' Page Twelve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, June 16, 1976
Foreman drops Smokin' Joe
Frazier falls to canvas
twice; bout stops in fifth
By The Associated Press
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - George
Foreman blasted Joe Frazier to
the canvas twice in the fifth
round and stopped him to win
their scheduled 12-round re-
match last night.
The end came at 2:26 of the
fifth round with Frazier on his
feet, dazed and bleeding.
After Frazier got up from
the second knockdown, Eddie
Futch, his advisor and trainer,
jumped onto the ring apron
and motioned to referee Har-
old Valan that he wanted the
fight stopped.
Valan then signaled it was
over and Foreman had his sec-
ond victory over Smokin' Joe.
For much of the first four
rounds, Smokin' Joe, his head
and beard shaved, was Boxin'
Joe as he jabbed and moved in
an apparent effort to make
Foreman tire himself out.
But in the fifth round, Fore-
man's vaunted power pounded
Frazier down twice and almost
assuredly into retirement.
The first knockdown came
as Foreman had Frazier pin-
ned against the ropes. A left
hook knocked Frazier's mouth-
piece out and a flurry of
punches followed, sending him
to the floor.
He got up at the count of four
and took the mandatory eight
count with blood streaming
down the right side of his face.
Foreman then moved in for
the kill and a thunderous left
and right dropped Frazier on
his back in a neutral corner. It
appeared he might not get up-
but just as he did in Jamaica,
when he was floored six times,
Frazier pulled himself upright.
But Futch had already de-
cided his warrior had had
enough and stopped it just as
he did after Frazier had gone
14 rounds aaginst Muhammad
Ali in Manila.
The victory shot Foreman
back to the forefront for a
shot at the title he won when
he stopped Frazier in two
rounds in Jamaica Jan. 22,
1973, and lost Oct. 30, 1974,
on an eight-round knockout by
Ali.
George will have to wait,
however, until at least late in
the year since Ali is scheduled
to defend aaginst Ken Norton in
Nesv York Sept. 28.
Frazier came out dancing in-
stead of smoking, following a
fight plan which was to make
Foreman wear himself out. Big
George's stamina has been in
question since he was stopped
by Ali and floored twice by Ron
Lyle in a fight he won on a
fifth-round knockout.
Frazier, at 2242 the heaviest
of his career, probably did more
backing and jabbing than he
had in almost all of his previous
fights.
At the end of the first round,
Frazier was daring Foreman
to hit him and laughed at
Foreman at the bell as the
crowd of more than 10,000 in
the Nassau Coliseum roared
its approval.
Frazier scored with a good
left hook and a good straight
left in the second round, one in
which he appeared to have an
edge.
But early in the third round
came an omen of what was in
store for him when Foreman,
also at 2241/, staggered Joe with
a right-left to the head, then
shot home a powerful right up-
percut.
JOE FRAZIER, BLEEDING from cuts on his eye and lip, slumps in a neutral corner after being
knocked down by George Foreman in the fifth round of their bout last night.
RUDI, FINGERS, BLUE SOLD
Finley deals stars for cash
By The Associated Press
OAKLAND-The Oakland A's
sold the contracts of Joe Rudi
and Rollie Fingers to the Boston
Red Sox for $1 million each yes-
terday, Carl Finley, the club's
public relations director an-
nounced.
A's owner Charles Finley, in
Chicago, said: "And the sight's
not over."
It wasn't. Moments later,
the irascible owner of the
team sold pitcher Vida Blue
to the New York Yankees for
a reported $1.5 million.
"I'm sorry to see Rollie and
Joe go," Finley said. "They are
two fine athletes and two fine
gentlemen. I'm very disappoint-
ed over having to do what I
did."
There were seven unsigned
A's going into the evening.
"It was a difficult decision,
but I made every effort to
sign them," F i n l e y said.
"When it got down to the last
day, I had no alternative."
Talking from his office in
Chicago, Finley sounded very
weary. He said "I've been work-
ing very hard on this."
Other unsigned A's are Don
Baylor from Baltimore in the
deal that sent Reggie Jackson
to the Orioles, Gene Tenace, Sal
Bando and Bert Campaneris.
Fingers made $89,000 last
year. All unsigned A's took 20
per cent salary cuts for not
signing. Rudi got $84,000. Blue
made $80,000, but reportedly
signed a three-year deal be-
fore being dealt to the Yanks.
Fingers beat Finley at arbi-
tration two years in a row, in
1974 and 1975. Rudi and Blue
signed last year without going
to arbitration.
Bando was making $100,000
last year after losing in arbi-
tration, but was cut 20 per cent
this year. Campaneris got about
$95,000 and didn't go to arbitra-
tion. Tenace got a reported $51,-
000. Baylor was reportedly earn-
ing in the neighborhood of
$55,000.
Royals absolutely, positively,
totally crush Tigers, 21-7'
Game in Astrodome
postponed by rain
HOUSTON - What Astrodome
officials say is the first post-
ponement ever of an indoor
major league baseball game oc-
curredulast nightbwhen the
scheduled game between the
Houston Astros and the Pitts-
burgh Pirates was postponed
because of high water.
While the Astrodome itself
was dry and the players were
in uniform, high water around
the structure from heavy rains
prevented fans from arriving.
An Astrodome official said
about 15 or 20 persons were in
the stadium "mostly employes
who couldn't get home," when
the decision was made to post-
pone the contest. Players from
both teams were stranded at
the Dome and tables were set
on the field to feed them.
The game umpires and most
of the Astrodome staff were un-
able to reach the park because
of flooding conditions.
The primary reason for the
postponement was for the safety
and convenience of the fans and
employes, the Astrodome
spokesman said.
By The Associated Press
DETROIT - Amos Otis drove in five runs and
Dave Nelson four to lead the red-hot Kansas
City Royals to a 21-7 slaughter of the Detroit
Tigers Tuesday night.
The game was halted by rain with none out in
the top of the ninth following doubles by Tom
Poquette and Jamie Quirk that gave the Royals
a club record 24 hits. The old mark of 22 was
set May 12 in a 17-5 rout of Minnesota.
The Royals blasted starter Dave Leman-
czyk and three relievers for 18 hits in the
first four innings.
Kansas City scored five runs in the second
on seven hits, four in the third on four hits and
six in the fourth on six hits, including a three-
run homer by Otis.
Otis also singled a run home in the second
and hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Nelson sin-
gled a run across in the second, singled two
runs home in the third and singled-home another
in the fourth before leaving the game.
Mets master L.A.
NEW YORK - Dave Kingman's two-out sin-
gle off Burt Hooton in the eighth inning last
night scored Bud Harrelson from third base to
give the New York Mets a 2-1 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers as Jon Matlack got his
eighth triumph of the season.
Harrelson began the eighth by beating out a
bunt. Los Angeles first baseman Steve Garvey
disputed the call by umpire Andy Olsen, ap-
parently charging that he had tagged Harrel-
son.
When play resumed, Felix Millan moved
Harrelson to second with a sacrifice and
John Milner sent him to third with a long
fly ball. Kingman then delivered his single,
his seventh game-winning hit of the season.
The victory for Matlack, 8-1, was his seventh
straight over the Dodgers, who last beat him
on June 14, 1974.
Los Angeles scored off Matlack in the seventh
on a single by Joe Ferguson, a walk to Steve
Yeager and another single by Ted Sizemore.