Ukiah Daily Journal from Ukiah, California • Page 10

10-UklahDaily Journal, Ukiah, Calif. Wednesday, September 7,1983. Nebraska is NEW YORK (UPI) -Following its rude treatment of the defending national champions in the college season-opener, Nebraska solidfied Its No. 1 ranking in the UPI Board of Coaches first regular-season football poll. After a 44-6 stomping of Perm State in the Kickoff Classic last Monday, Nebraska top-ranked in pre-season collected 32 of a possible 37 first: place votes and 535 total points.

Texas held second place with 470 points, Auburn remained No. 3 and Oklahoma passed Penn State into fourth. Michigan, making a substantial gain while remaining idle, rounds out the top nve. Texas and Oklahoma each received two first-place votes and Auburn got one. Nebraska's showing in the Aug.

29 showcase brought comparisons to the 1971 Cornhuskers squad, recently voted the best college team ever by a national sports magazine. Although his backfield of Turner Gill, Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar matches well with the '71 tandem of Jerry Tagge, Johnny Rpdgers and Jeff Kinney, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne wants to hold off on talk of greatness. Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who said before the game he'd never seen a great college team before the first four weeks of the season, became a believer after the loss. Nebraska hosts Wyoming Saturday. Top 20 NEW YORK (UPI) The United Press International Board of Coaches Top 20 pre-season 1983 college football ratings, with first-place votes in parentheses (total points based on 15 points for first place, 14 for second, I.

Nebraska (32) (i-O) J. Texas (2) (0-0) 3. Auburn(!) (O-O) 4. Oklahoma (2) (04) 5. Michigan (0-0) 4.

Ohio St. (04) 7. Georgia (1-0) Notra Dame (0-0) 10. Louisiana St. (04) II.

Pittsburgh (1-0) 12. Florida (l-O) 13. Florida St. (1-0) 14. Alabama (04) 15.

West Virginia (14) Southern 17. Iowa (04) IB. Arizona St. (04) Penn St. (0-1) 20.

Maryland (04) 535 470 434 291 2M 293 249 253 144 135 123 116 104 84 74 72 52' 41 Note: By agreement with the American Football Coaches Association, teami on probation by the NCAA are Ineligible for the Top 20 and national championship consideration by the UPI Board of Coaches. The teams currently on probation are Clemson. Southern California, Arizona, Wichita State and Southern Mississippi. Journal photo by Glenn Ericsson DOGGIN' THE PASSER: Uklahl quarterbacks, Jayvee, above, in purple; or Varsity have had to-do a lot of scrambling In scrimmages to avoid hit-hungry defenders. All of which may stand them in good stead Friday night at Folsom, when the Wildcats open their season against the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, other sports get underway at local high schools within the week. Kittle clobbers A's pitching again CHICAGO (UPI) A rookie on a tear and a speedster who won't stop running helped Chicago's LaMarr Hoyt become the first 19-game winner in the major leagues. Ron Kittle blasted a homer on top of the left-field upper deck, giving him five home runs in five games and six in his last seven games. Rudy Law homered, had three singles, scored three runs, and stole three bases to lead the White Sox to a 7-6 victory over the Oakland A's Tuesday night. The triumph, combined with Kansas City's loss, lowered the White Sox' magic number to 11 to clinch the American League West Division.

Hoyt, 19-10, worked into the eighth before giving way to the first of four relievers. Dennis Lamp got the final two outs for his 12th save. Kiltie's 32nd home run in the third off Chris Codiroli, 12-10, increaseanme Sox lead to 4-0. His homer was the fourth this season on top of the Comiskey Park roof. Greg Luzinski has the other three.

"I knew this one was out but, it was definitely a question as to whether it would stay fair. I paid no attention to where it was going," said Kittle. The ball bounced about a foot inside the left-field foul pole. Kittle said he knew the roof was -reachable. "I knew it was possible.

I just tried to hit it hard. I faced this pitcher before in the minors and when I went there, I said to myself, 'I'd like to hit a home I was looking for a slider, but it was a fastball inside." Chicago opened the scoring in the first inning when Law singled, stole second, went to third on an infield out and scored on Harold Baines' sacrifice fly. The A's tied it in the second on the first of Wayne Gross' two homers. Reds rout Giants, 11-1. SAN Cincinnati Reds tagged Atlee Hammaker for only two earned runs in their Jia rout of San Francisco, but the Giants hurler said he is more concerned with winning games than his ERA.

Hammaker started and pitched five innings Tuesday night, suffering his ninth loss of the season against 10 victories. He maintained, his National League ERA lead with 2.24 but said: "I'm more concerned about winning games than the ERA title. I still feel like I don't have my rhythm. I was getting behind too many batters." Hammaker was on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, and the game against the Reds was his fourth start since returning to the lineup. "Atlee didn't pitch too badly, but we didn't play very well," San Francisco manager Frank Robinson said.

The Reds scored four runs three on a double by Paul Householder in the second. They were unearned because of a Giant error. "We took advantage of all the breaks they gave us," Cincinnati manager Russ Nixon said. "After 140 games, you know there are going to be a few like this." Starter Bruce Berenyi, 7-14, held the Giants scoreless through 5 1-3 innings before he was pulled. Former Giant Rich Gale relieved Berenyi for his first save of the season- Dann Bilardello drove in three runs for the Reds with a sixth-inning single, a sacrifice fly in the seventh and his sixth homer of the season in the ninth.

In the seventh, Cincinnati collected three runs on three walks, a hit batsman, an error, a single by Nick Esasky and Bilardello's sacrifice fly. The Giants' run came in the seventh on a double by John Rabb and a single by Max Venable. Pirates, Expos still deadlocked ST. LOUIS (UPI) Lee Tunnell could be just the man to help the Pittsburgh Pirates cut through the mountain of confusion in the NL East. Tunnell pitched a three-hitter to help the Pirates break a three-game losing streak with a 5-0 whitewash of St.

Louis, keeping Pittsburgh tied with Montreal atop the four-team scramble. "This was the best results I've had," Tunnell said. "Everybody made good plays behind me and everybody executed." Tuhnell, who had been scheduled to pitch Monday night but was pushed back because of an injury to John Candelaria, pitched his second shutout of the season. Jim Morrison, playing because of a leg injury to regular third baseman Bill Madlock, homered for the Pirates. Tunnell allowed only three singles by Ken Oberkfell, struck out five and walked three in raising his record to 8-5.

In other NL games, Montreal downed Chicago 8-2, Philadelphia blanked New York 2-0, San Diego ripped Los Angeles 8-3 and Cincinnati bombed San Francisco 11-1. Houston at Atlanta was rained out. Expos 8, Cubs 2 Manny Trillo went 4-for-4, including a solo homer, and drove in four runs and Andre Dawson hit his 29th home run to lead the Expos to their third straight victory. Phillies 2, MetsO Joe Morgan scored on a pair of balks by rookie Ron Darling in the fourth, inning and three pitchers combined on a seven- hitter to lift the Phillies. Padres 8, Dodgers 3 Terry Kennedy drove in four runs with a homer and a single and Ed Whitson scattered seven hits for the Padres.

Friday last chance to get bargain tickets for Ukiah Day at Candlestick This Friday, Sept. 9, is the last day to secure special discount tickets for Ukiah Day at Candlestick Park. Ukiah Day is Sunday, Sept. 18, a final showdown between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park, game time 1:05 p.m. Ukiah Day fun will begin long before "Play Ball" time, however.

Especially for those who save driving wear and tear by taking the special bus direct from Ukiah to Candlestick. Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, $4 for children under 12. The round-trip bus fare is an additional $12.50. Tickets for the game and tickets for the bus ride to Candlestick may be purchased through Friday from Al Norris, Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce, 462-4705; from Bruce Poma at Poma TV, 462-3500; or from Walt Hamburg of the Daily Journal, 468-0123. With the Dodgers fighting to stay on top of the National League West, and the Giants fighting to knock them off, the Sept.

18 game could be a pivotal one in the divisional pennant race. There are no guarantees, but fans attending Ukiah Day at Candlestick Park could see a pitching matchup between Fernando Valenzuela and Giant. Atlee Hammaker, two ofthe National League's best. the Ukiah Chamber of Commerce is hoping to secure a large contingent of local fans for Ukiah Day at Candlestick Park. SIDE LINES Mostyn Thayer Dodgers playoff-bound The San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final game of the 1982 regular season to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs and give the Atlanta Braves the National League's Western Division championship.

But the Braves look like they're going to need a lot more help from other teams going down the stretch this year to successfully defend their title. NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST 1) LOS ANGELES no longer has Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and some of the other players who helped make the Dodgers so successful during recent years. But in their place such stars of the future as Mike Marshall, Greg Brock and Candy Maldonado have arisen. The Dodgers often seem to be the worst defensive team in baseball, but they can score runs and their pitching staff is one of the best in the major leagues'. Fernando Valenzuela, Jerry Reuss, Burt Hooton and Steve Howe have all been somewhat inconsistent this year, but they seem to be getting back on track.

And reliever Tom Niedenfuer has been there to pick up the slack when they faltered. The acquistion of pitcher Rick Honeycutt from the Texas Rangers was one of the biggest steals of the year and he could be the layer who will get Los Angeles over the ump and into the National League playoffs. 2) ATLANTA was sailing along towards its second straight N.L. West championship when suddenly the Braves started a nosedive. Much of the media blamed' the Braves' decline on the taking down of the mascot's tepee, "Chief Nak-A-Homa." At pretty well the same time that the tepee was taken down, however, Atlanta lost All-Star third baseman Bob Horner for the season.

His loss allows opposing teams to pitch around the Braves' other superstar, centerfielder Dale Murphy, and severely affects their ability to score runs. The Braves are still one of the best teams in the major leagues, but without Horner it doesn't matter if Chief Nok-A-Homa has his tepee or not. 3) HOUSTON has one of the weakest offensive attacks around. With pitchers like Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, Vera Ruble, Bob Knepper and relievers Frank DiPino and Dave Smith the Astros will be in contention until the end of the season. But that's when their season will end.

4) SAN FRANCISCO its good moments and its bad. Unfortunately, once again this season, the bad usually seem to outweigh the good. Some good young players have emerged this year, including pitchers Bill Laskey, Alan Fowlkes, Fred Breining and Andy McGaffigan, infielder Brad Wellman and catcher Johnny Rabb. And infielder Darrell Evans, shortstop Johnnie LeMaster, outfielder Jeff Leonard, catcher Bob Brenly and pitchers Atlee Hammaker and Greg Minton have had fine seasons. Outfielders Jack Clark and Chili Davis, third baseman Tom O'Malley and pitcher Gary Lavelle have had off years, however.

The loss of spiritual leaders Joe Morgan and Reggie Smith hurt, also. The Giants don't seem to be going anywhere in 1983. But with some changes, maybe even their manager, they might come back strong next year. Or the 5) SAN DIEGO got off to a good start, then slowlv began sinking into the west. The Padres are a vastly improved team, but they're still a couple years away from being serious contenders.

6) CINCINNATI used to be called the Big Red Machine. In recent years the Machine has run out of gas and now needs a major overhaul to keep Cincinnati from becoming and Edsel. Still to come, a preview of the playoffs end the World Series. BASEBALL back BALTIMORE (UPI) Jim Palmer scattered eight hits over 7 1-3 innings Tuesday to lead the Baltimore Orioles to an 8-1 triumph over the Boston Red Sox. The victory enabled Baltimore to maintain their four-game lead over Milwaukee in the East.

"My arm' gets a little better every time I pitch." Palmer said. If Palmer can continue to perform well, it would be an incredible boost to the Orioles' pennant hopes. For nearly 14 weeks, Palmer watched from the disabled list as the Orioles battled for the division lead. Now, the three-time Cy Young Award winner who notched his 267th career victory, can make a sizeable contribution to their stretch run. The Orioles battered four pitchers for 12 hits, including two-run homers by Eddie Murray and Rick Dempsey.

The Red Sox scored their only run off Palmer in the fourth on Carl Yastrzemski's run-scoring single. It was Yastrzemski's RBI, moving him ahead of former Boston great Ted Williams' into ninth place on the all-time list. Elsewhere in the AL, Milwaukee turned back New York 6-3, Toronto downed California 6-4, Chicago nipped Oakland 7-6, Seattle defeated Kansas City 3-1 and Minnesota edged Texas 5-3 in 10 innings. Detroit at Cleveland was rained out. Brewers 6, Yankees 3 Ted Simmons' two-out, two-run triple in the eighth inning triggered a three-run uprising that carried the Brewers.

Blue Jays 6, Angels 4 George Bell and Cliff Johnson drove in two runs each and Doyle Alexander scattered six hits over 8 1-3 innings to lead the Blue Jays. Tides, Yanks tied The. first-place Columbus Yankees, threatened with extinction before the home folks, Tuesday battled back to defeat the Tidewater Tides, 4-2, to square their first- round International League Playoff Series at 2-2. It was the first Columbus win since it won the first game at Tidewater, 1-0; after which the Tides, of which Ukiah's Kelvin Chapman is a member, defeated Colombus, 11-1 and 21-8. The series ends tonight, with the winner then facing Richmond, 3-0 sweep playoff winner over Charleston.

seasn and this finished fourth in regular-season standings. Last year the went on to sweep the playoffs. Portland clinches By United Pmt International Portland downed Edmonton 5-1 Tuesday night to clinch the Pacific Coast League's Northern Division title, but the Beavers still don't know if they'll meet Albuquerque or Las Vegas in the championship series. Albuquerque topped Las Vegas 5-4 in 10 innings on Franklin Stubbs' second homer of the night to tie their best-of-f ive series at two all At Portland, Steve Comer scattered nine hits and did not issue a walk in hurling the win over Edmonton to give the Beavers three wins in four games. TENNIS Martina nearing goal NEW YORK (UPI) With just two more victories, Martina Navratilova will go over the $6 million mark in career earnings.

And if anything means as much as all that money, it will be the satisfaction she derives from what those two wins would do for her. The first step comes Friday, when the 26- year-old left-hander meets close friend Pam Shriyer in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Buddies or not, it was Shriver who sent Navratilova weeping to the sidelines after beating her in last year's quarterfinals. And if revenge is hers, the biggest hurdle of all would come Saturday, when Navratilova figures to meet old rival Chris Evert Lloyd in the final.

Evert has won the Open crown six times, and Navratilova has won zilch. Navratilova eased her way into the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Sylvia Hanika Tuesday. Shriver, the fifth seed, earned her berth in the semis with a victory over No. 3 Andrea Jaeger. The other semifinal pairing was to be decided today when Evert, the No.

2 seed, met No. 8 Hana Mandlikova and No. 14 Jo Durie faced Madruga-Osses. There were two men's quarterfinals listed for today with defending champion Jimmy Connors, seeded third, playing No. 14 Eliot Teltscher and No.

16 Bill Scanlon meeting Mark Dickson at night. In fourth-round matches Tuesday, No. 2 Ivan Lendl had little difficulty in beating No. 12 Johan Kriek, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1, No. 4 Yannick Noah beat 16-year-old amateur Aaron Krickstein, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, No.

5 Mats Wilander raced past Andres Gomez, 6-2, 61, 6-2, and No. 9 Jimmy Arias disposed of Joachim Nystrom, "It can be a little awkward at times, but we're both professionals and we know the business. Actually, you want to play real well In the doubles, then maybe she'll think you're playing great and be real scared." -PAM SHRIVER describing her relationship with doubles partner Martina Navratilova, who she must play Friday in the U.S. Open Tennis Championships..