CONTENTS

22
MILE HIGH
Joe Falcon demonstrated in Oslo that the U.S. at last has a middle-distance man who can run with the best
BY MERRELL NODEN

26
JOYLESS OPEN
Inclement weather and Patty Sheehan's collapse marred Betsy King's second straight championship
BY JOHN GARRITY

31
RAPID BOBBIN'
Willie Gault persuaded Edwin Moses and Herschel Walker to join him in trying out for the national bobsled team
BY DOUGLAS S. LOONEY

Down on the Farm

32
Minor league baseball, a staple of Americana for many years, is now in the midst of a sensational comeback
BY STEVE WULF

40
The trail through the minors is tortuous, and the odds on a player's getting up to the majors are long
BY PETER GAMMONS

46
The allure of minor league baseball lies in its good-time flavor, its down-to-earth simplicity and its rough-edged beauty
PHOTOS BY LARRY WILLIAMS

52
Medicine Hat, in a rookie league, is the port of entry into the pros for many Toronto Blue Jay youngsters
BY STEVE WULF

60
At 30, Jamie Nelson has been in the minors for 13 years—but he still hopes to make the major leagues
BY FRANZ LIDZ

64
No one knows about life in the minors better than 71-year-old Joe Buzas, who has had a dozen franchises in 17 cities
BY JOHN STEINBREDER

76
Ned Skeldon Stadium, near Toledo, is an hour from Detroit and—dream on, you Mud Hens—a Tiger uniform
BY LEIGH MONTVILLE

DEPARTMENTS

8
LETTERS

17
SCORECARD

68
INSIDE BASEBALL

90
FOR THE RECORD

92
POINT AFTER

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY WILLIAMS (4), ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN

PHOTO

RONALD C. MODRA

SHADOWY FIGURES: Keith Hines and a Medicine Hat (Alberta) Blue Jay teammate whose image is also cast on this dugout wall in Great Falls, Mont., are playing in minor league obscurity, but they could someday shape up as major leaguers (page 52).