Sports

Major League Baseball

Wednesday, July 16--Before a crowd of 24,214 at Montreal's Jarry Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored three runs in the eighth inning and three more in the ninth to beat the expansion Montreal Expos 8-7. Dan McGinn (4-10) took the loss in relief of Mike Wegener. Former bullpen aces Dick Radatz and Elroy Face also saw action for the Expos. The Expos received home runs from Rusty Staub (his 13th of the season), Bob Bailey (7), Coco Laboy (11), and Adolfo Phillips (2). Willie Stargell hit his 13th homer of the season for the Pirates.

--The most important game of the day took place at Wrigley Field, where the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 9-5 to draw to within 3½ games of the National League East Division-leading Cubs. The Mets had home runs from Tommie Agee (16), Al Weis (his second of the season, and second in as many days), and Art Shamsky (7). Cal Koonce (4-3) won in relief of Don Cardwell, while Ferguson Jenkins (12-7) took the loss.

--The National League’s other first-year team, the San Diego Padres, lost 4-3 to the Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, as Gaylord Perry improved to 11-7. Jim Stewart hit 2nd and 3rd home runs of the season and Bobby Tolan added his 16th as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 10-7 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Clete Boyer homered twice--his 10th and 11th of the season--for the Braves. Steve Carlton ran his record to 12-5 as his hometown St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium, and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Houston Astros 3-2 at the Astrodome, with Claude Osteen (12-7) outduelling Larry Dierker (12-7).

--In the American League, Rod Carew tied a major league record with his seventh steal of home plate in one season as his Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 9-8 in the first game of a doubleheader at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Twins won the second game 6-3, as Jim Perry improved to 9-4.

Thursday, July 17--A three-run pinch homer by Kevin Collins, his second home run of the season, gave the Montreal Expos a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 11,935 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. Ty Cline, normally a reserve player, started at first base for the Expos and went 4 for 4, with two doubles. Don Shaw (2-5) was the winning pitcher; Jim Bunning (8-7) took the loss. Willie Stargell hit his 14th home run of the season for the Pirates.



--Bobby Bonds hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season as the San Francisco Giants won a 14-13 slugfest over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park.

--The Atlanta Braves, leading the National League West Division, hammered the hometown Cincinnati Reds 12-2 at Crosley Field, as Phil Niekro improved to 15-7. Pete Rose hit his tenth home run of the season for the Reds.

Friday, July 18--The New York Mets began a weekend series at Montreal’s Jarry Park with a 5-2 win over the Expos before a crowd of 23,507. The game featured three fights; in one of them, Expos’ catcher Ron Brand hit home plate umpire Billy Williams with a punch aimed at Mets’ outfielder Cleon Jones. Jerry Koosman (8-5) was the winning pitcher, Jerry Robertson (2-8) the loser.

--The Houston Astros scored four runs in the ninth inning to beat the hometown Cincinnati Reds 7-4 at Crosley Field. Houston second baseman Joe Morgan drove in the go-ahead run with a squeeze bunt, and later came around to score.

--Denny McLain (14-5) and his Detroit Tigers shut out the Indians 4-0 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

Saturday, July 19--Bill Stoneman (6-12) went the distance and struck out 10 as the Montreal Expos held on to beat the New York Mets 5-4 before 21,493 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Mets’ ace Tom Seaver (14-5) lasted just two innings, giving up four earned runs. Coco Laboy hit his 12th home run for the Expos.

--At Candlestick Park, the hometown San Francisco Giants edged arch rival Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 as Juan Marichal improved his record to 13-4.

--The Oakland Athletics beat the California Angels 3-2 at Anaheim Stadium. Reggie Jackson hit his major league-leading 36th home run of the season in support of winning pitcher Blue Moon Odom, who improved to 14-3.

--In the International League, a knife-wielding gang took over the clubhouse at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo during batting practice. The Bisons' game was postponed due to "threatening weather."

Sunday, July 20--The Montreal Expos and New York Mets clashed in one of several doubleheaders. 27,256 at Jarry Park in Montreal saw the Expos win the first game 3-2 on solo home runs by Mack Jones (his 16th of the season), Bob Bailey (8), and Bobby Wine (2). Gary Waslewski (2-3) was the winning pitcher, Gary Gentry (9-8) the loser. The Mets gained a split with a 4-3, 10-inning win in the second game, as reliever Jack DiLauro (1-3) picked up his first big league win. Elroy Face (4-2) took the loss in relief of Mike Wegener, who gave up just two earned runs in eight innings. Coco Laboy hit his 13th home run (and third his last six games) for the Expos.

--At Connie Mack Stadium, the Chicago Cubs took a pair from the hometown Philadelphia Phillies. Ferguson Jenkins (13-7) outduelled Grant Jackson (9-10) 1-0 in the opener, and Dick Selma improved to 10-4 as the Cubs won the second game 6-1.

--In a single game, Gaylord Perry hit his first major league home run and ran his record to 12-7 as the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mr. Perry’s third-inning blast made a prophet of former Giants’ manager Alvin Dark, who, years earlier, had reportedly said, "There’ll be a man on the moon before [Perry] hits a home run." Mr. Perry’s homer occurred a few hours after the Eagle landed. Willie McCovey hit his National League-leading 30th home run of the season for the Giants. Claude Osteen (12-8) took the loss for the Dodgers.



--Jim, the other Perry brother, put in a long (and memorable) day’s work at Sick’s Stadium in Seattle. In the completion of a suspended game from the previous night, Mr. Perry came out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings and double in the winning run as his Minnesota Twins defeated the expansion Seattle Pilots 11-7 in 18 innings. Another Twins’ starter, Jim Kaat, pitched from the 14th through the 16th inning before Mr. Perry came on and improved his record to 10-4. As if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Perry pitched a complete-game, nine-hit shutout in the regularly scheduled game, going to 11-4 as the Twins won 4-0.

--At Anaheim Stadium, the hometown California Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 7-3 in their doubleheader opener, handing newcomer Vida Blue (0-1) a loss in his major league debut. The Athletics won the second game 9-6. Reggie Jackson, leading the majors in home runs, hit his 37th of the season, and Sal Bando hit his 18th for the Athletics. Lew Krausse (5-4) was the winning pitcher.

--The Philadelphia Phillies reinstated first baseman Richie Allen after a 26-day suspension. The suspension cost Mr. Allen more than $11,000 of his reported $80,000 salary.

--in the minors, the Hawaii Islanders beat the Vancouver Mounties 6-1 in Pacific Coast League action in Honolulu, as former major leaguer Bo Belinsky gave up four hits and struck out eight in running his record to 10-5. The loss dropped the Mounties to 51-49, 8 games behind first place Tacoma in the PCL North Division.

May 17, 2016 update: See also The Major League Games that were played while Apollo 11 Landed on the Moon and

Did Max Patkin Perform for a Crowd of Four People and Other Things that Happened in Baseball the Day Apollo 11 Landed on the Moon.

Monday, July 21--At the All-Star break, the Baltimore Orioles owned the best record in major league baseball at 65-31, a .677 percentage. 1969 was the year that the leagues were divided into East and West divisions, and the Orioles led the American League East by 11 games over the Boston Red Sox, 11½ over the Detroit Tigers. The Minnesota Twins were four games ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the AL West. The Chicago Cubs were 4½ games ahead of the New York Mets in the National League East, while the expansion Montreal Expos were 28½ games behind the Cubs, with a record of 31-65 (a .323 percentage). The best race was in the NL West, where the Atlanta Braves were one game ahead of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, 3½ ahead of the Cincinnati Reds, and 7 ahead of the Houston Astros. Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics led the majors with 37 home runs, followed by Frank Howard of the Washington Senators with 34. Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants led the National League with 30 homers.

--in Washington, D.C., site of the major league All-Star game, the all-time all-star team was announced as part of the observation of the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. John McGraw was named the all-time manager, with Casey Stengel the "modern" manager. Outfield--Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth; Third Base--Pie Traynor; Shortstop--Honus Wagner; Second Base--Rogers Hornsby; First Base--Lou Gehrig; Catcher--Mickey Cochrane; Right-handed Pitcher--Walter Johnson; Left-handed Pitcher--Lefty Grove.

--The starting pitchers were announced for the All-Star game, scheduled for the following night. Mayo Smith of the Detroit Tigers, managing the American League, tapped Tigers’ ace Denny McLain. St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Red Schoendienst, guiding the National League, did likewise, announcing Steve Carlton of the Cardinals as his starter.

Tuesday, July 22--Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson and Bob Feller, in Washington for the All-Star game, engaged in a public disagreement over the lack of black major league managers and high-ranking club executives. The exchange was reported as follows:

Robinson: [Baseball] has made great strides over the years, but baseball ownership has not moved ahead with it. I think it’s a tragedy in view of the contributions black athletes have made to baseball.

Feller: I can understand what Jackie Robinson is saying, but I think he’s wrong. I don’t think anyone owes anyone anything. Professional baseball has done as much for the coloured players as they have done for baseball. I think baseball has done more for underprivileged people, for minority groups, than anything else. And I think the club owners deserve a great deal of credit. Ability alone is what should count--in the front office, too. I think there will be a Negro with that ability.

Robinson: I can see that Bob Feller hasn’t grown any from 1947 to today. He still has his head in the sand when it comes to race relations. But I don’t want to get in a hassle with him today.

--Rain forced the postponement of the All-Star game to 1:45 P.M. EDT the next day.

Wednesday, July 23--The National League won its seventh straight All-Star Game with a 9-3 win over the American League at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C. Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants led the NL attack with two home runs. Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit one home run, and was robbed of another by a spectacular catch by Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox. Hometown hero Frank Howard of the Washington Senators lived up to his nickname of "The Capital Punisher" with a 460-foot home run, but also made a costly error in left field. Bill Freehan of the Detroit Tigers also homered for the AL. National League starter Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals was the winning pitcher; American League starter Mel Stottlemyre of the New York Yankees took the loss. Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers had been the scheduled AL starter, but flew to Detroit to keep a dental appointment (the game had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed by rain). McLain arrived back in Washington in time to pitch the fourth inning, but by that time, the National League already had eight runs on the board. Blue Moon Odom of the Oakland Athletics was hit particularly hard, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits in just 1/3 inning. Rusty Staub, the Montreal Expos’ sole representative, didn’t play, but did get to the on-deck circle in the 9th inning.





--The war of words between Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson continued. After publicly disagreeing in Washington the day before on the issue of major league management opportunities for blacks, Feller had phoned a New York Post reporter to say that friction between himself and Robinson had begun in 1946, when Robinson had delayed the start of an exhibition game by demanding too much money:

I was playing against Satchel Paige’s all-stars. Just before the game started, Robinson (who had been in Montreal earlier in the year) demanded three times as much money as anybody else.

On Wednesday, when Robinson saw the story, he sounded off to an Associated Press reporter:

It’s a damned lie, and I want you to quote me. This is just further proof that Feller hasn’t grown up in 23 years...In 1946 in Los Angeles I did play against Feller, but it wasn’t with Paige’s all-stars. And there was no dispute over money.

Feller repeated that it did happen. At a baseball clinic Wednesday, he said:

I can prove it. I had guys like Jim Hegan, Ralph Kiner, Mickey Vernon, Bob Lemon and Stan Musial on my club and 13,000 people were watching the game.

Thursday, July 24--The Atlanta Braves were outhomered by the Montreal Expos 4-3 but outscored them 9-6 before 10,467 at Atlanta Stadium. Hank Aaron’s 25th home run of the season was the 535th of his career, moving him past Jimmie Foxx into fourth place on the list, one behind Mickey Mantle. Willie Mays stood at 596 career homers, 118 behind Babe Ruth. Tony Gonzalez (8) and Orlando Cepeda (15) also homered for the Braves in support of starting pitcher Ron Reed (9-7). The Expos had two home runs from ex-Brave Mack Jones, giving him 18 on the season. Rusty Staub hit his 14th, and Jose Herrera hit his first major league home run. Starting pitcher Bill Stoneman was hit hard, but it was reliever Dick Radatz (0-2) who took the loss. Expos’ centre fielder Adolfo Phillips struck out four times, the second time in a week he’d managed that dubious achievement.

--At Shea Stadium, Tony Perez’s 23rd home run of the season off reliever Tug McGraw gave the visiting Cincinnati Reds a 4-3, 12-inning win over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. The Reds also had homers from Bobby Tolan (his 19th) and starting pitcher Jim Merritt (his first big league home run). Donn Clendenon (6) and Cleon Jones (11) homered for the Mets.

--Catfish Hunter pitched the Oakland Athletics to a 2-1 win over the Washington Senators at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum giving up just four hits in improving his record to 9-7. Joe Coleman (8-7) took the loss for the Senators, whose only run came on Lee Maye’s fourth home run of the season.

--Ken Harrelson hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season to lead the hometown Cleveland Indians to a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins at Municipal Stadium. Harmon Killebrew hit his 29th homer of the year for the Twins.

--Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Mickey Lolich sounded off to local sportswriter Pete Waldmeir, complaining that teammate Denny McLain had returned from the All-Star Game in Washington wihout taking Mr. and Mrs. Lolich along in his private jet:

He buzzed right out of here and left us. And all he says is that’s tough...that’s your problem. Denny pulled a crummy trick on me. McLain doesn’t think about his friends or teammates. All he thinks about is himself. And look, I want to see that in the papers. I’ve had enough of this stuff.

Later in the day, Lolich apparently changed his mind:

I know it’s great to sell papers, but I don’t want to aggravate Denny. It’s over and done with and I told Denny to forget it.

Mr. Lolich took out his frustrations at Tiger Stadium that night, stretching his record to 14-2 with a 3-1 win over the expansion Kansas City Royals. The Detroit runs came on solo home runs by Al Kaline (his 12th), Don Wert (6), and Tom Tresh (6). Wally Bunker (5-7) was the losing pitcher.

--Oakland Athletics’ owner Charles O. Finley confirmed a report that he would be willing to buy catcher Johnny Bench from the Cincinnati Reds for $1,000,000.


Canadian Football League

Wednesday, July 16--Two days after a 15-13 win in Ottawa, the Edmonton Eskimos edged the hometown Alouettes 20-18 at the Autostade before a sparse crowd estimated at 6,500-8,000 (the figure was unannounced). The win improved the Eskimos’ pre-season record to 2-1. Eskimo quarterback Corey Colehour threw touchdown passes of 75 and 26 yards, respectively, to rookie Mike Oslin. Thermus Butler rushed 38 yards for the other Eskimo TD. Dave Cutler, the Eskimos’ first choice in the 1969 Canadian College Draft, signed with the team several hours before game time, and was good on one of two convert attempts. Joe Petrone added the other convert. Carroll Williams and John Baker scored the Alouette touchdowns. With 16 seconds left in the game, Eskimo middle linebacker Jerry Griffin was knocked unconscious and swallowed his tongue after tackling Donnie Davis. Guard Steve Cotter was another Eskimo casualty, injuring his knee.

While the Alouettes were playing at the Autostade, the Expos were playing across town at Jarry Park. The American Football League’s career scoring leader, Gino Cappelletti, was at the game to help promote an upcoming pre-season game there between his Boston Patriots and the NFL’s Detroit Lions. The Patriots were looking for a place to play their home games (Fenway Park had just been ruled out), and Cappelletti, who had once played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union, said, "Who knows, maybe next year we’ll be the Montreal Patriots."

Thursday, July 17--Former Canadian Football League and Continental Football League receiver Pat Brosnan died of cancer at the age of 27 in his hometown of Culver City, California. Mr. Brosnan was a flanker and offensive end with Santa Monica Junior College and California State University at Long Beach before joining the Toronto Argonauts early in the 1965 season. In 10 games that year, he was the Argonauts' leading receiver, catching all 24 passes thrown his way for 452 yards, averaging 18.8 yards per reception, with 4 touchdowns, and making 1 interception for 3 yards. Mr. Brosnan was released by the Argonauts during the pre-season of 1966, and played with the Montreal Beavers of the Continental League that year. In 1967 he was with the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the pre-season, but failed to make the squad, and returned to the Beavers, catching 30 passes for 373 yards (12.4 average) and 2 touchdowns, and returning 1 kickoff for zero yards. Mr. Brosnan finished his career with the Spokane Shockers of the Continental League in 1968, catching 40 passes for 547 yards (13.7 average) and 4 touchdowns.

--Wally Gabler, Tom Wilkinson, and Frank Cosentino were all effective at quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts as they defeated the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers 39-14 in pre-season action before a crowd of 22,772 at C.N.E. Stadium. Holdovers John Schneider and Luther Selbo, and rookies Ron Johnson and Don Weiss, all saw action at quarterback for the Blue Bombers. The Argos received touchdowns from Dickie Moore, Mel Profit, Bill Symons, Dave Washington, and Jim Thorpe. Butch Pressley and Don Summers scored the Bomber TDs.

Friday, July 18--The Saskatchewan Roughriders edged the visiting Ottawa Rough Riders 6-5 in a pre-season game at Regina’s Taylor Field. The only touchdown came on a pass from Ron Lancaster to Hugh Campbell. Campbell caught 5 passes for 128 yards, while Lancaster completed 12 of 26 passes for 194 yards for Saskatchewan. Russ Jackson was good on just 7 of 15 passes for 95 yards for Ottawa.

Sunday, July 20--Dave Raimey, star running back of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, flew home from Hamilton after clashing with starting quarterback John Schneider on the practice field, where the Blue Bombers were preparing for the next night’s pre-season game against the Tiger-Cats. Head Coach Joe Zaleski was said to be unimpressed with Schneider’s pre-season performance so far, leading to rumors that the Bombers would make a trade with the Toronto Argonauts to acquire backup quarterback Tom Wilkinson.

--The visiting British Columbia Lions edged the Edmonton Eskimos 9-8 in a pre-season game before approximately 13,000 fans at Clarke Stadium. In a game whose 2nd half was plagued by heavy rain and high winds, Ted Gerela’s 53-yard field goal late in the game gave the Lions the win; it was just his second successful kick in nine attempts. Rookie fullback Pinky Clements rushed one yard for the Eskimo touchdown; Dave Cutler converted, and punter Garry Lefebvre added a single. The Eskimos, playing their fourth game in eleven days, saw their pre-season record finish at 2-2.



Monday, July 21--The passing game accounted for all the touchdowns as the hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-14 before 16,523 fans in a pre-season game at Civic Stadium. Joe Zuger, starting at quarterback for Hamilton, threw touchdown passes to Dave Fleming and Tommy-Joe Coffey, while backup John Eckman threw one to Neal Pettis. Winnipeg starter John Schneider connected on touchdown tosses to Ken Nielsen and Amos Van Pelt.

--The other pre-season game that night was at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, where 17,909 saw the Toronto Argonauts beat the Stampeders 25-10. The big play was a 100-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Argos’ Mike Eben, with other Argonaut TDs coming from Wally Gabler and Dick Cohee. Gerry Shaw scored the lone Stampeder touchdown.

Tuesday, July 22--Four days after playing each other in Regina, the Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders hooked up in another pre-season game. The rematch, in Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park, ended in a 39-8 win for Ottawa. Vic Washington rushed 9 times for 110 yards for the Rough Riders, and rookie Wayne Smith returned a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown. Ron Lancaster saw little action at quarterback for Saskatchewan, as backups Rick Cassata and Bubba Wyche went most of the way.

--the Winnipeg Free Press reported that after his Sunday practice field clash with John Schneider, Dave Raimey had been berated in a later meeting with Head Coach Joe Zaleski, prompting Raimey’s decision to return to Winnipeg. "All I want is to be respected and treated like a human being. I’m human, and not a machine, and want to be treated that way," said Raimey, who contended that Schneider, too, should have been reprimanded over the incident.

Wednesday, July 23-- Paul Brothers connected with Jim Young for a 97-yard touchdown pass with 1:35 remaining in the game to give the B.C. Lions a 27-25 pre-season win over the Toronto Argonauts in front of 21,310 excited fans at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium. The Argonauts drove down the field in the last minute, but Tom Johansen missed a field goal attempt with 6 seconds left to end the threat.



--The Edmonton Eskimos sent offensive tackle Earl Edwards to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for what Eskimo General Manager Norm Kimball called "immediate and long term player assistance."

Thursday, July 24--The Canadian Football League closed its pre-season schedule at the Autostade in Montreal, as the Alouettes upended the Saskatchewan Roughriders 27-21. Carroll Williams threw three touchdown passes for the Alouettes. George Reed rushed for two touchdowns for the Roughriders, whose other touchdown came on a 95-yard pass play from Ron Lancaster to rookie Bobby Thompson. Only about 6,000 people attended the game.

--Running back Dave Raimey returned to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, four days after his practice field clash with quarterback John Schneider in Hamilton had brought about his hasty departure.


Other sports news

Thursday, July 17--In Toronto, Stafford Smythe and Harold Ballard were remanded without plea to September 11 when they appeared in court on charges of income tax evasion and making false or deceptive statements on income tax returns. Smythe and Ballard were accused of appropriating Maple Leaf Gardens’ money for personal use, including the upgrading of their homes.

Friday, July 18--Football Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced that New York Jets’ quarterback Joe Namath had ended his brief retirement, agreeing to sell his interest in the New York night spot Bachelors III. The restaurant was suspected of being a hangout for undesirables, including organized crime figures.

Saturday, July 19--In auto racing, Jackie Stewart of Scotland won the British Grand Prix, his fifth win of the year. Jackie Ickx of Belgium was second, followed by Bruce McLaren of New Zealand and Jochen Rindt of Austria.

--at Trenton, New Jersey, Mario Andretti edged out Wally Dallenbach to win a 200-mile United States Auto Club race. Ludwig Heimrath of Toronto was 14th, completing 105 of 134 laps.

Sunday, July 20--Glenn Pilipponi, 14, of Coquitlam, B.C., won the annual Nanaimo to Vancouver bathtub race, covering the 34 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes. His tube, a fibreglass model mounted on a hydroplane shell, finished two minutes ahead of a similarly-designed craft driven by 14-year-old Brian Dorman of Wellington, B.C.

--in Philadelphia, Dave Hill won the Philadelphia Golf Classic on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Gay Brewer, Tommy Jacobs, and R.H. Sikes. The first place prize money of $30,000 moved Hill into the number one spot on the year’s money-winning list, with a total for the year of $129,000; it was his third win in his last four tournaments.

--the National Football League’s New York Giants obtained veteran quarterback Milt Plum from the Los Angeles Rams as backup insurance for Fran Tarkenton.

Monday, July 21--Henry Hight, owner of the Texas Football League’s San Antonio Toros, sent rookie running back O.J. Simpson a telegram offering him 80% of the net gate for eight home games, or a flat $15,000 per game for all 16 games (a total of $240,000). Simpson, drafted by the American Football League’s Buffalo Bills, had not yet signed with the Bills because of differences over money.

Thursday, July 24--Prime Minister Trudeau lit the Canada Summer Games torch on Parliament Hill. The torch, whose first carrier was 18-year-old Ottawa high school student Penny Werthner, was scheduled to arrive in Halifax on August 15, the day before the opening of the initial edition of the games.

--Across the Ottawa River, Yvon Kofloff defeated Abdullah the Butcher with a backbreaker in the third and deciding fall of their match at the Hull Arena.

--The first round of the Canadian Open golf tournament took place at Pinegrove Country Club in St. Luc, Quebec, near Montreal. Sam Snead led with a 5-under par 67, one stroke ahead of Chick Evans. Seven golfers shot 69, including Tony Jacklin, Roberto de Vicenzo, and the top Canadian, 25-year-old Vaughan Trapp of Victoria. Toronto’s Al Balding shot 70; those at 71 included Edmonton’s Fin Sorenson, Toronto’s George Knudson, and Montreal’s Ken Fulton.

--In Houston, federal judge Joe Ingraham resentenced Muhammad Ali (or, as he was often still referred to, Cassius Clay) to the same five years in prison and $10,000 fine he had assessed in June 1967 for refusing induction into the United States Army.