North County Times from Oceanside, California • 19

i Blade-Citizen Tuesday, April 28, 1992 NHL playoffs C-2 Major League Baseball C-3 College Notepad C-4 I Phillies But Jacksons form returning By John Schlegel Staff Writer SAN DIEGO Darrin Jackson has absolutely no doubt in his mind. He knows that one of these days hes going to get up to the plate and a little light will go on in his head. PADRES UPDATE I Philadelphia 12, Padres 9 TONIGHTS GAME: Philadelphia at Padres. 7.05 PITCHING MATCHUP: Tommy Greene (2-1) vs Dave Eiland (0-1) TV: Pay-per-view RADIO: KFMB 760 RECORD: 10-10 (Tied for second place) Staff Photo BillWechter Phils Dave Hollins is safe at home as Padres catcher Benito Santiago juggles the throw in a game in which Bruce Hurst took his second loss. Conner is back in hunt Light winds put him in contention By Bernie Wilson The Associated Press SAN DIEGO Dennis Conner still thinks Bill Kochs America is a better yacht than his Stars Stripes.

However, the recent light wind off San Diego favors the year-old Stars Stripes, which has moved back into contention in the Americas Cup defender finals. Stars Stripes was routed by America in the first three races, but Conner mastered the light shifty winds and won three of the next four races to pull to 4-3 in the best-of-13 series. The factors are that weve had some unusually warm water and that the conditions have been rather milder than normal in late April, Conner said after beating America by 1 minute, 38 seconds Sunday for his second straight win. Monday was a lay day, with racing to resume today. While Koch built a four-yacht $55 million fleet Conner raised only enough money for one yacht.

That meant he had to get it right if he wanted to advance to his fifth straight Americas Cup match. Being a San Diego native, Conner knew the prevailing conditions. We had to hit one side of the envelope or the other, Conner said. We knew we couldnt win trying to be an all-around boat so we picked the light-end envelope based on my experience and that of the design team. We set Stars Stripes up for that end and weve been fortunate to have that Stars Stripes, launched April 7, 1991, performs best in wind of 5-8 knots and calm seas.

America, launched Feb. 5, was designed as Kochs light-air yacht and does best in wind of 10 knots and higher. Its hull is narrower than Stars Stripes and can handle heavier seas. The wind got above 10 knots only once in the three races Conner has won this series, and the swell has ranged from See Yachting, Page C-2 Click. His hitting troubles will be gone.

Im going to start hitting, I know that, Jackson said. Its just a matter of when. Jackson, the Padres center fielder, took a big step toward when on Monday night with a three-run triple and a double in the Padres 12-9 loss to Philadelphia before 11,998 fans at Jack Murphy Stadium. The loss wasted an opportunity for the Padres to climb into a tie for the NL West lead, and theyre now lYi games behind Houston. What Jackson did, however, was nowhere near enough to make up for an extremely rough outing for Padres pitching.

The Phillies cranked out 17 hits, the third time in the last four games Padres pitchers have allowed at least 10 hits. Led by a career-high five-RBI performance by third baseman Dave Hollins, a former member of the Padres farm system, the Phillies had a pair of four-run innings en route to the win. Six Padres pitchers couldnt stop the Phillies bats. Those bats chased Padres starter Bruce Hurst out of the game after just 3 23 innings. Hurst allowed seven earned runs on nine hits and by the time he flipped the ball to Padres manager Greg Rid-doch, Hurst had seen his ERA leap to 4.83.

I gave up the farm, Hurst said. I couldnt get the ball down. Just bad location. I was brutal. He wasnt the only one.

Jose Melendez let four runs cross the plate, but because only was one earned he still owns a 1.40 ERA. Larry Andersen wasnt as lucky: After allowing three of Melendezs runs to score and letting one of his owm across, the right-handed set-up man has a 7.71 ERA. One thing's for sure, though: You cant hang this one on the Padres offense. Not only did Jackson have a solid performance, but fellow slumping outfielder Jerald Clark broke through for three RBI himself, going 2-for-4 with a single and a two-run home run, his fourth of the season. For Jackson at least, the performance was good for his confidence.

Anytime you do what he did Monday night, it has to be a boost. But Jackson knows as well as See Padres, Page C-3 Kruks cover gives no indication of pages within SAN DIEGO Hes been called the player for the 90s the 1890s. The Philadelphia Phillies John Kruk is living proof that you dont have to look like Eric Davis to hit like Eric Davis. You can look like Tony Gwynn. Kruk is listed at 5-foot-10 (hes probably not that tall) and 200 pounds (hes definitely not that light) but Kruk, in town for a two-game series against the Padres, can hit the baseball.

He hits it hard and he hits it where they aint. Were similar in that we tfotf stantly have to prove to people we can play, fsaid Gwynn whose also not known for his physique. Were so similar that its scary. People see us and dont see the real athletic bodies. Theres an automatic criticism right off the bat before they even see us play.

Gwynn, the four-time National League batting champion, should know about Kruk. They came up together in the minors. At first we both sucked it up, Gwynn said of their rookie league days in Walla Walla. I got out a little sooner and he spent a couple years in the minor leagues, but he hit every- tooned Kruk in left field with Carmelo Martinez. After two-seasons of playing every day, Kruk didnt adjust to the role well.

The last year or so, he didnt get a chance to play too much and the fans kind of turned on him here, Gwynn said. Going to Philly, he got a chance to play everyday and show people what he can do. For his part, Kruk has no problem with the way he was treated in San Diego. I dont blame the fans for getting on me. I wasnt doing anything, he said.

But Larry Bowa, who managed the Padres before McKeon and is now a coach ith the Phillies, says Kruk didnt get a chance under McKeon. Asked the differences between Kruk as a Padre and Kruk as a Phillie, Bowa said, None, as far as I can see. But I played him every day. (After I left) McKeon platooned him. John's got the kind of swing where he needs to play every day.

If he goes 0-for-4 he needs to know hes going to play the next day. Its tough to play See Dunbar, Page C-3 VINCE DUNBAR where he went. Kruk led the Pacific Coast League in hitting with a .351 average in 1985. Then in 1986 as non-roster player, Kruk played his way on to the Padres opening day squad and hit .309 in 278 at-bats. But 2Vt seasons later Kruk was gone traded to the Phillies along with Randy Ready for Chris James.

In 1989, then-manager Jack McKeon pla- JOHN KRUK Leads NL with .411 batting average Chargers trade with Redskins fails 6. Reggie White, dt, North Carolina (147) 7. Deems May, te, North Carolina (174) 8. James Fuller, db, Portland St (201) 9. Johnnie Barnes, wr, Hampton (231) 10.

Arthur Paul, dt, Arizona State (258) 11. Keith McAfee, rb, Texas (285) 12. Carlos Huerta, pk, Miami (315) By Geoffrey Ooley Staff Writer SAN DIEGO The Chargers tried and failed in an attempt to make a trade that would have brought Washington Redskins backup quarterback Stan Humphries to San Diego. Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard finally gave up on the deal Monday, the second day of the NFL draft Instead, hell have to be satisfied with the seven players the Chargers selected during the final rounds of this years draft Beathard and the Redskins discussed a deal throughout the draft and even before in which Humphries would have come to the Chargers in exchange for a mid-round draft pick. However, Beathard said that it seemed like the Redskins just didnt want to make a trade with the man who is their former general manager.

I think the problem there is of all the teams, they dont want to trade us anybody, Beathard said. For some reason that bothers them. The word we get is they would like to get him out of there, but as long as they dont trade with us. The Chargers may have avoided a quarterback controversy when the deal fell through. Humphries, a four-year veteran, would have added depth and experience at quarterback.

He also would have provided competition for they called again and nothing turned out (Sunday) night they said they would do something and move it up next year if he played. We went back and did that and they said, no, they decided not to do anything now and wed talk after the draft So were out of it. Humphries may still be in Washington, but the Chargers third-round pick, wide receiver Ray Ethridge, arrived in San Diego on Monday. Ethridge spent last season in the CFL after playing two years at Pasadena City College. He will be one of the latest candidates in a series of players who have tried to fill the wide receiver spot opposite Anthony Miller.

Ethridge, who ran track his senior year at Crawford High, brings speed. But he has heard the rap against him. They say I have speed, but I cant catch, said Ethridge. It's not that I cant catch. Its maybe that I dont concentrate a little bit on the easy ones.

You can look at my film and I make a lot of hard catches and maybe drop one or two easy ones. I have the speed, but I don't have the great concentration. He still made an impression with the BC Lions in the CFL. Ethridge even upstaged Rocket Ismail of Toronto in one game. Ismail finished with 49 all-purpose yards while Ethridge caught six passes for 102 yards and had 149 See Chargers, Page C-5 BYU quarterback Ty Detmer finally went In the drafts ninth round to the Green Bay Packers, Page C-5.

Complete NFL draft lists, Page C-5 returning starter John Friesz. Beathard was the GM who made Humphries the Redskins sixth-round pick out of Northeastern Louisiana in 1988. But he was unable to bring him to San Diego. Its kind of a game theyve played, so were finished with that, said Beathard. A long time ago they asked for a fifth (round draft pick.) We told them wed go ahead and do it and then they told us the next day they wouldnt do it.

Then Staff Photo Bill Wechtor San Dieguitos Andy Simons will tee it up at Ohio State next year. Jennings and Rowe go early San Marcos High grad to Chiefs; Rowe selected by Skins Aggressive Simons hones golfing skills By Boyce Garrison Staff Writer SAN DIEGO Last fall Jim Jennings and Ray Rowe had the same attitude about the National Football League draft. If it happened that either was chosen, then fine. If not, fine. Neither was going to let it be the end of the world if it wasnt in the cards.

Both realized early in their college careers that they needed a degree. Jennings, flrom San Marcos High, will graduate in May with a degree in speech communications. Rowe, from Mira Mesa High, also will graduate in May, his degree in criminal justice. First, though, both former San Diego State Aztecs will have a chance to show what they can do on the football field. Jennings, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman, was selected on the eighth round by the Kansas City Chiefs, the 213th overall pick.

Rowe, a 6-3, 245-pound tight end, was taken on the last pick of the sixth round by the Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins. In the days before the draft, both had raised their expectations that they would be drafted. But neither expected to be taken quite so high. Im mostly surprised, said Jennings, the 31st-rated offensive guard in one pre-draft scouting report I was thinking probably a later round. They took me a lot sooner than I expected to go.

The Chiefs had Jennings go to Kansas City two weeks ago for a physical. After he was drafted, Jennings said that Kansas City offensive line coach Howard Mudd said that center would be the best position for Jennings body type. Jennings started out his career at SDSU as a full- See Aztecs, Page C-2 By John R. Crowley Staff Writer CARLSBAD It may be true that patience is a virtue but Andy Simons has little time for such a notion. That much is clear from watching the San Dieguito High senior address a golf ball, something he does with a skill that belies a relatively short relationship with the game.

After settling into his stance, Simons wastes no time cranking up a swing that appears to be all arms and legs, but uncoils in an efficient arc that has made him one of the top prep golfers in San Diego county. I took one real lesson and then just formulated my own swing, said Simons. I certainly do not have a conservative swing. Its pretty wide open. And after I decide what I want to do on a See Profile, Page C-2 JIM JENNINGS Aztec drafted by Kansas City i I.