A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASEBALL—In a straight player deal JERRY LYNCH, whose pinch-hitting prowess helped the Cincinnati Reds to a 1961 pennant and coined the phrase "Lynch in the Pinch," was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Outfielder BOB SKINNER. The Washington Senators and New York Mets were also swapping. Soft-spoken GIL HODGES, 39, a major leaguer for 18 years (Dodgers and Mets), left New York and the National League to manage the Washington Senators, as unpredictable JIMMY PIERSALL journeyed up from Washington to become a Met. Meanwhile the Washington infield was graced by a freshman Senator just up from the minors. Name: JOHN KENNEDY.
Party-loving BO BELINSKY, left-handed pitcher with a 1-7 won-lost record, having proved an angel fit only for falling, was sent to Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League by the Los Angeles Angels and will not return until his form does.
BASKETBALL—The world championships bounced to a close in Rio de Janeiro with Defending Champion BRAZIL clinching the seven-team round-robin tourney with a perfect 6-0 record. A surprising Yugoslavia team finished second with 5-1 while Russia finished third with two losses (Brazil and Yugoslavia). The U.S. dribbled into fourth place, losing to all three top finishers.
After three years as coach of the Royals, CHARLEY WOLF decided to leave both Cincinnati and the Eastern Division and signed a two-year contract as coach of the Detroit Pistons. He replaces Dick McGuire, who resigned April 15 after one of the Pistons' worst seasons yet (won 34, lost 46). Wolf had compiled a 125-130 record and taken the Royals to the NBA playoffs twice, but felt insecure at the helm. "I got the message," he said, "when Warren Hensel [the Royals' new owner] didn't invite me to the NBA college draft meeting this spring. I gathered I didn't fit into the new owner's plans." Owner Hensel's comment: "Absolutely perfect for everybody concerned."
CHESS—After two long, long months, the ninth world chess champion was finally crowned in Moscow when Russian Challenger TIGRAN PETROSYAN defeated world champion and fellow countryman Mikhail Botvinnik 12½ points to 9½. Called "Tiger" by his wife and "Iron Petrosyan" by the Soviet public, the young (33) challenger simply tired out his older (51) opponent in the 24-game series.
GOLF—In weather only Scots could love—hail, sleet, wind and rain—the British Walker Cup team threatened to upset a royal and ancient tradition by taking a 6-to-3-point lead over the favored U.S. in Turn-berry, Scotland, but next day under clear skies the American amateurs returned to form and won the Walker Cup for the 18th time in 19 attempts dating back to 1922 (see page 54).
HARNESS RACING—The $231,000 Harness Tracks of America spring pace series came to a close with an upset victory at Chicago's Sportsman's Park. Stanley Dancer guided LEHIGH HANOVER ($6.S0) to a one-length triumph over Adora's Dream, who had gone undefeated in the five preliminary races throughout the country.
HOCKEY—After much hemming, hawing and hedging, the Chicago Black Hawks finally fired Coach RUDY PILOUS. With the club since 1958, when the Hawks ended up fifth and out of the cellar for the first time in four years, Pilous improved on the record with four third-place finishes and a Stanley Cup victory in 1961. Then last season, with their first league championship seemingly clinched, the Hawks went into a spin, yielded first place to Toronto and the Stanley Cup semifinals to Detroit. Their dreary finish was too much for Co-Owner James D. Norris, and Raconteur Rudy was out. A likely successor: BILLY REAY, who coached the Hawks' Buffalo Bisons to an American Hockey League championship this past season.
HORSE RACING—With Manuel Ycaza in the irons, FIRM POLICY ($5.70) scampered to a 4½-length triumph over pace-setting Tamarona in the $55,200 Top Flight Handicap at Aqueduct. Favorite Cicada finished a tired third, seven lengths back of the winner.
Doc Jocoy ($12.60), with Willie Harmatz aboard, overtook Crazy Kid in the stretch and just won the $55,350 Los Angeles Handicap at Inglewood. Favorite Winonly, trying to score his second straight triumph in the race, couldn't catch the two flying front-runners and finished third.
In their first day as legitimate Vermont merchants, the pari-mutuel machines at GREEN MOUNTAIN PARK toted up a paltry handle of $220,651. A horse appropriately named HARD NOSE won the $5,000 feature to pay shrewd bettors $3.40.
MOTOR SPORTS—Defending World Driving Champion GRAHAM HILL of England successfully opened the 1963 season by driving his BRM to victory in the 100-lap Grand Prix de Monaco. The mustached Briton was followed across the finish line by BRM teammate Richie Ginther of Granada Hills, Calif., while New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, driving a Cooper, roared in third.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING—The unruffled snow atop Mt. Everest, highest mountain in the world, was becoming as trampled as a city sidewalk. Last month James Whittaker became the first American to scale the peak. Last week four more Americans mingled their footprints with his at the top. WILLIAM UNSOELD and THOMAS HORNBEIN reached the peak by climbing the hitherto never attempted West Ridge. Earlier in the day BARRY BISHOP and LUTHER JERSTAD climbed to the summit via the South Col, the route taken by Whittaker. It was the first time four men had reached the summit on the same day. "We feel very good about it," said Expedition Leader Norman Dyhrenfurth, despite the fact that two climbers, Bishop and Unsoeld, were so frostbitten they had to be plucked off by helicopter.
ROWING—In its final test before the IRA championships, last year's winner CORNELL continued to dominate college crew by snapping Pennsylvania's four-year winning streak in the Crawford Madeira Cup with a two-length triumph. This spring the Big Red has taken the wake of only one rival—The Ratzeburg Rowing Club of Germany—and before suffering the loss the college eight defeated the world champions in a heat.
TENNIS—Playing below their usual form, the Australians let a few outsiders into the finals of the French Championships in Paris but still managed to clinch four of the five titles. Aussie ROY EMERSON squeaked into the men's finals and held his game together long enough to defeat Pierre Darmon, the first Frenchman to get that far in 17 years, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, LESLEY TURNER, behind until the 11th game of the second set and down 2-5 in the deciding set, came back and beat Ann Haydon Jones of England 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, to give the Australians the women's title. In doubles play EMERSON teamed with MANUEL SANTANA of Spain to take the men's crown, while Aussie ace MARGARET SMITH (whose defeat in the quarterfinals of the singles was the major upset of the tourney) teamed with countryman KEN FLETCHER to win the mixed doubles. In the final that got away—the women's doubles—South Africa's RENEE SCHUURMAN and England's ANN HAYDON JONES downed the Aussie team of Margaret Smith and Robyn Ebbern.
TRACK & FIELD—One official world record, plus two more that might have been, and the third fastest mile in history highlighted the California Relays (see page 26) in Modesto, Calif. With no complications, the OREGON STATE two-mile-relay team brought the Beavers their first world mark by pacing the distance in 7:18.9. University of Washington sophomore BRIAN STERNBERG cleared 16 feet 7 inches in the pole vault and would have regained the world record but it appeared that the crossbar was too long. And in an even more ludicrous situation, hitherto unknown PHIL SHINNICK, also of Washington, leaped 27 feet 4 inches in the broad jump, bettering Igor Ter-Ovanesyan's record by ¾ inch, but since no one had bothered to check the wind gauge to see if there was an aiding breeze the record was disallowed. In the mile New Zealand's PETER SNELL breezed to a 3:54.9 victory, with Cary Weisiger second in 3:57.3, while Jim Beatty and Jim Grelle finished third and fourth respectively, in 3:58.
"I wanted to do something for the last race of my college career. It's a nice way of saying thanks and so long," said University of New Mexico senior ADOLPH PLUMMER, after breaking the world 440-yard record at the Western Athletic Conference track meet in Tempe. Plummer covered the distance in 44.9 seconds and for the first time in over 12 meetings beat Arizona State University's Ulis Williams, who also got in under the record (45.7) with a 45.6 clocking.
MILEPOSTS—DIED: JUDGE CLIFFORD (Gavvy) CRAVATH, 83, former major league baseball player, in Laguna Beach, Calif. Gavvy led the National League in home runs six times and reached his peak in 1915 as an outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies when he hit 24 homers—a record that stood until Babe Ruth hit 29 in 1919.
