Banner Graphic, Volume 14, Number 137, Greencastle, Putnam County, 15 February 1984 — Page 10

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The Putnam County Banner-Graphic, February 15,1984

Berraism guides Yankees

Will Yogi be Steinbrenner's court jester or great baseball guru?

By MURRAY CHASS c. 1984 N.Y. Times News Service NEW YORK Have you heard the one about Dr. Zhivego, where when Yogi gets home, Carmen tells him, “I saw ‘Dr. Zhivago’ this afternoon” and Yogi asks her, ‘‘What’s wrong with you now?” Or how about the one where Yogi remarked about a certain restaurant, “it’s too crowded; nobody goes there anymore.” In the legendary literature of Yogi Berra, fact often is every bit as funny as fiction. Where, though, does fact leave off and fiction begin? Yogi knows, and he is not ashamed to admit to the tales that are true so long as he can set the record straight on those that are not. Dr. Zhivago? “No, that wasn’t true,” he said, a broad grin nevertheless revealing his own enjoyment of the story. “That’s false. That is false.” OK, but what about the restaurant? “I said that.” - Yogi, who long ago lost his real name of Lawrence, has said many other things and undoubtedly will say many more that will take their place as part of the legend. But in the next few months - Berra will be judged not for what he says as the Yankees’ unintentional resident wit but what he does as their manager. - Twenty years after he retired as a player and first managed the Yankees, Berra has become the 12th manager of the 11-year regime of George Steinbrenner and will actively begin that role Friday when the first group of Yankees opens spring training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For the previous eight seasons, Berra had dressed in the Yankee clubhouse just out of the line of the owner’s fire. As a -coach, sometimes serving at first base, sometimes in the dugout, he has enjoyed a job that was beneficial to him and the Yankees. It kept him in baseball in a highly secure position, and it gave the Yankees the benefit of his vast baseball knowledge and his even more widespread popularity. How far does Yogi’s popularity spread? “Yogi was driving on the Garden State Parkway one day with Joe Altobelli and me in the car,” Mike Ferraro, who was then a Yankee coach, recalled the other day. “The guy in the booth doesn’t charge him a quarter, and Joe says: ‘Wouldn’t it be something if he threw a quarter in the machine and the machine spit it back?’ ” “I liked that job,” Carmen Berra, Yogi’s wife of 35 years, said about coaching. “I thought it was a super job.” But then Berra had to go and spoil it all by shedding his security and saying yes to Steinbrenner’s invitation and a twoyear contract to replace Billy Martin. “I didn’t want him to take the manager’s job,” Mrs. Berra said. “I didn’t think it was a good idea. I said, ‘You’ve done everything in baseball; why do you want to manage now?’ He said, ‘I haven’t won a World Series.’ After he took the job, I changed my mind. Now that he has it, I’m glad. If that’s what he wants to do, that’s fine with me. At this stage in his life, it would be good if he could win that World Series.” Although Berra periodically had been mentioned as a possible Yankee manager usually when the incumbent manager was in trouble with the owner he said that Steinbrenner never had offered him the job before. “I could have had other jobs,” Berra, who has appeared in 21 World Series as player, manager and coach, said, sitting in his

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YOGI BERRA Wants to manage World Series winner

office at Yankee Stadium. “I could have had Atlanta, Texas. I didn’t want to go. New York’s my home. I made a lot of friends here. People have been nice to me. I never asked to be manager here. I could’ve put in for it like some do, but I never did. This is a challenge. I won a pennant in each league. The only thing I never won was a World Series. The kids told me to do it. They said: ‘Dad, what do you have to lose? You’ll only be in baseball a few more years. You’ll probably want to retire or something. Do it now while you got the chance.’ ” Acting as any obedient parent would, Berra has taken the uniform with the No. 8 that fits his gnome-like body and moved it around the corner, from his locker in the main area of the Yankee clubhouse to the manager’s office. “I know what I’m stepping into,” Berra said, alluding to the conflicts his predecessors have encountered with the owner. Berra does not permit his friends to have conflicts with him; he simply tells them what to do. “Joe Altobelli and I were staying at Yogi’s house during one home stand,” Ferraro recalled. “We were watching TV after a night game, but Yogi came in and switched channels so he could watch a movie he wanted to watch. Then when his movie was over, he got up, turned off the TV and made everybody go to bed. ” Berra, 58 years old, does not know how his relationship with Steinbrenner will go; no one ever does until it is determined how well the team plays. “Who knows?” he mused. “I might be fired the first month. It’s happened before.” But if he is let go, he will not experience dismissal for the first time. He was let go in 1964 despite taking the Yankees to the seventh game of the World Series and he was let go in 1975 despite having taken the Mets to the seventh game of the 1973 World Series. Berra, who retired after a Hall of Fame playing career during which he played in 14 World Series in 17 years, became manager of the Yankees at the age of 38 when Ralph Houk stepped up to

the general manager’s post. “I was a damn fool,” Berra admitted 20 years later. “Roy Harney told me to take a two-year contract and I said no. I said I wanted a one-year contract. I said I don’t know if I can manage. I want to see if I can. I shoulda taken a two-year contract.” Hamey was then the retiring general manager. Many of Berra’s players, who had been his teammates only the year before, apparently did not like the way he treated them and was running the team and went to Houk seeking his dismissal. Houk decided to make that move at the end of the season, but between decision and action the Yankees stormed from behind and surprisingly won the pennant. “It was strange that year,” Berra said. “I never heard from Houk.” “I remember it as being a totally frustrating year,” Carmen Berra related. “We had always been such great friends with Ralph and Betty Houk, but once Yogi became the manager and Ralph the general manager, Ralph no longer was Yogi’s friend. Yogi suddenly was working under someone who wasn’t available and wasn’t communicating with him. He was kind of left out there hanging alone. But Yogi didn’t feel badly about being fired because he didn’t feel that badly about the job he did. He didn’t think there was a good reason to fire him. ’ ’ Moving to the Mets, Berra served as a coach for seven seasons, then became their manager in 1972 after Gil Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack in spring training. One pennant and three spring trainings later, Cleon Jones was found napping naked in a van with a woman and the incident seemed to sour the atmosphere on the team. Berra, who disagreed with the front office’s decision to keep Jones, was let go in August. “That was the summer Dale had signed with the Pirates and he was playing in upstate New York,” Carmen recalled, referring to their son. “So we simply got in our car and followed Dale around. We had a lot of fun. That probably softened the blow, following Dale around. ’ ’ Yankee and Berra watchers wonder how his latest managerial effort will come out. They wonder about his ability to communicate with his players and his ability to be tough when he has to be. “From what I know of the Yankees,” said Tom Seaver, who pitched for Berra with the Mets and may pitch against him this season with the Chicago White Sox, “I think he’s the perfect manager for that club. He doesn’t put too many harnesses on. He doesn’t over-manage. He puts the players on the field who he thinks are the best players. He also doesn’t come apart under pressure. That could help in his dealings with his owner. You don’t see him get upset unless it’s with a player who gives something less than his best effort.” Berra, whose best efforts as a player reaped three American League most-valuable-player awards, acknowledged that it takes “a lot for me to get mad.” What might get him mad? “I hate when you tell a guy to do this and he don’t do it Like playing cards. I want it stopped. A guy says wait until the hand is over. I want it done now. I don’t want to repeat myself. But if I get mad at a player, I forget about it, just like a game. I don’t take it home with me like a lot of them do. I guess Billy did. I may be mad the first two or three minutes, but then I’m over it because there’s always tomorrow.”

Syracuse adjusted, Providence didn't

By KEN RAPPOPORT AP Sports Writer It was a great night for Providence center Otis Thorpe. . . but a better night for the Syracuse basketball team. While Thorpe scored 28 points and collected 15 rebbunds Tuesday night, most of his damage was done in the first half. When Syracuse finally adjusted the defense after intermission, the game belonged to the Orangemen, 89-64. “Once we got the lead, we took Thorpe away,” said Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim. “When you’re down eight to 10 points it’s tough to make the 18footers from outside.” Thorpe scored 21 of his points in the first half before the Orangmen went from a man-to-man defense to a three-two zone. The zone helped to shut off Thorpe inside, while Syracuse ran away to a hefty lead behind their own sharp-shooting Rafael Addison.

Big Ten schedule will separate contenders from the pretenders

CHICAGO (AP) - The Big Ten’s version of “Road Warriors” is the feature this week as the league’s three frontrunners No. 7 Illinois, No. 11 Purdue and No. 17 Indiana put their title hopes on the line in alien arenas. Purdue Coach Gene Ready describes it as “the breaking point” of the schedule and anticipates changes in the standings by week’s end. “I just doubt that all three teams can win both their games,” he said Tuesday during the league’s weekly teleconference. The Boilermakers are tied with Illinois at 10-1 atop the Big Ten. They take their 17-4 overall mark to Michigan State on Thursday night and Michigan on Saturday. Illinois, 19-2 overall, plays Michigan on Thursday night

The Big East game between the 16th-ranked Orangemen and Providence was the only one involving a Top Twenty team Tuesday night. Led by Addison, who scored 24 points, the Orangemen exploded away from a 41-36 halftime lead to a 57-42 margin just 5:48 into the second period after three consecutive baskets by Gene Waldron. Sean Kerins contributed 16 points in the winning effort, while Waldron and Dwayne Washington had 12 apiece as Syracuse beat Providence for the eighth straight time. Providence forward Ray Knight scored 11 points for the Friars and Donald Brown added 10. “Nobody scores 80 points against Providence,” said Boeheim. “Nobody, not in our league. (But) we just moved the ball super; we missed a lot of easy shots it could have been higher.”

and Michigan State on Sunday. Indiana, ranked 17th, takes its 9-2 and 16-5 records to lowa on Thursday night and Northwestern on Saturday. Both opponents are 2-9 and 9-12. But Ready also believes there is room for a setback or two for any of the contenders except Ohio State, still alive with its 7-4 record. “I’ve said all along you can be pretty comfortable with a 14-4 season, and I still believe that,” Ready said. “But 13-5... I kind of doubt that.” Michigan Coach Bill Frieder said he would be content with finishing in the first division of the Big Ten and earning a bid to the 53-team NCAA tournament two goals his team set at the outset of the season. The Wolverines, 13-7 overall, are fifth now with their 5-5 Big Ten record.

Sports scoreboard

Indiana High School Basketball By The Associated Press Tuesday’s Games Angola 39, Prairie Hts 37 20T Austin 88, Southwestern (Jefferson) 53 Calumet 52, T-F North Lansing, 111. 45 Cannellton 42, Evansville Day 41 Carroll (Carroll) 75, Clinton Central 64 Columbus North 67, Madison 66 Crown Point 44, Chesterton 43 E Chicago Roosevelt 88, Hammond 69 Edinburgh 55, N.Decatur 46 Evansville Harrison 63, Evansville Reitz Evansville North 67, Boonville 62 Gary Roosevelt 80, Hammond Morton 50 Gary Wirt 66, Hobart 48 Gibson Southern 48, Wood Memorial 44 Greenfield Central 57, Lawrence Central Griffith 64, Knox 57 Indpls Chatard 83, Indpls Baptist 61 Jim town 80, Bethany Christian 89 LAM 117, Clay City 61 McLeans boro. 111. 48, Evansville Bosse 47 Marshall, 111. 63, W Vigo 51 N.Central (Sullivan) 76, Hudsonville, 111. 74 N. Vermillion 54, S. Vermillion 48 Portage 76, Munster 49 S.Ripley 76, Madison Shawe 35 Tipton 57, Kokomo Haworth 53 Tri Centra! 83, Sheridan 65 Union (Sullivan) 54, N.Knox 49 Whitesville Trinity 85, Evansville Christian 74 Indiana College Basketball By The Associated Press Tuesday's Games Grace 69, Marion 66 Hanover 99, Anderson 78 Indiana Tech 89, Huntington 65 Purdue-Calumet 89, Goshen 78 Monday's College Basketball Scores By The Associated Press EAST Loyola, Md. 82, Brooklyn 77 Massachusetts 59, Marist 58 Princeton 45, Pennsylvania 41, OT Syracuse 89, Providence 64 Wesleyan 69, Coast Guard 49 SOUTH Richmond 56, VCU 51 Howard 71, E. Carolina 57 SOUTHWEST Ark.-Little Rock 80, Nicholls St. 61 FAR WEST Brigham Young 87, Hawaii 85,20 T SARAJEVO, Yugoslavia (AP) The medals awarded through Tuesday competition at the XIV Olympic Winter Games: gold .Silver. Bronze. Total Soviet Union 3 6 7 16 East Germany 6 6 3 15 Finland 2 3 3 8 Norway 2 13 6 Sweden 2 0 13 United States 12 0 3 West Germany 110 2 Canada 1012 Britain 10 0 1 Italy 10 0 1 Switzerland 10 0 1 Japan 0101 Yugoslavia 0 10 1 Czechoslovakia 0 0 11 France 0 0 11 Liechtenstein 0 0 11 Olympic Records SARAJEVO, Yugoslavia (AP) A list of the Olympic records broken during the XIV Winter Games (x-denotes world record as well): SPEEDSKATING Women’s t.SOO-meters x-Karin Enke, East Germany, 2 minutes, 3.42 seconds. Old record: Annie Borckink, Netherlands, 2:10.95,1980. Women’s 500-meters x-Christa Rothenburger, East Germany, 41.02 seconds. Old record: Karin Enke, E. Germany, 41.78,1980. Women's 1,000-meters Karin Enke, E. Germany, one minute, 21.61 seconds, Olympic record. Old record: Natalya Petruseva, Soviet Union, 1:24.10, 1960. SARAJEVO, Yugoslavia (AP) - Medal winners in the XIV Olympic Winter Games, through Tuesday: ALPINE Men Giant Slalom Gold—Max Julen, Switzerland Silver—Jure Franko, Yugoslavia Bronze—Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein Women Giant Slalom Gold—Debbie Armstrong, United States Silver—Chris tin Cooper, United States Bronze—Perrine Pelen, France NORDIC Men 15-Km Cross Country Gold—Gunde Svan, Sweden Silver—Aki Karvonen, Soviet Union Bronze—Harri Kirvesniemi, Finland 30-Km Crosa-Country Gold—Nikolaj Zimiatov, Soviet Union Silver—Alexandre Zavialov, Soviet Union Bronze—Gunde Anders Swan, Sweden 10-Km Biathlon Gold—Eirik Kvalfoss, Norway Silver—Peter Angerer, W. Germany Bronze—Matthias Jacob, E. Germany 20-Km Biathlon Gold—Peter Angerer, W. Germany Silver—Frank-Peter Roetsch, E. Germany Bronze—Eirik Kvalfoss, Norway Nordic Combined Gold—Tom Sandberg, Norway Silver—Jouko Karjalainen, Finland Bronze—Jukka Ylipulli, Finland Ski Jumping 70-Meter Gold—Jens Weissflog, E Germany Silver—Matti Nykaenen, Finland Bronze—Jari Puikkone'.i, Finland Women 5-Km Cross-Country Gold—Marja-Liisa Hamalainen, Finland Silver—Berit Aunli, Norway Bronze—Kvetoslava Jeriova, Czechoslovakia 10-Km Croos-Conntry Gold—Marja-Liisa Hamalainen, Finland

Frieder said he beleives every team in the Big Ten has to be considered for either the 53team NCAA tournament or the 32-team National Invitation Tournament. “We have five teams right now that rank in the top 30 to 35 teams in the country,” he said. “But look at Michign State and lowa. They’re struggling in the Big Ten and the both beat Oregon State, which is fighting it out for the Pac 10 title. And what about Northwestern? They beat Notre Dame, which is going to win 18-20 games this year.” For the moment, though, Frieder is worried not only about Illinois and Purdue this week, but having to travel to Indiana after that. “It took us two weeks to recover from the last time we played them,” Frieder said,

Silver—Raissa Smetanina, Soviet Union Bronze-Brit Pettersen, Norway SPEEDSKATING Men 500-Meter Gold—Sergei Fokichev, Soviet Union Silver—Yoshihiro Kitazawa, Japan Bronze—Gaetan Boucher, Canada 1,000-Meter Gold—Gaetan Boucher, Canada Silver—Sergei Khlebnikov, Soviet Union Bronze—Kai Arne Engelstad, Norway 5.000-Meter Gold—Tomas Gustafsson, Sweden Silver—lgor Maikov, Soviet Union Bronze—Rene Schoefisch, E. Germany Women 500-Meter Gold—Christa Rothenburger, E. Germany Silver—Karin Enke, E Germany Bronze—Natalya Chive, Soviet Union 1,000-Meter Gold—Karin Enke, E Germany Silver—Andrea Schoene, E Germany Bronze—Natalya Petroseva, Soviet Unionl.soo-Meter Gold—Karin Enke, E. Germany Silver—Andrea Schoene, E. Germany Bronze—Natalya Petroseva, Soviet UnionBOBSLED Two-Man Gold—Wolfgnag Hoppe and Dietmar Schauerhammer, E. Germany Silver—Bernhard Lehman and Bogd> r Musiol, E. Germany Bronze—Zintis Ekmanis and Via dim Alexandrov, Soviet Union FIGURE SKATING Pairs Gold—Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Soviet Union Silver—Kitty and Peter Carruthere, United States Bronze—Larissa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, Soviet Union Dance Gold—Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Britian Silver—Natalya Bestemianova and An drei Bukin, Soviet Union Bronze—Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Soviet Union LUGE Men Singles Gold—Paul Hildgartner, Italy Silver—Sergei Danilin, Soviet Union Brpnze—Valery Doudin, Soviet Union Women Gold—Steffi Martin, E Germany Silver—Bettina Schmidt, E Germany Bronze—Ute Weiss, E. Germany SARAJEVO, Yugoslavia (AP) Results Wednesday in the women’s 4x5 cross-country relay race at the XIV Olympic Winter Games: 1. Norway (Inger Helene Nybraaten, / ne Jahren, Brit Pettersen, Berit Air’ one hour, six minutes, 49.70 seconds 2. Czechoslovakia, 1:07:34.70. 3. Finland, 1:07:36.70. 4. Soviet Union, 1:07:55.00. 5. Sweden. 1:09:30.00 6. Switzerland, 1:09:40.30 7. United States (Susan Long, S Conn., Judy Rabinowitz-EndestaC banks, Alaska,, Lynn Spencer-Gt Brattleboro, Vt., Patricia Ross, Cor Vt. 1:10:48.40. 8. East Germany, 1:11:10.70. 9. Italy, 1:11:12.30. 10. Yugoslavia, 1:13:45.10. 11. Britain, 1:18:36.20. 12. China, 1:21:19.60. National Basketball Association At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W. L.Pct. Boston 38 12 .765 Philadelphia 32 18 .640 New York 31 19 .620 New Jersey 26 26 .500 Washington 24 27 .471 Central Division Detroit 28 22 .580 Milwaukee 29 23 . 558 Atlanta 28 25 . 528 Chicago 21 28 . 429 i Cleveland 19 31 .380 6 Indiana 14 35 .286 13 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Utah 32 19 .627 Dallas 27 25 .519 5> San Antonio 23 30 .434 10 Kansas City 21 30 .412 11 Denver 20 32 .385 12% Houston 20 32 .385 12% Pacific Division Los Angeles 33 17 660 Portland 32 21 604 2% Seattle 26 23 .531 6% Phoenix 23 28 .451 10% Golden State 23 30 .434 11% San Diego 17 35 .327 17 Tuesday's Games Cleveland 103, New Jersey 93 New York 106, Kansas City 100 Chicago 112, San Diego 99 Milwaukee 92, Phoenix 83 Detroit 126, Houston 119 Utah 100, Atlanta 98 Washington 108, Denver 96 Golden State 106, Seattle 102 Wednesday’s Games San Antonio at New Jersey Phoenix at Cleveland Milwaukee at Indiana Philadelphia at Dallas Washington at Seattle Thursday’s Games— Indiana at New York Utah at Kansas City Atlanta at Denver Boston at Golden State Houston at San Diego Tuesday's sport* Transaction* By TTie Associated Press BASEBALL American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES-Signed Mark Brown, pitcher, and Ricky Jones and Victor Rodriguez, infieldere, to one-year contracts for the 1984 season. CALIFORNIA ANGELS—Signed Dick Schofield, shortstop, to a one-year contract.

recalling a four-point defeat at Purdue and a four-overtime disapointment to the Illini. Ready says he’s wary of both opponents this week. Michigan State, 2-8 and 9-11, apparently has overcome a string of injuries that marred its season, and the Purdue coach expects the Spartans to put it all together down the stretch as they did last year. And he categorized Michigan’s talent “probably No. 1 in the Big Ten... and they’re getting experience.” To be successful, “we better play the best defense we’ve played all year,” he added. Ohio State, 14-7 overall, has to play five of their remaning seven league games on the road, starting with Northwestern on Thursday night and lowa on Saturday.