European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 07, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Gerulaitis outlasts Connors to reach final against Borg saturday june 7, 1980 the stars and stripes Page 25 Paris a Vitas Gerulaitis edged Jimmy Connors 6-1. 3-6, 6-7, 6-2. 6-4 Fri Day for a place in the final of the French open Tennis championships. Gerulaitis will meet defending Champion Bjorn Borg of Sweden sunday for the first prize of $53.000. Borg easily disposed of american Harold Solomon 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in the other semifinal. An excited crowd of 18,000 saw a four hour nip and tuck Battle Between Gerulaitis and Connors on the Center court of Roland Garros stadium so finely balanced it might have gone either Way. Connors lost his service twice at the Start of the final set but came Back from 0-3 to 4 5. Then As Gerulaitis served for the match Connors escaped from four match Points. Finally Gerulaitis served an Ace his 13th of the match on the slow Clay surface and finished off his scrappy opponent. Both men had a heavy incentive to win because no american has won the men s title Here since Tony Trabert in 1955. Connors did most of the attacking while Gerulaitis had the patience and the accuracy clipping the lines with cunningly placed shots. The Long match swayed Back and Forth. In the third set Connors got an Early service break and led 3-1, but Gerulaitis won four games in a Row and led 5-3. Gerulaitis had six set Points two in the ninth game and four in the 10th but he failed to profit from them. And in the next game he served one of the few double faults in the match and dropped his service. He broke Back to 6-6 but Connors won the tiebreaker by seven Points to three. Gerulaitis won the fourth set comfortably to level at two sets All but he had to fight for almost every Point in the exciting final set. The French crowd was so roused the Umpire repeatedly had to Call for silence. Meanwhile the first title of the championships went to the United states. Kathy Jordan of King of Prussia pa., and Anne Smith of Dallas easily Defeated Ivarra Madruga and adrians Villagran of Argentina 6-1.6-0 in the women s doubles final. It was the first Lime an All american team had won this title since Darla no hard and Beverly Baker Fly ill won in 1955. But other americans including Althea Gibson Chris Evert Lloyd and Billic Jean King have won with non american partners. Darwin taking his hitting a hard Way compiled by Dave Walczak staff writer baseball Texas righthand or Danny Darwin turned fighter for a while and his fisticuffs have knocked him out of Diamond action. Darwin who moved into the Texas rangers starting rotation because of injuries will miss about five weeks because of a fractured knuckle suffered in a Brawl with Chicago White sox fans. Darwin was one of the first play ers to come to the Aid of outfielder Mickey Rivers when he was harassed by two Chicago fans at com Iskey Park. Darwin was the Only sports wire player injured in the fracas. He will be placed on the disabled list and his hand put in a cast for about three weeks followed by two weeks of rehabilitation. Ted Turner the owner of the at Lanta braves has decided to screen out his Competition. Turner has reached a tentative agreement that would allow his local television Sta Tion to broadcast almost All of the braves 81 Home games. Under the current contract with the Atlanta Fulton county stadium authority Turner May televise All Road games but Only 25 Home games. The new agreement beginning in 1981, would be effective through the 1984 season according to Bob Wussler executive vice president of the Sta Tion. Wussler said some Home games would not be televised under the new contract because of an agreement involving some nationally televised games. Horse racing they weren t horsing around when it happened but jockeys Tex Hollingsworth and Cammi Baze remained hospitalized late thursday following a four horse pileup at Long acres race track in the second race on wednesday s card. Hollingsworth 32, of Yakima was still in serious but stable condition with severe head injuries and a Frac tured vertebrae. Baze whose horse toppled during the race to bring the four riders Down suffered a broken jaw. She remained hospitalized Fol lowing surgery. Riders Dave Shep Herd with a broken Collarbone and Roger Pyfer with a concussion and a strained neck were released thursday. None of the horses in the fall suffered serious injuries. Basketball Tennessee basketball coach Don Devoe took a big step when he announced thursday that starting 6-foot-10 Center Kevin Nash is no longer a member of the volunteers team. Nash blew up at Dvoe and stormed out of the locker room following Tennessee s 83-75 loss to Kentucky at Lexington feb. 2. I had a meeting with Kevin and it was mutually agreed that be would not be playing basketball at Tennessee next season Devoe said. Ice hockey the recently retired Cordie Howe who spent most of his professional ice hockey career pleasing american fans in Detroit Houston and Hartford has not been forgotten by his Canadian Homeland. Canada s parliament in Ottawa paid tribute thursday to Howe for his contribution to hockey  thousands of Young fans who idolized him during his 32 years in professional sports. Parliament member Irence Pelletier received unanimous approval for his motion which congratulated Howe. A us �  of flow Vilis ctr Kilis. Could be first american to win French open in 25 years la Bell puts magical ring to Heidelberg Rugby club by Bucky Fox staff writer Darmstadt. Germany is let us now Praise famous Rugby players William Ellis the founder of Rugby football or so the historians recall. In 1823 while attending Rugby College in England Ellis allegedly became so frustrated with the rules of soccer that he picked up the Ball and ran Down the Field. A sport was born. Johnny o Neil a cog on the Gold medal winning United states Rugby clubs of 1920 and 1924, the last two years the sport was in the olympics. In the 1924 title game o Neil who had just been operated on for appendicitis took a wound opening kick to the stomach. He simply taped it shut and helped kick the pants off the favored French 17-3. Steve la Bell self proclaimed found ing father of the Heidelberg magicians a Rugby club that competes in International tournaments. La Bell has t found his Way into any history books. He in t old enough. Whether la Bell s feats will chisel a Stone alongside those of Ellis and o Neil is doubtful. But he s trying. Since la Bell a 32-year-old native of Washington d.c., pulled the magicians out of his thinking Cap a year afto they have mixed regular Competition with four tournaments. They were finalists All four times and champions twice. On May 17 the magicians an Amateur club swept to the title of the Frankfurt americans tournament by outscoring their five opponents 132-4. The next week they won a tournament in Neuchatel Switzerland by totalling 78 Points to their six opponents 14. Saturday the magicians will shoot for three titles in a Row by competing in a 16 icam tournament in Hurth Germany. Fun that they have says la Bell. Win imperative says la Bell. If you Don t win you Don t attract the Best players from the Heidelberg area he says. After the tournaments we always open up bottles of cold . If we re not in the final no cold . But we be nov Slete la co his Ruggers Are rolling or had to do that because we be always been in the  la Bell waved his magician starting Wand after Yean of Rugby experience. The son of a foreign service officer he took up the rugged sport while living in Australia in the Laic 1950s. Since then he has competed in Ankara Turkey Norwich eng land Washington and anywhere the Oval Ball and striped shirts pop up. Which brings us to Heidelberg. Stationed there As a civilian la Bell has played on various Rugby clubs six years. They Field the Standard 15-Man units and play 45-Minutc halves. The magicians Presto have made some of those players disappear. They play the Brand of Rugby that Fields seven men per Side with seven minute halves. La Bell a Forward himself besides the team presi Dent draws his Talent from five teams in the Heidelberg area making the magician flavor All Star and International the play ers come from the us., Britain Germany and new zealand. The whole idea of the magicians is to play attractive Rugby with finesse not  la Bell says. The higher class of Rugby you go the More appealing it is to the  la Bell forever spreading glitter is Quick to add it s like