Lubbock Avalanche-Journal from Lubbock, Texas • Page 82

Steelers Can Thank Stabler n' A rrie i A derson (14) tries to scramb 'e out ol the dutches of of Monday night's NFL game at Oakland Anderson lost 13 yards on the piny and Cin- Oakland Haider rushers Ted Hendricks and John Matuszak during the closing minutes cinnati lost the game 35-20. (AP Laserphoto) -SPORTS HOT LINE- OAKLAND (AP) Ken Stabler the Oakland Raiders did their part, making believers and losers ol the Cincinnati Bengals, The rest is up to the Pittsburgh Steel- ers, "It's getting close to playoff time, and we're inspired." Stabler said Monday night after his four touchdown passes, complemented by 228 yards from his run- ningbacks, carried the Raiders to a S5-20 National Football League victory over the Bengals. There had been of it by the because the Raiders nl- rendy were assured of a playoff berth, they would not be emotionally up for the Bengals. "That talk was stupid last week and it's stupid now," said Haiders coach John Madden. "This was a very meaningful game (or us.

We've been improving every week and we got a chance to measure our Improvement against a top team." The Steelers, defending Super Bowl champions, got the assist they so desperately needed. By winning, the Uengals would have been in position to clinch the AFC Central title next weekend and deprive the Steelers of an opportunity to win a third consecutive NFL crown. Now the Steelers, Sf-4. arc lied with Cln- cinmitl and Cleveland for the division lead and can claim the playoff berth by beating Houston Saturday. "I know we're going to Hlw and 1 couldn't care less about Pittsburgh.

The (act that the Steelers were watching on television and rooting for us kind of burned mo up, to be Iwnest," said one Stabter's offensive lacUe JohnVella. The Steelers 53,430 Oakland Coliseum fans had plenty tit cheer about in the Raiders' ninth consecutive victory, whicji made thoir rvcord 12-1 and assured them of the honw field advantage in all pta'-otf games. Stabler hit on I fi of 20 passes for 21? yards. His first two touchdown strikes went to light end Dave Casper on plays cowing 24 and three yards in the period, sending Oakland into a 14 and in the second half his scoring tosset went 42 yards to Cliff Branch and seven yards to Fred UUelmkoff. "1 don't think anyone could haw beat 1 See (UKl.AM> 4 Sports tubbock Twdoy, 7.

1974, PERKINS Connors' Discipline By M1CKKY And STliVli PlillKINS HEKSKOWITZ Q. Every tennis tan in ihe world must have figured "Miss World." Marjorie Wallace, would destroy Jimmy Connors before moving on to another sports celebrity, especially when he blew out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals. But Jimmy came back to win the U.S. Open, so he must be able to cope with the company. Can you tell me anything about their his schedule of (raining? Flannery.

Philadelphia. A. Miss Wallace is 22, Connors 25, and that has to explain how the world's No. 1 player keeps it going on junk food and his new roommate. Also, as she confides (for public consumption), they often go to bed as early as 8:30 p.m.

before a big match, solely to watch TV: "When 1 say Jimmy, is disciplined, I mean disciplined." With all the other studies going on, in govcrnemt and otherwise, can you tell me if anybody hns decided when, or if, the athletes will slop getting bigger and bigger? Iviepcially pro football players? D. Callela, Chicago. A. There is no end in sight. Look at it this way: Pro athletes have always been larger than the agcrage American male.

U.S. Army figures show that the average size was 5-7 and HO in World War upping to 5-8'A and 150 in IMS. Nowadays he is 5-lOVz and 165. The athletes grew Q. Joe Ferguson of the Bills followed Terry Bradshaw out of same high school in Shreveport (Woodlawn High).

That is pretty good for one small Louisiana high school. But remember reading that the one who played ahead ol Bradshaw may have heen the best quarterback ol the bunch. Can you find out what happened to him? Bibb, Moncsson, Pa. A. Trey Prather was a classic dropback passer who played freshman football at LSU but had trouble adjusting to the wishbone-type quarterback option.

He dropped out of school to fill military service. While on patrol in Viet Nam in 1968 he stepped on a mine and died within two days. His high school coach, A.L. Williams, now the head coach at Northwestern Louisiana, still feels that if Prather had returned to football after his army service he would have been a first-round draft pick. Q.

In a football newsletter I received It was mentioned that Pete Rozelle was honored at a charity dinner nnd one of the speakers was Art Buchwald, the columnist. 1 bet Buchwald really did a job on the pro football commissioner. Cna you quote some of his better lines, the ones are printable? Spearmen, Baltimore. A The rotund Quchwnld hit the NFL commissioner where it hurts. "Pete Kozello holds among other distinctions," Art noted, "the fact that he has never won a court case in all the years lie has been sued." Another zinger: "When Pete took over as commissioner he had a dream.

He saw football as more than a game. He saw it as a license to print money. He franchiscd Uie NFL logo to cereal companies, false teeth dentifrice companies, sweatshirt salesmen, underwear people and girdle manufacturers. "13ut Pete, while working to bring in more revenue for the owners, never forgot the players that made the game possible. When they came to him one day and presented him with a pension plan, he put his arm around their shoulders and said, 'Sue (Do you have a question about a sports personality? Send your questions to SPOUTS HOT LINK, 6700 Squibb Mission, Kan.

66202. Because of the volume of mail, personal replies arc not possible.) Indiana's Downfall Continues In Ratings By The Associated Press The Indiana Hoosicrs lost for the first lime in three regular seasons last week. As a result, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's defending basketball champions plummeted from fourth to 13th place today in The Associated Press rankings in balloting by a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters. The Hoosiers dropped a 59-57 decision to Toledo, a loss which cost them more than 400 points in the balloting. Indiana also lost both of (he first-place voles it had received last week.

(And, the Hoos- icrs lost again Monday night, to Kentucky.) Indiana's Big Ten rival. Michigan, remained atop the poll with 40 of 40 first- piace votes and a total of 9.1,1 points. The Wolverines, 2-0. beat Fordham 7B-5V in their only action during the The records include games through Sunday. Runner-up to Michigan was Marquette, which garnered five first-place votes and points.

The Warriors won their opening game against St. Leo 80-39. UCLA, 3-0. retained third place with one No. I vote and 684 after a 99-68 victory over Jacksonville, while Kenloc- ky, 2-0.

moved up a notch to fourth with MS points and one first-place vole. Th? Wildcats topped Te.tas Christian 103-53 in their only pame. Fifth-place Nevada-Las Vegas collected 483 poinlf on the strength of a 3-0 start and victories tost week over Oregon 78 67 and Iowa Slate, 115-80. Rounding out the Top 10 were No. ft San Francisco with 385 points and one first-place vote: seventh-ranked Notre Dame, 360 points; eighth-rated Cincinnati, with 300 points and one No.

I vote; and No. 9 Arizona, whose 283 points edpcd No 10 Alabama by one point. Wake imrankcd in preseason balloting, continued its advance in Ihe Top 20. The Deacons moved from 14th in last week's poll to No. II, one spot ahiiad of Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina.

Another ACC team, Clcmson. finished 16th in the voting. t.Michigan (Ml l.maraueKt J. UCLA 11) t.Kcnluchv (1) 3.Nev«d*-lai 6 FrancHco I Damo t.Onclnn*!! II) I.AffSOnA 10 ll.Wakf ere it 13 11 Loulvvillr fVTf nnrilf U.Clf 17.Maryland II boulltrrn DrPduT 19 3-0 7-0 30 1C. 0 a 0 0 Ol JUS HO 300 If! Jfli 199 13'.

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