The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 117

GAMESEVENTSPEOPLE 0 0 ORANGE COUNTY MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 1994 cct Rams Make Montana Look Like Big Zero HIGHLIGHTS MIKE PENNER Orange County QUIET STORM: Woodbridge's No. 1 singles player Natalie Exon doesn't say much, but her tennis game speaks volumes for her this season. C16 SALSA WINS: Paul Wright scored twice as the Salsa defeated Colora-do, 2-0, to clinch home-field advantage in the semifinal round of the APSL playoffs. C17 DUCKS LOSE: Luc Robitaille, acquired in the off-season, had a goal and an assist in Pittsburgh's 3-2 exhibition victory over the Mighty Ducks. C18 More Orange County sports, C16-18.

Even Slater Is Out of Character Elsewhere PRO FOOTBALL Football: They pull off a small miracle, shutting down Kansas City quarterback in 16-0 triumph over Chiefs. ByTJ. SIMERS TIMES STAFF WRITER KANSAS CITY, miracle comeback had to be there all day in the minds of those watching and playing. Two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions, and shake down the thunder, though the odds be great or small, old Joe will win over all. Instead of one more miracle finish for Kansas City quarterback Joe Montana, the Rams made him eat dirt.

With the 16-0 victory, the Rams (2-2) not only handed Montana his first defeat in eight starts at Arrowhead Stadium in front of 78,184, but they also became the first team to shut out a Montana-led NFL team. The last time a Montana team was shut out was Sept. 9, 1978, in a 3-0 loss to Missouri while he was playing for Notre Dame. "No way did I think this game was over until Jerome Bettis got the last first down with less than two minutes to play," Ram cor-nerback Darryl Henley said. "I can't tell you how many times it's happened to me before up north (San Francisco) with Joe Montana doing his thing." The Chiefs had Montana, the momentum, a 3-0 record and a promise from Coach Marty Schottenheimer that if they dispatched the Rams, they would have an additional day off in the upcoming bye week.

The Rams, however, were also motivated. Ram Coach Chuck Knox, advised of the bait being dangled before the Chiefs, pulled his team together and announced! "Men, I want a level playing field: We win this game and you will not have to' report back to work Please see RAMS, C10 f--w: I TJ RAMS 16 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 0 KANSAS CITY, 18 years of being slapped in the head, gouged in the eye, kneed in the groin, leg-whipped in the thigh, elbowed in the ribs, kicked in the shins and clawed in neck, Jackie Slater, revered Ram father figure, finally lost it here Sunday afternoon. It happened during the waning moments in the kind of game we've all come to expect from the Rams by now Rams 16, Joe Montana nada right after Slater cleared out Kansas City defensive end Neil Smith and waved Jerome Bettis on through for nine yards and one last clock-killing first down. At the sound of the whistle, Slater hopped to his feet, grabbed an imaginary bat, stepped into an imaginary fastball and took a long, slow, exaggerated swing through the pitch mimicking the annoying little routine Smith performs every time he beats someone such as Slater and sacks a quarterback. For those who know Slater, this was akin to watching cows fly, goal posts spontaneously combust or Joe Montana get picked off thrice in four quarter? by the Ram defense.

"Wow," Ram safety Marquez Pope said, his voice full of wonder, "that's weird." "That was beautiful," corner-back Todd Lyght assessed, totally bemused, "I couldn't stop laughing," nickel back Robert Bailey said. Please see PENNER, Cll 11 I Tl ft. 1 1 -ninim-aiiMtfillMa-nri vfyui MARKBOSTER Lot Angelei Timet Tackle Sean Gilbert puts the final touches on his sack of Joe Montana during Rams' shutout of Chiefs. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 26 RAIDERS 24 OTHER NFL SCORES Green Bay Packers 30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 Cleveland Browns 21 Indianapolis Colts 14 Minnesota Vikings 38 Miami Dolphins 35 Atlanta Falcons 27 Washington Redskins 20 New England Patriots 23 Detroit Lions 17 Houston Oilers 20 Cincinnati Bengals 13 San Francisco 49ers 24 New Orleans Saints 13 Seattle Seahawks 30 Pittsburgh Steelers 13 Chicago Bears 19 New York Jets 7 SPOTLIGHT: C4 COVERAGE: C4-15 SUMMARIES: C20 MIKE DOWNEY Raiders Lose to San Diego by a Decision Pro football: Chargers' Ross chooses correctly, Shell wrongly as AFC West leaders remain undefeated, 26-24. Steady McCumber Outduels Perry Mark McCumber maintained consistency in winning the Har-dees Classic as Kenny Perry faltered with a bogey on the event's final hole.

C2 With Their Wagons in a Circle, They Fight the Flames Each corner of the Raider locker room was quieter than the last, and rightfully so. Harvey Williams sat hunched over, reliving his horrible fumble. Across the way, Jeff Hostetler was wondering how seriously mangled he would have to be to rate a roughing-the-passer call. As for Art Shell, the coach, the less said about his play-calling, the better. Yet the unluckiest figure in the room had to be Lionel Washington, the man who made the play that clinched the game for the Raiders, who then ran right out to unclinch it Washington had done the locomotion 31 yards with an intercepted pass.

He happily hip-hopped into the end zone holding the football aloft in triumph, nearly getting Leon Letted in the process by forgetting to look over his shoulder. "They kept saying what we needed was a big play," Washington said. He provided one. He took a look-what-I-found pass away from a spun-around San Diego Charger with seven minutes to play to reprieve the wasteful Raiders from their sinful ways, scoring a touchdown and seeing his teammates celebrate after spotting their opponents a 20-point handicap. What a comeback.

Say, maybe the Raiders weren't the worst pro football team in California after all. Mmmm, sorry. They are. The Raiders already got Please see DOWNEY, C14 i srX Hit By STEVE SPRINGER TIMES STAFF WRITER LOS ANGELES-Wake-up call? Raider Coach Art Shell dialed the wrong number Sunday. Trying to shake his team out of its lethargy and get back in a game he trailed, 20-3, Shell passed up a near-certain field goal in the closing minute of the first half at the Coliseum and went for a first down on a fourth-and-three at the San Diego Charger six-yard line.

Instead of opting for the dependable arm of quarterback Jeff Hostetler, Shell went to his shaky running game, calling on Harvey Williams. Williams came up a yard short and the Raiders wound up two points short, eventually losing, 26-24, in front of 55,385. Tough call for Shell? No one can sympathize with him better than Bobby Ross. The San Diego coach also had to make a crucial fourth-down call. He also went for the first down, but his fourth-quarter gamble paid off eventually in the Please see RAIDERS, C14 Raveling Injured in Auto Accident USC basketball Coach George Raveling suffered nine broken ribs and fractures of his collarbone and pelvis in a collision.

C3 K.C ALFRED Loa Angeles Times The Raiders' Jeff Hostetler is hit by the San Diego Chargers' Leslie O'Neal after throwing an incomplete pass in first quarter. i INDEX i Allan Malamud C3 Horse Racing C19 Soccer Julie Cart C19 The Day in Sports C20-21 i i King the Winner on a Knockout a Boxing: McCalls victory puts promoter back in heavyweight picture. U.S. Collapses Against Sweden Tennis: Sampras defaults, Martin loses, Swedes reach Davis Cup final. Mm ILine Dial, 808-8463 jiH'H 4 -1 By TIM KAWAKAMI TIMES STAFF WRITER Merely another quiet, chaotic Saturday evening in the heavyweight division: Obscure Oliver McCall won a title, logy Lennox Lewis finally paid for his awkward style and a familiar face was back as the division's main power broker.

McCall won the fight, but, even his enemies admit, the second-round technical knockout of Lewis for the World Boxing Council title was Don King's victory. Suddenly, King, who not for lack of trying was shut out of heavyweight title action since Buster Please see BOXING, C22 By JULIE CART TIMES STAFF WRITER GOTHENBURG, Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson thought he was dealing with tennis' Dream Team II; the first incarnation had won the title in 1992. He discovered he was working with damaged goods, a team as heavily favored as it was heavily bandaged. In an unraveling the team's trainers and doctors could not stem, the United States blew a 2-0 lead and lost to Sweden, 3-2. On Sunday, the world's No.

1 player, Pete Sampras, defaulted to Stefan Edberg after one set because of a hamstring injury and it was left to Todd Martin to beat a player ranked 27 places below Please see TENNIS, C21 To use this 24-hour news and information service, call 808-8463 from the 714, 213, 310, 818 or 909 area codes, then press the key and a four-digit code. Sports Updates Latest Score 3010 O.C, Prep Score 4000 College Football Score 6222 Major LeagueCollege News 3020 Schedules 3O70 Surf and Beach Report 50O0 Associated Press Don King is the man behind Oliver McCall, who defeated Lennox Lewis to win the WBC heavyweight crown..