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GRIFFIN DAILY NEWS MAGAZINE
Youngsters Expected
To Give Old Guard
Trouble In Masters
By DAVID M. MOFFIT
UPI Sports Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (UPI) — The
T'n’T golfers of the winter tour,
money-leader Tom Weiskopf and
England’s Tony Jacklin, are ex
pected to offer the old gua-d an
explosive test this week in the
prestigious Masters tournament.
Os course, Arnold Palmer and
Jack Nicklaus, who have turn
ed the Masters into their pri
vate playground In recent years,
probably will be favorites as
usual when the first leg of golf
dom’s ‘‘grand slam” begins
Thursday over the beautiful but
tough Augusta National course.
But Weiskopf, who is making
his Masters debut, and Jacklin,
who got in for the first time last
year as an alternate after Neil
Coles refused to fly from Eng
land, have made it clear they’re
going to be men to watch.
The 25-year-old Weiskopf, who
was a couple of years behind
Nicklaus at Ohio State, has al
ready won more than $67,000
this year. He took first place in
the San Diego Open and sec
ond in both the Do”al and
Citrus.
Best From Britain
The 23-year-old Jacklin, ac
claimed as the best English
golfer in more than a genera
tion, won the Greater Jack
sonville Open the week after he
tied for second at Pensacola.
Jacklin, who skipped the Great
er Greensboro Open to get in
some early practice here, ran
off a string of nine straight
rounds in the 60s prior to his
closing-round 71 at Jacksonville.
Defending champion Gay
Brewer, a playoff loser in 1966
and a one-stroke winner last
year, hasn’t won a tournament
since claiming the coveted Mas
ters green coat.
Nicklaus, three-time Masters
Houk Considers Comeback Possible
By JOE GERGEN
UPI Sports Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
(UPl)—When the Boston Red
Sox vaulted from ninth place to
an American League pennant In
1967, it was called the
“impossible dream.” Ralph
Houk doesn’t believe in the
word Impossible.
That’s why Houk, the mana
ger of the New York Yankees
and the A.L.’s leading optimist,
is allowing himself an occasion
al moment of fantasy in
daydreaming the same sort of
meteoric rise for his belea
guered forces.
The only things the two clubs
have in common, to date, is an
identical record "the year :
before.” The Red Sox finished
in ninth place with a 72-90 mark
in 1966 and the Yankees did
likewise last season.
*‘l like to feel there’s a
chance to go all the way,” said
the iron major of World War n.
"Maybe it sounds unrealistic
but I’ve got to feel that way.
The Red Sox did it a year ago. i
Who knows?
Balance Is Key I <
"One of these years it’s going
to come true for us. I think the
league has tremendous balance
and there’s not so much '
difference from top to bottom
8
champion and only man ever to
win back-to-back titles, is anx
ious to make amends for failing
to survive last year’s 36-hole
cut. Palmer, the only four-time
champion, has been making ad
justments in his game and ap
pears to be rounding into shape.
Hogan Too Tired
There’ll be one big void in
this, the 32nd, Masters. Ben
Hogan, a standout for three de
cades, decided his aching legs
can't stand the strain of a four
day grind over the rugged 6,980-
yard course.
One of the highlights last year
came in the third round when
Hogan brought back memories
of yesteryear with a heart
thumping 6-under-par 66. But the
tired, 54-y ear-old ‘‘hawk of the
fairways” skied to a 77 on the
final day.
Hogan’s absence leaves the
honor of the oldtimers in the
hands of still sweet-swing[ng
Sammy Snead, the 55-year-old
three-time champion from the
hills of West Virginia.
The Masters invites a lot of
over-the-hill former greats and
unproven young amateurs and
foreigners and has been ac
cused of being overrated be
cause many outstanding touring
pros are omitted.
But despite its critics, every
one wants to win the Masters.
It is paired with the U. S. Open,
the British Open and the PGA
as the “big four” tournaments
in the world today.
No Grand Slams
No man has won all four the
same year. The only “grand
slammer,” back when the U.S.
and British Opens and Ama
teurs made up the top four,
was amateur Bobby Jones in
1930.
The Masters, begun in 1934
and the only major tournament
anymore.”
Bottom is where the Yankees
finished in 1966; now they’re
moving up ever so slowly with
what Houk likes to call a youth
movement. But it is the
veterans who will have to
improve if the Yankees are to
rise further.
“I keep thinking (Tom)
Tresh is better,” intoned Houk.
“I keep thinking (Joe) Pepitone
is better than 13 homes runs.”
Once the prime exponents of
power baseball, the Yankees
slumped disastrously at the
plate last season and finished
last in runs (522) and slugging
percentage (.317). One of the
prime reasons were Tresh, the
left fielder, whose batting
average plunged to .219 and
whose homer rate dropped to 14
before undergoing surgery on
his right knee. Pepitone, the
center fielder, slumped to 13
homers after 31 the previous :
year.
Steve Whitaker, who hit 11, 1
and Bill Robinson, who had :
seven, are expected to share
right field duties but all the
outfielders are being pushed by
Andy Kosco, drafted from
Vancouver after several sue- 1
cessful years in the Twins’ and 1
Tigers* organizations. Kosco 1
also can be used at first base to '
played on the same course ev
ery year, was Jones’ brainchild
and owes much of its success to
the fact that he came out of re
tirement to play in it. Jones,
now 66 and a very sick man)
is confined to a wheel chair and
only a spectator.
Few golfers conquer the de
manding Augusta National. On
ly seven in last year’s 83-man
field broke par for the full 72
holes and no one was below par
after four days in 1966. Hogan's
14-under-par 274 in 1953 stood as
the record until Nicklaus posted
a 271 in 1965.
Small Player List
This year’s entry list, tenta
tively set at 79, is the smallest
since 1934. Included are 53 U. S.
professionals, six of whom
won’t be invited until after the
windup at Greensboro Sunday;
seven U. S. amateurs; 17 for
eign pros; and two foreign am
ateurs.
Brewer, who lost his chance
for victory by missing a short
putt on the 72nd hole in 1966,
was two strokes off the pace
going into last year’s final
round and came through with
a 67-280 to beat Bobby Nichols
by a stroke.
Palmer had a closing 69 to
finish fourth—the ninth time in
10 years the golfing million
aire was in the top four at the
Masters. Champion in 1958,
1960, 1962 and 1964, Palmer was
tied for second in 1961 and 1965,
third in 1959 and fourth in 1966.
Nicklaus won in 1963, 1965 and
1C26 and tied for second in 1964.
Thus, when Brewer won last
year, it was the first time since
Gary Player beat Palmer by a
stroke in 1961 that anyone was
able to break the stranglehold
the co-kings of golf have had
on the Masters.
spell Mickey Mantle.
Mantle, the team’s living
legend, enjoyed his shift to first
last year so much he played in
more games than in any year
since 1961. The 144 games took
a toll on him, however, and he
tired noticably in the final
month when he hit one home
run, nevertheless, he finished
with a club high of 22.
Horace Clarke, whose .272
averages led the Yankees, is a
mainstay at second base but the
left side of the infield remains
as unsettled as ever, Rookies
Bobby Cox and Mike Ferraro
are in competition for the third
base Job thrown open by a knee
operation on Charlie Smith.
Dick Howser (.268) proved a
good utility man last year.
Frank Fernandez, a 23-year
old right-handed hitter who has
displayed flashes of power
during six years in the minors,
likely will be platooned with
left-handed hitter Jake Gibbs
behind the plate. Gibbs was a
major disappointment with a
.233 average and four home
runs in 116 games.
Pitching Is Steady
Houk has good reason to be
happy, however with his pitch
ing staff, which ranked fourth
in the league with a 3.24 era.
The Yankees did yield 62 runs,
BETWEEN YOU>N>ME
Decline of Yankees Traced
To Loss of Tony Kubek
By MURRAY OLD ERM AN
NEA Sports Editor
The sight of Joe DiMaggio in an Oakland uniform
this spring caused George Weiss, his old boss as gen
eral manager of the Yankees, to dredge up a bit of his
tory. Before the Yankees hired Casey Stengel as skipper
in 1919, George confided to a friend, his initial notion
was to elevate DiMag from the player ranks. But he
was overruled by Del Webb, then a Yankee owner and
Stengel booster ....
Lee McPhail, now the general manager of the Yankees,
doesn’t appreciate knocks on baseball, particularly by writers
covering the teams. "Knock individuals or rules,” he says,
"but don’t knock the sport.” ....
The abrupt decline of the Yankee dynasty, from first
(1964) to ninth (1967), is traced by Manager Ralph
Houk to the loss of one man—Tony- Kubek, who had to
retire as the regular shortstop after the ’65 campaign
with a neck injury that threatened his life. “We were
prepared for Bobby Richardson quitting,” notes Ralph.
“We already had Roy White, Pedro Gonzales and
Horace Clarke standing by. in our organization. And it
turns out Clarke was a good choice. But we were caught
short on Tony. The only kids available, Bobby Murcer
and Jerry Kenney, had to go in the army.” .. .
Future basketball note: Next year Ohio State will open its
campaign in Columbus against fast-growing Ohio University.
It’s the first regularly scheduled game ever for the Buckeyes
against an in-state school in the major sports ... -■
What happened to Jim Lonborg on the slopes of Cali
fornia doesn’t deter the brigade of pro football players
who’ve swung over to skiing as a recreation between
season. Paul Flatley, the split end of the Minnesota Vik
ings, calls it “the greatest sports challenge I’ve ever
faced.” And he’s been relaxing ever since the grid cam
paign at the Snowmass area at Aspen, Colo,, as a skier
by day and a night club host—with just one side trip
to the Caribbean as a guide for a George Mikan travel
group....
The pathos of baseball: Jim O’Toole, who’s just 31 years
old and won 81 games in a five-year period with Cincinnati,
figures it’s a 3-1 shot he’ll make it this spring with the White
Sox (he wasn’t even on their roster). His sixth child is on
the way. He never had a sore arm until he banged into a
wall last summer racing his young brother in the Chicago
outfield. Reason for his decline: “I just lost my rhythm.”....
Between you’n’me, Sonny Werblin, despite rumors,
is not ready to duck out on pro football as the owner
of the New York Jets. But two of the other major stock
holders are, and Sonny’ll gobble up their shares if the
price is right.. * _
eighth in the A.L., but much of
, that was the result of a shoddy
t defense.
i Mel Stottlemyre (15-15) and
• Al Downing (14-10), provided he
t gets over a sore shoulder, are
> the club’s best. Houk can choose
1 the remainder of his rotation
> from among Fritz Peterson (8-
l 14), Fred Talbot (6-8), Bill
Monbouquette, Steve Barber
I and Stan Bahnsen, who got a
t late start because of Army
> duty. Monbouquette, a reclama
i tion project after being cast
; aside from the Detroit Tigers
> early in the 1967 season, has
[ been very impressive this
. spring.
Dooley Wooack, Steve Hamil
k ton and Joe Verbanic give the
club three dependable short
■ relief man while Jim Bouton is
: making another strong come
' back bid for a long relief berth.
"I try to be honest and fair
i with myself,” said Houk. “It
i would appear the ball club has
. more depth. The reason is our
. minor strengthened by the
> addition of Kosco, Cox and
Fernandez. That was one of our
sore spots last year.
i “We gained six games in the
standings last year. If we gain
seven or eight more this year,
who knows where we’ll be?”
Even Houk would have to
Sat. and Sun., April 6-7, 1968
admit that’s an impossible
question to answer.
Continued from page one
da would be neutral ground.
Oglethorpe’s regiment was dis
banded, and Frederica practi
cally abandoned.
The colonial town’s death
blow was the fire of 1758, which
destroyed most of the buildings.
The Treaty of Paris in 1763.
ending the French and Indian
War, included a provision ced
ing Florida to England. Fort
Frederica no longer was a vital
outpost. Georgia was forever
safe from Spanish control.
Today, the excavation work
has unearthed the long buried
foundations of many of the old
houses. In the fort area, you
see two store houses, the King’s
magazine, the guard rooms,
and blacksmith ship, the town
gate, the moat, the bastion tow
ers and barracks building. As
you stroll quietly ‘midst these
long forgotten footnotes of his
tory, you learn the details from
explanatory markers.
Fort Frederica is now a foot
note in history, but a very Im
portant one, you learn after a
visit. Fifty men turned back
the tide of history with an am
bush, and Spain lost Georgia
forever.