The Napa Valley Register from Napa, California • 11

Friday, June 16, 1995 The NAPA VALLEY REGISTER 3B Cubs Castillo stifles Giants offense Winning pitcher: Frank Castillo (5-2) Losing pitcher: Mark Leiter (3-3) Highlight: Castillo had a perfect game for 6.2 innings until Mike Benjamin singled. He finished with a Today: Giants (Van Landingham 0-0) at St. Louis (Palacios 1-2), 5:35 p.m., SportsChannel and KNBR-680. trating so hard he didnt even remember if his teammates were giving him the cold shoulder in the dugout, the baseball tradition for a guy throwing a no-hitter. I realized I had something going on," he said.

Once Benjamin, the hottest hitter in baseball, lined a single to center, Castillo tried to refocus. He subsequently gave up a run but stayed around for another inning before Randy Myers closed in the ninth. I just told myself, Its over with. I just used the same approach pitch-to-pitch and I tried not to overdo it," Castillo said. It was not a bad pitch to Benjamin.

he just went out and got it. The guy is just swinging a magic wand right now, Castillo said. I hit my spots and kept everything down. My confidence is up." Castillo (5-2) allowed four hits' and one walk in eight innings and -struck out 10, matching a career high set against the Giants in 1991. Benjamin hit a clean line-drive single on a 2-2 pitch that bounced once and went past sec-.

ond baseman Rey Sanchez into center field. Benjamin was 6-for-7 Wednes- day with the game-winning RBI in the 13th inning and set a major league record with 14 hits in three games. He was l-for-4 Thursday. Castillo had a lot of pitches going for him today and he mixed it up pretty good," Benjamin said. CHICAGO (AP) Frank Castillo won 10 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1992, and then his career started to fade.

There was a shaky 1993 when he was 5-8 with a 4.84 ERA. And then after a linger injury a year ago, he made only four major league starts and spent most of the season in the minors. The way I struggled in 1993 and all the injuries last season, a lot of people didn't give me a lot of credit coming out of spring training." Castillo said. On Thursday, he showed why he is now one of the Cubs most consistent pitchers. He retired the first 19 batters, losing his perfect game on Mike Benjamins seventh-inning single.

But Castillo still got his fifth win in the last seven starts in a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He deserves the success hes had. Hes worked hard to get over some hurdles and then he pitched winter ball," Cubs manager Jim Riggleman said. Castillo said he was concen Mike Benjamin lashes a hit to break up Frank Castillos perfect game in the top of the seventh inning. Royals Gubicza hurls brilliant 1-hitter at As Winning pitcher: Mark Gubicza (4-5).

Losing pitcher: Ron Darling (2-3) Highlight: Gubicza allowed only one hit Mark McGwires fourth-inning single hr setting down the As. Today: Kansas City (Gordon 4-2) at Oakland (Stottiemyre 5-1 7:05 p.m., SportsChannel and KFRC-610. GOLF From Page IB needed to do right, and Im very happy," Norman said. Mickelson also expressed pleasure with his 2-under-par effort, but it was obvious tod double-bogey, bogey, par finish was less than thrilling. The left-hander ran off a string of three birdies beginning on toe 1 1th hole, then ran in a 30-footer on toe 15th to take toe lead alone.

But he chopped up toe par-5 16th, hitting a 1-iron second shot into toe rough, playing out with a sand wedge, toe green In 4 and then three-putting from 20 feet. He also bogeyed toe next, failing to get up and down after hitting a 5-iron through toe green. Veteran Fuzzy Zoeller led a group at 69 that included Mag- gert, Bob Tway, Steve Lowery, Billy Glasson and Jumbo Ozaki of Japan. Price, ranked No. 1 in toe world, player of toe year for toe past two seasons and toe dominant player in world golf since his 1992 PGA triumph, has been in a mild slump most of this year.

My putter hasnt been very effective," he said. But toe critical save of bogey on toe 12th had nothing to do with toe putter. Rather, it was an extraordinary shot with toe wedge. He pulled a 3-wood second shot far left of toe green into knee-deep vegatation. I dont know what it was.

Gorse?" he said, a reference to the resemblance between Shinnecock Hills and Scottish links courses. Whatever it was, he could barely see toe ball. OBrien won the decathlon with 8,682 points, far off the 8,891 he scored when setting the world record in 1992. Chris Huffins was second with 8,351 and Brian Bro-phy third with 8,257. Overall, Im pretty happy because it was a pretty tough day for eveiybody," OBrien said.

I wanted 8,800 points, but the weather just didnt allow it." The top three finishers in each event of the USA-Mobil Championships that run through Sunday will be on the U.S. team at Goteborg. Todd Williams, Chris Fox and Tom Ansbeny finished 1-2-3 in the mens 10,000 meters. Gina Procaccio, Laura Mykytok and Libbie Johnson went 1-2-3 in the womens 5,000 meters. Michael Johnson, seeking to become the first man to win the 200 and 400 in the national championships since 1899, breezed into todays 400 final by winning his semifinal heat in 45.

16 seconds. Its hard to get motivated when running in the rain," he said. I hope tomorrow will be dry. The winds caused problems. They made me run harder than I wanted." Also advancing to the final were world record-holder Butch Reynolds and 1991 world champion Antonio Pettigrew.

But Quincy Watts, the 1992 Olympic champion, failed to qualify. OAKLAND (AP) Kansas City manager Bob Boone just laughs when asked about the novelty of his four-man pitching rotation. For 100 years, thats toe way its been done," Boone said. I felt it should have been done more often, but I was never in control of it before. Problem is now, (the five-man rotation) has been in place so long, it's the thing that fired managers are made of." Mark Gubicza, one of Boones four starters, pitched the first one-hitter of his 10-year career Thursday to beat the Oakland Athletics 7-0.

Gubicza was among baseballs hardest throwers in toe 1980s before rotator cuff surgery set him back in 1993. He started this season 1-4, and Boone had a one-to-one talk with him about a month ago. Since then, Gubicza is 3-1 with a 2.1 1 ERA in toe five starts. He basically told me to go after people, Gubicza said. He believed in me.

It built my confidence." In other games, Detroit defeated New York 9-2 and California beat Chicago 5-1. The Royals' foursome of Gubicza, Kevin Appier, Chris Haney and Tom Gordon have all contributed to the teams season-high six-game winning streak. The streak has helped keep Kansas City within seven games of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians, who have baseballs best record at 33-11. "He just keeps getting better and better every time out," Boone said. Now hes even throwing harder, maybe because of (toe shorter rest between starts)." Gubicza says toe short rotation keeps him alert I dont have enough free time to let my mind wander between starts," Gubicza said.

And being a sinkerball pitcher, it kind of helps me not to overthrow toe ball as much." Oakland manager Tony La Russa might be swaved to switch to a four-man rotation after what happened Thursday. Ron Darling had another bad start allowing seven runs in only 2. 1 innings. La Russa declined to talk much about either starting pitcher, instead focusing on toe big picture of being outhit and outscored. I dont have any comment about Gubicza, La Russa said.

They just outplayed us. They out-everythinged us." Boone said Gubicza is probably throwing harder than he has in toe last five years." Jims going to have some big shoes to fill and I know hell do whatever has to be done. Dale Fisher really started toe ball rolling with our cross country team and Ron has carried it through so well. And I think were real fortunate to have someone like Jim take over because its a transition within toe school and its not like toe kids will have to look at some new faces. Were fortunate to have someone of toe caliber of Jim coming in here." Lyon, who said his biggest priority will be coaching the total kid," went out of his area of expertise in coaching shot and discus but said he learned a lot along toe way.

NAPA From Page IB (high jump) get into toe Sac-Joaquin Section Meet was toe fist of what he hopes will be toe first of what Lyon hopes will be many Napa athletes go beyond the Monticello Empire League Meet. Orr, for one, said he definitely feels Lyon has what it takes although he does admit hell miss Diemoz greatly. Ron has been my right hand man for a long time," said Orr, pointing out Diemoz took a girls cross country team from a onetime two-player roster into toe 31 -athlete powerpouse it is today. Robby Gordons Valvoline Indy Racecar This Saturday June 17th TRACK From Page IB The temperature fell into the low 50s on a rainy day that featured biting 14 mph winds. By the time OBrien finished the decathlon, at 11:32 p.m.

local time, only a few dozen devoted fans remained at soggy Hughes Stadium. The last time Sacramento hosted the national championships, in 1981, temperatures were above 100 degrees. In contrast, Thursday was the second-coldest June 15 In Californias capital since 1878. Its very late, but part of the decathlon is to see who can hold up under difficult conditions," OBrien said, and these were as difficult conditions as Ive run in." The lousy weather, and the delays it caused, forced organizers to postpone the mens and womens triple jumps to Saturday and wiped out qualifying in the womens high jump which will now go straight to a final. This was Joyner-Kersees first heptathlon of the year, and it' showed her lack of conditioning.

She finished the seven-event, -two-day competition with 6,375 points, her lowest total since finishing second In the 1984 Olympics with 6,363. Joyner-Kersee struggled In the 800 meters, the final heptathlon event. She ran It while wearing a purple and black mask designed to keep cold air out of her lungs. Im not disappointed, but embarrassed," Joyner-Kersee said. Im a much better athlete than that.

I know I can score better than 6,300." Kym Carter and Kelly Blair, each of whom finished with 6,354 points, will join Joyner-Kersee on the U.S. team for the World Championships at Goteborg, Sweden, on Aug. 4-13. Salt Lake is favored to win Olympic bid BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -Front-runner Salt Lake City stressed its readiness and a diverse heritage in the heart of the American West in its bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The U.S.

city was competing with three other sites, Sion, Switzerland; Ostersund, Sweden; and Quebec, Canada, for the right to hold the Games. The IOC will make its decision today. The four cities were seeking small ways to influence the few undecided among the 92 committee members likely to vote. Sion handed out stuffed toys of Saint Bernards to emphasize their Swiss heritage. Swiss ski great Pirmin Zurbriggen was overcome by emotion as he spoke of his desire to bring the Games to Sion.

Swedish prime minister Ingvar Carlsson personally addressed the committee with a speech heavy on political themes. Salt Lake City boosters lined one of Budapests Danube River bridges to greet the committee members on the way to their session. The Salt Lake City team, narrowly beaten out by Nagano, Japan, four years ago for the 1998 games, emphasized its commitment to winning the right to the first Winter Games of the 21st centuiy, which has led it to already build many of the Olympic sites. Its 45-minute presentation, which Included a videotaped message of support from President Clinton, was greeted with sustained applause by committee members. This is one of those special times, and special opportunities," said Anita DeFrantz, the U.S.

representative on the IOCs executive board. JONES From Page IB home of the World Championships) and that was the ultimate goal." Sure, her point total was nowhere near the 7,148 points she racked up back in 1986, when she was the first hep-tathlete to accumulate more than 7,000 points. But it wasnt as though the three-time Athlete of the Year award-winner, whose latest world record is 7,291 points, fell far enough off her usual pace to hold off the rest of the competition. The three-time Olympic gold medalist, who won toe heptathlon in toe 1988 and '92 games, has heard all of toe negative publicity. And no, she doesnt like it one bit.

"Youre gonna take your licks, youre gonna get kicked, People call me old, say Im washed up and Injuries or not, Im embarrassed. Tm a much better athlete than that. I know I can score better than 6,300. I'm not washed up. I Just need to put it together." Her coach and husband Bobby Kersee, who is known for putting athletes through strenuous workouts, agrees.

Weve told toe world, her first win was back in 1983 and here it is '95 and shes right in it," he said. She still leads toe country and we respect toe United States and her enough to do it right. Theres no doubt that I havent pushed Jackie. Were a year away from that and toe most important thing today was that she walked away without an injury. You dont want to injure your athlete just for stats." Especially a legend like Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Huge Tool Sale! Many factory vendors on site Come to the swap meet! (Who knows what you may find) Plenty of Make Offer items. Lots of Door Drawings every half Grand Prize Drawing Champagne Balloon Ride for two over the Napa Valley T.E.M. AUTO PARTS, INC. 800 Vallejo St. Napa (707)252-6811 Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat Closed Sunday 'ill' II VMKVjM'ffltfte MSA 'CO.

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