The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 49

THURSDAY, July 4, 1991 The Sun C3 Stephens enjoying Spirited rescue from downtrodden Reno Stephens, though, celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday with a smile, despite a .167 average in his first 11 games here. "I think he put a lot of pressure on himself when he first came over," Spirit manager Tommy Jones said. "He knew he was struggling a little bit. I think he tried to do too much, too quick." Spirit notes Field seating remains available for tonight's 7:05 game against the Dodgers. Tickets are $2 each for a seat in the temporary bleachers installed to accommodate the overflow crowd expected.

The Spirit skipped batting practice Wednesday, although not because of the 90-degree weather. "We just thought it was time for a new program." said Spirit manager Tommy Jones. or Single-A Peninsula (Va.) of the Carolina League, Stephens began the season with the Silver Sox. Several of his then-new teammates, no longer belonged to an organization. They were older and hardened.

Stephens was the second-youngest on the field. "I had an apartment with (former San Bernardino Pride trainer) Bill Murray and he really took care of me," Stephens said. "Bill helped me out a lot. The (manager) there was the only real problem I had." Expected to be used in the Reno outfield, Stephens almost always appeared as a designated hitter for Silver Sox manager Mai Fichman. "For some reason, everything I did wasn't enough for him," Stephens said.

"He found something negative in everything I did." That seemingly would have taken a considerable effort. On the day of the move, Stephens was hitting a team-best .318. His average has slipped some since June 22, when Reno's team bus pulled into San Bernardino for a three-game series. After switching uniforms, Stephens managed only seven hits in his first 42 Spirit at-bats. "A lot of those guys have been released, and they all kind of envied me," said Stephens, whose stint with the Reno Silver Sox ended June 22, when he was transferred to the Spirit.

"I was better off than a lot of people. It could have been a lot worse." It was harder to convince him in early April, when the Mariners, seeking to get him regular playing time, loaned Stephens to Reno. He had been an all-star with Belling-ham (Wash.) in the Northwest League in 1990. But instead of joining the Spirit who then had a surplus of outfielders M.Uj:IIJ.l4,l:IJ!,l I i I i -V I WJM 1 Ml A 1 Kl iTTWafAwm mw WESvtl 34aa 14x6 OTP ECONOMY STEEL RADIAL WHITEWALL P15580R-13 P16580R-13 $23.99 P17580R-13 $25.99 P185-80R-13 $28.99 P18575R-14 $28.99 P19575R-14 $29.99 P20575R-14 $31.99 P205-75R-15 $32.99 P21575R-15 $34.99 P22575R-15 $36.99 P23575R-15 $38.99 30,000 Mile Warranty TIRE Ql ALL TERRAIN RADIALS TRUCK-RV ALL SEASON I I P20575R-14B P20575R-15B $52.99 P21575R-15B $56.99 P23575R-15B $58.99 750R-16D $85.99 $81.99 $83.99 $87.99 LT23585R-16E $88.99 30- 950R-15C $72.99 31- 1050R-15C $98.99 33-1250R-15C $97.99 TO EL ELD P-6 18560HR-14 $79.99 19560HR-15 $93.99 P-7 20555VR-16 $191.99 22550VR-16 $202.99 RADIAL $4 P20570SR P21570SR P22570SR P25570SR P23560SR P23560SR P24560SR P25560SR Tires By MARC STEIN Sun Sports Writer SAN BERNARDINO The lure of Reno, where forearms can be used to hit home runs and rest on felt tables, rarely attracts baseball players. It is not by choice that they go there.

Rather, they are sent. Or worse for the unaffiliated, Nevada's not-so-glitzy capital is often a last-chance stop. The environment isn't the nicest. Spirit outfielder Brian Stephens, happily part of the Seattle Mariners' organization, knows only too well. Spirit wins before record home crowd By MARC STEIN Sun Sports Writer SAN BERNARDINO At Fiscalini Field, room can always be made for an extra fan and a winning pitcher.

On Wednesday night arrived both. Before a franchise-record crowd of 4,651, Jim Mecir set his own professional best with seven innings of three-hit ball in the Spirit's 4-1 victory over the Bakersfield Dodgers. Mecir, in his fourth game since being drafted in the third round of the June draft by the Seattle Mariners, hadn't lasted past the fifth before this. He proceded to hold the first-place Dodgers (11-4) hitless for 4 V3 innings, and left after allowing a leadoff walk to Ron Maurer in the eighth. By then, the Spirit's three- game losing streak was just six outs away from being snapped.

The outing lowered the righthander's ERA to 1.89. Dave McDonald preserved Mecir's first pro victory, earning his first career save with two scoreless innings. "Without a doubt, we wanted McDonald to finish that game," said Spirit manager Tommy Jones. "(And) I was very impressed with Mecir's effort. He took a very good-hitting club and made them feel uncomfortable at the plate." After the Spirit (8-7) took a 1-'; 0 lead with a first-inning run, Me- cir's "support came from apartment-mates Marc Newfield and Delvin Thomas.

Each hit a solo homer and re-; mained tied for the team lead with seven, seemingly helped by Jones' decision to shorten pre- game drills on a hot and smoggy summer night. "We played with great tenaci-' ty tonight, and I learned a valuable lesson," Jones said. "I need to take a closer look at our pre-game work. It's probably my fault that the players are so tired at the end of a game after they work (so) much in the afternoon." The Spirit added to its lead in the eighth, as right fielder Brian Stephens on his 22nd birthday drove in Ruben Santana with an RBI single, Stephens' third hit. Alzado spent thousands on steroids Associated Press NEW YORK Lyle Alzado, battling inoperable brain cancer, says there was a time in his NFL career when he spent $20,000 to $30,000 a year on the steroids and human growth hormones that he believes caused the cancer.

In a first person article written with Shelley Smith and appearing this week in Sports Illustrated, Alzado admits taking steroids beginning in 1969. "I never stopped," he said. "Not when I retired from the NFL in 1985. Not ever. I couldn't, and then I made things worse by using human growth hormone, too." He said he lied when he denied to people that he was on steroids.

"I had my mind set, and I did what I wanted to do," he said. "So many people tried to talk me out of what I was doing, and I wouldn't listen. And now I'm sick. I've got cancer brain lymphoma and I'm in the fight of my life." Alzado's plight was first shown on NBC Saturday night when he was interviewed by Maria Shriver. The former All-Pro defensive end said he began using steroids at Yankton College in South Dakota to enhance his size 'and never stopped.

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