The Los Angeles Times du lieu suivant : Los Angeles, California • 25

SPORTS San Diego County Monday, September 29, 1980 flos Anjjeles Slimes CCfPart III DEFENSE DOES IT AGAIN, 24- Turnovers Sink Chiefs; Muncie Now a Charger By DAVE DISTEL TknM Staff Writer KANSAS CITY. Mo. On an afternoon in which the Charger offense needed some help, it got it from two different places. The most immediate assistance Sunday came from the defense, which presented the offense with opportunities to score 17 points in a 24-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Long-range assistance may have in the form of a trade that brought Chuck Muncie from the New Orleans Saints for an undisclosed draft choice.

That was the big news on somewhat of a yawner of an afternoon in which the Chargers ran their record to 4-0 and increased their lead in the AFC West to two games. Muncie, a running back from the University of California, gained 1,198 yards for New Orleans a year ago and holds a Saints' career rushing record with 3,386 yards in four full years and one-quarter of this year. "We had an opportunity to get a Pro Bowl running back," said Don Coryell, the Chargers' coach. "We think Chuck Muncie is one of the finest runners in the game." Second Only to Tyler Last Season Muncie averaged 5.0 yards a carry last year, second only to the 5.1 of the Rams' Wendell Tyler. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the Pro Bowl.

This season, Muncie had gained 168 yards for a 4.1 average for the Saints, who remained winless with a 21-16 loss to Miami Sunday in which Muncie gained only 10 yards in limited action. The running back had fallen out of favor with Saints' Coach Dick Nolan, who said after the trade, "I was tired of (Muncie) being late to meetings, being late to practice. I tried to work with him for two years and I had tried to explain to him that this was a team effort, not just an individual sport" In a talk with a radio reporter earlier this season, Muncie had said, "When the team wasn't playing hard, I figured why should I play hard. "This was wrong," he added. "I'm now going to do my best, regardless." p- iiiin.ij.iw mmwmhP I GETTING GRIP ON THINGS Pete Shaw of Chargers makes a tackle on Ted McKnight of Chiefs during the first quarter of game Sunday in Kansas City.

AstocltM Prtu photo If he does do his best, Muncie's acquisition could bolster the one aspect of the Charger offense that had been deemed weak, the running game. On Sunday, however, the Chargers did not move the ball with consistency either running or passing. "The defense came through today," said wide receiver John Jefferson, "when we just couldn't get it going. That's part of being a team. Some weeks the offense does it and some weeks the defense does it." Kansas City limited the Chargers to 296 yards in total offense, less than Dan Fouts usually gains in passing alone.

But the Charger defense held the winless Chiefs to 193 yards in total offense. The difference was mistakes. The Chargers did not turn the ball over. No fumbles. No interceptions.

The Chiefs had to sustain lengthy drives to score, and they succeeded only once. The Chiefs, however, lost the ball three times on fumbles and once on an interception. To the credit of the Charger offense, it turned three of the Chief turnovers into points and ran out the clock at the end of the game after the fourth. The touchdowns all came in the first half, a three-yard run by John Cappelletti and 15 and 16-yard passes from Fouts to Kellen Winslow. The other Charger points came on a 32-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke in the third period.

Please Turn to Page 5, Col. 1 Elvis Peacock Falls 3 Times in End Zone His Touchdowns Help the Rams Have an Easy Day With the Giants, 28-7 By TED GREEN TtfwM Staff Wrttac EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. The Rams continued on the road to recovery against another team on the road to oblivion when they defeated the New York Giants Sunday, 28-7. The Rams' second victory following opening losses to Detroit and Tampa Bay came a week after they obliterated Green Bay, 51-21. The National Football League insists there are no i-Ji A wM mm I A Dodgers Blow Popup, Game, Maybe More By MIKE LITTWIN Ttmot Staff Writer SAN DIEGO-If the sky didn't fall on the Dodgers' heads Sunday and it might have a popped -up baseball did, or nearly so.

Actually, it fell a few feet from Dodger second baseman Davey Lopes, landing unmolested on the infield dirt nearby. Meanwhile, Luis Salazar crossed the plate with what would prove to be the winning run in a four-run San Diego eighth inning that led to a 7-5 Dodger loss to the Padres. Houston had lost earlier Sunday, and a Dodger win, which appeared likely with a 5-3 lead in the eighth, would have narrowed the Astros' lead to one game. Instead, the Dodgers are two back with six to play. In the race for the National League West, the Dodgers, who have lost 7 of 10 and 13 of 18, seem to be running with weights attached.

Actually, the only way they're running is out of time. Lopes, who had no excuses for his misplay, sat silently at his locker, staring straight ahead. He would not blame the sun, despite playing in what was a sun field, saying, "I just blew it" But his was a single lapse in what would be a Mel Brooks-style finale Sunday, and perhaps just barely the most The Dodgers, who had overcome an early three-run deficit with a three-run homer by Rick Monday in the fourth and then taken the lead in the eighth on Pete Guerrero's double and Joe Ferguson's single, had already lost their lead that inning. And the next batter, Gene Richards, singled anyway. Maybe if Lopes had caught the ball, Richards wouldn't have stroked his base hit Who can say? What is certain is that Steve Howe, the Dodgers' fine young reliever, is struggling, as is his team, down the stretch.

And that Don Stanhouse, the Dodgers' rich reliever, is struggling, as he has all season, down the stretch. Howe got one out in the eighth before leaving with a run across and the bases loaded. Stanhouse, pitching to one batter, threw five pitches, of which four were balls, to walk in the tying run. Young Fernando Valenzuela, the latest Dodger savior and seventh Dodger pitcher Sunday, was brought in to face Bill Fahey, who left for pinch-hitter Barry Evans. Evans popped the ball up routine popup," Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda would say later), and it appeared Valenzuela, who saved Saturday's game, had bought the Dodgers a little more time.

Lopes called for the ball immediately, and then started backpedal-ing rapidly. He never caught up with it Please Turn to Pate 12, Col. 1 patsies among its 28 teams, but the league obviously hasn't seen the Giants or the Packers lately. It probably won't be as easy for the Rams next Sunday, when they face the San Francisco 49ers in a division showdown (if such a thing is possible on Oct. 5) at Anaheim Stadium.

The surprising 49ers (3-1) lost their first game (to Atlanta) and lead the Rams and Falcons (both 2-2) by a game in the NFC West Yes, there is a race in the NFC West, at least for the time being. Charity Begins on the Road The race got close on a bright fall day at Giants Stadium, where the Rams ran off to a 21-0 lead in less than a quarter and a half. Then they eased up offensively, perhaps following the lead of the NFL, which is active in charity. Vince Ferragamo, the quarterback with the million-dollar arm and five-figure, contract had another near-perfect afternoon for the Rams, completing 14 of 18 passes for 215 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown to rookie Walt Arnold, the backup tight end. Two of the four incomplete passes were dropped.

Ferragamo completed 15 of 19 against Green Bay and his percentage after three starts is now 70.4. Ferragamo, in the option year of his contract is indeed doing his own negotiating now, as he said he would last week. Clearly, no attorney could state his case at a bargaining table better than Ferragamo is stating it between the goal lines. True, he has fattened up against two weak teams, maybe the league's two weakest But 70 (including the Tampa Bay game) is good in any league, including flag football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Halfback Elvis Peacock scored the Rams' three other touchdowns Please Turn to Page 8, Col.

1 Alan Jones Wins Canadian Prix By SHAV CLICK TIumi Staff Wrttar MONTREAL Alan Jones survived a seven-car accident on the first turn of the Canadian Grand Prix to win the race and with it the world Formula One driving championship Sunday on the streets of the Isle de Notre Dame. Jones, a 33-year-old Australian native who lives with his wife and son in Palos Verdes, won the world championship after his only competitor, Nelson Piquet of Brazil, blew the engine in his Brabham while leading near the halfway mark of the 70 lap (191.8 miles) race. And he won the race after Didier Pironi of France was penalized one minute for jumping the start in a restart brought about by the accident Pironi in his blue Ligier actually finished the race in front but was placed third behind Jones and Carlos Reutemann of Argentina, Jones' teammate on the Saudi Arabia-backed Williams team. The Ligier team filed a protest but it was rejected. "I'll take 'em any way they come," said a smiling Jones when asked if he felt any less pleased at winning on a penalty.

The big loser was the U.S. Grand Prix East next Sunday at Watkins Glen, N.Y. The race, last on the 14-race world championship series, had been billed as the world championship decider but the nine points Jones earned Sunday gave him an unsurmountable 64 -54 lead. "My crew let me know immediately about the one-minute penal-Please Turn to Page 10, Col. 4 BEATING THE LAW Gene Tenace tags out Rudy Law at plate in fifth inning.

Umpire is Jerry Dale. Timet photo hy Melonle Kaetlner Reds Beat Astros, 8-5, but Their Hopes Are Slim Sunday's Pro Football Results San Diego 24, Kansas City 7 Los Angeles 28, NY Giants 7 Pittsburgh 38, Chicago 3 Cleveland 34, Tampa Bay 27 Houston 1 3, Cincinnati 1 0 Detroit 27, Minnesota 7 Miami 21, New Orleans 16 Buffalo 24, Oakland 7 Dallas 28, Green Bay 7 St. Louis 24, Philadelphia 14 Atlanta 20, San Francisco 17 Baltimore 35, NY Jets 21 Seattle 14, Washington 0 HOUSTON-Ken Griffey stroked four hits, including a two-run homer, to lead Cincinnati to a come-from-behind, 8-5, win over the Houston Astros Sunday and keep the Reds' slim pennant hopes alive in the National League West The victory brought the Reds within 3V4 games of the division-leading Astros with one week remaining in the regular season. The Astros' loss meant they maintained their two-game lead over the Dodg- ers, who also lost Both teams now have three games remaining at home and three on the road. Houston winds up the season in Los Angeles.

going to be really hard on us watching this week," said Griffey, whose 4-for-5 afternoon raised his batting average to .300. "There are just too many teams for us to depend on if we're going to get into the playoffs. All we can do is hope that Atlanta does something against the Astros and that the Giants can sweep the Dodgers. But the odds of both teams losing six games are mighty slim. Impossible, in fact "I didn't really know what kind of day I was going to have, I wasn't really up for this one.

I just went Please Tan to Page 10, Col. 3 Kings' Exhibition Grounded An air traffic controllers' walkout in Canada caused cancelation of the Kings' exhibition against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night Instead of flying from their training camp at Victoria, B.C., to Alberta, the Kings took a ferry to Seattle and flew home to Los Angeles, where they arrived early Sunday evening. Edmonton played Sunday night any way against the Minnesota North Stars, who had also played the Oilers Saturday night and were stranded in Edmonton. Expos Defeat Phillies, Regain NL East Lead I.