Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 39

TT ThcStalc Sunday, July 31, 1977, Lansing, Michigan Section U-M, Ohio State are worried favorites ig Ten another 'cry wolf year? in Analysis By DAVE MATTHEWS Staff Writer CHICAGO The trouble with Big Ten football is, everybody in the league has been crying wolf for so long, no one can possibly tell when to believe them. Ever since the emergence of the so-called "Big Two" and "Little Eight" 10 seasons ago -yes, sports fans, it has been that long every Big Ten campaign has been launched exactly the same way. THE loyalists at the annual conference kickoff luncheon here are told to hurry out and buy tickets, because the gap is closing, and this just may be the year the "Little Eight" becomes nothing but a bad memory. Even the coaches of the "Big Two," Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan, nod vigorously in agreement. And, ever since the emergence of the so-called "Big Two" and "Little every Big Ten campaign has ended exactly the same way; with Michigan and Ohio State either finishing 1-2, or tying for the title.

SO TOTALLY have the two schools dominated that, since Schembechler's arrival in Ann Arbor in 1969, he and Hayes have confronted "Little Eight" members 107 times and come away with 102 victories. If it wasn't for Michigan State, that record would be a devastating 106-1. The Spartans have beaten Hayes three times in eight years, and spoiled Schembechler's Big Ten debut. Only Purdue's unbelievable 16-14 upset of then No. 1 ranked Michigan in West Lafayette last fall prevents Michigan State from being the only member of the "Little Eight" to beat either of them in nearly a decade.

Among other things, that means Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin have not. defeated Michigan or Ohio State in at least nine years. Yet, when Big Ten dignitaries gathered in Chicago's grand old Palmer House hotel for the 1977 football kickoff luncheon Friday, it was the same old story pect the improvement won't have a great deal of impact on the outcome of the title race. Michigan and Ohio State can play the numbers game with anybody in the Big Ten. And their armies of battle-hardened veterans were seasoned in campaigns which produced respective records of 10-2 and 9-2-1, and placed both among the nation's top 10.

Michigan returns nine starters to its offense alone, including the entire line. All the Wolverine attack did last fall was churn out more yardage than any other in the nation. All told, Schembechler has 15 regulars available. Hayes goes him one better with 16, and three of his are pre-season All-America selections. Both the Wolverines and Buckeyes are generally thought to be among the best five teams in the country, with definite national championship possibilities.

CATCHING UP with competition of that caliber is not a job for an Indiana, an Iowa, a Wisconsin, a Minnesota or even a Michigan State not just yet, anyway. A Perhaps that's why Commings felt compelled to confess the true reason for his thinking. "I've got the feeling, based on no intelligent data at all that's the basis for a lot of my statements that it's going to be a wild, wacky year in Big Ten football," he said. "You can read anything into that you'd like." IT WAS also Commings who put into proper perspective the reason upgrading of the other teams in the conference could be highly significant, even though none of them might actually be quite as good as Michigan and Ohio State. "The other eight guys have got to get better," he said, "so that Michigan and Ohio State have to play four or five tough games in a row.

Then, somewhere along the line, someone is going to get them." And therein lies the real issue in 1977. No one really denies, Michigan and Ohio State their superiority, or the likelihood hey'H pick the choice bowl berths. BUT IT would be very satisfy- ONLY ONE coach, Iowa's refreshing Bob Commings, went so far as to forecast, in his own unusual way, a change in the order of things. But every conference mentor was ready to swear on the proverbial stack of Bibles that the top to bottom balance, and quality, will be greatly improved. As always, they offered a convincing argument, pointing to the armies of battle-hardened veterans at the disposal of virtually all the "Little Eight" coaches.

That they are veterans of teams which, with one exception, finished below .500 in 1976 was more or less ignored. They could be correct insofar as a general upgrading of. the Big Ten is concerned. There were a number of remarkably young teams in the conference last fall. And, most of the time, they didn't perform badly.

There's no reason they shouldn't be better. BUT THEREis reason to sus Bob Commings ing for the "Little and indicative of the fact that the derogatory nickname no longer applies, if they could prevent both from reaching the climactic season finale in Ann Arbor with perfect conference records. That- is not an impossible dream. Defensive heroics put Bears on top CANTON, Ohio (AP) Defensive gems by Don Rives, Waymond Bryant and Jerry Meyers helped Chicago to 17 points in seven minutes of the second half Saturday, leading the Bears to a 20-6 victory over the New York Jets in the season's first National Football League exhibition game. Rives, a fourth-year linebacker from Texas Tech, intercepted a Steve Joachim pass and lumbered 38 yards for a touchdown to send the Bears in front -10-6 late in the third quarter in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game.

BRYANT, ANOTHER fourth-year linebacker from Tennessee State, recovered a fumble that led to one of two field goals by Bob Thomas, a 49-yarder with 49 seconds left in the third quarter. On the next play, Meyers, a second-year tackle from Northern Illinois, recovered a fumble by Clark Gaines at the Jets' 38, firing the Bears on another touchdown drive. Mike Phipps, a Cleveland Browns' castoff, quarterbacked the Bears to their victorious rally. The veteran from Purdue rifled a three-yard scoring pass to Greg Latta to wrap up the decision. A CROWD of nearly 20,000, including Hall of Fame inductees Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Frank Gifford, Gale Sayers and Bill Willis, watched in muggy, 82-degree sunshine in Fawcett Stadium.

The Bears' triumph gave the National Football Conference a 5-2 lead over the American Football Conference in the Shrine's series. Chicago also won in Canton in 1968, beating the Dallas Cowboys 30-24. It was the first appearance here for the Jets. Bob Avellini, the Bears' No. 1 quarterback the last two seasons, connected on only six of 18 passes for 52 yards in the first half.

Phipps, who suffered a shoulder injury in the 1976 opener against New York, played the entire second half and hit nine of 13 passes for 66 yards and one TD. -THE JETS' defense was dominant in the first 30 minutes, holding the Bears to just four first downs. The Bears did not muster a single first down in five possessions in the second quarter. mmmmmmmmmtmmimMmiitwm nimiiiwaiiit Five more greats enter Hall of Fame The "umber of former standouts enshrined I in pro footboll's Hall of forth be part of the exhibit are, from left to right, Forrest Gregg, Frank Fame stands at 93 today, after the induction of five more Saturday after- Gifford, Gale Sayers, Bart Starr and Bill Willis, noon, in Canton, Ohio. Posing with the busts of them which will hence- Gaddeto wins U.S.

pin spot Ed Senyczko 1 A new MFL returns rw MILWAUKEE, Wis. Frank Gada-leto got it all together here Saturday afternoon to nail down a spot on the U.S. entry in the American Zone bowling competition. Lansing's 1977 American Bowling Congress singles champion went into the final eight games of the trials resting in the ninth and last qualifying spot. He came out a solid sixth, only seven pins away from fifth place.

GADALETO HIT 200 or better in six of the eight games to total 1,625 for the round, an average of 203-plus, and finish with a 28-game total of 5,427. So, in November, he and the eight other qualifiers travel to Panama City, Panama, to do battle with national teams representing Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, -Puerto Rico, Columbia and other nations for the American Zone championship of international bowling. It will be the first such tournament held since 1974. Sam Ferrell of Star City, W. set the qualifying pace with 5,582.

Mickey Spezio of Joliet, 111., hit 5,559, Robert Roy of Englewood, followed with 5,494, Dale Euwer of Topeka, with 5,485 and Wade Smith of Springfield, with 5,434. Behind Gadaleto came Al Cohn of Chicago, 5,400, Jim Lindquist of Minneapolis, 5-384, and John Corbin of Springfield, W. 5,362. A FIELD of 32 bowlers sought the nine qualifying positions. Invitations to the trials were issued to champions of the 1976 and '77 ABC and national collegiate tournaments.

Ferrell's invitation resulted from his '76 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (N'AIA) title while a student at Glenville, W. State. Frank Gadaleto Tigers peddle Dove Roberts to Cubs The late Biggie Munn, who led Michigan State University football into national prominence as the Spartan coach, then was athletic director when Spartan athletic teams enjoyed much of their success, had more than a passing interest in Lansing's entry in the Midwest Football League. "I'd hear from Biggie on Sunday mornings and we'd talk about our games, and the players," said Robert "Turf" Kauffman. "He'd offer suggestions.

He was proud of the fact that the All-Stars were doing so well. We used his multiple offense, and we had many ex-Spartans playing." KAUFFMAN, WHO has been in the NFL as head coach of the All-Stars, Flint Sabres, Pontiac Arrows, and now the Lansing Capitols has stayed with Munn's unbalanced line and multiple offense through all those years and has been rewarded handsomely. Not, financially, of course, but in the won-lost column. Kauffman-coached teams in the MFL have won 64 games, lost five and tied two. His most productive period was with the All-Stars from 1969-71 when his All-Stars won 44, lost 4 and tied 2.

During that period, the Lansing team won 28 straight games, and played Columbus before more than 7,000 fans at Everett High's Centennial Field. Kauffman's return to Lansing was hardly unexpected. He has always maintained considerable interest in the Lansing team, and he still believes there's a place in the area of entertainment for the Midwest Football League. HIS LAST two coaching stints were near-perfect. In 1S75 he led Flint to a 10-1 record and a title, and last year his Pontiac team went 10-0, but never played for a title since financial problems forced Flint out of the league and made a mockery of MFL operation.

Much of the problem has been the demands of players, and lack of interest in the league by fans. "We're going to have a league this year," Kauffman said. "But we're more realistic about it. The players know at the outset that there is no money. No more promises of $100 or $200 per game.

-WE CANT keep fooling the fans. The Midwest Football League is not the NFL. We're going to attempt to offer entertainment and a brand, of football a cut below the NFL for a modest ticket price. Much of the problem in the MFL has been the owners, who often felt they could buy a champion ship by spending large sums of money. All they did was weaken the league.

The fans lost interest when one or two teams completely dominated and ran up lopsided scores. Joe Hoffman and Scott Dannelly, the owners of the Columbus Stingers, believe the MFL can be successful. They've raised $50,000 by enlisting the aid of the Teamsters, who helped promote ticket sales. They've sold sponsorship of players to businesses and fans. "THEY'VE GONE about it, the most logical way.

Their players won't receive any money until the end of the season, then they'll have a profit-sharing plan," Kauffman said. "And they have 13 former Ohio State University players, including All-American quarterback Cornelius Greene. They tell me fan interest is mushrooming and the players, themselves, are most enthusiastic." Kauffman added, "We're experiencing a little bit of that player enthusiasm right here. I've spoken with a number of former Michigan and Michigan State players and they've said they want to play." Russ Kelly, Capitol's owner, tried to convince other league owners to eliminate the fat salaries and operate on a profit-sharing basis. "It's the only way the MFL can survive," Kellv said.

"There's no other way. Our fixed expense for each game last year was over $1,000 per home game. If you have a $3,000 or $4,000 player payroll you can see the problems mounting up." KAUFFMAN ADDED, "Each NFL team brings in 30 to 50 rookies and only three to five get to stick, what happens to the remaining players?" The MFL is a logical gathering spot. It affords the players a chance to play the game of football, and a few might still develop enough to get a crack at the NFL another time. Kauffman believes in the MFL.

He feels it provides as much entertainment as Softball, and a vehicle of competition for those college and high school players who want to keep playing the game. ONLY NOW, they'll know they'll really be playing for the fun of the sport and not for a weekly check. And, that's more than a good beginning and just might be an entertainment bargain for area fans. Ed Senyczko is Executive Sports Editor of The State JournaL DETROIT (AP) The sale of veteran pitcher Dave Roberts to the Chicago Cubs was announced by the Detroit Tigers Saturday. A team spokesman said the Tigers would receive an undisclosed amount of cash and a player to be named before Dec.

31 in exchange for the 32-yearold lefthander. ROBERTS CAME to the Tigers in December 1975 as part of seven player deal with the Houston Astros. He had been a regular starter with the Tigers for two seasons. In 22 starts this year Roberts posted a 4-10 record and had a 5.25 earned run average for 129 innings. IN 1976 he went 16-17 in 36 starts, and had a 4.00 ERA for 252 innings.

Roberts, who broke into the majors with San Diego in 1969, has a career of 93405. He leaves a club that was in fourth place in the American League East Division Saturday to join a team that was in first place in the National League East. Gildmeister pulls another upset coasted past unseeded Bernie Mitton of South Africa 4, 6-3, while Dent surprised third-seeded Dick Stockton of Dallas, 7-6. 6-3. Gildemeister's victory was the highlight of the day, as he and Pecci spent over two hours trading blows like gladiators in an arena.

Sports on TV LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Unseeded sensation Hans Gildemeister of Chile Saturday joined top-seeded Guil-lermo Vilas, second-seeded Eddie Dibbs and seventh-seeded Phil Dent in the semifinals of the $125,000 Louisville International Tennis Classic. The 21-year-old Gildemeister won the last three points of a tiebreaker in taking a thrilling 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 decision over 11th seeded Victor Pecci of Paraguay, the Chilean's third victory in as many days over a seeded opponent. VILAS, OF Argentina, made short work of his 38-year-old coach. Ion Tir-iac of Romania, breezing 6-0, 6-1.

Dibbs, of Miami Beach, BULLETIN ARLINGTON. Tex. Sundberg's leadoff homer in the bottom of the 12th inning gave the Texas Rangers a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers here Saturday. Sundberg's blast came off Tiger reliever John Hiller, 5-11 SUNDAY 4-6 (Ch. 2, 3, 6, 9C, 25) Auto Race.

Texas 200. (Ch. 3, 4, 5, 9C, 10) -BasebalL Detroit at Texas..