The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 4

A-4 Sunday, October 21, 1990 SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER A Kttion oi ihe Sm Fiukiko Sunday Eumin ami Chronicle Oakland takes loss more in sorrow than in anger downtown Oakland "But fortunately, I let all my emotion out yesterday. So this is not as devastating." No, there wasnt a whole lot of anger on the part of the 48,613 Oakland A's fans who watched the Reds finish their sweep Saturday night with a 2-1 victory behind the two-hit pitching of Jose Rijo. There was just reflection on a great year that fell four games short of total victory and a feeling of confidence that the A's will be back in 1991. "No matter what happens, we love the A's," said Randy Perri, 27, a tile-setter from Castro Valley. Out on the concrete walkway behind the left-field bleachers, Terry Griffey of Oakland and his buddies walked a tightrope with their hometown hero, A's starting pitcher Dave Stewart, as he wiggled out I of big trouble in the sixth and sev- enth innings.

By Andy Furillo Or nCEXAMNER STAFF OAKLAND Kenneth Moore sat quietly in the stands, staring onto a field that was now clear of the Cincinnati Reds' World Series championship celebration, and put the disaster in perspective. "You just kind of feel Cincinnati was the better team," said Moore, 38, director of food and beverage service for the Hyatt Regency in I s. IT 4 ff iO ft MARBLE TILE IMPORTS MARBLE GRANITE TABLE SALE 1 FEATURED SALE ITEMS sale I Iibt mat mtrit ub)ect to vtlbl Hock. PRICE PRICE GRANITE DINING TABLE 96x42 racetrack oval 2100 5000 ITALIAN DESIGNED MARBLE COFFEE TABLES CHISELED EDGE COFFEE TABLES 500 1 1000 EXAMINER PAUL CHNN Ron Hasscy hits the deck to avoid a tifilU pitch from Cincinnati's Jose Rijo Saturday in tlw eighth inning. FEATURED SALE ITEMS UST COLOns I 8ALE UST All Ml maltl auBfct to tvaltfal ttoc, wuuna FT, SO.

FT. MARBLE TILES 12x12 Many 4.99 10.00 FRENCH LIMESTONE 16x16 Blonde 7.99 16.00 SLATE 16x16 Muiti-coior 4.99 10.00 MARBLE VANITY TOPS Many 32.50 80.00 SLAB MARBLE FIREPLACES Many 45.00 80.00 MEXICAN PAVERS 12x12 Natural .99 2.00 "No way the Reds are coming to Oakland and sweeping here," Griffey, 25, shouted after Stewart got the Reds' Hal Morris to hit into a double play to end a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. But even though Stewart left a runner at third again in the seventh, it was the Reds who ended up celebrating, thanks to a two-run eighth inning that backed up the pitching of Rijo, whom sportswrit-ers voted Most Valuable Player of the Series. Morris' sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Herm Winningham with the winning run, ruined the 34th birthday party that Don Hol-loway of Lake Tahoe had been en- LIST SQ. FT.

SALE SQ. FT. park when it was pitch dark." The insertion of McGee into the lineup in place of Canseco was received favorably by the fans. They found Canseco to be a convenient scapegoat. "Jose's losing credibility," said Tom Matthews, 35, a printer from Walnut Creek.

When Canseco pinch-hit in the ninth innning for Harold Baines, the fans were on their feet screaming for him. But when he grounded out weakly to third base, they were screaming for his head. There will be no dynasty in the East Bay for now, but that's all right with fans like Kenneth Moore. "This puts things in the right perspective," said Moore, who was still staring out at the empty field. "The A's are a great team, but there are no dynasties in a seven-game series.

No matter what you do in a 162-game season, in seven games it's whoever is on." joying with his pals in the bleachers. "It hurts," Holloway said. Optimism, excitement and thoughts of a four-game back-door sweep of the Reds had filled the Btands until the Reds took the lead in the eighth. Before then, few people in the Oakland Coliseum were happier than John Kates, an usher patrol-ing aisle 124 on the bottom deck. Kates said he had gone to Harry Ells High School in Richmond and Diablo Valley Junior College in Pleasant Hill with Willie McGee, who started in place of the injured and ineffective Jose Canseco in right field.

Kates was jumping up and down in the third inning after watching his homeboy make a difficult running backhanded catch. "He's going to be the spark that lights the flame behind these four comeback victories," Kates yelled. "He used to make those same catches at 9 o'clock at night in the VEINED GRANITE SLABS Pre-cut for kitchen counters. Front edge finished. thickness.

Silver Rose, Exotica, Crystal Peach, Mauve Samba, Brazilian Rainbow, Sand, Himalayan White, Sunburst. $80.00 39.50 NO CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED. SPECIAL SALE HOURS: Mon-Frl. 9-5 pm; Saturday 10-5pm; Sunday 12-3pm. 1290 Powell Emeryville.

Take Powell St. Exit on Hwy. 80. (415) 420-0383 SPANDER from A-l ft. jB WilWBI -J i J( Ik.

hi 't WW before coming out for reliever Randy Myers with one out in the ninth. Stewart, a two-time winner and the Series MVP in the 1989 sweep over the Giants, was a two-time loser as Rijo won the Series MVP in the Reds' sweep over the A's. Saturday nighl, Cincinnati trailed, 1-0, going into the eighth, and it seemed Oakland might force a fifth game Sunday. But Herm Winningham, who had gone in for Billy Hatcher after Hatcher was hit by a Stewart pitch in the first, opened the inning with a single. A sacrifice bunt went for a hit.

A subsequent sacrifice bunt was misplayed for an error. A ground out and a sacrifice fly gave the Reds their two runs. While the rest of us were calling the A's a dynasty, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda called them ordinary. Tommy picked the Reds in six games which indicates that while he's smart, he's no genius. "Oakland has dominated the American League," Lasorda suggested before the Series began, "but they haven't played anybody this year.

"In 1988, they ran into a buzz saw (see History of the Dodgers, part III), and we got great pitching to beat them. Last year, the Giants' pitching staff was rattled. "If you throw mediocre pitching at the A's, they'll bomb the daylights out of you. But good pitching stops good hitting. That's going to be the difference in my opinion." It was the difference.

The so-called Bash Brothers, Canseco and Mark McGwire, were the Bust Brothers. They were a combined 4 for 26, Canseco 1 for 12, McGwire 3 for 14. If Reggie Jackson was Mr. October, these guys are Missing October. Two years ago, when the Dodgers beat the A's in the Series, 4-1, Canseco and McGwire were a combined 2 for 36.

Meanwhile, this year some guy for the Reds who wears goggles, Chris Sabo, had 9 hits in 16 at bats including two home runs. He looks as if he should be in the 100-meter freestyle, not the sixth spot in the batting order. "We won the thing fair and square," said Sabo. "There were no flukes. Give Oakland credit, but we're the best team in baseball right now." The night before, when Sabo had his two homers, he said, "If I make mistakes, I hit them hard The A'b made mistakes.

We all make mistakes. But comparing Oakland with the great teams wasnt a mistake. It was a joke. The failure of Oakland Athletics only about production, and they produced. The Reds out-hit the A's, out-hustled the A's and even out-pitched the A's, and which of the three is more surprising can be argued throughout an offseason of agony for Oakland.

"We were big underdogs in the Series," said Reds manager Lou Piniella, "but we were the aggressive team in the Series." Piniella wasn't considered good enough for the Yankees by their former owner, the mercurial George Steinbrenner, an egomaniac of large proportions who twice fired Piniella as New York manager. But on the same evening George was a buffoon on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Piniella had a starring role in the fourth and final act of the CBS drama, "Oakland A's A's manager Tony La Russa, a calculating sort who relies on computer printouts and great pitching, not necessarily in that order, was unable to find much pleasure in relinquishing baseball's title in the same manner Oakland won it last year, four straight. "All year long I think the feeling always has been we got what we earned," said La Russa. "We earned those 100 plus wins (during the regular season) and the American League championship. We got what we earned here.

Cincinnati earned the final prize. "I've been on both sides of it, and I realize that winning feels better than you think it does at the time and losing well that stuff about there being two winners is b.s. We feel bad." La Russa even benched his $23 million superstar Jose Canseco for what would be the final game of the season, insisting Jose's bad back and injured finger had limited his ability both to hit and and field. "It's not fair for him to play hurt," La Russa had said before the first pitch, "and it's not fair for us. But I think youH see him still in the World Series." And so we did.

With one out in the ninth, Jose was sent up as pinch hitter. And grounded out Oakland spent three previous games seeking a well-pitched one. It got that Saturday night from Dave Stewart. But Cincinnati got a better pitched one from Jose Rijo, a former member of the A's and the son-in-law of ex-Giants pitcher Juan Marichal. Rijo, traded to Cincinnati by Oakland three seasons back, retired the final 20 men he faced J.

iP- JW i iLi Seeing is our Rolex International Crown Collection now through Tuesday, October 30. The incredible watches in our own RJex Cn wn Vx illation aa- nuw touring die country. Each m.1 with diamonds, emeralds, rubies or sapphires, with dials in diamonds or color. All destined t( hea me aJlecti r's items. Visit or cill Hir sn ire in Sti )nesti mti Galleria to arranv yiHir personal showing, trip amwrmnt pnrlily payriMic.

4x-n yiw finance with the Rivitvin(; Qub Aecuim. i rr iktuK. MrrcrurhW tnlait-J show drtail. Watrl -Jkwti an- stihjm tu pne sJe. liAILEY 1VANI.S HIDDLE j3llllftVMI Ml); Now InchkJing Granat Bns Stonestown Galleria (41 5) 759-5310.