Surgery possible for Bull

By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – There is a "75-80 percent" chance that Phillies leftfielder Greg Luzinski will have to undergo major surgery on his injured right knee, team physician Dr. Phillip J. Marone said last night.

Marone will perform an arthroscopy, a minor surgical procedure, on Luzinski tomorrow to determine the extent of the problem and whether or not an operation will be required to correct it. Luzinski, who has been on the disabled list since July 8, would be out "at the most six weeks" if surgery is performed, Marone said.

Luzinski injured the knee sliding into second base during a July 4 game in St. Louis. Marone examined the Bull four days later and withdrew three ounces of fluid from the knee.

"Friday a week ago (July 18) I drained it again, injected some medicine and it calmed down real well," Marone said. "We started rehabilitation and I saw him Thursday and he was doing well."

So well, in fact, the Phillies decided to put Luzinski through a stern workout on Friday. But the knee failed the test, again swelling.

"It was then I decided to do the arthroscopy on Monday and then decide what to do," Marone said. "If I can remove some of the loose pieces and arthritic chips with the arthroscope, then he will only be out a week or so. If I find something, it could be up to six weeks.

"There's not much pain, but there is discomfort and Greg is feeling something slipping in the knee. It may be that something more ominous is going on than I thought."

The loss of a slugger of Luzinski's caliber until September would damage considerably a Phillie offense that has been struggling recently.

"Doctor Marone has been puzzled by this thing all along," Phillies Manager Dallas Green said after his club defeated the Atlanta Braves, 6-3. "He doesn't want to believe just floating chips will cause Bull to feel the way he does and cause the inflammation."

But, if there is a silver lining in this latest of dark clouds, it is that a decision, one way or the other, will come from tomorrow's examination.

"I don't want him (Luzinski) playing with that on his mind or playing with a chance of hurting him," Green said. "This way, we know and he knows what's going to happen.

"If it doesn't need surgery and just a flushing out, that's only a couple of weeks. We can handle that problem. If it does, then we'll have to come with the guys we got. It'll put more pressure on (Mike) Schmidt. They'll (opposing pitchers) work his tail off. But we've got guys who can hit the ball out of the ballpark on a given day or a given pitch.

"I just hope we can surround Schmitty with enough smoking bats that he'll be able to just play."

Luzinski was hitting .245 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs in 71 games prior to being placed on the disabled list.

Phils better hope Green doesn’t start talking

By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – Sometimes, what a man doesn't say is twice as important as what he does say. Hell-oh Dallas Green.

The popularity in the clubhouse of the Phillies' manager probably hit an all-time low this past week when leftfielder Greg Luzinski decided to put into words what many of his teammates were muttering to themselves.

Green, however, could care less if he has ruffled some feathers while conducting his post-game evaluations of his players' performances for the media. He knows that if he really wanted to take off the kid gloves, he could pluck more than several swollen egos as clean as a Christmas turkey.

"That's the part of this that I don't understand," he said. "They know what I've said to the press. But, they also know what I haven't talked about."

At that exact moment, the manager' was biting his lip over half a dozen matters that he continues to sit on night after night, not the least of which was the way Luzinski's marvelous new body seemed to be disappearing just about the same time his knee problems returned.

For now, that subject is taboo with Green. You can bet, however, it will come up as soon as Bull takes advantage of the manager's "open door" policy and pays him the visit he talked about.

"I haven't heard from him yet," said Green Friday night. "No, I didn't talk to him. I'm not supposed to talk to him... he's supposed to talk to me... isn't that the way it was supposed to go?"

Green knows exactly the way the players would like it to go. They would like to make unknown blunders (such as missed signs) and obvious mistakes in execution during the game and then refuse to talk, leaving the manager behind to accept the blame or make excuses.

"I'm not going to fall into the Danny Ozark Syndrome," said Green angrilly. "This is new to me. I'm open to critisism, too. But, I'm not going to change myself to suit others... not even if Bull, Bowa, Maddox or any other player screams his head off."

Don't look now, but owner Ruly Carpenter isn't about to ride to the rescue of the players he likes so much. This time around, he's more interested in getting the most out of the team rather than keeping it smiling.

"I think Dallas has done everything he possibly can to help this team win," he said. "This team isn't always going to score enough runs to overcome the little mistakes. We've got to play good, solid, fundamental baseball in order to win consistently.

"Dallas hasn't pointed out anything that isn't obvious to the fans or the press watching the game. If be wanted to, be could point out a lot more."

Airing the club's dirty linen is the last thing Green wants done. He is well aware that there can be a thin line between honest critisism and the knocking of players.

But, he also knows that by turning their backs on the people asking questions about what took place on the field, the players have left him holding the bag. He can't shut his door to the press. Someone has to speak for the team. And, if the team doesn't like what he says, then it should start speaking for itself.

"Sure, I'm an emotional guy," said Dallas. "I say what I think. But, I don't knock guys. What I talk about is the obvious. I believe it's constructive criticism. I'm not out to hurt somebody. Why should I? This is my team. This is my organization. Why would I want to do something like that?

"I'm never satisfied. I always think we could do better. Maybe that's what Bull meant. Still, don't be knocking me for putting things in the paper by putting things in the paper yourself.

"Bull is entitled to his opinion. But what does he know? He hasn't been with the team for 10 days. I just felt we weren't playing our kind of baseball. Obviously (he was being sarcastic), I was wrong."

Green doesn't like playing the heavy. But he's been with the club long enough to suspect that without some prodding, the Phillies might be content to move effortlessly into a comfortable fourth-place finish.

He's not going to take a chance on that happening just to be popular. And, if the players think they can back him down, they'd better think again.

Dallas Green ain't said nothin' yet. And the Phillies better hope he never does.

Bob Walk Tires, But He Paces Phils Over Braves 6 to 3

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Although he tired in the eighth inning and had to give way to Ron Reed, rookie pitcher Bob Walk took another giant step forward for the Philadelphia Phillies Saturday night at Veterans Stadium. 

Walk, who pitched seven shutout innings while his teammates were building 5-0 lead, wound up with a 6- 3 victory which brought his record to 7-1. 

"I would have loved the shutout or even : a complete victory," young Walk said. "But the team needs W's any way we can get them. So that is really all that concerns me, being able to help any way I can.”

Walk received his main hitting support from red hot second baseman Manny Trillo, who leads the everyday players with a .324 average. Manny drove home three runs with a pair of doubles in the second and third innings. 

In the second, Garry Maddox hit a one-out single off loser Phil Niekro, 8- 13. Then Trillo doubled over left fielder Mike Lum's head and sent Maddox home. Trillo scored on a single by pitcher Walk. 

In the third, Pete Rose and Bake McBride singled. After Mike Schmidt and Maddox failed to move the runners, Trillo doubled both home with his sharp drive to right field. 

"You just have to wait on the knuckler and hit it where it's pitched," Trillo said. "When you are going good, you can hit anything. When you are going bad, you can't hit a straight ball over the middle of the plate.” 

Lonnie Smith, who may be in left field for a long time if an examination of Greg Luzinski's ailing right knee Monday leads to surgery, used his exceptional speed to make it 5-0 in the fourth inning.

The exciting rookie slashed a two-out single. He was started for second when Rose lined a single to right field. Lonnie never slowed down until he crossed home plate while right fielder Garry Matthews was throwing to second base. 

"When I saw the third base coach (Lee Elia) waving me on, I just kept coming. I hope Greg gets back real soon. But till he does I'll just keep trying my best to help the team win,” the soft spoken Smith said. 

Walk had allowed six harmless hits until Brian Asselstine reached him for a one-out homer in the eighth. He struck out Chris Chambliss for the second out. 

However singles by Matthews and Bob Horner and a walk to Lum loaded the bases. When pinch-hitter Jeff Burroughs singled home two runs to make it a 5-3 game, manager Dallas Green came out of the dugout and motioned to his bullpen for right hander Reed. 

"He had super stuff all game, but he just started to get a little tired and the ball was staying up," Green said. "This young man has really been doing wondrous things for us. I don't know where we'd be without him." 

Where they are with his 7-1 record is four games behind the Pirates in the National League East. The Bucs lost to San Francisco Saturday. 

Reed, while earning his sixth save, got pinch-hitter Dale Murphy on a ground ball to second to end the eighth inning. Then he retired the Braves in order in the ninth. 

The Phils are now 6-5 against Atlanta and end their season's competition with the fifth place team of the Western Division today at 1:35. Steve Carlton will go after his 16th victory against Rick Matula. 

Bob Boone closed the Phillie scoring with a solo eighth-inning homer, his seventh of the year.

Luzinski Could Be Out Longer

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — The road off the disabled list may take a sharp detour for Greg Luzinski Monday. 

That day the muscular left fielder will undergo an arthroscope probe of his injured right knee and what team doctor Philip Marrone finds during that examination will determine how long it will be before the Bull returns to action. 

“I thought Greg's knee was back in pretty good shape until he went through a hard workout Friday," Dr. Marrone said Saturday night at Veterans Stadium. 

"After that workout the knee was swollen and extracted clear fluid from it for the third time in recent weeks. Greg also complained he felt something slipping inside the knee. That's when I realized the situation was worse then I had originally suspected and the arthroscopy was set up." 

Dr. Marrone said if he does not find anything other than the arthritic change Luzinski has already experienced in the knee, Luzinski could be back playing in a week. However if there is some damage to the cartilage then it could be six weeks or longer before he returns to action. 

Luzinski's latest problem occurred just before the All-Star break when he hurt the knee in a game in St. Louis. 

"I took some clear fluid out of it July 9 then again three days later," Marrone said. Luzinski was put on the disabled list retroactive to July 8. 

"During the past week it appeared the knee was coming around. Most of the pain and swelling were gone. But when it took a turn for the worse Friday the examination became necessary," Marrone explained.