Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 50

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES 10 ws i Eckeircl repoirts acpreirrBen)ll: wMh Vikings' Lowest BASKETBALL By TIM LOONEY Times Staff Writer make himself a better player," Vikings coach Dave Redding said of Lovett, who averaged 14 points a game as a freshman, 16 as a sophomore, and 21.7 as a junior. "He went from middle school to high school, moved right in and just upped it a notch. "I expect him to do the same thing at Eckerd. I think Tony made a really wise choice." The Tritons finished 19-9 this year, establishing a team record for victories.

Gerald Jones. He contributed 10.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game to pace the Vikings to a 21-9 record and a runner-up finish in Class 4A, District 8. He also hit on 72 percent (204 of 284) of his free throws and was among Northeast's leading rebound-ers. In March, he was named the St. Petersburg Times Pinellas County Player of the Year.

"Tony's the kind of player who always knows the type of things he needs to do to their games, securing two district championships, one region title, and one section crown. This past season, Lovett won his second consecutive Pinellas County scoring title and led the county in assists. The second-team all-state player has a 3.5 grade-point average and selected Eckerd from a number of interested Division I and II colleges, including NIT participants St. Louis and Penn State. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

"I am very impressed with Tony," Harley said. "He's a nice player and one of the neatest kids we've ever had visit here. We're just happy that he feels this is the best place for him to play. We think he will do just fine." In 1989-90, Lovett averaged 26.1 points to win the Pinellas scoring crown by almost three points per game over Largo's ST. PETERSBURG Northeast High basketball player Tony Lovett, a 1989-90 Class 4A all-state selection, has made a verbal commitment to play for Eckerd College next season, Tritons head coach Jim Harley said Thursday.

Lovett, 5 feet 10 as a senior, started at point guard for four seasons at Northeast. The Vikings won 72 percent (88 of 122) of FSL underway Pitching staff is St. Petersburg's strength Sotir's players think winning By WAYNE McKNIGHT Times Correspondent MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL throwers in the minor leagues. Another outstanding pitching prospect is left-hander Mike Milchin. Milchin was rated the second-best prospect in St.

Louis' organization by Baseball America. Milchin attended Clemson University where he was an outstanding hitter He was selected in the second round of the 1989 draft. Other key hurlers for the Cardinals will be Mark Clark, Cory Satterfield and Bradley DuVall. Dean Weese and Steffan Majer will be instrumental coming out of the bullpen. St.

Petersburg will be under the direction of manager Joe Pettini. His pitching coach is former St. Petersburg Cardinal Jay North. The Cardinals' infield is anchored by former University of Miami standout Mike Fiore. Fiore, who was the first winner of the Dick Howser trophy, will play third base.

At shortstop will be Tripp Cromer, and playing second base will be Jose Trujillo. Henry Hernandez will start at first base and Jose Fernandez will be behind the plate. The outfield corps has traditional qualities of the Cardinal organization. Lonnie Maclin, Ed Carter, Bobby DeLoach, Steve Graham and Antron Grier all have outstanding speed and defensive skills. St.

Petersburg will play a 140-game schedule, which runs through August. Homes games, played Monday through Saturday, will begin at 7:30 p.m. All home Sunday starting times will be moved to 6 p.m. Season tickets and general admission tickets are on sale now. Call the Cardinals' office at 822-3384 for details.

ST. PETERSBURG St. Louis has always stockpiled its baseball organization with a surplus of talented young hurlers. Each season, the Cardinals spread those wealth of arms throughout their minor league operation. However, this year many of St.

Louis' top prospects have landed in St. Petersburg. "We have an outstanding pitching staff," said Brian Borchardt, who is the Cardinals public relations spokesman. "Many of the top-rated pitchers for the Cardinals have come here." The St. Petersburg Cardinals open their 25th year as a St.

Louis affiliate in the Florida State League on the road today against the FSL champion Charlotte Rangers. Charlotte defeated the Cardinals last year for the FSL crown. It's St. Petersburg's first year under the two-partner ownership of Joel Schor and Stephen Porter. Both owners succeeded Jack Tracz.

St. Petersburg's first home game is Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. against the Clearwater Phillies. The St. Petersburg Times will sponsor the opener, and fans must have a coupon cut from the Times to enter the ballpark free.

The first 1,000 fans to enter will receive squeeze bottles. Leading the Cardinals pitching rotation will be John Ericks. Baseball America regarded Ericks as the Cardinals' top prospect. Ericks, who is 6-7 and weighs 220, is an intimidating force on the mound. Ericks was selected by the New York Yankees in the 1988 draft and came over as compensation for former Cardinal Jack Clark.

Borchardt said Ericks, 22, has been clocked in the mid-90 mile per hour range, and is one of the hardest Timet photo 4IM DAMASKE Eric Spicher of Clearwater slides safely into the base before Countryside's Chris Heintz can apply the tag during a game Wednesday in the Dunedin spring baseball tournament Former major-league man Elia leads Phils By MIKE PAYNE Times Correspondent By WAYNE McKNIGHT Times Correspondent ST. PETERSBURG Two weeks ago, members of the Clearwater baseball team were bickering instead of winning. BASEBALL So, instead of hammering out strategies and lecturing about mechanics, coach Steve Sotir told the team to take a day off. "We couldn't believe it," said senior John Timko, the Tornadoes' catcher. "We were losing, fussing with one another, and not hitting.

And coach gave us the day off." Sotir took his old hitting notes and compiled a quiz. He told the players to go home, think, and study about hitting. They would have to run a lap for every quiz question they missed. "I wanted to get everyone thinking about hitting," Sotir said. "Sure, the coaches can stand out here every day and explain to them about hitting, but I figured they needed it on another level.

You have the auditory level and the visual level. This was my way of reaching them visually." He did. "We started thinking and understanding the art of hitting better," shortstop Mark Wrenn said. "Some of us started shifting our weight and keeping our hands back on the breaking pitches. It's amazing what a lesson can do." "It was a great tool for us," rightfielder Ryan Becker said.

"Those quizzes inspired us and gave us a new direction." The Tornadoes (9-10 through Wednesday) started hitting, scoring 39 runs last week in beating Tarpon Springs 14-1, Pinellas Park 15-11 and Dunedin 10-5. "I think the quizzes were psychological," Sotir said after his team beat Gibbs 3-0 Monday night in its first game at the Dunedin spring tournament. "Seeing it on paper helped those kids. It became more elementary to them and reinforced the concepts behind hitting." On Monday night against Gibbs' Cory Brown, right-handed batter Timko drilled an outside breaking pitch to right-cen-terfield for an RBI double. "I became more selective," Timko said.

"I started to think more about my stance and what I was doing at the plate." Sotir has not stopped the testing. He stops players in the hall- ways at school and asks them a quick question and expects a correct answer. He has a mental-aspect book about hitting and seeks challenges for each player. "I guarantee you we are the best-conditioned and most knowledgeable baseball players in the county," Sotir said. "I constantly try to sharpen their minds and get them to concentrate on the different boundary lines of the game." Since Sotir implemented the quizzes, Clearwater has been hitting over .300 as a team.

The Tornadoes had won six straight games heading into a semifinal Thursday night against Dunedin in the spring tournament. "We've got the chemistry now," Wrenn said. "We got to- gether during our losing spin and stopped blaming one another." Scaling the mountain: "We've been trying for a long time to beat Sarasota, and now we have finally climbed the mountain," Dixie Hollins coach Bill Sebring said after the Rebels beat the top-ranked Class 4 A school 3-2 Wednesday night. Brandon Markiewicz drilled a bases-loaded double in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie and give Dixie Hollins a 3-0 lead. "That was a sensational moment," Markiewicz said.

"All I kept on thinking at the plate was fastball. When the count went to 3-2, 1 knew he was going to throw me a fastball." Three times, the Rebels stopped the defending champion Sailors from taking the lead. Twice, the Sailors bounced into double plays with the bases loaded. Markiewicz and second baseman Rob Gerdes teamed to turn both. "They were crucial plays," Sebring said.

"We really came through when we needed against an experienced team." Relief pitcher Chris Shafer came in for starter Brian Wil-liad in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and no outs. Shafer gave up a two-run single to Ron Scott but then struck out two of the Sailors' power hitters to end the threat and the game. "This really gives us the confidence we need," Markiewicz said. "We knew we had the potential to beat Sarasota, and we proved it tonight." PCC standings Through Saturday' game enced five-man pitching rotation. Cliff Brantley, a 21-year-old right-hander out of Staten Island, N.Y., was the Phillies' No.

2 pick in 1986 and has spent parts of the past two seasons with Clearwater. Last season, Brantley devoted part of his tenure in the Florida State League to rehabilitation. He remains one of the Phillies bright pitching prospects and draws the opening assignment against visiting Dunedin tonight. "I've got as good a shot as anyone to make the big leagues, the good Lord willing," said Brantley, a honors student in high school who turned down a University of Michigan football scholarship to sign with the Phillies. "I was a little surprised to be here, but it's a business and I've just got to do the things I need to do to move up as soon as I can." Also in the rotation are left-hander Andy Carter, the organization's top pitcher in 1988, when he was at Class A Spartanburg; 21-year-old right-hander Jeff Patterson, who impressed Phillies officials during the fall instructional league; and right-handers Tim Dell and Darrell Lindsey, who were acquired in the 1988 draft.

Steve Scarsone, one of the most popular Clearwater players ever during his season of 1988, is back at second base after a .179 season in AA. First baseman Jaime Barragan also returns. Relief pitchers Kevin Fynan, Shelby Lee Langley and Todd Elam all saw action in Clearwater last season. Mark Randall, signed in 1989, saved 13 games at Spartanburg and could get plenty of work in the FSL. CLEARWATER When the Clearwater Phillies take the field tonight to open the Florida State League baseball season, it will be under the guidance of their sixth manager in as many seasons.

This one brings an impressive background. Lee Elia, a resident of Clearwater and a longtime player and manager in the Phillies organization, brings 32 years of baseball experience to the Class A Phillies. He also may turn out to be the first manager of the Clearwater team to last more than one season. "If everything works out, I'll be the happiest guy in the world," Elia said. "Right now, my desires are for it to work out.

I'd like to stay in this Elia, born in Philadelphia, managed the major-league Phillies in 1987 and 1988, after serving as their dugout coach for three seasons. He managed the Chicago Cubs in 1982 and '83. But working with Class A players will be new. The only thing Elia promises is that he will be fair and that player development will remain a priority. "The only thing they've said to me as far as a concern was that it was pretty lax the way things were run here last year," Elia said of the organization's decision to place him in Clearwater.

"I don't know, because I wasn't around. People always ask me: Are you going to be tough? I'd have to say this year I'm going to be fair." Elia's job, and that of pitching coach and former major-league pitcher John Martin, might be made easier because the Phillies have a somewhat experi Corrf. AM Taam Northeast 11 0 16 2 Dixie Holltns 10 2 14 4 Pinellas Park 7 4 8 10 Lakewood 7 5 11 6 Dunedin 7 5 12 7 Clearwater 7 5 8 10 Osceola 7 6 9 7 Seminole 6 6 8 10 Tarpon Springs 5 6 9 8 Largo 4 6 6 8 East Lake 5 7 7 10 Boca Ciega 4 8 6 9 St. Petersburg 3 6 5 9 Gibbs 3 8 5 10 Countryside 1 10 1 14 Private schools Team Shorecrest 10 2 Keswick Christian 9 3 St Petersburg Catrt. 7 4 NorthskJe Christian 8 7 Clearwater Catholic 6 9 Admiral Farragut 2 4 Thorn Howard 0 5 Canterbury 0 8 Young Blue Jays focus on development By MIKE PAYNE Times Correspondent Softball champ to play bay area teams By TIM LOONEY Times Staff Writer man, a left-hander who was 5-6, 2.51, and eight saves at Dunedin last season; Blaine Rudolph, drafted from the Detroit Tigers in the winter minor league draft; and Al Silverstein, 2-4 at Dunedin last season.

And keep an eye on 6-5, 210-pound right-hander Pete Blohm, who was selected from the Baltimore Orioles over the winter in the minor league draft. He was 13-4, 2.32 at Class A Augusta last season. Third baseman Ray Giannelli hit .301 with 18 home runs and 84 RBI at Myrtle Beach. He'll bat third in the order. Juan DeLaRosa had 1 1 home runs and 74 RBI along with 19 stolen bases at Myrtle Beach and will in right field although the Blue Jays want to see him cut down on the strikeouts (124 last season).

Greg O'Halloran, a member of the 1988 Canadian Olympic Team, is one of four catchers on the club although Rick Vaughan will open the season on the disabled list. O'Halloran, however, has a sore arm and will be used at designated hitter for awhile. Outfielder Tim Hodge, 19, will open the season in leftfield. The No. 2 pick in 1988 batted .228, with four homers and 39 RBI at Myrtle Beach last season and struck out 142 times.

But he also showed he can get on base, drawing 75 walks. Holmberg has eight years of minor managerial experience, seven with the Blue Jays. "The big thing with me is the frame of mind you go out and play the game with," he said. "I've preached to the players, attitude is important. I'm not after Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts.

I'm looking for hard-nosed ballplayers with good attitudes when they take the field." DUNEDIN The emphasis will continue to be player development, but Dunedin Blue Jays manager Dennis Holmberg still wants to win some ballgames. "In terms of experience," the first-year Dunedin manager said, "We don't have a highly experienced club. But we have a chance to develop and improve." That's not to say the Blue Jays are destined for the cellar of the Florida State League's West Division. The pitching staff is talented and should fare well in the league's large ballparks. Anthony Ward, Toronto's 10th pick in 1988 out of Oral Roberts Univesity, gets the start in the season opener tonight at Clearwater.

He missed a month of the season last year at Class A Myrtle Beach with an elbow injury, but appears fully recovered. He'll be followed in the rotation by right-handers Rich Depastino, Dave Weathers, the Blue Jays No. 3 pick in 1988, Rick Trlicek and Jesse Cross. Trlicek, 20, was acquired from Atlanta for Ernie Whitt and former Dunedin Blue Jay Kevin Batiste. He opened spring training in the Jays' major league camp and is considered a good prospect.

He started in the Phillies chain but was released last March. "I have great expectations for our pitching staff," Holmberg said. "But once you pitch the ball you've got to catch the ball. And you've got to score runs." Mike Timlin saved seven games at Dunedin last season and is back. Tim Brown, a Brandon High graduate who was drafted out of St.

Petersburg Junior College, is up from Class A Myrtle Beach and will also work out of the bullpen as will Canadian Vince Hors- Street. For more information, call Jeff Singleton at 821-4602. Scottish Run is Saturday morning DUNEDIN Karl Heinz Datismann, visiting on the Suncoast from Stuttgart, West Germany, is looking forward to Saturday morning's Scottish Run in Dunedin. Datismann, a 42-year-old owner of a printing shop, will be one of 500 runners on the starting line of either the new 10-kilometer event or the fifth annual 5K race along Dunedin's scenic Edgewater Drive overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway. "This is my family's third year in a row on holiday at Clearwater Beach," said Datismann, a triathlete first and runner second whose best time for 10K is 37 minutes.

Pre-registration is available today at the Chamber of Commerce in Dunedin, Piggly Wiggly stores in Dunedin and Clearwater, and the Jogging Center in Largo. Registration is available on site at Marina Park off Edgewater Drive in Dunedin before the 8 a.m. start of the 1 mile event at 7:45 a.m. The 5K starts at 8:00 and the 10K at 8:15. Correspondent Dave Theall contributed to this report ST.

PETERSBURG The Bell Corporation Slow-Pitch Softball Team, which won the 1989 Inter- tmmi mmm national Softball Asso-mjpw ciation World Crown, SPORTS IN BRIEF will open its 1990 sea- son this weekend with a six-game exhibition tour through the Tampa Bay area. The Bell squad, which averaged 13V4 home runs and 35 runs scored per game last year, will play two games tonight at St. Petersburg's Woodlawn Park, two games tomorrow afternoon at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater and two tomorrow night at Greco Park in Tampa. Bell, which also has won two national championships, this weekend will play some of the area's top slow-pitch teams, including Al Estes Auto Insurance, a 1989 national runner-up, and all-star squads from St.

Petersburg and Tampa. Games today and Tuesday begin at 7 p.m. Wood-lawn Park is situated at 16th Street and 13th Avenue N. The Eddie C. Moore Complex is at Drew Street and McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater.

Greco Park is located just south of the University of South Florida Sun Dome in Tampa, off Fowler Avenue and 50th.