European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday april 25, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary a town Back for Triumph and turmoil introducing the new Kaiserslautern Panth ers. New uniforms. New hairdos. New coach. But same old results and that s a Relief. The Panth ers might look clean Cut but they Cut no Slack on the basketball court. Already the defending army champions of Europe Are on the same course they followed in 1985. They won their 21st support come title again and wednes Day night lost their first game of the Usa eur semifinals. Yep same old panthers. Already in trouble in the playoffs. One More loss at Heilbronn this weekend and they re out. Brings Back memories of 85, when k town fell behind 1-0 in its semifinal series with Darm Stadt then exorcised the demons two straight on the Road. They need similar results saturday and sunday. If the panthers lose one More they lose the Best of three series. That s because they lost 91-83 at Home wednes Day. The backs of those new White jerseys Are stuck against the Wall. But what a town worry we re not out of it yet. It s like last year exactly the same As last  the speaker was Tony Gray a town s 6-foot-4 for Ward. He would know. Last year he ignited the Panth ers comeback at Darmstadt then amassed 85 Points in the final series against Augsburg. Since then Gray has grown a Carl Lewis haircut. He could be used the olympian s stamina wednesday. After scoring five Points in the first half and two Quick buckets after halftime Gray played Down to his name. He looked old. I m tired the 27-year-old explained blaming that on a morning physical training test. He looked especially bad on a missed Dunk. In your face became in my red face. I threw that too hard Gray said. Embarrassed quite. It was like a missed Layup. That s embarrassing  so is fouling out with 1 39 left of a tied game. He vanished when a town needed him most. Will Gray Bounce Back he d better. A town needs his offence to counter the Force of the final four Heilbronn s Patrick Elmore. The 6-4 Center scored 42 Points in game 1. He did t miss dunks either. The eagles strategy looked simple pass to Elmore. Kind of like a certain Chicago player. He s not Michael Jordan said Gray. He just had a great game. A town Center Charles Copper had a great game but we were not helping with the  help did he say help togetherness this might be a new a town team but nothing is that new. This would not be True a town hoops if the panthers pan dered to we Are family Corn. Remember this is the team that 1 last year won with Gray Yelling for coach Clarence Wicks to yank a teammate 2 last fall lost Wicks because he would t accept Melvin Gaither As his assistant 3 subsequently lost Gaither when his criticism of a town official policy got him fired 4 still yells at the coach who now is Scott Copus. At least the panthers Are Only pointing the Finger not flipping it last year guard Gilbert Glasco flipped it at Augsburg s fans leading to a livid Usa eur sports chief Chuck Large to oust him from the finals. Copus who hails from Birmingham ala., hardly finds Southern hospitality in his panthers. Example a wednesday he exploded Over the refs. Instead of rally ing around their Man the panthers scolded Copus for nearly drawing a tech. Example b late in the game he tried to give orders to guard Curtis Thompson. Thomp son hardly looked at his coach then sped Down court and canned a 25-footer. On Heilbronn s Side coach Terry Taylor a dead ringer for Eddie Murphy made no joke about ordering a press and getting a winning result. We re wild men Gray said of the a town circus. We re not that Good at Home reasoned Copus. We re better on the Road with our backs against the Walls what else is new the stars and stripes mariners nip twins to snap losing Streak from press dispatches Seattle Dave Henderson came through with his Bat his Glove and his Arm to help the Seattle mariners snap a six game losing Streak. Henderson hit a two run Homer in the 10th to give Seattle a 4-3 Victory Over the Minnesota twins on wednesday but it was his eighth inning defense that helped put the game into extra innings. He played the Ball just right it was the Only Way the play could have been made Seattle manager Chuck Cottier said of the eighth inning play that came on a double by Roy Smalley. With the score tied 2-2, Tom Brunansky was on first with a single when Smalley doubled off the right Field Wall. Henderson took the Ball on one Bounce and relayed to second baseman Danny Tartabull who threw Brunansky out at the plate. Henderson hit an 0-2 pitch by Minnesota reliever Mark Portugal to give Seattle a come from behind Victory. I was getting ready mentally to face Ron Davis the twins Ace reliever and i d never seen this Portugal Guy Henderson said. I was trying to go up the Middle to drive the run Home. The Ball just jumped off the  the twins had taken a 3-2 Lead on Kent Hrbek s rib single in the top of the 10th. American league Portugal 0-1, walked Tartabull to Lead off the mariners 10th. After Jim Presley bunted to move Tartabull to second Hen Derson lined his second Homer of the year Over the right Field Wall. Karl Best got the final two puts in the twins 10th to pick up his first Victory. The twins took a 3-2 Lead in the 10th when reliever Lee Guetterman had Kirby Puckett 0-2 and then hit him with a pitch. Randy Bush s sacrifice advanced Puckett to second. Hrbek followed with a single to shallow left Field. Alvin Davis tied the game 2-2 for Seattle in the seventh with a two out Solo Home run his third and second in two games. Puckett led off the game with a Home run to Center Field his fifth. He has an eight game hitting Streak that includes four Hom ers two doubles and a triple. In other Al action rangers 9, Blue jays 8 Toronto Larry Parrish and George Wright each homered and had four hits apiece with a combined seven runs batted in leading Texas Over struggling Toronto. Parrish drove in five runs and scored twice while Wright had two Bis and scored three times. The rangers broke open a 5-5 tie with four runs in the seventh against reliever Dennis lamp 0-2. It s not just one or two Guys it s every body in the lineup who s swinging the Bat real Well Parrish said. The other pitchers can t pitch around one Guy because the next Guy is just As  White sox 2, Brewers 1 Milwaukee Pinch hitter Reid Nichols hit a double Down the right Field line in the ninth to score Bobby Bonilla with the winning run As Chicago Defeated Milwaukee. With one out Milwaukee reliever Dan Plesac 1-1, walked Bonilla then yielded a single to Tim Hulett to set up Nichols Dou ble. Tom Seaver 2-2, pitched six hit Ball Over 8% innings while striking out seven and walking three. Bob James got the final out for his second save. It was Seaver s 306th career Victory. Indians 5, orioles 1 Cleveland Brook Jacoby Julio Franco and Carmen Castillo homered and Ken Schrom combined with Scott Bailes on a six hitter As Cleveland beat Baltimore. Schrom 3-1, allowed three hits struck out one and walked two in six innings. Tigers 3, red sox 1 Boston Dave Collins and Darnell Coles keyed a decisive two run fifth with rib singles and Frank Tanana overcame wildness with a three hitter Over eight innings As Detroit Defeated Boston. Tanana 2-1, walked six and struck out one in the numbing 40-degree weather but was Tough in the clutch As the tigers took the rubber of a three game series. Willie Hernan Dez pitched the ninth for his fifth save. Boston starter Bruce Hurst 1-2, struck out eight but allowed eight hits and walked three before giving Way to reliever Sammy Stewart with none out in the seventh. Yankees 2, royals 1 Kansas City Ken Griffey collected three hits in support of Dennis Rasmussen s three hit pitching Over seven innings sparking new York to a 2-1 Victory Over Kansas City and the Yankees first three game sweep in royals stadium since 1974. The loser was Dennis Leonard 2-1, who had won his first two starts since coming Back from a 1983 knee injury. Angels 5, a s 0 Anaheim Calif. Mike Witt tossed a five hitter and Ruppert Jones capped a three run first inning with a two run Dou ble lifting California Over Oakland. Brian Downing added a Solo Homer As California won for the fifth time in the last six games. Chris Codiroli victimized by shoddy Fielding fell to 2-2. Phils7 win Over expos heralds Carlton comeback by the associated press Montreal Steve Carlton who was just 1-8 last year and spent most of the season on the disabled list with a strained rotator cuff earned his first Victory since last May 20 As the Philadelphia Phillies Defeated Montreal 5-4 wednesday. It was the 315th Victory of his career 11 the on the All time victories list. The Veter an left hander struck out six batters and walked six Over 5 /4 innings. Carlton 1-2, now has 3,940 career strikeouts second to All time Leader Nolan Ryan. His stuff has been getting better each time out and this win will mean a lot for him Philadelphia pitching coach Claude Osteen said. It will make him believe in himself  Steve Bedrosian worked the ninth inning National league for his first save while Steve Jeltz had two hits including a three run triple to Pace the Phillies offence. Elsewhere in the National league padres 7, reds 4 Cincinnati Andy Hawkins pitched 6 /3 Strong innings and singled twice As san Diego padres overcame a grand slam Homer by Cincinnati s Dave Parker. Hawkins 1-2, allowed just four hits one of them Parker s third inning grand slam As san Diego snapped a four game losing Streak and handed the reds their fourth straight loss. Carmelo Martinez had three hits for a balanced 12-hit padre attack. Dodgers 6, giants 4 san Francisco Mike Marshall and Bill Madlock each homered and Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela contributed with both his Arm and his Bat As los Angeles beat san Francisco snapping the giants six game winning Streak. Both Marshall and Madlock had three hits and Marshall drove in four runs for the dodgers. Valenzuela 2-1, went All the Way allowing eight hits striking out 10 and walking three. He also drove in a run. Astros 3, braves 2 Atlanta Craig Reynolds two run Pinch hit single capped a three run hous ton rally with two outs in the ninth inning. Atlanta starter Zane Smith was within one out of recording his second consecutive shutout when the astros rallied to claim their seventh Victory in eight games. With two out Glenn Davis singled to right Kevin Bass Drew a walk and Jose Cruz ended the shutout bid with an rib single to right Field scoring Davis and Send ing Bass to third. Bruce Suiter then re placed Smith and after Pinch runner Tony Walker stole second Alan Ashby walked to Load the bases. Reynolds then bounced his two run single to Center Field. Cubs 6, cardinals 0 Chicago Scott Sanderson pitched a five hitter and Ryne Sandberg paced a 12-hit Chicago attack with a pair of doubles and a run scoring single As the cubs blanked St. Louis. Sanderson 1-1, was perfect through four innings before yielding a Lead off single to Jack Clark in the fifth