The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 36

ile IPA VW Sp rts Section Classified7D Score Phone: (704) 379-6535 (Charlotte Observer Friday April 22 1988 NBA Countdown: One Year Later Orioles' Streak Hits 15 At- rtr otIt'W iv OvY' i' iiip' 40141i1Altlii0p411it0 te 04144t Ara oA: set9Ntofi vvyii3O-44-'4-7T4: 44 iiy? 4 1-4 4 A wz -----r-wo T'tet'''mr70777 t' 4 :::7 -i' -'i ''L to'' 1i T2 1: i' 'Si '''''i: :0 F140viE: 4 :0 it 'tr l'4F ::74 :0: 14 ii ki "iiik4' '1-0-0 9' '41- i3 ''4'-'4irl io i lr 1 4" te1411' tt77-: '-7: 110'4472 4 -4rel: -'I1 'gI 4141 etivd ff 4 41 44: I a 41 -tce4stowevomoilteVOt 1 4 -4 tvs iZ 3 4t 4 A I 't k- fLY o- eVrt4 10: ti4 tr4 4044 4:: 1o 4 Vol' :0 -A -1 1 7 71r4g 4: t'ttA '4' 441114 ry -1 10sk! -f 'I' i -ptv --c Te 4: r) 4-: ''''''V :4 4i: Ic 'Y -1 i ii11ft 4 tV' ri4 ilc-' i '0-tvii' fi '''O''' 4'' 4 (4''V- ti4'r 1 ie44'--' 1 A "Iv41 0- L--A 11 :0 1e(P t-7Ati Alkt rNt At te 0 l'''' 4 le4-'or 'IrTm7249'-' zt' x'zi -15 4' 4-: --0Aostoe1714- i 1- -0' rr411 43k '7 '1: JA "-tr'llsfr117: 7 4: 7' ''Nkirli' A Av 4 4- ') cttt 10'' 'il'kt-': zi 4 kp 1 'Itt--fiwte 1' i '11' Jek -4 'z AtA A vririrtil 1 0 atikIP'-p4 14: Al A1w 4 44 I '6 Th totylk i1 11:44 F4(0-01 s' 113Npc 14 0-211 T1- 0 4 t01('''''' r'' '41 jui 5 -t: 1-ag-A -ti 1 l-' i 14746'0i) xra '44'''44: i' '''''944' 7 i -'0: i''41 7 fr I j''y 4' )'1''i siPysigIt 14 i 4rr ''''-1 i 3fl i 14 'iiiil Of01Ifi '1744p' 461110 Alf ''It 21 z4T i ttl' 47 t1yi tit 1 1 t': k'' 1 4 4 -44 4-1- :4:4 -to -1 'VtT' '-1" 7 tl k)A1) A '1 1) L'' 3' A g'1klri'' -7010471q41 t'i 4c41'': 4: 31A A 'I' Z-1sts' l'-14 e- 1 4 'kle )i 'A 1'' rfAit' ''101 ik Al' '1Zp: 'is''': i' k''''''4'-i-A''''-'4 "11i-1' '-4R a '-N4- '1''''N dit -e' 2 -''''''''34' ''''t341 ''eetl''''' 4 4c -2tituTr-' 43: 4 AVKA xv---4' vre From Associated Press Reports MILWAUKEE Frank Robinson is getting a lot of advice lately But the manager of the 0-15 Baltimore Orioles would prefer a well-pitched game and some timely hits all at the same time "I've gotten all kinds of phone calls and advice but not many of those people can play positions" Robinson said The Orioles extended their own major-league record for losses at the start of a season to 15 Thursday with a 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers The Orioles set the major-league record with their 14th straight sea- 1' i Z-'- son-opening loss Wednesday night No 15 not only sunk them deeper in the record books but also was a ----Z franchise record for consecutive losses It became longer than any major-league losing streak since the 1982 New York Mets lost 15 0a-K "We just have to keep battling 1-1Z'' s' with this thing until we get out of s'1 it" Robinson said "We need a well-pitched game We need to put some runs on the board We didn't Schroeder get good pitching here in this series "I don't think we've been fouling up on fundamentals It's just that we're not performing well We're not pitching well and today we didn't hit Those are two things we have to be patient with and hopefully players will come around and perform the way they're capable of performing" Bill Schroeder's two-run homer capped a six-run third inning for the Brewers off Scott McGregor who has not won a game since last May "To McGregor's credit three of the hits in the inning were broken bat but they count We need to start getting some of them" Robinson said "When you leave bats scattered around the infield you can't feel you made pitches" said McGregor who gave up six hits and six runs in 223 innings and fell to 0-3 "Things have to start going our way We just keep waiting "You can't believe it nobody can I don't care if you we're trying to lose you couldn't lose this many games even if you went out there and didn't even give a damn "We just have to keep plugging away and praying and smiling and going after them "But it's baseball Don't make it into a funeral parlor" Baltimore starters Mark Thurmond Mike Boddicker and McGregor lasted a combined nine innings in the three games of this series and gave up 18 hits and 18 runs to the Brewers Box score Page OD MARK SLUDERStatt early August but a No 1 candidate for the Hornets coaching job isn't yet on the horizon Construction of the new Charlotte coliseum where the Charlotte Hornets will play their NBA games is scheduled to be finished in emains Who's The Coach? Question I Commentary get one with pro experience or absolute top-of-the-line credentials Others thought Kansas coach Larry Brown was a sure thing Of those who might be available he seemed to be the most qualified and for a long while it looked like he might have a lot of interest Then his national championship at Kansas took him out of the picture There's also been some wishful thinking Should the Hornets look at UNCC's Jeff Mullins? How about Duke's Mike Krzyzewski? People all See QUESTION Next Page dollars have changed accounts Hornets T-shirts have been sold Tickets have been ordered Contracts have been signed But no coach It's not yet a crisis of course for Hornets executives George Shinn and Carl Scheer the men who will eventually answer our question They've said all along they wouldn't tip their hand until sometime in May Some people wanted to end it right away Hire Lefty Driesell they said last spring Don't cried many in Shinn's wide circle of NBA advisors if you get a college coach at least By LEONARD LAYE Sports Editor It was April 22 1987 a year ago today that Charlotte and Miami were granted NBA franchises And a year ago a question immediately was raised one that is still being asked today: Who is going to be the first coach of the Charlotte Hornets? About the only thing we can safely say is the question won't have a second anniversary Beyond that outsiders involved in the great debate have more of a dilemma than an answer Today it seems all the possible candidates are too old too young too recycled too inexperienced or making too much money elsewhere Or too smart to risk a relationship with an expansion team A lot has happened in the year since 23 NBA owners meeting in New York's Helmsley Palace Hotel unanimously agreed that Charlotte should have a franchise Millions of Is This Year's NFL Draft Really That Bad? '41 Ron Green been about this year's NFL draft which will take place Sunday beginning at noon and will be televised by ESPN Some player personnel people consider it the worst draft of the decade and perhaps the worst ever Some claim there are no more than 12 to 15 actual first-rounders available and one team gives only 112 players "make it" grades less than half the 250 rookies who normally make NFL teams in a normal year Linebacker Aundray Bruce of Auburn who has already signed with the Atlanta Falcons isn't considered as good a prospect as the top picks of the last three drafts Bruce Smith Bo Jackson and Vinny Testaverde And even the top seven or eight players are considered flawed in some fashion For example there are worries about Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown's hands Craig "Ironhead" Heyward's weight a high school neck injury suffered by Miami safety Bennie Blades how quickly Nebraska defensive end Neil Smith will learn And the low grades may be subjective "I'm not sure this draft is as bad as it's supposed to be" says New Orleans general manager Jim Finks "It's just that it comes at a time when most teams have pretty set rosters" General manager George Young of the Giants isn't ecstatic about the talent available But he also thinks the lag between the end of the season and the draft has led to so much testing and analysis that teams tend to forget what a player does on the field "I've never seen ratings for players go up and down so much after they stopped playing football" he says "We analyze and over-analyze What we're really looking for is what a guy does on the field not in tests" From Associated Press Reports NEW YORK Leigh Steinberg who represents some of the NFL's top players is taking it easy 'this year although he still has two players who will probably be picked in the top I 5 in Sunday's draft "I consider Brian Boitano my prime first-rounder" he says If you listen to some scouts Boitano a Steinberg client who is headed for a professional ice-skating career might be a better NFL prospect than some of the football players out there In fact there's rarely been so much moaning and groaning as there has Help Me Murray I'm Being Set Up Knights Batters Blast Lookouts USTA May Be America's Answer iVIllt 0 roopst 4 63410: -i 0 1A 0 :3::4 VA: -444 'lii: tIP lt i' 7 'V-' itaa r'''' '''i''''-' By STAN OLSON Staff Writer The Charlotte Knights traveling professional baseball show was a smash hit Thursday night Make that 12 hits as the Knights clobbered Chattanooga 8-1 at Knights Park The Knights who came into the game hitting just 207 as a team were led out of that batters' wasteland by second baseman Ty Nichols who flinched every time he saw that 176 average next to his name on the scoreboard Thursday he did something about it Nichols who entered the game with no homers and one RBI kick-started the Knights' first rally and capped their second When he was done he had a double homer and single in four at-bats and just about everyone in the Knights' clubhouse was smiling Including Nichols 23 a switch-hitter out of Dodge City Kan "I've been working with (Knights manager) Greg Biagini and (minor-league hitting instructor) Deacon Jones just trying to keep my hands back" said See KNIGHTS Page 6D By MIKE PURKEY Staff Writer So John McEnroe has been away for the last eight months cultivating his parental instincts instead of his vicious forehand And Jimmy Connors despite his grumbling to the contrary is fending oft the relentless ground strokes of advancing age That leaves the top of the mountain of men's professional tennis to the likes of Czechoslovakian-born Ivan Lend' and Mats Wilander of Sweden who is feverishly chasing Lendl for the world's No I ranking Whither goest the next Connors? Wherefore art thou Arthur Ashe? Tennis thy name these days is foreign "There are good natural athletes out there but not enough of them are playing tennis" Stan Smith one of the stars of tennis's last golden age in this country said of the United States Thursday in Charlotte Smith hopes answers can be found in a United States Tennis Association program designed to better develop junior tennis players See SMITH: Page 7D Hello Murray? I gotta talk to you now I think I'm being set up You're a cop OK OK you're a private eye That's a cop with his brains blown out Listen Murray this is no time for quibbling I could be in deep sheep Well see I was away for a while covering some basketball and golf tournaments and when I got back I had a stack of mail The usual stuff press releases mostly a few letters from movie and book agents a few from women who think I'm sexy all right I made up the part about the agents OK the part about the women too Can we get on with this? So anyway Murray in this stack of mail is a big envelope with an orange tiger paw on it and in the upper left corner of the envelope it says "IPTAY 88 It Works For Clemson" I'm just about to toss it where I toss all those millions of dollars I may already havewon when I notice in the lower left corner it says "Your Membership Package" Murray you don't know what IPTAY is? No wonder you never have any clients Have you read anything other than surgeon generals' warnings in the past 30 years? IPTAY is Clemson's athletic fund-raising organization It has about 20000 members and they give millions of bucks every year to the Clemson athletic program IPTAY is "I Pay Thirty A Year" although a lot of them pay a lot more than that My membership says I only paid 830 I didn't pay anything but there is a membership card enclosed with my name on it and get this two IPTAY membership stickers for my car or one for my car and the other for wherever I might choose to stick it And there's a note saying thanks for the contribution and "having loyal support from friends like you has given Clemson the opportunity to excel" and some other stuff I think I'm about to be framed Murray probably by a South Carolina Gamecock person who is very hot at me about something I wrote and plans to tell the world I am so prejudiced that I'm actually a member of the IPTAY Club helping to educate a Tiger or buy a chin strap They're going to try to prove I'm an athletic supporter Murray No I didn't send any money The only club I've joined since I was an adult was one where you had to pay to get in and buy a drink and see the whatcha call 'em exotic dancers Yeah yeah I asked Clemson about this frame-up I phoned the IPTAY Club office at the school and Linda Ferry one of the secretaries said I must have gotten the membership material meant for Ron Green of Freehold See HEY PM Page 7D hie Photo Former tennis great Stan Smith in Charlotte Thursday to promote a tournament discussed the status of pro tennis in the United States Rudd's Fast Lap At Martinsville Warms Homecoming can get it but it seems my strong suit is here relatively close to home" said Rudd a native of Chesapeake Rudd said the pole is especially significant since it's his first for the King Racing team owned by drag-racing champion Kenny Bernstein which Rudd joined this year Said Wallace: "I thought I finally had one (a pole) for a minute We've been qualifying so good all year and sooner or later a No I spot has got to come Out of it I really felt we'd get it here and we came close" Real close Rudd's lap time was 20734 seconds Wallace's was 20787 Qualifying for positions 21-30 is scheduled for 1:30 pm today NASCAR parity streak as he became the seventh driver in eight races to qualify fastest Only Schrader has won two poles this year "With so many guys running so close in practice this morning I knew it'd take an all-out lap to get the pole" said Rudd "So I ran as deep as I could into the corners and went sliding coming off the turns It worked out" The pole is the 15th of Rudd's career but it's his first since the 1986 spring race at Dover Del and his first at Martinsville since April 1983 Rudd 31 achieved his first No 1 start at Martinsville in the spring of 1981 His feat Thursday delighted Virginian Rudd who also maintains a residence on Lake Norman near Mooresville and his home-state fans "I'll take success like this anywhere I By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer MARTINSVILLE Va Ricky Rudd saying he drove as deep as possible into the turns and slid through them rolled to the pole Thursday for the Pannill Sweatshirts 500 The NASCAR Winston Cup stock car race will run at 12:30 pm Sunday at Martinsville Speedway In a close qualifying session at the 526-mile track Rudd logged a lap of 91328 mph and watched as it stood up for the No 1 spot in a 30-car field Based on test speeds by several drivers during the past few days a new track record for Winston Cup cars was expected Morgan Shepherds record 91355 mph was set last April However bright sunshine and a temperature of about 80 degrees made the asphalt surface just slick enough to thwart bids for the record Instead the conditions produced one of the tightest time-trial rounds in track history Just 293 seconds separated the lap clockings of Rudd and Bobby Allison who took the 20th itorterrIlr" and final spot 177z''': available Thursday :6 at 90056 mph The speed separation 1: 4 computes to only V'j 1272 mph Taking the other Rudd front-row spot was Rusty Wallace timed at 91095 mph Qualifying in positions three through 10 were Harry Gant Mark Martin Geoff Bodine Darrell Waltrip Ken Schrader Alan Kulwicki Neil Bonnett and Jimmy Hensley Rudd's triumph continued a Quaid-vim! revilN PacY 4D I 1 I.