Vidette-Messenger of Porter County from Valparaiso, Indiana • 13

Th Vk)tt-MesMngr, Valparaiso. Monday, January 4, 1982 13 Bowls enhance football flavor Tn rrr i i v.w I i 'Z: 1 -X bowl tradition, which doesn't always produce an accepted champion but gives us a year-end of wild madness with people running around with their forefingers stuck in the air like a Chicken Little, screaming "We're No.l." This year there will be perhaps less dispute because the Clemson Tigers, No.l on the basis of the only 11-0 record Vimong major teams, beat a powerful Nebraska team in the Orange Bowl 22-15. Although Penn State coach Joe Paterno, twice beaten but an Impressive 26-10 victor over Southern Cal in the Fiesta Bowl, Insists "We're the best" and Pitt's Jackie Sherrlll claims, "Our kids played like champions," neither had the final statistics to challenge Clemson's title game. That's the interesting facet to the college game. It Is largely regional with fire-eating hometown rooters.

With some 200 colleges, it would be difficult to fashion a practical championship playoff under any circumstances. No playoff could ever provide the fanfare, pageantry, competl-tivness and nation-wide exposure of the bowls. Long live the bowls! Now it's Monday and things have moderated somewhat. Mom can tune in on "The Guiding Light," "Search for Tomorrow," "General Hospital" or whatever happens to be her favorite soap opera. The kids can go back to their potato chips and cartoon Bunny," "Tom and Jerry," "Popeye," or you name it.

But poor pop. He'll hardly get the glassiness removed from his eyes before he's back in his favorite chair again, cheering for his favorite team In the" NFL league championship games Sunday and girding for the piece de resistance two weeks later the Super Bowl. He has one consolation. All the hoopla of the college bowls is over, so now he can devote himself entirely to the equally passionate but less frenzied pursuit of an accepted national pro champion. The colleges, which generate more enthusiasm than the pros, haven't worked out a scheme to do likewise.

Some think this is Others think it is bad. We think it's good. Let the pros do it their way. Let the colleges continue in the aged in most cases did not come so easily. Look at what we were subjected to: New Year's Eve Three college bowl games, the Hall of Fame at Birmingham; the Peach at Atlanta; the Bluebonnet at Houston.

New Year's Day: Five more college bowls, all of major significance the Fiesta at Tempe, the Orange at Miami, the Sugar at New Orleans, the Cotton at Dallas and the Rose at Pasadena. This was followed by two National Football League games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. Thus, an almost non-stop run on the big tube from late Thursday through Sunday afternoon 72 hours of almost solid plunging, passing, kicking and body bumping, not to mention second-guessing with hardly time for more than quick snacks in a paper plate washed down by handy six-packs of beer. The most beautiful words In the English language "Dinner's On" went crassly unheeded. Poor mom, could you blame her for going out of her head? by Will Grimsley AP special correspondent Millions of people returned to the drudgery of every day existence Monday countenances glazed, eyes looking like a road map, all mumbling in tongues of the devils, spewing words such as "blitz," "shotgun," "power and 'Oh, them Dawgs." Don't be alarmed.

They haven't been mesmerized by an invasion from outer space. They're suffering a common American malady for this time of year "gridiron It's contagious, and can be catastrophic. It's been known to break up happy households, send distraught mothers to Institutions, make kids run away from home and otherwise turn normal, peace-loving individuals Into raving, storming maniacs. Mostly, and fortunately, though, it goes away after about 24 hours even without taking two aspirin and going to bed. It so happens that this year, because New Year's Day fell on a Friday, we got such a heavy exposure to the infection In such a short space of time that recovery 1 i I Chargers edge Miami, 41-38 Dolphins the points needed for a victory.

"I'm heartbroken, but I'll feel worse tomorrow and even worse next week when I see San Diego still playing," said Miami guard Bob Kuechenberg, one of the final links to the Dolphins' Super Bowl years. "This is the first time since our championship years that I had a feeling this team was for real. This year, we were as good as anyone. We were a legitimate Super Bowl team," he added. Kellen Wlnslow, playing on the I I i I (v I- f.

aT-, i Iff r) i with 58 seconds remaining wiped out a 38-31' lead Miami had fashioned after trailing 24-0 in the first quarter. Veteran reserve quarterback Don Strock replaced David Wood-ley early in the second period and went on to hit 28 of 42 passes for 397 yards and carry the Dolphins to the brink of winning their first playoff game since Super Bowl VIII. But two blocked field goals one on the final play of regulation and the other less than six minutes after Benirschke missed a 27-yard try early In overtime denied the Tripped up Li Two more for Micki Mlckl Thorndyke of Kouts shoots over Beth Halterman of Boone Grove In the finals of Saturday's South County tourney championship game at Morgan Township. Thorndyke scored 28 points as the Fillies whipped the Wolves 52-27. (V-M: Kim Karamesines) Johnny Miller lands golf's richest purse i f.

I hoping they'd come but and call It all even and split the money. "Nobody deserved to lose that playoff." But Ballesteros, a 24-year-old Spaniard who had led or shared the lead all the way, eventually lost it, 3-put ting for a bogey from 50 feet while Miller made a routine par. Ballesteros missed a four-foot second putt which would have extended the playoff to another hole, and another day. With darkness creeping over the green hills ringing the Gary Flayer Country Club Course, officials had decided that If bomefkid in the championship game. "It would have been said Lewis.

"The field Jte treacherous but we've just got to get It out of our minds," said Lewis. 'The field didn't beat us the last time. We just flat weren't ready to play." The Cowboys came on rfrong to the second half of tr- season after "The 49ers humiliated us earlier to the year and we owe them one," said tailback Tony Dorset! Dallas' defense devastated Buccaneer quarterback Doug Williams, who suffered four teiercep-Uons arrfibur sacks. Twice he grounded the ban and completed only 19 of 29 passes for 137 yards, "San Francisco has chauged a lot since we played them so we really donl know that much about them." said Cowboy coach Tom Landry. r-- mm Chargers' field goal defense for only the third time this season, tipped Uwe von Schamann's 43-yard attempt as time expired In regulation and said he almost got a hand on a 34-yard try that Leroy Jones blocked in overtime.

"I'm only put In on do-or-die situations. I'm tall and I have jumping ability," said the tight end, who also caught a playoff-record 13 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown. "Actually I thought I Jumped higher on the second attempt and thought I had it (again) but Leroy got it first." championship game by downing the (AP) be voted No. 1 because "we feel we can probably beat any team in the country right now." According to Paterno, "the rankings are a pecking order. Before the season, the best team may be rated 15th and have to peck their way up.

The 25th team may eventually end up No. But Paterno also said that college football is quickly approaching parity due to scholarship limitations and thinks "it's great that every game is now In But the pressure to win games forces some college coaches to cheat, Paterno said. "I don't think a coach has a chance to win without cheating if he doesn't have the facilities and the exposure. You got to give the guy a chance to win in a program, but be shouldn't have to Jeopardize his honesty just because of his obligations to some people," said Paterno, who now has a 151-33-1 record in 16 years at Perm State. MIAMI AP) San Diego quarterback Dan Fouts slowly shook his head, almost as in disbelief, as he talked about the Chargers' American Football Conference semifinal playoff victory over the Miami Dolphins.

"I don't know how It looked to the people In the stands, but this' sure was the greatest game I've ever played In," said Fouts, whose de-vasating passing led the Chargers to a 41-38 overtime triumph and spoiled what would have been the greatest comeback In National Football League playoff history. "As a participant I guess I can't say It's the best game I've ever seen. But It Is the best I've ever played in This Is what the playoffs are all about. You saw two great teams play a great football game." The victory, which came on Rolf Benlrschke's 29-yard field goal 13:52 Into the sudden-death period, sends San Diego into next week's AFC championship game against Cincinnati. The Bengals were a 28-21 semifinal winner over Buffalo Sunday.

Fouts completed 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards all NFL playoff records and hit 7 of 8 attempts for 75 yards during a 10-play, 82-yard drive that produced a game-tying touchdown In the final minute of regulation. i His 9-yard flip to James Brooks the outcome were not determined on the ninth playoff hole, play would be called for the day. But Ballesteros' miss from 48 Inches settled it, and cost him $340,000, the difference between the winner's check and the $160,000 he received for second place. "I congratulate Johnny on his excellent golf," Ballesteros said. "But next time I beat him." They shared the lead most of the way end finished the regular 72 holes at 277, 11-under-par on the course at a sprawling resort some 100 miles from Johannesburg.

Each had a closing 71. Then they went to the playoff, beginning on the par-3 16th hole. And it very nearly ended there. Miller hit to about four feet but faced a difficult, breaking putt. Ballesteros responded with a magnificent shot that missed being an ace by six Inches.

Both made birdies. Then they reeled off a string of seven consecutive pars in one of the game's great shootouts before Ballesteros finally made the mistake that Jet Miller claim the balf-m ill Ion dollar prize. Jack Ntcklaus just missed making It a three-man playoff. After making birdie on four of five boles on the back, be came to the 72nd tbera. But be missed the green.

chipped three feet past the boie and mixaed the comeback putt as an astonished gap rose from the massed, mixed-race gallery. Nkcklaus finished with a 09 on the bright, sunny day and a 271 total. He won $130,000.. Lee Trevtoo and host Gary Player, the only others la the bm-taUooal fire-man field, weren't to the chase after the second round. Trerino bad a dosing 79 and a 239 total and woo $118,000.

Player took last place money of $103,000 SUN CITY, BophulhaUwana (AP) Johnny Miller took a look at the biggest prize In the history of golf, a 1500,000 check, and offered a weary smile. "Doing It this way Is pretty close to earning It," Miller said after he'd struggled over seven hours and 27 boles Sunday the last nine a sudden death playoff with Seve Ballesteros before winning the Sun City Golf Challenge, the game's first 11-mOlion event. "I've got a little confession to make," be id. "When wsre coming up to that last bole, I was Buffalo's Joe Cribbs leaps for a gain after being into the AFC tripped by Cincinnati's Jim LeClair In Sunday's Bills 28-21. playoff game in Cincinnati.

The Bengals marched wants playoffs Cowboys out to settle the score Paterno TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Penn State coach Joe Paterno says a series of playoffs should decide the national collegiate football champ Ion instead of the present voting system. "I've always resented the fact that everybody else has a chance to win the title on the, playing field and we're the vie-" Urn of opinion," Paterno said Saturday after seeing his Nlt-tany Lions beat Southern Cal 28-10 In Friday's Fiesta Bowl. Perm State (10-2), ranked sev- up No. 3 In the final Associated Press poll while ISC (9-3) slipped from eighth to 14th.

"I think we should have a playoff," Paterno said. "After all the bowl games are over, someone ought to pick four teams by a point system or coaches getting together or whatever. "You take those four teams and play on consecutive Saturdays. That way, you finish the day before the Super Bowl. You may not wind up with the best football team all the time, but you'd be a lot closer than the way we re now." USCcx-ch John Robinson sa id he has "some mixed feelings" about Paterno's proposed playoff plan.

"I'd love to be In It. I'd hate to be voted out of It," be said. "The problem with that four-team format is there will always be 10 schools who say 'We were "Who do you leave Paciflc-10 Conference champions, I'd hate to have somebody say, You guys aren't in "Also, we tend to look at them as playoffs, but their context can change quickly," Robinson said. "You beat one team and then have to get on a plane the next day and start all that bowl preparation all over again. Put three of those games in a row and It just gets too much." After Friday's game, Paterno said he felt his team deserved to DALLAS (AP) The Dallas Cowboys figured they would be going back to Candlestick Park, the site of a 45-14 bumllUUotj Oct 11.

The San Francisco 49ers assured themselves of the bomefleld adran-taee in the National Conference title game Sunday with a workmanlike 35-24 thumping of the New "You bad to figure the 4er would win playing at home and aIL Mid Dallas linebacker D.D. Lewis "Now, we've got to go back to California and that bad f3M. That's OK. We seem to pUy our best when owe a team something and we certainly awe the 49ers a payback' Dallas qualified for Its 10Q) NFC Utie game Saturday with a 3S-S rout of Tampa Bay In Texas Stadium. The Cowboys had hoped for Giant so they would get the.