Scorecard

Shula's comment was, "If that's their assumption I'm afraid they don't know Don Shula, the man and the coach, as well as they think they know him. Mercury earned the right to play as much as he did with an outstanding preseason." Then Shula added wryly, "They've already alerted me to take everything in their book with a grain of salt."

BITSY-BETSY
Atlanta will present its own version of the Bobby Riggs- Billie Jean King match on Sept. 23, when 62-year-old Byron Grant meets 20-year-old Betsy Butler in a winner-take-all match for $500. Miss Butler, from Augusta, is a pro who plays on the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association tour. Grant is the famous Bitsy Grant (he is considerably smaller than Bobby Riggs) who played Davis Cup tennis in the '30s and was called the Giant Killer for his upsets of top-ranked players who towered over him. Bitsy has remained an amateur all these years. Betsy intends to see that he stays that way.