Times Colonist from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • 3

1st EDfflOU )i zm cl B2 TIMES-COLONIST Wednesdayne 20, 1 990 Evans offers impressions of fledgling soccer league r-m-. 't i I A 4 I By Max Low Times-Colonist staff Aussie-bound Scottish pro Allan Evans finds "easy acceptance of defeat" the hardest thing to deal with in the Canadian Soccer League. One of three Old Country imports acquired this season by the Victoria Vistas, Evans will play his eighth CSL game for his new club tonight at 7 when Victoria clashes with the unbeaten North York Rockets at Royal Athletic Park. Evans played 17 years as a pro in Scotland and England, including 12 years with Aston Villa mainly in the English League's First Division. His last stint was with Second-Division club Leicester City in the 1989-90 winter season.

"Accepting defeat is too easy here," he said in an interview Tuesday. Evans said that Vistas head coach Myles and Ashley, who is just one, will head for Australia at the end of the current CSL season. "It's a family decision something we have talked about for quite a few years and nothing to do with soccer," Evans explained. However, soccer will almost certainly play a big part. The family is heading for Brisbane and Evans hopes to get involved as player-coach with two clubs that are amalgamating to form a team to enter in Australia's national soccer league.

Might he pop back from the outback to play for the Vistas again in the summer of 1991? Evans smiled. "Who knows? They might not even ask me back." On Sunday, delighted Vistas fans watched as Evans outplayed Justin Fashanu, most valuable player last year in the CSL. They'll ask trust me. Bruce Wilson who he pointed out has had the advantage of playing soccer all over the world understands this and is trying to get the players not to accept defeat so easily. "After we lose a CSL game and go into the dressing room, I am surprised to see how quickly the players get over the loss and can forget it," Evans confessed.

"I've been a professional 17 years now and it hurts me when I get beaten. That's probably because I was a fulltime professional and the players here have other jobs to go to." That fact, too, Evans sees as a problem for CSL clubs. "Fulltime pros work on the game all the time and they get great understanding and an ability to play as a team," he pointed out. "Without all the time, getting that kind of understanding is something that is going to be difficult to do here." Yet Evans said he found the CSL to be "slightly better" than he thought it would be. "I have been very impressed with the standard of fitness, particularly by the Vistas," he said.

"I've enjoyed the training sessions here more than I did in a whole season at Leicester City. Bruce has more ideas than many English coaches and assistant coaches. "From the footballing point of view, though, you can tell that it (the CSL) is fairly new. There's a certain amount of naivete especially among the younger players. But I'm happy to come out here and help the young players learn the game." Evans said that before Ian Bridge joined the Vistas from Switzerland, Kevin Wasden had played alongside him in the back four.

"He's a very keen young player but very naive in many ways and I just hope he has been able to learn something," Evans said. Refereeing in Canada is another thing to which Evans is having difficulty adjusting. "I feel refereeing back home is poor and I think most professionals feel this way," Evans ventured. "But, probably because we are professionals, the referees in England have a full rapport with the players and communicate with us. Here they treat you like kids and I find it hard to get used to this and to keep my mouth shut.

But I'm afraid that if I don't I'll get booked every game." Now 33, Evans turned down a couple of coaching offers in England and has cut all soccer ties. He won't, he says, be going back. Instead, Evans, his wife Gillian and children 11-year-old Davida, nine-year-old Jamie, three-year-old EVANS: 17 years a pro ox dump Jays in division showdown Morgan came to the mound and told me to bust him inside. "He's a big out. I make a mistake and he hits it off the SkyDome restaurant." Left-hander Rob Murphy recorded the final two outs, both strikeouts.

AT KANSAS CITY, Kevin Seitzer tripled home the decisive run and Kansas City pitchers stranded 12 Seattle baserunners as the Royals beat the Mariners 2-1 night for their fifth victory in six games. Steve Farr (5-3) gave up five hits in five innings in his second starf of the season. Jeff Montgomery, the Royals' fifth pitcher, worked the ninth for his fifth save. AT MONTREAL, Ryne Sandberg scored both runs for the Cubs, one on his 19th home run in the ninth inning, as Chicago edged the Expos 2-1 in National League action. While the 20,306 fans did not see the Expos win, they witnessed Montreal shortstop Spike Owen set a single-season NL record by playing his 61st consecutive game without an error.

Kevin Elster of the New York Mets set the previous record of 60 in 1988, while Eddie Brinkman of the 1972 Detroit Tigers holds the major-league record of 72 straight errorless games. Shawn Boskie, a rookie making only his sixth big-league start for Chicago, pitched five-hit ball for 6 innings to raise his record to 2-3. He struck out four and walked one. Paul Assen-macher pitched 1 innings before Les Lancaster worked the ninth for his fourth save. AT NEW YORK, David Cone pitched a four-hitter and the Mets kept up their power show by beating the St.

Louis Cardinals 6-0. The Mets, who have won nine of 11 games, got home runs from Kevin McReynolds, Orlando Mercado and Howard Johnson. New York has homered in 22 of its last 25 games to increase its NL-leading total to 81. Times-Colonist news services Mookie Wilson came so close to the ball, Ellis Burks couldn't believe it landed safely and rolled to the fence. "I was running hard and I had my back to the play, but I thought he had a chance to catch it," said Burks, whose ninth-inning triple pushed across the tie-breaking run Tuesday.

Burks scored on Tony Pena's grounder for insurance, helping the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. Toronto, coining off a 9-1 road trip, had its lead in the American League East cut to one game over the Red Sox in the first meeting of the season between the front runners. The Jays, 0-for-9 with in scoring position, fell to 17-17 at home, compared to 21-11 on the road. Duane Ward (1-3) took over from Toronto starter John Cerutti in the ninth and walked Dwight Evans to start the inning. Burks fought off an inside fastball, sending a tailing liner toward the gap in right centre.

"I thought he hit a good pitch," an irritated Ward said. "He couldn't have thrown it out there any better than he did." Wilson, shading toward left, came a long way and made a desperate dive. "That was too close," Wilson said. "I only leave my feet if I've got a chance. "I've done it.

Maybe two times in four years." As Wilson skidded on the artificial turf, the ball bounced past right fielder Junior Felix and rolled to the fence. Evans scored, making a winner of rookie Dana Kiecker (2-3). Kiecker held Toronto to three hits over a career-high 8 innings, escaping two jams with minimal damage. George Bell accounted for three of his four strikeouts. "I started Bell the same way the first three times, with sliders" Kiecker said.

"Then (manager) Joe Collusion charges rock CFL The Canadian Press TORONTO The Canadian Football League is being investigated following an allegation that club officials conspired to restrict the movement of free-agent players, says Dave McAllister, an official with the federal government's bureau of competition policy. "A matter has come to our attention and we're following up on it," said McAllister. "We're not making any allegations, and no charges have been laid, but we are conducting a preliminary examination to determine if there is an issue here." The bureau did not indicate where the complaint originated. The Toronto Globe and Mail, however, says its sources have indicated the complaint was filed by the CFL Players Association. The newspaper said its sources said the players' association alleged that true free agency was non-existent in the CFL because general managers were seeking compensation after losing free agents to other clubs.

The controversy follows cases in recent years in which the Major League Baseball Players Association accused club executives of conspiring to restrict the movement of free-agent players. Independent arbitrators ruled twice that the baseball executives were involved in collusion and awarded affected players millions of dollars in damages. In Canada, collusion is an indictable offence. Fines and and jail sentences of up to five years are stipulated. CFL chairman Roy McMurtry said Tuesday that league lawyers have assured the government there is no collusion within the league.

"Some of the people in our league think that there should be a sort of gentlemen's agreement, or a moral responsibility, to give (a free agent's former club) something as compensation after they sign a player," McMurtry said. "I can't deny that this exists in the minds of some of the competitive people who field teams in the league. "But I can also emphasize that this is not a league policy. We don't say that teams' should compensate other teams after free-agent signings. But we are a small league and the people in it have to live with one another, so we do encourage teams who have excess talent to share that talent." Toronto Argos owner Harry Ornest said he was unaware of the investigation.

"I guess this tells you that the CFL is really a high priority with the Canadian government," he said. "Have we superceded Meech Lake and the GST?" --v. 1 -A. ,1,. 4 Carter cracks durability record Giants during the off-season.

An 11-time all-star, Carter already holds National League records for lifetime chances and putouts by a catcher. Carter has started 29 games behind the plate for the Giants this season, platooning with the left-handed-hitting Terry Kennedy. The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO- Gary Carter of the San Francisco Giants broke Al Lopez's National League record for career games caught on Tuesday. For Carter, in his 16th season, the game against the San Diego Padres was his behind the plate. Lopez caught 1,861 games over 18 seasons with Brooklyn, Boston and Pittsburgh.

Carter, 36, ranks fifth on the all-time list of games caught behind Bob Boone, Carlton Fisk, Jim Sundberg and Lopez. Carter, who broke into the majors as an outfielder, began his career in 1974 with Montreal and played with the Expos through 1984. He played five seasons with the New York Mets before signing as a free agent with the AGAINST COQUITLAM ADANACS TRYING FOR TWO: Toronto shortstop Tony Fernandez relays the ball to first base over a sliding Jody Reed during American League action Tuesday night. Boston dumped the Jays 4-2. WESTERN LACROSSE j7AS10CIATION Cougars lay first bricks in WHL rebuilding job MiiHii i VICTORIA PAYLESS PRESENTS INTERNATIONAL SOFTBALL CONGRESS 1990 WORLD-QUALIFYING FASTBALL TOURNAMENT 15 Teams.

The winner joins Victoria Payless in the ISC World Tournament Aug. 10-19 at Royal Athletic Park. By Dave Senick Times-Colonist Sports Editor The past Western Hockey League season has left the Victoria Cougars' organization and its players with a few matters to be addressed. It starts with the team. They are faced with the task of improving upon the worst record in WHL history.

Rob Sumner and Mark Cipriano also have a few things to prove. Sumner, who two years ago was ranked among the top three rounds of possible draft selections in early National Hockey League Central Scouting ratings, has the opportunity to live up to that reputation. Cipriano, tagged as the player the Cougars received for WHL scoring champion Len Barrie, wants to develop his own reputation. The Cougars were 5-65-2 last season, setting league records for fewest wins, most losses and fewest points. Their .083 winning percentage was the worst in league history, surpassing the .106 mark of the 1966-Ii7 Calgary rni enu Buffaloes and the second worst in Canadian League history.

The Quebec League's 1977-78 Shawinigan Dynamos had a .069 percentage on a 3-65-4 mark. At a Tuesday press conference to promote season-ticket sales, general manager Lyle Moffat talked about a team he says will not repeat the exercise in futility. He pointed to developments such as the selection of Brad Bombardir in the third round of last Saturday's NHL draft and the signing of defence-man Shane Stangby as positive moves. Bombardir, an 18-year-old defence-man who played last season with Powell River of the B.C. Junior League was taken by the New Jersey Devils.

The six-foot-two, 195-pound Bombardir is on Victoria's protected list. He is considering attending university at North Dakota but, following the draft, there was speculation that he might now join the Cougars. Stangby is a 17-year-old defence- man who played with the Ladner Penguins of the BCJHL last season. He is six-foot-one and 215 lb. Although they are considered possibilities to be playing on defence for the Cougars next season, final decisions won't be made for a few more months.

It's the same situation for Sumner. He is a candidate as an overage but after a lOth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL draft, he will be trying out for that organization and may be a part of its farm system in Salt Lake City. Sumner was considered an outstanding prospect two seasons ago but went unclaimed in that year's draft. "The standing of the team may have affected Rob's draft selection," said Ian McKenzie, the Flames scouting co-ordinator. "Things like the changes in coaching may have affected him, too.

But we like his size and leadership abilities and he appears to be a quality Individual off the ice. "If he doesn't stick in alt Lake, we're told that he would be back in had 42 points, although he did spend time between defence and the forward lines, and the Cougars floundered. Barrie graduates from the league but Cipriano, at 19 years of age, still has the opportunity to create his own niche in the WHL. "The trade was all I heard about last season," said Cipriano. "It got to the point where it started to affect my confidence.

But I'm putting that away and I hope other people are, too. He's gone from the league, I'm still here and the team has a brand new start. "I know that I have to go out this season and be one of the leaders. It's a role and a season I'm looking forward to." The Cougars announced that they have extended early-bird season-ticket specials until July 15 and have instituted a program In which draws for cash prizes will be made on opening night. Draws will be made for $10,000 based on season-ticket sales of 1,000 and increase on an upward scale to a possible $100,000 fur 4,000 tickets.

Victoria as an overage and we like that option." "I know it's a late selection but I'm just happy to have my foot in the door," said Sumner who suffered a broken jaw while playing lacrosse for the Esquimalt Legion of the B.C. Junior League last week. "The ratings and what didn't happen is all part of the past. My first goal is to make the pros but if I play another year of junior, I'm certainly not going to be upset. Calgary has a reputation of developing its players, taking a few years to bring them along." For Cipriano, selected in the ninth round of the NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks, it is a year in which he must blossom.

Cipriano, Len Jorgenson and Corey Crichton came to Victoria last season for Len Barrie and Craig Gustafson. Jorgenson, Crichton and Gustafson dropped out of the league, leaving the deal as Barrie for Cipriano. Barrie led the league in goals (85) and points (185) and helped Kamloois to the WHL championship. Cipriano lllklt OO 1 A ROYAL ATHLETIC PARK TOURNAMENT PASSES Available daily at Memorial Arena and Royal Athletic Park during tournament. ONLY $16 SESSION PASSES (4 Sessions) Available Game Days at R.A.P.

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