Page t wetve I HE MICHIGAN DAILY Saturday, June 19, 1976 Kuhn nixes A's deals By The Asfociated Press NEW YORK - Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, often criticized for his mod- erate action, shattered baseball pre- cedent yesterday by unexpectedly can- celling Charles O. Finley's $3.5 million sale of three of his top players to the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Finley, the maverick owner of the Oak- land A's, immediately announced he was taking Kuhn to court, while Kuhn said the Yankees and Red Sox had each ex- pressed a similar intention. FINLEY ORDERED his manager, Chuck Tanner, not to use any of the three players in question. "I don't even want them in uniform," said Finley. "We're not going to use the three players. We're going to court Mon- day morning for an injunction." Kuhn, who reflected on this historic action for more than 24 hours before announcing it to a jammed news con- ference, said, "I am disallowing the assignment of the contracts in the best interest of baseball. "The commisisoner is left with the lonely job of deciding integrity and con- fidence," Kuhn said. "I have to weigh public opinion. I've been commissioner for eight years, and I have to use my own judgment. That's what I do. That's my job." FINLEY SAID Kuhn "sounds like the village idiot. It's very stupid. "There have been many, many cash transactions over the year sand nothing has ever been questioned about those." Finley touched off tremors in the base- ball world Tuesday night by selling Vida Blue to the New York Yankees for $1.5 million and Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Boston Red Sox for $1 million apiece. But Kuhn turned those tremors into an earthquake by voiding the sales and upsetting baseball precedence. He or- dered that the Oakland Three would re- main on the A's roster. NEVER BEFORE had Kuhn invoked his "integrity of the game" powers with regard to a transaction. While acknowl- edging that sales for players as signifi- cant as Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Joe Cronin have not been nullified in the past, Kuhn said he was drawing the line here. Kuhn said the difference was that never before had one team so quickly ripped the guts from its player roster, nor jeopardized the reputation of the game. "Shorn of much of its finest talent in exchange for cash," Kuhn said, "the Oakland club, which had been a divt- sional champion for the last five years, has little chance to compete effectively in its division." Kuhn, who called a hearing on the matter Thursday which was attended by Finley and officials of the Yankees and Red Sox, said the Oakland owner had argued that he would use the $3.5 million to-rebuild the A's. "WHETHER OTHER players will be available to restore the club by using the cash involved is altogether specula- tive although Mr. Finley vigorously ar- gues his ability to do so." Also attending Thursday's sesison was George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yan- kees, Dick O'Connell, vice president and general manager of the Red Sox, and Marvin Miller, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Asso- ciation. O'Connell felt his club was in the right in purchasing the players. "We went to the baseball rule book," he said. "How he can go against it is incomprehensible. I don't understand how he did it." ASKED ABOUT possible pressure on the commissioner to void the deals, O'Connell said, "I imagine other owners in baseball who are not in on this action complained." "While the clubs and Players' Asso- ciation argued that the assignments were in accordance with the terms of the ap- plicable rules," Kuhn said, "none of the participants made a persuasive argu- ment as to the overriding considerations of whether these transactions are con- sistent with baseball's best interests, the integrity of the game and the mainten- ance of public confidence in it. "I am concerned about the prospect of affluent clubs such as Boston and New York acquiring for sums as large as $3% million players in the prime of their careers," said Kuhn. "I cannot help but conclude," Kuhn said, "that I would be remiss in exer- cising my powers as commissioner pur- suant to the Major League Agreement and Major League Rule 12 if I did not act now to disapprove these assignments. "I think the commissioner's power is clear and binding and its exercise vital to the best interests of the game." ROBERTS WINS SIXTH Tigers nip Twins, 4-2 JOHN MAHAFFEY tees off at the fifteenth hole while on his way to a one-stroke lead at the U.S. Open. Mahaffey shoots 68;* leads Open byone- By The Associated Press DULUTH, Ga.-Babyfaced battler John Mahaffey, all but destroyed by a playoff loss in this tournament a year ago, composed a solid, two-under-par 68 that staked him to a one-stroke lead yesterday in the second round of the 76th United States Open Golf Championship. As it was, the skinny form of vetern Al Geiberger was looming just one shot back going into today's third round of this national championship. Geiberger, the frail, former PGA national champion who habitually munches on sandwiches and candy bars to keep up his strength during the course of a round, made a desperately scrambling par on the final hole for a 69. Mahaffey is two under at 138, Geiberger one under at 139. Another shot back at 140-even par-are Ben Cren- shaw, Mahaffey's close friend and playing partner on this hot, humid, hazy day, 43-year-old veteran Rod Fun- seth and rokie pro Jerry Pate. Hubert Green, the season's leading money winner, shook off a double bogey, rallied for a 70 and headed a group of five at 142, two over par and only four back. Also at that figure were J.C. Snead, who shot a 69, along with Mike Morley, Lyn ott and Butch Baird, all of whom had 71s. By The Associated Press Steve Brye singled to score BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Bill Dave McKay. They got their Freehan collected three hits, in- other run in the eighth when cluding a home run, and Dave Carew scored on a single by Roberts scattered 11 hits, help- Dan Ford. ing the Detroit Tigers beat the * * * Minnesota Twins 4-2 last night. Phils thrill The Tigers took a 2-0 lead PHILADELPHIA - Mike Sch- in the first inning against midt's three-run homer and a loser Jim Hughes, 2-8. Ron solo blast by Dick Allen trig- LeFlore, who also had three gered the Philadelphia Phillies 'hits, led off with a double and to a 6-5 victory over the Cin- came around on singles by cinnati Reds last night in the Pedro G a r c i a and Rusty opener of a three-game series Staub. The second run of the between the National League di- inning crossed when Jason vision leaders. Thompson's grounder got past first baseman Rod Carew for With the Phillies leading 3-2, an error. Schmidt connected with team- mates Dave Cash and Larry Freehan h sto e r e d isn the Bowa on base in the fifth to ftotrth, his second of the season- put the game away. In the eighth, Staub doubled and p scored on a single by Alex The Reds led 2-0 on Pete Johnson. Rose's single, a two-base error The Twins nicked Roberts, 6-, by outfielder Bobby Tolan and for a run in the third when Ken Griffey's single. Major League Standings "S':J5M NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICANsLEAGUE East East W L Pet. GB W L Pet. GB New York 34 22 .607 - Philadelphia 42 17 .712 -- Cleveland 25 29 .494 6% Pittsburth 35 25 .583 7%- Boston 27 29 .482 7 Ner York 33 33 .500 12?. Batimore 28 31 .4t5 7y Chicago 28 33 .459 15 Detroit 26 32 .448 9 St. Louis 27 35 .435 16% Milwaukee 23 31 .426 10 Montreal 20 35 .364 20 West west Kansas City 39 20 .661 - Cincinnati 39 24 .619 -- Texas 33 24 .579 5 Los Angeles 37 27 .578 2 Chicato 77 29 .483 t10i Chicato 33 28.541 5 Minnesota 2531 .475 11 Houston 29 35 .453 1011 Oakland 29 32 .475 11 Atlanta 24 36 .400 13- California 26 30 .406 15', San Francisco 23 42 .345 17 Yesterday's Results Yesterday's Results Detroit 4, Minnesota 2 Chicago 6, Atlanta 4 Kansas City 5, Cleveland 3 Los Angeles 6, Montreal 5 Baltimore 9, Texas 4 New York 3, San Francisco 2 Boston at California, n. Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 5 New York at Chicago, n Pittsburgh 7, Houston 3 Milwaukee at Oakland, n. St. Louis 7, San Diego 4 Today's Games Today's Games Detroit (McCormack 0-1) at Min- Los Anteles tJohn 3-4) at Mton- nesota (Redfern 1-3). treal (Stanhouse 4-2). Milwaukee (Colborn 3-8) at Oak- Cincinnati (Nolan 6-3) at Phila- land (Abbott 0-1). delphia (Carlton 6-3). Kansas City (Busby 3-1) at Houston (Dierker 6-6) at Pitts- Cleveland (Dobson 7-5), n burgh (Kison 4-4). New York (Blue 6-6) or Alex- San Freanciso (Barr 4-5) at New ander 3-4) at Chicago (Jefferson York (Lunich 3-8). 1-2), n. Chicago (Coleman 0-1) at Atlanta Baltimore (Palmer 7-7) at Tesas (Niekro 4-4), twi. (Peterson 1-3), n San Diego (Strom 6-5) at St. Boston (Wise 5-3) at California Louis (Curtis 4-6), n. (Tanana 8-5), h. Philadelphia scored first on Allen's round-tripper and took the lead away from the Reds with a pair of runs in the fourth. Cincinnati battled back with three runs, two on a home run by George.Foster, to round ou the scoring. Arizona eliminates Ariz. St. By The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. - Ken Bolek rapped a two-run home run and Steve Powers etched a four- hitter Friday night as Arizona eliminated Arizona State 5-1 from the 30th College World Series. Second - ranked Arizona - a loser seven straight times this season to Arizona State, including once in the series - will face third - rated Eastern Michigan, 46-15, for the collegiate crown Satur- day night. Powers allowed only three singles and a double and the Sun Devils' only run came in the ninth on two errors and a wild pitch. Bolek slugged his 11th home run of the season after Pete Van Horne had doubled with one out in the second. The Wildcats added another run ol a single, an error and an in- field out in the inning . Arizona, 55-17, scored an un- earned run in the third and picked up its final tnlly in the fifth on a single by Ron Hassey and a triple by Van Horne. Powers ran his record to 11-5 as the Wildcats ended their frustration against their cross- state rival. He struck out two and walked three.