The Times from Streator, Illinois • 6

1 I C.t MSS 5 TIMES-PRESS Streator, Saturday, Jude 21, 1986 LaRussa fired; Fregosi heads list of replacements contract last October after Har-relson was put in charge of the club, despite Harrelsons radical plans for the club. contend. LaRussa made an impassioned plea for his pitching coach Dave Duncan, who was fired along with LaRussa. again and would prefer an American League club, although he did not relish managing against Chicago in the future. But he said there was one situation he in which.he win not get involved.

I had my chance to not come back so I obviously thought we could make it work, LaRussa said. Hawk called me the most stubborn person hes been around and I took it as a compliment. I think he deserves a shot to hav his theories tried. At no time this year have the wins and losses been acceptable. There is still plenty of season left.

There is a chance for Hawk and his people to put things together and win this division. I still believe the talent is down there to Heres a guy I think has suffered since hes been in Chicago, LaRussasaid. I have seen a lot of professional people and, Dave is among the best of them. 'This guy is as good a pitching coach as 'there is in baseball. Hes had very little appreciation.

I think it was a mistake that his abilities have not been appreciated. LaRussa said he definitely wanted to manage in the majors CHICAGO (UPI) Tony LaRussa said an emotional goodbye to the Chicago White Sox organization Saturday, two days after being fired as manager of the club. LaRussa ended his eight-year association with the White Sox Thursday evening when he was fired by Ken Hawk Harrelson, club vice president in charge of baseball operations. At a Saturday morning news conference at Comiskey Park, LaRussa said he would miss the people he worked with since 1979 when he replaced Don Kessinger as manager. As far as Im concerned, this organization has been very good to me, said LaRussa, 41.

I wish we could have won (the division) more than once but you can never take that one away from me. LaRussa led the White Sox to the 1983 American League West division title. They lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League championship playoff that year. LaRussa agreed with the assessment Karrelson made Friday that the firing was not because of a personality conflict between the two men. There were differences of opi-- nin he ssid.

I understand ihst you are supposed to work together, and this has been a problem. You cant have a situation where you dont have teamwork and trust and that has been a problem here. ''LaRussa said he had no second about signing a one-year '4 7 Tony LaRussa leaves Comiskey Park aiyer he was fired as the teams manager, LaRussa, left, gives a farewell embrace to Dave Schaffer, manager of park operations. Larussa, second only to Sparky Anderson of Detroit in the American League in terms of longevity as manager, was 522-510 in eight years with the White Sox. (UPI Telephoto) Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa (left) has been fired and will be replaced on an interim basis by batting coach Doug Rader.

Sports Digest Sox lose with jnew manager, old habits Peterson qualifies Streatorite Eric Peterson has qualified for the state finals of the Insurance Youth Classic golf tournament, to be held July 21 and 22 in Springfield. Peterson, a state qualifier for the Streator High school golf team last fall, shot an 80 to take second in the LaSalle County preliminary competition in the Insurance Youth tourney and thus earn advancement to the state meet. Geoff Imhof of Ottawa was the top shooter in the LaSalle County meet with a 76. Imhof also qualified for the state meet as did third place finisher Tom Sipula of Ottawa. Don Robertson shoots age Streatorite Don Robertson shot his age, 77, Thursday at Twin I Greeks Golf Course.

Robertson is a former co-owner at Twin Creeks and playing with thim Thursday was his co-owner, his brother, Sid, who also shot his age earlier this summer. Also in the fousome were Joe Corrigan and Lindy Dzurisin. United Press International CHICAGO (UPI) Mark Langston has not had many opportunities this season to pitch with a five-run So the Seattle pitcher was not going to let an upset stomach stop him. Langston yielded three runs over 6 1-3 innings after being staked to a 5-0 lead as Seattle dumped the Chicago White Sox and new manager Doug Rader 5-3 Friday night. It was Raders first game since he replaced Tony LaRussa, who was dismissed Thursday.

Ive been sick since Cleveland and my legs felt weak, said Langston. I felt real lightheaded. I really felt sick the first few innings. He nearly passed out, said Seattle manager Dick Williams. He had to come back to the clubhouse during the second inning.

But there was no way he was coming out with a five-run lead. Langston, who has won five of his last six decisions, raised his record to 7-5. He has pitched into the seventh inning in of his last 11 starts. Early on this season, I thought I was throwing well but I was making bad pitches and I was getting jumped on, he said. I think Im concentrating a lot better than I was in the Mark Huismann followed Langston to the mound and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the I will never be in a situation where a manager is in trbuble and Ill be in conversations with their front office.

Ive been there. Harrelson remained quiet Saturday about who he was going to interview as a possible replacement for LaRussa. But sources in Louisville said Harrelson had contacted Jim Fregosi, the former manager of the California Angels and current manager of the the St. Louis farm club, the Louisville Cardinals. When he was in this league, I thought he did an outstanding job, said LaRussa of his possible replacement.

Doug Rader, La Russa batting coach, was named interim manager Friday. LaRussa finished his news conference by reminding the media his two daughters, Bianca and Devon, were both born during his tenure with the White Sox. He said they both cheered when he got fired because they will finally get to spend a summer with their father. He said he talked to Bianca, 6, -by telephone while the White Sox were losing to Seattle Friday night. She didnt know who to pull for, he said.

My answer was pull for the White Sox. Im pulling for the White Sox. seventh. Matt Young pitched the last 1 1-3 innings to earn his fourth save. Jim Presley started a four-run Mariner second with a double, then hit a solo home run in the third to lead the Mariners against Tom Seaver, 2-6.

In his last 13 games presley has 19 hits in 49 at-bats with five home runs and 12 RBI. '(Batting coach) Deron Johnson has been working with him, said Williams. Hes going to right field now. Hes using all the field. The White Sox got two runt in the third inning when Langston was at his weakest because of the flu.

They picked up their third run in the seventh on an RBI single by John Cangelosi, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games. AL Roundup Twins 9, Indians 8 The American -League West could wind up a Twin-killing if Minnesota players catch Kent Hrbeks hot streak. Tom Brunansky, Tim Laudner, Randy Bush and Ron Washington matched Hrbek with a homer apiece Friday night, lifting the Twins to a 9-8 victory over the Geveland Indians. Hrbek was 3-for-5 in The game, including a two-run double and his 17 home run of the season. The catching the 23-year-old lefthander.

Hes done a great job for us considering he started 1985 in Triple-A, Carter said. Hes matured; hes gained in confidence. Its a pleasure to catch him now. Lots of his strikeouts come on his breaking ball, which they dont always swing at. He has a rising fastball and a deceiving windup which hides the ball.

When he comes out of that windup, the ball explodes. Hernandez home run, his fifth of the season, came off Scott Sanderson, 3-5, in the sixth inning to put the Mets ahead 3-2. Carters home run highlighted a six-run seventh for file Mets off relievers Ray Fontenot and Jay Bailer. Ray Knight opened the inning with a triple and was wild-pitched home by Fontenot, who then walked Kevin Mitchell and committed a three-base throwing error on Ed Hearns sacrifice, allowing Mitchell to score and sending Hearn to third. Tfrn Teufels double off Bailer scored Hearn and, after Darryl Strawberry was walked inten-ItionaDy.

Carter hi his 13th home vsu rudef me Leon Durhams sacrifice fly and singld knocked in the two Chicago runs in the fourth, before the Mets came back to tie the score 2-2 in the bottom of the inning on Hernandez RBI single and Carters sacrifice fly. Ladies tennis season The Illinois Valley Tennis Boosters of Streator hosted their first -ladies town tennis match Monday night at the Streator High School. The ladies played a team from Mendota in a two hour round robin doubles tournament. Refreshments were seved following match play. Streator IUTB players include Mary Ann Butz, Rita Gutierrez, Missy Mann, Melissa McEndree, Marlene Scott, Charlotte Sterrett, Mary Walker and Lynn Latino Captain.

1 Mantles National for golf tourney opens beats Somonauk Hauser lb 2-00, Pile 1-00; Parks 2b 1-00, Erickson 3b 2-00, Miller ss 3-01; Wojcik If 1-00, Marquardt If 1-00, Cop-pens rf 2-00, Myer rf 1-00, Hillier 01-0, Wade 1-01 Totals 25 4 6 Somonauk ..3001004 Streator 0 4 4 2 0 10 2BH Swapford, Tkach, Biroschik HR Starkey at Lombardi diamond Streator Rational pulled out a tough 10-4 win over Somonauk in a Mickey Mantle League game Friday. Joe Starkey belted a career-first home run for Streator as they stacked all their scoring into the middle three innings. Scott Tkach pitched the complete game for Streator striking out four and waking six. Tkach also had two hits includng a double and a single. Terry Whalen hit a single with the bases loaded to break the game open for Streator.

Craig Swapford had a double and a single for Somonauk. Mets teach Cubs lesson with homer came in the fifth inning, following Washingtons solo blast, his second, and preceded Brunan-skys clout, his 17th. The five-homer barrage raised the Twins major league-leading total to 105. Hrbek, fourth in the American League in hitting with a .343 average, now has five homers in his last 13 games and is batting .547 (29-for-53) over that stretch. I think its contagious but then this is the way everybodys played all year, Hrbek said.

You try not to really think about it. You try to think 'about what youre doing right. I know its going to come. I just hope the people dont expect me to get a hit each time. Frank Viola benefitted from the Twins power supply by posting his seventh victory in 12 decisions.

He scattered seven hits and struck out six in 7 2-3 innings. Keith Atherton worked the ninth inning to pick up his second save. Dickie Noles, 0-1, worked two-thirds of an inning in relief and absorbed the loss. It was the first defeat charged to an Indians reliever since May 24. Clevelands Joe Carter accounted for half the Indians runs with a grand slam in the sixth inning to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead.

Yankees iO, Blue Jays8 At Toronto, Rickey Henderson doubled home Mike Pagliarulo with the winning run in the 10th inning to lift the Yankees, who had blown an 8-2 lead in the ninth inn Hearn hit his second homer of the season in the eighth for the final Mets run. Chicago added a run in the ninth on Shawon Dunstons RBI infield single. A crowd of 44,187 pushed the Mets attendance to 1,023,894 for 29 dates, the earliest the Mets have ever passed the one-million mark in attendance. NL Roundup Giants 3, Astros 1 Candlestick Park has been known to turn into an icebox during baseball games and it would be understandable if Giants third baseman Chris Brown mistook this for being fall instead of summer. To Brown, October was definitely in the air for Friday nights game against the division-leading Houston Astros, We thought this first game was the most important, Brown said after the Giants defeated Houston 3-1 in the first game of their four-game weekend needed to pull to within a game and a half to give us momentum going into the remaining games.

Everyone wanted to go out and play this game like it was the last game of toe World Series. The Giants last seriously contended for an NL West title in 1982 when they battled down to the wire ing. Brian Fisher, 3-3, earned the victory in relief of Dave Righetti, who yielded a game-tying grand slam to George Bell in the ninth. Orioles 14, Red Sox 3 At. Boston, Tom OMalley had three hits and five RBI to help Mike Boddicker become the American Leagues second 10-game winner.

Boddicker, 10-1, was backed by a 20-hit attack. Mike Brown, 4-4, was the loser. Brewers Tigers 0 At Milwaukee, Ben Oglivies second-inning single knocked in the games only run to boost the Brewers and give Tim Leary, 6-5, hiis first major-league shutout. Tigers starter Walt Terrell, 6-5, took the loss despite yielding only four hits in eight innings. Rangers 19, As ft At Arlington, Texas, Gary Ward and Larry Parrish keyed a nine-run second inning with home runs to spark the Rangers.

The As have lost 12 straight games on the road, a club record. Bobby Witt, 4-5 struck out nine en route to victory. Greg Harris earned his 13th save. Chris Codiroli, 5-8, was the loser. Angels 6, Royals 2 At Kansas City, Rupert Jones hit a solo home run and two-run triple to pace the Angels.

Ron Romanick, 4-5, pitched eight-hit ball over seven-plud innings to corral the victory. Royals starter. Dennis Leonard, 6-6, was tagged" with the defeat. 1 0-3 win with the Braves and Dodgers, only to finish third. Reds 6-8, Braves 4-5 At Cincinnati, Pete Rose went 3-for-5 while Bill Gullickson and John Franco combined on a nine-hitter in the second game.

In the opener, Buddy Bell went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs to ldad file Reds. Expos 7, Pirates 2 At Montreal, Hubie Brooks went 4-for-4 with two RBI and Tim Raines also drove home two runs to lead the Expos. Andy McGaf-figan, 5-2, pitched six innings for the victory. Bob McCkire, ac-quired this month from Milwaukee, went three innings for his first save as aq Expo. Bob Walk fell to 2-4.

Phillies 9, Cardinals 2 At Philadelphia, Bob; Forsch tossed, an eight-hitter and Curt Ford and Jack Clark supported him with solo home Forsch, 6-4, struck out three and walked five in hurling his second Complete game. Ford and Clark both homered off Phillies (starter Charles Hudson, 4-5. Padres 5, Dodgers 4 1 At Los Angeles, Carmelo Martinez ripped an RBI single in the eighth inning to score Tony Gwynn with the tying run, and Kevin McReynolds Scored on an error by center fielder, Ken Landreaux to lift the Padres. San Diego needed a game-ending double play with the bases loaded to hold off the Dodgers. ir Box Score (Key AB-R-H) STREATOR NATIONAL (10)- Cinnamon cf 34-1, Daughenty 3b 4-0-0, Rankin 2b 3-00, Tkach 4-2-2, Starkey rk 4-2-1, Warren 2-1-0, Novotney ss 2-2-1, Biroshik If 1-2-1, Wbalen lb 1-1, Dent 3b 1-00 Totals 25 10 7 SOMONAUK (4).

Vitallo 2b 4-1-1, Swapford cf 4-1-2, Myrstk lb 2-1-1, McMahon tees off MENOMONEE FALLS; Wis. (UPI) Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who battles the Green Bay Packers on the playing field, is joining Other sports and entertainment figures at todays Vince LombardiGoIf Classic. McMahon played a practice round Friday at the North Hills Country Club in preparation for the charity tournament to raise money for cancer research. Bob Hope headlines a list of other sports andenter-tainment figures scheduled to play in the tournament in memory of the legendary Green Bay coach who died of cancer. McMahon said when he was young, he rooted for Green Bay.

I was always a Packer fan grpwing up when he was the coach and watching all those guys. Hes a legend, said McMahon. A number of present and former Packers will be on hand for the tournament, including Lynn Dickey, the Packers starting quarterback the past few years who was recently released. He was practicing with Jan Stenerud, the former Packer and NFL career record holder for field goals who has retired after 19 years as a NEW YORK (UPI) New Cubs manager Gene Michael had his initial first-hand look At the New York Mets Friday night, and learned what the rest of the National League skippers have known all season. Theyre good, said Michael, after the Mets defeated the Cubs 10-3 Friday night in his managerial debut against New York.

They have good strong pitching. If you get behind on them and try to catch up, it doesnt always work. Theyre strong in the top of the order and thehave hitting throughout. They can steamroll right over you. Sid Fernandez and Roger McDowell combined on a six-hitter, and Ketih Hernandez and Gary Carter each homered to pace the Mets, who have won eight of their last 10 and 20 of their last 27 games.

This wasnt really a routine win. I struggled, Fernandez said. I didnt have my best stuff but won anyway. The ultimate for pitching is to finish the game and win, but I did go seven strong innings and I believe Im getting longer and logger on my starts, certainly longer than last year' 153. UUXUJ MOV JfvCU Fernandez worked the first seven innings and allowed only three hits.

He walked five and struck cut five before being relieved by McDowell, who gave up three hits in the last two innings. Feqiandez, 8-2, has earned the Carter, who now fejoys Pro- Jackson takes the BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (UPI) Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson will announce Saturday he is shunning professional football to sign I' with the Kansas City Royals, according to a published report. The Tampa Tribune repented in its early Saturday editions Jackson will spurn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: five-year, $7 million offer and accept a 5-year $5-million dollar baseball contract from the World -Series Champion Royals. I Jackson, flew from Tuscaloosa to Memphis, site of the Royals AA affiliate, Friday where he met with Royals owners Ewing Kaufman and Avron Fogelman, and team general manager John Schuerholz.

He will announce his intentions in a 1 p.m. EDT 1 2 iL. T2 I .1 Ttfli 4 3 conference in the Birmingham Hilton Hotel. 4 ii4f.