14 — THE CITIZEN. Prince George — Friday, May 25, 1984 Exhibition series M ic h a e l turning to farce? F a r b e r TORONTO i CP i - A record 24,768 ning (when the game was tied 4-4),” fans were entertained and the cof­ said Blue Jay infielder Garth Iorg, fers of amateur baseball federations who lined a game-tying double to in Canada swelled, but the annual right in the fifth inning. "Just split MONTREAL — The Soviets’ recent game of Pearson Cup exhibition game be­ the trophy in half and give it to both political football with the Olympic movement tween the Montreal Expos and To­ teams. brings to mind another quieter power play in­ ronto Blue Jays suffered a late-in- "I think playing that long is point­ volving Nadia Comaneci, the recently-retired ning black eye Thursday night. less.” he added. "And half the fans gymnast. With bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan are gone, because the stars are out Comaneci re-invented her sport, bending and on the mound in the 13th inning for of the game. We were just playing it shaping gymnastics the same way she did her Montreal and Toronto catcher Buck out.” 83 pounds eight years ago in those steamy Martinez throwing warmup pitches Having left his starting rotation at nights at the Montreal Forum when she made in the bullpen, the annual affair be­ home and not about to use his bull­ a generation of girls stop wanting to be nurses tween Canada’s major league base­ pen aces. Expo manager Bill Virdon or ballet dancers or nuclear physicists or ball teams crossed the border into summoned Kerrigan, a former Expo whatever else to which little girls aspire. A 14- the realm of the ridiculous. who retired while with Triple A year-old pixie touched the soul of Canada and Jesse Barfield's bases-loaded sin­ Oklahoma City in 1982. to face the the world at the 1976 Olympics, earning seven gle up the middle gave Toronto a 6-5 Blue Jays in the 13th. Kerrigan took 10s — perfect scores — in performances that victory and sent the crowd home the loss as the Blue Jays rallied for were supposed to have shocked the gymnastics happy, but the laughable confronta­ a pair of runs against the 30-year-old world. tions in the 13th inning will make righthander. The International Gymnastics Federation many wonder how seriously the "It was real slow, real slow." Bar­ (FIG) was surprised anyway — everyone else teams take the game. field said of Kerrigan’s pitching. "I in that incestuous world had an inkling. Veteran designated hitter Cliff think Jimy Williams (Toronto’s third The standard Olympic fix was in. Johnson’s one-inning appearance as base coach batting practice pitcher) In no way does this detract from Comaneci’s a Toronto catcher in the third inning throws a lot harder than that guy.” pioneering. cast early doubt on the gravity of Jimmy Key. the sixth Toronto ' i f I could have, I would have given her a the game, although Johnson is listed pitcher, earned the victory. 15,” said Carol Anne Letheren of Toronto, who, as the Blue Jays’ third-string catch­ as a balance beam judge, gave Nadia her first er. Going into the game. Montreal Olympic10 . The joking, nonchalant attitude ex­ held a 3-1-1 record in previous But Comaneci, a Romanian, was pushed to pressed in post-game interviews did encounters against Toronto. In her 10s wittingly, by the Soviet Union, Roma­ little to assure baseball purists the spring training games between the nia's most bitter gymnastics rival. Olympic teams had taken the trophy, dedi­ clubs. Toronto holds a 9-7 advan­ politics, now on the front page, often are the cated to the late Canadian Prime tage. stuff of backroom caucuses. Minister Lester B. Pearson, serious­ The net proceeds of the game go Back up a moment. Months before the ly- to the amateur baseball federations games, the Montreal Olympic Organizing Com­ "I think we should have gotten out of Quebec (35 per cent), Ontario <35 mittee asked FIG if the Forum scoreboard of there after the ninth or 10th in­ per cent) and Canada (30 per cent). should be calibrated to record scores of 10.0. FIG said it was not necessary; 9.95 would do. Gymnasts might receive 10s elsewhere — Co­ maneci said she had 16 prior to Montreal — Sampson unanimous but inflation had not struck the Olympics. Sure. When Comaneci did.score her 10s the NEW YORK (AP) - Ralph Samp­ from 14 victories in 1982 to 29 wins scoreboard read: 1.00. son, the top pick in last year’s Na­ last season. But the Russians knew what was coming. tional Basketball Association draft, Sampson’s rookie honor came one They saw Comaneci win the 1975 European had little competition for the rookie- day after the Rockets earned the championship and knew none of their best — of-the-year award. right to pick first in the June 19 NBA draft, beating Portland in the the splendid Olga Korbut, Nelli Kim, Ludmilla All 76 sportswriters and broadca­ Turescheva, or Maria Filatova — could beat annual coin toss. The Rockets plan sters voting Thursday cast their bal­ Nadia individually. The only way the Soviets Five-year-old Catherine Rolland does what the Progressive Conserva- to pick Akeem Olajuwon. the seven- lots for the Houston Rockets’ seven- could win the team gold medal was to get Co­ T I rl l*ves ^ave keen unable to f°r years — topple Prime Minister Pierre foot centre from the University of foot-four centre, making Sampson maneci her s. lo p p ie a Trudeau. The two met recently during a weekly Ottawa judo workout Houston and Sampson is expected to 10 the first unanimous winner since In international rules, five of six scores be moved to power forward. attended by Trudeau’s sons. Kareem Abcjul-Jabbar in 1970. count for the team title. If the Russians — with Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lak­ Sampson led his team in scoring, greater depth than the Romanians, which had ers will join the Boston Celtics in the rebounding and blocked shots and Comaneci, Teodoro, Ungureanu, and not much best-of-seven playoff final if they averaged 21 points a game to lead else — could conspire the keep the scores high, beat the Suns in Phoenix tonight, all first-year players. they would exploit the weakness of Comaneci’s Hebeler's back and ready thus winning their Western Confer­ lesser team mates. “ I really didn’t know what to ence series 4-2. “ A statistical issue really,” said Letheren, a expect, so I guess I am pleased with vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Asso­ KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) — B.C. Lions’ defensive tuxedo, programmed his telephone answering what I’ve done,” Sampson said. The Los Angeles Lakers visit ciation. “ If the sixth score starts at a very end Nick Hebeler has recovered from last sea­ machine with Shakespeare and become immersed Sampson ranked fifth in the NBA the Phoenix Suns at 11:30 tonight high average, say 9.6 instead of 9.4 all scores son’s knee injury and is once again in top form at in the study of mind control. in rebounding with 11.1 a game and (delayed) on KIRO (cable 7). The will be kept up.” the Canadian Football League club's training Meanwhile, the Lions did some trimming after third in shot blocking with 2.4 a Lakers play the Suns at 10 a.m. Letheren said the Soviet push for a higher camp. practice Thursday. game in helping Houston improve Sunday if necessary. judging curve, which made a Comaneci 10 in­ Hebeler, 26. admits he’s thrilled to be back in The cuts included offensive tackle Craig Shar- action and ready to take a spot in what he calls pless. defensive back Henry Thorns and offensive evitable, was not done at the gymnastics tech­ FOREST CHAIN SAW nical meeting or anywhere else quite so indis­ “ the most awesome defensive line in the coun­ lineman Scott Peters. Also cut were offensive creet. This was a cloak and dagger affair. For try.” linemen Mark Hassart and Jim Rybachuk. all the noble sentiments expressed about ama­ “ It sure is nice to get out and hitting again.” he Corner Mel Byrd is expected back in camp to­ teur sport, we’re not talking open covenants said Thursday. “ I don’t even think about the knee day from Sacramento. Calif. He left camp Mon­ The Boat Place openly arrived at here. that much. I try to break hard on it but I’m cer­ day to be with his wife and their new son. born "Each country has a judge on the floor,” Le­ tainly not favoring it that much.” Sunday. theren said. “ And if enough judges agree to it The knee injury kept Hebeler out of the Lions’ Wide receiver Martin Turner is at home in 1 9 8 3 (higher marks), that's what you’ll find. As a lineup from the team’s fifth game last year. Portland, Ore., to be with his mother who was in­ judge you try to fit into the general tenure of a The coaching staff has so much confidence in jured in a car accident. Receiver Jim Sandusky meet. It works psychologically on you. There Hebeler, a graduate of Simon Fraser University, remains in bed with the flu. 12’ PRINCECRAFT are four judges; the high and low scores are he’s being allowed to decide whether to take the dropped.