Hawks Will Return to Scene of Glory

The St. Louis Hawks are only a memory, but they’re returning to the Gateway city to celebrate their moment of glory 30 years ago.

In 1958, the Hawks interrupted Boston’s National Basketball Assn. dynasty by knocking off the Celtics in the championship series, and former owner Ben Kerner is having all the players back for a reunion this weekend.

Kerner, who sold the Hawks to Atlanta investors 20 years ago, has planned three days of testimonial dinners, golf, tennis and reminiscing--just about everything except a pickup basketball game.

“Basketball? Are you kidding?” said forward Easy Ed Macauley, who still lives in St. Louis. “That’s a quick way to get hurt.”

Add Hawks: They nearly pulled it off in 1957, too, but the Celtics escaped with their first title in the Bill Russell era with a double-overtime victory in Game 7.

However, St. Louis won, 4 games to 2, in 1958 thanks to an extraordinary effort from Hall of Famer Bob Pettit. Pettit scored 50 points, including 19 of the Hawks’ last 21, as St. Louis clinched the title with a 110-109 victory in Game 6.

Trivia time: From 1957 to 1969, the Celtics won 11 championships in 13 seasons. The Hawks and the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers were the exceptions. Who coached both teams?

Baseball’s hotshot rookie 34 years ago today was Jim Greengrass of the Cincinnati Reds, who hit four doubles in his first major league game.

Hardly anybody noticed the rookie who went 0 for 5 for the Milwaukee Braves in the same game. His name? Hank Aaron.

Ex-fireballer Mario Soto of the Reds was overjoyed Monday night after pitching a four-hitter against the San Francisco Giants for his first shutout in two years.

“I threw a lot of fastballs,” said Soto, who had arm trouble the last few seasons. “Well, they were straightballs. (Roger) Clemens and (Dwight) Gooden throw fastballs. I asked Clemens in spring training if he’d give me some of that fastball. He said no, so I’m just going with what I’ve got.”

The Toronto Blue Jays may be the best team in baseball never to win a pennant, and they’re also getting tired of watching other teams celebrate. They were on the field when the Kansas City Royals won the 1985 American League pennant; they were on the field when the Boston Red Sox clinched the AL East title en route to the World Series in 1986; they were in the stadium when the Royals received their World Series rings in 1986, and they were on the field last Friday when the Minnesota Twins got their World Series rings.

Trivia answer: Alex Hannum, now the owner of a construction business in Santa Maria, Calif.

When shortstop Steve Jeltz of the Philadelphia Phillies pulled the hidden-ball trick on Gary Carter of the New York Mets the other day, probably the man in the ballpark who appreciated it most was former major league shortstop Gene Michael.

Michael, now a scout for the New York Yankees, was considered the master of the hidden-ball trick. Michael perfected the art but only pulled it off five times.

Said Michael: “I could have done it more, but I was afraid somebody would beat me up.”

Quotebook

Utah Jazz Coach Frank Layden on the improvement of guard John Stockton: “Last year, you didn’t know his name. You didn’t know if he was Stockton from Gonzaga or Gonzaga from Stockton.”