European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 18, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday. October 18. 1985 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary room at the Fop for More than one. A Wol Veriks football fan was nuking a cases he other Day Why his team should be no. I. That was not a Pica thai was going to thrust anyone unto for run chm vistas of inc sports world. First anyone one who knows anything about to and Post season play knows More than enough about Michi Gan football. Hut Mure importantly he question of just who is the lop dog in College football can t be decided now and perhaps won l be decided at All. Despite a Public that like its sports in neat packages College football has managed to build a system that rivals the human brain for intricacy and the Farmer s almanac for inaccuracy. Division i teams Are splintered into conferences some of which receive automatic bowl bids and some of which Don t. Then there s a handful of Independent learns that sometimes get More than their share of top bowl bids and sometimes Don t. Following a dozen or so Post season games sports writ ers cast ballots for the lop teams. College coaches do likewise. If both groups agree on the top team a Star is born. If the voting blocs disagree the result is a let my buy the a Cal round discussion about who s no. I. The second outcome has happened often enough that accountants want into the act. I know they re accountants because they like things in rows victories Over Here losses Over there winners Over Here losers Over there. Money of course everywhere. They propose a playoff system. They would gather the top teams probably eight and have a single elimination playoff system. No More arguing after that say the accountants. We d have seven losers and Cine win Ner. And with the to Money involved in inc eight team playoff the Mcaa could even afford to pay its Legal fees. Thespian is perfect if you re an accountant. It Slinks if you re a fan. Why because try naming the lop eight teams. Dots a team get four Points for losing to notre Dame eight Points for beating South Dakota tech. And none for losing to a learn on probationer is in the other Way around if there were a lop eight we would have had a different Champion than Brigham Young last season. Brigham Young. The critics said played in a garbage conference against garbage opponents and did t de serve to be among inc top eight. The cougars received a garbage bowl bid Holiday bowl just to Lake on More garbage the 6-5 wolverines. Once in arc. Rob Bie Bosco limped around Long enough and threw enough to passes to Send the wolverines Back to Ann Arbor and give the cougars the brass ring. The critics were livid. No Way would Brigham Young have Pone undefeated had the cougars played Washington Oklahoma or Smithe critics cried. Mad a playoff been in use. The Public would have a real Tia Inpijn instead of an in poster from Utah i hey said w Hal the critics fail to appreciate is inc Beauly no Loday s situation. If huskies fans think Washington was better than Brigham Young the have a Case and if Brigham Young advocates believe the had the lop learn in the nation. They Lixi can feel . A playoff system won t work. There Are ton main teams Loo Hutu conferences Loo Ryan i sallies whal makes College sports Alla Clive i the parochial Nal Urc of the species the absence of Hiu a Broiher. In what other a Perls Endeavor can fans from Nebraska compete with Ihn a from California in what other major Sporl do places like soil Lawler. I Ullman and Cainsville pcs uric equal mention Wilh new York. Boston or Angeles a playoff by slim would cause As Many problems As it would solve. Take College basketball. In s one thing to say thai was inc 19k4-85 Mcaa Champi on. It s another to say the wildcats were the Leinin 1984-85. Bui who s the no. I football team in 1985? tins inc Fri Lars say it s Iowa. Next week maybe the touches will say it s Oklahoma. Then in arc s that Michigan fan who thinks inc wolverines deserve the top rung. Under today s formal All of them Are jus Lilied. A so sick thai accommodates dozens of learns hundreds of Fri Lars and millions of fans docs l need an accountant. The St a and stripes no from Page 21 son with a rib injury. It s been the whole learn All the Way Clark said our manager Hilcy Herzog and our bullpen Joaquim Andujar and John Tudor. They be kept us in ballgames. They kept us out of losing Smith who went 10 for 23 in the series Wilh three Bis including inc game win Ning Homer monday was voted unanimously As the most valuable player of the play offs. Smith also had an rib triple to Cap a three run seventh inning wednesday As the cardinals tied the score 4-4. Willie my acc hit a two run single in the dining that chased dodgers starter Orel harsh scr the win Ner of came 2. We be battled All year and today was an example of what you can do if you be Lieve in yourself Smith said. And that s what these Guys did All the dodgers who at one time led the game 4-1, broke the 4-4 tie with Mike mar shall s Mcadoff Homer in the eighth inning. Then facing the cardinals started their winning rally with one out in the ninth. Mcgee singled stole second and Nic Dan fuck walked Smith on a 3-2 Pilch. A bouncing Ball to first base by Tommy Lac or advanced the runners to second and third bringing Clark to Bat with first base open. They pitched to me before and got me Oul Clark said. I did t know for sure what they were going to do but i guess they figured they d try to get ahead of me and make me swing at some bad Pichs or unintentionally intentionally walk the Lime before was kind of a slap in the face when they walk somebody to gel to Clark said after the cardinals clinched the National league Pennant by beating the dodgers 7-5. And then you really get upset when you Don t even put the Ball in play said Clark who struck out against with one out and runners at first and third in the seventh and the score tied 4-4. He blew in right by me that Andy Van Slyke in the on Dick Circle when Clark hit the game Winner was sur prised the dodgers elected to Pilch to inc cardinals slugger with first base open and two men on. I was looking into the dugout wailing for los Angeles manager Tommy la Sorda to Pui up four fingers he said. I have to think icy were going to walk him and pitch to me. I think Jack lit up inside when he knew they were going to pitch to him. What can you say it stole the Lasorda said he decided to Pilch to Clark because Nicoden fuck had struck him out in the seventh. If he had hit a Long Fly Ball for inc final Oul nobody would be talking about in said a dejected Lasorda. Afler he hit inc Home run everybody in the world knows who should have walked him. If you second guess anybody second guess me. I m the Guy who made the Deci neither Hershiser nor Andujar the cardinals starter was particularly effective. Harsh scr lasted 6 i innings giving up four runs on nine hits and Andujar worked six in Iii to giving up six Hils. Harsh scr said Lasorda congratulated inc dodgers Laler in inc locker room and told them to keep their Heads High. Lie said he was proud of us. He loved us and that we were a Greal p coup of Guys to Llars Hiscar said lie Lei the Guys Calm Down and he Lold us to keep our Heads up and thai we gave it our Best Effort which is All he could the cardinals have a 9-4 record in their previous 13 world series. They beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games in their last appearance in 1982. This is or v inc second no Pennant fur inc cardinals since inc leagues were split Inlo divisions in 1969. Since this was the first year of the seven game playoff Iacre was Little Wilh which to compare inc cardinals comeback. Only two teams the 1982 Brewers and 1984 san Diego cadres came from 0-2 def veils to win previous playoffs bul those were in five game series. Seven teams came Back from 0-2 to win a bust of seven world series but Only two the 197k new York Yankees and 1981 dodgers did in in six games. Al from Page 21 league history that a team has bounced Back to win after losing three of the first four games in a Best of so Van series. The other instances have All been in world so Ries play since the playoffs were a Best of five affair until this year. Toronto did t Brett said temper ing remarks he made Over the weekend. They did t give anything away. We the fact is however that the Blue jays who won the Al East with a 99-62 record had been struggling for two weeks. They lost five of their last six regular season games winning Only the division clincher against the new York Yankees and lost four of the last five playoff games. It s Over Wilh Toronto third baseman Ranee Mulliniks said. We can t change anything. This is a Young bal club and i m sure someday soon there will be a world series Here. They won it. They executed and their pitching was great the last four games. We did t give anything away. They earned the loss was a bitter Pill for Flag waving Toronto fans for whom the playoffs were a monthly play. Canadian Media had made the Blue jays efforts to bring inc world series North of the Border for the first time a struggle Between Good and evil As Well As Between us and despite such loyalty however Only 32.084 showed up at exhibition stadium for inc final game and none of the four games in Toronto came even close to a sellout. It was suggested that perhaps the pres sure of knowing Thoj yes of All Canada were focused on them Hurt the Blue jays. Believe me we wanted to win bad Toronto Catcher Ernie Whin said. Bui i think that s a lot of Bull about Toronto first baseman Willie Upshaw said it s their bal club. It s their country. They re bound to feel that Way. We were just playing for the Toronto Blue jays. If we d won we d have won for the country but you just can t think about that when you go out royals right fielder Pat Sheridan and Catcher Jim Sundburg were the Surprise hit Ting herpes in the final game. Sheridan belled his second Homer of the series and Sundberg tripled off the top of the right Field Fence to drive in three runs. It seems unknown Guys always come through in playoff games bul that s base Ball Kansas City manager Dick Howser said. I can t explain Sundberg ws0 was rescued by the Roy als from the rangers called it his greatest baseball c. Eric acc. The whole Gam i wanted to jump up and Down Sundberg said. Almost unnoticed in the offensive fire works was the splendid 5w innings of Relief by royals left hander Charlie Libra nil who got credit for the Victory. Pitching was our strength All year and in this said Howser who finally broke Inlo the Winner s Circle on his third try As manager in Post season play. This business is always a struggle. It s never easy. We proved this year we could play in the East. Toronto is an excellent club and we beat the Best in the the royals look a 1-0 Lead in inc second. Sheridan reached on a one out bunt single past Toronto starter and loser Dave slice went to second on Sieve Balboni s ground Oul and scored on a looping single to right by Sundberg. With two outs in the fourth Sheridan belted the first Pilch from slice Over the right Field Wall giving inc royals a 2-0 Lead. Libra nil the loser in both game 1 and game 4, took Over for Kansas City to Start the Toronto fourth because starter Bret Saberhagen had a Bruise on the Palm of his right hand at the base of the thumb. The Blue jays broke through for a run in the fifth. Damaso Garcia stroked a Mcadoff single a Cal to second on Lloyd Moseby s grounder and scored on Upshaw s double into inc right Field Corner. I feel we re a great club but we did t win Upshaw said. It s a Mailer of opinion bul in my mind we re still inc Bucsi learn. I Hope this makes us want o come Back again. I Don t think it will have an Adverse Kansas City broke in open Wilh four runs in the sixth. Wilh one Oul Brill walked on four pitches and Hal Mcrae was Hil by a Pilch. Sheridan Hil a Choc cd swing grounder into the Hole bul Sho Slop Tony Fernandez made a splendid backhand Stop and ripped to Lorg forcing Bretl Al third. Balboni then walked to Load inc bases for Sundberg who followed Wilh his triple off inc lop of inc Fence in right. Jim Acker look Over for slice and gave up a single to Short Center by White that drove in Sundburg. The Blue jays final run came in the ninth when Jesse Barfield singled went to third on a single by Fernandez and scored on a grounder by Garcia. The Media s always talking Aboul a sub Way series so in arc s nothing wrong Wilh an i 70 series Brill said. I m Xci cd for inc stale of Missouri for the cardinals and especially for our organi Alion and
