European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 22, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 21 w Crown Byre Mcmane up sports writer after two years in the Winner s Circle the big red machine has finally conked out and the National league West Pennant has gone Hollywood again. The los Angeles dodgers who led the no West race from opening Day clinched their first no West title since 1974 tuesday night when Southpaw Tommy John and Rookie Lance Rautzhan combined to Stop the san Francisco giants 3-1. The loss mathematically eliminated the two time world Champion reds from con Tention and deprived them of the Chance to become the first team since the St. Louis cardinals of 1942-4344 to win three no pen Nants in a Row. How Sweet it is said manager Tom Lasorda amid the jubilation of the dodger clubhouse. You Guys Are a great Bunch of players and i m grateful to have been chosen your  most of the credit for the Pennant Clinch ing Victory had to go to John the 34-year old Southpaw who Only three years ago seemed headed for baseball s scrap Heap with a ruined Arm. But some miraculous surgery restored John s Arm and after bouncing Back to win comeback of the year honors last year he emerged As the team s stopper this season. John blanked the giants on four hits until the ninth inning when they pushed across a run on a triple by Jack Clark a walk and a two out Pinch single by Gary Alexander. Rautzhan then took Over and struck out Gary Thomasson for the final out with two runners on base. The Victory was John s 19th of the season against Only six losses and Lasorda once again confirmed that the Veteran Southpaw would open the National league playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies. He has been my stopper All year la no Roundup Sorda said. And he is my Man to open the series. We will be playing a great club in Phil Adelphia. We re looking Forward to it and i m sure they Are too. It should be a tremendous  another major contributor in the Victory was Rick monday one of the major off season acquisitions who has played Only sparingly the latter half of the season be cause of Back spasms. Monday hit a two run Homer in the second inning after Dusty Baker doubled Home the first run of the inning. Monday s Homer his 14th, carried Tommy John. Hurls 19th Victory into the upper deck in right Field at Candle stick Park and was one of the longest shots Ever witnessed there. It was a tremendous thrill for me Bavasi president of hapless padres retiring after 26 years in baseball san Diego up . Buzzy Bavasi his team in turmoil after a year of ill timed injuries and free agent frustrations announced his retirement tuesday night As president of the san Diego padres. Bavasi who after 17 years As a Success Ful vice president general manager for the Brooklyn los Angeles dodgers when they won eight pennants was lured away in 1968 to take control of the expansion padres. Under Bavasi s stewardship the padres never reached higher than fourth place in the National league West. But this year with a major infusion of Money from the club s owner hamburger Czar Ray Kroc the padres invested heavily in the free agent Market signing former Oakland a s stars Rollie fingers and Gene Tenace. As a result preseason expectations ran High but those Hopes were quickly dashed when the club s pitching staff was decimated by the loss of Ace lefthand ers Randy Jones and Brent Strom because of injuries. I leave with nothing but the highest regard for everyone connected with the organization and especially Ray Kroc said Bavasi. I m really sorry that the club did not Progress As i hoped it would throughout the years. However under the leadership of or. Kroc i m sure the club will succeed. Mrs. Bavasi and i Are grateful to Ray for having kept the franchise in san Diego and we both wish everyone involved nothing but  with the club mired in fifth place in the no West 26v2 games behind los Angeles inner pressures have placed both Bavasi and manager Alvin dark in difficult Posi tons. Bavasi s retirement appears to be the Host step in a major reorganization by Kroc. Last week reports that dark would soon be fired were not discounted by anyone in padre Rookie fielder gets no player of week honors new York a Rookie outfielder Gene Richards who hit safely in All six san Diego padre games last week batting 481, has been named the National league s player of the week league presi Dent Charles Feeney said tuesday. Richards also stole three bases last week for a season total of 48, one Short of the All time stolen base record for rookies. The padres front office while Tenace among other players on the club demanded to be traded. Bavasi admitted earlier this year that the free spending foray into the free agent Market had been a mistake and that he would recommend to Kroc that the padres not do it again. However Kroc and Bavasi reportedly were not on the Best of terms of late although Kroc announced that Bavasi would remain with the padres for the time being As a consultant. Bavasi whose son Peter is the president of the expansion Toronto Blue jays in the american league is a native new yorker who was an organization Man for the Brooklyn dodgers under Walter o Malley and Branch Rickey. In 1951 he became vice president of the dodgers after running their Montreal farm club in the International league. It was Bavasi who persuaded the dodger brass to hire the then Little known Walter Alston As their manager in 1954 in place of Charlie Dressen. Alston who had managed at Montreal for Bavasi went on to win seven pennants and the Only four world champions in the club s history. Buzzy Bavasi. Led dodgers for 17 years argonauts sex Captain gave 18 Grinders amphetamines Toronto a a former Captain of the Toronto argonauts has testified that he dispensed Large quantities of amphetamines to other players on the Canadian football league team with the knowledge of the team doctor. Marv Luster testified monday in Ontario supreme court that he considered himself the team s official distributor of the drugs Benz Edrine and dexedrine. He said he gave the drugs packaged in Small envelopes to As Many As 18 players during the 1971 season during which he served As team Captain. Luster s testimony was read into the record at a hearing on a suit filed by former Cal player Joe Vijuk against the Ottawa rough riders the argonauts and  alleges in the suit that he was induced to take amphetamines to improve his physical performance but that they had in fact caused him physical and mental , a 14-year football Veteran said he had received prescriptions for the drugs from or. Grant Stuart the argonauts physician. He said he had used As much As 80 milligrams of the drugs before and during games. Luster described the amphetamines As Safe to take routinely adding that he had begun using them in College for Energy. Said monday. Not so much to hit the Ball that hard but to help the team win  the dodgers broke the no Pennant race open in april by winning 17 of their first 20 games to build a 7 /2 game Lead Over the reds. They were never seriously challenged after that. In other no games Cincinnati blanked san Diego 4-0 Philadelphia topped Chica go 4-2 Pittsburgh downed new York. 4-2, and Houston Defeated Atlanta. 6-3. St. Louis at Montreal was rained out. Reds 4, padres 0 Tom Seaver pitched his sixth shutout of the year and posted his 19th Triumph in leading the reds Over the padres. George Foster tied the Cincinnati club record for most homers in a season by belting his 49th in the first inning. Foster s Homer was a two run shot which raised his rib total to 142, Only six Short of the team record set by Johnny Bench in 1970. Don Werner also homered for the reds. Phillies 4, cubs 2 Steve Carlton pitched a four hitter for his 22nd Victory and Battery mate Tim Mccarver drove in three runs with a two run Homer and a sacrifice Fly As the Phillies reduced their magic number for clinching their second straight no title to four. Carl ton s route going performance was his 16thof the year. Pirates 4, mets 2 Bill Robinson the club rib Leader singled Home the tie breaking run in a two run eighth inning that gave the pirates a Victory Over the mets and helped John Candelaria to his 18th Triumph. Candela Ria. Who has lost Only five and boasts the Best winning percentage in the majors lowered his major league leading Era to2.48. Astros 6, braves 3 de Herrmann and Art Howe each drove in two runs to Pace the astros to Victory Over the braves. Herrmann hit a sacrifice Fly in the sixth and singled across a run in the eighth while Howe doubled in a run in the second and delivered a sacrifice Fly in the eighth. Joe Niekro went the distance to gain his 13th Victory while Cesar Celeno had three hits and equated a club record by hitting in his 21st game. Willie Montane. Hit his 19th Homer for the braves John will open playoff series los Angeles up before the los Angeles dodgers had even clinched the National league West title. Man Ager Tommy Lasorda named lefthand or Tommy John 19-6, to open the National league playoff series against the Philadelphia Phillies Ai dodger stadium oct. 4. Sutton will pitch the second game. He has the credentials and experience. How we do in those two games will de Termine the rest of the rotation Lasorda said. The Best of five game series will wind up at Philadelphia. The other members of the dodger rotation Are Rick Rhoden 169 Doug Rau 13-8, and Burt Hooton 10-7. Sutton is 14-8. We think we can beat anyone la Sorda had said monday night. We came out of Spring training with that kind of mental toughness. As i be said so often the race does t always go to the fastest the fight to the strongest the game to the Best team. Our Guys were willing to pay the Price. They worked hard. They executed. They believed m themselves. And they re 11 a games ahead of one of the Best teams Ever a team that can put a Light up there with one Hall of Famer after another. I Call it a tremendous accomplish ment. I could t be prouder. We obviously wanted it