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When Billy Cunningham appeared in the NBA All-Star Game
recently, he became the first 'lame-duck' player to do so.
Although he has signed a contract with the rival ABA, he still
has two more seasons to play in Philadelphia and the loyal
Philly fans don't seem to mind, as Marty Ralbovsky reports
today.
Cunningham's ABA Contract
Hasn't Soured His Philly Fans
J 1 By MARTY
RALBOVSKY,
J 7 NEA Sports
( Writer
PHILADELPHIA—(N EA)
—lt is not so astonishing that
Curt Flood, when faced with
the prospect of playing in
this city, decided to chal
lenge the entire structure of
baseball instead. Philadel
phia’s sports fans, as Richie
Allen, Joe Kuharich and Wilt
Chamberlain, among others,
will attest, are hardly the
nation’s most benevolent.
It is somewhat surprising,
therefore, that Billy Cun
ningham has escaped un
scratched for announcing
hi s impending departure
while all Richie Allen did
was hope for it. When last
seen, Richie Allen was blow
ing kisses toward the stands
in Connie Mack Stadium in
mock farewell and Cunning
ham was receiving a stand
ing ovation in the Spectrum
before the NBA All-Star
Game, in which he was, as
usual, a starter for the East.
Cunningham revealed last
summer that after two more
seasons with the Philadel
phia 76ers he was going to
cross league lines and be
come a Carolina Cougar in
the rival ABA. Philadelphia
fans, who were faced with
two lame-duck seasons of
presumable lackluster play
from him, were expected to
react with their usual abom
ination.
But, Cunningham says,
they have not. The way they
’treat Billy Cunningham in
Philly, one might suspect
that he just signed a long
term contract with the home
club.
“Truthfully, I expected
Alabama Jolts
Georgia Hopes
By United Press International
Alabama’s impertinent sopho
mores dealt Georgia’s hopes for
Cowboys Clip
Bears, 31-25
The Cowboys beat the Bears
31-25 in the Pee Wee League and
the Lakers topped the Panthers
49-33 in the Midget League
yesterday at the Fairmont
Center.
Phillip McCrary scored 12
points for the Cowboys. Rory
Parks made seven. Randy
Harps scored 10 for the Bears
and Tony Smikes made five.
David Woolfolk scored 16
points for the Lakers. David
Dennis made 11 and Zachery
Piercy scored eight. Alphonzo
Parks made 15 for the Panthers
and Ralph Bridges made seven.
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some trouble from the fans
here,” Cunningham said,
sipping Teem and smoking
a cigarette in a Spectrum
locker room. “But they
haven’t been bitter towards
me at all. In fact, the fans
here have treated me bet
ter this season than they
have in any of the previous
years I’ve played here.
“I seem to be getting all
the noise on the road. In
some cities, the fans are
waiting for me and when I
come on the floor before a
game they start in with this
‘traitor’ business. As long as
the fans in Philadelphia un
derstand my situation, I
have no complaints.”
Cunningham’s situation is
this: He signed with the Car
olina team in the ABA be
cause it offered him a con
tract of long-term financial
security. He will not go into
the particulars but the deal,
he says, is considerably
more than he could ever ex
pect in Philadelphia.
“The first thing people
thought when they read
about all this was that the
ABA came running after me
with a blank checkbook. But
that’s not so. I went to the
Carolina people and let them
know I was available. Then
we sat down and talked
things over. The ABA didn’t
raid the NBA for me. I made
the original move.
“Financial security means
a lot to me. It’s like anything
else. You work for a major
corporation and you’re mak
ing a good salary, but sooner
or later you start thinking
about the future. So did
Dave Bing and Zelmo Beaty.
I think before all this com
petition between leagues is
over, a lot more NBA play
ers will be over there.”
Still, the question of alle
giance remains. Is Billy
Cunningham, NBA All-Star,
just marking time until his
ABA debut?
“The leagues and the
the Southeastern Conference
basketball championship a jolt
Monday night.
The Crimson Tide, wielding a
hot hand, slapped the Bulldogs
94-86 for its fourth straight vic
tory and its second consecutive
upset of an SEC title contender.
LSU fell to Alabama last Satur
day.
Meanwhile, Kentuckyi-even
with a patched-up lineup—beat
Mississippi State 86-57 to take
undisputed possession of first
place in the SEC standings
with a 10-1 record. Georgia is
9-2.
Elsewhere in the Southeast
Monday night, Tennessee put
down Mississippi 72-60, Florida
upset Vanderbilt 81-79 in over
time, LSU beat Tulane 127-114
behind Pete Maravich’s 49
points, and Georgia Tech beat
Pittsburgh 92-62.
Wk
i
~ » fl
Billy Cunningham
teams and the cities are all
relative things,” he says.
“It’s the game that counts.
No matter where I am, I’m
going to be playing basket
ball the same way. Playing
in the NBA or the ABA is
not the biggest concern for
me. It’s playing the best I
know how. The ABA con
tract hasn’t affected me one
bit.”
This season is Cunning
ham’s last under his 76er
contract. Next year, he will
be playing out his option
and, undoubtedly, be taking
a substantial cut in salary.
The following year, ne’s
free.
“I’ve got a lot of friends
Tonight’s only Southeast ac
tion has Florida State entertain
ing Florida Southern.
Alabama, playing six sopho
mores, jumped to a 10-point
lead at halftime and then saw
Georgia pull to within one point,
77-76, before Jimmy Hollon hit
eight points in a row to seal the
victory. Hollon was the game’s
high scorer with 34 points. Bob
Lienhard paced Georgia with
32.
Coach Adolph Rupp suspended
starting guard Dick McGowan
and reserve center Randy Poole
for disciplinary reasons Monday
and said neither would play the
rest of the season. But Mike
Pratt, with 26 points, and Dan
Issel, with 17, took up the slack
and sparked the third-ranked
Wildcats to their 18th victory of
the season. John Guyton led
Mississippi State with 21 points.
Ole Miss, which had upset
Tennessee last month, dogged
the Vols until hitting a four
minute scoring drought after in
termission. Tennessee ran up a
15-point lead and never was
headed. Jimmy England had 19
points for the Vols and Ron
Coleman led Ole Miss with 21.
Florida and Vandy swapped
the lead 15 times in the sec
ond half but a 20-foot jumper
by Cliff Cox in the overtime
period put the Gators ahead for
good. Maravich ran his career
scoring total to 3,206 points in
LSU’s 100th victory over tradi
tional rival Tulane.
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Atlanta Marriott Hotel
Feb. 21-8 P. M.
FOR RESERVATIONS
CALL 227-1656 9 A. M. - 5 P. M.
in the South because I
played my college ball at
North Carolina. I wouldn’t
be honest if I said I didn’t
like the South. I was in
North Carolina just a few
weeks ago on business. I’m
planning to open a chain of
restaurants. You know, the
quick-food kind. I’m making
up a list now of cities I’d like
to go into.”
“Is Philadelphia one of
them?” he was asked.
“Qf course,” said Billy
Cunningham, smiling. “But
the first one is going up in
North Carolina.”
(Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)
Bulldogs Top
Gators, 47-44
The Bulldogs stopped the Ga
tors 47-44 yesterday in the
Senior League and the Tigers
beat the Yellow Jackets 56-37.
Charles Mathews scored 16
for the Bulldogs and Frankie
Goldstein made eight. Wayne
Atwater scored 16 for the
Gators and John Sikes made 10.
Gary Pugh led the Tigers with
16 points. Allen Reeves made 15.
Rufus Mays made 12 for the
Jackets and Cliff Vaughn
scored seven.
Blackhawks
Down Pistons
The Blackhawks shot down the
Pistons 45-11 yesterday in the
Ricky Barry League. The Babes
beat the Lassies 22-20.
Richard Buckalew scored 15
for the Blackhawks and Clay
Rumph made 11. Scott Farr and
Terrell Bunn made three for the
Pistons.
Kay Watkins was high scorer
for the Babes with 12 points.
Debbie Braddock made four.
Vickie Adams scored nine for
the Lassies and Alicia Garrison
scored seven. ■
Spalding Boys
Beat lackson
The Spalding Junior High
eighth grade boys beat Jackson
69-46 last Saturday.
Chuck Dunn scored 29 points
for Spalding.
Other scorers were Gary
McDowell 20, Randy Turner 10,
Marty Varnadoe five, Ken
Crawford two, Clinton Murphy
two and James Brown one.
Griffin Daily News
Sportscasters: Newsmen
Ik ' ■
Ira Berkow
NEA Sports Editor
NEW ORLEANS—(NEA)
—lt was a typically insipid
television interview by
Frank Gifford, in which
praise was strewn like tulips
and questions of the heart
were squashed underfoot.
Immediately after the
Supu Bowl game, Gifford,
in tne Kansas Sity Chiefs’
locker room, “interviewed”
Ler Dawson, hero and quar
terback of tne winning
Chiefs. Gifford unctuously
asked Dawson all about the
gr/jl
Kb
Brent Musburger
superplays, which were im
portant, and nothing about
the gambling connections
Dawson had been impli
cated with in the week be
fore the game.
The latter also was news
worthy in that (a) it might
have provided incentive to
Dawson to overcome it or
’ (b) it laid him psychologi
cally low and he was sur
prised at his field perform
ance or (c) Dawson didn’t
think about it.
“That’s the kind of thing
that’s wrong with our pro
fession,” said Brent Mus-
GRIFFIN NIGHT
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Griffin, Georgia
J
Tuesday, February 10, 1970
3
burger, 31, CBS television
and radio sportscaster from
Chicago. “I don't know why
Frank didn’t ask Dawson
about the effect of ,the gam
bling charge. I’m sure CBS
didn’t tell him to steer
clear. It’s just that some of
the sportscasters feel they
should not be controversial.
They aren’t really journal
ists. They’re flacks, for the
sport, or for the team, or
for the sponsor. It’s, a lousy
situation.”
This is no attempt to
single out Gifford. He is no
more egregious an offender
of journalistic integrity than
your local jock-turned
sportscaster, weatherman
turned-sportscaster, golden
voice d-anythin g-turned
sportscaster.
Musburger is different. He
was a newspaperman first,
having written the lead
sports column for Chicago’s
American (now Chicago To
day) before trading in his
quill for an atomizer. He
seeks controversy, believing
that is the stuff of which
sports is made. He has
taken on, among others,
George Halas, Leo Duro
cher, Notre Dame All-Amer
ican Mike McCoy. “But only
people who can defend
themselves,” he said. “I’ll
never go after the little man
who has no guard up.”
A basic difference be
tween a sportswriter and
sportscaster is one of public
image, said Musburger.
“A newspaperman is fair
ly anonymous, but a sports
caster is a celebrity,” he
said. “Athletes look at you
in this way, too. When I was
a sportswriter, I got the
feeling athletes thought I
was some kind of cop. Now,
well, they think I’m one of
them, and that I can do
them some good.
“Traditionally, TV and
radio broadcasters have
said nice things only.
They’ve spoiled the athletes.
Pitchmen?
or
Meanwhile, newspapermen
are a threat as far as ath
letes are concerned. Also,
athletes often get paid for,
say, post-game interviews
from the broadcasting
media. Never from news
papers, of course.”
Musburger says that net
works and local stations
rarely try to influence the
objectivity of their sports
casters. He, for example,
has never been censored by
CBS. But most sportscasters
have hopes of doing play-by
play game accounts, and the
individual sports teams
have almost total control
over who does the game
work.
“So,” said Musburger,
“these sportscasters are
loathe to offend the man
agement of a team they
would like to be working for.
Why do you think Harry
Caray in St. Louis was fired
as a sportscaster? Because
August Busch, the Cards’
owner, had a run-in with
him. And remember, what
happened to Red Barber?
He was one of the best. But
the Yankees fired him be
cause he would say things
like, ‘Sure is a poor crowd
at the park today.’ ”
Some sportscasters, like
Jack Brickhouse in Chicago,
openly admit they are there
primarily to sell the team
and the sponsor. Brickhouse
does the Chicago Cub
games. “Check the figures
of Hamm’s Beer,” said Mus
burger, “and you’ll see how
the sales have jumped since
Jack began pushing it dur
ing the Cub games. Jack
does offend any number of
intelligent viewers. But to
many, he is a Chicago insti
tution. And his ‘Hey, hey’ is
like a by-word in the city.
He is also now on the
board of directors of the
Cubs.”
Other sportscasters, in
cluding Howard Cosell, Curt
Gowdy, Vince Scully and
Ray Scott, are reporters.
They do their homework,
and usually try to be objec
tive and interesting at the
same time.
“These fellas feel, as I
do,” said Musburger, “that
the team we’re covering is
not going to vote us a share
at the end of the season and
we’re not going to get fired
if they lose. We’re not inter
ested in selling a team or a
product, we’re interested in
broadcast journalism.”
(Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)
Falcons Sign
Art Malone
PHOENIX, Ariz. (UPI) - At
lanta Falcons President Frank
Wall and Chief Scout Tom
Braatz signed Arizona State
running back Art Malone to a
contract Monday night.
Malone, 5-foot-11, 205 pounds,
was the second - round draft
choice of the Falcons and is the
first of 22 college players select
ed by Atlanta in the draft to
come to terms.
Malone was one of three Ari
zona State stars to be drafted
by Atlanta to sign. The other
two, running back Mike Brunson
and defensive back Seth Miller,
have yet to sign contracts.
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