Merry-Go-Rounds

The Florida sun was smiling, and so were the New York Yankees; Mickey Mantle was looking good at first base, and the team was winning again. The Mets were losing as usual, but at least they were losing big -- 23-18, to the Boston Red Sox. The San Francisco Giants' Juan Marichal, baseball's reigning pitcher, was having such a good time skindiving back home in the Dominican Republic that he decided to ask for $125,000 instead of a mere $100,-000. Baseball's opening day was less than a month away. So what were most sport fans talking about?

Football.

After years of bitter competition for talent, the National Football League and the American Football League joined forces in Manhattan last week for the first common draft of college players. As a spectacle it was a tribute to marital bliss--and the unassailable fact that two can live cheaper than one. Gone were the dark tales of interleague raiding, of burly "baby sitters" keeping prize prospects hidden from rival league kidnapers. Gone too were the fantastic bonuses of yesteryear. The most a top draft choice could expect was a mere $200,000 or so--which is nice enough, but nothing like the $485,000 that Quarterback Joe Namath got from the New York Jets in 1965.

Even so, there were enough crunching blocks and backfield razzle-dazzle to satisfy the fans. The general idea of a draft is for the weakest teams to pick first, thereby spreading the wealth. But the two days of haggling over 445 players produced such a blizzard of trades among the 25 teams that hardly a single player ended up where expected.

Age Before Promise. The fledgling New Orleans Saints, the N.F.L.'s newest team, had first pick. But the Saints opted for age, not promise, and they , traded their No. 1 spot for the Balti more Colts' first-class, second-string Quarterback Gary Cuozzo. Baltimore, which finished a strong second in the N.F.L.'s Eastern division last year, happily grabbed Bubba Smith, Michigan State's mammoth (6 ft. 7 in., 285 Ibs.) defensive end who responds to chants of "Kill Bubba, kill." The hapless New York Giants (1-12-1) were supposed to be No. 2 in line. But the Giants had already traded their position--plus a lot more--to the Minnesota Vikings for Quarterback Fran Tarkenton (TIME, March 17), and the Vikings lost no time hauling in Bubba's All-America teammate, Halfback Clint Jones. The Atlanta Falcons were slated for No. 3, but they passed that privilege on to the San Francisco 49ers in return for three veterans. San Francisco, in turn, chose Florida's Heisman Trophy-winning Quarterback Steve Spurrier, who had been earmarked for the Giants in all the pre-draft maneuvering.

Crazy? Maybe. Before all the prime beef was gone, the A.F.L.'s Miami Dolphins grabbed Purdue's Star Quarterback Bob Griese; the Denver Broncos took Syracuse Halfback Floyd Little; and the Detroit Lions snapped up U.C.L.A. Halfback Mel Farr. After that, the pros were mostly going through the motions and hoping for a sleeper.

New Orleans, Los Angeles and Atlanta even drafted three burly lads named Walker, Smith and Matson, who were not to be found on any football program last year. Crazy? Maybe. Walker is Jim Walker, 22, Providence's big, strong (6 ft. 3 in., 200 Ibs.) All-America basketball star, whose hands, size and speed could make him a formidable flanker back. Smith is Tommie Smith, San Jose State's world record holder in the 220 yd. dash--and everybody remembers how Olympic Champion Bob Hayes sparked the Dallas Cowboys' offense last year. Matson is Randy Matson, Texas A. & M.'s world record holder in the shotput and 6 ft. 6 in., 265 Ibs. Beware Bubba.

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