The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 26

n. i Palm Beach Post I'ari-M tilut'U 1 TUESDAY, JUNE 6. 1972 PAGE CI Sdot Rain, Rain, Go Away. X- F7 4 bob bassine sports editor 4 TP 'J It's only June, eariy June, Jane in its innocent infancy. But already it's shaping up as one of those years for the West Palm Beach Expos.

For openers, there is that bunch in Miami, a team which collects pennants with the grinding aplomb of the old Yankees. But that is an occupational hazard, part of the deal, like playing at night and traveling by bus. Something new has been added this season. There hasn't been so much rainfall since Noah began i i I hft( k. npts Wrfdfc 1 ivvrf if lv "1 if nailing together his old wooden yacht.

The Expos' general manager, Fred Whitacre, has a high voice by nature. But it's rising these days. No, it's not your imagination. It's panic, that's what it is. This time last year, Whitacre was playing with the Montreal Expos' money.

This year the rain checks are coming out of his own pocket, which isn't nearly as much fun. The next ball club he takes over will be in a very dry climate. Like Arizona. Or New Mexico. Or maybe the Sahara Desert.

By the time the Expos return to their home base, an event which is not scheduled to unfold until Saturday night, the Expos will have gone 12 straight days without a home date. This is not unusual in the major leagues. It isn't even unusual in Triple A ball. But in the Florida State League, where not many years ago the rule of thumb was one at home and one away, it is a rare and traumatic experience for a ball club and for the guy who has to sit around and write out the checks. Whitacre got an omen that things might not be going his way on May 28th.

That was a Sunday night, the last night the Expos had a home game. Remember? It went seven innings, then was stopped by rain. That was followed by a six-game set in Miami, a series forced by the Republican Convention in Miami Beach and the National Guard's planned use of the ball park for a bivouac area. Turn to DROUGHT, C6 AP wvtrephoto tournament yesterday at Kamho I.a costa, cam. HEADS L'l Bubby Fischer, American chess master who will meet Boris Spassky oi the Soviet I'uion lor the world ehampioiisliip in Iceland thus July, smashes a serve during the aanijstl IH'war's Sports Celebrity tennis Waiting at the net is his partner (iail Goodrich of the Los Angeles Inkers.

Snead Aga in-yenied in Open di By The Associated Press Slammin' Sam Snead, who has won just about every major golf tournament in his long, illustrious career with the exception of the U.S. Open-failed in his bid to qualify yesterday for this year's 'Open, to be played at Pebble Beach, Calif. June 15-18. Shooting what he described as "the worst round I've ever played," the 60-year-old Snead carded a 78 in the afternoon after a morning in sectional qualifying at the Charlotte, N.C., Country Club. His 147 total missed qualifying by two Dcuc ts.

winner of the Kemper Open on the pro tour weekend, topped the list of ISO qualifie Charlotte with a IXr Oilier top rs were Hubert Green at Uli, lon Hies and Hod Funseth and I Iraham at 110 Among I lie oilier tour regulars to qualify at Charlotte were Kernut Zarlev, Have Mart', Hob Mtirplu. Hob Limn. Mason Rudolph, Dave Hill. Charles Stftnrd, Jamieson, Hi nee Devlin and (iibbv Gilbert. Amateur Kddie I'earce, of Temple Terrace i near Tampa and Wake Forest University also qualified Klsewhere in sectional ijualifying, Dallas pro Has Allen shot an eifjht iinder par KM to top qualifiers at the Dallas Athletic Country Club.

Among the other qualifiers at. Dallas were two University of Texas golfers. Torn Kite and Hen Crenshaw Non-qualifiers included two name pros, John Schlee and Jack Hurke Carl Owen and Clifford Cook carded 138s to lead the sectional qualifiers at the Clovernook Country (Tub in Cincinnati. Staff Photo by Phil Bannikter The Expos: Ankle Deep in Water mm Long Ride to the Top For Expo Shortstop A I 'i '1 By AL SMITH Post Sports Writer Getting used to the travel is the most difficult adjustment for many players in the Florida State League. Bus rides 200 miles long are commonplace.

And they can come every three or four days. But for Juan Navarrete, shortstop of the West Palm Beach Expos, the FSL is a vast improvement. Navarrete played three years of professional ball in his native Mexico where a 200-mile ride would be a breeze. In the Expo clubhouse yesterday, where rain was in the process of canceling their doubleheader against the Fort Lauderdale Yankees, Navarrete told of bus rides up to 18 hours long. t- If 1 1 a v.vNVw A I I '-V, Iv 1 I 0 it i 1 I i t' 4 i Keeping Posted Baseball American League National League East Pet.

GB 31 13 .705 -27 16 628 34 24 18 .571 6 19 24 .442 11 4 17 28 378 1 44 16 2 8 364 1 5 New York Pittsburgh Chicago Montreal St. Louis Philadelphia But he didn't come to West Palm Beach to get away from long bus rides. He came to improve his hitting and, like every other minor leaguer, to get a shot at the majors. So far, things haven't worked that way. The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder has only a .185 batting average.

Navarrete has established himself as one of the best shortstops in the league, despite his troubles at the plate. "No, I'm not discouraged and I know I can hit better." Navarrete said. "It's just been bad luck. I've made better contact than ever before, but the hits just don't fall in." Turn to NAVARRETE, C6 East Pet. GB 24 17 .585 -21 21 .500 34 20 20 .500 3' -t 17 22 .436 6 18 24 .429 64 15 23 .395 74 West 29 13 .690 24 16 .600 4 25 17 .595 4 20 24 .455 10 18 26 .409 12 17 25 .405 12 Detroit Baltimore Cleveland Boston New York Milwaukee Oakland Minnesota Chicago California Texas Kansas City West Los Angeles 28 18 609 Cincinnati Houston Atlanta San Diego San Fran.

27 18 .600 4 26 19 .578 14 20 23 .465 64 16 29 .356 114 17 34 .333 134 i 1 AP Wirephoto HERE IT COMES Vice President Spiro Agnew Rets ready for the big match. Earlier, the vice president spoke at a luncheon of the National Yesterday's Results Pittsburgh at San Diego, ppd. rain Only game scheduled (lovemors Conference. Other drtails. A 13 William G.

a Houston I). Ward battle (Jovs. Holton of Virginia in return yesterday as he and aide ('. Milliken of Michigan and Linwood Yesterday's Results Minnesota 3. Baltimore 2 Oakland 3.

Cleveland 2. 10 innings Only games scheduled Today's Games Milwaukee (Brett 2-51 at Kansas City (Murphy 1-1 night New York (Peterson 3-7) at Texas Bosman 3-51, night California (Wright 4-2 and Rose 1-0) at Detroit (Lolich 8-3 and Coleman 7-4), 2, twi-night Oakland (Blue 0-2) at Cleveland (Colbert 0-3), night Minnesota (Woodson 3 31 at Baltimore (Palmer a-3), night Boston (Siebert 4-2) at Chicago (Wood 8-3), night Baseball Realignment Frightening Idea Today's Games Atlanta (Reed 3-4) at Montreal (McAnally l-S), night Cincinnati (Nolan 7-1) at New York IMcAndrew 4-1), night Houston (Roberts 3-3) at Philadelphia (Fryman 2-3), night Chicago (Hands 4 1) at Los Angeles I Downing 2- 2 night Pittsburgh (Moose 3-2 1 at San Diego (Kirby 3-6), night St. Louis (Wise 4-5) at San Francisco (Stone 3-4), night shameful about that. So call em the Global, Universal the advantages of reshaping the majors into three eight-club leagues, Among those listening was liusch, a beer baron who is malty rather han yeasty. "It's an interesting idea," the Cardinals' owner said at last, "hut it will be a long, long time before it ever happens "It'll be a long time," the others said, "because of your damned Chinese ancestor-worship.

In baseball nothing moves except the players. You guys in the League are afraid that a realignment might put you in the American League, and there's something By RED SMITH (C) New York Times NEW YORK The scene was a room under the grandstand in Al Lang Field, St. Petersburg, where the working press munches cold cuts before exhibition games, where Gussie Busch fulminates about the ingratitude of pitchers who win 20 games for the Cardinals and want to be paid for it, where Bowie Kuhn calls press conferences when he has nothing to say. On this particular day a guy was holding forth on and Terrestrial Leagues and nobody will be embarrassed "It'll be a longtime," Busch said. This was two or three spring training seasons ago.

Today Bill Veeek's chuckle came clearly over the telephone. "Looking into the history of interleague play," he said, "I find that my daddy proposed it at a National League meeting in 1922. Half a century later it is still a modern and frightening idea." Turn to JOINT, C7 4 Sports on the Air TODAY Radio 7:50 m. Maior league baseball Atlanta Braves vs. Montreal Expos I WJNO 12:30) it.

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