Detroit Free Press du lieu suivant : Detroit, Michigan • Page 56

Monday, Aug. 27, IC34 Tigcis' magic number: TIGER CORNER 5 HORSE RACING 6, 7 COMICS 10,11 Call with ports newt: 222-6660 "Who's the one guy who thinks we can do it?" University of Kansas coach Mike Gottfried, on learning that odds of 100-1 have been established against the Jayhawks (4-6-1 last season) winning the Big Eight football title. Sports Phone, 1-976-1313 -I DETROIT FREE PRESS Lemon slam sets off Tiger romp Gcorgo Pticcas Football stands to lose and that ain't peanuts In our continuing efforts to understand our sports team owners, we keep searching for new By GENE GUIDI Free Press Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. There's just something about playing here in the shadows of the Magic Kingdom that seems to bring out the best in the Tigers. Detroit outmuscled the Angels with three early homers in building an 11-0 lead Sunday and then coasted to a 12-6 victory.

It was the Tigers' fifth win at Anaheim Stadium in six tries this season. The Tigers swept the Angels here in May on the way to a record-tying 17 straight wins on the road. Since the Big A went up in the mid-60s, the Tigers have gone 92-71 as the visiting team. The only flaw to what was an otherwise enjoyable Sunday afternoon for the Tigers was an injury suffered by center fielder Chet Lemon. Lemon couldn't locate a high fly off the bat of Fred Lynn and was struck in the face by the ball.

He suffered a laceration above the right eye and was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary X-rays and stitches. The winning pitcher was Milt Wilcox, who lifted his record to 15-7 as he allowed five hits and no earned runs. It was Wilcox's fourth straight victory. The Tigers lifted their major-league leading homer total to 151 as Lemon and Marty Castillo each hit one and Kirk Gibson belted two. ANGELS STARTER Tommy John has Hall of Fame potential with 255 career victories, but not many of them have come lately.

The 40-year-old California lefty began Sunday's game with a 7-11 record and hadn't registered a victory since August 6. By contrast, Wilcox, came into Sunday's game pitching some of the best baseball of his 13-year major league career. Wilcox last lost on August 3. The Tigers put some heat on John early, getting two men on in the second inning with walks but failing to score. John's normally pinpoint control went south on him in the third inning.

Castillo started the frame with a liner back to the mound that John knocked down but couldn't make a play on. Whitaker drew a walk and, after Trammel! lined hard to left fielder Brian Downing on a 2-0 count, John threw eight consecutive balls to Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish to force in a run. When John walked Herndon on a 3-1 pitch to force in the second run of the inning, Angels manager John McNamara had seen enough and called on rookie right-hander Curt Kaufman. It looked like Kaufman might escape the sticky situation when he struck out Barbaro Garbey for the second out. But Lemon worked the count to 3-2 and, after just missing a homer with a long foul fly, cracked a grand slam into the second row in left field.

See TIGERS, Page 4F and useful information. "Our teams are experiencing a 24 percent annual increase in costs," says Russ Thomas. "If this pattern continues, every team in the National Football League will lose $3 million in 1986." Already you see what's wrong with sports operations in this country. We've got the wrong people owning them. I knew this was so after mentioning the plight of the NFL to my pal Chick Wabbly, who was Morris wins, breaks silence readying his popcorn machine for business at the State Fair.

"Somebody's trying to con you," he says. "It's impossible to gross $25 million on anything and still lose $3 million." Well, of course, it's possible. It happens all the time, especially in the sports business. "Look," says Chickie. "For every 10 bucks I take in, my old lady grabs three.

When the day comes that I can't turn my seven into another 10, 1 get the hell out of the popcorn business." Even deep pockets have bottoms Which is precisely what concerns Russ Thomas. Known as one of the better financial minds in professional sports, he has worked wonders leaving undisturbed the solvency of Mr. William Clay Ford, owner of the Lions. Still, Thomas wonders how long he can do so. Morris settled down in the middle innings and the Tigers got him four runs on a solo homer by Darrell Evans and a three-run job by Ruppert Jones.

Morris showed the effect of throwing 129 pitches as he weakened in the ninth, giving up leadoff singles to Bobby Grich and Jerry Narron. SPARKY ANDERSON then called on Willie Hernandez to close it out and the Tigers relief ace induced Dick Schofield to hit into a double play, with a run scoring, and struck out Gary Pettis to preserve Morris' victory. Hernandez entered the game from the Tiger dugout, not the bullpen as usual, because of a mixup in communications. Pitching coach Roger Craig had called the bullpen before the bottom of the ninth inning began and said that Hernandez should sit down. The message was misunderstood and Hernandez thought he was supposed to come into the game right away.

As he walked in toward the diamond, however, he saw Morris on the mound warming up. "I KNEW SOMEONE made a mistake when I saw Jack there so I just kept right on walking to the dugout," Hernandez said. "As I walked by the mound Jack said to me, 'What are you doing and I had to tell him I really didn't know." The premature walk to the dugout did save a little time, however, when Anderson had to change pitchers two batters later. By GENE GUIDI Free Press Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. Maybe it was the euphoric afterglow of notching his league-leading 17th victory that did it.

Whatever the reason, Jack Morris broke away from his self-imposed silence Sunday to talk a little baseball with a reporter. The conversation didn't last all that long, mind you. And it wasn't all that revealing. But just the fact that it took place is noteworthy because Morris has been politely but to talk to the media about his pitching for the pMfejfive weeks. On the team bus tieading out to Anaheim Stadium from the hotel for Sunday's game, the reporter ventured to Morris that he seemed to be getting a lot of the Angels hitters beating the ball into the ground in his 5-1 victory Saturday night.

MORRIS RESPONDED: "My ball was really moving. They would swing at the pitch here (indicating a pitch chest high with his hand) and would end up hitting the ball here (moving his hand to the side and lowering it)." California put a lot of runners on base in the early innings against Morris, but double plays in the second, third and fourth innings kept the Angels off the score-sheet. "Man, those double plays sure did help," Morris said. "I really needed them at the time." hp'8" 4fY I i 1 I "Our own people in the ij NFL have gone bananas on 1 player salaries," he says. Jack Morris broke his self-imposed silence after winning his 17th game.

"The cost of travel has sky-rocketed. Insurance is up, benefits are more extensive and expensive than ever. "In the end, it will all come down to economics. I -I LAST TRIMS TO 49-MAIS ROSTER i ytfA 1 ey you have, nobody en-U -c m.J iovs losine lots of it." Clark to name top QB today Russ Thomas What prompted all this was mention the other day of the USFL's decision to forsake spring football in 1986 and play in the fall, and the threat it might present to the NFL. It could have extraordinary consequences for everybody who plays football on television.

By CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer The four Lions quarterbacks are expected to find out today how they rate with coach Monte Clark. Clark indicated last week that today is the day he will name his starting quarterback for the season ii, I li-t is4 '-Ji opener Sunday against San Francisco. Danielson Hippie Machurek Mike Machurek, a two-year backup with no regu lar-season experience, seemed to have the edge on the job until his 7-for-18 performance Friday night in How the Lions' QBs stack up ROOKIE JOHN WITKOWSKI, who was 7-for-10 in his only pre-season chance, is the only quarterback without a shot at the No. 1 job, because of his lack of experience. In addition to making the decision on his quarterback, Clark must reduce the roster to a regular season limit of 49 players.

At least five rookies are likely to survive the final cut. They include tight end David Lewis, wide receiver Pete Mandley, center David Jones, Witkowski and defensive taqkle Eric Williams. Clark is likely to make a move with one of last year's three tight ends Ulysses Norris, Rob Rubick or Reese McCall because he can afford to carry only three (including Lewisinto the regular season. All three of the tight ends have been suffering from injuries of one kind or anothejjsoone of them might end up on injured reserve. See QUARTERBACKS, Page 6F Cincinnati.

Eric Hippie, No. 1 man for most of the past three seasons, seemed to be out of consideration until his 21- for-28 showing in the same game. Name Games Att. Comp.Yds. Pet.

TD Int. Danielson 2 31 19 203 61.3 0 "7 Machurek 3 48 23 400 47.9 2 5 Hippie 2 36 24 255 66.7 2 3 And Clark undoubtedly is giving some thought to "Sure, it could effect our television revenue," says Thomas, "and if that happens, you have to take a serious look at the whole football situation." NFL teams each receive $14.2 million annually or nearly two-thirds of their revenue from television. It was the huge leap in television bounty two years ago, and the arrival of the USFL a year later, which escalated NFL average player salaries $50,000 annually or roughly $3 million per team. As is their habit, NFL operators are counting on a television boost when the present contract expires in 1986. So are the players, who struck for 54 days in two years ago to get their current agreement, which, coincidentally, also expires in 1986.

What happens in the interim might shake a lot of people out of (he football business "owners, coaches, players and whatnot. Thomas, who serves on the NFL's planning committee, concedes there are many unknowns Gary Danielsoh, who had a strong finish against San Francisco in last year's playoff game and was a consistent 19-for-31 and 203 yards in two pre-season appearances. A Kickoff Classic question: Who's No. where the USFL is concerned. "If you're a sponsor buying a product the NFL, college football would you buy the USFL? I don't know.

Television will look at the number of viewers you're able to deliver, but you know one thing for sure they're not going to bail out anybody." We've concentrated on University of Miami football. We've studied four or five times more University of Miami film than opponent film and I feel the players have responded to that approach." Auburn running back Bo a Heisman Trophy candidate, is the player the media have been swarming around the past few days, but Johnson believes they may be slighting Bernie Kosar, the Miami quarterback who threw for 2,329 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman last season. See KICKOFF CLASSIC, Page 3F By CHARLIE VINCENT Free Press Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Auburn and Miami the team the University of Michigan played last and the team it plays next try tonightto decide what the polls can not. When they meet at 9 p.m.

in Giants Stadium, Auburn and Miami will decide, for one night at least, which is the best collegiate football team in the United States. Other claimants to the title must wait until September to answer the challenge of the two southern teams who are meeting in the Kickoff Classic, the first collegiate game of the season. Auburn was named Sunday by the two major wire serwices Associated Press and United Press International as the nation's No. 1 team. But the New York Times picked Auburn second, Inside Sports magazine picked it third, Sport picked it 12th, and The Sporting News did not include itamong the top 20.

Miami which won the mythical 1983 national championship by defeating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 31-30 is ranked as high as fourth (by UPI and Inside Sports). But Nebraska, Arizona State and Clemson have each been singled out as the nation's best team by at least one publication. ALL THAT doesn't concern Jimmy Johnson, the former Oklahoma State coach who took over the Hurricanes in June when Howard Schnellenberger resigned to move on to the USFL. Johnson is concerned only about playing Auburn, Florida and Michigan by Sept. 8.

"With three games in 12 days, we've approached this game differently than we usually do," he says. "Because we play Florida on Saturday and will be lining up at Ann Arbor against Michigan in two weeks, we haven't concentrated on Auburn; How much is too much? The colleges, of course, will have more games on TV than ever this fall, their first without NCA restriction. Their program likely will swell i 1985. Add the USFL in 1986, and the wildest football nut could not view it all. "Is that too much football?" says Thomas.

"I don't know but it worries me." It ought to worry the USFL, which already has undergone a contraction more severe than is generally recognized. Only six of the league's original 12 owners remain. All were trumpeted as men of astonishing wealth, but half of 'em proved Thomas was right. Rich guys don't stay that way by being stupid with their money. I One of the half-dozen remaining USFL original owners has merged his team, another is seeking a way out.

And still another, the Michigan Panthers' Al Taiibman, is bitterly disappointed with his league. So we are told. "The USFL has made two moves we strongly opposed and still consider grave mistakes," says a Taubman confidant. "The first was expansion to 18 teams last year; the other was this switch to football in the fall. It can be a disaster, absolutely ruinous, for the league." It might even put some of 'em in the popcorn business.

7hcn they start up The fall football season Is near. Here's when some of the teams of local interest begin play: LIONS: Host San Francisco Sunday at 1 p.m. MICHIGAN: Hosts Miami of Florida at 1 p.m. Sept. 8.

MICHIGAN STATE: Travels to Colorado Sept. 8 CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Hosts NORTHERN MICHIGAN at 1 p.m. Saturday. EASTERN MICHIGAN: Travels to Youngstown State Saturday. WESTERN MICHIGAN: Hosts Miami of Ohio Sept.

8. WAYNE STATE: Travels to Indiana State Saturday. BIG TEN: Northwestern Is at Illinois Saturday night; all nthPr sfthnnla honin Sppt fi AP Photo Bo Jackson (left) and Bernie Kosar hold the Kickoff Classic trophy..