A roundup of the week April 25-May 1
BASKETBALL—ABA: While Utah and Indiana battled to seven games in the West (page 70), New York defeated Virginia 119-117 and 118-107 to tie the Eastern Division finals, then lost 116-107.
NBA: New York shocked favored Los Angeles in the first game of the championships with a decisive 114-92 win at L.A. The Knicks, led by Bill Bradley's 11 of 12 attempts and Jerry Lucas' torrid outside shooting (26 points), hit 53.8% of their shots. In the second game, the Lakers walloped the Knicks 106-92 to tie the series at 1-1.
HARNESS RACING—ALBATROSS ($3.80), driven by Stanley Dancer, won the $40,000 Daniel C. Parish Pace at Liberty Bell in a track record time of 1:56[2/5]. Bye Bye Max finished second, one length back, while favored Isle of Wight, which had beaten Albatross three straight times, was fourth.
HOCKEY—BOSTON blew a 5-1 lead in the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but beat New York 6-5 when Ace Bailey scored a goal with 2:16 left to play (page 20).
HORSE RACING—Kentucky Derby favorite RIVA RIDGE ($2.60) won the 1‚⅛-mile $49,700 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland by four lengths over Sensitive Music, while another Derby contender, HOLD YOUR PEACE ($2.60), took the seven-furlong, $10,000 Stepping Stone Purse at Churchill Downs by five lengths over Combat Ready (page 28).
Cougar II ($3.80), ridden by Bill Shoemaker, set an American grass record of 2:11 for a mile and three-eighths in winning the $106,500 Century Handicap at Hollywood Park by 4¾ lengths over Unconscious.
Waterloo, an 8-to-1 shot ridden by Edward Hide, won the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the first classic race of the English season, by two lengths user Marisela. Favored HIGH TOP took the second classic, the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, by half a length over John Galbreath's Roberto.
LACROSSE—Previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Maryland was upset by eighth-ranked ARMY when Mike Griswold broke a 9-9 tie with a score at 6:24 of the fourth period. The Terps, paced by Dave Dempsey, had led 5-1 in the first half and 9-8 early in the final period.
The No. 2 team in the nation, unbeaten JOHNS HOPKINS, walloped No. 3-ranked Navy 17-3 for its ninth win as Bill Nolan tossed in four goals and Jack Thomas had two goals and four assists, boosting his point total to 62, tops in the colleges.
MOTOR SPORTS—JACKY ICKX or Belgium and CLAY REGAZZONI of Switzerland averaged 105.936 mph in their red Ferrari to win the 1,000 Kilometers of Monza (Italy) by four laps over Reinhold Jost and Michel Schueler of West Germany in a Porsche. It was the fifth straight win for Ferrari, which needs only one more victory to win the world long-distance driving championship.
ROWING—HARVARD's unbeaten heavyweight crew defeated MIT by 2½ lengths on the Charles River near Cambridge, Mass. to take the Compton Cup for the 10th straight year.
For the seventh year in a row, PENN's undefeated heavyweights won the Blackwell Cup Regatta on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, beating Yale by three lengths.
TRACK & FIELD—KANSAS STATE, anchored by Jerome Howe's 3:59.1 mile, ran the distance medley in 9:31.8 for a world outdoor best at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa (page 24).
North Carolina Central, led by Larry Black, won three relays at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia and set records in each of them. With Black running a sizzling 43.8 anchor leg—the fastest quarter mile ever in a relay—Central zipped to a 3:03.1 clocking in the mile relay, an NCAA record. Black also anchored the meet record-setting 880-yard relay team (1:21.8) and ran the second leg on the sprint medley relay team that set an NCAA mark with a 3:14.8. PENN had to set a meet record in the 480-yard shuttle hurdles relay to stop Central, which finished second, from taking four relays.
VOLLEYBALL—UCLA won its third straight NCAA title by beating San Diego Slate 10-15, 9-15, 15-9, 15-10, 15-7 in the finals at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
MILEPOSTS—CLAIMED: By the Miami Dolphins, after being put on waivers by Baltimore, Colt Quarterback EARL MORRALL, 37, the NFLs Most Valuable Player in 1968 when he threw 26 touchdown passes and led the Colts to the Super Bowl. The Dolphins will be the sixth team for Morrall, who has played 16 years in the NFL.
ENDED: The 10-month tennis war between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis group (33 contract pros), when both sides agreed to a new formula for open tennis in which all players will be free to compete anywhere. When the WCT player contracts expire, the distinction between contract and independent pros will disappear.
FIRED: The coaches of both California teams in the NHL. The California Golden Seals, who finished sixth in the West, dismissed VIC STASIUK, 42, after one season, and the Los Angeles Kings, who came in last in the West, ousted FRED GLOVER, 44, their fifth coach in five years.
FIRED: PRESTON GOMEZ, 49, manager of the San Diego Padres since they joined the National League in 1969 (they finished last in the Western Division each YEAR), after a 4-7 start this season. Third-base Coach DON ZIMMER, 41, a light-hitting utility infielder for 12 seasons, replaced him, and promptly lost his first two games.
PROMOTED: RICHIE GUERIN, 39, from coach to general manager of the Atlanta Hawks. In his eight seasons (the longest tenure of all active NBA coaches) Guerin led the Hawks to the Western Division title in 1968 and 1970, and into the playoffs every year.
RESIGNED: JAMES (Babe) McCARTHY, 48, as coach of the Memphis Pros to become coach of the Dallas Chaparrals. McCarthy had been with the Pros since they began as the New Orleans Buccaneers five years ago.
TRADED: By the Minnesota Vikings, Quarterback GARY CUOZZO, 31, a nine-year veteran, to the St. Louis Cardinals for Wide Receiver JOHN GILLIAM, 26, who caught 42 passes for 837 yards last season, and two draft choices. In another off-season move, the New England Patriots sent unsigned Defensive End FRED DRYER, 25, to the Los Angeles Rams for Defensive Tackle RICK CASH, 26, and a No. 1 pick in the 1973 draft. The Pats had obtained Dryer from the New York Giants at the end of last season for three draft choices.
UPHELD: By the Kentucky Court of Appeals, the tate racing commission ruling that awarded the $122,600 first-place money to FORWARD PASS, who finished second to Dancer's Image in the 1968 Kentucky Derby. The racing commission had declared that since drugs were found in Dancer's Image's system, he be denied the winner's purse.
DIED: FORREST TWOGOOD, 64, assistant athletic director and former basketball coach at USC; of cancer; in Glendale, Calif. Twogood's teams won three Pacific Coast Conference championships and 255 games (against 180 losses) in 16 seasons (1951-66).
DIED: RIBOT, 20, who was undefeated in 16 starts in Italy, France and England and the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe twice, as well as the sire of more international classic winners than any other stallion; at the Darby Dan farm in Lexington, Ky.
