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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-09-23, Page 25_Sports GODERICH SIGNAL, STAR, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1987 SECTION The Goderich Vikings hosted their an- nual Senior Viking Invitational basketball tournament at G.D.C.I. on Saturday. Teams from London, Sarnia, Cambridge, Stratford, Strathroy, St. Thomas and Flesherton participated in an exciting day of basketball. The Vikings narrowly missed winning their first Viking Invitational when they lost 35-31 to a tough John Paul 11 team from London. The Goderich girls surged to an eight point second half lead on excellent team play but were unable to hold it as the London girls won the game from the foul line. Jenny Allen led the second half surge scoring ten of her game high 14 points. Mary Katherine Stapleton, a tournament all star padded 9 points Katharine Murphy had four points. Erin Robinson and Rhon- da Teal added a basket each. In the tournament opener the Vikings doubled Greg Highlands 47-23. The team showed excellent passing and quickness. Mary Katherine Stapleton led the Goderich scorers. with 20 points. Erin Robinson added 10 and Pam Fritzley 9. Katharine Murphy and Maureen Stapleton added four each to secure the Viking victory. In the championship semi final the Vik- ings put on a tremendous display of pressure defence and offensive quickness .to bury Galt Southwood, 57-18. Jenny Allen led the Goderich scorers with 14 points. For the second straight game Pam Fritzley came off the bench to spark the team with hustle defence and excellent scoring as she had 12 points. Mary Katherine Stapleton added 10 and Maureen Stapleton 9. Katharine Murphy had `six points, Erin Robinson five and Shelly Adams four. Krista Collinson a defensive specialist added a free throw. This .years edition of the Goderich Vik- ings have excellent speed and above average team height which they use to create an exciting brand of basketball. They have excellent potential to have a great season. The Senior Vikings play at home this Wednesday (today) at 2:00 p.m. against Central Huron in their league opener. Jr. C Sailors open camp with a renewed optimisim The Junior C Sailor's new Head Coach, Kent Phibbs, is cautiously enthusiastic about the upcoming season. One of the reasons for his enthusiasm— maybe even optimism—is the 40 or so players who showed up last Wednesday when training camp opened. Most of last year's team will again be trying to earn a spot and along with some late cuts from the Stratford Jr. B team, Phibbs feels he will have a strong nucleus to build around. "J could be wrong, but I don't see why we can't be competitive this year," said Phibbs. According to Don Larder, team manager, only 10-12 players showed up last year and when a team has to beg for players it is difficult to be competitive. The Sailors almost folded last year beause of lack of interest and then re- surfaced a week before the exhibition schedule. Larder said there were a number of problems with the team, one of which was a lack of talent to choose from. With a large number of players -- especially big players—including several over -age midgets, Phibbs atleast has a Turn to page 9 • ltd sefa otr glTllis h ted a rnam In .tie torr ;photo 1 the basket as l a and l ista:C lflIu: Kai h,erine 14t�1i blocks oat': ilor a na r rowly m issed Ing°Invit itional, l John Paul 1roi (photos by:Pat > ri basketball.team over the weekend. nada Teal drives for erine eton 4 Kirkeys eliminates Goderich Tire in fastball playoff action Kirkey's eliminated Goderich Tire in Goderich Industrial Fastball playoff ac- tion Sunday with a 6-3, extra -inning win. Goderich Tire had taken an early 3-1 lead until Jim Peesher's double in the fifth tied the game. With Bob Orr and John Lehay on base, in the top of the eighth, Dean Finlay singled, scoring both to make the score 5-3. Finlay later scored to run the count to 6-3. Dave Gallow, Jeff Cox and Dana Doherty scored in a losing cause. Kirkeys will host the winner of the Hayters-Denommes semi-final. In Wednesdays game Kirkey's opened up a commanding 2-0 lead in their best of five series against Goderich Tire with a 7-6 comeback win. They scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the win. Paul Bartliff won it for Kirkey's in dramatic fashion with a two -out, two -run homer. Goderich.Tire had taken an early 4-0 lead and later stretched it to 6-0, but lacked the killer instinct. John Bogie had returned and had held Kirkey's to two hits over the first five innings, before the the roof fell in. • Kirkeys opened their series against top placed Goderich Tire with a 5-1 win. Kirkey's exploded for five runs in the fourth to break open a scoreless game. Pitcher, Terry Johnston helped his cause with two RBI double. Johnston, held the high -scoring Goderich Tire team to just two hits with the only run scoring on an error. H:• •ters vs Denommes Hayters ,evened their series against Denommes with a 3-2 win. They opened the scoring when Andy Moore doubled and scored on Mark Fraynes groundout. Denommes evened the game when Gary Muxlow doubled in Greg Beacom. Hayters went ahead again but Denommes tied it when Brian Moody tripled and later scored on a groundout. Bob Riehl singled in John O'Keefe with the winning run for Hayters. Denommes opened their series against Hayters with a with a 4-2 win. They scored three runs in second inning and that prov- ed to be encugh as Gary Muxlow allowed just five hits in seven innings. Steve Berry had a two RBI single and Jim Bell added another RBI on a single. Mike Donnelly and John O'Keefe had RBIs for Hayters. Duplicate Club play game to celebrate anniversary To mark the 50th anniversary of the American Contact Bridge League on Tues- day, Sept. 15 the Goderich Duplicate Bridge Club held a Royal Viking Golden Anniversary Pairs event. All players were given a colour booklet of the deals with analysis by Richard Pavlicek. The top pairs in each section will receive a special Masterpoint Award of one gold point. All pairs played exactly 24 deals. Gold point winners were Mary Donnelly and her partner Eleanor Erskine and the team of Dawna Sproule and Marg Hall. Duplicate Bridge is played at the Cana- dian Legion Hall every Tuesday evening at 7:45. New members are always welcome. The ACBL membership game will be played Oct. 6. Newton's Apple Ted Spooner• NFL players strike looms The NFl, play ers' strike may come is the nick of time and prevent me further embarrassment in the football pool. I manauetl lust Nix wins versus eight losses in the first week of play. It was a week where Tampa Bay scored over 40 points and Pittsburg beat San Francisco. This week my record was 7-7 and I plac• - ed near the top only because who could predict upsets like Dallas beating the Giants 16-14, Green Bay tying Denver 17-17 and the Atlanta Falcons edging Washin!;,un 21-20. It seems there is more on the minds of players than football. They have to be preoccupied with the veri• real possibility of a strike. From all indications it may be a very long dispute. The head of the National Football League Players Association, Gene Upshaw, recently told the players to be prepared to stay out a long time. .:We have to be willing to stay out. And the players understand that when you walk out, you're walking out for the season, I don't want anyone to think that it's going to be a week, a clay, two weeks or eight weeks. It's for the duration and they know that," said Upshaw. The strike deadline was set for 12:01 a.m. 'Tuesday or immediatly following the Jets -Patriots game Monday. What the Players Want The players want unrestricted free agen- cy, guaranteed contracts and protection . for player representatives.. The owners want an entry' level wage scale and the status quo. __ The current free agency system, in place since 1977, gives clubs the right of first refusal on a player whose contract has ex- pired. Depending on the players salary or experience they are entitled to compensa- tion if they cannot match another team's, offer. The compensation usually takes the form of draft choices. Under this system -- very similar to the NHL—players rarely move from one team to another. There is no free in this type of free agency. Accor- ding to Sports Illustrated, only one player of the 3,250 eligible for free agency since 1977 has changed teams. The union wants to end first refusal and compensation. The owners say salaries have increased 142 per cent since 1981. According to the union, half of all major league baseball contracts. and 95 per cent of NBA contracts are guaranteed: Only four per cent of players in the NFL will be paid regardless of what happens toe them. The union wants all contracts to be honoured for their duration. Although management denies harassing players involved in union activities, the. fact remains that six player reps have . been released, traded or asked to retire. The union wants protection for these players. - • The owners want a specific entry-level, wage scale. Rookies coming into the league would receive a base salary of $50,000 and $55,000 for their next year. Bonuses would be in• place depending on how high they are taken in the draft and on the length of their contacts—two years minimum and four years maximum. The owners say they will' spend the money they save on veterans. The union thinks it will just be a way to cut older expensive players and replace them with cheap rookies. Analysis Complete free agency is an impossibili- ty. Major league baseball has been almost destroyed by the high salaries owners were prepared to pay free agents. How can a club build a team for the future when the best players are constantly looking for the highest bidder. There can be no team loyalty when the only reason a player has a .300 season is so he can go to another team and earh millions. Sports owners have learned their lessons and the NFL will never agree to complete free agency. A compromise may be reached, but if not, this issue alone could end the season. I agree with the union concerning guaranteed contracts. Football is a dangerous sport where season and career ending injuries are common. To ask a player to sacrifice his body and then not pay him if he is removed from the field in pieces is ridiculous. The money paid to disabled players for the length of their con- , tracts would be little compensation for an abrupt and painful end to their hopes and dreams. The union is also correct when it says a rookie wage scale would cause the demise of older expensive players. This would on- ly become a problem if free agency pushes the cost of players out of sight. If owners can afford to pay older players more money and the veterans are still valuable, they will. It is important to remember that the goal of owners and players is the same- -winning. A winning team means more fans in the stands and more money in the bank. Shipping out quality veterans for untried rookies would counter-productive and would be avoided at all cost. Note:1 wrote this column before the strike deadline. I seriously doubt the two sides will be able to avoid a strike. Indeed, I agree with Upshaw, it is going to be a long one. .