The Bakersfield Californian from Bakersfield, California • Page 26

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, named most valuable player in four of his seven NBA seasons, will lead Lakers against NBA Western Division champion Phoenix Suns in third annual Cal State Bakersfield athletic department benefit game at Civic Auditorium Tuesday night. Kareem keeps getting better Can the best get better? If "the best" in question is Los Angeles Lakers' center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the National Basketball Association's most valuable player for 1975-76, the answer Is yes. Last season Kareem led the league ui minutes played rebounds and blocked shots (338), finished second in the NBA in scoring (27.7), fifth in shooting was second on the Lakers' team in both steals (119) and assists (413), and was the only Laker to appear in all 82 games. But what is even more incredible is that Kareem, four times the league's MVP in his seven-year career, continues to improve In the sport that he already dominates. His marks for re- Lancers loom tough for BC The task facing Bakersfield College's football team this week is not easy as the Renegades, coming off a last-second defeat against Fresno, meet a strong Pasadena 11 Saturday night in a Metropolitan Conference opener at Horrell Field in the land city.

Kickoff is 7:30. Gerry Collis and his staff are trying to forget last week's 31-27 loss at Fresno and concentrate on the key games that lie ahead. Pasadena figures to pose problems. Bill Sandstrom's Lancers were nipped by Mt. San Antonio, 24-16, in their opener but Glendale, Arizona succumbed 33-7 and last week it was Grossmont, unbeaten and No.

4 in the state rankings, that fell victim to the Lancers by an 18-17 margin. A freshman-dominated squad, Pasadena has an outstanding quarterback in Kim Taylor and a great running back in sophomore Danny Clash. Another outstanding runner is Darnell Wilburn. Punter Roger Lockie has been averaging near 40 yards per boot. Wlnless last season in Metro play and having only a tie against the Renegades, Pasadena appears ready to make a comeback in '76.

Sandstrom. returning as head man after an absence of three years, led PCC to a 12-2 season and a national title in 1972 when he was named the Metro's coach of the year. He succeeds Myron Tarkanian. who has stepped down due to health reasons. The Lancers, under nian, were 4-5-1 in '75.

bounds, blocks, steals, and assists were personal season-highs, the league rebound title his first ever, and his individual blocked shots total was more than six teams in the NBA accumulated this year. Jabbar scored 35 points last year as the Suns scored a 111-106 win to even the series here at one game apiece. Under their new coach, alltime great Jerry West, the Lakers will meet the Western Division champion Suns at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium next Tuesday night. Tickets are available from 9 to 5 daily at the Civic boxoffice. Kareem was not the only Laker player to show improvement during the 1975-76 season.

In team statistics, forward Connie Warner was second to Kareem in games played (81), rebounds (722), and field goal percentage Warner had his second best season for rebounds, shooting, and minutes played as well as for assists (106), points (591), and scoring average (7.3). Rookie forward Don Ford finished as the Lakers' fifth alltime leading rookie scorer with 726 points and a 9.6 scoring average, and established himself as one of the top first-year forwards in the league. Ford completed his initial NBA campaign as the league's sixth among rookies in minutes played Forward Corky Calhoun, who started 26 games, had his second best season in shooting rebounds (341) and assists (85). Forward Cazzle Russell played the third fewest minutes (1,625) in his 10-year career, but made the most of that time by having his third best shooting year (.463) from the field and finishing as the third best free throw shooter in the NBA, hitting 132 of 148 charity tosses for a .892 mark. The team strength in 1975-76 were most definitely centered around the offensive end of the court.

Players protest Series dh NEW YORK (AP) American League pitchers may still come to bat in the World Series. The Major League Players Association filed a grievance yesterday to bar the use in the World Series of designated hitters, claiming the rule Is a violation of a new agreement between the baseball players and the owners. It's not that the players' group is against the designated hitter, according to Marvin Miller, executive director of the Players Association. "We did not file the grievance on the merit of the designated hitter rule," Miller told The Associated Press last night. "But the settlement we reached with the owners states that any rules change must be negotiated with the players.

This change was never even discussed with the players. Therefore, it's a contract violation." National and American League owners have been unable to reach an agreement on the use of a designated hitter. The AL has been using the rule, which allows the manager to use a Ok lalursfirfb (Talifoniian Oct. 7, 1976 27 player exclusively as a hitter while the pitcher doesn 't bat, since 1973. The league also has been unsuccessfully trying to have its use approved in the World Series.

When the leagues were unable to agree this summer, Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled the DH would be used in alternate World Series, beginning this year. The grievance is expected to receive a quick hearing from the owners' Players Relations Committee, which consists of the two league presidents and represeptatives of six major league teams. If that group is unable to settle the issue, it will be sent to baseball 's arbitrator, Alexander Porter. At least one member of that committee, American League President Lee MacPhail, indicated yesterday he didn 't think the grievance was justified and that owners in his league were upset over the issue. MacPhail said yesterday that the designated hitter was officially a rule before the new contract became effective and therefore is not reviewable by the Players Association.

"The use of the designated hitter in the American League was official before the agreement," countered Miller, "but the use in a World Series was approved after the agreement and we 1 thus feel we have a grievance. "If we allow a change like this to be made with this type of procedure, the owners could decide a batter would be out with two strikes without negotiating the change." A Spokesman for Kuhn said the grievance "comes as a big surprise. Frankly, I don 't know what 's going to happen." The World Series is scheduled to start Saturday, Oct. 16. so it is assumed a solution to the dispute woutd be made before that date.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees. Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies will concern themselves with winning their respective league playoffs to earn a spot in the Series. Wills hired by Dodgers LOS ANGELES (AP) Maury Wills, listed as one of three finalists for the vacant San Francisco Giant managing post, has instead rejoined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a full-time instructor. The Giants said they would announce their new manager today in San Francisco, but the Dodgers said Wills would be at Dodger Stadium meeting reporters. Dodger President Peter O'Malley said yesterday that Wills, 44, a skillful base runner and stealer who has spent the last couple of years as a part-time baseball instructor and television analyst, will start immediately with the Dodger's team in the Arizona Instructional League.

Wills will work with the Dodgers in pre-season workouts here and during spring training, the team said, and spend time with both the team and minor league farm clubs during the season. TANK MMAM by Jeff Millar Bill Hinds IP LIKE T3 gUT I PDM'T Wm THE Injured Dodgers Dusty Baker, left, Bill Russell and Bill Buckner, on crutches, visit in Baker's room yesterday. All have had corrective surgery for tnfuries sustained during year. A fourth Dodger, Reggie Smith, had shoulder surgery yesterday. All four are reported doing fine.

Joe Namath reacts testily to skill erosion charges By WILL GRIMSLEY AP Special Correspondent HEMPSTEAD. N.Y. (AP) "Stupid Stupid The stupidest thing I ever heard." Namath. the New York Jets' million-dollar quarterback, reacted testily to the suggestion that his passing skills have become so eroded that besides being unable to scramble he no longer takes the step into the pocket before delivering a pass. "I've been reading that stuff.

It's ridiculous. How are you going to step if there is no place to step?" Namath said. With the Jets 0-4 for the season and facing O.J. Simpson and the Buffalo Bills in New York's home opener Sunday at Shea Stadium, both Namath and rookie coach Lou Holtz are having to weather an increasing barrage of criticism. "When is Holtz going to bench Namath?" was one of the most asked questions after the Jets lost their fourth straight game last Sunday, bowing to the San Francisco 49ers 17-6.

It was a game in which Namath was sacked five times and was thrwarted in attempts to initiate a touchdown for the third game. Has Broadway Joe, 33, with fragile knees and carrying the pain of a pulled hamstring muscle, lost his old magic? Joe doesn't think so, but the very mention of it almost sends him up the wall. "I don't want to talk about it," he snapped while dressing for a workout Wednesday at the Jets' Hofstra College training complex. "If you want to know how I am playing, look at the films. That's all I ask.

Am I missing any reads? Am I doing anything differently than I did last year or the year before? "It's the media. I am sick and tired of it." Namath stuck a wad of tobacco in his lower lip. He thumbed through a handful of mail. He kidded with his quarterback understudy, Richard Todd, occupying the adjacent stall, and swapped quips with other teammates. "Specialty team on the field in five minutes," a fellow Jet yelled at him as he went out the door.

Namath took the jibe good naturedly. "I'll be there," he said, spitting some tobacco juice into a paper cup. But Broadway Joe doesn't see any humor in a line of questioning that casts a cloud on his ability to direct a pro football team. "I feel fine." he replies tartly to questions of his health. "As good as I have in the last two or three years." Does he think that advancing age and patched-up knees are tarnishing his ability as a front- line quarterback? "I think can throw the ball as well as ever." he said.

"As for my knees, they aren't responsible for whatever Immobility I have. The real reason is this torn hamstring have had it for three years." Royals start Gura vs. Yankees Catfish Hunter. Larry Gura. Steve Carlton and the "Masked Marvel" will be the starting pitchers for Saturday's baseball playoff openers.

The playoff-tested Hunter has been offically tapped to pitch for the New York Yankees and a revengeful Gura has been chosen to go for the Kansas City Royals in the first game of the American League series. The National League managers, however, are still playing "I've Got A Secret." Manager Danny Ozark of the Philadelphia Phillies indicates that Carlton will be the Phillies' choice, although he has made no official announcement yet. Cincinnati Manager Sparky Anderson is pulling out all the psychological stops. He hasn't named anyone yet and won't until Friday. 24 hours before the NL playoff game in Philadelphia.

"I know right now who it'll be. but I'm not saying," says a mysterious Anderson. Pads' Randy Jones gets encouraging news about arm INGLEWOOD (AP) Randy Jones says there's no danger his famed, although perhaps misnamed, "fastball" will be ruined by surgery. The San Diego Padres ace said after undergoing surgery on his pitching arm yesterday that the doctors did not put any speed in his fastball known for its lack of velocity. "No chance of that," Jones said with a laugh.

"It's not a bionic arm." Jones was in a good mood because he'd had good news. His baseball career was thought to be in jeopardy after he felt a snap in his left arm last week while pitching against Cincinnati. Doctors at the time said the injury was probably a torn bicep ligament, and Jones might be through. Dr. Frank Jobe said after the operation that fears Jones had torn a bicep muscle were unfounded, and that the structure of his throwing arm was intact.

The problem, Jobe said, was instead a nerve-related injury to the bleep muscle. By KEN RAPPOPORT AP Sports Writer New York's Billy Martin was the first of the four managers to reveal his playoff plans when earlier this week, he selected Hunter. 17-15. and Ed Figueroa. 19-10, as the pitchers for the first two AL games in Kansas City.

Either Dock Ellis, 17-8. or Ken Holtzman. 14-11, will pitch in Game No. 3 for the Yankees when the playoffs shift to New York next Tuesday. Martin, in fact, has been the most talkative of the managers during the week prior to playoff time.

On Wednesday, the verbose Martin revealed that Hunter has had a sore arm this year, perhaps explaining his sub-par season. Hunter, who led the Oakland A's to three world championships in the early 1970s, failed to make the 20-victory circle for the first time in six years. "We decided not to say anything about it during the season," Martin told reporters about Hunter's tortured arm. "I think we said he had thing wTong with his leg. But it was not a hamstring as we led you to believe.

He had tendonitis in his right arm." Hunter was given a shot for the pain and pitched admirably in his final three starts at the end of the season, allowing only five runs in 21 innings. On Wednesday he hurled two innings of an intra-squad game without discomfort. Hunter admits that his arm did give him trouble during the season. "I didn't get on top of the ball," said the right-hander. "I was short- arming the ball and I couldn't make it stay down." Gura, a Yankee castoff with bitter feelings toward Martin, is looking forward to pitching against his former team.

Gura fashioned a 4-0 record after coming to the Royals In May in a trade for catcher Fran Healy. CSB's Kathy Phillips tapped by Jockey Club Walking around the Cal State Bakersfield campus, the long'haired 510 blonde may not be immediately recognizable as a scholarship athlete. But take it from coach Gloria Friedman, on the volleyball court Kathy Phillips is a talented and tough competitor. One of the Roadrunners' DH's designated hitters the freshman from Garces has been named college athlete-of-the-month by the Bakersfield Jockey Club and will receive her plaque at next Monday's noon luncheon meeting at the Royal Oak restraurant on Oak Street near California. Friedman, the go-getter tennis coach who is doubling up in volleyball as CSB launches that sport this season, recruited Kathy as one of her five scholarship volleyballers.

The coach thought Phillips would be a good one but Kathy has "really turned out to be much better than I thought, really an outstanding offensive player," says Friedman. Phillips has the physical and mental tools, accounting for the fact that she's 80 per cent accurate on her spike attempts. Height is a big plus in volleyball and in addition to that, Phillips is the best jumper on the team. She's also a lefthander who can spike powerfully with either hand. "And she's a smart player, always looking for the open hole," says Friedman.

"Games are 90 per cent mental, and she's a mental player." Kathy, while "a real fighter on the court," according to Friedman, is on the quiet side off the court, a very hard worker and popular with her teammates. A natural athlete, Kathy has been a standout swimmer and reportedly was recruited for that sport by Bakersfield College. While Phillips is "definitely an offensive player, she's improving her defense," Friedman says. "And she's also one of our best servers, hitting an open fist overhand floater which sails with a wobbly effect." Kathy Is a star in the classroom, too, an honor student majoring in accounting and planning to follow In her dad's footsteps as a certified public accountant..