The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 19

Section The Indianapolis Star MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 1988 nr Personal Finance 7, 8 wins Hardcourt title Robin itj.rr 2 Sends McEnroe home a straight-set loser By RICK SHAFFER STAR STAFF WRITER Boris Becker made a three-year-old wish come true Sunday as he defeated John McEnroe, 6-4, 6-2. to win the GTEU.S. Men's Hardcourt Championships before a sellout crowd at the Indianapolis Sports Center. i.l in u.i i i in, i.i in i ii.ii. milium i.jijiiiiii iim ini.ii mummuji.

h- amim i GTE CHAMPIONSHIPS- The wish was made by Ivan Lendl who told fans upon winning the '85 U.S. Clay Courts. "I hope you get to see your dear Boris win your tournament someday." The remark was In reference to the crowd's support of Becker when the two met In the semifinals that year. But while it was the top-seeded Becker who collected the $50,575 first prize, it appeared Related stories, picture, Page 3 that most of 7,904 persons in attendance Sunday were behind McEnroe. Unlike Lendl, however, Becker didn't seem to mind the Sports Center crowd backing his opponent.

"I thought they were very fair to me," Becker said. "He's an American he's John McEnroe. They clapped for me when I made good shots, too." The 20-year-old West German made a lot of good shots in two key games that helped him win the first set and bolster his confidence for the second set. With McEnroe leading 3-2 and up 15-40 on Becker's serve, the tournament's top seed hit a pair of service winners to get to deuce. McEnroe got another break point on a topspin lob, but once again Becker's serve came through and he held for 3.3.

The fifth-seeded McEnroe held easily for 4-3 and once again got a pair of break points on Becker. McEnroe gave up one by netting a backhand volley and Becker got to deuce behind a strong forehand approach. Once STAR STAFF PHOTO FRANK ESPICH on the ball Sunday in the championship match of the GTE Boris Becker keeps his eye Hardcourt Championships. again, a pair of strong serves gave him the game. Now it was Becker's turn to get some break points, which he did when his forehand return winner made it 15-40.

He took advantage of the situation by ripping a backhand service re- turn by McEnroe for a 5-4 lead. Becker had little trouble holding service to win the set. which took an hour to play. Both players agreed the first set pretty much decided the match. "I thought for me.

the whole first set was the match." Becker said. "It was hard-fought. "He could have been up a break. He had his chances." "I played a good first set." McEnroe pointed out. "1 had two 40-15 games I should have won and instead, I lost the set.

"I felt like a few times I was in control of the match. But when 1 lost the first set, I lost control." The lost opportunities to break Becker ended up haunting McEnroe the rest of the match. "I just failed to capitalize." McEnroe added. "In the second set, his game picked and I just felt sluggish. I think his confidence rose after he won the first set." The opening game of the second set was disastrous to McEnroe.

After winning the first point. Becker hit a service winner and then watched McEnroe See GTE Page 3 UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL 16th, was not hurt. Penskes. was sidelined by an electrical malfunction. See MARLBORO Page 5 iullivan a winner at Marlboro 500 Colts owed 2nd chance to McMillan gACK WHEN our Indiana-polls Colts were literally bad to the bone, one of the few people to be proud of Inside the Hoosier Dome was Randy McMillan.

McMillan was a hard-nosed fullback who hit holes and defensive players with equal enthusiasm. While Curtis Dickey was looking for the out-of- bounds marker, Randy was usually looking for an extra yard. The Colts first-round dralt pick in 1981 led his team In rushing four out of six years piling up bodies and 3,876 yards while averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Besides his reckless running, McMillan was also a guy you could count on. He started ev ery game from '81 until Sep tember of 1985, when an ankle Injury finally put him on the sidelines for two games.

McMillan was determined, durable and dependable. Trou ble was, he was stuck on a terrible team that was home for Christmas every year. Unless you followed the Colts, or played against them, Randy was a well-kept secret. Unfortunately, his biggest headline came In April of 1987 when he was run down by a car in his neighborhood In Maryland. Ills lelt leg was bad ly broken and his career was suddenly In Jeopardy.

Following hours of surgery and pain, McMillan limped into town and announced he like to start rehabilitation. Consid ering his past contributions and loyalty. Randy probably expected to be greeted like a soldier returning from battle. But there was no, "Welcome Back Randy," from the man agement. On the contrary, owner Bob Irsay said McMillan wasn't welcome and, on top of that, he wouldn't get paid In 1987.

Irsay's insensitive reaction was eventually smoothed over and he agreed to give McMillan half of his $320,000 salary and let him recover at the Colts' complex. Of course while McMillan healed, so did the Colts. With Ron Meyer preaching and Eric Dlckerson running, pro football was revived In Indianapolis. The Colts won the AFC Eastern Division and made the playoffs. McMillan, who had excelled through the worst of times, was a forgotten man.

During the past year, the 29- year-old veteran worked him self back into shape with Colts strength coach Tom Zupanclc. With a 12-Inch stabilizing rod still Implanted in his lower leg, McMillan reported to train ing camp last month eager but somewhat apprehensive about resuming his profession. The man who was 10 carries shy of 1.000 and 170 yards short of Alan Ameche on the team's all-time rushing list was worried about his speed, his moves, his resilience his future. Last Saturday night was sup posed to be his comeback at Tampa Bay. Earlier in the week.

Meyer talked about using McMillan with a solid unit, ear ly In the game, "when the fur was flying. However. McMillan never saw any fur flying because he was cut on Friday morning. Now. there's probably no doubt that Dlckerson.

Albert Bentley. Tony Collins and George Wonsley were always going to be the Colts running corps in 1988. If McMillan was a step slower or still bothered by his Injuries. It's understand able. Still, a courageous athlete like McMillan deserved a chance to see If he could still cut It.

Why not give him a couple of exhibition games to try? After all the pain he en dured and all the good games he gave Irsay. that seems like a reasonable request. i But Instead of giving McMil lan some dignity, the Colts gave him a rude shove out the back door. Pro sports Is a cold business, especially when you've got Mr. Frosty calling the shots.

And Irsay treatment ot Mc Millan was tamlllarly Irlgid. By DAN DUNKIN STAR STAFF WRITER Brooklvn. Mich. Attrition ate up the field at an alarming rate Sunday at the Michigan In ternational bpeedway. It was so unforgiving mat it even gobbled up two of Roger Penske's three human Pac-Men at a point when Rick Mears.

CART STANDINGS (Through August 7) 1. Danny Sullivan 104 2. Bobby Rahal 87 3. Al Unser Jr 86 4. Rick Mears 80 5.

Michael Andretti 77 6. Mario Andretti 68 7. Raul Boesel 62 8. Emerson Fittipaldi 58 9. John Jones 28 10.

Arie Luyendyk 27 Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Sr. were chewing up the Marlboro 500 so fast they were threatening to swallow It whole. But on a day when only the strong survived In the fastest 500-mlle lndy-car race ever run. CART's strongest team couldn't be beaten. Take away Mears and Unser and vou ve still got iulll- van, who gave team and track owner Penske his tirst 5UU-miie victory at MIS In a record 180.654 miles per hour two hours, 46.03 seconds) by a lap over Bobby Rahal.

It was more than nine miles per hour faster than Michael An drew's mark of 171.492 set last year and the second-fastest 500- mile race ever next to bill M-llott's 186.288 In the 1985 NAS CAR Winston 500. Not a bad day for a guy who began the race with enough of a touch of the flu that getting a substitute driver was considered. "It feels pretty good for the team." beamed Sullivan, who became the CARTPPG points leader with 104 to Rahal's 87, "He's (Penske) happy, but I'm happier. "Everybody's running so damn strong, you can't ever back off. One time Derrick (Walker, his crew chief) told me to take it easy, So 1 dropped from 218 to 215 and Big Al passed me." As usual, it was a reliable run for Rahal and a much more rapid one with his new Judd engine but it wasn't enough to catch Sullivan, Marlboro 500.

Daly, who finished "The Chevrolet motor was running like a clock." said Mears. "I had quite a few 220 laps out there. That's what they showed me on the pit board, anyway. It was a rocket ship today." "This place for some reason Just eats up cars," said Penske, who supervised his 52nd Indy-car win. "I was afraid after Rick went out with the C.V.

(constant velocity) Joint that it would be an Achilles heel for our other guys. The load In the corners is so heavy at high speeds." Unser, who has made a career of saving his equipment and staying in position to win, fell a lap down when he skidded through some oil and stopped sideways by his pit on the 140th lap. He twice passed Sullivan to unlap himself and then take the lead from laps 187-189, but Sullivan returned the favor before Unser's engine expired. By then. Mario Andretti.

who led three times in the first half of the race, was out with engine trouble. And Emerson Fittipaldi, who also had pushed the 3 wall on the 134th lap of the despite being alone on the lead lap the last 94 circuits, never letting up. His first Marlboro 500 win, second of the season and ninth of his career put Sullivan In a class with Mario Andretti and Johnny Rutherford as the only drivers to win at each of CART's three 500-mile events. But for a while, Sullivan was only a third of the story. By the midway point of the 250-lap race, he and his teammates were running away Running 1-2-3.

Mears. Sullivan and Unser were running faster than when they qualified. Unser recorded a circuit of 2 1 7.9 1 Sullivan a 2 1 9.77 and Mears an unheard-of competition lap of 220.76. Mears and Unser had taken turns leading 80 of the first 125 laps. An extra early-race pitstop under the yellow on Lap 86 would help Mears add to his lead later as his PC-17Chevy ran on rails.

But by the 155th lap. the speed stress was too much. Mears broke a driveshaft and spent the next 30 laps In the pits before retiring with engine failure. Derek Daly hammers the Turn "The hardest race I've ever been in." said Rahal. who remained the only CART driver to finish every race this season.

"It was kind of frustrating. I was running 215. 216 and 217 and couldn't put a dent in Danny. It was like, 'What do I have to Three laps down In third was Michael Andretti in his Kraco LolaCosworth. a victory of sorts considering the confusing week he and his crew experienced while adjusting their new Lola with the Cosworth engine.

"It was Just an unbelievable pace. I've never seen speeds like that in a race before," said An drettl. Sizding speed had its price, but fortunately not In a number of accidents. The high speeds on the high banks plus another hot. sunny afternoon took a toll on the engines.

Only eight of the 28 cars were running at the finish one more than last year here. Of the seven Chevrolets in the race, Sullivan's was the only one to survive. Sullivan was a worthy survivor, leading the last 61 laps and, SCORES AMERICAN LEAGUE Boston 3 Detroit 0 Kansas City 5 Toronto 1 Seattle 12 Oakland 7 New York 5 Minnesota 1 Milwaukee 7 Baltimore 2 Chicago 6 California 3 Texas 2 Cleveland 0 NATIONAL LEAGUE Montreal 11 St. Louis 5 Philadelphia 7 Chicago 4 New York 6 Pittsburgh 2 Cincinnati 4 San Diego 3 San Francisco 14 Atlanta 4 Houston 4 Los Angeles 4 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION Nashville 4 Indians 0.