THE SPORTS DOPE

Harvard baseball fans who marvelled at the fluid play of first baseman Bob Welz last year will get their first chance this year to see the Crimson junior on the diamond, this weekend -- at Fenway Park. The lure of money and a professional career pulled Welz away from the Crimson pinstripes into the Detroit organization. And the same bait, in bigger doses, will probably mean that Cambridge sports fans have only two more weeks to watch pitching sensation Ray Peters plying his trade in the college circuit.

The big righthander from the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, was drafted out of Nichols School by the Tigers, but didn't think twice before opting for Harvard. But now that he has two years of education under his belt, his position has changed. Scouts from every team have watched him play this spring, and after every game, even the ones he has lost, the phone in his Winthrop House suite has been buzzing. Peters has told them all the same thing: I want to continue full-time at Harvard until I graduate, but if the price is right I will pass up my final two years of college eligibility and play in the summers. The "right price" for Peters is $75,000, and if you believe the scouts who tell him he is the number one prospect in the East, the chances are that Peters will get what he wants.

Welz was drafted in the fifth round by the Tigers last year in the college draft, and received a package deal which was worth about $30,000. Three days after the Yale game he reported to the Daytona Beach Islanders in the Class A Florida State League, and was their regular first baseman the remainder of the summer. He played 78 games, in the ball parks which house big leaguers in the spring. His statistics include six homers, 25 rbi's, 42 walks and runs, 79 strikeouts, and a .247 batting average. Slumps at the start and the end hurt what he considers a fairly good season at the plate, and it should be noted that the league's number ten hitter could boast only a .259 mark.

The blond gateway man is starting to work into shape and should get an idea how far he has to go this Friday when he will take infield and batting practice before the Tigers' game with the Red Sox. After exams he will report back to the Islanders, who have moved to Lakeland, Florida, but he hopes that will only be a way station before he moves up.

Both Welz and Peters consider the end of sophomore year a perfect time to sign, and it is hard to gainsay their decisions. With most pro prospects starting their apprenticeship in the minors around age 18, the Harvard hopefuls would be way behind the game if they waited until their graduation at 22. By playing only in the summers, their progress toward a degree will not be interrupted, and they will get a good idea of their chances of making the majors Both Peters and Welz are interested in graduate work, and if they don't progress in two summers of minor league ball they can forget their dreams, keep their money, and go on to law school after graduation. It is far better for them to have their experimental fling while they are young, educable, and deferred from the military draft.

Welz and Peters both faced the risk of losing their bonuses if they waited two more years. A starting defensive end his sophomore year. Welz hurt his shoulder playing football and might have re-injured it if he had played for two more seasons. And Peters, whose arm is considerably more precious and vulnerable in the cold New England weather, would always have to beware of the tendonitis that sidelined him freshman year. There is also a lot more for a pitcher to learn before he is ready for major league ball. Although the Red Sox have given Peters an open invitation to work with pitching coach Sal Maglie, Peters hasn't the time to make sufficient progress while he is pitching for Harvard.

It is, of course, hard on Harvard players, coaches, and fans to lose two athletes of such immense talent. But if the Ivy Leaguer in the Tigers' second infield in this weekend's practice sessions is any indication of things to come, the long-range reward for Harvard fans could be very great indeed.