Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 59

s2T REPUBLIC C6a ousts U.S. in baseball Nehemiah prevails in cold-war battle fc-J 'X '-t-? Sports The Arizona Republic SECTION Pagel July 12, 1979 Republic Sports Wires SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Although America's Renaldo Nehemiah won the battle in his personal cold war, Cuba continued to be a thorn in the side of the United States Wednesday in the Pan-American Games. Nehemiah, the world record-holder from Scotch Plains, N.J., beat Cuban star Alejandro Casanas for the fifth straight time in the 110-meter hurdles to highlight the track and field competition. But Cuba eliminated the U.S. baseball team with a 7-1 victory.

The Cubans pounded three U.S. pitchers for 14 hits, including a two-run home run by Fernando Sanchez. Craig Lefferts of Tucson, the second U.S. pitcher, took the loss after giving up hits and 2 runs in 3 innings. Nehemiah, who had said the only reason he came to the Pan-Am Games was to face Casanas, bolted into the lead and was never seriously challenged as he crossed the finish line in a games record of 13.20, two-tenths of a second off his own mark of 13.00.

second gold medal of the games by winning the women's 200-meter run in 22.24. Ashford previously won the 100-meter dash at the games. Olympic champion Mac Wilkins of Soquel, won the discus throw with a toss of 207-8, and Matt Cen-trowitz of Brooklyn, N.Y., took the run with a time of 14:01.0. Ashford, the 22-year-old student at UCLA who and previouly won the 100 meters, won the race handily over Canada's Angela Taylor and Jamaica's Merlene Ottey. Ashford pulled away from the pack to finish eight yards ahead of Taylor, who finished in 22.74 with Ottey posting a 22.79.

Ashford's victory avenged a loss by Don Coleman of Eugene, in the finals of the men's 200 meters as Cuba's Silvio Leonard sprinted to his second gold medal by taking the race in 20.37. James Gilkes of Guyana was second in 20.46, followed by Coleman in 20.56. Ml ta. vi-N I iii gr-. s.

As he raced across the finish line ahead of Casanas and teammate Charles Foster of Durham, N.C., Nehemiah raised his index finger high above his head to signify he was once again No. 1 in his specialty. Casanas took the silver with a 13.46 while Foster picked up the bronze in 13.56. A's Rick Henderson is called out at the plate on team' day. Making the tag is Baltimore catcher Dave Skaggs.

Out at home mate Mitchell Page's grounder in fifth inning Wednes- Oakland dispuited the play. Story on Page E-3. Macy faces surgery; Knight faces trial Centrowitz survived a foul claim by Mexico in the 5,000 meters. Teammate Herb Lindsay of Lansing, finished second in 14:04.1. The protest was lodged because Lindsay ran into Luis Gomez near the mark, causing the Mexican to lose his balance.

Lmdsay, however, was the one who fell to the ground and dropped into fifth position. But he got to his feet and closed fast at the end to nip Gomez for second place. Americans Richard Sandolval and Bernard Taylor, showing superior speed and skill, surged into the finals of the boxing compeittions with impressive victories. Sandoval, 18, of Pomona, scored a lopsided 5-0 victory over Ed-uardo Burgos of Chile to move into the 106-pound light flyweight finals 'Saturday night against Hector Ramirez of Cuba. Afterward, Nehemiah revealed that he almost did not run, saying, "There was talk of sending me home last Friday" because of a severe virus which ballooned his temperature to 103 degrees.

"The race itself isn't that significant," said Nehemiah. "It was a personal battle between Casanas and myself to decide once and for all I can beat him under any terms. I love racing against Casanas. It makes me a better competitor, but I think I'm better than he is." Nehemiah has not been beaten in the 110-meter hurdles since June 1978, when he established himself as the world's top hurdler. Franklin Jacobs of Paterson, N.J.

and Evelyn Ashford of Los Angeles shared top track billing with Nehemiah by also turning in Pan-Am record performances. Jacobs leaped 7-foot-5 to win the high jump and Ashford picked up her injured Arizona State's Johnny Nash in an exhibition game between Cuba and ASU in November 1977. Nash suffered a compound fracture of his right leg after being undercut by Herrera while attempting a slam-dunk. In 1973, Herrera was the center of controversy at the World University Games in Moscow when he got into a fight with the U.S. team.

American officials, who accompanied Knight to the two-hour hearing, were irate. "He (de Silva) wants to capitalize on the situation," said Robert Kane, president of the USOC. "There is no doubt this is an attempt to embarrass the USOC. He's a law student. He wants to make a big name for United' Press International SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico The United States men's basketball team received two severe jolts at the Pan-American Games Wednesday, and the after effects will do nothing to improve Latin American relations.

The trouble began early in the morning when it was learned that guard Kyle Macy had suffered a fractured jaw after being struck in the face by a Cuban player in Tuesday night's game and would be lost for the remaining two games of the tournament Things got even worse for the U.S. a few hours later when it a judge ruled that basketball coach Bobby Knight would be forced to stand trial on Aug. 3 on charges of assault against police officer Jose de Silva. Knight's countercharges of assault, violation of civil rights and incarceration without knowledge of charges were thrown out of court. "We consider this a gross miscarriage of justice," said Patrick Sullivan, attorney for the U.S.

Olympic Committee who represented Knight in court. Knight will be able to coach the U.S. team for the remainder of the Games, but the absence of Macy will make his job much tougher. Macy, the Phoenix Suns No. 1 draft selection in last month's NBA draft, was punched by Cuba's Tomas Her-rera in the first half in a game won by the U.S., 101-83, and was flown back to Lexington, Wednesday morning to undergo surgery at the University of Kentucky hospital.

Macy, the steadiest guard on the U.S. squad, will be entering his senior year at Kentucky this fall. A university spokesman said Macy suffered a condylan fracture of the mandible on the left side of the jaw. "Kyle's bringing his X-rays with him," the spokesman said, adding that one type of treatment for such an injury calls for wiring the teeth together for four to six weeks. The USOC said it was inquiring with the Pan-American Games technical committee on basketball as to why Herrera had been allowed in the games at all.

The Cuban has a reputation for temperamental outbursts on the court and allegedly was involved in a fracas with another team earlier in the tournament. Herrera was involed in a play that Harris signs Key to Jefferson's success: Catching passes labor of love pro contract with Bears i into the limelight in the NFL with the same ease that he displayed in college. "In fact," he said, "I was more related last year than I was in college. "The Chargers' camp was a breeze, after Tontozona. I didn't really have a lot of pressure on me.

I didn't have to beat out a veteran. The job, opposite Charley Joiner, was there waiting for me. All I had to do was produce. The system was quite similar to the one Verne Boatner Sports Director THE COOL PINES were anything but. Dark cjouds hung over Camp Ton-tozona, north of Payson, and the muggy weather was miserable.

To top it off, a dissatisfied Frank Kush was working his Arizona State football team overtime. It was August, two years ago. Dennis Sproul dropped back and the football about as far as he could. It was overthrown, clearly uncatch-able to everybody on the premises except one. John Jefferson took off like a greyhound after a mechanical rabbit.

He closed ground and, when the ball was about three feet off the turf, hurled himself headlong, arms outstretched. He managed to get his fin- gertips on it, but (he ball dribbled away as he hit the ground. Jefferson slammed a fist to the turf "Only mine are smaller," added Jefferson, "to accommodate the helmet. I wore glasses at Arizona State but not when I was playing." Jefferson spent much of the offseason in promotional work for the goggles manufacturer, who decided to go national with sales. Despite missing 2Vt games, the 23-year-old Dallas native was All-Rookie, second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl participant.

He wasn't even the leading receiver for the Chargers. Running back Ly-dell Mitchell caught 57, one more than Jefferson. I fi-i I Mil IIIIHMII II mill Mill we used at Arizona State." The graceful Jefferson took it all in stride. His first catch in a regular-season game went for a 29-yard score, his last for a 37-yard TD. His most productive day was against Seattle when he had seven receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown.

But his biggest thrill came with no time on the clock in an overtime victory over Kansas City. Jefferson's 14-yard catch ended the struggle. Jefferson was the 14th player taken in the 1978 draft after notifying such teams as Buffalo, Green Bay and Minnesota that he wasn't interested in playing in a cold-weather area. "We only missed the playoffs by one game last year," he added, "and I think our prospects are great this season. "Getting that tight end from Missouri, Kellen Winslow, made our draft.

And Don Coryell is a helluva coach. He can make the difference in our getting to the playoffs." Coryell, former San Diego State and St. Louis Cardinals coach, took over the team last year after the Chargers had lost three of their first four Republic Sports Wires CHICAGO Al Harris, one of the nation's premier defensive ends at Arizona State University last year, signed a contract with the Chicago Bears Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Harris was the ninth player selected in the National Football League's draft A first-round-pick, the ASU AU-American was Chicago's second pick. Dan Hampton, a defensive tackle from Arkansas, was Chicago's first pick.

Harris' agent, Mike Trope of Los Angeles, and the Bears' management have been negotiating a contract for the last month. Trope and the Bears agreed to terms Tuesday night, and Harris signed Wednesday. Harris will report to camp July 19. The Bears drafted Harris for his quickness and ability to rush the quarterback. There is some speculation that the Bears may try him at linebacker, but Harris says he wants to remain a defensive end.

The Bears also signed veteran middle linebacker Tom Hicks, seventh-round choice Lee Kunz of Nebraska and three rookie free agents. The Bears, with, veteran quarter back Mike Phipps agreeing to terms Tuesday night, have all 75 veterans and rookies signed for this season. However, Hicks' signing is contingent on his passing the Bears' physical examination July 20. Hicks was the Bears' starting middle linebacker when injured in last season's ninth game and was sidelined after knee surgery. Also signing Bear contracts were free agents Ron Harris, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back from Colorado State; Troy Pendleton, a 6-foot 170-pound cornerback from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and Billy Todd, a 6-foot-l, 190-pound place-kicker from Nebraska.

Ron Harris, an llth-round Viking draft pick last year, stayed with Minnesota until the cut in training camp. At Colorado State, he broke Lawrence McCutcheon's school record by rushing for 3,118 yards in his career. i Todd, a left-footed conventional- While an injury to his left eye prompted San Diego wide receiver John Jefferson to don goggles, the former ASU AU-American hasn't changed his style of diving for passes. O.J. to play football one more year, retire "Coach Kush always liked to see me make those diving catches in practice.

He thought it teas work. But to me, it was justjun." John Jefferson United Press International NEW YORK Star running back in broadcasting, He apparently wants to leave before injuries or decline tar in disgust. Kush kicked a hunk of sod skyward in sympathy. "If everybody would put out like Jefferson," Kush muttered, "we'd 1 have a helluva team. Anything he can see, he'll go after." 1 But there was a time last year fWhen the brilliant rookie receiver of the San Diego Chargers got a big scare about his eyesight.

On Oct 15, against Miami, went up for a wobbly pass over the middle from quarterback Dan Fouts. So did the Dolphins' corner-; back. Jefferson received a painful jab in his left eye and fell to the turf, 'blinded. -v He was out of action for three v-weeks. "You bet 1 was worried," he said.

doctor said he thought.it would 6e all right, but there was no way of telling. We just had to wait and see. could happen. "I had a dilated pupil, blurred iion and couldn't stand sunlight. I had wear dark glasses and it seemed '1 like it was always night" Slowly, the eye began to return to normal.

But the doctor told Jefferson couldn't risk injury to it again, that some form of protection was nec- essary. So Jefferson spent the rest of the -season playing with a pair of pre- scription goggles that he describes as to those won foy Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But Jefferson's 13 touchdown recep-tion led the National Football League, tying a 27-year-old record set by Billy Howton of Green Bay. He was one of only four receivers in the league last season. The acrobatic '190-pounder moved O.J.

Simpson said Wednesday he will leave football after the 1979 season even if it means forsaking his quest to surpass Jimmy Brown as the all-time leading rusher. "This is definitely my last year," said Simpson, who has previously hinted he would make a relatively premature exit from football. "You; have to pay a price and I can't do that any more." Simpson, a former Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California, trails Brown, the Hall of Fame fullback of the Cleveland Browns, by just 1,536 yards. That total represents a substantial achievement even for an expanded 16-game schedule. Simpson, who broke the barrier in 1973, could reach However, he has a variety of outside endeavors, including the endorsement of a ear rental company, a budding movie career, and an opening nish his image.

"I want that record," he said. "But if the record doesn't happen, I can't handle it. Simpson was a first-round draft choice of Buffalo in 1969. He led the league four times with Buffalo before being traded to San Francisco for five draft picks in 1978. He has been hampered by several injuries, including a left knee problem and a shoulder separation.

In San Francisco, 49er Coach and General Manager Bill Walsh said he was not surprised to learn about Simpson's announcement. "I knew' that he had committed himself to the Olympics in an announcing capacity," said Walsh. "All we're interested in is making the most of that one more year. We are concerned that his physical condition is tops." games. San Diego finished 9-7.

Kush has called Jefferson "the best receiver I ever coached." Jefferson replies that "Kush is the best coach I ever played under. I went to the right place to play. Some thought he was mean, but he was just trying to get the best out of us." Jefferson caught 19 touchdown passes at ASU, most of the spectacular variety. But none rivaled the grass-top reception against the Uni-. versity of Arizona in 1975.

"Coach Kush always liked to see me make those diving catches in practice," he laughed. "He thought it was work. But to me, it was just fun." Jefferson is having more fun right now. He couldn't wait for the veterans to repart July 16, so he's frolicking with the Chargers' rookies. dports today RADIO-TELEVISION PRO BASEBALL San Francisco, at Montreal, KCKY (1150), 4:35 p.m.; Los Angeles at New York, KTAR (620), 4:45 p.m.; Tucson at Phoenix, KXIV (1400), 6:30 p.m.

VN-AMERICAN GAMES Update (Ch. 0), 10:30 p.m. style kicker, led the Huskers in scoring the past two seasons with 67 and 78 points. During that time, he converted 23 of 37 field-goal opportunities with his longest at 55 yards..