Morning News from Paterson, New Jersey • 9

Fridcy, APRIL13, 1979 Hie News. Passaic County, N.J. 9 Fanfare I Racine Schools bports Even Rose suffers sometimes MARK BLAUDSCHUN Except for Cincinnati and Philadelphia, New York is the city that has the most significance for Rose. Six years ago, when the Mets won their last National League pennant, the Shea Stadium fans booed Rose, threw bottles and taunted him during the playoffs. Last summer, when he was tying and breaking Tommy Holmes' post-1900 National League record for hitting in consecutive games, he did it at Shea Stadium.

Colncidentally, his first confrontation in New York since breaking the record came Thursday against Pat Zachry, the Mets' pitcher who gave up the record-tying hit to Rose last July 24. Zachry, an NEW YORK It was the type of day that sends younger, more inexperienced players to the bench. It was the kind of afternoon that causes water coolers and batting helmets to seek hiding places from acts of violence. "It was the kind of day," Pete Rose said, "that will drive all you (reporters) away from me. The type of game that will make you afraid to come over 00." Rose and the Philadelphia Phillies were in Shea Stadium Thursday afternoon for the opening of a four-game series with the Mets.

For some of the Phillies, who collected 12 hits despite losing, 3-2, it was not a bad afternoon. ex-Red, was so frustrated by giving up that hit and by being removed from the game four batters later that he kicked the dugout steps, breaking a bone in his left foot. The injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. According to Zachry and Rose, Thursday's game had no special significance other than being one that counted. "I had no feeling at all about it," Zachry said.

"I just wanted to get him out. Pete's up there swinging all the time. He doesn't come to fool around." Rose also thought that the past had been forgotten. "If he still felt anything, I wouldn't have seen a good pitch," See BLAUDSCHUN, Page 12 Rose's spring has been mixed, part work, part Bamum and Bailey snow, part Pied Piper routine. His tour through Florida and throughout the National league has been as much carnival as baseball.

On Thursday be managed to squeeze to batting practice and infield practice between interviews. Wherever be went, cameras clicked. On Saturday the Mets will hold "Pete Rose Day" to honor of his 38th birthday and various other accomplishments. Shortstop Larry Bowa had four hits, including a pair of doubles. Centerfielder Garry Maddox had three hits, Including a double and a home run.

Pete Rose, however, collected only frustrating moments. In four at-bats, all of them with Bowa in scoring position, the 38-year-old first baseman flew to center, flew to left, popped to short and grounded to first. Rose is not being paid $800,000 a year to go O-for-4 and leave men on base. PETE ROSE BILL LEE: Vickers earns chance Eccentric, All-American boy who's gotten a bad rap from baseball drones and reactionary journalists nothing to endear him to those who believe in respecting authority figures. But for all of his off-beat ideas, no one has ever accused Lee of not being serious on the field.

"He's worked real hard, he's been no problem whatsoever," Expo manager Dick Williams said. Lee is a thinking man's pitcher who works the corners, changes speeds and keeps hitters off balance to compensate for not having much of a fastball. And for all of the controversy that has surrounded him during his career, Lee is Just a bright, moderately talented and rather eccentric young man playing out a little boy's dream. He doesn't consider himself a visionary or a martyr. "Basically, I'm just a harmless person interested in having fun," Lee said.

"Last year with the Red Sox I didn't have any fun. This year maybe I'll have some." Lee feels he has been misunderstood during his career in the big leagues. "In Boston they were expecting me to be a savior or something, which didn't help me." Why? "I was Irish, a Catholic, I drank and I had a college degree. Now what four better pre-requlsiteS for being a success in Boston are there?" Lee was successful in Boston, compiling a 94-68 record and a 3.64 earned run average from 1969-1978, winning 17 games three consecutive years (1973-75) and making the American League All-Star team In '75, when he had a 3.14 ERA and no decisions in two World Series starts against the Reds. But the Yankees' Gralg Nettles severely Injured Lee's left shoulder during a fight In May, 1976 and Lee struggled for two seasons before bouncing back with a 10-10 record and a 3.46 ERA last year.

But Zimmer refused to start him during the last six weeks of the season, when the Red Sox were overtaken by the Yankees. "I don't know if Zimmer was cutting off his nose to spite his face by not using me or if Sullivan made him do it," Lee said. "I didn't want to leave Boston, but they Just put me out and they're going to have to live with it. It's a great sports city, the best. But I didn't like the way Zimmer and Sullivan were treating me and it's refreshing to be away from all the See MC NAMARA, Page 13 "It's all a matter of Cartesian coordinates.

It it's an insane world and you're insane, then you're normal:" Bill Lee He's 32 years old, married, has three children, two college degrees and works for a corporation. He has been in love with baseball, the most American of all sports, since he was a little boy growing up in Southern California. He's very nervous, prematurely gray and wears a beard. He refuses to eat processed food because he's afraid it will give him cancer. He drinks, admits he has smoked marijuana and is afraid of nuclear power plants.

He enjoys ED MC NAMARA jogging and most outdoor sports and hates violence. If Bill Lee were a sociology professor, a graduate student, a mailman or anything but a professional athlete, he would be considered a fairly typical American male of the late 1970s. But since Lee doesn't fit the stereotype of the professional jock, he's known as "The Spaceman." You wonder why, since the articulate and personable lefthanded pitcher seems so much more connected to the reality of life on earth than the baseball drones and reactionary high priests of journalism who act as if he were a refugee from another galaxy. "In baseball you're supposed to sit on your ass, spit tobacco Juice and nod at stupid things," the Montreal Expo pitcher claims. By not performing those manly sporting acts during his io-plus seasons in the major leagues, he was certified as a freak.

By criticizing the management of the Boston Red Sox, specifically general manager Haywood Sullivan and manager Don Zimmer, Lee got himself traded out of the division, the league and the country last Dec. 7 for ah unknown infielder named Stan Papi. Admittedly, some of Lee's notions are slightly weird, such as his suggestion to change his uniform number from 37 to 337. His reason? By wearing 337 upside down it would spell out his last name. Also, calling Zimmer a "designated gerbil" and comparing him to a piece of cardboard does By Ron Arena New SUff Writer NEW YORK In his first season in the National Hockey League, Steve Vickers was an instant hotshot.

He scored 30 goals and helped the Rangers reach the semifinal round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He received the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. That was six years ago. At the tender age of 21, Vickers approached stardom. He scored 34 goals in his second season, and followed that with a splendid 41-goal, 89-polnt season.

The progression was right on schedule. Somewhere between that 1975-76 season and now, however, it became obvious that the plan for Vickers would never be realized. He would not be a star. His goal output dropped to 22, then 19. He looked for a resurgence this season, but it never came.

He struggled early in the year and fell into disfavor with coach Fred Shero. For the first time in his career, Vickers sat on the bench. He was rumored to be on the trading block. He became the forgotten Ranger. "It hasn't been a banner year for me," the quiet, serious left wing admitted after the Rangers defeated the Kings in the first game of the preliminary-round playoff series.

"But I think I learned something from being benched. "It never got to the point where I pouted or sulked. I kept my head up. Probably what hurt the most is that I wasn't even missed. The team was winning without me.

I think that made me work harder when I got to play." Vickers gradually made his way back UHTelepholo WHEN YOU EXAMINE his beliefs and lifestyle closely, you wonder why so many people view Bill Lee as bizarre. The Montreal Expo pitcher is actually just an eccentric Ail-American boy. Zachry revives Mets' optimism as a regular, and although he finished with just 13 goals his career low the season was not a total waste. When Ulf Nilsson fractured his ankle in late February, Shero's reshuffling of lines left Vickers with old buddy Walt Tkac-zuk and Anders Hedberg. One thing Vickers will say he enjoyed was his goal Tuesday night against the Kings.

He and Tkaczuk combined on a give-and-go, and Vickers finished the picturesque play with his 14th career playoff goal. "That was kind of like the old days," Vickers noted. "You know, there were days when Walt and I used to score a lot of those goals." Those days may not be over. He may never be the same Steve Vickers who became the only NHL player ever to score hat tricks in consecutive games. Or the Steve Vickers who set a Ranger record with seven points in a game Feb 18, 1976, against the Washington Capitals.

"The Trottiers and the Bossys get all the recognition in the regular season," goaltender John Davidson said, "but a lot of times in the playoffs, the veteran players can be the key. Guys like Vickers and Tkaczuk who have played in these games before." Vickers and the Rangers had only played in one playoff series in the last three years until this season. According to Vickers, the Rangers must prove their worth this season with a successful playoff showing. "The team has improved this season, but it'll all be wasted if we don't do well in the playoffs. We have to have a good showing.

No hockey player wants to spend April in Florida." As for Vickers' personal performance, be chooses one word that he'll be shooting for "steady." "I'm not a flashy player, I never have been," he said. "I don't have the speed of Pat Hickey. I don't have a shot like Lucien DeBlois. I'm never going to be a finesse player and I'm never going to make a fan jump out of his seat. "But I do think I have some good hockey left in me.

It's been a tough season for me, but I've learned a lot from it. I've gotten a different perspective sitting and watching my teammates play, and I've matured from the experience." Now he hopes to put that maturity to use. The playoffs wouldn't be a bad time to start. By Gerry Monigan Special lo The Newi NEW YORK Call the Mets' 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday afternoon a success. Pat Zachry succeeded in pitching a complete game for his second consecutive victory, putting the collar on Pete Rose and keeping the game out of extra innings, something the Mets couldn't do in their previous two defeats.

Both Zachry and loser Randy Lerch were hit hard, producing many situations that kept the outcome in doubt until the final inning. With two out in the top of the ninth, Larry Bowa doubled to right-center for his fourth consecutive hit. That brought Rose to the plate a very good candidate to do damage. He was 0-for-3 up to that point and everyone knows that you can't keep him down for long. That brought manager Joe Torre to the mound for a chat with the big, bearded righthander.

It didn't take long for him to leave, though, leaving Zachry In to face the dangerous switch-bitter. Zachry got Rose to ground out to first baseman Willie Montanez and the Mets' record Improved to 3-1 'I was going with Zack all the way," said Torre, lighting his familiar cigar. "He had been getting men out in tough situations all day. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't tired or less determined and that we were all thinking the same way. There was really no decision to be made." Zachry gave up 12 hits but had good control, walking two and striking out two.

One of those strikeouts was an awfully big one. In the Phillies' seventh, Zachry was faced with the heart of the Philadelphia order and two runners to scoring position and one out. He enticed Rose to pop a 3-0 pitch to shortstop Doug Flynn in foul territory, a surprise considering that he was very willing to put Rose on the open base. But that still brought up "The Bull" Greg Luzinski and the pressure waa on again. Zachry mixed up his pitches, as he had throughout the game, and when Luzinski flailed at a slider and missed for the third strike, the sparse crowd erupted.

Catcher John Stearns, who shot his fist into the air after the strikeout, couldn't have been more pleased with Zachry 's performance. "He has three excellent pitches, three No. 1 pitches. I didn't even consider telling Joe to pull him," he said. Obviously, the admiration is mutual.

"John (Stearns) never hesitated to call any pitch for me. That kind of confidence gives me a big lift." And that confidence is carried over to the entire team. "This ballclub knows within itself that it can play. They gave me great defensive support," Zachry said. The offensive support was scattered throughout the order.

Eventually, it was rookie second baseman Kelvin Chapman's sacrifice fly in the fifth that clinched the win. Chapman had a fine day, vindicating himself for his missed bunt attempt in Tuesday's 14-inning loss to Montreal. In his first time up, he drove a long triple to left-center. The Mets scored first in the second inning, when Flynn singled home Elliott Maddox from second. Maddox had narrowly missed getting his first run batted in because Steve Henderson bad been nailed at the plate by centerfielder Garry Maddox's throw on the previous play.

Elliott Maddox did drive in the second Met run with a sacrifice fly that scored Montanez, who had doubled to open the fourth. Garry Maddox opened the Phils' scoring in the fourth, driving a Zachry fastball over the wall in left with no none on. Bob Boone scored the other run in the seventh inning. He had singled to left and advanced to third on pinch-hitter Del Unser's double. Flynn couldn't handle Maddox' short-hop throw attempting to cut down Unser and Boone scooted home.

The win revived the "We can win" attitude that Stearns had popularized with the T-shirts he wore during spring training. "If the pitching holds up like it did today," centerfielder Lee Mazzllli said, "we'll be right in the thick of things. 1 really believe that." And so do a growing number of other people. NOTES Mazzllli extended his consecutive game hitting streak to five, while Richie Hebner has yet to get a hit at Shea. UH Telepholo EVEN PRO GOLFERS sometimes end up in the creek.

Scott Hoch gets some help from a securrty guard as he looks for a lost ball Thursday afternoon at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga. He didn't find it. Story: Page 12. i.