European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 5, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 5, 1969 the stars and stripes Page up to 9th la Salle still climbing in up ratings new York up the Lasalle College explorers Are discovering new Heights in their steady climb in the nation s major College basketball rat Ings. The explorers under firs year coach Tom Gola advanced to the no. 9 position tuesday in the ninth weekly ratings of the season highest ranking of the Campaign for the Philadelphia  explorers pushed their season record to 16-1 saturday night by trouncing Loyola of new Orleans 102-65 and the Victory enabled la Salle to climb one notch in the , St. John s of new York and Villanova also mad advances in the ratings Kansas rejoined the top ten and David son and new Mexico state dropped. Bruins Roll along unbeaten Urcla boasting perfect 16-0 Mark and unchallenged this season was the unanimous Choice As the no. 1 team for the ninth successive week. The Bruins received All the first place votes from the35-member up coaches rating Board and a perfect score of350 Points compiled on a 10-9-8 7-6-5-4-3-2-1  Carolina retained the no. 2 rating while Santa Clara the Only other unbeaten team in the top 10, held the no. 3position. Kentucky advanced one Posi Tion from the previous week and replaced Davidson As the no. 4team. St. Johns seventh last week climbed to fifth highest position of the season for the , an upset loser to Iowa slipped to sixth. Villanova climbed two notches to no. 7 continued on Page 20 players of baseball Boycott new York a major league base Ball moved closer to the first strike in its 100-year history monday when the player association agreed to Boycott Spring train ing Sites until their dispute with the owners Over their pension fund is settled. The action the most militant stand taken during the four Rno nth old dispute conies just 10 Days before the Chicago White sox rescheduled to become the first team to open their training Camp and less than a Mont before the traditional March 1 opening Date for  the end of a four hour meeting at tended by approximately 125 players including stars such As Bob Gibson Jim Bunning Maury wills Brooks Robinson Ernie Banks Mickey Lolich Joe Torre and Rusty staub the players issued a statement that said Namath shades Mclain in balloting for Hickok 1968 pro athlete award Rochester . Up Joe Namath the Strong armed quarterback who guided the new York jets to the pro football championship monday was named Winner of the 19th annual s. Rae Hickok professional athlete of the year award in the closest balloting in the history of the citation. Namath breaking baseball three year stranglehold on the award beat out Detroit tigers Pitcher Denny Mclain by a four Point margin for the 1968honor. Diamond studded Belt the jets quarterback com piled 321 Points in the balloting while Mclain the 31-gamewinner for the world series winning tigers had 317  Bob Gibson was a Distant third with 131 1-2  of Namath s selection was made at the annual Rochester press radio club dinner Here. The award and the Diamond studded Gold buckled Belt that goes with it i presented annually by Ray and Alan Hickok of Rochester i memory of their sportsman  to Namath s Triumph Phil Rizzuto s six Point margin Over Ben Hogan for the drag stripped los Angeles hot Rod Driver i go virtually in cow with his brow tog the Natoma i hot Rod Ter nationals at Pomona Calif. The body of Reyes top ind then Fitos off Bottom Reyes loses completely Over Reyes in escaped uninjured associated press photo inaugural Belt in 1950 was the narrowest Man. Namath is the first pro football player to win the award since Jimmy Brown of the Cleveland Browns captured the citation in 1964. Last year Swinner was Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston red sox and the two previous winners were Frank Robinson and Sandy Koufax. The former Alabama Quarter Back finishing his fourth season with the jets received 63 firs place votes and on a breakdown of three Points for first two for second and one for third tallied 321 Points. Mclain had 70 first place votes but had fewer seconds and thirds and wound up with317. Golfer Billy Casper finishing fourth in the balloting with 77 Points received five first place votes and Mickey Lolich of the tigers a three game Winner inthe world series was fifth with 54 Points and six first places. All pro selection other first place votes went to Earl Morrall of the Baltimore Colts . Ope Champ Lee Trevino Bill Russell of the Boston celtics do Drysdale of the los Angeles dodgers middleweight Cham Pion Nino Benvenuti and Auto racer Mark , playing with a pair of hobbled Knees led the jets to their first american football league Crown and then the super bowl Victory Over Balti  1988 award Winner was also voted the most valuable player in the Al and made the All pro team which encompasses both the Al and the National football  the pro football playoffs extend into the newyear the vote took into consideration both the regular season and the super bowl. Namath participating in Atour of military installations in the far East was unable to attend. Rochester . A Bronko Nagurski punishing fullback for the Minnesota gophers in the late 1920s and later a Star for the Chicago bears received the second annual Golden link award monday night As the retroactive pro athlete of the  powerfully built sex Wres Tler from International Falls jminn., was honoured at the Hickok award dinner when the Hickok Diamond studded Belt was awarded to Joe Namath new Yor Jet quarterback As the pro ath Lete of the  Hickok sponsors decided last year to Start honouring old time athletes who starred be fore the current award was initiated. The first Winner was for Mer heavyweight Champi Onjack Dempsey. Esposito holds 9-Point Lead Over Bobby new York a Phil Esposito closing in on the All time Boston scoring record he set last year has also taken a nine Point Lead Over Chicago s Bobby Hull in the National hockey league s individual scoring race statistics disclosed Mon Day. Esposito has 32 goals and 46assists for 78 Points. Last sea son he totalled 84 Points for a ruins Mark. Hull also has 32 goals but only37 assists for 69 Points. Stan Mikita also of the Hawks moved up to third place with 66 Points. He is the defending scor ing Champion. Howe in fourth place Gordie Howe of Detroit who has lifted his nil career goal scoring record to 713, is four thin the Points race with 65 Points on 25 goals and 40 assists. Jea Beliveau of Montreal is next with 60. Veterans Jacques plane an Glenn Hall of St. Louis continue to Lead the goalies with a combined average yield of Only 2.04 goals. Rookie defens Eman Jim Dor by of Toronto is the Loop s bad Man with an aggregate of 151penalty minutes. The scoring leaders g a pts. 1. Esposito. Bos 3- 46 78 2. B. Hull. Chi 32 37 69 3. Mikita Chi 19 41 66 4. Howe bet 25 40 65 5. Beliveau Mil 23 37 60 0. Berenson  3 33 56 7. Cournoyer my 30 24 54 Hodge bos 28 26 54 Holvec Clito Del 17 ti7 54 10. Kappl Chi 25 27 52 wires removed from Hull s jaw has new injury Chicago a Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks hockey s super Star had the wires removed from his broken jaw monday and was Able treat solid food for the first time in 40 , the Golden Jet has to eat Only with his right Han for a while. His left hand was Cut and needed stitching in Freak mishap during the Hawks Montreal game in Chicago stadium sunday. Teammate Ken  Over the boards to enter the game Early in the first period accidentally stepped on Bob by s left hand As Bobby sat be continued of Paite to resolved that the players fully support he actions and policies of their negotiating committee in the current Benefit plan negotiations and reiterate their support of the policy that players should not sign individual salary contracts and should not report to Spring training Sites until the negotiations Are satisfactorily  although the players have been urged be fore not to sign this was the first time they had been told not to report to Spring training until the impasse was resolved. Asked How Many players Hadnot signed their contracts. Mar Vin Miller executive director of the association replied there Are very very few established players who have signed. A conservative estimate would be that 90 per cent have not signed and the figure prob ably would be  Miller also said the players through their negotiating com Mittee had reached Genera agreement that players who usually go to Spring training Sites earlier than required on their own should not do so this year. We be told  he said that it would not be Wise to put out their own expenses and Wedon t want to appear  the Boycott threat of course raises the Specter of empty training Camps or Camps filled largely with minor leagues. The dispute Between the own ers and the players revolves largely around the pension  owners have agreed to in crease the total monies contributed from $4.1 million to $5.1 Mil lion a year but Miller pointed out the Issue was not primarily one of Money. Bro casting Money he said the main Issue waste players right to radio and television Revenue. And the statement issued after the meet ing supported that by saying the players. Stated that the current impasse is a direct result of the roadblocks thrown up by the owners representatives in an attempt to break with the  most Impi him of these roadblocks is the position take that the funding of the Benefit i plan should be completely divorced from National radio and i television Revenue even though the two have been directly tied for the last 22  the players Are Desir Ous of reaching an agreements quickly As possible they will not surrender their rights re Garding broadcasting in the  if the problem could be solved before the traditional March 1 training Dale. Miller said he thought that still was possible but added we have not had a single proposal from the owners Gideon this. They have had Only one position no All references to broadcast rights must  under the current pension plan a player in the majors for five years May get $250 a Mon thin pension benefits if he chooses to take it at the age of 50. If he Waits until he is 65. The pension would be $634 plus social Securi  10-year player would get $500 monthly at to s �s6 t 55 or$933 at 60. If he waited until 65, it would be $1,288 a month. Okker turns pro Daj Juas a Tom Okker the flying dutchman from Haarlem the Netherlands was signed monday to play for world Champion ship Tennis the Pallas based pro tour. Okker 24, will join the pro. Fess ional group at the Philadelphia indoor open wednesday Roberta Brier executive director of the organization said. Financial details were not revealed. Brier said it is a Long Ter contract. Okker took first prize of 114,006 at the . Open at Forest Hills ., Tost year although losing the final to Arthur abbe