1971 OPENING DAY
Demeter Delivers
LOS ANGELES (April 1) -- Veteran Don Demeter crushed a game-winning solo shot off Boston closer Al Hrabosky, giving Los Angeles a 4-3 victory at Arroyo Seco Stadium in Pasadena.  The Feds' Bobby Tolan had tied the game in the top of the ninth by singling home Joe Hague.  The fateful at bat was a reversal of fortunes of sorts.  Demeter missed a full year with a ruptured disk and hit just two homers in 46 games last year, and his $13.5 million signing by the Outlaws, which made him the league's highest paid player, raised some eyebrows.  Hrabosky meanwhile, notched 7 saves in 8 games after a September callup, and did now allow a single earned run. 
  

Cleveland 3, Manhattan 2 Palmer Spoils Holthaus Debut Mayor Lindsay threw out the first pitch on a blustery day at Yankee Stadium and witnessed a barnburner.  Jim Palmer threw eight innings of four-hit ball and drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the 7th as the Barons spoiled Eric Holthaus's Gray Sox debut.  Willie Stargell and Pete Ward hit solo homers for the home team and Phil Niekro took the hard-luck loss.	Detroit 13, Brooklyn 1 Griffins Clobber Bas Denis Menke set the pace in front of a packed house at Kiner Field, collecting 3 hits and 3 RBIs in a 13-1 rout of Brooklyn.  Pedro Ramos was almost unhittable.  He allowed two hits and a hit batter in the first, then retired 18 batters in a row before leaving the game in the seventh with a sore back.  His replacement, rookie Jerry Reuss, also left with a sore back after pitching to two batters.  Frank Howard and Reggie Jackson homered, as Joe Coleman was touched for 9 runs in 3.1 innings.
Chicago 5, Washington 2 Colts Top Monuments in Game 7 Rematch Bobby Richardson, in his Chicago debut, launched a two-run homer off Don Wilson in the sixth to erase a 1-0 Washington lead, setting the Colts on course for a 5-2 win.  Cy Young winner Bill Singer, whose last game was a Game 7 loss to Wilson, allowed just four hits and struck out seven.  Roger Maris tacked on a solo homer in the seventh and Bob D. Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for the save.	Dallas 7, Atlanta 3 Texans Win Opener, Lose Ace Jack Billingham will miss three weeks with a shoulder injury, as the injury bug that sidelined seven Dallas starting pitchers last year carries over to the new season.  Bob Bailey drove in three runs and Rod Carew added a pair in a comfortable 7-3 win.  Sal Bando had four hits for Atlanta, whose ace Steve Carlton was chased after five innings.
San Francisco 2, St. Louis 0 Moose Blanks Maroons Bob Moose tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 10, as San Francisco spoiled opening day at Sportsman's Park.  Don Sutton pitched well, but run-scoring doubles by Billy Williams and Lou Brock provided the margin in a 2-0 squeaker.

Opening Day Memories….
A look back at other memorable UL season openers
by Brendan Harris
1951   The inaugural UL game between New York and Boston was one for the ages, featuring a Mantle 501-foot homer and a game-winning grand slam by Vic Wertz in the 7th to give the Gothams a 9-7 victory.

1954  St. Louis's Billy Pierce was three outs from pitching the United League's second no-hitter, and then nearly lost the game.  Gil Coan saved the day with a superb throw that nailed Washington's Duke Snider at the plate.

1955  The first two UL games on the West Coast, as LA and SF joined the league.  Both clubs were shut out on opening day, lost but scored a run in game two, and won their third game.

1961  Billy Pierce, now hurling for Cleveland, shut out Brooklyn's two-time defending Cy Young winner Gene Conley 4-0.  Meanwhile, Chicago blew a 6-2 lead against Washington but won in 10 on a two-run homer by new first baseman Bill White.

1962  Baseball's launch in Texas and return to Manhattan and Boston was marked by disappointment for all three clubs, as Dallas was edged by SF, the Grey Sox home opener against Boston was rained out, and then Boston flubbed the second try by letting the Greys tie it up in the ninth and then win in the 10th on a Cepeda error.  Detroit and Brooklyn also went 13 innings before the 'Bas took the win. 

1963  Another team, another shutout gem for Billy Pierce, this time for Chicago against 200-game winner Antonelli and Louisville.

1964  Floyd Robinson goes 6-for-7 with 7 RBI, as the Maroons unleashed an 18-run, 22-hit barrage at Turnpike Stadium.  Chicago's Billy Pierce (notice a trend here?) two-hits LA for another Opening Day win.

1965  Atlanta scored in five straight innings, using a 20-hit, 4-home run barrage to squish the Spiders 16-5.

1966  Dallas rallied for three runs in the 9th to tie the game at 5, but then blew in the game in the 10th when Jackie Brandt, playing out of position, biffed a groundball at second base.

1968  The St. Louis Maroons spoiled defending champion Atlanta's opening day with a 15-0 rout in a game featuring two Reggie Smith dingers.

1970  Bill Singer, previewing his Cy Young season, pitched seven innings of no-hit ball and ended the day having anchored a four-hit shutout of St. Louis.
 

WEST DIVISION	EAST DIVISION
Don Demeter appears to have fully recovered from his Sept. 1969 back injury.  Through 14 games, he is hitting .321-6-16 and has already doubled in 1970 total base and RBI production in one-third the games. . .  Leadoff man Billy Grabarkewitz hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the Outlaws' 11-9 win at Dallas Apr. 11.	Starters are 8-2 with a 2.85 ERA . . . Reggie Jackson hit 8 HR in first 9 games and has a 13-game hitting streak . . . Bobby Bonds was homerless in 11 games before hitting a pair on Apr. 12 vs. SF.  He has an 11-game hitting streak . . .  Dock Ellis struck out 12 in his first start, a 7-2 win over Chicago Apr. 4.
Dave Kingman had a two-homer game on the fourth day of his UL career.  He is hitting .333-4-13 and his second on the Texans in total bases and RBIs. . .  Jim Merritt, making his first start in almost a year, was roughed up for 9 runs in 6 innings, but bounced back with 4-hit and 5-hit complete games. . .  Sparky Lyle was blasted for 16 earend runs in his first 3 starts (28.80 ERA).	Feds starters own four of the top 10 ERAs in the league, but the bullpen ERA is 10.35 . . .  Orlando Cepeda homered twice and drove in 7 runs in 12-8 win over Dallas Apr. 3. . .
Joe Torre is hitting just .236, but leads the club in home runs, RBI, and total bases. . .  Rocky Colavito's hit a 3-run walk-off triple to beat Manhattan 4-3 on Apr. 12 and end a three-game skid. . .  Ace Lefty Carlton (0-3, 4.09) is the only starter without a win.	Phil Niekro has taken well to the ace role, posting a 2-1 record and 1.38 ERA so far. . .  Relievers Upshaw, Ritchie, Drott, Radatz, Nash, and Phillips have a combined 0.00 ERA in 14 appearances.
Wilbur Wood pitched a three-hit shutout on Apr. 3 and eight days later teammate Bill Singer blank the Maroons . . .  The Colts are 1-8 away from Comiskey after a league-best 52-28 road record last year . . . 3B Tony Perez has already made 5 errors, for a .889 fielding pct.	Ace Jim Palmer beat Atlanta's Lefty Carlton 2-0 with a 3-hit shutout on Apr. 6.  "Cakes" is 3-0 and leads the league in WHIP (0.84). . .  Bob Humphreys is tied for the lead with 4 saves. . .  Johnny Callison leads club with 4 HR, 9 RBI, and .845 OPS.
Pete Rose already has 7 multi-hit games and paces the Spiders with a .358 average. . .  Mike Hedlund beat Brooklyn 3-2 on Apr. 9 to end a five-game losing streak. . .  Bosman, Jenkins, and Griffin all have ERAs over 5.00.	Joe Coleman bounced back from his opening day 13-1 drubbing with 4-hit and 5-hit complete game wins. . .  Hank Aaron hit 3-for-4 on Apr. 5 to become the fourth ULer to reach 2,500 hits.  Next stop: 500 homers (needs 11). . .  Ted Sizemore (.125) and Dick Dietz (.154) have two worst averages among regulars.
Don Sutton allowed just a pair of runs three starts in a row, but was shut out 2-0 all three times (by Moose, Wilson, and Singer). . .  The Maroons lost two starters in four days: Dick Drago to a fractured elbow and Ron Kline was traded to Dallas for Boog Powell.	Johnny Podres won and Ray Narleski saved in a 4-2 over St. Louis Apr. 7. . .  Cleon Jones separated his shoulder Apr 12 and will miss 6 weeks. . .  Rank dead last in extra base hits.