The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 17

If, SportsPeople 2 Baseball roundup 3 Horse racing 6 Obituaries 8 People 9 Ufa fUhWyUz Inquirer sports section Friday, June 23, 1978 By FRANK DOLSON on Editor urn 1 fx JXt iJi li Hockey merger looms Secret meetings clearing the way ALVA V'sW nil Philadelphia Inquirer GERVASE ROZANSKI inal first baseman before heading Cardinals home with the winning run Templeton's throwing error, which, in turn, was the result of some daring base running by Bowa. The moment came in the fourth inning with the Phils ahead 1-0 on a second-inning double by Greg Luzinski and a single by Richie Hebner. Bowa, who had singled, had reached second on Mike Schmidt's grounder. Luzinski hit a ground ball into the hole at short. The conventional wisdom of the game dictates that on such a ball, the runner on second (See PHILLIES on 4-C) Martin watches the ball get past the Card defeats Friday night, have been the Phils only victories in their last 10 games.

"If it weren't for him," Larry Bowa said, "we might be on some losing streak right now." "This is what our (pitching) staff has to do," Carlton told a St. Louis radio interviewer after the game, "hold the opposition down to as few runs as possible. We haven't been scoring runs, and the staff has to take over." Carlton was not available to elaborate on these comments to local newspeople. An hour and a quarter is waiting at Fenway Park Wednesday: They A quick mind and fast feet The big guys have been doing so little hitting, the team has been struggling so mightily to score runs that even those ever-lovin', ever-helpful Phillie fans have been trying to help Danny Ozark find a way to turn things around. "Let's see," the manager was say-ing before last night's game as he thumbed through a fresh batch of mail.

"I got a letter from this one guy, he said, 'Try this batting order for two weeks and don't change it. See what Then the next day I get a letter from the same guy with a different lineup." Such is the panic caused by a teamful of heavy hitters who aren't hitting. "I got a letter that said, 'Why don't (Larry) Bowa and (Bake) McBride steal every time they get on Ozark sighed. "And another guy wrote, 'Why doesn't (Garry) Maddox take two strikes? He's a better hitter with two strikes. Bowa saves Carlton All because the Phillies have been scuffling to score runs and keep their heads above .500.

Any night, Ozark figured, they'd break loose. The big guns would start booming. The best team in the National League East would start pulling away from that sorry-looking field. That guy with the new lineups would take a couple of weeks off. Well, friends, the Phillies won a game last night but keep those cards and letters and lineups coming.

If not for a daring, alert bit of base-running by Larry Bowa, even a one-run game by Steve Carlton wouldn't have been enough to beat John Denny of the Cardinals. "We killed 'em, didn't we?" joked Ted Sizemore after the Phillies had managed to blend three hits and shortstop Garry Templeton's 21st error of the season into a 2-1 victory. For the winners, it was a night to joke and to be thankful that Bowa had found a way to steal a run. Denny had stopped them so completely that Ken Boyer, the Cardinal manager, said: "I thought he pitched better than when Tom Seaver pitched his no-hitter (against the Cardinals last week)." A Brock-like play Denny was so good that the Phillies' lineup the one John Stearns of the Mets termed "awesome' "early this season could get only one ball out of the infield following Bowa's leadoff single in the fourth. "He hasn't thrown me a strike yet," said Mike Schmidt, who spent the night swinging, anyway, and getting booed.

"I was 0-and-2 every time up without him throwing a strike to me But maybe it's a good sign to win one without hitting. It might be the turning point." Maybe so. But if not for Bowa's heads-up play, last night's struggle might have been the low point. Bowa was on second with one out in the fourth when Greg Luzinski hit a bouncer towards the shortstop hole. Only a great baserunner a Lou Brock, for instance could really appreciate what Bowa did.

"You're on second base and a ball's hit to the left side, they say, 'Don't go to Brock said. "But the important thing is HOW the ball's hit to the left side. That's where a good baserunner comes in. The game is based on execution, on taking full advantage of what's there." Communication gap Bowa did that on a night the Phillies needed anything they could get. He saw that Cardinal third baseman Ken Reitz was playing "way back" with Luzinski at bat, and he made up his mind that he would go on a ball hit to Templeton's right.

"It was an instinct play," Larry said. "I got a super jump." "The. baserunner has to know who the hitter is." Brock was savine in the Cardinal's clubhouse. "Bowa took full advantage of it." And Templeton blew the play because of it. He fielded the ball, looked to third, then bounced a hurried, across-the-body throw past first as Bowa came home with the run that won it.

"Kenny (Reitz) was playing so deep he couldn't get there (to take a throw)," Boyer said. "If he's going to play so deep he's got to let the kid know. On the other hand, Templeton should look around and see where he's playing before the play develops. When the ball was hit Reitz was hollering, 'first base First He should've let the kid know before. It don't take but a second to let somebody know.

That lack of communication and Bowa's ability to make the most of it enabled the Phillies to beat a pitcher who held them to one hit over the last 6 2-3 innings. Danny Ozark can hardly wait for the next batch of mail. Larry Bowa, safe at third, Carlton By Larry Eichel Inquirer Htntf Writer In baseball, a team's top pitcher is called "the stopper." When things are going poorly, he is supposed to put a stop to it to contain the damage by holding the opposition to a run or less. For the Phillies the past two weeks, the man with the title has been doing his duty. Steve Carlton, the stopper, beat the St.

Louis Cardinals, 2-1, last night, at Veterans Stadium. His last two outings, this one and a shutout of the San Diego Padres The ax raw Rosen and Steinbrenner -Hi- r' I I llllll MaMmtmmmmim. By Gary Ronberg Inquirer Staff Writer Within the next two weeks a powerful member of the National Hockey League's Board of Governors will present his lodge fellows with a take-it-or-leave-it proposal to absorb three teams from the World Hockey Association, The Inquirer learned yesterday. With the blessing of NHL president John Ziegler, the board member, whom sources asked not be identified, has had three secret meetings in the past two weeks with an executive of the Aetna Life and Casualty which owns the New England Whalers of the WHA. The NHL governor reportedly has been assured that the Whalers, Quebec Noridques and the Edmonton Oilers all have negotiated legal releases from the remaining WHA clubs, three of which Birmingham, Indianapolis and Cincinnati would be indemnified to the tune of about $8 million, to be divided among them.

20-team NHL? In the NHL board, which comprises a representative from each of the 17 teams, approves, New England, Quebec and Edmonton would be absorbed on an expansion basis, which would involve realignment of what would become a 20-team NHL by next season. The Winnipeg Jets, it was learned, are not included in the expansion because they are considered too weak for the NHL since they lost their two Swedish stars Anders Eedberg and Ulf Nilsson to the New York Rangers. Last season, the Swedes were instrumental in leading the Jets to their second WHA title in three years. Ziegler has spent much of the last few days denying that the WHA was folding and that the NHL was -ren-ing to absorb some of the teams, but he didn't deny that discussions between personnel from both leagues had taken place. Ziegler's denials began during the NHL meetings in Mnntrea', where a number of WHA representatives showed up.

Stingers want in Meanwhile, the top official of the Cincinnati Stingers maintains that his club will be part of any merger, despite reports to the contrary. Bill Dj" Witt, executive vice president of the Stingers, said that although Cincinnati has not been involved in anv talks, "we have notified those tems which are and the league that we certainly want to be a part of any merger." DeWitt, who helped organize the four-year-old Cincinnati franchise, said that, "an accommodation with the NHL" would be beneficial to the Stingers. "However," he said, "we have not talked to the NHL. We are not going to chase them." Five years ago the Stingers had an opportunity to become an expansion team in the NHL but found the entry price too high. Whatever happens, it must happen within a month so that schedules for the 1978-79 season can be made.

late in the afternoon when conditions were just about ideal. The summer sun was hidden by a cloud and a cooling breeze was blowing, both of which lowered track temperatures to give tires a better bite. Althugh Ongais said he didn't think it made much of a difference, it was obvious that he needed every advantage he could get to surpass the 189.534 effort by Tom Sneva three hours earlier. Moments before Sneva qualified in the heat of the afternoon Ongais had waved off his scheduled run. He had practiced earlier in the 185 range but said that had no bearing on the decision to cancel and try again later.

"There didn't seem to be any problem," he said, "just a miscommun-ication between mvself and my crew. (See POCONO on 4-C) I A A' Will Grimsley Press YORK "A team is supposed to win if it doesn't, the ax on the manager," New York President Al Rosen said yesterday after returning from Boston he watched the team fall eight behind the Red Sox. are in danger of falling so far we cannot catch up. It is very discouraging. The team seems to motivation.

It needs to be shaken Rosen's pointed comments came recurring speculation that Billy the fiery Yankee manager, in danger of dismissal. the former Cleveland in-fielder who replaced Gabe Paul as boss of the Yankees, declined such action was imminent, but stressed that the New York club, with multi-million-dollar free-agent talent, could not be content a secondary preformance. Red Sox are knocking the off the ball," he said. "The (See MARTIN on 3-C) -V VP 'AViWTK, -cm after the game, he was still behind the closed door of the players' lounge, which is off limits to the press. "He had superb command of his pitches tonight, total command of the game," said his battery mate and spokesman, Tim McCarver, "I think he's regaining the form of the past two seasons." The loss went to Cardinal righthander John Denny, who deserved better.

Displaying a fine breaking ball, he gave "the Phillies only three hits and one earned run. It was the result of shortstop Garry for Billy United Press International don't like what they see 1 Leon Spinks in happier days By Associated NEW falls Yankee where games "We behind lack up." amid Martin, was Rosen, straw to say he studded with "The cover 5 W'W Ongais nears record to gain Schaefer pole 2d time in 2 da us Axsocinted Press JACKSONVILLE, N. C. For the second time in two days yesterday, heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks was arrested for a traffic violation here, his fifth arrest this year for traffic violations in various states. Spinks was arrested at 4:10 a.m.

yesterday for speeding. Jacksonville police charged him with driving 45 m.p.h. in a 20 m.p.h. zone. He was arrested without incident, police said.

On Wednesday, he had been arrested for driving without a license and driving with an expired registration. In both cases here, he appeared before a magistrate and paid fines. Police said Spinks has a valid Michigan license but was ticketed Wednesday for driving without it. All out-of-state drivers are ticketed if they cannot produce a license when stopped, police said. However, in Lansing, De partment of State spokesman Peter Bommarito said Spinks does not have any driving record on file.

However, Bommarito said Spinks has applied for a driver's license. "He may or may not get it," the spokesman said. "It's in the process." Spinks' attorney, Ed Bell, reached in Detroit, said the fighter had been issued a temporary license. He joked about the arrests. "Leon should never drive by himself in Southern towns with a new Cadillac," Bell said.

In March in St. Louis, Spinks was charged with driving without a license and with driving the wrong way on a one-way street. In April in St. Louis, he was charged with possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana and with driving without a license (the drug charges were later dismissed). Last Saturday, in Beaufort, S.C..

he was ticketed for speeding. By Bill Simmons Inquirer Auto Editor LONG POND, Pa. Danny Ongais, consistently the fastest driver on the United States Auto Club's Citicorp Championship Trail this season, won the pole position for Sunday's Schaefer 500 late yesterday afternoon, and then said he didn't consider himself the man to beat. "I would like to think we could race with anybody," the laconic native Samoan, now of Costa Mesa, Calif, said after he had averaged 190.315 m.p.h. qualifying in his Inter-scope Racing Parnelli-VPJ for two laps around Pocono International Raceway's 2.5-mile tri-oval.

"But I wouldn't suggest that we are the only ones to beat." Ongais' run, which fell a tick short of the Pocono qualifying record of 190.W8 set at a four-lap distance in 1973 by the late Peter Revson, came.