The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 56

JJE Sj jH 4 il. if Si Jsh I THURSDAY September 4, 1980 11' Syini.js if ifypiniir i j. hi 4 By TOM SQUIRES Tennessean Sports Writer MEMPHIS After 97 victories, Nashville Sounds manager Stump Merrill says this is no time for his bats to go silent. But that was the case last night here in the opening game of the Southern League Western Division playoffs as Memphis' Bryn Smith shut out Nashville on nine hits for a 5-0 victory. A CROWD of 4,165 at Tim McQarver Stadium watched the veteran Smith scatter the nine hits and the Sounds commit two errors in a four-run second inning as the Chicks took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Sounds left-fielder Ted Wilborn dropped a two-out liner off the bat of Mike Gates to allow the first Memphis run and three more Chicks followed before starter Tom Filer could get the door shut. "We just threw the ball around and Wilborn said he lost one in the lights," said Merrill. "Filer didn'tthrow too bad. If we play defense behind him, we'd still be playing." BUT MERRILL seemed ever more disturbed at the Sounds' hitting than he was at their defense. "Smith pitched a good game but there's no way he's supposed to shut us out.

We got most of our hits after two were out and we couldn't buy one when we had guys on base," said Merrill. Filer did struggle with his control in the early innings. The veteran righthander, who won .13 games during the regular season, gave up six hits, a walk and hit a batter in the first two innings. He walked the first two hitters in the third before. Merrill brought in Jeff "I felt pretty good when the game started," said Filer.

"I couldn't get any decent calls from the umpire. He wouldn't give me the low pitch. Memphis only hit one solid ball, the, rest were bloops or grounders. I just hope I get another shot at Memphis this series." 1 II I Assignment; Vanderbilt If, I1 i By JIMMY DAVY MEMPHIS HAD runners at first and second in the second inning when catcher Tom Wieghaus grounded into a double A hit batsman put runners at first and third before Gates' soft fly to Wilborn. Anthony Johnson and Chris Smith then followed with singles to give the Chicks a 4-0 lead.

Memphis added another run in the eighth off Sounds' rookie Larry Kuhn on a walk, a single by Wieghaus and a sacrifice fly by Tony Phillips. Pat Tabler had three of Nashville's nine hits, Bullet Dodgers I team yesterday while Wilborn and Danny Schmitz collected two VANDERBILT'S football dodeed the bullet. apiece. Smith, a veteran of four years in the Southern (Turn to Page 64, Column 1) Wins Bora i Tahrier But Staff colorphoto by Billy Easley Scares Him MTSU's Boots, Bill and Brown fenders away from quarterback Brown Sanford this fall. The Blue Raiders open their 1980 campaign against North Alabama this Saturday night.

Story on Page 53. MURFREESBORO Middle Tennessee State football coach James "Boots" Donnelly, left, is counting on offensive lineman Bill Spurloclc, center, to keep opposing de- Player Eligibility Resolved It was the final contact work of the pre-sea-son practice under game conditions although the opener at Maryland is still nine days away. Clearly, Commodore head coach George Ma-clntyre, working in an environment of daily padded violence, is a man wary of injuries. "AS YOUNG AS we are, we should hit every day, six days a week," the Vandy skipper said leaving Dudley Field yesterday. "We just can't afford injuries." Ironically, he was at that tune headed toward the training room inside McGugin Center where Pat Saindon, the 252-pound first unit defensive tackle, was being examined and treated for a knee injury he received just min-utes earlier.

"If we were to lose the guy (for Maryland), it would hurt us badly," said Maclntyre, hustling across Jess Neely Boulevard. "Maybe we'll be lucky this time." It was just a few days earlier that a similar in the same direction', found first unit quarterback Van Heflin with his throwing arm strapped to his chest. A shoulder dislocation still makes his availability for the first two or three games doubtful. Saindon appears to have dodged that kind of injury bullet. He was hit by a falling teammate from the outside of his right knee.

As he sat on the bench on Dudley Field, with his pads off and a bag of ice on the knee, teammates feared the worse. They have seen too many knee injuries not to be concerned. And, the concern carried to the field as the No. 2 offensive unit riddled the Vandy first line of defense minus big No. 62, Saindon.

INSIDE THE TRAINING room, however, head trainer Jack Redgren first gave out the" official and proper medical bulletin. "It is a sprained knee. It has a lot of swelling. We'll be able to tell more about it in the morning," he said. Pressed, Redgren added, "It could have been worse.

I'm not all torn up about." "I hope it's all right," said Saindon, a massive, aggressive sophomore defender. "I do too," chimed in Maclntyre. ShpMiques Pass Inspection By MARTIN LADER NEW YORK (UPI) Bjorn Borg, his Grand Slam dream almost turned into another night-' mare by Roscoe Tanner, woke up in time to defeat his old tormentor in five sets yesterday and gain the semifinals of the U.S: Open Tennis Championships. Fighting the thought that he would lose when he was down two sets to one and a break in the fourth, Borg was almost invincible with his own service in the final set to defeat Tanner, who was limping at the end, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6 3. A year ago it was Tanner, a native of Lookout who upset Borg's march to the Grand Slam with a victory in the same quarterfinal round of the Open.

ANOTHER REMATCH of epic proportion, this one Of last year's women's final, was set up when defending champion Tracy Austin and four-time Open champion Chris Evert Lloyd both won their quarterfinals, -j v.c j. Austin continued her mastery over Pam Shriver with a 6-2, 6-3 victory, and Evert had to struggle before subduing unseeded Mima Jausovec of Yugoslavia, 7-6, 6-2, in a baseline duel which featured long rallies. Neither Austin nor Evert has dropped a set, (Turn to Page 58, Column 4) 17 year, old player can go anywhere and be eligibile if he has no local pro- "IF A question of eligibility had been brought to my attention by Bob- by Alford, the Tennessee state commissioner, I'd have investigated it before the team even came to the regional. But he (Alford) made no exceptions 1 when the player list was sent to the regional tournament. When the question was raised in Andulusia, I checked and found him in accordance with the rules.

Neither the team and; its title nor Starnes should have a black mark placed on them. They won; the world championship, fair and? proper." (Turn to Page 58, Column 2) both Dick Richardson (Southeastern Regional director of Charlotte, N.C.) and the national headquarters," said Tellefsen in an interview from his Trenton, N.J., home. "The matter has been checked and there is no problem with his Starnes' status was questioned at the Southeastern Regional ment in Andulusia, by a manager of the Charlotte, N.C, team, Richard-sonsaid. vv "I checked the situation prior to the Southeastern Regional," stated Richardson. "There is not a Babe Ruth league in his area.

Any player 18 years old can move and play wherever he makes his residence if he has no program. With parental consent, a 16 or By LARRY TAFT A controversy over whether, the Nashville Jantzen Shoetiques used an ineligible player to help in winning the 1980 Babe Ruth Senior World Series last month has been resolved, Babe Ruth International Commissioner Ron Tellefsen said last night.1 A disagreement centered over the eligibility of Greg Starnes, 17, of Winchester. The issue involed whether the Franklin County pitcher had crossed Babe Ruth boundary lines to play for the Shoetiques and by-passed other Babe Ruth programs in so doing. Were he ruled illegal, the Shoetiques could have been stripped of their championship. "GREG STARNES was cleared by Staff colorphoto by Robert Johnson 'l Fag- Waving Eagles lliiiPPlIlilllii I These Nashville Chris-' "Maybe," Maclntyre added, "it a good thing his leg is as big as it is." The injury bullet, which could really have delivered a killing blow to the Vandy football team, also missed quarterback Whit Taylor.

The 5-11, 18-0-pound sophomore from racking up some of his 60 yards rushing yesterday when he was drilled from the side. Down he went on his right elbow, a tackle not unlike the one which sent Heflin to the sidelines for weeks. He finally straightened his throwing arm, rubbed his elbow and headed to the huddle. "I lost my breath," Maclntyre said. "I almost applauded when he got up off the turf." "That could have been a very serious situation for our football team," Coach Mac added.

"With Heflin out, I don't even like to think about it. I guess we were fortunate there." I THE APPARENT near-miss for Taylor came on perhaps his best day of running the Commodore. offense. His rushing yardage was impressive (60 in 11 carries) and his passing was vastly-improved (4 for 7). "The three he didn't complete were just dropped.

Whit is throwing the football better than he is getting credit. Our catching is bad. It's something we will work on while we taper off drills in shorts," said Coach Mac. "And after tomorrow and Friday in some controlled contact, that's how we'll be practicing. In shorts," he added.

VANDERBILT SHORTS: Impressive in yesterday's work were freshman James (Punkin) Williams and Jim (Diamond Jim) Bronner, the 5-7, 160-pound sophomore, who played the role, of Maryland tailback Charlie Wysocki in run- (Turn to Page 60, Column 5) IS tian School Eagle foot ball players hope to be waving the flag of vie-tory this season under new Coach Ronny Copeland. The players are from left, corner; back Kevin Hopkins, tight-end-safety Jay Nelson, tackle Sonny Boyce, tailback Robert; Elkins, nose guard Mark Wheeler, quart-; erback Chip Catron and slot bock Doug McGrady. These seniors start their last" football season Saturday afternoon at! I a i I I Academy. (Story on Page 62) I. 1 1 -V- 1 5 i 1.