Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 19

TRIBUNE SPORTS Section Thursday, June 16, 1983 Slump-ridden Watson begins Open defense OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) Tom Watson. is in the worst slump of his career. much," said an assistant, Joe Salinas. chester Classic.

"It gives me very much twice a winner of this title, often plays his who said he isn't playing particularly well, opens defense of his U.S. Open golf championship Thursday on what he called the toughest course he's ever seen. The Oakmont Country Club with narrow fairways, deep rough and fast greens is so difficult, he said, it automatically eliminates most of the field of 146 pros and 10 amateurs as potential winners. "I don't think there are more than 20 players who can win here. You have to look at the high-ball hitters, people who hit the ball high and soft," Watson said, then named off a few: "(Jack) Nicklaus, Seve (Ballesteros), (Andy) Bean, (Lanny) Wadkins, (Hale) Irwin." He did not name himself.

"Playing the way I am right now, I don't think I have much of a chance," Watson said. Watson, who won both the U.S. and British Opens last year and has been the dominant figure In the game for several seasons, He hasn't won in 1963. He hasn't even challenged seriously. "It's been frustrating.

It Is frustrating," he said. "I've worked on a lot of things. And nothing has worked." There are, however, two positive points among the numerous negatives. "I have played Oakmont well in the past," Watson said. "And that gives me the feeling I can play it well again." And, he said, his playing problems "can turn around quickly.

It can change as fast as flicking the switch on a light." While his hopes are dim and flickering at the moment, they are at least as good as those of Johnny Miller. And considerably better than Lee Trevino's. Trevino, who had been pointing toward this tournament as a chance for his third American national championship, withdrew Wednesday, a victim of his own eagerness. "He was over-anxious. He practiced too Trevino had four practice sessions last week in which he hit 600 balls or more a day, Salinas said.

He developed muscle spasms In his back and had to withdraw from this tournament. The ailment, Salinas said, had nothing to do with back surgery performed last year. "He Just over-extended himself," Salinas said. Miller, too, is among the ailing. Miller, who won the Open in 1973, the last time it was played at Oakmont, said he has been diagnosed as having gall bladder problems and faces surgery next week.

"I'd say my chances of winning are pretty remote," said Miller. He said the chances are "20 to 90 percent that I won't be able to play." Those absentees, and Watson's problems, only enhanced the role of Ballesteros as the favorite. The long-hitting Spaniard, who won his second Masters title in April, scored a dramatic victory last weekend in the West confidence for this week," Ballesteros said. "I am playing very well now, and I am very high on myself." Nicklaus, of course, is a traditional factor In any of the world's great tournaments. He should be.

In the four recognized majors, he's won a record 17 times and been second that many more. In the Open, he has a record-tying four wins, a record-tying four seconds. One of those runner-up spots came last year when Watson snatched the title from him with the historic chip-in birdie at Pebble Beach. Nicklaus hasn't won this season, and has played erratically, very well at times, very poorly at other times. "I don't understand it," he said.

"At times I think I'm playing as well as I ever have. And then I shoot 76. That's not like me." Bean probably holds the hottest hand in the game at the moment. He has finished sixth or better in his last three starts. Irwin, best on the more difficult courses.

And Wad-kins, with two victories and a playoff loss, tops the American tour in money-winnings this season. Other major figures include former champion David Graham, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Bill Rogers, Craig Stadler, 53-year-old Arnold Palmer and PGA champion Ray Floyd. And Watson may have given another veiled tip. "Hit the ball in the rough here, pal, and you make bogey. The name of the game this week will be hit it in the fairway," Watson said.

And Cal Peete, who leads the tour in driving accuracy for the third consecutive season, does that better than anyone else. The total purse is $500,000 with (72,000 to the winner. Portions of the first two rounds will be televised live by ESPN. ABC will provide coverage of the last two rounds Saturday and Sunday. Parker, Bridges, Miller: they have lots of experience rv-feVv' The differences between the By MIKETOWNE He could attend college on a scholar i teams of the 30's and the multi-million dollar operations of today are like night and day, Parker said.

"I made $125 (a month) with the Tigers. Looking back, I don't know how we made it." Teams then were much smaller, with rosters of no more than 15 Of 16 players. "A lot of guys had to play two or three different positions like the catcher had to be an extra outfielder." Baseball is Parker's first love. And it always will be. "It's a beautiful disease, that's the best way to describe it.

I'll never be able to get It out of my system." Bridges, who managed the Class AAA Phoenix Giants for nine years before becoming a scout with San Francisco this season, needed just four seasons before getting a ticket to the big leagues. "I was fortunate advancing the way I did. I was in the right place at See GIANTS, 2-C ship or attempt to make baseball his profession. He was given a tryout with Class Moline that summer, made the team and halfway through the season decided "this is for me." Playing under the assumed name of Charles Francis, Parker batted .248 in his rookie year. He played better under his real name during the next two seasons, hitting .282 and .305.

Two productive seasons in Beaumont (Texas League) followed by another good year in Toledo (American Association) resulted in a call to Mickey Cochran's Detroit Tigers on June 19, 1936. He batted .280 in 11 games. That would be Parker's only season in the majors as he was traded to Indianapolis (American Association) in 1937. He spent the the next two seasons in the Texas League and then served a player-manager through the 1954 season. Since then he has devoted his baseball career to to managing, coaching and scouting.

Tribune Sports Writer On an early summer day In 1930, Francis "Salty" Parker signed a professional baseball contract with Mo-line (III.) of the Mississippi Valley League. Sixteen years later, Everett "Rocky" Bridges started his career as a member of the Santa Barbara club in the California League. In 1957, Robert Miller played his first professional game with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League. Now, with thousands of playing days behind them, the trio has joined forces at the Great Falls Giants' preseason training camp at Legion Park.

Parker, Bridges and Miller played at the professional level for a combined total of 60 years. All three took time time out from Wednesday's workouts to reflect on their careers. Parker, the Giants' infield instructor, was at a crossroads when he graduated from high school in 1930. tit Rocky Bridges (left) and Bob Miller Taking Photo by Steve Velaski) a short break from Giants' workouts. (Tribune Mets trade for Hernandez against the Mets in New York.

Hernandez said: "I wasn't shocked that I was traded. I was shocked that it was to the Mets." The Cardinals, who had right fielder George Hendrick at first base Wednesday night, immediately sent Ownbey to their Louisville farm club of the American Association and See HERNANDEZ, 2-C award with Willie Stargell in 1979 when he batted .344. He came into the 1982 season with a career .299 batting average and was hitting .284 with three home runs and 26 runs batted in for the Cardinals this season. Cardinals' manager Whitey Her-zog said that he made the deal because he needed pitching and said Allen would start next Tuesday night NEW YORK (AP) The New York Mets obtained former National League batting champion Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey in a deal announced only an hour before the major league trading deadline Wednesday.

Hernandez, 29, shared the National League most valuable player C'mon out to the American Legion odeo At the Legion Rodeo Grounds AUGUSTA, MONTANA June 26, 1983 Performance: 2:00 P.M. Watching the Giants: an easy way to spend a June morning J. Vs fy George Geise WW1 on tnese not June mornings, i aon teei me least dii guilty about swapping my desk chair for a grandstand seat at Legion Park. Once comfortably parked, it's interesting to watch the Great Falls Giants prepare for the Pioneer League baseball season. As I settled in Wednesday for my first glimpse of the 1983 Giants, memories of a similar day in 1978 were rekindled.

I was relatively new on the job then and it was my first look at a Pioneer League ballclub. I vividly remember being quite impressed as a muscular young catcher belted a few shots over the 400-foot mark in center field. I wrote that 18-year-old Bob Cum-mings, a No. 1 draft choice from Chicago, no doubt would provide local fans with plenty of thrills in the summer of 78. As it turned out, first Impressions were misleading.

Cummings could hit an occasional long ball, but he couldn't hit the curve. He had an arm like a cannon, but he couldn't catch a cold in the rain. He hit .234 that summer and has since banged around the minors for four years. And like many high San Francisco draft choices in recent years, he probably will never wear a major league uniform. I also recall another catcher in camp that first day of practice.

He was a tall, skinny kid who looked more like a shortstop than a catcher. With a high-priced draft choice like Cummings around, it seemed unlikely that llth-round draft pick John Rabb would have much of a future in pro baseball. History will record that Rabb clouted a team-high eight home runs for Great Falls in 1978, and has hit between 16 and 22 homers each year since. He batted .500 In a brief major league appearance last fall and is regarded as one of the Giants' top minor league prospects. So much for early-June observations.

History also will record that the 1978 Giants weren't much of a ballclub. Five years later, only Rabb, Cummings and outfielder Rob Deer are still with the organization. Guys like Dave Wiggins and Dave Showalter and Matt Sutherland and Phil Sutton were good enough for the Pioneer League, but couldn't cut the mustard at a higher level. A few, like Great Falls' own Mike Tucker, advanced up the minor-league ladder but didn't have the talent for the big leagues. Nobody who played for the 78 Great Falls Giants is currently in the major leagues.

In fact, only one Giant who has played here in the past five years it with San Francisco: Tom O'Malley, who spent half of 1979 in Great Falls and who is the Giants' regular third baseman these days. But for the serious baseball fan, the summer of 78 was certainly no waste. Nearly every other team in the Pioneer League had ballplayers who today are not only major leaguers, but potential superstars. The Legion Park visitors that summer included ln-fielders Julio Franco of Butte, Steve Sax of Lethbridge, Mike Marshall of Lethbridge and Ryne Sandberg of Helena. Franco starts for the Cleveland Indians and is touted as the best young shortstop in the AL.

Sax was rookie of the year last season as the Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman. Sandberg has started as third and second for the Chicago Cubs the past two years, while Marshall is the Dodgers' regular right fielder. Another infielder of five years ago, Gary Redus of the Billings Mustangs, is the starting leftfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Redus tore up the Pioneer League with a record .462 batting average that summer and with his speed and power, has been tagged as a future all-star In the National League. Another Cincinnati starter, catcher Dann Bilardello, was 1978 Lethbridge Dodger who was drafted by the Reds in 1982 after hitting .285 at San Antonio of the Texas League.

Patrolling Pioneer League outfields five years ago was an 18-year-old named Lloyd Moseby. Two years after hitting J04 with 10 homers for the Medicine Hat Blue Jays, Moseby was the starting centerf ielder for the Toronto Blue Jays. He's now In his fourth full major league season and he was hitting .303 as of last weekend. There were several other Pioneer Leaguers In 1978 who are now on major league rosters: former Lethbridge players Candy Maldonado and German Rivera and Billings Mustang Nick Esasky. Outfielder Maldonado is on the L.A.

roster, waiting for Dusty Baker and Ken Landreaux to alow down. Third baseman Rivera has since been acquired by the Oakland A's. Esasky, now that Johnny Bench has announced his impending retirement, figures to battle for the Reds' third base post The fervent hope of local fans is that In 1988 they can look back and reel off the names of major leaguers who starred at Legkm Park in the summer of '83. And they hope tome of them will be Giants. III BLACK VELVET BLENDED CANADIAN WHISKY, 80 PROOF.

IMPORTED BY 0 1982 HEUBLEIN, HARTFORD, CONN..