Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 61

FINAL CHASER The Arizona Republic BEST EMU Tuesday, March 8, 1988 Baseball C2 Update C3 Broadcasts C4 Scoreboard C4 I I NHL C6 I NBA C7 Comics C13 Life Leisure Adam West, 59, still thinks he's the one who should wear the mask and cape if Hollywood decides to make another Batman movie. But his bat-phone hasn 7 exactly been ringing off the hook. C8. uns struggle in search for new identity 1 if VA.V Hurt Republic a columnist sion among them as the result of a massive personnel turnover two weeks ago. There still are alarming signs from several players who were with the Suns before the trade.

Who won in the trade? Many local sports fans have lambasted Suns president Jerry Colangelo for dealing one-tmie all-star Larry Nance. Colangelo has been accused of giving away the franchise. On the other side of the coin, it is interesting to note that Cleveland sports talk shows have fielded numerous calls from those disgruntled with Cavaliers general manager Wayne Embry for giving away too much for Nance and Mike Sanders. An impartial observer, coach Pat Riley of the Los Angeles Lakers, said he believes the key to the trade is rookie point guard Kevin Johnson. "It all depends on if he can develop like they think he has a chance to," Riley said.

"If you give up a Larry Nance, you better be right. What they got were non-starters for a fronHine all-star. It's somewhat equivalent to the Mychal Thompson deal. Frank Brickowski at San Antonio is having a good season, but are those guys (that the Suns got) going to be front-line Analysis By LEE SHAPPELL The Arizona Republic ATLANTA The final act begins on a play that probably should have been closed weeks ago. The Suns (17-40 overall, 5-24 on the road) begin the final six weeks of a disappointing season with a four-game trip tonight at Atlanta (35-22).

Ahead lay stops at Washington (25-32), Detroit (38-19) and Milwaukee (31-25). With 25 games to go, the Suns still do not have an identity. There is still a certain amount of confu all-star players?" The full impact won't be known until the draft picks the Suns gained are with the team next season and evaluated. That could be a year from now. The early results since the trade Suns 0-5, Cavaliers 0-4.

What of the Suns in this all-too-long-running play? As evaluations begin, which players will the Suns want back next season? Johnson has shown early signs of leadership and competence since stepping into the starting lineup. He defends the length of the floor. He spots the open man. He's a streaky shooter. He's feisty.

Al liiillli rotation," said Red Sox manager John McNamara. "I hated to give up Calvin Schiraldi." Cubs manager Don Zimmer all but confirmed Schiraldi will be part of his rotation, one that also should include Jamie Moyer, Greg Maddux and one from a group including Nipper, Les Lancaster, Scott Sanderson, Ray Hayward and Bob Tewksbury. "Rick Sutcliffe is my No.l starter," Zimmer said. "The two through five starters are wide-open. But we want (Schiraldi) to llllllfl Patterson, Wetzel not the problem To the horror of officials, marshmallows were roasted over the Olympic flame.

So were a few of the U.S. participants and coaches. Calgary was filled with red, white and blue complaints. It would be nice, I presumed, to return to the calm and heat of the desert, where seldom is heard a discouraging word. Except that the quiet now is filled with the bleating of gripers and complainers.

The Suns have traded away the team and have lost five in a row. The Sun Devils, after winning 10 of their first 13 basketball games, have lost their last eight. Patrons are ready to string up the coaches. Sorry, guys, I refuse to join your necktie parties. I'd rather blame the bosses.

And there is enough blame to go around. First, Arizona State, where the talent is better than the results. Morale, desire and crowds have waned. Coach Steve Patterson can't be knocked any more than he knocked himself when he said: "I have done a very poor job of coaching the basketball team this year." I don't blame Patterson as much as I blame athletic director Charles Harris for hiring him. Understand, please, there is much to admire, in Patterson, who played at UCLA and in the NBA.

lie is bright, articulate and conveys the image ASU seeks in athletics. What Patterson lacked was coaching experience. He had two seasons as an assistant and one as a head coach at a junior college, before a year of residency under Bob Weinhauer at ASU. ASU provided on-the-job training for him. I have to think someone with more experience would have been better able to handle the touchy personnel problems he faced this year.

More experienced coaches were available when Harris surprisingly elevated Patterson from interim coach to head coach in 1985. Gene Keady, whose Purdue team has lost only twice, could have been hired. So could have Norm Stewart, Missouri, and Jack Hartman, then Kansas State, and possibly Gene Bartow, Alabama-Birmingham. The situation, complicated by probation and Arizona's emergence as a national power, cried for experience. Harris, the hand-picked choice of ASU president J.

Russell Nelson, reportedly is being considered at Michigan. Wonder what kind of recommendations he will receive from Nelson? Another of Harris appointees, track coach Clyde Duncan, became an embarrassment. It is understood ftp4' 'mMIjf 'j' I I'a ready, he has had career highs in-assists (16) and scoring (22). Guard Walter Davis, 33, has a year remaining on his contract. He undoubtedly will finish his career in Phoenix.

There had been specu-; lation that Charlotte would take him assuming the Suns do not protect him in the expansion draft. But the Suns could find no takers before the recent trading isn't much market value for an aging, high-paid player who has only a year to go, and one with a checkered past. Davis obviously has lost a step, but he still can bury the ump shot coming off a screen. start. "We were looking to bolster our starting pitching in the off-season, and he was a starter with the Mets.

With his age and arm, we feel he could be a winner with us." That would suit Schiraldi fine. "I thought (starting in Boston this year), might have been the plan, so I was preparing for that in the off-season," he said. "It's what I'd prefer. I've always been a starter." Many feel Schiraldi, possessor Schiraldi, C2 Johns, 23, is averaging 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists and was chosen as the district's player of the year. Technically a point guard, the 6-foot-l, 208-pound Johns has played every position but center this season.

Like a rich uncle, Johns gives the Antelopes whatever they need. "I don't think we've played against a better player than him," Westphal said. "He attacks the basket about as well as it can be attacked. How many point guards will drive on another team's center and dunk over him? There have been times we've been pressed, and he dribbles through it and dunks so powerfully that they call a timeout and say 'no more But what Johns is most proud of is not his performance on the jourt, but his improvement in the classroom. He entered Grand Canyon in the fall of 1986 a weak Now Johns said he will "be marching in May" with the gradu- Johm, C6 Michael MeisterThe Arizona Republic New Cubs pitcher Calvin Schiraldi pitches batting picking up a ball (right) after shopping around for practice (above) during a spring-training session, one in the cart.

For starters, Cubs see Schiraldi in rotation shellshocked. The Cubs plan to return Schiraldi to the starting rotation, where he flourished in college and the minor leagues. At the University of Texas, he was the ace of a staff that included his Boston teammate, two-time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens. Some observers say Schiraldi could be the No. 2 starter.

"He always was a starter before we got him," said Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman. "We wanted to use him as a starter. If Wes Gardner (who came to the Sox with Schiraldi as the principles in the deal for Bobby Ojeda in 1985) had done the job for us as the closer like I thought he would, we would have started Calvin. We put him out there by necessity." Because of their bullpen's failure last year, the Red Sox were forced to trade for a stopper, acquiring Cubs relief ace Lee Smith. That cost them Schiraldi and Al Nipper.

"I would love to have traded for Lee Smith and put Calvin in the By ED GIULIOTTI The Arizona Republic A quick glance at what Calvin Schiraldi accomplished last season or didn't coupled with the memories of his troubles in the 1986 World Series, doesn't do much for the battle-scarred psyches of Chicago Cubs fans. But that's history. The 25-year-old right-hander (8-5, six saves and a 4.41 ERA in 1987) that Chicago is getting this season will not be the reliever who, at times last year, appeared Grand Canyon's Johns showcases his growth on and off the court Stallings awaits OK for Cardinals' move Coach readying for 1988 amid uncertainty By LLOYD HERBERG The Arizona Republic With the annual NFL meetings scheduled to begin here next week, Cardinals coach Gene Stallings will be happy when he knows what awaits his team. "It is a little bit of limbo right now," he said. "We can't do anything until the vote is settled." But the beat goes on, even if no one knows where to call home.

Stallings, who expects to arrive in the Valley this weekend, said some of his off-season programs have begun in St. Louis, with players arriving to start weightlifting. Quarterbacks will begin throwing in the next two weeks. The team's veterans orientation is scheduled to begin the first week of April. "I want it in Phoenix," Stallings said.

"That's what I want, but that doesn't mean that's what I'm going to get." It's expected the Cardinals will open an office in the Valley once thifV receive the necessary three-fourths approval for the move from By KENT SOMERS The Arizona Republic A funny thing happened to Rodney Johns on his journey through four colleges in 5lA years. He grew up. While Johns, the starting point guard for Grand Canyon College, wouldn't recommend the circuitous route he chose, he doesn't regret his decisions. "If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same because it's been a learning experience for me," Johns said. Johns, a senior, will lead the 14th-ranked Antelopes (30-6) in the first round of the NAIA District 7 basketball playoffs against the University of Southern Colorado (17-13) at 7:35 tonight at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

"He woke up and decided to make the most out of his opportunity," said Grand Canyon coach Paul Westphal. "Some guys make all the moves and it never works out. It's nice when a story like that works out." the league's 28 owners. "I don't anticipate any problems (with approving the move)," said New York Giants president Wellington Mara on Monday. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Cardinals' proposed move, Stallings said it hasn't been an inconvenience for him and his staff.

"This is sort of the players' time off, anyway," he said. "The coaches are able to do all their work. "I'm working primarily on what the football team needs to do." That includes setting goals, puk ting together the playbook, analyzing the '87 season, reviewing films and revamping the defense. Stallings said nothing is finalized regarding a summer training camp. The leading site is thought to be Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

The NFL draft is Sunday and Monday, April 24-25. The Cardinals, who finished 7-8 last season, a victory away from the playoffs, will have the No. 12 selection. Cardinals, C6 A' u. Suzanne StarrThe Arizona Republic Rodney Johns, standout guard for Grand Canyon College, leads the 14th-raned Antelopes into the NAIA District 7 playoffs tonight..