The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 30

1 (appelletti Carries on a Comeback, 24-10 Hoi Rams Los Angeles Overcomes 10-0 Deficit to Beat Stubborn Giants BY BOB OATES Times Stafl Writer On a day when the Rams played some good football and some bad football, quarterback James Harris and running back John Cappelletti made the game's big plays at the appropriate times. The New York Giants, meanwhile, played in ill luck. Besides, the Giants aren't very good, and so they went down finally, 24-10, after leading in the first quarter, 10-0, as the undefeated Rams won for the second time in three starts Sunday in the Coliseum. Chuck Knox, the Los Angeles coach who is making a run for his fourth straight divisional title, has often said this is the toughest kind of game to go into seven days after an emotional binge (in Minnesota) and seven days before one of the key games of the season (in Miami Sunday). And so it proved to be.

It also proved costly as veteran defensive tackle Merlin Olsen went out indefinitely with a torn left ham V2Sf 'r A -1 wwwww in inn i mini iin l- WMF" mm ONE THAT GOT AWAY-Lawrence McCutcheon the 1-yard line Sunday. Below, the ball sails into of Rams loses handle on ball (top photo) as he the end zone where the Giants recovered for a tries to back into the New York end zone from touchback. The Rams won the game, 24-10. Times photos by Joe Kennedy Day Belonged to Young; The Fight Was for Second Patriots Defeat the Champs on Grogan's Passes BUSINESS FINANCE CC PART III tt MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1976 Staff Writer was trying to tackle Giant fullback Larry Csonka. "I reached out and got ahold of him with one hand," Olsen said, "and then I got stretched out.

I was literally doing the splits. There was no way to protect my leg. "I knew what it was right away. It felt like an explosion. My heartbeat Please Turn to Page 6.

Col. '1 PHILLIES CLINCH NL EAST TITLE; ROYALS' LEAD 4Vi From Times Wire Services The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the National League's East Division championship Sunday by beating the Expos 4-1 in the first game of a dou-bleheader at Montreal behind the four-hit pitching of Jim Lonborg and Greg Luzinski's three-run homer. The Phils completed a sweep of the doubleheader with a 2-1 victory in the nightcap, which was called after seven innings because of rain. In the only race yet to be decided, the Royals' lead over Oakland in the American League West fell to 4V games as Kansas City lost to Texas. 3-1, while the A's game at Chicago Please Turn to Page 7.

Col. 1 To Gain Final BENCHED Merlin Olsen, veteran All-Pro defensive lineman for the Rams seems dejected as he contemplates his injury a torn left hamstring muscle suffered against the Giants in Coliseum Sunday. He could be out for season, but won't know for a day or so. Times photo First Csonka, Then Fear Hits Olsen; Kay Through BY DWIGHT CHAPIN string muscle and linebacker Rick Kay was put out for the season with a knee injury. As 60,698 watched in some dismay, a journeyman Giant running back named Doug Kotar paraded through the sleeping Ram defense for 108 yards as quarterback Craig Morton marched the 0-3 New York team repeatedly.

But in the end, the Giants couldn't match Harris, Cappelletti or Lawrence McCutcheon, and they lost for those three reasons. It was a distressingly slow-moving game in which Cappelletti's two touchdowns, which won it, were worth the price of admission. He carried them all into the end zone on his back, and thereafter the visiting team was without hope, and everyone knew it. Jim Bertelsen scored the Rams' last touchdown from the one on a nine-yard march after a break late in the fourth quarter. It was a game in which the Giants could have used some breaks but didn't get many.

Although the Rams earned their first touchdown on a good 61-yard march quarterbacked by Harris, they were required to move only 35 and 9 yards to their two winning touchdowns after strange interception plays. Safetyman Steve Preece made the first key interception for Los Angeles at the Giant 35 in the third quarter after Morton's good pass had struck split end Walker Gillette and bounded into the air. Linebacker Isiah Robertson made the second, but fumbled promptly, Monte Jackson recovering at the Giant 9. It could be said, therefore, and in New York it is being said, that the Rams were lucky to win. For example, after the Giants had marched beautifully in the first quarter from their 21 to the Ram 2.

Morton fumbled on first down, and three plays Please Turn to Page 6, Col. 4 Garvey Raises Hit Total to 195 BY ROSS NEWHAN Timet Staff Writer The figure "200" is inked on the inside of Steve Garvey's batting glove. Garvey put it there this spring as a reminder of the goal he considers to be the hallmark of consistency. The Los Angeles first baseman would now seem almost certain of attaining that goal for the third straight year, becoming only the second Dodger ever to get 200 hits or more in three seasons (Zach Wheat was the other: 1922-24-25) and the first to do it consecutively. "When you think of all the great Dodger hitters, it's kind of awesome," Garvey said Sunday after he singled to center and bunted safely in a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati.

A Dodger Stadium crowd of 30,094 saw Garvey raise his total to 195 with six games left. He was deprived of another hit when third baseman Pete Rose, who leads the National League with 210 hits and has reached 200 eight times, made a leaping catch of his whistling liner in the second. "I hadn't even completed my swing Please Turn to Page 8. Col. 3 'NASTY' FRIENDLY 1 If 3 L.

Home Pro Collects $35,000 for Victory BY SHAV GLICK Times Staff Writer Without Donna Caponi Young the finish of the Carlton Ladies PGA tournament Sunday would have been one of the most exciting of the year but Donna was there, holding her 5-stroke lead down to the last putt where a S35.000 check was waiting. Young's 69-69-72-72282 was out of reach of the field at Calabasas Park Country Club in the richest women's tournament ever played but as many as five players were deadlocked for second late in the day. And the second-place prize of $22,500 was more than the winning purse in 25 of the 26 LPGA tournaments this year. Two players who have been in big money positions. Jane Blalock and Judy Rankin, broke out of the log jam to finish with one-under-par 287s to collect $19,300 each.

Kathy Martin, who lives a few miles away in Thousand Oaks, shot her second straight three-under-par 69 to tie Pat Bradley for fourth. They won $9,750 each. Martin had never won more than $4,000 in an entire year before. Sandra Palmer, the fifth player with a shot at second place, staggered in with bogeys on two of the last three holes for a 73-290 and only $5,666. But the day, the crowd, the money belonged to Young, perhaps the most popular professional golfer ever to come out of Southern California.

It seemed like nearly everyone in the gallery of 15.620 had known her somewhere along her career. 'The hardest thing today was Please Turn to Page 7. Col. 2 CARDINALS BOW, 43 Times It was two minutes before halftime at the Coliseum Sunday and the giant motorized helmet that usually just detracts from the action at Ram games was suddenly a centerpiece. This time, the hat was on a slightly different mission.

It was being used as a plastic stretcher, carrying an old Ram starter, Merlin Olsen, and a new one. Rick Kay, off the field. The crowd on the south side of the Coliseum rose and cheered. Their applause was mainly for Olsen, who has started 187 straight games for the Rams over 15 National Football League seasons. They had no way of knowing that Kay, who has started three games over one season, was the more seriously hurt.

Kay. the tall, quiet linebacker from Colorado, will undergo knee surgery this morning. He'll be out the rest of the season. Olsen has a tear in his left hamstring. Because he's 35 years old and because injuries like that are slow to heal it could mean the season or even his career for him, too.

But he and the Ram doctors are choosing not to look at it that way yet. "I'm a little relieved," he said in the locker room after the Rams had beaten the New York Giants, 24-10. "The muscles aren't cramping as badly now. I don't think it's a massive tear, but we'll have to wait a day or two to find out." Olsen's injury happened when he IN DEFEAT PITTSBURGH UP) Pittsburgh defensive tackle Joe Greene was smiling, but his words rumbled menacingly Sunday after the Pittsburgh Steelers became the latest upset victim of the New England Patriots and quarterback Steve Grogan. "This (Pittsburgh) is still the best damn team in football," Greene said after the two-time Super Bowl champions lost.

30-27, and became two-time losers just three weeks into the season. "I'll tell you the same thing at the end of the season, and you'll believe me then because the results will be there." Greene told reporters. "We're just gonna put a little more chills and thrills in it for you, of course not intentionally." It was the second upset in as many weeks for the Patriots, coming off a 30-14 victory over Miami, and once again it was the 6-4 Grogan who led the way. He threw two third-quarter touchdown passes and ran six yards early in the fourth quarter for what proved the winning touchdown. The Steelers drove nearly 80 yards in the frantic final minute before Roy Gere-la's try for a 48-yard field goal went wide as time ran out.

"We know what it feels like to beat the big ones." Grogan said. "They're a super defensive team, but our offensive line did a heck of a job. I was a little bit surprised at the time I had to throw." A light rain fell as Pittsburgh took a 13-9 halftime lead despite losing six fumbles in the first two periods. Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Please Turn to Page 4. Col.

3 PRO FOOTBALL Los Angeles 24. N.Y. Giants 10 Dallas 30, Baltimore 27 Atlanta 10, Chicago 0 Minnesota 10, Detroit 9 San Francisco 37, Seattle 21 Buffalo 14. Tampa Bay 9 Denver 44, Cleveland 13 Miami 16. N.Y.

Jets 0 Oakland 14. Houston 13 Cincinnati 28, Green Bay 7 New Orleans 27. Kansas City 17 San Diego 43. St. Louis 24 New England 30.

Pittsburgh 27 Gottfried Beats Nastase Chargers Stay Unbeaten 'IT'S MINE' Donna Young raises her hands in exultation after putting out for a 5-stroke, $35,000 win in Carlton tourney. AP Wlrephoto 24 "It sure beats playing tennis every day." said McDonald. Charger quarterback Dan Fouts threw four touchdown passes three of them in the four-touchdown second quarter to double his touchdown-pass output for 1975, when San Diego was 2-12. "We're 3-0 right now and it's been a long time since any Charger team started this way." said Fouts. That was back in 1968, they finished 9-5.

St. Louis coach Don Coryell, whose defending National Conference East champions are 2-1. couldnt believe Please Turn to Page 6. Col. I BY TED GREEN Times Staff Writer When Die Nastase loses to players he considers inferior to himself which means almost everyone in professional tennis he is sometimes downright nasty toward the guy when it's over.

With that in mind, the way he firmly shook Brian Gottfried's hand Sunday and then gently patted his head probably said as much about Gottfried's game as all the good shots he hit in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Nastase in the semifinals of the ARCO Pacific Southwest Open at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. "If that was his subtle way of saying something, that's nice." Gottfried said afterward. "I respect him as a player and I hope he respects me." The way Gottfried played less than 24 hours after he benefitted from Jimmy Connors' back injury to win by default in the quarter-finals. Nastase had to respect him. Gottfried, better known as one-half of the world's best doubles team and only the second-best known singles player from Ft.

Lauderdale, thanks to Chris Evert hit a variety of terrific shots, responded to the pressure with his usual colorless cool and, in the end, outplayed Nastase, the ultra-talented Romanian who's ranked fourth in the world. And now Gottfried is one victory away from winning his first (singles) tournament this year. He has already won a dozen in doubles. Standing in his way in tonight's final (Channel 2, 6:30) is Arthur Ashe, who won this tournament a year ago. In the other semifinal Ashe defeated the other half of that doubles team, Raul Ramirez, Gottfried's partner and best friend on the tour.

The scores were 6-3, 6-3. That match didnt have the flash and dash of Gottfried-Nastase but. then, that would have taken a lot. It was the $125,000 tournament's best in seven days. For most of two hours it had a crowd of about 8,500 oohing and aahing as Nastase, then Gottfried, then Nas- Please Turn to Page 9, Col.

1 SAN DIEGO UP) Tor two weeks after being cut by the Chargers, Dwight McDonald played tennis and wondered if he would ever get another chance to play in the National Football League. Then longtime San Diego star receiver Gary Garrison suffered a season-ending shoulder separation last Sunday and McDonald got a call from the Chargers. The call was well-timed. McDonald went into Sunday's game against St. Louis in the second quarter and immediately caught two touchdown passes to lead the unbeaten Chargers to a 43-24 upset of the Cardinals..