The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 8

(3 C2 THE COURIER-JOURNAL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1978 Ford's lack of a better idea has Softball teams seething Ski Nuts lead lives of spills, chills, thrills Continued from Page 1 he said. "I'm jumping up to 146 feet now. But I can remember when I was at 126, and then I'd surprise myself by getting to 130, and I've kept surprising myself since." Burkhead is nine feet short of the national record in the Men's 2 Division. "That's a long way to go," he said. "I don't know if I can make that." But he will try, and injuries will not get in the way.

Two years ago, he tore ligaments in his right knee. "I lost a ski on a jump," he said. He had to have major surgery. The scar is a reminder, but he never thought twice about coming back. "No, I wasn't really scared," Burkhead said.

I wasn't really fearful. I thought I might be, but I just went out and started doing it again." Burkhead has the stereotyped physical characteristics of a water skier you might see in a "Beach Blanket Bingo" movie. He has a powerful build, strong thighs, sandy blond hair and a moustache. All topped off by a golden tan. But that is only half of the stereotype.

The other half is that the water skier is a showboat, the guy who's waving his skis in the air, smiling, trying to gain attention a showman rather than an athlete. Burkhead tries very hard to avoid that part of the image. "JIow, when I approach the ski jump," he said, "I'm gonna be raising one of my skis into the air. It's not that I'm trying to show off or anything. It helps me get myself into the proper position." Burkhead considers himself an athlete.

And if you watch what he does, and watch how seriously he takes his sport, there is no reason to doubt him. But he knows athletes in many other sports have looked down upon the skier. "It's a sore point with us," he admitted. "But people are starting to take note. Competition is getting better, and now television is starting to pick up on skiing." "Until the last few years, skiing was more of a social event," added Sherri Bogard, a friend of Burkhead's and a member of the Memphis Ski Club.

"People dfdn't take it as seriously. Now, a lot of tournaments have to limit the number of entries because there are so many." Bogard and Burkhead agree that the impressive performances of skier Wayne Grymditch in the television Superstars competition has helped improve the skiers' image. "I think that By JOEL BIERIG Courier-Journal Times Staff Writer Minnesota is mad at Kentucky. Kentucky is mad at Minnesota. Cincinnati is mad at both of them.

Trenton is mad at Philadelphia and Rochester. And everyone in the mad, mad American Professional Slo-Pitch League is mad at Don Rardin, the league president. Where is commissioner Whitey Ford when the APSPL needs him? In New York playing some golf and doing some publicity work for his old team, the Yankees. "I devoted quite a bit of time to the league last summer and this spring, but I haven't really done that much since the spring," Ford admitted Friday from his Long Island, N.Y., home. Been too busy for the old APSPL, eh, Whitey? "No, I have plenty of time for the league," Ford said.

Well, then, where have you been? Did you know that while you've been holed up in New York, Don Rardin has been wearing a bullet-proof vest? During the past week, Mr. Rardin has been forced to make some controversial decisions, most of them involving rained-out games that weren't made up before the end of the regular season. "I'd rather go fishing," Rardin said Friday from league headqaurters in Detroit. "But somebody has to do these things." "It's a touchy subject right now," Ford said of his relationship with the league. "I'm right on the borderline at the moment.

I may have a statement to make next week. I know I'm being evasive, but I don't want to say anything until the playoffs are over. Right now, there are some things I really need to get worked out." Such as getting paid? "I'm not saying that," Ford said. "If I do have something to say, it'll be in a few days, maybe after Labor Day. Take care." Click.

In the meantime, the league playoffs began Friday night in Detroit. To complete the regular season, however, Rardin had to take matters into his own hands. "This has been an especially bad summer from the standpoint of weather," Rardin said. "It was bad all season, but it compounded itself at the end of the season. We had 10 (of 12) teams in a drive for the playoffs down to the last week.

When all the games hadn't been made up, it all fell on my shoulders." Last Tuesday night, for example, the Bourbons were supposed to play a make-up doubleheader against Minnesota at Bishop David Field. When it rained Minnesota was 38-24 and Cincinnati was 40-24. Although Minnesota and Cincinnati finished with identical records, Minnesota got the bye because it had won its season series against Cincinnati. "It wasn't an easy decision to make," said Rardin, whose son, Don plays for Cincinnati. "I don't want to make enemies, but you have to try to make a fair judgement.

I made what I thought was a fair decision." Another controversial decision involved Philadelphia, which made the playoffs, and Trenton, which didn't. Early in the season, Rardin said, Rochester played a four-game weekend series at Philadelphia. When a Saturday night doubleheader was rained out, the teams decided to play four games Sunday. The affair ran late, however, and Rochester left after playing only three games. The team didn't want to miss its plane, Rardin said.

Well, the fourth game never was played. Rardin wound up awarding Philadelphia a forfeit victory, which gave Philadelphia and Trenton identical records. Since Philadelphia had won the season series from Trenton, Philadelphia got the playoff berth. "Had Rochester beaten Philadelphia in that game, Trenton would be in the playoffs," said Rardin. "It's no bed of roses.

Every league that ever started has had these growing pains," said Kentucky's Coleman. "But I think we need a commissioner who's going to be there to make some of these decisions. Whitey is so busy with so many things that I don't know what his status is as our commissioner." Said Rardin: "I think eventually we're going to need someone who has some strength. Sure, we could use a full-time commissioner. But we're not ready to be able to pay a commissioner year and give him a 10-man staff." Asked how much Ford is being Rardin said, "Quite a bit for the average working guy.

But he's in demand as a public personality. He's been a very successful businessman since his exit from the Yankees. What with TV and all his speaking engagements and per-; sonal appearances, he's probably making six figures a year. It's hard to expect someone in a part-time position to be a full-time commissioner." "He hasn't done anything," Kentucky's Miller said of Ford. "He made some appearances around the league last year, but we haven't seen or heard from him all season.

"I can't see what purpose he except maybe for an incentive for other teams to join the league. I don't know, what his job is except for P.R., and .1 don't even know how much of that he's, doing." WHITEY FORD Hell talk next week during the afternoon, Bishop David officials declared the field unplayable and postponed the doubleheader at about 4:30. Minnesota, after sending three team members to check the field, decided that the groundskeeper was all wet that the Bourbons were tired from a doubleheader in Detroit the previous night and didn't want to play. Consequently, Minnesota general manager Jack Blesi refused to keep his team in Louisville an extra day. The Norsemen flew home early the next morning, and the mess landed in Rardins lap.

On Wednesday afternoon, "after talking with everyone involved," Rardin ruled that the doubleheader had been postponed too hastily and that Minnesota deserved two victories. "He made the right decision," said Bourbons outfielder Fred Miller. "Our game never should have been called at 4 p.m." But Lawrence Gatti one of the Bourbons' three owners, was livid. He said Thursday that Rardin had no right to question the decision of Bud Gagel, the head groundskeeper at Bishop David. "Somebody's got to make some decision," Gatti's partner, C.

C. (Thumper) Coleman, said with a shrug. "Don's been having to wear all the hats, and that's tough to do." When Minnesota received the two victories, it also received a first-round bye in the playoffs. The two teams with the best records draw byes, and Detroit (49-14) already had one wrapped up. But, entering the Kentucky doubleheader, Staff Photo by Robert Steinau Suzanne Roeder, a member of the Ski Nuts water skiing club, goes through one of her routines recently at Kentucky Lakes.

Ski Nuts take their name seriously. But Burkhead recognizes the bottom line. "Let's be honest about it," he said. "People like to watch something with an element of danger to it. They like to watch something where somebody just might break his neck." The Ski Nuts will be the hosts of a ski jump tournament at Kentucky Lake Saturday and Sunday.

Don't be surprised if the newborn daughter of Ski Nuts Bob and Paula Payne is there. Steve Moore doesn't like the idea that the Ski Nuts might become an extinct group in 25 years. So, as president of the club, he has instituted a new rule that effects the baby, born Aug. 24. Said Moore, "Any baby of a Ski Nut family is automatically a ski nut himself." helped people to see that a good water skier is a good athlete, too," said liitivood planning bold move on Louisville racquetball scene earl cox 4 jP-f Courier-Journal Sports Columnist WHITE I SPECIAL EXCISE SIZE PRICE TAX A78xl3 C78xi4 M8.95 .32 B78xl3 D78xl4 19.95 .35 C78xl3 A78xis 20.95 .38 E78xl4 E78x15 21.95 .41 F78xl4 F78xi5 22.95 .44 G78x14 G78xis 23.95 .47 H78xl4 H78xis I 24.95 .50 Keeping up with racket sports: In a major development on the Louisville indoor tennis scene, Blairwood Racquet Club owner Dan Chitwood has announced that he is adding three indoor courts.

This is surprising because it is generally believed that the area is over-saturated with indoor facilities now and at least one facility is thought to be in serious trouble. Maybe there are too many indoor courts overall, but Chitwood thinks the booming Plainview-Hurstbourne Lane area can use more, and construction will start this month. This will give Blairwood nine indoor courts. Chitwood is switching all of his indoor courts from clay to Elasta-turf, which he said is the type of surface at the Lexington Tennis Club and Louisville Boat Club. The latter club built four indoor courts last winter.

Blairwood's addition will bring the number of indoor courts in the Louisville area to 71. PURCELL VS. PLOCK Following appearance in the U.S. Open last Wednesday, Murray's Mel Pureed will play Louisville's Gary Plock in a 2 p.m. exhibition Monday at Mickey Schad's Lexington Tennis Club.

Purcell lost to Trey Waltke 7-5, 6-0 in a first-round Open match. Purcell took a set from Guillermo Vilas in a losing effort in a tournament preceding the Open. He and his father, Murray State University tennis coach Bennie Purcell, will talk about Mel's future this week. "He won't go back to Memphis State," Bentlie said, "but several other schools want him and he has to make up his mind quickly." His father pointed out that had Mel been a pro, he would have won $2,000 in the tournament in which he lost to Vilas. umpired this season in the New York-Penn League Remember Lou Martin? He was general manager of the Louisville Colonels in 1968 and did a tremendous promotional job here.

He is the new baseball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University. That's the school where ex-U of aide Dana Kirk is basketball coach. Thanks to Charles Hun-terman, Seymour, for passing along the Martin note. BASKETBALL Former UK guard Larry Johnson is on the U.S. team that will play in the World Basketball Championship Tournament Oct.

1-14 in Manila. Purdue's Eugene Parker also is on the team Scott Courts, the center who left UK, has switched to Regis College. That's where Joe Hall got his start as a college coach. OLYMPICS For Jim Miller, 1945 E. Elm New Albany, Ind.

47150: The U.S. Olympic Committee people in New York say that the solicitation you received from the 1980 Winter Games is on the up and up. They point out that there are two Olympic fund-raising efforts, the Olympic Committee's and the one for the Winter Games I got shook when I received a letter from the Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Washington, but it was just to let you know that the U.S. Olympic Committee will announce next month which travel agency will be authorized to sell tours and tickets to the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Russia expects 600,000 tourists for the Olympics, 300,000 of them from abroad, including more than 20,000 Americans.

The U.S. will get 180,000 tickets to the invididual events. In all, there are 5.8 million Olympic tickets. The Russians say that Americans are expected to show most Interest in track and field, swimming, basketball and boxing, and that an attempt will be made to provide tickets in those sports. NO TRADE-IN NEEDED RACQUETBALL The public is invited to a free professional exhibition between Mike Zietman and David Fleetwood at noon Saturday during opening ceremonies at Louisville's first racquetball club, the Plainview Racquetball Club at 10301 Linn Station Road.

An hour earlier, Zietman and clup pro Marc Mitchell will conduct a clinic. Also scheduled is an exhibition match between pro basketballer Louie Dampier and former major-league baseball player Denny Doyle. Dept. of this and that BOXING Good news: The Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks rematch will be on home TV (ABC) Sept. 15.

The bad news is that Howard Cosell and Chris Schenkel will be two of the announcers. Frank Gifford will be the other. BASEBALL Among many things I don't understand is why state schools let a prospect such as Trinity's Ronnie Chancellor get away. He won eight games and lost one at Trinity and was 9-2 for the St. Matthews American Legion team.

He is going to Virginia Tech, guided there by Leland Melear, one of his Legion coaches. Tech, Melear's alma mater, is giving Chancellor almost a full ride. The Tech coach is former major-league reliever Bob Ballard and UK grad David Lee 1 FULL warramtyX FOR FREE REPLACEMENT I If failure occurs during the life of the tread (232nds legal 1 1 tread depth) the tire will be repaired or replaced freel Warrantied against failure due to defects in workmansip or materials and against ROAD HAZARD for the full life of the original tread. (down to 237nds of an inch remaining tread) without limit to time andor mileagel FREE FINANCING NO DOWN PAYMENT! NO ANNUAL RATE! NO FINANCE CHARGE! 3 months soma task, tiompio monthly poymoittt of $50.00 oach. No inferos! or conyimj choroa.

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That is hard to swallow! There are normally two sides to everything. The truth more likely lies in the middle, with both parties sharing the blame. BOB BOONE Corydon, Ind. Wants Notre Dame covered Dear Sir: Any chance of assigning a staff writer to Notre Dame football? You have one assigned to Indiana so why not Notre Dame? I think the staff writer would love it. In fact, I'll take the job.

I would rather take The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times than subscribe to the South Bend Tribune if you had someone assigned to do Notre Dame football. I think it's a good suggestion because Notre Dame is in Indiana. Also, if you can't do this, could you print something on Notre Dame equal to Indiana? That way I won't have to subscribe to the South Bend Tribune. EDWARD P. MASTERSON 3506 Mina Court LOUISVILLE Satisfied with Knight Dear Sir: For the last two or three years I have been reading articles written by you and your sports columnists that have been very critical of Bob Knight.

Your enthusiasm for this task is very apparent. I have always preferred The Courier to all other papers to which I have been exposed. However, your treatment of Bob Knight has been so disgusting that I have considered cancelling my subscription. Some of your readers who have Written recently regarding Bob Knight inevitably got around to comparing him to other coaches notably, Joe Hall and Denny Crum. If that turns them on, more power to See Your Big-0 Tire Store.

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