Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 11

Rodeo, horse racing 2B fl The Baseball Page 3B Golf, auto racing 4B Tigers choice weighs Great Falls Tribune Monday, June 25, 1990 Dodgers can't cash in, lose pons PTJT1 7 1 1 I i It had to end GREAT FALLS HELENA Ob bl Ingram dh Sill MCorterM Webb Jb 4 110 Moslev2b Mondesi rf 4 0 0 1 Wheat 2b Buschlb 3 0 0 0 Coble If Griffin 3b 4 0 11 TCarterlb Grave 3 110 Powell 3b Andrews ph 1 0 0 0 Couture rf Perezc 0 0 0 0 Floresc Mourerss 4 0 2 0 Edwardsdh Blackwell If 4 0 2 0 Babercf if i mr of-Z-- By MIKE TOWNE Tribune Sports Writer HELENA The Great Falls Dodgers ended the game with the same problem that plagued them in the early innings they couldn't take full advantage of golden opportunities. The Dodgers put men on first and third base with one out in the top of the ninth, only to see the rally die when Garey Ingram hit into a controversial game-ending double play. Great Falls exited Kindrick Legion Field with 5-3 defeat, its first in five starts this season, and a two-game split with Helena. Eric Blackwell singled to right with one out in the ninth, then scooted to third on Keoki Farrish's single to right center. Ingram followed with a grounder to shortstop Mike Carter, who threw to second baseman Chris Wheat to force out Farrish.

Farrish slid hard into Wheat, forcing him to drop the ball. Umpire Don Rea called interference on Farrish, however, and Ingram was automatically called out at first. Vavra argued vehemently with Rea, but to no avail. "The ump said he (Farrish) tried to knock the ball down. No way," Vavra said.

"Keoki came in with a real hard slide. He was just trying to break up the double play." Vavra said the call didn't cost Great Falls the game, admitting that if the Dodgers had taken advantage of similar opportunities earlier, they probably wouldn't have needed a ninth-inning rally. "We had opportunities in just about every inning, but just couldn't get the guys in," he said. In the eighth inning, for example, Lonnie Webb and Tim Griffin were stranded on third and second base, respectively, when pinch-hitter Dan Andrews grounded out to second. Webb led off with a bunt single off reliever Brian Souza, while Griffin Thomas turns jeers to cheers ATLANTA (AP) It took a long time on a hot Sunday afternoon, but Andres Thomas finally turned the boos into cheers.

Thomas, hitless in five previous trips, opened the 12th inning with his second home run of the season, giving the Atlanta Braves a wild 1 1-10 victory over the San Diego Padres Sunday. "It was appropriate for Andres to go ahead and win it for us," Bobby Cox said, squaring his record at 1-1 since taking over as manager of the Braves on Friday when the team fired Russ Nixon. "It seemed like everybody thought his first name was Boo," Cox said. Thomas drew the boo birds early when he booted the first play of the game. He made another error later in the game.

"They let me know when I do bad," said Thomas, who was See BRAVES, 2B Tribune Photo by Mike Towne Great Falls Dodgers catcher Dan Gray drills a single against the Helena Brewers Sunday. Irwin makes it two PGA wins By BOB GREEN AP Golf Writer HARRISON, N.Y. Hale Irwin has his double, and he won't even try for a triple. "I have other, more pressing matters to attend to next week," the U.S. Open champion said Sunday after he made the Buick Classic his second victory in six days.

And just what are those more pressing matters that will keep him from competing in next week's tournament? "Going home and being with my family," Irwin said. "I'm excited about the double. I'm very, very pleased. But I'm quite exhausted," said Irwin, who came to ftf" j'- V' ob bl 4 2 2 1 2 0 10 2 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 4 110 4 12 1 4 111 4010 Farrish cf 3010 Totals 35 3 I Great Falls Helena Totals 35 12 4 110 MM 000-3 001 400 00X-S AAndpv 9. M.Carter, Griffin, Webb.

DP-Helena 7. LOB-Great Falls 4, Helena e. 2B-lngram, couture. SB-weno, Mondesi, Busch, Coble, Powell, IP ER B8 SO Great Falls O'Conner UO-l 3 1-3 7 4 4 0 4 Strvker 1 2-3 1 0 1 1 Deiarld 3 3 0 0 0 2 Helena 7 5 3 1 1 5 Kellogg 1 2 0 0 0 1 Souza 1 2 0 0 0 0 HBP-FarrlshbyZlmbauer. A-913.

stroked a two-out single to left. Dan Gray, Ron Maurer and Blackwell hit consecutive singles in the second, but the Dodgers came up with only one run. Helena pitcher Jason Zimbauer got out of the jam when he picked Ingram off first base. Maurer was on third at the time. Taking advantage of Ingram's leadoff double and two Helena errors, Great Falls scored two quick runs in the top of the first.

But the damage could have been worse had Raul Mondesi not been caught off third just seconds after stealing the base. "We did some good things offensively. Some of the guys showed more aggressiveness at the plate," Vavra said. "But we took away a lot of our opportunities. "All is not lost by the outcome.

We executed a few of the fundamentals, and we saw some good things in (starting pitcher Ben) O'Conner and (reliever John) Dejarld." O'Conner was looking good until the fourth inning, when Helena See DODGERS, 2B Tribune Photo by Gerl Pursley looked for Caniggia breaking toward the Brazilian goal. But his passes were constantly intercepted by the Brazil backs. "Maradona plays because his name is Maradona," Argentine coach Carlos Bilardo said. "Few others would play with his physical condition. He is constantly beaten, and he goes on playing because he is Maradona.

I don't know how he can play with his injuries." Maradona has been playing on a swollen ankle and with knee problems. In the first half, he appeared to injure his right shoulder when he tripped and rolled over Brazil's Al-amao. "It won't be 100 percent (his ankle)," Maradona said. "You can see it as a hemotoma. But this victory changes my ankle.

In the victory celebration in the locker room, I felt perfectly well." Brazilian coach Sebastiao Laz-aroni was less than generous in discussing the game. "We saw a team determined to win," he said. "It was one of the best games played by Brazil. during second-inning action in a row Azinger, who once closed within one stroke of the lead, was quick to attest to the life left in the 45-year-old Irwin, the oldest man ever to win the Open. "Being behind, I figured I'd have to shoot a good score to have a chance, and I certainly thought 65 would be good enough.

"But I'd have had to shoot 63 just to catch him. I did as good as I can do," said Azinger, who will defend his title next weekend at nearby Hartford, Conn. Just as he did in celebration of a 72nd-hole birdie in the Open at Medinah, Irwin trotted to the gallery and slapped high-fives with fans after a last-hole birdie. While he dislikes losing Rodgers, Bird said Ford would have an easy transition from assistant to head coach in the same organization. "Jim let Chris do a lot.

Chris has been there since the beginning of all of us, so it's just up to the players to come together and not worry there's going to be a new coach," he said. Bird said he expects to play better next season. At the same time, he admitted his desire to work out in the offseason has waned. "I haven't done anything. I can't get into it like I did in past years." Bird says fired Rodgers never had chance Look out Open." Paul Azinger, who was two strokes behind in second, was simply amazed.

"It's hard to follow up any win," Azinger said. "I can't imagine what it takes to follow up an Open victory." It took four consecutive rounds in the 60's, capped by a bogey-free final round of 66 and a 15-under-par total of 269 as Irwin became the first player since Billy Casper in 1966 to follow up an Open triumph with a win in the next tournament. "It shows there's still some life left, still some fun left," said Irwin, who had gone five seasons without a victory before his Open triumph. "Kevin is not replaceable. You don't give up a guy to hope you'll pick up a guy in the draft to do the things Kevin does," said Bird, who traditionally spends the summer in French Lick, his hometown in southern Indiana.

He also dispelled recent rumors that he would approve of a trade to the Indiana Pacers. "It's not in my plans to leave Boston. I want to finish my career there. The Pacers had their chance once, so too bad," he said with a laugh. this event after winning his third U.S.

Open title in a 19-hole playoff Monday. "It's been very, very tense week, a lot of work. But these are the days Hale Irwin you look forward to. There aren't many of them. And, at this stage of my career, I probably appreciate these two more than any others.

I'm proud of myself in the way I reacted after such an emotional week at the eventually replaced by assistant Chris Ford. Bird said he believes injuries to key players, including himself, and lackluster draft picks combined to spell doom for Rodgers. "We're getting older, but it's not me, Kevin (McHale) or Robert's (Parish) fault. You have to get the people to fill in," Bird said. "We just haven't got the guys who can come in and get the job done." Bird scoffed at suggestions that trading McHale or Parish would bolster the Celtics' aging lineup.

i 'if' '1 i. Tommy Thielen was in a bad way after being bucked off his bull Sunday at the Augusta Rodeo, but he was uninjured. See page 2B for details. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Larry Bird said former Boston Celtics coach Jimmy Rodgers never got a fair shake before he was fired. "It's sort of a shock they let Jimmy go.

When K.C. (Jones) was coaching things ran pretty smooth. When Jimmy took over he never really had a chance," Bird said prior to playing in his annual all-star charity basketball game Sunday night at Market Square Arena. Rodgers was fired after the Celtics lost to the New York Knicks in the first-round of the NBA playoffs and As usual, Maradona makes the difference By FRANK BERTUCCI Gannett News Service TURIN, Italy He had taken no shots in the first three games of this tournament, partly because he had spent so much time on the ground after being fouled. He finally had a shot a free kick late in Sunday's game against Brazil but before that, Diego Maradona had made the one play which was the difference in Argentina's 1-0 victory against Brazil before 61,381 in DelleAlpi Stadium.

With nine minutes to play in regulation, he picked up the ball near midfield, moved past three defenders. As he moved into Brazil's zone, three players committed toward him, leaving Claudio Caniggia free, breaking toward the goal. Maradona's perfect cross hit Caniggia in full stride. Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel moved out and went to take the ball from Caniggia. But Caniggia took one step to his left, past the fallen goalie, and left-footed a soft shot into the net for the winning goal Germans 4B and a major upset for the defending champion in this World Cup.

"We won against a great team," Maradona said. "Argentina is not dead. We are alive, and when we are alive we are dangerous." Brazil controlled play from the outset, nearly scoring in the game's first minute when Careca, Maradona's teammate with the Italian club Napoli, beat two defenders only to have Argentine goalie Sergio Goycoechea slide up to kick the ball away. The Brazilians danced around the Argentine zone throughout the first half, not letting a ball reach its goalie until about 20 minutes had been played, and then only when a Brazilian goalie passed the ball back. Meanwhile, Maradona was being grabbed, tripped and kept out of the play.

For the most part, he stayed in the midfield area, and when he did get the ball he usually Argentina's Diego Maradona (right) and Carlos Verri of Brazil fight for control of the ball during World Cup action Sunday in Rome..