The News-Messenger from Fremont, Ohio • 13

Wednesday, November 16, News-Messenger, Fremont, O. 1 3 1 eports 19-20 21 21 CLASSIFIED COMICS TELEVISION EIEMM i Princeton mentor Cal I ipken is AL MVP respects Ross unit .77,,,.. i- ,..14,..,,,,..:. i 4 r. 't 't il I.

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1 ''''''''''). 4. PETE MOORE ADAM CALABRESE JIM HUFFORD 1 i 7 0 0 I '4 2 1 71 ..,..4 34- iiA'. 441 on, 4.,:,::,7 4,, i 1 tim41.4.-,-4 i Oimos 1. I :4 It Wee: ,......:6 By ROB BOUKISSEN News-Messenger Sports Writer CINCINNATI Contrary to popular belief, the Cincinnati Princeton Vikings will not take the Fremont Ross Little Giants lightly in Saturday night's state semifinal game at Dayton's Welcome Stadium.

That's the opinion of long-time Princeton head coach Pat Mancuso, who admitted that even though his club came away victorious in its big, big game with archrival Moeller last week, it won't look past the Little Giants this "We're not figuring on a letdown," the Vikings' 24-year mentor said in a telephone conversation this morning. "I think the kids realize we have a state championship within our grasp, and they don't want to let it slip away. "And our kids respect any team (Ross) that is undefeated and only gives up 45 points the whole season. We're a very performance-oriented team, and we know we'll have to play well to win Saturday." The Vikings have played well enough this season to win nine of their NEW YORK AP )--Cal Ripken Rookie of the Year in the American League just one year ago, was named today as the 1983 AL Most Valuable Player, narrowly defeating Baltimore Orioles teammate Eddie Murray in the balloting. Ripken, 23, completed his meteoric ascension from rookie standout to MVP by leading the American League in hits with 211, runs with 121 and doubles with 47 last season as the Orioles won their first World Series since 1971.

The Baltimore shortstop also placed among the league leaders in batting average RBI (102), game-winning RBI 17) and sluggin average (.517) to go along with his 27 homers. And, in only his second season, he has earned the reputation as an ironman by being the only player in the league to play every inning of all 162 games of this year, extending his streak of consecutive games to 280. "Sometimes it's like living in a small fantasy world, things have happened so fast," Ripken said after receiving the phone call that informed him of the award. "I've been excited all day, even if I was just going to to the supermarket to buy a bottle of milk. Everyone here has been behind both me and Eddie Murray and I think I would have been just as excited for Eddie if he'd won.

I'm sure he feels the same way." In balloting conducted by the Basebal Writers Association of America, Ripken received 15 of a possible 28 first-place votes with two votes cated to each of the 14 American League cities. He was voted second nine times, third three times and fourth once for 322 total points. mob A DEREK ISAMAN CHRIS SIMMONS ROD LANNING Moore, five Giants named BC's finest by a wide 3647 margin. "I think that number one ranking had both a positive and negative effect on us," said Mancuso. "Early in the season it was positive because it helped us believe how good we really were.

And we really started out strong. "But then I think we got too much publicity, and it went to our heads. We played a terrible game against Upper Arlington. It was our worst game in seven or eight years." The Vikings quickly bounced back, however, drilling previously undefeated and unscored-upon Cincinnati Roger Bacon 42-7 to start a six-game winning streak. Along the way, they edged another previously undefeated team in Middletown 23-22.

Then came Moeller in the regular-season finale. "That was a great high school football said Mancuso. "It could have gone either way." It went Moeller's way 28-21, but Princeton came right back again and beat the Crusaders by the same score In the playoff opener last week to get where it is today. The Vikings have achieved their current status with speed, quickness and experience, according to Mancuso. "We're predominantly a senior team, and I think that means a lot," he said.

"We have a quick team, both offensively and defensively. We rely on our quickness a great deal. "We're not that big, but we're not small. I think both teams will match up evenly size-wise." The Vikings are at their best when they have the ball, which will make for an interesting matchup with Ross's vaunted defense. They have scored a whopping 379 points this season.

They're known mostly as a running team, with a trio of backfield people rushing for a combined total of more than 3,000 yards. Mancuso admitted that his club is a special one, but he also said the same for Ross. "We didn't send any scouts to the Sandusky game," he said, "but we've seen the films and there's no secret why they're undefeated. They have a very, very aggressive defense, and their offense can move the ball. "It should be a very good game." Yaz honored Tiekets hit 3,000 Approximatley 3,000 tickets for the Ross versus Cincinnati Princeton Division semifinal game of the Ohio High School Football Playoffs have been sold at' Ross High School Athletic Director Dick Sherman reported this morning.

Tickets will be on sale until 6:30 p.m. today at the basketball ticket office in the gymnasium concourse at the high school. It is the final day for sales in Fremont. All tickets are for reserved seats and cost $3.50. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.

Pete Moore and five members of his Ross High School Buckeye Conference championship team have been honored by the conference. Moore, head coach of the Little Giants the past eight seasons, was named BC Coach of the Year for taking his club from a 3-7 season last year to a current 10-0-1 record, a BC title and a berth in the state playoffs this year. Meanwhile, the five Ross players who were named to the All-BC first team were Jim Huf ford, Rod Lanning, Derek Isaman, Chris Simmons and Adam Calgbrese. Hufford, who led the conference with eight interceptions, made it at a defensive back slot, Lanning was honored as a defensive lineman, Isaman as a linebacker, Simmons as a defensive end andCalabrese earned first-team laurels from his offensive guard post. Calabrese, Hufford and Lanning are all seniors while Isaman and Simmons are juniors.

In fact, Isaman and Simmons were the only two underclassmen to be named to either first unit. Sandusky led everybody in first-team selections with eight, followed by Ross and Admiral King with five each, Marion with three, Lorain Senior with two and Findlay and Elyria with one each. Admiral King tailback Gary Patton was named Back of the Year for his conference-leading 1,100 yards while Sandusky end Ervin Owens won Lineman of the Year honors for both his offensive and defensive efforts. Owens was named first-team end on both sides of the field. Ross placed six more players on the second team Jerry Manahan at both tight end and defensive end, Terry O'Farrell at offensive tackle, Kevin Wilhelm at quarterback, Jeff Gentry at running back, Stacy Swaisgood at linebacker and Gene Simmons at defensive back.

All are seniors. Complete listing is on page 15. WASHINGTON (AP) Rep. Silvio Conte, rushed off the House floor to host a party for a friend who has nothing to do with Washington politics retired Boston Red Sox slugger Carl Yastzremski. "I love this guy," Conte said Tuesday.

"I look at him like I do myself," he said, explaining that he and Yaz have been friends for 20 years, only three less than the number of years Yastrzemski played with the Red Sox. He said both he and Yastrzemski are sons of immigrant parents and have had to fight for the successes they have achieved. "He was not born a great baseball player. He had to work to be a great baseball player, Conte said. "This is a very special party," Conte said.

An enthusiastic crowd munched Polish sausage, drank beer and ate Crackerjacks as they packed into the reception honoring Yastzremski. Conte had the room decorated with Red Sox and Yaz pennants. 11 games. That might be considered a super season for most schools, but for Princeton it was a slight disappointment. The Vikings were expected to win all their games this year after being ranked No.

1 in the entire country in a preseason poll put out by the national newspaper USA Today. But after winning their first two games handily, the Vikings hit the skids against Upper Arlington, losing 1114 NBA picks new commissioner ED kC Iff EE lEn2 YilL2a ib a NEW YORK (AP) David Stern, who as a boy walked more than a mile up Eighth Avenue to watch National Basketball Association doubleheaders at Madison Square Garden, is about to become the NBA's fourth commissioner. In a show of quickness and unanimity rare for sports owners, the NBA's Board of Governors took less than half an hour Tuesday to name Stern to succeed Larry O'Brien. Richard Bloch, president of the Phoenix Suns and chairman of the Gover: nors, said there was no ing voice to Stern's appointment. Stern, who has been O'Brien's right-hand man for the past five years and the league's executive vice president for the past three, was the outgoing commission- er's hand-picked choice for the job.

O'Brien announced last Thursday that he will would step 1 down when his contract expires Feb. although he said Tuesday he will stay on to help the the way for the merger with the old American Basketball Association. In 1978, he joined the league as general counsel and in 1980 he became the executive vice president. Stern was chosen primarily for his marketing skills and his part in putting together television packages, particularly in the expanding area of cable. Among his long-range projects: a package of cable games to sell overseas, where basketball is becoming increasingly popular.

Despite his dedication to the sport, Stern never played any organized basketball. At Teaneck, N.J., High School, he won a varsity letter in tennis, but played basketball only at the intramural level. Howevet, he noted: "I have no cartilage in my right knee as a result of playing basketball for my law firm's team." Stern lives in Scarsdale, N.Y., about 20 miles north of New York, with his wife Dianne and sons Andrew and Eric. O'Brien actually orchestrated the quick choice himself. First, he convinced the owners to amend the agenda to add discussion of the commissioner's job to Tuesday's meeting, called originally to discuss the labor dispute with NBA referees.

Then he made the strongest possible pitch for Stern to the owners, citing the need for a commissioner from inside the league. "1 couldn't be more pleased," O'Brien said after his recommendation was quickly ratified. Stern, 41, has been associated with the NBA since 1966, first as a member of a law firm which handled the league's legal matters. After joining the league, he devoted much of his time to marketing, television and labor negotiations with players and referees. A graduate of Rutgers University and Columbia Law School, among the cases he handled for the law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz Mendelsohn, was the settlement of the lawsuit with Oscar Robertson, which paved Suburbanite Polyester cc5)11114 y' ester P' $3 4 Size Anz 13 blackwali, plus $1.78 FEL No node needed.

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Bruce said he didn't see any Monday morning one of the two lack of emotion for the Ohio coaches will not feel good." State-Michigan game even Schembechler then dealt a though the Rose Bowl is not at blow to Illinois backers by say- stake. ing: "Ohio State is the equal of "This is Ohio State-Michi)echler anyone in the Big Ten. As I look gan," said Bruce. "it is emo, at it, this team probably is the tional, exciting and pressureaighth-ranked best team we've played all packed. Young men congregate year." at Michigan and Ohio State to Then the dean of Big Ten play in this game." coaches, whose team lost only to As for Ohio State being the Illinois and Washington, corn- best in the Big Ten, Bruce said: pared the two teams that figure "I don't know.

We had a good to play each other in the Rose team at the start of the season. Bowl. Illinois is in, Washington But in a couple of games we needs a victory over Washington played only 55 minutes. State to claim the rival berth. "Five games in two plays "When we played Washington, were very costly," said Bruce, neither team played very well," referring to narrow losses to said Schembechler.

"We didn't Iowa and Illinois. "Obviously, play defense and they couldn't there are some things you'd like stop us. Illinois and Washington to take back. The blitz against have fairly similar playing Iowa on the touchdown pass. styles.

Washington might be a Against Illinois we had third)echler little stronger in the running and-four and gave up the ball. game and I would give the edge We lost it right there, but you defensively to Illinois, but I have to give them credit for the, haven't seen Washington's de- way they came back to score II fense since the second game of the last 37 seconds." the season." Bruce said he didn't see any lack of emotion for the Ohio State-Michigan game even though the Rose Bowl is not at stake. "This is Ohio State-Michigan," said Bruce. "it is emotional, exciting and pressure-packed. Young men congregate at Michigan and Ohio State to play in this game." As for Ohio State being the best in the Big Ten, Bruce said: "I don't know.

We had a good team at the start of the season. But in a couple of games we played only 55 minutes. "Five games in two plays were very costly," said Bruce, referring to narrow losses to Iowa and Illinois. "Obviously, there are some things you'd like to take back. The blitz against Iowa on the touchdown pass.

Against Illinois we had thirdand-four and gave up the ball. We lost it right there, but you have to give them credit for the, way they came back to score it the last 37 seconds." CHICAGO (AP) There's no Rose Bowl bid at stake, not even the Big Ten championship, by any stretch of the but the Ohio State-Michigan football game remains a big one according td coaches Bo Schembechler and Earle Bruce. There is a possibility that eighth-ranked Michigan could claim a share of the title by defeating Ohio State and having Illinois lose to Northwestern, but even Schembechler pooh-poohed such an idea. Asked if he thought the possibility of a first-place tie had been overlooked, Michigan's Schembechler said in a telephone interview Tuesday: "I don't think it's a possibility. I don't see any set of circumstances that could help us in that respect." Claiming the rivalry in itself is motivation enough, Schembechler said he didn't think a bowl bid would be a motivating factor.

"Either way we're going to a good bowl," said Schembechler. CHICAGO (AP) There's no Rose Bowl bid at stake, not even the Big Ten championship, by 3ny stretch of the imagination, Jut the Ohio State-Michigan football game remains a big one according td coaches Bo Schem- and Earle Bruce. There is a possibility that Michigan could a share of the title by de- reating Ohio State and having II- linois lose to Northwestern, but wen Schembechler pooh-poohed an idea. Asked if he thought the possi- Mlity of a first-place tie had )een overlooked, Michigan's 3chembechler said in a tele- )hone interview Tuesday: "I ion't think it's a possibility. I ion't see any set of circum- Aances that could help us in that -espect." Claiming the rivalry in itself is motivation enough, Schem- said he didn't think a )owl bid would be a motivating ractor.

"Either way we're going to a good bowl," said Schembechler. Sale Ends Nov. 19 GOOMPOFEAL2 Le' El OIL ta Tina co. 1925 W. STATE FREMONT 332-3209.