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SPOKTS:GARY HOENIG%u2019SBottomLineChoking !nThe BigAppleThe Jets and Giants managed to lose by identical scores, 19-17, last week, and therein lies a paradox. Despite the coincidence, which was unprecedented even after a decade of simultaneous losing by both teams, there is a world of difference in the two organizations and for Giant fans, the comparison is not a comforting one.Three years ago, the Jets were in total disarray. Weeb Ewbank, their former coach, had hired his son-in-law Charlie Winner to replace him when he retired. Winner was a disaster. A1 Ward, the general manager hired to prevent another Winner disaster, hired Lou Holtz. Holtz was used to the rah-rah style of college football. He made Winner look good, when he quit before finishing the season.Then the Jets decided to do what intelligent businessmen must do when profits keep dropping. They professionalized the organization. They hired Jim Kensil, an experienced football executive, away from the N.F.L. office. They hired Walt Michaels, a bread-and-butter coach and a popular and successful assistant under Ewbank, to run the team. They hired a team of scouts to hunt up talent and evaluate the opposition. In two years under Michaels and Kensil, the Jets have been transformed from a bunch of Joe Namath groupies to an almost certain future Super Bowl contender. All this with the youngest group of players in football.No matter that if Pat Leahy, the young kicker, had converted the 33-yard field goal he missed during the closing seconds of Sunday%u2019s game, the Jets would have found themselves competing for this year's Super Bowl. Theyre not that good yet. They'll be back. But they showed this season's first sellout crowd that they play football and they play it hard. Those 60,000 fans will be back for more and more. Which. I guess, is the point.They also play clean football, if such a thing is possible. Michaels may seem like a hard-nosed blue collar type, and of course he played a pretty rugged piece of linebacker for the Cleveland Browns in the soft-helmet days. But Michaelswas a psychology major in college, and he is more than just a jock dressed up to look like a pedagogue. He%u2019s a teacher, and he cares about his players: -%u2022 When Leahy came off the field after missing that crucial kick, he seemed inconsolable, despite a brilliant season which finds him leading the N.F.L. in scoring. Michaels was the first to greet him. %u201c Forget it, Pat.%u2019%u2019 Michaels told him. %u201c You%u2019re gonna win a lot of games for us in the future.%u2019%u2019%u2022 The Jets%u2019 Mike Hennigan was called for a late hit on Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski last week, on a play in which Jaworski was hurt. Michaels went to Coach Dick Vermeil after the game and apologized to him. %u201c I didn%u2019t see the play,%u2019%u2019he said. %u201c But if it was a late hit, I want you to know I don%u2019t condone it.%u201d Hennigan, the regular middle linebacker, was replaced by rookie Mark Merrill for most of Sunday%u2019s game.%u2022 Referees and other coaches ackowledge that Michaels refuses to teach or encourage the crackback block. The block, still legal under N.F.L. rules, allows an offensive player to block a defensive player from the side within a given zone around the scrimmage line. Unsuspecting linebackers and linemen have often torn up their knees after being victimized by such blind side blocks. Other teams have used the block against the Jets. Michaels refuses to retaliate.The picture at Shea is one of young people who care about each other, and have respect for the man they work for. There is a sense that they are all in this together, and that Michaels would not sacrifice one of them for a victory if he could avoid it. Even Richard Todd, who reinjured his collar bone and could have questioned Michaels%u2019 decision to play him yesterday, believes that Michaels has his interests as a person in mind when he makes his decisions.The Giants were cursing and fighting with reporters at the Meadowlands Sunday, after that incredible loss to the Eagles on a bungled handoff with time running out. Joe Pisarcik, after pushing reporters away and hiding in the shower room, finally shouldered the blame for hobbling the ball and allowing the Eagles%u2019 Herm Edwards to scoop it up and race for the winning score with 20 seconds remaining in the game.But the play was called from the bench. 1 The Giant coaches, rather than have Pisarcik fall safely on the ball, overcoached and went for a needless first down. That decision represented a gross incompetence that has characterized this organizatio for the past 15 years.The Giants of the 50's produced a generation of assistant coaches that dominated football. Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi, to name the two best, led that group. But when the old man, Jim Lee Howell, finally retired, it was Allie Sherman, hardly a footballHinstcin, t H dt the t * * %u00b0 ^ oinu i a*ia tKoirdecisions from that point on have been characterized by a tendency toward cronyism rather than competence. Players have been dropped when they refused to meet team standards of discretion and loyalty. Hapless nice guys like Alex Webster were hired to coach. Andy Robustelli, a terrific defensive end and travel agent, was hired to run the team.WHAT%u2019LL IT BE?: South Shore head coach Marty Senall in a consultation with No. 6Howard Brown, team captain.Healthy GratificationFor South Shore CoachSouth Shore relied on the strong punting game of Sevario de Santis and a mistake-free offense to win its first Public School Athletic League (PSAL) championship ever, with a 6-0 victory over Jefferson Saturday. The win spoiled Moe Finkelstein%u2019s bid for a fourth city championship for Jefferson, and marked Finkelsten%u2019s first loss in a PSAL final. Jefferson lost only twice this season, but both were to South Shore.The game, a closely-fought defensive battle in which both teams played conservatively, hinged on two crucial mistakes by Jefferson. The first came with the game still scoreless and Jefferson in the midst of what turned out to be its only serious drive of the game. Jefferson had advanced from its 29 to the Vikings%u2019 19, mostly on the strength of running by Kevin Breland (17-91 on the day). But Breland, en route to what seemed like a certain touchdown, fumbled the ball at the five, and gregMalcolm, a South Shore linebacker, fell on it.The second mistake came as a result of successful pressure by South Shore%u2019s special team members. South Shore had blocked a punt in every one if its games except its previous meeting with Jefferson. When Jefferson failed to earn a first down after a de Santis punt had pinned them deep in their own territory, the Vikings rushed ten men on the ensuing punt. The kick was not blocked, but the net effect was the same, since the kick traveled only five yards, and was recovered on the Jefferson 15. South Shore%u2019s quarterback Tom Brusca, gave the ball to Howie Brown (25-67 for the game) on four successive plays, then ran in for the game%u2019s only touchdown from the two.The victory was particularly gratifying to South Shore coach Marty Senall, who, after five years of treatment, has apparently won a painful bout with cancer. He willSo, now, the John McVay experiment will probably end in ashes. Bobgibson, the architect of Warner Wolf%u2019s preventive offense is already gone. The players are largely disgruntled and unhappy. John Mendenhall, for one, is bound to ask for a trade again.Maybe the Maras would be better off selling the team. Certainly they could do better than Robustelli as chief operating officer, since he still spends part of his time with that travel agency of his. But they%u2019ve been spoiled by thosj crowds that have been constant despite the punishment of loss after loss, and broken promise after broken promise. Will the Giant fan endure every indignity?D t %u00ab^ %u00bbK oK l ii r K o f o n t ' ' i ' O f o o l m n c f n o K r a f t o i \And the phones at at least one major newspaper office were ringing off the hook, with calls from people complaining bitterly about the Giants throwing the game.The Knicks found out what happens when you disappoint the fan over and over again. Disappointed fans turns into empty seats. The Giants had better wake up.lead his team to the first-ever game between PSAL and Catholic School champions on Dec. 2, when South Shore plays Chaminade at a stillundetermined site.South Shore lost its chance for a second championship when it dropped a 2-0 decision to Theodore Roosevelt for the Division A PSAL soccer cham pionship. Madison edged Forest Hills 2-1 to win the B Division.* * * * * * *The Division B championship game was played Sunday instead of Saturday, since field conditions at Jefferson%u2019s home field precluded an 11 a.m. game Saturday. The title went to Erasmus which came from behind to defeat a tough Jackson team 22-20. Erasmus was once again sparked by the passing of Anthony Carter (11-23/120 yards). Wayne Gabriel scored twice for Erasmus, while Steve Vines picked up 75 yards in rushing. Jackson was led by quarterback Tim Coles, who threw for two touchdown passes, one 60 yards to Chris Davis and another 40 yards to Todd Ferrell.*******Out-of-city schools swept the team honors at the New York State Fedration cross-country championship at Van Cortlandt Park Saturday. Brooklyn Tech and Walt Whitman had expected to do well, but through Joe Green of Walt Whitman won the individual title and Vernon Dye of Brooklyn Tech finished fourth, Whitman was only sixth in the team totals and Tech finished a disappointing tenth.%u2014 G.H.Page 28, THE PHOENIX, November 23, 1978