The Times from San Mateo, California • Page 19

via 1975 THE San The Timing Is Perfect Catfish Faces Stumbling A's Tonight New York's Jim "Catfish" Hunter faces his old Oakland teammates tonight at the Coliseum, and he couldn't have picked a better time. -The World Champions are suffering through one of their worst slumps of the year. The Yankees battered Oakland pitch' ing with 15 hits in a 7-2 victory Tuesday night, shaving the A's lead over hard- charging Kansas City in the AL West to 5tt Hunter 115-11) beat his former teammates twice last May and has allowed them only i one run and six hits in 18 innings. Oakland managed only six hits Tuesday against Doc Medich, who won; his fourth straight and notched his llth triumph in 23 decisions. But Yankee manager Billy Martin thinks the A's will survive their slump: "I still think the A's will win the division.

Kansas City is a good team but Oakland will be too tough to catch with just one team after them." Last season, when Martin was managing the Texas Rangers, it was his club that was giving Oakland its chief competition. A's Manager Alyln Dark, whose men have lost eight of; their last 13 games, refused to agree with Martin's appraisal of the division race. "The game of baseball is the most unpredictable game there is," he said. "You never know what's going to happen." Tuesday night the Yankees knocked out Ken Holtzman (1440) in their three-run fourth inning and their assault was never stopped. The attack was ted by Walt.

Williams, who hit.a solo homer and two singles, and Chris Chambliss, who had a triple, double and a single. New York took a 2-0 lead in the second on singles by Lou Piniella and Williams, Chambliss' double and a suicide squeeze by Stanley. The Yankees hiked it to 54) in the fourth on singles by Graig Nettles, Williams, Chambliss and Sandy Alomar, and two A's erros. The sixth run came in 1 the eighth on Williams' fourth homer. A wild pitch in the, fourth brought Bert Campaneris home with the first Oakland run and the A's scored in the seventh when.

Catfish Hunter Billy Williams tripled and scored a sacrifice fly by Sal Bando. Oa'kland will start Stan Bahnsen (7-10) tonight Medich gets an extra charge out of beating the A's. "I'm always-up when I pitch against them I like "to beat the good teams," TVIedich said. Statistics Improving Did Murcer Good Times Wire Service MONTREAL Bobby Murcer's showing this season for the Giants is perhaps baseball's best evidence that a change really is as good as a rest. Murcer suffered a statistical tailing-off in 1974 with the Yankees, batting .274 and hitting 10 home runs, before dispatched to the Giants in an off-season trade for Bobby He entered the Giants' game against the Montreal Expos Tuesday night with a .311 average and 11 homers, and came out of it with a two-for-five performance and a double as the Giants took a 5-2 decision in 11 innings.

In the process, he won confrontations with pitchers Woodie Fryman and Fred Scherman, two old foes from his New York days. "I never set goals," said Murcer. "If I say I'm going to do this and that and then I 'don't reach my goal, people say 'how's that you predicted what you would do but you did not fulfill your "I guess you could say I'm enjoying it here in the because I'm doing a little better than I did last season," he said. "But as far as the pitching goes, I find it the same in both leagues." Murcer worked Fryman for a walk that set up a game-tying single by Gary Mat- Pholo by John Storay) THE DIRECT METHOD The A's Reggie Jackson figured the best way to keep Yankee shortstop red Stanley from completing a double ploy was to ruin the throw, which he did by hurtling into Stanley. The throw went wild and Billy Williams was safe at first.

tjhe Wi SPORTS thews in the ninth inning and then rapped Scherman for a two-run double in the llth. Gary Thomasson doubled off loser Dale Murray (5-7) and Derrel Thomas greeted Scherman with a single before Murcer connected with a fastball down and away. Thomasson and Thomas romped home but Murcer was the first out of the inning when he overran second base. Matthews then walked before Willie Montanez drilled a double that drove in the final run. The Giants had tied it in the ninth on a RBI single by Matthews of Fryman.

Mike Caldwell, the Giants' fifth pitcher, picked up the win, his sixth in l.decisions this year. Seals Sign Veteran! OAKLAND (UPI) The California Golden Seals Tuesday announced the signing of veteran defenseman Jim Neilson, voted the team's Most Valuable Player last season, to a multi-year contract. Terms were not disclosed. Neilson, who also aided the offense with 17 assists, will be starting his 14th National Hockey League, season. A PerfocRace Mfler 'Couldn't Believe' Mark (AP loserphoTo) WALKER CELEBRATES New Zealander John Walker holds bouquet after shattering world mile record with a 3:49.4 run Tuesday in Sweden.

GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) John Walker runs in nobody's shadow anymore. After two years of chasing Filbert Bayi, Walker put it all together in what he described as "a perfect and shattered one of sport's most revered records, running the mile in 3 minutes, 49.4. seconds at the Goteborg Games international track and field meet Tuesday night. "I feel extremely happy-I still can't believe I've broken the record," said Walker, a 23- year-old New Zealander who burst onto. the international track scene just two years ago.

"I didn't believe I had a chance. I've been thinking it over and over, the last few days--how to run, how to beat it (the record). Now I feel I couldn't have run a more perfect race." Running under ideal conditions, Walker took -the lead on the third lap and sped away from the field to become the first man in history to break 3:50 for the mile. He shaved 1.6 seconds off the world record of 3:51.0. set by Bayi in Kingston, Jamaica May 17.

The record came before a crowd estimated at 9,000 at Slottskogsvallen Stadium. Walker, the only truly topflight miler in the field, finished nearly six seconds ahead of Ken Hall of Australia, who was clocked in 3:55,2, Graeme Crouch of Australia placed third in 3:56.4 and Gunnar Ekrnan of Raiders Axe Nine Ernie Jennings Cut Ernie Jennings, the former Air Force Academy wide receiver drafted by the 49ers in 1970 before he entered military service, has been released. The Niners had expected good things from Jennings. But Jennings had been out of football for some time, and faced stiff competition. Gene Washington and Bob Hayes undoubtedly have the starting wide receiver positions locked up, and veterans Speedy Thomas and Mike Bettiga were playing ahead of Jennings too.

Four other players, all free agents, also were cut from, the 49ers roster at Goleta Tuesday wide receiver Glen Garson of California State University-Fullerton, quarterback Ken Pettiford of Tennessee State, defensive tackle Mark Sims of San Diego State and Willie Miller of Tampa. Jennings had been drafted in the 10th round. The training camp cuts enabled the 49ers to make the current 80-player limit, The 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams in a preseason game Saturday night at Los Angles. In Santa Rosa, the Raiders have released nine men in order to get down to the league limit of 60 as they ready for Sunday's exhibition battle with World Champion Pittsburgh at Berkeley's Memo- rialStadium. The Raiders don't announce cuts and the only players gone for sure Tuesday were former 49er receiver Robert West, defensive back James Daniels, and running back Paul Carreathers.

The others released were free agents. Players who participated in the All-Star game are exempt from the 60 limit so the Raiders have 63, includinadefensive backs Neal Colzie and Charles Phillips and running back Louis Carter. Newcomer Colzie is not impressed with the Steelers since he did not play against them last year but faced them in the All- Star game. "I'll tell you one thing, they can't match our wide receivers," said the star from Ohio-State. "After working against Cliff Branch in practice, I became so conscious of the deep threat that I gave the receivers too much respect last week.

I kept playing off them, giving them room after my experience with Cliff, and I didn't have to do it." Colzie worked against Frank Lewis of the Steelers in the All-Star game and indicated he feels that Branch, MllwfSiani and Fred Biletnikoff of the Raiders are all superior pass-grabbers. Sweden was'fourth in 4:01.5. The temperature was 77 degrees when the race began, at 7:50 p.m. local time. Walker credited Swedish runner Goran Savemark with helping to set up the record run.

"He kept exactly the speed I wanted the first 800 meters," Walker said. Walker was timed in 56.3 seconds for 440 yards and 1:55.5 for 880 as he bided his time behind Savemark. He surged to the front in the third lap, followed by Hall and Crouch, and increased his lead steadily. On the fourth lap he let it all out. "I tried to follow Walker when he surged into the lead but I couldn't," said Hall.

"He's the best middle distance runner in the world." Walker's time at the end of 1,200 meters (1,312 yards) was 2:53.5 and he ran the last lap in less than 56 seconds. Walker first achieved notice when he finished second to Bayi in the 1,500 meters at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand. Bayi set a world record for the metric mile of 3:32.2 in that race, in which--as usual--he led all the way. Walker started his finishing kick too late to catch Bayi and came in. second, in 3:32.5.

Since then Walker has established himself as an outstanding middle distance runner, but when it came to the mile there was always the dominating presence of Bayi. Walker was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1974 by Track and Field News, but that was before Bayi ran his record mile. And three times this year, Walker finished second to Bayi. He says he now has two goals: to beat Bayi, and to break the record for 1,500 meters.

He has no doubts about either. "If he faces me, I am quite confident I can beat him--as well as his record," Walker said. "I have a good.chance, under present conditions, to do better than 3:32.2. Now I know I stand a tough. time I won't permit Bayi to disappear after the start." Walker's times fpr the first three laps Tuesday were faster than the corresponding times by" Bayi in his front-running record'run: Walker, who often competes at two and three miles, has kept up a busy schedule this summer, running in meets throughout Europe and setting a personal best for the mile of 3:52.2 in another Swedish meet July 1.

He credited an 800-meter race and a few 200-meter sprints he ran last week with improving his speed for the record run. "I guess the sprint races, together with a few days rest, were the right medicine to break a world record," he said. At 6 feet 1M and 185 is one of the biggest runners ever to compete' successfully in the mile; His record effort: nudges him ahead of Bayi as the favorite to win the 1,500 meters in the 1976 Olympics at Montreal. Jim Ryun, whose mark of 3:51.1 had stood up for nearly eight years untihbroken by Bayi and who now runs as a professional, called Walker "my, personal favorite for-Montreal," and said he was not suprised to see the 3:50 barrier broken. surplus 2021 broadway redwood citj 385-7770 Open 9-9 Ihurs.

9-6 Sleeping Bags? For Ml? YOU BET! select irregulars and outstanding salesmen's samples in festive colors and linings. 3-1 bs. of cozy, plush polyester fiberfill. Adult and kids' sizes. REDUCED! NOW only DINING 2-MAN CANOPY Light, compact 5x7 pack tent at our low, low, summer I discount I price I Bring your- own -this Don't broil In the hot summer sunl Try a portable, rip-proof canopy this season.

CAMP TRAILS PACK FRAME COMBINATION CAN BE YOURS FOR '5 LESS with this coupon.