Oklahoma City Times (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 86, No. 191, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 1, 1975 Page: 35 of 52
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SPORTS
35
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Playoffs have
Sooner flavor
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and Boston a lot easier.
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Are playoffs
biggest test?
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• Business
• Markets
• Vital Statistics
• Weather
Wednesday, October 1, 1975
Free Audio on every
flight over 90 minutes.
Grambling football coach Eddie Robinson reacting
after his team was named to the No. 1 spot in last week's
AP College division poll: "I’m as happy as a rat locked
in a cheese house."
Ali explodes
Challenger Joe Frazier ducks away as champion Muhammad Ali cornea
across with a right making the spray fly from the challenger's face during
ninth round action of last night's World Heavyweight Championship Fight.
Related Stories Page 38. (AP)
ToBoston
TWA has the only direct service.
By Bob Colon
Staff Writer
Winning a world championship in baseball is a
lot tougher these days. First you play a 162-game
schedule and win your division title. Then yoU
play a best-of-five playoff for the league crown.
lb Phoenix
TWA has the only non-stop service.
■»
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To St Louis
TWA has the only non-stop service.
■— ■■■ * —— ■ . — ■
-on luggage compartments
nany 707s. Take a bulky package,
j. 1
r
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To Los Angeles
TWA has the last non-stop
departure of the day.
L -4 1 ' ’
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ft ♦
Pi .V
By Volney Meece
Staff Writer
Everyone talks about the tremendous pressures
of playing in a World Series. But the really raw
i nerve ends are exposed in an intra-league playoff.
That's the opinion of Monte Moore, the Hollis
and University of Oklahoma ex who's broadcast
| the entire 14 years' worth of games involving the
Kansas City and Oakland Athletics.
Monte, who's married to the daughter of OU
Basketball Hall of Famer Bruc^ Drake, said of a
playoff, "It's the darndest thing. That's the most
exciting baseball, I think, of the whole year.
"A World Series is easy compared to that—be-
cause if these guys don't get into the World Series
they don't make the big money.
"You make a minimum of 118,000-20,000 if you
get in the World Series. That's the lasers’ share.
But if you lose the playoffs, all you get is about
$6,000. So they're playing for a big, big difference.
"And it’s a short time, three games. Plus just
the fact of getting Into the World Series and being
on national television and exposed and being in
the limelight for a week in the United States.
"It's a big thing just to be in it and yon've got to
get through those playoffs to get there.
"Yes, things are a little tight. There are some
'Choke Cities' in those things. And that might be
the one thing in our favor. Those young kids play-
Twin Seats to give you more room in Coach.
If nobody’s sitting next to you, you can fold down
the middle seat and sit two across on all our 727s
and 707s.
SO,
and with as little hassle and aggravation as possible. 1
That’s why we’ve designed our short business flights J
to make things easier for you on the ground and in
the air.
If you fly out of Oklahoma City on business,
particularly ifiybu’re on a short business flight,TWA
knows what you’re looking for. Speed and conve-
nience. You want to get where you’re going quickly
Winning it all tougher
Jerry Adair, who lives at Sand Springs, played
in the 1967 Series for Boston and was a coach for
Oakland as it won the playoff and Series in
1972-73-74.
"The team that comes out on top after the regu-
lar season should go to the World Series," Adair
says. "In '67 we had about the fourth best club in
the American League at Bditon and still won the
league. If they're going to have a playoff they
should cut the .season to 130 games. The way it is
you end up playing a ton of games."
Who'll win It all this year?
Wilcox leans toward the Pirates, saying, "Cin-
cinnati's starting pitchers haven't been that good
and if they don't win that first game I can't see
them winning it." .
Adair, recently released as a coach with the
California Angels, looks for the A's to do it again.
"Despite all the hassle and the trouble Oakland
seems to have off the field," Adair said, "they
know how to play and they don't make many mis-
takes. The only question mark is the starting
pitching. Vida Blue and Ken Holtzman have
pitched well, but they're going to miss Catfish
Hunter."
Then it's on to the best-of-seven World Series. It
used to be a lot easier prior to 1969 when the ma-
jor leagues expanded to 24 teams and divided up
into four six-team divisions.
Some say the best team doesn’t always win the
short league playoff. Some say you should play a
seven-game series to determine the National and
American League winners.
Saturday Oakland tries to make it four world ti-
tles in a row when it opens the American League
playoffs at Boston while Cincinnati will entertain
Pittsburgh in the National League.
Oklahomans Danny Thompson and Milt Wilcox
have vivid memories of their first playoff series
in 1970. Thompson, who played at Oklahoma State
and now lives near Cherokee in the off-season,
was a rookie second baseman for the Minnesota
Twins.
"I was really excited," Thompson recalls. "It
was my first year and I had been called up to
play second base in June. I'd never played second
before and It was pretty scary. I was higher than
a kite. I got a double off Mike Cuellar my first
time up. We got beat three straight and really
weren't in any of the games against Baltimore
that year."
Wilcox was pitching for Cincinnati in the NL
playoff that year. "I pitched three Innings in the
final game," Milt remembers, "and struck out
five guys — four in a row. I was really throwing
the ball well. It was one of my most exciting mo-
ments in baseball." Wilcox was credited with the
win in that third and final game against the Pi-
rates.
Thompson is still with the Twins while Milt fin-
ished the past year as a reliever for the Chicago
Cubs.
Both agree the season is too long. "The playoffs
puts more pressure on the ball players," Thomp-
son says. "I hope they don't make the playoff sev-
en games like the Series. The season can get pret-
ty old. The problem n6w is that you can have
three bad games and have nothing to show for a
tremendous season." •,
Wilcox eyed the past-season play from the fi-
nancial angle. "There is a letdown after the play-
offs," he says. "All the players were more nerv-
ous and excited going into the playoffs. You know
you have io win that to get into the big money.
You get around $5,000 for the playoffs and it's
something like $15,000 a man for winning the Se-
ries."
Johnny
, 116 victories, and the 1909 Pirates, with 110, had
more fun.
Surely this next statement will shock the base-
ball world. Kenesaw Mountain Landis may turn in
his grave. Johnny Bench's background is indeed
’ NOT perfect! No sir. His transcript was altered!
Or close to it.
"When I started him to school," says his nice
mother, Katy, "he wasn't old enough, by one
month. He was doing real good work. He was
among the top 10 in his class."
Little Johnny .skipped home one afternoon, a
note pinned about letter high. His teacher had
written to Mrs. Bench. "Unless you have made a
mistake in filling out Johnny's forms, he is not le-
gally old enough to be in school."
Katy Beach remembers that awful day. "He
cried so hard." Mrs. Bench sent Johnny back next
day with a new note. "I told them" I had made a
mistake."
Johnny stayed in school. He was valedictorian
when the junior high class was promoted. He was
valedictorian at the bigtime — Binger High
School.
"He's always been outstanding in everything he
did," says his mother.
Katy and Ted Bench have been married 35
years and now live in Cincinnati where Johnny's
dad spends each hour gazing at his dream that
came true. Ted was going to be a major leaguer,
then the second war came along and time had
passed him by. "Well," he told Katy when it was
over, "maybe one of the boys can make it."
"That's all Johnny ever wanted to do," says his
mother. "Play major league ball. Since he was
six or seven. And Ted said all along, 'He's gonna
make it.' "
Ted coached little league stuff in Binger and
Johnny played. He was a first baseman and a
third baseman and a pitcher. In high school he
pitched two no-hitters. Oh yes, he could catch,
too, if need be.
Johnny Bench Is concluding his eighth full sea-
son as one of baseball's super stars. He was
bugged by some injuries this summer, but cracked
28 homers, drove in 110 runs. Four straight years
now he has batted home more than 100 runs. He
has hammered 248 career homers.
This Cincy team had the thing wrapped up by
Mother's Day, or thereabouts. It finished 20
games in front of the Dodgers and what made this
bunch so Impressive is how well the Reds played
when everyone knew the race had ended. No tak-
ing life easy.
"I made the statement in July it (the race) was
over," says Johnny. He feels there were some
sloppy days, but he\ says winning became a habit.
Ing at Boston, it'll be interesting to see how they - The Reds closed out the regular season by win-
do."
Expanding on his less-pressure^n-the-World Sc-
ries theme, Moore said, "Reggie Jackson said
(See A's, Page 36)
How TWV can make your
next business trip to New York,
Los Angeles, St Louis, Phoenix
□nJ n Irwf oncim*
To New York
TWA has the only non-stop and
the last direct departure of the day.
| Bench isn’t perfect?
• . i • s A
Say it’s not
By Frank Boggs
Sports Editor
For all his 27 years Johnny Bench has been
Perfection's twin brother. In a million interviews
he’s never said the wrong thing. His baseball is as
immaculate as his grooming. Somehow he never
gets dusty in home plate collisions.
It’s like he'd read the Declaration of Independ-
ence and somewhere in there found a line that es-
caped us commoners, one guaranteeing certain
inalienable Rights to all catchers from Binger.
Now Johnny Bench and the Cincinnati Redlegs
he anchors head into the National League playoffs
once again. It's a magnificent team, one that won
108 games — third highest total in National
' League history. Only the 1906 Chicago Cubs, with
Extra large
on all 727s
even a kill-si:^ bag, righton the plane with you
I
1
1969 — It was the Mets sweeping Atlanta
in three straight in the National League and
the Orioles doing the same thing to Minneso-
ta in the American League. Paul Blair, who
was bom in Cushing, hit .400 for the Orioles.
The Mets won the World Series, four
games to one.
1970 — Cincinnati swept the Pirates 3-0
and the Orioles did it to the Twins again by
the 3-0 route. Johnny Bench, from Binger,
hit .222 for Reds while Oklahoma City's Milt
Wilcox picked up the win in game No. 3 in
• relief. Fred Patek (bom in Oklahoma City)
was hitless for Pittsburgh while Willie Star-
gell (bom in Earlsboro) hit .500 for the
Bucs.
Blair hit .077 for the Orioles while former
Oklahoma Stater Danny Thompson from
Capron was one for eight for the Twins in his
rookie season. Baltimore downed the Reds,
4-1, in the Series.
1971 — It was Pirates over Giants, 3-1, in
National and Orioles three* straight over
Oakland in American. Stargell was 0-for-14
and Blair .333. Pirates won the Series in sev-
en games.
1972 — Oakland began its dominance of
the October championships with three
games to two edging of Detroit. Cincinnati
outlasted the Pirates by same 3-2 count in
National League.
Former Oklahoma Stater Joe Horten was
the loser in game No. 4 while winding up a
long big league career with the A’-s and an-
other former Cowboy Jerry Adair was the
. (See OKLAHOMANS, Page 39)
i :i' -r i z
ning 10 of their last 11. Just for fun.
The Reds are described by bundles of cliches.
There must be something, though, they possess
(See BENCH, Page 36)
f riendly People. All the extras in the world
don’t mean a thing if you don’t get the one
that counts. Friendly personal service. That’s
why we hire people
like Denise Glatter
and Laura Kulak. So
next business trip call
your Travel Agent
or TWA.
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Bennett, Charles L. Oklahoma City Times (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 86, No. 191, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 1, 1975, newspaper, October 1, 1975; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1796932/m1/35/: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.