European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. June 5,1987 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary baseball s rams show who s in first really now who Are these air Force base Ball Champion Ramstein rams glad you asked. They re a Bunch of Guys who looked like no where men then won the Continental sports con Terence in 1986. They re a team that was declared Champion even after blowing the Csc championship series in 86. They re managed by Mike Stevenson or is i Mike Hallemann or is in Iron Mike they re led in pitching by Danny holier Nail. Texan who somehow throws faster than he spits tobacco. They re led in hiding by tint Harris an army rat who tries to play Tike sex Oriole great Paul Blair. They re led in Power by George Hull a Roma from Georgia who has All of one Homer. There you have it the Ramstein rams. Maybethe quietest champions in Csc history. Now As they shoot for a second straight title they re shouting this Point hey we re Good look How we re doing it again with a 3-1 record lied for first Placeit Hecsh. I heard them during practice tuesday. Steven son greeted me and proved to be one of the most enlightening Leader in Safe sports. This waste same Stevenson who a year before stridently tried to keep me from interviewing his players on Ihil Day when the rams practice Fieldi Gand Bunting on Ramstein s softball Field because their baseball held in Vogel Weh was booked for youth teams Stevenson swung a Wise Tongue. He spoke of hitting we teach Bat Speed arms extended with your hips popping. It s not crucial to hit the Ball far but hit in  an pitching when Danny is on he can set the tone we always pitch him the first game. He Winsand i figure we can go after them inc second  and Fielding baseball is a game of time. When you hold the Batt Long bad things can  spoke of Sembach s Loyal following "1 wish we could gel that Type of fan support Bucky Fox  and of Safe s baseball Skeleton of five teams in Germany there s no reason Hahn Tilburg and Wei Bruecken can t have Ball  Stevenson a 41-year-ol j lieutenant colonel has backed his Strong baseball beliefs since Landing at Ramstein last year. He took a group of rams who had Pyrc really followed Simbach and Rhein main and whipped them toward a 14-6 regular  was one game Betler than Sembach and two better than Rhein main. The rams looked like they would also prov most of Stevenson s theories right in he Csc playoffs. Woltemath opened the West of the acc series by striking out 10 in Ramstein s 4-1 Victory Over Simbach. But then came the collapse 10-3and 11-3 losses to the tigers. Stevenson shakes his head Over How his machine could crash like that. Yet he reminds you that his rams were still declared Csc champions because of the regular season a fact confirmed by the league office. We be got the jackets which went to me champions Stevenson said. Sam Bach got inc bags for second  season Stevenson has yielded much of his managing reins to Hallemann because of  Bui even Hallemann a witty Pilot who Learned his baseball in St. Louis credits Ste Venson with molding this year s contender. That s Normal stuff in Ramstein. Bring up Ste Venson and you Bear support. Coaching said Hull the outfielder from Rome ga., when asked what turned Ramstein around last year. He s the Best coach in the league beyond a doubt. He s the Only coach who s really taught me  difference said Harris the fourth year ram whose .478 average led the Csc last year. The skipper Over there coach  Ramstein started winning because of two Rea sons said Warren Stanley who managed Rhein main last year. They definitely had a better organization. They also had a Good group of Quality Al let. They had More to work with and gelling out those players is a function of inc people organizing  Stevenson got a grip on his sport while growing up in Fullerton Calif. He could t Advance his baseball prowess past Fullerton s High school sys tem the Way Gary Carter or Steve Busby did but he stayed close to the  graduate of inc air Force Academy Steven son coached four years in a Semi pro league in the Montgomery ala., area and four More years Al the West Point prep school in fort Monmouth,. Stevenson also pushed to get one of Ful Lerton s favorite sons Arky Vaughan Inlo the Hall of Fame. When Vaughan was posthumously inducted in 1935, the new York times credited Stevenson and two other fans with pestering the veterans committee for the Hall of Fame to keep alive the name of z Man they never  visiting the museum in Cooperstown n.y., Stevenson studied Vaughan s 1935 season when he hit .385. The highest National league average in the last 57  continues to dig into Vaughan s his tory with Pittsburgh and Brooklyn in the 1930sand 40s. Which makes Stevenson a valuable member of the society for american baseball re search. Here s a rare Sabr member who applies his studies on the Diamond. As his rams show his research  s True but it helps to have the Talent said Stevenson. Percentage baseball Only work so far. Maybe a Guy has a headache from a bean ing the last Lime up. Your numbers might network  that s Why it pays to know the rams Well. By name. Tell a and strip Thomas tries to Cool racial controversy Pontiac Mich a de Iroil Pis ions Star Isiah Thomas trying to Cool a simmering racial controversy stemming from remarks about Larry Bird said wednesday that he has made peace wit the Boston celtics Forward. But Thomas took the Media to task for what he called reporting of comments taken out of context after the celtics de eased the pistons in the Aba Eastern conference finals. Detroit Rookie Dennis Rodman who is Black said after Boston s 117-114 Vic tory in saturday s seventh and deciding game that Bird he won the Aba s most valuable player award three times be cause he is White. Thomas asked afterwards to comment on his teammate s remarks said i think Larry is a very very Good Basket Ball player. An exceptional Talent but i have to agree with Rodman. If he wer Black he d be just another Good  Thomas called a news conference wednesday to clarify his remarks which he said were made sarcastically and humorously. In print you Don t gel the laughter Thomas said. In print you Don t gel the sarcasm. In print you get what you  Thomas said he spoke wednesday morning with Bird whose celtics lost to the los Angeles lakers a night earlier inthe first game of the Aba finals. Bird told him not to worry about the com ments voiced after saturdays game Thomas said. Bird said he had no hard feelings. I like Isiah. 1 never really held it against him he said wednesday fro los Angeles where the celtics were pre paring Tor game 2 of the Aba final thursday night he put his whole heart into winning that series. He thought the should win it and i can understand How he could be frustrated. "1 Don t know if he said a lot of the things or if somebody came and said Rodman said this and do you  Thomas said he remained concerned about what he called Media stereotyping of Lite respective abilities of Black an while athletes. I have heard the Media refer to Ablack athlete As a player a i h natural ability while performing a great play Thomas said in a statement released by the pistons. For someone to make that comment they Are not taking Inlo consideration the rigorous training schedule and numerous hours of practice it takes 10 reach that level. It is time the Media and the Public Stop focusing on the race of the athlete or anyone else Stop stereotyping people and Start recognizing an individual s  Thomas also explained his claims of racial stereotyping in remarks published in wednesday editions of the Detroit free press. What i meant was the stereotypes of Black and while players arc the same As they were 20 or 30 years ago Thomas told the newspaper. A lion Bird makes a great play they say it Shis thinking and his work habit. When Black player Excel it s referred blah Thomas. Makes peace with Bird Loas god Given Talent.,. It s like with us. If we Don t practice we la be Good anyway you know Thomas also told the free press that he considered Bird a Forward the Best in the league Al his position without doubt. I think magic lakers guard ear Vin Johnson is the Best player in the game today. And Bird is second. If there was no press no Media i still take Bird on my team. I d Lake Kevin Mchale too he said of Bird celtics teammate who is also White. Finn Alen wins rally in Greece Athens a Finland s Markku Alen driving a Lancia Delta 4wd, scored his first acropolis rally win on wednesday after taking the Lead on the final leg of the four Day 1,193-Mileworld championship  3who has finished second or third in five previous acropolis competitions clocked 7 hours 25 minutes 57seconds in penalties As finnish Drivers swept the top three  Kankkunen 27, another Lancia factory Driver and last year s acropolis Winner finished second in 7 26 45 to re Tain his Lead in the world rally championship standings for Drivers. Third was Veteran Hannu Mikkola,45, in an Audi Quattro 200 in 7 31 21, followed by Argentina s Jorge Recalde Inan Audi Coupe Quairo in 7 33 09. Alen who won the rally s opening Spe Cial stage before dropping into second place powered past Italy s Massimo Biasion Early on the final 494-mile leg Back 10 Athens. Biasion s Lancia Delia 4wddeveloped engine trouble on a Strelch of Dirl Road South of Kam Mcna Vourlas i Central Greece. Biasion had led the rally for two  rally was decided when Alen scorched past Kankkunen on the last of36 special stages. France s Jean Ragnoli Renault 11turbo placed fifth at 7 34 27, followed by West Germany s Erwin Weber vwgt1 l6v Al 7 36 53, Biasion Al 7 53 54 and France s Francois Cal Rio renault11 Turbo