Las Cruces Sun-News from Las Cruces, New Mexico • Page 39

Wednesday, April 11, 1U73 1'hc Mesilla Valley Cruets, New Mexico Page 5 NORM CASH WEARS a ski mask for warmth in the a i cage at Tiger Stadium as Tigers prepared for their home opener against Baltimore Tuesday. Gish is a personal friend of Las Cmccn Bud Richards. (UP!) Something New, Odd Is Orioles' 'Cochise' By MILTON RICIIMAN UPI Sports Editor MIAMI (UPI) Baseball, they claim, needs something new, something different, and one thing you have to say for Sergio Robles--he's both. The Baltimore Orioles call him "Cochise." That's because he has some Indian blood in him. Primarily, though, he's Mexican--born, raised and still living in Sonera --and from the way he bounces around home plate, in the clubhouse and hotel lobbies, virtually everywhere, joking, laughing and having himself a ball all the time, Sergio Robles, Mexico's rifle-armed gift to Baltimore, could turn out to be the baseball counterpart of golf's Lee Trevino.

Right now, Sergio Robles-pronounced Row-blaze--is the best defensive catcher among the four on the Orioles' rosier. He's better than Earl Williams, Andy Elchebarren and Elrod Hendricks with the glove, but with the bat it's a little different story. Originally the Orioles got the skinny, 28-year-old Robles from Ihe Dodgers in the Frank Robinson deal during December of 1971 after he had spent that season with Spokane of the Pacific Coast League and hit .265 there. Six weeks later, the Orioles contacted their new receiver on the cattle ranch he owns in Northern Mexico and asked him to come here to spring Iraining. This was one year ago and you'd Ihink Robles would drop everything and come running.

No I Sergio. He may be carefree and happy-go-lucky, but he also has a mind of his own. A very strong one. "Come up there to break my back catching all those pitchers like the Dodgers had me do?" responded Robles in the best English he could. "Muchos gracias.

I stay home, and come later." And that was that. When he got around to it, Robles eventually did report lo Baltimore's Rochesler affiliate and he impressed everyone in Ihe International League with his superb arm and work behind the plate. He hit .266 in games with Ihe Red Wings, contributing 29 rbi's and 5 homers. Joe Altobelli. Ihe ex-Cleveland first baseman, had Robles at Rochester and fined him $50 for missing a ball game one night.

"No, no," protested Sergio. "You can nol fine me, because I want lo be traded to Mexico." While Altobelli mulled over that one, the Orioles dealt Hendricks to the Chicago Cubs and sent word back lo Rochester to move Robles up with only a few weeks remaining last season. "Well, Joe, nice playing for you," Robles pumped Altobelli's hand, smiling all the time because that's what he always does no matter whether things are going good for him or not. With the Orioles, Sergio collected a lot of splinters on Ihe bench because Jim Gates and Elchebarren did the bulk of the catching. McCarver Joyed To Be A Card By MILTON RICIIMAN L'Pl Sports Editor ST.

PETERSBURG, (UPI) "I don't want to get mushy or anything like that, but I love being back here. Back with these guys. Can't you lell?" You can lell, all right. The pure delight Tim McCarver feels over being back with the St. I.ouis Cardinals following three years of making a living somewhere else sticks out all over him.

It shows in everything he does, everything he says. McCarver's return to the Cards in exchange for young outfielder Jorge Koque, who wenl to Montreal, took place last ov. 6. McCarver was home in Memphis leasing cars when he received a call from Cards' vice president and general manager Bing Devine. "Well, we've gotcha back," Devine began.

McCarver, on the other end of the phone, couldn't believe it. "I was shocked," he says. "Shocked, bul very happy. Bing explained right off that nobody was going to push Ted Simmons out as catcher. I certainly could understand that.

Ted's an excellent catcher. Just super. Ring then said, 'We need a first baseman. Can you play first 1 told him 1 never played first base in my life, but I felt could and certainly would try." Thai's what Tim McCarver is doing now with the Cardinals, an organization he had been with 11 years and a club he had been with eight before being dealt to the Phillies in the big Rich Allen-Curt Flood swap following the 1969 season. "I'm hoping McCarver can do the job at first base," says manager Red Schoendienst.

"If he can, he's our first baseman and Joe Torre will play third. Otherwise Torre will plav first." McCarver has always been a catcher. The past few years (hough, base runners have shown less respect 'for his arm and after the Phils traded him to the Expos last June, Montreal manager Gene Mauch said McCarver no longer was a catcher, he was an outfielder. Thnt didn't work out so well, either. Overall, the left-handed hilling, 31-year-old Tennessean played 122 games last season and the .246 figure he finished with was his worst ever for a full season since he has been in the big leagues.

"I couldn't see where 1 fit in their plans," says McCarver about the way he felt after finishing the year with Montreal. Then came that phone call from Devine. "There's no question about the difference in attitude on this ball club over what it was the last couple of years," says McCarver. had won the pennant in 1968 and we had a good altitude when we came to camp in 1969. Bul we didn't win that year and something happened between ownership and the players.

There were troubled times. "When was traded back here though last November, Bing indicated relations between both parties were drastically different than Ihey had been. NATHAN'S Double Knit SALE SAVE ON KNIT SPORTCOATS Values to S59.95 32 50 Solids and Patterns 'Urgandy, Blue, Black, Brown KNIT SLACKS Values to S17.00 205 Lohman Visit Our Tuxedo Department.