The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 25

Slj? urlinglon Classified 5C Wednesday, December 21, 1983 Gossage Rules Out Return to NYC any offers from Georee." KaDStein said. running for his services. The meeting with the Yankees was one of several Kapstein and Gossage held during the day with teams anxious to sign the 32-year-old right-hander. Kapstein said that at no time in the past year had Steinbrenner submitted a complete contract offer for Gossage. "This morning George Steinbrenner called while I was in a meeting.

He left a message that he had a specific proposal to present," Kapstein said. "Today, I was informed by Rich Gossage that I was not to listen to any contract proposal from George Steinbrenner." Gossage said his decision had been reached after months of serious thought about the situation. "Today, he informed me that he had made a decision that he was not going back to New York and not to listen to In bidding adieu to his reliever, Steinbrenner said, "I wish him well. I respect his right to make that decision and hope he is successful in his new career, wherever it is. I hope that his career will be rewarded." Before and after Gossage declared his free agency, published reports said the pitcher was unhappy with the club because of its manager, Billy Martin.

Last week, Martin was fired and replaced by coach Yogi Berra. "I think that one thing that concerned Gossage about returning to New York was the concern that he could be held responsible for the change in managers," Steinbrenner said. "Furthermore, Goose Gossage had complained to newspapers and our staff that he resented fans booing him in New York after all he had done for the Yankees." That left 11 teams who drafted Gossage in the re-entry draft last month in the By HAL BOCK The Associated Press Free-agent relief ace Rich Gossage told the New York Yankees Tuesday that he would not return to pitch for the club in 1984, and his old boss, George Steinbrenner, said he bid him farewell with best wishes "in bis new career, wherever it is." Gossage and his agent, Jerry Kapstein, met for 30 minutes with Yankees coaches Jeff Torborg and Gene Michael in San Diego, then issued a statement. "I have today in San Diego personally Unformed Mr. Jeff Torborg and Mr.

Gene Michael of the New York Yankees that I will not return to play for George Steinbrenner and I have told my close friend and advisor, Mr. Jerry Kapstein, that I have no interest in having Jerry receive any contract offer from George Steinbrenner," Gossage said. The decision apparently left Atlanta in the best position to sign Gossage. Gossage has been unhappy in New York for some time. In a clubhouse explosion during the 1982 season, he called Steinbrenner "the fat man upstairs," complaining about the owner's frequent intrusion in the team.

He railed about the way he was used by Yankee Manager Billy Martin last season, when he compiled a 13-5 record with a 2.27 earned run average and 22 saves, and there was speculation that Steinbrenner's dismissal of Martin and hiring of Yogi Berra as manager last Friday might be tied to the Gossage negotiations. "That had no impact on me," the pitcher said. "None at all. This is the result of several months of thinking and talking." 5 RICH GOSSAGE Change in Timeout Rule No Help, Say Coaches ff; PI By KEVIN IOLE Free Press Sports Writer The word heard most among Vermont high school basketball coaches this year is "Timeout!" The coaches are, for the most part, distressed at a new rule adopted by the National Federation of State High School Associations which limits them to two timeouts per half, and which do not carry over from one half to another. It reduces the amount of timeouts a coach may use in a game from five to a maximum of four.

Under the old rule, however, the timeouts were available for use at the discretion of the coach. The new rule mandates that the coach use the timeouts in a half or lose them. "The people that are in favor of the rule will ask, 'What's the big deal? You went from five timeouts in a game to But that's not really true," said Mona Garone, girls' basketball coach at Oxbow High School. "It really went to two. I didn't call too many timeouts in the first half and I don't know of many coaches who did." The intent of the rule was to speed up the game.

The NFSHSA felt that timeouts were originally intended to serve as rest periods for players and not as strategy sessions for coaches. In announcing the rule change, it noted that it hoped the new rule would reduce the amount of time it takes to play a game. Judging by early season results, however, it doesn't seem to be happening. In fact, the reverse may be occurring games may be longer because now coaches are using timeouts in the first half which were generally never used before. "I thought the major purpose for this rule was for TV games and there aren't too many high school games televised in Vermont," said Mount Mansfield boys' Coach Bill Callahan.

"But I really don't think that high school games took all that long. It didn't seem like it to me, anyway." "They're experimenting with us (high schools)," said Garone. "We're being used as the guinea pigs to test it for the colleges. And I didn't see an abuse of the rule. "People who really love basketball would say 'no', they haven't seen any abuse.

Maybe the people watching games on national TV, who see the last two minutes of a game take a half hour, are the ones that complained." The new rule also minimizes the amount of coaching that can be done from the bench during the game. It puts a premium on preparation in practice. Many local coaches are simulating last minute situations in practice to make their players aware of what is expected of them. "This forces you to predetermine what you're going to do, to a great extent," said Burlington boys Coach Dick Falkenbush. "You just have to create situations that the players will face in a game and just hope that what you're telling them carries over from practice into the game." The new rule may have cost Falkenbush's Seahorses a win in a game at Rutland earlier this season.

Burlington had reduced a 16-point lead to three and had the Raiders flustered when center George Trieb fouled out. The Seahorses became unglued for a moment and Falkenbush wanted to call a timeout to soothe his players feelings and give them a quick break. However, he had to use his timeouts earlier in the game Turn to RULE, Page 2C Free Press Photo by IRENE FERTIK BFA Still Unbeaten BFA's Melissa McGinn tips the ball her way over the reach of three Burlington players, including Wendy Brisson, left, and Lisa LaBelle, 25. BFA boosted its record to 9-0 with a 59-37 victory. Story on Page 4C Redskins Sweep Awards: Theismann, Gibbs Named A 7 San Francisco 49ers and Lynn Dickey of the Green Bay Packers and defensive tackle Randy White of the Dallas Cowboys received one vote apiece.

Asked whether he had expected to be named the MVP, Theismann replied: "I'd hoped for it but since 1979, I've never counted anything until I had in hand." That year he was the leading passer in the NFC but was left off the Pro Bowl team in voting by players and coaches. This year he is the conference's starting quarterback in that postseason all-star game. It marks the second straight year a Redskin player has won the award. Last year kicker Mark Moseley (whose holder is Theismann) was the MVP. "I guess," Moseley said with a grin, "this is the first time a guy who holds for kicks got the MVP." Gibbs says it will take another 17 years before he starts believing he is as good as everyone says he is.

"I'm no genius," said Gibbs. "I'm just a common-sense coach. The (Chuck) Nolls, (Tom) Landrys and (Don) Shulas, the guys who have been building and keeping programs together for 10, 20 years, these are the coaching geniuses." Gibbs, who has piloted the Redskins for the past three seasons, received 33 of the 84 votes cast. Noll in Pittsburgh received 14, while John Robinson received 10 in his rookie season. The Associated Press Joe Theismann, who quarterbacked the Washington Redskins to the best record in the National Football League, was named Tuesday the NFL's Most Valuable Player by The Associated Press.

At the same time, Washington's Joe Gibbs was chosen the NFL's Coach of the Year by the AP for the second straight season. Theismann threw 29 touchdown passes and only 11 interceptions in guiding the defending Super Bowl champions to a 14-2 record, the second year as the National Conference's best team. "I know I can still play better football and I know this team can still get better," he said. He was the overwhelming choice of a nationwide panel of sports writers and sports broadcasters. The veteran of 10 years with Washington and three years before that with Toronto of the Canadian Football League received 58 of the 84 votes cast.

Eric Dickerson, the Los Angeles Rams' running back and NFL rushing champion with 1,808 yards a record for a rookie and 20 touchdowns, was a distant second with 18 votes. Another rookie, quarterback Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins, received three votes. Two votes went to Redskins running back John Riggins, while quarterbacks Joe Montana of the 1 Is JOE GIBBS: Coach of Year JOE THEISMANN: Most Valuable Tour Drops Oxford From 1 984 Schedule committed to the tour on it. If enough races can be lined up that fill the gap of those we lost at Oxford, the tour will survive. We've got to make sure drivers on the tour don't sneak off and run the Open series at Oxford when we have races scheduled." "We were willing to bend a little," said Bahre.

"I felt we had a good relationship with the tour last year and except for cutting down the number of races didn't see any reason to change." There were several years when neither the tour nor Oxford would bend. Both factions wanted to dictate to the other. Then in 1983, although not in total agreement, the tour went with the eight races Bahre requested. It appears now that Curley, Ken Squier and the tour have decided that it was time to make a clean break from Oxford. Only time will tell if it was the right move.

happening before I can make a comment that will make any sense. But the announcement does surprise me a lot." Crouch said the tour and Oxford will be hurt by the breakup, but noted that Oxford may have trouble building up its number of cars without the tour because there are not that many tracks in this section of the country that run late models and Open Competition cars. "Bob Bahre could do a lot to get his Open Competition cars closer to legal than they are and closer to what we have to run. I wouldn't expect them to be on line with us 100 percent, but the tin work and the basic rules should be the same," said Crouch. "Oxford is a good facility and the officials run good races and the pay for the 250 is very good, but there are a lot of people who don't think Oxford or Catamount pay enough for most of their races.

Money is the thing that will keep those "We had already stated that we would cut one race," said Bahre, "but there was no way I could change the tire rule and cut out the Open Competition cars. I did say I would add some weight to the Open Competition cars. "They (Stroh's tour) can do whatever they want, but the thing that bothers me the most is that no one from the tour had the decency to call me and let me know before the press got hold of it. "I had wanted to cut the number of races by one, anyway, and when I was asked to cut the number to six, I said, 'let me think about it for a while'. That was about two weeks ago and I haven't talked to any tour officials since then." It has long been known that tour and Oxford officials have not seen eye-to-eye over several issues for many years, but it also has been a well-known fact that the tour and Oxford have complemented each other well.

Now, the big question is how the two racing factions will do without the other. "Oh, I think we'll survive and so will the tour, but it will hurt a little for a while until we can build up the number of cars in the Open Competition events. I have the feeling it will hurt the tour a little also," said Bahre. Several tour drivers, although in favor of some races at Oxford, have complained that eight were too many, especially when there were only five at Catamount Stadium in Milton, considered the home track of the tour. "It seems to me that giving eight races to Oxford always was too much," said tour champion Robbie Crouch.

"It just wasn't fair to run eight races at Oxford and only five at Thunder Road in Barre and at Catamount." Crouch admitted that he was surprised at the announcement that no tour races will be run at Oxford, and his initial response was, "Better let me think about it for a few days and let me find out what is By DON FILLION Free Press Sports Editor Unless there is a dramatic change between now and April, there will not be any NASCAR Stroh's Tour late mode stock car races at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine next summer. Oxford Speedway owner Bob Bahre said he had not heard that the tour was calling off Its seven races scheduled at Oxford. Tour Director Tom Curley, unavailable for comment Tuesday because he was on a trip to southern New England, made it known early this week that the tour would not race at the Oxford oval in 1984. Last summer the tour ran eight races at Oxford, including the famed Oxford 250, which will carry a purse of $120,000 in July. Curley wanted the number of tour races at the track trimmed, wanted more to say about inspections of cars that race in NASCAR-sanctioned events, and also sought some major tire rule changes..