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Show by Jim Murray ht . The v? Newspaper J Thursday, June 19, 1980 Page 11 A M TV I ---if J?k Rick Phaler gets ready to unload the ball . . . A conversion attempt sailed just wide of the goalposts Sunday as time ran out, giving Snake River a narrow 10-8 victory over the Park City Muckers in a game played at City Park. Hurting from the absence of three players in the second half, the Muckers watched a 4-0 lead turn into a 10-4 deficit before winning a dramatic goal-line confrontation confron-tation to pick up a try late in the game. Park City forward Bill Hart put his team on the scoreboard in the first half as he retrieved the ball from a ruck at about the 10-yard then powered over for the try. However, his attempt for the two-point conversion conver-sion was wide, leaving the Muckers with a four-point lead at the half. The first half belonged to the Mucker forwards as they controlled the scrums consistently, con-sistently, keeping the ball away from the elusive Snake River backs. IVeither side was holding back; there were several injury time outs as players hobbled off the field. Among the Park City wounded were Rocky Collins and Bob "Furry" Lewis.. But perhaps the most painful pain-ful blow to the Muckers was the loss of Hart, who was invited in-vited to leave the game after a minor altercation late in the first half. "When we don't have Hart, we're definitely not the same team," Dave Sund- quist observed. "In the second half we weren't winning win-ning as many set plays, although we were still winning win-ning a lot of rucks." Using an impressive display of passing, the Snakes. River backs put their team on the scoreboard with a try early in the second half. The conversion made the score 6-4. 6-4. Then, taking advantage of a missed tackle, a Snake River back broke up the middle for his team's second try, making the score 10-4. away irom the elusive bnake Mart, we re detinitely not the River backs. Neither side same team," Dave Sund- try, making the score 10-4. i-r. rv Mxbttx Wi ... as Scott Thompson gets unloaded upon. A f fPHPTT'fft f The Parma Ranch Sundquist said that Snake River normally makes the most of its scoring opportunities. oppor-tunities. "When they get down near the goal line, they usually don't waste their chances," he said. Then, after regulation time had expired, the Muckers made a last-gasp attempt to tie the score during "injury time." (Since the game is played without stopping the clock, two minutes is tacked onto the end each time play is delayed because of an injury). in-jury). After driving the ball deep into Snake River territory, the Muckers finally managed to push into the end zone. Rick Phaler fell on the ball for a try. The score was 10-8. That left it up to Bruce Reid, who assumed the conversion con-version duties after Hart left the game. As the rest of the team members held their breath, Reid got off a kick from a sharp angle which at first appeared to be on target. But it drifted just left of the goalposts, and Snake River slithered home with the win. The Muckers will continue their home stand this weekend with a game Saturday Satur-day against the Bald Mountain Moun-tain Rugby Club of Sun Valley. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m. Can't Play Without a Bench Snake River Sneaks by Muckers, 10-8 When Johnny l.ec Benc h first came up to the oig leagues, the grand old game couldn't believe its good luck. First ol all. there was that name. "Johnny Bench." II Burt L. Standinsh- or Grantland Rice - sat up nights, they couldn't think of a more perfect handle for a baseball hero. It made even "Ranch Merriwell" look tacky-Then, tacky-Then, there was the hero himself. Handsome, Hand-some, powerful. part-Indian and all-American, he was as perfect for the bubblegum cards as Jack Armstrongthe kind of guy who would have guarded wagon trains in an earlier era. Managers drooled and pitchers groaned when they saw that swing. Home runs just popped off it like popcorn -4." in his third season in the majors. He had 114 big league home runs when he was only 23. Babe Ruth was 26 before he had that many. Bench was a catcher, which meant he was in action as much as the ball and highly visible as a star. He could throw out an ocelot. Ted Williams, no less, told him he should report direct to the Hall of Fame, the rest of his career was superfluous. And. even though he played in Cincinnati, which is not exactly the Great White Way. the sponsors Hocked because Johnny Bench was perfect product identification. That was 14 years ago. By now. you would have thought Bench would be a statue in Fountain Square, or hanging off a mountain someplace. But. I have bad news for baseball. Marvin Miller couldn't bring any more tears to their eyes. This may be Johnny Bench's last year. It's for sure his last year behind the plate. And he's only 32. Baseball without Bench is like hot dogs without mustard, beer without foam. The bratwurst at Riverfront will never taste the same. If Bench ain't playing, I want my money back. It's a great break for soccer. Johnny L. Bench sat on a foot locker at Dodger Statium the other night and explained the reasons for his extraordinary decision. First of all, there was the position. Catchers have the career security of U-boats. If the base runners don't get you, all that squatting will. You can always tell an old catcher; you can hear him creaking a block away. You can play right field in a rocking chair, but a catcher is never more than one collision away from an early retirement. In addition to fast balls closing in at 98-100 p.p.h. or higher, he sometimes has to intercept 240-pound halfback types hurtling in from third at 30 m.p.h. It's like stopping a runawav truck with a sheet. Stop by our new retail store in Heber Located at 126 South Main Bench pointed down to his feet. "My foot got all swollen up once and I went to the doctor for X-rays. He said my loot wasn't broker but that the X-rays showed live old break? .'t even know about I must have . . on tlieni. Just tightened my shoelaces a j went out there." He showed me his catching hand. It wasn't gnarled and bent, but it was puffy like rising bread. It looked more like a hand that had been catching hot rivets than fastballs. "I came in the league as a one-handed catcher: I modeled it after Randy Hundley's style. I used the split glove, and it helped cut down on the split lingers, and the broken thumbs. My hand doesn't look like a sack of plums like the old-timers--but. you catch r.000 pitches a year, and your hand doesn't feel like playing the violin. Sometimes, it's numb clear up to the elbow. The circulation gets cut oil." In 1972. Bench came down w ith a lung lesion which, while benign, had to be removed by staple gun surgery. Then, he began to suffer from b;uk spasms They're about as much fun as a scream in the night. Catc hers fear foul tips the way soldiers fear snipers. You never know where the next shot is coining from. Two dozen shots to the Adam's apple and you go through life talking like a guy making ransom call over a pay phone Only bad catchers can concentrate solely on hitting, and. therefore, never get much chance to do either. Only a handful of catchers have caught more games than Johnny Bench. Only one, Yogi Berra, has hit more home runs or driven in more runs. Bench's career homers, 339, include 307 as a catcher. Berra 's 358 lifetime homers include 313 as a catcher. Only Berra has batted in more runs, 1.430, to Bench's 1,211. Johnny Baseball will leave as big a hole in the game as the ice left in the Titanic. "This will be my last year as a catcher," he says quietly. "And I don't see any other position open in this team. I could go to 'D.H.ing' (designated hitting) in the other league, but there's life after baseball. I have my travel business, my commercials, oil wells, and I don't have to block bouncing curveballs for a living. You know, w e once played 54 days in a row and I felt as if I had been in a train wreck." If Bench quits eight years before expected, it is baseball's loss as well as Cincinnati's. Everyone knows you can't play this game without a good strong Bench. Copyright 1980. Los Angeles Times Syndicate KWaMWk. If JJ E' TCPi L.-fl .1 II ..rill'" r b - & if. a m e -a v z --mr P . -r- " II . SAW ' . All 11 (ITALIAN CUISINE) EX OPEN FOR THE SUMMER SEASON TUESDAY-SUNDAY 6:00-10:30 t i-i l: f. S2 J: 412 Main Street eagaitocc 649-8211 Riding Lessons David Parma, trainer ol World Champion Quarter Quar-ter Horses and former California State Horse-mastership Horse-mastership champion, still has a limited number of openings for beginning and advanced equestrian students (children and adults). Whether the student's interest is in riding tor pleasure or preparing lor the show ring, their enjoyment en-joyment and safety will be enhanced by proper horsemanship. Lessons cover grooming and handling horses as well as western or english riding. In addition, serious students will have the unique opportunity to learn to train their own horse. To take advantage ol this program, the student need not own a horse, they may ride one of ours. We have a few quality horses for sale sired by our stud War Glory Jr. (sire of A.Q.H.A. and world champions). Heber 654-3030 531-1181 jj vw Now Servina Dinners 0 - o i nursaay tnrougn Sunday $ Featuring Thursday Spagetti & Lasagna Friday Seafood Saturday Steak,Cook your Own Sunday BBQ Ribs Try Diggers luncheon special Monday through Friday. Serving Lunch 11:30 - 4:00 Monday through Saturday Serving Breakfast 8:00 -11:00 Saturday, 9:00 -1 :00 Sunday The patio is now open for breakfast & lunch Located downstairs at 442 Main Street 649-7060 1 |