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A roundup of the week April 11-17
BASEBALL—The players' strike ended (page 18) and before the shortened major league season was two days old, rookie Burt Hooton of the Chicago Cubs, who was pitching for the University of Texas a year ago, tossed the first no-hitter of 1972, a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in which he walked seven and struck out seven.
BASKETBALL—NBA: While Los Angeles and Milwaukee battled in the Western Conference playoff finals (page 14), New York raced by Boston 116-94 as Walt Frazier hit 14 of 19 shots (and eight of 10 free throws) for 36 points and then survived 106-105. Earlier the Knicks defeated Baltimore 107-101 to take their semifinal four games to two.
The first choice in the NBA draft was LaRUE MARTIN, a 6'10" center from Loyola (Chicago), by Portland, followed by 6'9" Center BOB McADOO of North Carolina by Buffalo. Other prominent players chosen were PAUL WESTPHAL of USC and NATE STEPHENS of Long Beach State by Boston, MIKE RATLIFF of Wisconsin-Eau Claire by Cincinnati, DWIGHT DAVIS of Houston by Cleveland, TRAVIS GRANT of Kentucky State, the college-division scoring leader, and JIM PRICE of Louisville by Los Angeles, TOM RIKER of South Carolina and HENRY BIBBY of UCLA by New York, CORKY CALHOUN of Penn by Phoenix and BUD STALLWORTH of Kansas by Seattle.
ABA: With John Roche scoring 32 points and Billy Paultz grabbing 19 rebounds, surprising New York defeated Kentucky 101-96 to win its semifinal playoff series four games to two. The record-setting Colonels, who finished 24 games ahead of the Nets during the regular season, thus became the first division-winning team ever to be eliminated in the first round of the ABA playoffs. "It was the greatest upset in the history of the ABA," said Roche. In the Eastern finals Virginia, which had swept its series from the Floridians, jumped off to a 2-0 lead when it beat New York 138-91 and 115-106. In the first game rookie Julius Erving tossed in 26 points and had 20 rebounds and 15 assists as the Squires set a playoff record for the largest winning margin (47 points). The Nets also contributed a playoff mark by scoring only 13 points in the second period to fall behind 62-35 at the half. "It's good we got this game out of our system," said Paultz. "It's good they got this game out of their system." said Rick Barry who, weakened by illness, scored only 12 points. In the second game Roche sprained his left ankle when he slipped on a wet spot on the court in the first period and joined the injured Bill Melchionni on the sidelines. Even without either of the play-makers, the Nets managed to take the lead with little more than five minutes left in the game before giving in. In the West, Indiana won its semifinal series with Denver four games to three with a 91-89 victory, then promptly lost the first game of the finals to defending champion Utah 108-100.
GOLF—JANE BLALOCK shot a 213 to win the $110,000 Dinah Shore-Colgate Winners Circle tournament by three strokes (page 53).
HARNESS RACING—ISLE OF WIGHT ($2.80), driven by Vernon Crank, scored his sixth straight victory when he won the $20,000 Times Square Pace at Yonkers Raceway by four lengths over Keystone Andy. The 6-year-old pacer has nine wins in 10 starts this season, including three over Albatross, last year's Harness Horse of the Year.
HOCKEY—Boston edged Toronto 3-2 on Ken Hodge's third-period goal to win its Stanley Cup series four games to one, then had to wait a week for the winner of the nip-and-tuck Minnesota-St. Louis seven-game playoff (page 20). New York eliminated Montreal, the Stanley Cup winner three of the last four seasons, four games to two by defeating the Canadiens 3-2 in Montreal as Bill Fairbairn scored two goals and assisted on another. The Rangers had dropped the fifth game 2-1 at home when Jim Roberts scored a third-period goal. It was the first time since 1950 New York had beaten Montreal in the playoffs. The Rangers then met Chicago in the semifinals and won the opener 3-2.
HORSE RACING—AUTOBIOGRAPHY ($7.60), Angel Cordero Jr. aboard, won the $58,100 Excelsior Handicap at Aqueduct by 1½ lengths over Native Royalty.
Bill Shoemaker gained his 559th career stakes victory when he rode QUACK ($5.20) to a three-quarter-length win over Finalista in the $54,950 Will Rogers Stakes on turf at Hollywood Park.
LACROSSE—JOHNS HOPKINS won its seventh straight, upsetting top-ranked Virginia 13-8 in Charlottesville, Va. The Jays scored four goals in each of the last three periods after trailing 2-1 at the end of the first quarter. Attackman Jack Thomas whipped in three and assisted on four others to run his season total to 51 points in seven games.
Scoring four goals in the first 3:18 of the game and leading 6-0 at the end of the opening period, unbeaten MARYLAND took its fifth in a row, crushing Mount Washington 15-6.
The Australian All-Stars, who had won six straight on their 14-game U.S. tour, including a 16-15 victory over Mount Washington, lost their first game, 14-7 to the CARLING LACROSSE CLUB as Gene Fusting scored four goals.
ROWING—HARVARD's lightweight crew won its 31st straight regular-season victory, defeating Columbia by two lengths, with Rutgers another length back, in a 2,000-meter race on the Harlem River in New York City. The Crimson 150-pounders, who won at Henley last year, have not lost since 1964.
TRACK & FIELD—KJELL ISAKSSON of Sweden broke the pole vault world record for the second time in one week when he cleared 18'2" at UCLA's Meet of Champions in Los Angeles (page 22). In other outstanding performances, AL FEUERBACH put the shot 70'3½"; Olympic champion LEE EVANS zipped to a 44.9 in the 440-yard run, the fastest time of the year; and world record-holder RALPH MANN raced the 440-vard hurdles in 49.4.
MILEPOSTS—HIRED: As basketball coach at Washington State, GEORGE RAVELING, 34, assistant coach at Maryland the past three years. In other coaching switches, CARL TACY, 39, who led Marshall to a 23-4 record and a No. 12 national ranking in his first season with the Thundering Herd, jumped to Wake Forest, replacing JACK McCLOSKEY, 46, who resigned two weeks ago to coach the Portland Trail Blazers; DICK EDWARDS, 41, who compiled a 168-72 record in nine years at Pacific, was hired by California, replacing JIM PADGETT, 41, who quit after four years (52-53) to move to Nevada-Reno, where he succeeded JACK SPENCER, 44, who resigned after 13 seasons; and ED ASHNAULT, 37, went from Colgate (67-59 in five years) to William & Mary, replacing WARREN MITCHELL, 38, who was fired after a 58-98 record in six seasons.
RESIGNED: After one season as coach of the Carolina Cougars, TOM MESCHERY, 33, who led the team to a 35-49 record.
SIGNED: By rookie JULIUS ERVING of the Virginia Squires, a five-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks, to go into effect when his four-year contract with the Squires runs out in 1975. At the same time Erving was drafted by Milwaukee, presumably giving the Bucks the NBA rights to him if he jumps leagues.
SIGNED: To a four-year contract with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis, CLIFF RICHEY, 25, a former independent pro and the No. 2-ranked U.S. player.
TRADED: GUS JOHNSON, 33, a second team All-NBA forward four times in his nine-year career with the Baltimore Bullets, to the Phoenix Suns for a second-round draft choice and other considerations.
