The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 27

Classified 7 'Weather 15 Comics 16 Features 17 Action Line 17 section sports Thursday, Oct. 17, 1974 IJPKlJIlillJlllIIII'WiIJBiiinJTOBIWWBllllWJjlllM" BRUCE KEIDAN pp i A Playing 2d for A's Earns Hazard Pay OAKLAND Few jobs in all of professional sport have proven less rewarding, more fraught with peril, than playing second ba-e for the Oakland A's. There are people in baseball who feel strongly that all returning deserters and draftdodgers should be forced to play second for Charles 0. Finley's favorite team for a couple of games before being granted amnesty. A fellow named Mike Andrews was at second base when the A's opened the defense of their world championship in October a year ago.

After Andrews made a couple of bad plays in the field, Finley's personal physician had Andrews certified physically unfit for further combat duty. Andrews signed a confession to that effect and slunk back to New England, afraid that Finley's next move would be to have him committed to a mental institution. 1.1 These carryings-on caused a great hue and cry in every corner of the sporting world, with the possible exception of a backward nation or two. But the fate that befell the A's second basemen during the regular season this year went virtually unnoticed outside the city limits of Oakland. Dick Green started the season at second base for Oak- United Prss ImernaTiontl If you think this diving stop is something, you should have seen the underhand shovel pass Dick Green then made to start game-ending double play against Dodgers land, which was something of an upset in itself.

Green turned 33 last April, and he had announced after the 1973 World Series that he was retiring and would live out his days in the bustling metropolis of Piedmont, S. which was the same announcement Dick Green made after the 1972 World Series. He meant it, on both occasions. But he explains: "Mr. Finley can be a very persuasive man." But not even Charles 0.

Finley's magnificent powers of persuasion could solve the A's second-base problems this past season. Call it a jinx, if you wish. No matter what you call it, the fact remains that they should have marked the position, with a white cross'. Green was first into the line of fire. "I tore up my instep and some ligaments real early in the season," he recalls.

"It kept me out about seven weeks." Veteran Dal Maxvill raced out to fill the gap. He was spiked in his first start. Another veteran, Ted Kubiak, tried his luck. He, too, was injured. In Charles 0.

Finley ordered general manager Charles 0. Finley to start calling for volunteers from the minor leagues. Alvin Dark began penciling names like "Pitts" and "Garner" into the lineup of the world champions. Even when Green returned to duty, there were people who said he had lost his range. The Dodgers' own second ba envn.

Dave was -u- ec as saying that Los Angeles had a better defense than its World Series opponents. lais comment -was auiy noted by Finley in the public prints. He also noticed a quote from Dodger left fielder Bill Buckner in which Garvey opined that if the two World See KEIDAN on 2-D i 1 A's Jolt Dodgers eaa series 9 Jim Holt Delivers Key Hit -y m0hv- PI'S Awnviatefl Pre OAKLAND The Oakland A's and their patty-cake batting attack came within one victory of their third straight world championship Wednesday night thanks to a home run by pitcher Ken Holtzman, who didn't swing a bat -all season, and a pinch-single by Jim Hole, who might as well not have swung one all season. The A's kayoed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-2, in the fourth game of the World Series and now lead the battle for baseball's world title, 3-1. One more victory and the A's will be winners again.

"I'll be very disappointed if it goes six games," said Oakland captain Sal Bar.do, who delivered a key single. "We all want to end it tomorrow night." But protesting Dodger catcher Steve Yeager still believes he tagged Oakland's Reggie Jackson before Jackson tagged the plate in one of the key plays in the four-run sixth inning. 'I thought he was out," Yeager insisted. "I could be wrong. They say the video tape indicated he was safe.

I thonght he slid awav and hook s'id to his left. His left leg slid tm over my shin guard. I know his bodv mark wis six feet from the plate and he doesn't have a six-foot leg." Losing pitcher Andy Mes-sersmith, dressed and out of the clubhouse before the game ended, agreed with Yeager, but when asked about his own pitching, he (See SERIES on 2-D) United Press International Oakland's Reggie Jackson slides safely past Dodger catcher Steve Yeager to score in the sixth inning on Jim Holt's single but Yeager protests umpire Don Denkinger's call Cannon Gone, Carter Going Monroe in Wings said. "If I told you what little amount of money is between me and the 76ers, ycu'd laugh. We could get together very easily.

"Our negotiations have been very good. There's been nothing bitter and that's really a tribute to Pat Williams. He's a hell of a man," Carter said. Carter doesn't believe a Carter for Monroe deal (See 76ERS on 6-D) McGinniss signs with the Knicks before this season ends, he will have to pay the Pacers an indemnity fee of S200.000. After the -he'll only have to pay $84,000.

The money would have to come out of the Knicks vaults, of course. Carter figures this is what's holding up the deal. "It's made to appear like I'm holding up the whole deal, but I'm not," Carter to buy his way out of Pacers' pact after this season. Carter says the deal could' be completed any minute. Ve had a'deal originally back in the fall, which collapsed," Pat Williams, Sixers' general manager, confirmed.

"McGinniss made it extremely clear the only two clubs he would play for were Indianapolis and New Yorlc. "Since then, we have talked. If we make a deal with them (Knicks), it will be time to say mere. Until that happens, any talk, about a trade will be premature." The Knicks had offered McGinniss $2.4 million for six years. McGinniss hesitated-because he was afraid the courts would force him to play an option year with Indiana for "only" $70,000.

So, he renegotiated a new Pacers' contract with a big raise and escape clauses. If hampered by poor health, was released Wednesday, along with Coniel Norman, third-round "hardship" draftee from Arizona. Carter figures he'd be in the opening lineup, if it weren't for George McGinniss. "We haven't been quite a distance apart for a long while," Carter said Wednesday night of the negotiations that have been going on since midsummer. "It's not' so much me as it the big deal trying to work with the Knicks'" The deal would give New York Carter and the 76ers' NBA rights to McGinniss in exchange for 'Earl Monroe and cash.

McGinniss is about to begin a new two-year contract with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA, but he could move to the Knicks next season because he has an option By JOHN DELL Inquirer Staff Writer The 76ers will open the National Basketball Association season Friday night at the Spectrum with Fred Boyd and Doug Collins in the back-court and Fred Carter in his Maryland home. Larry Cannon will be looking for a job. Carter, the Sixers' high scorer for the past two seasons, is a holdout. Cannon, whose pro career has been mmm Bergey Secures Linebacker Job Flyers on Spot, Bruin Wing Says 11 4' -ij-w 1 backing play since Chuck Bednarik from an Ohio tough named Bill Bergey. "He's a hard-nose, just like me," says Bednarik.

"He's as good as ydu'll find. The best in the leasue, no questions asked." Bergey says he filled holes as often in Cincinnati, so one question persists. Why didn't any of the All-Pro selectors dig his performances then? "Maybe," Bergey was saying before Wednesday's workout in a cold drizzle, "we didn't have the sports-writers in Cincinnati like we have in Philadelphia." Bergey doesn't deny that he has heard the All-Pro rumors and that he likes what he hears. "Everybody wants to make All-Pro," he admitted, "and if they say it doesn't mean that much to them, they're plain rationalizing, very naive or stupid. "I'm being very honest, though, when I say I would (See EAGLES on 5-D) By GORDON FORBES Inquirer Staff Writer The slide began in 1970 when Dave Lloyd's 34-year-old knee joints began to go.

Panicking, the Eagles tried eocl the" of tb? N-thnal Football League with a parade of imposters at middle linebacker. They missed with zany Tim Rossovich, a gifted defensive end. After Rosso, the Eagle plugged and patched with Ike Kelley, Dick Cunningham, Bill Cody, Dick Ab-sher, Steve Zabel, Marlin McKeever and Dean Hal-verson. They've all gone, Rosso to the World Football League; Kelley, Cody and Absher into retirement; Zabel and Hal-verson back to their natural outside spots; McKeever into California politics and Cunningham to the Detroit Lions as a fringe player. Nobody is looking back now because the Eagles are getting their best middle line- Chicago.

"I guess that will make some people antagonistic toward us. But the Flyers had a fantastic series against us. They were up for the series. And we didn't lose on overconnuence. because vc never erally underestimated them." Hodge, a target for some Boston Garden boobirds on occasion, has never been known to make excuses.

His personality has remained constant. He was the same fellow as All-Star last season as he was through the disappointing 1971-72 campaign in which he scored only 16 goals. He was caught in the eye of controversy during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Bruin fans were looking for a fall guy and center Phil Epposito was one of the top candidates. He became even more so, thank to some of the comments of former coach Bep Guidolin.

"I'm not saying that some (See FLYERS on 6-D) v. By CHUCK NEWMAN Inquirer Start Writer "Philadelphia," Boston winger Ken Hodge declares, "is going to find out what we found out. That everybody plays a little harder against the best." The Bruins' handsome right winger should no what he is talking about since he ranks among the best. He scored SO goals last season to go with SS assists. He led Boston in power-play goals with IS and he has surpassed the 250-goal mark in the National Hockey League.

Hodge comes to the Spectrum tonight (8:05) to revisit the site of the Bruins' Stanley Cup demise. There are those in Boston who still don't believe that the Flyers are Stanley Cup champions. The likeable Boston forward is not among them. "I think everybody expected us to win," he said while preparing for Wednes-i day night's game against Philadelphia InquirerEARNEST S. EDDOWES Color guard and field glisten but, as figures in sta nds attest, crowd at Bell game was not sparkling 750 See Steamer Crack Bell, 30-25 stock yards.

Not that Nance cared. The nine-year veteran from Syracuse moved into sixth place on the all-time pro football rushing list, picking up 104 (See BELL on 5-D) to the sidelines and the muck extended from end zone to-end zone, players were ankle deep in slime before the klckoff and, by the time the Shreveport Steamer had disposed of the Bell, 30-25, the field was like Chicago "I've seen some bad bleeping fields in my day," said the. former AFL all-pro, "but I've never seen anything as bad as that bleeper." Andy Warhohl wtfuld have had a field day in the game film. The turf was confined By DON McKEE Inquirer Staff Writer There probably are words to describe the conditions at JFK Stadium Wednesday night, but Jinl Nance couldn't think of any. Not this side of profanity..