Fort Lauderdale News from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 23

Fort Lauderdale News Wednesday, March 14, 1979 Section ED Joe's Message To Sooth Florida No New Stadium, No Super Bowl tew Bernie Lincicome Sports Editor r' would then be in control. What he did yesterday has been festering for a long time. But his revenge seems greatly out of proportion to his injury. South Florida cannot escape some responsibility for being shunned. Complacency is to blame.

We seem to think that good weather and lots of hotel rooms are all that is needed. That was good enough to get five previous Super Bowls. But that was before domed stadiums and aggressive salesmen. Pontiac included in its contingent the governor of Michigan and the mayors of both Detroit and Pontiac. It also offered the Silverdome rent free.

Even so, Pontiac would not have gotten the 1982 Super Bowl if the Superdome in New Orleans had not been booked that year. That's how little thought of South Florida is. We weren't even the second choice. Where the Super Bowl is played means very little to the average fan. Here or there, most people get no closer to the game than their TV sets.

I wonder how anxious the NFL will be to return to Pontiac or go to Seattle or any other northern city once the league discovers that the climate is controlled for only three hours on game day. As for Robbie, his message is clear. If South Florida wants the Super Bowl hack, it is going to -have to play by his rules. Miami Dolphin owner Joe Robbie is playing a nasty game with South Florida's economy. If you don't scratch his back, he'll stick a knife in yours.

It is embarrassing enough for South Florida to lose the Super Bowl to suburban Detroit, but doubly distressing to discover that the man who gave the big game the decisive kiss off was Robbie. It appears if Robbie cannot have what he wants a new stadium South Florida can't have what it has come to take for granted, a $50 million triannual windfall from the Super Howl. When it came time yesterday for Robbie to give Miami his usual endorsement for the Super Bowl, Robbie instead gave it the back of his land. It was the act of a desperate and vindictive man and it will either shock South Florida into giving Robbie his new stadium or disgust it enough so that Robbie will never get it. It doesn't make much sense to take $50 million away from your hometown and then expect it to thank you by committing that much more money for a new stadium.

Robbie, in effect, has doubled the price of any new facility. The thrust of Robbie's pique is directed at Miami and Dade County but Broward will suffer equally. The National Football league was already upset with this area after this year's Super Bowl. It felt it had been treated by some of the hotels, which backed out of promises to the league. The Miami delegation made its presentation to the league meeting in Honolulu yesterday, knowing it was 'i.

out of favor. And when Robbie then opened old wounds i with the city in front of Pete Rozelle and the other '-owners, the bid was doomed. Robbie wants a new stadium. He wants concessions. But most of all Robbie has always wanted respect from the establishment in.

South Florida. Even though his franchise has been here 13 years, he is still an outsider. He is not completely wrong in feeling that the Orange Bowl Committee and the University of Miami rank above the Dolphins In the affections of the city fathers, if not the fans. Robbie has pushed for a new stadium not only because he believes one is needed but also because he Joe Robbie: Fails to endorse Miami as 1982 Super Bowl site. Robbie's 'No- Vote Keeps Super Bowl From Miami list of complaints about the Orange Bowl.

The NFL was already unhappy with Miami because the city reneged on some of its hotel commitments during last January's Super Bowl. Robbie's statements simply sealed the city's fate. The NFL was, in effect, warning future Super Bowl sites that they must honor the promises they make when they get the games if they want to remain in the regular rotation. However, Rozelle did not rule out Miami as a future Super Bowl site in the mid-1980s. Robbie's actions will certainly heat up his public feud with the Orange Bowl and the city fathers because the Super Bowl is worth more than $50 million in convention for the city that has it, and Miami is out of that for four years now.

The NFL also voted down several rule change proposals. Super Bowl in a cold weather site was -treated almost as a joke when Detroit made its first proposal to the owners in June 1977. Even Rozelle admitted he was originally "negative." 1 But in the intervening two years, the Detroit-committee put together a dazzling presentation to convince the owners to bring the game north. Detroit's 15-minute presentation included 'a six-minute slide and film production. They were the only city to present a film.

They also had speeches by Michigan Gov. William Milliken, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and Pontiac Mayor Wallace Holland and strong support from the auto industry, a major advertiser of pro football. As soon as the Miami delegation finished its presentation, Robbie got up and said he wasn't endorsing Miami and wouldn't vote for the city. He then recited a 19K.V The next game will be played in Pasadena in January. Miami, which has hosted five Super Bowls, was bypassed as a site for a Super Bowl site, mainly because of Robbie's fued with the city.

"He went into a tirade," said Metro Mayor Steve Clark. "He said he would never vote for Miami to host' the Super Bowl in 1981 or '82, then he btgan to rant and rave, lie was irrational." Robbie is at odds with Miami over whether funds from a resort tax is to be used for construction of a new stadium or for refurbishing the Orange Bowl. Robbie also wants to control beer sales in the Orange Bowl. The fact that Detroit was able to land a Super Bowl berth might encourage cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul lo build a domed stadium.

The idea of playing the News Wire Services HONOLULU Miami was passed over as host city of the Super Bowl for any of the next four years yesterday, due in large part to the encouragement of Miami Dolphin owner Joe Robbie. Robbie not only failed to endorse Miami's bid for the "81, '82 and '83 Super Bowls but reportedly berated city officials after their presentation to the league at the meetings in Hawaii yesterday. 1 Breaking the warm weather tradition for Super Bowl sites, the owners voted to award Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24, 1982, to the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit. 1 selection followed the naming of New Orleans as the site for Super Bowl XV on Jan.

2S, 1981.. They also awarded Pasadena Super Bowl XVII on Jan. 30, andolph Accepts Fate As Part Of The Game i Reggie Finds His Spot: George Makes It Right i Reggie Jackson won't embarrass himself this as a designated hitter, after all. He will start in right field for the New York Yankees. Take it from George Steinbrenner.

The Yankee owner made that disclosure yesterday, apparently putting Lou Piniella on the. bench. "Reggie's, a better fielder than everyone gives him credit for," said Steinbrenner. "He's gonna be in I right field." Piniella was in right last year when the Yankees won the World Series but Jackson reported to'-' training camp last month announcing that he would retire first rather than be a designated hitter again. i 5 By Jim Sarni Staff Writer There's a reason for everything, Willie Randolph believes.

He feels that if the divine order dictates that the New York Yankee second baseman pull a hamstring running out an infield hit in the heat of the pennant race, then that's the way it's meant to be. If it is ordained that Willie Randolph get hurt the last weekend of the season, and miss the playoffs 'and the World Series, then so be it. "I believe God planned it that way," said Randolph, who made his spring debut for New York yesterday. Nevertheless, the Yankees dropped their six straight exhibition game, 3-2, to the Texas Rangers at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. "I believe there's a reason for everything.

Some good comes from everything." Randolph was dealt his fateful hand in Cleveland in the eighth inning of New, York's 160th game. At the time, the Yankees led the Red Sox by a game in the American League East. With the score tied, Randolph stepped in and topped a grounder toward Indian third baseman Buddy Bell. Randolph darted for first like the devil. His left hamstring popped.

Randolph pulled up safe, but lame. He never saw Bell bobble the ball. "I hurt myself busting my tail to keep a rally alive," said Randolph. "If we hadn't won that game, we might not have made it to the playoff against Boston. And then there wouldn't have been any playoffs or World Series.

"It was tough to miss those games because I felt I belonged there. I was part of the tremendous thing the Yankees accomplished. But I didn't brood about it. I was realistic. I accepted it.

Brian Doyle did a super job in my place. He proved he could play. Anyway, we won." Most 24-year-olds would be heart-broken if they were deprived of a chance to play in a World Series, but for Randolph, the post-season has become just a regular extension of the season. Since joining the Yankees in a 1976 trade with H- J- '-a Pittsburgh, Randolph has been a party to three straight World Series. At the rate he's going, Randolph could end up with a jeweled ring on every finger.

and a couple of toes. "I feel like I've been around longer than three years," said Randolph, by far the youngest Yankee regular. Only double play partner Bucky Dent C27), among the others, is under 30. Randolph, an original thinker, reasons that the cause of his myriad little injuries over the course of his brief career stems from an uncontrolled binge of ball in his tender years. "I signed when I was just 17 and have played a lot of baseball," said Randolph.

"I think I played too much at a young age. During it all my body was still maturing. It couldn't take all the playing. That's what I think caused sothe freak injuries;" 1 "This winter I worked on getting my legs strong. I feel stronger now than ever before." Stronger.

and better able to leap recklessly '-1 Wille Randolph-style into the jaws of baseball danger. Staff PhoM By WALTER MfCHOT Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph Rangers' Campy Campaneris in 3-2 exhibi-arrives too late to prevent a steal by tion loss to Texas. Please Turn To Page 4D, Column 1 Happening -Another Award For The Dird- figures. Earvin Johnson of Michigan State finished second with nine votes and Mike Gminski of Duke was third with seven. Bird, a 6-foot-9 senior, averaged just under 29 points and 15 rebounds a game this year in leading the unbeaten Sycamores to 30 straight victories, a Missouri Valley Conference title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

ISU meets Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Midwest Regionals tomorrow night NEW YORK Larry Bird, an uncommonly gifted forward who carried little-known Indiana State to the center stage of college basketball, today Was overwhelmingly named the winner of the James Naismith trophy as United Press International's Player of the Year. In a polling of sports writers and broadcasters across the nation, the two-time All-America was landslide winner. He was listed on 193 of the 218 ballots cast with no other player receiving votes in double By Will Grimstey The Associated Press Ball players in spring training camps are following the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball i playoffs with the keen interest normally reserved for the stock market ticker, but none more avidly than the Yankees' Tommy John. The rangy ex-Dodger with the bionic left arm has a legitimate rooting interest in the nation's No. 1 team, unbeaten Indiana State.

It's his alma mater. Terre Haute, is his home town! His parents, plus a rash of uncles, aunts and -cousins all still live there. Indiana State's All-America star, Larry Bird, is a golfing companion and one of his closest friends. "Larry is coming down to camp after the playoffs are over I hope to goodness the Sycamores are in the finals," John said during a respite in the Yankee locker Martin, the marijuana bombshell dropped by Bill Lee or Carl Yastrzemski's sudden disaffection with the Red Sox. Pete Rose is upset because the Phillies' exhibition schedule may force him to miss the NCAA finals on TV.

Almost everybody was shocked by the defeat of Duke and North Carolina at the hands of a couple of Eastern teams, one of them of all things from the Ivy League. Who's going to win the big one Notre Dame, UCLA, Michigan State, Indiana State? "I still think the Atlantic Coast Conference plays the best basketball in the country," John said. "And there's not a better coach anywhere than Dean Smith at North Carolina. I don't understand it. They must have gotten overconfident.

But don't count Indiana State out. "A lot of people don't take them seriously. They've still got to prove themselves. So you can bet they're going to be fired up to the gtils." 'J Please Turn To Page 4D, Column 1 play to about a 10 handicap. Used to be down to four." Talk of the college basketball showdown has saturated the baseball training scene.

The guys aren't chattering as one might expect about the ifinning pressure on the Phillies and Reds, the future of Billy Toski is one of golfs finest teachers. Is Bird taking golfing lessons? "I don't know whether he needs them," the former Dodger pitcher said, "fie shot an 84 the first time he had golf clubs in his hand. He is a fine player. Me? I room. "He loves baseball.

He's coming down to watcn and we're going to play a little golf with Bob Toski.".