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A roundup of the sports information of the week
BOATING—DON ARONOW, in The Cigarette, powered by two 475-horsepower Mercruiser engines, won the 148-mile Miami-to-Nassau powerboat race in 2 hours, 50 minutes, cutting 22 minutes, 47 seconds from the record set last year by Mel Riggs.
FOOTBALL—AFL: Unperturbed by intermittent snowfall and a sloppy field at Mile High Stadium, Daryle Lamonica passed for all three OAKLAND (4-0-1) touchdowns as the Raiders, the league's only remaining undefeated team, scored a 24-14 victory over Denver (2-3). KANSAS CITY (4-1), second to the Raiders in the Western Division, knocked off last week's Eastern leader, Houston (3-2), 24-0 in a continuous rain. The Chiefs fumbled the ball away six times for an AFL record; together the teams lost 10 fumbles, tying a league mark. The NEW YORK (3-2) defense stopped both Cincinnati (3-2) rookie Quarterback Greg Cook and his second-half replacement, Sam Wyche, while Joe Namath passed for a touchdown to George Sauer and ran from the one for another in the Jets' 21-7 victory. Miami's Dolphins (0-4-1), with a chance to upset SAN DIEGO (3-2) when they intercepted a John Hadl pass on the Charger 27 with 5:08 to go, had the ball stolen back before they could score and lost 21-14. BUFFALO (2-3) brought up Running Back Preston Ridlehuber to replace injured O. J. Simpson. He showed his gratitude by taking a fourth-quarter hand-off from rookie Quarterback James Harris, fading to his right and throwing to Haven Moses for the winning score. The Bills beat Boston (0-5) 23-16.
NFL: DALLAS (4-0), led by Craig Morton, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 239 yards, kept its streak and its Capitol Division lead intact with a 24-17 win over Atlanta (1-3). WASHINGTON (2-1-1) held on to second place, beating St. Louis (2-2) 33-17 as Redskin rookie Kurt Knight kicked four field goals and three extra points. LOS ANGELES (4-0) increased its hold on first place in the Coastal Division by beating San Francisco (0-3-1) 27-21 with two touchdowns in the last five minutes. GREEN BAY (3-1) eliminated Detroit (2-2) from the tie for the Central Division lead with a 28-17 win. Packer Quarterback Bart Starr gained 234 yards in the air and threw two scoring passes, one of them a 40-yard play to wide receiver Carroll Dale. MINNESOTA (3-1) took advantage of a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and an intercepted pass, to shut out Chicago (0-4) 31-0 and stay abreast of the Packers in the division race. A fourth-quarter field goal from the 14 by Pete Gogolak gave NEW YORK (3-1) a 10-7 victory over Pittsburgh (1-3) and maintained the Giants' tie with CLEVELAND (3-1) for first in the Century. The Browns were held to 92 yards on the ground by a surprising New Orleans (0-4) defense but held on to a first-half lead to win 27-17.
GOLF—Left-handed New Zealander BOB CHARLES, meeting Gene Littler in the final 36-hole match of the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, England, halved the final hole with a 27-foot birdie putt, then eagled the first extra hole to take the $13,800 winner's share.
HARNESS RACING—Completing his sweep of trotting's big five, LINDY'S PRIDE (barred from betting) won the $173,455 Dexter Cup Trot at Roosevelt Raceway, his ninth straight victory, by two lengths over 37-to-1 shot Crain Hanover ($76.40). The Prophet and Gun Runner finished in a dead heat for third.
HOCKEY—NHL: Defenseman Carl Brewer set up Frank Mahovlich for the winning goal in the second period as the DETROIT Red Wings opened the season with a 3-2 win over Toronto (page 28). League Champion MONTREAL began its title defense at home against Los Angeles and won 5-1. Henri Richard scored twice and had an assist, while LA's goalie, Gerry Desjardins, who made 42 saves overall, kicked out 18 shots in the second period alone. ST. LOUIS, the Western Division champion, scored four goals in the last period and beat Chicago 7-2. MINNESOTA Goalie Caesare Maniago registered a 4-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers in front of a record opening night crowd in Bloomington. Goals at 13:45 and 14:09 of the final period saved OAKLAND from a loss to Pittsburgh as the Seals and Penguins finished 2-2 in their opener.
HORSE RACING—Withstanding a late challenge by Brave Emperor, Sonny Werblin's SILENT SCREEN ($3.80) won the one-mile, $188,150 Champagne Stakes for 2-year-olds at Belmont Park by a length (page 80). A 40-to-1 shot, Toasted, finished third, another length back in the field of 11.
TENNIS—"Let's say I'll think it over," said PANCHO GONZALES of his intended retirement after he won the first $50,000 Howard Hughes Open in Las Vegas by whipping Arthur Ashe 6-0, 6-2, 6-4. In the women's division NANCY RICHEY beat Billie Jean King 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
TRACK AND FIELD—Austria's LIESE PROKOP bettered by 197 points the world record for the women's pentathlon (100-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, high jump, long jump and shotput) set only a week earlier by Heidi Rosendahl of West Germany. The new mark is 5,352.
MILEPOSTS—DROPPED: As broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals after 25 years, HARRY CARAY (SI, Oct. 7, 1968). He will be replaced by Jack Buck, his broadcasting partner of 15 years.
FIRED: After managing the Minnesota Twins from a seventh-place finish, 24 games out, in 1968 to an American League division title this season, BILLY MARTIN. "I feel a change will benefit the future of the Twins," said President Calvin Griffith.
FIRED: After 3½ seasons as manager, DAVE BRISTOL, whose Cincinnati Reds finished four games back of the 1969 Western Division champion Braves. His replacement will be George (Sparky) Anderson.
NAMED: To replace JOE GORDON as manager of the Kansas City Royals, by Gordon himself, CHARLIE METRO, former minor league manager and Royal coach for the last five weeks of the 1969 season. Said Gordon, "It takes a very firm hand to manage today, and I'm not a firm-hand type of manager."
REHIRED: DANNY MURTAUGH, manager of the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, who retired in 1964, ostensibly for reasons of health. He replaces Larry Shepard, fired after one season.
RETIRED: NEVELE PRIDE, Harness Horse of the Year in 1967 and 1968 and winner this year of 10 of his 14 starts and $221,375 (see SCORECARD). Trainer-Driver Stanley Dancer said of his 4-year-old bay protégé, "He is the fastest 2-year-old, 3-year-old and aged trotter ever and has trotted the fastest miles over the half-mile, ‚Öù-mile and mile tracks.... He can rest on his records."
TRADED: Talented and troublesome slugger RICHIE ALLEN by Philadelphia to St. Louis in a seven-player deal that sent Cardinal Catcher TIM McCARVER and Outfielder CURT FLOOD to the Phillies.
DIED: DON HOAK, 41, star third baseman of the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates; of a heart attack. Hoak, whose playing career ended in 1964, managed two Pirate farm teams—Salem to the Carolina League championship in 1968 and Columbus to the International League playoff this year. He had been considered a leading contender for the Pirates' managing job (see REHIRED).
DIED: SONJA HENIE, 56, 10 times world figure-skating champion—first at the age of 14—and Olympic gold medalist in 1928, '32 and '36; of leukemia; while traveling from Paris to her home in Oslo.
