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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1982)
Page 14 Portland Observer, January 28,1982 Observer sports editor picks January 21.1982 The P ortland Observer feels that the Superbowl was last week. The game between Dallas and the 49ers was just the tw o best teams in the Super Bowl winner League. W e see the 49ers by five points over Cincinnati. How do you feel? Let us know how you feel about Observer sports. W e ’ ll be glad to hear fro m you, and we’ ll print your letters. Sport Talk by Ron Sykes, Sports Editor V IC T O R Y The P o rtla n d Observer pro claimed from the beginning that San Francisco was the team o f the fu ture. We declared early that the 49ers would go all the way. A fter the victory over Dallas we told our readers that the Super Bowl had al ready been played. Really, after de feating Am erica’s team 28-27, this victory over Cincinnati was some what anti-clim atic. Give the credit for this victory to the 49er defense, but don’ t forget the w izard ry o f Coach Bill Walsh. Walsh proved his worth by com pletely out-coaching D allas’ Tom Landry and then, in the Super Bowl, he annihilated the A F C Coach o f the Year, Forrest Gregg. The 49ers are certainly tough, but their edge is that they out-w it and out-thing their opponents. Walsh has installed a beautiful offense— .me that has so many variations that it times it seems to leave the defense Helpless. The49er offense is as beautiful as anything ever composed by Beetho ven. And the defense is simply awe some. Walsh demonstrated his mas terful abilities even further when the Bengals had the ball with only 58 seconds left on the clock and no time outs. He decoyed the Bengals into throwing up the middle. This strategy encouraged completions be- cause incompletes would stop the clock and Walsh wanted no part o f that— especially with no Bengal time outs rem aining. He guarded the sidelines, m aking sure that there would be no sideline completions to stop the clock. He dropped three backs to the goal line to make sure that he didn’ t get beat deep. A fter each com plettion, the 49ers closed in making (he tackle and keeping the clock wondering. It is still amazing that Forrest Gregg did not catch on to what had happened. Roberto Duran vs Wilfredo Benitez On January 30, Roberto Duran will attempt to move closer to a re turn match w ith w elterw eight champ Sugar Ray Leonard by taking on the Puerto Rican Benitez. Duran will not move closer because Benitez will stop him inside o f ten rounds. This Duran is not the Duran o f o ld . D u ra n , at 5 7, w ill be no match for the master boxer, Beni tez. Benitez, whose only loss was to the redoubtable Sugar Ray. will not be an easy target for Duran. There is only one man in the w orld today who can w hip Benitez, and you know who that is. Blazers 123 Celtics 119 On Super Sunday, the Blazers turned in a super win by beating the Boston Celtics 123-119 on the Cel tics' home court. And believe it or not, the key to this victory was play ing tim e, that is, playing tim e for one Billy Ray Bates. Billy Ray was on the count an unbelievable thirty- three minutes, and whenever Billy gets the playing time, the Blazers are sure to receive a good e ffo rt. A loose Billy Ray is like money in the bank. In Boston, Billy entered the game w ith 9:34 rem aining in the third period and did not leave until the game was over. It was a d iffe r ent Billy Ray that the Boston fans saw. He responded with 10-16 from the field, 6-7 from the line and com mitted no turnovers for a total o f 26 points. A nd Law dy iaw d , w asn't Kelvin Ransey something. The sec ond year guard out o f Ohio State lit the Boston G arden up w ith 33 points. P o rtla n d ended this six-game road trip w ith a good 3-3 record. And is not for the sudden collapse in Philadelphia, could have gone 4-2. And believe you me, that is not too shabby.. and how about Philadel phia Seventy-sixer owner H a ro ld Katz trying to lure W ilt C ham ber lin out o f retirement. Cham berlin, 4 5, is the only man his age who could still play in the N B A . When W ilt retired, seven years ago, he was on top o f his game. There is little doubt that if the big man was willing to play, he could. Ronnie is a L o tlt) “ I was watching a M uh am m ad Ali documentary recently,*’ said the 49er star ro o ked . ” 1 was amazed that he talked like that when he was twenty years o ld . Isiah Thom as is 20, Magic Johnson is 22, and they are accomplishing these feats. I'm 22. Seeing what they have done and how they have handled themselves has really helped me grow up.’ ’ Lott earned a bachelor’s degree in Public A d m in is tra tio n in fo u r years, in cluding two summers. “ It was very important to myself and my parents,’ ’ he said, “ to grad uate on time.” “ When Ronnie received his diplo ma from U .S .C , it was the happiest day o f my life ,” beamed his mother, M ary, “ and o f all his numerout ac complishments, receiving his degree meant the most to me.” Ronnie hopes to live up to a New Y e a r’ s resolution he made to his m other— that he would read one book a week. Some o f those books will deal with real estate, a field he hopes to enter eventually. Ronnie appreciates the support he received from his parents, Roy and M a ry Lotte. “ M y dad is studying real estate now, and when he finishes, we plan to go into the business, along with my mother.” Ronnie Lott is one o f those rare young athletes— one o f those who haven’t let success spoil his outlook on life. Portland Beavers expect exciting season The cards were stacked against him from the start. But this brash young entrepreneur from the East came with a big stogie in his mouth and an open wallet in his hand. This was David Hersh. The young gener al manager who had a year ago shocked the baseball w orld by taking T o led o , a class A A m inor league franchise and drawing fans to the ball p ark. Now he was moving to class A A A Portlan d, a franchise that has struggled over the Iasi few years. Hersh’ s reputation preceeded him into town, and after a dazzling start the young m an’ s dreams hit rock bottom when the bills began to pile up. “ It took me eight months to establish credibility here in Portland,” said Hersh, “ and lost it all in one m onth. M y first year here 1 learned a valuable les son.” Good things are expected from the 1982 Beavers. Fresh o ff o f a 72- 66 1981 record, which helped them draw 192,768 fans, the best attend ance m ark since 1967. A winning record plus a renovated stadium should make for an exciting year for Beavers fans. The 1982 season promises to pro vide some good summer excitement. The refurbished Civil Stadium will feature better seating, a new roof, an expanded concession and con venience areas to further enhance the attractiveness of Beaver baseball for the fans. In the past the Beavers have scheduled the parent P itts burgh Pirates at Civic Stadium. In addition to the Pirates, the fans can look forw ard to seeing H ouston, San Francisco, Seattle, and maybe San Diego. “ I think Portland is still a major league town,” Hersh said, “ and my long r<Age goal is to lure a m ajor league franchise to the C ity o f Roses." W ith Portland’s new lease, Hersh plans to decrease all ticket prices across the board, with the ex ception o f general admission which w ill remain the same as last year. “ W e’re happy with our lease agree m e n t,” beamed Hersh, “ and we plan to share it with our wonderful fans.” Hersh has long made it know that he has m ajor league intentions for Portland. But the foremost question remains to be the inclement P o rt land weather. “ Our weather (Port land's] can’ t be worse than M o n tre a l’ s,” said Hersh. O ut o f 193 dates in three years, we only had 14 rainouts, six the first year and four in each of the last two. The Beavers drew well last year because they had an exciting team in the field. Hersh believes that if you put a strong team on the field, the fans will show their appreciation by turning out. The 1981 Beavers were exciting. They boasted the top defense in the District Caber»' Roast of Bro. ja a e » Loving Coordinator o* King-» Neighborhood Facility Member of Vancouver Avenue First Baptnt Church tr President at Christian Brotherhood Association at Oregon February 6. 1982 - 7 F.M. at Vaeroever _A»eeee First Baptist Chertb 113» 8. Vaaro w ver A v e a a e i Dinner Donation V Portlaad. O re y a a D r O B Williams Pastor LtRR BioaSoss. O u t. U l k t r i ’ P i t t . 50 R tv . E t | t a t B sy t, M tS tn ls r And for the past ten years Donny Anderson has followed that example selling them. For any advice on new or used cars, leasing, or general information on how to buy a car and not get burnt call him at 284 1105 (leave a message). / throwing Odel Jones and Submarine Robert Long to give the Beavers a matchless threesome o f starting pitchers. Long had an awesome 15-3 record, w hile Jones was leading PCL hurlers in strikeouts with 135. In the past the Portland Beavers franchise was one o f the healthiest in minor league baseball and to help regain that status, a Portland Bea vers Booster Club was formed. Last year the Club boasted 207 members, reported Kas Lasser, its President. Although the 1982 Club only began in November o f ’81, already it has recruited an excess o f 152 members and gives every indication o f being bigger and better than last year’ s club. A new stadium , reduced ticket prices, an exciting team, a strong, active management are all o f the in gredients for a successful season. A ssociated Press Top 20 Portland Observer Top 20 1. Missouri 2. North Carolina 3. Virginia 4. DePaul 5. Texas 6. Iowa 7. Kentucky 8. Oregon St. 9. USF 10. Minnesota 11. Idaho 12. Arkansas 13. Alabama 14. Kansas St. 15. Tennessee 16. Tulsa 17. North Carolina St. 18. Wake Forest 19. Fresno St. 20. Villanova 1. N. Carolina 2. Virginia 3. Missouri 4. Iowa 5. DePaul 6. Minnesota 7. Oregon State 8. Kentucky 9. Tulsa 10. Georgetown 11. Idaho 12. Texas 13. Tennessee 14. Wichita State 15. Pepperdine 16. San Francisco 17. Villanova 18. Fresno State 19. Kansas State 20. Alabama R A M B O M O T O R S , IN C . 307 N.E. B roadw ay Portland, Oregon 97232 Phona 1503)284-1106 D O N N Y ANDERSON Membc, TOYOTA Holmes ready for Cooney E A S T O N . PA . — Larry Holmes, the W orld Boxing Council’ s (W B C ) H eavyw eight C h a m p io n , has a l ready begun training for his upcom ing fight with G erry Cooney. I t ’ s not easy being the heavyweight champion, but hard work and Larry are old friends. L a rry won the title on June 9, 1978, from Ken Norton, and has de fended his title eleven times, with the most recent T K O against Rcn- aldo (M r.) Snipes on November 6 in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena. L arry, only two weeks after de feating Snipes, began training for the Cooney fight. His schedule in volves rising early for a four to five mile jo g , shadow boxing, jum ping rope, and sparring. Closer to the m atch, L a r ry ’ s vigorous training will be performed in the desert sur rounding Las Vegas, where the fight will be held next March. L a rry had the fo llo w in g to say about his upcoming match: " I think this is going to be a very interesting fig h t, a lot o f people w ill be sur prised at the o u tc o m e .” L arry prides him self as being a profes sional boxer. This is clearly evident when watching the champ fig h t. “ I ’m a boxer, Cooney is a puncher, that's the big difference. He doesn't have the experience or the stamina I have— he’ ll never last the fifte en rounds,” commented Holmes. And now, all eyes are on Holmes again, as he defends his title against Gerry Cooney next year in a match Factory Authorized Service - Braun - Clairol Eltron - Remington - Ronson auto uTMOtrntav T o d a y , the 213-pound Holm es has an unblemished record. 39-0. (Snipes suffered the first defeat o f his career after 22 straight victories.) Look fo r . . . Jim Fisher Datsons and Volvos at the Auto Show FULL SERVICE SHOP’ Expert Repairs on ORIGINAL FACTORY DUPLICATION • AUTO • TRUCK • M A R IN I « AIRCRAFT • Sunbeam • Hair Dryers Lighters • and Parts Convertible Tops - Carpets Boat Tops All Types Ol Repairs Landau Tops - Complete Interiors 283-1620 ONE DAY SERVICE For Jan. & Feb. Only Scissor & Knife Sharpening Available Small Appliance Repaired A L arry Holmes first learned to fight at St. Anthony's Youth Center in Easton. The center was founded over 25 years ago by an Ita lia n priest, Father Francis Barbato. At age ten, Holmes was first interested in learning how to wrestle and nine years later he decided to become a boxer. Holmes continued (raining and turned pro in M arch o f 1973. The rest is boxing history, just five years later he would be the W o rld ’s Heavyweight Champion. ûntùfjia & ÇL oaaùz 9nbuuoJt ficAbo/ialion ELECTRIC SHAVERS Repaired — Cleaned that is expected to earn Holm es nearly $10 million. But Holmes, at the age o f 32, is already a multi-m illionaire. He can afford to give his family just about everything he didn’ t have when he was growing up in Easton, Pa., with his m o ther, Flossie, and eleven brothers and sisters. It was up to his mother to raise her children. Larry never forgot the love and devotion afforded him by his mother and has made sure that she is taken care o f financially. L arry has a lot going for him in his hometown o f Easton. This in cludes a new, custom built $500,000 eleven-room home, complete with nine bathroom s and a swim m ing pool shaped like a boxing glove; a $250,000 night club called “ Round O n e ,” and the $15 0,0 0 0 L a rry Holmes* T rain in g Center gym na sium. I t ’s used as a local recreation center for kids. by Gary E. Johnson and Patricia A. Carrasco JIM FISHER Norelco - Schick - Here's your ticke t to ride! In the w o rld 's N u m b er One im p o rt—Toyota. P acific Coast League. The team fielding a percentage o f .979 led the P C L as the Beavers were guilty o f only 102 errors in 137 games, thirty- six fewer miscues than any other club in the league. T h ird baseman Dave H ilton established himself as one o f the top hot-corner men in the league and was flan ked by short stop Jim m y Sm ith and second baseman Vance Law. In the outfield Rusty Torres played 134 with just one error. In 1982, the Beavers plan to field a young exciting team. They have high hopes fo r center fielder Jose Rodriguez, the twenty-three-year- old who came up fro m B u ffa lo , Junior A r tiz . 22, and 19-year-old Raphael Belyard, who took the Do minican League by storm. Pitching was an important part of the 1981 P o rtlan d success story. 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