A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—Relying on the best defense in the NBA, SAN FRANCISCO won three straight games (118-79 and 104-97 over the Pistons, 103-97 over the Hawks) to run its streak to five and its Western Division lead to three games. But ST. LOUIS, which dropped three in a row and slipped briefly into third, finally slowed the Warriors down with a 116-111 victory and climbed back into second place, only two games out. By the end of the week, Bob Pettit totaled 19,248 points, making him the most prolific scorer in NBA history (Dolph Schayes, the playing coach of the 76ers, held the old mark). Third place LOS ANGELES limped through three more games without Jerry West and lost two of them (the team's lone victory—111-85 over the Pistons—broke a six-game losing streak). Then West returned, his broken thumb in a cast, and the Lakers dropped two more (109-101 to the 76ers and 119-110 to the Bullets). Despite bad knees, which hampered his effectiveness, Elgin Baylor averaged 27 points a game during the week. BALTIMORE took three out of five but barely missed making it five out of five—its two losses were by two points to the Celtics (94-92) and by four points to the Royals (119-115). DETROIT, on the other hand, was held below 100 points in three games and dropped four out of five. Eastern Division leader BOSTON, led by Bill Russell (pulled down 34 rebounds in one game, 33 in another and scored over 20 points three times), regained its early season speed and raced to five straight wins. Second-place (3½ GB) CINCINNATI, at the same time, won four consecutive games to extend its winning streak to seven (second week in a row without a loss). PHILADELPHIA split four games while hapless NEW YORK dropped four (including two 21-point losses to the Celtics) and its latest winless streak reached six games.
BOATING—In a sea so turbulent that only three of the 15 starters finished, DICK BERTRAM drove his new 31-foot Moppie to victory in the 143-mile Sam Griffith Memorial power boat race off Miami (see page 22).
Few were surprised when S. A. (Huey) Long's yawl ONDINE sailed first across the finish line in the 27-mile Lipton Cup ocean race (fourth in the SORC series) off Miami Beach, and won both the Class A and overall titles as well (she also took the Miami-Cat Cay SORC race last month). Two Class B boats, Jack Price's sloop Comanche and Ted Hood's yawl Robin, placed second and third on corrected time.
BOXING—Third-ranked Heavyweight DOUG JONES of New York City won a fifth-round TKO over Tom McNeeley, after opening a cut above his eye in the second, breaking his nose in the third and knocking him down in the fourth of a scheduled 10-rounder at New York City's Coliseum.
In a 10-round middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden, second-ranked JOEY ARCHER won a controversial split decision over Holly Mims to extend his victory streak to eight and his career record to 39-1.
GOLF—JACK NICKLAUS shot a five-under-par 66 (including an eagle on the No. 5 hole) in the final round of the $50,000 Phoenix Open for a 72-hole total of 271 and his first tournament victory of the season. Three strokes behind in second was little-known Bobby Brue of Milwaukee, who barely made the tournament as the last alternate. Gary Player and Gene Littler tied for third at 275. Arnold Palmer, who had won the tournament the past three years, got started too late this time and finished in a tie for ninth with 278, despite a four-under-par 67 in the final round.
HOCKEY—MONTREAL took two games (2-0 over the Maple Leafs on Charlie Hodge's fourth shutout and 8-2 over the Rangers) to move one point ahead of CHICAGO, which won one (4-2 over the Red Wings on two goals in the last two minutes), tied one and lost one. Then the Black Hawks defeated the Leafs 2-1 while the Canadiens tied the Bruins, and the two leaders ended the week once again sharing first place. Slumping TORONTO (only one victory in nine games) lost two and tied one. After a loss to the Black Hawks, DETROIT took three in a row (its longest winning streak of the season) and climbed from fifth place to fourth. In a 4-0 defeat of the Hawks, Terry Sawchuck scored his fifth shutout of the season, and in a 3-2 defeat of the Bruins two nights later, Sawchuck appeared in his 804th regular season game in 11 years of play to break an NHL record for goalies (the old mark was held by Harry Lumley, who played in 803 games in 16 seasons). NEW YORK unexpectedly lost all four of its games (longest losing streak in 13 weeks) and dropped to fifth, five points behind the Red Wings. Last-place BOSTON (2-1-1) pulled out of a three-game losing streak by beating the Rangers 3-2 and 4-0 (Ed Johnston's sixth shutout, most in the league this season).
HORSE RACING—Harbor View Farm's ROMAN BROTHER ($5.60), with Manuel Ycaza up, won the seven-furlong Bahamas Stakes by 3½ lengths over Journalist in a field of 13 3-year-olds at Hialeah.
In the $61,600 Seminole Handicap at Hialeah George D. Widener's TOP GALLANT ($48), ridden by Steve Brooks, streaked up from sixth to the lead in the stretch and finished in a first-place dead heat with Sunny Blue Farm's ADMIRAL VIC ($6), Mickey Solomone aboard. Mongo, the favorite, ran fifth.
MOTOR SPORTS—NELSON STACY of Daytona Beach, Fla., drove his 1964 Ford an average 154.103 mph to edge Ernie Derr for the Auto Racing Club of America 250-mile late model stock car championship at Daytona International Speedway.
SKIING—On the basis of their performances in the three Olympic Alpine events, LUDWIG LEITNER of Germany won the world combined championship, followed by Gerhard Nenning of Austria and Billy Kidd of the U.S. (the highest ranking ever for an American male). France's MARIELLE GOITSCHEL captured the women's combined title, while Austria's Christl Haas and Edith Zimmermann placed second and third. Jean Saubert of the U.S. came in fourth.
The 1960 Olympic slalom gold medal winner, ERNST HINTERSEER, won the international pro slalom contest (and earned $800) at Brandywine Ski Center in Sagamore Hills, Ohio.
TRACK & FIELD—At the Los Angeles Times Indoor Games, BOB HAYES equalled the 60-yard world indoor record of six seconds flat for the second time in three weeks. HAYES JONES won the 60-yard high hurdles (7.2), ULIS WILLIAMS the 500 yards (58.2) and GEORGE KERR the 600 (1:10.0). In the 1,000-yard run JIM DUPREE beat Bill Crothers, who tripped and fell two and a quarter laps from the finish. By the time Crothers regained his feet he was 40 yards behind the lead runner, Dupree, but in an amazing drive he just missed catching him at the tape (both were timed in 2:11.9). TOM O'HARA loafed to a 4:07 mile victory ahead of Jim Grelle, and BOB SCHUL (8:42.2) defeated pace-setter Ron Clarke in the two-mile by .4 second. DALLAS LONG heaved the shot 62 feet, 4½ inches, one quarter-inch farther than Gary Gubner; RALPH BOSTON won the broad jump (25 feet, 7½ inches); JOHN THOMAS (7 feet, 1¼ inches) the high jump; and MEL HEIN of the Southern California Striders leaped 16 feet,¾ inch to take the pole vault. Earlier in the week at the Lubbock (Texas) indoor meet BILLY FOSTER of SMU joined the fast-growing group of six-second 60-yard sprinters (Terry Williams of Omaha University also tied the record in a dual meet during the week), and versatile RALPH BOSTON won three events—the high jump (6 feet, 8 inches), the broad jump (25 feet, 7 inches) and the 60-yard high hurdles (7.2). RANDY MATSON, a Texas A&M freshman, put the shot 60 feet,¾ inch to win the event and set a Texas state indoor record which he promptly broke five nights later with a toss of 61 feet, 6¼ inches at Fort Worth's Will Rogers Indoor Games. The outstanding performances in the Philadelphia Inquirer Games were by Villanova's NOEL CARROLL in the 1,000-yard run (2:09.7), ROY HICKS of the U.S. Army in the 50-yard high hurdles (6.0) and JOHN UELSES in the pole vault (16 feet, 1 inch).
MILEPOSTS—ACCEPTED: By Alabama Football Coach PAUL (Bear) BRYANT, a $300,000 tax-free, out-of-court settlement from the Curtis Publishing Company for his $10.5-million libel suit. "A big burden is off my shoulders," said Bryant.
DROPPED: By the Orange Bowl, its 11-year-old contract with the Big Eight Conference to play in the New Year's night football game.
SIGNED: TOM LANDRY, 39, head coach of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, to an extended contract which guarantees him 11 more years in his post, despite a four-season record of 13-38-3 and a disappointing 4-10 in 1963. "I am grateful for the impression of confidence Mr. Murchison [Owner Clint Murchison Jr.] has shown in me," he said, after signing the longest pro football coaching contract in history.
SIGNED: The entire 40-man roster of the Chicago Cubs. It was the second year in a row that the Cubs finished first in major league contract signing.
DIED: FRED TURNER JR., 67, Texas oil millionaire who owned 1959 Kentucky Derby Winner Tomy Lee, of a heart attack in a Midland, Texas hospital.
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