The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 90

SAN DIEGO COUNTY EDITION PORT CoaAtiflricfi (Times Thursday. September 1988 CCtPart III Baseball Owners Are Guilty Again, Arbitrator Rules Jim Murray Art Rooney: Gentle Man, Gentleman Jan. 8 for free agents coveted by their former clubs," he wrote. "It was also known that 'other clubs' were not expected to sign such free agents after Jan. 8." The Major League Players in the Collusion I penalty hearing being conducted by Roberts, which is in recess until October, has introduced testimony alleging that players lost $50 million to $60 million in salaries because of collusion after the 1986 season.

The union, in the wake of Roberts' decision, is seeking financial compensation for the 62 free agents and 227 players who filed or were eligible to file for arbitration after the 1985 season. It will also seek compensation, Executive Director Donald Fehr said Wednesday, for the 79 free agents and 139 players who filed or were eligible to file for arbitration after the 1986 season. Certain released players and players who were not tendered contracts by their respective clubs during those two winters may also be compensated. Agent Tom Reich estimated that the decisions by Roberts and Nicolau could cost the owners as much as $100 million. Please see COLLUSION, Page 8 ByROSSNEWHAN, Times Staff Writer In another ruling that tarnishes baseball's integrity and the legacy of outgoing Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, arbitrator George Nico-lau said Wednesday that the owners had violated the collective bargaining agreement a second time by acting in concert to restrict free -agent movement in the winter of 1986-87.

Nicolau's decision, delivered in New York, was similar to that of arbitrator Tom Roberts, who ruled last Sept. 21 that the owners were guilty of collusion in the winter of 1985-86. The two rulings could cost the clubs millions of dollars, depending on the outcome of the penalty hearings. After sorting through 8,346 pages of transcript, Nicolau delivered an 81 -page ruling in which he wrote that there was a "uniform and deliberate" breach of contract by the owners. "In my judgment, the evidence as a whole convincingly establishes that everyone knew there was supposed to be no bidding before I i OV; ft I fi I fj i ye I Jb PJ If: Iff "-2 1 tfv 1 I II" I r- Hi r- 'S The thing that always impressed me about the late Art Rooney was that he seemed the personification of the Leo Dur-ocher dictum, "Nice guys finish last." Except in Art's case, it had to read, "Nice guys finish last and they couldn't care less." A lot of men who own sporting clubs and who yearn to have the designation "Sportsman" after their names are about as sporting as a hunting lion.

I sat next to Mr. Rooney at the Super Bowl in Tulane Stadium in 1975. He had owned his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, for 42 years, and this was the first time they had won anything. You would have expected him to be jumping up and down. Instead, he watched the game with a kind of bemused detachment and seemed to spend most of his time watching the Minnesota quarterback, Fran Tar-kenton, running for his life all afternoon.

When Tarkenton got smashed in the end zone for a safety, Rooney winced and shook his head. "He's playing his heart out," he said sadly, almost regretfully. Owner Rooney could empathize with playing your heart out and failing. His teams had done it all his life. All Americans like to think they root for underdogs.

Art Rooney not only did, he was content to be an underdog. Your basic owner, when he has had one or two losing seasons, begins to blast his players publicly, fire the coach, blame the media, start a vendetta against the officiating, threaten to move the franchise or sell it. Rooney just cheerfully adopted a somebody's-got-to-finish-last attitude. When the professional football leagues merged, and the commissioner called for volunteers to jump the established National Football League and join a conference from the upstart American Football League, Rooney volunteered. Art Rooney never made waves.

He ran his team on an order of benevolence seldom seen in profes-Please see MURRAY, Page 9 Upshaw Says Winslow Mistreated by Chargers By BRIAN HEWITT, Times Staff Writer SAN DIEGO-Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players said Wednesday that the Chargers had "no grounds" when they suspended Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow this week. "We will consider filing a lawsuit against the Chargers regardless of what Kellen decides to do," Upshaw said. "And as far as we can see, there's nothing to prevent Kellen from suing as well." Wednesday night, Winslow's agent met with Steve Ortmayer, the Charger director of football operations, in an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the matter. "Progress is resolution," Ortmayer said of his meeting with Jim BOB GRIESER Los Angeles Times Digging in During Tuesday workout, bowsprit of Stars Stripes dips into water coming off small swell. Bowsprit later broke but was repaired by Wednesday.

America's Cup notebook. Page 4. Padres Pick Up Where Santiago Picks Off, 6-3 Steiner. "We did not resolve this." As to Upshaw's charges, Ortmayer said, "I'll let the NFL Management Council respond to them." When the Chargers suspended Winslow Monday, they cited the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 1982. That agreement expired Aug.

31, 1987, but NFL management has been adhering to the provisions in the agreement since then. The NFLPA has since sued the NFL on several matters. And, Upshaw said Wednesday, "It is our opinion that the agreement of 1982 is no longer in effect." Which means, according to Upshaw, that Winslow can sue the Chargers rather than having to go Please see WINSLOW, Page 10 linger in the subconscious. paused hpr snrh miserv last to ride. Pain Doesn't Let Up, but Neither Does She Former Sprint Cycling Champion Says Neck Problem Is in the Past By JERRY CROWE, Times Staff Writer So focused is Connie Paraskevin-Young in her quest for Olympic success that she no longer acknowledges the once-mysterious pain in her neck that threatened last year to end her cycling career.

Or, at least, she would like it to appear that way. "That's in the past," said the three-time world sprint cycling champion, a former Olympic speed skater who will represent the United States at Seoul in the first Olympic track cycling event for women. Surely, though, knowledge that the pain could recur at any time By BILL PLASCHKE, Times Staff Writer NEW know Benny can do it, you've seen him do it, everybody in the league has seen him do it," Mark Davis was saying. "Yet every time he does it, it's like, wow." The Padre reliever was talking about his catcher, Benito Santiago. And while one might debate parts of his statement, there could be no questioning Wednesday afternoon the part that goes "wow." iff "'W.

)J r' I "4 must It XL 1 2231n summer tnat she thought of giving up the sport. In the World Champi-A onships at Vienna, the pain was so In an eventual 6-3 victory over the New York Mets, at the start of a second-inning rally that could have sent the Padres out of town with three consecutive losses, Kevin McReynolds strayed a foot too far off second base. That's all Santiago needs. A foot. Or a flinch.

Or a shoelace. "Give him an inch Tony Gwynn said. And he'll take a game. After a pitch, Santiago from his knees-whizzed the ball back past the left Please see PADRES, Page 11B Try that pass against UCLA Saturday night at the Rose Bowl and Stolz figures Carnell Lake is headed to the end zone for a touchdown. "That could have been a disastrous play for us," Stolz said.

"Hopefully, we won't see too much of that in the game." Stolz has seen it before, though. Quite recently, in fact. Todd Santos opened last year's game against the Bruins by throwing interceptions on the Aztecs' first two possessions of a 47-14 loss. And Santos was an experienced quarterback, a four-Please see PLATT, Page 11 With Santos Gone, Piatt Will Give SDSU New Look i I intense that she was forced to pack her head and neck in ice until it was time I 1 She complained of severe head- tj acnes ana aouDie vision. That she was able to finish third, By CURT HOLBREICH, Times Staff Writer SAN DIEGO-For all the good things quarterback Brad Piatt did in his last scrimmage before his San Diego State debut.

Coach Denny Stolz seemed to care most about the one play that almost went wrong. That was the pass Piatt threw through the raised hands of a linebacker and into the outstretched arms of a wide receiver. The play was a completion according to the rules of football, but not according to the rules Stolz expects his quarterbacks to follow. marking the sixth straight year that she had come away with a medal, was a testament to her determination and single-minded-ness. "It felt like somebody had put a knife through my head," she said.

Paraskevin-Young, 27, returned to the United States to try, figuratively, to remove the knife that had cut her down. For months, she faced a battery of tests. "Just about everything but a spinal tap," said her husband and coach, Roger Young. She discovered that she was claustrophobic "I freaked out during the testing," she said but doctors were unable to pinpoint the cause of her pain. Please see YOUNG, Page 13 LORI SHEPLER Loa Angeles Times Connie Paraskevin-Young works out on a stationary bicycle.

ALSO INSIDE Del Mar Rob An Plunder, ridden by Chris McCarron, wins the $81,800 Balboa Stakes by 1 lengths at Del Mar. Page 9 Hoping for a Reunion The San Diego State soccer team again has the talent to be a top team in the NCAA, but the Aztecs have to come together first. Please see Page 11 A. WAC Football Preview The Western Athletic Conference doesn't have a glut of stars, but the conference hopes to continue what it sees as overall progress nationally. Please see Page 11 A.

San Diego Starts on Page 11A Morning Briefing 2 Newswire 4 Baseball Roundups 6 Horse Racing 9 Pro Football 10 The Day in Sports 14-15.