Simpson's Leader-Times from Kittanning, Pennsylvania • Page 10

After Weathering Off Year 10--Leader-Times Kittannlng, fa. Tuciday, Mar. 22, 1977 Lynn Happy With Red Sox By MILTON RICHMAN UPl Sports Editor WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (UPI) Now that it's all over, Freddie Lynn can talk about it much more easily. He can look back on all the things that happened to him last season and tell you now more objectively what his gut feelings were then.

He remembers a time around the middle of June, a time not especially good for either him or the ball club. Freddie Lynn, the American League's MVP and Rookie of the Year a season earlier, 11 hadn't signed his contrac Neither had Carlton Fisk Rick Burleson. The feeling existed the three were going to play out their option and leave the'Red Sox, and this suspicion turned many fans against them. To make things worse, the team was 6'A games back at the time, and sitting on a bus outside Fenway Park before the start of a long road trip, some of the Boston players inwardly wondered whether they'd be coming back anymore. Some fully expected to be traded Talks Progressing before the June 15 deadline.

Nobody felt immune. Sitting there on the bus waiting for it to get started to the airport, the Red Sox players listened to some of the heat they were getting from those baseball fans who find the same kind of fascination for a bus full of ballplayers as a moth finds for a glowing electric light bulb. Freddie Lynn remembers the fans around the bus yelling some things at the ballplayers. Some of the players were said to have answered the fans, Fenway Park." Freddie Lynn says now he wasn't sure then whether he'd be back in Boston or not, but he doesn't remember answering the fans back. "My feelings ran hot and cold last year," says the Red Sox" gifted 25-year-old center fielder.

"There were some days I felt this isn't the place for me. Fortunately, most of the days I wanted to play in Fenway Park. I still do. My wife, Dee Dee, didn't know what to think. We're both from California, and I think deep down, she was hoping I would wind up going to the California ball club.

I was very open-minded. Truthfully, I wanted to stay with Boston, and I'm happy I did." That's fairly apparent as Lynn goes about getting ready down here. He looks good. His physical condition is excellent and so is his attitude. Don Zimmer, the Red Sox' manager, feels the fans got on Lynn unjustly last year.

"I think he got a bad rap," says Zim. "He came up to me near the end of the season and said. "I can't play, Skip, I hurt my Some guys thought he was jaking. I never thought that once. Last year everybody said Freddie Lynn wasn't the same player he was the year before.

He hit .314 and drove in 65 runs, but you gotta remember he missed 30 games because of injuries. I wouldn't exactly call .314 a 'sophomore jinx' year, would you? Some people even said Lynn and I had words. We never had a cross word between us either when I was a coach or after I became the manager." Considering everything that happened, Freddie Lynn feels he had a decent year last season even though it wasn't on i the same par as the season before when he hit .331, drove in 105 runs and had 21 homers. Last year he hit only 10 homers. "I suppose if I had the two years everyone would've have said that was great," says Lynn.

"The way some talk about what I did last season, they make me feel I had a bad year. I don't look at it that way. How many people hit Not that many at all. Only five in the American League did any better. Zimmer plans to have Lynn hit second this year, hoping he'll be on base for some of the long bailers like George Scott, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice to drive in.

"It'll be the first time in my life I'm hitting second," says Lynn. "I'm a free swinger, but I'll have to take more pitches and get some more walks. Ill have to sacrifice ribbys for runs scored. Instead of shooting for 100 runs batted in, I'll have to try to score 100 runs. The and managers understand that.

I hope the fans will." CROWD PLEASER--Boston slugger Fred Lynn signs autographs for a group of small boys prior to a Grapefruit League game in Winter Haven, Florida. Lynn is happy to be with the Red Sox after suffering ah off year and is looking forward to the'77 season. Joe Namath Trade To Rams In Works LOS ANGELES -Rams' General Manager Don Klosterman said Monday his talks with Joe Namath's attorney have been "amicable" but several questions have to be solved before the veteran Ford City Bumped From Butler Play Ford City was eliminated last night from the Butler YMCA Basketball Tournament when the; team was defeated by Butler, 70-59. The tourney was a single elimination event, organizers said. Ford City, sponsored by Miller's Hoagies, was paced in scoring by Joe Kromka with 27 points and Joe Minarcin with 13.

rMinarcin, Brian Hobaugh Northrup each pulled down six rebounds. Ford City meets the same Butler team Wednesday night in Allegheny Valley Undergraduate Basketball Tournament in Tarentum. In an earlier game in the Tarentum tournament Ford City won in double overtime, 76-70. The two teams will meet Wednesday in the "semi-finals. Turkey Shoot Scheduled The shoot committee of the Apollo-Spring Church Sportsmen's Club will hold a holiday turkey shoot on Sunday, March 27 at 1 p.m.

on the Sportsmen's Club grounds on Route 56, five miles east of Apollo. The shoot is open to 12, 16 and 20 gauge shotguns only. The event is open to the public. quarterback can be traded from the Jets to the Los Angeles team. Klosterman said he plans future talks with the attorney.

Jimmy Walsh, about the possibility of the 34-year-old veteran of 12 seasons with the Jets making the move to Southern "Those talks were amicable and both parties had questions which would have to be resolved, if a trade were to be made for Namath," Klosterman said. "At the same time, if a trade cannot be consummated by April 1, there is a possibility Namath could become a free agent-if the Jets do not notify him by that date that they are picking up the option year on his contract." Namath and Walsh were in Palm Springs, and not immediately available for comment. The Rams' general manager said he didn't want to talk about money terms at time. Namath's New York salary is $450,000 annually on a contract that ends in 10 days. If the Jets pick up his option they will have to pay him $495,000 this season under the terms of the National Football League's new labor contract.

The Los Angeles Times Monday quoted an unidentified Rams' spokesman as saying the "going rate for good quarterbacks" irf the NFL was around $150,000 to $200,000 and that "if he signs with us his salary will be in that range if he wants more than that, then he won't be here." Los Angeles still has two first-string quarterbacks in James Harris and Pat Haden. 113 MARKET ST. KITTANNING PRE-ANNIVERSARY SALE SAVE SAVE ON EASY CAR-CARE GUMOUT GUMOUT SPRAY OR GUMOUT CAN, 99' SAVE CAR CLEANER DUPONT RALLY CREAM WAX LIQUID TURTLE WAX New Hi Gloss 5 1.79 Little Paks HRf? New AUTO GIANT Hours Mon. Thurs.9-5 Sat. 9 9 SUNDAY 10-2 PAY TAKE PRICES THRU MARCH 26th 4 8 MEDIUM EMBASSY 4 8 SANSKRIT GRAFFITTI 4 8 ORCHARD COFFEE 4 8 JAMAICAN WALNUT 4 8 CITADEL SENTRY ELM 4 8 WEATHERED 4 8 COUNTRY ROADS MOONDROP SHELVING PATIO FROM THE LIGHT SHOP- "Sliding Type 6'8" High "Tempered Safety Glass 9 Baked on White Enamel Glass Hardware and Screen Sturdy, easy to finish economy shelving.

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