European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday March 15, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary it wont be fhe same without or. J it was like watching somebody pull the wings off butterflies. Seeing Bambi getting run Over by a truck. There in front of our eyes recently in the forum in Inglewood Young ruffians in Laker purple and Gold were snatching basketballs off the head of or. J him self the living legend the Guy who invented the flying Dunk Tom Swift and his electric basketball. It was outrageous. Like somebody taking a Hammer to a religious statue. How could kids you never heard of be doing these things to or. A what could they be thinking of or. J is old Julius Erving has slowed Down non sense or. J is ageless like Peter pan orphan Annie Superman. Why or. J is an american artefact. He was born on Washington s birthday. A real live Nephew of his Uncle Sam i once wrote. You were surprised he was t born in the bulrushes. When he leaves the game it la be by Swan. His Given name is Julius Winfield Erving ii. But Julius Erving is not really the ind anything. He s the one the original. He is the doctor. He does t so much play basketball As conduct clinics. In the world of sport to be identified As the and nicknamed is the ultimate accolade. If you re the Man the babe the Pearl or the doctor you re special. The doctor fits Julius Erving. He goes through life with the professional air of a Guy working on a rabies vaccine. He could play basketball in a Lornette. Julius Erving did things with a basketball no one Ever thought of before. Lots of Guys could throw up a 30-foot shot. But they did t arrive with it. Julius accompanied his 30-footers. He never played the game at sea level like everyone else. Julius just kind of orbited the playing surface. Other players went around their men. Julius went Over his. He had More air than the team plane. If Julius had played in Denver they would have had to tether him. There is an axiom in basketball that playground players can t Cut it in the real world. They re flashy selfish soloists. They give a recital they Don t play a game. The team is just a backdrop. Guys who dazzle the playgrounds get fancy Nick names too. The helicopter. Zoom. So when Julius Erving got his nickname on the Blacktop and Low ceilings of Harlem summer basketball the pro scouts figured they had just another one Man band who could t even spell defense let alone play it. Even the colleges shrugged. Usually a player of or. J s Caliper goes directly to Urcla North Carolina a photo the doctor Julius Erving. Could this season be his last notre Dame or Marquette. Julius went to the univer sity of Massachusetts a powerhouse of the berkshires that was sure to beat Amherst but not Apt to get on National to or even the 11 o clock news in Holyoke. But not even if he d played in Spitsbergen could a Guy who could do what he could do hide. That s Why the basketball world gasped when Lou Carnesecca then the new coach of the new York nets turned him Down. Julius had decided he d rather earn some Money than play his senior year at u. Mass a policy that Carnesecca a longtime College coach found , Erving took his talents to Norfolk va., and another Aba team known As the Virginia Squires. A Friend noted Julius signed with whomever had a it was like doing Hamlet in Costa hammered in so Many Points in the Aba 11,662 in five seasons that when he went to the Phila Delphia 76ers, the Wise Guys agreed that he was going to the right 76ers of those Days were not a team but a bust out. You did t have to get the Ball away from the other team you had to get it away from your own. It was recommended that rebounds be listed As offensive defensive and from stories read the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Philadelphia 76ers Here tonight with a dazzling Demon stration of Ball hogging. The Philadelphia backcourt completely outplayed the Philadelphia front court while the Washington bullets stood by and or. J changed All that. With him throwing in 1,770 Points and spearing 503 defensive rebounds the 76crs reached the Aba playoffs. Within a few years they were either winning the championship or playing for it. Or. J could play d As in dynasty. Time though tethers All men. Or. J arrived in the Inglewood forum this season with 28,461 Points. Only two men in basketball history Karem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have More. Julius left the game with 28,467 Points. He spent most of the night earthbound and trying to figure out where everybody had gone. It was like watching Dempsey try to get Good doctor sat in the locker room after the game throbbing Knees and swollen toes surrounded by ice bags. Someone cleared his Throat. Or Doc about or. J looked at him patiently. Or. J suffers fools graciously. I Haven t made up my mind he said. Til make up my mind at the end of this someone said you mean you la just up and quit like that no kind of Farewell tour no warning maybe said or. A coolly. Won t you even leave a note scolded the news Man. You can t just wander off one night after a game. Cousy would t do that. Oscar Robertson did Well see said or. thing is Clear basketball will be the poorer when there s no longer the doctor in the House. Los Angeles times Cedeno signs with Toronto Dunedin Fla. A free agent outfielder Cesar Cedeno has been signed to a minor league contract by the Toronto Blue jays the american league team announced thursday night. Cedeno 35, a Veteran of 15 major league seasons All of them in the National league was to report to the Blue jays minor league Complex Friday. He is expected to be added to Toronto s 40-Man roster when a position becomes available. Pat Gillick the Blue jays general Man Ager has been seeking a Veteran outfielder who can Back up the starting Trio of George Bell Llody Moseby and Jesse Barfield All of whom Are 26. Originally Gillick said he was t inter ested in Cedeno because he s an a Type player. That Means his signing would re quire the Blue jays to give up a first round selection in the june draft. But Toronto announced that no compensation for the signing of Cedeno would be required. Gillick said he had worked out an arrangement with the St. Louis cardinals Cedeno s latest employer and the players association. Last season Cedeno was acquired late in the year by the cardinals in a Trade with the Cincinnati reds. In a combined 111 games he hit .291 in 296 at bats with nine Home runs and 49 Bis. Cedeno who bats right handed could also see duty As a designated hitter. That leaves the status of do Cliff Johnson also a right handed hitter in question. Father son combination makes history with . Up photo 39-year-old Hal Mcrae. New life with Brian fort Myers Fla. A millions of fathers have played catch with their sons Over the years. But Only Hal Mcrae can say he played baseball on a major league level with his son. The 39-year-old designated hitter for the Kansas City royals batted third in a 7-5 exhibition Victory Over the Philadelphia Phillies on thursday. One spot ahead of him in the batting order was 18-year-old second baseman Brian Mcrae. I was less nervous than i thought i d be Brian Mcrae said. I thought i d be real nervous and swinging at anything. My Knees were shaking a Little bit but i was t real tense or Brian Mcrae the royals first round draft Choice last june has to watch what he says because his father is never far away in training Camp. Before the game thursday Brian was taking batting practice with the starters and a sportscaster from a television station took him to the Side for an interview. Brian you better give up the camera and hit Hal said to his son. I m coming Brian answered. Don t let them talk to you like that Kansas City outfielder Willie Wilson said with a smile. You re old enough to make up your own age in t on Hal Mcrae s mind As much As a person would think considering his son ise laying on the same team. What makes me Al old is when i can t turn on a fastball and you get your pitch he said. If i d have driven the Ball up the Alley i d have Felt the Ball the elder Mcrae was referring to was a pitch in the second inning that he tried to pull and score his son from second. Brain who had the royals first hit in the first inning had reached base when he grounded into a fielder s Choice. Head Vance to second on a wild pitch by Phila Delphia starter Shane Rawley and was now in scoring position for Hal. Come on daddy a fan yelled. Bring him Home Mcrae struck out. I was pumped up when he was on Sec Ond the father said. It worked against me. I was keyed up especially keyed up for a Spring there have been plenty of father son combinations in major league history but none As players on the same team. Last year Hall of Famer Yogi Berra managed his son Dale on the new York Yankees until the elder Berra was fired Early in the season. Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken gets to shale his father s hand every time he hits a Home run because Cal rip Ken or. Coaches at third base. Only the Mcrae have been in the same batting order. Hal Mcrae finished thursday s game 0 for 2 with two runs scored. The son went i for 3 with a double and a run scored. According to royals manager Dick Howser the relationship won t always Hurt the elder Mcrae s hitting. Mac might get better pitches to hit if Brian gets on base Howser said. And if he does to they can talk about it Over
