Page 8 Portland Obaarvar Thursday. August 10.1978
Sport Talk
by R oh Sykes
Sports Editor
The love a ffa ir is over. Bill
Walton. Trailblazer center, and this
year’ s M V P has asked Blazer
management to be traded and is
presently working out a deal with
five NBA teams Walton issued a
statement that he would like to play
for seven dubs. Five of these dubs
were interested. New York Knicks,
Philadelphia. Boston. Golden State,
and San Diego. With Denver and
Los Angeles abrogating on big Bill's
services The Lakers already have the
best, and most durable big man in
the business so it's understandable
why they’re not interested. But can’t
believe the Nuggets are sincere in
their statement to abstain in the
dollar war for Walt on. Denver really
doesn't have a legitimate center. Dan
lssd. at 6*8", is really just a strong
forward
Why did W alton decide he wants
out? It’s not his teammates, it's not
the Portland area, and it’s not the
Blazer fans. Bill has said repeatedly,
through his advisers, that he’s happy
with every thing but management and
there is where all the dissention
comes from. W alton, it seems, is up­
set because he doesn't think Blazer
management dealt properly with him
concerning his foot injury during the
past playoffs.
“ They took advantage of my en­
thusiasm for the game,” W alton
lamented. B ill believes he never
should have been allowed to play
against Seattle. That’s probably true,
but why blame management It ’s a
known fact that Walton never played
with injuries before, even minor
ones.
For two years now writers have
been w riting about the beauty
o f the Portland franchise, how
management always treated the
(Sung to the tune of — Won't You
Come Home Bill Bailey.)
W on’t you speak up. Bill Walton,
And tell us why
You wanna go away
W e’re sick and tired of readm’
About Jack Scott
And what he’s got to say.
You’re twenty-five years old now
So act your age
And show that you are fully grown
So if you’re no dunce
You'll prove just for once
That you've got a mind of your own.
by Bill Schaefer
greywowc )
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players with class and dignity. Why.
then, are we to believe different?
Walton, Scott and John Bassett are
telling us to believe.
Walton seems to contradict him­
self when he slates that leaving his
team was the toughest decision he's
ever faced. I f so, then why isn’t he
concerned with the welfare o f his
former team?
The 6*11” . redhead from U C LA
and La Mesa, California, wants the
deal to be strictly cash or a draft-
choice trade. He wants to make sure
the team he goes to doesn’t give away
too much talent.
A deal such as that would only
hurt Portland.
W alton’s leaving drew mixed reac­
tion among Blazer fans. “ In view of
his medical situation and the manner
in which the Blazer management
howled it boiled down to the
question of him over dollars or vice-
a-versa W ith as many dollars as
Walton has, which choice would you
m a ke ,”
said Chuck Hagens,
Manager, Portland C ity Business
Center
Sam Jackson, railcar buyer: “ 1
think it’s unfair on Bill’s pan. He
still has a year on his contract plus
his option year. W alton is letting
others do his talking for him. I really
think that Bill is being misled. Also
think Bill is out for what he can get.
And it's doubtful whether his health
will permit him to play. Walton is
going to rip someone o ff.”
Bill W alton is going and he wants
to win many more championships he
says.
That being so, then perhaps he
should take another look at Port­
land. Where he’ s going he’s not
going to have a power forward the
caliber o f Maurice Lucas, and he’ll
not have the speed and super defen­
sive player of a Lionel Hollins, and
won’t have the maneuverable for­
ward like Bobby Gross. And last but
not least is the one asset that en­
hances Bill’s own ability and that's
being surrounded by players with
good heads
Sure W alton can pass and is
probably the best in the league at
that particular phase of the game
But no matter how great the passer .
. . it means nothing, absolutely
nothing, i f the intended receiver
doesn't hold on. And Dave Twardzik
has extremely good hands, along
with the others. Blazer management
has agreed to refund all money
toward season tickets if desired.
Don’t look for long lines to form of
those wanting refunds. Without Bill
Walton Portland will still be more
than competitive. And if compen­
sation for Bill is a good center, then
Portland could win another cham­
pionship. M arvin Webster is still
available and would be an excellent
selection.
Before Bill goes limping o ff into
the sunset . . . here’s hoping he will
stop long enough to take his two ad­
visers Jack Scott and John Bassett
Portland can get along without the
three of them.
D ARRYL M OTLEY
Darryl Motley, ex-Grant hi and
all-star outfielder has been moved
from Kansas City’s rookie league to
Port Meyers of the Class A league.
M o tle y was h itting a league
leading .488 at the time o f his
promotion.
Motley is currently playing both
infield and outfield.
W hy no Blacks in Oregon golf?
by Bill Schaefer
Ask Dale Johnson, executive
director o f the Oregon G o lf
Association, why golf hasn’t sparked
more interest among Black children
and he’ll provide the same answer
most knowledgeable observers of the
sport supply — ' he doesn’t really
know.
” 1 thought ten years ago we would
have some Black kids coming up
through the junior golf program in
Oregon but surprisingly we haven't
had any,” said Johnson, who is also
executive secretary o f the Pacific
Northwest Professional G olfers
Association. “ There have been some
advances but by nature they still
remain closer to sports such as foot­
ball, baseball and basketball.”
The reasons why Blacks failed to
establish themselves in golf over the
years are no mystery — lack of op­
portunity, financial outlays beyond
their means plus the fact that Biacks
were aware they could make more
money in other sports
“ It takes so long to learn how to
play golf you can understand why a
Black athlete would prefer to make
his mark as soon as possible.” John­
son said. “ There have been instances
when golfers have become very good
at the game when they began when
they were already grown ups. But to
be great you’ve got to start when
you're a pre-teenager.”
Johnson said there have been
several Blacks in the Northwest who,
given the opportunity, might have
enjoyed successful golfing careers.
“ Kelly Stroud, who used to live in
Portland, had several kids and all
were good athletes and one CPMS
boys was a darn good golfer,” John­
son said. “ Then there was Bill
W rig h t o f Seattle who was the
national public links champion yean
ago. And 1 guess Shelby Golden,
who played about forty or fifty yean
ago, was just as good as any famous
player of that day.”
More Blacks might become drawn
to golf, Johnson said, if they could
be taught earlier in life.
“ You’ve got to learn how to play
before you go to college," he said.
"That means you have to be taught
in high school or even before that but
they can’t because there are no
qualified golf professionals as high
school coaches nor will there ever be
any.”
Johnson continued: “ I f 1 were
eighteen yean old and knew I could
make it in football or basketball. I ’d
prefer to sign a long-term contract
rather than take my chances on the
tour where I might not make
anything. 1 have no doubts that Elgin
Bavlor and Julius Erving would have
made successful professional golfen.
A good athlete is a good athlete. But
they knew they could make it right
away in pro basketball. This sort of
thing is too bad in a way, because
we’re seeing better athletes all the
Sum m er gam es
test skills
An innovative test o f athletic skills
awaits youngsters as first-phase ac­
tion gets underway in the Wheaties
Sports Federations Summer Games
competition, scheduled through July
and August at locations throughout
Oregon, including P o rtla n d , and
Salem.
The Wheaties Sports Federation
Summer Games is innovative in the
sense that youngsters are competing
against themselves in two distinct
phases over a period o f several
weeks, u tilizin g skills developed
through regular play.
The Summer Games is the only
national youth competition program
designed by the people who will ac­
tually run it. Bruce Jenner, 1976
Olympic Decathalon Champion and
chairman o f the Wheaties Sports
Federation, guided the work of three
panels across the country in the
development o f the program The
panels consisted o f representatives
from the Y M C A , American Alliance
for Health, Physical Education and
Recreation, National Recreation and
Park A ssociation, and various
education and local recreation
departments.
Entrants are divided into three age
groups: 8-9, 10-11, and 12-13. There
are ten events, utilizing throwing.
running, jumping and foo t/h and
coordination skills. From these ten,
five to ten are selected for com­
petition by the local supervisor.
The actual competition is held in
two phases. Youngsters competing in
Phase I w ill receive an o ffic ia l
Wheaties Sports Federation Summer
Games iron-on logo, as well as
having their score recorded. Then
youngsters will have ample oppor­
tunity to practice the events before
Phase II is held a few weeks later.
After Phase II, the scores of both
phases are compared, and awards are
given based on the percentage of im­
provement. Gold, Silver and Bronze
Certificates are awarded to the three
youngsters in each age group who
show the most overall improvement
from one phase to the next. In ad­
dition, special Certificates of Merit
are awarded to participants in each
age group showing the highest level
of improvement for each of the events
A ll other participants receive a
Wheaties Sports Federation M erit
Membership Card on which their
scores are recorded
I f you would like to enter the
Wheaties Sports Federation Summer
Games competition contact: Kari
Schoessler, N .E. Y M C A . 1630 N .E .
38th, 281-1169.
The Rubin “ Hurricane” Carter/
John Artis triple murder case, which
began twelve years ago and has
received international media atten­
tion, is now being joined in by the
legal o ffic e o f the N atio n al
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (N A A C P ) under the
d irection o f G eneral Counsel
Nathaniel Jones.
“ Hurricane” Carter and John A r­
tis now are both serving life sen­
tences for having been named as the
killers of a white tavern owner and
two patrons in Paterson, New Jersey
on June 17,1966.
The N A A C P is taking this oppor­
tunity to announce its involvement at
the press conference because it
believes, after due consideration of
the record, and circumstances of the
case that the judicial process has
been racially infected and, accord­
ingly, the convictions of Carter and
Artis arising therefrom.
The Association is concerned that
the New Jersey judicial system is not
adequately addressing itself to the
racial dynamics clearly manifested in
this case. Such is reflected in the
(
recent refusal o f the A ppellate
Division of the New Jersey Courts to
even consider a motion addressing it­
self to serious prosecutorial im-
propreity in the most recent trial of
Carter and Artis. These points will
be more fully expanded upon by M r.
Jones and others at the press con­
ference and will be subject o f a
release over the signature of Ben­
jamin Hooks, Executive Director of
the Association.
The main points of contention in
the triple murder case involve:
1. Two white habitual criminals,
A lfre d Bello and A rth u r Dexter
Bradley, who initially swore they
had seen Carter and Artis — but
later recanted their testimony.
2. Two victims with conflicting
descriptions of the assailants.
3. The conflicting testimony of an
upstairs tenant who had been roused
from her sleep by the gunshots.
4. A parade o f Black witnesses
who corroborated the testimony
given by Artis and Carter.
5. The selection of an all-white
jury that initially convicted the pair.
SPORTS HOUR
N O W OPEN
2 8 7 -9 3 6 3
time in golf and of course Blacks are
among them.”
Johnson is not overly optimistic
about the immediate future of Blacks
in golf.
“ There are at least 3,000 first class
golfers in the United States but only
200 are making a living at it on the
tour,” he said. “ And with the cost of
equipment and greens fees today I
don’t know if things will get any bet­
ter soon for Blacks. Now, if the day
ever comes that the United States
G olf Association allows amateurs to
accept expense money you might be
looking at a different situation. But I
wouldn't hold my breath waiting for
something like this to happen."
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