Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 70

Tigers' magic number: Today's television highlights: 3:00 p.m. Golf: Women's Championship 3:30 p. m. Golf: PGA Championship 4:00 p.m. Football: Miami at LA Raiders.

10:00 p.m. Football: Sask. at Calgary Sunday, Aug. 19, 1384 INSIDE OF SPORTS 6 GO HORSE RACING 8 OUTDOORS 9 DETROIT FREE PRESS (A combination of Tiger wins and Toronto losses) Call with sports news: 222-6660 II Gibson's homer wins it, 4-3 riilrc Downey A swell bunch of Tigers have division locked up The least I can do is volunteer a progress report on the Tigers, now that they have this thing locked By BILL McGRAW Free Press Sports Writer He has said repeatedly how he loves to be on the spot when the game is on the line. And now, during these dog days of August when the season is on the line, Kirk Gibson is backing up his words with deeds.

His three-run homer in the sixth inning a hard liner to right off lefty Dave Geisel secured another victory for the Tigers Saturday night, 4-3 over the Mariners. It was Gibson's 20th home run of the season. He has hit safely in 15 of 17 games, including the last six straight, a stretch in which he has collected seven runs, three doubles and seven RBIs. His 15 game-winning RBIs set a club record. His 72 RBIs are two short of team leader Lance Parrish's total.

And Gibson needs one triple to hit double figures in home runs, triples, doubles and stolen bases. The last time a Tiger 36,71 9 fans on this steamy night. When he took his position to start the next inning, he waved his glove in acknowledgement of the fickle customers, and he said later he couldn't explain the boos. "I don't play for the fans," Gibson said. "I play to win ball games." The victory, combined with another Blue Jays loss, pushed the Tigers 1 1 games ahead in the American League East, their biggest lead in three weeks.

The Tigers' magic number for the East Division pennant is 28, "the area where it means something," Anderson said. Gibson's dramatics slightly obscured the excellent job Juan Berenguer did on the mound. He threw a three-hitter over 8'3 innings for his sixth win against eight defeats. See TIGERS, Page 5H left-hander did that was 54 years ago, His name: Charlie Gehringer. "He's the horse," Sparky Anderson said of Gibson, agreeing that he is the most valuable player after the Tigers' pitchers this season.

"He plays every day. Right-handers, lefthanders, it don't matter no more. (Gibson's last four homers are off lefthanders, who used to torment him.) I'd rest him tomorrow (Sunday), but I can't. I got (Chet) Lemon out (with a sore GIBSON SWUNG and missed at two of Geisel's pitches before the home run, and admitted he heard the crowd get on him each time. "I heard the boos tonight," Gibson said.

"I stepped out and said, I did." With the homer, Gibson heard the cheers of most of the up. It has been several weeks since I really sat down and took a long, cold look at the Tigers, but I suppose this would be a good time, now that they have this thing locked up. After all, you people don't really care about politics or the Olympics or any of that other garbage, do you? Nahhh. Of course you don't. You care about the Dee-troit City Tigers, that bunch of swell guys who went out and locked up the division for you by August.

Lions All you care about is squeaking past those Ml it 1 Angels in the playoffs and knocking the frocks off those Padres in the World Series. Right? Right. OK then. It's time I took a look at Michigan's Trevino muffs 18 but leads in PGA Team, which does not quite yet belong to America. 1 The Tigers own this territory, so much so that don't be surprised if Sparky Anderson gets up onstage with Neil Diamond to sing a duet of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." (Followed, of course, by win; QB question lingers Jim Campbell and Michael Jackson at the Silverdome singing "Thank God I'm a Country Fans aren't shy about booing The secret to the 1984 Tigers, methinks, is the way they compensated for the failures of certain standout players.

Some people would call this "luck." Baseball people call this "depth." A reader called the newspaper sports department the other day and wanted to know why the "media" you know, the jerks who will do By JACK SAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Lee Trevino was riding a runaway subpar express to the PGA Championship Saturday when he careened off course. Trevino, who had made only one bogey in 53 holes, double-bogeyed the last hole the 18th leaving him a one-shot lead entering today's final round. Trevino nevertheless shot a five-un-der-par 67 over the vulnerable Shoal Creek Club course, giving him with a 12- By CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. What the Lions wanted from Mike Machurek was a big night.

What they got was a big play. I Machurek completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Mark Nichols as the Lions beat Buffalo, 17-12, in a pre-season game at Rich Stadium. I But he did not provide the definitive solution Monte Clark was seeking for the I Lions' lingering quarterback problem. Machurek completed four of 1 1 passes anything to "sell papers" refused to get off the back of Darrell Evans. Just because he's having an off year, that no reason to pick on the guy, Er.

Free Press Photo by MARY SCHROEDER Reader said. Let me tell you something. No, let me tell you Get the picture? two somethings. One, Darrell Evans is about as nice a guy as ever stepped foot in Detroit. And two, for a player with such a big paycheck and such big expectations The University of Michigan and Michigan State held picture days Saturday.

U-M's Al Sincich is playing his final season for his father, Louis (above); MSU's Aaron Roberts (below) is using his long-lost father as incentive. Stories, Page 7H. from the fans, it is absolutely lovely and amazing under 204 after three rounds. Leading the challengers is Lanny Wadkins, who posted a hard-earned 68. Gary Player, who shot a record-tying 63 Friday, is another shot back at 206 after a 69.

how nice Detroit has been to Darrell Evans. for 118 yards, was i sacked twice and did not produce a sustained drive. His perfor-' mance was well be-i low the 12-for-18, 197-yard job against Seattle last week that earned him a shot at starting quarterback. Gary Danielson, who replaced Ma Why? Well, it certainly has something to do with being in first place from Opening Day on. But don't kid yourself.

Darrell Evans was nice to I JnL. .1 Detroit. He was nice enough to come here when others were scurrying off to Yankee dollars or California sunshine. And he was nice enough to Mike Machurek Lee Trevino WA ingratiate himself to the public from Day One. six under after seven holes, including a 40- yard chip-in for eagle-3 at the sixth hole.

Perhaps you argue that a newspaper jerk like me just appreciates the fact that Evans talks to all He whipped through the front nine in the newspaper jerks. True. But Larry Herndon gives about an interview a year. Yet he's having a bad season and isn't getting booed at the ballpark 30, including four 3s and a 2. Then he added another birdie at the par-five 11th to forge a four-stroke lead.

or ripped by the press. I was looking at Gary 63 a Iow-60 round," Trevino said. "It's a good feel ing." Larry Mize, who had seven birdies and In a place like Michigan, where times have been hard and sports fans have been hungry, the fans have never been afraid to boo a Billy Sims or a Kirk Gibson or a Wolverine quarterback. So, it's not as though this is nicey-nice country. We may not be a fSPT'l Taj w) a 67, had just gone six under with a birdie and glanced at the board.

I saw Lee had birdied to go 13 under. We were churek after the first series of the second half as Clark had planned, was completing five of six passes for 51 yards. Clark was obviously leaning toward Machurek as the starting quarterback' after last weekend's game, but he had hoped for a performance that would make the decision for him. It didn't happen that way. Clark was.

obviously not ready to make a quarter-, back choice Saturday night. "I'll stay on the hook, I like it here," he said, indicating he won't make a decision immediately. "Machurek did not shine like he did last week but, on the other hand, Gary had a couple of fumbles, too. But I'm not sure whose fault the fumbles were." Machurek, who has spent the past two seasons on the bench without a regular-season appearance, did not seem particu-larily disturbed with his performance. See LIONS, Page 8H Philadelphia where, as Bob Uecker once said, the fans would boo blind kids on an Easter egg shaking our heads at the way he was playing.

It was almost like we were getting lapped." hunt. But we're not Oz, either. Said Player: "It was incredible. After Along those lines, I gather that Jack Morris has been a little standoffish lately. There is an immediate assumption that those jerks who will do my 30 Friday I told my caddy there wouldn't be any more, then the very next nine holes Lee does it and it could have been 29." "It was a beautiful nine," Wadkins admitted, "but I hadn't conceded I had Free Press Photo by MANNY CRISOSTOMO See PGA, Page 8H Lscdcx board Back in the swing Former golfer Newton rebuilds his life after tragedy Lee Trevino 69-68-67 204 Lanny Wadkins 68-69-68 205 Gary Player 74-63-69 206 Larry Mize 71-69-67 207 Tommy Nakajima 72-68-67 207 Gary Hallberg 69-71-68 208 Ray Floyd 68-71-69 208 Seve Ballesteros 70-69-70 209 Hubert Green 70-74-66 210 lacli Saylor PGA notes BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

The tall sandy-haired man belongs on the lovely course that Jack Nicklaus laid out in the valley between Oak and Double Oak mountains. He should be playing Shoal Creek with fellow Australians David Graham and Greg Norman and the rest of the world's best golfers. Instead, Jack Newton is a denizen of the press building, filing stories about the PGA Championship for The Herald of Sydney, Australia. Newton's eyes are friendly, and it is barely discernible that the right one doesn't move it is glass. He shakes hands firmly but with his left.

The right arm of his short-sleeved shirt dangles empty. Newton won Michigan's Buick-Goodwrench tournament at Grand Blanc's Warwick Hills in 1978, the same year anything to sell papers must have offended the pitcher in some way. Somehow, I doubt that some dumb media guy was the reason Morris resigned as the team's player representative. All I can say is this: If Jack Morris doesn't feel like talking, that's his business. If Jack doesn't pitch well, or if he treats the customers badly in person, that's his business.

Call me when that happens. Until then, leave him alone until he feels like his old self. Johnson, Gibson blossom Well, so much for personalities. As for the Tigers on the field, they haven't done badly at all for a team that took three months to find an everyday third baseman and is still searching for an everyday first baseman, an everyday left fielder and a No. 4 starting pitcher.

All that nonsense about finding a regular starting eight (like Sparky's in Cincinnati) it's just meaningless when you can't foresee that players the caliber of Evans and Herndon might slip so badly while players such as Gibson and Willie Hernandez are blossoming into stars. Everybody knows what Hernandez has done, but don't underestimate what Gibson has contributed this season. As for the rest of the team, we knew what some of those guys up the middle could do, but thank goodness for three new people. Dave Bergman was considered by many a throw-in to a bad trade. He turned out to be a steal.

Ruppert Jones was released by Pittsburgh without good cause. He turned out to be another of GM Bill Lajoie's good moves. Then there's Howard Johnson. I know he's not exactly new, but he might as well be. Johnson can hit from either side, he has power, he has a great attitude and every day his glove gets a little better.

-Now that they have this thing locked up, it's nice to know that tbte Tigers also have, for the future, a darn fine third baseman. he won the Australian Open. He was runner-up in the '75 British Open (to Tom Watson) and in the '80 Masters (to Seve Ballesteros). NOW HE IS rebuilding his world after a nightmarish accident that cost him his career and very nearly his life, Thirteen months have passed since that grisly accident See JACK NEWTON, Page 8H Timeless Native is Michigan Mile champ By GENE GU1DI Free Press Sports Writer What was supposed to be a two-horse race turned into a romp Saturday at the Detroit Race Course as Timeless Native galloped to a 2-length victory in the $162,100 Michigan Mile and One-Eighth. Don Brumfield rode a confident race on the winner, keeping the four-year-old colt in third place just off the leaders down the backside before making his move to the lead.

Florida speedster Ward Off Trouble set the pace but offered little resistance to Timeless Native when he came up on the outside to challenge. War Off Trouble hueg on for See MICHIGAN MILE, Page 7H Mile last year and had beaten Timeless Native earlier this summer at Arlington Park in Chicago, never really contended and finished a well-beaten sixth in the nine-horse field. "When I asked him to run, all he did was jump up and down," said Thumbsucker's jockey, Sam Maple. "He broke OK, a little tardy, but he got going right away. But when we got to the first turn, he started trying to go wide and kept it up every step of the way.

He did the same thing in his last race in New York. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he's not running like he used to." The "Mile was billed as a match between Timeless Native, winner of the reont Cornhusker Handicap at AkSarBen in Nebraska, and the hometown hero, Thumb-sucker. But the Michigan-bred Thumbsucker, who won the.