A roundup of the week Oct. 12-18
BASEBALL—PITTSBURGH won the World Series, defeating Baltimore four games to three (page 18).
BASKETBALL—NBA: New York, favored to win the Atlantic Division, was humiliated in its season openers, losing to the Pistons 91-84 and the Lakers 119-104. Detroit's Bob Lanier scored 29 points against the Knicks to show his once-injured knee was back in fine shape—but then sprained the little toe on his right foot. Worse yet, All-Pro Guard Dave Bing, who had suffered a scratched eye in preseason play—but could still see well enough to score 24 points—turned out to have a torn retina. Surgeons repaired it, but he will be out for at least two months. Unhappily for the rest of the league, defending champion Milwaukee was hale and hearty as the Bucks methodically beat Phoenix 110-97 and Seattle 98-91 on Kareem Jabbar's 56 points. Pacific leader Los Angeles kept pace with two victories, while undefeated Philadelphia beat the Bulls 114-100, the Rockets 105-94 on Billy Cunningham's 41 points and the Hawks 104-102. Buffalo greeted new Coach John McCarthy with a 111-109 victory over the Cavaliers, then spoiled everything by losing to the Cavs 93-89 the next night. For Cleveland, the win showed marked improvement; last year the Cavs lost their first 15. A game between Boston and Cincinnati was postponed because of condensation from ice under the court.
ABA: The league seemed more at home in court than on court. Larry Cannon skipped from Denver to Memphis and Jimmy Jones from Memphis to Utah, both claiming they were free agents. Commissioner Jack Dolph ruled them ineligible and started an investigation. On court, Kentucky, paced by 7'2" rookie Center Artis Gilmore, beat New York 107-98 in its opener. Gilmore led both teams with 29 points and 20 rebounds, while Dan Issel, who moved from center to forward to accommodate Gilmore, scored 26. Mel Daniels had 52 points in two games to boost Indiana to wins over Denver and Carolina. Guards Mack Calvin and Larry Jones led the surprising Floridians to a 2-0 record, while rookie Julius Erving grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 21 points as Virginia edged Carolina 118-114.
BOATING—Defending champion EARL ELMS of San Diego won the Snipe Class World Championship with 17 points in Rio de Janeiro.
BOWLING—MIKE LIMONGELLO of North Babylon, N.Y., upset top-seeded Dave Davis 207-202 in the finals to win the PBA National Championship in Paramus, N.J. (page 92).
FOOTBALL—National Conference: Undefeated WASHINGTON won its fifth game, shutting out St. Louis 20-0 for the best Redskin start since 1940 (page 71). Roman Gabriel ran for two touchdowns, the second in the last quarter following a 68-yard pass to Jack Snow, to lift West leader LOS ANGELES to a 24-16 win over Atlanta. The Falcons had taken a 16-10 lead early in the fourth period when John Mallory ran back a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown. Rookie Archie Manning also scored two touchdowns and threw a 29-yard TD pass to Tony Baker as NEW ORLEANS upset bumbling Dallas 24-14. A fumbled punt by the Cowboys on their three-yard line, a 60-yard return of a pass interception by Delles Howell and a 77-yard run by Alvin Dodd after a missed field-goal attempt led to two touchdowns and a field goal by the Saints. In the Monday night TV game, the Cowboys lost the ball five times on fumbles but managed to squeeze by the New York Giants, who also lost five fumbles, 20-13. DETROIT defeated winless Houston 31-7 on Lem Barney's 28-yard return of an intercepted pass—the 33rd in his fifth season—for a touchdown and Steve Owens' two TD runs. SAN FRANCISCO scored its first shutout in 10 seasons when the 49ers beat Chicago 13-0, while MINNESOTA knocked Green Bay out of a share of the Central Division lead with a 24-13 win on three Gary Cuozzo touchdown passes.
American Conference: East leader BALTIMORE bombed the New York Giants 31-7 as Earl Morrall threw three touchdown passes, two to Ray Perkins and one to Norm Bulaich, who also ran 34 yards for a TD. Bob Griese threw two touchdown passes to Paul Warfield and two to Howard Twilley in the first half to boost MIAMI to an easy 41-3 victory over New England. Third-string Quarterback Bob Davis started his first game for NEW YORK and produced the first scoring pass of the season for the Jets—11 yards to Rich Caster—in sparking a 28-17 win over winless Buffalo. In four previous games the Jets had totaled only 24 points. Bo Scott scored his third touchdown with 42 seconds on the clock to give CLEVELAND a 27-24 come-from-behind victory over Cincinnati, which had led 24-13 with nine minutes to go. OAKLAND trailed 10-0 at the half, but Daryle Lamonica, who had been out of action with a hamstring muscle pull for two games, replaced Kenny Stabler in the third quarter and completed seven of 15 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Raiders to a 34-10 win over Philadelphia. DENVER gained its first victory with a 20-16 upset over San Diego.
GOLF—SAM SNEAD led after all four rounds to win the $100,000 PGA Club Pro Championship at Pinehurst, N.C. (page 85).
HOCKEY—Boston set 37 league and individual records in winning its first division title since 1930 last season, but the playoff loss to Montreal must have soured the wine. After losing six of 10 exhibition games the Bruins dropped their season opener to the Rangers 4-1. General Manager Milt Schmidt immediately ordered his players to cancel all public appearances and commitments, and the Bruins responded with decisive wins over New York (6-1) and Buffalo (6-2). Phil Esposito, who set a league record with 76 goals last year, started off strongly with four goals and three assists in the first three games. East leader New York, which often seems sleepy on the road and hopped up at home, whacked Boston and Toronto in away games, but lost its home opener to the Bruins. California fired Coach Fred Glover after an 0-1-2 start but continued winless under Vic Stasiuk with a 9-6 loss to Vancouver. Norm Ferguson's hat trick, first of the NHL season, was wasted in the other Golden Seal loss, 5-4 to Philadelphia. Chicago's Tony Esposito recorded the first shutout, 1-0 over St. Louis, and allowed only three goals in two other wins as the Black Hawks, the lone undefeated team, ran up a 4-0 record. Surprising Pittsburgh held second in the West with two wins, including a 2-1 victory over Vancouver in which 41-year-old Tim Horton scored two goals within 56 seconds in the third period. Montreal Goalie Ken Dryden started as if he were still in Stanley Cup play, blocking 40 shots in a 1-1 tie with Minnesota. The North Stars' lone goal came about when Tom Reid, who had scored only four times in five previous seasons, connected on a penalty shot with 11 minutes left.
HORSE RACING—RUN THE GANTLET ($3.80) won the $112,000 Man O' War at Belmont Park by 2¼ lengths over Gleaming.
Numbered account ($2.80), ridden by Braulio Baeza, took the $135,875 Frizette at Belmont Park by seven lengths over Susan's Girl.
Shadow Brook ($3.60), ridden by Jerry Fishback, the leading jockey on the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association circuit, won the $55,775 Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase at Belmont Park by 5½ lengths over Amarind.
MODERN PENTATHLON—Russia edged defending champion Hungary for the individual and team world titles in San Antonio (page 80).
MILEPOSTS—FIRED: FRED GLOVER, 43, as coach of the NHL's California Golden Seals, after one loss and two ties in their first three regular-season games. VIC STASIUK, 42, a 13-year NHL veteran and former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, was named to replace him.
FIRED: DOLPH SCHAYES, 44, as coach of the NBA's Buffalo Braves, after a 123-90 opening loss to Seattle. Schayes was replaced by JOHN McCARTHY, 36, a part-time NBA player for six seasons and most recently a Brave scout.
FIRED: JOHNNY LIPON, 48, interim manager of the Cleveland Indians after the midseason dismissal of Alvin Dark.
SPLIT: Auto Owner ANDY GRANATELLI and Driver MARIO ANDRETTI, 31, winner of the 1969 Indianapolis 500. "Results during the past year have not been satisfactory for either of us," said Granatelli, owner of the STP auto-racing team. Andretti will join Joe Leonard and Al Unser on Parnelli Jones' racing team, the most successful on the USAC championship circuit.
DIED: C. STAFFORD SMYTHE, 50, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, from complications following surgery for a bleeding ulcer, in Toronto. Smythe's hockey career spanned some 40 years, and his death came less than two months after he and his partner, Harold Ballard, took control of Maple Leaf Gardens, which was built by Smythe's father, Conn, in the 1930s.
