Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 69

NATION World Series MVP for Mets Donn Clendenon, a long time, and on behalf of the Wilpons and the entire Mets organization we send our condolences to his entire family, Horwitz said. After retiring from baseball in 1972, Clendenon earned a law degree and moved to Sioux Falls in the summer of 1987. He said in a 1987 interview that he worked at law firms in Washington, D.C., and Chicago before "getting tired of the big cities. Clendenon joined the Mets midway through the 1969 season. The Orioles were ahead 3-0 in Game 5 of the World Series when Mets manager Gil Hodges emerged from the dugout to argue that a ball thrown by Baltimores Dave McNally hit Mets outfielder Cleon Jones in the foot.

Hodges grabbed the shoe- NEWSDAY FSlE PHOTO AEN SPENCER Mets first baseman Donn Clendenon bats during a game in September 1969. He played 12 seasons in the major leagues. LONG ISLAND Richard Mitchell, co-owned former Greenport restaurant THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SIOUX FALLS, SJ5. Donn Clendenon, the power-hitting first baseman who was the Most Valuable Player in the New York Mets 1969 World Series victory, died yesterday after a long fijit with leukemia. He was 70.

A spokesman from the George Boom Funeral Home confirmed the death. Clendenon hit three home runs and had four RBIs in the Mets five-game victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .274 with 159 home runs and 682 RBIs in 12 seasons in the major leagues with Pittsburgh, Montreal, the Mets and St. Louis. He was a true gentleman and an integral part of the 1969 team," Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said.

We knew he had been sick land into a park and marina. The Mitchells still had a second mortgage on the property, but Richard was willing to let that go in order to help the village. "Richie came into my office to let me know he agreed with the village plans, even though they conflicted with his personal financial interests, Kapell said. "He was the quiet prince in Green-port" Eventually, Mitchell Park became a tourist destination, featuring an antique carousel, an outdoor ice skating rink and a marina, all vital to the renaissance of Greenport, local officials say. Mitchell also was instrumental in persuading his stepmother, Pauline, to endow the park a large sum of money, possibly up to $1 million, upon his death, the mayor said.

"He served as a bridge, connecting his familys history of the restaurant to the new symbol of Greenport, the park. That takes a rare degree of foresight for which the community should be eternally thankful, Kapell said. In addition to Robert Mitchell of Ohio and Dolly La River-ia, of Southold, he is survived by his extended family, the Tuthills. A viewing will take place today from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. The funeral will be held 10 ajn. tomorrow at the funeral polish smudged ball and proved that Jones was indeed struck, setting the stage for Clendenon. The first baseman stepped to the plate and hit a two-run homer, and the Mets eventually went on to win 5-3. Clendenon recounted the 1969 season in his book, "Miracle In New York, in which he also talked about growing up in Atlanta, earning his law degree and battling drug addiction as he neared his 50s.

Clendenon, born in Neosho, told The Associated Press in 1989 that he has used his varied experiences to help young people. "I like working with kids, Clendenon said. "Ive played major league baseball, Im a lawyer, Ive had an education, Im an addict, so I can relate to them, he said. had a son, John. Garland the star of MGM classics such as "The Wizard of Oz, in which she sang her signature song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Luft were married in 1952.

"When we got married in the early 508, Judy was still very beautiful, Luft told The London Daily Telegraph in 200L "She was only 5-foot tall just a shrimp of a girl, really but she had a very sensuous body and, up close, her skin was like porcelain, pure white. I was crazy about her. She had incredibly kissable lips. Luft and Garland had two children, Lorna and Joe. They were divorced in 1965J.uft, who was married and divorced after splitting with Garland, is survived by his fourth wife, Camille; his three children; stepdaughter Liza Minnelli; and two grandchildren.

A HU PHOTO Judy Garland and Sid Luft with their children Joe Luft and Lorna Luft aboard the ocean liner United States in 1957. NATION Sid Luft, producer, Judy Garlands ex BY CARA TABACHNICK STAFF WRITER Richard Mitchell, co-owner of Greenports legendary Mitchell Restaurant, which was destroyed by a fire and transformed into a park anchoring the villages revitalization, died Thursday during heart surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. He was 73. "He always said the East End is the best place to be, said Jackie Tuthill Sarkis, his goddaughter.

"He loved the water and boating. He was such a gentle man, with a heart of gold. Born in 1931, Mitchell was the youngest of six children, attending local schools before leaving for college at the University of Colorado in Denver, where he graduated in 1953. After serving in the Army, Mitchell returned home to help manage the family restaurant a mainstay in Green-port village life along with his brother, Robert, and sister, Dolly. Founded in 1933 by family patriarch Harry Mitchell, a former butcher, the North Fork restaurant hosted celebrities such as Walter Cronkite and Frank Sinatra, as well as local residents and fishermen.

He started working as a bus boy, on the docks, and worked his way up to the bartender, Tuthill Sarkis said. "He was the celebrity people came to see. Richard Mitchell When a fire destroyed the bar and Tiffany canopy hanging over the restaurant in 1978, Mitchell told Newsday, "Theres my whole life right there. The family also owned a motel behind the old site, and after a brief period of renovations, they reopened it as Mitchell Restaurant. "He was so easygoing and warm, said Bill Claudio, owner of neighboring Claudios Restaurant.

Shortly after the family sold the business in the late 1980s, Mitchell retired, spending winters in West Palm Beach, with the Tuthill family, and summers in Green-port. By the 1990s, the restaurant stood empty after the new owners, the Mohring Enterprise, defaulted on their mortgage, said Greenport Mayor Dave KapelL The village bought the property in 1996, with plans to turn the empty THE LOS ANGELES TIMES LOS ANGELES Sid Luft, Judy Garlands third husband who produced her Oscar-nominated 1954 film "A Star Is Bom and staged her triumphant comeback in concerts in the 1950s, has died. He was 89. Luft died Thursday at St Johns Health Center in Santa Monica of natural causes, said John Kimble, a longtime friend and business partner. The New York City-bom Luft moved to Los Angeles in the late 1930s and launched Custom Motors, a custom car company on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

He had worked briefly as a talent agent and produced the B-movies "Kilroy Was Here and "French Leave when he first met Garland in 1950. The same year, Luft divorced his second wife, B-movie bombshell Lynn Bari, with whom he' NEWSDAY, SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 18. 2005.