A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASEBALL—The YOMIURI GIANTS of Tokyo won Japan's World Series for the ninth time, defeating the Hankyu Braves four games to two.
BASKETBALL—NBA: BOSTON (5-0), the league's only unbeaten team, gained first place in the Eastern Division with three more victories. The Celtics defeated the Hawks 118-104 on Sam Jones's 25 points and Player-Coach Bill Russell's 25 rebounds, the Pistons 128-109 and gave PHILADELPHIA (5-1), half a game behind in second, its first defeat, 104-95, in six games. Before falling to the Celtics, the 76ers had beaten the Pistons 124-102, the Knicks 117-114 and the SuperSonics 132-115 as Hal Greer totaled 97 points. With rookie Earl Monroe scoring 25 points, BALTIMORE (3-2) defeated the Sonics 136-125, and with Monroe and Ray Scott combining for 54 points, the Bullets whacked the Rockets 125-109. The Bullets then dropped a 124-111 game to the Warriors. CINCINNATI (4-3) and DETROIT (3-3) each split four games. In the Royals' victories, they subdued the Sonics 106-94 and wriggled by the Rockets 116-113. Dave Bing scored 31 points to lead the Pistons to a 107-99 victory over the Bulls, while John Tresvant tossed in 25 points as the Pistons handed NEW YORK (1-5) its fifth straight defeat, 111-98. Earlier in the week the Knicks lost to the Hawks and the 76ers. ST. LOUIS (8-1) went 2½ games ahead in the Western Division by edging the Knicks 135-130 when Len Wilkins scored 10 points in overtime. The Hawks' seven-game winning streak ended, however, with a loss to the Celtics, but a new one started with a 116-109 win over the Sonics. LOS ANGELES (4-2) won two in a row, routing the Royals 132-116 and bashing the Bulls 125-117. SAN FRANCISCO (5-4) took three straight games with Nate Thurmond scoring 37 points and grabbing 26 rebounds in a 137-126 win over the Rockets. The last three teams in the division lost every game they played as SEATTLE (1-6) dropped four straight, SAN DIEGO (1-6) three and CHICAGO (0-7) two.
ABA: Eastern Division leader INDIANA (6-1) gained its fifth straight victory, 121-101 over Dallas, before splitting two with Oakland, while second-place PITTSBURGH (3-1), 1½ games back, beat New Jersey 110-107 as former Harlem Globetrotter Connie Hawkins scored 34 points. The Pipers then lost to Minnesota 104-86, beat Denver 91-77 on Hawkins' 29 points and 22 rebounds and defeated Dallas 92-86. NEW JERSEY (2-2) followed its loss to the Pipers with two straight victories—118-100 over Minnesota and 134-131 over Kentucky on Art Heyman's 30 points—and a 126-109 defeat by Denver. KENTUCKY (2-3) beat Minnesota 104-96, Anaheim 128-127 and lost to New Jersey. Last-place MINNESOTA (1-3) dropped three of four. In the Western Division NEW ORLEANS (3-1) won two, 101-97 over Dallas before 600 in Memphis and 104-94 over Houston, while OAKLAND (3-2), DENVER (3-3) and ANAHEIM (1-5) all split two. DALLAS (2-3) lost three of four, and HOUSTON (1-3) dropped both its games.
BOXING—California's JERRY QUARRY gained a 12-round decision over Floyd Patterson in a heavyweight elimination bout in Los Angeles (page 20).
FOOTBALL—AFL: OAKLAND (6-1) took over first place in the West from San Diego (5-1-1) by crushing the Chargers 51-10 on the outstanding play of Daryle Lamonica and Clem Daniels. Lamonica threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Daniels, a 70-yarder to Fred Biletnikoff for another score and ran for two more touchdowns. Daniels also scored on a short run and, with 94 yards rushing, became the first man in the league to gain over 5,000 yards on the ground. KANSAS CITY (4-3) piled up 42 points in the first half as Len Dawson threw three TD passes and Mike Garrett scored twice and the Chiefs whacked last-place Denver (1-7) 52-9. Trailing by 10 points after the first period and by six points at the half, Eastern Division leader NEW YORK (5-1-1) tied Boston (2-5-1) at the end of three quarters on three Jim Turner field goals. The Jets finally beat the Patriots 30-23 when Joe Namath tossed his second TD pass of the day with nine minutes to play. Altogether Namath completed 22 passes for 362 yards. HOUSTON (4-2-1), one game behind in second place, beat bumbling Buffalo (2-5) 10-3 when Quarterback Pete Beathard scored a TD from the one-yard line in the third period.
NFL: NEW YORK (4-3) upset Cleveland (4-3) 38-34 as Fran Tarkenton connected on two touchdown passes to Joe Morrison within a 42-second span in the third quarter. Earlier in the game Tarkenton hit Aaron Thomas with a 32-yard scoring pass and ran for a 15-yard TD. Rookie Don Shy charged 33 yards for a touchdown in the final two minutes and PITTSBURGH (2-5) edged New Orleans (0-7) 14-10. PHILADELPHIA (4-3) surprised Capitol Division leader Dallas (5-2) by scoring all its points in the first half for a 21-14 victory, while Coastal Division leader BALTIMORE (5-0-2), the only undefeated team in either league, beat Washington (2-3-2) 17-13 by scoring 10 points in the final quarter. LOS ANGELES (4-1-2) defeated Chicago (2-5) 28-17 as Halfback Tommy Mason tossed a 51-yard TD pass to Bernie Casey. Quarterback Roman Gabriel accounted for the rest of the scoring with two touchdown passes and a short TD run. DETROIT (3-3-1) upset San Francisco (5-2) 45-3, while Randy Johnson tossed two TD passes and Linebacker Tommy Nobis scored the clinching touchdown with a 41-yard runback of an intercepted pass to lead ATLANTA (1-5-1) to its first victory of the season, 21-20 over Minnesota (1-5-1).
GOLF—Defending Champion JACK NICKLAUS shot a 72-hole total of 270 to take the $100,000 Sahara Invitational in Las Vegas by one stroke over Steve Spray of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The victory, Nicklaus' fifth of the year, boosted his PGA season earnings to a record $188,998.08 and moved him ahead of Arnold Palmer, who dropped to second with $182,915.07.
HOCKEY—NHL: MONTREAL (5-1-2) held onto the Eastern Division lead by tying the Rangers 1-1 and beating the Blues 4-1, while DETROIT (5-2-1) with three staight wins—1-0 over the Blues on Paul Henderson's third-period goal, 8-2 over the Seals and 3-1 over the Flyers moved into second place, one point behind the Canadiens. BOSTON (4-1-1) beat the Kings 2-0 in the Bruins' only game of the week as Gerry Cheevers made 26 saves and John Bucyk scored both goals, and NEW YORK (3-1-3), tied for third with Boston, defeated the Penguins 6-4. The Rangers then drew with the Hawks and the Canadiens. TORONTO (4-3-0) ended a three-game losing streak by handing the Kings their first loss, 4-2, and beating the Seals 5-2, while CHICAGO (1-6-1) extended its winless efforts to seven by dropping a 5-3 game to the Kings and tying the Rangers 2-2, before beating the North Stars 4-2 as Bobby Hull scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season. In the Western Division first-place LOS ANGELES (4-2-2) split four games while PITTSBURGH (3-5-1), three points behind in second, dropped two and won one. PHILADELPHIA (3-3-0) took its third game in a row, 5-2 over the Seals, before losing to the Red Wings, and MINNESOTA (2-3-2) scurried out of a last-place tie to a share of third with the Flyers when Ray Cullen scored the winning goal with 2:14 to go in a 3-2 victory over the Blues. The North Stars then lost to the Black Hawks. CALIFORNIA (2-5-1) dropped four in a row while ST. LOUIS (1-5-2) extended its winless streak to five with three more losses.
HORSE RACING—Mrs. Edith W. Bancroft's DAMASCUS ($2.60) raised his 1967 earnings to a one-year record of $792,941 when he beat Handsome Boy by 4½ lengths in the $106,600 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Aqueduct (page 64).
Straight Deal ($3.60). Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs' 5-year-old daughter of Hail to Reason, all but clinched handicap mare honors when Howard Grant rode her to a neck victory over Amerigo Lady, who was later placed third for interference, in the 1‚⅛-mile Spinster Stakes at Keeneland.
Meadow Stable's 2-year-old bay daughter of Bold Ruler, SYRIAN SEA ($6) gained her third stakes victory with a two-length win over stablemate Gay Matelda in the 1[1/16]-mile $109,330 Selima Stakes at Maryland's Laurel Race Course.
With Tommy Walsh up, Mrs. William C. Riker's 10-year-old BAMPTON CASTLE ($3.60) defeated last year's winner, Lumiere, by 17 lengths in the three-mile $55,000 Temple Gwathmey Steeple-chase Handicap at Aqueduct.
MOTOR SPORTS—BOBBY ALLISON of Hueytown, Ala. gained his first major NASCAR victory when he averaged 98.387 mph in a 1967 Ford to take the American 500 in Rockingham, N.C. (page 26).
New Zealander BRUCE McLAREN drove his McLaren-Chevrolet at a record 114.4 mph to beat Texan Jim Hall, in a Chaparral, by four seconds in the $83,000 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix—the fifth race in the Can-Am series. It was McLaren's second straight win in the series and gave him the lead by three points over fellow Kiwi Denis Hulme.
MILEPOSTS—SUPPORTED: By the NCAA, the SEC's suspension of MISSISSIPPI STATE's basketball team from postseason competition through 1969 for recruiting violations.
