Redlands Daily Facts from Redlands, California • Page 6

THE BORN LOSER by Art Sonsom HAZEL OUR BOARDING HOUSE with Major Hoopto "Bring 'em in! No dogs around!" EEK MEEK by Howie Schneider LANCELOT by Coker Penn oNeeniNeMVFoop Chi Cheng, she's a real China doll By MURRAY OLDERMAN NEW Cheng is coming to New York for a luncheon in her honor. This is not as significant, say, as Mayor Lindsey exposing the moon walkers to a picket line. But it is Nat Fields' way of showing Miss Chi that the world also appreciates her. A year ago, Nat, a public relations man, discovered that in 50 years of winning amateur golf championships, Maureen Orcutt had never been honored with a luncheon. So he devised the Tanqueray Achievement Award, end a bunch of New York writers got a free feed.

Even Richard (Pancho) Gonzales got a luncheon. Nat discovered that it was his first such honor in more than 20 years of banging tennis balls. He also discovered that the reason Pancho had never been so feted was that nobody really liked him. Now comes Miss Chi, who is really a delightful Republic of China doll. She gets the second annual queray Achievement Award, flying in from Azusa, Calif.

No less than Maureen or Pancho, Cheng (that's her first name) merits special acclaim, though she's not in their veteran class. Chi Cheng is on the verge of her 27th birthday, western calendar, and the greatest woman athlete in the world. Track is her bag. in any distance from 100 yards to a quarter of a mile, including hurdles. In the last two years she has set or equalled nine world records, including a fabulous (for a female) 10-flat time in the 100.

She has won 133 of 134 races in that time, losing only a disputed photo finish to Barbara Farrell in Los Angeles a year ago. European sports editors voted her the top athlete of 1970, male or female. The celebrated soccer star, Pele of Brazil, was runnerup. No. 3 child, and No.

2 daughter of the Chi family of Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, she has come a long way since Vince Reel, an American coach imported to train Republic of China athletes, discovered her on a school track. Chi Cheng came to the United States in 1963 to go to school, and Reel eventually married her, last Dec. 27. They live in an apartment in Azusa. "I have a perfect mother-in-law relationship," says Vince.

"I don't speak Chinese, and she doesn't speak English." Besides which, son-in-law lives some 5,000 miles away. He's a coach at Claremont Men's College and his wife is a senior in physical education at California State Polytechnic College (Cal Poly) with a straight-A average. Chi Cheng is tall for weighs a well displaced 135 pounds. She works out every afternoon for an hour and a half, seven days a week. "One of the biggest jobs I have," says Reel, who's still her coach, "is to chase her off the track." "Personally," says Chi Cheng, who has learned to speak precise and delightful English, "I believe in hard worK.

Every day I feel he doesn't give me enough. The workout itself is run, run. When I finish I'm exhausted, but there is a feeling of accomplishment." Her goal is, naturally, a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics at Munich. She won a bronze medal in the 80-meter hurdles at Mexico City in 1968. The Reels are undecided about which events she'll compete in, though Vince feels the 200 meters is her best right now.

"I do hope," says Chi Cheng, "that some day I can run the 100 yards under 10-flat." Some day, when she has finished competing, she also hopes to enter the foreign service for the Republic of China. In the meantime, she has become Americanized to the extent she's a fervid $2 bettor at nearby Santa Anita. And she cooks good on Chinese food," says Vince) and keeps house. Chi Cheng can be seen in the latest style, too, wearing Hot Pants. But she won't be wearing them at Nat Fields' luncheon.

"The only time she wears Hot Pants," says her husband, "is on the track." A's no laughing matter for American League By I'nited Press International the Oakland Athletics have been clowning around with owner Charles Finley's three- ball, three-strike experiment in spring training but there's one figure that's no laughing matter to their American League rivals. That's Reggie Jackson's seven home runs in 12 games. If that figure means the 24- year old Jackson is going to realize his potential this year, the Athletics will be strong challengers to the Minnesota Twins and California Angels in the AL West. Jackson looked like perhaps the greatest young slugger in the game when he hit 47 homers in 1969, but he had financial troubles with Finley during the spring of 1970 and wound up that season with a .237 average, 23 homers and 66 runs batted in. A return to his 1969 form would make the Athletics obvious threats to end the Twins' two-year domination of the West.

Jackson's homer was a tape- measure clout over the right field fence in Phoenix, but it wasn't enough to prevent the San Francisco Giants from scoring a 7-6 victory with the help of Willie McCovey's second homer of the spring. The Athletics are now 6-6 in exhibition play while the Giants stand at 9-6. On other fronts: Homers by Jose Pagan, Bob Robertson, Jim Campanis and Roberto Clemente led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets. Nelson Briles. obtained from the St.

Louis Cardinals during the winter, shut out the Mets with one hit through five innings The Los Angeles Dodgers whipped the Montreal Expos, 13-5. with the help of homers by Duke Sims, Bill Buckner and Tom Paciorek. Pete Rose had a single and a triple and Tony Perez drove in a run with a single for the Cincinnati Reds in a 15-13 loss to the Kansas City Royals. It was the spring debut for both Rose and Perez, who were holdouts Sam McDowell fanned five batters, including four in a row, in three innings as he made his spring debut in the Cleveland Indians' 10-5 triumph over the The Tokyo Lotte Orions beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2, with Ken Holtzman suffering his third loss of the spring. Nicklaus favored NEW YORK (UPD-Jack Nicklaus drew 78 first place votes to outdistance tennis star Rod Laver in the February voting for the 22nd annual Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award.

-SH5 HAS WOM 133 OP HER LAST 134 EACE6 SSTTIN3 OH. NINE VV'OBLD RECORDS- Sports DAILY FACTS, Redlands. Calif. Saturday, March 20.1971- 6 Leads at Jacksonville Melnyk drops 32 hits ball longer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (UPI) amateur Steve Melnyk peeled off 32 pounds recently on a rigorous diet and as a result says he is "hitting the ball longer than I ever have in my life." Melnyk, now a "svelte" 233 pounds, continued to put the pressure on the pros going into today's third round of the $125,000 Greater Jacksonville Open, sharing the lead with defending champion Don January at 7-under-par 137.

"I lost most of the weight around the middle," explained Melnyk, a former U. S. amateur champion. "It's made me quicker through the hitting area of the swing." he added. Melnyk refused to fade under January's furious charge Friday and finished with a one- under-par 71 over the windy, rainswept Hidden Hills Country Club course.

Considering the adverse conditions, Melnyk said he actually played better than during his opening round of 66. January, who has developed a fondness for this course after defeating Dale Douglass in an 18-hole playoff here last year, said he putted 'extremely well" missing only "two or three I could have made" as he grabbed a share of the lead with a 67. The drawling Texan rammed home six birdie putts before making his only bogey on the 202-yard 16th hole when he missed the green. Melnyk and January played early in the day with wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour on their front nine and a cold, steady rain on the back nine. The rain quit about noon but the late starters were still bothered by high winds.

Former University of Houston star Hal Underwood moved into third place Friday with a 70 for a 139 total, two strokes off the pace. Underwood, making only his third start this year, explained that he misses two weeks out of every month because of Army reserve commitments. Lee Trevino, who shared the first round lead with Melnyk at 66, faded to a 74 Friday'for a 140 total and stalked off the course refusing all interviews. He was joined at 140 by Gary Player, Doug Ford and Dave Eichelberger. Player, who fired a 70 Friday, holed a 210-yard two- iron shot on the 440-yard sixth hole for an eagle.

Ford posted a 69 and Eichelberger had a 71. John Miller was alone at 141, four strokes back, while Wilf Homenuik, Bob Erickson, Hale Irwin and Frank Beard were grouped at 142. John Schlee and' Vic Loustalot, who shared third place Thursday at 68, posted 75s Friday to join Paul Harney and Hugh Royer at 143. Arnold Palmer, seeking his third tour victory of the year, faded to a 77 and just did make the 148 cutoff for the final two rounds. Jack Nicklaus had a 75 for a 146 total.

A total of 76 golfers made the cut. Prominent casualties included the only other two-time winners this Shaw and J. C. Snead. SHORT RIBS by Frank O'Neal WINTHROP by Dick Cjvolli FIRST THINS IN THE STAHP OUT IVE GOTTO RNDME A NEWSK 3 WINTER.

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