Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 49

BELL. SUPER BOWL HERO O'BRIEN ALSO GO DETROIT FREE PRESS Thursday, Sept. 12, '74 1-D cCii op i HI Others VI jj 0 Moms By CHARLIE VINCENT Frtt Press Sporti Writer Earl McCullouch has caught and dropped his last pass for the Detroit Lions. The Lions pared their squad to the required 47 Wednesday by trimming 14 players, including McCullouch, defensive tackle Bob Bell and kicker-wide receiver Jim O'Brien. McCullouch, a si-year veteran from Southern California, was the Lions' No.

1 draft choice in 1968 and was named the National Football League's Rookie of the Year after making 40 catches for 680 yards and five touchdowns. He never again duplicated that feat, though, and injuries have plagued him the past two seasons. In 1972 he caught jus five passes and last winter caught only nanc "I just felt that our receivers as a total group were not coming up with the big play," said coach Rick Forzano. "I am not blaming everything on McCullouch but we had to make some changes, t- "But I have to admit the main reason we dropped him is that he couldn't hold on to the ball." Forzano seemed shaken by having to release so many players at one time and emphasized "it was not because they were bad people. But we just had to do something." HE SEEMED TO FEEL especially bad about cutting the fleet-footed McCullouch.

"I think everyone expected too much from him." said Forzano. "He's got that great speed but he's not the biggest guy in the world. There is always a tendency that when a guy can fly everyone thinks he's a superman. Not true." Forzano said it was difficult to drop two pass catchers at this time since two others Ron Jessie and rookie Mark Wakefield are both injured and are doubtful for Sunday's opening game with the Chicago Bears. "I probably shouldn't say anything at all about McCullouch or O'Brien because we may have to take them back if our injured men don't come around," said Forzano.

The Lions are down io only three healthy receivers-Chuck Walton, Charlie Sanders and rookie Bob Pickard, who was the leading pass catcher in the exhibition season. Bell was also a No. 1 draft pick-in 1971 and started 11 games last season. "We had to cut Bell because we needed room in our defensive secondary for Charlie West (acquired from the Minnesota Vikings)," said Forzano. "We will go with rookie Billy Howard in Bell's place.

He has a lot of promise and I'd rather go with a player who is on the rise than one who has been here and hasn't really been what you'd call a first stringer." O'BRIEN JOINED THE LIONS last year after four seasons with Don McCafferty at Baltimore, where he kicked the field goal that beat Dallas in Super Bowl V. He was used sparingly here as a wide receiver but took over the kicking duties when Errol Mann was injured and made eight of 14 field goal tries and 14 straight extra points. A fourth veteran offensive tackle Mike Haggerty was also among Wednesday's cut. Haggerty previously played with Pittsburgh, New England and Washington and saw action in just three games after joining Detroit last season. Rookies trimmed along with the veterans were running backs Willie Burden and David Wooley, linebackers Mike Denimarck and Steve Putnal, kicker Effren Herrera, defensive backs Myron Wilson and Reggie Holmes and center Ron Butler.

Defensive back Mike Weger and tight end John Brady were placed on the injured reserve list. Kaline's Countdown To 3,000 Hits Hits needed: 13 Tiger games left: 19 Hits this season: 126 1 Career total hits: 2,987 jr tag I faJJfe ViH 111 i' fcfer King Thief Brock Calls It a Science Kaline Gets 2 More Hits; Tigers Lose Landry Still Eyes Lions' No. QB Job The view was maenificent. But then, vrn thnnohr it mioVit vo BY JIM HAWKINS Fret Prtsj Sports Writer If there were any lingering doubts that the Tigers do, indeed; belong on the bottom, the Milwaukee Brewers pretty much laid them to rest Wednesday evening. The Brewers, with nothing left to fight for except fifth place, trod upon the only team under them as Jim Slaton blanked the Tigers, 3-0, on five hits.

The only bright spot for the Tigers was Al Kaline, who got two more hits, leaving him only 13 to go in the final 19 games to reach the plateau. The Tigers certainly didn't DETROIT MILWAKEE ab rh bi bl 3 111 LeFlore cf Money 3b 4 0 10 4 0 0 0 3 0 10 Sutherl'd 2b 3 0 2 0 tjp here on the 15th floor you could see up the full channel of the Detroit River, out into Lake St. Clair, and a man could spend entire evenings here just watching the boats on the water, listening to his music, enjoying a drink and reflecting on life as darkness envelops the city. Yes, this is how Greg Landry would live. Isn't that how all bachelor quarterbacks live? Young.

Handsome. Vital. "I love it here," said Landry. "I don't even want to put up drapes. I love looking out at the water." You remembered(back to another day, in another apartment where Landry was living, and this strange-looking box sitting on the floor, a wooden box with fish nets covering it.

"Oh, that," he smiled. "That's a lobster trap. I got It In Maine. I'm going to make a coffee table out of it. I love it on the coast with that fresh air and that salty smell and all the quiet.

I'd like to live there when I'm finished with football." Now the music is playing softly and Landry is holding a mug of cold beer and he's looking out at the river. It's growing dark. lights are beginning to twinkle like tiny stars. "Maybe," he said, "there is a reason for all of this. Maybe somebody thinks I should have this time to think some things out." It was difficult for him to move around In his chair.

He favored his left shoulder and sort of dipped it down to ease the pain when he changed positions. I The shoulder was fractured last Saturday night "making an i unnecesary block on a sweep but you know me. I gotta i block somebody." I Landry kept rubbing his left knee. It didn't hurt, exactly, but lt been almost a year since Mike McCoy of the Packers fell on it and the knee still puffs. "Jt's my thigh, too," said Landry.

"It'rgetting there but it's still not back to normal'." 3 0 10 Kaline dh 4 0 0 0 Osllvie If 3 0 0 0 Frehan 4 0 10 2 0 0 0 Berry cf Scott lb Brigqs If Mitchell dh Hansen ph Lezcano rf Moore 1 0 0 0 Sanders 1b 3 0 0 0 3 0 10 4 0 0 0 Roberts rf 3 10 0 Rodria'z 3b 3 0 0 0 Frtt Press Wirt Strvicti NEW YORK Lou Brock, baseball's new king of the base thieves, doesn't consider himself a speed merchant. He is a mechanic. "Base-stealing is a science, a skill," the veteran. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder said Wednesday while whisking from one appointment to another in Manhattan.

"For me, it isn't raw. speed. It isn't a matter of getting the jump or out-thinking the opposing pitcher. "It is all a matter of muscle response. It's a study in anatomy." Brock stole bases Nos.

104 and 105 Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis, breaking the season mark of 104 set by Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers and soaring to 740 for his career, two more than the National League career record of Max Carey. Ahead of him is Ty Cobb's major league record of 895. "I am not a record-seeker," he said quietly while being chauffeured from his mid-town hotel to a meeting with an executive across town. "I haved never attached any significance to totals.

Base-stealing to me is a challenge. If I meet that challenge 1,000 times or 896 well, fine. But I have no one not Cobb, not anybody else in my sights." THE CARDINALS FLEW into the city for the opening of a series with the New York Mets immediately after the historic game at St. Louis, won by the Phillies, Brock's phone was ringing when he arrived at his hotel in the early morning, and it was still ringing when the sun came up. "A short night," Brock remarked testily.

"Guess work?" he responded to a question, ''Like hell. It involves muscle, anatomy, things like acceleration and is T.Johnso Und 2b Slaton 3 12 1 Brinkman ss 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 G. Brown ph 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 Veryzer ss 0 0 0 0 L. Walker 0 0 0 0 Ray 0 0 0 0 Totals 19 0 0 Totals 30 3 3 MILWAUKEE DETROIT 001 000 no3 000 000 000-0 DETROIT4. 2B Kaline Milwaukee 4, Dp-Milwaukee 1.

DETROIT 1. LOB do much else to indicate the standings should be stacked any differently as the gap be-, tween the two worst teams in the American League East grew to 3'2 games. Slaton, who has been almost untouchable in his last five games, having allowed just one earned run in nearly 44 innings, had little trouble with the docile Tigers, who have not been defeated three times in a row. The closest they came to a run all night was when Al Kaline was gunned down at the plate in the seventh inning while attempting to score on Reggie Sanders' fly to right-field. SLATION, in fact, faced just 31 Tigers in improving his record to 12-14 with his fourth straight success.

AP Photo Lou Brock big in Bigtown 3B-T. Johnson. SB Berry, Money, Moore, Leflore. Freehan. WP-L.

Walker Slaton. IP 0 1 4 Slaton (W) 12-14 9 5 0 0 1 4 L.Walker (L) 5-4 7 4 3 3 4 4 Ray 2 1 0 0 0 3 2:11, power thrust. I make a study of every pitcher. There is a message in every movement, every little twitch. "If you study properly you know when to run and when not to run.

It is split-second timing. But you break down the motions until it is a science. And it becomes a battle of wits." The Brewers only got five hits themselves off loser Luke Walker and reliever Jim Ray, Please turn to Page 8D. Col. 4 Trade Talk Upset Greg Wheels Win First, Beat Blazers, 15-14 PURE WOOL TheWoolmark label is yourassurance of quality-tested products Pure Wool Special to the Fret Prtss ORLANDO, Fla.

The long wait is over. The Detroit Wheels broke their 10-game losing streak Wednesday, bumping off the Florida Blazers leaders in the World Football League's Eastern Division a disappointed crowd of 20,000 in the Tangerine Bowl. The Wheels had been close before so very, very close. But every time they had a win in their sights something happened a fumble a broken play mix-up in the defense. Wednesday they were having none of that.

THEY SPOTTED the Blazers, who beat them 18-14 in their first meeting, a second-period touchdown, then came back with a couple of second half touchdowns while their defense choked off every Florida threat And dm the end it was the defensive secondary, Dave Walker and Terry Hoeppner in particular, who salvaged the win. With only 1:51 left in the game Walker broke up a pass from Florida quarterback Bob Davis and Hoeppner ran under it to intercept at the Detroit 46. FLORIDA'S first touchdown came late in the first half when Davis drove the Blazers 61 yards. Punter Billy Hobbs kept the drive alive when he ran to the Wheels' 17 from punt formation. Three plays later Davis hit Jim Strong with a 16-yard screen pass to make it 7-0.

That held up until midway through the third period. Back-to-back sacks by Tom Ramsey and Charles Ratcliff left the Blazers deep in their end of the field and Hobbs punt left the Wheels at mid-field. On the first play from scrimmage, Bubba Wyche Please turn to Page 8D, Col. 3 The plaid sport coat: vested, slacked, or solo. In pure wool.

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pM mX'kx SJ ml But the real hurt was in his voice as he spoke of the way the Lions blantantly talked of trading him in the off-season. He heard his name was being talked around and that was unsettling enough. He had been the quarterback and everyone had said what a super offense the Lions had developed with him running the plays; if they could only come up with a defense to complement it. But one bad season, compounded by the knee injury, and he hears talk they want to get rid of him. Worse, it came out in the papers where everyone could see it and wonder about the young bachelor quarterback.

Young? Handsome? Vital? Sure. Also suspect. The season starts on Sunday. Bill Munson will be the erback. Landry doesn't know where he'll be.

On the bench maybe. Or maybe up in the press box helping on the phones. i He can't run now. He can't pass. He can barely move round.

He can only stand out there with the guys and listen to the coaches talk and try to offer an occasional comment. Young. Handsome. Vital. It must be great to play quarterback for the Detroit Lions.

The whole world is yours for the taking. Landry belives he is a better quarterback than Munson. If he didn't believe that, he would be no quarterback at all. Just as Munson must feel he is better than Landry. But it will be Munson out there Sunday and Landry watching from wherever he will be watching.

It has been the other way around for so long that Landry can't remember what it's like not to play. "I've got to have more discipline now than I've ever known in my life," he said. "I've got to get through this thing and be ready to play when I'm able to play." He stared out the large picture window. "Yes, I regressed last year," he said. "I had a bad year.

I was mad. I hated everyone around me and I played like I hated everyone. I was very disappointed in myself last year." Neiv Coaches, Neiv Start Landry admits he wasn't a very good football player in the six or seven games he played but resents the implication that he is a failure that he has never lived up to his potential. "I didn't play much in those first few years two games, six games, half a season. It was a long time before I played regularly.

And when I did, I felt I improved every year. Then we ran into last year, when everything went wrong with the team, and everybody just forgets all the other years." "Human nature," Landry was told. It may be hard for most of us to understand but almost all of Landry's world was centered around three men Bill McPeak Chuck Knox and John North. These were the offensive coaches of the Lions. These were the men who worked with him while Joe Schmidt, a defensive man, was overseeing the defense These were the men who believed in Landry and the ones Landry believed In.

In truth, they had a tremendous relationship. These coaches saw in Landry a player who could achieve greatness and make all of their efforts worthwhile. Every coach wants to feel important. Greg Landry could do that for them. And then, suddenly, they were gone.

All the meetings, all the beer sessions, all the rap sessions gone. Just like that. Landry hadn't quite made it yet because the Lions hadn't quite made it and now it was almost like starting all over. It's not going to be easy for Munson. The Lions still have grave problems.

They do not have a running game. Something is wrong with Altie, Taylor, following his knee surgery. Steve Owens has that delicate rib muscle and the first time he's hit it could tear loose again. Jim Hooks shows some promise but must show he can play with conistency. And who is going to hold onto the ball consistently? After the Bears, it is Minnesota, Green Bay and Los Angeles and the boo-birds could be picking away at Munson's hide.

The quarterback always gets the blame for everything. "I just hope I can be ready for the second half of the season," said Greg Landry, stirring uneasily in his chair, with a look a pain moving across his face. It was dark outside now. 'A President Ford Outdrives Arnie Sr Visv-ff wi '1 "Tini WViik mmmm I'M PINEHURST, N.C. (UPI) President Ford stunned a golf gallery, and perhaps himself, by outdriving Arnold Palmer and Gary Player on the first hole of an exhibition golf match here.

Ford slammed his golf ball 220 yards straight down the middle of the picturesque first hole at Pinehurst Country Club. THERE WAS applause and cheers from about 200 onlookers and the president's partners joked over who would have to hit second; Palmer won and promptly hooked his drive into the left rough next to a sand trap. Player hit next and his ball landed close to Palmer's. Only Jack Nicklaus, the fourth to tee off, outhit Ford with a 265-yard swat right down the middle of the fairway on the 414-yard, par-4 hole. At the end of the nine-hole tour, Ford had a score of 48 and was still perspiring from the warm sun that sent temperatures over the 90 degree mark.

STORES OPEN SUNDAY 12-5 P.M. EXCEPT WOODWARD STATE, WOODWARD MONTCAIM, GRAND RIVER GREEN. FIELD MACK MOROSS AND BIRMINGHAM. STORES OPEN THURSDAY, FRIDAY SATURDAY EVENING EXCEPT WOODWARD STATE, OPEN FRL SAT. TO 6 P.M.

AND BIRMINGHAM OPEN SAT. TO.