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A roundup of the week Jan. 4-10
PRO BASKETBALL—Milwaukee Reserve Center Harvey Catchings tipped in the winning basket as time expired in a game between the Central Division-leading Bucks and Atlanta. Only problem: Catchings' dramatic accomplishment was tarnished somewhat by the fact that he tipped the ball into the Hawks' basket. The loss hardly hurt the Bucks, who stayed 6½ games ahead of Indiana and Atlanta, which won all three of its games. Midwest Division-leading San Antonio split its four games, losing to Portland 115-110 and Utah 130-115 and beating Golden State 123-112 behind George Gervin's 45 points and Kansas City 113-100 as Gervin scored 26. That was the 39th consecutive game in which the Iceman scored 20 or more points. After losing to Chicago 119-113, Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles beat Detroit behind 40 points by Magic Johnson and 31 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and then lost 118-107 to Milwaukee. Everything else in the Pacific was simply fine: Commissioner Larry O'Brien fined San Diego owner Donald Sterling $10,000 for suggesting that if winning isn't everything perhaps losing is (page 13), the Trail Blazers fined Guard Billy Ray Bates a game's pay for—yawn—oversleeping and missing the first half of a 124-121 loss to Denver. Boston took the Atlantic Division lead from Philadelphia. In the fourth quarter of a Celtics-76ers game, Larry Bird, who had missed 10 shots in a row, suddenly hit four straight, and Gerald Henderson came off the bench to score all nine of his points as Boston won 96-90.
BOWLING—GUPPY TROUP defeated Wayne Webb 243-212 to win a $135,000 PBA tournament in Anaheim, Calif.
PRO FOOTBALL—San Francisco beat Dallas 28-27 for the NFC title, and Cincinnati defeated San Diego 27-7 to win the AFC championship (page 18).
GOLF—CRAIG STADLER shot a 14-under-par 266 to win the $300,000 Tucson Open by three strokes over Vance Heafner and John Mahaffey.
HOCKEY—St. Louis has been on something of a Blue streak, going 10-5 in its last 15 games. The Blues won two of three last week and moved into a first-place tie with Minnesota, 0-1-2, in the Norris Division. Joe Mullen scored his first two NHL goals in an eight-second span—a Blues record for the quickest pair of scores by one player—as St. Louis beat the North Stars 4-1. The Blues' one loss came by a 7-1 score at Colorado, where Bobby MacMillan became the first player in the Rockies' six-year history to score four goals in one game. The Patrick Division-leading New York Islanders beat Vancouver 4-1 and then Philadelphia twice, 5-4 and 3-1, by overcoming third-period deficits. Trailing 4-2 in their first meeting with Philly, the Islanders then got two goals from Bryan Trottier, who also assisted on Clark Gillies' game-winner, which came with 13 seconds left. Smythe Division-leading Edmonton, 2-1, beat Colorado 5-3 and Calgary 7-2, then lost 5-1 to the Flames. Wayne Gretzky had nine points on three goals and six assists. Another 20-year-old Oiler, Paul Coffey, added two points as he continued to lead the league's defensemen in scoring with 54 points. Buffalo, 3-0, moved to the top in the Adams Division as Boston, which had the NHL's best record—13-6-3—on the road, nonetheless lost in Montreal, 3-1, for the 22nd straight time.
INDOOR SOCCER—MISL: Western Division-leader St. Louis beat second-place Denver 6-3 to open a five-game lead. New York defeated Philadelphia 9-4 and New Jersey 7-2 to stay atop the Eastern Division. Pittsburgh won three times to move within a game of the Arrows.
NASL: Vancouver took the top spot in the North-west Division from Edmonton by beating the Drillers 4-2. Whitecap Goalkeeper Darryl Wallace had 24 saves in that win. Chicago beat Tulsa 10-4 to knock the Roughnecks out of first in the Central Division as the Sting's Karl-Heinz Granitza, the league's top scorer, had four goals and an assist. San Jose won twice, including a 7-6 victory over Portland, to displace the Timbers at the top of the Western Division. Montreal, tops in the Eastern Division, won its only game—an 8-2 rout of Toronto
that knocked the Blizzard out of first. Damir Sutevski scored three goals for Le Manic.
SWIMMING—Seven individual world short-course bests were set at the U.S. Swimming International meet in Gainesville, Fla.: PETRA SCHNEIDER of East Germany swam the 800-meter freestyle in 8:17.32, surpassing the mark established in 1981 by Cynthia Woodhead by .55 of a second; the 1,500 free in 15:43.31, lowering the mark set in 1981 by Ines Diers of East Germany by 20.31; and the 200 IM in 2:10.60, improving the record set in 1981 by Tracy Caulkins by .20. VICTOR DAVIS of Canada swam the 200 breast in 2:11.54, 1.23 seconds better than the record established by Robertas Zulpa of the Soviet Union in 1981; CAREN METSCHUCK of East Germany swam the 50 free in 25.28, clipping .05 off her own 1981 mark; CRAIG BEARDSLEY of the U.S. swam the 200 butterfly in 1:56.42, taking .51 seconds off the mark set in 1981 by Per Arvidsson of Sweden; and UTE GEWENIGER of East Germany swam the 200 breast in 2:26.17, surpassing Caulkins' 1981 mark by 1.15. Two relay bests were also set: CAULKINS, JILL STERKEL, SUE WALSH and MELANIE BUDDEMEYER of the U.S. swam the 400-meter medley in 4:06.43, taking .52 of a second off the mark set by a U.S. team in 1981; and JESSE VASSALLO, BILL BARRETT, MATT GRIBBLE and ROBIN LEAMY of the U.S. had a 3:39.96 clocking in the 400 medley, surpassing the mark set in 1981 by another U.S. team by .86.
TENNIS—HEINZ GUNTHARDT and BALAZS TAROCZY defeated Kevin Curren and Steve Denton 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to win the WCT $200,000 World Doubles Championships in Birmingham, England.
MILEPOSTS—AWARDED: To University of Texas swimmer JILL STERKEL, 20, the Broderick Cup as the outstanding woman collegiate athlete of 1981. Last spring Sterkel won five events at the AIAW championships and led the Longhorns to their first team title.
FIRED: By the Chicago Bears, Coach NEILL ARMSTRONG, 55, who had a four-year record of 30-34. The Bears were 6-10 in 1981.
NAMED: As football coach at the University of South Carolina, RICHARD BELL, 44, who has been the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Gamecocks since 1975.
As football coach of the U.S. Naval Academy, GARY TRANQUILL, 41, who had been an assistant at West Virginia the last three seasons.
As coach of the Los Angeles Kings, DON PERRY, 51, who had been coach of the Kings' farm team in New Haven, Conn. He replaces Parker MacDonald, 48, who will become assistant general manager of the Kings. The Kings were 13-24-5 this season under MacDonald.
PLACED ON PROBATION: For one year by the NCAA, the University of Wisconsin football program—for recruiting violations. The probation includes a reprimand but does not affect the Badgers' eligibility for postseason games or TV appearances.
TRADED: By the Cleveland Indians, Shortstop TOM VERYZER, 28, to the New York Mets, for Relief Pitcher RAY SEARAGE, 26.
DIED: Former power-hitting Outfielder WALLY POST, 52, who played 15 years in the majors (1949, 1951-64), most of them for the Cincinnati Reds; of cancer; in St. Henry, Ohio. Post had his best season in 1955 when he batted .309, hit 40 home runs and drove in 109 runs.
WILLIAM (Gorilla) JONES, 75, world middleweight boxing champion in 1931 and 1932, and for 40 years Mae West's bodyguard; of a lingering illness; in Los Angeles.
