Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 72

PEI POIT FRF FKF -o MACHINERY GOES HAYWIRE OVER THRONG OF 60, 000 Set All-Time Marks igers, Indian rn i 1 out in rhe third inning, is tired of being asked if he's worried about the so-called sophomore jinx. "Do you think, if (Jaylord Perry has a bad year, they'll blame it on the senior jinx?" he inquired sarcastically. Opening Day, 1975, when Ihey succumbed to Jim Palmer and the Baltimore Orioles, 10 0. Only Joe Coleman, Willie Horton, Aurelio Rodriguez, Gary Sutherland and Tom Veryer were in the same positions Saturday as they were one year ago. Danny Meyer rhe leftfielrier last year, has moved lo first base, first baseman Nate Colbert and rightfielder Art James are no longer on the squad, and catcher Bill P'reehan and centerfielder Ron LeFlore were both on the bench Saturday.

Utility infielder Chuck Scrivener, one of five rookies who opened the season with the Tigers Saturday, was so excited he couldn't sit down before Ihe game. "I feel like I'm floating on air," Scrivener admitted. "It's really strange, I feel like I'm all of a sudden 10 pounds lighter." WHILE THE MTiFRS CHOSE to emphasize the significance of Saturday's victory, Cleveland manager Frank Robinson elected to minimize the impact of the defeat. "An Opening Day loss doesn't bother me any more than any other loss," insisted Robinson. "It's just disappointing, when you have a big crowd like this and don't win.

You want them to come hack the next day. "We got men on base and we couldn't move Ihem. They got men on base and they did move Ihem at least (Willie) Hortnn did. "Dennis F.ckerslcy told me he was jittery," continued Robinson. "And I told him he wouldn't be human if he wasn't.

Maybe he just had too much adrenalin flowing, this being his first Opening Day start, But that was to be expected. 1 thought after the first inning he'd get over it. But he didn't. "Joe Coleman pitched good enough to get by. He did what he had to do.

He threw the ball over the plate with something on it." BV JIM HAWKINS Frf Sporti Writer CLEVELAND 1 hry opened the gales (n Cleveland's massive Municipal Stadium at 10: .10 Saturday morning, a full hours before the Tigers' season opener against the Indians began. More (nan two hours after the game ended, long after Willie Horton, Joe and Hi Her had gone back to their hotel, the Indians still didn't know how many people showed up. The machine that counts tickets broke down and the front- office personnel was forced to count all the ticket stubs by hand. However, unofficial estimates put the size of Saturday's crowd at approximately 85,000 making it the largest Opening Day gathering anywhere in the major leagues this season and probably the richest Opening Pay gale in baseball history. Three years ago, the Tigers and Indians drew 74,420 here fnr their season opener, Rut about 20,000 of those admissions were at a reduced rale.

Since everybody who showed up Saturday paid the full price, and the average seat at Municipal Stadium sells for $2.75, the game grossed approximately $178,750. Dave Roberts will make his Tiger debut Sunday, opposing Cleveland's Fritz Peterson i na duel of lefties Sunday. LeFlore will replace Ren Oglivie in center and Frrehan will probably play base instead of Meyer as manager Ralph Houk loads his lineup with righthanded hitters. Paddy Livingston, the oldest living ex-major leaguer and the sole survivor of the American League's initial season, hack in 1901, rhrew out the traditional first ball Saturday. The 96-year-old Livingston caught one game for the Cleveland Blues that year.

At the suggestion of Mavor Coleman Young, the Tigers will wear the official City of Detroit Bicentennial patch on the sleeves of their uniforms this season. F.cketsley, Cleveland's young righthander who was knocked Exactly half the Tigers starting lineup has changed since 8 DETROIT V.l I Floyd Grows So Does His Game 1 vy op 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 I 4 0 10 4 0 0 0 Oglivi MSlnlv Ci Maver IB Horton (Ih S'niiB rl A Johnson II MMav 4 0 10 CLEVELAND Manning cf 3 0 11 Kuior 0 0 0 RBpii 3b 3 0 2 0 Poweil lb 3 0 10 Henflnck rl 4 0 0 0 Cartv dh 4 110 So.kf, II 3 0 0 0 Ashbv 2 0 0 0 osje 0 0 0 0 Diiftv 3 0 10 Blanki ph 1 0 0 0 Eckrilev 0 0 0 0 Kern 0 0 0 0 Buskfv 0 0 0 0 LaRoche 0 0 0 0 ARodrgai 3b 4 0 0 0 Vfryia' It 0 I 0 Sumtrlnd 3 0 0 Coleman 0 0 0 0 Hiner 0 0 0 0 l'' Total 31 3 7 2 Tolal 1 6 1 Dttralt I02 0O0 0O0- Cltvaland QO0 000 100- 1 BUI OP Detroit ClfvUand I. LOB Datroil 6. Cleveland lo JB Meyer. 1 HR Horton (1).

SB Mever, Dutlv IP It ER BB SO ''A it' a 3 3 4 13 1 I 3 1 -Jt Coleman (W.I-0) HMier Ecktrifcy (L.O I) Kern Buikev LaRor.he Sava HiM.r (I). A 00,000. WP Hiiier. 233. r' '-A7.

the American Golf Classic and the PGA. So, he could play. Rut he wanted to do his playing at night. RAYMOND FLOYD'S life changed on Sept. 20, 1974.

That's when he married his Maria. He settled down immediately. He went into training, running several miles a day, then several more miles the next day. He worked with weighs. He didn't put gravy on his potatos.

A glass of wine, please. No, no scotch tonight. He began striking the ball better. He began smiling more. It all began meshing for him.

The better he struck the ball, the more he smiled; the more he smiled, the more relaxed he became. He came into Augusta hilly intending to do well. Nobody paid any attention to him. The writers got up a five-buck pnol. Seventy-four guys got in il.

Not a one picked Raymond Floyd. Now he's on his way to winning one of Ihe most cherished golf titles in the world. "I set some goals for myself and winning The Masters was one of them," he said softly afte-r his remarkable third straight sub-par round in Saturday's play. "This is something I've been working for thinking about and I'm not going to let it get away from me now. It scares me, I'm playing so well." The only way he ran fail Sunday is if they put him in leg irons or if he forgets his badge and they don't let him in or if he sleeps past his 2 p.m.

teeoff time. Joe Coleman A i ALL CANOES GDUMtAN MCMCMU scats mi-swrji PsOOtES CIEpCNT 010 10101 QUICK 1 EASY CAR I Of CARKCRS NICHOLS CANOE CENTER 704IGiMnf1ldSI1-23l4 BY JOE FALLS Free Press Sports Editor AUGUSTA And who, pray tell, is Raymond Floyd? He's a golf pro. You probably know ihat much about him. If you're really up on the game, you probably know he's also a baseball freak and often works out with the Chicago Cubs. The tiling is, it's difficult to tell what he's been doing as a golf pro except coming into the clubhouse in Ihe middle of the day and making himself a sandwich out of all the cold cuts laved out on the table while the big guns the stars of the circuit were still out there fighting for the lead.

That was Raymond Floyd a middle-of-the-day guy. You never saw him coming in at dusk with the Nicklauses, Palmers, Players, Trevinos, Caspers or Weis-kopfs. He'd ususally shoot his 74, eat some free lunch and be gone hy five o'clock in the afternoon. Sometimes, he wouldn't come home until five o'clock in the morning. Floyd was one of the pros who had more fun at night than during the day.

He preferred bars lo bunkers. His idea of a water hazard was when there was no scotch in it. HE WAS a pudgy one and sometimes a surly one. He was not a favorite with me fans or the press. He had talent that much was evident but he squandered most of it living the "good life." "I was just a juvenile," Floyd said Saturday while reflecting on his wasted career.

"I just waasn't mature. I never worked at my game, I never trained for it. I had other things on my mind." The result was that he'd win maybe on the lour, maybe $60,000, and wind up somewhere like 32d or S2d on Ihe money-winning list. Not much when your expenses go almost $25,000 a year and Uncle Sam gets his bite. Floyd's one halfway decent year was 1969.

He lost a little weight and put his game together for a while. He won three tournaments that summer the Jacksonville Open, AP Photo Tigers Open With a Bang Continued from First Sports Rico Carty and Charlie Spikes were aboard, via a single and a walk, when Hiller was hurriedly summoned with nobody out in the Indian seventh, The Tigers lefthanded rlief arc retired pinch hitter Ray Fosse and shortstop Frank Duffy but Rick Manning singled sharply to center, scoring the extremely slow-footed Carty from second as Mickey Stanley conceded the run. The Indians had men on base in the eighth and ninth, too. But each time Miller pitched his way out of potential trouble. "I was a little short with my fastball," he admitted.

"I was a little surprised. I thought I would he able to throw harder than I did. "I was confident my arm was okay," said Hiller, "Rut just the same, it was nice to get that first save. If I had gotten bombed, the other clubs would see that in the paper and they'd say, 'Hey, Hiller isn't throwing so good this Something like that would give them more confidence when they faced me. "It was good for the guys on our club to see me throwing good, too.

There may have been some douhis about my arm in some of their minds. Rut I think the key to our club this year is going to he our offense. "We pitchers know we're going lo get some runs this season," continued Hiller. "We should get three or four runs a game. And that should win us some ball games.

All the pitching has to be is decent and doesn't have to be outstanding or great. "The other teams aren't going to be able to pilch around Willie this year. That's the whole key to our otfense. That's going to be the big difference in our ball club this year, 1 think." HOI OF COURSE, COULD hardly have been any happier. He was happy with the way Coleman threw, he was happy with the way Miller pitched, he was happy with the wav Horton hit, and he was happy with the way the tigers played defense.

"We've got a better ball club; I've said that ali along," the Tiger manager reiterated. "If we can just play .500 ball for the Arnold Palmer was just another face in the crowd at the Masters in Ai-gusta, Saturday. The four-time winner of the event donned a straw hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, then watched the third round action. With scores of 74 and SI, he failed to make the cut for the final two rounds. Floyd Shoots Record 201; 8-Up at Masters mm If you'r a Softball player who'i tired of shagging flies in a cow pasture and scooping up grounders in a rock quarry, SOFTBALL CITY Masters month of April, and get a little confidence, we'll be ck-iv.

We showed today we can play good baseball damn good baseball." The Tigers, who lost four limes to Eckcrsley last season, grabbed a 1-0 advantage as Minn as they got to bat. With one away, Meyer walked, then stole second. Morion's sinigle brought him the rest of the way home although Meyer never would have made it if Cleveland cutoff man Ruddy Bell hadn't fired the ball right by catcher Alan Ashby for an error. Two innings later, they chased the 4ndians' young righthander with four more hits, one of them Horton'shome run. It was the first time in four years that the Tigds have opt ied the season with a victory.

The last time occured in 1972, and you surely remember where the Tigers went after their opening win that year. That's right, Ihe American League playoffs where they barely were beaten by in five games by the A's, who went on to win the World Series. Who knows, mayhe Saturday's victory was an omen. BUT HERE he is, with a chance to win this fabled tournament, and he is conducting himself impeccably. He is playing well and striking blow after blow in the cause of clean living.

He credits family life with turning his game around, not to mention his attitude. "I really don't have a negative thought in my head," he said. "1 intend to go out there Sunday and go for the pins. I am playing too good to try it any other way." Oddly enough, I loyd tried to play it safe twice on Saturday. Both times resulted in disaster, i.ne a bogey, the other a double-bogey.

He tried for the center of the green and wound up bouncing round "Isewhere on the beautiful acreage of this layout. What is so beautiful about him is that he Isn't pi lying the role of the coy leader Ihe way these pros usually do il. they're always afraid that if they say something too positive about their game, It might jinx them. Not Lloyd. He said, "To be truthful, I ought lo in it.

I know I'm going to he awfully hard lo beat on Sunday. I know I wouldn't bet against me." The 'cores generally were up all around as the officials of the Augusta National tried to save the reputation of their celebrated course by putting some pins in wild places. It was left fnr Nicklaus to sum up the whole day, "It looks to me that everyone found it tough out there." Floyd had himself a picnic, with birds under glass. Continued from First Sports bat, maybe I can put some pressure on him and ran up. Rut if he plays even a reasonable round of golf, nobody is going to catch him." Ni klaus said he thought he had made up an deficit in the Philadelphia Classic one year, but he wasn't certain of it.

Anyway, he didn't sound like he'd be able to do it this time. The man just isn't putting well. He has dropped only one putt of 10 feet or more during the fir.st three days of the tournament. Larry Zeigler is nine shots behind and Diaries is 10. The rest of the field is strung out like the from ee's army at (iettysburg.

They're nil shooting pop-guns while Floyd is working with a cannon. Nobody dreamed Floyd would be In Ihe lead after three rounds of the Masters much less by eight strokes. Floyd himself never dreamed it. He wasn't even on Ihe betting boards when Ihe tournament started. But now that he is there one day from the greatest victory of his life what are his This is a man who has been on Ihe tour lor 11 years and, even though he won Ihe PGA in 1969, he is riot considered one of your ranking professionals.

In fad, he's been considered pretty much of a nobody, and even a nuisance hy his fellow pros. They play a gentle game and Lloyd's after-dark escapades didn't do much to further Ihe image of these golf pros. Scor cs 47-7I-7J-J10 73 70-111 70 70-71-JIJ 7J7-71 111 M-73-71-11 3 73-7I-70-114 71 44 71 71-77- 21 73 11)5- 1U 71-73 71-114 73-73-70-114 71 71 H-117 71 71-74 117 74-71117 73 7J 70-117 is for you. The best facilities of its kind in the country. A unique new place to play slo-pitch Softball at the State Fairgrounds, Woodward near 8 Mile Rd.

SOFTBALL CITY will be available for two seasons per year from 9 A.M. to Midnite, 7 days per week. Each of its 12 diamonds will feature a 300-foot home-run fence, grandstands, electric scoreboards, qualified umpires, in-ground dugouts and permanent bases. Players and spectators will benefit from concession stands, restrooms, patrolling security guards, a first-aid station and a softball sporting goods shop. Complete cost per team of $350 includes playing and spectator facilities, game ball, qualified umpires and trophies.

Also there is NO residency rule! So get your team together and PLAY BALL! Ray Floyd Jack Nickltut Larry Zitqltr Cnarltt Coody Bon Crenshaw Tom Kit Lou Graham Tnm WtKknof Hubert Gram Hala Irwin Graham Marih Jerry McC.ea Gary Player Jim Colhert Gen Lllller Bud AMIn Rnqer Maltbl Oav Hill Johnny Millar Al Gibrqer Bruce Devlin Billy Caiper Le Trevino Rlk Menqal a-Curll Strana Art Wall Jo Inman Gav Brewer Eftrii Pearce Brut CramoKiB Bnb Glider Bob Murphy Menihi Oiakl Andy North Dal Hayot Don January John Mehelley Bob Shearer Takaihl Murakami J. C. Snead Peter Ooternult Tommy Aaron a Dick Slderowl Tom Walton Prank Beard Pat FltMimont Bobby Col 4V-73-74-1II I 71-73 741111 73-70-73-111 1 77-4-72-3ll 71-74 71-111 73- 4-ll 70- 7J-7 I 71- 74-73-310 74.71-75-33(1 74- 75-71- 1)0 75 74-71-1M i 71-71-7lll 74-74-71 -33! 71-75-74331 71-74 74-111 71-75-75-111 Pearson on Rebel Pole "We always seem to run real well here, and we're al- wavs pretty lucky. I guess a few that's why we've won 44 II 75-331 7J-74-73-173 73 74-74-333 71 74-7B-174 73- 73-74-314 74- 71-10-115 73.77-74-W5 74-74-75-335 73 74 77-314 7-73-77-73 77-73-74-334 74-7S 7H-137 71 7-77-337 73-74-7B-117 here," Pearson's key challengers appear to be Allison, who won both the Rebel 500 and the prestigious Southern 500 al Ihe old 1-mile oval last season, Rosewall Stuns Dibhs, Faces Solomon Today HOUSTON (UPI) Tireless Australian Ken Rosewall ignored his erratic service game and battled back from certain defeat in the third set and again in the third set tiebreaker to stun F.ddie Dihbs, 4-fi, 7-fi, Saturday and advance to the finals of the River Oaks tennis tournament. Rosewall, at 41 the defending River Oaks champion, will play in the finals of the World Championship Tennis event Sunday against Harold Solomon, who rallied to beat Vitas Geru-laitas, 0-fi, 6-2, 6-4, Saturday.

Win or lose Sunday, Rosewall will be remembered by a crowd of 4,000 persons for his gutty finishing rally Saturday. The stage was set when Dihbs, the No. 2 seeded plaver in Ihe tournament, won 12 slraight points lale In the third and decisive set and jumped ahead six games to five. Despite his dragging feet and droopy head, No. 3-ranked Rosewall determinedly fought off two match points and won a taxing I2lh game.

A l.Tpoint tiebreaker was needed. "Yes, I can believe what just happened," a disappointed -Dibbs said afterwards. "The guy's tough." But so was Dibhs, ,25, a stocky young driller who burned Rosewall often with his stinging two-fisted backhand. HE FORCED ROSEWALL into five straight errors to win the first five points of the tiebreaker. Seven points were needed to win.

In succession, and with Ihe crowd rising on each point, Rosewall won fnur straight and Ihe match by slamming a cross-court passing shot, a service ace, a forehand pass and a backhand pass past Dibhs. As the gallery gave Rosewall a standing ovation, Dibhs, who was already at the net when Rosewall's winner kicked sideline chalk, shook his head. In the last three days, Rosewall has hraten Rod Laver, Fhil Dent and Dihbs by hitting a consistent backhand, a passable forehand and a bad service. and Cale Ya Thorough. a two- time Southern 500 winner.

who is on a hot streak wilh two vic tories in his last three races. DARLING ION, S.C.-(AP) Five-time winner David Pearson and defending champion Bobby Allison head a field that includes six former Darlington Raceway winners in Sunday's annual Rebel 500 stock car race. Pearson, In quest of his fifth victory in six NASCAR Grand National stalls this season, has made few appearances on the track since his pole position run of 154.171 miles per hour in the Wood brothers Mercury. "We came In here set up to race, and we haven't had lo make one adjustment, not even turn one screw, since the car was rolled off the transporter," said the easy-going Pearson, who likes to keep pre-race work to a minimum. "The Woods have raced here a long time, and lliey know this track at least as well as any.

one. "The racing here is always tough, and Ihe track takes a lot out of you in 500 miles." Petty finished second behind Allison In Ihe last Southern 500, wilh relief from Dave Marcls. Afterward, Petty praised Allison fnr a courageous effort. "I still consider that one of the finest compliments I've ever had in racing," Allison said. Allison added, "The toughness of this track gives that much more meaning to winning here." THE OTHER former Darlington winners in the field are Buddv Baker and his 57-year-old father, Buck.

"I feel like rve already won," the elder Baker said after he qualified a creditable llth at 150.201 m.p.h. in a Junie Donlavey ord. Uoosirrs IuhI Prop Slar B1.OOM1NGT0N, Ind. -(AP) All -Slate forward Mike Woodson of Indianapolis Broad Ripple High School has signed a Big Ten basketball letler of intent with Indiana University, coach Bobby Knight announced. The fi-foot-S Woodson avpr-aged 2R.fi points, 16 rebounds and four assists per game and led the Rockets to a 20-4 record and the No.

4 stale ranking in the Associated Press high school basketball poll. RICHARD PETTY, the six-time Grand National champion, isn't sure if he is a Ihreat. It's well known that Darlington isn't considered part of his domain. He hasn't won here since 1967. "I've torn up a lot of race cars here," said Petty, whose 1970 crash through the straightaway wall still is remembered as one of the worst in stock car racing history.

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