The Tampa Times from Tampa, Florida • 22

4-C TJIE TAMPA TIMES, Tuesday, June 24, 1980 Charley Lay's swat squad a big hit in big leagues By JOHN NELSON AP Sports Writer NEW YORK After 11 years as a major-league player, Charley Lau had a batting average of 255, but as the adage goes: Them that can, do; thera that can't, teach." As a teacher, Lau is batting closer to 1.000. The 47-year-old hitting instructor is baseball's premier student of swat Lau spent a year each with the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A's before beginning an eight-year stint in 1971 as batting instructor at Kansas City, where he molded hitters like George Brett and Hal McRae. In 1979, he went to New York, where he has worked with many of the Yankees' young hitters. "I don't know a happy .200 hitter," said Lau. "They are always searching, always trying." When they come to him, he stresses four things.

ball, and that's what I ask (Lau) to watch." Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph, a career .270 hitter who's batting .300 this year, is another of Lau's students. "He has helped me concentrate more and follow the ball so that I am more selective at the plate," Randolph said. "As a leadoff man, that helps me get more walks, which helps the team." Lau said when he first went to Kansas City, "I had to wait for the players to come to me." "Now it's not quite that way anymore," he said. "They watch a Reggie (Jackson) or whomever, and they say, Why can't I do that? The highest Lau ever hit in the majors was .295 with Baltimore in 1966, but the previous year was more representative of his hitting skills he batted .264. He was better known in his playing days with the Milwaukee Braves to make an unnatural motion look and feel natural.

He believes in spraying the ball to all fields and letting the home runs come when they may. "He helped me a great deal, and I'm sorry he left," said McRae, who would have won the AL batting title with a .332 average in 1976 had it not been for Brett, who batted .333. "He studied hitting as much as anybody and has a better understanding than most coaches of what it takes to hit consistently," McRae said. "He tried to keep you from getting streaky; he taught from that standpoint Joe Lefebvre is one of the Yankees' most moldable rookies with six home runs this season, two in Monday night's game against Boston. "I haven't listened to everything he's said, but that's my fault," Lefebvre said.

"If I get my big head where it ought to be, it'll be even better. I have a tendency to pull my head off the "When I analyze a hitter, there are four things I look for position of the head, balance in the stance, weight shift and rhythm in the stance and extension with the bat," Lau said. "If you discussed the basics with a tennis teacher or a golf pro, the same terms would come up," Lau said. "I use a golf swing to illustrate the basic principles, especially in terms of transferring the weight" Two years after Lau took up with the Royals, a pair of hitters named Brett and McRae came along. "When I started with Charley, I was hitting .188," McRae said.

"I had just come over from the National League (Cincinnati) and was trying to hit the ball out of the park. "He changed my style of hitting and also my philosophy." Lau's philosophy is consistency. He allows hitters to reach their potential by teaching them when he caught Warren Spahn's second no-hitter in 1961. "A lot is being written about hitting these days, and I'm not sure that it is being understood," Lau said. "Hitters believe that they have to hit off the back leg, and they must use the top hand to swing or drive the bat," he said.

"I would get a lot of arguments, maybe from 399 out of 400 guys, so I try to get those terms out of the hitting dictionary back leg and top hand." No one knows better than Lau that hitters can get cranky, especially when they are in a position to need his help. He's a little like a dentist; you don't see him unless your tooth hurts. "You have to pick your spots with hitters," Lau said. "What you do is suggest things. You say, "Why don't you try this and see if it works for you? Unfathomable bats fail to sink Tarpons in win over Lakeland i -w' 4 ok? r'A rtdNK "i V'' "He was throwing real well," said Scherger, "but he had thrown a lot of pitches, and on a hot, muggy night like this, I knew he wasn't gonna finish.

I probably would've pulled him after the seventh anyway. This way, we were able to get the pinch hitter in there for him." The victory was Sullivan's third against three defeats, a deceptive record when you get a look at his 1.96 earned run average, which he did little to jeopardize Monday night. After some brief problems in the first inning, he was smooth and consistent the rest of the way, though he nearly lost the game in the fifth when Lakeland tallied an unearned run on two hits and a pair of Tampa errors. But once ahead, the Tarpons never looked back. Reliever Brad Lesley came dancing out of the bullpen to earn the save with three strong innings of work, complemented by improved defense from the Tampa infield.

The Tarpons had scored early, getting a big first-inning hit from first baseman John Lais, who sent a double down the left-field line to score a pair of runs that tied the game at 2-2. The third and fourth Tampa scores came in the climactic sixth inning, the first driven home by Hector Rincones' excuse-me single that looped just over the right side of the drawn-in infield. A Bill Boddy single and a Taylor walk subsequently loaded the bases for Redus, who never lifted the bat from his shoulder, but still drove home the winning run. The victory keeps the Tarpons right behind second-place St. Petersburg in the FSL Northern Division standings, two games over .500 at 35-33, with last-place Winter Haven coming to town Thursday night.

"We need to get us a streak going," said Scherger. "If we win a few in a row and get things going, we. could be in pretty good position down the stretch." By RUSSELL MANLEY Times Sports Writer The dilemma of Tampa Tarpon Manager George Scherger has been the same for most of the summer: how to squeeze th'e big, game-breaking hits out of his erratic batting order. The Tarpons have been able to do it against some of the best teams in the Florida State League, like Northern Division leader Daytona Beach, but for some reason unfathomable to Scherger, they haven't produced against teams like the Lakeland Tigers. Before Monday night, the Tigers had won eight of 11 contests against the Tarpons, mostly because "we're just not getting the big hits off their pitchers," according to Scherger.

Even in Tampa's tense 4-3 victory over Lakeland Monday night at Al Lopez Field, the Tarpon hitters struggled in most key situations. "We had chances to break it open, but we never took the opportunity," said Scherger. "You have to make your own breaks out there, but we don't seem to do it consistently." In lieu of a game-winning hit, the Tarpons had to improvise. With the score tied 3-3 in the last of the sixth and rain threatening, hard-hitting Gary Redus drew a bases-loaded walk that provided the margin of victory. Had Redus gotten a pitch to hit, he might've delivered that one big blow Scherger was talking about.

As it was, the Tarpons were just happy to win. "We'll take it," said Scherger. "You better believe we'll take it." For Tampa starting pitcher Mike Sullivan, the walk couldn't have come at a more opportune time. He had thrown six effective innings, yielding only a single earned run, but during the Tarpons' bottom-of-the-sixth rally, he was lifted for pinch hitter Jim Taylor. That meant Tampa would have to win it in the sixth for Sullivan to get his deserved victory, and that's exactly what happened.

"Hf ''-fa- upi photo Jumping and shouting for joy For Louise Ritter, this was certainly a high jump competition at the U.S. Olympic Ore Monday. And she did it with her eyes jump worth shouting about. Clearing the bar Track and Field Trials being held in Eugene, closed, too. at 6 feet, 14 inches, Ritter won the women's Ex-Lobo coach seeks change of venue SOCK IT TO THE SOCKERS San Diego vs.

Kowaies Wednesday: june 25, 8 pm See all the excitement of Saturday night soccer on a WednesdaY night when our Rowdies take on the San Diego Sockers.Tickets available all day WednesdaY a' Tampa Stadium and Maas Brothers at University Square, Westshore Plaza, Countryside Mall and Tyrone Square. Also at the Rowdies Bootique from 9 am to2prrt. TAMPA BAY vouchers. Former Head Coach Norm Ellen-berger faces similar charges in a trial scheduled for July. Ellenberger was acquitted last week on a seven-count federal indictment alleging mail fraud, wire fraud and interstate travel in the aid of racketeering.

At Ellenberger's trial, Goldstein was the key prosecution witness, testifying the former New Mexico head coach was aware of efforts to doctor the transcripts of two former UNM basketball recruits. The state charges allege violations pertaining to travel-related vouchers and other monetary items while Goldstein and Ellenberger were coaches. Goldstein resigned last Dec. 13 in the midst of the scandal which was triggered by an FBI release of a tape-recorded conversation between the two coaches and Ellenber ger was fired by UNM President William Davis on Dec. 17.

Kelly also has asked the court to revise the charges against Goldstein and that he be tried either for fraud or on the false public voucher violations, but not both. Ellenberger admitted at his federal trial that the basketball program at UNM had violated NCAA regulations. The NCAA, which had been investigating the school athletic program prior to the scandal, has filed 92 allegations against New Mexico. School attorney Peter Johnstone, who has filed a reply to the NCAA allegations, said he doubted Ellenberger's testimony could further hurt UNM and its status with the NCAA. "I don't think the NCAA cared one way or the other about what happened to Norm Ellenberger on the criminal thing," Johnstone said.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Manny Goldstein, the former University of New Mexico basketball assistant who turned state's evidence in the federal fraud trial of his former boss, now wants a change of venue on his upcoming trial on charges stemming from the recruiting scandal that hit the school last December. Goldstein's attorney, Bruce Kelly, filed the motion for a change of venue, contending the former Lobo assistant could not receive a fair trial in Bernalillo County. Goldstein is scheduled to go on trial in August on charges of filing false public vouchers and fraud over $100. Kelly also is seeking a postponement of the trial until October.

Goldstein is charged with four counts of fraud and four counts of filing false public SIX MAN ELIMINATION a 1 iriSiSk DUSTY RHODES (1 I fJTr? MR.FL0RIDA 1 PV. BUGSYMCGRAW i VERSUS DON MURAC0 Ayk 'fr-f SUPER DESTROYER j' DICK SLATER Kvn VERSUS I MANNY fERNANDEZ ff NO DISQUALIFICATION V2Lr JACK JERRY BRISC0 VERSUS BRYAN ST. JOHN AND NATURE BOY STANLEY LANE Tjjff, STEVE KEIRNVS MR. SAITO PIUS fOUIt OTHER I I TICKETS $5.004.504.00 5 mK'fOPM AND $3.00 CAU 253-0841 FOR RESERVATIONS! When the Rowdies are away, catch all the great action live on 97WFLA and watch selected games on WTCG-TV44. Cards' Littell to have surgery mwuifivufiim wwwwmw a'mwu'1" ipwm1.1 OFF COUPON tach set (41 tl ae SAVE AN EXTRA 5 FRI.

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BSSSZm3 A Si9n of the Times. 872-7121 Call Classified 272-7500. I I (t JO Off EACH TIRE) niscmit i) or mgin ST. LOUIS (AP) Surgery on his right elbow was scheduled today for St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Mark Littell, who has been plagued with arm trouble most of the 1980 campaign.

The 27 -year-old Littell, the National League team's leading reliever in 1978 and '79, has been on the disabled list since June 1. He last pitched May 28. He is expected to be out for two months. Similar surgery was performed on Littell in 1974, with the hurler afterward bouncing back to post two strong seasons for the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Littell was acquired by St.

Louis in December, 1977, in exchange for lefthander Al Hrabosky. Littell's record this year is 0-2 to go with two saves and a 9.28 earned run average in 14 games. The team physician of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dr. Frank W. Jobe, was to perform today's surgery.

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