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Don Lawrence * Sports editor * The Midland Times As I See It by Don Lawrence sports editor A story in a Toronto newspaper recently told of the transition sports will be taking with the introduction of pay-TV. That change in the set-up of television will soon include the transmission of Toronto Maple Leaf hockey games and Hamilton Tiger Cat football games and the man behind it all is who else but Haruld Ballard. Ballard claims the gate receipts won't meet his wages he must pay in order to support his clubs and he has said he will file an ap- plication to have Maple Leaf and Tiger Cat games televised only through the new system once it comes to Canada. That means we would have to pay an extra ' surcharge to watch the Leafs lose to the Islanders, the Rangers, the Flames and about any other club they play in the. regular season. This year's past playoffs are evidence enough that the Leafs are definitely not a club you pay a lot of money to watch. To be totally fair, though, the Tiger Cats aren't doing all that well either and it makes one wonder where Ballard gets the idea people want to watch his clubs lose so badly, they're willing to pay an extra charge. The only consolation of watching a Leafs or Tiger Cats game is that it is free and a cheap night's entertainment. It's hard to get money's worth, Mr. Ballard! Elsewhere, people would get enough for their money as they would be paying the surcharge to watch the Montreal Canadians, who by the way are fading quickly, Van- couver Canucks, Calgary Flames and any of the other more competitive Canadian squads. Someone should enlighten Ballard in the' department of salesmanship. People will pay only for what they think is worth the money. Of course, Ballard must know that by now with Maple Leaf Gardens being the place recording the most consistent packed houses whether the team wins or loses. It's that way with all Toronto sports, most of the teams having a losing season on a regular basis, yet ticket receipts have never dropped. Either Toronto sports fans are eternal optimists or just plain masochists. The only other alternative for Ballard is to raise ticket prices as they've done in Calgary where they charge $25 for season tickets and $50 for play-off tickets. The only difference there though is they have a winning club and they definitely have a future as champions. That is in direct contrast to the Toronto Maple Leafs whose winning days are all in their past and it will take a long time or a drastic change in team management before they rebuild their dynasty of the early 30's and 40's. It likely won't make any difference though to the numbers watching the games and Ballard will still be packing them into hockey games and the football stadium. Once a Maple Leaf fan, always a Maple Leaf fan, win or lose myself included and Ballard knows that. S. Charlebois Haulage, Dupuis Groceteria tied for first place As .of May 24, S. Charlebois Haulage and Excavating Diggers were locked into a two- way tie with Dupuis Groceteria Leafs for the lead in Penetang- Midend Senior division Ball Hockey. Both those teams have won three games and lost none with no ties. Each team has only allowed four goals against while Ss. Charlebois Haulage has scored 24 goals and Dupuis Groceteria 20. Second place belongs to Dock Lunch with two wins, no losses and one tie for five points. They have allowed six goals against while scoring 15 goals in three games. Third place goes to Cumming-Nicholson Stompers with two wins, one loss and no ties for four points with 15 goals against and 19 goals for. There is a three way tie for fourth place between Stewart's Gulf Oilers, Pen-Mid Mer- chants and E.G. Mink Insurance Premiums with one win, one tie and one loss each. E.G. Mink has allowed the most goals against in three games at 14 but has also scored the most with 11. Pen-Mid Merchants have scored seven goals while allowing eight to be scored against them and Stewart's Gulf _, Oilers have scored eight ' goals and let in nine. Sitting in the basement spot are three teams, M._ Forget Construction, Ves Robitaille Construction and Penetang Decor Hustlers with no wins, no ties and three losses each. The Hustlers have allowed 23 goals against while scoring only five goals and V. Robitaille Construction have been scored on 21 times and only tallied up four markers. M. Forget Con- struction has scored three times while being scored on 12 times. There were 43 riders in the first annual Contact Centre bike-a-thon, Sunday, and they raised $3,000 for that organization. Top pledge collector was Big event First annual bike-a-thon nets $3,000 by Don Lawrence The first annual Contact Centre bike-a-thon held Sunday in Midland was a hugh success with $3,000 being raised by the 43 riders involved in the event. The top rider for total pledges was Sheila Weatherall who raised an impressive $400 for the Contact Centre for which she wins a dinner for two at Andrea's Restaurant in Midland. Next four riders were myself with $319, Des Carpenter of the Midland Rotary Club with $195, Irene Quesnelle, Contact Centre administrator with $185 and Gordon Walker of Midland Lions Club with $167. The first riders to complete the 20 mile distance were James Moreau and Dan Gilbert, both of Midland Police. They completed the ride in 58 minutes. Other riders in the fund-raising event were Al Prentice of Ontario Housing, Gail Wilcox of Big, Sisters. Kelly McMartin, Roy Cunningham and Greg Clark of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Tim Spicer, Carol Beausoleil of Big Sisters, Jeff Zummach of Huronia Office Services, Kevin McCann of Ontario Housing, Gary Greer of the local radio station, Joanne Byreck of the Mental Health Centre, Norm McIntosh of Ontario Provincial Police, John King and Jim Walker of Big Brothers., Doreen Stainton, Mae Ronald and Bernitta Robillard of Penetanguishene Oldtimers Hockey Club, Chris Emerson and Shari Emerson for A & W, Elaine Finch, Wendy Rutherford, Vivian Brodeur, Glenn Reed, Janet Brodeur, Marion Reed, Ronda Brammall of the Bank of Montreal, Doug Chapman of Midland Police, Monica Hille of Midland YMCA, Bev Evans and Bonnie Curry of the Student Employment Centre, Gordon Moreau, Bill Matz of Bank of Nova Scotia, Don Kennedy of A & P and Lynda Neal of Scarborough. A lot of work went into the event with volunteers helping out on the checkpoints and patrolling the course in trucks and St. John's Ambulances. They were Len and Joe Quesnelle on patrol, Ron Toole driving for St. John Ambulance, Barb Emerson, Carol Irvine, Evelyn Walker and Jane McVittie on registration and the final signing at the end of the race, Kelly Parks who did the posters and signs. members of Midland Police, Ontario Provincial Police and Penetanguishene Police who patrolled the route. Peter and Donna Goneau manning the first checkpoint, Doug Reed, managing editor of this newspaper and Bob Finch, sales representative for this newspaper manning the second checkpoint, Nik Finney and Dave Moore manning the third checkpoint and Glenn South and Steve Finch manning the fourth checkpoint. Some of the local businesses also donated food and drinks for the bike-a- thon and they were Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burnie's Bakery, McDonald's A & W, Dominion, A & P, the Family Drive-In on King Street in Midland, and Perrin's Flowers who donated the ribbons the riders wore. Sheila Weatherell of Midland who raised $400. Second was our sports editor here at The Midland Times who raised $319. Wednesday, May 27, 1981, Page 15