European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 24,1988 the stars and stripes Page 21 sports Lewis sizzles Biondi Golden again 1988 olympics mets Clinch title by he associated press new York the new York mets proved to themselves thursday night what they already knew. The mets won their second National league Easl division championship in three years As Ron Darling pitched a Sii hitter and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1."we always knew we were going to win it first baseman Keith Hernandez said. We had to keep telling ourselves we would when others  it was the fourth division Crown in themels history and hey clinched it going away. The met won their eighth straight game for he 13lh time in 14 games and the 23rd Lime in their last 28. We were destined to win third baseman Howard Johnson said. But we struggled at times and 1 Don t think we no Roundup Ever quite lived up to the expectations. I really never doubted it. When the chips arc Down the Cream rises to the  and so after a Power struggle for much of the summer with the Pesky Pittsburgh pirates the mets turned it on in late August and won with Case. The mets became the second team to Clinch following Oakland in the Ameri can league West. New York opens the no playoffs on oct. 4 at the West win Ner most Likely los Angeles. Getting to the world series is the biggest thing Darling said. If we continue to pitch Well they should have a Tou a time with  a boisterous crowd of 45,274 packed Shea stadium and was Riding on every pitch As the mils drove toward their  was beefed up to keep the fans off the Field and avoid a repeat of see no on Page 26 mets turned it on and off in drive to Crown Jackie Joyner scr acc hurdles in olympic Recti time and leads in the heptathlon. By Steve Wilstein Seoul South Korea a watch the clock and Check the record Book Carl Lewis is in High gear with a9.99-seeonds warm up for saturday s 100. Matt Biondi is closer to his b0l1of seven medals grabbing a third Gold and setting a world record with his swimming buddies. The olympic spotlight shifted to track and Field Friday afternoon with Lewis debut and Jackie Joyner Kersee s assault on the heptathlon re Cord but shone again in Lite eve Ning on Biondi who won his fifth medal anchoring the 400-meter free the is team of Chris Jacobs Troy Dalbey Tom Jager and Biondi sped through the relay in 3 minutes,16.53 seconds beating the old record of 3 17.08 by another Biondi an bored team in 1985.equally Golden were the performances of Elena Shushunov a soviet teen who became the new Queen of gymnastics and Kristin Otto a big Brawny East German who won her fourth swimming Gold. Shushunov thrilled fans with a perfect 10 that clinched the All around Gold and brought a hug from the 1984 Queen Mary Lou Relton the 6-foot-2 Otto who is going for sin golds put on an unprecedented display of versatility adding a Victory in the 100-meter Butterfly to her pre Vious wins in the 100 freestyle 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle relay. Otto set an olympic Mark of 59 seconds in the Butterfly. America s maty t. Meagher triple Gold medallist in 1984, finished a disappointing seventh. Urc dossier of East Germany set world record in winning the old medal in the men s 400 freestyle in 3 minutes 46.9s  soviet Union won five medals to hold its Lead in the medal list with33, including 16 Gold. East Germany added nine medals to move up to a total of 28, nine of them Gold. The United slates won a Gold and Silver to remain in third with 15, including is  saw the american men s basketball team ramp Over china108-57, despite minor injuries to Sev eral . Players and the american boxers gain a sixth straight Victory. Contusion reigned inside and out see olympics on Page 26 Buji Odonaghy new York a in the end the new York mets won the National league East title in the manner that was expected. It was just the beginning and mid dle that proved a Little shaky. After the mets beat the Boston red sox in seven games to win the 1986 world series the perfunctory talk of mini dynasty started. But the so Louis cardinals deflated the Mats egos by winning the Pennant last season a Pennant the mels still think they should have won. The mets arrived in their new port St. Lucie fia., Spring training facility with the feeling they were the team to beat if they could just refrain from beating themselves. But the preseason headlines were made off the held when Darryl Strawberry critiqued some of his team mates 1987 efforts and flu Lions were raised Over manager Davey Johnson s Job status. At the end of the 1987 season general manager Frank Cashon said Johnson would manage the mets for 1988 and then work in a scouting capacity. But before the lint Spring pitch was thrown the mets announced Johnson might stay beyond this season. When those problems were ironed out the mics set out to gel their championship Back. When you re expected to win and lose it s always a negative Johnson said in 1984 and 8s we could lose and sometimes it could be a positive. But the last few years we be been expected to win and when we Haven to it created a negative when the mels were leading by five the question was Why weren t they leading by 10?" Johnson who has won 90 or More games in each of his first five seasons with new Yore held few clubhouse meeting Sand tried to minimize the importance of miming away from the Field. The mets spent much of 198s turning it on and off winning when they had to and seemingly toying with a weak division. Since late August the ecu have turned it on and won 22 of 27 to blow away Pittsburgh and Montreal Wilh a double digit Lead. It was time to gel serious Strawberry said. We know we re a Good team but things Don t always go like you want  the mels have been in first place since May 3 but had to spend much of the summer fighting Oil the Pesky pirates and their own indifference. At the Start of the season the acts and their fans feared Only the cardinals. But the acts swept three games from the cardinals at St. Louis in april and by the end of that month the cards had folded. The acts won 30 of their first 41 games and by Early june held a seven game Lead Over the pirates. The pirate have come a Long Way in a Short time mets Catcher Gary Carter said. After they got off to Good Start we thought they would be in the race  by Early june the mils had a seven game Lead but thai advantage began to shrink As East As i hair batting averages. We went through a Lough period when it was hardly score runs Aid Carter who went two months n search of his 300th career Homer. But our Pitcher kept us in first  Dwight Goodwn. Ron Darling David Cone Bob Ojida and Sid Fernandez have provided one Quality Start after another and Randy Mycon has been nearly perfect in relict Goodwn and Cone have combined for a 35-10 re Cord and Myers is 7-3 with 23 saves and 1,41 car cd Nin average. The mels have 22 shutouts including 17 comply la game efforts. When the mics won the world series in see mets on Page 26