European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Lunday january 26, the stars and stripes sour by Don Sauer i this is %6 second of three columns on the problems of major league baseball i major league baseball is making a mistake in implementing further expansion and starting division play. I the majors have added four new cities two to each league last year  and Kansas City in the american league and i Montreal and s6n Diego in the National. Baseball s leaders decided to break up the 24 clubs into four divisions of six teams each. A mistake in t so serious if one moves quickly to rectify Iti the tragedy Here is that neither decision can be reversed. The i owners unalterably committed at least for a number of  of these two decisions expansion is far the More serious. Imagine the Legal tangle baseball would be in if the owners decide to take Back any of the four franchises. Why expand what was the reasoning behind it. The owner claim that there Are Many deserving cities in the . Which should be Given the Opportunity of having major league  realistically were the owners not looking towards the big Money each club would realize from the Sale of a new franchise plus the Cash the new teams would have to Fork Over for the players they purchased in the expansion draft were they not also looking at pro football feeling that they must keep Pace and  fact is that there Are Only so Many players of proven major league Caliper available. Expansion spreads those top notch players Little thinner. The new clubs and their followers Are getting a bum  have to pay a big Price for a franchise plus outrageously High prices for marginal and unproven ballplayers with which they Are expected to Mold a major league club. It s no particular problem for the new club owner. He can writ much of his expenses off when income tax comes around. But what about the poor Joe fan we re afraid the irs Man won tallow him credit for the poor Caliper Ball which his season ticket  can t help but feel that the club owners in their Zeal for the Quick Buck and looking Over their shoulders at pro football have rushed expansion. This Corner does not protest franchise shifts where condition justify it. There remains doubt that a shift was justified in the Case of Milwaukee moving to Atlanta. A Strong commissioner probably would have prevented this move for the Good of base Ball. The move smacked of opportunism we re not opposed to expansion. But let s not Rush it. We feel that with the original expansion teams just getting to the Point of real Competition with established clubs its just a bit too Early to  can be done because Here is the place baseball can really get Hurt financially Long Range. Perhaps the Best solution is Tolet the sick franchise die without replacing them. Baseball could get Back to a solid Core of healthy franchises where player personnel is not spread Overly thin where baseball is offering Joe fan a product of the highest Caliper which again truely is Worth of being called our National pastime. There is another question Allied with expansion. Why have baseball owners elected to stay with the 162-game schedule extending a Long season even longer years ago when the majors first expanded they switched from the old format of 154 games to 162 because the Odd number of teams dictated it. Baseball s schedule makers at the time promised unofficially they would return to 154 games when feasible. With the current expansion to 24 clubs it is now Feas Able. But the owners reneged on that Promise. Why is it for the extra that they see in those extra games the 162 games along with the division playoffs add an extra week to the schedule. That makes two extra weeks longer than baseball originally had eight More games plus the playoffs. What s behind it  if not the zest for the extra Buck Why encroach More on pro football Why Knock Heads with a sport that obviously has the real momentum among the pros what about division baseball the percentages Are against it in several ways. With six teams chances of a Good three or four team race through the entire season Are considerably diminished. A Good race keeps the crowds at a healthy level throughout the whole  four new teams at once plus other relative newcomers which Are still not on a real Par with the established teams therein considerable imbalance within the respective divisions. This Corner foresees High percentage leaders on top and very Low percentage Tai lenders. What first or second place team s followers come out for an inept Tai Lender unable to offer much  Back at the last 10 years there have been some really terrific Pennant races. In Only two of 10 years has there not Beena close Chase Well into september two three or four teams involve Din one or both leagues. The exceptions 1968 and 1960.perhaps 1984 was the greatest St. Louis won a four team Chase on the last Day of the season in the . While the Yankee locked up a three team affair on the next to the last Day in the . On no less than six occasions have there been three or four teams with an excellent Chance going into the final week. Twice 1962, 1959 the season has ended in a Flat footed tie Neces sating a playoff. On two other occasions 1964 and 1967there was a possibility of a two or three team tie on the final Day of the Campaign. We seriously doubt that division baseball can match this  what about the world series the series has always been something really special something eagerly anticipated   t the division payoffs take the Edge off the series we Hope we re wrong because this reporter still loves baseball first an would like to see it healthy and prosperous. But we can t help wondering about the future. Rams smash Hof 102-81, to Clinch Csc Cage title by John Williamson staff writer Ramstein Germany is the Ramstein rams poured on the Coal in the second half her saturday to wrap up first place in the Safe Germany sport conference basketball race with a 102-81 win Over the Hof hustlers in the final game of the regular season after having been held Toa 4747 tie at halftime. The win gave the rams an 11-3record for the season and a full game advantage Over the Rhein main rockets who ended at 10 and 4. A loss to the Hustler would have placed the rams in a tie with the rockets and required a playoff to determine the title , by capturing the league race earned one of the Csc places it the Safe tournament to be held Early next month in South Ruislip  other Safe representative will be determined in a four team playoff to Start wednesday night at  Somerville sparked the rams second stanza splurge sat urday As he scored 13 of his 19 Points in the first six minute following the intermission 10 of them in a Row As the win ners pulled away to a 64-56 advantage that put the game out of reach of the hustlers. Somerville left the game soon after his scoring burst and Earl Mcvay Tom Reed and Beldo Hughes took Over the Point Mak ing chores for the rams who steadily widened the Gap Over the visitors who obviously were tired after their 83-79 loss to the sem Bach tigers Friday  and Reed each hit for 10 Points in the second half As Semba Cli Halm score Cage wins Sembach Germany special Sembach s tigers nearly became victims of the new title the Hof hustlers Are carrying As the spoilers but rallied in the final10 minutes to defeat them 83-79, in a hotly contested Safe Ger Many conference tilt Here Fri Day  will meet the Safe Ger Many conference leading ram Stein rams saturday and could still earn that title but after out playing the tigers nearly three quarters of the game and holding halftime Edge of 43-37, the hustlers were out hustled when Tiger top scorer Otis Johnson and John Stewart hit the hoop for 14points after tying Hof 54-54 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. Johnson completed the contest with 23 Points while Stewart had Torrejon Quint ousts champs Rota Spain special Tor Rejon eliminated defending Champion Rota 92-76, in the ninth game of the Spain moroc co conference basketball tournament being staged Here. In two other games Moron turned Back Naples 99-71, then coms Ubron 16, also of Rota eliminated the  stars from Italy on an 83-70  was ahead by 12 Points at halftime 51-39," an never seriously pressed by the defending  had Only a 14-Point bulge 50-36 at intermission in its Triumph Over Naples while the ass 16 contingent saw a 16-Point 46-30 advantage pressed before go ing on to  Champion and runner up in this tournament will Advance in to the Safe championships scheduled feb. 6-10 in London. Pioneer Pool Champ enters Fulda finals Hanau Germany special Samuel b. Wehrenburg of the 2nd support brigade s 543rdhem co is the Champion of the Pioneer Pool  Halifax va., native is now eligible to compete in the District Pool tournament finals at Fulda in february. 18, Dalonzo Hicks 13 and Joh Muno 10. Jim Mcauley was the hustlers High Man with 22 Points and John Hartman contributed 19points for the losers. Sembach closed out regular conference play with a 9-5 record Good for third place inthe Safe Germany standings. Hof s record is 5-8 and fifth place. Hahn Germany special the Hahn Hawks dumped us afe Germany conference cellar dwelling Span Dahlem 139-75, Here Friday night in what amounted to a no contest game. Behind the accurate 31 Point compiled by Willie Carson who was supported by Ike brow with 25 and George Winston with 15 Points the Hawks soared Toan Early Lead. By halftime they were substituting freely with an81-35 Lead Over the hapless pioneers. Hahn s record is 8-6 in the us afe Germany conference stand Ings i what looks like a Safe fourth place Over . The Pio neers have completed their sea son with Only one Victory in 14 contests. Prep scores basketball Friday i Rulliere 75, Frankfurt 65 saturday Heidt Siori 68, Frankfurt 59 wrestling Friday London Central 45, Brussels 12 Karlsruhe 31, Munich 16 Stuttgart 31. Mannheim is saturday London Central 39, Brussels 13 Stuttgart 29, Munich 23 Karlsruhe 40, Mannheim 13 Hughes tallied  s John Hartman who tossed in 15 markers in the first half equated that output in the second period to take game scor ing honors with 30. Reed matched Somerville s 19 markers to share the top spot for Ramstein. The hustlers broke fast handheld on to the Lead through the first nine minutes of play. The the rams Oscar King hit two from the foul line Manuel Acost stole the Ball and drove in to score on an easy Layup and converted As he was fouled for a three Point play and Bernar Battle hit on another pair of Charity tosses to enable ram Stein to come from four behind to a 26-23  regained the Lead Only three times thereafter at 30-28,32-30 and 44-43. James Cavley was fouled at the Buzzer ending the first half and Sank the shot to pull the hustlers into the half time tie. Hartman managed three Fiel goals while the rams and Somer Ville were searing the net for 17points right after the intermission but they were not enough to keep Hof in the game. The rams were never less than nine Point ahead from there in and were scoring practically at will when the final Buzzer sounded. Behind Somerville and Reed King had 15 Points for the win ners Hughes finished with 14.Mcvay had 12, and Acosta accounted for 11.mcavley and William Middle ton aided Hartman with the Hof scoring with 18 and 14 markers  loss for the hustlers left them with a 5 and 9 record forthe season and a tie for sixth place in the conference stand Ings with the Pitburg Barons. Hof f 4-4 1-4 4-5 1-1 1-1 Greenwood 3 1-1 Mcdonald 0 0-0 Middleton Miller Hartman Capps Cavley  Kellam g 131 7 2 1 2-4 1-3 Ramstein p g30 Prysock 3 Acosta is Battle 5 Karnes 3 Somerville 7 King 0 Mcvay 14 hughes1 Reed Daniel f 0-0 3-3 2-2 0-fl 1-2 3-5 0-3 6-7 5-6 0-2 p 4 11 6 0 19 if 12 14 19 totals 33 15-33 81 totals 41 20-30 102 Hof 47 34 is Ramstein 47 55102 fouled out Hof Cavley. Total fouls Hof 23, Ramstein 20 standings Safe Csc basketball final standings won Ramstein 11 Luein main 0 a Einbach 9hahn 8 we a Nkulen 7 Hof 5 Pitburg 5 Sixing Dahlem 1 saturday s result Kansu in 102, Hof is Only game schedule Friday s results Sei ubah s3, to 79 Hahn 139, Spang Dahlen 75 lost 3 4 5 6 79 9 13 pet. Trasti 714 th3 571 .071 runner up playoffs scheduled by Csc Ramstein Germany is the four team playoff to determine the Germany conference runner up representative in the Safe championship tournament has been booked for Theiu main and Willet underway wednesday night. Thein Muin runner up in the regular season Chase behind Cham Pion Ramstein hosts Sembach Hahn and the Darmstadt comets in the special double elimination playoff. The comets qualified fora shot at rim erupt laurels by capturing the Small unit playoff title. Theiu main takes a 10-4 Loop record into the tournament while third place Sembach finished at 9-5 and Hahn was 8-6. Winner of the runner up playoff will join Champion Ramstein fora trip across the English Channel to compete in the Safe Chain pious hips Early next Mouth in London