St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 12

aug 3 1 mi SPORTS 5C MONDAY, AUGUST 31. 1992 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH MOTOR SPORTS Cards Michael Andretti Wins Molson, Trims Rahal's Indy Points Lead f'-rsTv-- 'A do anything extra." Cormier, a lefthander, did his most important work in the sixth. With the Cardinals leading 1-0, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with two outs and Webster at the plate. Webster already had two hits in the game and was eight for 16 against the Cardinals this season.

Cormier fell behind 1-0, but got Webster to roll out and end the threat "I think that was the big inning," Torre said. "I think he's focused more. He's really had only one bad outing since the All-Star break. He just goes about it a lot better." An inning earlier, Cormier had pitched out of trouble with the help of Thompson's outstanding play. Webster doubled and moved to third on Mike Sharperson's sacrifice.

With the infield in to protect the 1-0 lead, Carlos Hernandez lifted a fly over second base and into no-man's land. Thompson raced in for a sliding basket catch that kept Webster at third. Cormier then retired Harris, ending the inning. "I got a pretty good jump on it," Thompson said. "I could see that Geronimo wasn't going to get it.

It was me or nothing." The contrast between the Dodgers (last in fielding in the NL) and the Cardinals (first in fielding) has been obvious the past three days. Neither team hit much, with the Cardinals scoring seven runs and the Dodgers two. Both teams pitched well. But while the Dodgers were making plays to lose games, the Cardinals were making plays to win. "Definitely," Thompson said.

"Defense is going to keep you in the ball-game. If I'm a pitcher on this team, I don't worry so much about striking out guys. I just try to keep the ball in play. We have some guys who like to play defense on this team." Cormier concurred: "The catch by Milt was it. That's the thing about pitching for this club.

The Cardinals are known for their defensive clubs. All you do is throw strikes and you know these guys will make the plays." The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second. Pena walked and Pagnozzi pulled a run-scoring double to the left-field corner. The double was No. 24 From page one Fittingly enough, the loss gave the Dodgers (53-77) the worst record in baseball.

They are last in the National League Western Division. "This has to be the longest month ever," outfielder Mitch Webster said. "In fact, it still is." Put it this way: The month has been almost as long as a Lenny Harris throw to first base. With regular shortstop Jose Offerman injured, Harris made a rare start at shortstop rare being the operative word. Two of Harris' throws sailed over first base and into the stands.

One of the errors led to a run. "They're having some problems," Torre said. But the strangest error of the day belonged to Dodgers second baseman Eric Young. With the score 2-0 and Cardinal runners at first and third no outs in the eighth, Young fielded Geronimo Pena's grounder and threw home to cut down the lead runner. His throw hit the bat lying in front of the plate and bounced away, allowing Milt Thompson to score.

"I've never seen that before," Thompson said. "But I guess when things are going bad, they're really going bad." Things have gone good for the Cardinals of late and the reasons are pitching and defense. Starter Rheal Cormier (5-10) worked 7 innings, allowing six hits and one walk. He got two-out help from Todd Worrell in the eighth and Lee Smith pulled the curtain with a 1-2-3 ninth, picking up his 36th save. Smith has 12 saves in August, one short of the major-league record for saves in a month.

Cormier has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. "I've been throwing better," Cormier said. "My control is getting better and I've been able to make good pitches when I need to. When I get to two strikes now, I throw something close, but I don't throw it down the middle of the plate. I'm not trying to 1 VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Michael Andretti drove away from the field and into the thick of the championship race with a dominating victory Sunday in the Vancouver Molson-Indy.

His fourth win of the season and 26th of his career moved Andretti, the defending series champion, within 12 points of Indy-car leader Bobby Rahal, who was eliminated early in the 100-lap race in a collision that badly damaged his car. Andretti led all but three early laps on the way to a 54.56-second, almost a full lap, victory over runnerup Al Unser who slipped from second to third in the standings, one point behind Andretti. The win wasn't a sure thing, however, as Andretti worried the entire race over a persistent oil leak that somehow never got bad enough to affect his car's performance. Rahal came into the race holding leads of 29 points over Unser, 34 over Andretti and 37 over Emerson Fittipaldi. The two-time Indy-car champion was in a position, with only three races remaining after Vancouver, to drive conservatively, finish races and ease to another title.

But Swedish driver Stefan Johansson, who went on to finish a lap down in third, spoiled that plan. Rahal and Johansson, an Indy-car rookie, were in a nose-to-tail battle for second place when Johansson came up hard on Rahal in the first chicane, rammed his left rear and sent the point leader hurtling into a tire wall, ending his race day on lap 30. "We were cruising along and just trying to conserve fuel," Rahal said, the frustration apparent in his voice. "Stefan just drove into the left side of my car and forced me into the tire barrier and damaged the right front suspension." Rain began falling lightly but steadily in the 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the race. All the teams changed to rain tires for the start, which came 19 minutes late.

By that time, the rain had all but stopped and the track was drying. Drivers quickly began to make pit stops to change to slick tires, with Rahal pitting at the end of the first lap and Andretti coming in after the second trip around the 1.677-mile, nine-turn circuit. When the round of tire stops was completed, Andretti found himself in the lead over fellow front-row starter Fittipaldi by nearly 10 seconds, with Unser and Rahal close behind. The first of several key incidents came on lap six when Unser tried to pass Fittipaldi going into the third turn, a slow right-hander. Unser got inside Fittipaldi, who apparently did not see him and moved over to the right.

The cars Odell Mitchell Jr.Post-Dispatch Dodgers pitcher Jim Gott getting a few more words in after being ejected by umpire Jim Quick in the eighth inning. for Pagnozzi. One of Harris' throwing errors helped widen the gap in the seventh. Bernard Gilkey led off with a bouncer to short. Harris gloved it and sailed a throw into the seats beyond first base.

The two-base error put Gilkey at second. He advanced on Ozzie Smith's sacrifice and scored as Ray Lankford punched a single past a drawn-in infield. The run batted in was No. 62 for Lankford. The score swelled to 3-0 in the eighth as the Dodgers played more wacky baseball.

Thompson led off with a single and advanced to third on Tracy Woodson's hit-and-run single. Pena then bounced to second. Young threw home, but his low throw hit Pena's bat on the ground in front of the plate and rolled up the first-base line. Thompson scored. It was the Cardinals' best bunt of the season.

"They've been crying for me to squeeze all year," Torre said. "Well, there it is." Dodgers pitcher Jim Gott was ejected in the eighth for for something he said to umpire Jim Quick after a ball-four call. The Cardinals open a three-game set with the San Diego Padres tonight. urn i -i AFP German driver Michael Schumacher drenching himself in champagne after winning the Formula One race Sunday at Spa, Belgium. bumped tires and Unser's Lola suddenly flew high into the air, nearly turning over.

The car landed on its wheels, however, and was able to continue after sliding to a stop in a tire barrier, seemingly without major damage. Unser fell to 11th, but quickly moved back into contention. Fittipaldi's engine died and by the time he was push-started by corner workers, the Brazilian had lost a lap. He fell to 13th, climbed back to eighth, but wound up out of the points after his car stopped on track on lap 52. He remained fourth with 125 points.

U.S. Open Predictions i rn7-rnnn-rrmwnrnmnmmm mi tlm (ppmijun inijmii uiiuu.ayuaLimij'imj'njmj. jjmjjLjjjujii.juuiiu'iuuuuj (With seeding in parentheses) Men's Final Four Pete Sampras. (3) The '90 champion felt pressure to repeat last year and could not handle it. But the natural serve-and-volley player has won three titles this summer, including consecutive hardcourt titles in Cincinnati and Indianapolis.

Andre Agassi. (8) The Wimbledon champion has silenced the critics who said he could not win a Grand Slam. Plus, he will be driven to erase his first-round '91 U.S. Open loss to Aaron Krickstein. MaliVai Washington.

(14) Washington has enjoyed his best year since turning pro in 1989. He has reached six finals and won two titles. Last week he advanced to the New Haven final, where he fell to Stefan Edberg in straight sets. Stefan Edberg. (2) The defending champion has not had the greatest of years, but he played well last week in a tuneup at New Haven, Conn.

He beat MaliVai Washington in the final. That could be the confidence booster he needs to sweep the field. Not This Year Jim Courier. (1) He might be No. 1 in the world, but he lost his championship touch when he lost to Andrei Olhovskiy at Wimbledon.

Courier will advance several rounds before running into trouble, possibly losing to an inspired John McEnroe in the fourth round. Boris Becker. (6) He simply has not been himself this year. He has struggled to find his rhythm and now lacks the mental frame to reach the semis. Michael Chang.

(4) He remains confident. He said his new aggressiveness makes him a factor. He proved his point by winning the Lipton. But after a strong start, he has faded a bit. John McEnroe.

(16) The Wimbledon magic will carry McEnroe a few rounds possibly to the fourth where he would have a shot at a Jim Courier. With the New York crowds on his side, McEnroe would thrive on the opportunity and has a good shot at Courier. But in the quarterfinals Agassi would likely prevail as he did at Wimbledon. Women's Final Four Steffi Graf. (2) She's regained the form that put her atop the rankings from Aug.

'87 to March '91. She won Wimbledon, led Germany to a Federation Cup victory and won the Olympic silver medal. Although her Open preparation has been slowed by a shoulder inflammation and a viral infection, she has the confidence and a relatively easy field. Jennifer Capriati. (6) Winning the Olympic gold medal with her first career victory over Steffi Graf has done wonders for Capriati's confidence.

It also revitalized her commitment to the sport. Having beaten all the players in the top 5, Capriati now considers herself one of the them and could prove it with another victory over Monica Seles in the quarterfinals. Gabriela Sabatini. (4) If she can regain her match toughness in the early rounds, Sabatini should reach the semifinals. The early rounds will be key.

Martina Navratilova. (3) She should reach the semis, if not win her fifth Open title. She has won four tournaments this year, including the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles, in which she beat Monica Seles, 6-4, 6-2. She has a strong serve-and-volley game. She has the confidence.

She has the draw. Not This Year Monica Seles. (1) Since silencing her grunt, Seles has lost her intensity. She has lost in her last three finals. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

(6) She has significantly improved her hardcourt game, as evidenced by her Lipton title and her recent victory over Monica Seles to win in Montreal. But Sanchez Vicario has a tough draw. Mary Joe Fernandez. (8) She could be tripped in the fourth round by No. 16 seed Mary Pierce, a hard-hitting former American now living in France.

Iva Majoli. This 15-year-old from Croatia likely will make a big splash at the Open. But she's still at least year away from reaching the semifinals, as Steffi Graf will show her in the fourth round. Debbie Fetterman Dallas Morning News am iMmm weight balance, our engine-speed-sensitive, variable-assist steering and latest generation antilock disc brakes, you don't only feel connected to the car You feel like it's a veritable extension of your will. HIGH PERFORMANCE AND LOW MAINTENANCE AREN'T ALWAYS" A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS.

At the heart of the 318i is a fijel-injected, dual-overhead-camshaft, 16-valve power plant that offers the benefits of race-bred technology along with the fuel efficiency of a 1.8-liter engine. But perhaps what is most impressive about this engine is that it actually adjusts itself while it's running. So it requires almost no regular maintenance beyond the simple, routine changing of oil, filters and spark plugs. More reassuring still is that this BMW like all BMW's, is backed by a bumper-to-bumper warranty" and our Roadside Assistance Program! Help you can call upon 24 hours a day 365 days a year from anywhere in the United States. To arrange a thorough test drive of the 318i, call 800-334-4BMW for the authorized BMW dealer nearest you.

And see just how far Open For over six decades now, the close to it." The scene Connors has set for this year is jam-packed with better drama. Here is Connors, 40 on Tuesday, hobbled by a strained muscle in his left thigh but limping to center court the way Willis Reed came out against the Lakers at the Garden. Here is Connors, on his chair during changeovers, receiving vigorous massage on the affected area. Here is Connors, forced to retire after one desperate lunge too many leaving to the standing salute of the crowd that drowned him in love last year and waited 50 long weeks just to do it again. It's quite a script.

Connors has spent his career writing them. And if he doesn't pen a great story this year, the Open crowds will write one of their own. They always do. From page one this year's tennisfest, even if his dance card could include matches against Richard Krajicek, No. 4 Michael Chang or No.

7 Boris Becker or No. 9 Ivan Lendl. You could see the name of Pete. Sampras, the 1990 champ, or Courier. You could find the name of Petr Korda, or Andre Agassi, or some other dark horse who decides to ignore the pressure, have some fun, and win.

The thing you remember from last year is the love they had for Connors. They demand a show every year and he gave them a beaut. "It was the best," Connors said recently. "I'll try to repeat it or come completes the car's mechanical circuit. As a result, the 318i was designed with the technology to make you feel like you aren't just sitting in the car, but connected to it.

Take the 318i's highly refined rear suspension, for instance. This internationally patented, central-link system has been calibrated to filter out the harsh realities of the road rather than eliminate them. Because if you're completely insulated from the world around you, you no longer have the ability to quickly react to it. And, when that's combined with engineers at the Bavarian Motor Works have been setting the standards in automotive technology Not by pursuing technology for technology's sake, but for the driver's sake. And nowhere is that more apparent than in the driver's seat of the ingeniously designed 318L THE CAR SHOULD BE AN EXTENSION OFTHE DRIVER'S WILL Needless to say it's a rather ambitious goal for a company But then, BMW views the driver as a fully functioning part of the car The human part, if you will, that our engineers have pushed the technological envelope without puncturing the price.

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