Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 55

The Ameri can League champion Tigers play the National league champion Padres at 8:35 p.m. today Now that we have watched Jack Murphy pitch in Jack Morris Stadium, or whatever it was we saw out there in the land of the giant chicken, the time has come to show the world how baseball is played in Detroit. You remember Detroit. It's the city where baseball is so important, some people thought the recent GM strike was a walkout by Bill Lajoie. The rumble on Trumbull will proceed for an entire weekend, which is mostly the doing of a standup comedian named Kurt Bevacqua, who hit a three-run homer Wednesday night during a pause between one-liners.

The World Series is tied at a game Nah. That's ridiculous. Anyway, on behalf of those who live here in Michigan and like it here, welcome to our state, have a nice time, and remember, anybody who makes jokes about the crime rate in Detroit is asking to be added to it. For those of you who haven't been here in a while, or for those who have never seen a baseball game in Detroit, or for those who See MIKE DOWNEY, Page 14F in Detroit. TV: NBC, Channel 4 in Detroit Channel 4 pre-game at 7:30 p.m.

NBC pre-game at 8 p.m. Back to baseball country, at last it lJ r.Ii!:o apiece and Bevacqua is no doubt fielding offers for his own half-hour television series, since that's what all funny Californians eventually do. "Bevacqua, P.I.," or something like that. He'll play a Hawaiian private eye who wears a San Diego Padres cap to work RATIO: WJR (760-AM), WWJ (950-AM) and CHYR (710- AM) at 8 p.m. 0 TH2 YEATKZR: Clear, temperatures in the 60s.

I DTK2 PITCHES: Right-hander Milt Wilcox (18-8) wiB face left-hander Tim Lollar (14-8). THE ITJOSE STORY: Believe it! Padres' Dick Williams is one tough manager. See George Puscas, Page 3F. Mike Downey greets strangers to Detroit with his guide of wonderful things to see and do in the area. Page 1JF.

Dick Williams i Friday, Oct 12, 1904 GEO? 1 TIGER CORNER SERIES REPORT PITCHING REPORT SCOREBOARD DETROIT FREE PRESS Call with sports newt: 222-6660 9 turf Now, they're playing on Ti gers a By BILL McGRAW Free Press Sports Writer In San Diego, the Tigers stayed at a resort hotel on a Pacific Ocean bay that looked like some place where the Love Boat would dock. They drove in taxis without plexiglass shields through semi-tropical vegetation to a ballpark that had mountains, not housing projects, beyond the outfield walls. They played before exuberant fans with lungs like Goodyear blimps but little discernment, cheering even a home team pitcher who had been driven from the mound after two-thirds of an inning. Yes, Surf City was different, about as different from Detroit as a big American city can be. Some have gone so far as to portray this as the World Series that pits the city of sun bathers against the city of survivors.

Now, with the Tigers and Padres tied at one game apiece, the next three games come home to the cozy corners of the House Where Cobb Played and a velvet infield that rarely turns bouncing balls into health hazards. The Tigers come home to their own beds, their own fans and their own propaganda. Milt Wilcox, the ultimate survivor, will pitch against Tim Lollar. "TIGER STADIUM is a special place," said Kirk Gibson. "The people screaming back in Detroit will make it more fun for us," Darrell Evans added.

For months now, the masses have been drilled with the message that the Tigers are the best in baseball. This is the year, the T-shirts say. They can be mentioned with '27 Yankees, the media suggests. Don't the standings prove it? But how about these Padres? They have a manager who makes magic moves and bench jockeys who come through in the pinch. They have a bullpen that's better than most starting staffs and a cosmic aura that allows them to perform deeds previously believed impossible.

"When we need a big hit, we get it," said Tony Gwynn. That sounds like the Tigers, but it wasn't them Wednesday night, when Dick Williams elevated Kurt Bevacqua three spots in the batting order and Bevacqua hammered the three-run homer that sealed the Padres' 5-3 return from a 3-0 first-inning hole. Bevacqua is sort of a Sun Belt version of See TIGERS, Page 13F r.i I 4 'j- Free Press Photos by MARY SCHROEDER 'Tiger Stadium is a special place' After playing the first two games of the World Series in San Diego's Jack Darrell Evans agreed: "The people screaming back in Detroit will make it Murphy Stadium, which had mountains beyond the outfield walls, the more fun for us." Game 3 is tonight, with Milt Wilcox scheduled to pitch Tigers and Padres come to Detroit for the next three games at the corner of against Tim Lollar; Game 4 will be Saturday afternoon, and Game 5 is sched-Michigan and Trumbull. "Tiger Stadium is a special place," said Kirk Gibson, uled for Sunday afternoon. 1 I Sic fiH' of '84 yum I v.vjvi '4 I y' v.

r.ij vV- Vfc 'it! Is The book is coming It's been a season to remember and more memories are on the way. Within days after the World Series, the Free Press will publish a colorful, 96-page book that will become a collector's item for Tigers fans. Written by senior managing editor Neal Shine, with contributions from columnists Mike Downey and Bob Talbert, baseball writer Bill McGraw and a host of Free Press photographers, "The Roar of '84" will cover this remarkable Detroit year from the first sunburn of spring training to the last sip of post-World Series clubhouse champagne. It's a keepsake graced with the most memorable photos of this memorable season: Jack Morris hugging Lance Parrish after Morris' April no-hitter Sparky Anderson taking a curtain call after the 100th win Willie Hernandez's unforgettable leap after the strike that clinched the East. The book will be available on newsstands for $3.95.

You can reserve a copy now, and have it mailed to you, by sending $4.95 in check or money order with the coupon below to P.O. Box 77971, Detroit 48277. Herndon: Strong, silent type By GENE GUIDI Free Press Sports Writer Early in the season, a reporter new to the baseball beat slid into a seat next to Larry Herndon in the Tigers' clubhouse. Herndon had just played a key role in a Detroit victory and seemed a good subject for an interview. "You might as well put that pen and notebook away," Herndon told the writer.

"You're not going to need them." What Herndon was saying was that he wasn't going to be saying anything. It's a stance he has maintained always politely all season. And now his reluctance to communicate has carried into the World Series. The media horde that surrounded the Quiet One's locker after his two-run homer won the Series opener ended up interviewing each other. Herndon had left the park without returning to the locker room.

His clothes were sent to the Tigers' hotel by a clubhouse attendant. "Fellows, if he hasn't talked to you before, he's not going to talk to you now just because he hit a home run," See LARRY HERNDON, Page 15F I "The Roar of '84" costs $4.95 by mail, postage and handling Included. Name Address City State- How much enclosed? How many books? Make your checks payable to The Detroit Free Press. Please send checks or money orders only. Do not send currency, coins or stamps.

Send to: Detroit Free Press, World Series Book, P.O. Box 77971, Detroit, Ml 48277 (ra Pr0tc Phntft hw I1AV T1JHNI h- I 4 for Willie Hernandez. t. AL East title a special moment Larry Herndon "He's a great person.".