A roundup of the week June 3-9
BOATING—World Champion CARLO BONOMI of Turin, Italy won the Bahamas 500 offshore powerboat race in his 36-foot Cigarette, Dry Martini.
Defending national champion PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK, piloted by George Henley, took the 43rd President's Cup Regatta for unlimited hydroplanes on the Potomac River despite a third place finish in the final heat. Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey driving, came in second.
COLLEGE BASEBALL—THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA at Irvine won its second straight NCAA Division II championship by blasting the University of New Orleans 14-1 in Springfield, Ill. Irvine First Baseman Jeff Malinoff, drafted by the California Angels, took the MVP award.
Lewis University of Lockport, Ill. took the NAIA tournament at St. Joseph, Mo., edging Sam Houston State 3-2.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL—The champion of the Big Eight Conference will automatically qualify for the Orange Bowl for four years beginning with the 1976 game, according to an agreement signed by the conference and the Orange Bowl Committee. Committee representatives will choose a team in the event of a tie, and remaining teams will be allowed to accept invitations to other postseason games.
GOLF—TREVOR HOMER of England saved the honor of the home country as he won the British Amateur championship at Muirfield, Scotland, by holding off Jim Gabrielsen of Atlanta 2-up. Homer also won the event in 1972.
Hubert Green earned his third victory of the season in the $150,000 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club with a 17-under-par 271, surviving a final-round double-bogey six on the 8th hole. Hale Irwin finished second, four strokes back.
Joanne Carner collected a $20,000 share of the $100,000 pot at the LPGA Desert Inn Classic in Las Vegas, coming in at 284, eight under par and one shot ahead of Carole Jo Skala.
HORSE RACING—LITTLE CURRENT ($5) exploded down the stretch to take the 106th running of the Belmont Stakes by seven lengths over Jolly Johu and Cannonade (page 14).
After unseating Jockey Brian Taylor before the start of the $317,220 English Derby at Epsom Downs, 50-to-1 longshot SNOW KNIGHT led for most of the 1½ miles, becoming only the second British-bred Derby winner in a dozen years. The chestnut colt finished two lengths ahead of 20-to-1 Imperial Prince, while favored Nonoalco of France was seventh.
MOTOR SPORTS—JODY SCHECKTER of South Africa, Patrick Depailler of France and England's James Hunt of the Lord Hesketh racing team finished 1-2-3 in the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
Corky Keener of Flint, Mich. wheeled his Harley-Davidson to victory in the Louisville Downs National for his first career win on the Grand National motorcycle circuit. Defending U.S. champ Kenny Roberts finished 11th.
SOCCER—The Western Division's Los Angeles Aztecs remained unbeaten in seven games, defeating Miami 2-1 and Boston 2-1 in a tie breaker. Doug McMillan's goal in the Boston game put him in the lead for the league's scoring title with five goals and five assists. Seattle handed Toronto its first loss of the season 2-1, but the Metros rebounded with a 1-0 victory over Washington, retaining first place in the North. In the upset department, New York grabbed its first win of the season, 2-1 over Boston, and Rochester topped defending champion Philadelphia 1-0. Miami's 1-0 tie breaker over Rochester moved the Toros into second place in the East behind the Atoms. In the Central Division, Dallas remains on top, but Denver's 3-2 win over St. Louis put the Dynamos back in the race.
SWIMMING—SHOICHI NAKAJIMA of Tokyo became the first man to swim the Strait of Malacca from the Indonesian island of Rupat to Port Dickson, Malaya. The 28-year-old coach and marathon swimmer covered the 18 miles in 21 hours 50 minutes.
TENNIS—While the French Open held the spotlight, most of the name players were thrashing around with the WTT. Rosie Casals won her 20th singles set in 22 starts, defeating Florida's Bettyann Grubb 6-4 but the Detroit Loves remained a game behind Cleveland in the Central Section. Billie Jean King's Philadelphia Freedoms lost their status as the only unbeaten team, dropping four straight, but they continued to be the league's major draw, attracting 10,658 at Bloomington, and were still comfortably atop the Atlantic standings. Denver's eight straight wins moved the Racquets into second place in the Pacific Section behind Los Angeles, while Minnesota remained atop the Gulf Plains Section.
Instead of playing in Paris, where he was banned, JIMMY CONNORS warmed up for Wimbledon with a win in the Northern lawn tennis championships at Manchester, downing England's Mike Collins 13-11, 6-2.
TRACK & FIELD—Tennessee unseated defending champion UCLA for the NCAA outdoor title in Austin, Texas (page 18).
Rick Wohlhuter broke his own 880-yard world record by half a second, clocking 1:44.1 at the Hayward Field Restoration meet in Eugene, Ore. American records also fell, as STEVE PREFONTAINE ran the three-mile in 12:51.4, with FRANK SHORTER finishing in 12:52. The old mark of 12:53 was set by Gerry Lindgren in 1966.
WEIGHT LIFTING—VASSILY ALEXEEV of the Soviet Union set two world records (413 pounds in the snatch and 931 in aggregate) on his way to winning the European championship in the super-heavyweight class in Verona, Italy.
MILEPOSTS—ANNOUNCED: By Kansas City Chief Linebacker WILLIE LANIER, his retirement following the 1974 season. Lanier, selected as an All-Pro four times in his seven-year career, will join Philip Morris Inc.
AWARDED: The 28th NFL franchise, for $16 million, to SEATTLE, where a new domed stadium is under construction. The latest expansion team is scheduled to begin play in 1976.
HIRED: By the ABA Denver Rockets, CARL SCHEER, 37, as general manager, and LARRY BROWN, 33, as coach, to replace Alex Hannum. Both come from the Carolina Cougars, a doubtful starter in the league's 1974-75 franchise lineup.
HIRED: By the NHL expansion Kansas City Scouts, BEP GUIDOLIN, as coach, after his resignation from the Boston Bruins.
HIRED: TOM MESCHERY, 35, as assistant coach of the NBA Portland Trail Blazers, under new Coach Lenny Wilkens. Meschery played 10 years with Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
HIRED: RUDY HUBBARD, 28, backfield coach and former halfback at Ohio State, as head football coach at Florida A&M, succeeding Jim Williams.
RENEWED: For the third season, NBC's television coverage of NHL games, after serious deliberations about dropping the sport because of poor ratings (SI, May 20).
RETIRED: Philadelphia Flyers All-Star Defenseman BARRY ASHBEE, following an eye injury suffered in an NHL semifinal Stanley Cup game against the Rangers.
SELECTED: A name for the New Orleans entry in the NBA, the JAZZ; and team colors, gold, purple and green, symbolic of Mardi Gras.
DIED: KNIGHTLY WAY, richest and fastest 3-year-old colt trotter of 1973, earning $260,237 in his brief career, and winning both the U.S. Harness Writers' Trot and the Dexter Cup last season; of unknown causes; at Roosevelt Raceway.
