A Roundup Of The Week March 17-23

HORSE RACING—GOLD AND MYRRH ($31.20), a 14-to-1 long shot ridden by Walter Blum , captured the $124,200 Gulfstream Park Handicap by a neck over favorite Proud and Bold, covering the 1� miles in 2:01[4/5] at Hallandale, Fla.

Master Derby ($10.80), Darrell McHargue up, won the 1?-mile $100,000 Louisiana Derby in 1:49[3/5] by a length over Colonel Power, at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans .

MOTOR SPORTS—RICHARD PETTY, driving a Dodge, claimed his first Atlanta 500 victory, edging Buddy Baker by .6 seconds on the 1.52-mile Atlanta International Raceway. Petty averaged 133.496 mph and earned $16,500.

SKIING—GUSTAVO THOENI of Italy won his fourth World Cup by defeating Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden , at Val Gardena, Italy (page 62).

TENNIS—VIRGINIA WADE earned $15,000, defeating Martina Navratilova , the Czech star who was forced to retire with an ankle injury, in the finals of the Virginia Slims of Dallas tournament, 2-6, 7-6, 4-3 (ret.).

TRACK & FIELD—In an extraordinary double, BEN JIPCHO of Kenya set professional indoor records in both the two mile (8:27) and the mile (3:56.2), which also was the third-fastest indoor time ever, at the ITA meet in Los Angeles (page 28).

MILEPOSTS—RESIGNED: EDDIE DONOVAN , as general manager of the NBA Buffalo Braves , after reportedly agreeing to become general manager of the New York Knicks . Donovan was formerly coach (1961-64) and general manager (1964-70) of the Knicks .

RESIGNED: TATES LOCKE , 38, as head basketball coach at Clemson, which is under investigation by the NCAA for possible recruiting violations.

DIED: JAMES (Babe) McCARTHY, 51, head basketball coach at Mississippi State (1955-65), of the ABA Kentucky Colonels (1973-74) and of three other ABA teams; of cancer; in Baldwyn, Miss.

DIED: JOE (Ducky) MED WICK, 63, the last National Leaguer to win batting's triple crown (1937); of a heart attack; in St. Petersburg , Fla. A Hall of Famer, he played 17 seasons with four teams—the St. Louis Cardinals (1932-40, 1947-48), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940-43, 1946), New York Giants (1943-45) and Boston Braves (1945)—compiling a lifetime batting average of .324.