The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 45

MARCH 23, 1073 11 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR Minnesota PAGE 45 Alabama 9th-Ranked Stings Between GamesMarian's Morrell Caught In 'Pinch' Max Stultz. EARLIER THIS MONTH, his Marian College limbering up exercises and designated hitter rule than 'The Knights were playing a the rule in effect, as it will American Association and season. Coach Lynn Morrell took baseball team south for some ran into more of the new he bargained for. Florida junior college foe with be in the American League, several other minor leagues this The game was progressing nicely, according to Morrell, when the opposing coach threw a curve by sending in a pinch hitter for the designated hitter. Morrell who, like many of us, isn't completely clear on all the regulation's intricacies, finally accepted the move as being cricket.

But that was only the beginning. The other pilot then called on a pinch runner for the pinch hitter who had batted for the designated hitter. Later, he wanted to--or did--call on another player to bat for the pinch runner who had replaced the pinch hitter who started the whole mess in the first place by swinging for the designated hitter. At least that's what I think Morrell said happened as he attempted to recall the brisk maneuvering around home plate. Walking back to his dugout in something of a daze, Morrell remarked to a couple of scouts, "Boy, the American League sure is messing up baseball." And they, being representatives of National League clubs, agreed.

All of which helps bring up a recent discussion of 1 the subject between Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Cincinnati Reds President Bob Howsam as noted by Si Burick, sports editor of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. Kuhn looks upon rule changes such as the one in question as vital to the economy of baseball and favors more experiments including use of a designated runner and interleague play during the regular season. Objecting to "tinkering with the rules as unnecessary as well as dangerous," Howsam says what is needed is development of "interesting and winning clubs that will make promotional efforts pay off at the box office." Howsam contends "it's like a department store advertising in your paper to bring customers in, and making them happy by giving them their money's worth in a pleasant atmosphere," Burick wrote. The designated hitter rule figures to produce more runs, of course, which Kuhn thinks is necessary to create more fan interest. "Maybe gimmickry is too strong a word, but that won't do it (increase attendance)," Howsam countered.

He believes the answer lies in "better management off and on the field, better promotion and services within the parks and dressed-up, if not new, facilities." Howsam charged the hitter rule, which generally will involve pitching moves--or lack thereof-takes away "the old second guess the customer's chance to manage the game." Kuhn, who also would go for shorter or lower fences to bring about more homers and extra hits, was quoted as saying he "loves to hear the ball rattle off the wall" in Boston's Fenway Park. "That's fine, commissioner," retaliated Howsam. "But they haven't messed up their walls. They've been there since the beginning, and they've always tried to tailor their clubs to those Added Burick, "Howsam admires the miracle of baseball's original engineers-the pioneers who geometrically established the precise distance between bases, between pitching mound and plate etc." It really is a marvel that from Game One to now, the in infield always has been a 90-foot square, the plate inches wide, and the pitching distance 60 feet, 6 inches. Improvement in equipment, including those 35-inch pieces of lumber, has kept step with the times.

But a good curve, low and away, still sends batters "fishing." Maybe that was one of Kuhn's problems in his younger days. Maybe he was weak on pitched balls. He sure didn't earn his bread by throwing 'em. PRO BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD AMERICAN ASSOCIATION EASTERN DIVISION Pct. GB WESTERN DIVISION Carolina 55 25 .688 Pct.

GB Kentucky 52 28 .650 3 Utah 53 27 .663 Virginia .500 15 INDIANA 49 30 .620 New York 29 .363 26 Denver 45 35 .563 8 Memphis 22 59 .272 San Diego 29 51 .363 24 Dallas 26 54 .325 27 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta Division Johncock Goes Pct. GB 199.4 In Test New Buffalo Philadelphia York 71 24 .273 .704 .113 42 8 Boston .818 Central Division Gordon Johncock just Pct. GB Baltimore 49 28 .636 missed the first -200-mile-per- Atlanta 33 .577 Cleveland 31 46 .403 18 hour lap at the Indianapolis Houston 30 48 .385 Motor Speedway yesterday. WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Johncock, driving a George Pct. GB Bignotti-prepared Eagle, was Milwaukce 59 57 22 29 .633 7 Chicago clocked at 199.4 just before Detroit 42 .462 K.C.-Omaha 36 45 .444 22 the close of Goodyear tire Pacific Division tests yesterday.

Pct. GB Los Angeles 21 .731 Swede Savage, also driving Golden State 46 32 .590 11 Phoenix 35 43 .449 22 an Eagle prepared by Bignot- Seattle 53 .329 timed at 196.7. Portland 19 60 .241 ti, was YESTERDAY'S RESULTS And A. J. Foyt cranked a lap at 194-plus in his new ul- AMERICAN ASSOCIATION tra-low Coyote.

Utah 134, Virginia 115. 117. Carolina 137, Dallas Only games scheduled. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Milwaukee 108, Golden State 98. Final Registration games scheduled.

Clinic Set TODAY'S SCHEDULE For Net AMERICAN ASSOCIATION Final registration for the INDIANA at Denver. schools Virginia Kentucky at at San New Diego. York. Washington Township tennis program will be held to- Only games scheduled. morrow at 9:30 a.m.

in the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Northview junior high school Atlanta af Boston. Houston af Philadelphia. cafeteria. Baltimore at Cleveland. Golden State at Phoenix.

Classes are booked for Satur- Buffalo at Los Angeles. Portland at Seattle, days on the 27-court North Only games scheduled. Central tennis complex beginning March 31 and College Basketball through June 2. NATIONAL INVITATION Prem Gupta, program direc- TOURNAMENT tor, also will conduct a special Quarterfinals Alabama 69, Minnesota 65. class for adults from 8-10 a.m.

Virginia Tech 77, Fairfield 76. beginning April 28. Other clinics for beginners, interme- Little League Notes diates and advanced ladies are for Registration Eastside League will in be at St. Philip Neri Church Saturday and planned May. Sunday from 10 a.m.

until 4 p.m. Gophers Blow Big NIT Lead At Wire, 69-65 New York (UPI) Paul for Alabama, scored six points throws in the last minute son Tide to a 69-65 upset in the first game of a National quarterfinals doubleheader In the nightcap, Virginia Tech qualified for a Saturday afternoon semifinal berth against Alabama by edging Fairfield 77-76. Notre Dame and I North Carolina will clash in the other semifinal game tomorrow. ALABAMA HAD been behind throughout most of the contest and trailed 59-51 with 8:15 to play after second team All-America Jim Brewer hit a jumper for the Gophers. Alabama, in a remarkable turnaround, then shut out Minnesota for the next minutes as the Tide scored 16 straight points to take a 67-59 advantage with just over a minute to play.

Ellis, who had scored 10 points in the Tide's 87-86 lastsecond thriller against Manhattan Monday night, hit a jumper from the corner with four minutes remaining to give Alabama its first lead of the game at 61-59. Ellis then hit a layup off a jump ball between Tide guard Charles Cleveland and Gopher backcourtman Clyde Turner with 1:35 left. Honorable mention All-Amer(ica Wendell Hudson and Ellis each canned two free throws to give the Tide their eightpoint lead. Brewer and third team AllAmerica Ron Behagen both fouled out for Minnesota in fact Behagen picked up four personal fouls in the first half and fouled out in the second after only three minutes of action. MINNESOTA built up its 43-31 halftime lead by outshooting Alabama, 49 per cent to 39 per cent from the field, but its poor shooting when faced with the Tide's threeguard offense of Cleveland.

Rav Odums and Ellis was a critical factor in Alabama's victory. Hudson led the Tide with 20 points and freshman center Leon Douglas added 13. Turner led all scorers for Minneso- MINNESOTA (65) ALABAMA (69) FG FT TP FG FT TP Behagen 2- Hudson 6-10 20 Brewer Winfield 0- 0- 2 Garrett 1- 0- 0 4 8 0 16 Douglas 6 13 Nix 8 Cleveland Turner 10 1- 3 21 Odums Taylor 6 Ellis 4- 12 Young 0 Barker 0- 0 8 65 2 Totals 31 3- Totals 28 13-20 69 Halftime score: Minnesota 43, Alabama 31. Fouled out: Behagen, Brewer, Cleveland. Total fouls: Minnesota 19, Alabama 13.

FAIRFIELD (76) VA. TECH (77) FG FT TP FG FT TP Rehn 4 0-0 8 Frazier 5 2-2 12 Rogers 13 3-3 29 Lieder 00 8-9 24 Groom 5 1-1 11 Bristow 6 0-1 12 Ryan 0-1 Stevens 2-4 12 Duffy 2-2 12 Thomas 1-1 15 Kelly 2-5 10 Wade 0-0 Rhaburn 2 0-0 Sensibaugh 0 0-0 Scott 0 0-0 0 McKee 0 0-0 Bradley 0 0-0 0 Totals 32 13-17 77 Totals 34 8-12 76 HALFTIME SCORE: Fairfield 43, Vir. ginia Tech 34. FOULED OUT: Ryan. TOTAL FOULS: Fairfield 18, Virginia Tech 18.

ATTENDANCE 17,640. George Sisler Listed 'Serious' St. Louis, Mo. (UPI) Baseball Hall of Famer George Sisler was listed in serious condition yesterday at a St. Louis County hospital, where he has been a patient since Sunday.

Sisler, who will be 80 years old tomorrow, was a star first basemen for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and Boston Braves from 1915 to 1930. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939. The nature of his illness was not immediately disclosed. He was a patient at St.

Mary's Health Center. Utah Moves Close To Title Salt Lake City (AP) Utah moved step closer to the Americ an Basketball Association Western Division title last night as Ron Boone and Willie Wise powered the Stars past Virginia, 134-115. The victory moved Utah games in front of Indiana. The Stars have four games left, Indiana five. Virginia 30 32 33 115 Utah 30 134 VIRGINIA Irving 17, Franklin 4 Eakins 18, Taylor 2, Gervin 13, Johnson Barr 16, Williams 20, Sojourner 11, Mueller UTAH Govan 4, Wise 27, Beaty Jones 16, Boone 30, Powell 1 6, Warren 6, Beasley 19, McDonald 2, Jackson Combs 15.

TOTAL FOULS Virginia 27, Utah 22. FOULED OUT None. TECHNICAL FOUL Virginia, John- son. THREE-POINT GOALS Irvine, Combs Boone. ATTENDANCE 11,464.

FURNISS SETS MARK Hoosiers Lead In NCAA Swim Ellis, a 5-10 reserve guard on a layup and four free and a half to lead the Crimover ninth-ranked Minnesota Invitation Tournament last night. ta with 21 points and Brewer chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Bobby Stevens, playing with four personal fouls, hit a jumper with 2:47 remaining and then sank two free throws with 45 seconds left to give Tech's Gobblers their one-point victory. Stevens' free throws came after a key rebound by 6-7 center Allan Bristow with 1:42 remaining and gave the Gobblers a 77-74 lead. Bristow's rebound came off a shot by Fairfield's Phil Rogers, high scorer in the game with 29 points.

Rogers scored a layup with five seconds left, but the Stags' effort just fell short. 52 HE GOPHER GRABBER Minnesota's Dave Winfield (31) rips off a rebound while Alabama's Wendell Hudson (20) and the the Gophers' Jim Brewer look on in last night's NIT action at Madison Square Garden. (AP Wirephoto) FOUNDED 500 GOLF TOURNEY Michael T. Sullivan, Speedway Pro, Dies Michael T. Sullivan, 65, a lifetime golfer and popular pro at the Speedway Golf Course for many years, died yesterday in his home.

A native of Indianapolis, he was graduated from Cathedral High School and was an outstanding amateur player before turning pro. He first was pro at the Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y., before returning to Indianapolis 20 years ago. Mr. Sullivan had been the Speedway Golf Course pro almost 20 years and helped develop several outstanding players including Sandra Sp uzich, a tour contestant with the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association. He was a former playing partner of Fred Wampler who won the Indiana Amateur and Open tourneys while representing the Speedway club.

Mr. Sullivan was a founder of a tournament for race drivers which now is a highlight of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race week activities. He introduced many well-known Speed way race drivers to MICHAEL T. SULLIVAN Pro Hockey Standings NATIONAL LEAGUE Eastern Division PIS GF GA Montreal 48 16 112 299 167 Boston 20 5 101 309 219 N.Y. Rangers 47 19 101 289 189 Detroit 35 26 11 81 238 217 Buffalo 13 240 203 Toronto 38 59 221 246 Vancouver 45 50 217 322 N.Y.

Islanders 11 58 1 27 159 328 Western Division Pts GF GA Chicago 40 25 88 262 208 Minnesota 30 79 241 220 Philadelphia 79 268 236 St. Louis 73 216 227 Los Angeles 29 34 218 233 Pittsburgh 36 66 236 245 Atlanta 25 3 180 214 California 12 46 16 40 182 311 WORLD ASSOCIATION Eastern Division PIs GF GA New England 27 88 294 237 Cleveland 38 31 79 262 228 Philadelphia 34 39 0 68 268 296 New York 39 68 289 312 Ottawa 68 257 283 Quebec 30 37 65 252 286 Western Division Pts GF GA Winnipeg 29 86 269 234 Los Angeles 33 6 76 250 238 Houston 36 4 76 264 252 Minnesota 36 3 75 237 249 Alberta 26 45 2 73 252 241 Chicago 54 239 277 YESTERDAY'S RESULTS National League N. Rangers 4, Atlanta 1. Boston 5, Minnesota 3. Philadelphia 9, Vancouver 0.

Only games scheduled. World Association Winnipeg 1, Alberta 1 (tie, overtime). Minnesota Chicago (overtime). Ottawa New England 2. Only games scheduted.

TODAY'S SCHEDULE National League Toronto at California. Only games scheduled. World Association Chicago at New England. Philadelphia at Los Angeles. Only games scheduled.

Knoxville, Tenn. (AP) -Southern California's Steve Furniss, a bronze medal winner in the last year's Olympic Games, set an American record in the 200- yard individual medley last night but powerful Indiana built a substantial lead in the 50th National Collegiate Athletic Association swimming and diving 20 golf, including Parnelli Jones and Rodger Ward. Mr. Sullivan, who lived at 5505 Pleasant Run' Parkway, South Drive, was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. He was also active in the Professional Golfers' Association and the Ancient Order championships.

Furniss was clocked in 1:51.385, breaking the previous American and NCAA mark set last year by Gary Hall of Indiana, who finished second last night in 1:52.051. Furniss was the only record setter as five events were completed in the first of three days of competition. Six more events are scheduled for tonight and seven tomorrow, when Indiana hopes to claim its sixth straight NCAA title. Indiana piled up 107 points to take a comfortable lead ver Southern Calitornia, which had 81. Tennessee, host school for the event, was third with 74 points and UCLA was next with 55.

These four teams are expected to win the top places in the meet. Tennessee, rallying behind a strong butterfly leg by John Trembley and an outstanding freestyle leg by Ken Knox, won the 400-yard medley relay in 3:22.986, slightly off the American and NCAA standard of 3:22.51 set by Stanford in 1971. Defending champion Southern California was second in the relay at 3:23.50 while Indiana, leader in the afternoon qualifying, was third at 3:23.91. Indiana's John Kinsella captured the 500-yard freestyle for the second straight year with a time of 4:27.59, finishing more than a yard ahead of the runnerup, John Tingley of Hibernians. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday at Feeney-Kirby Mortuary and at 11 a.m. at the church. Burial arrangements are pending. Survivors include the widow, Mrs. Bettina Sullivan, and a daughter, Mrs.

Mary Ellen Wieland of Indianapolis. 3 DAYS getchar MODEL BIG FORD' STRAIGHT FROM FACTORY FULL PRICE DELIVERED INCLUDES 351 V-8 ENGINE G78x15 BSW TIRES AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION POWER STEERING POWER BRAKES CLOTH AND VINYL INTERIOR PLUS NORMAL ADDITIONAL COST EXTRAS ARE AVAILABLE LIKE AM-FM STEREO RADIO AND AIR-CONDITION Gord 5500 N. KEYSTONE 251-1441 of Southern California, clocked at 4:29.03. Southern Cal piled up 35 points in the 500 freestyle, also taking fourth place with Tom McBreen, seventh with Jim McConica, the runnerup for the last two seasons, and ninth place with Bengt Jingsjo. John Prembley of Tennessee captured swimming's fastest event, the 50-yard freestyle, in 20.33 seconds, one full second off the American record set by former teammate Dave Edgar in 1971.

John Reeves of Florida finished second in a three-way fight for that spot, clocking 20.92. Next came Chuck Raburn of North Carolina State in 20.93 and Mel Nash of Indiana in 20.99. Tim Moore of Ohio State 487.90 points. easily captured the one-meter diving a championship with 500-Yard Freestyle--John Kinsella, Indiana, 4:27 John Tingley, Southern Cal; Rex Favero, UCLA; Tom McBreem, Southern Cal; Fred Tyler, Indiana; Kurt Krumpholz, UCLA. 200-Yard Individual Medley Stephen Furniss, Southern Cal, 1:51.385 (NCCA, American Record); Gary Hall, Indiana; Tom Szuba, Michigan; Stan Carper, Washington; John Murphy, Indiana; Fred Tyler, Indiana.

50-Yard Freestyle John Trembley, Tennessee, John Reeves, Florida; Chuck Rabunr, North Carolina State; Mel Nash, Indiana; Ken Knox, Tennessee; Rex Hand, Navy. 400-Yard Medley Relay Tennessee (Priestly, Seywert, Trembley, Knox) 3:22 .986 Southern Cal, Indiana, UCLA, Stanford, Washington. One-Meter Diving: Tim Moore, Ohio State, 487.90; Larry More, Cornell; Joe I Michael Crawford, De Michigan; Gruy, North Alan Ross, Carolina ULCA; State; Don Muir, Indiana..