The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 19

1 1 Second Playoff Gbme Tonight In Memphis hick aySm: 0 mm 25r WITH -m JOHN BIBB SPORTS EDITOR I A CINCINNATI player personnel director Chief Bender said he had given Scherger permission to use the designated hitter if Memphis planned to do so. "They let us know they were going to use the DH, so we went with one, too," he said. "In a short series like this, I don't think it hurts. We've used the DH before in playoff games." Not only Hamilton, but every other Sound that went to the plate last night got into the hit column. Menees and third baseman Skeeter Barnes had three apiece with Barnes using two doubles to drive in a pair of runs.

Catcher Dave Van Gorder was one of five other Nashville players with two hits apiece and was the top RBI man with three. 'We didn't have to worry about those stats and went up to trie plate free-swinging," said Van Gorder, "A couple of us may have started pressing the last few games of the season, but we were relaxed tonight and didn't go fishing for any of those high ones from Gullick-son. The Sounds need only one win in Memphis to wrap up the Western (Turn to Page 20) He TENNESSEAN By TOM SQUIRES The Nashville Sounds finally got to use a designated hitter and guess what? They really didn't need one. THE SOUNDS exploded for 18 hits, including two by DH Bobby Hamilton, and blasted Memphis 10-2 last night at Herschel Greer Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of -three playoff series for the Southern League's Western Division championship. A crowd of 7,308 a league playoff record watched Nashville righthander Bill Kelly go the distance to notch his 14th victory of the year.

He scattered nine hits and allowed only one earned run. The playoff series now moves to Memphis for Game 2 tonight at Tim McCarver Stadium, slated to get underway at 7:30. A third game, if necessary, will be played in Memphis tomorrow night. "IT'S ALWAYS big when you get that first one," said Nashville manager George Scherger. "I didn't want to go to Memphis needing to win two.

This will make the trip up there a little shorter." The Sounds jumped out front early, scoring a first-inning run on Gene Menees' triple and a sacrifice fly by Paul Householder. Nashville got two more triples in the second inning to score three times and give Kelly all the cushion he need- "l'd like to have 18 hits and 10 runs every time I go out there," said Kelly, who had struggled the past couple of starts while trying to get over the unlucky 13-win hump. "I don't think this win counts on my stats so I guess I'm still stuck on 13. "I had a good sinkerball tonight and had the change-up working, too," he continued. "I've got to have those two pitches to be effective.

But, you don't need much to Staff photo by Robert Jobusoft Home plate umpire Mike Benda, right, warns I Chicks' starter hit Nashville batter Tommy pitcher Tim Gullickson after the Memphis I Sohns in the back during the second inning. oh it's ves The Risk at Greer INDICATIONS are that he's in the minority among Nashville fans on the controversy with Cincinnati as pertains to the designated hitter issue, but Sounds' fan Jim Watson, 3529 Trimble Road, asks to be heard. So be it. "Why have you and your staff so consistently sided with or failed to express the distinct viewpoint of those of us who feel that Mr. Larry Schmittou is making a serious mistake in departing from the Cincinnati Reds?" Watson writes.

"The question is: Is Mr. Schmittou's insistence on the use of the DH important enough to risk departing from quality ball players and a quality system, and chance mediocrity? This is coming across to me as, quite honestly, thickheadedness, or, 'My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts'. "I feel the DH is not important enough to risk, at the expense of this host of great fans, and simplv appease one man's whim about the DH! We are winning without that 'half ball player' rule. do we need it, thenf "There is no need now in debating whether the DH is a good or bad thing because the Reds are fixed in their position. But, they are winners.

Let's not be thickheaded about this. It's important to loyal Nashville fans. IT IS, indeed, important to loyal Nashville fans, and undoubtedly there are others who support Watson's position on the matter. Nevertheless, it is absolutely clear that Schmittou's plan from the outset has been to iroduce a people-oriented program. Every-hing he has attempted has been aimed toward making Greer Stadium a fun-for-f ans place.

If almost 900,000 customers over two seasons Is a fair guideline, then surely Schmittou has succeeded. The designated hitter deal has been the focal point of the break with Cincinnati. But, there obviously have been other difficulties. One such problem is Schmittou's insistence that the parent big-league club plays an exhibition here at least every other spring. Again, such an exhibition definitely woulafbe interesting for the loyal Nashville fans.

Such an arrangement, by the way, is now in writing. Schmittou feels the Reds broke a promise on this matter, Whether they did, or didn't, it won't happen again unless the new big-league parent pays through the nose. THE DESIGNATED hitter issue didn't come up overnight. For the record, Schmittou has never been an advocate of the rule which allows a player to take the pitcher's spot in the batting order. He vigorously opposed the use of the DH when he was a college coach.

However, when the collegiate baseball fathers adopted the rule, Schmittou used it at Vanderbut, "because our guys would be at a disadvantage by not using it." Despite frequent appeals to Cincinnati that some sort of DH compromise be reached perhaps employing the designated hitter against those opponents who used it Schmittou's break with the Reds didn't come until the Sounds had lost several close games and were eight below .500. Schmittou simply felt he owed it to the loyal Nashville fans to give their Sounds an (Turn to Page 20) Steele its OT win with these guys hitting and All 1 ing detense like they did to- playi night season last year the Steelers did not allow a first quarter touchdown, but gave one up to Dallas in the Super Bowl. Bradshaw, pressured much of the night by a fierce pass rush, got Pittsburgh rolling late in the first quarter following an interception by linebacker Jack Lambert at the Patriots 49. THE STEELERS needed just 4:57 to cash in on the interception, with Thornton bulling over from the 2-yard line. The scoring drive was kept alive by two Bradshaw passes a 19-yarder to Lynn Swann and a 14-yarder to Randy Grossman both (Turn to Page 22) Asked how he liked having a teammate batting for him, Kelly said: "I liked it.

But, I did get a little stiff between innings. Memphis was at a big advantage with us using the DH because I'm a lot better hitter than their pitcher." (For the record, Memphis' starting pitcher was Bill Gullickson who socked a double off Kelly in a Chicks' victory Thursday night.) I Page 19 TUESDAY September 4, 1979 David Pearson Patiently Waits, Wins 500-Miler DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) -Coming back from a four-month hiatus from his livelihood, David Pearson won the Southern 500 stock car race yesterday, but the man known as the "Silver Fox" said it wasn't as easy as it used to be. "I enjoy it, running as well as I've been running, but I'd have to say I don't enjoy it as much as' I used to," said Pearson, who lost his ride with the renowned Wood Brothers team in April and only recently came back on the Grand National circuit driving for the Osterlund team. "Darlington is just so tough, so hot," an exhausted Pearson said after he lie back, then outlasted five other drivers who jockeyed with him for the lead during the 500-mile chase.

Pearson watched Franklin's Darrell Waltrip, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Neil Bonnett and others scramble for the lead, then took the lead less than 100 miles from the end. Pearson had his Chevrolet a cozy two laps ahead of his nearest rival at the finish of the race. Bill Elliott finished second with Terry Labonte third and Buddy Baker fourth. Waltrip banged into the wall and spun out in the second turn of lap 296 and eventually finished 11th. Alabama's Bear Banks On Television Windfall FOXBORO, Mass.

(UPI) -Rookie kicker Matt Bahr booted a 41-yard field goal with 9:50 left in overtime last night to lift the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers to a 16-13 victory over the New England Patriots. The Patriots won the toss for the overtime period but failed to move the ball, and the Steelers took over on their own 31. Pittsburgh ran five straight running plays to net 37 yards, with running backs Franco Harris picking up 19 and Sidney Thornton 18. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw then hit Thornton with a flair for six yards, and after a 2-yard gain by Thornton, Bahr undeterred by an extra timeout kicked the winning field goal. The victory, which spoiled the debuf of Patriots Coach Ron Erhardt, gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 record and New England is now 0-1.

Pittsburgh sent the game into overtime when Bradshaw connected on a 21-yard scoring toss to Thornton with 4:09 left in the game. THE STEELERS. who surrendered the ball deep in New England territory on a fumble moments earlier, regained possession at the Patriots 34 following a 14-yard shank by punter Eddie Hare. Bradshaw hit John Stallworth for a 13-yard gain then found Thornton wide open in the end zone. Thornton, a third-year running back subbing for the injured Rocky Bleier, also scored Pittsburgh's other TD on a 2-yard run 1:16 into the second quarter.

That touchdown capped a 49-yard drive in 11 plays, but Bahr missed the extra point. The Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched 55 yards in 1 1 play to take a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard scoring pass from Steve Grogan to Russ Francis, with the big tight end making a leaping one-handed catch in the end zone. The score marked only the second time in the last 20 games Pittsburgh has surrendered a touchdown in the first period. In the regular Vince Dooley of Georgia and Jimmy Johnson of Oklahoma State, $40,000. Bryant's Sunday TV show nets him somewhere between $60,000 and $70,000 per season.

He also owns part of the advertising agency involved in producing it and is a stockholder of the show's three sponsors, the Register said. Switzer's two TV shows and a daily five-minute radio commentary bring him at least $65,000, according to media sources. Osborne is No. 3 in the radioTV market with a weekly pregame show, a Saturday night game-film show, a locker room radio snow and some pre-game radio DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Alabama's Bear Bryant will get $70,000, Oklahoma's Barry Switzer will receive $65,000 and Nebraska's Tom Osborne will get $60,000 for appearing on radio and television shows this season. Those estimated amounts are in addition to coaching pay that averages $45,000, the Des Moines Sunday Register reported in a copyright survey.

Lou Holtz of Arkansas will get about $55,000 in outside income, while Dan Devine of Notre Dame and Chuck Fairbanks of Colorado both are in the $50,000 bracket, the survey showed. Also listed were Bo Schembechler of Michigan and Fred Akers of Texas, Net Hustler' Bobby Riggs In Top Form By JOHN PITTS ii in mi I ii i in up i i iiiiimiii juiyw' ii imm l) fit til S'- I No sooner had tennis hustler boooy Kiggs finished a four-hour exhibition yesterday than he challenged John White to a table tennis match. For the two old Navy buddies, reunited in 4 lfl I Al Brentwood, it was iust like old times. "He's number one in over-sixties tennis, and I'm number one in table tennis over sixty," White, a Nashville native, explained yesterday as Riggs cooled off from his exhibition at the Maryland Farms Racquet Club. "I taught him how to play," Riggs interjected.

"When we were in the Navy, I used to give him noints. rive him oointers and lessons and then Xm L-a hie mnnmi I nca1 in hoot him in thrnuintf -4 '--I 1 inWirff lake UO UlVULJl UJLU IVVW coins, playing gin rummy and poker. In those 'i. fill 1 -j jV 6 WW-wv i nurn mm- 31 aays, jonn wniie oeiongea 10 me. And now, life belongs to Bobby Riggs.

He has fun playing tennis (usually for money), talking days, John White belonged to me. And now, life belongs to Bobby 1 fun playing tennis (usually for mc l' (usually anout nimseiu ana meeting peopie fiicuollv ohnnt himcoin and mi (usually pretty girls, whom he insists on kissing) and iust Deine himself. But there's a business end to the 61-year-old Riggs. He keeps a schedule that could exhaust a man half his age: "I promote, I travel, I do malls, I do lectures, I do colleges, I open new tennis clubs, I appear at girls' tournaments, I play in five or six golf tournaments a year. I'm in action all the time." What about sleep? "Only at night," he Staff photo by Bill Waled Tennis hustler Bobby Riggs demonstrates his unique styie in on exhibition ot the Maryland Forms Racquet Club in Brentwood.

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