Press Journal from Vero Beach, Florida • 21

Section Prcjsjs 3ourtml Saturday May 26 1990 Unsolved Mystery: Vero QB? tt tde pm Jmborae Qusrtsrs SS By CHUCK BALNIU8 PreeeJounial Sport Editor The question remained the same as Vero Beach High School spring football practice came to a close Friday in the rain Who will be the Fighting Indians starting quarterback in the fall? finished spring practice still looking for a first-team said Coach Billy Livings after watching a 90-minute scrimmage in the Citrua Bowl The three candidates for the spot are last season's two backups junior Adam Young and sophomore Shawn Maltby along with ninth-grade transfer Russell Bjorkman three are dead even" said Livings three have arms strong enough to be a high school The problem for all three according to the coach is experience in game situations Livings said they must develop a feel for the primary and secondary receiver haven't had enough work in the passing game" Matt Parris last season's No 1 quarterback threw for more than 1400 yards and 13 touchdowns Eric Smith a first-team all-stater was the top receiver but both are seniors The starting backfleld tandem of junior James Stewart a third-team all-state halfback with more than 1300 yards and 22 touchdowns and junior fullback Steve Knight will be back Livings still is looking for a passing attack to augment Stewart and Knight Livings said the club has four strong wideouts Clarence Jones Demetrus Dawkins Octavia Jefferson who switched from running back and Curtis Tyson In Friday's scrimmage Bjorkman threw touchdown passes to Dawkins and Jones Young connected on a scoring pass to Stewart Place-kicker Eric Prazlch booted a 45-yard field goal during the scrimmage Maltby sat out the scrimmage with a sprained ankle Junior tight end Kenny Holmes a converted defensive back also did not play because of an injury Junior center Kevin Johnson was at a football camp in Georgia The 20 days of workouts and the number of players out pleased Livings Please See QB3B Inn MM rmMMnM pnviM wf wins rviMV Adam Young one of three quarterbacks vying (or the Vero Beach High School starting job passes under pressure rn" Sarasota Van Zytveld Blanks 1 'rf ''4 came down this spring and found out I was going to the bullpen That's like being on the back burner and I wanted to be on the front burner" Vero Beach wasted little time Friday in giving Van Zytveld a cushion jumping on Sarasota's Mike Da vino (2-6) for three runs in the first Jose Munoz got the first of his three hits with one out stole second and scored on Anthony Collier's two-out single to right Collier also stole second then came around on a Scott Marabcll double to center Mike Piazza drove in Marabcll with a single to right In the fifth back-to-back doubles by Munoz and Freddy Gonzalez finished the woring Van Zytveld cruised through the White Sox lineup most of the night He walked the first two batters on eight pitches in the fifth and that brought Lewallyn out fora visit "He told me If I was going to miss miss with my best pitch" said Van Zytveld who described the problem as "a brain cramp" Van Zytveld quickly regained his focus and got Sarasota's Cliff Gonzalez to bounce into a double play Van Zytveld gave up back-to-back singles to start the ninth but a force-out and another double play ended the threat and the game Jim Terrill (4-0) will start for Vero Reach tonight at 7 against St Petersburg from the Mets 5-4 and 5-0 Division leader West Palm Beach (15-14) is 7 games ahead after beating St Petersburg 9-2 Van Zytveld (4-0) gave up a leadoff single to Javier Ocasio to start the game then retired 10 batters in a row Van Zytveld did not allow a single fly-ball out in the game Nineteen outs came on ground balls two on an ankle-high liner for a double play and six on strikeouts "lie could have won in the big leagues tonight" said Vero Beach Dodgers pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn The time spent in the bullpen proved beneficial for Van Zyt veld's pitching mechanics and motivational for his psyche Lewallyn termed Van Zytveld' bullpen experience wake-up call" The pitcher called It "a kick in the rear" Last season Van Zytveld was 10-9 as a starter in Vero Beach but he walked 81 and struck out 75 in 157 innings This season in 43 innings he was 33 strikeouts and only 13 walks "Since last year he's throwing more said Lewallyn "He's got a major-league sinker Now he believes it and he throws it" Van Zytveld said the work in the bullpen (10 appearances) helped to smooth out his mechanics while maintaining his pitches' velocity "For three years I was a starter" he said Dodgers Gain Share Of Second Place With 4-0 Victory By CTIl'CK BALNll'S PrtM-Journal Sport Editor At the start of the season Jeff Van Zytveld found himself in the bullpen A banished starting pitcher working on his control and confidence Injuries opened a spot in the rotation two weeks ago and Van Zytveld combining his talent with a new-found aggressiveness on the mound is taking full advantage of the chance The right-hander from Jen Ison Mich fired his second consecutive shutout a six-hitter as the Vero Beach Dodgers downed the Sarasota White Sox 4-0 Friday at Holman Stadium The Dodgers' ninth straight win at home and their 16th victory in 18 games moved them into a tie with St Lucie for second place in the Florida State League's Eastern Division Both teams are 28-22 Clearwater swept a Friday doubleheader 1 Y1' I -v 1 I- Vero Beach second baseman Jorge Alvarez turns a double play despite the efforts of Sarasota's Carl Sullivan Suns Scorch Blazers Average Total Winner speed (mph) share puree AP Comeback Trail Passes Through Albuquerque ALBUQUERQUE NM (AP) The pitch was a fastball a little inside but the type that Kirk Gibson would more often than not have hammered two years ago This time Gibson got underneath it and lifted it softly to left-center for an easy out Ten months without 90 mph fastball have taken their toll on the 1988 National League most valuable player and catalyst for Los Angeles' euphoric World Series championship that year Gibson recovering from a torn left hamstring that sidelined him for the final three mohths of the 1989 season filed out and singled Thursday against Colorado Springs pitcher Rod Nichols in the first day of a 20-day rehabilitation assignment with Albuquerque the Dodgers' Class AAA affiliate in the Pacific Coast League After his four-inning stint Gibson said he was generally satisfied with the results but he conceded he's nut sure when he'll be ready to rejoin the Dodgers "This thing will dictate how long I'm here" said Gibam pointing to the left knee "I'll sec what I can da I think It was a good start and hopefully everything will feel good tomorrow I think I pushed it a little bit" Gibson 33 had not played since last July when he underwent surgery to repair a slight tear In the hamstring near his left knee Doctors said Gibson may have initially injured the hamstring while sliding into second base In the 1988 championship scries against the New York Mets lie aggravated It early in the 1989 season and coupled with a right knee sprain was sidelined the rest of the rear Please See GIBSON4B Phoenix Keeps Portland Down This Time 1 23-89 Jordan SuO Try Again Today SS riiOENIX (Al) The Phoenix Suns made sure the Portland Trail Blazers had no more romehark magic on Friday night Tom Chambers scored 15 of his 24 points as the Suns built a 30-point lead in the first half and went on to beat the Trail Blazers 123-89 rutting their lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference finnl Phoenix which blew a 22-point lead in Game 2 at on Wednesday night (days host to the Trail Bluzers in Game 4 of the Is'st-of-seven series Sunday The Suns rode to a first-quarter advantage of 40-18 the most Nning-teriod points ever allowed by Portland in a playoff game Phoenix liuilt 61-31 and 70-40 leads in the second erind en route to a 71-43 halftime margin The Trail Blnrr got no closer than 25 in the second half The Suns' largest lead was 103-57 with 1:06 left in the third quarter putting Portland in jeopardy of losing by the largest margin rver in nn NBA playoff game MinneoNlis lieut St Louis 133-75 in 1956 but the Trail Blazers' reserves used an 18-0 run in the fourth period to make the final score more respedable It was Iii1laiul's worst playoff loss ever and the second-biggest postseason victory for Plmenlx Chandlers was U-for-13 from the field and Jeff Ilornacek scored 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting Kevin Johnson also hud 17 (sdnts for the Suns Jerome Kersey led the 'rnil Blazers with 16 Phoenix made 78 Nrrent of its shot in the aliening period 18 of 23 Portland which shot only 33 iereent from the field in the first icriod (nine of 27) scored the game's first basket and never lixl again The Suns used a 10-0 run for a 16-4 lead with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter Racers Determination Adds To Indy Spectacle MpMs on each other as the checkered flag and racing's first $1 million prize lieckoned less than two laps away on the history-rich 2-mile oval? Certainly not the 4X)(XX) or so spectators on hand at the India-naistlis Motor Speedway nor the millions in an international audience watching the race live on television Unser a smind-gencratlon Indy-car star following in the footsteps of father Al a four-time winner ami uncle Bobby a threetime champion got the nose of his missile-like raixr just ahead of Fittipaldi as the two dived into turn two Plaasa Sea SPECTACLE 5B INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The speed is frightening the atmosphere electric the money phenomenal The Indianapolis 500 is all that and more The 74th running of the oldrst and richest race scheduled to take the green flag at noon Sunday will be no less Add to that a burning anything-to-win desire Just ask defending champion Emerson Fittipaldi or Al Unsrr Jr the man who could have won last May Who could forget the 220-mph battle that saw Fittipaldi and Unser darting In and out of traffic desierately trying to gain an edge Mark West of Phoenix shoots over Kevin Duckworth West's shot was good UhamlN-rs sewed six of his 10 points in the period during the fiiuil three minute Eddie Johnson's book and two free throws rapped 1D-0 spurt fur a 50-22 Phoenix lead 411 Into the seiund period Tlie Suns shot 77 NniMit from the field in tin first half (Ik) of 39) to Pori land's 40 percent (20 of 50) Miami FSU Win In NCAA Regional Baseball 3B Martinez Pitches LA Past Cards 4-1 4B i i.