European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 28, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 Quick curtain descends on a one of a Kcf for o by Scott Ostler the los Angeles times a Gold watch a hoist o the cup and a fond fare Well to Tom Landry i football is a vicious game off the Field too. The owners and executives can be As cold and brutal As an inside linebacker on third and Short. Example earlier this month the Green Bay pack ers fired their cheerleaders. It was a Surprise because a lot of people figured that it was going to be the other Way around. Many believed that the football team was a mindless distraction and was hurting the attendance at the sunday cheerleader performances. Obviously then nothing is sacred in football. I had a vague feeling that Tom Landry s Job might be in jeopardy when Rich Guy Jerry Jones announced that he had hired Jimmy Johnson to be his head coach and then announced that he had purchased the Dallas cowboys. Landry May have sensed trouble in the offing when Tex Schramm popped into the coach s office and said Tom come on Down and meet the new owner. Of and bring your  Jones Drew Strong criticism for his timing and insensitivity. After buying the team Landry lovers said Jones should have waited a Day or a week or at least taken a deep breath before firing the Man who has coached the team for 29 seasons. But what purpose would be been served by de laying the move leaving Landry to twist in the wind wrinkling his sport coat How would that be Kinder to Landry and who can blame the new owner for wanting a fresh Start after the team s steady slide and last season s disaster Jones in t the first new owner to bring in his own coach. Sure Landry was a sacred Texas institution but it s not like Jones fired the Cowboy cheerleaders. Besides Jones indicated there might be a Job for Landry in the organization. The new owner did t say exactly what that Job might be but he dropped an ominous hint when he said let me Tell you this Jimmy Johnson would be the first to Tell you he could t carry Tom s water  Florence Griffith Joyner there is no truth to the Rumor that flojo was pressured to retire from track and Field after a ran Dom drug test turned up traces of steroids in her Fingernail polish. If Ever an athlete was a Comet streaking across the sky it is was flojo. To most of us Griffith Joyner burst upon the athletic scene Only last sum Mer when she became the world s fastest Negligee. In Seoul South Korea she was As dazzling an olympian As any in memory if you Combine personality and performance. And now she s gone faded Back into the real world. Considering How greatly she improved in such a Short time flojo May be the first great athlete to have retired before her Peak. Well never know if she could beat a 10.49 or a 21.34, but it s scary to think what she could have done if somebody had pushed her if Halfway through a race she had t been so far ahead she could break into a smile and Start waving at the cameras. Flojo s Only flaw As a runner was her style. She has too much of it if she weren t so pretty the big offers to endorse products and appear on television would t have tempted her away from running. Among other ventures she has signed to Star in a movie playing the female James Bond. You remember Bond agent 007? flojo i would guess will be agent 006.83. Steve Garvey first Garv faded out of baseball because his Bat Ting average was too Low and now he fades out of politics because his batting average was too High. Go figure. Garvey was married once before to a woman who whispered their most intimate problems to a nation Al Magazine writer. He was once publicly attacked right on the Ball Field by Morganna the monstrous. Now after his recent marriage Garvey has disclosed that two other women whom he dated claim that he caused them to become pregnant. If Margo Adams sues him Garvey will have Corn Tom Landry pauses while cleaning out his desk. Plated the grand slam of Romance. It s too bad because Garvey even Back in his glory Days with the los Angeles dodgers was one of sport s nicest Guys. I never never saw him refuse an autograph request or snub a fan in an Airport or hotel lobby and he was even Friendly with sports writers. Some say that Garvey s niceness was con trived but if it was we could use More phonics. When accused of the latest transgressions Garvey admitted guilt and offered to take full responsibility for the consequences of his actions. This obviously is a Man ill suited for politics. He May yet fight Back into the political Arena though. It could turn out that neither child is his. With Garvey there is a simple paternity test a child is born with his or her hair mussed it s not Garv s. And even if the bad publicity costs him some potential votes he seems to be building a Strong base of future Garvey voters. What do you expect from a Guy who spent almost every Spring of his life in a place called virile Beach Clark thanks Steinbrenner for Trade to padres padres Jack Clark. Where i be always wanted to be by Dennis Georgatos Yuma Ariz. A for All George Steinbrenner did to make him feel at Home Jack Clark never could shake the feeling he was 9ut of place in a new league and new City. I really enjoyed the people who were playing on the team but it was still Tough to be a part of that and feel like that s where i was supposed to be Clark said of his year with the new York Yankees. A National leaguer for 11 of his 12 years in the big leagues Clark spent his Lone season in the american league in 1988 after he and the Yankees owner got together on a three year free agent Deal. Clark believes the contract helped to break Down collusion among owners against free Agency. When Clark asked to be traded Back to an no team after hitting .242 with 27 Home runs for the Yankees Steinbrenner obliged and Clark joined the san Diego padres last october As part of a four player Deal. I be gotten Back to where i be always wanted to be said Clark who will be making $4 million Over the next two years As the padres first baseman. He deserves a lot of credit for bringing me Over to new York and getting me out of such a bad ugly situation in St. Louis. George was the Only one to make me an offer. He did All right by me. He also was Good enough to his word to get me out there because he knows new York can be difficult too. He s a whole lot of things that people say but i Don t think a lot of people really know him. Everybody that he fires still works for him and i Don t think there s any body else that you can say that  Clark who spent his first eight major league seasons with san Francisco before being traded to St. Louis in february 1985, said he was determined to leave the cardinals organization because he Felt slighted by management. I had had enough of cardinals Gen eral manager dal maxvill. Maxvill called me names. He said nobody was going to sign me. How did he know that if there was t collusion Clark said. But in new York Clark said he Felt like a stranger because he was playing in different ballparks in different cities fac ing unfamiliar pitchers. I would have to say that last year not because it was the Yankees or anything was probably my most difficult said Clark who was used primarily As a Pinch hitter but also saw duty in the Field As a spot starter. I kind of had figured out what these no pitchers like to do and All of a Sud Den i had to throw it out the window and Start All Over again. There were a lot of times when it was getting to  san Diego Clark said represents the Best of both worlds because of its proximity to his Northern California Home and because the Trade returned him to a familiar league. I feel like i already know a lot of these Guys from when i played Over Here said Clark who donned the padres Brown pinstripes for the first time last week when he arrived at Spring train ing Camp with other position players. I know More Guys on this team even Guys in the minor leagues than i did the whole season in the american  the acquisition of Clark was the first of three major off season moves by the padres who also traded for Pitcher Walt Terrell and signed Pitcher Bruce Hurst As a free  was probably the Premium Power hitter out there. If you could have acquired anybody you d want Jack Clark said san Diego manager Jack Mckeon. He s got the kind of Power that can help a bal club like ours. He puts fear in the pitchers out there and the hitters around him Are going to get pitches to hit. He makes the hitters around him  for his part Clark Hopes san Diego is the last Stop in what has been a four team major league career. I d like to have my Best season my Best next couple two three or four sea sons in a Row Clark said. If i do what i m capable of doing i m sure they la want to keep me around. If i Don to i would t blame them for not wanting me. But i Don t want to have to keep moving around and making adjustments moving Back and Forth and All