European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 18,1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Dravecky s fall tests Faith in miracles we want to believe in miracles. That is Why the comeback of Dave Dravecky of the san Francis co giants from cancer was so dramatic so inspiring and Why it received so much attention across the nation. After a year and a half away from a big league pitching Mound Dravecky returned last week to beat the Cincinnati reds pitching eight Strong innings. Dravecky against huge Odds had returned triumphantly. The essential Story was Over. So we thought. Thus it came As a Shock when someone at a birth Day party tuesday night amid the balloons and the gaiety and the 80-year-old birthday lady who urged eat the food won t kill you when some one came into the living room from the bedroom where he had been listening to the radio and said quietly to a Friend. Dravecky just collapsed on the  later in the television news reports we saw dra Vicky who is 33 and a Veteran of eight seasons in the major leagues on the Mound in Montreal in his second Start Back taking his stretch with a runner on first base. Then he hurled a pitch it turned out to be a wild pitch to Tim Raines of the expos and suddenly tumbled to the ground As if he had been shot. He clutched his left Arm the one in which he had had the cancer the one with which he pitches and the one now we Learned As he left the Field on a Stretcher he broke. It also broke the hearts of followers of baseball of Dravecky of miracles. For Many there is no More obvious forum for the enactment of divine intervention than sports. Some Ball Fields Are called shrines. The players Are often held up As idols. And when the Best players leave the game they Are referred to As immortals. The language of sports brims with ethereal references. A catch is fantastic a batted Ball is amazing throw is incredible unbelievable absolutely beyond belief. At its Best sports can fill an important if not soulful role in our lives. It can demonstrate legitimate Triumph Over adversity it can spotlight the notion that sweat can produce positive results it can Ira Berkow underline the belief that dreams can be realized. At its worst sports can be overindulge overemphasized and oversold. We have found so often that sports generally does not build character As some of the sports prophets that is those who profit from sports proclaim. Rather character has often already been built in the person. Send me a Good boy Bobby Dodd the late football coach at Georgia tech said and i la Send you a Good boy  but Dodd also believed that he influenced some of his athletes to be stronger men. Good teachers Good models sensitive perceptive experienced leaders can make a difference. But they arc not confined to sports. Succeeding in sports was not enough to keep 24 year old Ricky Berry of the Sacramento Kings from shooting himself to death monday apparently despondent Over personal problems including his marriage. And succeeding in sports is not enough we learn from a study released tuesday to make one a Suc Cess in the afterlife of basketball or baseball or foot Ball. The study indicated that High school athletes May not be any better prepared for the outside world than non athletes and sometimes they Are even fur ther behind than their less physically coordinated Peri. Somewhere sometime Dravecky had developed a powerful will. He had decided to do everything pos sible to return to baseball after having a tumor re moved from his pitching Arm last october. He went Back to the minor leagues pitching this year in class a and class aaa Ball before making it Back to the big leagues As the nation intrigued by his struggle warmed by his grit and rooting for him. Watched closely. His Victory Over the reds was front Page news. Dave Dravecky is pulled into an ambulance. His collapse received less attention. It was a Sharp painful pop Dravecky said later. It was the strangest feeling i be Ever  Dravecky will not require surgery on the Arm. Though he will be required to Wear a Sling. But his pitching career again is in jeopardy. In Usa today it was reported that Terry Kennedy the giants Catcher his voice cracking wondered what s worse to never come Back at All or to come Back and have a taste of Honey like he did for Many even a taste of Honey is prop Crl a Miracle. Th.nt.yoatim.1 Mcenroe lend win in Canada by the associated press Montreal Ivan Lendl showed the rust of inactivity and John Mcenroe shouted and argued his Way to Victory wednesday at the player s International Canadian open. Len the defending and five time Champion who has not played a grand prix match since Wimbledon survived a shaky first set to beat american Kelly Jones 7-6 7-46-1 in the second round at Jarry stadium. Mcenroe coming off a Victory on sunday at Indianapolis gathered himself after a second set collapse to defeat Fel Low american Ned Caswell 6-2,4-6,6-3. I m going to think about tonight Mcenroe said who shouted at Caswell and argued continuously with chair Umpire Chris o Brien. To say it was Abys Mal would be  he told me i was Lucky to be out there said Caswell. He is in such control of the game mentally. 1 was just trying not to do any thing stupid and get yelled at. Unfortunately i just Don t have the experience to Deal with  fourth seeded Tim Mayotte scored an easy 6-2, 7-6 7-5 Victory Over Philippe Pech of France. American Jay bar Ger the sixth seed won when Australia s Simon you withdrew with a Groin injury. Diego Nargiso of Italy ranked no.117, upset ninth seeded Guillermo Percz Roldan of Argentina 6-4, 6-2, and Nicolas Pereira of Venezuela beat 14th seeded american Todd Witsken 6-3,6-1. In other tournaments wednesday at championship Mason Ohio the top three seeds Boris Becker Stefan Edburg and Mats i Lander All won easily on wednesday while no. 4 Michael Chang struggled to Advance. Becker ranked no. 2 in the world eliminated Patrick Mcenroe 6-4, 6-1, on Center court at the Jack Nicklaus sports Center. Second seeded Stefan Edburg took a 6 4, 6-1 Victory Over Brad Pearcy while Wilander a four time Winner of the at beat Joey rive 6-4,6-4. Chang the French open Champion. Was taken to a third set tic breaker by Jim Grabb before capturing a 6-3. 5-7, 7 6 8-6 Victory. Virginia slims of Albuquerque Albuquerque . Unseeded Elna Reinach of South Africa wore Down fourth seeded Raffacla Ruggi of Italy 7-5, 7-6, in wednesday s second round. Second seeded Manuela Malcova of Bulgaria joined Reinach in the quarterfinals of the $100,000 event with a relatively easy 6-1, 6-3 win Over Ann Henricksson. In other second round matches involving unseeded players Anne Smith Defeated Nana Miyagi of Japan 6-1, 7-5, and Beverly Bowes Defeated Amanda Coc tzar of South Africa 5-7,6-4, 6-2. United Jersey Bank classic Mahwah no. Andrea Tmesvari of Hungary rallied from a three game deficit in the final set wednesday and upset fourth seeded katrina Maleva of Bulgaria 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the second round of the United Jersey Bank classic. Wiretap records link Rose to Bookie Boston a transcripts of a Massachusetts police Telephone wiretap indicate Pete Rose lied to baseball investigators when he said he did not know a Massachusetts individual was a Book maker according to a published report. A nov. 12, 1984, conversation be tween Joseph s. Cambra and Manuel Fernandez indicates Rose wanted to bet every Day according to a report in wednesday s Boston Globe according to the paper the transcript indicates Cambra told Rose he would not accept bets More than once a week. The transcript was made a Day before both men and 41 others were arrested in gambling raids in Massachusetts. In the taped Telephone conversation Cambra seeks Fernandez approval of accepting a $6,000 bet on the Seattle sea Hawks in that night s game against Tholos Angeles raiders the paper reported. The sea Hawks won 17-14 but did not cover the 3 a Point spread. Last april Rose told baseball investigator John m. Dowd that he did no know Cambra was a bookmaker according to a Dowd deposition. Rose denied Ever betting with Cam Bra Dowd said in the disposition. These Days cheap hit costs $1,322 by Robert mag. Thomas or. The new York times is there any rational consistency to the array of big league paychecks a set of circumstances that explains Why some players make More than others that was the question on Lawrence Hadley s mind when he decided to apply a Little old fashioned regression analysis to measure the relative Impact on Salines of a variety of variables including a player s race length of service and position As Well As such familiar parameters As batting aver age Home runs runs batted in victories saves and Camcy run averages. The study showed that performance docs count and produced a Price list the incremental average effect on annual Sala Ries of each career hit $1,322run batted in $1,452run scored $1,096stolen base $713 and Home run $413 for Bat ters and of each career Victory $2,943strikeout $411 save $890 and Complete game $6,873 for pitchers. Too Many players whose actual Sala Ries significantly exceeded their statistically predicted salaries were High paid superstars suggesting to Hadley a hidden superstar Factor. When the predicted salaries were re calculated for players making More than $1 million a year statistics were priced at a Premium with a superstar s hit for example Worth $1,888, compared with the $1,322 value of the average player s hit