Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 113

Part 9 Automotive Towns the world SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 13, 1974 A9s Halt Dodgers Ie Series Opemei With Malice i Jaclcson Hits Homer In 3 to 2 Oakland Win 1 flak- Even" though they were outhit, 11-6, the A's could have won by a bigger mar- gin. Dodger rightfielder Joe Ferguson, who finished the game behind the plate, made one of the great throws in Series history to squash a real threat by Oak- land in the eighth after a throwing error by little Ron made a surprise appearance to strike out the last batter Ferguson in the ninth, The Dodgers slapped out 11 hits but only one, Jim Wynn's two-out, two-strike homer in the ninth, had power behind it. Los Angeles put Yeager and starting pitcher Andy Messersmith aboard Ley naa allowed Bert Cam- paneris to scoot all the way home from first base. -r -i. A if 4 I'- I v- -X, "i A.V:.-; -v4 Sal Bando had reached on got to third, the error and had gone all They had also put the first the way to third when first two men on base in the baseman Steve Garvey, aft- second, and as in the follower retrieving the ball, held it ing inning went for runs too long.

Reggie Jackson instead of the bunt. Cey hit then lofted a long fly to cen- into a double play this time, ter. At the last instant, Fer- Game tw, here todav win Oakland's Bill North, right, and Joe Rudi go above the nine-foot wall in left try ing for a home run blast by Dodgers' Jim Wynn in the ninth inning Saturday in Los Angeles. Oakland won the World Series opener, 3-2. (AP).

Huskies Bow, 15 Delaware Squeaks Past mtenn etnntuul in fiif rt Jim Wynn to make the catch and then threw a strike to Steve Yeager to double-up a sliding Bando for the third out. The spectacular play so stunned the players on both sides that for a few seconds no one made a move to change places in the field. "That may have been the best throw I have ever seen in a Series game," Alston said thoughtfully in the steaming interview room. "He didn't take it away from Wynn. He called for it and it was a tough play, for, he was going to his right and had to stop." Oakland's second run was squeezed in, showing that Alvin Dark's men can score any old way with power or finesse.

Left-hander Ken Holtzman, the winning pitcher, was the man who crossed the plate as Campaneris put down a beauty of a bunt on a 2-2 pitch. "I decided to use the squeeze bunt when the count got to two-two on Campy," explained Dark. "Any time you tell the coach to talk to a batter in a situation like that, the other manager has to be thinking. "What was he thinking? Well, I don't know. That's a good question." Los Angeles squandered chance after chance to score, but a lot of credit for keeping the Dodgers at bay must go to Holtzman, and relievers Rollie Fingers and Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who Live Sports On Tho Air Pro Football: Jets vs.

Patriots' 1:00 PM Chs. 20, 22, 30 Giants vs. Eagles 1:00 PM Chs. 3, 7, 12 Rams vs. Packers 3:30 PM Chs.

3, 7, 12 Major League Baseball: World Series A's vs. Dodgers 4:15 PM 20, 22, 30 rwi am loward None By BILL LEE Page SC defensive" game 'against' a Delaware team that was ranked fifth in the nation in total offense but saw their gallant bid for an upset go by the boards due to a lack of scoring punch. "We just didn't move the ball," said a disheartened Connecticut Coach Larry Naviaux in the aftermath. "You have to move the ball By TERRY PRICE Courant Sports Writer STORRS Undefeated Delaware overcame its own mistakes and virtually shut off a struggling University of Connecticut offense in posting a hard-earned 15-6 triumph Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium before 13.695 Band Day spectators. The Fighting Blue Hens of By BILL NEWELL Conrant Sports Editor LOS ANGELES The Dodgers made the great fielding plays, got most of the hits and had the pitching, too, but the Oakland's A's, who do all their fighting away from the ballfield, scored the runs Saturday afternoon to take the lead in the 1974 World Seris as the Los Angeles fans shook their heads in disbelief, The defending world champions didn't need many hits to win the opener, 3-2, before 55,974 spectatorslargest crowd ever to see a game in Dodger Stadium.

After Reggie Jackson lashed a lead-off home run in the second inning, Charlie Finley's battlers never looked back. "I thought we hit the ball as well as they did, but we didn't do it at the right time," observed a disconsolate Walter Alston afterwards. This was really the story of the game. Oakland had picked up a second run in the fifth inning with a wild pitch playing an important part in the score, and then got the deciding tally in the eighth with the lone Dodger error permitting this onejtocount The Dodgers had enough men die on base to start a small cemetery. It was, for them, utter frustration before the ready-to-cheer home crowd.

A dozen men left on the base in a 3-2 ball-game speaks for itself. UConn to win." Connecticut could muster only 147 yards total offense against Delaware, making only ten first downs of which six came after the contest had been placed out of reach by the Blue Hens' second touchdown. Delaware, on the other hand, also found the going extremely tough against the; Huskies' spirited defensive' unit but managed 143 yards i on the ground and 171 through the air, good for 14 first downs. The tenacious UConn defense also forced five Delaware fumbles that played a major role in keeping Connecticut within striking range. "You've got to play a total game to win and we didn't do that," said Naviaux.

"We didn't play a total game offensively but we did play a hell of a defensive game." Three of Delaware's fumbles came inside the UConn ten yardline and as a result the Huskies found themselves trailing by only 8-0 early in the fourth quarter and when defensive end Gary Calvino pounced on another Delaware fumble, this time on the 18, the crowd came to life. It took Connecticut just two plays to get into the endzone with quarterback Bernie Palmer passing 19 yards to fullback Barry Baker for the touchdown. In an attempt to tie the score, Connecticut went for the two-point conversion but Palmer was dragged down by defensive end Sam Miller, leaving the score at 8-6. There was still 12:37 left to play, however, and with 9:20 showing on the clock, Connecticut had a chance to go in ironi aiier a ueiaware punt and a personal foul gave them the ball on the Hens 16-yardline. The Dela- ware defense rose to the oc- casion however, stopping Connecticut on the lJ and Greg Sinay's field goal at- tempt for the lead, and pos- sibly the game, was well short of the uprights.

Delaware missed a field goal attempt of its own after moving from its 20 to the Connecticut 36 but after Marty Bird failed to make a first down on a fake punt run on fourth down, the Blue Hens tock over on the Husk- See Delaware, Page 2C LOS ANGELES, Calif, Alvin Dark stood calmly on a sun-baked Dodger Stadium Field two hours before the scheduled start of the opening game of the 71st World Series. The Oakland manager was being bugged alive by questions about the intemperate behavior of his players. He had been managing and playing ball for 26 years. Was this the daffiest bunch he had ever known. "This team is unique," Dark replied softly, but they can nlav basphall ran't thpv?" MAYBE THEY'RE ON THE WAY AGAIN well, sure tney can play tius game.

They have won the two previous World Series in seven tough games. Now they made thier manager look good again stepping out and beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 to 2, in the first game of the 1974 titular set. As it turned out, they beat the Dodgers on a perfectly executed squeeze play in the fifth inning. DODGERS WERE FLABBERGASTED The Dodgers were flabbergasted when Bert Campaner-is dropped a beauty in front of the mound that enabled Ken Holtzman, starting Oakland pitcher, to cake-walk across the plate. "Yeah, I was surprised when I got the sign," Campy said afterward.

"I hoped I get inside pitch that I could bunt, and that's what Messersmith gave me," Campaneris revealed in somewhat fractured English. "When I got to third, they told me to stay alive and be ready for a squeeze," Holtzman said. Nobody spoke after that. They didn't want to give the play away, but the sign came and both of us were rpaHv SINGLE, BUNT AND ANOTHER RUN The defending champions got off in front on Reggie Jackson's home run in the second, and the Dodgers were never able to catch them. Actually the winning run came in the Oakland eighth.

Campaneris did it again, singling, taking second on North's sacrifice and scoring on Ron Cey's bad throw. CRAZY, YES, BUT THEY PLAY BASEBALL As Dark said, the crazy Athletics, who had a fist fight among themselves Friday, nevertheless played baseball the way they know how so well. They bunted when they had to, ran the bases smartly, got good pitching from Holtzman, Rollie Fingers and Catfish Hunter and turned on just enough Kwer to scrape out a one-run edge over the National ague champions. WHERE WAS BOXING COMMISSION? Fineers relieved Holtzman in the fifth after the Dodgers' right-handed batting lineup had crushed the left-hander for a single unearned run. Fingers came in and did superbly as usual, until, with two out; in the ninth and the tying run on first, he got a little tired.

Whom should Alvin Dark bring in from the bullpen but James (Catfish) Hunter, his very best pitching craftsman. Hunter got Joe Ferguson out by whiffing him. Had the California boxing commission been on the Job, Fingers never would have been allowed to pitch this Saturday afternoon opener. He had been the victim of a technical KO the day before. But Fingers, knocked out on Friday when teammate John Odom did a cut job on the ace reliever that necessitated a hospital trip and five stitches acted as though nothing had happened.

Boxing Commissions never let a licensed boxer fight the next day after being banged up like that, but Fingers does not have a ring license. Neither does Odom. But Rollie, came striding in from the bullpen and shut the Dodgers off for innings as though Odom had never laid a glove on him. As a matter of fact, Odom didn't lay a glove on Rollie. This was an old-fashioned bare-knuckle fight.

FOR ROLLIE, IT SEEMED FUNNY Fingers said it seemed funny when he saw Catfish Hunter coming in to relieve him. Usually it's the other way around. "I relieved against Cincinnati in the World Series two years ago," Hunter remembered. "I was nervous coming in from the bullpen. I usually like to fix the mound to my own taste.

But this time I couldn't do it. When can I pitch again? Oh, I could work tomorrow and get a couple out if I had to and then be ready to take my scheduled start Tuesday night in Oakland." JACKSON: "I'LL PLAY AGAIN TOMORROW" They asked Reggie Jackson if he got all of the ball on his home run in the second. "I can't hit a ball any harder than that," Reggie replied. "Maybe longer, but not any harder." Jackson said his wheels are not 100 per cent, but that he would play in the second game Sunday afternoon. ONE VERY WONDERFUL THROW Beaten though they were, the Dodgers had their moments.

Millions of television viewers and the record present in the flesh, found out why Los Angeles plays catcher Joe Ferguson in right field when he isn't working behind the plate. It's not merely to get another right handed swinger into the batting order. Sal Bando, trying to score from third base on Jackson's fly to deep center field discovered that Ferguson uses a rifle out there instead of an arm. Jim Wynn, centerfielder, may not have the strongest arm in the world. In any case, catcher-rightfielder Ferguson would not take the risk.

He ran into Wynn's center field territory like one of the James Boys, caught the ball that really belonged to Wynn and delivered one of the greatest throws in World Series history to nip Bando at the plate. It completed a staggering double play that came with such stunning unexpectedness, that players of both sides stood around, not realizing a third out had been registered and the inning was over. The next hitter, some thought, moved into the hitting box. They asked Jackson when be knew it was going to be a close play at the plate. "As soon as Ferguson cut the ball loose, Reggie snapped.

"I saw it fly over Lopes' head and realized right away it would carry to the catcher in the air." with none out in the third. and elected to go for a hit instead of a sacrifice. No one see Vida Blue going for the See A's, Page 2C Blue Devils Register First Win By BOHDAN KOLINSKY Courant Sports Writer NEW BRITAIN Central Connecticut's football team didn't make any mistakes Saturday afternoon. The result was a 42-29 vie- torj Playing an error-less game before a lively crowd at Arute Field, the Blue Devils snapped a four-game losing streak of their own and stopped a four-game winning string which unbeaten Montclair State held coming into the contest. Central head coach Bill Loika had a reason to smile following his club's initial victory.

"We finally put it together," stated the jubilant Loika. "Our offense looked real sharp and our defense did a tremendous job of shutting off their running game." "The boys did a hell of a job," Loika continued. "I'm proud of them because they haven't quit all year. When you are four and zero, you can tend to be down." "Down" they were not. "Sharp" they were.

Central wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard. After Montclair failed to move the ball on its first series of the game, Central got the ball on the visitors' 47. From there, quarterback Dennis Schermerhorn drove the Blue Devils to the first touchdown of the afternoon, a eight-yard sweep by Mark St. Germain. The drive was highlighted by a couple of big gains by Wethersfield's John Campanello.

Charlie Alex See Blue, Page 2C through the same conditions against Yale. The shutout was the first against the Bruins since 1970. Brown is now 1-3. Unbeaten Yale, now 3-0. scored on a 39-yard Randy Carter field goal as the gun nnnHoH onHinir tho fire half.

A brown mistake (face mask penalty) gave the Bulldogs the opportunity, "We weren't the same running team today that we were last week," Cozza said, "but fortunately, our aerial game got going. We thought we'd have to throw against Brown, they're so physical" Tom's execution was very good today." John Cahill intercepted a deflected Dennis Coleman pass midway through the third period, giving Yale possession on the Brown 49. Dot Gesicki hit the middle for four yards before Dcvle Se BaHdogs, Page 2C Valiant Try 6 Head Coach Tubby Raymond, ranked second in the nation among college division teams, slugged it out toe-to-toe with the Huskies in a rock-em-sock-em defensive battle before icing their fifth straight win of the season with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Huskies, now 2-2 on the year, played a whale of a Coast Guard then marched from its 20 to Wesleyan's 17 as the period ended- with Mike Moore, Bruce Drahos and Jim Law supplying the power. On the first play of the second quarter, Wesleyan defensive end John McVicar intercepted Cadet QB Wayne Hollingsworth's pass on the 15 but in three plays Wesleyan moved but one yard to the 16 and Dave Whiting dropped back to punt.

The snap from center sailed out of the end zone. The safety put Coast Guard ahead 2-0 and late in the Wesleyan marched for its only score. With Vanacore, John Blessis and Dave Campbell doing the bulk of the ball-carrying, the Cardinals moved from their own Coast Guard Fourth Period TD's Stop Wesleyan 24-7 By JOHN KERSHAW NEW LONDON Coast Guard played a hard-nosed football game, scored a key fourth period touchdown on a fake punt formation and went on to defeat Wesleyan 24-7 at Cadet Memorial Stadium Saturday before a Homecoming crowd of 3,400. The victory evened the Coast Guard record at 2-2 and left Wesleyan at 1-3. The game started out as a tight defensive battle with Wesleyan making the first scoring threat late in the first quarter as the Cardinals drove from their own 19 to the Cadet 32 before Coast Guard defensive back Tom Vorholt intercepted a long pass thrown by Wesleyan QB Brad Vanacore, intended for end John Gaebe, in the end zone.

Yale's Air Game Blanks Brown, 24-0 Bv OWEN CANFTELD that's what happened, any-Courant Sports Writer way. He certainly got by NEW HAVEN Yale's them." football team began a new Brown beaten by Penn a string against Brown before week ago when it could not a little over 12,000 specta- sustain a drive, suffered 20 to the Cadet 21 in 15 plays. At that point, Vanacore connected with freshman end Paul Nelson on a 21 vard TD aerial as Nelson the left corner of the end zone. Dinny Harrington booted the point and Wesleyan led 7-2 with 1:40 left in the half. Wesleyan moved the ensuing kickoff from its 19 to the Cardinal.

26 in eight plays but Phil Heyl was short on a 42 yard field goal attempt as the half ended. Neither team threatened in the third quarter until the Cadets started driving near the period's end and were on the Wesleyan 14 going into the final 15 minutes. On fourth down Coast Guard received a big break. See Late, Page 2C Ryan felt maybe a little better after its was over, at least somewhat better than be had felt all week, but he still wasn't satisfield. "We came on a little at the end," Ryan said.

"But we haven't -had the fire that we had ear ly in camp. I am glad the exhibition season is over." First Period If you ever needed a program to tell the teams apart, it was Saturday eight on The Cape, and even the one they sold in the lobby was not np to date. New England General (See WhaJcn, Pg. CO Rally for 4-3 Win Edge Cape Codders tors at The Bowl Saturday, coming alive to score 10 points in the closing minutes of the first half and eventually clinching a 24-0 victory. The Elis had won nine in a row from the Bruins prior to last season when they lost unpTmertedlv at Providence.

Saturday, its ground attack cnecxea enecuveiy oy wnai Coach Carm Cozza called "a very physical Brown team" Yale quarterback Tom Doyle lofted a 31-yard touch- down pass to Gary Fencik in the second period and from there on it was all Yale, Fencik, on the sixth play of that 67-yard drive, broke be- hind a befuddled Brown secondary and had no defender within 20 yards of him when he caught the ball. "It was a 'man' defense, where Doyle throws against the flow, Cozza explained, "And obviously, one of their kids slipped up. I assume Whalers BY TOM B3NE Conrant Sports Writer SOUTH YARMOUTH, Mass. The New England Whalers, salvaged at least a smile after a disastrous week of hockey when they edged their own farm team, the NAHL's Cape Codders, by a 4-3 margin Saturday night at the Cape Cod Coliseum. After losing a 3-1 game to the AHL'f Providence Reds last Wednesday night and a 5-2 decision to the WHA Toronto Tores on Friday, New England finally came alive before 2,656 fans on the Cape against a team that in- eluded for the most part ex-Whalers.

Wings Tim Sheehy and Don Blackburn, two-thirds of one line in head coach Ron Ryan's re-aligned frontal attack, shared a band in every Whalers' goal. Blackburn scored two goals and was credited with a pair of assists, while Sheehy assisted on three and scored the fourth. See Malice.