Page 10-Sunday, April 5, 1981-The Michigan Daily
NL East: Expos to dethrone Phillies
By JEFF QUICKSILVER
A Daily Sports Analysis
Last season, the Philadelphia Phillies
came on strong to edge the Montreal
1;xpos by one game for the National
League East division title, as the
defending champion Pittsburgh Pirates
fell to "third place. While the big bats of
the St. Louis Cardinals could only
muster fourth place, the New York
Mets and Chicago Cubs held their an-
nual battle for last place.
.With quite a few players wearing dif-
ferent uniforms this season, the
division race could be close, with some
surprise teams finishing at or near the
top. When the 162-game schedule con-
cludes, here's how the teams will stack
up in the East:
expos
MONTREAL-The Expos had the
most talent in the division in 1979 and
1980 but couldn't hold on to the top spot
lp in each campaign.
the third season should be the charm
however, and manager Dick Williams'
club will find themselves riding high
atop the East at the close of this season.
-With Warren Cromartie, Andre
Dawson (17 HR, 87 RBI), and Ellis
Valentine (.315) shagging flyballs, the
Expos field one of the strongest out-
fields in the league.
. The infield remains solid with Willie
Montanez and Larry Parrish handling
the corners and shortstop Chris Spier
and second baseman Rodney Scott (63
stals) filling up the middle.
: HE EXPOS have the best pitching
ipithe division with David Palmer (8-6,
2.98), Steve Rogers (16;11, 2.98), Scott
Sanderson (16-11, 3.99), and Bill
{ ullickson (10-5, 3.00) all coming off of
excellent seasons.
<f any of the starters get into trouble,
Williams will be counting on ageless
Woody Fryman (7-4, 2.25, 17 saves),
Elias Sosa (9-6, 3.06, 9 saves), and Stan
Bahnsen (9-6, 3.97, 4 saves) to come on
in relief.
If the Expos don't develop a mental
block about their late season short-
comings the past two seasons, and cat-
cher Gary Carter can equal his perfor-
mance last season (29 HR, 109 RBI), the
Expos should take the East pennant.
PHILADELPHIA-Even as cham-
pions, the Phillies are in a state of flux,
and one has to wonder what effect the
events of the summer will have on the
club.
Manager Dallas Green had to have
his arm twisted to return for another
year on the bench. Ace reliever Tug
McGraw (5-4, 1.47, 20 saves) played out
his option before re-signing with the
Phils, and the pitching staff, except for
the 36-year-old Steve Carlton, is
disorganized.
Carlton (24-9, 2.34, 288 strike outs),
the best southpaw in the game,
probably needs to improve on his per-
formance of last year to keep the Phils
in contention. Besides "Lefty" Green
will need strong support from the arms
of Dick Ruthven (17-10, 3.55), Marty
Bystrom (5-0 in Sept.), and Larry
Christenson (5-1, 4.01).
THIRD BASEMAN Mike Schmidt
(.286, 48 HR, 121 RBI) is the main man
at bat for the Phils. Shortstop Larry
Bowa and second baseman Manny
Trillo (.292) provide the Phillies with
one of the best double-play com-
binations in the game, and first
baseman Pete Rose (.282, 192 hits) con-
tinues on the road to the Hall of Fame
and quite possible the all-time hits title.
The outfield of the Phils is extremely
solid with Lonnie Smith (.339), Bake
McBride (.309), and Golden Glover
Garry Maddox (.259) expected to fill
the starting roles.
If the Phils pitching holds up and they
keep their personal problems off the
field, the team will be right near the top
of the East.
- doe
ST. LOUISi-How does a team that
ds' infield strong. The main question
mark appears to be the replacement of
Reitz at third, and the ability of newly-
acquried Darrell Porter to take over for
Simmons behind the plate.
The outfield in Busch Stadium
belongs to silent George Hendrick (.302,
25 HR, 109 RBI) in right field and Tony
Scott in center. Leftfield is expected to
be filled by ex-Milwaukee Brewer Sixto
Lezcano.
All in all, if Herzog's gamble pays off
the Cards could be the surprise of the
league. If it fails, look for some angry
fans in St. Louis.
* -
PIRATES
* * @
PITTSBURGH-Two years ago, the
Pirates were the toast of the baseball
world, but old father time seems to be
taking his toll on the "Family."
The key to the Pirates' season will
ride with 40-year-old Willie Stargell
(.262) and ace reliever Kent Tekulve (8-
12, 21 saves), both of whom are coming
off relatively poor performances last
season.
Jim Bibby (19-6, 3.33) leads a pit-
ching staff that includes lefty John
Candelaria (11-14), Eddie Solomon (7-
3), and Rick Rhoden (7-5).
THE PIRATES are always a power-
ful hitting team, and this year should be
no different. Right fielder Dave Parker
(.295, 17 HR) leads the Pirates' arsenal
with Mike Easley (.338, 21 HR), Lee
Lacy (.335), and Omar Moreno (.249, 96
SB) providing needed support.
In addition to Stargell, the infield will
be filled with the familar faces of Phil
Garner, Tim Foli, and Bill Madlock.
NEW YORK-Last year, the Mets
wound up ahead of the Cubs. The Mets
are no longer amazing, and they're
rarely even satisfactory, but, as their
faithful will tell you, "At least we're not
last."
They won't be last this season eitheq
but anything higher than a fifth place
finish is doubtful. Manager Joe Torre
will count heavily on the performance
of centerfielder Lee Mazzilli (.280, 76
RBI) and free agent signee Rusty
Staub. Rookie Mookie Wilson and Joel
Youngblood (.276) will also roam the
outfield in Shea Stadium.
THE INFIELD will consist of
regulars Doug Flynn (.255) and Frank
Taveras (.279) at second base and shor-W
tstop respectively. Staub will be expec-
ted to play first base and rookie Hubie
Brooks may be given a shot at the hot
corner.
If Torre can keep the Mets moving in
the right direction, everyone should be
happy. There won't be any miracles for
this team, however.
r
(:
al
AP Photo
THIRD BASEMAN MIKE Schmidt hopes to lead the way as the defending
World Champion Philadelphia Phillies strive td successfully defend their NL
East and World Series crowns. Hoping to head Schmidt and the Phillies off
are, among others, the Montreal Expos and the St. Louis Cardinals.
CHICAGO-The Cubs were nice
enough to let the Mets escape the bot
tom rung of the East Ladder in 1980,
and the Cubs will be just as
magnanimous this time around.
Bill Buckner (.324) will see full-time
duty in the outfield along with Scott
Thompson, and Stevie "Wonder" Hen-
derson, who the Cubs acquired from the
Mets for Dave Kingman.
The trade of Sutter to St. Louis brings
two solid infield starters, Bull Durham
(.271) and Ken Reitz (.270), to the Cubs'
lineup. Rounding out the infield will
second baseman Joe Strain, acquire
from San Francisco for Jerry Martin,
and shortstop Ivan DeJesus.
As for healthy arms on the mound,
there aren't many. Veteran Rick
Reuschel (11-13) is'the best of the star-
ters. The others include Mike Krukow
(10-15), Lynn McGlothen (12-14), and
Dennis Lamp (10-14).
Still, the Cubs will miss Sutter ... and
the top five places in the East.
TUESDAY: The AL West
leads the National League in hitting and
finishes with four players in the top ten
batting race end the season in fourth
place, 17 games out of first?
The answer is quite simply pit-
ching-or rather the lack of it. If there
is one thing that manager Whitey Her-
zog has achieved, it is the improvement
of the Cards' pitching.
During the winter meetings Herzog
not only shored up his disastrous
bullpen, but he made it practically fool-
proof by acquiring 1979 Cy Young
Award winner Bruce Sutter.
SAN DIEGO'S Bob Shirley and
Milwaukee's Larry Sorensen (12-10,
3.68), will try to give some respec-
tability to a starting rotation that in-
cludes veteran Bob Forsch (11-10, 3.77),
Sylvio Martinez (5-10, 4.81), and John
Fulgham (4-6, 3.38).
First baseman Keith Hernandez
(.321, 99 RBI), second baseman Ken
Oberkfell (.303), and shortstop Gary
Templeton (.319) should keep the Car-
1
SPORTS OF THE DAILY:
Garfield takes ninth in NCAAs
special to the Daily
Michigan's Marshall Garfield placed ninth in the
parallel bars with a mark of 9.40 and teammate
Darrell Yee took 21st in the rings with his score of 9.15
at ;the 39th NCAA Gymnastics Championships
yesterday in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Also competing for the Wolverines were Kevin
McKee, who finished 40th in the floor exercise with a
mark of 8.15 in competition and 9.35 in the optional,
and John Reichoff, who swung to 49th place in his
routines on the pommel horse.
THE HOST NEBRASKA Cornhuskers proved to be
the eventual winners, scoring consistently in every
event. Led by all-rounders Jim Hartung and Phil
Cahoy, and floor exercise specialist Steve Elliot, the
Huskers became the first team to win three con-
secutive championships since Penn State accom-
plished the feat in 1961.
Oklahoma, led by star Bart Conner, who had top
scores in the pommel horse, parallel bars and the
vault, placed second, finishing with 281.95 to the
champion Huskers' 284.60. The Bruins of UCLA grab-
bed third place with a team score of 280.50.
'M' baseball washed out
Special to the Daily
OXFORD, Ohio - Michigan's baseball
doubleheader with Miami of Ohio was rained out
yesterday. The game was cancelled and will not be
rescheduled. The Wolverines will go on to meet Cin-
cinnati today.
Hearns, Leonard to fight
NEW YORK (UPI) - World Boxing Council cham-
pion Sugar Ray Leonard and World Boxing
Association title holder Thomas Hearns have signed
for a welterweight championship showdown this fall
that could be the richest fight in boxing history, UPI
learned yesterday.
LEONARD, 29-1, and Hearns, 30-0 with 28
knockouts, will battle for the unified title in late Sep-
tember or early October. No site has been set but the
leading cities under consideration are Houston, New
Orleans and Las Vegas.
Leonard will receive a guaranteed purse of $10
million plus a share of the ancillary rights. Hearns
will get $5 million plus a percentage of the rights. The
fight could easily surpass the record $30 million gross
set last November when Leonard regained his title
against Roberto Duran in New Orleans.
Sabres 5, Red Wings 4
DETROIT (UPI) - Tony McKegney and Andre
Savard each fired in a pair of goals to lead the Buffalo
Sabres past the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 yesterday.
With their Stanley Cup playoff berth clinched, the
Sabres, the top team in the National Hockey League
Adams Divison, racked up their third victory and a
pair of ties in their last six outings.
Blum signs pro contract
Michigan senior defenseman John Blum has signed
a contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the National
Hockey League for a reported $550,000 over four
years. It is reportedly thekmost lucrative contract
ever offered to a college hockey player.
The 6-3, 205-pound defenseman from Warren joined
the Michigan icers in 1977 as a walk-on, and
developed into one of the premier defensemen in the
league. He was recently honored as the team's MVP,
along with teammate Tim Manning.
Blum had contract offers from almost half of the
NHL's 21 teams, and eventually narrowed his choices
to Edmonton and Calgary before deciding on the
Oilers.
Columnist Joe Falls arrested
Detroit News sports columnist Joe Falls was
arrested Friday after he allegedly solicited an under-
cover policewoman for an act of prostitution, the
Detroit Free Press reported yesterday.
According to the Free Press, police arrested Falls
on John R near Horton at about 1:40 p.m. Friday. The
52-year-old journalist was released under $100 bond
on the misdemeanor charge, and is scheduled to ap-
pear in Detroit Traffic Court tomorrow.
Walker to turn pro?
ATHENS, Ga. (AP)-All-American tailback Her-
schel Walker of national champion Georgia said
Saturday that if the Canadian Football League Mon-
treal Alouettes make him an offer to turn
professional, "I've got to listen."
Walker, who set an NCAA record for freshmen
when he rushed for 1,616 yards in leading Georgia to a
perfect season last fall, has broken his silence on
reports earlier in the week that Montreal owner
Nelson Skalbania might make him an offer to skip his
final three collegiate seasons.
McGee scores 15 to
pace East All-Stars
From Wire Service Reports
LAS VEGAS-Michigan's all-time leading scorer, Mike McGee, threw in six
baskets from the field and made three of four free throws for a game high total of
15 points to lead the East team to a 84-82 victory over the West squad in the 10th an-
nual Pizza Hut Classic yesterday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
McGee and other outstanding seniors from around the country were chosen by a
panel of college basketball writers and coaches to play in the nationally televised
contest.
WITH 1:03 REMAINING, Louisiana State forward Rudy Macklin sunk two free
throws to break the 82-82 deadlock and end the scoring for both sides. The West had
several chances to even the score in the final minute, but came up empty on every
try. Utah center Tom Chambers missed two shots from close range in the final
thirty seconds.
The contest was close the entire way. Neither team led by more than seven poin-
ts and at the half the East was up by a tiny margin, 45-43.
Kelly Tripucka, the hustling senior forward from Notre Dame, was named the
East's Most Valuable Player, Tripucka's 13 points placed him second behind
McGee among the East scorers.
ALTHOUGH THE CONTEST was an anticlimax after Monday's NCAA final in
Philadelphia, none of the players were taking this final game lightly. The stands
were dotted with NBA scouts watching these seniors perform for the last time
before the pro draft in early May.
Rolando Blackman of Kansas State led the West in scoring, sinking six from the,
field and hitting one for one from the charity stripe for a total of 13 points.
Charles Bradley of Wyoming, who scored 12 on the day, was selected as the
West's Most Valuable Player for his efforts.
-VIRGINIA CAVALIER all-time scorer, Jeff Lamp finished his college career
with a balanced effort of eight points, eight rebounds and five assists for the day.
His eight rebounds placed him behind Ohio State center Herb Williams who paced
the East team by pulling nine down.
Wayne McCoy of the giant-killing St. John's squad and Elston Turner out of
Mississippi also scored in double figures for the East, notching ten points apiece.
The East was coached by Denny Crum of the former national champion
Louisville Cardinals, while former UCLA Bruin coach Larry Brown, who will
coach the New Jersey Nets next season, guided the West team.
EXHIBITION BASEBALL ROUNDUP:
41
Leach HR sparks
Tigers
BRADENTON, Fla. (UPI)-Rick Leach cracked a two-run
homer in the top of the 10th inning yesterday to carry the
Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates in
an exhibition game.
Vance Law hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to
give the Pirates their final run.
STARTER BOB Owchinko, acquired from Cleveland in the
off season in the Bert Blyleven deal, went five innings, giving
up a run and four hits, walking five and picking off two run-
ners.
Four Pirate pitchers gave up seven hits while Pittsburgh
collected 10 hits and left 10 men on base. The loss went to Vic-
tor Cruz, who entered in the 10th and gave up Leach's homer.
Cruz relieved Grant Jackson, who pitched two innings after
Enrique Romo had pitched two.
no" Zna- --2, e+--rnr n+hTar oA Mlt W n - a v
cinnati.
Ruthven went seven innings and gave up seven hits in the
longest and most impressive outing by a Philadelphia pitcher
so far in the spring. Warren Brusstar and Sparky Lyle both
pitched in relief. Bake McBride drove in both Philadelphi
runs.
Braves 3, Reds 0
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Atlanta righthander
Tommy Boggs tuned up for his opening night pitching
assignment against Cincinnati next Friday by hurling seven
scoreless innings against St. Louis yesterday in a 3-0 Braves'
exhibition victory.
Rick Mahler and Rick Camp added a scoreless inning each
as the Braves improved their spring record to 13-14.
Boggs allowed only four hits, all singles, struck out fivea
s^<.