Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 18

C2 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1995 TIMES ADVOCATE SPORTS 1 CHARGERS NOTEBOOK MEANS MARCHES TO lOO-YARD GAME SAN DIEGO Running back Natrone Means made his holdout in training camp nothing more than a memory on Sunday against Seattle. Means looked like the bruising runner from last season as he got his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Means finished with 115 yards on 26 attempts. He didnt get into the end zone, but he helped the Chargers run out the clock on their final possession as they were clinging to a 14-10 lead. Means carried the ball three straight times to start their final drive, picking up a total of 19 yards to the Chargers 34.

I felt the offensive line played a lot better," Means said. We got some good blocks down field by the receivers. When everybody is doing their job, it makes my job a tot easier." Chargers fans got a scare with 5:52 left in the game. That's when Means went down in a pile of players after a 2-yard gain and stayed down. Fans and teammates alike watched intently as Means was examined on the field by the teams trainer and doctor.

We didnt know what it was," said backup running back Terrell Fletcher. Our whole team was like, get up. Luckily he did." Means finally got up and was helped to the sidelines. He even came back for those three key carries later in the quarter. The initial feeling was worse than the injury turned out to be," said Means.

A serious injury to Means would send a big chunk of the Chargers offense to the sidelines. Thats obvious, said running backs coach Sylvester Croom. Were a power running offense and hes the power runner. 1 lost five from the previous week. Northwestern, which had the weekend off after opening with an upset of Notre Dame, was No.

25. It was the Wildcats first AP ranking since they were 19th in the final 1971 regular-season poll. Texas which also was idle, remained third with four first-place votes and 1,372 points. Florida moved up one notch to No. 4 after beating Kentucky 42-7.

At Athens, the University of Georgia has lost record-setting tailback Robert Edwards for 6-8 weeks with a broken bone in his left foot. 1 put the Rangers in the lead 1-0 over the home team, At Milan, Italy, Roberto Baggio scored his first goal for his new team, giving AC Milan a 2-1 victory over Udi-nese in the Italian League. Baggio, acquired during the summer after five seasons with Juventus of Turin, headed home a cross from French forward George Weah. At London, Lester Pig-gott, the irascible English jockey who rode winners all over the world but couldnt beat the tax man, announced his retirement at age 59. The man who rode a record 30 English Piggott classic winners, suffered a bone-crunching fall at the Breeders Cup and was jailed for tax evasion in a career of numerous twists and turns, conceded defeat again, this time to his weight.

I am tired of the struggle to maintain my riding weight, said the often uncompromising Piggott, known as Old Stoneface because he rarely shows emotion. At 5-feet-7, Piggott was tall for a jockey and always had problems getting down to a comfortable racing weight. This year he hadnt even applied for a license' to ride in England. HARRISON COMES THROUGH WITH TWO BIG PLAYS Rodney Harrison, who has had his problems duringtwo seasons with the Chargers, finally got to answer questions about something otherthan a penalty or a mistake. He may have tost the starting free safety job to Bo Orlando, but Harrison came up with the big plays when he came in with the teams nickel pack-age.

Harrison picked off two Rick Mirer passes, the first interceptions of his career. The first came in the second quarter at the Chargers 4 and prevented a Seattle score. We sawfilms all week that said Rick Mirer likes to look at his receivers a lot," said Orlando. Rod just read him and stepped in front of it. He made a great play, and it could have been the deciding factor in the game.

If they had scored right there they would have gone up. It was a big play on the goal line. The second came late in the fourth quarter when he intercepted a Mirer bomb at the Chargers 15. That was the last time the Seahawks would see the ball. Harrison missed a chance for a third interception when he couldnt hold on to a one-handed try.

It was in critical parts of the game. I feel fortunate to get the picks and help the team, "Harrison said. It's a little disappointing not starting. But Im getting an opportunity on nickel and special teams and I'm just trying to make the best of it. INSIDER Compiled by Glae Thien ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER PENALTY But it wouldnt be a Chargers game without a penalty on Harrison, who was fined $6,000 for a hit he delivered during the preseason.

He was flagged for a personal foul when he ran into Seattle running back Chris Warren out of bounds. He had made a step out of bounds. That was a foolish play on my part, Harrison said. Said Orlando: I thought it was a pretty rank call I dont know if maybe the refs just see No. 37.

You never know." NO BOBBLES FOR COLEMAN 1 1 1 1 Andre Coleman had a game to forget last week in Oakland, muffing one punt to set up a Raiders touchdown and allowing another to go over his head. But Coleman didnt have any problems against Seattle. He handled three punts and three kickoffs cleanly. His returns werent anything to get excited about Colemans longest kickoff return was 30 yards. His longest punt return was 12.

But it wasn't bad for a return man still feeling the effects of a bruised hip. We showed signs of improvement," Coleman said. We got a win. So you can't complain when you geta We were better than last week. BOO BIRDS OUT EARLY MOTOR SPORTS At Monterey, Jacques Viileneuve wrapped up the IndyCar PPG Cup championship with a problem-filled ride in the Bank of America 300, a race that saw rookie Gil de Ferran close the season with his first victory.

Viileneuve, 24, punctured two tires and had a problem with his front wing on the way to an undistinguished 1 lth-place finish on Laguna Seca Raceways 11-tum, 2.214-mile road course. But Al Unser Jr.s bid to overtake Viileneuve in the standings fell far short as the defending series champion drove to sixth-place. It would have been great to finish on the podium, said Viileneuve, smiling broadly for the first time all weekend. But its great to finish with the championship. At Richmond, Rusty Wallace, the most successful driver at Richmond Interna- BOXING fl At Albuquerque, N.M., IBF flyweight champion Danny Romero Jr.

sustained a potentially career-ending eye inj ury in his loss to Willy Salazar of Mexico last week, his father said. Romero, who went into the non-title bout with a 25-0 record and was heavily favored to beat the unheralded Salazar, sustained a fractured eye socket in the first round of Friday nights fight in Las Vegas, said Danny Romero who also is his sons trainer and manager. 3 At Tokyo, South Korean boxer Lee Tong-choon, injured four days earlier when he lost a Japan national title bout, has died at a Tokyo COLLEGE FOOTBALL Second-ranked Nebraska gained ground on No. 1 Florida State, while Northwestern moved into the rankings for the first time since 1971 in the latest Associated Press college football poll. Florida State retained the top spot after beating Clem-son 45-26 Saturday, but Nebraska closed the gap following an impressive 50-10 win over Michigan State.

The Seminoles received 33 first-place votes and 1,514 points from a nationwide media panel, compared to 20 firsts and 1,481 points for the Comhuskers. Nebraska picked up six first-place votes, while Florida State HMHl At Lagos, Nigeria, a stray bullet fired by police trying to control a crowd of soccer fans killed one of the countrys young playing stars. Igenewari George died Saturday night in Ibadan, outside Lagos, shortly after his Rangers team, visiting from the city of Enugu, was awarded a penalty kick. That own andleftTerry Labonte, Dale Earnhardt and friends to fight for second at the Miller Genuine Draft 400. Wallace posted his fifth victory and 12th top-five finish in 15 races at Richmond since 1988 with a 5 6-second victory over Labonte.

At Monterey, series champion Greg Moore closed the Firestone Indy Lights season in style at Laguna Seca Raceway, leading wire-to-wire for a record-setting victory. The 20-year-old Canadian, apparently bound for an In-dy-car ride in 1996, won for the 10th time in 12 starts this season. fl At Monza, Italy, Johnny Herbert, his determination unshaken by job worries for next season, drove his Benetton Renault to victory in the Italian Grand Prix. worst round on the Haninge course south of Stockholm. At Saint-Nom-La-Bre-teche, France, Colin Montgomerie of Scotland edged countryman Sam Torrance on the final hole for the title in the $900,000 Lancome Trophy tournament.

Montgomerie shot a final-round 71. trade or a renegotiation of his contract. Yashin skipped his scheduled medical in the morning At St. Louis, the Blues suspended Grant Fuhr indefinitely after the goalie failed to complete his training camp physical. nerve to top Agassi as if to say goodbye to the set.

Probably one of the best points Ive ever been involved with, Sampras said. I never really felt I had a winner until I hit that backhand. It was an unbelievable point and thank God I won it. Agassi kept up a defeatist posture in the second set, and Sampras took quick advantage of that to break him in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sampras gained his break point with a crisp forehand winner to the comer of the court, and he converted it when Agassi took too grand a swing at an otherwise manageable return from Sampras and buried his forehand volley in the net.

By the fifth game, in which Sampras unleashed a trio of aces to take a 4-1 lead, Agassi was firmly entrenched in the role of voyeur: even though the final ace of the game was judged a fault, Agassi overruled it. He merely cast an appraising glance at the balls trajectory and walked off the court to take a seat in his changeover chair. As a jagged shadow crept across the court, Sampras, leading 5-3, stepped up to serve out the set. Chargers fans sounded impatient with their team in the first home game of the season. There were boos early in the second quarter when the offense stumbled.

More boos came in the second half when Seattle took the lead. Ourfans are funny," Coleman said. Its second and 1, we run the ball, we get one yard and they boo. I didnt understand it." Apparently the enthusiasm from last year didnt last long. I remember a year ago this place was so loud, Coleman said.

That enthusiasm is not there. But Im not going to sit here and tell the fans we need more excitement and we need more noise. Just be with us through good and bad. Dont just be with us when things are good. That's the way I feel.

Thats the way every guy on this team feels. If you're going to be a Charger fan, be a Charger fan. Don't just be a Charger fan when things are going good. Thats the bottom line." CARNEYS RECORD DISAPPEARS John Carney's name was erased from the NFL record book Sunday. Minnesota's Fuad Reveiz kicked two field goals to give him 30 straight, breaking Carneys record of 29.

The irony is Carney got his job with the Chargers when they cut Reveiz after a stow start in 1990. I respect Fuad," said Carney. Hes a good friend. Hes a hard worker. He's had his ups and downs.

Im happy for him." Of course, Reveiz gets to kick indoors at the Metrodome. So did Carney think the new record should have an asterisk beside it? Thats up to you writers," Carney said. You cant overlook the obvious. But he still has to kick at Soldier Reid in Chicago once a year. He has to kick at Green Bay or Milwaukee once a year.

Those are tough places. He has his share of outdoor stadiums that are challenging. RUNNING fl AtNewYork, Maria Mu-tola of Mozambique, the fastest womens 800-meter runner in the world this year, and Moses Klptanul of Kenya, the world record-holder in the steeplechase, are the winners of the overall Mobil Grand Prix titles for 1995. Mutola finished the womens competition with 78 points after winning the 800 at Saturdays Grand Prix Final at Monte Carlo, Monica, in 1 minute, 55.72 seconds, the years fastest time. BICYCLING At Mount Washington, N.H., for the second year in a row, winter weather at the summit of Mount Washington derailed the annual bicycle race up the Northeasts highest peak, leaving 435 frustrated competitors at the starting line.

The reactions ranged from outright anger to just kind of no response at all, said spokeswoman Cindy Russell of the Cycle to the Clouds race. One person said, I want to kill. I trained so hard for this. Another said he had trained for 14 months. OLYMPICS At Atlanta, organizers of the 1996 Olympic Games will spend $10 million to keep unwanted arrivals from crashing the party.

Known in Olympic circles as parasite or ambush marketers, they are companies that make unauthorized use of the Olympic name and symbols. With the Atlanta Games about 10 months away, organizers expect they are about to come out of the woodwork. Womens duo adds another Slam victory The Associated Press NEW YORK Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva won their second U.S. Open womens doubles title Sunday, defeating Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Rennae Stubbs 7-5, 6-3. It was the second Grand Slam tournament title of 1995 for the winners, following the French Open.

They also won the U.S. Open in 1992, the first year they played together. No. 9 seedTara Snyder of Wichita, defeated No. 6 Annabel Ellwood of Australia 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 for the junior girls crown.

The two played in the Canadian junior championships last week, when Ellwood won in a third-set tiebreak. No. 2 Nicolas Kiefer won the all-German junior boys final, defeating No. 8 Ulrich-Jasper Seetzen 6-3, 6-4. QUICK HITS OPEN: Sampras holds serve and keeps PAUL SAKUMA Associated Press PPG Cup champion Jacques Ville-neuve takes an early lead on the corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca Raceway during the Bank of America 300.

tional Raceway since the track was reconfigured in 1988, put on a show of his GOLF fl At Stockholm, Sweden, Liselotte Neumann birdied the last hole for a one-shot victory over U.S. Womens Open champion Annlka Sorenstam in the Trygg Hansa Open golf tournament. Neumann, the two-time defending champion, finished the European Tour eventat281, 11-under-par. She closed with a 72, her Ui UL At Ottawa, for the second straight year, the Ottawa Senators opened training camp without unhappy superstar Alexei Yashin. Yashin, the teams top center, apparently refused to report to training camp in hopes of forcing either a I didnt come near his serve in the fourth set, Agassi said, and that was the problem.

Or the culmination of it. Sampras had no trouble holding his own serve in the opening set, but because he had not been able to win more than two points from Agassis serve until the sets 10th game, his steadiness from the service line had not given him an edge. But after Sampras, leading 5-4, gained a break point with a forehand return that skimmed the net and dropped across it, Agassi found himself facing a set point. He saved that one, but gave Sampras another chance to break him for the second set when he over-hit what should have been a simple point-ending overhead. The second set point created the relay race that proved to be the longest rally of the set, and the one that ended it.

Sampras and Agassi hurtled a dozen crosscourt forehands at one another, and drew each other ever more dangerously off to the sideline, until a sharp-angled backhand from Sampras turned out to be more than Agassi could chase. He took two steps toward it, then waved his racket The Chargers inducted three former players into the teams hall of fame at halftime tight end Kellen Winslow, comerback Speedy Duncan and tackle Russ Washington Rookie running back Terrell Fletcher got his first playing time of the season. Retcher had 19 yards on three carries Means tied his career high with 26 carries. With 115 yards rushing, he had the 10th game of his career with lOOyards rushing. The Chargers are 8-2 when Means rushes for 100 yards.

Injury report: Means (strained lower back) and Rodney Culver (sprained ankle) are day-today. Next week: Chargers play the Eagles at 10 a.m. Sunday in Philadelphia. GEOFFREY 00LEY Game summary CHARGERS 14, SEAHAWKS 10 Seattle 0 7 3 0-10 SanOlego 7 0 0 714 Fret Quarter SD-Martin 5 pass from Humphries (Carney kick), 6.23. Dmt 75 yards, 12 plays.

Key plays: Means 8 run; Culver 8 run on 3rd-and-5; Humphries 21 pass to Martin. San Diego 7, Seattle 0. Second Quarter Sea-fauria 20 pass from Mirer (Peterson kick), 4.29. Drive: 47 yards, 8 plays. Key plays: Wooden 9 interception return to San Diego 47; Mirer 12 run on 3rd-and-10; Mirer 8 pass to Galloway on 3rdend6.

Seattle 7, San Diego 7. Third Quartet Sea-fG Peterson 23,4:31 Drive: 57 yards, 11 plays. Key plays: Mirer 9 pass to Galloway; Mirer 11 pass to Warren plus 15yardpass interference penalty. Seattle 10, San Diego 7. Fourth Quarter SD-Harmon 15 pass from Humphries (Carney kick), 1:19.

Drive: 80 yards, 11 plays. Key plays: Humphries 12 pass to Jefferson; Humphries 10 pass to Martin on 3rd-and-3. San Diego 14, Seattle 10. Noshows 4,565. Continued from Cl defending champion, in the final, a development that helped him knock Sampras from the No.

1 spot in March. But since then Agassi, although displaying a consistency that brought him into this slam with seven titles to just three for Sampras, has not prevailed on the Grand Slam front. With the exception of the French Open, where both faltered early, it has been Sampras who has come up with the most classic play in the tennis worlds consummate events. Just as he had done this year when he became the first American man to win Wimbledon three times, Sampras dedicated the victory that brought him a seventh career slam championship to Gullikson, the coach and confidant whose breakdown in Australia reduced Sampras to public tears there as he struggled through his quarterfinal match against Jim Courier. According to the tired-legged Agassi, Sundays final featured less than great tennis due to a breeze that nipped and tugged at shots and provoked 73 unforced errors, 40 of them launched by ampras.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Seattle-Warren 16-56, Mirer 3-19, Smith 3-7. San Dlego-Means 26-115, Retcher 3-19, Culver 4-17, Humphries 2(-2), Harmon l-(-3). PASSING Seattle-Mirer 13-292-127, San Dlego-Humphries 23-35-1-260. RECEIVING Seattle-Faoria 4-41 Galloway 3-26, Blades 2-28, Waiten 2-21, Thomas 18, Smith 1-3. San Diego-Martin 13-163, Seay 4-43, Jefferson 3-31, Pupunu 2-8, Hannon 1-15.

TACKimSSISTS-SACKS Seattle-Robinson 9-2-0, Stowe 7-2-0, Gray 7-1-0, Wooden 6-2-0, Moss 7-00, Blackmon 4-1-0, Kennedy 3-1-1 Brown 300, Harris 300, Sinclair 300, Adams 1O0, Bickett 1O0, Nash 100, Williams 010. San Dlego-Harper 600, Orlando 4-10, Gayle 400, Gibson 310, G.Young 310, Seau 2-20, R. Davis 301, O'Neal 300, Shaw 200, (M 1O0, Harrison 100, Lee 100, Mims 1-00, Parrella 010. KTERCEPT10NS Seattle-Wooden. San Diego-Harrison.

MISSED REID 90ALS None. OfFlCIALS-Referee Walt Coleman, Ump Rex Stuart, HL Jerry Bergman, Mark Stehkerchnet, BJ VanGolmont, SI Dave Wyant, FJ Phil Lucketl Time: 301.