Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 49

These McPadres are all beef CIKZXT The American League champion Tigers play the National League champion Padres at 8:35 p.m. Friday in Detroit. SITE: Tiger Stadium SAN DIEGO After one day of World Series play, certain things are apparent One is that the McPadres intend to put up a fight. Another is that their crowd is very loud. Another is that their ballpark is very large.

And another is that three games might have to be played at the ballpark in Detroit. Tuesday night's opener wasn't the Tigers cakewalk that much of the world was expecting. But baseball does tend to fool you now and then, which is why it's been played since the Indians took doubleheaders from Custer and scalped his tickets. This might be a hard-fought World Series after all. Unless Tuesday's game was a The game wasn't seven minutes old before Detroit had a run.

Lou Whitaker doubled, Alan Trammell singled and San Diego's starting pitcher, Mark McThurmond, needed about 97 pitches to get out of the first inning. But that was all the noise the Tigers made for a while. Trammell got picked off, the McPadres struck back to take a 2-1 lead, and even when the visitors put some people on base, they failed to deliver a big hit or got caught leaning off first. For four innings in front of television sets and radios back See MIKE DOWNEY, Page 20 (52,687) Left field fence, 340 feet; center mirage, in which case I still pick the Tigers to win this thing without sweating. For a fast minute there, it looked as though the Tigers were going to take Joan Kroc's little hamburger helpers and grind them down like a pound of ground round.

fence, 325 feet grass TV: NBC, Channel 4 in 7:30 p.m. NBC a RADIO: WJR (760-AM), at 8 p.m. THE PITCHERS: um Downey i Milt Wilcox field fence, 440 feet; right surface. Detroit Channel 4 pre-game at pre-game at 8 p.m. WWJ (950-AM) and CHYR (710-AM) Right-hander Milt Wilcox (18-8) will face left-hander Tim Lollar (14-8).

field Thursday, Oct. II, 1334 9m TIGER CORNER SERIES REPORT GAME ONE SCOREBOARD DETROIT FREE PRESS Call with ports new: 222-6660 as His first Series brings out best in Lou Whitaker "5 1 "i -f I A' More basaball NORTHRUP SAYS: Former Tiger Jim Northrup has an extensive report from San Diego. Page 3D. WILCOX SAYS: Pitcher Milt Wilcox hasn't completed a game this year and he couldn't care less. "That ninth inning is sort of uncharted territory for me.

I don't know what the ninth is like," said Wilcox, the scheduled starter for Friday's game. "If you face me, you'll probably face Willie (Hernandez). And it's a great feeling having Willie behind you. Willie Hernandez comes into the game, the game's over." "I want to end my career in Detroit. And I was so happy to be with the team this year, because I felt like it would all come together." LOLLAR PREVIEW: Tim Lollar, who will be making his first World Series appearance Friday, has, like Wilcox, hovered near .500 in his pitching career.

This year his control problems contributed to an 11-13 record and 3.91 ERA. ,1 i By MIKE DOWNEY Free Press Sports Writer SAN DIEGO Lou Whitaker goes up to Willie Randolph. Man-to-man talk. Second baseman to second baseman. The first part of the baseball season has ended, the 162-game part, but the Detroit Tigers still have to take care of business.

"What's the World Series like?" Whitaker asks Randolph. "Everybody's there," Randolph tells him. "Like who?" "Everybody from everywhere," Randolph says. "Reporters?" Whitaker asks. "Hundreds of them.

Thousands of them." "What do they want?" "They want stories," Randolph says. Lou Whitaker goes home to Crystal, his wife. He tells her about all the reporters. "You can't rely on everyone else to do your talking for you," Crystal says. "This is the World Series.

You get up there and do your share." Lou Whitaker goes up to the dais and sits down. Jack Morris, who had just pitched the Tigers to a 3-2 triumph in the opening game of the Series, is taking his turn at the podium, discussing the game, doing his share. Somebody asks Morris about one of the game's key plays. Whitaker pops out of his chair. Some people are surprised that he is in the interview room in the first place.

Larry Herndon had refused. And Whitaker has been fairly shy about such things. But now he is up talking, talking excitedly about the key play, talking even though the question has been addressed to someone else. Lou Whitaker is giving 'em stories. "Lou is my partner," shortstop.

Alan Trammell says in the clubhouse after the game. "We've got more than 4 Free Press Pholo by MANNY CRISOSTOMO He's the Tigers' Sweet Lou just a relationship. Our names are linked together now. It's like a marriage. We've become a couple.

When people say, they say, 'and When people say they say, 'and If they ever break us up, it's going to be a very weird day. It'd be like getting divorced. "But do I know Lou? Is that what you're asking me? Hmmm. Do I know Lou? See LOU WHITAKER, Page 15D Shortstop Alan Trammell says of second baseman Lou Whitaker (above): "Lou is my partner. We've got more than just a relationship.

Our names are linked together now. It's like a marriage. We've become a couple. When people say, 'Trammell they say, 'and When people say 'Whitaker they say, 'and If they ever break us up, it's going to be a very weird day. It'd be like getting divorced." Out of action Injury to slugger McReynolds hurts Padres Managers aren't really geniuses SAN DIEGO At the risk of angering a few patrons, I must confess I never have regarded baseball as a thinking man's game.

A ball is pitched and it is either hit or missed, caught or not, and that's about all there is to it, as any kid 7 vfAvV K-' Jf 1 Jr 'A. 1 knows. I was discussing this in the local bistro where the Chicago Cubs are said to have lost the National League pennant to the San Diego Padres a few days ago. The Tigers had just defeated the Padres, 3-2, in the opening game of the World Series, and a was recalled by the Padres in September. He did well in San Diego he batted .300 in 12 games and was sitting home in Los Angeles Sunday when Padres general manager Jack McKeon called.

"I had watched the game Saturday and I knew if Kevin took himself out, it had to be serious," said Roenicke. "Jack told me to come on down and get an uniform on. If you had asked me in the spring if I expected to be in a World Series dugout in October, I would have had my doubts. I guess I should have learned by now to expect the unexpected." SIGNED ORIGINALLY by the Dodgers, Roenicke has had an often-discouraging career. He was unable to fit in as a regular with the Dodgers and was placed on waivers.

Claimed by Seattle, he played in 140 games in 1983 but injured a rib cage muscle and was released this spring. Adjusting to life in Triple-A was difficult, but he had a productive season and hopes that the opportunity to be with the Padres in World Series will rekindle his career. "What happened to Kevin is unfortunate but an opportunity like this could be what turns my career around," said Roenicke. "I hope I can get a chance to contribute. Losing Kevin leaves a void on this team and I know what he must feel like." games, had 20 home runs and drove in 75 runs.

He batted .300 in the Cubs series and contributed a three-run home run in Game 3 that Cubs manager Jim Frey said "pretty much broke our backs." THE ABSENCE of McReynolds creates a void in the San Diego offense, especially with the designated hitter rule in effect in the World Series this year. Padres manager Dick Williams has replaced McReynolds in center field with Bobby Brown and will use Kurt Bevacqua and Champ Summers as designated hitters. Bevacqua hit .200 this y.ear and Summers only .185. Williams had intended his designated hitter to be Brown, a .251 hitter In 85 games this season. "Losing McReynolds puts us In a little bind," Williams said.

"He's our regular center fielder and hit 20 home runs for us, but in situations like this, you've built your team In such a way that losing one player isn't going to knock the wind out of you." The Padres replaced McReynolds on the active roster with Ron Roen-Icke, brother of Baltimore outfielder Gary. Formerly with Los Angeles and Seattle, Roenicke was signed this spring by the Padres and placed In Triple-A Las Vegas. He Injured an ankle in Joe but he appeared in 90 games with Las Vegas, hit .310 and By MARK KRAM Free Press Sports Writer SAN DIEGO The cast covers the left hand and forearm and accounts for his withdrawn expression. He was in uniform Tuesday and participated in the ceremonial player introductions, but he watched the game from the dugout and was already in street clothes as his defeated teammates filed in from the field. The injury occured Saturday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

The score was tied, 3-. 3, In the sixth and Kevin McReynolds, in a desperate effort to upset a double play, barreled into Cubs second Ryne Sandberg and broke his wrist. He thought at first he had only It" and took his outfield position between Innings, but the pain sharpened and he had to return to the dugout for a replacement. The prognosis is that he should heal by spring training. "I wish I could be a participant, but that's just one of those things," McReynolds said.

"I'm not taking the Jwhy attitude. The way I look at it, every day I go out on the field I take a chance of getting hurt." ---With the exception of a sprained "ankle, McReynolds has been virtually 'Jnjury free this year and has supplied Tthtt J'adres with runroduction and defensive stability. He appeared in 147 Gcorga Puscas 7 guy at my elbow was wondering what -I thought of the brilliant move made by I Sparky Anderson, the Tigers' manag-; er. "Well, it worked out fine," I said, "but if it were up to I'd have got; Jack Morris to hell out of there. Sev- eral times.

He was coming apart." "No, that's not what I mean," he said. "How about the way the Tigers; positioned their third baseman when Alan Wiggins was at bat? Didn't you! Free Press Photo by MARY SCHROEDER The Tigers' hero Larry Herndon swung the big bat in Game 1 of the World Series, belting a two-run, fifth-inning home run that led the Tigers to 3 3-2 victory. Page 4D. see that?" See GEORGE PUSCAS, Page 2Dl.