European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fight night thursday september 29,1977 the stars and stripes Page 23 Kedsch Tylerjr. New York a Earnie shavers has a puncher s Chance to win the heavy weight championship thursday night but in the end the finesse and experience of Muhammad Ali will prevail. There s always that Chance that this could be one too Many trips to the Well for the 35-year-old Champion. He has had a lot of wars says shavers. They Start to take their  but this Corner agrees with the smart Guys in Las vegas who Are Are so sure of Ali they Are keeping their Rolls in their pockets there is no betting line. However shavers is no Jean Pierre Coopman or Alfredo Evangelista who went after the title with pop guns. Shavers is a bomber and it would be foolish to pay too much attention to the fact that most of his 52 knockouts have been against less than top Quality opponents. Three of his Best wins were a three round knockout of Jimmy Young and a one round knockout of Hie Ali shavers fight will be shown live on German television s first pro Gram at 3 . Friday. The first pro Gram will also show a resume of the fight at 10 30 . Friday. Jimmy Ellis both to 1973, and a two round knockout of Howard Smith last april 17. An apparent plus for Ali is that he matches shavers Strong Point with his own. He has always been Able to take a punch keeping his feet against such bang ers As Sonny listen George Foreman Ron Lyle and Joe Frazier in two fights. He has gotten up from the four knockdowns he suffered in 56 fights 54 of which he has won. Shavers knockout record might have Hurt him in the area of stamina. His 60 fights have lasted less than 199 full rounds. He was very tired in the 10th round when he out pointed Henry Clark and he was at the Point of exhaustion when he stopped Roy Williams in the 10th round both in 1976. I be never been in the Best shape be cause i m a Good puncher and i figured i d Knock him out says shavers who has sparred More than 225 rounds for his big Al baseball continued from Page 21 in 1947. In other american league action Balti More stayed alive in the Eastern division race with a 6-1 Triumph Over Detroit Chi Cago beat Minnesota 8-6, Milwaukee topped California 75, and Oakland swept a doubleheader from Kansas City 4-2 in 15 innings and 3-2. Yankees 2, indians 1 reliever Jim Bibby s third wild pitch in three innings allowed Thurman Munson to score with the winning run in the ninth inning. Munson had led off the inning with a single the Only hit off Bibby. Orioles 6, tigers 1 Mike Flanagan struck out 13 in hurling a five hitter for Baltimore which trails new York by four games. Pat Kelly s 10th Homer of the season his first since june 17, was the key blow for Baltimore. It looks Bleak very Bleak at this time said manager Earl Weaver of the orioles chances to win the division. There s not much time  White sox 8, twins 6 Richie Zisk slammed two Home runs and drove in five runs As Chicago clinched third place in the West. Larry Hisle upped his league leading rib total to 116 with a double in the first. Brewers 7, Angels 5 Don Money s two run Homer in the 10th inning won the game for Milwaukee. Cecil Cooper also homered for the Brewers. A s 4-3, royals 2-2 Jerry Tabb s two run Homer in the 15th won the first game for Oakland. A seventh inning error by Kansas City Center Field Willie Wilson allowed the winning run to score in the Nightcap. Shavers could get Lucky but smart Money makes Ali Odds on favorite to keep his title Chance in Madison Square Garden. There also is the question of shavers ability to take a punch. Three of his five losses have been by knockouts in five rounds by Ron slander in 1970, one round by Jerry Quarry in 1973 and six rounds by Lyle two years ago. He was in danger of being stopped by Ellis before he scored a knockout with a right to the Temple. When you get Tensed up you can t take a shot says shavers. I be always gone wild trying for a knockout and that makes you  shavers says he won t go wild this time trying for a knockout and that he won t fall into the trap of punching himself out. Ali says he will and that he will Knock shavers out. If he does it will be from a Combina Tion of shavers being tired and accumulative punches. Ali s right hand in recent fights has not be much of weapon except for scoring Points. Shavers also says he plans to work on Ali s body and beat on his arms to Force Down the Champion s guard. That brings up the key question of whether shavers can stick to his plan of attack in the pressure of a heavyweight championship fight pres sure Ali will be dealing with for the 22nd time. Two important areas in which Ali has a definite advantage Are his ability to adapt to the situation in the ring and his supreme Confidence in his ability to reach Back and find what s needed to win. You never know what he s going to do says shavers. The crowd hollers find a Way to come through " says Ali. And i find a Way to come  if there is a past Ali fight after which this could be patterned it would be his de sense against Lyle on May 16, 1975. Lyle tried to pick his spots and stayed in the Center of the ring when Ali went to the ropes. At the end of 10 rounds Lyle was ahead on two of the three official cards but he was tiring. In the Lith round Ali unloaded a flurry of unanswered punches and the Fig it was stopped with Lyle still on his feet. Thursday night the end for shavers will come in the ninth round. Friends and foes alike amazed Over rangers treatment of Gilbert new York a former team mates and opponents have expressed astonishment that the new York Ranger career of Veteran right Wing Rod Gilbert appears to have ended. Philadelphia flyer goalie Bernie Parent after beating the rangers 5-2 in a National hockey league exhibition game tuesday night was the most outspoken against the management of the rangers from whom Gilbert has asked his outright release. I Don t care what they say said the Gray haired net minder when you be got a Guy who has done what he has in new York for 16 years and they give him crap like that i Don t have any darn respect for the organization. Sixteen years and they do something like this. I can t believe it. What he did for new York. Well the hell with the new York rangers. Something like this just makes you sick. And they ask what s wrong with the team. All they have to do is look at How they treat their  Gilbert 36, left the team Friday claim ing that communication had broken Down with general manager John Ferguson. Gil Bert maintains his departure was not due to Ferguson s refusal to pick up the two option years on his contract which has one full season to run. I just Don t think i m being treated properly Here said the popular right Wing the team s All time leading scorer and an acknowledged Leader of a franchise rebuilding with youth. If he resents me and does t want me Fine. But he s handled it in a manner that s very non class. I Don t want a new contract. I want out because i Don t want to play under him said Gilbert. Ferguson maintains that Gilbert s con tract is the matter at hand. I m trying to build a hockey club and you Don t build a hockey club on sentiment. It does t make any difference How Long he s been Here. If a Man signs a contract he has an Obliga Rod Gilbert. He just wants out  meanwhile Gilbert remains away from the club a fact that has amazed Friend and foe alike. What kind of organization is this asked new York left Wing Steve Vickers. Rod Gilbert promoted himself and the game and no one in the office Ever helped him. The office does t believe in working and helping us. I Don t believe Rod Gilbert will Ever play with this team again and it s a  flyers defens Eman Joe Watson agreed. But added there s two sides to every Story then there s the  Veteran Philadelphia right Wing Gary Dornhoefer said something like this would never happen in  what will happen next appears to lie in a meeting Between Gilbert s attorney Lou Powell and Ranger president William Jennings. Regardless of the outcome play ers admit privately that this crisis added to the trauma of right Wing Don Murdoch s off season arrest for Possession of cocaine has left them in difficult shape mentally with the Start of the nil regular season just two weeks away. Esteba is Boxer of the month Mexico City a the world boxing Council had named venezuelan Luis Esteba the wac s world Light Fly weight Champion As Boxer of the month for his Victory Over Orlando Hernandez of Costa Rica. Ernie Schnotz Lombardi 69, Santa Cruz Calif. Up two time National league batting Champi on Ernie Lombardi a gentle lumber ing Catcher whose colourful manner enlivened the baseball scene in the 1930s and 40s, has died at the age of 69. Lombardi who reached stardom with the Cincinnati reds and also played for the Boston braves new York giants and Brooklyn dodgers died at his Home in this California coast City monday night after a Long illness. After quitting As a player Lombardi whose Strong  intimidated baserunners and who Doodna tiredly accepted ribbing for his slowness of foot remained a part of the game running the press Box for the san Francisco giants for six years. Lombardi won his first batting title in 1938, hitting .342 with the reds. He won his second Crown in 1942 with a .330 average for the braves. In his colourful 17-year major league career he had an Overall batting aver age of .306 and hit 190 Home runs. He also caught Johnny Vander Meer s unprecedented Back to Back no hitters within a Span of four Days in 1938. Boy was i bruised from going Down to Stop some of his pitches Lombardi recalled years later. A giant among catchers of his time standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 230 pounds Lombardi a native of Oakland Calif., could snap the Ball to second base underhanded rather than making the conventional throw. He once fired the Ballo first base during an exhibition game with Detroit and flattened Batter Goose Goslin who had gotten too close to the Strong Peg. Although fans called him Schnotz players nicknamed him botch when he played for Cincinnati where his Roommate Chick Hafey tried to cure his snoring by tying Lombardi s big toe to the bed. A feared right handed pull hitter whose line drives Down the third base line hooked As though struck with a Golf club Lombardi was the first member of the reds Hall of Fame. His gentle manner delighted fans who saw him Battle his slow Speed to reach foul popups. And in 1939, he look his famous snooze at Home plate during the fourth and final game of the world series against the Yankees. He had been decked when yanks out fielder Charley Keller rammed past him coming in with the second run of a rally and was still a red and Down when Joe Dimaggio followed Keller Home enabling the new yorkers to win the game and the series. Born april 6, 1908, Lombardi broke into baseball with the Oakland Oaks in 1926 and spent five years in the Pacific coast league. The dodgers bought him following the 1930 season but after one season he went to Cincinnati with out fielder babe Herman. At Cincinnati As elsewhere he often disregarded coaches advice on pitches. Once 1 told every Batter in a game what the next pitch would be and we still won he recalled