Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 17

o) NBA roundup 23 Rom fights back 33 Flyert rely on experience 43 Great Falls Tribune Saturday, April 29, 1989 LA's brightens local prospects Jl By SCOTT MANSCH Gregson, whose own career was they'll (contend); that division is pretty balanced. And I think they ended by arm troubles, said he can sympathize with the current plight of Fernando Valenzuela, the former See DODGERS, 2B e' "There was a period of time when the mystique was gone. We weren't intimidating anyone. Now the Dodgers are getting that back. Dodger coaches and scouts will tell you it's nice to be hated again." Goose Gregson "The long-range talent in this draft seems to be in high-school players, but that can change on draft day when you take the best available athlete.

"The Dodgers have some high draft picks and I'm sure we'll have some fine players." There is no disputing that the Los Angeles organization, from big-leaguers to rookie-leaguers, is currently on a collective roll. A superb pitching staff and a sharp piece of managing by Tommy Lasorda helped eam the Dodgers a World Series championship last October, following two straight 73-89 campaigns. The organization's farm teams followed suit. The Dodgers, reversing what had been a trend of deterioration, had the best combined minor-league record (474-330) in the game last summer, with five of the organization's eight clubs earning playoff berths. Gregson, 38, a former pitcher in the White Sox and Phillies farm systems, has previously coached in the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia indication.

Tnrough Thursday's action, the Dodgers owned a major-league low team eamed-run average (2.40). In the last 13 games Dodger pitchers have compiled a sterling 1.70 ERA. The Los Angeles staff has three shutouts, 140 strikeouts and four complete games all tops in the National League. Gregson, who works with Dodgers prospects year-round, has a theory about the organization's time-tested propensity to develop top pitchers. "I'm convinced that a lot of it boils down to fundamentals, the little things," he said.

"Other places they do a lot of hitting and throwing and playing the game, but the Dodgers really concentrate on fundamentals." Gregson said attention to detail perhaps explains why pitchers like Tim Leary and Tim Belcher and now Mike Morgan have blossomed while pitching in Los Angeles. "Guys like Leary and Belcher have always had the ability," Gregson said. "I think the work on fundamentals has helped them." Tribune Sports Writer Goose Gregson says the Los Angeles Dodgers "mystique" is back, which is all the more reason to expect this year's Pioneer League entry in Great Falls to be strong. "There was a period of time when tlte mystique was gone. We weren't intimidating anyone," Gregson said.

the Doners are getting that back. Dodger coaches and scouts will tell you it's nice to be hated again." Gregson, pitching coach for the Great Falls Dodgers, was in town briefly Friday. The Helena-based instructor leaves Monday for Florida and six more weeks of work with Dodger prospects in the Florida State League. He will return to Great Falls in mid-June, along with rookie Dodgers manager Joe Vavra and a new crop of ballplayers. And he expects that group to be as competitive as last year's Great Falls team, which won 55 of 74 games and earned the Pioneer championship.

"We'll have a lot of college talent here," Gregson said. Dodgers pitching ace who is battling back from a shoulder injury. "Femando's velocity is not a lot less than it was, but after a few years players get to know you a little better, they get a book on you," Gregson said. "Players are so skilled on the major-league level that all you have to do is take a little of their talent away and it matters." Valenzuela's best pitch, the screwball, appears to have been the source of his arm troubles. Gregson said he is not an advocate of the pitch and "I don't like to teach it." "I think it's kind of a last resort for pitchers, a trick pitch.

If it's thrown properly it might not put a strain on your arm, but it's tough to throw properly." Gregson said it might be tough, too, for the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League West again. "Nobodv reneats. vou know how organizations. He has played and coached against the Dodgers in the past, and feels fortunate to be a part of the organization's future. That future appears bright, if the performance of the Los Angeles pitching staff this spring gives any tough that is," he said.

"But I think Goose Gregson Chicago Cavs in shocks opener; Hfc Friday's Oamta Chicago 95, Cleveland 88 Detroit 101, Boston 91 Seattle 111, Houston 107 Phoenix 104, Denver 103 Saturday! flame Philadelphia at New York. 3:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Atlanta, 8 p.m. Golden State at Utah, 9:30 p.m. "5 I June boom Cable TV gets credit for NBA's summer success By BILL MODOONO Scripps Howard News Service The simplicity of the NCAA basketball championship is supposed to be one of its appeals.

It's one and done. Sixty-four teams reduced to a Final Four in a systematically televised manner that unites a nation. Then you have the NBA playoffs, which start months after most people have stopped playing basketball and end later than some baseball divisional races. Some rounds are best-of-five, some best-of-seven and some involve teams from places other than Boston or Los Angeles. It's almost impossible to keep everything straight and even harder for a neutral observer to care about.

Yet each year, more and more do. The NBA playoffs are the most surprising sports success story of the 1960s. And who deserves credit for this? Well, no sport succeeds in this era without doing well on TV. And certainly, CBS' strategy of highlighting only the best players and most popular teams has contributed to the success. So, too, was the decision to move the NBA season back so that the finals would not fall in May, an important "sweeps" month for the networks.

Moving back to June was initially seen as an insult to the league, but it has since proved to be a boon. June is a rare slow sports months. The NBA Finals have become the biggest deal of the month, in part because it's just about the only big deal of the month. Not to be overlooked in the NBA's rise is TBS, Ted Turner's cable network, which has been the NBA's cable link for five eaMra-TBS will cover the playoff games that don't fit into "CBS' Scheduled 47-hour coverage. Most nights that means NBA doubleheaders, at least until after Memorial Day when CBS starts doing some semifinal games in prime time.

The Finals, of course, belong exclusively to CBS. It's enough to make a loyal TBS employee want to cry, isn't it? Well, no. "We're doing 31 playoff games," said Craig Sager, TBS' man in the studio throughout the regular season and through all the playoff doubleheaders. "That's more than CBS. We do more games than anybody.

But money talks. CBS paid for the NBA Finals and they have them. I've got no complaints about that. CBS does a great job. "It's not like it's the end of the season.

When we finish with the playoffs, we just get ready to televise the NBA draft. We've got Atlanta Braves baseball and other sports. And we still watch the games. Really, we don't feel as bad as a fan does when his favorite team is knocked out of the playoffs early." Sager is convinced that TBS's NBA coverage has helped the league grow and he cites the instant success of expansion franchises in Charlotte and Miami. "Why was the reception the sport got there so good? It's because the people were not selling a new product.

People See NBA, 2B RICHFIELD, Ohio (AP) So much for a Cleveland sweep. Now the Chicago Bulls can turn their attention to winning the whole series. "Everybody thought they were going to sweep us. We proved them wrong," said Scottie Pippen, who shook off the effects of a sore shoulder to score 13 third-quarter points as the Bulls' upset the Cavaliers 95-88 in their playoff opener Friday night. Pippen was 4-for-4 and Craig Hodges was 3-for-4 on 3-point shots.

Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 31 points. "We knew Cleveland has a lot of shot-blockers," Pippen said. "When Michael penetrated or someone else penetrated and got us the ball, we had to knock down the outside shots." Cleveland won all six of its regular-season meetings with the Bulls, including a 90-84 season-ending victory Sunday in which three Cavalier starters were rested because of injuries. Only one of those, Mark Price, was unable to play Friday, but the absence of Price's outside shooting proved to be Cleveland's undoing on offense. "Brad (Daugherty) didn't stutter any," Cleveland coach Lenny Wil-kens said.

"If you have two or three people doubling you, there's nothing you can do. We've got to make some outside shots so they can't do that." The victory swung homecourt advantage to Chicago for the five-game series, with two games remaining in each city. "There was no pressure on us, and all the pressure was on them," said Jordan, who also had 11 assists. "We just stayed inside with our defense, kept the pressure on down there and helped out as much as possible." each team winning all its home games. Chicago led by as many as 15 in the first half but saw the lead dwindle to 47-40 at halftime.

Pippen, however, made three 3-point shots and Hodges added another during a 30-11 Chicago run that built the advantage to 77-53 late in the third quarter. The Cavaliers made a frantic charge early in the fourth quarter, when Larry Nance sank an 18-footer to start a 15-3 flurry that cut the deficit to 83-74. Two free throws by Jordan, however, stopped the comeback, and Cleveland's Ron Harper fouled out during the rally to weaken the Cavaliers' offense. Pippen, who did not practice this week until Thursday because of the sore shoulder, had 22 points. CHICAOO (ti) PIPDM Ml 4-4 Tt, Grant 13, Cartwrtoht 14 04 2.

Jordan II 21 74 11. Hodott 5-12 2-2 IS, Cor-line J-S 04 4, Selrtn 04 04 0, Paxwn 34 04 t. Vlnctnt 1-4 04 2, Oavli 04 04 0. Total! 14-74 lt-11 5. CLEVf LAND (N) Sandtrt 4-10 1-2 Nana 4-t 4-10 It, Oauotwrty 44 1-4 Haratr 4-10 2-2 14, Ehlo 7-14 4-S 10, Wll-llanw 0-7 5-4 5, Valtfltlnt 44 04 1 Rollim 1-1 04 2, Km 0-3 04 O.Tololt 14-74 M.

CMCOM ti-Oi Clfvtlai 14 24 17 tl-M 3-Pomi soolt-Plmun 4, Hodom 1, Ehlo. Fouled out Hodott. Harper. Rebounds Chlcooo 40 (Grant 131, Cleveland 41 (Dauonertv 7). At-lit Chlcooo 24 (Jordan ID, Cleveland 22 (Valentine 4).

Total toule-Chlcooo H. Cleveland 21. AP Photo The Hulls eliminated the Cavaliers Chicago's Bill Cartwright strips ball away from Cavs' Craig Ehlo. 3-2 in the first round last year, with SU9 UM lay foundations for successfiil seasons Bobcats use drills to Grizzlies counting on strong returning cast add punch to offense Special to the Tribune By SCOTT MANSCH RiinmwnvppaeHHeHeMPnMmHMHiMi -'s r' 'A 1 x. football is the need to find a replacement for (All-American and ail-league) defensive end J.C.

Campbell," said Read, who has a record of 20-13 in three years at Montana. "I think we have more speed on the defensive side than ever before. That's all-around speed, which is so very important in our pass-oriented conference." Montana was 12th in the nation in total defense last year, allowing only 279.9 yards a game. The Grizzlies led the Big Sky in both rush and pass defense, and were third in the nation against the rush, giving up an average of 97.8 yards a game. "On defense we need to find players to fit into some of the other positions opened up by graduation, but we certainly have the nucleus to have another quality defense," Read said.

All-league returnees on defense include Hauck and Rankin, along with outside linebacker Mike McGowan and comerback Dwayne Hans. Other players who have started on defense include defensive end Dan Edwards, tackle Joe Kalafat (Great Falls Russell graduate), comerback Marcus Bowen, along with defensive ends Nels Kludt and Kirk Murphy. UM was 11th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 15.8 points See GRIZZLIES, 2B consin native was switched last spring from defensive back, where he started as a sophomore, to running back. Both players are healthy, and both are enjoying fine springs for the Bobcats. Montana State concludes spring practice Saturday with the team's annual Blue-Gold game at Reno H.

Sales Stadium. "Mark has the ability that if we give him a crease, he can run to the goal line," Solomonson said. "He gives us tremendous speed." Wilkinson's play is also paramount to the Bobcat attack. "There isn't any doubt that we need Bob Wilkinson to have a tremendous year for our offense to do the things we're capable of doing," Solomonson said. "That's a tough order, but the good news is he's more than capable of doing that." Wilkinson, his duties having been expanded along with the MSU offense this spring to include more pass-catching responsibilities, welcomes the challenge.

And he says his team is also more than up to the task. "I really think (quarterback John) Tetrault has jelled, and the offensive line is starting to jell" he said. "I'd say right now we're about two times better than we were last year at this See BOBCATS, 2B MISSOULA Coach Don Read will welcome back 14 returning starters and more than 80 players Saturday as the University of Montana becomes the last Division I program in the country to start spring football drills. The Grizzlies will have two spring games this season an intrasquad matchup Saturday, May 20 in Kali-spell and the fourth annual Grizzly Alumni Game on Saturday, June 3, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula. Montana is coming off an 8-4 season and ended the year ranked 16th in the nation.

UM was second in the Big Sky Conference with a 6-2 mark. The Grizzlies received an at-large berth in the NCAA 1-AA national playoffs, losing 38-19 at Idaho. Four of UM's six Ail-Americans from last season return, including Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Tim Hauck at safety. Also back are Ail-Americans Jody Farmer (second team at punter), linebacker Mike Rankin (third team) and offensive lineman Kirk Scrafford (honorable mention). Montana returns 14 starters, eight of whom received all-conference recognition.

Of the 80ilus players involved in spring practice, 34 are lettermen. "Our No. 1 goal going into spring Tribune Sports Writer BOZEMAN When newly hired head coach Earle Solomonson brought the option offense to Montana State two years ago, he knew the strategy depended to a certain extent upon finding a group of talented, versatile running backs. The first season was a struggle, both for the offensive line and back-field performers, and the Bobcats went 1-10. But last year there were changes made, and a young group of runners began to establish themselves.

That group has grown up even more now, and led a pair of capable veterans in Bob Wilkinson and Mark Rinehart, the Bobcat running backs hope to rank with the most productive in the Big Sky Conference this fall. "Without a doubt our backfield has moved from a liability to very much a strength," Solomonson said recently. "We've got some solid depth there." Wilkinson, though nagged by a knee injury, rushed for 618 yards last year. The junior fullback, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound Washington native, averaged nearly five yards a carry. Rinehart, though bothered by a shoulder injury much of the season, rushed for 432 yards and six in 1968.

The 190-pound Wis PtMte or Irion Ooetl Halfback Mark Rinehart (left) and fullback Bob Wilkinson figure prominently in the Montana State football plans this fall..