The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 51

4C 0 THE TENHtSSEAH SatardTAPWll 13. 1985 Tigers Win in 10 I 1 -SS 'lav I Detroit got a run in the third on a double by Jim Weaver who Had three hits for the night and a vicious single through the box by Gibson was his parting shot for the crowd. I The Tigers forged ahead 3-2 in the fifth as three Sounds errors and a single by Weaver produced two runs. But the Sounds tied the game in the fifth on Mitchell's second single of the night and a double by Chavez to left field. That's the way it stood until the Tigers took exception to the booing from a crowd that feared the evening was going to wind up with no decision.

That would have been worse than kissing Detroit manager Sparky Anderson, or his sister. NAC'sHaislet Takes U.S. Jr. Consolation SYRACUSE, N.Y. Chandra Haislet, a 15-year-old Brentwood High student swimming for the Nashville Aquatic Club, won the 50-yard freestyle consolation finals at the United States Junior National Championships here.

(From First Sports Page) "The players feel bad about errors but that's part of the game," said Walls. Denharn, who worked the first three innings and gave up only three hits and one run to the Tigers, generally spoke for the Sounds pitchers who preceeded the ill-fated Carey. "I was well satisfied with the way I pitched. But I did make a couple of mistakes," he said. Asked about any additional pressures brought on by facing the well-known sluggers in Detroit togs, the 6-4 right-hander said: "No, not really.

I try not to let that kind of thing bother me. The big dif-ferencefln throwing to those guys is that they adjust faster hitting your mistakes a lot quicker." The Sounds, who won the Buffalo opener with only four hits on Thursday night, pounded out nine hits against Detroit starter Milt Wilcox, a 17-game winner last year. Bobby Mitchell, Pedro Chavez, Ron Johnson and Alex Sanchez each had two hits for Nashville, Mitchell and Chavez opened the game for the Sounds with consecutive singles to centerfield and later came home on Mike Laga's two-run double. Jiff -W- jp LV2j, Tigers To Bite Again Staff Photos by BilLWelch Shining Stars The Detroit Tigers warmed up in a variety of ways for their game against the Sounds at Greer Stadium. Clockwise from upper left, Kirk Gibson signs autographs, Alan Trammell waits to take batting practice, Sparky Anderson greets former Yankee pitching coach Jim Turner and Lance Parrish looks for a pitch in the batting cage.

"He plays everybody, which hot only keeps all the players sharp," he said, "it also keeps them happy:" Anderson, completely recovered from a leg injury sustained last week, set the record straight about how it happened. He said it wasn't anything so dramatic as running out to the pitcher's mound as originally reported. i "I was sitting in the dugout with my leg propped up on a bar and it went to sleep," he said. "The nerve became inflamed and it took a while to recover. But I'm fine now." Fifth District Congressman Bill Boner threw out the first ball of last night's game.

The Oak Ridge Boys country imu-sic group, which includes Sounds part owner Richard Sterban, sang the national anthem. Tigers outfielder Larry Herndon attended Tennessee State University as a freshman before joining Sarasota in 1971. Herndon was the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1976. (From First Sports Page) Walls) and everyone else here." Willie Hernandez, last yearns Cy Young Award winner and AL Most Valuable Player, already has a win and save this season. And, he said, he is glad to get the new season started.

He can use the rest "I was on the go all the time to banquets, parties, clinics, appearances of all kinds," said Hernandez. "I didn't have any time off for myself or my family. I was actually relieved when spring training got here." Hernandez agreed with Anderson that the current Detroit edition is even better than last season's. "There's no way he (Anderson) is going to let us lie on our backs and relax just because we're the world champions," said Hernandez. "People come in here, they'd better not just be ready to work they'd better be itching to work." Hernandez said Anderson possessed a special talent to maintain on a team.

1 igrSSI5 1 Britches-Hitching Arnold Palmer Still the King of Golf (From First Sports Page) because "I was trying something new, and it didn't work." The tournament committee added a toucn of nostalgia to yesterday's moment Charles Coe, an Augusta National member, was selected as the non-competing marker to accompany Palmer on the second round. It couldn't have been a chance selection. Twenty-four years ago, Coe, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion, and Palmer were paired in the final round of the Masters. On that memorable April afternoon in 1961, Palmer and Coe battled to a second-place tie for the championship.

A double-bogey 6 from the bunker at the final hole cost Palmer his second straight Masters crown and enabled the then 25-year-old Gary Player to capture the title and become the first foreign entry to win at Augusta. Coe's second-place tie is the closest any amateur has come to winning the Masters. But yesterday was another tournament and another time. Coe developed knee problems that led him on frequent safaris into set expected to greet a disgruntled, embarrassed king, ready to abdicate the throne he has occupied at Augusta, it was a mistaken notion. "It was one more Masters that I have enjoyed," Palmer said.

"The 83 was just one of those days. Everybody has them. I've had a few, and I'll probably have some more. If, and when, they come too often, then I'll think about other plans. Meanwhile, I have an extremely busy schedule of golf tournaments and events the next two months," Palmer said.

For more than half an hour, Palmer visited with the 100 writers who gathered to listen to him describe his play and philosophize on golf and some of his thoughts on where the game was when he first came to the Masters, where it is now and where its future may lead. He downplayed his individual role in popularizing golf around the world. "Many people have been very nice when talking about my part in all of this. The truth is it was a combination of many things back there in the 1950s and 1960s. We had a man the Augusta pines, and he gave up the cause at the end of nine holes.

Masters committeeman Dan Yates took over and walked almost jogged the last nine holes with Palmer. For the record, Palmer played the final nine in little more than an hour. Realistically, Palmer must be considered nearing the final pages of his scrapbook of bigtime competition Unquestionably, too, many of the thousands who joined the early-morning scene were curiosity seekers. What baseball fan, for instance, would pass up an opportunity to watch Ted Williams take batting practice again? Quite frankly many in the gallery used the opportunity to watch this former giant of golf move through the first few holes to head toward favorite viewing spots from which to observe the battle of contenders later in the day. It is just as true to observe that Palmer's marvelous personality urged many of the curious to delay assuming their viewing spots.

Thousands followed Palmer the full 18 holes. Despite the solo performance, Palmer matched the Augusta National's par 72, and when it was over, he was met by the usual crush of interviewers. If the pad and pencil in the White House, President Eisenhower, who loved to play the game. We had television here to record many of the great moments in the final holes, and we had some great finishes. This is what really happened in those days," Palmer said.

It is also true, however, that time and time again it was Palmer who was involved in those late, dramatic finishes. It was Palmer who was photographed ever so often as a playing companion with President Eisenhower. It was Palmer, the britches-hitching, power player, who could stare a putt into the cup to win another Green Coat And, beyond it all, it was The King who would pause amid all pressure to greet a friend or make a new one with his smile. And now, as he moves closer and closer to the end of his scrapbook, Palmer is determined to play his role as elder statesman with dignity and respect He knows his presence in a tournament adds great attraction. But, he is also aware, the crush of young stars is crowding the field for the weekly PGA Tour.

He is on record as saying he will not take one of those spots from a younger player unless the tournament sponsors can convince him he is needed to assure an event's financial security. I There were those yesterday morning who believed the odd-man pairing at the start of the round had to be embarrassing for Palmer. Not so, according to The King. Playing alone. Palmer admitted there were moments when he had time to recall some of his other shots and other rounds in other days in other Masters.

Even now when lie arrives in Augusta each spring, Palmer retains that longing to win here again. It's beyond his reach, now, but yesterday, as he held out slim hopes of somehow managing to produce a score that would just keep him in the field for the last two rounds, he enjoyed himself. "It was really kind of nice. Playing here always is," Palmer said. He says he'll keep coming back to Augusta in April, and when he no longer can compete, he'll show up so he can be here to share the experience of happiness and pride of each new champion who walks off the 18th green and into golf history.

The King's crown never sparkled more brilliantly than yesterday. Three Tied Atop Field Augusta's Tricky No. 12 Keeps Claiming Victims 1985 Masters Tournament 'I The Masters Notebook I Shot of the Day. I a 1 If IV Uk I Tom Waison cams to the J17IH hole with a one-shot load over Crala Sladlet and domination of the two par-5 holes on the back side. He reached each of them, the 13th and 15th, with an iron on his second shot and two-putted'for birdie on each, just missing the eagle putt on the 13th.

That put him three under par for the day and two in front of the field. He bunkered his tee shot on the par-3 16th, went into the sand and played a tough little shot out The ball ran beyond the hole about 3-4 feet a range that made the par-saving putt a likely thing. But as Watson climbed out of the bunker, the ball, which had been at rest for a moment began moving again. It gained momentum as it rolled down one of those treacherous slopes that form so much of the character of this storied old course and eventually came to rest again. But this time it was some 20 feet from the cup.

Watson's putt missed and his lead was cut to one. He found a fairway bunker with his tee shot on the 17th, had to play it out then pitched to within about four feet But his par putt slid by the hole and it was another bogey. And he was back into a tie. "I can't be too frustrated because I hit a couple of bad shots. That's the nature of this golf course," Watson said.

Stadlcr, a former winner here, had some difficulties with his driver one bounced off the top of a spectator's head ands even par for (From First Sports Page) record 17 major professional titles, fell from a contending position with a bogey-bogey finish to a 74 and a 145 that left him five strokes off the pace. Defending title-holder Ben Crenshaw was another stroke back at 146 after a 76 that included a double bogey on the Uth. Arnold Palmer, the 55-year-old who scored the last of his four Masters victories in 1964, was the first man off the tee and rewarded his still-faithful gallery with a par round "It was fun," Palmer said. "The conditions were perfect I was hitting the ball well. I was playing at Augusta National.

Everything was as it should be." Except that he had opened with an 83 and had a 36-hole total of 155, five strokes too high to qualify for the final two rounds today and to- morrow. Tom Kite and U.S. Open champion Fuzzy Zoeller also were casualties. Kite, who has challenged so frequently for this title in the past blew to a 79 and 154. Zoeller, a winner earlier this season and among the pre-tournament favorites here, was 75-152.

Watson, twice a winner of the green jacket that goes to the champion of this event and a five-time British Open title-holder, appeared a leader when fx continued his tl jV Pay Stewart. Watson CJ ,3 hooked his T-snol at the TENMESSEAN News Services AUGUSTA, Ga The par-3 12th hole at the Augusta National Golf dub usually finds a way to play a role in the Masters and it got an early start yesterday. The hole is one of the most famous par-3s in golf, with Rae's Creek running just in front and an embankment behind. Because there is so little green to serve as a target, the hole can mean bogey and worse. Among the chief victims at the hole yesterday were Ray Floyd (double bogey), Jack Nicklaus (bogey) and amateur Sam Randolph (bogey).

The ultimate victimi however, was Tom Kite. Kite hit two shots into the water and made a seven. A par on the hole would have allowed him to make the cut but instead he missed it by four shots the first time he has done so in his 13 trips to Augusta. Curtis Strange's 15-stroke reversal in his score between the first and second rounds (80 to 65) was a startling turnaround, but not a record. The biggest flip-flop in Masters' history belongs to Craig Wood, who shot 88-67 in the first two rounds in 1936 a difference of 21 strokes.

"I won't forget this round for a long time," said Strange who was so disgusted by his first roifpd 80 that jjjcj fairway and was only sole 1. rnn hA he had made plane reservations to leave Augusta yesterday afternoon. "If I missed the cut I didn't want to sit around here and drink beer all night You know, just in case you don't play good you want to get out of Dodge," said Strange. The 65 will keep him here, instead. And what of the plane reservation? "Some standby can have Co-leader Craig Stadler, still looking very much the walrus with his bushy mustache and hefty build, is getting tired of finishing second so often this year.

"Putting is what hae been holding me back," said the 1982 Masters champion, who placed second in the Hope Classic the Hawaiian Open, and the Greater Greensboro Opea "If I get the ball in the hole, 1 11 start winning." Stadler, who has won eight tournaments since 1980, shrugged off the suggestion that maybe, after all those recent seconds, he was due to win. "I don't think I'm due, or oven-due," Stadler laid. green. From there ha needod three more shots lor a bogey thai pushed 1 stadler and Slewart alter LmTVi 36 holes. Tom Watson Tied for Lead the day through 1 1 erratic holes that included three birdies and as many bogeys.

But he got irons within 15 feet on the 1 1th and 10 feet on the 12th and made both putts. He two-putted for birdie-4 on the 13th and 15th and got a share of the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th. "My iron game was very good," he said. "If I can get to putting, I'll be playing very welL "It doesn't bother me that I haven't won this year. If you keep on playing well enough long enough, you're gonna win." Stewart had at least two opportunities to take the lead alone.

He failed to birdie the 15th, flying his second shot over the green and eventually settling for par. "Just played the club from 1 the fairway," he shrugged. And, the last man to finish, he had an 8-foot putt for birdie on the 18th that would have given him the halfway lead. "It was the easiest putt on the golf course and I rolled it about three feet past But at least I didn't three-putt That would really hpe left a bad taste in my.