Portland observer., April 02, 1981, Page 8, Image 8

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the previous 104 games (52 stolen bases). They also had
a better win-loss percentage — directly accountable to
Wills’ fundamental philosophy. But what else?
“ Every team in baseball is weak on the fundamentals.
That goes for the champion Phillies and Kansas City
and everybody else. The winners in both leagues are
winning with talent. They make as many fundamental
mistakes as the bottom teams, but you don’t notice their
mistakes when they win. So the best and fastest way for
us to compete is to learn the fundamentals. That’s the
way to close the gap.”
"W hen last season ended, we wanted to add some
punch to our offense. G etting Richie Zisk will help
produce more runs in 1981. He can combine with first
baseman Bruce Bochte and left fielder Dan Meyer to
give us punch in the middle of our lineup. Zisk will be
my designated hitter. And we have Jeff Burroughs from
Atlanta, too. The Kingdome walls are made for both of
those two guys.
_______________
- Walter Alston. Gene Mauch, Danny Murtaugh - but I
never felt that any of them leveled with their players. I
don’t mean they were malicious. They just weren’t open
and honest. They had accepted a trad itio n that a
manager doesn’t have to be honest with his players.”
It is Wills honesty and integrity that promise to make
the Mariners more than an expansion doormat in 1981.
As a believer of fundamental baseball. Wills is anxious
to keep his players interested.
“ Being a good teacher is getting a good rapport with
the student. Getting them comfortable. Getting them
believing in you.* First, of course, you have to know
what you’re doing. Second, you have to do it with an air
of authority. And third, you have to keep explaining. I
never assume anything. I never give a person a chance to
m isunderstand me. On any drill we have, if anything
goes wrong, we stop immediately and start all over from
the start.”
Look for Wills to try a variety of com binations in
Saturday’s TV game with San Diego on KPTV-12. It’s a
way to find out what is fundamentally right or wrong
with his team
* SUPERSTARS *
OF JAZZ FUSION
JEAN CARN
Vocalist
Maurey Will«
Maurice Morning W ills...Resides in Playa del Rey,
California. Son Bump Wills is the second baseman of
the Texas Rangers. After retirement served as commen­
tator for the NBC Game of the Week from 1973-78. In
1979 prior to joining the M ariners, hosted a weekly
baseball show for Home Box Office, as well as broad­
casting Thursday Night Game of the Week. Serves as a
consultant dunng the off-season for the Hankyu Braves
in Ja p a n . Known for his en tertaining on the banjo
dunng his career.
How does a 48-year-old Black man redirect the
m isfortunes o f one o f the two worst team s in the
American League? By stressing fundamentals! What
else?
“ When I was named manager of the Seattle Mariners
last August 4, I said I couldn’t promise an immediate
turnaround, but 1 could promise that we’d be a funda­
mentally sound, aggressive and exciting team. But most
o f all, we’re going to be a team our fans will enjoy wat­
ching.”
And if they are watching Manager Maury Wills and
the Seattle M ariners Saturday at noon on KPTV-12,
th e y ’ll get a sam ple o f W ills’ plans for the fast a p ­
proaching major league season. The Mariners will be
TOM PACIOREX
BRUCE BOCHITE
taking the field with the San Diego Padres - habitual
N ational League losers themselves — in one of those
spring exhibition tuneups before it all begin to count.
Baseball fans who followed Wills sparkling career as
a Dodger player will be equally enthused by his attitude
and interested in his accomplishments as a manager.
"W e played some good baseball in the latter stages of
the 1980 season, and in 1981, other ballclubs are going
to realize that they can’t just show up and expect to beat
u s.” T hat the M ariners did and will continue to do.
They stole more bases in a third of a season under Wills*
leadership (64 stolen bases in $8 games) than they had in
?^O U N T
SUNDAY, APRIL 12th
7:30P.M.
TICKET OUTLETS:
Cicely Tyson as Miss Jane Pittman
MAURY WILLS
“ Second baseman Juilo Cruz can become one of the
most intimidating players in the game. He is capable of
stealing 100 bases a year, and will improve his batting
average.
“ There are two jobs to be won on the left side of our
infield. At shortstop, Mario Guerrero, Jim Anderson
and Rick Auerbach will be fighting for playing time.
Meanwhile, at third base, rookie Dave Elder, who came
up and started for us last September, will battle Ted Cox
for the position.
"B ehind the plate, two young left-handed hitters,
Jerry Narron and Brad Gulden will be seeing most of
the action. Both were obtained from the Yankees.
“ The outfield is crowded right now. We added Willie
Norwood and Gary Gray during the off-season. Meyer
will be the left fielder, and coming off his 1980 perfor­
mance, Tom Paciorek is the right fielder. Joe Simpson
will see plenty of action. Rod Craig, a rookie in 1980,
has the inside track in centerfield. And 1 want to get a
good look at young Dave Henderson in action.
It is W ills’ theory about fines and rules that goes
against the fundamental tradition of baseball: "1 think
a manager should have an open, honest relationship
with his players. And a long list of rules just gets in the
way. You’ve got to have a good enough relationship to
correct your players instantly. I don’t believe in waiting
a day like most of my managers did. If a player does
something wrong, brace him then and there. And if he
has to be sent down to the minors or traded to another
club, 1 want to tell him myself. I don’t want to hide
behind go-betweens.
“ When 1 was playing, what 1 tried to do was think all
those traditions through -- and learn from them — not
just accept them. I was disappointed in every manager I
had. I was lucky enough to play for the best of my time -
THE A U TO BIO G RA PH Y OF MISS JANE
PITTM A N is a story o f hum an dignity well w orth
repeating. On Monday, April 27 at 8 pm, KPTV-12 will
again present Cicely Tyson in her highly acclaimed title
role: that of a former slave and her struggle for human
decency.
W inner
of
nine
Emmy
A w ards,
THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN en­
compasses the life of a 110-year-old woman who was
born in slavery and lived to see the birth of the civil
rights movement. It tells of her loves and losses. And of
the final moment of triumph that climaxes her life.
“ There are many things to applaud in this precedental
venture. Its umcompromising honesty, for one thing. Its
visual artistry for another. The film is a class job from
start to finish, and the eloquence of its many faces is
reason enough to watch it,” noted the National Obser­
ver when the film was first released in 1974 on CBS
television.
Said Rex Reed: “ I predict it will make motion picture
history. Cicely Tyson makes THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF MISS JANE PITTMAN a personal triumph so that
it becomes a tribute to a great woman and a great actress
as well. One of the most profound and deeply-moving
experiences in the history of film.”
Reed’s prediction has come unabashedly true. THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN is an
epic dram a, at once shattering, absorbing, ex traor­
dinary.
TH E A U TO BIO G RA PH Y OF MISS JA N E
PITTMAN builds pride, renews dignity. It is definitely
well worth seeing again and again!
Big hits on KPTV-12
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Reserved Seats *10.50
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Produced by Alan Haymon