The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 39

THE COURIER-JOURNAL LOUISVILLE, KY. THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1988. ID Griffith finds out today where he'll play next season nights when Dr. Dunkenstein wanted to leave the arena. Griffith gave the Jazz 11 points a game but shot only 43 percent from the field and 64 percent from the foul line.

Measure that against career averages of 32 minutes, 20.1 points and 47 percent field-goal shooting. Griffith's numbers inspired Lay-den to play Bob Hansen. But Griffith argues that his productivity was a result of his reduced playing time. This is a discussion he and Layden conducted many times behind closed doors and in the Salt Lake City newspapers. "I wasn't pleased with the way I sM If Tt' I RICK BOZICH SPORTS COLUMNIST will be announced at 1 p.m.

today, and Griffith says he won't wander far from a telephone, television or radio. "I don't know any more than anybody else," Griffith said. "They've told me they want me back (in Utah), but it's out of my control. Draft Day anxiety is an emotion that hasn't gripped Darrell Griffith since June 10, 1980. That's when the Utah Jazz plucked Griffith out of the University of Louisville as the second pick in the National Basketball Association college draft.

The Jazz wanted Griffith then. Today it's not as certain. Griffith was not one of the eight players the Jazz protected for today's draft by NBA expansion franchises in Miami and Charlotte. Each NBA team can lose only one player, and league insiders say either Griffith or teammate Kelly Tri-pucka will be taken from the Jazz. The names of the selected players Birds go down 12-4; Fitzgerald called up By GEORGE RORRER Staff Writer On a night in which the Louisville Redbirds were hammered 12-4 by Richmond in a Triple-A Alliance baseball game, the St.

Louis Cardinals looked to them for help. The Cardinals called up first baseman Mike Fitzgerald to replace Bob Horner, who was put on the disabled list because of a shoulder injury, on their roster. Fitzgerald led Arkansas last season in home runs with 27 and runs batted in with 108, and this spring he caught St Louis manager Whitey Herzog's eye by batting .445 in 12 exhibition games. But Fitzgerald had struggled as a Redbird until last week, when he was named national Triple-A batter of the week for going 13 for 28 with four of his six home runs. Including a l-for-4 effort last night, Fitzgerald had one hit in his last 11 at-bats and was hitting .232.

"I had heard that Horner was hurt and I knew they'd have to do something," Fitzgerald said. "I was doping it was going to be me. "I wasn't tearin' it up here, but I'm glad to get the chance. I'll do my best." Louisville manager Mike Jorgen-sen wouldn't guess how long Fitger-ald will be with the Cardinals. never know," he said.

"Duane Walker was going up for about two weeks (on April 23) and he's still there. It depends on what happens. "We've got (St. Louis first baseman-outfielder) Jim Lindeman now, and he's going to stay his 20 days (rehabilitation program) and then they'll make a decision." Darrell Griffith Will it be Utah, Miami or Charlotte? was used last year, and I told Frank that," Griffith said. "I've expressed my opinion very clearly.

My abilities make it clear that I'm not a five- or six-minute-a-nlght player. Smoltz until Rod Booker singled in the fifth inning and didn't score until Rick Lockwood hit a pinch homer in the sixth that made the score 8-1. John Murphy had a two-run seventh-inning double for the Redbirds, a fly ball that two Braves outfielders lost in the dusky sky, and another See REDBIRDS PAGE 2, col. 3, this section A-- rc. That's ridiculous.

I started at Utah in the hard times, and I'd like to be there while they have success. I want it to work out But I also don't want to be in a situation where they're jerking me around. I want to play." Not that Layden lacks reasons to argue. Without Griffith, Utah finished third in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference and raced into the conference playoff semifinals, pushing the champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games. With four years remaining on a See IS GRIFFITH PAGE 8, col.

1, this section Salazar's hit in 10th lifts Tigers to sweep Associated Press Luis Salazar's RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Tom Brookens from second base and gave the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 victory last night and a sweep of their three-game series with the slumping New York Yankees. Detroit, which has won 12 of its last 15 games, took a 2-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East The Tigers have won their last six one-run games and 12 of 14 dating to April 28. They won each game of this series by a run on their final at-bat. Detroit relief ace Mike Henne-man (2-2) pitched the last three innings, allowing one hit, striking out five and lowering his ERA to 1.67. Brookens started the Detroit 10th with a single off reliever Charles Hudson and was sacrificed to second by Jim Walewander.

Salazar then lined a 2-2 pitch to left-center. That sent the Yankees to their fourth consecutive loss, their longest losing streak of the season, as they completed a 2-7 road trip. Starters Frank Tanana of Detroit and John Candelaria of New York each pitched seven innings, allowing two runs. Tanana was aided by three inning-ending double plays. Indians 3 Red Sox 1 Doug Jones tied the major league record with his 13th straight save and Brook Jacoby and Julio Franco homered as host Cleveland snapped Boston's four-game winning streak.

Franco, who singled in his first See SALAZAR PAGE 2, col. 3, this section mer coach at DeSales and now the head coach at Madisonville. "It was one of the few times I saw him hang his head. We talked for about 30 minutes, then he said, 'Well, coach, I'll do the best I And how good was that? "He had a tremendous spring practice and had a great chance of being a starter this fall," said Darryl Drake, an assistant coach at Western and the school's chief recruiter for the Louisville area. "Jeff was the first guy who ever said 'yes' to me in recruiting, so he is very special to me." Barnett had two burning loves, Rickard said.

One was his fiancee, Nancy Bevin of Georgetown, Ind. The other was football. "She was just about all he ever talked about, what they were going to do with their lives," said Rickard, who chose Barnett as best man for his own wedding about three weeks ago. The most recent football media guide at Western said Barnett's ambition in life was to own a physical-fitness center. But, "Deep down, I know he wanted to play professional football," said Rickard, who attend- See FRIENDS Page 8, col.

2, this section Richmond's Terry Blocker, escaping Wilson. It skipped into the dugout to third base as the ball got past the Redbirds' Craig Braves went on to win 12-4 at Cardinal Stadium. "I'd rather play in a situation where I'm playing for a good team, but I also don't want to go through a year like I went through last year. "It's hard to say what will happen. I'm as curious as everybody else." What happened in the 1988 season was that a knee injury and verbal warfare with Jazz coach Frank Lay-den combined to jar Griffith into his worst professional performance.

Even before his season ended with arthroscopic knee surgery March 23, Griffith had started only 11 games. His playing time declined to 20.2 minutes a game. There were nights when Dr. Dunkenstein never left Layden's side. There were a third-inning rundown, slid into allow Blocker to score, and the Smith drove in three runs with a single and a triple, giving him eight RBIs in the last two games.

Griffin hammered homers Nos. 11 and 12, both long shots over the 390-foot mark on the left-field wall where only one Redbird shot has soared all season. Griffin batted in five runs. "We're hitting the ball good," Richmond manager Jim Beauchamp said, "but we also know their pitching staff isn't what they're used to. GAG ORDER: Los Angeles yesterday after gagging himself repeat as NBA champions.

Riley RBIs lift I've been there myself and it ain't fun. "Again, Lonnie got us rolling. He's our sparkplug. And those home runs of Griffin's, you don't hit them any better than that." Rookie right-hander Jeff Oyster (2-3) was the pitching victim, yielding nine runs on nine hits in 4 innings. Louisville didn't get a hit off John Friends remember Western's Barnett as loving, sensitive Trainer Kessinger has been very close to winning often Louisville's third straight loss dropped it into third place in what's left of the American Association Eastern Division pennant race.

The Redbirds (37-36) are 10 games behind first-place Indianapolis and less than a percentage point behind Buffalo (36-35). Ex-Cardinal Lonnie Smith and International League home-run leader Dave Griffin continued their assault on the Redbirds' pitching staff. head to the talented Miss Bid in a May 24 allowance feature, then was third by a total of a neck in a photofinish June 7 allowance here. Off at almost 10-1 in her first race on turf, she captured River Downs' mile White Swan Stakes by l'2 lengths over favored Lady Lush. Mary Jacqueline was scheduled to be bred this spring when Kessinger got her in Florida this winter, but the trainer convinced owner Ken Baker that he might be able to work out her racing problems.

Santa Clara Chief, winner of Ellis Park's Kentuckiana Stakes last summer, has two seconds and a third in three races this meet. Obviously there's frustration involved in knocking so much at the door. But Kessinger is philosophical. "We don't have powerhouse horses, not very expensive ones," he said. "And we end up running a lot in awful nice races, the seventh, eighth and ninth races and a lot of stakes.

You have to feel very pleased when they're running this well." And Kessinger notes even second-place money is pretty good with Churchill's record purses. In retrospect, he has an idea on where some of it should have gone. See TRAINER PAGE 9, col. 1, this section lark's 7 1 By DAVE KOERNER Staff Writer When Wendell Rickard failed to make grades a year ago at Western Kentucky University and left school, his roommate sat up all night crying. "He didn't want to see me leave," Rickard recalled yesterday just moments before an 11:30 a.m.

appointment. "He was a big, sensitive guy who really loved people, and he knew he would miss me." Rickard's appointment was at a Louisville funeral home. Last Saturday night, his former college roommate and best friend, Jeff Barnett, was killed when the car in which he was riding veered off KY 44 and hit a utility pole in Spencer County. Barnett, 20, was the second-team center on Western's football team. He had been recruited as a linebacker out of DeSales High School in Louisville but was switched from defense to offense following the 1987 season.

It was not a popular decision with Barnett, but if there was one thing that best characterized him, his friends say, it was his ability to play the hand he was dealt. "I saw him at Christmas and he was all depressed about the change," said Don Hettich, his for By JENNIE REES Staff Writer Trainer Burk Kessinger's public stable won a stakes race at Fair-mount Park on Saturday night and another one at River Downs on Sunday afternoon. In between, he was second in a stakes at Churchill Downs. It's been that kind of meet for Kessinger; who has as many wins on the road (two) as at his home base this spring. For a middle-sized outfit of 13 horses, he is having a good meet.

But given a neck or a head here, a length or two there and it would be a tremendous meet. In addition to his two wins at Churchill, the former stockbroker has nine seconds and six thirds in 35 starts. Three of those seconds were by the 3-year-old filly Stolie in stakes races. Twice she was runner-up to heavily favored Darien Miss, including in Sunday's Dogwood Stakes. She's A Mystery, who had been turned out to be a broodmare and was 300 pounds overweight last fall, finished third to Lt.

Lao in the June 4 Fleur De Lis Handicap and won the $27,825 Miss St. Louis Handicap by three lengths Saturday at Fair-mount. Mary Jacqueline lost by only a INSIDE Sports People Major league baseball Scorecard Harness racing ASSOCIATED PRESS coach Pat Riley greeted Lakers fans to avoid making another promise to had guaranteed this year's feat. Louise Wilson falls in State Amateur AUTO RACING CART MONEY LEADERS 1. Rick Mears $930,343 2.

Emerson Fittipaldi $456,113 3. Danny Sullivan $371,448 4. Michael Andretti $297,827 5. Al Unser Jr. $262,283 Giants past Padres Sports Beat See Page See Page 2 1 A Thoroughbred racing.