The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 15

THE SUN SECTION Bisiiss PRICING SUIT AGAINST SEARS MIGHT TRIGGER OTHERS 8B SATURDAY DECEMBER 23, 1989 a JOHN EISEWBERG Maryland finds extra punch in 104-86 victory IS li Chaminade Classic By Don Markus Sun Staff Correspondent HONOLULU Gary Williams has been searching all season, trying to find a set lineup for his University of Maryland basketball team and looking for the Terrapins to show the same passion and fire with which their coach roams the sidelines. In yesterday's opening round of the Chaminade Christmas Classic, Williams might have found both. In a wild game played in the bizarre setting of Pearl Harbor's indoor-outdoor Bloch Arena, Maryland built a 21 -point lead in the first half against George Mason, then withstood foul trouble on two starters, the ejection of sophomore forward Jerrod Mustaf for fighting and two rallies by the Patriots before pulling away for a 104-86 victory. The victory advanced Maryland (5-3) into tonight's first semifinal game against East Tennessee State (7-1). Earlier yesterday, the Buccaneers blew a 20-point lead before holding off East Carolina (5-4), 86-80.

It was certainly the most satisfying victory for Williams since returning to his alma mater. "It's the most emotion we played ml vJ 'plx ri, Hn-J 'v ii 1 Coppin State turned off by Sacramento 87-81 I v- -t iff The best thing i about decade is it's nearly over About this decade do you think we can get a refund? Let's face It. It was a terrible 10 years of sports In Baltimore, and In Maryland. Brutal. Gruesome.

Depressing. Tragic. We had a better decade than communism, CBS and Al Halg. Oh, and the Los Angeles Clippers. But that Is about It.

Just think for a minute. What were the top stories of the decade? Colts leave town. Len Bias dies. Orioles collapse. Great.

Wonderful. Beautiful. Is there any way It could have been worse? OK, the Orioles could have lost 100 games again last year. OK, Bill Bidwill could have blessed us with his pitiful football team. Of course.

It's only fitting in such a decade that even a dunderhead like that didn't want us. The 10 years weren't a complete waste. The last baseball season was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. And the i Orioles did win a World Series In 1983. That was a party.

The people in Cleveland should be so lucky. The first three or four years of the i decade actually weren't so terrible. The Orioles were still winners. The Colts were still here. But then they I left in the snow one night In March 1984.

i It didn't matter that their owner I was a fool and we're better off with- out him. The departure of his team i was a civic failure, a national embar-j rassment. It made us feel small, like minor-leaguers. We're still recover- mg. Furthermore, the Colts' flight was i not unlike the first domino falling In i a line.

Bad things began to happen in a hurry, one after the other after the other. The decade spun Into a I free fall until the summer of i 1989. that is. I Within months of the Colts' de- parture, the Orioles began to unravel I after 20 years of excellence. Their I best players got old at the same time, and management tried to fill in with free agents, most of whom did not work out.

The minor-league system was barren. The city's love affair with Eddie Murray ended In acrimo-' nious divorce. The result was a monster decline that hit bottom with a 2 1 -game los-! Ing streak at the start of the 1988 season. But, hey, losing streaks were In i vogue around here this decade. Mor-! gan State lost 28 straight football games.

Bowie State lost 32 straight. Western Maryland went 29 without a win. A Navy basketball player missed 27 straight free throws. The i University of Maryland topped all that. The Terps' entire athletic de- partment went on a losing streak.

The first years of the decade weren't that bad at College Park. In fact, they were prosperous. The foot-! ball team won three straight confer- ence championships. The basketball 1 team went to the NCAA tournament six times. But then Bias, the best basketball player in school history, Ingested too much cocaine and died one night in June 1 986.

The loss of life was a tragedy. The See EISENBERG, 7B. Col. 4 Yesterday1! results Bloch Arena, Pearl Harbor East Tennessee State, B8, East Carolina 80 Maryland 104, George Mason 88 Sacramento State 87, Coppin State 81 Chaminade 80, Cornell 76 Today Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu 4 p.m. East Carolina vs.

George Mason 6:15 p.m. Coppin vs. Cornell 8:30 b.m. Maryland vs. East Tern nessee State 10:45 p.m.

Chaminade vs. Sacra- mento State Tomorrow Blaisdell Arena 4 p.m. 7th-8th place game 6:15 p.m. 5th-6th place game 8:30 p.m. 3rd-4th place game 10:45 p.m.

championship game with all year," said Williams, who used his sixth starting lineup in eight games this season, with Walt Williams, 6 feet 8. at point guard and Jesse Martin, 6-4, at small for- See MARYLAND, 2B, Col. 1 slty of Maryland Baltimore County two nights later? "Your guess is as good as mine," Mitchell said with a hearty laugh. Mitchell wasn't laughing last night at Bloch Arena. Or smiling.

The team that took a seven-point lead Into halftime, and still led, 55-50, with 13'2 minutes remaining, disappeared during a 19-0 run by the Division II Hornets. The result was a 87-81 loss for Coppin State (5-4). The defeat relegated the Eagles, See COPPIN, 1 chance after a pair of free throws by Bernard King (23 points, nine rebounds) made it 106-102 with Just over four "minutes left. But Ewing converted a Mark Jackson pass for a layup, and Oakley followed with a three-point play to put it out of reach. Oakley, who also grabbed a game-high 1 1 rebounds, showed rtp signs of rustiness after sitting out the Knicks' previous game against the Utah Jazz as his one-game suspension for brawling with the See BULLETS, 3B.

Col.i Largent says farewell; Rypieii coming home ByVitoStellino Sun Staff Correspondent SEATTLE When the Washington Redskins close their 1989 season against the Seattle Sea-hawks at the Kingdome today, the focus will be on Steve Largent's onnth anH last damp In rhp National Tycxn-7 rvf Hl1Tr TldlLy U1U11VC Towson State's Kurk Lee went past Loyola's Stephen Foley for a first-half layup during Towson's 87-79 victory. (Article, 2B) Knicks' supporting cast wears down Bullets, 122-112 By Alan Goldstein Sun Staff Corresponc ent LANDOVER If someone had told Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld before the game that New York Knicks center Patrick Ewlng would play only 27 minutes and be held to 22 points, he would have had reason to feel optimistic. But Unseld and the Bullets discovered last night that the Knicks are much more than a one-man team. The Atlantic Division leaders got strong perfonnances from a supporting cast headed by Johnny New- THE SUNGENE SWEENEY JR. Ing the quickness of Gerald Wllkins and substitute guard Rod Strickland and the inside power of Oakley and Ewlng to wear down the smaller, slower Bullets, who also had problems handling New York's trapping defense.

A major factor In the Bullets' collapse was the fatigue and knee problems of reserve center Mel Turpin, playing 18 minutes after starter Charles Jones got Into early foul trouble. Turpin contributed nine points and eight rebounds, but his knee was injured as he tried to defend a short hook by Oakley that put bitter feelings. They will join the team Dec. 30 and will be with their teammates on the sideline for the New Year's night game. But they'll be in street clothes.

"Taking two languages is real tough." Jones said yesterday from his home in Hyattsville. The alphabets are totally different. I needed time to study. "I want to play in this game. Coach Holtz is very high on academics, and he wanted to do what Is In our best interests.

I have the utmost respect for him, and I understand." Dahl, reached at his home In Chagrin Falls, Ohio, said he talked to an academic adviser and realized, "I wouldn't have time to get everything ready for final exams this week. I See NOTRE DAME, 6B. Col. 4 2 Irish starters pick books over bowl By Don Markus Sun Staff Correspondent HONOLULU Coppin State basketball coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell was saying on Thursday that he wasn't sure which Eagles team was going to show up for last night's game against Sacramento State in the opening round of the Chaminade Christmas Classic. Was it going to be the team that upset Maryland 10 days ago In College Park to cause such a stir around the state? Or was it going to be the team that was beaten by the Univer- the Knicks back on top, 94-93.

"I jammed it." Turpin said. "After that, I couldn't Jump at all, and they took it right to us. But I just had to do the best I could and tough it out." Turpin didn't tell Unseld of his problem, and the coach said, "I was not aware of It." What was apparent was how quickly the Knicks capitalized on the situation. In two minutes, they transformed a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead (102-95), and the Bullets could draw no rloser than four the rest of the way. Washington (12-13) had Its final fcMturrarrrrTT T-r-ri THE SUNGEI SWEENEY JR Redskins quarterback Mark Rvpien will be throwing before friends today in the Kingdome.

I I -y A "i man (25 points). Gerald Wllkins (19), Charles Oakley (18) and backup center Eddie Lee Wllkins (12) to stave off a'fourth-quarter rally and win their fifth straight. 122-1 12. before a Capital Centre crowd of 1 1,121. With Ewlng saddled by five fouls and sitting out the first seven minutes of the final period, the Bullets rallied behind the shooting of reserve guard Ledell Eackles (a season-high 27) to move ahead, 93-92, with 8 minutes, 10 seconds remaining.

But the Knicks streaked for 30 points in the final eight minutes, us- 66 We're not being penalized. It doesn't make sense to play if you don't know what's going on.W ANDRE JONES and Russian this semester. He said he had to "tighten things down" in both classes. Dahl, a Junior majoring in finance, said, "A bowl Is a lot of fun. But I had one class I wasn't doing too well In." Both players said they knew their options.

And both said there are no ByJimMartz Knlght-Ridder News Service MIAMI While their Notre Dame teammates will head for Miami Monday night, starting defensive linemen Andre Jones and Bob Dahl will remain at home. Coach Lou Holtz refuses to let them play against Colorado In the Federal Express Orange Bowl Classic. Their transgression? They opted to catch up on academic work rather than attend football practice last week. Holtz has a policy that you don't play If you don't practice whatever the circumstances. Jones, a Junior from Hyattsville, who majors In International relations and wants to work In U.S.Soviet relations, is taking Japanese Football League.

Mark Rypien hopes i to spoil Largent party. Largent is a virtual institution in Seattle. He is Mr. Seahawk. He Joined the team the year the franchise was born in 1976, and despite not having great speed, he has caught more passes (817).

for more yards (13,048) and more touchdowns (100) than any other receiver in NFL history. If that weren't enough, Largent is tireless In his charity work and has such a reputation for being a nice guy that he almost apologizes for it The Seattle fans can't wait to pay tribute to him. He'll be honored in a ceremony before the game. After the game, there'll be a retirement party at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center with the proceeds Orioles' ticket sales on record pace i SPORTS INSIDE Soccer The Blast's Scott Man-; ning, who will start in goal tonight against the Tacoma Stars, has re-established his position as the premier goalkeeper in the Major Indoor Soccer League. 3B Hockey: The Baltimore Skip-! jacks defeat the Halifax Citadels, 5-3, for their fifth victory in a row at the Baltimore Arena.

63 Racing: Track officials and the union reach an agreement to en-j ter into federal mediation. 7B Index Colleges 2B Hockey 6B i NBA 3B Preps 6B 5B Horses 7B important date In their season-ticket selling campaign, and another is approaching. By Dec. 15, season-ticket holders were required to notify the Orioles If they wanted to renew their seats at Memorial Stadium. And, in mid-January, the team will be recounting Its sales figures and reporting them to a group of 30 local businesses that See ORIOLES, 7B.Col.4 By Mark Hyman Three months before Opening Day, the Baltimore Orioles apparently are on their way to a season-ticket sales record.

As of yesterday, about 11,000 season tickets (full-season and mini-plan equivalents) had been sold for the 1990 baseball season, team officials said. The franchise record Is 1 1.707 season tickets for the 1985 season. "Clearly, we'll pass that before January Is over." said Orioles vice president Lou Michaelson, who oversees the team's ticket-sales efforts. After reaching a peak In 1985. season-ticket sales slid for three straight years, bottoming out at 10,082 for the 1988 season.

They rebounded to 10.777 in 1989. despite 107 losses the season before, and are on the rise again. The Orioles Just have passed one going for the homeless. See REDSKINS, 5B. 1 I Playoff picture.

5B.