Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 26

D2 TIMES-ADVOCATE. Escondido, Monday, December 18, 1989 Sportsgram Sponspeople From A wire services Italian newspapers are blaming Danny Ferry for Messaggero Romes seventh loss in the Italian basketball league. Ferry scored 17 points, although Milans Gazzetta reported The American had an inglorious day." SportsQuiz What was the last school to drop out of the Big 10 Conference? Answer on page D5. SportsQuote Tulsa Coach David Radpr after the Hurricane lost the Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.) to Oregon 27-24 in 29 degree weather: It needed to be colder. I thought we needed every advantage that we could get.

If its colder, they have to put more clothes on and maybe that will slow them down. Thoughts off coach were from the heart SALT LAKE CITY It took a few reassuring words from Bo Schembechler to comfort Utah Coach Rick Majerus before his coronary bypass surgery. Majerus received a phone call last week from Schembechler, the Michigan coach who will retire from coaching after the Wolverines play in the Rose Bowl. Schembechler underwent open heart surgery in 1970 and 1987. He talked to me a long time and explained everything," Majerus said.

And Bo said, Youre going to be better than ever, and youre going to feel better. Youre going to be more productive. He said, Youll be able to work as hard as ever, but youve just got to take time out for yourself. Youve got to watch your diet, and youve got to make sure that you take time out for exercise. Majerus, who coached at Ball State and has many coaching friends in Indiana, plans to spend time recuperating from Thursdays surgery in Bloomington and at his sisters home in South Carolina.

Utah assistant Joe Cravens will coach the WAC team the rest of the season. Deckers racket worth every swing STUTTGART, West Germany Boris Becker has signed a four-year deal with a litte-known American racket company reportedly worth close to $4.5 million. The Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion will start using the new racket, known as EstUSA and made in Taiwan by U.S. Tech, in March.

Becker spent more than two years searching for a new racket, but has continued to use a model made by Puma without a contract. The West German company no longer has his racket in production and Becker reportedly only has two of the latest model left. EsW Patti Rizzo and Mike Hill teamed for a final-round 66 Sunday to win the Mazda Champions golf tournament at San Juan, PR. Rizzo and Hill finished with a 25-under-par total of 191, one stroke better than Tammie Green-Don Bies and Sherri Turner-Charles Coody. Australian Brett Ogle shot a 73 for a 3-stroke victory in the $273,000 Queensland Open championship at Brisbane.

John Clifford was second. P3M I Serious problems on Louisiana State Univesitys football team have many players thinking about leaving, said linebacker Nigel Ventress, who identified himself as One of the potential transferees. At least half of LSUs players are unhappy, said the redshirt freshman, who visited the University of Houston this weekend along with LSU defensive back Dominique Artis and former LSU linebacker Eric Middleton. All three were standout prep players in Texas. University of Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Paul Hackett is the leading candidate to replace Mike Gottfried as head football coach.

Hackett probably will coach the team Dec. 30 against Texas in the Sun Bowl. Gottfried was fired by Pitt this week. Alabama head coach Bill Curry said negotiations on his five-year contract with the Crim-sOTCTide were continuing after a published report said he turned a three-year extension of-fpCTd earlier this month. I Catcher Ernie Whitt, 37, was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Atlanta Braves with minor-league outfielder Kevin Batiste far minor-league pitcher Rick Tjflicek.

Whitt hit .262 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs in 1989 as Toronto won the American League fc Great job, kid Former Detroit Lions star Billy Sims gives Barry Sanders a hug after Sanders broke Sims' rookie rushing record of 1 ,303 yards during Sundays victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs at the Silverdome. Sanders rushed for 104 yards. Gee knows about Buffaloes McCartney and Athletic Director Bill Marolt. The winning Buffaloes have become the pride and joy of CU. When Gee took over in 1985, he immediately made it clear that CU would be friendly toward big-time football, just as he had done as president of the University of West Virginia, which also went from a loser to a football powerhouse.

Gee personally recruited players and began traveling with the coach and athletic director on road trips. Gee has used football to open the hearts and minds of legislators, who control the state money that is the lifeblood of the university. It was Gees lobbying skill that regents cited as a prime reason for luring him from West Virginia in the first place. BOULDER, Colo. When the president of the University of Colorado promised alumni five years ago to bring them a national football championship, a lot of listeners were skeptical.

One man at that banquet in western Colorado muttered that CUs new President Gordon Gee, must be on peyote to think the Boulder hippie haven could produce a team to topple the likes of Nebraska's crew cut Cornhuskers. After all, at the time CUs team was a 1-10 loser, embarrassed by a five-year investigative ordeal that brought two years of NCAA probation and flagging support from faculty and Coloradans. But Gee is grinning these days over a prediction coming true, along with football Coach Bill Chargers Notes Hector Toe" Blake, coach of the Montreal Canadiens from 1955 to 1968, was taken to a hospital for a series of tests. Authorities at the Montreal General Hospital declined to reveal why the 77-year-old Blake was admitted or to give any other information except to say his condition was stable. Initial radio reports said he had suffered a heart attack.

Blake coached the Canadiens to eight Stanley Cup championships, including five straight from 1955 to 1960. Grant Martin scored the tying goal with 1:48 remaining to lift Team Canada to a 2-2 tie with West Germany in the Izvestia hockey tournament in Moscow. am Alberigo Evani scored the lone goal on a free kick in extra time, giving European champion A.C. Milan of Italy a 1-0 victory over South American champion Na-cional Medellin of Colombia in the Toyota Cup soccer tournament in Tokyo. Tara Cross had 20 kills as Long Beach State defeated Nebraska 15-12, 15-0, 15-6 in Honolulu to win the NCAA Division I womens volleyball championship.

It was the first title for Long Beach State, which finished the season at 32-5. American Phil Mahre won the $25,000 Westford Cup in Massachusetts and is now in first place on the U.S. Pro Ski Tour. East German Uwe-Jens Mey captured the 500-meter speed skating title with a time of 37.17 seconds in the World Cup meet at Seoul, South Korea. I made a comment a couple of times on the sidelines to Billy Ray (Smith) that it seemed like we hadnt played yet, said Charger linebacker Gary Plummer.

It just seemed like the clock kept on ticking. Its great playing defense when you dont have to. But when the Chargers did have to play defense in the final five minutes, they rose to the challenge. The defense was tested when Chief defensive end Neil Butts forced Butts to fumble at the San Diego 36 with 5:09 left. Nose tackle Dan Saleaumua recovered at the 38.

But on third down, defensive back Lester Lyles sacked DeBerg on a blitz, forcing a punt. Kansas Citys defense stopped the Chargers and took over at its 36 for one last drive with 1:51 left. However, DeBergs end-zone pass to Harry on a slant pattern with 19 seconds left was picked off by Bennett. End of drive, end of game. He had run the route a couple of times, Bennett said.

He broke it hard and I just saw it when the quarterback released it and I just beat him to the ball. Said Henning: I was probably more conservative in the fourth quarter than normal. Once we got to a seven-point advantage, I felt the onus was on them and we played to the strength of our defense. It didnt look like they were moving the ball I think it was the right way to go for what we had planned. For a change, the Chargers plans and the outcome of the game were one and the same.

lar dive by Marcus Allen this time. Weve always done it as long as Ive been with the Raiders, safety Vann McElroy said, incredulous over the failure. We felt we were going to do it. We even had the kickoff team ready. It just didnt happen.

The Raiders certainly put up quite a fight to get into that position, though. They overcame a 13-3 halftime deficit against a Seattle team (7-8) that has a glimmer of playoff hope but, really, was just playing for the excitement of national TV and the enjoyment of caving in the King-dome roof on the Raiders hearts just one more time L.A. has lost on seven of its last eight visits here. The Raiders actually held a 17-13 lead briefly in the second half, when Beuerlein hit Willie Gault for a 36-yard touchdown and Trey Junkin for a one-yarder in the space of 3:41. But following a familiar script, quarterback David Krieg sizzled against the Raiders.

Krieg completed 25 of 34 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, designating fullback John L. Williams as his primary target. The Raiders defense seemed to be in a state of confusion every time a Seahawks back came out on a pass route. East. He batted .252 with 132 home runs in his 1 1 years with the Blue Jays.

Trlicek, 20, was 6-5 with a 2.59 earned run average in 15 starts for Sumter of the South Atlantic League. BasketbaumBU A 19-year-old junior college basketball star died of unknown causes in his home. Mike Goff, last seasons most valuable player at Fullerton College, died Saturday after complaining to his parents that he wasnt feeling well. Portland Trail Blazers rookie Ramon Ramos remained comatose Sunday after being critically injured in a traffic accident, and doctors have given him a 50-50 chance for survival. Minnesota Coach Clem Haskins says hes feeling fine after experiencing light headedness and difficulty breathing in the latter stages of the Gophers 69-68 victory over Kansas State.

I feel better this morning," Haskins said Sunday. I got a little woozy. The coach nearly collapsed upon reaching the locker room after Saturday nights game. halftime, Tolliver completed three straight passes including a 30-yarder to Anthony Miller to move the Chargers from their 32-yard line to Kansas Citys 2. Tolliver didnt waste the opportunity.

He hit tight end Andy Parker with a one-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left. The touchdown was the start of something big for the Chargers. Including Parkers TD catch, the Chargers scored on four consecutive possessions. The Chargers culminated both long, third-quarter drives with Chris Bahrs 43-yard field goal and a five-yard Tolliver touchdown pass to Miller. The latter score, Millers 10th TD reception, put the Chargers ahead 17-13 four seconds into the fourth quarter.

After holding Kansas City to three plays and a punt, the Chargers took over at the Chiefs 46-yard line. San Diego pounded the ball with Butts carrying seven of the eight plays. However, after the Chargers couldnt score on three Butts runs from the 5, Bahr came in for a 20-yard field goal and a 20-13 lead. The Chargers controlled the ball in the fourth quarter. San Diego ran 18 plays in the last 15 minutes, but only passed three times.

With the exception of one Darrin Nelson rush, the Chargers gave the ball 14 times to Butts. They blew those guys off the line and opened some big holes for Butts, Tolliver said of the Chargers offensive line. All totalled, the Chargers held a sizeable advantage in time of possession in the final quarter (9:54 to Raiders Continued from page D1 and-9 pass to Mike Dyal on the same drive. Dyal angled through the back of the end zone but couldnt leap and twist to grab yet another pass that was just a little too high and deep. That close.

Beuerlein, who completed only 13 of 23 for 188 yards in his third subpar game in a row, may hear about it. From his seat in the press box, owner A1 Davis groused loudly throughout the game about the quarterbacks lack of accuracy. With this much on the line, to get all the way down there on that drive Beuerlein said afterward, his voice trailing off. Something felt right. But we just didnt make the plays that mattered down by the goal line.

We knew we controlled our destiny. We didnt want to depend on other people. We just came up a little short. I should say a little high. In the previous two weeks, the Raiders had pulled out games against Denver in Phoenix in the fourth quarter to heighten their playoff prospects.

But there was no miracle pass to Dyal, no spectacu- Chargers Continued from page D1 ever, the Chargers established season highs for Chiefs opponents in yards (376), rushing yards (219), first downs (23) and rushing first dpwns (12). -Much of the credit goes to running back Marion Butts and the oepsive line. The rookie workhorse carried a team-record 39 times for a career-high 176 yards. The 6-foot-1, 248-pound Butts was the first runner this season to exceed the 100-yard mark against Kansas City. jIt was a glorious moment for me, said Butts, who only carried 64 times during his college career at Florida State.

It was an exceptional day." On this day, at least, Butts was the best running back on the field. Yes, even better than Kansas CStys Christian Okoye, the NFLs leading rusher. Okoye was limited to 60 yards on 18 carries before leaving in the fourth quarter with bhiised ribs. JThe Chargers defense held the Chiefs to a season-low 214 net yards, including 90 on the ground. (Chargers defense) were encouraged by the last game (against the Chiefs)," Henning skid, referring to his teams previous 21-6 win over Kansas City.

They felt like if they could contain him (Okoye) and prevent him from making a long run, wed be OK. TThe Chargers looked anything birt OK late in the first half. Trailing 13-0, rookie quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver 4iad missed on eight passes. But with just more than one minute to go before -( Tennis Continued from page D1 oil a fast indoor carpet. iIts almost unthinkable, said Cfrrman captain Niki Pilic, who played Davis Cup for 20 years for Yugoslavia.

I never saw anybody who played that kind of tfnois for three days in such an important tie. In the doubles, Becker and Er-i5 Jelen needed five sets to beat Anders Jarryd and Jan Gunnars-son. West Germanys victory was the first back-to-back win since Sweden won in 1984-85, beating tftfTnited States and West Ger-mauy. iFhe Germans could travel to Argentina on clay in the second njtmd next year. lay is different, admitted Bpker, who grew up on the slow stuf but still has not won a ma-jj tournament on clay.

Overall weiave improved quite a lot already this year. All players on the team have improved, i Beckers next target is Australian Open in Melbourne next nfonth. A win there would move him from No. 2 past Ivan Lendl atcip the rankings. last week at Washington, Howard earned another start Sunday.

However, he lasted only until the second quarter. With 5:29 left, he was replaced by Brett Miller, who moved to right tackle with Joel Patten taking over the left side. Joey was struggling," said Henning. Special Someone should rename the Chargers special teams, because they are anything but special. The amazing tale of mistakes, penalties and generally inept special teams play continued against the Chiefs.

The most comical sequence came on a second-quarter punt. Punter Hank Ilesics first kick was called back because of a delay-of-game penalty. Five yards farther back, Ilesic tried again. This time, there was an illegal motion call against Ken Woodard for another five-yard loss. Punt No.

3 on fourth-and-17 yielded a holding call against snapper Mark Walczak for a 10-yard loss. Finally, Ilesics fourth punt counted as he got off a 28-yard kick to the 50-yard line. In addition, the Chargers kickoff team allowed a 37-yard return to Todd McNair, and the field goal block unit had only 10 men on the field for Nick Lowerys successful 30-yard field goal. Milestones: Lowery reached a pair of milestones Sunday. The 10-year veteran kicker was 2-for-2 against the Chargers with field goals of 36 and 30 yards.

The first of two field goals a 36-yarder allowed Lowery to become the 15th player in NFL history to score 1,000 points. Injuries: The Chiefs not only lost the game, but also lost a number of players to injuries. The most prominent loss was Christian Okoye, the NFLs leading rusher. Okoye missed part of the game with bruised ribs suffered in the second quarter. The Chiefs also played most of the game without six-time Pro Bowl safety Deron Cherry.

side the Chargers 20-yard line twice in the second quarter. The drives resulted in field goals of 36 and 30 yards by Nick Lowery. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on the first drive. However, a holding call on guard Rich Baldinger nullified Christian Okoyes 12 -yard score. Leading 6-0 late in the first half, DeBerg took the Chiefs from their 24 to the Chargers 11 in less than a minute.

From there, DeBerg hit running back Todd McNair with an 11 -yard touchdown pass fora 13-0 lead with 1:45 left in the first half. But DeBergs good fortunes didnt last. In the second half, he was only seven of 19 for 74 yards. Oh, well, theres seven shopping days left before Christmas. the rookie.

He punched me while I was on the ground and then he kicked me in the face mask." Thomas, who received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, refused to comment. He was frustrated, Chiefs Coach Marty Schottenheimer said. They were holding him all day, but you cant respond in the way that he did. Youve got to go out and find a way to get the job done. In a strange twist, Chargers rookie quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver went after Thomas after he kicked Cox.

I just went over and asked him if he would please quit kicking our guys, joked Tollier, who drew a 15-yard penalty for his actions. Add behavior: Kansas City defensive end Neil Smith seemed to be gunning for Tolliver all afternoon. He was talking trash. said Tolliver. He was telling me it (pressure) was going to be like that the whole day.

I told him, Tm going to be here the whole day. Just because Im a rookie doesnt mean I have to back down. Smith finally got his shot at Tolliver, literally. It came as Tolliver took off on a bootleg play late in the game with the Chargers leading. Tolliver danced around the end and when Smith approached, he hit the turf.

However, Smith continued on and hit Tolliver while he was already down. Although the hit appeared to be late, there was no flag on the play. That guy was just sitting there, waiting for me, said Tolliver, who sported a bandage around his sore thigh, compliments of Smiths hit. Said Henning: That young man (Smith) out there, I thought took a shot at Billy. I thought that should have been called.

Im sure it was out of frustration. Revolving tackles: In their never-ending search to find workable offensive tackles, the Chargers tried Joey Howard at left tackle against the Chiefs. It was another failed effort. After starting and playing well were unfounded. For the second time this season, the Chargers seemed to rattle DeBerg enough to throw the veteran off his game.

And as DeBerg suffered through a 14-for-33 passing performance with two interceptions, the Chiefs suffered, too. I dont know what it is, said DeBerg, who threw for 142 yards and one touchdown, while being sacked twice. Weve had our worst two games of the season against them. DeBergs line in the two games: 30 of 61, 319 yards, one touchdown, seven interceptions and five sack's. With DeBerg struggling in the two games against the Chargers, the Chiefs have fared poorly.

Kansas City started out on a positive note when they jumped to a 13-0 lead. The Chiefs drove in A quick hook compounds Chiefs woes By Kevin Scattareggia imes-Advocate Sportswriter KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Chargers seem to bring out the worst in the Kansas City Chiefs. Take for example, rookie linebacker Derrick Thomas. A strong candidate for rookie of the year, Thomas has drawn praise leaguewide for his play at outside right linebacker.

With 10 Vi sacks, Thomas is just two behind the rookie record held by Charger Leslie O'Neal. However, against the Chargers, Thomas would be lucky to get a vote for any all-star team. In two games against the Chargers, Thomas has only four tackles including one Sunday with no sacks and one pass defensed. After Sundays game, add another statistic to Thomas ledger: one ejection. Thomas was thrown out in the fourth quarter following an altercation with Charger tight end Arthur Cox, whom Thomas allegedly kicked.

The incident happened with the Chargers leading 17-13. With 14 minutes left, they had just taken possession on Kansas Citys 46-yard line. On first down, running back Marion Butts gained nine yards. But behind the play, Thomas and Cox got tangled up. Television replays did not clearly show what happened.

However, referee Jerry Seeman issued the following statement: There was a running play to the left side of the field. Off to the left, behind the line of scrimmage, No. 58 (Thomas), after the play was over, kicked a player in the middle of the back. That is an automatic disqualification. It is my responsibility.

I saw the entire action. Cox said he was blocking Thomas, who fell down, and fell on top of DeBerg Continued from page D1 have plenty of time to shop. Needing two wins to have a serious shot at a playoff berth, Kansas City figures to be sitting home after Sundays 20-13 defeat. This was not the first time that DeBerg and the Kansas City offense have fared poorly against the Chargers. The last time DeBerg saw the Chargers, it was a nightmare.

Tha 13-year veteran threw five interceptions and was sacked three times in the Chargers 21-6 win at San Diego on Sept. 24. Riding a three-game winning streak and on a roll, though, DeBerg felt confident heading into the rematch. Maybe those feelings 1 I.