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Killebrew, Playing at 38, Discounts Records Chase

By Bob Addie
Washington Post Staff Writer

BALTIMORE, June 7-It perhaps is no coincidence that Harmon Killebrew, of the Kansas City Royals, belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In his 22 years in the majors, he has been an embarrassment to the antiheroes with his courtesy, compassion and humility. Not to mention his penchant for hitting homers.

Example: On Dec. 13 Killebrew, who will be 39 June 29, was told by Calvin Griffith, the Minnesota Twins' president, that his contract as a player would not be renewed. Griffith was labeled ungrateful and Killebrew reportedly was bitter.

"Not at all," the husky slugger said yesterday as he prepared to go out to the ball park to face the Orioles. "Calvin, I thought, was very fair. He gave me three options. I could manage the Twins' Triple A farm club in Tacoma, Wash.; I could take a job as a Twins coach, or I could be an occasional pinch hitter. The point was that I wanted to continue playing. Calvin was decent to me. He allowed me to make a deal for myself."

Killebrew has a special spot in the hearts of Washington baseball fans. He was their first "bonus" players, signed June 22, 1954, seven days before his 18th birthday.

"It was quite a 'bonus' judged by today's standards," he chuckled. "I got $30,000 spread over three years but the minimum salary then was $6,000 a year so I actually got only $12,000 as a bonus."

Killebrew had the distinction of being scouted by the late U.S. Sen. Herman Welker, of Idaho, who knew the youngster's parents. Killebrew was born in Payette, Idaho, just 15 miles from Weiser, where the great Walter Johnson was born.

When young Harmon Clayton Killebrew was signed by Ossie Bluege, who had gone out to see the boy on Welker's recommendation, there was talk of "another Mickey Mantle." Killebrew first met his manager, Bucky Harris, in a Chicago hotel. Killebrew was a powerfully-built young man with sandy, curly hair and a painfully shy manner. He kept pawing the rug while Harris gently drew him out.

"I'll never forget the meeting with Bucky," an older, bald, white-side-burned Killebrew said. "There were a lot of people who were helpful to me. I was a raw kid. I remember at the ball park that night-we were playing the White Sox-that I didn't have a sweatshirt or anything else. Joe Tipton, a catcher, gave me a sweatshirt and Freddie Baxter, the equipment man, outfitted me with the rest of the stuff.

"I was a little brother to all the players. I had heard a lot about the hazing rookies went through but I never experienced it. The guys couldn't have been nicer. When we got back to Washington, Jim Busby, who was a fine out-fielder, took me home to dinner."
See KILLEBREW, D8, Col. 4


Giles Rolls to Victory in Britain

HOYLAKE,   England, June 7 (AP)-Vinnie Giles fired eight birdies to overwhelm Mark James of England, 8 and 7, for the British Amateur golf crown today.

Giles, a 32-year-old lawyer from Richmond, Va., who was on a hot putting streak, opened with a birdie and led throughout the scheduled 36-hole final on Hoylake's famed seaside course.

Giles, the 1972 U.S. Amateur champion, parred the short 29th hole for the title after six days of play in which more than 200 golfers, including 37 Americans, participated.

He was 2-up at the halfway mark as the 21-year-old James was completely outclassed in the afternoon round played under sunny skies and before a huge gallery.

By the 19th hole, James was three down and never able to recover.

"Vinnie never made one mistake all afternoon," James said.

Giles, who said he practiced putting in his hotel room prior to the final round, was, naturally, pleased with his game.

"I played today like I've been hoping to play all week," he said. "That birdie at the first hole was the greatest thing in the world. That sort of thing sets you

[[image]]
United Press International
Richmond's Vinnie Giles, the new British Amateur golf champion, is pictured here in a 1973 photograph.

up in the right frame of mind."

The American hit a 20-foot putt on the first hole for his bird. Another birdie put him 2-up at the turn and gave him a two-under-par 34 for the front nine.

James held his own against Giles on the back nine. But, after a brief rest, Giles started the afternoon round with another birdie on the No. 1 dogleg when he holed a spectacular wedge shot from 90 feet to go 3-up.

From then on, it was Giles
See GILES, D6, Col.4


Quarrie Breaks Mark With 19.9 in 220 Yards

EUGENE, Ore., June 7 (AP)-Don Quarrie broke the world record in the 220-yard dash around a turn today by blazing over the lightning-fast Hayward Field track in 19.9 seconds at the Steve Prefontaine Classic.

Quarrie finished inches ahead of Steve Williams, who also was clocked in 19.9 and shared the previous world mark.

The two sprinters nicked a 10th of a second off the existing record of 20 seconds flat set nine years ago by Tommie Smith. The 220-yard straightaway record is 19.5, also held by Smith.

Quarrie, a Jamaican who competes for the Pacific Coast Club, was helped by a slight wind, which was under the allowable limit of 2.0 meters per hour.

Quarrie also broke his own Hayward Field record of 20.4 set in 1971.

Quarrie also was timed in 19.8 at the 200-meter point,
See RECORD, D8, Col. 8


Kemper Open on TV

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
12:30 p.m.-Capital Sports, WTOP-TV-9.
 1:00 p.m.-Championship Bullets-The Together Team, WTOP-TV-9.
 2:00 p.m.-The Champions, WRC-TV-4
 3:00 p.m.-NFL Championship Games: Super Bowl VIII featuring the Miami Dolphins vs. the Minnesota Vikings, WRC-TV-4.

TENNIS
 3:30 p.m.-Arthur Ashe vs. Marty Riessen in first round of CBS Tennis Classic, WTOP-TV-9; WMAR-TV-2 (tape).
 4:30 p.m.-Bjorn Borg vs. Stan Smith in a semifinal match of World Invitational Tennis Classic, WMAL-TV-7 (tape).

GOLF
 4:30 p.m.-Kemper Open, WTOP-TV-9, WMAR-TV-2.

DRAG RACING
 4:00 p.m.-Highlights from sixth annual NHRA Gatornationals, WRC-TV-4 (tape).

RADIO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
 2:00 p.m.-Kansas City at Baltimore, WBAL-1090.

Transcription Notes:
Should the scraps of text at the top be transcribed? Rest of transcription is done