Newport Daily News from Newport, Rhode Island • Page 13

Newport, (R.I.) Doily News, Toeidoy. September 10,1974 IS Medich felt sick, made Red Sox feel worse Yankee heroes Doc Medich, left, and Chris Chambliss embrace after leading New Yorkers over Red Sox and into sole possession of first place. (UPD BOSTON (AP) George "Doc" Medich was sick, nervous and tense, so the New York Yankees gave him the cure-all treatment--runs to work with ynj QnaQy a victory. Medich earned his 18th victory of the season Monday night as the Yankees snapped an 11- game Fenway Park losing streak by defeating the Boston Red Sox 6-3. That moved the Yankees back into sole possession of the American League East lead, the Red Sox dropping one game behind with just 22 games to go in the twtld race.

"I knew we'd win a game here someday," New York manager Bill Virdon said after the Yankees' first Boston victory since July 31,1973, and only the second in 22 appearances since 1972. "At least the jinx has been broken," Yankee veteran Bobby Murcer said. "We wanted to get this win under our belts. The least we can do now is leave here tomorrow night in a tie for AFC West: Raiders vs. Broncos By FRED ROTHENBEIKr AP Sports Writer This season the American Football Conference Western Division is expected to be a two4iorse race between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who used to win or place in this race, have finished out of the playoff money since 1971. This year, their veterans may be a little wiser, but also a big year older. Last year, a handful of the San Diego Chargers allegedly failed their dope test and, although the new regime of Coach Tommy Prothro says that slate is now clean, the Chargers still don't have the horses to mount a serious challenge in 1974. Oakland Raiders The Raiders, after their seventh division flag in eight years, have three quarterbacks to get them there. But one is moving on to the World Football League in 1976, the second is moving on to the WFL in 1975 and the third is moving on in years.

Ken Stabler is leaving Oakland for the Birmingham Americans in 1976. Daryl Lamonica will play with the WFL football a year sooner. And George Blanda will cross off his 47th birthday during this season. Blanda's age is really not a factor anymore because he's basically a place kicker now, and a very competent one. However, the defections of the other two could cause some morale problems.

There will be no hard feelings, however, if Stabler can duplicate last season's statistics. The Oakland left-hander completed an amazing 62.6 percent of his passes and threw for 14 touchdowns, winding up as the AFC's leading passer. He surrendered only 10 interceptions. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff was fourth in the conference with 48 catches and 660 yards, Mike Siani, at the other wide reciever spot, grabbed 45 passes for 742 yards and tight end Bob Moore rang up 34 receptions for 375 yards. Marv Hubbard, who bulled his way past the 900-yard barrier in 1973, and the speedier Charlie Smith and Clarence Davis, who combined for over 1,200 yards, are excellent alternatives to the pass.

The Raider defense, which allowed the fewest points in the club's history in 1973, may get a boost from Bubba Smith, former All-Pro end who was sidelined much of last year with a knee injury. Smith showed he is regaining speed when, in preseason play, he blocked one conversion kick by Philadelphia's Tom Dempsey and deflected another. Denver Broncos Denver Coach John Raltson concedes Oakland was the division's best club in 1973, with his team only four points behind. "The Raiders are still our measuring stick of excellence in the AFC West," said Ralston, "and they were just four points better than us in two games. Those four points put them into the playoffs instead of us." Ralston thinks this year he has found those four points and then some.

"There's no question in our minds that we have the people on the 1974 squad to go all the way," said Ralston. The people Ralston is talking about go by the names of Johnson, Moses, Odoms and Little, to list a few. Charlie Johnson is 38 years old and a 13-year veteran, which means he knows a thing or two. However, Johnson, who completed 184 of 346 passes with 20 touchdown tosses, underwent postseason knee surgery. Tight end Riley Odoms led Denver with 43 catches, good for 629 yards and seven touchdowns.

Deep threat Haven Moses caught 28 passes, eight for touchdowns. Floyd Little was a threat coming out of the backfield with the ball or as a would-be pass receiver. Little rushed for 979 yards and 13 touchdowns. Ralston picked Ohio State's Randy Gradishar to plug a leak at the linebacker position and off his preseason play against the Falcons Sunday night, the Broncos came up with a winner. All-Pro tackle Paul Smith and defensive end Lyle Alzado are strong pass rushers.

Kansas City Chiefs Birthdays are not cause for celebration in the Kansas City camp. The Denver Broncos caught up with the Chiefs, 7-6-2, last year. Age however, has been creeping up on the Chiefs for several seasons. The Chiefs managed 231 points last year, third worst in the conference. At 39, Lenny Dawson doesn't seem to have any more magic in his arm.

He's still listed as Kansas City's top quarterback, even though he missed eight games last season with an assortment of nagging injuries. Reserves Mike Livingston and Pete Beathard are not the kind of quarterbacks who lead teams into the Super Bowl. And although rookie David Jaynes might be, it takes NFL quarterbacks three or four seasons to learn the ropes. Ed Podolak was a workhorse in the Kansas City backfield, gaining 721 yards on the ground and catching 55 passes for another 445 yards. Fullback Willie Ellison rushed for 411 yards.

Rookie speedster Woodie Green, the Chiefs' No. 1 draft choice from Arizona State, cracked his collarbone in a preseason game. Otis Taylor, once one of the league's most dangerous long- ball threats, has apparently lost a couple of big steps. He caught 34 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns last year. The Kansas City defense, ranked fourth in the NFL, has kept up with the times, however.

The front four of Marvin Upshaw, Curley Culp, Buck Buchanan and Wilbur Young is still a repeated a bunch as is the linebacking crew of Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier and Jim Lynch. San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers last year had an offense ranked 19th in the NFL, a defense that was rated 22nd and a football team that was wrecked by charges of widespread drug usage. Aging quarterback Johnny Unitas has traded in his hightop shoes for a broadcasting seat in the press box. That puts the pressure on second-year pro Dan Fouts and rookie Jesse Freitas. Fullback Cid Edwards rushed for 609 yards last year in 133 carries.

He also was second in receiving on the club with 25 catches worth 164 yards. Robert Holmes had 289 yards and seven touchdowns. Jerry LeVias heads the receiving crew with 30 receptions for 526 yards. Tight end Pettis Norman and No. 2 wide receiver Gary Garrison contributed just 27 more receptions between them.

'Turk' takes toll as rosters pruned By FRANK BROWN AP Sports Writer "The Turk" made his big appearance Monday at National Football League training camps across the country. Oh, he's called other names as well, not all of them printable, but whatever terminology is used, he is relentless. No door can impede his charge or keep him from grabbing marginal players and turning their dreams into memories. The Turk is cutdown day. NFL rosters, bloated to 70 and 80 players until now by the players association strike, had to be at 47 by 4 p.m.

today. Some of the departures hardly would raise eyebrows in surprise. Names like Lincoln Minor, Herschel Strickland, Tommy Thibodeaux and Jim Schneitz appeared on waiver lists at NFL headquarters to be processed into further obscurity. Others were less expected victims of The Turk's assault. The New York Giants waived defensive back Willie Williams, a 10-year veteran who once was a mainstay in their secondary.

The Baltimore Colts discarded Sam Havrilak, a six-year veteran, and Joe Schmiesing a seven-year veteran defensive tackle who started for last year's team. And the invasion on many fronts was not yet over by the early morning hours. In George Allen's Washington Redskin camp, 20 players tossed and turned awaiting The Turk's return. The Kansas City Chiefs waived 14 players Monday but had 16 to go as the sun rose. Coach Dan Devine faced anoth- INCFDENTALFACT Former Kentucky Derby winner Carry Back still carries on.

One of his sons, Sharp Gary, recently won the Illinois Derby by three lengths. er 15 cuts to bring the Green Bay Packer roster to the limit. Maybe offensive tackle Glen Ray Hines saw The Turk coming to the Pittsburgh Steelers training site at Carlisle, Pa. The nine-year veteran, who started Ivy mentor denies move CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) Joe Restic, readying Harvard for the 1974 football season in his fourth year as coach of the Crimson, has dampened reports that he may become coach of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

"I'm the football coach at Harvard, period," Restic said of the reports. "As long as I'm alive I'll be opening the season at Harvard and closing the season at Harvard." Toronto owner Bill Hodgson, who fired John Rauch as the Argonauts' head coach last week, said Monday that Restic is one of his prime choices. He said he has been talking to Res- tic for four weeks. Earlier in Toronto, Restic was quoted as saying, "When I take a job, I work as hard as I can. I'm loyal to my employers, but I'm also receptive to new challenges.

"I haven't talked to the Harvard people, but sometimes you don't have full control over timing. You have to be ready to make a decision at any time. "My mind is open about the Argo job. That's all I can say at this time." Restic coached the Hamilton Tiger Cats for three years before becoming head coach at Harvard in 1970. He directed the Crimson to a 7-2 record last year, just missing a share of the Ivy title.

Harvard opens this season Sept. 28 against Holy Cross. all of Pittsburgh's games last season, announced his retirement early in the afternoon. Steelers defensive back John Dockery wasn't as fortunate. It wasn't until a shadowy finger touched his shoulder and pointed towards the exit that Dockery got the message.

The devastation crossed the continent, leaving emptiness in its wake at New Orleans, where seven players became former Saints, moving to Dallas, where seven more bags were packed, and reached San Francisco, where the unlucky number came up four in the 49ers camp. For some, there is salvation. Foreman goes easy on training partners PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) Heavyweight champion George Foreman broke camp without breaking any heads. "He's coming around good.

He's in great shape, but I'd like to see him punching more," said Henry Clark, one of Foreman's sparring partners, after the final workout here Monday. "He's mostly just been playing with us," added Clark, himself a ranking heavyweight. "When George is really punching, he's knocking people out." Foreman's manager, Dick Sadler, had an answer: "I'm saving him for Muhammad Ali. Our last fight, we started with six sparring partners and ended up with just two because George wore them out." The champion and his party of 20 were scheduled to fly from San Francisco today, stopping in Chicago to transfer to a flight to Paris. Foreman will resume training Thursday in Kinhasa, Zaire, site of his Sept.

24 title fight against Muhammad Ali. first." Medich, a young righthander who has lost 12 games, woke up Monday morning with an upset stomach. Then he had to conquer a whopping case of nerves. "I was sick," be said. "I slept very little Sunday night Then I Oceaneers, Astros tangle in playoffs The Rhode Island Oceaneers and the Boston Astros, surrounded by "South American Intrigue" and the memory of last Saturday's rock 'em sock 'em season's finale, open the American Soccer League playoffs Wednesday.

Scene of the one game duel will be Pierce Memorial Stadium in East Providence, home of the Oceaneers who edged the Astros there Satur- giant Hans Schwink of Detroit to referee the playoff game. Schwink is 6-8 and weighs some 250 pounds. The battle between the New England rivals will get underway at 7:30 p.m. Pierce Stadium is off Route 195. The Oceaneers will be meeting Boston for the third time.

In July, the O's gained a 10 victory over the Astros. was extremely tense and nervous. It was easy to see, too. "I was busting all my warm- up pitches. They were as hard as I threw in the game.

It's not always like that. This was an important game, keeping us in first place." Medich allowed nine hits, including solo homers by Dwight Evans and Carl Yastrzemski, before giving way to relief ace Sparky Lyle in the eighth. Lyle allowed a single by Deron Johnson before retiring the last four batters in order. "It wasn't the best game Doc has thrown this year, but he's doing something right--he's won 18 of 'em," catcher Thurman Munson said. "He didn't seem exceptionally nervous at the start--well, maybe a little-but he settled down." Chris Chambliss and Elliott Maddox drove in two runs apiece for the Yankees.

How- ever, Mew York was helped to its 19th victory in the last 25 games by three Boston errors, two by Mario Guerrero, which paved the way for two unearned runs. "Our defense hurt us," Boston manager Darnell Johnson said. "We violated some fundamentals out there tonight. We're just going to have to bounce back tomorrow." Yastrzemski, the Red Sox' veteran slugger and team captain, put it more bluntly. "We lost because of sloppy defense," Yastrzemski said.

"We can't expect to win when we play the way we did tonight We're going to have to play better defense the rest of the way." Said Virdon, summing up the Yankees' feelings: "This was a good time to win here. In fact, I can't think of a better time." George Patrick Duffy, general manager of the Oceaneers, noting that rivals have reached the point where they will try anything to beat the O's, said "I have had some information passed to me that Boston might try to sneak a few Brazilian "ringers" into the playoff tilt. Sounds crazy, but today when I called the Boston Asters' office, the secretary said: Mr. Bertos, Astros' GM, is in Brazil." The Oceaneers, meanwhile, will be playing the game without Captain Lenny Mole who was one of several players injured last Saturday. ASL referee-in-chief Pat Smith of Ohio, has assigned Offensive tackle Chris Morris, recently released by the Cleveland Browns, is expected to join the World Football League Memphis Southmen this week.

John Matuszak has the opposite problem. The Houston Oilers won't let him go to join the WFL Houston Texans. The 6-foot-8, 285-pound defensive tackle was away from the football field Monday, doing battle instead in the courts, which enjoined him from playing with the Texans. But Matuszak, at least, is a young and valuable possession to two football leagues. His death battle with The Turk is still a number of years away.

Foreman left here weighing about 230 pounds, and Sadler predicted he'd weigh 225 or less Sept. 24. The championship fight is scheduled at 3 a.m. Zaire time, which will somewhat beat the equatorial heat of Africa and put it in prime time for U.S. theater television showings.

Gark, from Sacramento, and heavyweight Frank Steele of Gary, are Foreman sparring partners now and both have worked with Ali in the past. "The only way Ali can beat him is to move fast for 15 rounds, and I don't think he can do that anymore. George's big advantage is power," said Steele. "I've worked more than 300 rounds with Ali, and he's a good friend," said Clark. "But I don't think he'll last more than five rounds.

"George isn't worried about Ali. He's just going to go into the ring and bang away." Russians miffed about officials as Americans win fourth game GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) If Alexander Belov never sees another American basketball official, it may be.too soon. The husky blonde from Leningrad led his team to the brink of victory over the United States Monday night only to have his frustration with the officials get the better of him. He threw the ball at the ceiling with 57 seconds left, earning a technical foul.

It was his fifth infraction of the night, and it forced him to sit on the bench and watch the American collegians hang on for a 67-66 victory. Minutemen name GM BOSTON (AP) Casey Frankiewicz, 35, has been named general manager of the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League, it was announced today by team president and owner John C. Sterge. Frankiewicz, a native of Warsaw, Poland, had been a player and assistant general manager of the Minutemen. He announced his retirement as an active player today.

His appointment is effective immediately. He succeeds Vincent W. Vegnani, who has been named assistant tothe president of the Boston-based An-Car Oil which also'is owned by Sterge. Frankiewicz was NASL "coach of theyear" in 1972 when he was player, coach and general manager of the St. Louis Stars.

He joined the Minutemen last March as a player and assistant coach. He was a member of the national team of Poland before leaving to play professional soccer with the Ajac team of The Netherlands. A teammate there was famed soccer player Johann Cruyff. Frankiewicz is the NASL's sixth all-time leading scorer, with 44 goals and 20 assists for 108 points in 1110 games. It was the fourth win in five games for the Americans.

The six-game tour ends in Largo, tonight. Belov was the leader as the Soviets whittled away a seven- point American lead in the second half. The Russians say he is 6-foot-6 and weighs 209 pounds. He looks bigger. He has deft inside moves; he rebounds, and he brought the ball up court against the Americans.

A Belov lay-up with two minutes left gave the Soviets their final lead at 65-63. Then David Thomspon tied the score for the Americans with a pair of free throws. Thirty seconds later Belov stole the ball from American Phil Spence and was about to shoot a lay-up when the whistle blew. The two American officials said Yuri Pavlov was pushing against Thompson. The call sent everyone scurrying for the international rule books.

While the teams waited on their benches, it was decided that Belov was out of the game with five fouls, but Thompson would shoot, only the two free throws coming to him under international rules for Pavlov's foul. Thompson sunk both, to give the Americans their final points. Pavlov managed a free throw with 34 seconds left but missed the second which might have tied the game. Thompson was the game's high scorer with 24 points. Belov had 20.

In the locker room afterward, Belov was still fuming. Asked if he spoke English, he' replied "No." Teammate Ivan Yedeshko spoke a little. Using all his diplomacy, he said he thought the Belov blew up and whipped officials did a good job. But, he Strict probation the ball toward the Greensboro added, they shouldn't have in drug sale PROVIDENCE, (AP) -Family Court Judge Edward V. Healey Jr.

has placed a 15-year- old Cranston high school student on probation and a "strict regimen" in his daily life because the youth sold a powerful drug to fellow students. Appearing in court on police charges of possession of a narcotic with intent to sell, the youth told the judge he sold the drug PCP, described by authorities as an animal tranquilizer. And if the boy's schoolwork- grades and C-does not improve, the judge told him "you can flunk into the training school for boys; it wouldn't bother me in the least-because you sold narcotics." Coliseum ceiling. Referee Irv Brown was making the sign before the ball hit the ground. called that foul on Pavlov.

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