The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 45

THE ATLANTA: CONSTITUTION i Baseball 5 justness 6 SEQION Tuesday, May 30, 1978 Morning Sports 2 For The Record 2 'He was handling my serve better than hoped. It wasn't as easy as I bad hoped it would John McEnroe cEmroe Kim Of Tine wt fr 4 A A 'X 4 i Ar fWw- 8 Tn i r. SmZMsimmmm In the fourth set tie-breaker, McEnroe trailed 2-1 and Sadri had an overhead to put away for an almost insurmountable 3-1 lead. But McEnroe somehow ran down the overt head smash by Sadri and then hit an unbeliev. able backhand passing shot to even the score at 2-2 and finally won it 5-3.

"He was handling my serve better than had hoped," said McEnroe. "It wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be." The crowd, as it had been all week, wa against McEnroe and solidly behind Sadri. "If I couldn't win with that crowd, guess I can't win," Sadri said. But the Charlotte, N.C. native said he; wasn't surprised that the match was as clos'a as it was.

"I thought I was going to hold my servfe and I thought he would probably hold his. I knew it was going to be close. It boiled down to who would hit a couple of lucky shots, and' he hit them. "I was happy with the way I played, didn't play especially well in the first set, bu(J after that, I played as well as I can play." Sadri said he hadn't underestimated McEnroe, but he was surprised with a couple of things the Stanford freshman did. "He surprised me at how quick he was at the net," Sadri said.

"He got back some balja that I didn't think he could get to." Sadri disagreed that the pressure was on him since he was the dark horse finalist. See NCAA, Page 3-D By Norman Arey Constitution Staff Writer ATHENS John McEnroe became the NCAA tennis champion Monday as he outlasted and outslugged John Sadri, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 in a four-hour marathon match on the University of Georgia courts. McEnroe was expected to win it and was seeded No. 1 for the tournament, but Sadri was the surprise, reaching the finals from his No. 11 seeding, whipping second-seeded Eliot Teltscher on the way.

McEnroe admitted he was surprised by how tough Sadri played, especially since the North Carolina State senior served 24 aces during the four sets. "I didn't think I was returning too badly," said McEnroe. "In fact, I thought I was returning serve pretty well. I wasn't sure how well he could volley, but be surprised me. It was close." With all his power, Sadri played especially well from the back court, and his ground strokes were much better than antici-pated.

"He hits from the backcourt better than I thought," said McEnroe, the 19-year-old champion from Stanford. "That probably surprised me more than anything." McEnroe is champion because he can play the big points better than any other amateur in the world. He consistently won the points that he had to win and played the three tie-breakers almost flawlessly. Inside it Both Nastase and Connors have ups and downs. McEnroe is more ill-tempered and ill-mannered.

He never lets Umpire Byron Sayre Brat 1 '5 1 5 1 (t A io Andy's Back In Fine Style, 5-D Scoreboard Baseball I McEnroe Has Game And Temper By Norman Arey Contitulion Staff Writer ATHENS The enigmatic saga of John McEnroe, amateur tennis player extraordi-naire, ended Monday at 2:20 p.m. when he won the NCAA tennis title. He walked off the court, quit school and turned pro. Little else has changed. Now he's just a professional enigma.

With the exception of the finals, McEnroe generally raised havoc whenever he played. He argued with umpires and other players, delayed play, stalled and generally made himself obnoxious for almost eight days. Most people were more interested in what McEnroe did on the sidelines than what he did on the court. He almost defaulted in his match with New Mexico's Tim Garcia, and was penalized three points for arguing and delaying the match. "He's a horse's butt," Garcia said.

"He should have been defaulted." See McENROE, Page 3-D liill National League Reds 7 Braves 5 Mets 7 Cards 2 Expos 4 Cubs 2 American League White Sox 7 Angels 0 Red Sox -5 Blue Jays 4' A's 6 Brewers 2 Rangers 7 Twins 1 Yankees 2 Indians 0 Orioles 6 Tigers 3 Stories, 5-D 1 1 i Staff Fhott CMn Cruet Stanford's John McEnroe Throws His Racquet In Jubilatioin After Taking NCAA Singles Title' Falling Star Lum, Again Beds' iffifi Beats Braves, 7-5: Seaver Returning To Form After Early-Season Slump i ft 1 1 50 It was a wild, inartistic contest all the Reds' starter Paul Moskan had difficulty with his aim in the first inning, allowing the Braves to score and Dale Murphy to pick up an RBI the hard way. The inning began routinely enough as Jerry Royster singled and was thrown out attempting to steal and Brian Asselstine flied out But Moskau walked in succession Biff Pocoroba, Jeff Burroughs and Gary Matthews to load the bases for Murphy. i He didn't walk Murphy. He hit the Braves' first baseman in the head, a glancing blow which caromed off the left side of Murphy's head. It forced home Pocoroba, but the Braves could get no more as Barry Bonnell's v.

flyball was caught by right fielder Ken Griffey. Seaver, for one reason or another, has not been able to package all three and one day early this season found himself with one victory in five decisions. Reds or no Reds, eight best regulars or not 1-4 is most un-Seaver-like and caused something of a -stir. People wondered. They talked.

Is Tom Seaver through? Has his fastball lost a few inches? His fans worried. See a psychiartrlst some wrote. Try a hypnotist others suggested. Or acupuncture. "You're a bum," one letter said.

"I always knew you were overrated," said another. See SEAVER, Page 4-D By Wayne Minshew Constitution Staff Wrltar There Is this unfair and inaccurate notion that all Tom Seaver has to do to pitching winning baseball for the Cincinnati Reds is show up. Seaver considers that and says, "Maybe. Maybe people do think that I don't know. But that's not the way it works.

It might make a difference three or four times a year. It doesn't change my philosophy, though." 'Seaver's philosophy of pitching is enveloped in three categories velocity, movement of the ball and location. He has to have all going for him, be says, especially location. By Wayne Minsnew Constitution Stiff WrHar Former Brave Mike Lum destroyed his ex-mates with a pinch-hit, three-run homer Monday night, breaking a 4-4 tie in the eighth' inning and enabling the Cincinnati Reds to take a 7-5 victory af the stadium. homer highlighted a four-run inning by the Reds to spoil the night for 12,569 (artisan fans.

came tourQi Braves' pitcher Rick 'Camp, but the pitching loss went to Jamie Easterly, 0-2. Reds entered the eighth trailing by a run, 4-3. Brian Asselstine's solo homer bad broken a 3-3 deadlock in the previous frame and gave the Braves a short-lived advantage. A walk, Ken Griffey's double and Dve Coin clepxx Concepcion's scoring single tied the game- in the Cincinnati eighth and set the stage for Lum's game-winning blow. sufiniom- Seaver: Even Superstars Cet The Blues See BRAVES, Page 4-D 1, hrfaaf1Jia)ia(4iflaaitMLa'B.