Yankees Sign Williams; Next Move Up To Finley

NEW YORK -- Boldly breaking a two-month stalemate on their own, the New York Yankees defied Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley Thursday by signing Dick Williams to a three-year contract as their manager at an estimated $70,000 per season. In effect, the Yankees told Finley, who has Williams under contract in 1974 and 1975 and still calls him "my manager," to go to court if he doesn't like it. Both the Yankees and the Athletics now have contracts signed by Williams, and if Finley chooses to take legal action it will eventually be up to the courts to decide which side is right.

At his Laporte, Ind. home, Finley said the Yankees "decided to make a fast move" but declined further comment. He said he'd "prefer to stay mum this time." Previously, Finley has threatened to sue if the Yanks signed Williams without giving him compensation in money or players. Williams resigned as Oakland manager Oct. 21, minutes after the A's had beaten the New York Mets in the seventh game of the World Series. Williams claims Finley gave him a verbal release from the last two years of his contract on national TV after he resigned. Finley claims he didn't and the two sides have been negotiating for the last 7½ weeks without being able to agree on compensation.

Gabe Paul, the president of the Yankees, said, "We have waited long enough. Our club felt it was in the best interests of the Yankees to sign Williams as its manager." An NBC-TV spokesman, after checking the tape of their Oct. 21 telecast, reported that Finley said on national TV, "even though you're not going to be with us next year, want to thank you for the great job that you've done for the three years you've been with me." Williams replied, "Thank you, Charlie, very much and I'm going to miss not being with you but I've made a decision and I'm going to stay with it."

Former Yankee manager Ralph Houk resigned on the final day of the season and signed with the Detroit Tigers in October even though he had two years left on his contract with New York.

[source: upi]

Unitas Wonders Why Chargers Bought Him

SAN DIEGO -- John Unitas said Thursday he still doesn't understand why the San Diego Chargers acquired him. "It doesn't make sense to me that they brought me here to sit on the bench," Unitas said. "My understanding was that they brought me out here to play football." The 40-year-old quarterback, pro football's all-time leading passer, was purchased by the Chargers for $150,000 this year from the Baltimore Colts, where he had spent 17 seasons. He signed a two-year contract reportedly worth close to $500,000.

But Unitas, victim of a youth movement in Baltimore, ran into the same situation here. With the Chargers playing poorly and generating little offense, coach Harland Svare replaced Unitas with rookie Dan Fouts during the fourth game of the season. Except for a brief appearance in the eighth game, when he injured a shoulder, Unitas hasn't played since. He said the shoulder is fine now, but he doesn't expect to play in the final game at Kansas City Sunday.

When Svare stepped down as coach, he said he had hoped Unitas would lead a ball-control attack, but had to bench him when the Chargers failed to run effectively. "No one ever said that to me," Unitas said. "But they're calling the shots, not me. I'll do what they want me to do." That goes for sitting on the bench next season if asked. "I have a contract to fulfill," he said.

[source: ap]

Heisman Winner Dedicates Trophy To Stricken Brother, 11

NEW YORK -- John Cappelletti, Penn State's All-American running back, formally accepted the Heisman Trophy Thursday night and dedicated it to his 11-year-old brother, Joseph, who is critically ill with leukemia. "If I can dedicate this trophy to him tonight and give him a couple of days of happiness, it would mean everything," Cappelletti told the $50-a-plate Heisman awards dinner in a quavering, emotion-filled voice.

"I'm very happy to do something like this," he said. "I've been thinking about it since the award was announced last week." Joseph and the rest of the Cappelletti family from the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby, Pa., were on hand to see John receive the 39th annual Heisman award as the outstanding college football player. Joseph Cappelletti's illness was diagnosed as leukemia six years ago when he entered Philadelphia Children's Hospital along with 46 other youngsters, all afflicted with the same disease. Joseph is the only one still alive.

"My mother always cries at these affairs, so I'll try not to," Cappelletti said. But he failed, and had to dab at his eyes with a napkin when he spoke of his little brother. "He never complains," Cappelletti said. "He never asks why. He accepts it, but he refuses to give up. He's been through so much that it makes me feel what I go through -- and then the rewards I get in return -- well, it's all so small compared to him." Vice President Gerald R. Ford was the principal speaker. Earlier in the day Cappelletti was named both Back and Player of the Year by United Press International.

[source: l.a. times]

Broadway Joe For Sale?

NEW YORK -- An unusually pensive Joe Namath said that Sunday's game could be his last in a New York Jets uniform. "I don't really know," Namath said. "It could very well be. It's all according to how I feel and right now I can't say whether I'll be back or not next year . . . I don't have to make that decision right now." Namath also said it's quite possible he could be traded but that he would first have to learn the location before making a decision on whether to go.

"Right now I don't know if I'm going to play," he said, "but there's also the possibility that someone might not want me to play here. If I do get traded, it would have to be a contender or a warm weather team. At this stage of my career, I'm not about to go somewhere they're rebuilding. "Like for instance, I wouldn't go to New England. Not that I have anything against the people up there but they're not a contender -- and it's too cold. I wouldn't go to Buffalo or St. Louis or a few other places. But what's the difference? You're not able to pick anyway. I'd rather play here than anywhere else."

Namath has been reported to be interested in moving to the West Coast, where he could promote his acting career, but he denied that acting would affect his decision. "If I go somewhere to play football, that's what I intend doing," he said. "You can't act and play football at the same time. The good thing about Los Angeles is that it's warm and that it's a good team, a contender."

Asked if the Rams would be interested in hiring Namath, general manager Don Klosterman said, "Like everybody else in the league, the Rams admire Namath. But all we're thinking about is Cleveland and what's going on right now."

Namath also said negotiatons with the proposed World Football League are in the hands of his attorney. "I haven't talked to anybody and I don't know anything about it," 'he explained. "It's none of my business. My lawyer is talking with them. I have a job right now. The big thing is that I want to play for a winner. I don't want to go to a new team just to play."

Namath has been plagued by injuries the past few years. He entered the league with a $427,000 contract in 1965 and immediately underwent knee surgery. Since then he has undergone four knee operations, missing almost all of the 1971 season after having a knee injured in a preseason game. He also missed most of the 1970 season with a broken bone in his wrist. This year, he separated his shoulder in the second game of the season against Baltimore on Sept. 23 and did not return until Nov. 18. He played two games but was forced out against Philadelphia last week with a bad knee.

[source: ap]

NCAA's Rule On Foreigners Held Illegal

WASHINGTON -- U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gessell has ruled unconstitutional an NCAA rule limiting the eligibility of foreign students. Gessell issued his ruling yesterday in a suit filed by Howard University challenging NCAA action barring its soccer team from 1973 championship competition and ordering the return of its third place trophy for 1970 and first place trophy for 1971.

The NCAA took the action after ruling Howard had one ineligible foreign player in 1970 and four ineligible foreign players in 1971. All were from the West Indies. Gesell said an NCAA rule that foreign students lose a year of eligibility for every year after their 19th birthday is unconstitutional because it does not apply equally to Americans.

[source: upi]

World Football League Adds Detroit Team

DETROIT -- The new World Football League announced Thursday that Detroit has been granted membership in the new pro circuit and will field a team when play begins next fall. Gary L. Davidson, president and founder of the new league, said the new team's ownership is a racially integrated group of Detroit civic, business and professional leaders.

[source: upi]

Bavasi Says Padres Were Used As Bribe

SAN DIEGO -- Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn played a big part in swaying National League club owners to move the San Diego Padres franchise to Washington, D.C., says Padres' president Buzzie Bavasi. Bavasi said yesterday that Kuhn's appearance before the owners in Houston last week strongly influenced the vote that approved the $12-million sale to a Washington group. Another group wanted to keep the Padres here.

"He stressed that baseball would need the goodwill of Congress in holding off antitrust legislation and in dealing with the energy crisis," Bavasi said. "Those are real concerns to everybody and I'm sure he had an effect." After Kuhn spoke, Bavasi said, "I accused him of wanting to use my ball club to bribe the government." He said the commissioner replied, with a laugh, "You might say that." Bavasi repeated that he will not accompany the team to Washington. He also said he doesn't think San Diego will get a new franchise when the major leagues expand again.

[source: ap]

Tests Show Cedeno Had Not Fired Gun

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Police said Thursday a paraffin test indicated baseball star Cesar Cedeno, accused in the shooting death of a young woman in a motel room, had not recently fired a weapon, but that the girl had. A preliminary hearing on the voluntary manslaughter charge facing Cedeno was adjourned until tomorrow when magistrate Socrates Diaz Curiel was unable to appear in court.

Cedeno, 22-year-old outfielder of the Houston Astros, remained in La Fe precinct jail, where he has been held since surrendering eight hours after 19-year-old Altagracia De La Cruz was fatally shot while occupying a motel room with him. Police have said that a .38-caliber pistol registered to Cedeno was being examined by the girl and went off when Cedeno tried to take it away from her. They have termed the shooting "accidental."

Legal sources said that even if the charge against Cedeno is reduced, it is probable that the lengthy Dominican legal process may make him miss spring training and possibly part of the baseball season, which opens in April. Conviction on voluntary manslaughter carries a term of 3 to 10 years.

[source: upi]