Petoskey News-Review du lieu suivant : Petoskey, Michigan • 17

PONTIAC (UPI) Detroit Lions' owner William Clay. Ford reportedly will meet today with Al "Bubba" Baker, a defensive standout who left the NFL club's training camp last month in a contract dispute. Ford, who earlier directed Lions' general manager Russ Thomas to sign running back Billy Sims, the nation's top pick this year, and quarterback Gary Danielson, called the 6-foot-6, 260 pound Baker during the Labor Day weekend. 1 Ford was to meet with Baker this afternoon at his office in the Pontiac Silverdome, the Detroit News said in today's edition. "We've got a formal thing set up," Baker said of the meeting, according to the newspaper.

"We had a conversation. I called him and he returned my call. He didn't guarantee anything. He's very honest. We're going to sit down and talk as people." Baker said "that's all anybody can ask for," adding: "1 hope we resolve this matter Tuesday." The Lions also placed five players, one a six-year veteran, on waivers to pare their roster down to the 45-player NFL limit.

Waivers were asked on second-year defensive back Dave Parkin of Utah State; punter Larry Swider of Pittsburgh; defensive tackle Cleveland Elam, in his sixth year out of Tennessee State; and rookie offensive lineman Mike Whited of Pacific. The Lions also placed fourth-year receiver Luther Blue of Iowa State on the injured waived list. Club officials said eight of Detroit's 1980 draft choices made the 45-man roster. Four weeks ago today, Baker walked out of training camp. There has been no contact between Thomas and Baker or his agent, attorney Herman the week Baker left the team.

Baker wants to renegotiate his contract, which binds him to the Lions through 1983, the option year of the agreement. When he was drafted in the second round out of Colorado State in 1978, Baker signed a two-year agreement with an option. This would have been Baker's option year, but he has extended the agreement twice in the past year. Baker sought renegotiation in the off season but was rebuffed by Thomas. The Lions have a policy of not renegotiating contracts.

Baker claims he has kept in shape and could play next Sunday when the Lions open the regular season in Los Angeles. "I've been running 10 miles a day," Baker said. "I'm sure Floyd Peters (the Lions' defensive line coach) will run me to death." Save $2 on Classifieds. Look for Our Special inside. Tuesday, September 2, 1980-17 Sports Department Telephone: 347-2579 Irnnpimg Tngeirs flopped 'Again, HH-3 1 fc DETROIT (UPI) Can a .500 pitcher be the American League's best rookie? Britt Burns of the Chicago White Sox has a chance.

According to his manager, Tony LaRussa of Chicago, there's no question about it but even the most biased White Sox fan would have to admit there's a little bias in his opinion. Burns stifled the Detroit Tigers on seven hits in seven innings Monday night to square his record at 12-12 and lead Chicago to an 11-3 victory. The White Sox pounded out 19 hits. "I don't think there's a race for Rookie of the Year," LaRussa said after the game. "I mean no disrespect to such players as Joe Charboneau of Cleveland, Rick Peters of Detroit or Demaso Garcia of Toronto.

"They're all fine players," he said. "But if you take his (Burns') record from the first of the "We just have not scored runs consistently all season," LaRussa said. "And we've given teams extra outs. Put them together and it's a lethal combination." Pitchers with break-even records generally don't get named Rookie of the Year, even if the club they pitch for is 16 games below .500. Still, Burns has such overwhelming stuff that 10 years from now any other choice could look real bad.

"I really like him," Manager Sparky Anderson of the Tigers said. "He wasn't himself this time. You didn't see the good Burns. But I like him a lot." One of the reasons Anderson may like him is he. doesn't have enough pitchers like the southpaw on his own staff.

Anderson, whose team sank to sixth with its third straight loss, is no longer looking for aces on his staff. He's reduced to looking merely for dueces and treys. really been in a slump all year," Anderson said when someone asked if he could pinpoint any reasons for the recent pitching slide. "The team ERA (4.29) didn't shoot up there the last three days. "It's never been below 4.08 at any time except the first game of the year.

"We haven't had any one take charge," he said. "Milt Wilcox has been the closest to a take-charge guy." Mark Fidrych, 0-2, is facing a crucial start tonight in the first game of a twi-night double-header. "The Bird" needs a good outing to show the club and fans he deserves to be included in next year's plans. Mike Proly, 3-7, will oppose him with Rich Dotson, 10-8, and Wilcox, 12-9, pitching in the second game of the makeup twi-nighter. Perhaps the Tigers took their cue from the largely silent smallish crowd of 11,412.

Even the press box had a noticeable silence, helped in part because no Chicago writers accompanied the team on this trip. Burns was masterful when he had to be and lucky when he didn't, except for in the fifth and sixth innings, by which time he was already so far ahead Detroit may not catch up the rest of the series. Steve Kemp followed a two-out walk to Alan Trammell with his 18th home run of the season in the fifth and a throwing error by Burns when Stan Papi lined a single off his left shoulder enabled Lance Parrish, who had doubled, to score from second in the sixth. Jack Morris, 13-12, started for the Tigers and lasted just 3 1-3 innings. By the time he left Morris had given up an RBI single to Lamar Johnson in the first, a run-scoring single to Wayne Nordhagen in the third and a two-run single to Chet Lemon in the fourth.

Jim Morrison opened the doors to a five-run fifth by hitting his 11th home run of the season. Harold Baines singled and Glenn Borgmann followed with his first home run. Mike Squires tripled in a pair later in the inning. A fielder's choice by Borgmann scored a run in the sixth and Nordhagen doubled in his second run of the game in the next inning. DETROIT: Tigers' outfielder Al Cowens (left) and earlier this season in Chicago and a warrant for Chicago pitcher Ed Farmer met at home plate, Cowens' arrest was issued.

Farmer said he would drop Monday night, and shook hands before the game, the charges if Cowens apologized. Looking on is Cowens attacked Farmer while he was on the mound umpire Bill Kunkel. (UPI Telephoto) (S mi si ir mm Bury BUM ra)tts Smiap should let the big guys get the battle with Los Angeles and we can win out of the big hits and the little guys get Cincinnati, would have thebasehits." preferred a sweep. Astrodome," said Cesar The Astros, involved in a "We have to prove to people Cedeno. everybody.

I'm not the bad guy. I've never been the bad guy. "No," Cowens said, "it wasn't hard to do. I probably was going to go over to him tomorrow (Tuesday) and apologize to him anyway. So I thought I might as well do it now." In an earlier game this season, Cowens had run from first base to down Farmer from behind while the Chicago pitcher's back was to home plate.

For that he was fined more than $1,000 and suspended for seven games. A complaint was filed and a warrant issued for his arrest the next time he came to Chicago so Cowens did not accompany Detroit when the Tigers went to Chicago for a two-game series Aug. 26-27. The whole touching ceremony ending the feud was arranged by a sports writer, columnist Joe Falls of the Detroit News. Falls was talking to Farmer before the game, asking him if he had any harsh feelings towards Cowens and what would he do if the outfielder should apologize.

"I'd accept it," Farmer told Falls. Would that mean he'd be willing to drop the suit, too? "Yes," Farmer responded. Falls mulled it over and discussed the story he would write on it with the News' baseball writer, Tom Gage, who baldly suggested Falls take his information to Manager Sparky Anderson of the Tigers and Cowens. Falls did. Anderson and Cowens agreed to do their part, and a little peace was brought to the baseball wars.

In a visible and courageous way. "Maybe it'll die now," Cowens said. "If it dies, I'll be satisfied." "I wasn't surprised to see him bring the lineup card up," DETROIT (UPI) Ed Farmer and Al Cowens decided it was easier and better to bury the hatchet than to continue trying to bury each other. Cowens, right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, and pitcher Farmer of the Chicago White Sox met and shook hands at home plate Monday night in Tiger Stadium to put a mutually agreeable end to their two-year feud. Farmer said he would have the outstanding warrant for Cowens' arrest in Chicago dropped as soon as passible.

"I told him I was sorry," Farmer said. "He said, 'I know it's been rough. I'd like to extend my "I said I'm sorry. He said he was sorry. I said, "Thank you very said Farmer, who hit Cowens with a pitch and broke his jaw, putting him out of action for six weeks in May of 1979, when the outfielder was a member of the Kansas City Royals and the pitcher was with the Texas Rangers.

"It was just a misunderstanding. You have those in any endeavor," Farmer said. A gentle swell of boos rolled from the 11,412 who chose to attend the holiday night game when they saw Farmer stroll from the Chicago dugout to present the White Sox lineup to the umpires. Scant seconds later the crowd switched to cheering when it saw Cowens bringing out the Detroit lineup cards. The noise went up a notch and some fans stood to cheer when it suddenly dawned on them a mission of peace was about to take place in front of them.

Cowens reached hesitantly out and then grabbed Farmer's outstretched hand in a firm handshake while the two talked and smiled. They posed again, smiling, for photographers. "I like the way it happened," Cowens said. "I'm glad I did go up to home plate and I'm glad he went up to home plate. I hope it (the incidents) goes in file 13.

There won't be nothing else to bother Hear the Detroit Lions on AM 1340 jOlFpETOSKEY Farmer said. "I'm just glad we got a chance to discuss it as (me). BOG "Maybe it will die now. I hope so. I seemed like a bad guy to grownup people should do." By MIKE TULLY UPI Sports Writer The Pittsburgh Pirates, suffering in an unusual slump, needed an unusual remedy.

And they got one. "For pitchers, that's a once in every four or five years kind of a thing," Rick Rhoden said Monday after driving in three runs with two doubles and a home run to enable the Bucs to snap an eight-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over the Houston Astros. "Today I just hit the ball good." The Astros won the first game of the double-header 10-4 with five shutout relief innings by Dave Smith, 5-5. The split tightened both league races, with Houston leading the West by a half-game over Los Angeles and Pittsburgh dropping to third in the East, percentage points behind first-place Philadelphia. "Hopefully, this win will get us over the hump and we'll be all right again," said Rhoden, who doubled in the third and fourth and homered in the fifth.

"If I get a hit, okay, fine. I'll just try to make contact and move the runners around. "I didn't pitch that well, so it turned out we needed my hits. I just hope that the next time I pitch better so we don't need the hits." Despite the "plunge" to third place, the Pirates believe they will win the division. "I think we're ready to play baseball now," said Mike Easier, who reached loser Gordon Pladson, 0-4, for a homer that broke an 0-for-14 slump.

"We're going to win it. I just feel it." Rhoden, 54, believes the Pirates can succeed if they do what they do best. "I think the problem has been that everyone is trying to do too much like everybody swinging for home runs instead of doing what we did all year," Rhoden said. "We REGULAR SEASON September? at Los Angeles Rams 3:30 p.m. Septembers at Green Bay Packers 1:30 p.m.

September 21 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 12:30 p.m. Sun. Sun. Sun.

Sun. Thurs PLAYS LIKE THIS typified the brand of softball played this past weekend in state finals action at three area sites. Above, Glen Morse of the Petoskey Eagles slides home head first in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team a 8-7 win over Reese Coop in the Men's Class fast-pitch tournament. The Eagles finished third overall. See inside for results on the two tournaments held in Petoskey along with one at Charlevoix plus state runnerup run by another Petoskey team.

(NEWS photo by Jerry Rosevear) 28 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12:30 p.m. 5 at Atlanta Falcons October 12 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 3:30 p.m. October 19 at Chicago Bears 1:30 p.m. October 26 at Kansas City Chiefs 1:30 p.m. Nov.

2 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 12:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Minnesota Vikings 1:30 p.m. Nov. 16 BALTIMORE COLTS 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12:30 p.m. CHICAGO BEARS 12 noon December 7 at St. Louis Cardinals 1:30 p.m. December 14 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 3:30 p.m.

December 21 GREEN BAY PACKERS 12:30 p.m. i First in Sports!.