Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 30

4-C St. Petersburg Times, Wednesday, June 2, 1971 Angel Sfrar Alex Johnson His New Name a Ice Is miinii.ir tin mm im.m.i iiiiiiMiMiwmWwiiiiiiili I NEW YORK (LTD Alex Johnson's sense of values are a little distorted, that's all. There are times he gives 100 per cent. Like In the batting cage and against those mechanical batting machines. Other times he gives only 10 per cent.

Like when he runs out a ground ball or dog-trots after one which gets by him In the outfield. Alex Johnson Jakes. There is no other way to put it. The first one to know when another ballplayer Jakes, or loafs, are his teammates so it's not much of a secret among the California Angels what Johnson does. Last year be was the American League batting champ with a figure and everything was sweetness and light for th most part.

But now his average down "0 points, so is his disposition and the feeling is he'll be traded again. Not right away. Mainly because the Angels can't get much for him. Oh sure, a club like the Yankees might offer a Curt Blcfary for Johnson before shipping him to the A's, but if the Angels were to turn around and ask what about a Roy White or a Thurman Munson, the Yanks would look at them as if they were crazy. Alex Johnson, because of his surly attitude and the indifferent, who-carcs manner with which he plays ball sometimes, has worn out his welcome already in such diverse American cities as Philadelphia, St.

Louis and Cincinnati. He came reasonably close to wearing it out with the Angels in Anaheim, recently. Johnson Is so strong he can break the ordinary man In two. For some Inexplicable reason, though, he has an exasperating way of growing weak all of a sudden. So weak that be can't summon up the strength to run out a fly ball or keep It from falling at his feet In the outfield.

Lefty Phillips, the Angels' manager, tried fining Johnson. That didn't help. Things reached the point where Johnson and Phillips, and even Johnson and his own teammates, were on such completely different wave-lengths recently that the Angels' manager felt tho only possible avenue left was a personal confrontation between him and Johnson, Just the two by themselves. The meeting took place In Oakland and lasted an hour and three-quarters, Some of Lefty Phillips friends who got wind of the session beforehand warned the manager Johnson could be so Infuriated with him because of all the fines and a couple of benchings that he might take him apart, but Phillips wasn't worried. "Alex isn't a violent man," Lefty Phillips says about his 6-foot, 205-pound slugger now hitting a rather peaceful .258.

"He's only violent with his mouth. I feel we reached a good understanding when we talked alone in Oakland. He told me what he thought and I told him what I wanted. You know, he has a lotta virtues. He's punctual; he'll never ask to get out of a game; he's a wonderful family man and great with kids for whom he'll sign autographs hours at a time; he has good theories on hitting; he works hard on what he wants, but there's something about him that makes him a completely different Individual once he-ptrts- on a baseball uniform." Many theories have been advanced for Johnson's erratic behavior.

His resentment toward the majority of writers, for example, has been traced to a long-ago episode In which he supposedly gave one some Information off-the-record and later discovered it in print. Supposedly he has never forgotten and now tars all writers with the same brush. Another theory has It that Johnson basically is a loner who knows he isn't particularly liked by the other players and that this actually bothers him deep down more than he lets on. No matter what, all these theories cannot possibly explain away his general pattern of behavior. "I'll say one thing about him," says another California player.

"He proved his point all right. He showed them (management) he can do whatever he damn well pleases and still get away with it." Not quite. Time has a way of taking care of all the Alex Johnsons. "A lotta clubs have talked to us about him," says Lefty Phillips, who has set a record for tolerance with Johnson. "They think we're mad at him and that they can Jump right in and get him for nothing.

l'h-uh," Phillips says, spitting out some of his chewing tobacco. "We're not that mad." Maybe Letty Phillips should've added the word "yet." LEFTY riHLLIPS much patience. ALEX JOHNSON problems afield. Sports In Brief Petfy Driving Toward Million Dollar Career mmm mm New Relabeling May Put Devils Bade To Old XA JL i by Phil Gulick Of The Times Staff ed to make arrangements to fight world middleweight box ing chiTnpion Carlos Monzou Argentina In September, but can't come to terms. "We pla to lodge a protest about the 4erms offered Griffith," said GU Clancy of New York, one of Griffith's co-managers.

Registration for prospective Largo Blue Devil youth football players will be held at the Largo Auditorium June 4 beginning at 5 p.m. Boys must weigh less than 123 pounds and will be assigned to league according to weight. Total fee is $20. Lakewood's consistent Jim Oescher became the first to sign University of Florida tennis grant-in-aid this season. UF Coach Bill Potter predicts the 5-foot-ll, 160-pound player could develop Into a first-rate collegiate star.

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St. Pete Beach. Timet Wire tenrket Richard Petty, en route to becoming the first million-dollar driver In stock car racing history, added another $10,000 to his winnings Tuesday when NASCAR distributed the first $25,000 bonanza from the $100,000 Winston Cup program. Petty, who finished with a 106-point edge over James Hylton, also has a headstart toward first-place money when the second $25,000 is divided in September, and when the final $50,000 is diwicd up at the end of the season. The Randleman, N.C., driver began racing in 1953, and since has won $962,648.

So far this year he has won $133,740 in his Plymouth, his fourth season over $100,000. People A Sarasota court clerk says Atlanta Hawks' basketball player Pete Maravich has changed his plea on a drunk driving charge from innocent to no contest. Maravich, who was arrested in April while vacationing, will be sentenced June 28. Mill Reef, the American-owned favorite, has drawn the No. 13 position for today's Epsom Derby in Epsom, England, but jockey Geoff Lewis isn't worried.

"No. 13 suits me just fine," Lewis said. "I'm not superstitious." Mill Reef will be starting near the middle of the 21-horse field. Stan Smith of Pasadena, blasted his way into the quarter-finals of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, but fellow Americans Cliff Richey and Bob Lutz were eliminated. Emile Griffith has attempt JOE STURSA, P.G.A.

Pro Rent Clubi. Pull or dec. carts DIRECTIONS: From Sdywar Brirfgt, Thirty teams have indicated they will play In the National Team Championship golf tournament at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, July 28-Aug. 1. Defending champions Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and seven other teams are exempt from qualifying this year because of last year's finish.

The field of grandmasters seeking to dethrone the Soviet Union's world chess champion next spring has been narrowed to four. They are the survivors of the quarter-finals of the challengers tournament, a slow ritual that began last year and will climax in September when the two finalists battle for the right to meet Boris Spassky. The four surviving grandmasters are Bobby Fischer of the United States, Bent Lar-scn of Denmark and Tigran Petrosjan and Viktor Korch-uoI of the Soviet Union. Bert Ironmonger, one of Australia's greatest cricket players, has died at the age of 88. He is best remembered for his outstanding play In the 1931-32 series aginst South Africa.

One famous story is told about Ironmonger. A notoriously bad batsman, once he was walking out of the Australian dressing room to face a fiery English bowling attack when a friend told him there was a telephone call for him. "Tell them to hang on," he said. "I'll be back in a mt stuilt to JUI 4 41 Inter- etionjt. Pfomd north en U.S.

301 Ihreugh Ellenlon and 5 milts beyond to 76 Slolioo ind litni It count. This is The JOIE ft-z iTt w-' j'f" 1 i' 5 $,4 1 CHITUOOD Reach for KING r-- EDWARD INVINCIBLE DELUXE Every two or three years the Florida High School Activities Association (FHSAA), Floyd Lay executive secretary, reclassifies the quota for boys in the upper three grades of the state's senior high schools. Tlus is one of those years. Not only has the FHSAA boosted the number by some 100, but it has relabeled schools from AA, and to AAAA, AAA, AA and A. The quota now reads: For a 4A school, 701 boys and up enrolled in the upper three grades; for JA, 246 to 700 boys, for 2A, 101 to and for single 1 to 100.

"When I came to Gainesville In 1954 as Lafayette Golden's. assistant," Lay said the other day, "a Class A school had a quota of 1 to 40 boys. "Because of the tremendous growth of the state, especially the past five years, we have had to adjust this quota upwards of 100. The relabeling is only psychological people would rather be called or "AA" than or There now are 452 members of the association, some of them junior highs which do not receive a classification because varsity sports are prohibited there. The only change affecting Pinellas County schools may come at St.

Petersburg, which was Double-A last year. It all depends upon the rezoning, which awaits finalization by the school board. It's possible the Green Devils will drop a classification, to 3A under old system). The reclassification is effective with the new school year this September. Boca Ciega looks very strong for next football season, Dixie Hollins, 0-10 last season, is hurting for linemen and receivers, and Gibbs High's Al Campbell just shakes his head.

The Gladiators, who pulled together a 5-3-1 season in 1970 after all manner of adversity, lost 14 seniors. Because of rezon-ing, Campbell doesn't know what talent he might pick up, or lose. The returning seniors have the option to attend Gibbs or the school into which they maybe rezoned. Boca Ciega, which matched the school's best mark with an 8-2 record, lost 22 seniors including quarterback Pete Ramsber-per, fullback Richard Blood and guard Keifer Calkins. Still, the Pirates looked very strong physically in their spring game last Friday, showing more speed and perhaps a lighter ball club.

Larry Cameron, facing his second year as head coach of the Rebels, finds his task a bit tougher. The Rebels lost 24 seniors, including All-County, All-City flanker Rick Rozelle and tackle Dan Bench. It will be a mostly senior ball club returning, with quarterback John Davis expected to go both ways playing middle linebacker. Rusty Leavitt will be his backup. For the second successive year, Clearwater has sent nine players to the college ranks under grants.

They are: Tom 'Fleischer to Davidson; Brian Nemeth to South Carolina1, John Webb to Rice; Frank Duncan to Tyler Junior College; Bill Kes-senich to the Coast Guard Academy, Barry Ward to West Point; Steve Fritz to The Citadel and Tyson Sever and Paul Parker to Florida. The high school athletic shakeup in Hillsborough County continues to puzzle and anger principals, athletic directors, coaches, athletes and parents. A full-scale sports de-emphasis is occurring, with most ath- letic directors losing their jobs, as such, and a yet unnamed activities director planned to oversee the county's athletic programs. Some effects already felt were that no ninth graders could attend spring varsity football practice; basketball has been as-. signed 20 spring days of practice with fall drills not to begin until Oct.

15, and no practice session in any sport may last longer than two hours. Here are some other regulations laid down by School Superintendent Raymond Shclton and the school board: No organized basketball practice during the summer. The baseball season has been cut nearly in half: no more than 16 regular season games. No swimming practice before June 1. All spring sports are limited to a 14-event schedule, not including FHSAA-sanctioned meets.

No county team may participate in post-season games, except those sanctioned by the FHSAA. All afternoon practices must end at 6 and night drills at 9 p.m. The county has dropped competitive weightlifting from the program. Hillsborough fielded state champions the past two years in the sport and had a solid program going among the schools. There are other minor, but no less restrictive, rules being applied, and, on top of it all, the county is in for a fiery fall over integration and the possibility of Middleton and Blake being closed.

Tampa Catholic will be the scene July 12-16 of one of three Sunshine Wrestling Camps. Florida State wrestling coach Jerry Maurey is camp director. Instruction and demonstration of wrestling techniques will be staged under Charlie Speidcl and Dick Bedics, former Liberty High (Pa.) coach. Steve Fluharty, a St. Petersburg resident and graduate of Berkeley Prep in Tampa, was named the most improved player on the Washington and Lee University football team.

He's completing his second year there. COUNT THEM There's mo ftfand like am old Jfriemid ELECTRIFYING ACTS UPI Big Effort Goes For Naught Outfielder Billy Conigliaro of Boston gives the old college try but to no avail. lie dives for the ball hit by Kansas City's Bob Oliver, grabs it, then slams into turf. But the ball escaped his glove and Oliver got credit for a double as the Royals downed the Red Sox at Fenway Park. 11 HHP SLA.

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