The Raleigh Register from Beckley, West Virginia • Page 8

'Phillies Find Achilles' Heel United International If Abner Doubleday had designed the game of baseball to be played indoors under a dome with air conditioning, the Philadelphia Phillies probably would not be the best team in the National League at this moment. Playing indoors is the Phillies' Achilles heel, and Houston's Astrodome is their mausoleum. Although the Phillies have won 78 games more than any other team in the major leagues they show a losing record for their efforts indoors this year. The Astros beat them 6 5 Thursday night for the second day in a row and in six meetings with Houston this year at the Astrodome the Phillies lost four. Last year it was pretty much the same thing.

The Phillies, though winners in the National League East, were only 3 3 at the Astrodome and those three losses came during a late August tailspin during which the Phillies lost eight games in a row and had everyone convinced they were going to blow the pennant. "1 don't like the place." Phillies Manager Danny Ozark said about the Astrodome. "The ball doesn't carry very well. There's no wind. I don't think the hitters see the ball very well.

They complain to me about it." Ozark was especially annoyed at a ball that Greg Luzinski hit in the eighth inning which center fielder Cesar Cedeno grabbed after a long run. Cedeno sprinted to deep left center field and caught the ball high off the wall. "That would have been a home run in most places," Ozark said. Cedeno also delivered the game winning hit for the Astros when his double in the seventh inning drove in Wilbur Howard to snap a 5 5 tie. Bob Watson and Joe Ferguson each had a double and a homer for the Astros, who celebrated the rehiring of manager Bill Virdon by sweeping the two game set.

It marked the first time since July 28 29 that the Phillies have lost two games in a row. They recently completed a streak during which they won 19 of 20. "We're as good as we were last year. We're the best team in the league," Ozark said. In other NL games, Pittsburgh edged Los Angeles 2-i, Cincinnati nipped New York 3 2, Atlanta downed Chicago 8 6 and San Francisco beat St.

Louis 6 4 Boston whipped Texas 9 6, New York topped Miiinesola 6 4, Kansas City beat Milwaukee 9 6 and Chicago stopped Baltimore 6 4 in American League games. Pirates 2, Dodgers 1 John Candelaria and Larry Demery combined on a six hitter for Pittsburgh. Candelaria allowed four hits in five innings before leaving with a strained back and Demery gave up just two hits over the final four innings. Omar Moreno doubled home the deciding run off loser Doug Rau in the sixth. Reggie Smith hit his 24th homer for the Dodgers.

Reds 3, Mets 2 Dave Conception's two run single in the seventh inning enabled the Reds to pull within BVz games of the Dodgers in the NL West. A throwing error by third baseman Lenny Handle and a double by Dan Driessen preceded Concepcion's two run single. Handle homered for tlie Mets. Braves 8. Cubs 6 Junior Moore's first major league grand slam homer highlighted a fiverun first inning to spark (lie Braves.

Willie Montanez drove in two runs for Atlanta while Greg Gross homered for Chicago. Giants 6, Cardinals 4 Winning pitcher John Montefusco singled home the go ahead run in the seventh inning to pace the Giants. With the score tied 2 2, the Giants put together successive singles by Vic Harris, Gary Alexander, Montefusco and Derrel Thomas to score the decisive runs. Randy Elliott and Jack Clark homered for San Francisco while Lou Brock stole two bases for St. Louis to move to within one of Ty Cobb's all time stolen base record of Royals 9, Brewers 6 John Wathan belted his first major league home run, a three-run shot which highlighted a six-run third inning in the Royals' 9-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers their ninth in a row.

White Sox 6, Orioles 4 Journeyman Wayne Nordhagen hit the first two homers of his major league career and reliever Lerrin LaGrow pitched three innings of shutout relief for his 20th save as the White Sox moved into a three way tie for second place in the AL West. Nordhagen tied the game 4 4 with a three run homer in the sixth and added a solo shot in the eighth. Eric Soderholm hit his 20th homer for Chicago in the second. Sports Scene Friday Afternoon August 28, 1977 Beckley, W. (25801) Football Stars Dim Alexander Suffers Setback United Press International Morgantown West Virginia's Mountaineers will charge into their first game-type scrimmage of pre-season practice Saturday afternoon, but freshman running back Robert Alexander won't be in on the action.

The highly heralded tailback will miss practice for "at least" a week of a strep throat, according to trainer Glen Johnson. However, Fulton Walker of Martinsburg, another highly regarded freshman back who switched to defense this week, will continue working in the defensive secondary where he is pushing for a starting position at cornerback. Walker had been running third-team tailback behind senior Dave Riley of Northfork and Alexander. He will not be returned to running back because of Alexander's illness, the WVU spokesman said. Walker has impressed coaches with his all-round athletic ability on defense, and he further impressed them by making a great pass interception in scrimmage Thursday.

Alexander, the 6-foot-l, 185-pound South Charleston star missed two days of practice because of a fever and virus before a WVU spokesman disclosed the illness. The setback apparently slows Alexander, an All-America high school back sought by colleges nationwide, hi his drive to become the Mountaineers' starting tailback. Riley remains the No. 1 tailback two weeks before the Sept. 10 opener against Richmond.

Alexander, who scored 92 touchdowns in three seasons at South Charleston, sat out the final two weeks of both the basketball and track seasons last school year because of tiredness and assorted injuries. Hei led the South high school all-stars to a 23-6 triumph in the North-South Football Classic in Charleston July 23 and reported to WVU three weeks later. Injuries Plague Herd United Press International Hunn'ngton Marshall University's football team conducts its first game-type scrimmage of pre-season practice Saturday and Claude Geiger, the Thundering Herd's highly heralded running back from Michigan State, might not take part. The Geiger, who was an all-stater at East Bank, suffered a slight tear of the hamstring when he slipped on the artificial turf in practice at Fairfield Stadium Thursday. However, Geiger said the slight pull was not painful, and his return to practice was on a day-to-day basis.

Geiger slipped when making a cut in a no-contact, play-running drill. The injured list of cornerbacks grew to four when senior Bob Coleman was kicked in the back of the knee during contact work Thursday. Paul Kuzio of Oak Glen pulled a muscle on the first day of practice, and Harold Wetzel of New Martinsville (back problem) and Rod Gibson of Jefferson County (knee surgery) have not practiced yet. Favorite Not About To Step Aside United Press International St. Paul, Minn.

Kathy WWtworth, a veteran of 18 years on the LPGA tour and all time leading money winner, is favored to outdistance young golf stars and capture the Patty Berg Classic at Keller Coif Course a second time. Seventy-seven pros and six amateurs were competing in the tournament, which was to open today. Whitworth, 38, is the third top money winner so far this season. And four others among the leading 10 nioney winners were competing Jane Blatock (4), Sandra Palmer (5), Sandra Post (8) and Hollis Stacy (10). Stacy, 23, won the U.S.

Women's Open at Hazeltine near Chaska, last month. The runnerup in the open, young rookie pro Nancy-Lopez, is out with a injury. Whitworth said she isn't worried about all the young new talent moving up on the pro tour the Stacys, Lopezes, Amy Alcotts and others. "It's good for the game," she said. "I'm not over the hill and I'm not going to step aside.

They'll have to push me aside." With five of the leading 10 money winners not entered in the $55,000 tournament, the sponsoring Jaycees already were thinking about how to raise more money for next year to attract all the top players. The glamour girk are on hand. Joining Jan Stephenson and Laura Baugh in this category is Marlene Floyd, kid sister of Ray Floyd, last year's Masters and World Open champion. Dodger Catcher Steve Yeager Makes The Tag On Dave Parker Of The Pirates As Parker Tries To Score From First On An Al Oliver Single But Anything Can Happen By Jerry Mitchell United Press International Pinehurst, N.C. Even though J.C.

Snead had a sparkling 8-under-par 63 in the first round ol the Hall of Fame Golf Classic, he said he had to temper his jubilation because the way he has been playing anything could happen today. "It's like walking around with a time bomb in your pocket," he said Thurs- dav. "Anything can happen anytime." Snead has won $47,000 so far this year, but it's well off his pace of the past six years when he has averaged more than $100,000. Snead, whose best finish this year was a tie for sixth in the Kemper Open, had a superb putting round as he sank seven birdie putts and just missed an eagle while avoiding bogey entirely on the No. 2 course at the Pinehurst Country Club.

"I hit my irons by far the best I've hit them all year," he said. "I rolled the ball at perfect speed and right where I wanted to every time. It may be the best putting round I've ever had." Leonard Thompson, whose best finish this year was a tie for fifth, stood alone in second place at 64, one stroke behind the leader. Lon Hinkle and Hale Irwin had 6-under-par 65s and Mike Morley was alone at 66. Today In Sports A group at $1 included Al Geiberger, Homero Blancas, Miller Barber, George Burns and Charles Coody.

Snead, who one-putted eight consecutive greens Thursday, left the tour earlier this year because his game went sour and he considered quitting. But some lessons and hours of hard work put his game back in shape. "It's been a really weird year for me." said Snead, whose last victory came in last year's Kaiser "It's very frustrating to play this year after the way I've played the last five or sis years." "I've had zero confidence all year," he said. "Naturally my mind's a little at ease (after a 63). I have to create something to happen good for a while before I can change my thought pattern." "I've hit a ton of golf balls and played one good round and we'll see what happens tomorrow," he said.

Snead made five birdies on the front side, including two'putts from more than 15 feet out, and then sank a pair of 20-foot putts on the back nine for two of his three birdies. Hinkle, a. former San Diego State University golfer, had seven birdies and a par for his 66 and said it "seemed like it was easy." Tom Watson, tlie leading money winner on the tour with in winn- ings, finished at I-urider-par 70 and Hall Jack Nicklaus skipped the tourna- of Famer Gary Player led a group at 3 ment even though the Pinehurst course under-fjar 68. is one of his favorites. LARGE GROUP OF.

MANHATTAN SHIRTS VALUES TO $13 NOW ON SALE FOR HARRY'S MEN'S SHOP 311 DOWNTOWN BECKLEY The second annual Beckley Raleigh County Closed Tennis tournament will be begin today and continue through Sunday. The tournament, sponsored by the YMCA and the City of Beckley, boasts 73 and will be played at the Ewart Avenue courts. Woodrow Wilson season football tickets are on sale at the school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adult season tickets for the five home games are $10, and student tickets are $4.

The deadline for applying for permits for the antlerless deer season is Aug. 31. The permits may be obtained at the Department of Natural Resources in MacArthur. The Beckley USA 100 will be held tonight at the Beckley Speedway. The race, held as a memorial to NASCAR's Bobby Isaac, mil have a purse in excess of $7,000.

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