The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 13

Saturday, April 6, 1968 Akron Beacon Journal He Has $12,500 And Date With A Challenger ID Ga aitiK ays in wings for the semifinal match. Of course, Davis was in the enviable position, having ro less than the $12,500 second-place money sewed up even if he should toss 20- gutter oops, channel balls that went to the post from under the hot lights of ABC television. READING from top to bot-tom the field consisted of Davis, the bony lefthander; Stefanich, the defending champion; Tucker, the dark-horse; Weber, who needs no adjectives, and Johnson, the slightly cuckoo product of Ko-komo, Ind. By JOHN FLYXN Time alone will put Dave Davis, Jim Stefanich, Dick Weber and Don Johnson In the correct order on the list of bowling's greatest players. At the moment it can only be assumed that this afternoon's finals of the $100,000 Firestone Tournament -Champions was blessed with the four best players currently throwing 16-pound balls for a living.

This In no way reflects on the talents of Bill Tucker, the fifth finalist who is regarded as an excellent Journeyman player, but only serves to mirror the caliber of the field Tucker before Davis settled into the top spot in the eighth and final match of the evening by drilling Tucker, 225-213. STEFANICH, meanwhile, slipped past Tucker in the position game by trimming Weber, 214-212, while Weber and Johnson held their respective spots. Jim Godman had a longshot chance to push Johnson out of fifth place, but defeated Don by only 225-222, thereby falling 32 pins short of his goal. Wayne Zahn, Jim St. John, Joe Joseph and Mike Llmon-See KO-KO, Page A-14 in the championship game.

This championship field was decided in a series of yo-yo events on Friday night. The lead, In I fart rhanunA hands six times among Davis, Godman Stefanich and 'A Taking first things first, Johnson and Weber collided in the first game of the after noon in the PBA's version of king of the hill. This winner moved on to meet Tucker, with Stefanich waiting in the DAVE DAVIS leads the ball Into the pocket For The Money! Scott Boley Heat Brings Out Best In Johnson and cheers another strike pip PRESSURE COOKERS were made for Impatient and Don Johnson. -Admittedly, it's tough to draw a comparison between the as quickly and efficiently as jt fiBIIIililllll VsV" Dnne out the zest in a Celts Top 76crs Their Hearts Not In Game string bean, they draw the from Johnson's considera- 1 Five 0 AVE DAVIS 'JlSTEBV-oii BI1ITU(L ''toVYEESV DONJOHNSffi JIM'GOOP BOTH THE STANDINGS and (from left) Dave Davis, Jim Weber and Don Johnson the tap two. But Just Such was Lanes as WMilmmmim Johnson uuaimers inese marvels freshly-picked very best shots ble bowling Johnson's Bowling Alley the chips are gold and the beatine down ior repertoire.

pressure cooker is, of course, Anytown, U.S.A., where on the line for a big pot of heat of television lights are unmercifully. ijr i WMv8fc Firestone-PBA Tournament of Champions, faced long odds in his quest of the $25,000 first prize. To win over a star-studded field Johnson had to whip in succession Dick Weber, Bill Tucker, Jim Stefanich and tourney leader Dave Davis. Indeed, the lean 27-year-old they call the "Kokomo Kid" had an awesome road ahead. But he was much better armed for the task than David was against Goliath.

Proof of this came Friday when Johnson rallied from 13th place with consistently good games to win the fifth spot in the finals. Arnold Palmer has rarely given his favorite sport such a thrilling charge. Johnson whipped 12 of 16 opponents head-to-head with a wide array of shots, failed to crack when the pressure mounted, and. finally took fifth on the next-to-last game of the night with a pulsating 248-235 victory over Wayne Zahn. Of the case todav at Riviera Johnson, fifth nn a list nf five 1 At me iinais or me had shot myself right out of Firestone-Professional Bowlers Association Tournament Champions at Riviera Lanes.

Photo by Don Roese. Lakers to a 133-105 victory over the San Francisco Warriors. Goodrich's performance turned the tide in a first half vAW.1 Goodrich Havllcek which saw the lead exchanged nine times. Wst scored 27 points, just two less then teammate Elgin Baylor. Jeff Mullins tallied 29 for the losers.

GOODRICH scored 17 in the 19 minutes he played. The former UCLA Ail-American hit. on all five of his field goal attempts In the final six minutes before intermission and added a pair of free throws. Coach Bill Van Breda Kolff of the Lakers said "The big key was containing Rudy LaRusso and Mullins. Elgin Baylor did a good job on LaRusso and West did a good job on Mullins." Fred Hetzel of the Warriors finished with 17 although he didn't start as Warrior coach Bill Sharman went with a three-guard offense trying to get a jump on the hot-shooting Lakers.

IAN MANCIJCO LOS ANOILIS I Is 'Loose As A Goose' COOL, CUNNING and concentration three very big C's were the reasons for Johnson's success- and the greatest of these assets was cool. Plays 'Musical Horses' Jockey Tries Own Parlay "Johnson," says Jack Biondolillo, "does not feel pressure. He is always loose as a goose." Johnson confesses he tightens up once in awhile, however, noting that a horrible Thursday evening round is an example. Fisher Sims it r1 "I thought I Br Associated Preni The Boston Celtics thumped the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night in a National Basketball Association playoff game neither team wanted to play. As a matter of fact, the 127-118 Boston victory almost didn't come off, Celtics coach Bill Russell explained afterward.

Russell said he and Philadelphia's Wilt Chamberlain discussed whether or not to postpone the game in deference to the slain Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "We talked about it Friday afternoon and again after we arrived at the Spectrum for the game," Russell said, following his team's triumph In the opener of the best-of-sev-en games Eastern final. "WE FELT that since all these people, 14,412, came down to see a game it wouldn't be right not to play. We knew too that President Johnson had made Sunday a national day of mourning and that the NBA had postponed Sunday's second game of the series in Boston.

We really didn't feel like playing basketball. Most of us were in a state of shock most of the day." In addition to Chamberlain, the 76ers have five other Negroes on the team, while Boston has six besides Russell. The Celtics took a 1-0 edge In their quest to regain the NBA title the 76ers wrested from them last year by shooting 57.8 per cent from the field. "This was the best shooting game for us In a long time," said Russell. "Our offense penetrated the middle and refused to be Intimidated even by Chamberlain." John Havlicek's 35 points, Sam Jones' 28 and Bailey Howell's 24 led Boston, while Chamberlain's 33 and 31 by Chet Walker were high for Philadelphia.

The 76ers shot 48-for-103 from the field, while the Celtics were 52-for-90 and 22-for-29 at the free-throw line. IN THE Western Division playoffs, Gail Goodrich replaced Jerry West with six minutes remaining in the first half and scored 12 points before intermission to spark the this thing," Johnson explained, "but I relaxed over a few beers and forgot about the sure. I didn't get to bed until 5 o'clock Friday morning but I was loose." The cool seemed likely to prevail Into today's finals for Johnson who, unlike Davis and the others, could only move up the money tree Sims Chasing Butterflies Biondolillo 0T OPT LRiio 4 4-7 11 Baylor 12 3-1 39 Warllck 7 1-1 15 Hwkln 7 2-4 It Lm 3 2-4 12 Imholf 2 i-J A It Hi 1 2-2 4 Wast V-1137 Mulllni 13 3-4 29Clark I 20 Ellis 0 0-0 0 Crwfrd .3 0 0 a King 3 0-0 a Mullr 0-0 0 Hatial I 7 17 Counts 4 1-1 Turnar 2 0-O 4Godrlclt 7 3-4 17 Lawls 2 0-0 4 Hmltn 0 0-0 0 Lattln 0 2-2 2 Totals 42 21-21 105 Totals 13 27-31 133 from his current standing. Cunning is another big advantage for Johnson who, Billy Hardwick says, has "more shots than any man on the tour, He has every angle mastered And he can beat any man from the opponent's strongest spot." "You have to have varied shots to win on the tour," said Johnson, who confesses two of his four PBA tournament wins (Denver and Brockton) were recorded while he was playing a line virtually on the gutter and the others while he worked relatively straignt down the middle. "I think concentration also is a big part of success," says Johnson.

"Mine was better Friday than it has been in I don't know when and, consequently, I hit the pocket more consist-ently than I ever have." Wit And Women DON JOHNSON'S life, however, has facets other than, A bachelor, he maintains an interest in women, one of whom is a pretty Akron lass, Mary Ann Baker, whom Johnson met Tuesday night. They have been seen together frequently since. "She's my good luck charm' says Don. Johnson has a swinging image much in the mold of golf-dom'g Doug Sanders, right down to the bottom of the trousers on his shimmeringest green working apparel. His witty answers to reporters' questions often send the press corps into hysteria.

For Instance: "Don, do you drink a lot when you're losing?" "No, I drink more when I'm winning. When I'm in a slump I concentrate on playing cards I have to rely on something for cash!" the smiles tell the story for Stefanich, Bill Tucker, Dick principals in the windup of the Simultaneously, Hanks was trying to grab for Fairholm's mount but slipped and fell. Fairholm, now also knocked from the saddle, had nothing to grab and also fell. Jockey Tony Rini, aboard Kate's Appeal which was racing behind the mixup, pulled his horse up to avoid the fallen riders. MEANWHILE, Dalgo, aboard his new mount, continued on around the track until he finally gained control and pulled My Boy Mac up on the stretch turn.

Then he trotted the horse to the paddock after the finish of "the race. and it is doubtful if any of the 2,839 in attendance knew of the strange goings on, other than that two riders had gone down on the turn. NEITHER Dalgo nor Hanks was injured, but Fairholm suffered a deep contusion of the thigh and a sprained thumb. Dalgo, Incidentally, Is the boy who suffered a sprained leg in the four-horse mishap See CLARK, Page A-U Death Off nationally televised (ABC-TV). No decision was announced on the status of the second game of the Western Division final series between San Francisco and Los Angeles, scheduled for Sunday night on the Lakers' floor.

The National Hockey League was to decide today whether Sunday's playoff game at New York between the Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks, set for national television (CBS-TV), would be played. Two American Bas- See SOCCER, Page A-U By JACK PATTERSON Jocky Pete Dalgo played an unbelievable game of "musical saddles" at Ascot Park Friday. Dalgo started out the third race aboard Fast and Smooth and before the race was over, found himself iding My Boy Mac! It all happened this way, and steward Horace Wade, a noted turf historian, said he had never seen anything like it in his life: Dalgo, aboard Fast and Smooth, went into the first turn of the race on the rail. Right alongside and head and head with him was Lee Hanks on My Boy Mac. And right beside Hanks was Ronnie Fairholm on Sunday Traffic.

FAST AND SMOOTH started to bolt to the outside and collided with My Boy Mac, shaking both Dalgo and Hanks loose from the saddle. As the horses continued three-abreast into the turn, Dalgo desperately grabbed for survival, got his arms around the neck of Hanks' horse and pulled himself aboard. Op eners Dark Manger Alvin Dark, who rushed onto the field to shake Sims' hand as the crowd roared, said, "It's the humidity. Fisher's knuckleball was the best it's been this Spring. It can't knuckle any better.

Duke was marvelous, wasn't he?" "HOW TOUGH was it?" Duke was asked. "Did you ever try to catch a butterfly with a badminton paddle? The last strike went down like an elevator. I really thought I had missed that one, too." Fisher says he tried to ignore a runner In scoring position and concentrate only on the batter. "I have to think of going after the batter and ig-nore the runner," he explained. "It was pretty hard to ignore Duke." He was unhittable and almost uncatchable.

Starter Steve Hargan, although still not strong, did not Sett INDIANS, Page A-14 "Monta" Andtrson tValiii Hank Skaptik tnttruttor 20 S. Would Every COFFEE SAN DIEGO (OPS) Indian catcher. Duke Sims leaped high into the air and speared one of Eddie Fisher's finest knuckleballs just to the right of his shin guards to climax a thrilling 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants here Friday night. When Sims returned to earth, he looked to see if the called third strike on Willie McCovey was really In his glove. The 18,611 fans, pulling hard for the underdog Sims to catch i 's offerings, cheered mightily as his teammates mobbed him with congratulations.

WITH TWO OUT In the ninth, a one-run lead and Giant Frank Johnson on first, Fisher came in to face Willie Mays. While he was throwing two strikes past Mays, Johnson moved to third on a wild pitch and passed ball. Mays walked and dangerous Willie McCovey fanned on three pitches. Of nine knucklers thrown, Sims fielded only three cleanly. "I 'was all right until the first one sailed around my explained Duke, whose eyes were still rolling around in their sockets.

"Then I lost my confidence. Eddie had me over-matched. The harder I tried, the more tense I got. I wasn't scared with the tying run on third. Let's say I was nervous." BOWLERS' DAY at Ascot Park TUES.r APRIL 16 Stt Your Bowling Proprietor for Vx Prico Grandstand Tickets! I AAAAAAAA You Like To Bowl Other Sports Also Mourn King's San Francisco 27 24 2 23105 Lot Angalas 33 31 31131 BOSTON PHILADELPHIA OPT OPT Howell 10 4-4 24Chbin 14 5-1133 Sanders 0-0 12 Green 3 0-2 a Russell 3 1-4 11 Greer 12 3-4 37 S.Jones 11 i 20 Guokal I 0-0 2 Hdvcek 12 11-12 35 Jkson 3 2-3 Nelson 2 0-0 4 Jones 4 3 II Embry 2 0-0 4 Melnl 1 0 0 2 Sqtrd 4 1-1 Walker 11 1-20 31 Thker 0 00 0 J.Jones 0 0-0 0 Graham 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 23-2 127 Totals 41 22-43 111 Boston 34 31 32 30127 Philadelphia 31 25 31 111 II INCOME TAX Neighborhood Offices 923-8543 F.

KINCAID (Homo Ownad) Bio. Ad in Pigi A 15 Belter! Wxt- I Uncle "Ed" NOT an Instrwiaf "Chick" G.rlck 6 7985 Baseball TWO BOWLING INSTRUCTIONS Sunday Morning 10 A.M. to 12 Noon President Johnson's call for a national day of mourning for Dr. King Sunday by calling a scheduled exhibition meeting with the Twins. The Detroit Tigers-SL Louis Cardinals' exhibition game at St Petersburg, Sunday" also was canceled.

The NBA reset Sunday's Eastern Division playoff game at Boston between the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers for next Wednesday The Sunday contest, second in the best-of-7 Eastern finals, was to Have been ball opener at Washington between the Senators and Minnesota Twin sVwas set back from Monday to Tuesday. President Johnson is considered virtually certain to pass up the game. Cincinnati's National League home opener, against the Chicago Cubs, also scheduled for Monday, was postponed until Wednesday. THE HOUSTON Astros said they would go ahead with their Monday night home opener against Pittsburgh In the Astrodome, but reacted to Br Aiioelate Prtai Baseball's Presidential opener and a National Basketball Association playoff game are among the major events that have been rescheduled in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Grief and concern over the civil rights leader's death, coupled with racial unrest in some areas, resulted Friday in a handful of significant postponements involving both professional and amateur sports. The American League base FREE and Donuts Total $900 Per Cost person ONE INSTRUCTOR EVERY 2 LANES Miller Rd. Phone TE.