European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 29, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary x in dummies in Spain this was at the Ritz Hole in Barcelona in june 1982. The Locklait lounge was dark exeunt for a huge television screen no the far end. From the darkness you could hear half a dozen languages catalan castilian French English ital Ian go Tun. Most of the people except Tor the Ger mans of course seemed to be rooting for the French National soccer team against the West germans in he semifinals of the world cup soccer tournament. Were people leaning that Way because the French learn espoused a Gallant open style of attack that earned to Lien the nickname the brazilians of Europe or were there deeper nationalistic passions at work in the darkened room it was not a Good time to take a Survey because the Patron of this elegant hold like people in Chile and Algeria and China and even a few fringe lunatics in the United slates were intent on watching that game being played on a sweltering night in Seville. Now it is Lime for another world cup this one to begin in Mexico saturday and continue through june 29, Twenty four nations but net the United slates Are competing not Many american born journalists arc enthusiastic about soccer a game of Low scores and no hands except for the goalie but come by my enthusiasm Hon Estly. It was spawned by two seasons on the Jamaica High school soccer team in new York in the Middle 1950s, on a team combining hyphenated americana Tram Germany Italy France Colombia and Greece 03 Well As americans from puerto Rico we had so Many languages and styles on our team that we could not play Well together but we could appreciate the Way the German american kids from Grover Cleveland High could pick us apart. The love of soccer in my House we Call it Bulbol the sanctimonious business with All the padding and the helmets is american football never left me i be seen the classic film about England s Home team Victory in 1966, and 1 covered the Post Pele Down pin of the North american soccer league and in 1982 the new York times sent me to Spain to cover the world cup what a Jolt it was to realize that the world cup organizers did t bother putting a press guide together reporters Are supposed to know All the players. The. Players Don t give interviews after o game soccer re porters arc lordly theater critics not lowly interviewers. And there were no frills like the Cosmos girls or bugs Bunny cavorting on he sidelines the Way the North americans had tried to do it. With Little pregame puffery the players ran out onto the Field for a sport More Complex More skilled than any North american soccer game i had seen. How could a Man dribble upfield like Falcon of brazil1? How could a Man Hick As hard As Karl Heinz Rumme Nigga of West Germany How could a Man defend As Ruth Lessly As Claudio Gentile of Italy How could a Man score three different ways off his head on a shot after dribbling and on a pass from a team Mulc in one game Tike Zbigniew. Bonick of Poland it look me several games before my perceptions ought up with this new game. Amazing things happened in Spain and throughout the world that month because of the world cup. People killed themselves because their teams lost. Fans from England quickly became unpopular because of their drinking and brawling. In Bilbao Spain sheikh fahd Al Sabah head of the Kuwait football federation strode to the Edge of the Field his blues Robe flowing during a protest of a goal by France against his team. In Gijon Spain spaniards and algerians whistled derisively As West Germany and Austria waltzed through an insipid 1-0 West Germany Victory the Law score of which allowed Austria to go through to the next round instead of Gallant Algeria. Poles carried Solidarity banners through the stands during a 0-0 lie that eliminated the soviet Union and allowed the poles to move into the semifinals. But the moment 1 remember Best was the evening in the Khz hotel in Barcelona. I had just come from covering Italy s Victory Over up land und h was quickly App trend that France was the emotional favorite in the darkened lounge particularly.after1 the West German goalkeeper humid Schumacher ran Over in unsuspecting French player Patrick Belliston in the froth minute. The game was tied no 1-1 going into a 30-minute overtime and 1 walked to the tack to order n Beer. Peering toward the screen i saw France score in the first minute of overtime As the German nations groaned and others cheered. At the sixth minute. West Germany sent in  who had sat out with a thigh muscle injury but France scored again in the eighth minute fora 3-1 lend. Beautiful soccer seemed to be paying off for some body if not for Brazil but France was not Content. In a snort with no timeouts the French players continued to press the open Field attack rather Ilian fall Back into a defensive posture i Wilt never forget the scowl on the bartender s face is we watched France trying to Advance the Ball. Once Lontos he muttered. Eleven dummies and he was right. West Germany scored in the 12th Minuit and again in the 18th As Rummy Nigga hobbled into scoring position serving As u Decoy for two others goals. The tie necessitated a shootout of penalty goals with the foregone conclusion. In the sudden death round Schumacher slopped Maximo Bossis but Horst Hrubesch kicked u goal past Jean Luc Lori. And Alt around the world hundreds of millions at people stumbled away from the television set muttering about France s Foolhardy gesture. Italy beat West Germany three Days later in Madrid to reign for four years As champions of ii world s most popular sport. They will Bath be Back in Mexico. As Wilt France and Brazil and most of the powerhouses along with unheralded Iraq and Korea and Canada. Too. The whole world will be watching perhaps including the bartender at the Ritz hotel in Barcelona to Sec if anybody qualifies for the dreaded once Lontos award this time around. His Vork Tymel seed Sta n d to 11 on 3rd Day of French open Paris a breezing past out gunned opponents Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova led a Parade of seeded players wednesday into the third round of the French open Tennis championships. Navratilova took just 47 minutes to crush Loris i Savchenko of the soviet Union 6-2, 6-2, while lend needed an hour longer to dispose of Switzerland s Jakob Flasck 6-3, 6-3,6-3. It was so cold out there i even asked for hot Cream for my legs to Stop them from freezing said Lendl who is seeking his third straight trip to the final at Roland Garros. He won the French open in 1984, defeating John Mcenroe in five sets after losing the first two. I played solid but did t serve that Well said the world s top ranked player. I managed to break him when it was important now it s round three Lendl said. Alt i really wanted to do today is  not a single seed fell on the third Day of this Clay court grand slam tournament Al though no. 3 Carling Bassett of Canada had to rally in the decisive third set to pull out a Victory Over a scat Etchemendy of France 3-6,64,7-5. Basic to after leveling her match at one set apiece fell behind 3-5 in the final set. I was trying to hang in there she said of her Battle with the Lime known 20-year-old French woman. I was very nervous. It was the first time i had to play someone in their own country when they Don t have  Basset held her service to pull to 4-5, then broke Etchmendy to put even at 5-3. But she quickly fell behind if-40 before holding serve. It was very important thai i won the game logo up 6-5," Bassett said. She could have become very confident had she won that  no. 5 Yannick Nouh of France struggled before overcoming american Sammy Giammalva 6-3,6.7,6-4, 6-4. No. 7 Anders Jarryd of Sweden and no 13 Johan Krick of the United Stales also needed four sets before advancing the Lone american among the men s seeds Krick beat Milan Srejs bar of Czecho Slovakia 6-1,6-3, 5-7,6-3. Guillermo Vilas the 1977 French open Champ from Argentina beat Martin Wostenholm of Canada 7-5,6-2,6-2. Besides Navratilova other seeds in the women s singles Gosling straight set Victo Ries were no. 2 Chris Evert Lloyd no. 3 Steffi Graf of West Germany no 4 Clau Dia to hic Kilyck of West Germany. No. 5 Lluu Mand Likon of Czechoslovakia no. 6 Helena Sutkova of Czechoslovakia no 7 Kathy Rinaldi of the United states no. 8 Manucl male Eva of Bulgaria no. 9 go brie la Sabatini of Argentina and two americans no. 10 Zika Garrison and no. Sterr Phelps. Graf continued her winning Streak opening Center court Willi a dismissal of Gretchen  mount Lebanon pa., 6-1,6-1. Grass Victory Over Rush was her 22nd in a raw stretching Back Over championships in four tournaments. At the beginning of the year i said my goal was to win a tournament and stay in the lop 10," she said of think i be changed my mind on  and Lloyd seeded second among the women had an equally easy time beating France s Nathalie Herr Man 6-2,6-1. I Haven t had any pressure matches yet Lloyd said about her chances of win Ning the tournament for the second straight year "1 think i m playing pretty Well i Haven t made any lapses Tike i sometimes do in easy