The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 33

4 Just like Royals win Wearing uniforms of Monarchs Kansas City beats extends its streak to 12 straight By JEFFREY FLANAGAN Staff Writer first but could have had more Brian McRae walked leading off Vince Coleman bunted for a single but McRae was caught circling past second on the play for the first out That play proved costly when Wally Joyner followed with a double into the left-field comer that scored Coleman tying the score 1-I The came back and took the lead in the third on a single by Rickey Henderson and Ruben two-out double to right But the Royals came back again in their third with a little help from the McRae led off with a double Coleman grounded to first and the ball was booted by first baseman Mike Aldrete as McRae moved to third Joyner walked loading the bases Bob Hamelin hit a sacrifice fly to center tying the score 2-2 Felix Jose then delivered the go-ahead run with a soft single to left-center scoring Coleman Royals starter Jose DeJesus hold that lead though Aldrete led off the fourth with See STREAK D-2 Col 5 Perhaps Bobby Witt recognize the Royals through their Monarchs uniform That may explain why Witt who threw a one-hitter the last time he faced the Royals never made it past the fifth inning this time in the 9-5 victory Wednesday night The Royals wearing Kansas City Monarchs uniforms in honor of Negro Leagues baseball roughed up Witt on the way to their 1 2th straight victory The last time Witt faced the Royals in Oakland he nearly pitched a perfect game The only base runner was Greg Gagne who reached on a controversial bunt single Replays showed he was out on the play But Wednesday night Witt lasted just four-plus innings The pitching staff had gone 1 1 straight games without allowing a home run until the first when Troy Neel smacked an opposite-field home run his 1 3th of the season The Royals answered in their JOHN SLEEZERThe Star Designated hitter Bob Hamelin put a Monarch-size swing into a fourth-inning pitch Wednesday night and set a Royals rookie record with his 23rd homer of the season Bad day of bargaining accelerates strike talk Royals players rule out work stoppage before Aug 1 2 deadline By BLAIR KERKHOFF Stall Writer in a meeting before game against Oakland is possible within the next 48 Cone said think you see where explore the possibility of moving up the date at a time where things could rapidly The changes could be for the worse union representatives emerged from an acrimonious bargaining session bitter over developments Cone called the failure contribution under the expired agreement because players appeared in the All-Star Game last month you think the players would have played the All-Star Game if they knew Fehr said he asked Ravitch said Fehr also said there was within the union to consider not playing the All-Star Game but that the players went ahead because they want-See LABOR D-3 Col 1 to pay about $78 million to the health-care benefit plan on Aug 1 really ominous There are no plans to reconvene the executive board which set the original strike date but a work stoppage can be called at any time according to Royals pitcher Jeff Montgomery the player representative Management negotiator Richard Ravitch said the union should have expected owners not to make the pension payment since the benefit agreement expired March 19 Union leader Donald Fehr in a letter to Ravitch that the union made public told owners their decision was contravention of all custom an was a cheap shot and a blind one and was intended that Fehr wrote the players would want to be with people who do that is beyond Fehr said owners were obligated to make the payment one-seventh of the $57 million yearly David next scheduled start is Sunday against the Seattle Mariners not sure there will be a game that day The Royals spoke of the possibility of baseball players striking earlier than the Aug 12 deadline SPORTSCASTS RANDOVT Royals fall through TV crack There was a time when KSMO-TV (Channel 62) would have gone to most any length to show a Royals game The station wanted the television package so badly a few years ago it carried a Kansas-Wichita State baseball game on a cold April night just to demonstrate to the Royals it was capable of televising baseball Now as the Royals' flagship station Channel 62 could have helped Royals fans by carrying The Baseball telecast of the Royals-Mariners game at 7:05 Saturday night from Kauffman Stadium But it passed The Baseball local outlet KMBC-TV (Channel 9) cannot show the game because it is contractually obligated to be the over-the-air carrier of broadcast of the Chiefs-Minnesota exhibition at 9 pm The Baseball Network spent Wednesday offering the game to other Kansas City outlets the other stations did not want to pre-empt network programming for an ABC telecast Channel 62 an independent station has no network obligations But these are troubled times between the Royals and Channel 62 KSMO filed suit against the Royals in June seeking damages and a termination of its contract The suit stems from the proliferation of Royals games available on Channel 9 (and later this summer on Channel 4) on The Baseball Network an entity that did not exist when Channel 62 signed its three-year contract with the Royals starting in 1993 Channel 62 is not about to help someone that it feels is cutting into its own business would be said Jim MacDonald Channel 6 vice presidentgeneral manager we could produce the game it would be one thing but to just pick up the feed There is no compelling reason to do So while the streaking Royals will be seen in St Joseph Topeka Wichita Joplin Columbia and other Midwest outposts Kansas City will be shut out game was originally scheduled for a 1 0 pm Central time start in Seattle and was not to be televised because The Baseball Network enjoyed exclusivity for its 7 pm games But after the tiles in the King-dome tumbled down the series was shifted to Kansas City creating another window for The Baseball Network That window was shut here because of Channel Chiefs commitment The change in venues also means Channel 62 will be televising Friday home game instead of an afternoon game at the Kingdome But it upsets MacDonald that while The Baseball games are not blacked out locally Channel 62 is limited to four home telecasts When KSMO signed with the Royals the only over-the-air national television contract was ill-fated package knew there would be a national baseball game of the week which typically brings in one to two Royals games a year on Saturday MacDonald said did not know we would be forced to go to daytime games to accommodate The Baseball evening games We did not know there would be more prime-time games after the All-Star Game on The Baseball Network than we would have we diJ not know that it would be a local broadcast with 1 4 broadcasts covering the 28 teams We were led to believe they even know they were going to be Royals The rift between the Royals and Channel 62 bode well for another 65-game TV schedule when the current contract expires after 1 995 In fact with KSMO soon to join the new Paramount network Channel 62 will have network commitments at least two nights a week Add nights of exclusivity for Jhe Baseball Network and ESPN and the Royals may be returning to the days of no more than 50 telecasts a year Goodwill figure skating is on the rocks Ice shortage at rink postpones competition irks US officials The Associated Press Workout in Tokyo follows 12V2 hours-on plane and 2-hour bus ride By KENT PULLIAM Staff Writer TOKYO This city may be known as the capital of the land of the Rising Sun But for the Chiefs it seemed as if it was the land of the never-setting sun They arrived for their upcoming exhibition game against the Minnesota Vikings late Wednesday afternoon They left Kansas City at noon Tuesday Coach Marty Schottenheimer first off the team bus was surprised by a group of youngsters in traditional Japanese dress They wore headdresses in the shape of footballs that spelled out KC little children that was said Schottenheimer who knelt and talked with some of the children Many of the staff and players stopped to talk with the children and marvel over their costumes Assistant coach John Bunting respectfully bowed to each of the children as he walked down the line The 12'2-hour flight (five movies were shown) was extended by a two-hour bus ride in stop-and-go traffic from Narita Airport to the team hotel Then players had less than an hour to dress and be ready to go to the practice fields Although the team did not begin its workout until nearly 6:30 pm Wednesday night the body See CHIEFS D-6 Col 3 IN TOKYO Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana was greeted by Japanese fans when the team landed in Tokyo on Wednesday The Associated Press Chiefs become tired tourists ST PETERSBURG Russia No ice no wind What next? The Goodwill Games teetered on the edge of farce Wednesday as the showpiece figure-skating competition was postponed until tonight because of a shortage of ice at the main rink Games officials said they planned to move to another venue Later they said they might stick with the original site By the end of the day the figure-skating situation was as confused as ever Embarrassed at the latest logistical slip-up American Goodwill Games officials broke from their diplomatic niceties and said they had been misled by incompetent Russian rink managers and suggested they should be fired The figure skaters practiced 'without any certainty of when where or whether they will compete One Russian pair went through their routine in a parking lot Other skaters looked up in surprise when a sputtering Zamboni suddenly lurched onto the ice during the middle of practice been dealing with many things this past week starting over here switching over said US skater Todd Eldredge kind of been one thing after another I guess you could say an For the second time in two days the Goodwill Games were held hostage by the Yubileiny Sports See ICE 0-5 Col 1 TOMORROW In The Star Shaquille O'Neal and Dream Team II Rooklo Bob home runs have come at the right time for the Royals this season Kavin Mitchell pounds out five hits and drives in five runs for Cincinnati irva 1 7-4 victory over San Francisco D-2 Tha Brickyard 400 the first NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets going today with qualifying D-7.