The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 33

53 3 The Beacon Journal wiyw.Oto.com Tuesday, August 25, 1998, Page C5 Rockers able to repay their loyal fans in full Crowd isn't that big, but it helped carry into tonight's deciding Game 3 WIN Rockers keep rolling with victory in Game 2 Continued from Page Cl 5.8 seconds to play, Phoenix in-bounded the ball to forward Bridget Pettis, who dribbled up court and hit Gillom with a pass as the Mercury center came free on the right wing, As the ball reached Gillom, she was forced to turn and shoot a fade-away 17-footer that bounced off the rim at the buzzer. The victory by Cleveland, its first this season against Phoenix, evened the best-of-three series at one game apiece. And that means there will be another boisterous crowd at Gund Arena tonight, when the two teams decide which one will advance to the league championship series. "We got the shot we wanted," said Phoenix coach Cheryl Miller of the game's final sequence. "We put the ball in the hands of our team MVP, and the shot bounced off the rim.

She (Gillom) has been making those shots all year for us." The Rockers were thankful for the rare miss by Gillom in a clutch situation, a shot Gillom said she thought would go in. "Yeah, I really was surprised that it didn't go in," said Gillom, who led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. "I got a good look at the basket, and it felt good when I released it. Oh God, I guess you can't make them all." Cleveland coach Linda Hill-MacDonald said the best she could do at the end was say a little prayer and trust that the chips would fall in the Rockers' favor. "I was just hoping she didn't make it," said Hill-MacDonald.

The Rockers were led in scoring by guard Michelle Edwards, who had 12 of her team-high 18 points in the first half, and center Isabelle Fyalkowski's 16 points. But it was a 10-point outburst they were even wilder about Jones' second half, when she scored all 10 of her points to save the Rockers as it appeared their legs were sagging and the wheels were about to fall off the offense. A fun thing Was this game art? No. There were too many turnovers, too many blown layups. Heck, the Rockers won this game despite shooting only 34 percent But it was just so much fun.

It was those 10,465 towel-waving, sign-painting maniacs who didn't need chairs because they spent most of the night on their feet It was the Rockers being at home, but feeling like underdogs as they had lost four consecutive games to this Phoenix team coached by TV-favorite Cheryl Miller. It was the Rockers wondering what they could ever do to control Gillom, the Karl Malone of this league. Well, they didn't come anywhere close to containing Gillom (27 points), but they won anyway. This was a game where every shot was contested, every loose ball a rumble on the floor and every rebound a chance to throw elbows. This was not your grandmother's basketball game.

And it ended with the Rockers players dancing off the court Then they remembered something: the fans. The players can back on the court to say goodbye to their fans, to ask them to come back for tonight's game. You can bet most of them will Associated Press Rockers guard Suzie McConnell Serio (right) fights for a loose ball with Phoenix's Bridget Pettis (on floor) and Jennifer Gillom during the Rockers' 67-66 victory over the Mercury. Gund Arena never has been this loud. The fans never have gone home so happy.

It doesn't matter that the building was only half-full, or that this was a women's basketball game. The Cavs crowds of the Gund era never were anywhere near this loud, even on the nights when they were twice as big. If you weren't among the 10,465 fans last night, you missed more than a nail-biting, sore-throat of a playoff game between the Cleveland Rockers and Phoenix Mercury. You missed more than a moment when your heart just stopped as Phoenix superstar Jennifer Gillom launched could have been a game-winning 17-footer at the buzzer a jumper that banged off the back of the rim. You missed a WNBA game that was played with so much sweat, so many floor burns and so much raw joy that you can't help but love it.

That was the real story of the Rockers' 67-66 victory. It was about players so happy just to be on the court, players who had spent most of their careers in little gyms in front of empty bleachers. They were players who never even dared to dream of anything so magnificent as the WNBA, with its first-class arenas and loyal, screaming fans. These players were not about to cheat the customers. Signs of the times This night also was about fans five rebounds, three steals and two assists in an all-around effort last night.

"We all knew that everything was on the line last night, and we had to go out and give everything that we had. This team has a lot of pride and character." Edwards said she had her fill of questions regarding Cleveland's inability to beat Phoenix. "Now we've shown everybody that we can beat them," she said. "And that should release some of the pressure we felt with our backs against the wall in Game 2." The Rockers managed to keep Gillom and the Mercury under control in the first half, and led 32-24 at halftime. Wis? if' coming to the Gund with home-made signs.

Hundreds of young girls painting signs for their new heroes, especially Su TERRY Pluto zie McConnell Serio. It was about McConnell Serio, the 5-foot-5 mother of four. She is 32 years old. She can dribble a ball through a half-dozen cougars snapping at her heels. She can set up and heave up a 3-point shot from just under her chin and swish it with the shot clock running down.

She is the smallest player on the court, a high-school coach, for heaven's sake. She competes against women who are younger, stronger, faster and taller and she plays superbly. McConnell Serio reminds you of one of those old-time, scrappy point guards with skinned knees who are constantly giving up their bodies (and shots) for the good of the team. The reason the Rockers are within one game of the WNBA Finals is that they added McConnell Serio to this year's roster. The Rockers also have a woman named Merlakia Jones.

Before the game, she belted out the national anthem. This same Merlakia Jones who comes off the Rocker bench with an itchy trigger finger and a conscience that allows her never to see a shot she didn't think she could make. The fans loved the song. But He also played first base and batted .586. He comes from a strict home, raised by both parents and his grandmother, Ethel Rufus, who passed away a few months ago.

His senior year was a whirlwind of baseball scouts and college football recruiters calling and stopping by for visits. Without a strong family, Sabathia could have been a raging egomaniac before his 18th birthday. But his parents were not about to let that happen. "My dad used to coach me in Little League," he said. "My mom, she played catch with me in the yard.

She's my best friend. I can tell her everything. My grandmother, she was like a second mother to me. With all them watching, I had to be good. No way was I gonna get a big head." When his contract negotiations hit a snag, his mother stepped in between the Indians and his by reserve guard Merlakia Jones down the stretch, when the Rockers desperately were trying to hold off the Mercury, that provided the team with the lift it needed to keep the season alive.

"She (Jones) has a tremendous will to win, and she wills that into the other people on the team," Hill-MacDonald said of Jones' second-half performance. "Merlakia gives this team a lot of intangibles besides scoring." Edwards said the Rockers will come back and play the Mercury with reckless abandon tonight "We felt that we didn't attack and weren't as aggressive against Phoenix as we should have been in (Saturday's 78-68 loss in Phoenix)," said Edwards, who added rwm CHILL OUT, RAY It all started a few days earlier when mild mannered-Baltimore DH Harold Baines dropped his bat on the plate after a called third strike and got himself thrown out by Marty Foster for showing up the umpire. On Sunday, Omar Vizquel was miffed in the ninth inning about a called third strike and slammed his bat on the plate. Umpire Ed Hickox paid no attention whatsoever. But Baltimore Manager Ray Miller did.

Between innings, he rushed to the plate and asked Hickox why he didn't eject Vizquel. "I was just upset," Miller said. "Baines got thrown out for doing a lot less. Apparently, the plate umpire didn't see what Vizquel did. But if we had hit the ball to Vizquel the next inning, I swear I as going out there to protest." Managers can protest a game on the grounds that an umpire misinterpreted the rules but not on a judgment call.

NUMBERS TO CRUNCH ON -Mike Jackson has 32 saves in 37 opportunities, a success rate of 86.4 percent. Anything over 80 is considered good. Sandy Alomar was l-for-14 on the Tribe's five-game trip. Hitters are batting only .229 against Paul Shuey, but he has given up five homers in 34 innings. NEXT Pitching matchups against the Mariners: Charles Nagy (10-9, 5.62 ERA) vs.

Bill Swift (10-7, 5.47 ERA) tonight; Dave Burba (10-9, 4.07 ERA) vs. Jeff Fassero (10-9, 3.96 ERA) tomorrow night; Jaret Wright (11-7, 4.67 ERA) vs. Jamie Moyer (10-8, 3.54 ERA) Thursday night. GRIFFEY WATCH -We all know about the chase to pass Roger Maris' record of 61 homers. Ken Griffey Jr.

has fallen to a distant third behind Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, despite hitting his 44th homer yesterday. But Griffey can reach another milestone, achieved by only 13 players in history. With 398 RBI entering tonight's game, Griffey is only two shy of becoming the 14th major-leaguer to accumulate 400 in three consecutive seasons. Juan Gonzalez, Albert Belle and Andres Galarraga also can join this group this year. MANTO'S BACK Utility player Jeff Manto, who cleared waivers last Friday, accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo yesterday.

Manto was designated for assignment when the Indians signed Torey Lovullo. SHELDON OCKER day-night doubleheader the next day, and a night game on Sept 23. By that time, both clubs should be so far ahead in the standings that the four-game set likely will come down to a contest between Columbus and Buffalo. Triple-A players probably will dot both lineups, especially during the day-night doubleheader. Vizquel sees indications that Cleveland is starting to turn the corner.

"We played good against Baltimore and all right against Texas," he said, referring to the Indians' recently concluded trip that ended with the Tribe winning two of five games. "I think we're beginning to come around, and this is a good month to do that" PHIL MASTUKZO Beacon Journal C.C. Sabathia, the Tribe's top draft pick, was outstanding in two consecutive appearances striking out 18 in eight innings. agent Marge Sabathia urged that a deal be struck, that time was wasting. Sure enough, a contract was signed.

"With my bonus, I bought her a Ford (Explorer)," he said. "It felt so good to give my mother something back." Worth remembering There are reasons to remember Sabathia's name. He throws just as hard as Jaret Wright did when the Tribe star was at Burlington in 1994. And like Sabathia, Wright pitched only four games at Burlington with an uninspiring 5.40 ERA. Wright was only 18.

He would need 2'A more years to make it to Jacobs Field. It probably will be that way with Sabathia. Because of that hulking 6-8 frame, he looks like a mature man. But he's still a kid. He also is left-handed, and for whatever reason, lefties generally take longer to develop than right-handed pitchers.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on him," said Willis, the pitching coach. "But it's not hard to see that he can be real special. Especially if he keeps up that attitude he has now where he's polite, asks questions and doesn't take anything for granted." Sabathia promises he won't change. "I always wanted to be a baseball player," he said. "Now that I've got the chance, I won't mess it up," 3 New Oriental Staff Open 24 hrs.

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And he was like everyone else, eating at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and the other fast-food joints near the motel. He ate the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches with them before each game. He had days when he felt good, and days when he was scared. "After a week, I'd say C.C. was accepted by nearly everyone," Burlington pitching coach Carl Willis said.

Or as Sabathia said: "It doesn't matter where you were drafted, down here we're all the same. We're all starting at the bottom." Attention getter That's true, to an extent. The difference is that when a Matt White pitches, the Indians might have one scout in the stands. Or maybe not. When Sabathia took the mound last week in Burlington, the Indians had not one not two but four members of the front office sitting behind home plate.

There was Assistant General Manager Dan O'Dowd. There was Scouting Director Josh Byrnes. There were scouts Casey McKeon and Billy Schmidt. There were two radar guns lighting up the humid night every time Sabathia threw a pitch. There was O'Dowd making careful notes after each inning.

Hey, there was $1.3 million on the mound. In his first two games, Sabathia was nervous and knocked around. He was on a 50-pitch limit to protect his valuable left arm. Then came his third game: four innings, eight strikeouts, one run. "That was more like the kind of pitcher we signed," O'Dowd said.

Then came last week. Four more brilliant innings. Four innings of numbers such as 93 and 95 flashing on those radar guns. Four innings that inspired one of the Tribe's operatives to whisper, "The kid reminds me of Randy Johnson." It was four innings of nearly every pitch below the belt Four innings of a kid smart enough to fire his fastball right at the hitter's fists and knees. Four innings that featured some very nice curve-balls.

Four innings of a big, young lefty getting the ball over the plate a rarity at this, the bottom level of the minor leagues. For four innings, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Sabathia dominated. He struck out 10, walked three. Then it was over, because he'd reached Tribe Indians' slump still is going very strong Continued from Page Cl the Tribe, and he says: "After the break, guys were relaxed. They'd look at the standings.

It's like we don't want to push too hard. "Because we've had the experience (leading the division) in past years, and we know what it is to be in the situation we're in now, I don't think anybody is panicking. We know we can play better." But knowing you can play better and actually playing better are not the same. Vizquel understands that if his teammates believe they can push a button and begin playing like champions, they are engaged in a dangerous game. "If we get within two weeks of the end of the season and we're still playing like this, then we'll be in real trouble," Vizquel said.

"This game is about who is hot in the playoffs. I don't think any team can turn it on and off just like that. So obviously, we have to play better the last two weeks." Dwight Gooden says much the same thing. "You can't go into the postseason cold," he said. "You have to have some momentum." Some observers feel that a scarcity of competition within the division has nothing to do with the Tribe's swoon.

Their take: The team simply isn't as good as anticipated. For proof, these critics point to the Yankees and Padres. These clubs lead their respective division by wide margins but show no indication of letting down. But there is a difference between the situations in New York and San Diego and the one in Cleveland. Before this year, the Yankees and the Padres had to win every last game if they hoped to qualify for the playoffs.

By contrast, the Indians have coasted to the division title since 1995. "Teams like New York, Baltimore and Texas make us play our best," Vizquel said. "They make you compete harder. I think it will be a good series the next time we play the Yankees. Those games will make us focus." Cleveland's record against these perennial contenders is 13-16, including 6-5 against the Orioles, 3-4 against New York and 4-7 against the Rangers.

There is evidence that the Indians have a more competitive attitude when they play New York. Cleveland actually has outscored the Yankees 30-26 and has made just three errors in the seven games, an indication that playing New York is serious business. But don't count on the next series between the Tribe and the Yankees in September as being meaningful. Originally scheduled as a two-game series, it became a four-game endurance test, thanks to two rainouts in June. The revamped schedule includes a night game on Sept 21, a his 80-pitch limit.

The scouts walked away smiling, thinking of how he'd struck out 18 in his last eight innings. They walked away talking about how this kid could be a "steal" at No. 20 in the first round of the draft. They walked away dreaming of what a weight program and some real instruction will mean to his development, how he could be in Jacobs Field in a few years, joining Bartolo Colon and Jaret Wright in the Tribe rotation. "And best of all, he's a super kid," said O'Dowd, the Tribe's assistant GM.

Big talent, small ego A few things about C.C. Sabathia: His real name is Carsten Charles Sabathia named after his father. In his senior year, he had a 3.2 grade-point average. He took the SAT test once as a junior and scored 880, more than necessary to qualify for a college scholarship. He played tight end in football, catching 26 passes 14 for touchdowns.

He played power forward in basketball for a team that won a California state basketball title, a team with three players who signed Division I scholarships. He played baseball and had a 6-0 record with an 0.77 ERA and struck out 82 in 46 innings at Val-lejo High in Northern California CABARET THEA TRE VIDEO 1167 BRITTAIN RD. AKRON 633-7311 SANA FEY 8-25 THRU 8-29 JANET JACME 9-1 THRU 9-5.