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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1978)
.................. ' ' ' «•www ♦ *'**•» WW<»«w<«>>>%%VW>r ’»%<•*•* 1 * . Pae® 10 Portland Observer Thursday. October 19, 1978 Sports Talk By the time we go to press this thrill-packed W orld Series will be history. And if my prediction holds true the Dodgers will have folded and New York would become the first team in history to win this autumn classic after losing the first two games. Too much attention, by the Dodgers, has been directed to the controversial play in game four caused by Reggie Jackson. “ The Jackson play really hurt us,” lamented an obviously shaken Tony Lasorda. Lasorda was referring to the play in the seventh inning where Jackson was accused, by Lasorda, o f interferring by letting a ball thrown by Dodger shortstop Bill Russell, hit him on the hip. Right or wrong that was only h alf o f the play, the first wrong was committed by Bill Russell, who obviously drop ped the ball intentionally to get a double play. The rule, if applied, would have ruled the batter out and eliminated Russell's attempt at a double play. I t ’s strange that M r. Lasorda never mentioned that. And in the fifth game the Dodgers looked like the true ‘ bums’ o f the old Brooklyn days. Their infield looked like they had just attended the Bad News Bears movie and was trying to imitate their young heroes. October brings us many things, autumn and golden rods and Halloween. But Halloween and all its little goblins must take a back seat to professional sports this time o f year. W hile we’re still wondering who’s going to win the M V P in M a jo r League baseball, commending the best players in both the American and National Leagues, and also wondering if Ron Guidry, o f the New Y o rk Yankees will be a unanimous choice for A .L . Cy Young award, honoring the leagues best pitcher, and knowing, too, that football is in progress and wondering if Green Bay is really back, as they’re 5-1 record would indicate, but knowing fully well that they’ve yet to encounter a really formidable op ponent. And while we're concentrating on all this we suddenly realize the N B A is in progress and that some attention should be focused in this direction. So here comes my picks for the coming N B A season: P A C IF IC D IV IS IO N 1. Los Angeles — Coach Jerry West is still weak in his front court. Keith Wilkes, 6 ’6 ” , former U C L A great and Adrian Dantley, 6’5 ” and ex-Notre Dame standout are just not ideal to compliment the uncom parable Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Los Angeles needs a bona fide strong forward to go all the way. W ith guard Norm Nixon, coming o ff a brilliant rookie season and the ad dition o f Ron Boone L .A . now ap pears to be ready. 2. Seattle Super Sonics — and only i f there are no m ajor L .A . injuries. These two clubs are really close. The acquisition o f Lonnie Shelton, 6 ’8 ” , former New Y ork Knick to this club will help more than some people realize. Shelton adds speed to an already super quick team. Seattle’s guard corp, Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and Fred Brown is perhaps the quickest and best in the division. The big i f for Seattle is at center where they’ ve acquired Tom LaGar- de, 6 ’ 10“ from Denver. 3. Portland Trailblazers — W hat a difference a year makes. Portland has gone from a solid club, last year, to a by Ron Sykes Sports Editor also-ran this year Injuries have played a major role in the demise o f the 1977 W orld Champions. And ace pro center. Bill W alto n ’s sudden defection hasn’t helped. Portland I will contend, but with the 6 ’ 10” Tom Owens in the middle, will never win. Owen's can shoot but can’t outleap a frog and his stamina is a big, big, question m ark. Rookie Mychal Thompson will play. The guards arc more than adequate and the forward position at least adequate. Center position, the key spot, relegates the Blazers to No. 3 in the Pacific. If , just if. Bill W alton returns and plays . . . then Portland will win. 4. Phoenix — Like Portland, the big need is at center. Alvan Adams is not ideal for the pivot. Strong point is at guard where Ronnie Lee, Dave Westphal and Don Buse excels. Rookie o f the year Walter Davis, is rapidly becoming one o f the best small forwards in the game. 5. Golden State — problems galore — C liffo rd Ray and the 7’ , Robert Parish just do not get the job done. Still weak up front and lack speed in the backcourt. Last years starter, at guard, Ricky Marsh, has cleared waivers. 6. San Diego — not a bad team on paper but moved to a tough division (Pacific). Sidney Wicks is closer to home now after traveling to such far-away places as New Orleans and that racially prejudiced city in Massachusetts called Boston. The clippers strong point is at for ward with Wicks and Kermit Washington. Randy Smith offers solidity at guard, but otherwise the backcourt lacks experience in rookie Freeman W illiam s, ex-PSU star, operating as the fourth guard. Barring injuries, and the possible return o f W alton, the Pacific should end as predicted. T t d W k » , Tdh, ^ J d k jd k ^ T d k T d k .l¿ tk T d it li&. Ttdk l*lk, Tükjdk. Tolk, Ttdk. ftk Thlk. Telk, T o l t i l i Taikjaik, TidkJjaik, -¡^ Perhaps it was an indication o f the times that the traditional opening ceremony for the Portland Trailblazers first game o f the season was not as elaborate as in past years. The Blazer team that opened this years season was only a spectre o f the mighty Blazers o f a year ago. The state o f affairs, to be sure, appeared precarious to all fans present. But as the game progressed and the Trailblazers held their own against Artis Gilm ore and company, it became clear that this years team will be destined for better days. The rookies were particularly out standing, especially the highly touted Mychal Thompson. When a team can play competitively without the entire front-line that composed their best team ever, the situation, when two o f the three return looks en couraging — to say the least. The Trailblazers, esto pertetua! "V IT’S CHEAPER BEFORE 8. If you get up early and call before 8 a.m., you nave money. In fact this is the cheapest long distance rate in the book. It’s a particularly good deal when you figure 8 a.m. on the west coast is 11 a.m. in New York. Or 10 a.m. in St. Louis. Actually, you get at least twice as much talk for the same money at 7:59 a.m. as you do when you call at 8:00 a.m. But he sure and dial direct, with out operator assistance. I Pacific Northwest Bell Added C a ss AAA leagues receive OSAA consideration by Bill Schaefer Something new may be added to the Oregon high school sports scene later this m onth. But some knowledgeable observers feel the state should leave bad enough alone. On October 30th, the delegate assembly o f the Oregon School Ac tivities Association will meet to con sider a recommendation o f the O S A A ’ s board o f control to expand from eight to ten the number of districts foT Class A A A schools. The meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m . at the Ramada Inn in Tualatin and it is open to the public. The reason for the proposed ex pansion o f districts — in the eyes o f the board o f control — is to correct the obvious imbalance in the number o f schools already in the districts. The W ilco League, for example, has fifteen schools while the Southern district has nine. Expansionists say it’s not fair that a nine-team district should be allowed to send the same number o f representatives — tw o — to the state playoffs. And they ob viously have a point. But now the trouble starts. In football, for example, there presently exists a sixteen-team bracket — two representatives from the eight districts. Under a ten- district form at, a total o f twenty teams would participate in post season games. This would necessitate another round o f play for eight teams in the first round. Question: how should the O S A A go about scheduling the extra round? Should the football season start a week earlier, then when the first round opens have twelve teams sit ting idle with byes for a week? O r should the season begin at the same time as it did this season with the final round one week later? But there would still be twelve teams on the sidelines for one week. The most controversial solution would be to try to play three games in a two-week period which would allow the teams to start and end the season at the presently scheduled times. But wouldn’t that plan present physical dangers to the players? “ There are a couple o f states Iowa and Illinois that play three games within two weeks,” said John Hilsenteger, assistant executive secretary o f the O S A A . “ Medical authorities were dead set against it at the start but over the past three years or so they’ ve become wholeheartedly in favor o f it.” The problem involving basketball would not be so difficult. Eight teams could play for four spots the week before tournament times, thus bring sixteen teams to the tour nament site. The issue the O S A A ’s delegate assembly should keep in mind is that whatever solution is arrived at it does not circumvent the reason why high schools exist — and that is for the students to receive an education. Playing three football games in two weeks might prove an academic hard ship for some o f the athletes. This option is the weakest o f those available to the assembly. In any case, redistricting is an idea whose time has come. American State Bank "The Bank that integration built” 2737 N.E. Union hh I 282 2216 BLAZER FANS! Get this 2 x 3 'fall-color poster autographed by Maurice Lucas SHOP lENOW'S only 50C. with a new deposit o f $200 or more. FOR B R A N D S yo u k n o w V A R IE TIE S yo u lik e SIZES y o u w a n t • M l I S .l M llw e u h i« • I» » * « I I • j i a m i hommoov • ia<», a s i Oi«ition • R a t a i f * * H IM « o A WDR» o laefco Q t w«U<> • N lombord a h R lo ia • I B ind •* S I Ol *»•♦•** o KI«* r City • OeB Orewo a« i/Miiie ' t o a n t f « •" " o ' • ssn< a io « • » " i n M • t r i n a a n i o i > m » • Awe y Beautifully lithographed poster of the NBA s All-Star power forward. 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