The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 8

2 FOOTBALL BASEBALL SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1991 SECTION Dan Foster sm 1 -j" f' if Urn? i i 4 -V i II l- fx I I 'v 'J'V 'JL 1 Jtf i hv i fj mm Game 2 Sunday, 8:40 p.m. Starters Tom Glavine 20-11 Kevin Tapani 16-9 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A while back, pucks and pads might have been more appropriate this time of year for Tom Glavine and Kevin Tapani. It was cold outside the Metrodome on Saturday night with a chance of flurries, much more fitting for hockey than it was for the pressure pitches of the World Series. When they face off Sunday night in Game 2, it might well be called "Ice, Ice Baby." The 25-year-old Glavine was drafted by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round. The 27-year-old Tapani, who has just two full seasons of major league experience, played hockey through his youth.

And his father, Ray, played for Des Moines in the U.S. Hockey League. "Early on, I played hockey," Tapani said. "Up until high school. Then I switched to basketball.

My ankles are just too weak. I was skating on the insid-es of my blades too much." The Metrodome may have a bit of a hockey feel the plexiglass above the left-field fence seems out of place but it's the center of the baseball world this weekend. And Glavine and Tapani a combined 0-3 in four starts during the playoffs will be the focal points in Game 2. Glavine (20-11) is Atlanta's first 20-game winner since Phil Niekro in 1979. He hadn't been born when the last lefty won 20 for the Braves Warren Spahn in 1963.

Still, the second half of the season was disappointing. He was 12-4 in the first half, got picked to start the All-Star Game for the National League and pitched two scoreless innings. He was just 8-7 in the second half and his ERA during the last five weeks of the season was 4.22. "I didn't get quite as many TV: CBS. Radio: WSPA-AM 950, WRS-AM 1600, WSB-AM 750.

TuMdty, Oct. 22 Minnesota (Erickson 208) at Atlanta (Avary 18-8). 8:29 m. Wadiwaday, Oct 23 Minnesota at Atlanta. 8:26 p.m.

Thursday, Oct 24 Minnesota at Atlanta. 8:26 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 Atlanta at Minnesota, 8:26 p.m. Sunday, Oct.

27 Atlanta at Minnesota. 8.40 p.m. it necessary. Series notes, Page 10C runs as I got in the first half," Glavine said. "And in the second half, I didn't have the control I did in the first half." Minnesota mauled lefties during this year, hitting .291, which was 15 points better than the Twins average against righties.

Kirby Puckett was .406 against left-handers and Shane Mack hit .350. "You have to pitch to your strengths and not worry about the other team," Glavine said. "Guys go out and try to overana-lyze too much." THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Atlanta's Tom Glavine goes through some bunting practice at the Metrodome Metrodome seeks award as MVP MINNEAPOLIS It is said, with good cause, that for baseball teams who come into the Metrodome, beating the Minnesota Twins' talent is only part of the job. The other obstacles for visiting teams and they are considerable include the semi-deafening noise, the semi-adequate lighting and the bounces off the artificial surface that even locals admit are unusually unpredictable. The Twins, of course, are used to the conditions.

But for visitors, playing here is like walking through an unfamiliar room in pitch dark with ho hints where the furniture is. To those who would say that's all in the mind, the St. Louis Cardinals would say this: Minnesota is the only team ever to win a World Series without winning one of its games away from home. The Cardinals remember because the Cardinals won all three games in St. Louis in 1987, but when they came back into the haunted house that's named for Hubert Humphrey, the Cardinals were helpless and winless.

The outlook It was into this Teflon topped structure that the Braves sent veteran Charlie Lebrandt to the mound Saturday with Atlanta in a familiar role as the underdog. As soon as Leibrandt was announced as the starting pitcher for the opening game, the Twin Cities wolves went on the attack. One Minneapolis writer asserted in print that Braves manager Bobby Cox had been "tomahawked" in the head. The obvious question was why Leibrandt instead of 20-game winner Tommy Glavine. That's the kind of thinking that gives journalism a bad name.

Sure, Glavine would have had four days rest since his Monday performance in Atlanta, but he might be more effective with five days' rest. The normal rotation has been Steve Avery after Glavine, and not even Avery is suspected of being awesome with only two days' rest. Cox also repeated Saturday that Leibrandt has been pitching well. There were other things Cox may have found appealing. One was not having to tell Leibrandt that he had been good enough to help the Braves win the pennant but not good for the biggie.

Another was that with this rotation, no matter how long the Series goes, the Twins might face only one right-handed starter. That would be John Smoltz. Pittsburgh's batters could tell the Twins' left-handed batters that they don't regard hitting against Smoltz as much fun as a day at the beach. The locals were derisive in their comments. They reminded that in the Twins' pennant year of 1987, Lei-brandt's experience in their palace laboring for Kansas City lasted less than an inning, yielding five hits and five runs.

A more optimistic outlook for the decision was this: Minnesota's Jack Morris is one of baseball's best pitchers. His record here is 22-6. If the Braves were to beat HIM here, in their first game in this bizarre place, what a lick that would be to the Twins. On the other side, a first-game Braves loss would leave a hardworking Glavine starting Sunday night with five days of rest. The Braves might not would admit it, but before they had finished toweling the champagne out of their hair Thursday night, they would have settled for splitting the first two games here, then getting the Twins for a good old outdoors three-game stint in Georgia.

Offense Is concern Minnesota's home margin this season was three times what it was when they hit the road. Also their victory margin against right-handed pitchers was three times what it was against lefthanders. Confidentially, the left-handers they faced in the American League season might not be quite as tough as Glavine, Avery and Leibrandt. One of the concerns expressed for Leibrandt was that he doesn't have a high quality fastball. That is not synonymous with defeat, as the hard-hitting Pittsburgh lineup can attest.

When all that has been studied, until further notice, the real concern for the Braves in this Series is whether they can muster more offense than they did against Pittsburgh. One of these nights Avery might blow up and allow a run, and then somebody is going to have to do something drastic. Fuller brushes off Ga. Tech, 23-14 Overtime bad time for FU, 26-23 I I jet nrv a- -jbs mm p-j i "i i I if it i I 'f A By Abe Hardesty News staff writer COLUMBIA In 18 efficient games as South Carolina's quarterback, Bobby Fuller has turned in only one sub-par performance. He made amends for that Saturday.

Fuller, who threw three interceptions in a nationally-televised loss to Georgia Tech that knocked USC out of the national rankings a year ago, burned the Yellow Jackets for 230 yards on 17 timely strikes without an interception and carried Carolina to a 23-14 upset at Williams-Brice Stadium. "I definitely didn't have a good game down there last year; I had three interceptions I wanted to change that," said Fuller, who has thrown only four interceptions in 200 passes this season. "But it wasn't as easy as it looked." Fuller made it look easy in a near-perfect first half, when the senior from Miami completed 13 of 18 throws for 156 yards and a surprising 20-0 USC lead. Poor field position confined Fuller to four completions in the second half, one of them a 55-yarder to Eddie Miller that set up an insurance field goal and helped USC avert late-game misfortune that had marked a 2-2-2 start. From a shotgun formation that featured four wideouts in an alignment they had not used in those first six games, Fuller was able to elude a heavy Georgia Tech pass rush and get the ball to his wide receivers 10 times.

"Our offense had a complete game today. It was a combination of things. We surprised them a little bit with the different formation, and I think it gave us a little mental advantage. We got on them early, and that helped," said Fuller. Fuller's accurate throws enabled USC, a 7-point underdog, to a 335-yard offensive day despite gaining only 81 yards on the r-v.

5 -j'. By Tim Peeler News staff writer As is tradition at Furman's Paladin Stadium, the winning team stayed long after the game was over, relishing in a victory that will probably give it the Southern Conference championship. But that winning team for the second week in a row was not Furman, which lost its second consecutive home game for the first time in the 11-year history of Paladin Stadium. The 26-23 triple overtime loss to Appalachian State was the first sudden-death contest between Southern Conference schools. The 16th-ranked Mountaineers need only to win one of their remaining two conference games to clinch a share of the Southern Conference championship, ending Furman's three-year claim on the title.

"This is the best feeling I have ever had," said Appalachian State punter Harold Alexander of Pickens, surrounded by 30 or so family members and friends. "My whole family was here, five sisters, nieces and a nephew. It's impossible to tell how many friends." Alexander, NCAA Division I-AA's leading punter, had another great day, averaging more than 50 yards on nine punts. But he also took part in the game's winning play, as the holder for place-kicker Jay Millson, who booted a 30-yard field goal to maintain the Mountaineers perfect Southern Conference record at 5-0 (6-2 overall). Ninth-ranked Furman falls to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the league, losing consecutive home games for the first time since 1979 when the Paladins played in Sirrine Stadium.

The kick came after the game THE NEWS DAVE EKHEN THE NEWS BART BOATWRIGHT Paul Siffri of Furman can't hang onto the ball as ASU's Gary Dandridge hits him Brandon Bennett dashes In for a first-quarter TD ground. Fuller got some help in the passing department from punter Darren Parker, who threw his first college pass from punt formation completing it to Frank Adams during an 80-play drive that made it 13-0 in the first quarter. It was part of a flawless first half by USC, 6-0 against Georgia Tech in Columbia. "We played an unbelievable first half. Our team is steadily improving," said USC coach Sparky Woods, who called the win "a relief." "I'm proud of the team; we See USC, Page 7C ended 17-17 in regulation play and both teams traded field goals in the first two overtimes.

Furman, which was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs last season by Nevada triple overtime, got the ball first in the third overtime and moved to the 16-yard line, but Paladin place-kicker Andrew Burr's 33-yard attempt was blocked by Appalachian State's Steve Wilks. Millson had missed second-half field-goal attempts of 47 and 42 yards, but made all three of his attempts in the overtime periods. "I have never felt as good for a team as I do for this one today," See Furman, Page 6C S.C. State loses first game; Presbyterian's misery at home continues, Page 2C. William Mary beats Citadel; Blundin accurate in Virginia victory; Page 3C.

Washington stops California dreamin' Page 4C. Vandy stuns Georgia, 27-25, Page 5C. NFL previews, auto racing roundupPage 8C. High schools, Page 11 C. Outdoors, Page 14C.

Golf notes, Page 15C..