The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 43

If Looks Like Vikings Took It All Seriously Dos Angeles 8tonea ports V) iff A -fsssl Chargers Unfazed by 27-17 Setback in Exhibition Game By DAVE DISTEL Staff Writar BLOOMINGTON, might safely be assumed that some of the folks in the saloons of Mission Valley and beaches of La Jolla, among other places, might be wondering when the real Chargers are going to stand up. Let it be said, however, that the real Chargers are standing on the sidelines. Playing a potpourri assortment of athletes once again in Game 2 of the exhibition season Saturday night, the Chargers absorbed a 27-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings before a crowd of 45,179 at Metropolitan Stadium. The loss gave the Chargers a 0-1 -1 exhibition record, coming after the 0-0 tie against Green Bay last week in the Hall of "Shame" game in Canton, Ohio. Not the Real Thing This is a time of year for individual assessment, however, rather than team accomplishment.

Coach Don Coryell's brow may be deeply furrowed on the sidelines, but inside he knows that the real game for the coaching staff begins when the time comes to analyze the films. Minnesota's philosophy was obviously different. Take the starting quarterbacks, for example. The Chargers' Dan Fouts was in the game for three plays. The Vikings Tommy Kramer completed 19 of 27 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, much of it working against Charger reserves.

What's more, the Charger offense is being kept very simple. The regular-season offense troubles opposing defenses with considerable motion backs, receivers, tight ends. The only "motion" used Saturday night was illegal forward motionand accounted for much of the 13 penalties for 84 yards. The defense was not even the same as it will be later. Injuries in He got the first hit in the second inning and hit a homer in the eighth.

For the road trip, playing in place of injured Reggie Smith, Monday, 34, is 8 for 20 in six games. He's scored seven runs. "It doesn't do any good to complain," said Monday, who thought he would be the starting center fielder from Day 1 this season. "You're better off using that ner- NICKLAUS TAKES LEAD IN PGA BY 3 STROKES ROCHESTER, N.Y. OB-The cold, dry figures showed Jack Nick-laus shot a four-under par 66 Saturday in the third round of the 62nd PGA national championship and took a 3-shot lead with a 205 total into today's final round.

But those figures don't reflect the drama, the two-part round, the sudden shift from brilliance to the worried, anxious scrambler that Nick-laus exhibited before a gallery of about 30,000. "For 14 holes, Jack definitely was playing in a different world. Then I don't know what happened," said Lon Hinkle, three strokes behind Nicklaus at 208 after shooting a 69 Saturday. "Basically," Nicklaus said "I Please Turn to Page 10, Col. 1 A PURPOSE PUNCH- knocked Winfield down twice Dale tries to restrain Winfield, with inside pitches.

Umpire Jerry who was ejected from the game. Padres prepares to take Houston after Ryan had Dave Winfield of Saturday night at Awaclctad PrtM photo SAN DIEGO COUNTY -J- CC PART III SUNDAY, AUGUST 10,1980 the defensive line caused the Chargers to align in 3-4 and 2-5 defenses. They will use the 4-3 when Gary Johnson and Leroy Jones are healthy and Fred Dean comes out of hibernation. It was remindful of an observation a San Francisco 49ers assistant coach made a year ago after a similar Charger performance, a 13-10 exhibition loss in San Francisco. "If they had their regulars in the game," he said, "they would have beaten us, 42-7." And He Was Close When the teams met in the regular season, the Chargers were 31-9 winners.

Obviously, this is not a time of year to be taken seriously. "You have to remember what we're trying to accomplish now," Coryell said. "We're trying to play as many people as possible and find out who can play." In Fouts' brief tenure, the Chargers scored the first of their two touchdowns, albeit it was not on a pass play. Williams Breaks Away After a Fouts interception set up Minnesota's first field goal, the Chargers got the ball back on their 35. Fouts passed to Hank Bauer for 15 on the first play.

On the second play, Clarence Williams circled right end behind a series of fine blocks and ran 50 yards down the Please Turn to Page 9, Col. 1 vous energy constructively. Instead of causing turmoil, you work hard, staying in shape." Smith Returns Next Week He was waiting for his chance. And he's gotten it, though when Smith returns next week, Monday may be back on the bench, like Jay Johnstone, who was hitting so well filling in for Smith before Monday took his place in right. And, yes, Monday has said repeatedly he thought he should be playing.

But Saturday at Riverfront Stadium wasn't the time or the place. The Dodgers had won an important game. Seaver (4-6), two games removed from the disabled list, was an emotional hurdle for the Dodgers. The Reds had won the first game of this series and, with another win, would have passed the Dodgers in the standings. But Seaver, who had been sidelined 33 days, was not the real Tom Seaver Saturday.

In the second, Monday's single was followed by two doubles, two outs, another double, consecutive singles and a homer from Ron Cey that hit the foul pole in left. And Seaver was gone. By game's end, he was really gone, the ballpark left behind. Sutcliffe to the Rescue Jerry Reuss (13-4) had trouble protecting the big lead on a very hot night, finally giving way to Rick Please Turn to Page 16, Col. 3 punch at Nolan Ryan JIM MURRAY MONDAY SHOWS HE CAN STILL PLAY Dodgers Show They Can Give Needle After Beating Reds, 9-4 A Costly Turnaround By MIKE LITTWIN Tlnm Staff Wrttor CINCINNATI-It was Saturday night.

And it was live. The Dodgers won big, riding a seven-run second inning, against Tom Seaver, to a 9-4 win over Cincinnati. And you knew they had by the joking in the clubhouse. Jay Johnstone kept talking about Bill Russell's fractured wrist. Russell knew nothing about a fracture.

There was a bit of fractured humor, though, as the Dodgers remained a half-game behind Houston in the National League West but moved 1V6 games ahead of the Reds. Rick Monday, who's finally playing and finally playing well, was surrounded by a group of writers when the barrage began. "I've got more starts than you have," pitcher Burt Hooton said to Monday. "And I've got more complete games," Don Sutton added. Was Monday MIA? Monday, whose wit is as sharp as any, was saying he hadn't talked to a writer in three months when Sutton interrupted.

"We thought you were MIA (missing in action)," Sutton said, "I was wearing a bracelet with your name on it." Monday broke up. This season hasn't been very funny for him. Not this one or the last But he's enjoying himself now, for as long as he can. Every football executive worth his expense account dreams of signing the player who can "turn the franchise around," as the saying goes, a Terry Bradshaw who can lead you to instant Super Bowl, a game-breaker like Tony Dor-sett, Earl Campbell, Lynn Swann. But the Rams didn't bargain for the turnaround the signing of Johnnie Johnson gave the Super Bowlers of 1980.

Johnnie not only turned the franchise around, he almost turned it into the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams got Johnnie at a cost far in excess of the $1.1 million announced to the press. To date, the cost has included one All-Pro defensive end, an All-Pro defensive tackle, one outside linebacker, defensive back and offensive guard. In other words, the deal cost the Los Angeles Rams the Los Angeles Rams. The problem is as old as pro sports.

A grizzled veteran looks with shock at the figures paid to raw recruits, slams his fist on the desk and screams, "I played for you with broken legs, pinched nerves, nosebleeds and torn ligaments, and here you pay millions to this kid who never blocked a punt, fell on a fumble, intercepted a pass or even held a placekick! What am chopped liver? Yesterday's hash? I want millions, too! So tear up my contract and write a new one or get your (leave blank name of position) out of the Yellow Pages!" A "million dollars" has a nice ring to it. Agents love the sound of it. You get better tables in restaurants when you're associ Astros Clean Up After Ryan Puts Winfield in Dirt Houston's Nolan Ryan knocked down San Diego slugger Dave Winfield twice in the fourth inning Saturday night in the Astrodome, so Winfield figured it was only fair that he knock Ryan down once. After getting up from the second brushback pitch, Winfield shook off the efforts of umpire Jerry Dale to stop him, charged at Ryan and landed a roundhouse right on the fireballer's shoulder. Ryan went down, both benches emptied and in the usual baseball version of a square dance, nobody was hurt Winfield apparently was angered because Ryan hit teammate Ozzie Smith with a pitch in the third inning.

When Ryan threw the second pitch high and tight, Winfield turned to Dale and apparently asked him why he didn't warn Ryan. Catcher Luis Pujols said something to Winfield. The 6-6 Winfield shoved the 6-2 Pujols aside, then pulled away from Dale. Ryan came to meet him and, after Winfield threw the punch, the two rolled on the ground. Ryan is four inches shorter and, at 190, 30 pounds lighter than Winfield.

Please Tun to Page 9, Col. 2 Stone and Orioles Keep On Rolling For most of the last decade pitcher Steve Stone has gone to the mound expecting the worst. He expected everything to go wrong, and at least half the time, it did. In his 10th major league season Stone has acquired confidence. It is the single ingredient added that has changed him from a .500 to the biggest winner in the majors this season.

Stone's confidence has helped give Baltimore Manager Earl Weaver the feeling the Orioles will repeat as American League champions. The Orioles made it two in a row over the Yankees Saturday night at New York and Stone earned his 18th victory, a 4-2 victory that left the surging Orioles only 3V6 games out of first place in the Eastern Division. Ken Singleton tripled home Rich Dauer for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Orioles ran their winning streak to eight games. On July 20 the Orioles were 10 games behind, but they have won 15 out of 17 and have a 35-14 record since June 15. Stone has been hot even longer than his team.

On May 5 he lost to Minnesota and was 2-3. His record Please Turn to Pate 7, Col. 1 ated with that word million. Actually, Johnnie Johnson's million comes over six years. But no agent wants to say he got his client $166,000 a year.

You can make that opening car doors and whistling for cabs. Agents leave that in tips. Still, the signing of Johnnie Johnson was the most cataclysmic since the signing of the Japanese surrender aboard the Missouri. It is not apt to have the same long-lasting effect that document had. The holdout players the Fearful Five: the two Youngbloods, Jack and Jim, Larry Brooks, Pat Thomas and Dennis Harrah are meeting in Los Angeles with management this weekend.

But, they have already missed two weeks of practice. Is Johnnie Johnson worth it? Well, Johnnie Johnson was a 9.6 sprinter in high school, an all-state high and low hurdler, a two-way football player, good enough to be offered a baseball contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates, great playmaker in basketball, and a nifty Swann-like pass catcher in football. Usually, when you get an athlete like that, you have to threaten to lock him in a rubber room and systematically break him down by leaving the lights on all night to get him to play defense. But Johnnie Johnson insisted on it! He didn't want what he called the "glamour positions." Given his qualifications, it was a little like Robert Redford insist-Please Turn to Page 12, Col. 1 helped San Diego to a 4-0 win over New England before 9,276 spectators.

The win moved the Sockers 11 points in front of Detroit for the remaining wild-card playoff berth in the North American Soccer League's American Conference. And it also closed the gap on second-place Edmonton to five points. Detroit and San Diego have three games left in the regular season, Please Turn to Page 10, Col. 4 NEW ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH There Are as Many Lows as Highs for the Riders in the Colorado International Bicycle Race to the Peaks and Through the Valleys By SHAV GLICK, Times Staff Writer Sockers' Playoff Hopes Receive Big Boost, 4-0 By MATT MITCHELL Tlnwi Staff Writ BOULDER, Colo. Driving on Interstate 70 over the Rockies from Denver to Vail recently, motorists could see in the distance a serpentine ribbon of color resembling the tail of a Chinese kite in flight.

As the ribbon writhed and weaved in thinning air toward the summit of Loveland Pass, its pace slowed agonizingly. Then, cresting the Continental Divide, it gained momentum, stretched out and raced downhill at breakneck speed. The image then came into focus. The bright reds, yellows, blues and rainbow stripes in the Colorado sun were bicycle racers, their legs pumping like pistons in a relentless rhythm. Some cars, trucks and campers had stopped along the highway, their fuel systems starved from lack of air or coolant boiling from the heat and altitude.

As the riders pedaled past the stalled machinery, a bumper sticker on a van seemed to sum up the scene: "Muscle power, not horsepower." An incongruous slogan, perhaps, coming as it did from the rear end of a V8-powered machine. Riders in the peleton, as a column of cyclists is called, were part of the Coors Colorado International Bicycle competition formerly the Red Zinger which in six years has become an American bicycle classic. Weaving through a mountain pass at 60 m.p.h., a peleton can be a breathtaking sight. From Denver to Vail Pass, 100 miles from Denver's altitude to 10,603 at the pass, the bikers did not get the luxury of going through I-70's modern wonder, the Eisenhower tunnel. Instead they went up and over the old road, reaching 11,990 feet before descending.

If you can't afford a trip to Europe but have always wanted to see the 21 -day, cross-country Tour de France, the Coors stage races are a colorful alternative. The hamlets aren't Liege, Serre-Chevalier or Compiegne and the mountains aren't the Alps or Pyrenees. But Colorado villages such as Vail, Please Turn to Pare 13, Col. 1 SAN DIEGO-He'd been a dis-sappointment for the Sockers all season. But Peter O'Sullivan, a last-minute starter Saturday night, erased more than two months of indifferent performances with two goals to give San Diego's playoff plans a tremendous boost.

O'Sullivan had not scored in 17 games since coming to San Diego from Brighton, England. But his two goals, plus Manu Sanon's seventh in seven games as a Socker,.