The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 1

Watson Aims At Golfs Grand Slam Cinox Bought By Leader In High-Tech Tom Atkins I Co-Anchors Channel 9 C-l I 111 1 Business, D-10 Sports, D-9 TOM WATSON THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER FINAL EDITIONNEWSSTAND PRICE 35t THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1984 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER Fefte (Lmg H. Rose Rejoins Reds As Player-Manager Rapp lost respect Page D-1 Rose's history lofty Page D-1 a Fans praise return Page D-1 a Sparky likes move Page D-1. Player-manager legacy Page D-4 2. 'J v' fJ- nnr-in rr -iiiini jfe BY GREG HOARD Enquirer Reporter Pete Rose is a rambler no more. The local boy who has made 4,062 hits comes home again today to become player-manager of the Cincinnati Reds, ending a 5V6 -year absence from his hometown.

He replaces Vern Rapp, who was Informed of his firing before Wednesday night's 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Rose, 43, who had spent the first half of this season with the Montreal Expos, will be reintroduced as a Red at a 4 p.m. press conference at Riverfront Stadium. The Expos agreed to trade Rose's rights to the Reds in exchange for a player to be named later.

"Pete is coming mainly to be the manager, and also pinch hit and fill In a few times," Reds' President Bob Howsam said Wednesday night. "What I expect from him is what I always expect from a manager-to work hard and lead a winning team. "VERN RAPP has made every effort to do an outstanding Job from the standpoint of getting everything he could out of his players. He was not as successful as we would have liked so we'll see if another approach might do something." Rose was in San Francisco Wednesday with the Expos and attempts to reach him at the club's hotel Wednesday evening were unsuccessful. "He does not wish to be disturbed until 9 p.m.

(midnight Eastern time)," a hotel operator said. Both Rose and Rapp denied knowledge of the managerial change early in the day, when the news first broke. Rapp said he didn't know of the move until Howsam called him Just before the Reds' game. The denials ended when Reds' general partner William J. Williams confirmed the switch.

"I've thought about Pete coming back as a player, as a coach or manager or something for a long time," Williams said. "The decision was made after careful consideration and among all of us," he said. Williams would not elaborate on what led to the decision. "Boy, oh boy, that's a long story, a long, long story. It would take too long to tell.

After certain things happened it was Just a decision we made. "WE THOUGHT a lot about it," The Cincinnati EnquirerEd Reinke PETE ROSE shows his batting form as he gets his historic hit at iverfront Stadium on May 5, 1978. Players Hail Pete Rose As Mechanic Who Can Fix Ailing Big Red Machine Williams continued. "We're second from the bottom and there are only so many more games to play." Rose will become the Reds' first player-manager since Bucky Walters did it In 1948 and the first in baseball since Don Kessinger managed the Chicago White Sox In 1979. Joe Torre was the last National League with the New York Mets in 1977.

It is unlikely Rose will play much for the Reds, though he needs Just 129 hits to equal Ty Cobb's all-time record of 4,191. "As far as playing every day, there is nothing like that planned," said Jim Ferguson, the Reds' vice president for publicity. Rose's return to a Reds uniform ends 5V4 years of an unwanted absence from Cincinnati. Rose, who played high school ball for Western Hills High School, signed with the Reds in 1960 and was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1963. A three-time National League batting champion, Rose was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1973.

He earned the nickname "Charlie Hustle" for his aggressive style of play. He helped the Reds to World Championships in 1975 and '76. In December, 1978, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent. He shared In a third championship title when the Phils defeated Kansas City in 1980. (See ROSE, back page, this section) verse the Reds' dismal performance in '84.

But many thought Rose could improve team attitude and serve as a natural motivator to a club that has been sorely lacking in that department. "I will give 110," Concepcion said. "He is my friend and I've always admired him. When I came up as a rookie, he helped me. He helped me become a better ballplayer and a better hitter." Tony Perez, who played with Rose in Cincinnati from 1964 through 1976, when he was traded to Montreal, and again in '83 at Philadelphia, said Rose would demand respect and receive it.

"We are much better than we are playing," said Perez. "We have Said second baseman Oester: "They better listen I think the players will respect him more because they saw him play and they know what he's done In this game." Reds' first base coach Tommy Helms played with Rose in the minors as well as from 1965 through 1971. Helms said, "I would think people would be proud to play with Pete, or for him. He set goals as a player. He set them all of his life, and I'm sure he will as a manager.

"If he had been a mediocre player, that might be different," (See PLAYERS, back page, this section) n't been consistent I tried to shake some people up (at a team meeting In San Diego July 26), but it didn't work. Pete, as manager, will be different He will have respect from the players. That's the one thing we need here, respect." Perez said dismissed manager Vern Rapp, who was signed to a two-year contract last October, had seen the problems but had not been able to solve them. Perez, Concepcion and Ron Oester all Indicated Rapp's difficulty rested with handling the younger players. "WHAT ARE they are going to say to Pete Rose?" said Perez.

"If Pete Rose says something, they are going to listen." FOP Proposes Laid-Off Police For Riverfest 1 771 nsi nrr BY GREG HOARD Enquirer Reporter ST. LOUIS-Pete Rose's appointment as manager of the Reds was heralded by players here Wednesday night as a welcome prescription for many of the club's woes. Rose will be announced as player-manager at a 4 p.m. press conference today and will officially take charge of the club at Friday night's 7:35 p.m. game against the Cubs.

"This is the man this club needs," said Dave Concepcion, who played with Rose for eight years, from 1970 through 1978. Certainly, players did not proclaim Rose as one who could re- Soviet Leaders Call Reagan's Joke 'Hostile' MOSCOW (AP)-In an unusual formal statement from the Kremlin, the Soviet Union on Wednesday condemned President Reagan's Joke about bombing Russia as "unprecedentedly hostile" and said it showed the insincerity of U.S. calls for improved relations with Moscow. Mr. Reagan's remark also was the target of lengthy articles published by the two most authorita-tlve Soviet newspapers the Communist Party daily Pravda and the government paper Izves-ta-as well as the official news agency Tass.

In each case, the President was accused of abusing his office and falling in his responsibilities as head of state. called the Joke "base" while IzvesUa derided it as a "monstrous statement" and compared the tape bearing Mr. Reagan's comments to President Nixon's Watergate tapes 10 years ago. The Soviets also seized on Mr. Reagan's Joke to launch new attacks on U.S.

foreign policy, especially concerning arms control. Some Western diplomats saw the Soviet response as an attempt to give additional importance to Mr. Reagan's statement. I I- if If InClCX The Cincinnati Enquirer mmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmmn Four Sections, 144th Year, No. 129 ASK BETH 2 BUSINESS P-10-14 CLASSIFIED B-6-15 COMICS C-19 DEAR ABBY C-2 DEATHS B-6 EDITORIALS A-18 GROESCHEN D-7 HOROSCOPE C-19 HORSE RACING METRO B-l-6 MOVIES C-16, 17 PEOPLE 02 PUZZLES C-18, 19 SPORTS D-l-9 SPORTSMEDICINE 02 TEMPO C-l-20 THIS WEEKEND C-14 TV-RADIO C-13 WEIKEL B-4 WHEN I WAS A BOY C-1 2 BY PAUL FURIGA Enquirer Reporter The Cincinnati police union has offered the services of 37 lald-off officers for the Sept.

3 Riverfest celebration free to encourage the city to rehire them. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) has also offered to withdraw its planned boycott of police overtime for the fireworks celebration on the Ohio River. FOP President Elmer Dunaway delivered the offer in closed-door meetings with Mayor Am Bortz and City Manager Sylvester Murray Wednesday morning. JUST MINUTES before, in a special session, city council members rejected the latest of a dozen proposals for rehiring the police officers. Dunaway left that meeting, which was crowded with sign-carrying police officers, to see Bortz.

For several minutes they argued loudly in the mayor's office over the rehiring, before closing the door to talk privately. After the meeting. Bortz said he received a proposal from Dunaway, but he would not discuss it "We came to no understanding. We Just discussed a few items of mutual Interest." the mayor said, "and I suggested that Mr. Dunaway talk with the city manager." "I suggested something, a new SPORTS RESULTS Telephone 369-1005 or 369-1006 -ty rto Sunny today, turning partly cloudy by afternoon, high about 85.

Fair tonight, with a low near 62. West winds about 10 mph, becoming northwest during the afternoon. Mostly sunny Friday with the high around 83. Chance of rain, 10 today, 20 tonight. Details and weather map on Page A-2.

The Cincinnati EnquirerFred Straub ELMER DUNAWAY leaves meeting with Mayor Am Bortz Wednesday after discussing Riverfest. alternative to the problem," Dun- "came in to me with a resolution should rehire them." away said later. But he also re- to the problem. He came in again fused to discuss it. saying people want to be rehired (See POLICE, Murray denied that Dunaway and he thinks the city could and back page, this section).