The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 55

YourLIFE: DONT LET FALLING LEAVES BECOME A NIGHTMARE, PAGE C-5 HMDlrtS Courier News -c-i Tuesday. October 3. 2000 LEADING OFF Big pass play turns fide in Chiefs' uin 10-yard loss, was flagged 15 yards for taunting. Then, a penalty against defensive tackle Dan Williams for having his hands to the face turned Seattle's fourth-and-5 into a first down at the Chiefs 40. On first and goal from the 1, Itula Mili got behind two defenders in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 Seattle lead.

In the second quarter, Grbac was 5-for-5 for 69 yards in an 8-play, 78-yard touchdown drive. On the 15-yard touchdown pass, the ball went through the hands of linebacker George Koonce and into the hands of tight end Tony Gonzalez. By DOUG TUCKER The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. There's nothing like a 73-yard play to snatch momentum away from one football team and give it to the other. The Kansas City Chiefs, trailing 17-7 and backed up to their own 5-yard-line late in the third period, got a giant spark from Elvis Grbac's big completion to Derrick Alexander and scored 17 straight points to beat the Seattle Seahawks, 24-17, Monday night.

The Seahawks were in control for 2 12 quarters. They took a 1 7-7 lead on a 27-yard field goal in the third quar- Vik ASSOCIAIED PRESS PM0I0 down Seahawks running back Ricky night in Kansas City, Mo. ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES it Chiefs linebacker Marvcus Pattern takes Watters during the first quarter Monday PRIDE 6 Somerset again swept in finals with 14-inning loss to Nashua in Game 3. By GEOFF MOSHER Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER This time, the Somerset Patriots came to play a baseball game. They arrived at Commerce Bank Ballpark determined to fight for the ounce of life remaining in their season.

They answered rallies with rallies, scratched and clawed until the end, offered emotion and pizzazz missing in their prior two defeats. But this time, effort alone was not enough. Jose Reyes' home run in the 14th inning off John Briscoe boosted the Nashua Pride to a 6-5 victory over the Patriots before 2,837 in Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series. Nashua won the series, 3-0. For the second consecutive season, the Patriots failed to capture a postseason victory and watched the opposition parade the field before being presented with the Atlantic League trophy.

The Patriots had kept their season alive when Omar Garcia lined an opposite-field home run See PATRIOTS on page C-2 ft After Eric Hicks' third sack of Jon Kitna forced the Seahawks to punt a few minutes later, the Chiefs drove to the Seattle 8 and Pete Stoyanovich tied it at 17-17 with a 27-yard field goal with 3:18 into the fourth quarter. Then, with all the momentum belonging to the Chiefs, Dante Hall sped 22 yards with a Seattle punt and the Chiefs took their first lead of the night with 4:26 left when Mike Cloud beat Willie Williams to the end zone on a 15-yard touchdown run. Aided by six penalties against the Chiefs for 32 the Seahawks burned nine minutes off the clock with their first possession. Hicks, after sacking Kitna for a PATRIOTS 5 STAFF PHOTO BY WILLIAM D. BIRD on during Monday night's game.

Milt Cuyler, who laid down another sacrifice bunt. Briscoe barehanded the ball but threw it past Lipso Nava at third base and Reyes came home to make it 5-5. "It's the type of thing where maybe they were pressing a little bit," Lyle added. "We were down two games to nothing. But they're just trying to win a ball-game.

I can't fault any one of them. I really can't. "I'm proud of every single one of these guys. They really came out to play. We should have won the game.

But you can't look back now. You play that way and keep opening the door against a team like Nashua and that's what happens to you." Although Somerset made a 3-6-1 double play to end the 12th inning, Nava later committed the Patriots' fifth error by overthrowing first on a grounder by Malave, who didn't score. Ms Atlantic League Baseball Coverage, Nashua 6 Patriots 5 NFL Coverage, C-1 Kansas City 24 Seattle 17 NHL Preseason Coverage, C-1 Devils 2 Islanders 1 NBA tickets on sale through hotline NEW YORK Purchasing tickets for NBA games should be easier when a new telephone hotline debuts Saturday. Through "NBA On-Sale fans can dial the league's hotline at 1-800-4NBA-T1X and purchase single-game tickets. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

The hotline, run by Ticket-master, makes the NBA the first major pro sports league to offer a single telephone hotline to purchase tickets. Tickets also can be purchased online at NBA.com and ticketmaster.com, as well as at teams' box offices and at the NBA Store in New York. Devils top Islanders in preseason finale EAST RUTHERFORD Turner Stevenson and Alexander Mogilny scored as the New Jersey Devils closed out the preseason with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Monday night. The Stanley Cup champions finished the preseason with a record of 4-2-2-1. The Islanders were winless in the preseason, finishing 0-5-1.

The Islanders' most obvious problem remains a lack of offense. They scored only seven goals in six preseason games. Martin Brodeur lost his shutout bid when Taylor Pyatt scored a power-play goal with 2:38 remaining in the third. USGA's technical director steps down FAR HILLS Frank Thomas, the technical director of the U.S. Golf Association, resigned Monday after 26 years of leading the organization through sweeping changes in golf equipment.

time to move on to pursue other opportunities," Thomas said. "I have enjoyed my long relationship with the USGA and am proud to have been part of an organization dedicated to protecting the game." The 61 -year-old Thomas is best known for developing the Overall Distance Standard and Indoor Test Range for reviewing golf balls. He was involved in more than 5,000 decisions on whether equipment conformed to the Rules of Golf, and helped devise the procedure to measure spring-like effect in drivers. Middlesex man records first ace Jerry Fenton of Middlesex recently recorded a hole-in-one at Woodland Hills Country Club in Hellertown, Pa. Fenton aced the par-3, 168-yard No.

2 hole using a 6-iron. TODAY IN SPORTS Year: 1974 Frank Robinson signs a $175,000, player-manager contract with the Cleveland Indians, making him the first black manager in major-league history. ON THIS DATE, C-3 GOT A TIP? You can e-mail us at or call Dave Siminoff, sports editor, at (908) 707-3157. THIS SECTION CHIEFS 24 SEAHAWKS 17 ter by rookie Rian Lindell, who was making his first NFL start. But four minutes later, Grbac stepped back from his own 5 and hit Alexander streaking down the right side, beating Shawn Springs and going 73 yards before Reggie Tongue dragged him down from behind.

One play later, Alexander beat Springs in the end zone on a 17-yard pass, giving the Chiefs a 3-play scoring drive, with Grbac-to-Alexander accounting for 90 of the 95 yards. as Somerset shortstop Randy Brown looks i don't know what it was. Our defense has been there an year. I was surprised by it tonight" Sparky lle. Somerset lvdtriols manager Trailing 4-3 in the top of the ninth, the Pride pushed across the tying run on an error by second baseman Billy Hall, who threw wildly to first base trying to complete a double play off the bat of the Pride's Jose Malave.

James Lofton, who led off the frame with a single, scored to make it 4-4. In the 10th inning, relievers Rob Luce and John Briscoe made throwing errors to allow Nashua to score the go-ahead run. Luce threw high to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Tony Ro-drieguez, allowing Jose Reyes to sneak under the tag. Briscoe was brought in to face do was keep her on the move." The toughest win for Watchung Hills came in first doubles, but Johns and Gavornik put away Pingry with a flawless third set. "We knew what we had to do," Gavornik said.

"We were so fired up." Even after they won, Gavornik and Johns did not realize that their match decided the outcome, but they were thrilled nonetheless. "We knew it was going to be close," Johns said. "We have a great team and a lot of depth, but so does Pingry." Pingry did get the best of Watchung Hills in second doubles, as Alyssa Sussman and Ali Johnson beat Nadia Thursfield and Kathy Lifson 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. COMPLETE TOURNAMENT RESULTS. C-3 Yanks set to attempt to win one more title By JOHN DELCOS Staff Writer The line is thin that separates dynasty from contender, that'determines whether a team is to be feared or remembered.

It's inevitable, but the gradual erosion of talent from injury, age and economics affects all championship teams and pushes them over the line from greatness to nostalgia Dynasty or decline? That's the ques- "Everybody nonposea roaH7M of the Yankees: Will they continue their run to become the first team since been a part of something special and we believe we're capable of winning again." Joe Torre, Yankees manager the 1972-74 Oakland Ath letics to win three consecutive World Series or succumb to the diseases that kill all dynasties? "They know it," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "Everybody realizes we've been a part of something special, and we believe we're capable of winning again. You never take winning for granted, because you never know when you'll get back here." Since 1970, the year Curt Flood challenged baseball's reserve clausea leading to the birth of free agency only four teams have won consecutive World Series: the 1972-74 Athletics; the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds; the 1977-78 Yankees; and the 1992-93 Toronto Blue Jays. Oakland's dynasty ended when owner Charlie Finley broke up the team Jim Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi left for economic reasons rather than feed the economic monster. The See YANKEES on page C-2 Patriots second baseman Billy Hall stretches to tag out Nashua's Chop Pough Patriots' postseason struggles Defense unlikely problem for Pats The Patriots been in the Atlantic League Championship Series twice in its three-year history, and after a 6-5 loss to Nashua in Game 3 that ended early Tuesday morning, they still are looking for their first postseason victory.

'ft'- 2000 ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Somerset Patriots vs. Nashua Pride Game 1 Sept. 30 at Holman Stadium-. Pride 4, Patriots 1 Game 2 Oct. 1 at Holman Stadium: Pride 11, Patriots 1 Game 3 Oct.

2 at Commerce Bank Ballpark: Pride 6, Patriots 5 Patriots series batting average: .159 Patriots series earned-run average: 5.70 Slumps: Kevin Dattola: 3-for-13 Jose Viera: 1 -for-15 Omar Garcia: 2-for-10 (.200) 1999 ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Somerset Patriots vs. Bridgeport Bluefish Game 1 Sept. 14 at Somerset Ballpark: Bluefish 6, Patriots 2 Game 2 Sept. 18 at Harbor Yard: Bluefish 4, Patriots 3 Game 3 Sept. 19 at Harbor Yard: Bluefish 8, Patriots 3 Patriots series batting average: .192 Patriots series earned-run average: 5.04 Slumps: Jeff Berblinger: 2-for-ll Rob Lukachyk: 2-for-12 Luis Lopez: 3-for-14 (.214) By BOB CONSIDINE Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER With their backs against the wall in the Atlantic League Championship Series, the Somerset Patriots knew they had no room for error.

Unfortunately in their season-ending, 6-5 defeat in 14 innings to the Nashua Pride on Monday night, the Patriots made five of them. Two of Somerset's miscues in the ninth and the 10th innings were costly. "I don't know what it was," Patriots manager Sparky Lyle said. "A couple of times they said the ball was still wet. But our defense has been there all year.

I was surprised by it tonight." Defense was not a major issue for the Patriots this season. Their .974 fielding percentage was second best in the league. Marlene Milkosky said. "We were really up for this. We've built a strong program and they have high expectations of themselves." Kelso, who sat out last year's tournament after tranferring from Bernards, had high expectations as well.

She never really was threatened, dropping just nine games in three matches. "I've been wanting to win since I got to the semis freshman year, so I'm excited," Kelso said. "I kept the ball in. I was aggressive and I just played my game." In second singles, Millman's game was to capitalize on Weaver's hard-fought semifinal win over Bridgewater-Raritan's Steph Iannello. "I was down in the first set but I came back to win," Millman said.

"I knew she was tired. All I had to Kelso, Watchung Hills win county championships By JERRY CARINO Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER An old champion came through once again and a new champion emerged at Monday's Somerset County Girls Tennis Tournament finals. The old champion was Watchung Hills, which captured the second singles, third singles and first doubles crowns to win its third straight team title by two points over rival Pingry. The new champion was Pingry junior Christal Kelso, the top seed, who cruised to the first singles trophy with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of seventh-seeded Jen Liu of Bridgewater-Raritan. For Watchung Hills, prevailing yet again was a matter of balance.

The Warriors advanced Somerset County four flights to the finals. In the title matches, junior Jen Mill-man topped Ridge's Suzie Weaver 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 at second singles and freshman Amanda Graziandei got past Pingry's Gabby Rosenthal 6-3, 6-2 at third. And the clinching point came in first doubles, where Jackie Gavornik and Lauren Johns defeated Pingry's Jessica Magidson and Lexy Knopp 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0. "I've never seen one of my teams play better and rise to the occasion the way this team did today," Watchung Hills coach A SWF PH0I0 BV MICHAEL SCHWMtlZ Christal Kelso of Pingry prepares to hit a backhand shot during the Somerset County Tournament first singles championship against Bridgewater-Raritan's Jen Liu on Monday. Kelso won, Pages in this section were designed and edited by Dave Siminoff, Barrie Dawson and Frank DiLeo.

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