Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 11

limmy The Creek The Lions' horrible road record and terrible offense suggest a four-point loss to Seattle. Page 2 Little Brown lug Happy Escort won the middle leg of pacing's Triple Crown by taking Friday, Sept. 22, 1978 wm SPORTS PEOPLE HORSE RACING 6 the Little Brown Jug in the fourth LJ DETROIT FREE PRESS FISHING REPORT 8 heat at Delaware' Qhia -a9e 6 TELEVISION Houk steps down from Tigers9 helm Evansville Moss takes over next year Las Moss (left), who man ages Detroit's farm club at By JIM HAWKINS Free Prtii Scorn Writer Five years ago. Ralph Houk was coaxed out of retirement to lead the Tigers back to respectability. Thursday, Houk resigned as the Tigers' manager, convinced that he has completed the job he was hired to do.

The Tigers immediately named 53-year-old Les Moss, a former major league catcher and the current manager of their Evansville farm club to succeed Houk next year. Moss, a strict and demanding disciplinarian in contrast to the patient, easy-going Houk. managed 1 8 of the current Tigers while they were in the minor leagues. According to general manager Jim Campbell, Moss was the only man the Tigers ever considered for the job. In fact, he had been -programmed in" as Houk's eventual replacement for the past year.

MOSS, WHO IS PRESENTLY in Honda working with the Tigers' Instructional League team, will arrive in Detroit next Friday. Evansville, will move into the major leagues in the 1 979 season as the Ti gers' manager with a one- year contract. He replaces 59-year-old Ralph Houk, who retired on Thursday "The time has come for me to go fishing and live a little bit." laughed the 59-year-old Houk, who will retire as soon as the season ends Oct. 1. "I could go on and on, but there are a lot of other things I'd like to do, too.

"I feel good about leaving, though, because I feel good about the ball club. It's a good ball club now, and that wasn't the case when I came here. "But I think I owe it to my wife to retire," continued Houk, who was hired by the Tigers in October 1973, after he had resigned as manager of the New York Yankees and announced his plans to retire. "I've dragged her around the country for so many years, packing and unpacking, moving and renting all the time. She's been great about it.

I didn't think a woman could take all that for that many years. "I've been discussing this with her for a long time," said Houk. "She tried to stay out of the decision, but I could read what she was thinking. She never put any pressure on me, but I know she approves of my decision." TM GOING TO PLAY a little golf. I'm going to fish, and I'd like to travel.

You know, people think we travel all the time in this business, but what we do really isn't traveling. We fly into a town, take a bus right to the hotel, go to the ballpark and then catch another plane. That isn't traveling. "Besides I've got a house in Florida that I've owned for 1 1 years, and I'll bet haven't spent a total of one year in that house in all that time. "It was a tough decision," explained Houk, who will continue to serve the Tigers as a consultant, although no one, including Campbell, would define what his new duties will be.

"They've reated me so well here. Jim Campbell is the best baseball man I've ever been associated with. I know I never would have stayed here this long if it hadn't been for men like Jim Campbell and Mr. Fetzer. "I was fortunate to be able to finish my career In Detroit.

I just couldn't have been treated any better than I was here. It's a gratifying way to end my career. "BASEBALL HAS BEEN awfully good to me. I've been a very, very fortunate person. I never was a very good ballplayer, but I've had fairly successful career, I think." Houk, who began his professional baseball career as a minor league catcher in 1939, readily admitted he will miss the game that has been so much a part of his life for the past 40 years as a player, coach, manager, and general manager.

"I'm going to miss the competitive part of the game most of all," said Houk. "Trying to figure out how to beat the other clubs, that's the part I always loved. I'm also going to miss the Please turn to Page 4D Vlrtff George IIV vCrC flPuscas 1 After years of striving to grab the brass ring one more time, "The Major" Tigers' manager Ralph Houk is moving on to another life. The story and pictures are on the back page. Will Ali fidit aaain? Players say Moss is 'hard-nosed' type 810 million says he does The love letters of a sports writer 'There are two kinds of football fans: Notre Dame ones, and those who wished they were." THOMAS MICHAEL BRENNAN, Adrian Says who? You'U get yours, any day now.

New manager will expect more from young team By JIM HAWKINS Free Ptmj Spom Writer The Tigers hired Ralph Houk in 1973 because they admired his patience. Thursday they served notice that that patience has been exhausted as they named Les Moss to replace Houk as the Tiger manager next year. The selection of Moss, who has never managed in the major leagues aside from a five-week stint as interim manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1 968, made it clear the Tiger front office 'Muhammad Ali, the greatest performer and personality sports has known, will never fight again. I can read it in his speech and in his manner and if I knew the sign he was born under, I'd bet his horoscope would sav the same." ALEX WINCHESTER. St.

Clair Shores If you base all that on All's speech, manner and horoscope, you have the most unreliable Indicators imaginable. A better one is money. All's next bout could bring him $10 million. So bet on this: Ali will fight again. "Regarding the Lions, has a football team ever finished the season with more sacks than points?" MIKE CORNELIUS, Spruce Not really, but some run close for a while 16 sacks, 22 points for the Lions at the moment i i i 1 expects a lot from the team next season.

And they believe Moss may be just the man to get the most out or tne young, steaaiiy-improving Tigers. "He has big shoes to fill," stated Tiger General Manager Jim Campbell, "but he a solid baseball man." The consensus of opinion among the Tiger players, many of wnom played tor Moss in the minor leagues, was that the 53' year-old new manager will be tougher and far more demanding than Houk ever was. And, off the record, more than a few Tigers feel that's exactly tne type of manager the team needs. "I love him," declared first baseman Jason Thompson when he learned the change would be made. "He's tough, he makes you work, but that good.

I ra all for it. "I think Ralph did a great job here," continued Thompson. He helped me a lot But Les is as good a replacement as they could have found. He really knows baseball and he knows almost all of the guys on this team. I think he's a great manager "I can't understand why everyone criticizes Ron LeFlore's fielding.

From what I've seen, he's the best In the majors at throwing a dropped fly ball to the correct base." DALE S. HARRIS, Flint I've been absent from my bleacher seat recently, Dale, but my buddies tell me Steve Kemp now holds their affection. I suppose he has earned It. Why not adopt Groves? "The Tigers could have avoided all their problems In rightfield if they would have kept either Leon Roberts or Ben Oglivie. Have you noticed both are in the Top 10 In American League batting?" ROBERT LABUS, Pontiac Everybody makes bum guesses once in a while, Bob even our super talent judges.

and I think he 11 do a good job up here. "He's a winner," observed rookie shortstop Alan Trammell. "He's a little hard-nosed, but he's easy to play for. He has helped a lot of players. "Ralph was more easy-going, but Les gets upset.

He's not afraid to tell you if you're not doing the job. But he's the type of 4 man I really like to have for a manager. I II be very nappy to play for him." Please turn to Page 4D FfM Pr Photo by LONA O'CONNOR Manager Ralph Houk announces his retirement Thursday; presidentGM Jim Campbell is at right. "Isn't golf like a love affair? If you don't take it seriously, it is no fun. But if you do take it seriously, it could break your heart." Houk leaves as he managed with class BUD STARWAS, Hint What do I know from love, pal? All I know is I like to roll 'em over, but my golf companions say that's not analysis "You say the Lions are improving.

Maybe so, but they need another 90 percent to be interesting." JOE LAMB, Wayne Not so. Ten percent Interest is the going rate in a lot of places these days. love letters By JOE FALLS Free Pre Sport! Writer No, he didn't win any pennants. He was really never in any of the races. But Ralph Houk left a mark on baseball in Detroit that should never be forgotten.

He brought us class. He brought us style. And now, as he leaves, he leaves us with some hope. That's a lot nowadays. Many teams don't have any hope, and a lot of them don't have any class.

This man accomplished these things In his five years on the job with the Tigers. It wasn't easy for him. He was booed by the fans and criticized by the media. If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times: "Why did that Houk pull the pitcher?" "Why did that Houk leave him in." HE WAS NOT POPULAR for a long time, but let's be fair about this man. He never shot back.

He never got into any of the Intramurals which can besmirch a man's career. He always held his head high and, if you're fair, you'll notice there was less criticism of him this season, less discontent, less carping. Why? Because he was a better manager? He Is the same man now that they hired five years ago. His team is better. What a secret.

the one visible representative of the team. It is part of his job. He's got to change the pitchers. He's got to argue with the umpires. And so this man took a lot of grief for what was really none of his doing.

Sure, his strategy looked questionable at times. Sure, he was easy to second guess. We all did it. I did it. It is part of the game.

But now we should be fair and say the man has done a decent job for us. I saw this when I toured with the Tigers two weeks in July. I saw how Houk conducted himself on a daily basis the presence he brought to this ball club. You never saw any bickering, you never saw any discontent. You saw a man who had the respect of his players.

You saw a man who happened to love what he was doing for a living. You saw a very sane and sound operation. HOUK SAT IN THE FRONT of the bus, on the righthand side, and you knew this was the manager's seat. He would sit there and look out the window whether this team won or lost. Somehow, you felt a strength from that that the boss wasn't Please turn to Page 4D The thing to remember is that he came here at a very critical time in the history of baseball in Detroit.

He came here during one of the great transitional periods this team has ever known. They went a long time with the Norm cashes and Bill Freehans and Dick McAuliffes. It made sense because these were the old favorites and they Tigers were making a lot of money from them. But one day it would have to end, as it inevitably does In sports. The old would have to give way to the new.

But in this case, the Tigers did not have fresh blood to replace the old. THAT WASNT HOUK'S responsibility. But he took the job anyway, knowing it was going to be rough. When things go badly and they went horribly for a while who do you boo? The general manager? Where does he sit? The farm director? Who is the farm director? The manager is the man who gets it. He gets it because he is "Is it too early to 'adopt a team' for the remainder of the 1978 football season? After the ridiculous preseason fiasco and the three regular season disasters of the Lions, football fans should be allowed some respite." STAN NETSKI, E.

Detroit Well, then, try the Birmingham Groves Falcons. Now there's a worthy bunch. Lions'' linemen should try QB "Monte Clark should let Lynn Boden and the other offensive linemen play a few plays at quarterback. They could get a look at the game the way Greg Landry does on his back." PHILIP DE GABRIELE, Negaunee Actually, coaches on lower levels have been known to do that with careless linemen in a desperate scrimmage. After a few maulings, the linemen's blocking improves Vachon wonH miss Kings 9 GM Maguire HE DIGS IN one pocket, then another, finally finding the folded up piece of news-clipping he has been looking for.

Vachon reads it silently. "Yeah, he's got a lot of class, George. Hah. He's got no class at all, so why should I bother with him?" The clipping referred to one of the highlights of Dale McCourt's injunction hearing last week, where Maguire is on the stand. He has been flown In on the red-eye special to be the Kings' star witness.

He admits he never talked to Vachon in an effort to keep his star goalie in LA. Judge DeMascio interrupts. Is it standard practice for a general manager to stop negotiating with a player once he's hired an agent, the judge wants to know. "Well, your honor," answers Maguire. "I got in trouble once for saying this to the press: 'Why talk to the monkey when you can talk to the monkey grinder?" By TOM HENDERSON Free Presj Sporti Writer KALAMAZOO Rogie Vachon will miss Los Angeles and the friends he made playing hockey there for seven years.

He won't miss George Maguire a bit. Maguire is the crusty, shoot-from-the-hip general manager of the LA Kings. He runs his team in the fashion of someone who spent more than 20 years in the Canadian Army which he did. As Vachon tells it, Maguire, who is In his second season as GM, endears himself to his players the way generals endear themselves to enlisted men. "He is a very strange man," said Vachon of his former boss.

"What was that he said? Let me find it." The diminutive goalie is getting dressed Thursday following the 8:30 a.m. practice his first with the team after arriving in camp two days late because of an injury suffered while filming a TV show 10 days ago. "Enough already of Dale McCourt and other seriousness. Have you named the cheerleaders yet for the folks down at the Pontiac Ragtop?" JIM HOPKINS. Warren No, but after getting a look at the lines from Los Angeles, Washington, Miami, Dallas and elsewhere, one thing Is clean We don't make the playoffs In this league, either.

"I think it's time we filled the big silver balloon In Pontiac with helium or Lion hot-air, place the Lions inside and set both adrift. That's about the only way either will ever get off the ground." CHARLIE GORDON, Riverview IU pass It along. They'll try anything. (Dandies, eh? Those smart, dashing LL lapel pins are gifts to all whose sparkling thoughts appear here. Send your sports beefs or bouquets to Love Letters, Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.

482U). 'j ft ktoU 7. 2 JL 1 AP Photo Please turn to Page 4D Rogie Vachon catches his breath Thursday during Red Wings' workout. i.