European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 22 the stars and stripes thursday october 2,1986 inf has slumped to too Plain by Hubert Mizell Cox news service Atlanta bring Back Howard cos. No no it s not that desperate. But monday night football is indeed bleeding gasping for fresh air and beg Ging for car. From a too show Bizzy past Abc pro football telecasts the cure and turned too Plain. Monday night in t so special any More. You get the feeling nil sunday afternoon has simply spilled Over. Bring Back . Simps. Nope that won t do it either. But inf has created a severe casting problem. It went from three announcers to two not the Louliest of ideas but the Al Michaels Frank Gifford tandem thus far has been As inadequate As band Aid on a decapitation. Bring Back Joe Nama. Nah even if Abc was guilty of giving a 1985 Broadway shuffle to a Quarter commentary Back no longer Able to dance it probably would t Salve Mefs aches to re incarnate Namath Cosell Simpson Don Meredith Alex Karras Fred the Ham Mer Williamson or any other Short timers or Long timers in the history of the press Box s most critiqued Booth. Abc should be paid attention in chemistry class. Gifford did rather admirably for an inf generation Dou bling As play by play Man and ringmaster responsible for harnessing Cosell Meredith and other assorted wild Ani Mals. Michaels now does play by play and Gifford is the analyst. Next to Vin Scully Michaels is the Best of All baseball announcers. But Al s not so cozy with football he s like a jazz player who s stumbled into a Rock v Roll joint. But give him time. Michaels is a dedicated skilled professional who la get bet Ter and better. By december expect him to be nearly As smooth and accurate at surveying passes tackles and punts Ashe s always been on homers hits and errors. Al is not a major problem. Frank is. From a or. Jekyll role As inf play by play voice the old halfback has become an analytical or. Hyde. The 1986-Modei Gifford is not Only insufficient it s a character flip Flop. Look this is a Good Guy. You d like him As your neighbor. Gift s humility has been Long admired. He was t perfect but he was difficult to harshly criticize. But Gifford s personality is now altered. His ego spills into living rooms from Here to Point Barrow. He s said More is and pcs in a month than in 17 previous years. Gifford repeats himself like a 6-foot-tall machine. As analyst he should talk 35 percent of the time. He seems to be gobbling 60. Clearly he s piqued at losing play by play but if Ford is mostly harming himself with the new Schick. Gifford has deep football knowledge. He recognizes offences defences and strategies. But the Man obviously Knelt at some Jock altar and dedicated his life to protecting players protecting coaches protecting officials and protecting the nil. The consummate House Man. It was t so noticeable in Mefs past not when Cosell was there to accept the role of acid sewer or even when Abc s designated professors included a Meredith a Namath or whomever. If Ford is now left naked he s the one who s supposed to editorialize. Grade him a plus and fading. Early on the new inf Quinella is Fumble prone. It la improve because Michaels will steadily get better. And Hope fully because some Abc Boot will have the compassion and Courtesy to kick if Ford in the scat of his $90 Slacks. Talent May change owners thinking available free agent crop is lucrative by Claire Smith the Hartford courant new York this year there will be More than 100 free agents a crop so Rich and varied it will be interesting to Sec if the owners resolve to Squash the Market holds up for a second straight year. Until last Winter the free agents Pride in their assaults on the owners finances was somewhat Akin to United states marines bragging about Tripoli and Monte Zuma. That All ended last Winter when the owners unceremoniously tossed the free agents Back into the sea forcing All the big names Back to their former teams. This Winter May be different. The combination of available talented play ers such As Tim Raines of the Montreal expos and Jack Morris of the Detroit tigers and the Routs in the four Divi Sion races just May re Stoke the own ers desire to buy Quick fixes. Hanging Over this year s crop is the history of last year s Batch. Arbiter Tom Roberts has yet to Rule on the charge by the major league baseball players association that there was collusion by the owners. Roberts decision May come by the end of october. If the decision favors the owners it May signal More fiscal conservatism. A Victory by the players association May Lead to a number of possible rulings. The owners May be Given a United states football league Type slap on the wrist. Or there could be reparations to 85 free agents such As Kirk Gibson of the Detroit tigers or Donnie Moore of the California Angels via Cash settlements or arbitration. Or perhaps the arbiter might set free any 85 free agent who might want to try an open Market again. So 119 potential free agents Are and tigers Jack Morris. Knew when to win piously awaiting that decision and the Fol Low up strategies of the owners. Twenty eight of the 119 will be free Only if club do not exercise option year clauses the Best of the Bunch arc expos left fielder and Morris the tigers right hander who did what he had to do in a salary drive season win big. There is a slight falloff to the next group of solid desirable. Tigers Catcher Lance Parrish Only slips below rain Sand Morris because chronic Back Trou Bles raise issues about his durability. Other potential gems Atlanta braves first baseman Bob Homer Boston red sox Catcher Rich gedman new Yor Yankees second baseman Willie ran Dolph Chicago cubs right fielder Keith Moreland los Angeles dodgers Pitcher Bob Welch Toronto Blue jays Pitcher Jim Clancy Chicago while sox right fielder Harold Barnes club option Pittsburgh pirates third baseman Jim Morrison St. Louis cardinals Pitcher Bob Forsch and Milwaukee Brewers Cen Ter fielder Robin Yount. Those players have to be considered a close to can t miss As there is the Type who used to command million a year of fers in the free agent Market s Wilder Days. Both Moreland and Yount Are Long shot free agents. The cubs and Morela Dhave a tentative agreement and Are said to be waiting until the Federal tax Reform goes into effect. Yount has a contract that covers the next three seasons but he has an option to void the remainder of the pact. Close observers of the Brewers believe Yount will stay in Milwaukee. Expos right fielder Andre Dawson Sbat ordinarily would have put him with the elite. Bad Knees probably will keep him a notch below. There will be the players who probably qualify As risks Many owners might con Sider Worth taking such As braves Pitcher David Palmer Houston astros catch or Alan Ashby Kansas City royals outfielders Rudy Law and Lonnie Smith Yankees outfielder Gaudelli Washington ageless Texas rangers Knuckl caller Charlie Hough new York mets third baseman Ray Knight Blue jays third baseman Ranee Mulliniks and rangers right fielder Gary Ward. The list of True enigmas the players whom clubs might Gamble on hoping for a return to past glories is headed by Yankee left hander Ron Guidry who is trying to come Back off his worst sea son. Then there s Blue jays Catcher Ernie Whitt Angels right fielder Brian Down ing braves Pitcher Doyle. Alexander reds shortstop Davey Conception Ori Oles Pitcher Mike Flanagan reds Pitcher John Denny and a s Center fielder Dwayne Murphy. Among the enigmas arc More than a few legends such As Angels designated hitter Reggie Jackson White sox Pitcher Steve Carlton and san Diego padres third baseman Craig Nettles. The numbers of Oakland a s do Dave Kingman Aren t suspect he still hits for Low average strikes out a lot but Cranks out homers. Kingman always wears out his Welcome and if the a s de cide it s time for King Kong to move on he May be irresistible to Al teams looking for right handed Power teams that Kingman has t played for and therefore has t alienated. Another player clubs would be rolling the Dice on is Brill Burns the talented left hander with bad hips who spent the entire season disabled. The Yankees set up the Radical hip surgery for Burns in an Effort to save his career so maybe that is a signal the club will re sign Burns in Hopes that he can come Back. In yet another category Are the old but reliable those players who should be very desirable to clubs looking for vet. Erans who arc More than just Able Back ups. Among such candidates Are Yankees do Mike easier braves reliever Gene Garber red sox Pitcher Tom Seaver and Center fielder Tony armas and an gels third baseman Doug Decinces. All but Decinces Are on the club option list the Yankees have the most potential free agents 10. The Angels must decide on nine players. A few such As Jackson already suspect they will not be tendered offers. Four teams including the red sox stand to lose seven players. The mets Only have two the indians and Phillies one each. 16,656 texans go wild Over nil teams Dallas a it was Only a one night stand for the National hockey league but a capacity crowd at reunion Arena went out of its Way to let the Edmon ton oilers and the Detroit red wings know that they d be More than Welcome to come Back again. The Arena was filled to the rafters with 16,656 fans As the oilers Defeated the red wings 3-1 tues Day night. The contest was the first nil game Everin Texas and the first hockey game Ever at reunion Arena which opened in 1980. For Kenneth Engstrom of Dallas the evening was a Chance to lobby for the return of professional hockey to the Dallas fort Worth area a sport that has been absent since the Aba s Dallas Mavericks arrived on the scene in the Early 1980s. The now defunct Central hockey league s Dallas Blackhawk Are More than a faded memory for Engstrom who said he became hooked on the sport while watching a minor league club in new Haven Conn. Standing outside the Arena before the game hold ing a sign saying we want a hockey team now Engstrom suggested there wan a urge underground of displaced Texas hockey fans who would much rather spend their Winter months watching the nil instead of the Mavericks. A questionnaire was passed out in an attempt to gauge support for an nil team in Dallas a possibility described As somewhat far off by league officials who say expansion is not a major priority. ,
