Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 31

Reno Gazehe-JournalI 2E ir i I Hi 4E ILT -J BASEBALL PORTS AT A GLANCE DIGEST OLYMPIC FEST MONDAY JULY 22, 1991r sports edit: JAMIE TURNER, 788-6345 HP American League Minnesota 1 4, Boston 1 Seattle 6, Baltimore 4 Milwaukee 2, Chicago 1 Kansas City 8, Detroit 4 Cleveland 5, California 2 Oakland 4, New York 2 Texas 6, Toronto 5 National League San Francisco 3, Montreal 2 New York 9, Los Angeles 4 Atlanta St. Louis 1 Chicago 4, Houston 2 San Diego 5, Philadelphia 2 Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 0 California League San Jose 9, Reno 8 Get a grip: Unlimber those wrists, the Carson Valley Classic Armwrestling Tournament is coming, Aug. 10 at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden. The double elimination tournament offers cash prizes for first through third place. Entry fee is $15.

Call 707-442-675 1 or 782-97 1 1 for details. Blade trade: An ice skating swap meet to benefit Sierra Nevada Figure Skating Club will be held Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sierra Nevada Ice Arena, 1855 E.

Lincoln Way in Sparks. Call 355-1 102 for details. Sparks gymnast 6th in beam: Summer Reid competed with some of the nation's best young gymnasts Sunday and finished sixth in the balance beam competition at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles. Reid, 14, of Sparks scored 9.075 in the event.

On Friday, she finished sixth in the all-around competition. Festival story, 4E. Texas acquires Oil Can: Oil Can Boyd is back in the American League. Boyd was traded Sunday by Montreal to the Texas Rangers, who wanted to bolster their rotation for a possible run at the American League West title. The Expos got minor league pitchers Jonathan Hurst and Joey Eischen, plus a player to be named later.

Boyd was 6-8 with a 3.52 ERA for Montreal, and pitched a five-hit shutout against San Francisco last Friday night. "I expected it, and I'm glad to be going to someone who wants me to pitch for them," said Boyd. "The Hall of Fame is more. i It's all the kids who ever played the game. It's all the fans who ever bought a ticket.

It's the first time you ever took your son or daughter to a ballgame. It's Satchel Paige and Roberto Clemente; the Say Hey Kid, the Duke, the Hammer, Cool Papa, the Mick, the Big Train, Joe Teddy Ballgame and many more. Thanks to all of you for moving over a little and making a space for me." Batting great Rod Carew, speaking at Sunday's induction ceremonies at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Coopcrstowh, N. Y. vi Associated Press BASE-FALL: California second baseman Luis Sojo, left, got tangled with Cleveland's Felix Fermin, who was tagged out trying to steal.

Baseball, 2E. Australian tames BirMdWe In control: Ian Baker-Finch played textbook golf to secure his first British Open title. spent a sunny afternoon at Royal Birkdale in futile pursuit of his fellow Australian. After? starting the round tied with Mark O'Meara, Baker-Finch played the front nine in 29 and finished in 4-under-66. That gave him a total of 8-under-par 272 and a two-shot victory over Harwood.

Baker-Finch accomplished" his victory despite some of the lowest scores in British Open history. A 63 by Jodie Mudd, the best closing round ever in the British Open and matching the Open scoring record for any round, really didn't matter. SAN I0SE 9, RENO 8 SOUTHPORT, England (AP) After learning how to lose a major, Ian Baker-Finch finally found out how to win one. Baker-Finch seized his third chance to win the British Open and, with five birdies in the first seven holes, turned it into a front-running victory in the 120th Gonzalez delivers but i Sox rally Ms short I and have not made it," he said. "Today erases those memories.

"The pain I felt the first two times I had a chance gave me the strength to go on and do it today. It was painful, but I learned. "I gained experience. Experience is playing the way you know how. That's what I did today.

I knew what I had to do, and I did it. "I proved myself a champion today." And he did it early. "His first nine holes just blew the whole tournament open," said runner-up Mike Harwood, who 4 "We have a good relationship with major league baseball," said Leider. "We're certainly looking to solidify our interests in Reno." Leider wouldn't put a timetable on how long the Silver Sox can remain independent. Their five-year lease with the city of Reno ends after the 1 993 season.

"That's a difficult question," he said. "We would like not to remain independent for too many more years. But the fans here can help us with their support." The Sox currently average just over 1,000 fans a night, in the middle of the pack in the California League in attendance. "The fans here certainly enjoy baseball," said Leider. "I see that every time I come out here.

I love this area and we are committed to the community." championship on Sunday. The Australian had blown final-round opportunities in the 1984 and 1990 Opens, but turned his third chance into a charmed victory. "There have been a lot of Saturday afternoons when I have gone into Sunday with a chance to win In the meantime, the Sox can organize their plan of attack. Leider says the Silver Sox ownership group is committed to getting a major league affiliation for Reno. "We certainly tried hard this winter," he said.

"But it's difficult. We came here as an independent and nothing much has changed. It seems that all the major league organizations are happy where their Class A teams are located." Reno last had a major league affiliation in 1987 with the San Diego Padres. The Padres were in Reno since 1 976. Leider owns two other teams with major league affiliations South Bend, with the Chicago White Sox and Welland, with the Pittsburgh Pirates i 4f Associated Press AT LAST: Ian Baker-Finch tips his hat to the gallery after his winning round.

"I probably tend to concentrate a little harder when I come up and men are on base. Cliff Sonzalez Turn RBI lealtp Special hitting sessions with one of the game's great hitters haven't hurt, either. At the beginning of the month, Gonzalez was hitting in the .250 range. Now his average is up to .286. "Orlando Cepeda came to town a few days before the old-timers game (on July 10" arid htf raised my hands up on the bat and told me to be mdre aggressive at the plate," Gonzalez explained.

The Giants bolted to a 5-0 first-inning lead off Sox starter Timber Mead, sending nine batters to the plate against theiSox's most dependable starter. In Mead's defense, the 26-year-old right-hander is in the midst of a weekly commute between his home in Portland, and Reno as his wife awaits the birth of the couple's second child. "Right now Timber's worried about his wife and baby and you can't expect a guy to be mentally 1 00 percent," Gonzalez said. By the sixth, after Mead had retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced, the Sox led, 6-5. Joe Roebuck's sacrifice fly tied the score and catcher Tom Carcione's double that rolled to the left field corner drove in Rico Cortes to put the Sox ahead.

San Jose took the lead in the seventh with two runs on an RBI single by ex-Sox Joel Chimelis and a groundout. TOUR DE FRANCE LeMond stays in 5th Not done yet: Greg LeMond promises the race isn't decided. By Rob Lever GANNETT NEWS SERVICE PARIS Greg LeMond is down but not out of the Tour de France after his "black Friday" in the Pyrenees that put Miguel Indurain of Spain in the driver's seat. "I can assure you that the tour is far from over," said LeMond, who remained in fifth place overall Sunday, 5:08 behind Indurain. LeMond's father, Bob, his manager for years, said LeMond is suffering from a virus and a minor foot injury.

Blood tests taken Thursday revealed an elevated white cell count, evidence his body is fighting a viral infection. LeMond is using massage and relaxation therapy to recover. In the 146-mile 15th stage from Albi to Ales Sunday, LeMond was in the pack with his rivals, 1:53 behind stage winner Moreno Argentin of Italy. But the big shakeup in the standings came Friday when LeMond, then ahead of his major adversaries, struggled through the Pyrenees and lost more than seven minutes to a breakaway by Indurain and Italian Claudio Chiappucci. The three-time winner also fell behind three other possible winners: Charly Mottet of France is now second overall, three minutes behind Indurain, with Gianni Bugno of Italy at 1 0 and Chiappupci at 4:06.

LeMond, no jstranger to comebacks, will have to go up against Indurain's strength, the mountains and a 35-mile time trial on Saturday, the next-to-last day of the race. While LeMond is capable of using the time trial to move ahead of Mottet, Bugno and Chiappucci, he'll have difficulty catching Indurain, who won last week's time trial, eight seconds ahead of LeMpnd. To get within striking distance of Indurain, LeMond will have to make a move in the Alps stages Tujesday.and Wednesday. Roger Legeay, sports director for LeMond's team, says the chances for a LeMond win are now "compromised." But LeMond says Indurain will have to deal with the pressure of being on top without getting needed support from other riders. I.

"As soon as I get into a breakaway group, no one wants to spell me" by riding ahead, LeMond said. "It's not very elegant, and without criticizing him, I'm getting to know Indurain: Last year in the climb to Luz-Ardiden (in the Alps), he didn't take one turn at the head with me, then he broke away in the final stretch." it LeMond Watch Stage winner: Moreno Argentin of Italy won in 6 hours, 21 minutes, 22 seconds. Overall leader: Miguel In- durain held the overall lead for the third consecutive day by three minutes over Charly Mottet of France. How LeMond fared: Fifth overall, 5:08 behind Indurain. 134th for the day.

Hotline: For information, phone 324-0225 after noon and enter code 1900. By John Trent GAZETTE-JOURNAL Imagine Chevy Chase putting during the movie "Caddyshack." Remember the scene where every putt Chevy hit went directly in the cup? That's roughly the same thing that happens whenever Reno Silver Sox outfielder Cliff Gonzalez steps to the plate. Call him Mr. RBI. Put runners on base in a desperate situation.

Mr. RBI will drive them in. Sunday night at Moana Municipal Stadium, Gonzalez had three RBI to push his team-leading total to 63. Gonzalez's production wasn't enough to win the game, however, as San Jose handed the Silver Sox a 9-8 loss before 857 fans. GonzalezTt two- out double in the bottom of the ninth bulled the Sox to 9-8.

Things got interesting after San Jose ace reliever Gary Sharko put the winning 'iriin on first base when he walked; Sox shorstop Tim a right-hander with a 1.00 ERA in 54 innings, coaxed Tommy Mitchell into a ground-ball out to end the game. Without Gonzalez's double, the Giants would have been on their team bus and on their way out of Renda lot sooner. "I probably tend to concentrate a little harder when I come up and men are on base," said Gonzalez, who was 3-for-5, "because you've got to knock the runs in to win the ballgame." Gonzalez said batting in one of the three power positions in the Sox lineup for most of the season has also helped his production. "Before this year, I was always batting second or first," said Gonzalez, who has hit only two home runs. "I've never really hit in an RBI spot before." David ParkerGazette-Journal SLIPPERY.

BALL: Reno shortstop Tim ball and missed the double play in the seventh inning put out San Jose's Joel Chimelis buf dropped the at Moana Municipal Stadium Sunday. Reno won't make Denver pitch till fall By Joe Santoro GAZETTE-JOURNAL The Reno Silver Sox, says team president Jerry Leider, won't make a proposal to the Denver National League expansion group, until after this baseball season. Leider, who lives in Los Angeles, is in Reno this week for the Sox's nine-game home stand. He says it is still much too early to approach the Denver group about putting the Colorado Rockies' Class A team in Reno next season. "That just won't happen yet," said Leider.

"It is something we want to explore but the timing is just not right. We have to wait until they get a farm director and more organization. We just need to give them a chance to get organized." BALLPARK AMUSEMENTS Foul balls fair game at Moana Foul balls were charted at Silver Sox home aames from July 16to Ally 19 and 4 here's where they 4 1 I ZTJT I I Moana Stadium I ll, I a Mown Lam I '1 -I 7A l3 '). By John Trent GAZETTE-JOURNAL Jared Logue is 6 almost 7 years old. He wears a golden brown mitt almost as big as he is on his left hand.

He knows exactly what he would do if a foul ball ever came in. his direction at Moana Municipal Stadium. "Foul balls never do come toward me," he says before Sunday's California League game between the Reno Silver Sox and the San Jose Giants. Jared's father, Randy, has promised all the hot dogs and Cokes Jared and his 6 almost 7 year old friend, Dustin Dalpe, can eat. Jared smiles and slaps his hand into his mitt, conjuring the vision.

"But if a foul ball ever did come my way," he says, dreamily, "I'd catch it and keep it forever. "Yeah. It's a foul ball and I've got it!" Foul balls are like gold nuggets to youngsters who attend baseball games at Moana. Some kids run in packs, pooling resources before everything disintegrates into a wild, screaming free-for-all to get to the ball "Around the sixth inning, they start get- ting tired enough to watch the Ran dy Logue says. Other children, like Chelsea Suschena, 6, and her brother Adam, 9, shuttle between sitting in the stands and running with the pack.

When they're not running after foul balls, Chelsea and Adam run down Sox players going into the clubhouse and have them sign Silver Sox pennants. They usually have more fun sitting in the stands, says their father, Dick Suschena. "They run down there, but usually the ball is long gone," he says. "I think if they did ever catch a foul ball, they'd sure like to have the batter sign it." Determination is the key ingredient to being a good foul ball chaser, according to Jared Logue. "I'm going to be the first one to get one," he says, rubbing his glove with anticipation.

"And then after that, when I'm 7, I'm going to play baseball." Source Rno Snt Soi.