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John Lovetere, Big Giant Tackle, Gets Pre-Game Jitters By MILTON GROSS NEW YORK (NANA)--Each mnday, a few hours before & ants’ football game, John Love- re is certain to come knocking Dr. Francis Sweeney's door to % for » tranquilizer. %e- Sweeney bands a pil to the | PROS. He wae the team’s rookie | '", 285-pound defensive tackle, 1 Lovetere invariably says.! ive me two, doe.” Why two?” Sweeney says. ae should be enough.’ The other's for Mo,” says Love- meaning Dick Modzelewski, Giants’ veteran defense man, wt never is | 1 need something to relax me"! + the newest Giant, who may| one of the strongest men in ball, “It T don't get it T walk halls. You know, I get ner- > before a game” ooking at Lovetere, who came ‘the Giants from the Rame in trade for targe Rosey Grier, 4 must wonder what cout turb this giant of a mari, whe ight lifte 620 pounds from a sme press. It ia the eame ling you get with any of these stadons, who earn their pay the football field, but each something that sete his vee on edge, Johnny's case, it is one of the dest football backgrounds of | ime. For instance, the pro- will lst Lovetere as coming Compton Junior College. however, has been trying y to get the Giants to drop, s{filiation from the program. | easoning is simple and direct. | didn't go there but 2 couple seks, I'didn’t have any col- cally. I just played a couple semes on account of the arshi Vanwhing Scholarship > way this dark curly-haired ar-old tells the story, it 4 be called the case of the vsing scholarship. vey ran out of money or fing so T just had to quit,” i. “Thad an apartment and and a wife and ® little girl. nave promised they were go- take cere of the whole thing needed the money to live, vey didn't, They probably 1.Yd stay on without it, but ldn't, T couldn't afford to At route, » that time Lovetere had ped hin wife and tive- th-old daughter Denise, back or folks In Tennessee, He d them and took # job ina ‘a8 a laborer. vas making about $1.10 an and did it for three weeks, uy father-in-law helping out the Rams got in touch with| + come for a tryout,” John here was this inexperienced who had played only at sunt High in Los Angeles; | began. . had scouted him.“ In‘ the Rams condition they would have taken anybody and Lovetree says he was eble to stick, “only because I got hungry.” He didn't just make it in the pros. He was the team’s rookie’ defensive awards in 1960 and ‘61. In 1960, he personally blocked five jTecord. But when Harland Svare took over as coach, John's troubles Pre-Season tojury The tackle was hurt in a pre- season game against the Giants, recovered, played against the Colts in the season's opener and then against the Bears. “I hurt my ankle, but kept on! playing and I had a bad game.” said John, “and I never did play| again.” i There are two versions of what followed next. One is told by Svare, a former Giant, himself. ‘On w plane from a subsequent game after several weeks bf in- activity, Lovetere could stand it! no longer. Svare came slong the alsle and Jonany blocked It with his bulk, He is the kind of man whose bi- eps are lager than most Peoples thighs. He wanted to know why he wasn't playing and. “You know how a guy looks when he's really going to take a swing at you?” the coach said. “Well, that's the way this guy looked.” “I ever threatened him, sald Lovetere. “I just never got a) reason for why I waso't playing. T know he told the coaches I threatened him, but all he told me was to get off my chest what was bugging, so T told him.” Draws Fire The Tuesday following the incl- dent when all pro teams get to- gether for the first time after a game, Svare told Lovetere he was being fined $250. “Everything was all right until that Tuesday,” said John, “but 1 guess I hurt his feelings’ and hel had a delayed reaction. He sai ‘nothing to me on the plane about it and what I couldn't understand was if be didn’t blame me for how T felt, why should he fine me? | must be the first one in the league to be fined for wanting to play.” He Fits in OK The Giants have been giving Johnny the opportunity, “They wondered at first how the new~ comer would fit in with Mo,Sam. Huff, Jim Kateavage and ‘Andy Robustelli on the defense in the Place of Grier. Apparently they are not wondering any more. “Over there,” said Johnny, meaning the Rams, “it was each guy for himself. Here you don’t stand alone. Here you know what hen in the Army at Fort well, Ky, where the Rams! it is to win, Over there I never| a few breaks and I guess I was! bunts, which may be an NFL N% oung Ideas By DICK YOUNG | LOS ANGELES (N.Y. News)—, ‘This will-slay you. ‘The Dodgers ‘are looking fora pitcher, Buzzy Bavasl, vice president in charge of Dodger needs and deals, stated in a look-shead chat, that| he considérs such an addition his| [primary purpose during the long winter of negotiations, 4 another pitcher; | know that” he sald. “That wilt be the enly malor we will ‘make. ) eat come from Pmoner. Ono: ir system, or in @ another club, but I knew we'll -| et one.” ‘This trom:the bossman of the team that has just given the Yankees four runs in four World Series gam “You'can‘win = World Serfes 10-21 enw Reale Teen “Go in an’ hit "em with the same ‘mover dream anybody would be Veunpilt j with three pitchers,” said Bavasi, “ut you have to go into a pen- nant race with four solid’ starters.” Last wipter, the Dodgers changed their No. 4 starter. They itraded Stan Williams to the Yankees and obtained Miller from the Mets, Miller did well az a spot starter plus reliever but now is regarded more as « reliever— the “long man” who can give three or four innings and do it two or | three days at a time. Failing to come up with the deal they want, the Dodgers will try to develop the new starter from ‘among their own youngsters, Out- standing candidates named by Bavasi are Pete Richert, Nick Wilhite, Joe Moeller and Phil Ortega. Richert, “a lefty from Long Island, did some fine tate season work after coming back from the Spokane farm. Wilhite had a mid-season shot with the big club, but wasn't quite ready and wound up back in PCL. Ortega both showed well Spokane. New Rellever, Teo It fs likely that Bevaai wilt attempt to find another relief pitcher to back up Ron Pers ranoski, No. 1 finisher in the National Leegue. The Dodgers also will give two young infielders shots at jobs. Bart Shirley, a good gloveman, ‘will compete with: incumbent Ken MeNullen st'third bese. Peewee Oliver, who tailed to stick last Spring, will make another try at the age-old effort to move Junior Gilliam off second base—and he'd better be better than good. “I admire Gilliam from all angles,” said Walt Alston.” The Dodger manager meant as a plsy- ef and a6 a person. “In the 12 years I had him, here and at Montreal, hewever complained or moaned to me. When you play him, he does @ helluva job; when you don't play him, he never com- plains.” «bee Te Got That's about'It for the future of champs ‘Danny| Ozark, organization man who Last year managed at Spokane, prob- ably will be moved up to replace, Leo Durocher’as Dodger coach. And Leo? He'll set the world on fire yome place. If you don’t think 96, just ask him, : A Sad Game A friend of ours, after watch- ing Alabama murder Tennes- see last Saturday at Legion Field, commented: “That was such a sad game knew it” even the seats were in tlere.” (Chic: ‘sports publicity director, there is one thing about his craft —lt is a stepping stone 10 bleger jobs. commissioner Footbal Jahan. By DAVID CONDON Tribune Prees Service) CHICAGO — Whenever Casey [Stengel does decide to retire the New York Mets hope to summon back Gil Hodges. Gil, now doing enance as manager of the Wash- ington Senators, is one of the most popular athietes ever to perform in the New York area, Indiana boy, tended St. Joseph College. He is an though, and at- Charles Callahan, Notre Dame says. “Look at Pete Rozelle, of the National League,” {tlustrates Cal- “Rozelle was in charge of ‘Moeller andi Sports publicity with the Univer- sity of San Francisco when Joe st Kuharich had that great football team out there Frick, the ‘czar of baseball. sides his sports writing career, Frick had a stretch doing public. ity for the National League. And Walter Kennedy, the director right here at Notre Dame.” hundreds of thowsan fans who can get atong without Look at Ford Be- Wouldn't the San Francisco 49ers like to come up with ¥ . A. Tittle as their coach for 1964 Warning Te Baseball If baseball's deep thinkers took ‘lime to scan the sports news, they might have been shocked into the realization that they aren't run- ning the onty game in town. The World Series, matching the Ded- gers and Yankees, was on tree home TV fee Minnesota engage football forces. A respectable 51,- 862 saw the Northwestern and IUlinois duel, Michigan and Navy drew $5,877, and down in Bloom- ington, Ind. they packed in an unprecedented 42,298, But’ 60,264 paid to Army's Apparently there are several of sports World Series. They proved it again ty Jamming the pro football arenas, And we wonder what rating service will tell ut which drew the greater audience in areas here both pro football and the World Series were on television? Finley Gaining Favor ‘There. seems to be increasing sentiment in favor of Charlie Finley's World Series on a week-end, to play some of the Dodger owner Waller O'Malley endorses this tdea, O'Malley smells more money. Proposal to open the mes at night. Mets Hope To Land Hodges When Casey Does Retire Wt certainty would be for the break And it fe about Ht began’ doing @ fittle more for the fana At. Wortd Series time, you ece ab. solute disdan for the fan whe ‘supprots the team during the regular season, a The poor sucker, and his ticket * money,’ are welcome at the box office from opening day until closing day. But who ends up with the World Series tickets? The, business executives, the movi stars, the politicians, and an army” of others with clout, get the tick- ets; and you can bet that more than half of them haven't been in the ball park since the last World Series. “Half the folks who buy World Series tickets have no more in- terest in baseball than in the Moscow ballet. But it is prestige to be able to come up with tickets ‘and to be seen in the arena, Meanwhile, the sucker fan ha to settle for television. Or maybe, {perhaps, baseball may have Jost a fan forever. The baseball leaders, in their blindness, figure that the answer to attendance slumps is the traa- ster of @ franchise. That's redicu- lous. Give the fans a better break, and they'll get them back, DIXIELAND! JERALD SCOTT With The FAMOUS DIXIELAND BAND feus mATHOS EEE Ne Coven—No Muimom