Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 25

PREPS SECTION Tommie Jackson has only one hand, but still plays a mean fullback, Pages 2D, 3D. Monday, Oct. 1, 1990 Golf, Page 2 Baseball, Pages At 5 NFL, Pages 6, 8 Scores: 1-976-1313, Sports: 222-6660 Detroit 4free tyttoz The obsession with 50 rains on Cecil's parade Fielder: It's NY i ornev Mitch 3 AlBOM 'tS- -A I 1 Jays keep slim title hopes alive BY CLAIRE SMITH New York Times BOSTON The Toronto Blue Jays finally breaking through against Boston's weak underbelly, an exhausted bullpen pounded 14 hits and scored six runs against Red Sox relievers in a 10-5 romp at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon to salvage one game of a three-game series. By winning two of the three games, Boston seized a one-game lead in the American League East. And although three games remain for each team, some Blue Jays didn't sound optimistic about their chances.

"They won the big games and deserve to win," third baseman Kelly Gruber said. "For us to win at this point would almost take a fluke." First baseman Fred McGriff added: "We gave away a lot of games this season. We can't say this series cost us the season." "It's in. Boston's hands," Jimmy Key said after becoming the eighth left-handed starter to win in Boston this year. "It was in our hands a week ago.

Now it's in Boston's hands." The Red Sox sounded more confident. leading now," said Greg Harris, who allowed four runs and five hits in a 1-inning start Sunday. "It's See AL EAST, Page 5D TS ecil Fielder, his hair still wet I from the shower, was button-II ing his shirt with a towel Ufl around his waist, as if he couldn't get out of Detroit fast enough. A TV reporter approached for an interview. Fielder waved him off.

Sorry. Not talking. "See you next spring, Cecil," said a locker room guy. "All right," Cecil said, not looking up. He pulled a gray sport coat off the hook and slipped it over his shoulders.

This was the last home game of the season, and Cecil Fielder was acting as if he had let us down. Let us down? There should have been a parade for the guy. A marching band. Confetti. All he has done in this non-competitive baseball town is pound the ball, night after night, over the fences, over the roof, home run, home run, home run, on pitches that half the time he hooks with no bait on his line.

But because he failed to hit the magic No. 50 before the home crowd because he must now try to do it in the JULIAN H. GONZALEZDetrolt Free Press Cecil Fielder's bat slips from his hands during a sixth-inning swing. The bat flew into the stands, but no one was hurt. The previous night, the same thing happened when he batted in the first inning.

BY GENE GUIDI Free Press Sports Writer Cecil Fielder's flirtation with 50 homers has moved to the Big Apple. Fielder, now stuck on 49 for three games, had a single in four at-bats Sunday in the Tigers' 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. He grounded out twice and fouled to first base in his other three chances. It was the Tigers' last home game this season, which means Fielder has only three games left against the Yankees in New York to reach 50. Fielder had 33 swings at his 50th homer in the three-game set against the Twins.

But his 12 at-bats didn't produce the quality cuts he has been taking most of the season. Fielder last three games of the season at Yankee Stadium, he felt deflated. He felt pressure. The bat keeps getting smaller. The media crowd keeps getting bigger.

Today, Cecil? Today? Hold it. This is all wrong. Cecil Fielder gave Detroit a reason to come to the ballpark this year, maybe the only reason. Of the 19,487 who showed up to say good-bye to the Tigers Sunday, you figure a third were there only to see Fielder go for No. 50.

God knows they didn't come for the great prizes on Fan Appreciation Day which included boxes of Twinkies and a case of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. See MITCH ALBOM, Page 5D "This is playing on his mind at breakfast, on his way to the park and during batting practice. It's all he's thinking about. You know how I can tell? Because he's actually trying to lift balls in the air now. He wasn't doing that before." Fielder again wanted to be left See TIGERS, Page 4D Photostory, Page8F.

went 2-for-12 against the Twins and finished the six-game home stand 3-for-20. "I had a feeling this was going to happen," manager Sparky Anderson said. "I knew that if he didn't get 49 and 50 bang-bang, that last one might be tough. IF 0Hral Missed field goals gink Lions Following Fielder Games remaining: 3. Homers: 49.

Sunday: 1-for-4 (a single). AL East -'4- Majkowski tosses 3 TDs, rallies Pack to 24-21 win Murray dejected, but kicker makes no excuses TEAM W-L PCT. GB Boston 86-73 .541 Toronto 85-74 .535 1 SUNDAY'S RESULT Toronto 10, Boston 5 Red Sox's magic number: 3. NL East TEAM W-L PCT. GB Pittsburgh 94-65 .591 New York 89-70 .560 5 Mr SUNDAY'S RESULTS Pittsburgh 2, St.

Louis 0 Chicago 6, New York 5 Pirates clinch title. Inside BYE, COMISKEY: Storied Comiskey Park closes its gates one last time. Morning Line, 2D. by Curt Sylvester Free Press Sports Writer For a few brilliant moments Sunday, the Lions were everything they've been working to be exciting, innovative and capable. And then came the fourth quarter.

And there went the Lions. The Green Bay Packers scored 14 points in the final quarter and the Lions' last-gasp effort a 44-yard field goal attempt by Eddie Murray with three seconds left failed, leaving the Lions with a 24-21 loss before s' fj II If it' I Pirates' title their first since 1979 1" ,1 BY CORKY Meinecke Free Press Sports Writer If someone named Eddie Murray is going to go 0-for-4 in one afternoon, he's going to be playing major league baseball and wearing the uniform of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Or so everyone thought. "I just have to chalk this up to a real bad day," Lions kicker Eddie Murray told a pack of reporters Sunday after taking the collar in a 24-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers before 64,509 at the Silverdome. How bad was it? This bad: "If there's anything worse," Murray said, "I'll quit." Murray misfired from 34, 50, 51 and 44 yards the last miss coming with three seconds left and the Lions hoping for an opportunity to win in overtime.

All four attempts appeared to be long enough. He pushed the first" three to the right, then hooked the final attempt just to the left of the upright. "I just tried to do what I've been doing the last 11 years," Murray said, shrugging his shoulders. That should have been good enough, considering Murray entered the game ranked fourth on the all-time field-goal percentage list (214-of-280, He made 40 of 42 attempts in 1988 and 1989 and had converted his last 14 attempts including field goals of 25 and 33 last week against Tampa Bay. But the numbers were deceiving, largely due to the hip-flexor injury that kept Murray from attempting any field goals during the exhibition season.

"Basically, I had only a week and a half of practice because of the injury," Murray said, "and I've just got to keep working on it. But there's no excuses. I'm in this situation to kick field goals. I told them I could do it, and I'm sup-See EDDIE MURRAY, Page 7D Pats' Kiam changes his tune in time for pregame shows, Page 7D. Pass that beat Lions may have gone to wrong receiver, Page 7D.

Lions find unlikely ways to lose. George Puscas, Page 8D. Packers' Peete proud of son Rodney's performance, Page 8D. I Home team in capitals NFC Central Green Bay 24, DETROIT 21 LA RAIDERS 24, Chicago 10 Tampa Bay 23, MINN. 20 (OT) Other games BUFFALO 29, Denver 28 Houston 17, SAN DEGO 7 Indianapolis 24, PHILA 23 KANSAS CITY 34, Cleveland 0 Miami 28, PITTSBURGH 6 NY GIANTS 31, Dallas 17 NY Jets 37, NEW ENGLAND 13 Washington 38, PHOENIX 10 Tonight Cincinnati at Seattle, 9 p.m.

(ABC, Channel 7 In Detroit) Inside Bills shock Broncos with a miracle finish. Page 60. I If Free Press Wire Reports ST. LOUIS As expected, the Pittsburgh Pirates let loose Sunday after clinching their first National League East title in 11 years. Doug Drabek jumped up and down and hugged first baseman Sid Bream.

Barry Bonds and John Smiley carried manager Jim Leyland off the field. "Our fans have waited a long time for this," Bobby Bonilla said. Drabek (22-6), the NL Cy Young Award favorite, beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0, on a three-hitter. Gary Redus' eighth-inning sacrifice fly broke a scoreless tie.

Keeping with NL president Bill White's order, the traditional champagne spraying in the clubhouse was done in a private room out of range of television cameras. "I think that champagne is as much a tradition as the National Anthem, the seventh-inning stretch and hot dogs," Andy Van Slyke said. "If this thing goes another 20 years without champagne, I'll have to become commissioner." Pittsburgh, which has won a season-high seven straight games and 10 of 11, will play Cincinnati starting Thursday in a rematch of the 1979 NL playoffs. The Reds and the Pirates were the only NL teams not to win division titles in the 1980s. Bob Walk, Drabek and Zane Smith will start the first three games of the playoffs for the Pirates, Leyland said.

Jose Rijo will sta' the first game for the Reds. 'I 64,509 at the Silverdome. So much for the fast start. The Lions are 1-3. So much for the big ambitions.

With Minnesota, Kansas City and New Orleans coming up all on the road they might soon be fighting for their lives. So much for the 21-10 third-quarter lead and finishing strong. "We played a poor fourth quarter," coach Wayne Fontes "That's ii, lennox Mclendonap when good teams win, in the fourth Lions placekicker Eddie Murray can't watch as his 44-yard field goal attempt hooks left with three quarter San Francisco, the New seconds to play Sunday. Murray missed four field goals as the Lions lost to Green Bay, 24-21. See LIONS, Paye 8D 4 4.