The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 31

Cal League: Spirit holds off Quakes in slugfestC2 Tennis: Rubin upsets Sanchez VicarioCl 1 YOU MAKE THE CALL Today's question Do you think Southern California will be better off without the Rams and Raiders? Yos: 885-2678 No: 885-1 678 PORTS Yesterday's question: Do you think Kirk Gibson's home run in 1988 was the most dramatic World Series moment? (64) Yos: 70 percent No: 30 percent Paul Oborjuergo Sports Editor (V09) 386-3865 Fax (909) 384-0327 The Sun Section Sunday August 13, 1995 GOLF: THE 77TH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Paul nr-s OberjuergeA IN this I- m) CORNER i ,7 1 IDs Doaidls toy tatt oft .1 V-7 1 fflhra, South African enters final round at 16-under, a tournament record, but no lead is big enough at Riviera. By Albert Bui Sun Sports Writer PACIFIC PALISADES With almost every golfer making 10- to 15-foot putts look as easy as layups, this much appears certain heading into today's final round of the 77th PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club: No lead is safe. South Africa's Ernie Els, who shot a third-round 66 Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over Americans Mark O'Meara and Jeff Maggert, was the first to admit it. "Hopefully three (strokes) is safe for me," Els said. "But I don't know.

I'll feel safe if I have a five-shot lead going into the final hole." Els finished his day at 16-un-der-par 197, shattering a tournament record for best 54-hole score. The previous record of 200 was held by Raymond Floyd (1982) and was tied by O'Meara and Maggert on Saturday. Els and O'Meara were the final pair to tee o(T Saturday. The two battled through 10 holes, each taking a temporary lead only to see the other counter with a birdie. With both players at 13-un-der, the momentum finally shifted Els' way on the 11th hole, a 564-yard par-5.

Els holed a 30-foot pitch from the short kikuyu grass for an eagle. O'Meara, meanwhile, hit his approach shot into the trees to Ernie Els smiles after holing out from a bunker for a birdie on the third hole win on a scoop shot A team and a city made for each other OAKLAND It was natural. It was beautiful. Like snakes in love. Like a Mafia family reunion.

Like rats returning to the fetid sewer that spawned them. The Raiders and Oakland: A match made in hell. They couldn't be happier. Thirteen years after his vised move to the sophisticated and competitive Los Angeles market, Al Davis and his Raiders skulked back to the open arms of the East Bay, where unhealthy fixation poses as love and witless affection is prized. The Raiders took the field at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Saturday for the first time since the move and immediately were smothered by the generic pathology of their have-no-life fans.

They hooted and hollered, compared tattoos and nipple rings, modeled the latest Raiders apparel, brawled occasionally, booed the hapless Rams and mindlessly cheered every move by the Raiders. That the Raiders defeated the typically cooperative Rams 27-22 before a loud and scary crowd made the day almost perfect. All that was missing from this pagan rite was human sacrifice, and that might have been arranged had not authorities hustled away a fan wearing a replica of Steve Young's San Francisco 49ers jersey. "I was standing on the sideline thinking, 'This is home Raiders quarterback Jeff Hostetler said. "It's going to be an adjustment, but I think it's going to be an easy one." Nearly all the Raiders, from Davis on down, seemed thrilled by the overwhelming reception from fans the club jilted in 1982.

Said defensive lineman Nolan Harrison: "The greatest part of the whole thing? When they announced us before the game, and there was that little pause: And here are your Oakland Raiders." Said backup quarterback Vince Evans: "It's a really good feeling to go out there and know this team was birthed here." Like Dracula returning to Transylvania. After the game, it was impossible to find a guy wearing Silver and Black who wasn't pleased as punch to be in Oakland and out ofL.A. "We haven't experienced this kind of crowd as a group," Hostetler said. "This is the first time we've seen a crowd this loud and supportive. This is the kind of crowd that will win a couple games for us." These are tough fans.

One guy partying in the parking lot before kickoff told a reporter he has been a lifelong Raiders fan but had never before seen them play. How come? He was incarcerated in maximum security prisons the past 20 years. Ah, the prototypical Raiders fan. Originally, Saturday's game, at least in Los Angeles, was billed as the Traitor Bowl the Aloha-to-SoCal Classic pitting the teams that ditched the nation's No. 2 media market after the 1994 season.

Indeed, it was strange to see two teams in familiar livery, with many familiar faces, representing the cities of Oakland and St. Louis. But the Raiders' rabid reception seemed to rattle the Rams, who (typically) provided only limp and sporadic competition. Rich Brooks and can you say four-and-12? Losing that team, now so pathetic, is no loss at all for Los Angeles. And the Raiders? Have to admit after Saturday's performance, they belong here.

Like fleas belong on a dog. Said Evans: "Playing here in Oakland, I would draw an analogy like being close to a big family." The Gambino family, perhaps. OrtheManson. Welcome back, Oakland Raiders. Welcome home.

You can always count on these fans to love, honor and post bail. Paul Obaruarga It (ports editor ol Tha Sun. Hit column appaara lour timet weakly. Rtadtrt may wrlta him at 399 North San Bernardino, 92401, or lax to (909) 384-0327. APWIREPHOTO at the Riviera Country Club.

man checked with crew chief Harry Wendelstedt at third base, and waved home Kelly. Pirates manager Jim Leyland argued the decision and announced he had put the game under protest. For the Dodgers, it was one of their more satisfying victories of the season. They overcame an early 7-2 deficit, eventually tying it in the ninth, and wiped out a 10-7 deficit in the 10th. Eric Karros was the batting hero, as he has been all week.

Karros, who hit three game-winning homers this week, drove in the tying run in the ninth with a double and did it again in the 10th with a single, making it possible for the Dodgers to end the 4-hour, 34-minute marathon. Homo's elbow la axamlned. NotebookC4 BY THE NUMBERS life in Los AP WIREPHOTO Stand-up guy Raiders fan Toni Grassi mocks L.A. during Saturday's exhibition game at Oakland, where the Raiders beat the St. Louis Rams 27-22.

StoryC9 INSIDE Cal League C2 Track and field C3 Baseball C4-5 Golf C6 Motor racing C7 Scoreboard C10 Tennis Cll Leaderboard Third-round scores from the $1.75 million PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles: Els 66-65-66197 O'Meara 64-67-69200 Maggert 66-69-65200 Montgomerie 68-67-67202 Elkington 68-67-68203 Stadler 71-66-66203 Sluman 69-67-68204 Haas 69-71-64204 Leonard 68-66-70204 the left of the green. The ball fell into the rough, and O'Meara three-putted for bogey. "When I chipped it in there, it was great," Els said. "1 was playing for four (a birdie) and I got a three. And when Mark three-putted, it must have been obviously very disappointing for him.

He widened the gap for me. It was a three-shot swing there." O'Meara knew he missed an opportunity at the 11th. "It kind of hurt because you know that's really a birdie hole." he said. "But I really feel like I've still got a very good chance of posting a good score (today). I think that's what it's going to take to win this championship." Maggert also will try to chase down Els.

He pulled into a second-place tie after firing a 6-un-der 65 on Saturday. As he did Saturday. Maggert will play ahead of O'Meara and See PGAC6 Final Ryder Cup borths at take. NotebookC6 BAWCfiESMER-The Sun THE SCHEDULE Saturday's results Nevada 11, Alaska 0 Hawaii 10, Arizona 6 NoCal 4, New Mexico 2 Montana 13, Wyoming 7 Today's gamas Washington vs. Oregon, 11:30 a.m.

Colorado vs. Idaho, 2 p.m. Hawaii vs. Montana, 5 p.m. Utah vs.

Southern California, 8 p.m. ball, it probably would have landed fair along the right-field line. "It would've been fair," Seibel said. "I just wanted to stop the ball. I was looking for the runner (after the ball was caught)." "If that ball goes through, we win the game," New Mexico manager Ryan Peil said.

"We've been telling them all See REGIONAL Montana outslugs Wyoming. RoundupC8 Dodgers Rare violation by Pirates catcher gives LA the victory in 11 innings. By Jim Inohram Special to The Sun LOS ANGELES Two nights after forfeiting a game because their fans threw baseballs on the field, the Dodgers found an almost equally weird way to win a game Saturday, when an opposing catcher picked up a baseball illegally. Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Angelo Encarnacion turned his mask into a true tool of ignorance by using it to scoop up a live ball. That misplay allowed Roberto Kelly to score from third base with the winning run in a wild 11-10 victory for the Dodgers before 44,032 at Dodger Stadium.

Kelly opened the 11th with a A Dodgers trade comes back to haunt the Angels Arizona shortstop Artie Straus stretches for an errant throw as Hawaii's Kalvin Koverman steals second base Saturday. Hawaii won 10-6. Petaluma Valley beats New Mexico at wire single and went to third on Tim Wal-lach's double. Win- PIRATES ,.10 ,11 Next: vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.

today pitcher Pedro Astacio struck out for the first out, bringing up Mitch Webster. Jeff McCurry's second pitch to Webster was a curveball in the dirt. Encarnacion blocked it and removed his mask to look for the ball. But when he found it just to the right of the plate, he used his mask to pick it up. Baseball rules prohibit fielders from deliberately touching live balls with any part of their equipment other than their gloves.

Dodgers manager Tom Lasor-da pointed out the violation to plate umpire Brian Gorman. Gor "We can't expect to score six or seven runs every game," Angels manager Marcel Lachemann said. "I never expect to not win a game, but we didn't play fundamentally well tonight." Parra retired 12 of the first 14 batters in an Angels lineup that leads the major leagues in runs. Parra, who had given up 14 hits in seven innings in his two previous starts with the Twins, didn't low a hit until the .............6 fourth inning. He gave up two singles and Tim Salmon's sixth-inning homer (his 28th of the year) before leaving the game with one walk and three strikeouts.

"He did a super job for us," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "He had all of his pitches working. He had a good changeup and his curveball was really nice, but throwing strikes was the big thing for him." "My confidence has grown a lot since my first start," Parra said. "I tried to make them hit the ball and not to walk a lot of hitters. They told me not to be afraid to make them hit the ball." Chuck Knoblauch had three hits for the second straight night to lead the Twins' 12-hit offense.

Parra contains potent Angels offense, pitches Twins to victory. The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS A former Dodger stepped up to beat the Angels on Saturday. Jose Parra held baseball's most potent offense to just three hits in six innings, making his first major-league victory even more sweet than he could have imagined. "It's a big thrill, especially against such a good-hitting team," ANGELS Next: at 11 a.m. KTLA5 Minnesota, today, Unassisted double play ends game and gives Northern California champion a 4-2 victory over Mile High LL By Jim Long Sun Sports Writer SAN BERNARDINO It took an unforgettable play to keep New Mexico's Mile High Little League from pulling ofT a gutsy victory in the Little League Western Regional on Saturday.

First baseman Matt Seibel of Northern California champion Petaluma Valley LL robbed New Mexico's Marco Armendariz of a potential game-tying extra-base nit, turning the diving stab into a game-ending, unassisted double play as Petaluma Valley stopped New Mexico 4-2 at Al Houghton Stadium. With runners on first and second, Seibel caught Armendariz's line drive and fell into foul territory. After snagging the ball, he scrambled back to first base and tapped it with his outstretched glove to catch New Mexico's Greg llaugk, who had headed for second. Had Seibel not caught the Parra said after pitching the Minnesota Twins past the Angels 6-4 at the Metrodome. "I want it to be the first of many," Parra said.

"I hope it's the start of a good career." Parra (1-0), obtained July 31 from the Dodgers in a trade for Kevin Tapani and Mark Guthrie, retired 12 of the first 14 batters he faced. He walked one and struck out three before giving way to reliever Pat Mahomes at the start of the seventh. Dave Stevens pitched the ninth for his eighth save, finishing off a combined I.