A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—BOSTON took its normal position at the head of the Eastern Division, losing only a tense 98-97 thriller against the surging St. Louis Hawks, the Western Division leader. It was a game that saw Celtic Coach Red Auerbach technically tossed out after he protested a foul and physically led out after a flurry of semipunches with loudly critical St. Louis fans. Still close to the Celtics, however, were the Syracuse Nationals, who beat the Hawks 126-108. Cincinnati stayed in third with an even 3-3 record, but the hapless New York Knicks lost four more in a row. In the first encounter of the West's big teams the Los Angeles Lakers beat San Francisco 127-115, in spite of a 72-point outburst by Wilt Chamberlain. But the Lakers were still behind the Warriors in the Western Division standings, followed by Chicago, which lost to the Hawks and Celtics. Detroit's position remained unchanged. They haven't won yet.
CHESS—NONA GAPRINDASVILI, brilliant, young (21) Russian strategist, ended the long reign of Moscow's Elizabeth Bykova as the women's world champion. In a Moscow match, Miss Gaprindasvili scored seven wins and four draws to overwhelm her formidable opponent.
FOOTBALL—NFL: NEW YORK moved over Washington in the Eastern Conference standings with a struggling win over St. Louis. Sophomore Quarterback Charley Johnson, ably abetted by Sonny Randle (16 catches), had the Cards ahead until the frantic last period in which a five-touchdown melee ended up with a Giant win, 31-28. Looking more like the Redskins of old, Washington faltered in crucial moments before the Cowboys' rotating quarterbacks, Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith. LeBaron led a second-half scoring spree against the offensively weak Skins for a 38-10 victory, as Norman Snead missed throwing a scoring pass for the first time this season. The accomplished Jim Taylor accounted for four TDs as the seemingly invincible Packers thundered right over Chicago, 38-7. With missed opportunities on both sides, the Browns and the Eagles helped each other to a lackluster 14-14 tie that actually helped neither. Not even the precision passing of Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton (four touchdown passes and 240 yards) could push the Vikings ahead of Pittsburgh as the Steelers won, 39-31, with free and easy Quarterback Bobby Layne leading the way. The Rams put up a stubborn fight before going under 12-3 to Detroit, which held on to second place in the West as well as about the only hope anybody has of catching Green Bay. Taking an early lead on a safety and a Dick Bielski field goal, the Colts gave wobbly San Francisco a 22-3 drubbing.
AFL: DENVER, the most improved team in a league that is now winning its survival fight (see page 18), took command of the Western Division with a narrow 23-20 victory over San Diego. Although the Chargers had Rookie Quarterback John Hadl going for them (two TD passes), Denver had Halfback Don Stone, who carried for three tallies. Playing before a record home crowd of 33,247, improving Buffalo held the Eastern Division leader, Boston, to a 28-28 tie as the AFL's top rusher, Cookie Gilchrist, scored 16 points. In Dallas, Houston's George Blanda and Billy Cannon teamed up for a 14-6 victory over the Texans, avenging the previous week's 31—7 defeat. New York became the latest to add to Oakland's dismal losing streak—now eight straight—as the Titans scored 28 points in the second half for a 31-21 victory.
GOLF—LADIES' PGA TOUR concluded in sunny San Antonio with the Civitan Open in which National Open Champion Murle MacKenzie Lindstrom overcame a spate of early-round jitters and a horrifying 7 on one hole on the last day to win with a fine 215 total. Although Mickey Wright, going for a record-breaking 11th win for the season, finished a poor 10th, her previous victories netted her one-year tournament earnings totaling an impressive $21,641. She was followed by Kathy Whit worth (two wins) with $17,044; Mary Lena Faulk (2) $14,949; Ruth Jessen (2) $14.937; and Marilynn Smith (2) $12,075. Little Clifford Ann Creed of Alexandria, La., making her debut as a professional, proved she belonged, finishing third.
Dave Ragan of Sun City, Fla. played his usual steady game, but this time it was enough as he won the $20,000 Beaumont (Texas) Open. Coming from behind, he shot a 283 to finish three strokes better than early leader Lionel Hebert.
HARNESS RACING—HARRISBURG, PA. SALES, the world's largest Standard bred auction of yearlings, saw 722 horses change hands for $2,793,250. Trainer-Driver Johnny Simpson, wigwagged the highest price, $55,000 for an Adios colt, Baron Hanover.
HOCKEY—DETROIT easily swept past three teams to remain undefeated and at the top of the NHL (see page 69). The Red Wings beat Chicago 3-1, blasted Toronto 7-3 and shut out New York 4-0. At the other extreme, Boston dropped two—one 4-3 decision to New York that helped the Rangers break a four-game winless streak—and stayed in the cellar, below Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and New York, in that order.
HORSE RACING—MONGO ($12.80) mushed through the mist to take the $86,800 Trenton Handicap by a wet nose. Given a front-running ride by Jockey Charlie Burr, the 3-year-old colt won in a down-to-the-wire duel with favored Carry Back.
HORSE SHOW—AMERICAN EQUESTRIAN TEAM started off the National Horse Show on the right foot when Captain Billy Steinkraus rode Sinjon to a win in the first event. At week's end he was second, behind Italian Piero D'Inzeo. But Canada's Tom Gayford provided the crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden with its most electrifying moment when he jumped his dependable Blue Beau over a towering 7-foot 1-inch wall, highest obstacle ever cleared in any national show (see page 6). The leap helped Gayford retire the Wagstaff trophy for puissance, which he had won twice previously. The American girls continued to ride well. Young Mary Mairs of Pasadena, Calif. flawlessly took Tomboy through 10 rounds without a knockdown, and Kathy Kusner rode Unusual in impressive fashion in the knockdown-and-out event, finishing second.
MOTOR SPORTS—SWEDEN'S reigning driving champions, two queenly, no-nonsense blondes named Ewy Rosquist (driver) and Ursula Wirth (navigator), roared off on the rugged Argentine International Standard Grand Prix, the only women among the event's 256 entries, having first incited a minor riot in Buenos Aires when a friendly Latin attempted to pinch Ursula. The two girls took no more chances. They gunned their Mercedes into the lead through all six racing days, finishing first in each one (three in record times), something no man, not even the girls' coach, the great Juan Fangio, had ever done.
Jim Clark, hottest driver on the international circuit, continued his recent victory splurge by winning the first Mexican Grand Prix, in Mexico City Clark, who was forced to change Lotuses when his broke down on the 10th lap, averaged 90 mph over the tricky 187-mile course.
TRACK & FIELD—RONALD O. LAIRD, 24-year-old Olympic walker from New York City, a draftsman by trade, set a handful of marks on the bouncy University of Chicago track. Briskly setting off on a sunny, windy afternoon, Laird first covered the 15-km. distance in 1:13.06.6, then reached the 20-km. point in 1:38.25.9. He stepped exactly 14 miles, 1,681 yards in two hours, hurried on to a clocking of 2:00.25 for 15 miles, and wound up doing 25 kilometers in 2:05.19.3, all of which are American records.
MILEPOSTS—ON PROBATION: UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON, by the NCAA for giving transportation money to a former freshman player, Roger Brown, a figure in last season's bribery scandals; for two years, keeping the Flyers from defending their National Invitation Tournament title.
HIRED: BRANCH RICKEY, 80, ever-astute former major league executive and dynasty builder, by the slipping St. Louis Cardinals, the same team that Rickey brought to the top by inventing the farm system nearly 40 years ago; as a judge of prospective players.
DIED: RICARDO RODRIGUEZ, 20, bold, irrepressible Mexican driver who, aided by his teammate and older brother, Pedro, became an outstanding international sports-car and Grand Prix driver while still in his teens; in a crash in Mexico City when his powerful Lotus overturned in a high-speed turn during a practice run for the Mexican Grand Prix.
DIED: LARRY GOETZ, 67, able, often belligerent and always fair-minded major league umpire, from a heart attack, in Cincinnati. During his 22 years in the National League he frequently quarreled with President Warren Giles for not backing up umpires and bluntly called the Yankees "crybaby" champions after they complained about World Series umpiring. Once, while lunching with Waite Hoyt, he took out eyeglasses to read the menu. "You've got a lot of nerve putting on glasses in public," said Hoyt. "It takes a lot of nerve," Goetz answered, "just to be an umpire."
