Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 15

JOHNSON CITY PRESS-CHRONICLE Wednesday Morning June 22 1983 Page 15 pp Early predictions rare 1 ivTx By Victor Hull P-C Sport Writer ELIZABETHTON Few Appalachian League managers dare to make pre-season predictions Who could blame them? Seldom are more than a few players carried over from one season to the next Players fresh from high school are thrown in with those with anywhere from one to four years college experience And seldom do the teams have time to practice together before the season starts Which is why Elizabethton Twins manager Fred Waters is rather cautious about his teams prospects "You never know what is going to happen said Waters now in his 20th year with the parent Minnesota Twins organization and eighth managing Eli-zabethton "Weve got to pick up some pitching If we get some pitching well be all right Waters will get a chance to test his team when the Twins host the Johnson City Cardinals at 7:30 tonight in the first game of a two-game home stand The Twins need for pitching help could be partially alleviated if they sign Tim Belcher their No 1 pick and the No 1 selection overall in the 1983 amateur draft conducted June 6-8 Belcher a pitcher from Mount Vernon Nazarene College compiled a 5-4 record including one no-hitter two one-hitters and two three-hitters He also throws a fastball clocked at better than 93 miles per hour Belcher when and if he i signs would be sent to Eli zabehton In the meantime Waters will have to make the best of what he has He intends to give right-hander Archie Sanders one of only two holdovers from last season the starting nod against the Cardinals tonight Sanders saw limited playing time last year when the Twins finished the season 32-36 The only other returnee is catcher Tim Graupmann who may start tonight Waters may use draftee Jim Pancake (17th round 419th pick overall) as his starting catcher The rest of the starting lineup includes right fielder Chris Forgione (third round 55th pick) center fielder Dave Vetsch (ninth round 211th pick) first baseman Craig Coppola (22nd round 544th pick) second baseman Doug Palmer (12th round 289th pick) shortstop Matt 'Bucher (14th round 341st pick) third base-man Jeff Schugel (18th round 445th pick) and designated hitter Rafel Codinach a free agent The left field position was still up for grabs Tuesday "I think well have a good defensive ball club if we can just get the pitching to go with it Waters said "Weve got to put em out there and see who can do it "We showed we could play good defense down in Florida (the Twins training facility) You cant judge hitting down there because of the heat but I think weve got good hitters Following the series the Twins will have Friday off before traveling to Bluefield to face the defending champion Orioles Bluefields Orioles looking for 8th title Sports briefs Compiled from staff and wire reports Sims to direct Crockett program David Sims an assistant under Mike Williams for six years will direct the David Crockett basketball program next season Earlier this spring Williams resigned the Crockett position to accept an assistant coaching position at Clemson University A graduate workshop for area coaches covering conditioning women in athletic adult fitness and aspects of athletic training will be offered beginning this week by the department of physical education and recreation at East Tennessee State University The workshop will frun from pm on weekdays beginning Thursday through June 8 The course will carr two semester hours of graduate credit Interested persons may register at the ETSU office of admission Burgin Dossett Hall prior to or at the first meeting on June 23 No registration will be available after this date For more information call 929-5380 or 929-4223 Darrell Waltrlp upset at NASCAR NASHVILLE Two-time defending champion Darrell Waltrip says he faults NASCAR for the crushed windshield he sustained in Sundays Gabriel 400 and "sometimes wonders how concerned they really are about safety Waltrip says drivers have been after NASCAR officials to allow the use of Lexan synthetic plastic windshields like those in airplane windows "But they wont do it Waltrip said "The windows we have now are made out of the same type of glass that comes in passenger cars and its simply not strong enough for racing conditions NASCAR Grand National director Dick Beaty said that though the plastic windshield is strong it is extremely dangerous when it does break "Darrells wrong about us not having studied Lexan Beaty said "Weve discussed it for two or three years Weve found that the stuff flies through the air when it shatters and its razor-sharp If it ever went sailing into a crowd of spectators it would be disaster-outs Thats why we prohibit its use Meets to precede Gault decision NASHVILLE Former University of Tennessee football and track star Willie Gault says he plans to run in three more track meets before deciding between the National Football Leagues Chicago Bears and an attempt at landing a berth on the US Olympic Team A first-round draft pick by the Bears Gault says he may pass up a bonus and a multiple-year contract for a shot at the Olympics "Its only a year out of my life and its something Tve always wanted to do Gault said "I dont think it would cost me any money when I get around to signing with Chicago A world class sprinter and hurdler Gault made the 1980 team which boycotted the games in Moscow He has been given permission by the Bears to run track and will retain his amateur standing as long as he doesnt actually sign a contact Gault is scheduled to run the 110-meters and on the 400-meter realy team in a dual meet against East Germany this weekend in Los Angeles Gault will compete in the Sports Festival in Colorado Springs next weekend and in the World University Games July 8-10 NBA board adopts new rules NEW YORK Rules that will expand the playoffs limit cash transactions to $300000 and curtail the trading of first-round draft picks were adopted Tuesday by the National Basketball Association Board of Governors Jerry Colangelo general manager of the Phoenix Suns and chairman of a special committee appointed by NBA Commissioner Larry OBrien to recommend improvements in the league announced the changes after the summer meeting of the Board of Governors Another session was planned later Tuesday Colangelo said that no NBA team will be allowed to make transactions that would leave it with no first-round draft choice for two consecutive years "From now on a team will never be able to mortgage its future Colangelo said avoiding situations like the Cleveland Cavaliers who at one point have no first-round picks for five straight years Under the playoff expansion which takes effect next season four teams will be added to 12 that have made the playoffs in recent years the first-round series will be best-of-5 instead of best-of-3 and no teams will get byes in the opening round Martin cleared of obscenity charges NEW YORK Embattled New York Yankee Manager Billy Martin was cleared Tuesday by American League President Lee MacPhail of charges that he had screamed obscenities at a woman researcher from the New York Times Following a protest filed by the Baseball Writers Association of America MacPhail investigated reports that Martin had used abusive language to Deborah Henschel who was on assignment from the Times and was interviewing players in the Yankee clubhouse last Friday night The league president talked with Martin and others who were in the clubhouse when the confrontation took place "This includes a reporter a photographer a trainer several players and a coach MacPhail said "Each individual confirms that Martins statements were basically as he reported them I have been unable to talk to the representative of the Times the Times apparently feeling this would be improper Martin told MacPhail that he did not know Henschel and that when he asked her to leave she refused saying that she was from the New York Times and had credentials Martin said he then told her to get out in stronger terms using language common in major league clubhouses Liberty takes Americas Clip win NEWPORT RI Liberty winless in its first three outings in preliminary-round action of the America's Cup competition sailed to victory Tuesday over two-time champion Courageous Dennis Conner who chose Liberty over 1980 champion Freedom steered the 12-meter yacht to a 19-second victory over the 1974 and 1977 Cup winner The defeat was the first for Courageous skippered by John Kolius after previous victories oVer Liberty and idle stablemate Defender Liberty in addition to its loss Saturday to Courageous in the opening day of competition for the Americans fell twice to Defender on Monday The second of those races was subject to a dual protest which the Americas Cup Committee was to decide today -w'ffi'v J'tt -f r- to is as be 8 By Jimmy Smyth Executive Sports Editor BLUEFIELD WVa The Bluefield Orioles in search of an eighth Appalachian League championship since the league was reorganized in 1957 play their 1983 opener at Pulaski tonight Greg Biagini 31-year-old resident of Greenville NC is the Oriole skipper this season and summed up the prospects saying "defensively we should be pretty good We had most of our players in the extended spring season at St Petersburg Fla Weve got some good arms in the outfield and a lot of speed Our hitting may be sporadic but we may be able to generate enough speed on the base paths to cause some problems Biagini said it may or may not be too important over the long haul "but as a team in his final three years of pro ball in the Mexican League The first baseman-outfielder went to Iowa State on a football scholarship before deciding on pro baseball Bluefields roster numbers 29 players including Baltimores No 1 and 2 draft picks both pitchers Wayne Wilson a 17-year-old right-hander Redonda Beach Calif was Baltimores first selection' and Mike Conley 18-year-old left-hander Hamilton Ohio the second choice Wilson is 6-3 and weighs 180 Conley is 6-0 and also tips the scales at 180 Biagini says "as long as my players give 100 percent my philosophy is one of relaxed-type managing I just want them to do the job As a whole I think well be a line-drive type of team that likes to steal bases Basketball camp The East Tennessee State basketball coaching staff will conduct yet another camp this one of an instructional nature It will begin Sunday and last until June 30 Here assistant coach Paul Johnson instructs two campers on the fine art of shooting The latest camp will teach young men the fundamentals of shooting ball handling defense rebounding and team play (Staff Photo by Eddie LeSueur) Graham tames act to become leader in dirt track racing By Kelly Hodge P-C Sports Writer After several years of "riding like a wild man Ricky Graham has tamed his act He is no longer the hard-charging teen-ager who once mixed brilliant performances with intermittent crashes while feeling out the American Motorcyclist Associations Grand National circuit Graham has finally learned how to be consistent and hes currently the man to beat on dirt tracks across the country 'Tve just been trying to ride conservative and finish races said Graham the defending Grand National champion "It seems to work out better that way I used to ride like a wild man when I first started but Ive learned to use my head "Where I once would just to out and throw the gas to it I now sit back and measure the situation It comes with experience" After finishing a disappointing 13th in the championship point standings two years ago the 24-year-old rider from Monterey Calif came back strong in 1982 and edged Jay Springsteen for the title by two points the second-closest chase in 19 years And he's back on course again Heading into Saturday nights stop at Maryvilles Smoky Mountain Raceway Graham is tied for the Camel Pro Series lead with former national champion Randy Goss at 123 points while Springsteen a three-time national champ is in third at 100 All three ride Harley-Davidson the only American-made motorcycle and for years the dominant dirt Jbike in the profession Graham finished fourth last year on the steeply-banked half-mile oval at Maryville but he has an added incentive to improve this time around The event marks the half-way point of the AMAGrand National season and a $10000 bonus from the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co goes to the overall points leader after the competition The winner at the end of the 34-event schedule will receive another $25000 Graham picked up both checks last year the first time a rider has accomplished that feat and hes looking to do it again "Were really looking forward to this race" said Graham "We havent won on a half-mile track in three years but with the Ricky Graham money on the line wed like walk away with this one It will be tough though because this the fastest track on the circuit and it can get awfully tight "The track is the only one that has banks and that means you dont have to back down nearly much' when you go into the turns It makes for exciting racing Graham who earned $84341 last season not counting contingency money has fared much better on the mile tracks during his five seasons of professional racing Of his four victories in 1982 two came on mile-long tracks and in the process he set an average speed record for the mile of 1018 mph at Springfield 111 "Really I like to have a little more breathing room when Im racing said Graham "but to the champion you have to be able to race on the steeplechase quarter-mile and half-mile tracks just the same as the mile ones Graham should have some stiff competition Saturday night as he will be joined by the top 10 money winners from last season including Goss Springsteen Terry Poovey who won the event last season and Hank Scott winner of the inaugural championship race at Maryville in 1981 The program is set to start at pm and will consist of four heats two semifinals and a "last chance qualifying run Competing in the 20-lap main event will be three qualifiers from each heat plus the winners of the three other races Tickets are available at most area cycle shops and at the gate the night of the race the spring games our team hit -29v of his team came in Florida drafted bywli All of Biaginis impressions ywhechis club won what he Montreal in 1973 after his junior year at Iowa State University played in the New York-Pennsylvania and Florida State leagues his first season From there Biagini was in the Carolina League in 1974 the Eastern League in 1975-76-77 and his contract was picked up by Seattle where he played in 1978-79 Then came Stout locals top choice for ETSU baseball team referredto as the "Little League championship this spring That blends in well with what Bluefield fans have come to expect in the past quarter of a century that Baltimore has placed its teams in the "Air-Conditioned City The Orioles came in 1958 with Brooklyn the only other Bluefield parent (1957) sports at Milligan from ETSU in 1974 As an athlete at ETSU Stout compiled a 36-5 pitching record "My ideal is to make my contribution to the total (university) program Stout said "I will raise funds for baseball I will raise funds for any program if Im asked "Im very pleased and happy to be here In the dark recesses and cockles of my heart Ive always been interested in returning to my alma mater Stout was a candidate for the Johnson City superintendent of schools job earlier this year but says hes glad now he didnt get the job "The Lord works in mysterious ways said Stout "I came close to getting that position At the time I wanted it Im happy now it didn't materialize It didnt take Stout long to determine his first priority retaining the players currently on the Buccaneers roster and hitting the recruiting trail "I plan to talk to everyone on the roster and try to convince them that if they have aspirations to have a good college education and aspriations to professional baseball (hat they can have that here said Stout A Classified Ad in these columns will bring quick results to you Dial SAVE WITH DISCOUNT GOLF RATES AT BUFFALO VALLEY GOLF CLUB (Continued from page 13) Stouts selection will certainly please area high school coaches because many of them (Dave Torgerson Daniel Boone John McKamey Sullivan East Hack Hyder Elizabethton to name a few) 'either played for or coached with Stout "I think hes the top choice said David Crockett coach Sonny Miller who played for Stout until 1968 "I dont think they could have made a better choice its tremendous I think hell be able to get the local support Hes always been active in the (Upper East Tennessee High School Baseball) coaches association and has given us all the help in the world "He was probably the local coaches choice In fact Stout said "I plan to continue the effort to bring East Tennessee greater prospects and get local people Tri-Cities people involved in the program Stout is also a university man He earned his BS degree in Physical Education and Health from ETSU in 1956 and his master's from the University of Tennessee in 1959 He received his doctorate with a comprehensive thesis on the history of intercollegiate Tl GREEN FEE CART FEE 11 per person for 18 Holes 2 Mondays-Fridays in June 83 With This Coupon Call 928-1022 or 743-9957 2 For reserved tee times on -79 WETB eJ Presents Don Gibson Weekdays At 6 AM Weekends Holidays uaabuatiBaanaaaHaBBBBBH.