Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 40

The Inside of Sports SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 1966 4-C 'What Do Tigers Want -from ry "mmmpmrnmi What do they want from Gates? It'a a fair question. "I've shown them I can hit," he says. And he haa. PLAYING ONLY part-time the last two years, he has poled 25 home runs and knocked in 97 runs. "I know I can run," he says.

And he can. Brown I probably the fastest man on the squad, although you'd never guees It to look at bis chunky 213-pound frame. "I'm not going to embarrass anybody in the field," he says. And he won't. Brown's great speed enables him to make up for the poor Jump he gets on a fly ball and he'll hold on to anything he reaches.

"What do they want from me?" he asks. A NEW ARM would hlp. It's no secret that Gates has the weakest throwing arm of any Tiger outfielder and probably one of the weakest in the league. "Sometimes I wonder if Gates can throw the ball across the street," says a teammate. But he adds: "Gates can come off the bench hitting .200 and be up to .270 in a week.

When he gets hot he carries the whole team with him." The natural position for a weak-armed slugger is leftfield. But Brown would have to dislodge his pal Willie Horton, who has been known to hit a ball on occasion. SO THE GAME of musical chairs starts again. "My whole season depends on No. 6 over there," says Gates, pointing across the lockerroom to Al Kaline.

"If he stays healthy, maybe he can go to center. Then Willie can move to right and I go to left. "If he's hurting, there's no way I play. Kaline has said that if his foot is sound he could probably take the added pounding of covering centerfield for three or four games at a time. BUT Tins IS the year that Charlie Dressen is going to give Mickey Stanley the full shot in center.

So Brown can't find a seat again. BY GEORGE CANTOR PrM Pri Sports Wrltor LAKELAND Gatei Brown fagged unhappily against th dugout wall at Marchand Stadium, tha frustration and disappointment obvious In hla every move and word. "If only they'd tell me what they really want from me," he growled. Gates la one-sixth of tha great wealth of outfieldlng talent now with the Tigers Al Kallne, Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley, Don Demeter and Jim Northrup. ANY ONE OF the six probably could play regularly on any major league club.

But only three of them can play regularly with the Tigers, and Gates is not one of the select three. "If only they'd tell me what they really want," he repeated. "Every spring It's the iamf. They tU me I have a chance to make this ball-club and I come down here and bust my tail trying. "And every single time I end up back on the bench." In the last few weeks, Gates has even put on the mask and shin guards and caught batting practice.

He ased to be a catcher seven years ago before he started In organized ball. "I try not to get discouraged," Gatta says. "I know I can do the Job. But it's hard. "You know how many times I got to bat last year?" he asks.

He spits out the answer himself. "Just 237 times all year." BUT LAST WEEK the Dodgers had Detroit down, 3-0, and a kid named Don Sutton, of whom you will hear more before too many years, was mowing the Tigers down. Gates Brown came In to pinch hit and the kid made him look very bad on two pitchee. The next one landed over the 375 marker In right centerfield. Brown Jogged around the bases and at the end of the inning he walked to the clubhouse for a shower.

Hla work waa done. There was already three outfielders in the game. AP Photo Gates Brown is losing Has a Big Decision to Make M9s Cazzie All-American Draft Bait, Too Getty to officiate while Rudy Vallee sings "My Dime is Your Dime." Unless the Pistons and Knicks are keeping eecreta, it bolls down to possession of Cazzie or Syracuse star Dave Blng. Dick Snyder of Davidson geU rave reviews, too, but providing there are no arrangements made with New York, the Pistons would likely ring-a-ding-dlng for Bing if they lost Cazzie. The Celtics' Red Auerbach, for one, thinks Blng will reach NBA stardom BY JACK SAYLOR Memo to Dave DeBusschere: How about another headache, Dave baby? If you haven't groped for the aspirin bottle lately, you might like to consider the draft status of one Cazzie Lee Russell Jr.

Of course, you don't have Cazzie yet, but most folks are kinda' hoping you'll wind up with the chance to draft the Michigan star. THE 21-YEAR-OLD Russell Is currently listed as 2-S (student deferment) with Uncle Sam. But he's due to graduate this spring and Caz says his deferment will mn out about October or November. At that time, reclassification is likely. Being sound, 6ingle and not more than R-foot-6, Cazzie is apt to be All-American draft bait.

Closing the Book on Cazzie i Wing Home Games In Playoffs on TV? I at musical chairs DeBusscliere This Is Just one of the many things DeBusschere must mull over In the next month. The Pistons' season mercifully came to a close Sunday afternoon and the 25-year-old DeBusschere Immediately began looking ahead, first re-affirming his position as player-coach. He has two more years to go on a three-year contract. "THINGS ALWAYS look a little tough right after a bad season," he said. "But I have no present plans to change my status.

Actually, I think the outlook is bright." DeBusschere feels the year's experience will mean improvement for his large corps of rookies. Five of the Pistons were playing their first full year in the NBA this season. "They've come a long, long way," he The man wore It in the opening game of the 1933-34 season and the Detroiter assisted on the lone Wing goal In a 2-1 loss at Montreal. The man switched his number to 11 after that game the player was Hap Emms, now general manager of the Boston Bruins. LOU ANGOTTI GOT a double thrill on Bobby Hull's record-breaking 51st goal.

He set it up and he watched Hull score it from the bench. Angotti kicked the puck to Hull in the Chicago end and then skated to the bench with Stan Mikita replacing him. He got to the bench in time to see Hull slap a 40 footer past Ceeare Man! a go. Some New York Rangers claimed afterward that Eric Nesterenko, who skated in front of Maniago at the right instant and lifted the goalie's stick, actually scored the goal, that the puck hit him or that he deflected it. Even Hull wasn't sure until the official announcement was made.

GOING INTO the weekend, Fast Eddie Shack sat in the penalty box and watched more goals scored than any other penalized player eight times while Fast Eddie was off the opposition scored. And the NHL reports that more players and more goalies have been used this year than any time since the league became a six-unit affair in 1942-43. So far there've been 18 goalies used and 159 forwards and defensemen. Boston has used 38 players and Detroit and Toronto are next with 34. The normal complement is 18.

A 1 For Titles, It's U-M Or Spartans BY BOB PnJLJG For some seasons now, Les Etter in Ann Arbor and Fred Stabley in East Lansing have been sitting down and working out, each by his own formula, the all-sporta champion of the Big Ten. Almost alwaya It comes out Michigan or Michigan State. Usually they agree. Occasionally they don't, seeing as how Etter works for U-M, Stabley for MSU. But the point is that this year the two of them are publicizing legions that leave little for the rest of the league.

STATE, RISING UP in perhapa school's finest year ever, haa won championship in wrestling, indoor track and football, run second in gymnastics and basketball, third in swimming and fencing. Michigan haa won in basketball and gymnastics, gone second in swimming and wrestling, fourth in track. Only the football team haa alipped below these. In hockey, where the Spartans and Wolverines are two of the three conference schools Indulging seriously, MSU reached the NCAA finals. Three pursuit basketball, wrestling, gymnastics were strictly neighborhood affairs.

The happy situation will continue Into the spring. The Spartans are winter book favorites for outdoor track even if hurdlers Gene Washington and Clinton Jones lose a bit of their edge splitting time with spring football. IN BASEBALL, Moby Benedict at Michigan has much of the team that stayed even with champion Ohio State into the final 1965 weekend before finishing second. MSU's Dan Litwhiler figures his Spartans will be better than the team that was 28-11 last year. Headed Into warm-weather tours this week, the two of them expect to come home to fight Ohio for the championship.

The Buckeyes still have Steve Ar-Hn, the fine pitcher who rejected the Tigers' draft-and bonna bait to atay in school. Michigan won the tennis title last spring, finished second in golf and has the individual medalist, Bill Newton, still in school. WHATEVER THEY SAID about Michigan-raised basketball talent, they don't say It any more. Dorie Murrey at U-D and Archie Clark at Minnesota, both from the Detroit neighborhood, made NCAA all-District teams. So did such wanderers aa Dearborn's Joe Hamood at Houston and Detroiter Mel Daniels at New Mexico.

NCAA tournament teams had Oliver Darden and Dennis Bankey at U-M, Bob-bv Joe Hill from Highland Park at Texas Western. Stan Washington was all-Big Ten and Bill Curtis and Steve Rymal were starters with him at Michigan State. U-D had every regular from the Detroit area and one of the beet records in recent years, Bradley's Missouri Valley contenders, who rejected an NIT bid, had their usual Michigan mixture, Iowa had George Peeples and Ben McGilmer. On and on the list goes, and it la getting longer. Grand Rapids' Lee Lafayette at MSU has looked the best of any freshman this winter in the Big Ten.

Sam Williams, out of Northern High, la the most pursued Junior college player and Iowa will probably get him. And this season's high school seniors, headed by do-everything Rudy Tomjano-vich of Hamtramck, are rated as excellent by college recruiters. MICHIGAN HAS LANDED one of the biggest of the Big Ten's would-be football players of 1967. He Is Bill Mouch, a tackle and growing boy of 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds out of the same Cincinnati high school that sent Rose Bowl fullback Mel Anthony to the Wolverines. quicker than Russell, but most observers feel Cazzie will eventually make the better pro.

The Wolverine star is bigger (6-8 and 220 pounds to Bing's 6-3 by 185) and is rated a better shooter and playmaker. Bing is faster and works harder defensively. Bing has another thing going for him. He's married and a father. He's not as apt to be fitted for khaki as Cazzie.

Hope you didn't think your headaches were over, Dave. aWSvB" USr: teRRY LUCAS OSCfiR ROBERTSON TOW GolA RALPH BBRp GEoRGmm To Fight The 31-year-old Patterson will be alone when he triea to Journey along the comeback trail this time. Dan Florlo, hla trainer since the early daya with Cua D'Amato, died shortly before the fight with Clay, and most of the other members of hia entourage abandoned him because of a financial squabble. Al Bolan, his adviser, Is the only one left. "I'd never fight again if I had to use that same bunch," Floyd said.

"Everybody in the old gang seemed to go money crazy after the fight, bringing in lawyers to collect their money before I got paid. "Nobody In my corner knew what to do when my back went out, and half of them were spies for Clay anyway. Good riddance. I'll train myself now." Patterson is alone at his camp now, remembering the past and dreaming of future glories that will probably never happen. win noted.

"And if we get someone like Cax-zie it'll help a lot." DeBusschere is deterred not at all by talk of Russell's apparent defensive deficiency. "He has the ability," he said. "He's big, strong and quick. With the moves he's got, there's no reason why he can't play good defense." DEBUSSCHERE is confronted in the next six weeks by two drafts both by the NBA, not Uncle Sam. He first must decide which seven players he'll protect when the Chicago Bulls make their roster selections May In addition to himself, DeBusschere Is almost certain to protect Ray Scott, Eddie Miles.

Joe Strawder, Tom Van Arsdale and Ron Reed. The seventh man doesn't come that readily. Will the Pistons write off a year's investment in Bill Buntin? What about John Tresvant? With the Pistons most apt to get a guard in the collegiate draft, will they decide to leave John Barnhlll or Chi co-Vaughn unprotected or both? The Bulls will take two of the four unprotected players. AFTER THAT comes the regular draft of college talent on May 11 and DeBusschere said he'd follow very closely the recommendations of scout Don Butcher. "I expect to spend about a week with Butch going over everything," he said.

"We'll have everything pretty well mapped out before the draft." Although the problem isn't apt to be solved by the draft, DeBusschere see the Pistons biggest need as consistency at the center position. This, of course, brings up the same old question what about Reggie Hard-tag? The status of the suspended 7-foot center remains unchanged pending a long talk between DeBusschere and owner Fred Zollner. But the issue could be forced by the new Chicago team. THE BULLS may ask clarification on such players not currently on NBA rosters like the Pistons' Harding or ex-Princeton whix Bill Bradley, to whom the Knicks have rights and hopes of luring back from Oxford. Such action probably awaits the Bulls' selection of a coach.

Owner Dick' Klein is believed to be angling for long-time DePaul coach Ray Meyer, but Insiders still think the Job will go to one of two veteran pros, Johnny Kerr or Al Bianchl. The Bulls might well prefer Harding to any center that might be available in the expansion draft Darrall Imhoff, Gene Tormohlen, Bud Olsen, etc. Still, the most popular guessing game about the Pistons as the season closes concerns Cazzie Russell. The draft meeting this year will feature the most celebrated coin-flip of all-time. IT MIGHT EVEN be worth TV cover-age.

Imagine the first nationally-televised coin-flip. They could get the U.S. mint to sponsor it and hire J. Paul son will box several exhibitions to test the back that failed him against Clay. Patterson doesn't know when his back might fail him again, and state commissions might be reluctant to let him fight with the possibility that the injury might cripple him in the ring.

"I won't fight unless I feel right," he said. "I went to specialists to see if they could cure my back for good, but they told me rest is the only cure. My back's fine now, but how's a fighter going to rest before a fight? I wish I knew the answer to that." The two-time champion, who admits that he has all the money he could ever hope to spend, is being driven back to the ring by his desires to regain the title and even accounts with Clay. "I feel I can do better than last time," he said. "That's why I want to fight Clay again.

I never like to make excuses, but Td like to try again." 800 Points JHls SBASO mm, HE REVEALED JUST how deep his desire for revenge went when he said, "I might even enlist if I work my way back up to No. 1 contender while. Clay's in the Army. They have boxing matchea. Maybe I could fight Clay in one and beat him and regain my title." He added, "if Clay loses the title, he'll be down on the same level with me Just another contender.

I'd want to beat him on that level before ever going after the title." If Patterson had regained the title last year, he planned bow out a winner. "I planned to retire if I won. I couldn't achieve any more, but I might have defended Just once in Sweden one title fight here, one there. Then I'd have quit. "I never felt I was really popular here until I fought (George) Chuvalo, but I'll never forget all the letters I got from Sweden after I lost to (Ingemar) Johansson.

I still believe I owe them hf 1. VL BY JACK BERRY The Red Wings are exploring the use of the State Fairgrounds Coliseum for closed circuit television of their Stanley Cup playoff home games. But the Wing playoff chances are so dim that there is a shade of official doubt about the advisability of going into the Coliseum. The Wings conceiveably could lose their first two playoff games, which are on the road, thus killing much interest and making the closed circuit showing a red ink bath. THE TEAM, as it stands now with all of its defensive shortcomings, is the weakest-looking Detroit playoff team In years.

There's little that can be done about-it, though. You can't buy a set of young legs for Bill Gadsby, a clean bill of health for Doug Barkley and on down the line. Manager-coach Sid Abel has made Just about every possible move, tried every defenseman in the system and did make the one trade that brought in Leo Boivin. And, if the Wings didn't have Boivin, they'd likely be playing an inexperienced youngster. In another playoff development, NBC-TV engineers looked over the Olympia lighting after Thursday's Bruin game and, if the final kinks in the contract are ironed out, will string 100 lights along the press box side of the balcony to brighten up the place for color television.

A meeting is set for Monday in New York to discuss the TV problems. The roadblock is Montreal, which still is fighting surrendering Saturday night telecasts. ONE EFFECT of the exposure of the parking problems around Olympia was painfully evident Thursday. -Taking advantage of the big demand and small supply of parking places, a gas station across the street from Olympia Jumped its price from $1.75 to; $2.50. And weatherman Sonny Eliot, finding a' chilly reception to his parking on No Parking Hooker switched to a Honda Thursday, rolled it inside the building and parked it in the back.

iNUMEROLOGISTS are few in the National Hockey League but a large number of Maritlmea fans wanted Toronto's Frank Mahovlich to change his number from 27 to 9 so that he'd be right in style with Gordie Bobby Hull, Maurice Richard, Johnny Bticyk, Reggie Fleming and other famous "9" wearers Reggie Fleming? Mahovlich says he'll stay with 27. But Detroit Bruce MacGregor switched from 16. a number he had since joining the Red Wings, to 12, the number he had in Junior hockey and which wasn't available here until Ron Murphy was traded. Only two players ever wore 13 in the NHL and one of them was a Red Wing. Floyd Living for One Thing: BY WILLIAM VERIGAN NEW YORK (UPD Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson is a man nearly lost in the shuffle left only with memories and a seemingly futile desire to make another comeback.

Despite his lopsided loss to Cassiua Clay, a bad back and financial squabbles with the departed members of his entourage, Patterson still hopes to regain the crown he held twice before. "Boxing has become a part of me, and I'm a part of boxing," said Floyd as he prepared to make his weekly trek to the desolate Catskill lodge where he trains. "That's why I can't quit now. I'd never be happy not knowing how far I m4ght go this time." HE HOPES TO HAVE his first fight in Sweden early this summer against a ranking contender, possibly Doug Jonea or Zora Folley. Before that bout, Patter cn.