The South Bend Tribune from South Bend, Indiana • 12

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11.83. State local taxes not included. By CURT HALLO Tribune Sports Writer It was a time to learn, is one way to describe the 1979 season for the Allies baseball team. The Vikes, dominated by underclassmen, were 7-14, fifth in the Big Eight Conference. We went with our young players hoping to build our program, said Niles head coach Sherm Ostrander.

We were willing to take our lumps. And playing against seasoned competition, the Vikes 'indeed made the mistakes of youth and inexperience. But this season those hobbled grounders, strike outs 'and throwing errors should turn into defensive gems 'and clutch hitting. The Vikes have come of age in 79 and rate as contenders in the Big Eight race this season. Im very optimistic, commented Ostrander, in his third season as head coach.

We return the entire infield and two outfielders we have nine lettermen in and seven had a majority of playing time. Strong pitching is the key in any pennant race and the Vike moundsmen can make the delivery. Stace Coleman, Joe Ryder, Tim Gourlay, Scott Gowen and Kip Wilken compose the Niles staff. And all put in plenty of tune in last season. Ryder, a junior righthander, is considered the Vikes No.

1 pitcher in the rotation. As a sophomore Ryder I pitched 26 innings compiling a record of 1-1 and an earned run average of 1.09. in his two starts, Ryder completed both, a victory against highly-regarded Hammond Noll and a loss to Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 3-2, in extra innings. Ostrander comments that Ryder has a good fastball and nice curve. Another junior, Gourlay, will also see plenty of action and play an important role in the Niles title hopes.

Gourlay may be a bit too important, though. Not only is he the No. 2 pitcher, but hes a top-notch shortstop. Gourlay mixes his pitches extremely well and the righthander had a 2-0 record last season. The three-sport letterman had a sparkling earned run average of 0.99 in 31 innings last season.

Stace Coleman, senior lefthander, is a main component in the Niles pitching rotation. He is a velocity pitcher and will be sure to burn a few batters this season. In 78, Coleman was 3-6, with an earned run average of 3.33. Gowen and Kip Wilken are the relief pitchers. Gowen is a lefthander who shows a lot of promise and will make key contributions to the Vike season.

Wilken, the Niles power-hitter and a.rightfleld, is a. fine relief pitcher and is also a lefthander. Ostrander is counting on strong showings in the Vike pitching and defense but is concerned with hitting and depth. Gourlay leads the returning hitters with a batting -mark of .333 from last season. Gary Dreher, the center-fielder with an exceptionally strong arm, batted .277.

Wilken (first baseman) will likely smash more than a few homers if he can stay injury free, which is something that hampered him last season. Ryder is an excellent catcher, but with his pitching duties wont be a steady backstop. The battle to replace Ryder is between John Thackery and Victor KlatL The situation is similar at.shortstop, regarding Gourlay. Bill Zimmerman, a senior, IS the second baseman while third is to be either Bob Coquillard, a junior, or Roy Kessick, a senior. Ostrander stated perennial powers Portdge Central, Loy Norrix and Battle Creek Lakeview, along with Niles, will be the title contenders this season.

The Vikes are slated to open the season Monday at John Adams High (4 p.m.). Big Blight competition starts at St Joe Tuesday. Niles has an extremely tough non-league schedule, 1 something that should greatly helps the Vikes prep for the tourney. The Vikes will battle in the South Bend Clay Colonial Classic and the South Bend St Josephs InvitationaL Niles has never won a district in the four years of Michigans baseball tourney and no Big Eight team has advanced beyond the regional finals. But this season Ostrander expresses confidence that will change.

Niles will only play 18 games, the fewest games in' years. Thats due to a ruling by the high school athletic Commission, intended to prevent some schools from playing 30 games or so a season. When youre in a conference like ours, you play 14 league games and that leaves four open dates for nonleague play, Ostrander said. Its not an ideal situation. Niles plays its home games at Thomas Stadium, considered to be one of the better high school baseball facihties in southwestern Michigan.

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A.P.R. f.l .83 State local taxes not included. 5 Sources say baseball will be getting a. long-term commitment, lots of money and September exposure. Not prime time, mind you, but Sunday afternoon baseball and, maybe, an occasional primetime game.

The Sunday afternoon games even with a midafternoon starting time will buck the National Football League on CBS and NBC and, consequently, are not expected to be rating hits. As usual, ABC is in the drivers seat With a lot of money to burn, ABC can pay baseball Mg bucks to keep the networks exclusivity on prime tftneand still call the shots as to when the games will be on. ABC would lose to the NFL broadcasts anyway, so baseball might help the network on Sunday. And the lack of baseball during the important sweep months of May. and September will help the network on Monday nights.

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FRED ROTHENBERG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) The start of the baseball season and the end of the basketball season will be missing on prime time television in May because the networks are benching sports during the crucial sweep month of ratings. The conclusion to be reached is that sports may be fun and games but it cant compete for ratings and audiences with real television entertainment situation comedies, variety shows and shoot-em-ups. Baseball interest is normally highest at the beginning of the season when all teams are in first place or at the end when the division races are on the line. The season opened Wednesday. The first Monday Night Baseball broadcast can be expected five days later.

Right? Wrong. The game matching Pete Rose and the Philadelphia Phillies against Dave Parker and the Pittsburgh Pirates will not be on the air Monday night. Not this Monday, the next Monday or the Monday after that In fact, Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson mid Don Drysdale will not be in the booth until June 4s'- According to a statement released jointly by baseball and ABC Tuesday, the two organizations are in the final negotiating stages of a new multi-year contract The agreement is expected to be completed later this month and would start with the 1979 season, replacing the current contract with ABC that was to expire after this season. The 1979 contract that ABC and baseball agreed to' tear up called for 18 prime time broadcasts. Baseball was satisfied with the number of telecasts but unhappy that they ran out in September when ABC opted for Monday Night Football rather than the national pastime.

ABC, however, was not pleased with baseballs ratings. ABC would win the ratings war most nights of the spring and summer but come in third on Monday nights when baseball was the prime time fare. ABC wanted out of the 18-game contract, particularly because May is one of the critical sweep months when the ratings at local stations are used to set future advertising rates. But ABC had to give baseball something in return. ABCs discretion seem a small price for the network to pay for what it really wants the World Series, playoffs and All-Star game.

ABC would have to alternate these three jewels with whichever network gets baseball 8 Saturday package probably NBC. On the other hand, the NBAs jewel its championship series is becoming more tarnished. For the first-time in years, the weeknight finals in May will not be on during the prime time slots. CBS says the decision was made before the current season because of pressure from the affiliates who were losing rating points and money because of low viewer interest in the NBA. Through last week, the ratings for the 12 NBA broadcasts were 5.1 per cent of all TV homes down 27 per cent from the same period last season.

Game 2 (Thursday, May 24) and Game 4 (Tuesday, May 29) of the NBAs final series will be shown at 11:30 p.m. EDT. The game originating in the east will be on tape delay to the east; the game orginating in the west will be live to the east Both games will be viewed on tape by the western time zones. The NBA is not really acceptable in prime time. Our affiliates have been opposed, said Kevin OMalley, CBS vice president of The only sport proven totally acceptable in Mime time has been professional football.

Bp 29 mpg iu Based on $250.00 down (cash or trade) and 48 monthly payments of 4111.18. APR -1 1 .83 State Local Taxes not Included COMPARE PRICE Then Youll Como To Jenner beats Unser in celebrity race third at 58442 mph, Rick Mears was fourth at 58116 and Bill Simpson was -fifth at 57.838 McCord actually became the second-celebrity on the finishing list when be placed sixth overall at 56.910. Hole-in-one odds long NEW YORK The odds against making a hole-in-one' in golf are about 43,000 to 1, according to Golf Digest magazuie. to athletics fa handicapped children. Unser, starting with a six-second handicap, actually averaged 58631 mph while finishing second.

If I had known it was A1 Unser behind me, I probably would have spuq out, said Jenner. I thought it was Kent McCord, who starred in the televison show, Adam 12. I didnt want any other celebrity to beat me. Competing with time handicaps, drag radLr Don Prudhomme finished LONG BEACH, (AP) -Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner, now a televison commenta-jtor, surprised racing star A1 Unser to win the Toyota Pro-Celebrity auto race Saturday at Long Beach. All 16 drivers drove the Japanese-made Toyotas.

Jenner averaged 5807 mph for 10 laps around the 102-mile track laid out for "the U.S. West Grand Pnx. lie donated his $3,000 purse to the LSpedal Olympics, a group dedicated ccjTti at Cpn f.onUqy Thursday tvalnj 9.