The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 79

The Pittsburgh Press Section Sunday, October 9, 1983 Phillies win, 7-2; face Orioles in Series But I wasn't really unhappy being a platoon player because we were winning. Sitting on the bench taught me not to take anything for granted." Matthews said he hit a fastball down and in and it was one of the hardest home runs he's ever hit, probably the longest. Tom Lasorda, the Dodger manager, said he had no alibis but that the playoff turned around when Friday night's pitcher, Bob Welch, had Continued on page D13 after six innings because of what Manager Paul Owens described as spasms of the back. "I would have to say that this tops everything I've done in my career," Matthews said. "To hit a home run first time up with Carlton pitching for us.

He didn't have his best stuff. "I had to overcome a lot of adversity. The 10 home runs was the lowest of my career except when I was a rookie with San Francisco. A lot of times this year if you don't get a hit you don't play the next day. By Russ Franke The Pittsburgh Press PHILADELPHIA A long season of disillusionment and frustration turned into a season of exhilaration for the Philadelphia Phillies last night.

The Phillies, supposedly overloaded with aging players, wiped out the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2, to win the National League championship playoff, three games to one, and headed into the World Series that opens Tuesday night in Baltimore. Specifically, the frustration ended for Gary Matthews, an 11-year veteran who had been reduced to the role of a platoon player. Matthews struck back as the man of the hour in the playoff, hitting three, home runs and winning the series MVP award. Last night, as 64,494 Phillies fans roared ecstatically for a team that has been doing things right for the last month, the Dodgers Orioles win title, page D12 were making mistakes and the Phillies were making runs. Matthews homered for the third straight game, giving Steve Carlton an early 3-0 advantage on a night Carrlton was not up to the usual standard of a 300-game winner or his stature as the major leagues' all-time strikeout king.

Carlton struck out seven Dodgers and gave up six hits but had to leave Playoff Game 4 4 'V 111 i4A jr al I ill 'i 1 ta Panthers' comeback nips FSU By Tom Wheatley The Pittsburgh Press The Pitt Panthers beat their most stubborn opponent of the year themselves yesterday to overcome a two-touchdown deficit and beat Florida State, 17-16. A crowd of 52,654 at Pitt Stadium helped fire 'up the Panthers, who take a 3-2 record to Louisville next Saturday. Florida State, a preseason Top 10 pick and a Top 20 resident until last week, is 2-3. The eventual winning score came on a 20-yard pass from John Congemi to freshman tailback Chuckie Scales on the first play of the fourth quarter. That gave Pitt a 17-13 lead.

The Panthers had trailed, 13-0, after Florida State's first two possessions. But the Panther defense held FSU to 292 yards, or 200 under its average, and 19 points under its scoring average. "All year, we saw them blitz," Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. "Our game plan was shot after the third play. All of a sudden, they quit blitzing.

And then they beat us up front." FSU tailback Greg Allen, the No. 1 rusher in the nation with a 156-yard average, gained only 85 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback Kelly Low-rey, who had been passing for 262 yards a game and was 14th nationally in passing efficiency, hit only 12 of 26 passes for 168 yards and an interception, plus two touchdowns. But the Pitt defenders said credit should be split two ways, between the offense and the unusually raucous Pitt crowd. "Our offense was great.

Our offense did a super job," secondary coach Dino Folino said. "If we had needed another TD, I wouldn't have been surprised if they would have pulled it out." John Congemi, the sophomore from Lauderdale Lakes, had an outstanding game after rough outings in losses at Maryland and West Virginia. He hit on 20 of 33 passes for 202 yards and no interceptions. Senior tailback Joe McCall rushed 18 times for 96 yards after missing the last two games with a leg injury. He had been averaging 2.1 yards a Jt-JBpJk.

will ''1' Si'V vV 54 ijj" st xi1 ''t' v. Lui Kit WongThe Pittsburgh Press Continued on page D8 Pitt's Chuck Scales (26) gets behind Florida State's Rocky Kinsey to catch the winning touchdown pass Perm State holds off furious Alabama rally, 34-28 time last year that we won it in the last two seconds," said Penn State coach Joe Pa-terno. they going to do it this year with that great comeback they had?" 'Everyone was real confident in the huddle," said Crimson Tide receiver Joey Jones. "I knew we were going to score." Alabama moved straight toward the goal line, Lewis completing four passes for 30 yards to move the Tide to the Penn State 12. On third down, freshman Kerry Goode carried for six yards and a first down.

Continued on page D8 Lewis, the guy with the biggest bucket, helped Alabama cut the Penn State advantage to six points with 5:36 remaining when he hit flanker Jesse Bendross with an 8-yard TD pass. Alabama got the ball back with nearly three minutes left when Stan Gay blocked Nick Gancitano's 43-yard field goal attempt and recovered it at the Alabama 49. The situation looked familiar. Penn State had spoiled Nebraska's day by coming from behind for a 24-21 victory last fall. Alabama was set to do the same to the Nittany Lions.

"Yeah, it's funny how I was thinking this magnificent rally behind quarterback Walter Lewis, who led the Crimson Tide to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and passed for 336 yards. Alabama compiled 598 total yards but could not make it 600 on the final play of the game. Penn State tackle Greg Gattuso stopped freshman tailback Kerry Goode from the Nittany Lion 2 as time ran out. "You think of ways to get back in it. You ask yourself, 'Are you going to give up or fight to said Lewis.

"We put ourselves into the situation. We had to go bail ourselves out." pass reception took a different form and the game left 4-1 Alabama in position to make a comeback run at the national championship. But it was at Beaver Stadium, there was a beyond-capacity crowd, CBS had it on television and the game began at 3:45 under temporary lights. The most important thing that didn't change was the winning team. That was Penn State, 34-28.

Penn State (3-3) used Doug Strang's 241 passing yards and D.J. Dozier's 165 yards rushing to open a 34-7 lead after three periods, but No. 3 Alabama constructed a By Mike DeCourcy For The Pittsburgh Press UNIVERSITY PARK Many football fans, particularly those not swearing allegiance to anyone calling himself a "Corn-husker," said the 1982 Penn State-Nebraska game would never be equaled for excitement in college football. They were wrong. Not only was it equaled Saturday, it was practically repeated.

There were only a few differences. It was Alabama playing Penn State, the disputed i ilji --American isusfitotioaii Monday Night Football TV's longest hit By John Clayton the 14 autumns. A Jewish guy with a New York accent and a toupee gives sermonettes. In California, people have formed the Church of Monday Night Football; its first commandment: "Thou shalt keep Monday holy and tune in early." CBS and NBC now covet their neighbor's ratings for the three-hour-plus block. The former CBS Monday night lineup "The Lucy Show," "Mayberry RFD," "The Doris Day Show" and "The Carol Burnett Show" has been sentenced to a life of syndicated reruns and eternal Celluloid youth for its stars.

NBC still digs up movies. Independent stations show the casualty of Monday Night Football competitors. For years, the networks have fired their best ammunition at ABC but have inflicted only flesh wounds. CBS re-enacted the trauma of the Korean War, and led with their harshest tongues, Archie Bunker, Rhoda and Maude. NBC tried everything from "The Godfather" to "Jaws." Although the opposition might have grabbed the first-quarter lead, Monday Night Football won the game.

Football is a four-quarter sport. "Rhoda," for example, scheduled a blockbuster wedding for 9:30 one Monday night. At 10:05, a majority of the bridal party and the guests heard Howard Cosell tell Don Meredith, "I wasn't invited to the reception." Continued on page D2 The Pittsburgh Press CBS President Bob Wood cringed at the thought of ripping up his prime-time Monday schedule to accommodate NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. and pre-empt 'I Love Lucy'!" Wood said. Society would never accept it.

So, in 1969, Rozelle continued to peddle his game around midtown Manhattan's network bases. CBS didn't want it. NBC didn't want it. ABC didn't want it either. A syndicated network, owned by recluse Howard Hughes, offered $10.6 million for the rights.

Enter Roone Arledge, president of ABC Sports, who tasted the thrill of victory with the Wide World of Sports and was willing to risk suffering the agony of defeat with Monday Night Football. Was it a gamble, though? ABC was rated third in the three-network race and, Arledge knew, CBS' experiments with prime-time games had received good ratings. "Plus, it would be a social event and change society," Arledge then said. Pleading convincingly, Arledge got approval from ABC President Leonard Goldenson to offer $8.6 million. And that's how "Monday Night Football" replaced "The Survivors" and "Love, American Style" on ABC's 1970 fall schedule.

Monday nights have hadreligious significance for immM Chuck LlvolsiThe Pittsburgh Press The three announcers' faces are as familiar as, the father of our nation.