Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 27

DETROIT FREE PRESS Tuesday, Sept. 20, '66 1 -f. Sweetam ay Replace Plum at QB Gilmer Studies Shake-Up 1 fcUw Harding's Back With The Pistons BY JACK SAYLOR Reggie Harding, world's tallest reformed delinquent, rejoined the Detroit Pistons Monday, his "candor and new attitude" expunging his record. National Basketball Association commissioner Walter Kennedy announced in New York that he was lifting the year-old suspension of the seven-foot giant. Reggie reported immediately to the Pistons' downtown headquarters, where he signed a new BY JIM TAYLOR Karl Sweetan has knocked around in football.

His trunk wears a colorful assortment of labels Dallas, Nararro Junior College, Wake Forest, Toronto, Pontiac and Detroit. Wherever he's been, Sweetan has been a starting quarterback except Detroit and that could change Sunday. There's no reason to suspect Sweetan, farmed to Pontiac by the Lions last year, will work a marvelous change in the Detroit offense. BUT COACH Harry Gilmer, with the heavy burden of losing on his shoulders, has suggested he will shake up his offense for the Atlanta game Sunday. Where does he start? Passing both the core and the extremities; The Detroit passing game has been unvaried and unsuccessful this season on the whole.

Replacing Milt Plum at quarterback or receivers Gail Cogdill and Pat Studstill might not be a satisfactory answer, but Gilmer, with owner William Clay Ford harshly critical of the entire coaching staff after Sunday's 17-3 loss to Pittsburgh, may feel obliged to act. UNLESS THE Lions can clear their receivers more frequently than they have been, or the pass routes change, or the play calling is revised, Sweetan and rookie receivers Bill Malinchak and Willie Walker aren't likely to have any more success than their more experienced teammates. And a pro team with a limited air arm operates in a strait jacket. Plum seems to be pressing just as the entire offense is under constant strain. It's no fun to walk into Tiger Stadium and draw hoots before you've even run a play.

Plum knows that under a-year contract. present conditions Mao Tse-Tung is more likely to be cheered in the stadium than he is. Pressure? You bet. SWEETAN has had an unusual and interesting career. He once outpassed Jerry Rhome in high school, guiding his team to a 73-0 victory over Rhome's club.

Rhome was college football's busiest passer in 1964 and is now with the Dallas Cowboys. of shape Reggie's I haven't seen him for a long time. But when he last played for us, I'd say he was at least the fifth best center in pro ball behind Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Walt Bellamy and Nate Thurmond." Reggie got to such standing without benefit of college ball. He played 78 games for the Pistons in 1964-65, snagging 906 relwunds and averaging 12 points a game. The welcome return of Harding, however, was marred by the possible loss of Ron Reed.

The Piston sharpshooter, who has a dual career working in baseball, has been summoned by the Atlanta Braves, and might sp-nd th? wi-ter pitching" in Puerto Rico. Time Marches On heaving Lions Behind Sweetan, who almost never 1SISI1: ill Jplif 4 kicks now, once booted a 57 yard field goal. in tne sixth grade he was quarterbacking the ninth grad ers. In the 10th grade he was passing for the high school var sity. BUT A PRO scout, asking about the Lions quarterback sit HE THEN moved on to the Pistons' training camp at St.

Clair, and took his first workout in the afternoon. Reggie, a former All-State center from Eastern High, was suspended by Kennedy on Sept. 13, 1965, for "conduct detrimental to the association" after he had been convicted of an assault and battery charge. "On evidence now before me," said Kennedy, "I am satisfied that Harding is entitled to another chance to play in the association, but only on the condition that his conduct be exemplary in every detail." Harding appeared before Kennedy to plead his cas? with an attorney week pgo. There was an implied threat that Reggie would sue the NBA, unless his suspension was lifted.

AFTER HIS conviction on the assault and battery charge last spring, Harding appealed. The case then was dropped. His record included a number of traffic violations and juvenile offenses. Harding had assured hint, said Kennedy, that he would steer clear of all troublesome situations. Reggie's return to the playing court comes at a most opportune time for the Pistons.

With Reggie, they figure they might be able to rise from last place to possibly second in the NBA's Western Division. "Naturally, I'm elated," said player-coach Dave De-Busschere. "Who wouldn't be to get a seven-foot center. "I DON'T know what kind uation behind Plum, and advised that Sweetan was the backup man, just shook his head sym pathetically. No one really knows how MAYBE WE'RE ALL LOOKING at the Lions the wrong way.

Maybe three points was a pretty good day for them in Pittsburgh. Maybe six touchdowns in seven games ia pretty good production. Maybe one win and two ties in seven games is pretty good, too. Let's quit kidding ourselves. These aren't the Lions of 1952-53-54.

Nor 1957. Nor are they the Lions who were running second to those great Green Bay teams in These are the 1966 Lions and frankly they're not a very good ball club. Of course they're better than three points in Pittsburgh. But not too much better. They've got front-office problems and coaching problems.

But mostly they've got personnel problems. They simply don't have the same players as they've had in the past and the sooner everyone realizes this fact, and adjusts to it, the better it'll be. And it really shouldn't be a surprise why the Lions are so inept when you stop to analyze it. The Golden Age for pro football around here was in that 11-year period from 1952 through 1962. The Lions were unmatched by any team in the Western Conference in this period.

The record speaks for itself: Karl Sweetan new Lion QB? Sweetan, the one-time Wake Forest star, would do in NFL competition. Gilmer seems likely to find out. If so, he should give Sweetan a long tour of duty against Atlanta, or wherever he decides to use him. A few plays in and out aren't enough. Pistons Hit With Wave Of Injuries Reggie came back just in time.

There were casualties all over the Pistons' camp Monday. Tom Van Arsdile suffered a cut on his right hand when he tried to block a shot. He needed five stitches. Center John Tresvant bumped his knee and missed practice. Mickey Gibson, a free agent, also was out with a bum knee.

George McNeil, a rookie, missed practice because of a date with his draft board. But Harding was there and so was Joe Strawder. Big Joe ended his one-day walkout. He walked out for a better contract but when he saw Reggie show up, he came back. Dodgers Top Phils, Hold Lead Bucs Still Trail By IV2 Games Imagination is a word Gilmer believes should be left to Mother Goose.

He bristles when anyone ap plies it to the Lions' offensive mis Misiii' shutdown. Free Press Photo by DICK TRIPP "WE'RE DOING everything LOS ANGELES (UPD Lou everybody else is, maybe more. Pet. Detroit 81 51 4 .614 Chicago 76 57 3 .571 Baltimore 62 61 1 .504 Green Bay 65 69 2 .485 Reggie Harding jumps with joy If things work, they're called Johnson hit two home runs in a game for the second time in imaginative. If they don't, then they're not.

a -week Monday night to pace Los Angeles to a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies "You don't see Green Bay doing a lot of unusual things and Baltimore just sits back in that double wing," Gilmer said. But it doesn't seem quite 1 that kept the Dodgers a game and a half ahead of the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates. uiat simple. The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the second inning when Jim Lefebvre hit his 24th homer fthe season and Johnson fol The Lions seldom seem to utilize the zone stretching between the linebackers and the defensive backs. Late in the Pittsburgh game, Plum fired perfectly to Studstill slanting through the heart' of the Pitt secondary at medium range for 14 yards, and hit Ron Kramer lowed with his first four-bagger of the game.

In the third, Los Angeles added three more runs with Johnson drivnng in Lefebvre siiumg aiung a. parallel jja.ui lu line of scrimmage for 13 on a single. Johnson then led off the sixth with his second homer and third straight hit of the game. It was his 16th home run of the season. additional yards, showing that these patterns are in the Detroit repertoire.

FORD BARKED Sunday Turn to Page 2D, Column 6 Since this time the Lions have been on the way down. No pro club ever stays up there forever. The cycle turns. After you're up, you're down. Candidate for Last Place IT'S NO MYSTERY why the Lions have gone down.

They've messed up an abnormal amount of top draft choices. enough to hurt any team. They've made some poor trades, they've changed coaching staffs, they've grown old and they've had an unusual amount of front office friction. Lump it all together and you've got a candidate for last place. The big trouble is that pro football is getting bigger and bigger all the time, The interest is growing and growing.

And, as it grows, the Detroit fans want a winner. Nobody can blame them for that. But they compare this team to the title teams of the past and this is where the disenchantment sets in. Sorry folks, but the Lions just don't have it anymore. Joe Schmidt is gone.

Terry Barry is gone, Nick Pletrosante (even though he was never the fullback the Lions hoped) is gone. The rest of the squad is bogging down. A few years ago the Lions boasted they had the best receivers in football. They probably did. Barr was a dangerous deep threat who made spectacular catches and could go all the way on any play.

Cogdill was one of the most gifted split ends in the business, a speed merchant with great speed and great hands. Jim Gibbons wasn't in the same class as these two, but he was dependable, a sure-handed receiver who got the yards when they were the toughest to get. What do we have now? Barr is gone. Cogdill still has great hands but his speed and mobility are gone following his knee injury. Pat Studstill can't seem to hang onto the ball and he's supposed to be the key receiver.

Philadelphia starter Jim Bun-Turn to Page 2C, Column 3 New Camp, New View Wings Back On the Ice 1' I the paor boy takes a ribbing i ftfffpy 1 1 i lS f'fjm tWvtl 1, a richly ribbed pullover by I i IJ ft'lmf saddle shoulder goes up Ij iiljjw -to a high crew neck WWlT (S fff Mil ill If goes down into a lean- jpjjjl III pMy fitting, skinny-sleeved sweater. jj Coffee, charblue or green heather; bILtK'' St1 I Unff jTyjmfrf MAIL HD PH0NE orders wo 5-7900 uTi arborundpohtiac hall, universal city, woodwaro, a I I WONDERLAND STORES OPEN TUESDAY TO P.M. 1 BY JACK BERRY The Red Wings set up camp Monday at Olympia and there was a different tone to it from a year ago. First, they were in Olympia. They were forced to bus cross-town to Gordie Howe's rink last year because of the construction at Olympia, a project that disrupted the camp and wa3 partially blamed for the team's terrible start.

Hall Fails To Show CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Black Hawks opened camp Monday only to find Glenn Hall, one of the National Hock ey League's top goalies, Reports had it that Hall again Gibbons is hobbled by a knee and Ron Kramer has simply slowed up. So, in this era of super-powered passing attacks (Unitas four TD's Sunday, Namath five, Meredith five, the Lions have difficulty making first downs with their passing game. Milt Plum gets his share of the blame, the major share since he's the quarterback. But it's not all his fault. Give him Paul Warfield and Gary Collins to throw at and he's certain to do better.

Actually, the Lions' offense started coming apart under George Wilson. Wilson was not a great offensive coach but he kept adding, wrinkles to his attack to keep things interesting. Now, the Lions, under Harry Gilmer, have become dull and unimaginative on offense but in Gilmer's behalf it must be said that all the imagination in the world cannot put square blocks into round holes. Go With the Kids WHAT CONCERNS ME about Gilmer is that he's been a defensive coach so long I'm not sure he can put any razzle-dazzle into his game plan. I mean the kind that can go.

What Gilmer had hoped to achieve this season was 'team unity." He hoped to do this by getting his players to play together. Or more specifically, for the offense to measure up to the defense. He said and with merit that the city of Detroit Turn to Page 5C, Column 1 has been toying with the idea of quitting the game. Second, there was no fat cat appearance Monday. Why Bryan Watson, who "psyched" Bobby Hull right out of the Stanley Cup semifinals last spring, went so far as to take a psychology course during summer school at Ottawa's Carleton University.

A year ago the Red Wings were the defending National Hockey League champions. They'd traded heavily in the off-season, obtaining a number of familiar NHL names from Toronto and Boston and the big plum was Andy Bathgate. IT LOOKED almost certain with the added firepower of Bathgate that the Wings would be right at or near the top again and there was a glow in camp. But it didn't work out that way during the season. There was the poor camp, the bad beginning, the ill fated Turn to Page 5C, Column 1 ine season before last, Hall threatened to retire but even tually showed up and played in 04 of Chicago 70-game sched ule.

Real Mudder DELAWARE, O. (AP) Bonjour Hanover, full sister of incomparable Bret Hanover, won the $5,858 Walnut Hall Farm 3-year-old filly pacing stake in the rain-soaked open ing program of Grand Circuit AKBORLAND BIRMINGHAM EASTLAND GRAND RIVER GREENFIELD JACKSON LINCOLN PARK LIVONIA MALL MACK MOROSS MACOMB MALL NORTHLAND PONTIAC MALL SHELBY STATE UNIVERSAL CITY WESTBORN WESTLAND WONDERLAND WOODWARD MONTCALM harness racing here Monday..