The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 18

It's been a painful year for the Celtics 1 i 18 Boston Evening Globe" Friday, December 31, 197S SporTViewJACK CUAIC Oh Sugar GIi. 5 fouls up on Bowl The folks at Ch. 5. here sports is far from underprivileged, will not get the new year off to a good start. In fact, it will be a bizarre beginning.

Would you believe that tomorrow's Sugar Bowl, this year the most attractive of the New Year's games, will be delivered on a one-hour delayed basis on Ch. While the game kicks off at 1. p.m. everywhere else in the country, around here the action will not begin until 2. The cause of the delay increases the foolishness, too.

The game will give way to the two-hour Rose Bowl parade that will start live at 11:30. And the parade will be on Ch. 5 despite the fact that it also will be on Channels 4 and 7 The effect of Ch. 5's decision will be to place the Sugar Powl clash between No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh and Georgia head-to-head with Maryland vs.

Houston in the Cotton Bowl on Ch. 7. i The explanation by Ch. 5 GM Bob Bennett focuses on the fact that the station was not aware of the switch from the New Year's Eve Sugar Bowl telecasts of recent years to New Year's Day until after a commitment had been made to the parade telecast and, crucially, local sponsors. None of the more than 200 other network affiliates around the country could make that statement, says Bob Reish of ABC in New York, where the Ch.

5 decision against live football was judged as dazzling in a scary sort of way. The Sugar Bowl will be carried live on both Channels 6 and 9 and can be heard on WHET radio as it happens. v- Over at Ch. 4 another mystifying bumping of sports will take place Sunday as NBC's opening college basketball twinbill is bounced. So those multiplying promotions heard during the football season, including during the Patriots-Raiders telecast, were misleading.

i. Instead, Ch. 4 will provide syndicated and profitable programming Sunday until 3:30, when it will carry the East-West Shrine game, where Joe Yukica will coach the Atlantic Meanwhile, the Michigan-South Carolina and UCLA-Houston basketball action will be on Ch. 10, starting at 1 p.m., with Ch. 38 picking up the second game at 4.

The Rose Bowl game, Michigan vs. USC, is due for a 5 o'clock kickoff tomorrow on Ch. 4, with the Orange Bowl, (Colorado vs. Ohio State) at 8. There will be two college football clashes Sunday in addition to the East-West game.

The American Bowl will be on Ch. 38 at 1, where at halftime the ultimate hero, the greatest football player of all time, will be declared. And at 3 o'clock on Ch. 7 it will be the Sun Bowl, Texas vs. Florida.

There is a local element. Ned Martin will broadcast the game on radio but, alas, the CBS affiliate, WEEL is passing it up. The Sun Bowl will be preceded by the NBA opener, 76ers vs. Nets, with Dr. having changed sides since the game was scheduled by CBS.

Superstars returns on Ch. 5 Sunday at 2, with a novel concept, competition among retired athletes. Bob Cousy tries, but fails in the taped program. And if it's not too lale it hardly ever is tune in the Peach Bowl today, on Ch. 38 at 2.

And count down the Bicentennial Year tonight with the As'tro-Bluebonnet Bowl at 8, same Reflecting various degrees of anxiety in this Cowens-less year are (left to right) Jo Jo White, Steve Kuberski and Tom Boswell. (Globe photos by Stan Grossfeld) CELTICS ARE LIMPING AN ANALYSIS "I intend on sitting down and talking to him.and find- ing out what we can do," Heinsohn says. "He's struggling. He's not John Havlicek. The doctors don't want "him to i practice.

They were pessimistic that he'd even jRwsh out! the season. The other night in LA, once it was reach, I wanted to take him out and rest him. And he saidyhey, I'm not in shape, let me go back in." THE ALTERNATING PIVOT A nice with Ard's experience and Boswell's enthusiasm. elbow is still bothering him. And Boswell hasn'ifulfilled Heinsohn's expectations, "Jimmy is giving us Jimmy Ard's game.

But Boswell is terribly off. I'm really disappsMjted in I him the last 10 days. He's not even coming The combined LA-Phoenix stats for both men were 13 points, 19 rebounds. But there, are no options, now that Cowens is 'gone. Moving the pivot merely shifts the problem to the corner.

A trade seems I unlikely. "Who's gonna give you a center?" Heinsohn wonders. "We went through that with Russell and we By John Powers 1 Globe Staff OAKLAND If you were hoping he'd be back by the middle of January, after they'd taken down the Christmas decorations in Kentucky and after the itch to play again had returned, you Would have looked forward to the rest of this trip. Beating Golden State here Sunday afternoon would make what happens in Portland and Seattle next week immaterial. And failing thatr there's always Buffalo at the end and the Braves are having trouble beating anybody anywhere.

Take them both and it's a split, and together with Philadelphia's losses in Texas The only problem is that David Cowens says he's not coming back until Buzzards Bay next September. Which means that the Celtics live with what they have 11 men in varying stages of health until April. Or hopefully a few weeks later. And what they have began to show the strain this week. The 134-105 giggler at Los Angeles could be shrugged off as a natural hazard of a 10-game road swing.

What-happened at Phoenix, when Boston watched a 14-point lead crumble the moment it went to the bench, told a lot more. Without Cowens, seven-man basketball becomes a necessity. When the Celtics play it well, as they did at Denver last Sunday, they can be devastating. When they "We did well against Denver with seven men," Hein-sohn says. we're ground down.

We were getting an effort out of the two centers considering them as one thv' two forwards, the two guards, and John Havlicek. "But as soon as Havlicek started hurting, we started having troubles. Now, there are only four guys who are playing consistently." Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Charlie Scott, Jo Jo White. They averaged 42 minutes apiece at Phoenix, even though Scott and White were 7-for-23 at halftime. Cold as they were, the bench was worse.

You don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind will blow come February and March if that trend continues and Philadelphia and New York get the hearts ticking regularly in their monsters. So, as the Celtics arrived here for two days of workouts yesterday evening, they had at least five dilemmas nipping at their heels. THE ABSENCE OF. COWENS The erratic rebounding, the defensive leaks inside, the problems with the break all of them can be traced back to this. "The plays they run for him, and the options off of them the 69 and the 64 and the 6," Suns coach John MacLeod says.

"They're all for Dave." It has taken three men Wicks, Tom Boswell and Jim Aid to replace him, and the burdens on White and Scott have been heavy. When Cowens left, some viewed it as a blessing in disguise, figuring his absence would force the Celtics into a healthy diversity that would make Boston unstoppable once he returned. Treading water for a while could be beneficial. But who expected it would be for six months' HAVLICEK AND THE KNEE A glance at the last three box scores tells you everything you need to know. 2-for-12, 4-for-12, l-for-12.

John Havlicek does not shoot those figures on sound legs. The left knee, a problem since Thanksgiving, is sabotaging him. "When you shoot, you get your power from your legs," he says. "And when I jump Havlicek guve a hop as though his ankles were tied together. "It's like this." His playing time has dwindled from 38 minutes in Cleveland to '23 in Phoenix.

And Heinsohn is going to talk to Havlicek this morning to figure out a solution. ended up with Finkel." THE, BENCH Losing Havlicek deprives them of two men. and with Steve Kuberski still recovering from ppIIh. litis in his foot, nobody else has come forward. "We'y gotta i have the confidence of people coming in and doin'gnhe job," Heinsohn says.

"Sometimes they're doing it More recently, they're not. Kevin Stacom has been spotty as a third guard. And neither Fred Saunders nor Norm'Cook has i seen much time. Heinsohn experimented with both of them as starters, but that required a healthy Havlicek coming off the bench with Rowe. That idea might be tried again, f- out of necessity.

i INJURIES The minor things have mostly cleared up, and both Ard and Kuberski are at least available for duty. But White's foot continues to bother him. And Havlicek's" knee forgetting the Big Red One is the key to what happens the rest of the way. Super pain for Patriots Walton limps off the court, and the Bucks take off mmmsmmmm Sir i 7" (AP photo) BOB LANIER: He's talking sabbatical. By Lesley Visser Globe Staff Another group of season-ticket holders is up in arms.

Several weeks ago, the Patriots sent a letter to season-ticket holders stating that 600 Super Bowl tickets would be sold on a one-to-one basis. This meant one Super Bowl ticket for each season ticket. Naturally, it was understood it was on a first-come, first-served basis. Last night, the Patriots said they had come up with enough tickets' so that each customer who was in-line with a number would be able to purchase a pair of Super Bowl tickets. Those persons should contact the Patriots office today.

Charlie Dyer was the first season ticket holder in line to be turned down. Every person who received the initial letter was told that he 6c! she must appear and would receive upon arrival. Dyer's letters-was numbered 15. mm n-. According to Dyer, Peter Co.

bought the first 96 tickets and" Jhe next three eligible buyers, numbers two, three and four, were not hit by 'Cowens fever' From Wire Services Bob Lanier, upset at the increasing amount of dissension evident on the Pistons, has said he just might follow j.Dave Cowens's cue and take an extended leave of absence from basketball. development in his previous two NBA seasons. Junior Bridgeman's 24 points he is averaging 20.2 in his last seven games led seven Bucks in double scoring figures as they topped their previous single game season high by one point. It was their fifth victory in six games and they are 6-11 since Don Nelson succeeded Larry Costello as head coach Nov. 22.

Nelson said Walton's early departure hadn't significantly altered the Bucks' game plan. That essentially involved a free wheeling running attack and high pressure team defense, concepts Nelson has taught 'since he took over and which the Bucks finally show signs of grasping. "We kept running," Nelson said. "We didn't run many plays. We just played basketball.

I wouldn't have changed that much (had Walton not been hurt). Maybe we would have run more set plays that we know will work against him, but basically our game plan was the same." Also missing the game with respective groin and ankle injuries were Blazer regulars Maurice Lucas, their No. 2 scorer and rebounder, and Dave Twardzik, their best defensive guard and a .613 field goal shooter. And because Lucas, a forward, also is the Blazers' backup center, rookie center Robin Jones had to play 32 minutes, his most extensive action of the season. Associated Press MILWAUKEE If coach Jack Ramsay had chosen to cite excuses for what had happened to his Portland Trail Blazers last night, he needn't have looked far.

The biggest reason of all 6-foot-ll Bill Walton hunched on a stool in front of his dressing room cubicle, grimacing as he clutched Jiis iced and heavily taped right knee. Walton, the NBA's leading rebounder and shot blocker, its 14th ranked scorer and eighth most proficient field goal shooter, bruised the knee when he lost his balance and fell after missing a stuff shot 314 minutes into Portland's game with the Milwaukee Bucks. He tried to continue, but sat down for good after five minutes. And with three Portland regulars out with injuries, the Bucks, only team in the NBA yet to show double figures in the victory column, rolled over the Pacific Division-leading Blazers 127-107. Walton limped badly after the game, and precautionary x-rays were planned.

"I don't know what happened. All I know is I hurt my leg pretty bad," said Walton, healthy for the Blazers' previous 34 games and finally playing with the brilliance that had made him an All-America at UCLA. Frequent injuries had slowed his However, the tickets were gone by the time the 12th person in line at Schaefer Stadium reached the window yesterday. And assistant general manager Jim Valek claims that, as of late yesterday afternoon, he was uncertain who got the bulk of the tickets. Mir VflC Peter Pan Tours manager Donald Lake confirmed that Peter Pan owns 96 season tickets, "and we have fof.the past eight to 10 years." The question remains, why did the Patriots say they would offer 600 seats for sale when they didn't have- that many seats to sell? .1 i And the Warriors' Jamaal Wilkes, the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1974-75, says he is not looking beyond this season.

I "I'm not saying it's any one player," Lanier said following Wednesday night's 120-111 victory over Portland in jwhich he outscored Bill Walton, and grabbed 14 irebounds, "but us, as a unit, the players', the coaches and the trainer, have to get our stuff together. "My eyes are starling to twitch from just nerves and right now1 I'm about at the point where I just might take a rest, you know, just' like Cowens. I'm thinking about the (same That's how serious the situation is." The Pistons, playing their best ball in a number of jyears, are currently in second place in the Midwest The NFL gives 1000 tickets to each team not participating in the Super Bowl. According to Valek, the Patriots decided to save 600 for season-ticket holders. However, after the team officials and players bought their tickets, less than 600 were- left.

1.1V I el-1 -5- happening on Salem Common? MIL KOUNDUP North Stars tie Canadiens wmmm NEW YEAR'S DAY FOOTBALL SPECIAL! SEE ALL THE COLORFUL ACTION OF THE SUGAR BOWLCOTTON BOWLROSE BOWLORANGE BOWL HOTEL ROOM WITH COLOR TV 1 P.M.11 P.M. LARGE CARD TABLE WITH PLAYING CARDS A err SUM w-m-w ATiirn tnr-w Alf All However, the squad is loaded with many high-salaried athletes and coach Herbie Brown has had trouble placating players with sufficient playing time to suit their Wilkes, Rookie of the Year in 1974-75 doesn't want to sound harsh or abrupt and says he isn't using his pitch as a lever to extract a bigger contract from the Warriors, but he is seriously considering retiring. He simply doesn't feel the compensation is worth the demands it makes on his life. During a recent practice session, he said. "There are vugs vulu occn wmcn alsv ABLE.

YM JOC00 second-period power play goal and Andre Dupont added an unassisted score in the third period to support goalie Wayne Stephenson's first shutout as the streaking Philadelphia Flyers blanked the Kings, 2-0, in Los things in life you cannot put a dollar value on. I'm Wllh I BASED ON 4 PERSONS $5.00 EACH. ADDITIONAL PERSON (INCLUDES 1 6-PK. BEER PER PERSON) RESERVE NOW CALL 744-4080 the From Wire Services Ernie Hicke's second goal with 56 seconds left gave the Stars a 5-5 tie with the Canadiens at Montreal last night. The left winger's shot from 35 feet out went bt twecn the legs of nctminder Ken Dryden.

Minnesota had led, 3-1, after two periods. FLYKK.S.2-0 Bobby Clarke fired in a (going to be a father don't want to miss my child 'saying his first word, taking his first slop. I don't want to miss my child growing up," Wilkes said he is not trying to make an issue out of it. (And, if anybody asks, he considered quitting long before Cowens abruptly left the Celtics. Wilkes said he probably won't make a final decision Hawthorn SAFE BOATING COURSE WEYMOUTH A fr 10-wnk, 10-lcs- on "Boating Skills Seamanship" course will start Jan.

4 at 7:30 PM, Room 021, South High School, 360 Pleasant street, South Weymouth, sponsored by the Weesaguaset Flotilla ot the USCG Auxiliary. Right On Salem Common unui me season is over. aaiem Massachusetts oiao ci i-im-wav 4 )MNeVtMilMaV'toMfl.