Skip to main content

A roundup of the week Oct. 7-13

BASEBALL—The Toronto Blue Jays held a three-games-to-two lead over the Kansas City Royals in their best-of-seven American League Championship Series, and the St. Louis Cardinals led the Los Angeles Dodgers by the same three-games-to-two margin in the National League playoffs (page 36).

BOXING—AZUMAH NELSON of Ghana knocked out Pat Cowdell of Britain in the first round to retain his WBC featherweight title, in Birmingham, England.

PRO FOOTBALL—When Tony Dorsett was a boy in Aliquippa, Pa., he loved the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last week, Dorsett led the Cowboys to their first victory over the Steelers since 1972 and, with 113 yards rushing, raised his career total to 10,082, becoming only the sixth NFLer to rush for more than 10,000 yards. The Cowboys won 27-13 as Dorsett scored two TDs, one on a 56-yard pass from Danny White, the other a 35-yard run. Another 10,000-yard man, John Riggins, ran for 103 yards as the Redskins downed the Cardinals 27-10 on Monday night, and six days later rushed for 114 more and scored three TDs in a 24-3 win over the Lions. Skins coach Joe Gibbs said of his revitalized team, "This is like the car that you tinker and tinker with and finally get it running." New England quarterback Tony Eason was sacked three times and went out with a separated left shoulder in the second quarter with the Pats trailing Buffalo 3-0. In came Steve Grogan, who hadn't played in more than a year. He completed 15 of 19 passes for 282 yards and the Pats won 14-3. Cleveland rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar started his first NFL game, and the Browns trailed 6-0 at the half, but he completed his first NFL TD pass, a 68-yarder to Clarence Weathers, in the third quarter and the Browns went on to beat Houston 21-6. Kosar finished with 8 of 19 for 208 yards. The Philadelphia Eagles upset the St. Louis Cardinals 30-7 as Ron Jaworski threw three touchdown passes and Paul McFadden kicked three field goals. Poor Phil Simms. The Giants' quarterback completed 40 of 62 passes for 513 yards against the Bengals, the second-highest total in NFL history, after Norm Van Brocklin's 554 in 1951. But a Simms interception led to one Cincy second-half TD and a Simms fumble led to another, and the Bengals won 35-30. It was a cliffhanger in Green Bay, with the Packers prevailing 20-17 over the Vikings on Al Del Greco's field goal with seven seconds to play. Denver beat Indianapolis 15-10, while the scores out west were: Raiders 23, New Orleans 13; San Diego 31, Kansas City 20; Seattle 30, Atlanta 26; and Chicago 26, San Francisco 10 (page 30).

GOLF—LANNY WADKINS beat Scott Hoch and Mike Donald by one stroke to win $72,000 and the Walt Disney World Golf Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He shot a 21-under-par 267.

HOCKEY—In the opening week of the NHL's 69th season, New Jersey took a quick and surprising lead in the Patrick Division by stunning Philadelphia, last year's Stanley Cup finalists, Washington and the New York Rangers. Paul Gagne scored a hat trick in the Devils' 6-5 win at Philly; John MacLean had two goals in the 4-1 triumph over the Capitals; and Rich Preston's overtime goal beat the Rangers 3-2. Boston and Montreal each won their first two games and then went head-to-head for an early lead in the Adams Division, Boston emerging the victor with a 7-2 romp in a game marred by a violent outburst by Canadien tough guy Chris Nilan, who got a 10-minute, deliberate-injury-of-opponent penalty after he sticked Boston's Rick Middleton in the mouth. Quebec kept pace with the Bruins with victories over Chicago, 6-2; Toronto, 4-0; and Winnipeg, 5-2. Both Edmonton and Calgary remained unbeaten with two wins apiece in the Smythe Division, as the Oilers' Wayne Gretzky was getting off to a five-point start.

HORSE RACING—STORM CAT ($9.00), Chris McCarron in the saddle, won the Young America Stakes for 2-year-olds at The Meadowlands by a nose over Danzig Connection. The colt went the 1[1/16] miles in 1:43[3/5] to win $300,000.

Arewehavingfunyet ($3.40), ridden by Pat Valenzuela, held off Trim Colony and won $192,420 and the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita. The 2-year-old filly's time for 1[1/16] miles was 1:44[3/5].

Win ($6.00), Richard Migliore up, beat Bob Back by a neck to win the Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park. The 5-year-old gelding, whose $183,600 earnings brought his career total to $1.1 million, covered the 1‚Öú-mile Widener turf course in 2:15[2/5].

MARATHON—SHIGERU SO, 32, of Japan defeated his identical twin brother, Takeshi So, by an eyelash although both completed the fifth Beijing International Marathon in 2:10.23.

MOTOR SPORTS—AL UNSER SR. averaged 120.644 mph and defeated Al Unser Jr. by one lap and .23 second to win $37,094 and a 150-mile CART Indy-Car race in Phoenix. The victory put Al Sr. ahead of his son 139 to 136 in championship points going into the final race of the CART season, which will take place in Miami on Nov. 9.

WRESTLING—MARK SCHULTZ of Palo Alto, Calif., gold medalist in the 181-pound division at the 1984 Olympics, beat Bulgaria's Alexander Nanev 10-5 to win a gold medal in the same division at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

MILEPOSTS—BORN: To Deborah and Joe Namath, a girl, JESSICA GRACE NAMATH, who weighed seven pounds, nine ounces and was 19½ inches long.

CONVICTED: By a state criminal court jury in Chicago, OMAR DIXON, 15, and WILLIAM MOORE, 16, of attempted armed robbery and murder for the shooting death last November of Ben Wilson, 17, nationally recruited high school basketball star. Both face 20 to 40 years in prison.

DENIED: By the National Football League, a request to be allowed to play in the league this season made by running back KENNETH DAVIS, 23, who was suspended from the Texas Christian University football team after he admitted accepting money from boosters. Davis's agent, Mike Trope, had threatened to bring a lawsuit challenging an NFL rule prohibiting athletes from playing college and NFL ball in the same season. The NFL filed its own suit, in Fort Worth, asking a Texas state court to confirm the legality of the rule.

HIRED: As manager of the Atlanta Braves, CHUCK TANNER, 56, to a five-year contract, three days after being fired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

REINSTATED: To the North Carolina State basketball team, 6'11" center CHRIS WASHBURN, 20, who had been dismissed from the team after he was arrested in connection with the theft of stereo equipment from a dormitory room last December.

SELECTED: As the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, 5'11" former Kansas star LYNETTE WOODARD, 26, the captain of the gold-medal-winning 1984 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team.

SIGNED: By the Indiana Pacers, former Oklahoma forward WAYMAN TISDALE, 21, the second choice overall in the NBA draft, to a reported four-year, $4 million contract.

TRADED: By the Boston Bruins, center TOM FERGUS, 23, for Toronto Maple Leaf center BILL DERLAGO, 27. Fergus had 30 goals and 43 assists last year; Derlago had 31 goals and 31 assists.

By the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two-time Pro Bowl linebacker HUGH GREEN, 26, to the Miami Dolphins, for first- and second-round selections in the 1986 draft.

By the Los Angeles Rams, tight end MIKE BARBER, 32, to the Denver Broncos, for a low-round draft choice.

By the San Francisco Giants, pitcher DAVE LaPOINT, 26; rookie catcher MATT NOKES, 21; and minor league pitcher ERIC KING, 21, to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher JUAN BERENGUER, 31; rookie catcher BOB MELVIN, 23; and a player to be named later.

DIED: The leading scorer in Indiana University basketball history, DON SCHLUNDT, 52, of cancer; in Indianapolis. Schlundt, a 6'10" center, scored 2,192 from 1952 to 1955 and starred on the Hoosiers' 1953 NCAA championship team.

Five-time U.S. Olympic fencing coach GIORGIO SANTELLI, 87, who was one of the world's most respected fencing masters; in Teaneck, N.J. Santelli coached the U.S. Olympic team in 1928, '32, '36, '48 and '52, and was a member of Italy's 1920 gold medal saber team.