Page Eight THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, August 5, 1975 CHUCK BLOOM'S COLUMN: Wrigley Flei Baseba bastion By CHUCK BLOOM Not so with Wrigley Field. It is unique, There is nothing worse, or better his beloved Cubs. Attired in Cubs' CHICAGO-If you weren't looking for It you wouldn't know it was there. It is situated on Clark and Addison Streets on the north side of Chicago-just a cooling breeze away from Lake Michigan-en- circled by Lake Shore Drive and its high-rise, high-priced condominiums that vault toward the blue Illinois sky like a child's probing fingers. It is Wrigley Field, known to all as the place every Hollywood created team plays the "big" game in the flicks. It is where Dan Dailey (alk.a. Dizzy Dean) made his big 'comeback; where Ray Milland helped lead the St. Louis Cardi- nals to victory in "It Happens Every Spring;" and where Joe E. Brown made Elmer Kane immortal through Damon Runyon's eyes in "Elmer the Great." Wrigley Field. Last sanctuary of the grand old game we know as baseball. Just your everyday ordinary neighbor- hood ballyard. National sportscasters all too often elude to the olden times as one would in a eulogy. They sing the virtues of new stadia, complete with artificial surfaces, and artificial atmosphere. Older arenas of combat such as Tiger Stadium, Fen- way Park, and the pre-renovated Yankee Stadium are referred to with fondness reserved for antique automobiles; nice to look at, but how can they run like the new ones? a classic that cannot be copied, like a fine wine from that very special vine- yard. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have stadiums. Wrigley Field is a ballpark. Its outside walls are covered with a thick ivy which makes it look more like an Eastern school than the left-center field power alleys. The outfield grass it- self is immaculate and greener than any- thing an artist can duplicate. It is the only ballpark in the major leagues without lights, hence, there is only day baseball in Wrigley Field. This makes for great crowds in the summer and some awfully painful sun- burns during Sunday doubleheaders. Fans of all shapes and sizes come to Wrigley Field to cheer for a colorless, non-descript team, the Cubs, who have no present and little future. And they come in droves. The die- hards pay a buck and two bits to sit in the bleacher sections where the fan is literally on top of the action. A leather throated critc sits so close to the play- ing surface that he can trade barbs with his favorite non-favorite. The Cubs' Jose Cardenas, a well-travel- led outfielder is a popular target. The self-proclaimed "King of the Hot Dogs" takes the ribbing with good humor. Cardenal will exchange banter with fans who seem to accept the Cubs' losses like April 15th. depending on your outlook, than a bleacher bum with a loud voice, And sharp tongue, watching a perennial loser. "Hey Jose, how many clubs you've been with? Six? Make it siete, Jose! "Hey, numero uno! Take a hike-o! "Hey Monday! These are the dog days, and you're a real dog. "Hey Crosby! We haven't seen you and you're already a bum. "Hey you guys in the bullpen! Why don't you get a job? "Hey ump! If you had one more eye you'd be a cyclops. "Hey ragarm! Keep on running all the way to Wichita. "You guys play like a bunch of stiffs. I've seen better hitters in a graveyard. "Hey, Cardenal, you remind me of my favorite sandwich, the hot dog, you both make me sick. "Hey Jose! We'll lay off of you. You're too easy to kid. Es facile." There is something wildly American about watching Biff Pocoroba and Champ Summers play baseball. Maybe because if they can do it, anybody can, which is the essence of the American Dream. America is as strong as its youth, it has been said, in which case, base- ball is doing very well. The interest is exemplified by a youngster who comes halfway across Illinois to see cap, Cub pants, Cub t-shirt and even a Cub bandage to cover up some stitches suffered in the cause of Cub- dom, this kid was living and dying on every pitch. He ranged in emotions from despair in seeing Bake McBride race around the bases as the Cub defense futilely tried to stop him, to uproarious glee, when Rick Monday blasted a three-run homer to tie the game. But alas, he was not to go home with that feeling of fullness as he sadly watched ageless Lou Brock double with the bases loaded to ice the win for the Cardinals and aging Bob Gibson. "Doesn't matter," said his father. "He'll come back. He always does." Experts keep saying that baseball is dying, yet' the sport thrives year after year, drawing more and more people. Perhaps it is due to the very nature of the game. Football and basketball capi- talize on the times we live in-fast and brutal. But the game Abner Doubleday created over 100 years ago, appeals to the American nature-slow and easy. New stadiums, o r a n g e baseballs, aliminum bats, designated hitters are all extraneous frills. Wrigley Field epi- tomizes the uncomplicated stream of things. That is -vhy a group of high schoolers ring out these wards during the national anthem ... "and the home of the Cubs" By CLEV drove in run and Frank I 1,800th r reer las Clevelan tory ove Spikes lead in ering hi the seas wall wit after a 1 Tribe spikes Tigers The Associated Press After getting men on base in Tate exposed But after Jose Morales fanned ELAND-Charlie Spikes each of the first five innings, for the first out, Jim Lyttle bat- four runs with a home the Brewers tied it in the sixth. NEW YORK - The Montreal ted for winner Don DeMola, a single and Manager Charlie Moore opened with a Expos, held hitless by rookie 4-5, and stroked a 2-2 pitch into Robinson drove in the triple and, after the next two Randy Tate for 7/3 innings, left field for a clean single, end- run of his baseball ca- batters had, struck out, Robin exploded for four runs in the ing Tate's no-hit bid. st night, carrying the Yount scored him with a single. eighth-three on Mike Jorgen- Pepe Mangual worked out a d Indians to a 6-4 vic- Milwaukee filled the bases in sen's homer-and beat the New walk, then Tate fanned Jim r the Detroit Tigers. the second inning on singles by York Mets 4-3 last night. Dywer for No. 13. But Gary gave the Indians a 2-0 Charley Moore and Gorman Tate, 4-10, had struck out 13 Carter followed with a single to the second inning, pow- Thomas and a walk to Kurt batters, t y i n g the National left that scored Lyttle and Jor- S seventh home run of Bevacqua. But Yankee left- on over the left field hander Rudy May, 11-6, ended League high for the season, and gensen crashed his 11th homer h Rico Carty on base the threat by getting Don Money took a 3-0 lead into the eighth of the season into the Mets' bull- eadoff walk. to fly out. inning. pen in left field. THE TIGERS took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning off Dennis Eckersley, 9-3. Art James drove in one run with a single and Ben Oglivie came through with a two-run single, driving in Gene Michael and James from first. After a one-out walk to Rick Manning and a hit by Oscar Gamble in the Indians' fifth, Robinson hit his run-scoring dou- ble over third base. Carty was intentionally walk- ed by Mickey Lolich, 10-11, and Spikes looped a single to left, scoring Gamble and Carty for a 5-3 lead. Cleveland added a run in the eighth on Frank Duffy's single, and the Tigers scored in the bottom of the ninth on Willie Horton's single. Foam yanked MILWAUKEE - Thurman Munson's eighth - inning single scored Fred Stanley from sec- ond base, giving the New York Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and handing Bill Travers his sixth consecu- tive loss. Stanley had walked on four pitches to .lead off the inning against Travers, 4-6. Two outs later Roy White moved Stanley to second with a single to set up Munson's game-winning hit. NEW YORK nicked Travers for a run in the third on a dou- ble by Sandy Alomar, a bunt single by Stanley and a sacri- fice fly by -Bobby Bonds. Ma jor League' Standings AMERICAN LEAGUE East W L Pet. Ga Bston 6 16 43 .606 - aiiimore 56 30 .5233.:5 New York 56 52 .519 91 Milwaukee 53 57 .482 31 Cleveland 48 58 .453 16> Detroit 46 63 .422 20 West Oakland 67 41 .620 - Kansas City 59 49 .5468 Chicago 52 56 .481115 Texas 515851.468 1 6 Minnesota 49 62 .441 191/> Calinornaa 45 62 .436 20 Last Night's Results Cleveland 6, Detroit 4 Balimare 12, Baston 8 Kansas City 6, Minnesota 5, 10 Inn. New York 2, Milwaukee 1 Chicato 4, California 2 Texas 12, Oakland 0 Today's Games Calitornia (F'igueroa 8-8 and floss- ier 3-10) at Chicago (Jefterson 2-6 and Hamilton 3-4), 2, 6:30 p.m. Oakland (Bosman 6-3 and Siebert 2-1) at Texas (Perry 10-15 and Wright 2-4), 2, 7 p.m. - Baltimore (Palmer 14-7) at Bos- ton (Tiant 13-10), 7:30 p.m. . Detroit (Lolich 10-10) at Cleve- land (Raich 5-6), 7:30)p.m. Minnesota (Goltz 8-9) at Kansas City (Fitzmorris 10-9), 8:30 p.m. New York (Hunter 14-10) at M1- waukee (Hausmann 3-3), 8:30 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East w L Pct. GB Pittsburgh 65 44 .596 - Philadelphia Si 48 .560 4 New York ' 56 51 .523 8 St. Louis 56 53 .514 9 Chicago 50 60 .455 15%4 Montreal 45 60 .42 91 west Cincinnati 71 38 .651 - Los Angeles 56 54 .509 15% San Francisco 55 54 .505 16 San Diego 51 51 .468 20 Atlanta 48 60 .444 22, Houston 39 73 .34i 331 Last Night's Results Montreal 4, New York 3 St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 4 Houston 5, San Diego 3 Chicago at Philadelphia, inc. Atlanta at Los Angeles, inc. Cincinnati at San Francisco, inc. Today's Games Montreal (Slair 6-12 and Carrith- era 0-0) at New York (Koosman 10- 8 and Hll 4-2), 2, 5:35 p. Chicago (Bonham 10-7) at Phila- delphia (Christenson 6-7), 7:35 p.m. Pittsburgh (Rooker 7-7) at St. Louis (Rasmussen 1-1), 5:15 p.m. Houston (Richard 7-7) at San Diego (Johnson 1-0), 10 p.. Atlanta (Niekro 11-8) at Los AR- geles (suttoa 14-9), 1:35 PM. Cilncnnati (Dtillinghamfl11-5) At 'saeancisco (Ilalickt 5-), 1105 p.m. Ar Pooo CLEVELAND INDIAN PITCHER Dennis Eckersley tags Gene Michael after a rundown, between third base and home plate in last night's game. Eckersley leads the American League in winning percentage, for starting pitchtrs with a 94 slate.