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      UPE‘E sm,mursday,Feb.9,1‘978,page 16 
     
    
   
   
    
     by John Cairns 
     
    

    
     Sport, even at the . 
     
     professional level, must 
     
     remain continually aware 
     
     of certain basic concepts. 
     
     The most fmdanmtal 
     
     Of these are offense, and 
     
     defense. Both these 
     
     elements are required in 
     
     nest gates, and areof 
     
     concern to all competit— 
     
     ors. Contests can be " 
     
     played in only two ways -— 
     
    
   
   
    
     offensively or defensively . 
     
    
   
   
    
     Either one is on offense- 
     
     or he is on defense. So 
     
     you see, the two themes 
     
     are of never-ending 
     
     importance in all kinds 
     
     of sports in all kinds of 
     
     places. 
     
    

    
     Like other disciplines, 
     
     sport allows for various 
     
     points of via/v. Many a 
     
     general manager and 
     
     coach stress powerful 
     
     offenses, but an equal 
     
     nutber concentrate on 
     
     stingy defenses. It all 
     
     heads to the sane old 
     
     questions. Can a good 
     
     offense overwhelm a good 
     
     defense? Can a strong 
     
     defense wear down an 
     
     equally strong offense? 
     
     Opinions vary and so 
     
     does the evidence, but 
     
     the controversy rages 
     
    
   
   
    
     case in point. With 
     
     players like Tony Perez, 
     
     Dave Cash, Andre Daws, 
     
    

    
     and Ellis Valentine the 
     
     starting line~up rings 
     
     with a sense of power. 
     
    

    
     Yet the team remains a 
     
     dismal fifth in the 
     
     National league East. The 
     
    
   
   
    
     ' reason is poor pitching. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The defense sinply can't 
     
     Sup rt the offense. 
     
     Cincinnati Reds had 
     
    

    
     a similar experience last 
     
     seasm. Featuring Joe 
     
     Morgan, Pete Rose, and 
     
     George Foster, they too 
     
     were strong on hitting. 
     
     Neither the starting 
     
     pitchers, nor the reliev— 
     
     ers, hcwever, perforned 
     
     consistently. Even the 
     
     fielding was strangely 
     
     erratic. 'Ihe Reds 
     
     consequently had what for 
     
     them was a dismal year. 
     
     Besides losing their 
     
     world d1anpionship, they 
     
     failed to even win their 
     
     division. 
     
    

    
     ’Ihe Expos and Reds may 
     
     now rake defense their 
     
     top priority, but that 
     
    
   
   
    
     doesn't always work either. 
     
    
   
   
    
     'me New York ths are 
     
     proof of that. With Tan 
     
     Seaver, John Matlack, and 
     
     Tug McGraw, they had 
     
     pitching as good as that 
     
     anywhere. Without hitting 
     
    
   
   
    
     THE 
     
    
   
   
    
     behind them," however, the 
     
     hurlers were helpless. 
     
     Runs, after all, are the 
     
     things that go onto the 
     
     scoreboard, and without I 
     
     them the Mets have been 
     
     more often dismal than 
     
     spectacular. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Similar instances 
     
     occur in hockey. let's 
     
     consider Atlanta and 
     
      Dan Bouchard 
     
     of the Flanes. and Tony 
     
     Esposito of the Hawks are 
     
     both excellent goal-— 
     
     tenders. That they are 
     
     probably the best players 
     
     on their teams and that 
     
     none of their teamnates 
     
     are big scorers indicate 
     
     a defensive orientation. 
     
     Where though, has sud; 
     
     a set-up got the two 
     
    
   
   
    
     teams? Nowhere! Neither . 
     
    
   
   
    
     one of them have been 
     
     contenders. Both lack 
     
     sane much—needed 
     
     offensive pmch. 
     
    

    
     m the other side of 
     
     the slate are the 
     
     Pittsburgh Penguins and 
     
     the Buffalo Sabres. Both 
     
     handle themselves well 
     
    
   
   
    
     P ROS 
     
    
   
   
    
     in the other team's  
     
     led by Pete Mahcvolidi . 
     
     in Pittsburgh and Gilbert 
     
     Perreault in Buffalo, 
     
     the goals care fairly 
     
     easily. What doesn't 
     
     care as easily, Ixzwever, 
     
     are victories. Neither 
     
     team has really adequate 
     
     goaltending or defensive 
     
     units. Thus while the 1 
     
     Penguin and Sabre for— 
     
     wardscanfillthenetat. 
     
     one end of the ice, the 
     
     enemy often does it even 
     
     faster at the other end. 
     
     Pittsburgh as a result, 
     
     loses as often as it 
     
     wins, and the Sabres can 
     
     never quite reach the top. 
     
     The evidence, as you can 
     
     see, favors a good 
     
     defense as much as it does 
     
     a good offense. We can't 
     
     make a conclusive decision 
     
     as to which is better. 
     
     What we can safely decide. 
     
     though, is that both are 
     
    
   
   
    
     crucial to success. A team‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     with only one of than is 
     
     seriously flawed. Its 
     
    
   
   
    
     dances of winning a chanp— 
     
    
   
   
    
     ionship are small indeed. 
     
     The secret of great 
     
    
   
   
    
     beans is an ideal blend of 
     
     both offense and defense. 
     
     Everyone searches 7 for the 
     
     correct catbinaticn, but 
     
     oily. the few who find it 
     
     can be true duanpiaxs. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The New You: Yankees had 
     
     the hitting of Reggie 
     
     Jacksm, ‘Ihurman Munson 
     
     and Mickey Rivers, but > 
     
     they also had the pitching 
     
     of Mike Torrez and Sparky 
     
     Dyle. Ibger Staubach and 
     
     Tmy Dorsett led the ‘ 
     
     Dallas Cowboy offense, but 
     
     Haney Martin and T00 Tall 
     
     Jcnes were there on defense. 
     
     01 the Nlcntreal Canadiens, 
     
     Dryden, Robinson, Savard 
     
    
   
   
    
     and Iapointe keep pucks out 
     
    
   
   
    
     of the net while Shutt and 
     
    
   
   
    
     .Lafleurpqnthemin. 'Jhese 
     
    
   
   
    
     teanehaveallbecone’ 
     
    
   
   
    
      Gettingthere ' 
     
    
   
   
    
     required as neny fine 
     
     defensive plays as fine a 
     
     offensive ones. Olly vmen 
     
     you can make both does 
     
    
   
   
    
     everything fall into place. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Oily then do you have thef 
     
     ingredients for a dynasty. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     5 " 97mm .u.) 00))"