) at Mon- treal (Baire4-I), 8205 p.m. St. Louis (Forsch 7-5) at New York (Seaver 10-4), 8:01 p.m. regan s szngie ana warren Por- ter's double in the eighth ac- counted for the final Milwaukee run. Ray Bare, 2-4, took the loss. George Scott's tie - breaking two-run single capped a three- run seventh inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-2 vic- tory over the Tigers in the sec- ond game of the twi-night dou- bleheader. Baltimore beaned BALTIMORE-Catfish Hunter allowed two Baltimore hits to open the game, including a lead- off homer by Ken Singleton, and then held the Orioles hitless un- til the ninth in pitching the New York Yankees to a four-hit 3-1 beanball victory over the Orioles last night. The victory, coupled with Boston's loss to Cleveland, lifted 6 the streaking Yankees into first Alis retirement Cns ring pln pressure to figtFrazier By The Associated Press fight Joe Frazier again. about quitting the ring and KUALA LUMPUR, MALAY- "That's the only thing that's meets Frazier, it probably won't SIA-Muhammad Ali said yes- giving me any trouble," Ali be in October as had been ex- terday a night's sleep hadn't said. "I've already gotten tele- pected. The champion said he changed his mind about retiring, grams from people saying I will begin filming a story about But he didn't seem as. positive have to fight Joe Frazier as his life, entitled "The Greatest," about it as he had Monday. each man has won one fight Oct. 10. At a news conference Monday against the other." romoter Don Ring, express- Ali had said, "I'm 99 per cent When asked if a Frazier fight ing shock at Muhammad AK, 's sure I'll retire." was the only thing that could announced decision to retire He said again at a news con- keep him from retiring, Ali said, from boxing, said he would ar- ference yesterday that he in- "I can't fight Frazier withoutr tended to make his July 1 title fighting George Foreman." He range a tournament to find a defense against Joe Bugner his regained the title by knocking new heavyweight champion if last fight. But he added that out Foreman last Oct. 30. Ali remains firm in his plan to there is pressure on him to If he does change his mind quit.