Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 37

Vtixoit SECTION InThis Section Joe Falls Page 6 Outdoors With Opre Page 8 Want Ads Pages 12-19 Sports SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1971 ram Q) IO 5 1 igers Lolich Wins 25th: Halts Birds How Tigers Have Cut O's Lead 9 fin' ll BY JIM HAWKINS Free Press Sports Writer Saturday was for dreaming for wishing and wondering about what might have been as all the "if only's" started haunting the Tigers all over again. Yes, Earl Weaver, the Tigers won again Saturday. For the third time in less than 24 hours and the fifth time in six days, they bumped off the Baltimore Orioles as Mickey Lolich won for the 25th time, 2-1. That makes seven in a row for the Tigers, you know, and nine of their last 10 the canyon between Detroit and the Birds that was 11 games wide on Monday has shrunk to five and the "magic number" remains frozen at Still, Weaver was able to say and with a straight face, too: "No, we're not worried. We're relaxing and resting and preparing for the playoffs Excuse me, the American League championship series." And Lolich, who has beaten the Birds twice this week, felt compelled to admit: "Our chances are have that heart attack and I didn't know Coleman and Cain were going to get hurt and I didn't know some of my relief pitchers were going to let me down.

"There's no doubt in my mind we could have beat out Baltimore this year if we had gotten a few decent breaks during April and May." But now the world will never know will it? THE TIGERS have one game to play with the Birds Joe Coleman against Mike Cuellar on Sunday and a victory there would force American League President Joe Cronin to force the O's to start making up their four remaining rainouts, which is what they say they want to do anyway. All the Tigers can do is keep their fingers crossed and hope the added activity puts a tell-tale strain on the Orioles' pitching staff. Needless to say, the Tigers have to keep on winning. With only nine games to play (the Birds have 11 plus those four rainouts), the Tigers cannot afford to be anything less then undefeated for the rest of the season. Please turn to Page 2C, Col.

1 awfully slim it's darn near impossible for us to win." THAT WAS WHAT made Saturday's victory so sad. What does it matter that the Tigers now trail the world champion O's by only two wins when they're still eight behind in the loss column, where it really counts? If only Les Cain hadn't had so much trouble with his shoulder If only Joe Coleman hadn't been hit in the head If only the bullpen hadn't fallen flat On its face the first few weeks If only the Tigers hadn't been swept in Chicago If only they'd done better in Minneapolis. If only Willie Horton hadn't gotten off to such a slow start and then got hurt just when he was hitting the hide off the ball If only Jim North-rup had sustained his early-season hitting spree. if only "When I said this spring tha' we could beat Baltimore I didn't just say that to build up the players' confidence," said Manager Billy Martin Saturday with a grimace of regret. "I said it because I knew we could beat them.

"But I didn't know John Hiller was going to O's streak 11 in front as Dave McNally wins 19th with 9-1 romp over i in first game of doubleheader last Monday. 10 Worried? Birds Have a Picnic Tigers kayo Pat Dobson in nightcap of Monday doubleheader to earn split, 10-5, and move back to 10 games out. Free Press Photo by ALAN KAMUDA Mickey Lollch on way to No. 25 9 Tigers cut it to nine Tuesday as i Lolich wins 24th and Bill Fr a hits Punchless Spartans Lose, 10-0 three-run horn against O's, 6-1. 8 Tigers make it eight behind Wednesday by handing Senators' Denny McLain 20th defeat, 4-2, while Steve Kline of Yankees beats Baltimore, 4-2.

Margin remains at eight Thursday as Tigers beat Washington, 4-2, while Orioles top Yankees, 6-2, on Brooks Robinson's slam. BY JOE FALLS Free Press Sports Editor Except for the usual champagne shower, it seemed as if the Baltimore Orioles had just locked it up. Moments after their 2-1 loss to Mickey Lolich Saturday, the players, coaches and even manager Earl Weaver came bounding in the clubhouse and they all made a straight line to the lunch table set up in the middle of the room. Fried chicken hot dogs chili and cold beer. Plenty of cold beer.

If not a pennant clinching, then a picnic. MAYBE IT'S all an act but this is exactly how the Orioles acted after they saw their 11-game lead shaved down to five under this furious late-season surge of the Tigers. "We're still sitting pretty and we're all feeling great," chirped manager Earl Weaver as he began munching down a hot dog roll filled with chili. "We're all having fun and it's a pleasure to come to your ballpark and play. I wish we had a doubleheader because I'd like to play another game." THE QUESTION: Is this a ruse or is this how Mr.

Weaver and all the Orioles really feel? "Well, let me put it this way," said Weaver. "I'd sure rather be seven games up in the loss column than seven games down. It doesn't bother me at all. I feel excellent. Nobody likes to come to the ball park and That I don't like.

But as for worrying well, it'd be a lot more fun if it were closer than it is. "Now, though, I just can't get excited. I keep thinkng of what it must be like in that other, clubhouse to know that got nine games left and they've got to win them Please turn to Page 2C, Col. 1 ij1 JAyi pfti Wii "ilr.U u- ff 4 i' tJ lit iVss JS A Tfy VvrT; imu mk 111 at WRMailMiiws BY CHARLIE VINCENT Fret Pres Sports Writer ATLANTA Everyone agrees: The Michigan State defense is the next thing to perfect. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough Saturday afternoon as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeated the Spartans, 10-0, before 50,646 in muggy Grant Field.

The MSU defense made two mistakes and coach Bud Carson's Yellow Jackets took advantage of both to drop the Spartan's season record to 1-1. A 32-YARD field goal by Cam Bonifay, a 28-yard touchdown run by halfback Brent Cunningham and Bobby Thigpen's extra point took care of all the scoring. "Our defense played well enough to win," Spartan coach Duffy Daugherty conceded In the subdued MSU dressing room later. "They did a great job but our offense just didn't have any consistency at all. "I thought one of the real turning points of the game came in the first period when we gambled on a fourth and less than one at their 35.

But we had a fumble on the snap and they took over. "It looked up until then that we might score first." THAT WAS one of the few scoring opportunities the Spartans had all afternoon as the offense guided alternately by Mike Rasmussen and George Mihaiu sputtered listlessly while the defense was called on time and time again to keep the Yellow Jackets away from their goal. 6 Tigers move to within six games Friday night by sweeping O's, 9-4 and 5-3, on Billy Martin's daring gamble of starting relievers Tom Timmerman and Fred Scherman. Mich Ga. State 10 4-l IS if 49 7-16-4 -42 5 Tech I st-m 75 101 11-34 SO 0-0 7-10 First down Rushes yard Passinq yardage Return yardaae Passes Punts Fumbles lost Yards Penaliied Michigan State Georgia Tech.

Tech-FG Bonifay Tech-Cunningnam A 50,446. Free Press Photo by Jlmmv Taoya And novv it to five as Lolich wins is down Mickey his 23th 2 run (Thisoen KicK). Typical of U-M's march through Virginia Saturday is this run hy Fritz Seyfortli over with 2-1 victory O's Saturday. HIGHEST TOTAL SINGE 1969 Wings Beat Blues, 2-0 U-M Buries Virginia, 56-0 Giants, LA Both Lose Virginia 7 U-71 Michigan 33 U-4H 71 MM 3-10-0 134 1-43 First dovns Rushes yards Passing yardage Passes Punts Fumbles lost Yards penaliied Virginia Michigan 1 75 I- 0 St From AP tnd UPI The Los Angeles Dodgers are losing time in their frantic dash for the National League West title. And the San Francisco Giant? They're just losing, period.

"I thought our defense was even more Impressive this week than they were against Illinois last week," Daugherty said. "Because this week they were put in more difficult situations. We gave Georgia I Tech the ball deep in our end of the field and the defense had to come up with some great plays." I The Spartan defense allowed Georgia Tech just eight first i downs all day and the Yellow Jackets didn't complete any of 1 their 10 pass tries. i THE FIRST MSU lapse on defense came on the final play of the first quarter, when Rob Healey ripped off a 42-yard dash to the Spartan 18 before safety Brad VanPelt corraled him. Three running plays netted just two yards and Carson sent in Bonifay, who had missed a 30-yard field goal try against South Carolina in the season opener.

But he didn't miss this time and Tech look the 3-0 lead. Against Michigan State's offense that's enough to win. The Spartans got into field goal range twice in the first half but Borys Shlapak missed both, the first from 39 yards away and the second from just 31, after Mihaiu and Rasmus-sen had driven the Spartans from their 22 to the Georgia Tech 14 in the final 1:28 of the first half. EVEN THOUGH the Michigan State offense never managed to put together more than two first downs in the second half, the Spartans were still in the game until Jeff Ford picked off a Mihaiu pass Please turn to Page 5C, Col. 1 Unable to hold a three-run MICH Taylor 10 run (Coin Kick).

MICH Taylor run (Coin Kick). MICH Seyferth 1 run (Coin kick). MICH-Shuttiesworth 4 run (Coin Kick). MICH D. Elliott recovered kickotf in end zone (Coin Kick).

run (Coin Kick). MICH Banks 4 MICH Banks 5 run (Coin Kick), MICH-Thornbladh run (Coin kick). A 81391 BY HOWARD ERICKSON Free Presi Sports Writer PORT HURON Garry Unger got in the best punches against i former Detroit teammates but the Red Wings got the last laugh Saturday skating past the St. Louis Blues, 2-0, in a roug-house exhibition-season opener for both teams. Tempers flared throughout the game.

But not until midway through the final period did a fight break out in this first rematch between Ned Harkness, Wings' general manager, and Blues coach Sid Abel, the man he replaced. UNGER, WHO attracted constant boos-from 3,203 partisan fans, fought with defense-man Larry Johnston. A secdnd later, all players on the ice had dropped their gloves and joined in. Both Unger and Johnston drew seven minutes in penalties. Detroit gained the shutout on third-period goals by de-fensemen Gerry Hart and Arnie Brown.

Please turn to Page 9C, Col. 3 end zone and wasn't fielded by a Cavalier player this week's freakish TD. All those came in the first half, giving Michigan a 35-0 lead and pretty well deciding everything but the final score. Reserve tailback Harry Banks scored twice, on runs of four and five yards, and third-string fullback Bob Thorn-bladh got the only Michigan TD in the fourth quarter. Shuttlesworth, who stuck around longer than any of the other backs in the game, netted 111 yards in 16 carries his first time over the 100 mark in a U-M suit.

IN ALL, Schembechler used five quarterbacks and 11 running backs. Which six Lawrence was referring to is anybody's guess. Schembechler was almost as liberal in his defensive substituting, but the Wolverines succeeded in holding the Cavaliers to 78 yards total offense, compared to their own 566 yards. "There's not much to say, is there?" Schembechler asked rhetorically after the game. "We were bigger and stronger physically than they were.

We knocked them out of there." Please turn to Page 4C, Col. 3 BY CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR Somewhere between the fourth and fifth string or was it between the fifth and sixth there's a weakness. There must be. The University of Michigan Wolverines didn't score a touchdown in the final 11:13 of Saturday's game, the only time they spun their wheels all afternoon. Before they reached that point, however, the fourth-ranked Wolverines had buried the Virginia Cavaliers, 56-0, with wave after wave of players in the home opener of the football season at Mich-, igan And chances are, the Woverlnes now 2-0 for the season won't have the opportunity to dip that deeply into their reserves again this season.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," said Virginia Coach Don Lawrence. "Those are the best six running backs I've ever seen together. We were there, but we just got knocked down." FROM THE OPENING drive of the game, it was obvious that Virginia, now 0-2, was going to be outmanned. Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler waited only until the early minutes of the second quarter to begin substituting. lead, the Dodgers were handed a 9-6 defeat by Atlanta at Los Angeles Saturday while up the coast in San Francisco, the Giants were baffled by Clay Kirby's one-hitter and bowed to San Diego, 2-1.

At day's end, the Giants, with 10 games remaining, led the Dodgers also with 10 games left by two games. And coming up fast on the outside are the Braves, now 2V2 games behind Los Angeles and 5li behind San Francisco. Atlanta has nine games to P'ay-Saturday's defeat was the 12th in 14 games for the Giants, while the Dodgers were struggling to their fourth loss in a row. IN SAN FRANCISCO, Kirby Please turn to Page 3C, Col. 3 Pennant Races At a Glance AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST pet.

GB To Play Baltimore to 57 .612 DETROIT 65 .575 5 BALTIMORE: Home (2) Boston (2) Sept. 28-29. Away (8) Detroit (1) Sept. 19; New York (3) Sept. 20-21-22; Cleveland (4) Sept.

24-24-25-26. DETROIT: Home (4) Baltimore (I) Sept. 19; New York (31 Sept. 24-25-26. Away (5 Boston (2) 21-22; Cleveland (3) Sept.

28-28-29. NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST Pet. GB To Play San Prancisco 84 68 .553 9 Los Angeles 62 70 2 10 Atlanta 79 84 .514 5'i 9 SAN FRANCISCO: Home (1) San Dicto, Sept. 19. Away (9) Houston (3) Sept.

21-22-23; Cincinnati (3) Sept. 24-25-24; San Deio (3) Sept. 28-29-30. LOS ANGELES: Home (5) Atlanta (2) Sept. 19-19; Houston (3) Sept.

28-29-30. Away (5) Cincinnati (2) Sept. 21-22; Allanta (3) Sept. 24-25-26. ATLANTA: Home (7) San Diego Sept.

21-22; Lot Angeles (3) Sept. 24-25-26; Cincinnati (2) Sept. 28-30. Away (2) -Los Angeles (2) Sept. 1919.

Six different players scored touchdowns for Michigan, which ran up its highest point total since clobbering 57-0, in 1969. And everybody, except maybe the third trombone player from Kalamazoo, got a hand on the football before the Band Day crowd of 81,391 fans went home. Tailback Billy Taylor scored the first two touchdowns on runs of 10 and eight yards before leaving the game at the half with 89 yards to his credit. Fullbacks Fritz Seyferth and sophomore Ed Shuttlesworth got one apiece and sophomore defensive back Dave Elliott got one by falling on a Michigan, kickoff which sailed into the Virginia.