The Wichita Eagle from Wichita, Kansas • 17

TuMoy Mondi 21 1978 31 THE WICHITA EAGIE Broncos 9 Lyle Alzado: No Laughingstock Is He NFL His teammates laughed at him: sure Alzado You're going to play in the National Football League Right Sure And the cow's going to fly to the muon All Alzado knew about the pros was what he had seen on TV "So I figured I had to be big I had to be He Me like a famished hog and once set a school record for downing 17 full-sized chocolate cream pies in a pie-eating contest He lifted weights Oh how he lifted weights A college friend perhaps loner Alzado's only college friend says Lyle wasn't at football practice he could always be found in the weight-lifting area A lot of guys go ov er there would spend maybe an hour or two Lyle woiJd be there for three four five sometimes six hours at a time and that's no exaggeration "1 know a lot of guys who thought he was an ass in college think he's a hell of a guy right Coaches call it desire dedication In Alzado's case it was more than that: total obsession absolute fanaticism And it paid off It's in the book enced car trouble in Butte Mont and while waiting for his vehicle to be repaired wandered over to Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology where the coach ran a game film for Jones in order to show off Montana running back Don Heater' this one defensive end just kept popping up all the time" Jones recalls "I said is this fellow He the Montana coach said That's Lyle Alzado Plays at Yankton College' Denver drafted Alzado fourth round in 1971 Running back Heater got picked by St Lows but did not stick around long It's all in the book High: Tlie Story of Lyle Alzado and the Amazing Denver Broncos" The paperback published by Berkley Publishing Corp was co-authored by Alzado and New York Post sports columnist Paul Zimmerman Alzado wound up at Yankton because his high school grades were so bad one might conclude that his lQ matches his chest measurement He's intelligent enough but as is true of many high school jocks academics were a drag He spent brief time at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College home of the famed Kilgore Rangerettes but it's doubtful Fortunately (or Lyle Alzado he has made it big as a defensive end with the Denver Broncos Made it big as a guy can make it in the National Football Leauge: All-Pro in 1977 Otherwise he could easily have become the laughingstock of Yankton SD True Yankton population 12000 or so is no teeming metropolis and a guy could become a laughingstock there without the word traveling much more distant than IS or 20 miles down the road Even so for Alzado a guy endowed with fierce pride being a laughingstock anywhere at all say a telephone booth might suffice to transport him into a permanent mental decline Alzado a bearded semi-giant (S-foot-3 252 pounds) played his football at Yankton College How did a slum kid who usually plays the game as if it is a combination of street fighting and hand-to-hand combat to the death end up at Yankton nowhere 28 hard hours by bus from his Brooklyn NY tenement home? The school is so undistinguished that Alzado was discovered by the pros only through a stroke of blind fate A Denver scout all but stumbled upon him Broncos assistant coach and scout Stan Jones experi he ever got a chance to be introduced to one of the young ladies Then he was 5-1 190 and quick so the coaches tried making a wingback of him Wingbacks of course have to be able to catch the football something Alzado could not da had board says he Back to Brooklyn went he At Yankton he generally was considered a weirdo Told anyone who "wild listen that he was going to play in the Finley Balks Over Litigation Clauses Kuhn ashes Hands of Move to Denver pay the legal costs involved in the transaction indemnify professional baseball for any future claims arising from the deal and waive any future litigation rights against baseball It is the last provision which angered Finley most ASKING me to waive all my rights and I'm not willing to do that" the A's owner said "This is a provision they are trying to slip in on me and it should not be part of the deal whatsoever" Finley said the agreement baseball longer a problem and that Finley's original committment of $1 million would be sufficient TOLD HIM that if the other matters could be worked out the money would not be a problem" the commissioner said Those matters include a formal sales agreement between Finley and Denver oilman Marvin Davis transferring ownership of the dub doesn't have one at the moment" Kuhn said Also baseball has asked Finley to NEW YORK AP) Commissioner Bowie Kuhn said Monday that Oakland Charles Finley's refusal to accept certain non-financia! terms for selling his team and having it transferred to Denver has caused baseball to withdraw from the negotiations are terminating our efforts to work out a solution to move Oakland to Denver" Kuhn said Originally Finley had balked at paying more than $1 million of the S32S million required to settle the A's lease with the Oakland Coliseum stadium But Kuhn said money was no would take to escape the Coliseum lease which has 10 years remaining But Finley agreed that money no longer was a factor "EVEN IF they told me now that it wouldn't cost me a penny and that they'd pay me $10 million in the bargain I wouldn't agree to this" he said want to sell but I won't give up my constitutional rights There is no way any red-blooded American would agree to sign such an idiotic agreement that they are trying to force down my Kuhn said he was unhappy with the latest turn of events in the continuing Oakland-Denver negotiations but blamed Finley for the breakdown think Charley's playing his hand too tough" the commissioner said IN DENVER Davis was frustrated and angry but said he would try again to buy a major league baseball team and move it to Denver "Yes I'm ready to try again only sent him Friday included a provision for placing a huge sum of his money in escrow to protect against possible lawsuits want me to carry the whole legal he said "They want to tie up my money until FINLEY SAID his lawyers were currently preparing suits against Kuhn for the Commissioner's decision earlier this year vetoing the sale of Vida Blue to the Cincinnati Reds for $175 million Still pending is the appeal of Finley's suit against the commissioner for blocking the sales of Blue and two other players for $35 million in 1976 the reason they want me to sign this document" Finley said there's no way I'll do it I refuse to be coerced into waiving my consti-tional rights" Finley insisted that despite Kuhn's statements to the contrary his interpretation of the documents in front of him still obligated the A's owner to pay the bulk of the $325 million it Tinished Talking Contract 9 Carew ants to Be Traded Blue Shows No Eagerness To Report to Giants9 Camp ORLANDO Fla (AP) Minnesota Twins star Rod Carew says he is through talking contract and is thinking about forcing the Twins to trade him really don't know what my plan of action will be but as far as the Twins are concerned I'm finished talking contract" Carew said Sunday The comments followed a meeting between Twins' president Calvin Griffith and Carew's new agent Jerry Simon CAREW SAID the Twins called Simon and asked him to come to Orlando When Simon got there Carew said Griffith told him the Twins were not interested in negotiating a longterm contract Carew has a year left on a three-year contract he signed in 1976 His salary is reportedly about $200000 a year The Twins gave Carew a $100000 bonus at the end of the 1977 season Simon who recently replaced Dick Lurie as Carew's agent reportedly was prepared to make an offer that would have put Carew in a bracket with the game's higher-paid players at around $500000 a year for five years or more BUT CAREW said Simon was told the Twins were interested only in signing Carew for a two-year extension "There is no way I'm interested in signing a two-year contract with the said Carew wanted to sign a contract that would commit me to the Twins for the next seven eight years for the rest of my career they are not interested in that the Twins should trade me I'm keep everything confidential" he added then telling the world I'm being fined $500 a day isn't too confidential now is it?" THE GIANTS began the $500-a-day penalty Saturday when he failed to show up in camp but Blue didn't seem too disturbed by the fine can help he said can they fine me? Like I just told mama they haven't paid me anything yet What are they going to take it out of?" Blue gave no indication when he would return to camp saying might show up in a couple of BLUE SAID he was working out with the local high school team in Mansfield noting pitched more A DISGRUNTLED ROD CAREW Twins extend pact long enough next time it will be a cleaner and less complicated said Davis Davis said baseball people were furious after Finley refused to go through with the sale still couldn't or wouldn't deliver" said Davis baseball people absolutely blew their tops They absolutely came unglued "THEY ARE going to let him go ahead in Oakland and take the beating he's sure to Davis said He called the whole business of negotiating with Finley most unbelievable story I ever heard" you stop and think of all the expense and all the work (Finley) caused everybody and then didn't deliver when all of his terms were met I just cant understand it embarrassed so many people who worked so hard to put the deal together with no concern for anybody but himself" said Davis "Everybody in baseball is so mad they even see straight" down here than I did before the trade was but said he would need more work before he could pitch for the Giants Cubs Cut 6 Players Reduce Roster to 30 SCOTTSDALE Ariz (AP) The Chicago Cubs announced they cut six players Monday reducing their roster to 30 players Sent to their minor league camp for reassignment were pitchers Chuck Rogers George Riley Dave Geisel and Jack Ledbetter catcher Mike Gordon and first baseman Scot Thompson The Cubs plan to open the season April 7 with 24 players WASHER 06-66-208-1 WLW3300P Bleach and fabric softener dispensers 5 water temperatures Filtering ring for over 4 met of filtering space 4 water levels keep water bills at a minimum BanfcAmoncard (Vtuj Master Charga Amancan apron Cana Btoncho Dmr Club 5725 Kollogg Wichita Ks 683-7579 -J considering doing something to force them to make that move hate to do something like that to Gene (Mauch manager) but what happened today had me walking around in a daze at the Carew said Sunday KNOW I'M going to have trouble in my mental approach if I remain here and I don't want to spend two PHOENIX (AP) Vida Blue missing for all but one day after being traded to the San Francisco Giants turned up Monday in his home town of Mansfield La costing me money and it's costing them ball games" said Blue who said he was unhappy with the Giants' failure to renegotiate the $140000-a-year contract he had with the Oakland A's was all full of enthusiasm when I went over there for that one day" said Blue referring to his single appearance at the Giants' spring training camp "SOMETHING THEY did really turned me off I told them I was no miracle worker It's too bad Vida's so sensitive isn't he said refusing to give details feel as though they think I'll work for the same money as I worked for with the A's I won't All I heard on the day of the trade was rah-rah-rah and talk that maybe they have a shot at the pennant now But they haven't said anything about paying me more Giants said they would like to Padres 12 Mariners 3 At Teniae Arts San Diego 70S 101 100-12 101 laano ON ON 1 0 2 Owchinko Spillncr (7) D-Acouitto If) and Davis Sweat (0) Abbott Hamrick IS) Todd If) and Pas lay WP Owchinko Abbott San Diego Winfield Indians 11 Angels 6 At Tuscan Arb California ON IN HI- 10 0 Cleveland ON OH OOa-11 142 Ryan Perec (4) Barlow 17) and Humahray CD-born 17) Hood Anderson 14) Kern If) and Randall Hassay (S) Hood Ryan California Soiaila Yankees 11 Braves 7 At Ft Laadtrdalt Fla Atlanta 000 SOI NS-71S1 Haw York (AL) ON ON 1 10 Bags Bradford () McWilliams (0) and coroba Corrall (7) HoHcman Eastwick IS) Goo-sago (0) and Narron Johnson () Hoaiy (0) Eastwick LF Bradford Now (AL) Met 3 Pirates 2 At SL Pctcrshart Fla Pittsburgh ON 0M Now York (NL) N1 1)0 If 1 Risen a Robinson (I) and Ott Swan Jackson (7) Lockwood (f and Steams Bonton (7) Swan LP Rison Seaver Folds After One Inning Indians Rout Ryan Cards Win in 11 seasons going through the he added Carew said he would call his wife Marilyn and make a decision He left the Twins' clubhouse in Florida Sunday after cleaning out several items in his locker Griffith described the meeting with Simon as and refused to comment on the terms discussed Phillies 5 Dodgers 1 Al Vara Beach Fla Philadelphia too IN 000 10 0 La Angelas ON ON IN I 0 Larch Wriaht IS) and Foote Rau Castillo () and Yeager w-Lerch L-Rau HR-Loa Angela Red Sox 9 Blue Jays 4 Al Winter Haven Fla Toronto ON 110 002-4 1 Beslan 121 ON 12 I Underwood Edge IS) Murphy IS) and Whitt Cleveland Wright 14) Camehell (7) Willoughby If) and Fisk Dial I) Cleveland Underwood Toronto Howell Boaetti Boston Rica A's 9 Brewers 3 Al Mesa Aril Milwaukee 1NONON-1S4 Oakland 000 122 72 1 1 Hines Cast re () McClure If) and Etchebarran and Haney (7) Johnson Huffman 14) and Ahra ham IS) and Alenander Huffman Hinas HR -Oakland Duncan Armas Milwaukee Davis Astros 9 Twins 8 At Oriaade Fla Houston NO ON 141 IS 4 Minnesota ON 012 200 1 11 Richard Sambito (7) Porach (f and Ferausen Puiets 17) Colli Sutton (0) Johnson (f) and Wynegar Lonchar I) W-Fortch L-T Johnson HRs- Houston Bergman Farauson PuhL Walling Minnesota Ford Wynegar ELECTRIC DRYER 05-66-21 2-5 DLB2550P 4 cycles: normal heavy permanent press or automatic dry sSenai-Dry atops dryer when clothes are dry End-of-cycle signal Removable lint filter hurler Glenn Abbott was rocked for eight runs and 10 hits in four innings as the Mariners were trounced by the San Diego Padres 12-3 Home runs by Tony Armas his fourth of the spring and Taylor Duncan helped the Oakland A's defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3 while Mike Ivie's two-run double and Jack Clark's two-run triple paced the San Francisco Giants over the Chicago Cubs 5-2 John Tamargo's two-run single in the 11th inning gave the St Louis Cardinals a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers and Jesus AIou doubled in the ninth inning and scored on Luis Pujols' sacrifice fly lifting the Houston Astros over the Minnesota Twins Exhibition Linescores White Sox 2 Reds 1 srnu Cincinnati 900 IN 000-1 11 Chicago (AL IN NO No 1 1 1 Mayor Forreyra (1) Murray (4) Bair (I) and Bench Plummer (I) Kuctk Bant (7) Carroll If) and Nahorodny Recall Forroyra Cincinnati Fsalar Cardinals 7 Tigers 5 Lakeland Fla Ill innings) Low N) NO ON N-712 Detroit OX IN 001 N-S 1 1 Dierker Frailer IS) LHMI 17) Hamilton If) Lopez 111) and Simmons Tomaraa 14) Fidrych Hiller Crawford Id Sykei III) and May W-Hamilton L-Svfcav Glants 5 Cubs 2 tl ScaMadair Aril San FranciKO 010 002 070 510 Chicago INL) 0M 020 000-20 0 Barr Lavclle II) and Sadah Krukoar Heman-dal 1 7) Caudill and Radar W- Barr L-Krukew By The Associated Press It's a good thing for the Cincinnati Reds that Monday wasn't opening day Tom Seaver scheduled to be the opening-game pitcher allowed a first-inning run to the Chicago White Sox on Jorge Orta's double and Lamar Johnson's single and then came out with a stiff lower back just couldn't get Seaver said There was no word on whether the ace righthander would miss any work The White Sox went on to beat the Reds 2-1 in an exhibition baseball game which was to have been Seaver's next-to-last assignment before the opener against Houston on April 6 Meanwhile the Los Angeles Dodgers who dethroned the Reds last year as National League champs had their four-game winning streak ended 5-1 by the Philadelphia Phillies their victims in last year's NL playoffs Garry Maddox paced the Phils with two doubles a single and three RBIs Boston's Jim Rice outfitted with contact lenses drove in four runs with a homer and single in leading the Red Sox to a triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays Willie Horton drove in four of Cleveland's eight second-inning runs with a pair of doubles off Nolan Ryan as the Indians outslugged the California Angels 11-6 Seattle's opening day BUY THE PAIR SAVE S100M 90 DAYS SAME AS CASH on Firsstono Revolving Charge 3040-90 DAY PAYMENTS Finnic ckargt refunded upon raquesl Gillette Transmissions Camper Service Special fluid change hand adjustment 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