The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 39

Perils illiM Despite Its Many Problems, Alf Knight Keeps AIR lolling By GEORGE CUNNINGHAM The surest way to fill the grandstands at Atlanta International Raceway is to hold a homecoming for those who have either owned or been employed by the 1.5-mile, high-banked speedway located near Griffin. Atlanta Raceway has been through more perils than Pauline, more changes of command than a Japanese Banzai unit, more controversy than you'U find at a political convention and more law suits than pro football, basketball and baseball combined. But despite all the turmoil attached to the track, somehow every race has proceeded on schedule. No small reason is a 60-year-old man with a sun-burned face, a man with more friends than a dog has fleas, a man who has been the subject of more stories of strength than Samson. Meet Alf Knight, better known as Mr.

Atlanta Raceway. Through all the comings and goings at AIR, Knight has remained the one constant. Only he has been there since that first race in 1960. Only Knight has survived the presidencies of Dick King, Art Lester, Nelson Weaver, Jack Black, Lawrence Lopatin, the Federal Bankruptcy Court and the current triumvirate of L.G. Dewitt, Walter Nix and Jim Baker.

All these years Knight has remained in the background with the unimposing title of super intendent, with little pay as compared to those figureheads with the big titles. But when tough decisions had to be made and even tougher action taken, the message always has been, "call Alf." A full-scale riot developed in the infield during the 1964 Atlanta 500. It eventually spread to the track hospital and to the Henry County JaiL For more than two hours, fists flew among the alcohol-crazed mob. Just 10 policemen were on the premises, a situation that thereafter was rectified, and Knight remembered: "Ernie Moore (his long-time sidekick) and I lined up at the door of the hospital and started swinging. Those crazy people were trying to get in and stomp some people they had already worked over and- were being treated.

"I guess I must have knocked down with my fist at least 100 people that day. They never got in the hospital I went down some myself, too, and I'll never forget that guy who slipped up behind me and hit me." Knight then reached into a cabinet and pulled out an oak knot. "This thing here saved my life that day," he said. "A man was beating his wife, and a policeman tried to intervene. The man and the woman then started.

See Page 6-D iiiiiiifc ipHsw IIP: v.MjaSff illlpBs; MUmmtmmmmmnmmnMmtmiri imimmiimu 'PUBLIC RELATIONS PLOT Jesse CONSTITUTION A Sports Miller Rejects Owners9 Offer March 17, 1976 Page 1-D OUTLAR Sporti Editor Maybe Seasons Won't Overlap This Year An optimist points out that bickering owners and players may resolve the problem of overlapping seasons. If major league 'Personally, I would recommend rejecting the proposal. My reading of the players indicated they would, too.9 Marvin iller PRO HOCKEY NHL Capitals 5 Rangers 2 North Stars 3 frlanriara By WILL GRIMSLEY AP Special Correspondent ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Negotiator Marvin Miller and a cordon of influential players scorned the major league owners' 'final' proposal' Tuesday and jeopardized not only the opening of- spring training but the April 8 start of the regular season.

After Miller personally rejected the owners' 10-page document calling for a plan that could make a free agent of virtually every player within the next two years, management negotiators walked out in a huff and said they were returning to New York. Asked if the season was jeopardy, Lee MacPhail, president of the American League," said: "It's getting close. Every hour the season is more in jeopardy." He said he was returning either to New York or to his Florida home to await the outcome of a players' executive board vote Wednesday. I A i ii I I "I am tired, we are disappointed," MacPhail said. Both he and Gaherin appeared anxious to get away.

The players' executive board, consisting of the 24 elected player representatives, have scheduled a meeting in Tampa at 1 p.m., EST, Wednesday to consider the owners' proposal. Rejection seems certain. "Personally, I would recommend rejecting the proposal," Miller said. "My reading of the players indicates, they would, too." Gaherin said, "Their tone was a tone of rejection. We made no changes in the proposal as presented." Asked, in view of the players probable rejection, if the owners planned any changes in the proposal, he said: "None absolutely none!" Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who had promised last weekend that he would arbitrarily declare the camps open if he thought sufficient progress was being made, also abruptly left the scene of six days of negotiations here.

1 2 4 3 3 flyers 4 Flames Cawdiens 5 Penguins Black Hawks 6 Scouts Bruins 3 tie Blues Buffalo at Los Angeles, late game PRO BASKETBALL NBA Lakers 109 Cavaliers 105 Bulls 129 Suns 87 Rockets US Knicks 111 Detroit at Golden State, late game Buffalo at Portland, late game Baseball doesnt start until mid-summer, the hockey and basketball playoffs will be completed. If, Vince Dooley's Bulldogs win the SEC football title, Georgia will have two teams in the Sugar Bowl. John Guthrie's basketball team has already been invited to compete against Indiana, Cincin MacPhail and the owners' chief hegotiator, John Gaherin, were red-eyed and obviously upset after a brief meeting Tuesday with the players unit. Outlar nati and South Carolina in the annual tour Drive a sleek 76 Cordoba this weekend urn. Si Leach Lifts Flyers Past Flames, 4-2 By VIC DORR You'd have thought the Philadelphia Flyers had lost the hockey game.

There was Bernie Parent, nodding his head and saying his late-season comeback still "has a way to go." There was coach Fred Shero, saying he's "still not happy with the way Reggie Leach is playing." And there was Atlanta Flames coach Fred Creighton, saying "the effort from most everybody tonight was super. There are a lot of guys in there who worked their be-hinds off tonight." And yet, there was the Omni scoreboard, saying the Flyers had, indeed, won the game, 4-2, before a sellout crowd of the second capacity crowd of the home season. The Flyers, who embarrassed the Flames Sunday night in Philadelphia, won the game-their 22nd in a row without a defeat-by playing aggressively on defense and taking complete advantage of five minutes of shaky goaltending by Atlanta's Phil Myre. Leach, Philadelphia's high-scoring right winger, and Curt Bennett, Atlanta's leading goal-scorer, had swapped second second-period scores-Leach's goal was his 51st, Bennett's, his 32nd-when Myre's composure seemed to desert him. 7 au 1 I fori fill only Ji yjj per day unlimited mileage nament.

Speaking of Georgia, AD Joel Eaves wants Vanderbilt to renegotiate the current football contract extending through 1979. With the rising cost of living, Eaves Insists the Bulldogs can't afford to split 50-50 when Dudley Field seats only 34,000 while San-ford Stadium accomodates 59,200. Watching Tom Lysiak of the Flames, rm convinced that he's one hockey player who could have excelled in any Braves' publicist Randy Donaldson said so long before departing for the West Palm Beach camp, a reminder that this is the first spring in 27 years that this typewriter hasn't been to Florida. Senior tackle Jay Garrett has been elected president of Georgia Tech's Yellow Jacket Club for the 1976-77 school year. Fullback Tony Head is the veep and pitcher Jerry Bass is has knocked Leo Durocher out of that managerial job in Japan.

A Lean Year for Miss Bacon Jockey Mary Bacon, called the greatest woman rider since Calamity Jane by Jim Murray, is a bitter lady. She was riding some 300 horses annually before she attended a Klu Klux Klan meeting in Louisiana last year. Though Mary insisted she was just getting her kicks, horsemen have boycotted her. Ernie Harwell, Detroit sportscaster who started his career at the late Poncey, once attracted national attention with the following poem: "Baseball is the President of the United States tossing out the first ball of the season; and a pudgy schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. It's the big league pitcher who sings in night clubs.

And the Hollywood singer who pitches to the Giants in spring training. A tall, thin old man waving his scorecard from his dugout-that's baseball. So is the big fat guy with a bulbous nose running out one of his 714 home runs with mincing steps. It's America, this baseball." Since Ernie has plenty of leisure time this spring, I suggest that he do a re-write job. Football wont be the same at Georgia Tech without Franklin Rodgers Sr.

I'm one of the newspapermen who enjoyed Franklin's company years before Pepper became a famous name. There were some disappointed crooks at Cahokia Downs in St. Louis last Friday night. Noting irregularities in trifecto wagering before the scheduled tenth race, vets checked the field of eight and discovered that five trotters had been drugged. Bets were refunded and the race was canceled.

See OUTLAR, Page Take advantage of this Avis Special. One day minimum rental. Taxes and gasoline not included. Car must be returned to one of the locations listed below. Sorry, no discounts on this special rate.

Rates extend from Noon Thursday until noon Monday at the following locations: iP'HHnii A Still Photo-Bud Skinner FlamesVVail, Fiyers' Mcllhargey Slug It Out See LEACH, Page 5-D Atlanta: 143 Courtland N.E. and Hartsfield International Airport: 768-3400 Radisson Olympic Inn: (Chamblee-Dunwoody 1-285): 394-6985 Northlake Hilton Inn: (1-285 at La Vista Rd.) 938-3235 Terrace Garden Inn: 3405 Lenox N.E. (at Peachiree): 261-2688 Marietta: 481 S. Four Lane Highway 422-0491 Dunfeyt Royal Coach Inn: 1-75 and North Side Drive (at Franklin 351-0031 "Rates extend from noon Friday until noon Monday at Airport Iwatlons New Orleans Super dome Gets '78 Super Bowl SAN DIEGO API Pasadena, already had been selected for the 1977 championship battle. Rozelle said the league owners could not under present conditions go for expansion at this time, which killed the bid by Memphis, where John Bassett has kept more than 30 of his World Football League players under contract See MEMPHIS, Page 6-D vniva vi the long-delayed National Football League draft were set, New Orleans won the bid for Super Bowl XII in 1978 and Memphis lost its bid for a franchise at the NFL's annual meetings Tuesday.

Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the $173 million Super-dome in New Orleans will be the site of the Super Bowl game on Jan. 15, 1978. The Rose Bowl in Avis. We try harden Avis rents all cars engineered by Chrysler. 3 King Edward VIS PENT CS SYSTEM.

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