Brownwood Bulletin from Brownwood, Texas • Page 8

THE RNLEY PHENOMENON BRtWKWOOO SULLETIN A's have one boss: Charlie By MURRAY (First of CHICAGO (NEA) Charlie Finley doesn't claim to be the smartest guy in the world. He'll tell y6u that right out. Average inlelli- expecting strong WHA club HOUSTON (AP) Houston Aeros coach Bill Dineen says his team will be as good as any in the Western Division of the World Hockey Association. "I want to go on record as saying we'll finish no worse than second in our division," Oineen said Tuesday at a news conference at which the Aeros announced the signing of goalie Don McLeod. McLeod, the club's 15th sig- nee, played last season with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League although he missed most of the year with a knee injury.

The Aeros also announced a 39-game home schedule for the Sam Houston Coliseum. The first home game will be against the Chicago Cougars Oct. 12. The Aeros are in the Western Division along with Chicago, Alberta, Minnesota, Winnepeg and Los Angeles. They will play each Western Division team four times at home with the exception of Los Angeles who will be here five times.

The Eastern Division teams, New York, New England, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Quebec City, will be in Houston three times each. gence, yes. But, says Charlie, no one's going to out- hustle him. So that's why it's no more than he he, Charles Oscar Finley has possibly the best team in all of baseball. "Not corrects Charlie when you mention this.

"THE got to think positive on these things." Charlie has owned the Oakland Athletics, who were previously the Kansas City Athletics and before that the Philadelphia Athletics, for 13 years. For the first nine years of Finley's ownership, the Kansas City phase, the Athletics were hopeless losers, never rising above sixth place. That has all been turned around since the club was moved to Oakland in 1968. The current Athletics are on the way to their second Western Division championship in the American League. They are the brightest, most aggressive young team around.

And Charlie Finley is suddenly respected as a baseball sage. Yes, the same Charlie 0. who named a mule after himself to be the team mascot and then drove the mule right into the lobby of the Americana Hotel in New York. "Not only that," says Charlie, "but the mule slept the night in the bridal suite." Of course, they spread canvas all over the floors first. "The mule," explains Charlie 0.

(the man) seriously, "played an important part in the development of America. I love animals. I love baseball." Charlie actually believes in those homilies. He lives by them. From Interstate 80, east of Chicago, you can see the crest of the A's, with a base- CHARLIE O.

FINLEY the Oakland Athletics via telephone front his (arm In LaPorte, Ind. DuutT WESTERN WEAR IIOSFiihtr 3 Days Only August 10,11 and 12 Al SsfM IickMfM No Uy-may MEN'S WRANGLERS LEE RIDERS Ptmu Prm MM Jims OO Sizes Just. $1004200 Viluw Just $62.00 NY'S TENNIS SHOES BrokmSiiti ball and bat, painted atop a barn. This is the hub of Finley's 1280-acre farm in LaPorte, Ind. Here he makes his decisions for the Athletics, the California Seals of the National Hockey League and the recently acquired Memphis Tarns of the American Basketball Association when he's not in his Chicago insurance office, or in a hotel room any place.

It's the most curiously run empire in the history of sports. Charlie is a one-man operation. "They say," muses Charlie," 'How do you run a baseball team in Oakland from a farm in I do pretty damned good by phone from a farm 2,000 miles away. I played baseball until I was 29 years old, semi-pro in the Michigan- Indiana League. I don't say I know everything, but I do know the game o'f baseball.

It doesn't take any genius. Only hard work." And a disregard of time zone differences, which means waking his manager up at 6 o'clock in the morning. So now here he is in this hotel room, this man worth millions, and he's on the phone with Frank Lane in Milwaukee, trying to trade an obscure outfielder named Ollie Brown for an obscure outfielder named Joe Lahoud. "Naw," argues Charlie, "the guy's no longer bothered with tapeworm." (He doesn't get Lahoud but later waives Brown to the Brewers anyhow.) No detail, down to the requisition of paper clips, escapes Charlie. "I have very few people 641-3515 SCHOOL SALE IMHIJ 4 MEN'S DRESS SLACKS OntRsck Sim 21-42 5 NY'S KNIT SHIRTS off LADIES BOOTS 1 Grtup Jmt.

ZGrsuilmt. GREAT SfUCTION LADIES PANTS Gars MEN'S FAMOUS NAME MOTCUT JEAN'S MEN'S TENNIS SHOES UN'S SPORT SHIRTS LIMES KNIT BLOUSES in my organizations," he says. "I don't believe it's necessary to have many. I wear three, four, five hats myself. 1 hire a man to do a job, he's going to wear two, three or four hats." He's an acerbic, tough, profane man.

He can also be charming and gracious and persuasive. He is hard to work for. He is impatient. "It's not difficult for people to work for me at all," Charlie shakes his head. "It's difficult for me to put up with some of them.

You want my side of the picture. Managers in baseball or coaches in football, good ones are hard to find. "I've been condemned for changing managers so often. You look around check Cleveland out, and other clubs you'll find they've had just as many managers as I've had. I'm not leading the pack in my 12 years." Yes, you are, Charlie.

You've had 12 managers in 12 years. The Indians, next on the totem pole, have had 10. "I know how I want my baseball team run," shrugs Charlie. "There's got to be communication. I think I have one of the most outstanding managers in the game today in Dick Williams.

He knows how to communicate. "You know, if you're working for someone, you've got a boss. You've got to find a way to communicate with him or you're gone." (NSXT: Sum Baseball Up in One Sleep walking linked to death SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Edde Machen, former heavyweight contender who fought four champions but never got a shot at the title, may have been sleep walking when he tumbled to his death, homocide inspectors say. Homicide inspector Hobart Nelson said Tuesday that Machen had trouble sleeping and frequently walked in his sleep after taking sleeping pills. Machen, 40, who had been working as a longshoreman since his retirement from the ring in 1967, died early Monday in an apparent fall from his second-story apartment.

Nelson said that Sherry Tomasini, 30, with whom Machen" lived for the past two years, claimed in an interview that the ex-boxer once walked several from their apartment before being awakened by a passing police car. Machen sometimes even lit cigarette while still asleep, Nelson quoted Miss Tomasini as saying. UHMCSKNIT PANT SUITS ONI MONT BLOUSES 73 out KNIT aoToff Gllt'S TENNIS Sim fi. work for wfn over Rangers MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL (AP) Pinch-hitter Danny Monzon called it Ms "biggest charge in MB" when he hit a single in the 10th inning Tuesday night to give Minnesota a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers.

usually, a pinch- runner at best, was called with the bases loaded and two outs in the 5-5 stalemate with Paul Lindblad pitching for Texas. He ran the count to three balls and two strikes before sending a solid single to left field to score Steve Braun from third base with the winning run. It was Monzon's first game-winning hit in the major leagues. The victory moved the third- game why he (fetal at bat only 22 times in 100 games, when Rick Renick, Eric Soderholm and George Mit- terwaM were available. "I knew Lindblad as a gutty pitcher who will challenge the hiteter," Quilici said, "I know Mmon as a tough out, a selective hitter with a short stroke and tough to strike out.

I had Monzon in mind all the time, and he did the job for us." Linblad, now 4-6, said of his pitch: "It was a fast ball. At 3-2 I'm just thinking of throwing a strike. And he's right about hitting me because I think he is 2-for-3 against me this season." Rich Billings drove in the first four Texas runs with a pair of doubles and a triple. Later, Ted place Twins within six games of Ford tied itfor the Rangers with slumping Oakland in the a two-out home run in the ninth, American League's West mringthe game into Division. Monzon, said Twins Manager Frank Quilici came off the top step of the dugout when it came time for, pitcher Jim Strickland, 2-0, to hit and said, 'Who have I got "Someone said, which is my nickname," Monzon added.

And Quilici agreed. "I knew I could hit Lindblad," Monzon said. Wuilici explained after the game into extra innings. Rich Reese and Braun singled home runs for Minnesota in the first inning and Harmon Killebrew doubled in another run in the third. Then Cesar Tovar hit a double and Rod Carew and Reese notched singles to give Minnesota a 5-4 lead in the seventh.

Quilici was questioned about his decision to allow the struggling Bert Blyleven to pitch into the ninth inning, when he gave up the homer to Ford. "Bert was overstriding early and had some trouble," Quilici said "but he got stronger as the game wore on." The two teams wind up a three-game series today with Dick Woodson, 9-9, on the mound for Minnesota against Hanger Don Stanhouse, 1-2. AMERICAN AT MINNESOTA TEXAS MINNESOTA ab bl ab bl DNelson3b 5000 Tovar rf 3210 5230 Carew Jb 5 1 0 5220 Reeself 5122 5034 Killebrew Ib 3011 5111 Brye If 1000 3000 Braun 3b 0000 Darwin cf 1000 Thompsnss 0000 Bofgmnnc 3000 Blyleven 5030 Stricklndp 1000 Monzon ph 1000 1000 0000 2000 Harrah ss Biiltnerlb Billings It Fordrt Faheyc Lawsonp Goglvvsklp Lindbladp Mactdoxcf Harris 2b Bosman Broberg DJonesph Pi nap Lovittoll 1 2 1 5010 1111 5010 4000 0000 1011- Total 5 125 Total' 40 13 6 Two out when winning run scored. 10J 000 101 Mimrewu ooo i 8 Borgmnn. 2.

11, Minnesota 10. lings2, Harris, Killebrew, Tovar. Billings. (4), Ford (10). AAaddox, Harris.

IP ER BB SO Bosman 21-35 i 3 1 2 Broberg 2230 0 0 1 2 Pina 1 1-331112 Lawson 1.3 0 0 0 0 Gogolewsfci 11-30 0 0 I 1 Lindblad (L.4-6) 1 1 1 Blyleven i 11 5 5 4 6 StrlcKland (W.2-0) .1 10001 Bosman (Tovar). ven. BASEBALL'S TOP HITTERS By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING (250 at bats)Hudi, Oak, Scheinblum, KC, .316. HUN S-Rudi, Oak, 70; D.Allen, Chi, 68. RUNS BATTED Chi, 82; Murcer, NY, 64.

HITS-Rudi, Oak, 134; Pi- niella, KC, 116. DOUBLES-Rudi, Oak, 25; Piniella, KC, 24. TRIPLES-Rudi, Oak, Blair, Bal, Fisk, Bsn, 6. HOME Chi, 28; Cash, Det, 21; R.Jackson, Oak, 21. STOI-EN Tex, 34; Campaneris, Oak, 27.

PITCHING (8 Decisions)Kaat, Min, 10-2, .833,2.06 Palmer, Bal, 1M, .789,1.88. Cal, 189; Lolich, Det, 171. NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING (250 at bats)-Cedeno, Htn, B.Williams, Chi, .339. RUNS-Morgan, Bonds, SF, 84. Cin, 89; RUNS BATTED IN-Stargell Pgh, 89; Colbert, SD, 84.

HITS-Brock, StL, B.Williams, Chi, 136. 137; DOUBLES-Bonds, SF, 25; B.Williams, Chi, 24; Cedeno, Htn, 24. StL, Rose, Cih, Bowa, Phi, Sanguillen, Pgh, 7. HOME RUNS-Colbert, SD, 31; Stargell, Pgh, 27. STOLEN 44; Morgan, Cin, 39.

PITCHING (8 Decisions)Nolan, Cin, 13-3, .812, 2.01 Marshall, Mon, 9-3, .750,1.39. STRIKEOUTS-Carlton, Phi, 220; Seaver, NY, 154. Knicks, Rangers eyeing N. Jersey TRENTON, J. J.

(AP) The New York Knicks and New York Rangers have been conducting "serious talks" with the New Jersey Sports Authority concerning a possible switched to the proposed sports complex in the Hackensack Meadowlands. A source close to the Sports Authority confirmed Tuesday night that the talks were started two months ago with the approval of Gov. William T. Cahill. The i source discounted that Madison Square Garden, which owns the two successful teams, was using the talks as a squeeze play to get property tax relief in New york City.

"That's what people said when we talked to the New York he said, referring the planned move of the professional football team to the Meadowlands sports complex in 1975. Current plans call for the construction of a football stadium, a harness race track and an arena for the sports complex. No definite specifications have been agreed upon for the size of the arena. AL RACE TIGHTENS By HERSCHEL NISSENSON Associated Press Sports Writer The managers of the contending teams in the American League East are almost as confusing as the race itself. "This has to be the best for us since 1964," said New York's Ralph Houk after the thirdplace Yankees beat pace-setting Detroit 4-2 Tuesday and climbed within three games of the top.

"We're only two back in the loss column and our guys think they' can win the pennant." "We'll beat them the next three games and they'll be right back where they belong," snapped Detroit's Billy Martin. confusing, too "As far as I'm concerned it's between Baltimore, Boston and Baltimore is the one we have to worry about." "We have the best pitching day in and day out," commented Baltimore's Earl Weaver after the Orioles downed Milwaukee by a 4-2 score, "and if we get some hitting at all it should be ours." Meanwhile, the Oakland A's sank slowly in the West and had their lead chopped to two games over Chicago following a 4-3 loss to Kansas City. Manager Dick Williams growled "No comment" for the second consecutive night when queried about a skid that has seen his club drop three in a row and six of its last seven starts. Elsewhere, the White Sox held off California 4-3, Boston defeated Cleveland 4-1 and Minnesota nosed out Texas 6-5 in 10 innings. In the National League, Cincinnati edged Los Angeles 2-1 in 19 innings, Atlanta whipped Houston 8-4, Pittsburgh shaded Philadelphia 4-2, St.

Louis nipped the New York Mets 6-5, the Chicago Cubs beat Montreal 6-5 and Sin Francisco took two from San Diego 154 and 7-3. Detroit's Mickey Lolich failed for the second time to become baseball's first 19-game winner when the Yankees broke a 2-2 FORMER car ro ABA Son Diego hires Jones tie with two unearned runs in the eighth inning following bobble of Roy White's bunt. Celerino Sanchez drove in the run with a bases- loaded sacrifice fly and White, who homered in the fourth, scored on Ron Swoboda's second run-scoring Boog Powell drove in all Baltimore's runs with a single and a three-run homer and Pat Dobson blanked the 'Brewers until the eighth when Dave May lashed a two-run single, Powell, who has raised his batting average from .159 on June 28 to .233, had a perfect 4-for-4 game. "They haven't really been pitching around me," the first baseman said of his lengthy slump. "As a matter of tc they've been waiting'forrme to get up there." Bpjpew SAN DIEGO (AP) K.

Jones, who achieved fame as a player with the Boston Celtics, seeks it now as a coach with the American Basketball Association's new San Diego Conquistadors. Alex Groza, another former player once involved in a scandal and who has been business manager and assistant to the president of the Kentucky Colonels is general manager of the fledgling club. owner by Conquistadors leonard Bloom. The ABA will hold an expansion draft Thursday so the Conquistadors can stock their roster, drawing two players from each of the other nine teams in the league. Each team will freeie six players initially and a seventh after the first round, Jones, 4tt, played for eight years in the Celtics back court and spent last year as an Oakland's Williams, who spewed profanities in the clubhouse after Monday nigljtfc loss, was in a sour mood again after Kansas City's Fred Patek delivered a tie-breaking two-out single in the ninth inning.

the National Basketball Association championship. Between those jobs he coached at Brandeis University and Harvard. Groia, 45, was a standout center at the University of Kentucky in making All-American twice. But afterwards he and 32 other peraons were named in a woay point-shaving scandal involving The writer replied a game at the National row?" and "No interviews," he snarled at one writer. "I've got nothing to say.

Get out. I saw what you wrote today," "Do i s-j: jsssffssssi Kara: Grain, itMfcy Ukm. on mtotk. lor few yiT.