European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 15, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday september 15, 1978 the stars and stripes Page tale of the tape yanks reach first place on win against tigers botox Bow to indians by Bill Madden up sports writer by literally kicking away a Pennant they had seemingly wrapped up at mid season the Boston red sox Are helping new York Yankees stage the greatest comeback in american league history. As incredible As it May sound no team since the 1904 Detroit tigers has Ever been any farther than 6 /2 games behind on july 4 and come Back to win an american league Pennant. And yet with the red sox having dropped 11 games in their last 14 and committed 35 errors in the process the Yankees who were nine games Back on third bout Between a i and Spinks not expected if Champ retains title by Milton Richman sensitive As he is to such things Ali is i i new Orleans up once was not fully aware of this having made the Dis enough. Twice though should wrap it up covery in their first fight seven months Tyni cely for Leon Spinks and get Muhammad ago. Ali saw the Way Spinks kept coming at 1 a Jiali out of his thick curly hair for Good. Him from the very first round until the 15thall things being equal there won t be and literally Felt that Lack of Awe in All the and rightly should t be any great clamor or petition for a third meeting Between them in the event Spinks makes it two in a Row Over Ali Friday night in the Louisiana super dome where the living is easy and so is the breathing because smoking is effectively discouraged there. Before their first fight in Las vegas last february i remember Spinks telling me a How he Felt he could beat Ali although he stopped Short of offering any Iron Clad Gua uni Rantee that he would. In fact he said he would t be that startled if Ali Defeated him. Spinks talks the same Way about Friday night s encounter candidly leaving open the possibility he could lose his Aba world heavyweight title. Should he do so you can reasonably expect him to seek still another match Between him and Ali despite Ali s repeated insistence he s going to retire. No matter what you be heard or read f Jabout Leon Spinks and his misadventures outside the ring he in t exactly a clod Lide it. A up he hits hard if not murderously so with both hands keeps them up enough so that the s Seldom vulnerable to damaging left Al Hooks and is uncommonly Quick on his feet. At this Point in his career it is questionable whether the Man universally regarded the fastest heavyweight in boxing Histo actually is much faster than Spinks a considering this is Only the ninth proves the Konal fight for the 25-year-old Spinks and that he s engaging in on the Job training the s entitled to his belief hell be a far Supe rior fighter in the future. Undoubtedly be. Lull to or just starting out he says each punches he absorbed. Seated in a local auditorium ring with a White terrycloth Robe around him following wednesday s final workout which Accord ing to him would be his last Ever for a professional fight the 36-year-old Ali called attention to the trim physical shape he was in and with his customary passion vowed to beat Spinks this time around. I Promise you i will retire Champion he said while some 1,200 sitting and listen ing to him in the auditorium roared their approval. I expect to retire after i defeat this Man. I m getting a Little too old so i m getting out after this in the next breath however he insisted he was t too old which could offer some clue As to How serious he actually is about hanging up his gloves permanently after this fight with Spinks. He talked about their first contest and ridiculed those who pointed out he was tired. That s supposed to be headline news he said his voice heavily laced with sarcasm. Why would t i be tired after 15 rounds i still almost won. I gave him the first six seven rounds and it was even after the 14th. If i beat him the first time they d say of he s just a kid out of the olympics so i m glad he won because now i m Gonna be the first Man Ever to win the world heavyweight championship three times. Losing the first one turned out. To be a Blessing in disguise. Now i la be the first Black Man to retire in Ali s own mind at least there seems to be no doubt he will beat Spinks Friday night. July 4, sit atop the Al East for the first time this season. The red sox relinquished the Lead they had held since May 24 when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Cleveland indians wednesday night. At the same time the Yankees Defeated the Detroit tigers 7-3 for their 17th win in the last 20 games when Al Roundup triples by Lou Piniella and Mickey Rivers keyed a four run fourth inning against 15 game Winner Jack Billingham. Graig Nettles led off the fourth with a single and scored on Piniella s triple to tie the game 1-1. Roy White singled Home Piniella and one out later Rivers tripled for another run. Willie Randolph capped the inning with a sacrifice Fly. We re world champions said Piniella. You can t get too excited moving into first place with 17 or 18 games to play. First place is at stake this weekend in new York and we have to be sure we Don t fall it s a Nice feeling said Yankee Man Ager Bob Lemon. I m not the hysterical Type. We have to worry about still being Here on oct. 1." we re getting the Good pitching now added Rivers and without pitching you can t do indeed. Rookie Jim Beattie who was exiled to the minors during the Yankees dark Days of july limited the tigers to three hits Over 6 1-3 innings for his fifth Vic tory. Rich Gossage who else finished up. Meanwhile the red sox committed three More errors in their loss to Cleveland although the deciding run came in the fifth on a successful squeeze bunt by Tom Veryzer that scored Dan Briggs who tripled to Lead off the inning. The red sox Man aged Only seven hits against Winner David Clyde 7-10, and reliever Jim Kern while stranding eight. Beleaguered manager Don Zimmer would t talk about the errors which have plagued his team but vowed to do some thing about his slumping offence. We be had two Well pitched games in a Row and lost them both Zimmer said. I plan to make a lineup change tomorrow starting Carl Yastrzemski at first and benching George Scott. Scott was o-for-3 continued on Page 24 recites final poem As Boxer Ali says hell retire after Victory c time he gets the impression too much ism a being expected of him. I m still learning of my Trade. What i m trying to do is improve andean a living while i m Spinks in t the least bit intimidated by either Ali the Man or the myth. He re respects him because Ali always has been and still is his idol but he does t look upon j whim with the reverential like Little boy Awe that so Many of Muhammad s past opponents have. By Steve Wilstein new Orleans up Muhammad Ali completed training wednesday for his rematch with Leon Spinks Friday night announced this is my last Day in a train ing gym then recited his final poem in the did t spar but he Shadow boxed for three rounds hit the heavy bag for two rounds and worked on the Speed bag for an other two expect to retire after i beat this Man Ali said. I m never going to have to train again. You people Here today Are Lucky. You re the last people to see retrain for a Ali told a crowd of some 1,200 fans an about 200 newsmen that he now weighs 217 pounds seven less than he weighed whence lost the heavyweight championship to Spinks last feb. 15. But when asked Priva Tely if he really does weigh that Little Ali qualified the weighed 220 before the workout today and i worked off about another three pounds Ali said. All of that however is just water loss and Ali still expects to weigh in thursday morning at about 220. I m Gonna stick and move Ali said. I gotta dance. I m not that old. I m 36 but i m still a admitted that his sparring sessions in the last week have been far from impressive. I looked bad in training i always did Ali said. I was t training to beat Rny sparring partners. Someday i took punches just to toughen myself. I m the Best heavyweight in history to take a punch. I condition myself to take punish Ali would t predict a knockout in any particular round but did say he would try to put Spinks away Early if possible rather than Hope the 25-year-old Champion will tire. First round second round if he walks into it i la open up Ali said. Ali then recited what he said was his final ode As a Boxer. " Aji comes out to meet Spinks but Spinks starts to Retreat. As Spinks goes Back an Inch farther he winds up in a ringside seat. Ali swings a left Ali swings a right look at Ali carry the fight. Spinks keeps backing but there s not enough room it s a matter of time then Ali Lowers the Boom. Now Ali lands with a right what a Beautiful swing and the punch lifts Spinks Clear out of the ring. Spinks is still rising but the ref wears a frown for he can t Start counting until Spink comes Down. Now Spinks disappears he disappears from View. The crowd is getting frantic but our radar stations have picked him up he s somewhere s Over the Atlantic who would have dreamed when they came to the fight that they d witness the launching of a coloured
