Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 77

'EINAt THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Friday, October 23, 1981 afwiawwAjw mi i i STBOS LA al Yanks Righetti By Ken Leiker Republic Staff LOS ANGELES Leo Righetti's baseball career burned out in the '50s. A hot-blooded infielder in the Boston Red Sox chain, he never played in the big leagues. Desire and determination got him as far as the Pacific Coast League, but his talent was stretched tight at that level. Leo's kid, Dave, will be the starting pitcher tonight for the Yankees in the third game of the World Series. Leo will be in the stands, his blood probably running as hot as it did when he was a player.

Dave, a 22-year-old rookie, beat the A's in Oakland to clinch the American League pennant for the Yankees. Leo, who lives in San Jose, was at that game, the first time he had watched his son pitch in the big leagues. Asked why he had not been to a game before, Leo said, "I was afraid I'd go after the umpires. I still have to watch myself when I get involved in a game." Dave Righetti figured to make this game, one way or another. The Yankees, in the spring of 1980, considered sending him to the Dodgers as part of a trade for Don Sutton.

That deal supposedly died when Tommy John reportedly told the Yankees that Sutton would be nothing but trouble. It's funny how these things work out. Righetti just as easily could be starting for the Dodgers tonight, and Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers' starter tonight, just as easily could be the starter for the Yankees. The Dodgers and the Yankees each tried to buy Valenzuela from the Mexican League in 1979. The Dodgers got him because their scouts made the first contact, and they got a promise that Los Angeles would get the first shot to sign him.

Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles may not play tonight He sprained his left thumb Wednesday in the second game diving for Bill Series, F4 lllB llilillilllllllSllllSl AP Big Apple heroes The Yankees hold a 2-0 World Series lead mainly because of the play of these three men Graig Nettles (above), who has stabbed several hard-hit Watson, a in the first both games; and first baseman Bob former Astro whose three-run homer game was the Yanks' margin of victory balls at third, including this grab of Steve Garvey's eighth-inning smash in Game reliever Goose Gossage (bottom left), who has saves in he wild 8 Forster remembers oose Forster, a big-boned, large-headed friendly brute just like his buddy the Goose is willing to rave a little about the impact of Gossage upon a World Series. "He struck out Moe (Rick Monday) with a pitch that was 8 inches outside," Forster said, referring to "He threw a slider to Penguin (Ron Cey). You can do that when you've got a lead. With a one-run lead, Goose will just fire the ball. He can do it.

He's had arm trouble for what three days in his career? Geez, I've had arm trouble for three years now." There was not the slightest trace of complaint in Forster's deep voice. He was throwing his best pitch reality as he recalled the summer in Appleton, when he and Bucky Dent and Gossage shared an apartment. "Goose and I would fight a lot," Forster said. "I'd slap him on the head, and he'd come back at me, and sometimes it would get pretty rough. One time we got fighting in Appleton and he bruised his foot, but I had to go down to Chicago for X-rays for a broken rib.

When we got to the White Sox, we got in a fight in the shower, and the guys let it go on because it was the next to the last day of the season and they just stood around and cheered." Gossage survived those fights, although in 1979 he would break a finger in a real fight with Cliff Johnson in the Yankee shower room. He also survived his wildness in the early years, needing more time in the minors than Forster did. In 1970 Gossage was winless and lost three in 10 appearances at Appleton, and Forster won six and lost one in 10 games there. Goose, F4 By George Vecsey New York Times NEW YORK Terry Forster remembers the summer of 1970, when he and Goose Gossage would cuff each other around for an extra pillow or the best bed in their apartment. They would compete for space, but there was no doubt about their roles on the farm team in Appleton, Wis.

"I was faster than Goose," Forster recalls, "and Bart Johnson was the fastest pitcher I ever saw. It's unfortunate, but I hurt my arm, and I got slower and Goose got faster." Forster and Gossage were such an entry that they were even traded together from the White Sox to the Pirates in 1976. But they are on opposite sides of the World Series this week. Forster is a spare pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen and Gossage is a major reason there may be a lot of ballplayers catching airplanes home from Los Angeles International Airport by Sunday. "He is an overpowering pitcher," Forster said Wednesday night.

"There's no question in my mind we'll beat him, because we've got a bunch of battling so-and-so's. But he's a great pitcher. A guy like that is good for the game." Gossage may be good for the game, but he's not good for the Dodgers. He has shut them down twice in two games, surviving line drives on Tuesday and throwing sliders with a 3-0 lead on Wednesday. "There's no jealousy.

The only thing bad I'll say about Goose is that he's really an ugly looking so-and-so with that mustache. Other than that, I can't knock the man." Terry Forster Tuesday's strikeout of Monday, not Wednesday's strikeout of Monday. "That tells me he's got the American League umpires intimidated. They know he's fast, and they know his ball moves and rises, so they call a lot of strikes. Cougars' sudden about-face ends long mercenary march 1WJ Bob Hurt TV football's first edition simple affair By Lloyd Harberg Republic Staff The date was Oct.

22, 1939, and the world neither took note nor long remembered what happened that afternoon at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. There were no parades, no parties, no proclamations to celebrate the event's anniversary yesterday. But, 42 years later, what was wrought there Humble Howard and Monday, Sunday and Thursday Night Football; Jayne Kennedy and Phyllis George; Heidi and Joe Namath; and the two-minute warning, which means eight more minutes of commercials remain cannot be forgotten. It was the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first televised pro football game. The broadcast was Radio Corporation of America's (RCA) first attempt at TV outside of the laboratory.

The call signal was W2XBS. One small step for man, one giant leap for Monday-morning quarterbacks. No matter that the audience consisted mainly of the Sarnoff family (owners of RCA) and friends, even though there were 375 television seta TV, F2 Pullman, is not the end of the world, but Seattle natives quickly explain, "You can see it from there." What you see is Moscow, Idaho, which is 9 miles away across rolling wheat. A tourist mecca, Moscow isn't Yet many athletic teams playing Washington State at Pullman stay in a Moscow motel. Clarence D.

Martin Stadium, football home of Washington State, recently was expanded by 12,500 seats to a capacity of hold your breath 40,000. Historically, Washington State has been a traveling football mercenary. Its football bodies are submitted for sacrifice at such gridiron shrines as Ohio State or Nebraska where the pay is big but the chances to win are slim. Washington State has had three winning seasons in the last 18. It has trouble getting players, keeping head coaches.

Jackie Sherrill stayed there a year and ran off to Pittsburgh. Warren Powers lasted a year, paid $55,000 to buy out his contract and defected to Missouri. But, suddenly, this season has brought a snappy about-face at Washington State. The victims have become victimizers. The Cougars are unbeaten and once tied going into Saturday's game at Arizona.

Why? It has to start with the coach, Jim Walden, whose best attribute is his staying power. He's stayed four years. Players have had time to learn his system. played for Bob Devaney at Wyoming and coached for him at Nebraska. "He was a tremendously outstanding quarterback in 1959," Devaney said.

"(He) took us to a 9-1 record. We called' him the Mississippi gambler. He took chances. He was a go-for-it type of guy. Innovative.

Confident." Some of that reflects in Walden's offense. He fooled Arizona State this year with a reverse pass, double reverse and unbalanced line. The same unbalanced line was used in a tie against UCLA. His aggressive defenders twice forced Colorado into punting mistakes in the last four minutes when Washington State came from a 10-point deficit to win, 14-10. "As an assistant," Devaney said, "he was gregarious." Devaney laughed at his use of words and reverted to more familiar language: "He was full of bull." That helps the recruiting.

The Washington State Hurt, F6 Gu. w'aLRepubii'c'1 Walden, a 43-year-old native of Mississippi, ON-TV to carry 10 Suns games this season (Sill Today Sidelines F3 Baseball notes F4 Lloyd Herberg F5 Turf handicap F8 Bottom 10 F2 Dunkel index F2 On deck F2 Update F3 Merrill said American Cable should be able to provide service in the areas that can't get it now. American Cable has about 70,000 subscribers in Tempe and Paradise Valley, he said, and the company is expanding to north-central Phoenix. "We figure we'll reach those people by then," Merrill said. The American Cable contract calls for about 20 games to he televised this season.

There are 35 games home and road on a tentative schedule. The original contract called for 20 home games, but Suns General Manager Jerry Colangelo said that he has exercised an option to televise road games, too. Tom Ambrose, Suns public-relations director, said the cifrrent schedule "is subject to rhxntrp match American Cable's 13-year contract offer to the Suns. The Suns-American Cable contract is worth about $20 million, The Arizona Republic has learned. ON-TV had a two-year contract with the Suns that expired in March.

ON-TV carried 12 home games last year. Merrill said the deal with ON-TV "probably is" unusual because two competing companies have joined in an agreement. "But we had a number of complaints from people who have ON-TV but couldn't get the Suns anymore because our service still isn't in their area of town," Merrill said. "I think ON-TV wants the ffflmen for fl continuitv in service." American Cable president says competitor will buy broadcasts By Norm Frauenheim Krpuhlic Staff ON-TV will carry 10 American Cable Television broadcasts of Phoenix Suns games during each of the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, Bruce Merrill, American Cable president, said Thursday. ON-TV and American Cable signed a contract Monday after several weeks of negotiations.

ON-TV will pay American Cable for the broadcasts, Merrill said. Neither Merrill nor ON-TV officials would disclose the financial terms. ON-HV, a subscription network, lost the rights to the Sun bronHcRHU on 23 when it failed to Radio Pro baseball World Series: New York Yankees at Los Angeles, KTAR (620), K-9f0, KIKO-FM (100.3), 5:10 p.m. Prep football Coolidge at Ajo, KCKY (1150), 7:15 p.m. Miami at Sahuarita, KIKO (1340), 7:15 p.m.

Sports broadcasts Television Pro baseball World! Series- New Yelk Yankees at Los Angeles, Ch. 3, 5 p.m..