The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 49

BRAVES COAST, 6-0 zles Padre reeixo ci i CONSTITUTION A pons By WAYNE MINSHEW Who owns the San Diego Padres Ray Kroc or Phil Niekro? The Padres had been under the impres-sion it was Kroc, the hamburger king. After all, he had grabbed the public address microphone and blasted them in front of the home fans. The Padres are wrong, however. Braves righthander Niekro has a deed of his own. He further established that fact Tuesday night when he became the first Atlanta "Braves' pitcher of the season to throw a shutout, blanking the Padres on just four hits, 6-0, before a sparse crowd of 3,029 chilly fans at Atlanta Stadium.

Last Aug. 5, Niekro became the only pitcher in the National League to hurl a no-hitter. The victim? San Diego. Also, Niekro a string of 26 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to last year, against the Padres. Ray who? Tuesday night, Niekro's offensive help was well-distributed as Dusty Baker, Dave 'Johnson, Craig Robinson, Johnny Oates and the pitcher himself knocked in runs.

Robin-; son, in fact, enjoyed his most productive night as a Brave, going 2-for-4 and turning in a shutout-saving defensive gem for Niekro in the eighth inning. But it was Niekro's night as he no-hit the Padres again for four innings. Did he have visions of another Aug. 5, 1973? that would have been balls. That's how much it was jumping." One of his biggest strikeouts of the game, however, came on a fastball when he fanned Dave Winfield with runnners at first and third and two out in the eighth.

"I shook off the knuckler and threw him a fastball," said Niekro. "I imagine he thought I was shaking off something else to throw the knuckleball." Winfield took the strike. It was in the same inning that Robinson came up with his gem, following successive singles by pinch batters Bernie Williams and Cito Gaston. With runners at first and second, Derrel Thomas smacked a grounder up the middle seemingly headed for center field, but Robinson dived, caught the ball in belly-flopping fashicn and managed to get1 the ball to Johnson, covering second base, for the force. "It was," said Niekro, "the best play I've seen this year.

All it did was save my shutout. He did a heckuva job just to get to ball. But to throw the runner out, too. The Braves got Niekro enough to win in the first inning on what might have been the shortest sacrifice fly ever. A Ralph Garr single, a walk and Hank Aaron's ground-out had runners at second and third when Baker popped one just in back of first base.

Padre second baseman Glenn Beckert See NIEKRO, Page 4-D i f- April 16, 1974, Page 1-D "I'd be a liar if I said I didn't," he said with a grin. "It crossed my mind when I went out there in the fifth inning, but I blanked it out right quick." If he hadn't, Padre catcher Fred Kend- all would have as he opened the fifth with a clean single to center field on what Niekro said was a high knuckleball. The Padres managed only three other hits, all singles, as Niekro mowed them down inning after inning while striking out 13 and walking only three. The 13 strikeouts marked a career high for the 35-year-old pitcher, who is off to a 3-0 start. 'I think I probably had the best knuck-ler I've had this year," he said.

"Of the 13 strikeouts, I'll bet that 10 came on pitches i i 7 i $m- i 4. ft fill 1 staff Photo Bud Skinner Braves' Phil Niekro Has Knuckler Dancing, Padres Sitting Down iMcCovey Flames Endurec armin: See-Saw Sea SOB IT Tra Bernie Geoffrion I -v. Mill in I I II 11' t'J II ijk -D I- Nvv By TONY PETRELLA The only certain thing about the Atlanta Flames during their second season was that they invariably did the unexpected. Almost nothing went according to form. Dismal losing streaks offset weeks of winning.

A beating by the Islanders came one day after a triumph over the Bruins. There always seemed to be a "Must Game," which the Flames promptly would lose. Every week brought a new hero. Or goat. An old man like Noel Price stabilized the defense while rookie Tom Lysiak etched his name in the team record book.

Dependable Bobby Leiter came off the bench to score 26 goals and become the Flames' most valuable player. Jacques Richard began to reach the plateau of greatness expected of him and Randy Manery established himself as one of the finest young defensemen in the National Hockey League. When goals were scarce, goalkeeping was meticulous. Phil Myre and Dan Bouchard complimented each other well, alternating almost on a game-by-game basis. Their worth is appropriately measured in terms of long and binding contracts with the Flames.

In the end, all of those variables joined together to send the Flames careening into the Stanley Cup playoff. It was a strange By WAYNE MINSHEW Last season, on days when winds blow-I off San Francisco Bay made the after-, noons and nights generally miserable for athletes trying to earn a living in neighboring Candlestick Park, then-Giants coach John 'McNamara always seemed to warm the day for Willie McCo vey Trade rumors blew as wild and as often as the wind off the Bay, and McNamara kidded McCovey: "When you go, Stretch, going with you." Or: "When they get rid of you, you gotta take me along, Willie." Funny thing, when McCovey finally was traded last winter to the Padres for young lefthanded pitcher Mike Caldwell, he managed to take along more than his 413 career homers. A Giants coach by the name of John went along, too, albeit a little later. He was recommended to Padres president Buzzie Bavasi by McCovey. "John gets along with men," said McCovey Monday after he arrived here with his new club.

"Today, that's 95 per cent of ('managing. The average guy who sits in the bleachers knows when to bunt or when to take a pitcher out it take no genius to fio that. "From that standpoint, the standpoint Of handling men, they could not have picked a better man. I've never run into anybody yet who didn't like John McNamara." He grinned, "It's not often when you're traded, you get to take a manager along 'with you," he said. That could be one of the reasons McCovey at 36 went at spring training the way he did.

He led calisthenics, he worked it his game and, in exhibitions," he legged out every ball he hit. During one morning of leading exercises, a few tongues began to hang out as McCovey led the club through a routine, and Bobby Tolan, having had enough, finally yelled, "Hey, Stretch. I thought you had two bad knees." That he does. And for that reason and See NEW, Page 4-D bulf Hhoto Bud bkiiiner Comeau (White Jersey), Flames Go Out Fighting in Playoffs position for such a young team. But, to bor- row a phrase, they believed.

The Flames' rapid extermination in the playoff by Philadelphia was not unexpected. But the four-game sweep did have some drama introduced when the Flyers were forced into sudden-death overtime before fin' ishing off the series. It was a bittersweet experience. The'''' Flames now know what the playoff is all about So, what comes next? Year Two is over, the Flames showed the NHL a thing or two and some, young players displayed extraordinary talent. At the same time, the Flames, still have something to shoot for.

Can it hap-v pen again? The Flames say yes. Will it hap--pen again? The Flames say yes, even more emphatically. The question, then, is which of the. Flames will be around by playoff time next. year? A few have already indicated a ingness to haggle with the rival World Hock--? ey Associated.

Others have been more circumspect in their dealing with the other league. Then there is the expansion' draft to stock new franchises in Washington and Kansas City. Three players are sure to go. Waivers will claim another handful of the Flames. Trades definitely will send.

few others packing, and the young men in Omaha are bursting to get out of the Central Even general manager Cliff admits it will be difficult to keep men such- as Ken Huston, a rising young defenseman, off the Flames' roster. "He was the most impressive player on the Omaha team this season," Fletcher said Monday. "A few others look like they might be able to help us, too." ill Direct AIR Hogan, Latford Ellerbe, N.C., and also oversees a Targe family farming business in Derby, N.C. He will retain his title at the Rockingham track, whose president and majority stockholder is long-time family friend and Atlanta co-owner DeWitt. "I'll be spending most of my time at Atlanta Raceway from now on through our July 28 Dixie 500," said the 6-2, 285-pound Hogan.

"There is a lot of work to be done, but I look forward to challenge. I have always admired the potential at Atlanta Raceway." He said he would report regularly to a committee composed of new owners DeWitt, Baker and Nix. By GEORGE CUNNINGHAM Larry Hogan and Bob Latford, key executives at a pair of successful tracks in North Carolina, have been hired to run the troubled Atlanta International Raceway. Hogan, 42-year-old executive vice president of North Carolina Motor Speedway, was named general manager at AIR. Latford, 39-year-old director of public relations for Charlotte Motor Speedway, will assume that same duty at Atlanta.

But right on the heels of the executive announcements by the new owners of AIR came an appeal in the U.S. Fifth District Court in New Orleans challenging the track ownership of Atlantans Jim Baker and Walter Nix and North Carolinian L. G. DeWitt. James Price of Belleaire, by far the biggest stockholder in AIR, is ing the ruling by Federal Judge Sidney Smith whereby Baker, Nix and DeWitt were awarded controlling interest in the track despite stockholders voting 217,000 to 35,000 against the plan of reorganization submitted by the trio.

Both Hogan and Latford have vast speedway experience. A former Army lieutenant and a graduate of the University of Georgia, Hogan has been an executive at North Carolina Motor Speedway since the mile track opened in 1965. Son of a wealthy banker, Hogan owns stock in NCMS, has a construction firm in Gary Goes SAM Gilmore "'Team' Enters Pair INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Foyt, who won the race in The Gilmore Racing Team 1961, 1964 and 1967. entered two cars Monday for the 1974 Indianapolis 500, in- No driver was named for the eluding one for driver AX second car. PAUSES MJf TONIGHT 7:35 P.M.

Slam For 0pBGB V. I AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) A year ago, there was some question whether Gary Player would ever compete again. Now the gritty little man from Johannesburg, South Africa is entertaining thoughts about pro golf's Grand Slam, a feat which has never been accomplished. "One thing's certain," Player said with a big, broad smile after his victory in the Masters.

"I'm the only one who can do it this year." Ben Hogan came the closest to a one-year sweep of all the world's major championships-- the British and American Opens, the Masters and the PGA. In 1953 he won the British and American national championships and the Masters but didn't play in the PGA. In 1962 Arnold Palmer won the Masters and the British Open, lost in a playoff for the U.S. Open title and was third in the PGA. Jack Nicklaus was the last to make a major assault on the slam.

He won the Masters and the U.S. Open the first two events of the big four in 1972, before failing by a stroke in the British Open. "It's next to impossible," Nicklaus said of the Grand Slam. But Player Isn't so certain. "It's nice to have that first leg on it," he said.

"And it's a nice thing to think about. "I go into each major championship just as Nicklaus docs. i St i Associated Preu Photo mmmmmmmm: Player (L) Commends Stockton on Strong Masters' Showing.