Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 44

Friday, October 22, 1993 Reno Gazette-Journal MORNING BRIEFING Former Silver Sox slugger falls to his death i fi- cause he had a bad knee and he couldn't even play for two months. "Brown was a Cleveland Indians coach and we had a bunch of Indians players that year and Milt just happened to be a former Indians player. So Brown wanted me to release him because they thought Milt might cause trouble. "1 just told them, "I'll never release Milt Harper. I'd rather have Milt Harper on one leg than any of vour Indians players on two legs." Harper hit 45 homers and drove in 151 runs in his two Silver Sox seasons.

He hit .275 in 1989 and .317 the following year, third in the California League. Harper averaged one homer every 15.9 at-bats and one RBI every 4.7 at-bats in Reno. "It was real frustrating to me that some organization didn't give him a chance after that 1 989 season," said Patton. Harper began his professional career in 1983 in the Indians' organization. His best year with the Indians was in 1987, when he hit ceeded to Brown's 14th floor apartment in Taipei.

Harper, who plaved for the Silver Sox in 1989 and 1990, had played professional baseball in Taiwan for the Dragons the past three seasons. Brown last played in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 1984. The Baseball Weekly story said Harper's death is under further investigation. "Milt Harper was the best player to ever play for me," said former Silver Sox general manager Jack Patton Thursday. Harper, who joined former Silver Sox pitcher Joe Strong in Taiwan in 1991, was 31.

Patton said the funeral will be early next week in Harper's hometow of San Bernardino, Calif. "Just an unbelievable hitter," said Patton, now the general manager of the Riverside (Calif.) Pilots. "I remember in 1990 when our manager Mike Brown wanted to release him. Milt was on the disabled list at the start of the year be Milt Harper: First baseman played in Reno in 1989, 1990. By Joe Santoro GAZETTE-JOl RNAL Former Reno Silver Sox first baseman Milt Harper plunged 14 stories to his death out of a window of a teammate's apartment last Saturday night in Taiwan.

A story in this week's USA Today's Baseball Weekly, says Taiwan police first ruled the death a suicide. But witnesses, said the Baseball Weekly story, later told police that they heard Harper and Weichuan Dragons' teammate Darrell Brown arguing the night before Harper's death. On the night Harper died, the two teammates began the evening at Harper's apartment at the Rainbow Guest House and then pro David ParkerGazette Journal POWER HITTER: Milt Harper hit 45 homers in two Silver Sox seasons. WORLD SERIES Phillies9 Schilling simply sensational 1 Zr wYn .312 with 20 homers, 97 RBI and 100 runs scored for Class A (Caa lina League Kinston, N.C. The Indians released him after the 1 988 season.

Harper then hooked on with the independent Silver Sox in 1989 and the next year was voted the team's most popular player in 1990 by a vote of Reno fans. The left-handed hitter talked to the Gazette-Journal in August 1990 about going to play in Taiwan. "I heard they start you out at $36,000 a year there," said Harper, who never made more than 1 ,800 a month in the United States. "I could save a lot of money after a few years." Harper was then 28 years old with no future in professional baseball in the United States. He talked of one day retiring.

"The thing I'll miss most is signing the autographs for the kids," he said. "When you do that it makes you feel like you are doing your job, like you've made something of yourself." body was up," he said. "That's when I knew it was my game. That got me more pumped than anything, because I knew this team was going to end the season or go to Toronto based on what I did." So he bore down. With runners at first and third with nobody out.

Schilling made a good play on Rickey Henderson's ground ball to catch Willie Canate in a rundown between third and home. Then he struck out Devon White, hitting .412 in the Series, on an 0-2 pitch, and escaped the inning by getting Roberto Alomar to ground out. Manager Jim Fregosi had every confidence that Schilling could go as long as the Phillies needed him to. "Curt has a knack," he said. "He loves to finish what he starts." Schilling, who gave up six earned runs in losing Game 1.

struck out six and walked three. And cognizant of the theme of this big-hitting Series, he even got a leadoff single in the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, he started to flag, and catcher Darren Daulton visited the mound. "I was running out of gas," Schilling said. "Any time Dutch comes out and says to me, 'We might have to use some mirrors for the final couple I know I'm losing my stuff." As he walked out to the mound in the ninth, the crowd of 62,706 gave him a standing ovation.

Afterward, he thanked the fans for picking him up when he was starting to fatigue. "The fans got me to that point," he said. "They allowed me that extra bit of adrenaline to get the job done." Toronto's Juan Guzman pitched almost as well as Schilling. In 94 of the Toronto Blue Jays' 95 wins this season, the Blue Jays scored at least two runs. So, when Guzman fell behind 2-0, he figured there would be no problem.

"I was thinking two runs is not enough to beat me, not with this kind of offense," he said. The shutout was the Blue Jays' second in 1 73 games. The last time was June 30 in Baltimore when the Orioles' Fernando Valenzuela held them to six hits. to producing NFL players, the Pac-10 is No. 1.

The league had 208 players on opening-day NFL rosters, more than any other conference. PROBATION CHAMPS: With No. 10 Auburn off to a 7-0 start, you might be wondering if a team on probation has ever won the national championship. The answer is yes Oklahoma in 1974 and Auburn in 1957. Auburn can't play in a bowl this season because of NCAA penalties HOME STREAK: Miami's loss to Florida State may have ruined the Hurricanes' hopes for another national title, but they still have a chance to make college football history this season.

If they win their last four games at the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes will tie Alabama's NCAA record of 57 straight home victories, set from 1963-82. India could bring new surface to Davis Cup By Shaw Glick LOS ANGELES TIMES The U.S. will play in India in next year's opening round of the Davis Cup, which prompted American captain Tom Gullik-son to remember what it was like when he played in India years ago. They didn't play on grass or concrete or clay. They played on cow dung.

"I'm from Wisconsin, so 'there was a little bit of that in the pastures, but we never played tennis on it." Gullikson said. So what were those tournaments like in India? "There was a cow sitting in the back in case they needed to fill in the low spots." Gullikson joked. Trivia time: Who was Notre Dame's first consensus All-American in football? Recommended reading: A. R. Tays of the Atlanta Constitution, after reviewing the book, "Talkin' Trash: Basketball's Greatest Insults," (paperback.

Fireside Books, S10), wrote: "I think I'd rather spend the 10 bucks on toilet paper." You talkin" to me? Said Notre Dame defensive end Jim Flani-gan, asked his favorite pregame ritual: "To watch 'Taxi Overpriced? Barry Melrose, the coach of the Los Angeles Kings, says 10 is too much for the duck calls being sold at the Mighty Ducks' games in Anaheim. "You can get the same duck call at Beaton's hardware in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, for 89 cents, and they work just as well," he said. The big time: Dino Radja. a Boston Celtic rookie from Yugoslavia, on playing in his first NBA exhibition game: "I felt like a little kid in a cage of li- Different strokes: Philadelphia fans, infamous for their abusive behavior they once booed Santa Claus and later chastised the Easter Bunny at Veterans Stadium still are much better than San Dieeo Jans, according to Phillie relief pitcher Larry Andersen, who has pitched in both cities. "That's definitely not a baseball town," Andersen said of jSan Diego.

"It's more of a beach iball town. They use more beach balls during a game in San Die- go than baseballs." Trivia answer Quarterback GusDorais. 1913. Quotebook: Charles Barkley, in Germany for an exhibition game, after trying unsuccessfully most of the night to find the World Series on TV: "It shouldn't be called the World Series if every body can't watch it. Maybe they should call it the almost World Series." Weber From page 1 percent of his passes for 880 yards.

a "It's obvious (Otton) has tre- 'He's got great size and vision jand a really strong arm. We don't thpir nffpncp hpino mnrh different from last year. They ave the same big-play receivers. "The only difference is that Martin was a great quarterback, Otton is going to be a great quarterback. By the time he's a great quarterback, we fortunately won't be playing them anymore.

We hope to get some pressure on him and force him into some mistakes." Otton has made some freshman mistakes but he's not a typical freshman. After two years in Europe on an LDS Church mission, Otton is 23 years old. He grew two inches and added 20 4 All the way: I go out there with the attitude that if I don't go nine, Fm not doing my By The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA Curt Schilling saved the Philadelphia Phillies from elimination Thursday night and saved some face for pitchers in this World Series. Just when it seemed that good pitching and the 1993 version of the Fall Classic were mutually exclusive, Schilling came in and pitched a gritty, five-hit shutout to lead the Phillies to a 2-0 victory. The win moved the Series back to Toronto for Game 6 on Saturday night.

The day after the Phillies' pitchers gave up 1 5 runs and Toronto pitchers 14 in the highest -scoring World Series game ever. Schilling doused the Blue Jays' offense, which had produced 37 runs in the Series. With Philadelphia's bullpen spent from the night before, Schilling went the distance, throwing 146 pitches. He grew tired and his velocity waned, but he had every intention of getting the final out. "My mentality when I go out there is that's my game," Schilling said.

"That's my nine innings, and I go out there with the attitude that if I don't go nine, I'm not doing my complete job. Defense is the reason I went nine tonight." He pitched with men on base in every inning but the second, but the Phillies' defense turned three double plays to help Schilling hold the 2-0 lead. His best inning was the eighth, when he got out of a jam even as his pitch count neared 140. After giving up leadoff singles to Pat Borders and pinch-hitter Rob Butler, Schilling wondered if he might be through. "I made a side glance to the bullpen to see who was up, and no- "I think last Saturday was a return to reality," said Hess, who has worked diligently to produce a winning program in Las Cruces.

"The thing that bothers me the most is that you hoped we were past the point where a blowout could occur." The margin of defeat was difficult for Hess to accept, given the fact the Aggies have won 11 of 21 games since the end of the 1990 season and with a 6-5 record last year had their first winning season since 1978. "I don't know that you can take the program to championship level in four years, but I'd have thought we would at least get to the point where we don't get blown out," he said this week. PRO-DUCTION LINE: When it comes I I Curt Schilling (left) and catcher Darren Daulton celebrate. COLLEGE FOOTBALL New Mexico State to test tough Pacific defense Associated Press Pacific, like San Jose State, has played a tough non-conference schedule that included a losing but solid effort against No. 7 Arizona (16-13).

Other losses outside the Big West were against Texas Tech (55-7), Washington State (12-0) and Oregon State (42-7). "Pacific is a better defensive team than any team we've played," says NMSU coach Jim Hess. "They had a chance to beat Arizona and had a chance to beat Washington State." The Aggies had virtually no chance against San Jose State after falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter. Seven turnovers by New Mexico State's offense and four touchdown passes by San Jose State quarterback Jeff Garcia produced the rout. JOB WELL DONE: Phillies' pitcher pounds while away from football.

Arslanian expected Otton to return this year and ease into the starting quarterback position after a year or two backing up Wes-tervek. Otton had different ideas. "Really, I was disappointed when I didn't win the starting position from the first game of the season," he said. "When I got my opportunity to play, I was a little disappointed with how I performed. "It's been a hard transition.

I think our receivers had gotten so used to Jamie being able to come up with a big play that they would rely on him too much. They're figuring out that with me in there there's maybe more of a need for them to step up and make the big plays. "They're helping me out a lot now. We're starting to click. I'm getting better, and the offense is getting better.

We're definitely moving in the right direction." By The Associated Press New Mexico State got a painful look last week at one of the better offenses in the Big West Conference. On Saturday, the target is going to be one of the league's top defenses. New Mexico State (3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big West) goes on the road this week to face Pacific Despite its lackluster record, Pacific is giving up just 110 yards per game passing and ranks second in the conference in scoring defense. New Mexico State is coming off a 52-13 loss in Las Cruces last week to San Jose State, the Aggies' worst loss of the season. It was the Spartans' first win of the year.

iMJUL Heavyweights MICHAEL MOORER vs. "MIGHTY" MIKE EVANS 29-7-1, 20 KOs IBFWBA 01 Heavyweight IBF 11 Heavyweight World Featherweight Championship 3ED0 "GOYO" VARGAS vs. KEVIN KELLEY 29-3-1, 20 KOs 36-0, 26 KOs WBC Champion WBC 1 Challenger 10-round Welterweight Bout GEEB 'YORY BOY" CAMPAS vs. FLOYD WILLIAMS BOXING TRIPLEHEADER Saturday, Dec. 4, 1993 Reno-Sparks Convention Center Doors Open 4:30 p.m.

First Bout 5:00 p.m. Tickets: $25, $50, $100, $150, $250 Free Parking Available al Ticket Station Pioneer Center or phone 348-4600 (no service charge) and all Bass Ticket Centers MOftRtDSltBurtflGC0MPNV RENO 52-0, 48 KOs 23-4-1, IBF 1 Welterweight Plus 3 exciting undercard bouts including Reno's Johnny Avila. 17 KOs 1993 RSCVA.