Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 10

B2 TIMES-ADVOCATE, Escondido, Padres Continued from page B1 tions and has now pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just eight hits. He is innings shy of the team record for scoreless innings by a reliever. Goose Gossage had in 1985. One hit in the seventh seemed to turn the game around for starter Hawkins. Hawkins entered the inning having allowed only two hits, but Sid Bream led off with a single to left.

R.J. Reynolds followed with a single to right, and it became evident that Hawkins was drifting into trouble. 13 After Mike La Valliere, the league's hottest hitter entering the game, flied out to left, it looked as if Hawkins would be able salvage the inning. But the next batter was Al Pedrique, whose .105 average was a little deceptive. Last season, Pedrique was the league's most effective hitter with runners in scoring position, batting .458.

Pedrique doubled to right-center, scoring Bream from second. Bowa called on left-handed reliever Davis to finish the inning. Davis did what he does best, striking out the next two batters. But Davis didn't exactly glitter in the seventh. On his first pitch, Davis was called for a balk by second base umpire Bob Davidson.

The balk scored Reynolds from third. Brown may not be completely out of his slump, but he is definitely on the road to recovery. In the fifth inning, Brown provided something the Padres have been lacking this season, a big run-scor- It's a new arena for Cliff Branch LOS ANGELES (AP) Cliff Branch, the 21st leading receiver in National Football League history, begins an improbable comeback tonight (7:30 p.m., ESPN) when the Los Angeles Cobras open their first Arena Football League season against the New York Knights at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Branch, 39, played his final season for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1985. He spent the 1986 season on the club's injured reserve list.

Branch said Arena Football's simpler nature makes his return possible. 'Bum' Bright rejects bid for Cowboys IRVING, Texas (AP) Roger Staubach, who quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl titles, helped a group of investors bid for the pro football franchise, but Cowboys owner H.R. "Bum" Bright rejected the offer as too low, a television station reported. Former all-pro Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson, now working as a reporter for KXAS-TV in Dallas, said Staubach told him in an interview late Friday afternoon that he was approached by the group several months ago to offer their bid to Bright. "Roger was only involved as a Gaines Continued from page B1 The Chicken ran up the stairs and was cornered by several other Cardinals at the top of the wall in the leftfield stands.

Indiana Chicken was trapped. But, with the Cardinals closing in, the Chicken jumped off the 18-foot wall and escaped on horseback across the field. OK, the horse got a little spooked and they had a bit of trouble getting it off the field. But the fans absolutely loved the stunt. The ballplayers, however, were somewhat perturbed.

"The Cardinals pitcher had a no-hitter going," said Seaver. "I think we got a little too ambitious. Softball Continued from page B1 Scoring on Fallbrook starter Tori Spiekerman has gotten even tougher recently. The shutout of Vista marked her fourth straight blanking. Spiekerman, though she did not pitch all that badly, was off just a bit.

Pitching despite a bone bruise on her pitching hand, she walked one Panther, hit another and struck out six. She allowed four hits and warded off any trouble despite having to make 98 pitches for the win. Vista had three chances to break the shutout string. Spiekerman took charge herself to quell the first two opportunities. Kelli Schott reached third base Saturday, April 30, 1988 ing hit to top off an inning.

With one out in the fifth, John Kruk drew a walk and advanced to second on a hit-and-run when Keith Moreland's slow roller to second caught Pittsburgh's Jose Lind going the other way. Moreland was safe at first. 'I didn't think I was in a slump. I was just trying to do too many things. I was thinking too Chris Brown After Benito Santiago flew out to left, Marvell Wynne walked to load the bases.

With the bases loaded and two outs this year, the Padres usually have seen their big innings end without anything to show for it. But Brown pounded a single to right, scoring Kruk and Moreland, to give the Padres a 5-1 lead. In the fourth, the Padres assembled a bona fide rally behind Santiago's one-out single to left. Wynne followed with an RBI double to the alley in left. After Brown grounded to short, Garry Templeton was intentionally walked to get to Hawkins.

The strategy backfired, as Hawkins poked a single to right, scoring Wynne and giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. Kruk hit his third homer of the season, a solo shot to left, in the first inning. Hawkins' no-hitter came to an end in the fourth inning, when Andy Van Slyke hit an RBI single to left, scoring Barry Bonds, who walked to lead off the inning. "There's no way in the world I could play in the NFL right now because I couldn't take six weeks of two-a-day practices," said Branch, who caught 501 passes during 14 years with the Oakland- Angeles Raiders. "But here the practices aren't as long because the game isn't as complicated.

There isn't the situation substitution and all the defenses you have in the NFL." There also isn't such a big field Arena Football is played on a 50-yard by 85-foot field, while NFL fields are 100 yards long. Because all players except quarterbacks and kickers are required to play offense and defense, Branch will also be a defensive back. He said this will be the first time he has played defense since attending Houston's Attucks Junior High School in the -1960s. routing investor," Pearson said. "He did not have any financial involvement in this." Bright has been trying to sell the team, and the strongest prospect to purchase the club appears to be Denver billionaire Marvin Davis, who has previously tried to buy other professional sports teams.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Davis, 62, may be a week away from completing a deal for purchase of the Cowboys. Schramm said Thursday that Staubach, owner of a Dallas commercial real estate firm, introduced him to a local businessman who was interested in heading a group that would include Staubach, the Dallas Times Herald reported. Schramm declined to identify the businessman. "As far as Roger is concerned, the deal is dead," Pearson said. Our baseball people got very upset." Hey, promotions can backfire in any ballpark.

Just ask Reggie Jackson. In 1978, the Yankees had Reggie Candy Bar Day. To promote the candy bar named after their slugger, the Yankees gave everyone in attendance a free Reggie Bar. And since it was also Opening Day, Yankee Stadium was packed. In the first inning, Jackson smashed a three-run homer.

But, as he rounded the bases, the excited fans showered him with Reggie Bars from all directions. Time had to be called while the grounds crew raked up thousands of candy bars. Back in 1972, the Phillies invited Kiteman to their home opener. This guy was supposed to barrel down a huge ramp in centerfield on roller skates, then take to the air to with two outs in the first inning on her bloop double to centerfield and a ground out. But Spiekerman speared a grounder for the final out.

In the third inning, Renee Richardson lined a one-out double down the third base line. After a walk and a wild pitch, Spiekerman, slipped a third strike past the next two batters. The Panthers came within an eyelash of scoring in the sixth. Danielle Jaime singled to center, and after a fly out, moved to second on a ground out and took third on Midge Castaneda's single to rightfield. Michelle Canales then hit a ground ball to shortstop that Terri Pearson bobbled, dropped, but picked up in time to nip Canales at first by a split second.

Padres Notes PONDS $24 A The Associated Press it a try, but the Pittsburgh outfielder is unable to first-inning home run during Padres' 6-3 win. Outfielder Byers gets called up By Chris De Luca Times Advocate Sportswriter SAN DIEGO Tim Flannery could hobble around for only so long before someone noticed how was experiencing. Manager Larry Bowa noticed. By Friday, Flannery was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of pain in his right ankle. Outfielder Randell Byers was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas for Friday night's game.

For the utility infielder who prides himself in playing in pain, the time off is welcomed by Flannery. "It's one thing playing in pain and another when something isn't right," Flannery said. "I have to be healthy in another month in order to help this team." That's part of a utility infielder's job, filling in during the long days of June when doubleheaders and two months of action begin to wear the starters down. For that reason, Flannery figures this is the best time to be out of action. "The utility player doesn't play the first month because nobody needs a rest that early in the season," he said.

"Out of the whole year, this is the only time I would do it. I told Larry, 'I'm not going to lie to you, I lied to you all last year saying it didn't Long-suffering DJ gets to go home BALTIMORE (AP) Radio disc jockey Bob Rivers finally went home and the city of Baltimore rejoiced. Rivers, who 10 days ago promised he'd stay on the air on radio station WIYY-FM until the Baltimore Orioles won a baseball game, was released from his vigil Friday night when the Orioles defeated the Chicago White Sox 9-0. "This is a Chicago blowout," Rivers said on his radio show as the game neared its conclusion. "I'm extremely happy and happening.

I'm going home tonight," he said after more than 255 consecutive hours of broadcasting. "A blowout," Rivers yelled during the final inning. "I think a blowout means the team is coming Orioles Barry Bonds gives snare John Kruk's Continued from page B1 ed to be the first to lose to the Orioles, but the White Sox earned that distinction with sloppy play. "The full moon had more to do with it than the streak," Manager Jim Fregosi said. "I feel bad for me, but they needed a win." A crowd of 14,059 jeered the White Sox in the final inning.

There have been rumors the team might move to Florida, and the fans let their team hear it. "St. Petersburg!" many shouted. "You guys belong in St. Petersburg!" Robinson predicted this week that it would take a shutout to end the Orioles' skid, and they got it as only one Chicago runner got past first base.

Williamson (1-0) allowed three hits over six innings in his fourth big league start and Schmidt finished for a save. eventually land on home plate. Well, he zipped down the runway all right, but shot up into the sky and flew backwards, crashing into the centerfield bleachers. Kiteman ripped out five rows of seats, but somehow survived. Despite the near tragedy, the Phillies invited him back the following season.

This time, he zoomed off the ramp and crashed in a heap right on the outfield warning track. In other home openers, the Phillies tried Rocket Man, Cycle Man and Parachute Man. Each was a total bust. In 1980, Kiteman tried it one more time. And it worked.

He sailed through the air and landed smack dab on home plate. Naturally, the Philadelphia fans booed. Of course, strange promotions go beyond baseball. Several years back, the Sockers had Frisbee "We had more runners than they did. We just couldn't find a way to get one Mary Trotter "We got some good pitching, but we had more runners than they did," pointed out Trotter.

"We just couldn't find a way to get one home." Getting one home was all Fallbrook managed off Jaime and Schott, who combined to throw a three-hitter in vain with one walk and five strikeouts. Jaime had the Warriors baffled on no hits until Jennifer Tippitt singled to leftfield leading off the fourth. The next two hitters flied out to center, bringing Spiekerman Flannery originally injured the ankle last May 6 during batting practice when he inadvertently, stepped on a ball that had rolled under the tarp in front of home plate. He severly strained ligaments on both sides of the ankle. Through spring training and the early part of the season, Flannery experienced no pain in the ankle.

But on opening night in San Diego, on April 12, Flannery was warming up by running sprints in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. He felt a sharp twinge in the ankle. Since then, he has had two cortisone shots and five acupuncture treatments. "I'm going to stay off of it for 15 days and get it healed once and for all," Flannery said. Bowa said he decided to call up Byers because the Padres need a left-hander to pinch hit late in the game.

Aside from Marvell Wynne, the Padres lack a left-handed pinch hitter off the bench. Through 18 games, Byers was' batting .250 with no home runs and nine RBI. Bowa elected to bring up an outfielder to fill the void in the outfield created when centerfielder Stan Jefferson was sent down to open a spot for sec-. ond baseman Roberto Alomar. Thursday's starting pitcher Ed Whitson, who was hit near the left ankle by a Vince Coleman line drive in the second inning, is not scheduled to miss his start Tuesday against Chicago.

Whitson's ankle is still swollen and sore but should be fine by Tuesday, Bowa said. back strong." While Rivers was celebrating at the microphone, WBAL-TV sportscaster Vernon Glenn finally took off the black and orange Orioles baseball jacket he's worn for more than a week on his sportscasts. As Orioles second baseman Pete Stanicek fielded the final ground ball and threw to first baseman Eddie Murray for the game's final out, Rivers shouted, "I'm going home!" The first song Rivers played after the game was "I'm Free," by The Who. Then came two songs by the rock group Queen "We Will Rock You," and "We Are The Champions." Throughout the city, fans cele- Eddie Murray's two-run homer in the first inning got the Orioles standing and cheering in the dugout, and this time they did not find a way to lose. Cal Ripken went 4- for-5 with a homer and double, and rookie Pete Stanicek, promoted from the minors earlier in the day, singled and scored in the fifth and sparked a four-run seventh with an RBI double.

The Orioles, who established the longest losing streak in American League history with Thursday's defeat in Minnesota, stopped short of the major league mark of 23 consecutive losses by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961. Baltimore won all six games at Comiskey Park last season, and three cases of champagne were on ice and waiting for the Orioles in their clubhouse after this victory. It was their reward for ending the worst start in major league history and a team-record losing streak. Baltimore also had lost its final Night. Late in the second period, the referee had infuriated the fans with a brutal call, frisbees started gliding onto the arena.

Within seconds, hundreds of frisbees were airborne, sailing onto the field. Players were ducking and trying to catch the spheres. The refs were getting pelted. Every time the public address announcer warned the crowd not to throw anything onto the field, a new barrage of frisbees followed. All the while, I noticed a Sockers executive in the press box had a huge smile plastered across his face.

"Pretty crazy," I said. "Nah, this is nothing," he replied. "You've seen a bigger mess?" "Yo-Yo Night." to the plate. Spiekerman, who lined out to Jaime the first time up, socked a 1-2 pitch over the head of leftfielder Tracee Kruggel for a double, scoring Tippitt. "The last thing I said to Tori before she went up there was, 'They're playing too deep, so just hit a said Fallbrook Coach Bill Regal.

"So she goes over the top. "That's the second time that's happened to me this year, and both times in 1-0 games." Schott allowed just one single although two errors in the fifth put runners at second and third in blanking the Warriors the final innings. "No matter what, they're still Vista," said Regal. "They still hit the ball. Tori's rise pitch was just brated around televisions as the Orioles won their first game of the season after an American League record 21 consecutive loss.

"It has been outrageous. People have been going nuts," said Mike Coster, a bartender at Balls, a sports bar in downtown Baltimore. "What a win. It's almost like the '83 World Series here." Coster said the three-floored club had 15 television monitors and one wide-screen television all tuned to the game as patrons partied throughout the one-sided victory. "People are hanging over the railing," Coster said.

"Things keep flying over railings. This is the busiest I've seen it here." five exhibition games. Robinson, who watched his club go 0-15 after replacing the fired Cal Ripken finally saw the Orioles get the luck they lacked this season. Baltimore, which had made 21 errors to its opponents' 12, played flawlessly in the field while one Chicago miscue led to three runs. The Orioles' staff had thrown eight wild pitches to the opposition's two, but loser Jack McDowell's poor pitch in fifth allowed Stanicek to score.

The victory, however, was still costly. Billy Ripken was beaned by reliever John Davis in the seventh and carried from the field on a stretcher while brother Cal hovered over him. Billy Ripken suffered a slight concussion but was conscious and alert. Cal Ripken extended his hitting streak to 10 games after starting the year in a 2-for-43 slump. Fouts Continued from page B1 CBS is head and shoulders above any other network," he said.

"Their whole organization is just top-notch." Fouts said he wasn't worried about the transition between active player and broadcaster. "I don't think it will be difficult," he said. "In my mind, I'm retired. My football career seems about 100 years ago to me. I feel it's over and I'm moving on.

This is the marking of a clean break. There's no going back. "I think I'll be enjoying the game a lot more than I have the last couple of years," Fouts added. "My association with football started as a hanging there the last few innings. "With four straight shutouts, that tells me we've got a good pitcher and a head's-up defense.

Defense kept Vista from scoring that one run. "It used to be that we'd always get pumped up to play Vista, but they wouldn't necessarily get up for us. There was more pressure on them to win this one. They had to get one." Now Vista must take aim for second place with Wednesday's game at home against Poway, which took over that spot Friday with a 2-1 extra-inning win over Mt. Carmel.

Meanwhile, Fallbrook has a goal of its own en route to the league championship. "We've lost four games this year, three to Grossmont League teams Sockers Continued from page B1 the Sockers a man short. It was the 14th short-handed goal for Clavijo, the MISL career record-holder. The Sockers gained their first lead with Brian Quinn's unassisted goal, a 50-footer while he seemingly was setting up a shot at 2:38 of the second quarter. The Stars tied the score 2-2 on Gary Heale's goal at 3:16.

The Sockers countered with another defender goal, by Kevin Crow at 3:51 off Hirmez' steal. Peter Ward tied the score for Tacoma at 4:09, and Preki gave the Stars a 4-3 lead at 11:58. Paul Dougherty got the credit for a San Diego power-play goal two minutes before halftime. Track Continued from page B1 Reyes' mark of placed him fourth. Reyes also placed third with a time of 22.4 in the 200 meters.

Triple jump honors went to Lenny McGill of Orange Glen with a mark of 47-0. McGill set a personal best of 47-9 on Wednesday in a dual meet against Fallbrook, and although he could not match that performance at the invitational, he appeared pleased with his progress. "I'm happy with the win," McGill said. Other top area performers were George Rodriquez of Fallbrook, who won the 880 in Paul Heideman of Escondido, who took the mile in and San Pasqual's Francis O'Neill, who ran away with the two mile. O'Neill's winning mark was 9:35.

fan It's a different perspective, but one that with good coaching and good direction I think I'll be able to handle. "I'm excited about going to a ballgame and getting caught up in the atmosphere of football again. The part I liked most as a kid was the electricity and the tension." Fouts said his work at CBS, while beginning with football, will not be limited to that sport. "I will have other assignments," he said. "I made it clear to CBS and they made it clear to me that this is a career.

It's not a sidelight, it's not a weekend job. It's something I want to do and something I want to be successful at." Fouts' broadcasting partner will not be named until June, said Mark Carlson, CBS director of sports information. and one to Madison in the (Orange Glen) Easter tournament," said Regal. "And in some ways it was good, because we accomplished what we went down there for to find out how good we are. "We could be undefeated right now if we had scheduled some weak North County schools and gone down into the playoffs with a higher seed than we deserved.

"The best team I've seen in my five years in this league was the Orange Glen team five years ago with Kim Thweatt as the pitcher. I'm not going to compare us with them, yet. "Orange Glen is the benchmark for us." That will keep the Warriors going now that the posse that's been chasing them this year has been disbanded..