Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 81

wy nil vi i iw Tigers' magic number: Sunday, Sept 9, D0v4 Today's television highlights: 9 a.m. Auto Racing: Italian Grand Prix 0 1 p.m. Lions Football: Detroit at Atlanta 0 1:30 p.m. Tigers Baseball: Detroit at Toronto 0 4 p.m. Tennis: U.S.

Open (This combination of Tigers victories andor Toronto losses clinches the AL East title for the Call with sports news: 222-6660 LIONS PREVIEW iO, HORSE RACING OUTDOORS 12 lJ DETROIT FREE PRESS Tigers.) Sports Phone, 1-976-1313 i i M. i i Tigers wins Morris9 ami st iff r)S nilie XSrfli Downey Michigan proves players win games, not rankings By BILL McGRAW Free Press Sports Writer TORONTO Once upon a time, this game was close. Jack Morris and Luis Leal were dueling over a 2-2 score. But Morris dropped out with a stiff shoulder, the last bit of bad news for the Tigers all day. John Grubb hit his second homer.

Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell combined for another run. Kirk Gibson collected his 82d RBI, and then the Jays and their bullpen fell to pieces. The Tigers wound up with a 10-4 victory Saturday. They increased their American League East lead and lowered their magic number, and it appears they lost their top Cone and not your tickets The ticket chase has officially begun. The Tigers announced Saturday that they immediately would begin accepting mail-order purchases for playoff and World Series tickets.

Playoff tickets will cost $20 for box seats, $15 for reserved, $8 for general admission and $6 for bleachers. There also is a $3 handling charge. The details are on Page 11H. What makes the Minnesota Twins so good? Page 6H. pitcher for only one long, hot afternoon.

"No problem," said Sparky Anderson. MORRIS WAS FORCED to leave the game in the fifth inning. But he and others insist the stiffness is not serious and say Morris is expected to make his start Wednesday in Baltimore. "I was throwing a lot of pitches and I was straining my arm," Morris explained. See TIGERS, Page 11H ANN ARBOR What they drum into football players' heads is not to get too goofy when you win and not to get too grumpy when you lose.

This may explain why Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh, when asked who's the No. 1 team in the country now, said, "I don't know. I'm just worried about playing Washington next week." Outspo ken rascal. U-M It also might explain what fullback Alonzo Highsmith said when he was asked who was No. 1 tips after Michigan put the whammy on top-ranked Miami, 22-14.

"We are," he said. Since Highsmith plays for Miami, this is proba mini bly a case of a football player trying to minimize his disappointment, although there is always the chance Alonzo took one too many blue-and-maize winged helmets to the head. What happened Saturday was that Miami came north with a No. 1 ranking, a 2-0 record, a 13-game winning streak and a quarterback named Bernie Kosar who throws on every down but fifth. What also happened was that Michigan showed up with a team that hadn't played a game and a quarter back who had 26 career yards passing.

Michigan won. Michigan in top form So what would Highsmith say to someone who might disagree with who's No. 1 right now? "I'd say Michigan played a fine, fine game," the Miami player said, "and maybe we 11 meet up again sometime." They shouldn't be in any hurry. If there was a series off top By TOMMY GEORGE Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR Michigan coach Bo Schembechler doubted Gary Moeller's strategy to stop passing whiz Bernie Kosar and the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes, but he let his defensive co-ordinator have his way.

Afterward, he had no regrets. Letting Moeller devise a defense while Schembechler concentrated on the Wolverines' offense proved a productive combination for Michigan Saturday. The defenders swiped six Kosar passes and forced two fumbles, while the offense produced 342 yards and three touchdowns to upset Miami, 22-14, before 105,403 fans at Michigan Stadium. The loss snapped Miami's 13-game winning streak and left a club that had beaten two Top 20 teams in less than a week bewildered they were a point favorite over the No. 14 Wolverines.

Although Schembelcher said the victory wasn't an See WOLVERINES, Page 9H State wins a squeaker Saturday that typified the way Michigan played, it was the one that came after Gerald White was stopped on A fVtK VT c5 WL. sr i.MmjiuiiiiNi hiiir id mi iii'i mi. i Vlii fourth-and-one in Mi ami territory. Morale at that point should have been as low as a teacher's salary. But on first down, super tackle Kevin Brooks creamed Kosar for a two-yard loss.

On second down, Kosar lobbed one 20 yards to Bo Schembechler senior Stanley Shake speare, but Michigan's Brad Cochran did knocketh Shakespeare out of bounds before he could come down with the ball. So, on third down, Kosar stayed away from the sidelines and tried one over the middle to a freshman. Michigan's Doug Mallo-ry stripped Alfredo Roberts of the ball and practically handed Alfredo his head. Michigan could not have played much better. It was exactly what Wolverines fans had been waiting for, and was more than they had a right to expect.

What they couldn't know was just how prepared assistant coach Gary Moeller's defense would be. How the pass defense would handle the magic of Kosar the Magnificent. How big hombres like linebacker Rodney Lyles and tackle Mike Hammerstein would go after Miami passes like dogs after Frisbees. Moeller made the 6-3, 225-pound Lyles move back into the secondary, causing Schembechler to By JACK SAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer BOULDER, Colo. Michael Jackson wasn't the only one to stage a Victory Tour to Colorado this weekend.

Michigan State got George Pedes' second season started Saturday the same way he began his first one, with a victory over Colorado. But if there are any more games like this 24-21 blood-boiler at Folsom Field, Perles might wonder about the wisdom of returning to college football. Michigan State ran up a 24-0 lead in the first three quarters as the defense, the running backs and quarterback Dave Yarema looked good, and kicker Ralf Mojsiejenko looked great. It almost was too easy. Look out Notre Dame, look out Big Ten.

Then, all of a sudden, Perles and the Spartans found themselves fighting the clock and a furious passing rally by Colorado quarterback Steve Vogel to preserve the win. A skimpy crowd of 35,825 sun-baked fans came See SPARTANS, Page 12H say of his own trusted aide, "I thought he was nuts. So Lyles intercepted three passes. "Lyles probably made All-America today," Free Press Photo by MARY SCHROEDER U-M linebacker Rodney Lyles (80) pays the price for his second-quarter interception. He had three.

Schembechler exaggerated. "I might have one after all." What outsiders also couldn't know about Mich And on the inside igan was how cool Harbaugh would be, or how Monte Robbins would punt the Hurricanes into a hole all day, or how Buzzard Bob Perryman would make holes of his own for three Michigan touch a KELLY'S FUTURE: Kelly Tripucka always has been a standout, but it's never been good enough. Inside of Sports, Page 6H. downs. With Rick Rogers out, the Wolverines ft-' 1 fl BILLY'S RUNNING: Star running back Billy Sims should call in sick when it comes to playing the Atlanta weren't supposed to have much of a running alcons.

Lions Preview, Page 10H. attack, but their unsung fullback from Buzzard's Bay, came to play, as they say. .3 MARTINA'S WINNING: Martina Navratilova lost tthe first set, but rallied to beat Chris Evert Lloyd and win the U.S. Open. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl advanced to today's men's final.

Page 3H. Public gets its first look One of the problems with public discussions of college football is that few people really know Saturday special Purdue 23, Notre Dame 21: Unranked Purdue, led what a team will be like until game day. Schembechler and his staff have had their eyes on by quarterback Jim Everett 255 yards and two touchdowns, upset the seventh-ranked Irish, who people like Harbaugh, Robbins and Perryman fwere hurt by penalties and turnovers. Page 8H. Team USA falls to Soviet Union in Canada Cup By JOHN CASTINE Free Press Sports Writer EDMONTON, Alberta To more cheers than they've gotten in Canada so far, Team USA fought a tough battle against the Soviet Union but lost, 2-1, Saturday night.

A small crowd of 5,513 at Northlands Coliseum appreciated the American hustle and muscle, but it was not enough to upset the favored Russians, who captured their fourth straight Canada Cup win. In the end it was Team Soviet's "Munchkin" goalie, Vladimir Myshkin, who spoiled the Americans' night. With two spectacular saves in the third period, Myshkin answered the pessimists who said he could never replace the great Vladislav Tretiak, who retired last spring. After the game the same people were asking if Tretiak could have made the save Myshkin did on a Joey Mullen breakaway at 10:00 and a spectacular save on Bobby Carpenter a minute and a half later. Carpenter's shot from 10 feet was set up by Neal Broten, who was behind the Soviet net.

Myshkin, with catlike reflexes, made the grab with his glove MYSHKIN, FACING only eight shots in the first two periods, stopped nine in the final period, earning him the most valuable player of the game award. The Americans dropped to 2-1-1, with one game left against West Germany Monday in the round-robin portion since the day they first checked them out at their hieh schools in California, Kansas and Massachu est of the rest setts. They didn't bring these kids here to go out for more Gatorade. Nebraska 42, Wyoming 7: Jeff Smith rushed for- Schembechler sees them in practice. He sees 170 yards and a touchdown.

Page 8H. Boston College 38, Alabama 31: The Eagles, led by quarterback Doug Flutie, stunned the ninth-ranked the 240-pound Hammerstein stick up a paw and pick off passes. He sees Harbaugh as a tough kid with a temper, not some wimp scared of his first Crimson Tide with a late rally. Page 8H. Clemson 55, Virginia 0: The third-ranked Tigers start.

He sees players daily that the public only sees on game days. beat their 20th straight ACC opponent. Page 8H. "As you saw, there are no superstars on this a Penn State 1 5, Rutgers 1 2: The 1 1th-ranked Lions won on a fourth-quarter field goal. Page 8H.

team, no Heisman Trophv candidates. Schembechler said Saturday. "Just a pretty good a Ohio State 22, Oregon State 14: The sixth-ranked Buckeyes trailed by 11 points at halftime, but Keith football team." Unless, of course, Lyles gets three intercep Byars scored two touchdowns in the second half. Big Ten roundup, Page 9H. a Albion 29, Wayne State 28: Quarterback Rick tions a game, giving him 33 for the season.

Lyles is another guy Michigan recruited from IGoodman came off the bench to throw four touch L2. out of state, by the way. Free Press Pholo by down passes for Albion. State roundup, Page 10H. He's from Miami.

Kelly Tripucka feels at home in the Silverdome. -r More college scores are on Page 8H. 'I of the tourney. See CANADA CUP. Paoe 3H.