The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 17

TV TodayCornplete listings, C6 i BASEBALL Oakland at Chicago, 5 p.m., WGN COLLEGE WORLD SERIES Clemson vs. Long Beach State, 1 p.m., ESPN Creighton vs. Wichita State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN MONDAY June 3 1991 TENNIS French Open, 6 a.m., ESPN Paul Obarjuerge, Sports Editor (714) 889-9666, Ext. 21 8 Mavericks -beat Spirit 5-3C5 i take charge in Bulls9 arena In this corner Gregg Pattern Perkins bomb, Jordan miss gives visitors 93-91 victory NBA FINALS By MIKE DAVIS Sun Sports Writer t-ol vn ri Lakers vs. Chicago 8unday: Lakers 93, Chicago 91 Wadnasday: at Chicago, 6 p.m.

i i Friday: at Lakers, 6 p.m. June 9: at Lakers, 4 p.m. Juna 12: at Lakers, 6 p.m.' CHICAGO There they go again. The Lakers, princes of thieves, snuck into this toddlin' town and stole another one Sunday afternoon. Just when it looked like they were beaten, they zinged another arrow into the air in this case a Sam Perkins three-pointer with 14 seconds to play and brought down the Chicago Bulls 93-91 in Game 1 of the Michael and Magic Celebrity All-Star NBA Finals at Chicago Stadium, the combination madhouse-sweatbox the Bulls call home.

It had been a happy home before Saturday the Bulls were 7- 0 at home in the playoffs after a 35-6 regular season. But this is the way the Lakers have been conducting business in the postseason breaking into somebody's house and making off with the goodies before the alarm sounds. The Bulls had skated through the first three rounds with an 11- 1 record and had the local media including the respected Chicago Tribune picking them to win the Finals in five. But in front of 18,676 at the NBA's loudest arena, the Lakers did to Chicago what they did to Portland in the Western Conference finals taking Game 1 to spirit away the home-court advantage. They are now 5-2 on the road in the playoffs.

Time to revise those predictions. "We were the underdogs in the last series, we were the underdogs in this series," Magic Johnson said. "I don't think we're gonna June 14: at Chicago, 6 p.m. Juna 16: at Chicago, 4 p.m. 'if necessary worry about what other people say." Johnson had a triple-double Sunday 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, including the pass that set up Perkins' gamer.

Chicago's megastar, Michael Jordan, out-statted Magic 36 points, eight boards, 12 assists but couldn't beat him. He had his chance an open 18-foot jumper with four seconds left but it went in and out. So what more do you want? The first game of this much-anticipated Finals was a near-classic, and it came down to the two marquee attractions doing what they do best Johnson passing, Jordan shooting. "Man, that's basketball the way it's supposed to be," Johnson said. "A great game to be in." "They make a three-pointer to go ahead, I have the same opportunity with a two-pointer and it rattles in and comes out," Jordan said.

"That's the nature of the game." This game was decided in the last 30 seconds. The Bulls were up 91-89 on two Scottie Pippen free throws with 1:02 left, and got the ball See LAKE RSC4 APWIREPHOTO Michael Jordan (left) of the Chicago Bulls has a first-half shot blocked by Sam Perkins of the Lakers. Jordan scored 38 points, but he missed a shot with four seconds left that could have won Game 1 of the NBA Finals for the Bulls on Sunday at Chicago. The Lakers won the game 93-91. Success, in a manner of speaking SAN BERNARDINO Charles Darwin could have re- lated very well to professional baseball, with its minor-league, rungs and those elusive major leagues at the top of the ladder.

Survival of the fittest, for Things are tough just getting out of Single-A ball and onto the next level, so it helps if the guys who show up in a place like, say, San Bernardino can concentrate fully on baseball. Baseball for breakfast, baseball for lunch, baseball for dinner. It doesn't figure to help your cause much, then, if in addition to showing your best on the field, you also have to learn how to order breakfast, lunch and dinner. Such is the task of some Latino players, who have to juggle baseball with learning a new language and adapting to a foreign culture. Some manage the balancing act better than others.

Take Alex Sutherland, for example, and don't be misled by the Anglo-sounding name which comes from a British grandfather who emigrated. The 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher turned up in Arizona for spring training with the Seattle Mariners organization this year long on talent and short on basic English. And after an extended spring season there his first pro experience in the U.S. he joined the Spirit two weeks ago. In 10 California League games since, he is 14-for-33 (.424) with five doubles, a triple and two home runs.

With two RBI singles in a 5-3 loss to High Desert Sunday at Fiscalini Field, he now has 13 RBI. "I feel very comfortable playing baseball, the same as if I was in Venezuela," said Sutherland, who gestured toward the clubhouse door and added, "Once I come inside that door, it's all baseball. Outside is life." He says this in Spanish through an interpreter, an interpreter, in fact, who has made sure that "life" outside has gone as smoothly as possible for him in San Bernardino. His interpreter happens to be his good friend Lipso Nava, a boyhood friend from Maracaibo who is an infield-er with the Spirit and spent part of spring training with Suther- land in Arizona, as well. Nava, 22, went through his cultural indoctrination three years when he attended Miami Dade Community College.

"The first three months were very difficult lost," said Nava, who said the ballfield was his only refuge. "My coach there taught me to separate baseball from the other things." In San Bernardino, Sutherland and Nava are rooming together with three Dominican teammates, and Sutherland is being taught English in typical fashion. "You know you always learn the bad words first," said Nava, laughing. "But then you learn the things you need, like how to say and order food in a restaurant." Sutherland is appreciative of the help he's getting. "I would have been lost without Lipso." he said.

"When I -found out he was here, I was so i The two Venezuelans have a list of about a half-dozen countrymen in the major leagues they are trying to follow, including Ozzie Guillen, Andres Galarraga and Luis Solo. Perkins' shot acxx)rding to plan his By MIKE DAVIS Sun Sports Writer Michael Jordan missed a jumper and Byron Scott added a free throw with 2.7 seconds to play, Los Angeles had commandeered the Bulls' home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. That much, everybody could agree upon. What the Lakers couldn't see eye-to-eye on afterward was exactly what kind of shot they were looking for on the crucial play, set up by coach Mike Dunleavy during a timeout. "I'd like to say it was designed the way it came out, but Sam took the three on his own," Dunleavy said.

"I didn't tell him to shoot it." Perkins apparently thought he was acting under somebody's thing right. Terry Teagle, just inserted by Dunleavy, inbounded to Scott, who gave it to Johnson, who was guarded by Jordan. The other Lakers spread the floor, fanning out around the perimeter, and waited for the double-team. It came quickly center Bill Cartwright, Perkins' man, came out to trap Johnson on the left wing. Johnson whipped the ball cross-court to Perkins, who was open enough to set his feet, cradle the ball briefly and wind up for his shot.

At the last instant, however, forward Horace Grant, having SeePERKINSC4 orders, though. "It was supposed to be a three all the way," he said. "Well, at least I thought so." What's needed here, clearly, is an impartial arbitrator to settle this dispute. Magic Johnson, front and center. "A three-pointer was not discussed," Johnson said, siding with his coach never a bad move.

"All we wanted to do was get the ball to an open man." The Lakers had trouble doing that for much of this game against Chicago's smart, double-teaming, quick-rotating defense. But this time they did every CHICAGO The Lakers had a little trouble getting their story straight, but at least Sam Perkins' shot was. That was all that mattered, really. The 6-foot-9 forward's high-arching three-pointer with 14 seconds to play Sunday helped turn impending defeat into a 93-91 L. A.

victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Chicago Stadium. The big shot gave the Lakers a 92-91 lead. And after Chicago's Sam Perkins Three-pointer with 14 seconds left UPDATE Belcher finally gets best of Reds, 4-1 By DAN EVANS Sun Sports Writer Strawberry undergoes test LOS ANGELES Darryl Strawberry had a magnetic resonance imaging test on his left shoulder Sunday night The shoulder had been ailing the outfielder since he slightly separated it crashing into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium on May 15 against the Montreal Expos. "Dr. Jobe said there's no major damage," said Jay Lucas, the Dodgers' director of publicity.

"Darryl will probably miss five days just to give the shoulder some rest. He should appear in the Chicago series." -Vl Winfield explodes to lead Angels, 7-2 By BILL PLUNKETT Gannett News Service TORONTO Dave Winfield was a threat to low-flying seagulls again this weekend in Toronto. Winfield hit his second home run in as many games Sunday, powering the California Angels to a 7-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Angels right fielder went 4-for-8 in the two weekend games with a home run each day and nine runs batted in. Sunday's damage included a three-run home run in the third inning and an RBI single in the fifth.

In Saturday's 11-8 victory, Winfield was 2-for-4 with five RBI, including his ninth career grand slam. "He (Toronto starter Jim Acker) got behind in the count and gave me a pitch that I could extend on," Winfield said of Sunday's three-run shot "Boom it's outta here." Winfield has homered in five of the Angels' last seven games and now has 10 for the season and 388 in his career, 26th on the all-time list (one behind Johnny Bench). The nine RBI this weekend gives him 38 for the season and 1,554 in his career, 23rd on the all-time list "He's something else," said Angels manager Doug Rader. "I had no idea he was climbing ud Darryl Strawberry LOS ANGELES The Dodgers Tim Belcher has had a pretty good career in four National League seasons, except against the Cincinnati Reds. That was, until Sunday.

Belcher (6-4) shut out the World Champions for 8 innings Sunday in a 4-1 Los Angeles victory before 43,683 at Dodger Stadium. Despite winning his third consecutive start, it was only Belcher's fourth career victory against Cincinnati in 11 lifetime decisions. Against the rest of the NL West, Belcher is 22-12 with a 2.81 ERA. But the native of Sparta, Ohio, had a lifetime 4.37 ERA versus Cincinnati going into Sunday's game. Belcher really had no explanation for his lack of success against the Reds, other than pitching in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium.

"I think you have to give them some of the credit," he said. "They've had some pretty good hitters there the past four seasons. Add Riverfront Stadium to that it's a hitter's ballpark." Yeah, Belcher's had some bad memories in Cincinnati. He lost his first major-league start there, 4-1, on Sept 9, 1987. He was also the losing pitcher, despite throwing a three-hitter, in 1988 when the Reds Tom Browning threw a perfect 1-0 game against the Dodgers.

But the Reds were on the Dodgers' turf Sunday and it was Belcher's turn to shine. "He was throwing it by our hitters," said Reds manager Lou Pinlella. Belcher allowed only eight singles before being relieved by Tim Crews in the ninth, who got the THE SCORES National League Dodgers 4, Cincinnati 1 Chicago 4, Montreal 3 Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 3 St Louis 3, New York 1 San Diego 3, Houston 1 San Francisco 2, Atlanta 1 i Taking the first step together vj i.i-l.. j- 1. with the immortals, but then he's aireadyipassed a American League Finn sets world record in javelin HELSINKI, Finland (AP) Seppo Raty of Finland improved his own world javelin record by almost 17 feet Sunday with a toss of 318 feet, 1 inch at a track and field meet in Punkalaidun in central Finland.

"The windy conditions helped," said Raty. "There was a strong headwind, but I was disturbed by the rainy weather. I didn't get a very good run-up." The 29-year-old Raty set the previous world record of 301-9 on May 6 in Japan. Inside GolfC2 TennisC2 BaseballC5 Scoreboaro7C8 few. He's a great player, do doubt about It." Jack Howell also had a two-run homer Sunday and Wally Joyner drove in another run with a double, giving him 35 RBI this season.

Sunday's victory ran California's record to 28-21 as the Angels took 2-of-3 at Toronto. It was the seventh consecutive series that the Angels have won and was the fifth time in that span that they have rebounded to win two in a row after dropping the first .1 The victory was also Jim Abbott's fifth consecutive as many decisions, raising his record to 5-4. It's the first time since Sept 27, 1989, that Abbott has had a winning record. In his last six starts, Abbott is 5-0 with a 2.01 earned run average. Angels 7, Toronto 2 Baltimore 5, Boston 1 New York 7, Milwaukee 4 Cleveland 3, Detroit 2 Minnesota 4, Kansas City 1 Chicago 4, Oakland 3 Seattle at Texas, rain Cat League Mavericks 5, Spirit 3 lias ixi wuiujr umue it uiurc will- "Alex thought he wVtold be homesick every day," said Nava, whose constant companionship has eased that potential strain on nil baseball life.

"Now he is very confident in baseball" Nava, a slick fielder with a .256 batting average, said the two spend their limited free time listening to music and cruising the' malls. He has enjoyed watching his friend's initial success. "I am very happy for him," said Nava. "His wins are my wins. My wins are his wins." Sometimes it's survival of the friendliest, too.

final out ror his second save. Belcher struck out eight and walked only one. While Belcher was taking care of the Reds' offense, Juan Samuel was providing all the support the Dodgers needed. Former California QM Mlka Port mad soma key Dodgers pitcher Mike Morgan cant shaks the Mum. StoryCS dealt to get the Angela where ttvy ar now.

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