The Michigan Daily - Sunday, June 17, 1984 - Page 15
Phils drub punchiess Cubs, 8-2
CHICAGO (AP) - Ozzie Virgil's two-
run homer capped a five-run first in-
ning yesterday and powered Marty
Bystrom and the Philadelphia Phillies
to an 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
The triumph was the fourth straight
for the Phillies while the Cubs lost their
third in a row, all to the surging
Phillies.
BYSTROM, 3-3, pitched eight innings
for the victory while Rick Reuschel, 3-3,
suffered the loss, much to the dismay of
a standing room only crowd of 40,723 at
Wrigley Field, largest of the season.
Juan Samuel started the Phillies' big
first inning with a single, moved to
third on a base hit by Garry Maddox
and scored on a single by Von Hayes.
Mike Schmidt followed with an RBI
single and Joe Lefebvre's groundout
delivered another run before Virgil
homered into the left field seats.
It was Virgil's seventh homer, a
season high. He had six last year and
three in 1982.
Expos 3, Pirates 2
MONTREAL (AP) - Andre Dawson
delivered a bases loaded single with
none out in the 11th inning to lift the
Montreal Expos to a 3-2 victory over the
Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday.
Miguel Dilone opened the inning
against reliever Kent Tekulve, 2-6, by
lining a triple that rolled to the fence in
left center field. Both Tim Raines and
pinch-hitter Pete Rose were inten-
tionally walked but Dawson foiled the
strategy by ripping a single into left
field past the drawn-in irate infield.
Jeff Reardon, 3-1, earned the victory
with a scoreless 11th inning. He had
relieved Bill Gullickson, who scattered
seven hits through the first 10 innings,
his longest career outing.
A's 6, White Sox 4
OAKLAND (AP) - Dave Kingman
hit his 17th home run of the year and
Jim Essian added two doubles to power
Oakland past the Chicago White Sox, 6-4
yesterday for the A's fourth straight
victory.
Steve McCatty, 4-5, scattered nine
hits in 7 2/3 innings and improved his
lifetime record to 7-0 against the White
Sox. He walked none and struck out five
before giving way to Bill Caudill, who
pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his
14th save.
KINGMAN'S homer, his third in four
games since coming back to action from
an injury, gave the A's a 2-0 first inning
lead off Floyd Bannister, 4-6. Rickey
Henderson led off with a single and two
outs later, Kingman hit a 2-2 pitch into
the left field bleachers for his 49th and
50th RBI of the year.
Chicago scored an unearned run in
the fifth. Vance Law singled, took
second on a grounder and scored when
Scott Fletcher's line drive glanced off
the glove of Oakland shortstop Tony
Phillips for an error.
Lou Piniella waves to the crowd during yesterday's Yankees-Orioles game,
his last as a player. Piniella now will be first base coach and batting instruc-
tor for New York. For the results of the game see page 16.
Sportswriter gets her wish .. .
.a.w. a chance to meet Lance
M Y HEART raced. I could feel the blood rush to my face, in a visible blush.
When my palms began to sweat, I lost the ability to think or speak
clearly. I was standing on the field at Tiger Stadium. there was still over a
half-hour to go until Detroit took on the Toronto Blue Jays, but the stands were
filling with fans. Thanks to the Daily and the Tiger management, I was able to
enjoy batting practice "up close and personal" so to speak via pre-game field
passes..
I was talking to Eli Zaret, a Michigan alum of WDIV-TV and Tigers '84
fame. But that wasn't the cause of my physical strife, though it would seem
enough that a young, aspiring sports journalist could be talking to such a
talented personality. But it was no big deal - I see Eli every weekend. I'm
also a sports intern on weekends at Detroit's channel four.
My problem was that all my long, late and under-paid hours devoted to the
Daily in the past three years and, since March, my un-paid Saturdays and Sun-
days at WDIV were about to be combined for one gigantic pay-off. I was about
to meet Tiger catcher Lance Parrish.
Lest I be mistaken, this is no ordinary idol worship. This began six years
ago. Sportswriters quickly learn to overcome the "hero" oggling that ham-
pers one's work and needless to say, one's professionalism. But there are
always those few athletes lingering from our childhood, that we still tend to
well, exhalt. In my case, Lance Parrish.
To put this "magnificent obsession" into perspective, in 1978, asa freshman
in high school, I chose the number 13 for my junior varsity softball uniform.
Betcha can't guess what position I played? 1978 was Parrish's first full season
in the major leagues. The Tiger's first selection in the 1974 draft shunned a
football scholarship from UCLA to sign with Detroit out of high school.
Somthing in his 85 games played with Detroit in 1977 caught my eye, though
he only batted .196. Perhaps Parrish was just the logical replacement for my
childhood idol Bill Freehan. At age eight, I wrote to the All-Star Tiger catcher
telling him I was his best fan and received an autographed picture.
Through Parrish's first few years, I endured the jeers of my family and
friends who focused on the struggling batting averages and his often exor-
bitant strike out figures - 105 K's in 1979 and 109 in 1980. My father never
failed to point out to me that number 13 had fanned again. Come to think of it,
he's still sure to let me know. But I remained the ever-optimistic fan, keeping
my eye on his increasing power at the plate (32 HR's in 1982) and his
developing skill behind it. Eventually, my second "chosen" catcher became
an All-Star as well.
And now, there I was. Standing reluctantly, almost, but not quite wishing
myself safely in the stands, waiting to meet HIM. It was too late to escape. Eli
had signaled to Lance who just finished a pro-mo spot for WDIV. He was on his
way over.
"Lance," Eli said. "I'd like you to meet my intern, Katie, and her friend
Judy. They've been dying to meet you." (shrink)
He shook our hands and murmured something polite and my face got red-
der. Out of thA corner of my eye, I could see that Eli was definitely enjoying
my predicament. When I finally regained some semblance of composure, I
began to explain to the 6'3" imposing athlete that I could predict what he
would do when he came to bat. Especially when he was going to hita home run
or strike out. "Oh, really?" he said and laughed.
He must have thought I was crazy. I was saved, luckily, by a photographer
who came up and said, "Would you girls like your picture taken with Lance?"
Lance skillfully obliged, flashing an all-star smile, then he left. I think.
The next thing I was really conscious of was Eli's laughing. He said I'd be
sorry when I got the picture back and imitated my "pose." He was right. I'm
glad it's in black and white so you can't tell how red I was. It's embarrassing,
but my editor "suggested" that I run it. I'm the stupid-looking one on the
right. The one that looks like I don't know what to with my hands. The one who
looks like they just met their idol.