European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday july 23. 1987 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary life turning sour for a sugar Ray in boxing More than in other sports life is Seldom easy for inc Garcal ones after they climb Down from inc ring Tor the last Lime. Bui for three of inc , Champagne turned to vinegar. Joe Louis could t Knock Oul inc internal reve nue service auditors. Sugar Kay Robinson has been struggling with alzheimer s disease and Muhammad Ali is up against Parkinson s syndrome. The irony is that As youngsters growing up on the Detroit streets Joe Louis inspired the original sugar Ray whose skill and style Lolur inspired Ali. It s almost As if a Lineal curse has hounded Ali a curse perhaps now hovering Over a Boxer whom Ali has inspired. During an appearance at a boxing medical symposium in Mexico cily last week Ali explored inc possibility of undergoing brain surgery there to alleviate the affliction that Nas dulled one of the world s quickest minds. But when Ali j new wife Lonnie and. His Mother Learned thai the adrenal transplant procedure was still experimental they objected loudly and tearfully. Ali agreed. But he had brightened at having his name in headline again and of receiving so Many messages of concern m phone Calls and telegrams. Dave Anderson Tasha Kin up the world again he said laughing. For a few hours Muhammad Ali was Muhammad Ali again. Hut new he Lias drifted Back into his Dae. Out of the ring Ali s Genius has deserted him just is sugar Ray Robinson s Genius has departed. Sugar Ray is 66 years old living in los Angeles with his wife Millie in an upstairs apartment in a Nice neighbourhood with lawns and Palm Trees. When visitors arrive. Millie prompts him. He brightens and addresses h is visitors by name. Then he slides into the stupor of inc disease thai has blanked his memory. As a youngster christened Walker Smith jr., Robinson sometimes a cited the gym bag of his de troit neighbourhood hero Joe Louis Harrow to i he Brewster Center where each first boxed. When his family moved to new York he grew into a Sweet As sugar welterweight Champion and a five time middleweight Champion he 11 still described by Many Hial orians As Pound for Pound the Best Boner Ever you Are the King my master my idol a teen aged Cassius Clay blurted mimic sugar Ray s night club in Harlem in i9bf. After i win a Gukl medal in the Rome olympics i Wani you id he my although never hit manager. Sugar Ray remained the idol of inc heavyweight who would cling a ins name to Muhammad Ali. In his last years Joe Louis was a Gecler a i Caesars Palace where a Biggrr than life statue of him adorns he lobby elevator area in the new Tower of the Las vegas hotel. Before lit heavyweight Champion died. Muhammad Ali enjoyed leading him. I m the greatest Ali would say. I would be knocked you Oul if you even dreamed it Louis would reply Wilh a smile you d when the aging Joe Louis was knocked through the Madison Square Garden ropes by Rocky Marciano in 1951, sugar Ray was one of the first to Rush to the apron of inc ring. You la be All right Man sugar Ray said. You la be All that s what people keep saying now to sugar Ray Robinson and to Muhammad Ali. Bui neither will Ever be All right. Once Champagne turns to vinegar it s never Champagne again. In nov Volt Tow Hoffman Heads out after heading Csc Bubuc Syfox staff writer As Norm Hoffman s reign As chief of Safe s Continental sports conference dwindled he was asked to name the Best. As in who were the Best Csc athletes during the Hoffman Era 198410 1987? Rick Hayden answered Hoffman referring to Ramstein j Alt Csc linebacker of three years ago. "1 just like Hayden. He a football As Hoffman spoke on july 15, he had a malty one week left in Europe. He would he gone to his new assignment in Lackland fab Texas by wednesday succeeded by buddy Chapman. In these final moments Hoffman s new England voice had t changed. He still emphasized Oak football player As if ii epitomized air Force ethics. Maybe that was because Hoffman was once a Good football player. And a Good baseball player. And a Good basketball player. One of inc Best thai Safe produced when he was stationed at wic Sajen from 1968 iol973. And. According to some Csc people a Good com missioner. He was one of the most dynamic individuals i Ever said Sembach football coach Jack born howl. I m new to the air Force system and he look Lime and patience to work with me. Just look at the great history of i he Csc with Norm has been More of a players commissioner said Warren Stanley. The longtime Rhein main baseball manager who has resumed to football for 1987. He s been Good on the ground level. Here s a Guy who s been around the Block. He s not just sitting on lop and disciplining Hoffman had More answers to the Best Csc ath letes question. After Hayden he liked Hahn wide receiver . Baker maybe because 1 was a receiver and Small to Owci Bruecken basketball Center Tony Hicks Ramstein Forward Stan Harris Sembach Center fielder Alex Clark and Hilburg running Buck Freddie Miller Hoffman s list of Best coaches dish org s Dac Lockwood and Zamstein s Biji ski till Southall Tilburg s George Price and Kamlein s Bob Abbott in basketball and rams Cin s Mike Stevenson in baseball. Hoffman s favorite Muniel total mean ing Jeff Wilson s3-Yard touchdown pass to Clarence Toomir with 2 5 left that Sahud Ramstein Over upper Leyford in the 14s5 Safe football final. Hoffman s favorite Hallmarks i. Crashing the Auto Matic suspension my the commissioner reviews Whicher an ejected Pla or sits out the net i game 2. Netting Torr Jon football Back in the Csc 3. Starting the baseball series Between the Csc and German american league 4. Keeping the Only air Force base Ball league in Europe alive. Sis photo & Hoff oin on Csc baseball i Don t see it going a people like Stevenson. Stanley sup Pun of the commanders kept it going said Hoffman Uhos five team league teetered in i9m4 and k5. Nov 1 just Don t Sec u going said Stanley. I really appreciate Whai he Jim fur baseball. He Hung Tough. Some wan cd n Ting Airway. He was car Emily not everything Hal Ninn touched turned into Gulden memories fur Liis 4-t-Ycar-old chief master ser Geant. Hoffman s three Summers i. Suspending Bill Schultz for the c so football Piso Fly in i4h6 2. All three Csc teams diving fast in the i�-s7 Safe basketball tournament 3. Tilburg s loss in the i9s6 Safe football Kimii. To have a Chance to Root for one game a Cir said Hoffman referring to the Safe football title game at Raf clinic Sands. England last november. Wanted Tilburg to win it. Two pass interference Calls did t lose the game 2-22but they Hurt. They were Hoffman who defended referees after every Csc game now saw a different Side. His Csc Champion Tilburg Barons could t beat the . Sports Confer ence Champion Chicksands Chicks and the refs were no help. This time. Hoffman kept his Cool. Unlike 1972. When As Wiesbaden s Star he blew up at an official after his flyers lost to in the Csc title game. He bumped the ref and was punished with a 60-Day suspension. That ate into two months of Hoffman s basketball season. Fourteen years , another suspension involved Hoffman in the Csc this time he dished it out to Ramstein s Schull. Hoffman s ruling came crashing Down on Schultz just before last november s football playoffs. Sci Mhz had run onto the held to protest a late Sembach hit which led to a Ranis tigers Brawl. At firs Hoffman let Ramstein s brass recommend the slap on Schultz when rams Cin s suggestion sur faced Schultz relegated to the stands Tor the first game of the playoffs Hoffman said no Way. That was t enough was How Hoffman put in. Hoffman ordered Schulz out of the stadium. Hoffman s reason the fight would t have happened if nol for his unsportsmanlike Schultz who won two Safe lilies As head coach feels he was denied a third because of Hoffman s ruling. I m glad he s leaving said be Hull from i Mir. Turkey where he has since rotated. The Csc will grow As Long As they get rid of him. This is the Only Guy in Csc history who physically attacked an offi Cial. The Way he Treais coaches talks Wilh coaches we did t appreciate in he was like a dictator do As i say or Lockwood normally agitated by Schult agrees that Hoffman lacked lad with coaches. We fell we Shii uld be been Able to talk Wilh inc commissioner on football said Lockwood who was head coach three seasons in Iti Tburg before moving to Spain Dahlem this year. Primarily we did l discuss things with him. Me stepped up and said this is the Way in is. He was t open to discussion. He s a Strong personality and Lough Kyj gel along with. As some coaches Are Norm Marcus .1 Csc foot Gulf ref arid a i Jolt army sports official supported 1 oilman with the Buck stops with him. Mac he s Noi the most popular Guy but he s said Wilson the quarterback of Schuh s championship learns. The Only Way to judge chief Hoffman is to examine the product. When i Plascid. The Csc was very popular. His idea of four learns in the play offs was one of the Best moves lit military sports. I have the utmost respect for the feeling s Mutual. On tuesday the Day before Hoffman flew out of Khein main. He picked the Best team of Hii tenure Wilson s 12-0 Safe Champion ram Sicin rams of 19
