The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 18

B2 SUNDAY. JULY 11, 1999 NA West OS ANGELES TIMES A look at where they're playing and what they're saying Jim Leyland of the Colorado Rockies, on managing a team with mile-high Coors Field as its home: "You don't manage here, you persevere." Ml IE iftlr SPORTS ON TV 1,000 WORDS' WORTH SUNDAY r. 5 If i MORNING BRIEFING SPORT EVENT TIME CHAN. arena FOOTBALi Orlando Predators at Tampa Bay Stcxm 11a.m. ESPN auto racing Barter Dodge Pro Sctks, (Tape) 7:30 a.m.

ESPH2 CART TtnatoHavoline 200 11a.m. ABC CART fcnacoHavoliw 200, (Tape) Midnight ESPN baseball AM-Star Futures Came, (Tape) 2 pjn. ESPN2 Cubs at White So 5 p.m. ESPN bicycle racing Hewlett Packard LaserJet Women's Challenge, (Tape) llaji. NBC Tour de France, Stage 8, (Tape) 3 p.m.

ABC, 4:30 p.m. ESPN2, 9:30 p.m. ESPN equestrian Butfweiser Lake Placid Grand Prix, (Tape) 10 a.m. ESPN golf Nike Greensboro Open, final Round 10:30 a.m. COLF U.S.

Senior Open, Final Round Noon NBC Greater Milwaukee Open, Final Round 1p.m. ABC LPGA Micheloo Light Classic, final Round 2 p.m. ESPN rodeo PRCA Tour, (Tape) 5 p.m. ESPN? games (Tape) 10 a.m. ESPN2 MONDAY SPORT EVENT TIME CHAN.

arena football Florida Bobcats at Arizona Rattlers 6 p.m. ESPN2 baseball 1996 Home Run Derby, (Tape) 10 a.m. ESPN Home Run Derby 5 p.m. ESPN bicycle racing Tour de France, Rest Day, (Tape) 5:30 p.nt ESPN2 Tour de France, Rest Day, (Tape) 12:30 a.m. ESPN -y' t- X', ft sillliillMiife GINA KERAZZI Los Angeles Times Hey, It's a soccer game, not a spelling bee World Cup fans in hula skirts cheer for Team USA as it enters the Rose Bowl before Saturday's championship game against China.

ON THE WEB World Cup Finals Lose Their Bloom at Rose Bowl la. "-S PAGE TWO While wondering what would happen if they held the greatest spectacle in the history of women's sports and a soccer game broke out, I was thinking: Great tournament, not so great final. It must be the Rose Bowl. In the last two World Cup championship games played in Pasadena, Brazil vs. Italy in the 1994 men's game and the United States vs.

China in Saturday's women's game, none of the teams scored in either But the fear that the United States would lose with her sitting out the penalty kicks, at which she excels, proved unfounded when all five Americans converted. That includes Mia Hamm, the leading women's goal scorer of all time but not one of the team's best at penalty kicks. That's not as odd as it sounds. Wayne Gretzky was no better than average on penalty shots. Brandl Chastaln scored the fifth and decisive one Saturday, then whipped her jersey over her head.

Those among the crowd of 90,185 RANDY HARVEY Hockey http:www.latimes.comnhl Soccer http:www.latimes.comsoccer High Schools http:www.latimes.compreps Autos http:www.latimes.comautorac- ing SPORTS TALK Jump into our message boards and talk about your favorite team: http:www.latimes.comsportstalk KNOW THE SCORE Find the latest scores and recaps: Baseball http:www.latirnes.commlb-scores Pro Football http:www.latimes.comnflscores College Football http:www.latimes.comncaascores Hockey http:www.latimes.comnhlscores FEATURE FOCUS To relive the Home Run race, with photo galleries and home charts, go to http:www.latimes.comhomeruns Experience 40 years of Dodger history, with audio and video highlights at http:www.dodgers40.com Visit the Jim Murray Memorial, complete with video and audio of the September 26 service at http:www.latimes.commurray Plan your TV time, with daily sports TV tables at http:www.latimes.comsportstv To get all of the sports news and features from the Times, go to http:www.latimes.comHOMESPORTS HOME TEAM COVERAGE Find the best local team coverage, including game updates, schedules, forums and more: USC http:www.latimes.comusc UCLA http:www.latimes.comucla Kings http:www.latimes.comkings Ducks http:www.latimes.comducks Galaxy http:www.latimes.comgalaxy Dodgers http:www.latimes.comdodgers Angels http:www.latimes.comangels COLUMNISTS Read the week's best commentary from Times columnists: Bill Plaschke http:www.latimes.complaschke Randy Harvey http:www.latimes.comharvey J.A. Adande http:www.latimes.comadande Diane Pucln http:www.latimes.compucin SPORT UPDATES Find the latest news, features, schedules and more: Pro Football http:www.latimes.comnfl College Football http:www.latimes.comcollegefootball Baseball http:www.latimes.commlb If Belle Dislikes Question, He May Berate Himself Albert Belle, the Baltimore Oriole slugger who refuses to talk with the media, has started moonlighting as a columnist for a new newspaper, the Baltimore Press. "Does Belle's new job permit him to talk to himself?" asks the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "And if he is brave enough to ask himself a question. will he answer or just walk away?" Trivia time: Who was the first American golfer to win the British Open? No party guy: Johnny Magnus, longtime Los Angeles disc jockey, wonders if USA Today writer Chuck Johnson's comments about the New York Mets are any more reliable than his one about champagne.

Johnson wrote, "Mike Piazza is the corkscrew that could lead to a champagne celebration in the Mets' future." "Johnson apparently has never opened a bottle of champagne," says Magnus. "A corkscrew just won't do it." No goal: Mystery has surrounded how the 106-year-old Stanley Cup got badly dinged after the Dallas Stars got their hands on it, but Vinnie Paul, drummer for the Dallas-area rock band Pantera, told the Texas Journal that he knows exactly how it happened. "It really got dented when Guy Carbonneau threw it off my balcony into my pool," Paul said, referring to the Stars' 39-year-old center. Carbonneau did not make a clean shot, Paul said. "It's his fault, Mr.

Hockey himself." Scary moments: Who is the most frightening opponent for a pro athlete? It's running back Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a survey taken for On, a magazine for subscribers to DirecTV satellite sports. Trying to tackle Bettis earned of the votes; fighting hockey's Bob Probert, 257, facing pitcher Randy Johnson, 20; and stopping the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, Laker legacy: Jim Cleamons, the new Laker assistant coach, played one season with the bikers in 1971-72, the team's first championship season. Actually, "played" is a stretch. As a rookie, he appeared in only 38 games, averaging 2.6 points. More all-Stars: Gary Sheffield won't be the only Dodger at Tuesday's All-Star game.

Also at Boston's Fenway Park will be Dodger Stadium vendors Robert E. Sanchez and Jeffery E. Rose, both chosen as Aramark Vendor All-Stars. Changing times: With the tremendous success of the Women's World Cup, it is difficult to realize that only seven years ago today it was announced that the Major Soccer League was folding after 14 seasons. Trivia answer: Walter Hagen, in 1922.

And finally: Most NASCAR drivers are avid baseball fans and look forward to the All-Star game. However, as Jeremy May field points out, there is quite a difference between baseball's All-Star game and racing's version, The Winston: "In their all-star game, if they make a mistake they call it an In our all-star game, if you make a mistake they call it a 'big SHAV CLICK mmmmmm who expected to see Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman outfit underneath were disappointed to see merely a black sports bra. "Momentary insanity," Chastain said. If that didn't send soccer moms scurrying to turn off the television, then Chastain's salty description of Akers in an ABC interview afterward probably did. NOW YOU KNOW regulation or overtime.

wmmmmmmmm Mix in Saturday's third-place game, which Brazil won against Norway on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie (but no overtime), and that's 330 minutes hours without a goal. At least Andres (GOOOOOOOAAAAAL!) Cantor wasn't missed Saturday. The disappointing thing about this championship game is that it promised so much more, two attacking teams that had combined for 37 goals in 10 games before the final. In 21 previous games against each other dating to 1986, they had played only two scoreless ties. Who would have guessed after a 5-0 victory over Norway in the semifinal that China Coach Ma Yuanen would choose to play such cynical, negative soccer? Those are soccer synonyms for defensive that I've learned from reading the British newspapers about most men's championship games.

He did something no one else in the tournament has been able to do, take Sun Wen, who had scored seven goals before Saturday, out of the game. Of course, the U.S. defense also deserves credit. Center midfielder Michelle Akers, who had been criticized in previous games for not getting back fast enough on defense, was brilliant at both ends of the field. It's no coincidence that China's most serious offensive surges came in the first overtime after Akers had left the game late in the second half because of dehydration and exhaustion.

She won every 50-50 ball. The other two midfielders, Krlstlne Lilly and Julie Foudy, were also effective in preventing China's wings from advancing. For her efforts, especially her game-saving header off the line on a shot by Fan YunJIe in the first overtime, Lilly was mimed the game's most valuable player. I would have voted for Akers. Maybe she'll win the Golden Ball as the tournament's MVP.

Unbearable Fee? The four members of World's Most Exclusive Golf Club In 1933-: 1. First member was a missionary 2, Second member was a missionary 3. Third member was a Hudson Bay official As dramatic as the penalty kicks were, that's no way to decide a championship game. Even Tony DiClcco, the winning coach, agreed, although he added, "I don't know of a better way unless we do a replay." I would suggest unlimited substitutions during the two 15-minute overtime periods so that at least a good number of players on the field would have fresh legs. The U.S.

offense picked up when DiCicco finally inserted Tlsha Venturlnl with five minutes left. But although the game dragged at times, it didn't appear as if any fans left early. It wasn't a typical LA. crowd. No one arrived late, either, except for President Clinton.

While waiting for him, several dignitaries, such as Maria Messing, Women's World Cup president, and Sepp Blatter, president of the international soccer federation (FIFA), missed the opening ceremony. "I'd rather have seen Jennifer Lopez than President Clinton," WWC spokesman Steve Vanderpool said. "I've already met him." The media was forced to wait several minutes for both teams to reach the interview tent because Clinton was congratulating each of them in their locker rooms. He visited the Chinese first, probably still collecting contributions to the Democratic Party. "Right now, they're a little thorn in the side," FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said of Clinton and his entourage.

"There is another expression." C'mon, Keith, you can say it. Brandi Chastain would have. Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harveylatlmes.com. 4. Fourth member was a Hudson Bay official 5.

Cost to join 10 polar bear teeth Chesterfield Inlet (Hudson Bay. Canada) Source: "Gof Digest Eds, Workman Pub. 1995) Cardinal Sin? Costs for five Mark McGwire Items: fSold through Cardinals' team store catalog) 1. McGwire "Season of Dreams" signed bat $249.88 2. McGwire bobbing head doll $64.58 3.

McGwire "62" HR framed wall 4. McGwire 1998 season Pin 5. McGwire "70" felt Source: World Features Syndicate knowle -1 1 NATIONAL EDITION w. I VAVAV I I iiWh i.