The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 41

Sports Sentinel Star "2 Orlando, Florida I Or Friday, July 8, 1977 Financial Maltbie, lead; Hayes, record; Nicklaus, miseries Associated Press Dispatch TURNBERRY, Scotland -Mark Hayes had a record, Roger Maltbie had the lead and Jack Nicklaus had the headshaking putting miseries Thursday in the second round of the British Open Golf Championship. "Starting on the 10th hole, I had a chance to really take control of the golf tournament," Nicklaus said after his 70 left him one stroke behind a Maltbie's pace-setting 137 total. "And I let it get away," Nicklaus said. "I kept talking to my caddy, telling Angie, 'We've got to make birdie, got to get it and he emphasized it with a shaking, clenched fist. "I kept hitting the ball at the hole and 1 kept missing the putts.

I couldn't keep my dumb head still or I'd make some other little mistake and the putts kept missing. "I COULD have been six shots in front. No, I should have been three or four in front." He smiled and the most feared competitor in the world of golf offered a warning. "But the nice thins about it is fi Mi 1 T-'t' xsW''? 'sYY-- I Associated Press playing conditions and his new, cross-handed putting style for a 63, by two strokes the best score this tournament has ever permitted. "I WAS TOLD as I came away from the 18th green," he said.

"I had no idea what the championship record was and never gave it a thought." "The worst thing about putting cross-handed is that people laugh at you," Hayes said. "You have to The worst thing about do it successfully a few times, putting cross-handed is just to show them it can be done." ill The often fearsome Ailsa course that people laugh at you. was in a tame mood Thursday, You have to do it success- without a breath of wind. Hayes one-putted 13 of the greens, fully a few times, just to Maltbje meanwhil6( romped t0 show Mem it can be done, a 66 and sole control of the lead at 137, three under par on Mark Hayes the Ailsa course, 6,875 imposing yards that were stripped of their terror by the absence of the prevailing gales off the Irish Sea and the unusually warm sunshine. U.S.

Open champion Hubert Green had a hole-in-one and a string of five consecutive birdies and admittedly "was thinking of Hayes, Page6-D Larry Guest Sports Editor Tfte idioe! of genius In what has to be its most ambitious undertaking since trying to convince 0. J. Simpson that Buffalo is a nice place to winter, the National Football League is trying to explain its passer rating system. You know the one. You've seen it each week during the season in small type when the individual statistical leaders are announced.

It's the one that gave solid proof last year that Detroit's Joe Reed 6) was a better passer than Terry Bradshaw (65.3). The rushers are ranked by yards and the receivers by catches, but the passers are aligned by that mysterious index alleged to result when the NFL applies a certain formula to several categories of passing stats. The formula, carefully worked out a few years ago, incorporates a few simple principles of trigonometry, geometry, Calculus and eophysical aero dynamics. Reportedly the untimely death of Wernher von Braun leaves only two persons who understand the system and both of those are past MIT valedictorians. SO THE NFL this summer put out a 36-page brochure detailing the mechanics of the system.

The pamphlet contains past rankings, graphs, formulas and pages and pages of conversion tables that show, for example, that a 52.7 passing percentage earns 1.150 raw rating points and that an average gain of 11.6 yards is worth 2.150. I took the book to a local college math professor and before his slide rule overheated, he determined that the NFL passer rating formula, when carried out to the sixth power and multiplied by Pi, is the exact computation for intercepting the planet Saturn in its autumn orbit. Although the system has been in effect only four years, the NFL has applied its current formula retroactively to passing stats of seasons past. The results are startling. Wait until the Hall of Fame hears, for instance, that Johnny Unitas' best season wasn't even in the top 20.

The probe also uncovers proof that Frank Ryan was better than Y. A. Tittle; that Billy Wade was better than Sammy Baugh; and that Craig Morton, for gosh sakes, is better than Joe Namath. The system obviously has shortcomings. A careful study reveals the problem: The formula has no provision for certain achievements inseparable from the business of determined quarterback greatness.

And I have dispatched a memo to the NFL suggesting the following cat egories be incorporated into the system: SUPER BOWL Victories. Add 1.337 for each win. If win was over Minnesota Vikings, add only 0.025. Extra 0.500 if quarterback guaranteed the win in advance. Television Commercials.

For each cologne or after shave commercial, add 2.350. For each air conditioner commercial, add 1.735. For each Sears leisure suit commercial, deduct 1.475. Degradation of Offensive Linemen. Blaming loss on lack of protection, deduct 0.665.

Refusal to pose with linemen in team photo, deduct 1.037. Tearful Press Conferences: Add 1.550 each instance. If covered by wire services, add 0.725. If Commissioner Rozelle appears, add 2.850. If conducted in posh restaurant, add 0.652.

If staged at Holiday Inn, deduct 0.250. MOVIE ROLES. Cameo parts, add 0.350. Feature roles, add 1.115. Leading part, add 1.650.

Leading part opposite Ann-Margret, add 2.850. Any part in Disney movie, deduct 1.250. Play-Me-Or-Trade-Me Edicts. Add 1.250 each. Late Reporting To Camp.

Add 0.575 for each week tardy. D.W.I. Arrests. Each arrest, add 1.450. If after 2 a.m.

on night before game, add additional 1.000. If the lady in the car at the time of arrest turns out to be quarterback's wife, deduct 2.750. Rumpling Writers' Lapel and Punching Writers. Deduct 0.750 for each rumpled lapel, 1.225 for each punch. Punching Howard Cosell.

ADD 4.750 each punch. Associated Press Mark Hayes throws up his club on 18 and later shows his record scorecard Southern League stars dump Braves, 6-4 tnat at tnis stage, you're still in the hunt, rieht un there, and .1 r. i i mere ine cnance 10 iase control tomorrow." Hayes, the Oklahoma quiet man who won the U. S. Tournament Players championship earlier this year, made the most of the ideal Benedict ripped a single to center that scored Gatlin and Corey.

Corey sped around third and never hesitated as manager Jim Schaffer frantically waved him home. "You gotta send Corey in that situation," Schaffer said. "Office (Rowland, Atlanta center fielder) didn't hit his cutoff man. As a matter of fact, I thought Office loafed a little on that play." Field was tagged for two runs and four hits but struck out Willie Montanez twice in his two inning stint. "I think I could have done All-Stars, Page 4-D weeks as the negotiations for a new rental contract between Rio Pinar and the 12-year-old PGA Tour stop bordered on impasse.

Both sides made "final" offers recently that were some $20,000 apart, but subsequent meetings have pointed to further compromise. Under provisions of a five-year contract that expired with the 1977 Citrus Open, the tournament paid an antiquated $10,000 plus 25 per cent of any profit for use of the course. The tournament board has offered an increase to $35,000 with the club picking up the usual $15,000 tab for course preparation and maintenance. The club has offered to accept 540,000 with the tournament assuming responsibility for the preparations. As negotiations became sluggish and emotional, some tournament principals began weighing the advantages and disadvantages oi otner area courses particularly Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club.

By LARRY MCCARTHY Sentinel Star Staff CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Be- fore Thursday night's Southern League All-Star game, Savannah pitcher Jose Sevillano (Atlanta farmhand pitching for the Braves against the Stars) said the one guy on the star squad he was concerned about was Montgomery's Lou Whitaker. Sevillano proved a prophet of his own doom. The righthander served up a seventh-inning, two-run triple to Whitaker that was the deciding blow in the All-Stars' 6-4 win over the iourth. But the All-Stars tied it in the fourth against rookie draftee Richard Wieters, who had relieved Max Leon after the starting righthander had limited the Stars to one hit over the first three innings.

CHATTANOOGA'S Dan Argee walked with one out, and then Charlotte's Tom Chism clubbed a homer. Orlando's Mike Gatlin singled off the glove of leaping first baseman Tom Paciorek and went to second on a balk ahead of a walk to Charlotte's Mark Corey. With two out, Savannah's Bruce Atlanta before 8,000 fans. Charlotte's Bryn Smith, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, was the winning hurler. WHITAKER'S feat, plus starting double plays at second base the last two innings, earned him the game's Most Valuable Player award.

"Man I can do it all," Whitaker smiled as he perspired heavily in the Stars' steamy dressing room. "In fact, I did," he laughed. "The ball I hit was a fastball down and out. I just went with the pitch." Whitaker's triple to deep center field scored Montgomery's Allen Negotiators say Citrus to stay at Rio Pinar Trammell and Chattanooga's Jeff Cox, both of whom had singled. Atlanta took a four-run lead with a two-run second off Orlando's Greg Field and single runs in the third and fourth against Jacksonville's Steve Burke.

Atlanta reserve catcher Joe Nolan slammed a two-run homer off Field, who started the game on a muggy night with the temperature 98 degrees down four degrees from a mid-afternoon high 102. Cito Gaston doubled a run home in the third and Pat Rockett's sacrifice fly scored Nolan with another Atlanta run in Fin going to the best club and the best organization. I didn't fly, I ran all the way up here. Eddie Firmani VI Firmani to Cosmos: 'winning a lottery' Associated Press Dispatch NEW YORK Eddie Firmani, who recently resigned as coach of the North American Soccer League's Tampa Bay Rowdies, signed a three-year contract Thursday to guide the Cosmos. Firmani replaces Gordon Bradley, who resigned the position to resume full-time duties as vice president in charge of development and player personnel.

Though Firmani had resigned from the Rowdies, he was not freed from his contract until Tuesday, when the Cosmos agreed to compensate Tampa Bay by playing an exhibition game against them here in September. The Rowdies will receive the bulk of the proceeds from the contest. FIRMANI TOLD a news conference that he had received offers from the Denver NASL franchise which will begin play in 1978 and from the Canadian National team. But he liked the chance of joining the Cosmos to "winning a lottery." The 43-year-old Firmani said, "I'm going to the best club and the best organization." The Cosmos hold first place in the Eastern Division of the NASL's Atlantic Conference. "I DIDN'T FLY, I ran all the way up here," said Firmani, who watched the Cosmos' 3-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Giants Stadium Wednesday night.

"I'm very happy with the players at the moment, it would be a little bit foolish to come in and start making a lot of changes. They're doing very well, and it's not my nature to make wholesale changes unnecessarily." By LARRY GUEST Sports Editor Leading negotiators for both sides are insisting the Florida Citrus Open Golf Tournament will continue at Rio Pinar Country Club predicting the drawn out hassle over a new rent contract will be resolved next week. "There is no doubt in my mind now that the tournament will return to Rio Pinar," said a Citrus Open board member who asked not to be identified. "I'm certain that we'll have a contract within seven to 10 days." A member of the Rio Pinar negotiating committee concurred. "Both sides are giving in now.

We're not going to be getting what we think we should and they'll be paying more than they think they should, but the way things are moving now, I'm confident we'll have an agreement within the next week," he said. A POSSIBLE shift in playing sites loomed larger in recent.