Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 17

Finally, Coryell Chargers give reason to smile Steve Bartkowski, Wallace Francis cut back across midfield and had nothing but a sea of green grass between himself and the end zone. On his way to six points, though, Francis allowed Jerome Dove to make a touchdown-saving tackle on the three. The next three plays lost 10 yards and the Falcons had to settle for rookie Jorge Portelas 30-yard field goal and a 6-0 lead. In the middle of the second period the Falcons had a chance to push their lead to 13-0. Positioned on the Chargers 24 after a 41-yard punt return 17 of which of were earned via a fumble at the end of a return Atlanta advanced to a first down at the 11.

On first down, Bartkowski threw a perfect pass to Alfred Jenkins in the end zone. Jenkins dropped the baU. This time, the Falcons had to settle for a 20-yard Tim Mazzetti field goal. The Chargers finally got on the scoreboard on their next-to-last drive of the half, thanks mostly to the Falcons kindness. A 52-yard pass interference penalty on Atlantas Jerome King against John Jefferson put the Chargers on the Falcon 10.

Three plays later, King aided the Chargers again. On third-and-goal from the five, King interfered with Charlie Joiner at the one. After the automatic first down, John Cappelletti scored the touchdown behind good blocks by Ed White and Hank Bauer. Coryell said the Chargers were more assertive in trying to win in their fourth exhibition game. the second half.

The Chargers sacked Atlantas QBs eight times. 5 The San Diegans finally clinched the game in the fourth period. On third-and-four from the Atlanta 49, Luther drilled a completion to Owens at the 30. Owens whirled to the outside and sped untouched the rest of the way to the end zone to account for the final score. For the fourth straight week, Luther, the rookie from San Jose State, was impressive.

In one half against the alcons, he was 10 of 16 for 155 yards and the TD. After the game, Coryell hinted that Luther might now be the clubs No. 2 quarterback. We certainly have given him a lot of work, said Coryell. Shack (James) Harris is the guy with more experience, but Luther played very well, put it that Coryell was also very impressed with Harrington, the rookie halfback from Norfolk State who had knee surgery last year.

Harrington was the Chargers leading rusher, gaining 31 yards on nine carries. He had to be removed in the fourth period after slamming seven yards to the Atlanta one. The Chargers feared he had hurt his knee again, but instead he suffered a thigh pull. He did some good things for a rookie, said Coryell. He ran in there pretty tough.

The Chargers were fortunate to be trailing 9-7 at the half. Atlanta could have easily put 17 points on the board in the first two quarters. On a 45-yard reception from By DON NORCROSS T-A Sports Writer (' SAN DIEGO The 1980 San Chargers apparently do not to go down in history. No Charger team has ever failed to win a game in the pre-season, but until last nights game with the Atlanta Falcons, the Chargers were 0-2-1 in 1980 pre-season play. San Diego finally dented the win column, however, with a 17-9 victo-ry over the Falcons before 47,184 at the Stadium.

Charger head coach Don Coryell was very pleased with his clubs first success of the summer. Its not very often Ive had a chance to smile, said a grinning Coryell after the game. I tell you, I wasnt smiling out there, though. That was a real tough ball game just like we knew it would be. They have a fine football team.

The Chargers owe this victory to their second team offense. Quarterback Ed Luther, running back LaRue Harrington and wide receiver Artie Owens helped erase a 9-7 halftime deficit on the Chargers, opening drive of the second half. Luther moved the Chargers from their own 19 to the Atlanta seven. Key plays in the drive included a 27-yard pass to John Floyd followed by a 20-yard aerial to Harrington, which put San Diego on the Atlanta IS. The drive stalled on the seven, where Rolf Bemischke converted a 25-yard field goal to put the Chargers on top, 10-9.

Atlantas second team offense was unable to do anything against the Chargers front line defense in Ex-Padre saves one for Expos MONTREAL (AP) The moments that reliever John DAo-j quisto spent in the San Diego Padre 1 dugout this season came in handy last night. -1 Traded by the Padres to the real Expos on Aug. 11, DAcquistoj gained some revenge at the expense of his former teammates when hei foiled a ninth-inning rally to preserve I a 2-0 victory for starter Bill Gullick-' son. Its funny. This year I watched the Padres hitters from the dugout a lot more than I used, DAcquisto said.

It paid off tonight, especially against Jerry Mumphrey. I knew Mumphrey was going to be waiting on my fastball, so I threw him a curveball that he took for strike three. The strikeout came with none out and runners at first and third in the ninth inning, and DAcquisto then forced pinch-hitter Gene Tenace to bounce into a game-ending double play. Theres always something special about pitching against your old club, DAcquisto said. But you cant get overly agressive, because if you do youll beat yourself." Gullickson, who scattered six hits before leaving the game after walking lead batter Dave Winfield in the ninth, wasnt disappointed in failing to record a complete game.

I had lost some of the pop on my ball, he said. In a close game like 2-. 0, I should never have walked the leadoff batter. Ron LeFlore and Rowland Office, provided the Expos scoring punch, with RBI singles in the fifth inning. The Expos had been held to one hit a first-inning single by Office before bunching four hits against Padre starter Steve Mura, 4-6, in the fifth.

Chris Speier led off the inning with a double and moved to third on Gullick-sons sacrifice bunt. LeFlore then singled sharply up the middle to deliver the first run of the game. LeFlore promptly stole his 81st base of the year before advancing to third on Rodney Scotts single that dropped in front of right fielder Dave Winfield. Office, replacing outfielder Ellis VaP entine, who is hampered by a strained hip muscle, then cracked a hard bouncer that went off the glove of second baseman Dave Cash for an RBI single. Gullickson, 6-3, walked two and struck out five before getting relief help from DAcquisto.

The victory was Gullicksons sixth in a row as a starter. He has not lost as a starter since June 30. LeFlore, after walking in the seventh, had his string of consecutive stolen bases stopped at 22 when he was thrown out by San Diego catcher Bill Fahey. The Padres also missed an excellent chance to score in the eighth inning after Dave Cash led off with a double. But Gullickson struck out pinch-hitter Broderick Perkins and got Gene Richards on a groundout bei fore striking out Ozzie Smith.

DAcquistos save was his first as a member of the Expos, matching the total he had with the Padres. I dont know whether DAcquisto will be the answer for our bullpen, but right now, all I know is that hes one for one, said Montreal managed Dick Williams. San Diegos Bob Shirley (9-9) will oppose Montreals Charlie Lea (4-5) today in the final game of the series. Channel 8 will televise the game beginning at 10:35 a.m. Stall Photo by Jim Baird BIG PLAY Atlanta's Jerome King helped the Chargers their first touchdown when he interfered with Charlie Joiner near the goalline in the second quarter of last night's game in San Diego Stadium.

VEECK SELLS WHITE A's and Finley finally part company fa By Associated Press After 20 years in baseball and numerous attempts to get out, Charles O. Finley finally sold the Oakland As yesterday to a group headed by the chairman of the board of Levi Strauss 1 Co. for $12.7 million. Finley announced the sale to Walter A. Haas Levi chairman and a 1 trustee of the Ford Foundation, Haass son Walter J.

and his son-in-law Roy Eisenhardt at a crowded news conference at the Kaiser Aluminums corporate headquarters. Both Finley and the new owners credited Cornell Maier, chairman of Kaiser Aluminum Chemical for making the sale possible. Although the 62-year-old Finley has tried several times to sell the team to out-of-town owners most recently oilman Marvin Davis of Denver last year the new owners pledged to keep the team in Oakland for at least the seven remaining years on the lease at the Oakland Coliseum and the 20 more years on the lease option. Im leaving the game because I can no longer compete financially, said Finley, who bought the team in 1960 in Kansas City and moved it to Oakland in 1967. Im having to leave because of the idiotic, astronomical, unjustified salaries today.

But I dont thmk I could be leaving the team in better hands. the elder Haas, 64, who heads the to Youngstown, Ohio, shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. and his daughter, Rose Denise DeBartolo York. The sale is subject to approval by Sox stockholders and the other American League owners, but Veeck, president of the team, said that was a mere formality.

Veeck, who put together a group which purchased the club five years ago for about $11 million and averted a move to Seattle, said the new owners would be able to stabilize the franchise and make it more competitive. The White Sox are 51-68 and in fifth place in the AL West Division. In a statement issued through Louisiana Downs race track in Shreveport, La. one of his other holdings DeBartolo also sounded an optimistic note about the future of the franchise. We will expend every effort to revive the hopes of Chicagoans in redeveloping a vital, pennant-seeking baseball team, he said.

Vince Bartimo, president and general manager of Louisiana Downs, said he expected approval of the stockholders and the league to be all but automatic. The DeBartolo family has received a clean bill of health from the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and its reputa tion is impeccable, he said. DeBartolos son owns the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL and the family owns the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and three thoroughbred horse tracks. Although DeBartolo was quoted recently as saying he would keep the team in Chicago if his bid to buy the Sox was successful, Bartimo said DeBartolo was not compelled to keep the team in Chicago as a condition of purchase. There are no restrictions on the flexibility of the corporation regarding the franchise, Bartimo said in a telephone interview.

"Mr. DeBartolo does not make purchases with strings attached. However, Veeck said the deal included a written assurance that the franchise would remain in Chicago. This affords the club greater stability, said Veeck, instead of having to sell players they can now buy them. Once it happens, Ill be unemployed, said Veeck, Ill be surprised if the matter is not consummated soon.

I have not given one moments thought as to what Im going to do. Once the deal is approved by the stockholders and the league, the DeBartolos will take over immediately. Of course, it will take time for attorneys from both sides to put things together. SOX AND LATER, huge Levi corporation of San Francisco, will be team chairman, but day-to-day operations will be run by his son who will carry the title of president and by Eisenhardt who will be executive vice president. The sale is to become effective on Nov.

6, but needs the approval of American League owners. Several previous attempts to sell the team to Davis ran into both legal and American League opposition. Eisenhardt said Maier told him in July that the team was for sale and after undertaking a demographic study of the east Bay and a financial analysis of the team the Haas group decided to go after the club. Haas, 30, had been an official with Levi Strauss but resigned to take over the As while Eisenhardt, a 41-year-old attorney, will continue to teach at the University of California law school at Berkeley. We left our hats at home and brought all the cattle," Eisenhardt said in describing the purchase negotiations and paraphrasing one of Finleys favortite phrases about potential buyers.

The entire transaction took 30 days. The big question of course is can the Bay area support two teams. We intend to be successful. We want everyone to catch baseball fever, Eisenhardt said. When I was young I used to think defensive back Presnell Gilbert (Seattle Seahawks), punter Pat Mulholland (Los Angeles Rams), running back Marcus Jennings (St.

Louis Cardinals), running back Curtis Bledsoe (Dallas Cowboys), defensive end Kent Perkov (Cleveland Browns), defensive end Phil Chambliss (New York Jets), center Kevin Fidel (Cleveland Browns) and offensive guard Pete Inge (Houston Oilers). Gilbert is the former Aztec basketball player who was taken on the final round of the draft by the Seahawks. He had no college football experience, but the Seattle coaches like to draft talented, but untested people in the late rounds of the draft. Gilbert might have been the about how I could get to the ballpark everyday and not be called a bum, the younger Haas said. I have always been a sports fan.

The sale had been rumored for several days but the actual buyers came as a surprise to most people including manager Billy Martin. I just walked in cold, Martin said of his first meeting with the new own- 'It's kind of sad in a way that Charlie's leaving Martin ers before the news conference. Id never met them but they seem excited about it and they love the game of baseball. Its kind of sad in a way that Charlies leaving. Everyone said we wouldnt get along but hes been just tremendous with me.

Finley echoed Martins sadness about his departure. Ive probably smelled more roses than I had a right to, Finley said of his five division titles and three world championships. Meanwhile, Bill Veeck says the new owners of the Chicago White Sox will be able to produce a better brand of baseball than he and his partners could because they will be able to buy players instead of having to sell them. The White Sox board of directors Friday approved the sale of the American League franchise for $20 million best athlete in our camp, said a Seahawks spokesman. There was no question that he has tremendous ability.

But he grew impatient and walked out of camp last week. We were trying him as a defensive back and he thought the competiton dictated he would get cut. We might have cut him, but we wanted to keep him around until the end because he has such tremendous raw talent. His leaving here is a real waste. The same cannot be said for Mulholland, Jennings and Bledsoe.

They were all released early. Their dismissals came as no surprise and they will not be missed. One man who was surprised by DCCa rJiAFFCD NFL cutdown day is the 9 the unkindest of them all Cutdown days in the NFL are never kind. Young men, and even seasoned veterans, who have worked hard in an effort to earn a living playing professional football often see their hopes dashed on cutdown day. There are two such days remaining on the NFL calendar.

One comes Tuesday when the clubs must trim their rosters from 60 to 50. The final cutdown day is Sept. 1 when all squads must be pared to the NFL limit of 45. To date, almost as many former San Diego State players have felt the axe as have survived. Those who tried, but are no longer employed in the NFL are: when he lamed a knee.

The Browns put him on the injured reserved list for the 1979 season, hoping he could make a contribution in 80. They were wrong. Chambliss failed a tryout last year with the Los Angeles Rams. Fidel might have had a chance to make the Browns squad, but he was plagued by illness. He contracted a stomach infection upon arriving in camp and was sapped of his strength.

The Browns sent him home, but there is a chance he could be brought back next season. On the other hand, things are going better for some former Aztecs linebacker Whip Walton Please see Malfei, B-2 being dropped was Inge. The man who started 44 straight games for the Aztecs and was a second team All-America last year, thought he had a good chance of sticking with' the Oilers. I went to camp in great shape and thought I did rather well in the early workouts, Inge said. I was running with the first team before the veterans came in and then suddenly I was gone.

I thought I deserved a better deal. Im very disappointed. Perkov and Chambliss also have to be disappointed. They flunked NFL tryouts for the second time. Perkov was drafted by the Browns two years ago and was on the verge of being cast adrift PETE INGE Out of football I.