European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 24, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 25eagles rally to v corps Crown by Walt Morrissette staff writer Wiesbaden Germany a trailing by 19 Points in his own building in a title series against the defending champions there a just one thing a coach can do. A i panicked a said Luther Jefferson of the. Wiesbaden eagles. A i did no to know what was happening. They just came out flat.�?�. But his eagles recovered from 30 percent shooting in the first half As Lamar Oden poured in 20 of his 30 Points after intermission to Lead Wiesbaden to an 8075 Victory and the v corps menus title. Also chopping into the deficit was Troy Russell. He scored 25 Points including a jumper with 61 seconds remaining that put Wiesbaden ahead for Good As the eagles swept the v corps Best of three championship series 2-0. It was the eagles second v corps title in five seasons the last coming in 1987. Wiesbaden missed its first eight shots and Baum older took a Quick 4-0 Lead on Darryl Frierson a free throw and Earl Barnes three Pointer. The eagles did no to get on the Board until Russell Sank two free throws with 16 09 left in the half. As the eagles shooting woes continued the bears ran out to a29-10 Lead with 6 51 left in the half. Wiesbaden switched to a full court press As Russell and Oden rallied the eagles. They scored eight Points each in a 17-3 dash that Cut Baum older a Lead to 32-27. Baum older built the Lead Back to 38-28 before Stanley Rogers free throw with 4 seconds left Cut the halftime bulge to 38-29. After making Only 9 of 30 shots from the Field in the first half 30 percent Wiesbaden was Lucky to be Down by Only nine Points. The bears shot 45 percent 15 of 33. A we came out sluggish a a Oden said. A we did no to go thorough our usual Warmup routine and it showed. In the locker room we discussed what we had to do in the second half. We knew we had to out Hustle them. We knew we could beat them inside but we got away from that in the first half. A it Wasny to an easy game. Baum older a a great team a Oden said. Robert Huff scored 11 Points in the first five minutes of the second half As the bears took an intimidating 50-36 Lead. Wiesbaden chipped away inside finally passing the bears for the first time when Oden made two free throws with 9 44 left for a 53-52  led 55-54 when Frierson was fouled while shooting at the top of the 3-Point arc. Frierson however missed All three., free throws Oden followed with a Trey to give the eagles a 58-54 Lead and the bears were in the catch up role for the rest of the game. Wiesbaden took a 69-60 Lead before the bears battled Back one last time. Frierson was again fouled on a t free Point shot but he made All three this time to Cut the deficit to 71-68. The bears eventually tied the game at 71 on Barnes free throws. Russell hit his second game winning shot in both games in this series. His jumper in the Lane with 1 01 left put Wiesbaden ahead for Good 75-73. The eagles put the game away from the line with Rogers free throws at eight seconds left sealing the Victory for the eagles. Rogers ended with 10 Points Fritz Miller had six Points and seven rebounds for the new champions. Frierson Huff and Barnes led the dethroned v corps titlist with 17 Points apiece. A a a we made some mistakes Down the stretch a Baum older coach Michael Allen said. A i still think we re a better Ball club but the score does no to indicate that. People have to look at what we accomplished. We have a 47-18 record. A Evv Wiesbaden will represent v corps Well in the secs and i wish them All the Luck a Allen said. A Wiesbaden shot 51 percent in the second half 16 of 31 while outscoring the bears 51-37. The alg is finished at 40 recent from the floor 25 for 61 to Baum older a 41.3 percent 24 for 58. Wiesbaden will face the act to by de tar mind Vii corps Champion in the army european championship. Kaiserslautern the 21st Talcom Champion will play the Winner of the dec positional tournament that ends sunday in Berlin. The dec semifinals arc scheduled to Start april 4 and the dec finals will Start april 11. Father time too fears digging in against Ryan a i remember the Day i lost my great fastball. All of a sudden you re wondering How to pitch to hitters whose names you never had to know because you could always blow the Ball by them. But that Hasni to happened to Ryan yet. It will someday but who knows when a a Hall of Famer Bob Feller. By Jim Litke port Charlotte Fla. Apr it has happened to everyone else. To the Power pitchers who were on the scene when he arrived to the ones who came along at the same time and to More than a few who made the game Buzz since. Yet Nolan Ryan soldiers on still throwing heat. It happened to the established stars Koufax Mari Chal and Gibson. It happened to his contemporaries Seaver Palmer and finally Carlton who chased him the longest before disappearing somewhere around the 4,000-strikeout plateau. It happened to a Host of ryans to be with names like Mcdowell and Belinsky and Fidrych whose arms went dead with breathtaking suddenness. A i played with plenty of people who worked As hard and have been As dedicated a he said a and i did no to have any reason to think it would be different with me. A i just assumed that in my Early 30s, maybe mid-30s at the outside id take the same course As All the other Power pitchers and Start losing velocity in a  it has not happened to him. Not yet. Lynn Nolan Ryan or. Will be 44 years two months old and in his 24th big league season when he picks up the baseball for the Texas rangers on opening Day rears Back and lets Fly with a pitch that will hum across Home plate at 90-plus Mph. He has waited for a decade now during almost every Outing for some telltale sign that his time is up. Waited for his fastball to shorten up forever for his legs or his aim or his Back to lock up for Good for the hitters to Start moving up in the Box and none has been forthcoming. He has ventured out twice already this Spring and the results have been no different a nine innings no runs one hit seven strikeouts. Ryan has been called admiringly a Freak of nature and there is certainly truth to that. But even so his kind of longevity comes with a stiff Price tag. And so on this Day while a Light steady rain rakes the diamonds at the rangers training Complex he throws for an hour and then ducks into the weight room to make another Down payment. For the better part of two hours Ryan does sets of Arm curls Bench presses and leg lifts. Teammates wander in work out and wander Back to the locker room to read the newspapers and Swap stories. He closes out his regimen Flat on his Back with his legs in a Bench playing catch with strength coach Marty Stajduhar using a Medicine Ball. The sweat is still glistening on his forehead when he takes a chair and a visitor asks him what it is like to Ryan s Miracle carries Price tag port Charlotte Fla. A setting records each time he takes the Mound made Nolan Ryan a household name. Hawking everything from office products to commemorative Bone handle knives made his face so familiar that he can no longer enjoy his favorite hamburger in his native state. A it does no to matter if its a restaurant in Cotulla Texas or Houston there a be people coming up to talk a Ryan said. Until two years ago when he bolted the pious ton astros for Ranger riches Ryan could occasionally go out for dinner with his family and not be interrupted by adoring fans. He was Down Home Nolan a fellow texan who enjoyed eating red meat just like them. Then came his 5,000th-Carcer strikeout his sixth no hitter 300 career victories uncounted commercials and Ryan a Fame blossomed from future Hall of Famer to Texas cult hero status. A people feel at ease to come up and visit because you re from the state and you re on a team that they follow a Ryan  go out in Public now and its not As convenient As it used to  a a Mph Ltd  Jpn i a a  "v-7 if 4 f c la cheat father time. A cheating Isnit the right word a Ryan said. A the Best you can Hope to do is slow Down the aging process. Pitching tears Down the body and when you re Young the strength and flexibility you need to do it four Days later comes Back fairly easily. A i have to put in More time and More work to get it Back. But so far its worked a he added matter of factly. A i done to really have a better explanation for it. In Mas surprised As anybody that in a still  Ryan knows he still has the gift even if he does no to know Why. He also knows it will leave him some Day but he does no to know when. He has heard about or seen first hand what happened to so Many of the others who were similarly blessed and he knows Only that he does not want his career to end the Way theirs did. A Sandy Koufax did it the Best Way but its a Little too late m the Day for me to do it like that. When i first broke in i Felt like one of the worst things a Guy could do was stay too Long. I saw How some of the other Power pitchers went out and i always figured id know when my time was up. A but in a a Little bit on the other Side now. I can in amp / x it or i j a mgt it a. A it to. A ? a a v f to. It a _. A it y 14 \ Jsu Al it  t Quot a up. A it Nolan Ryan so was surprised As anybody he a still at it de stand now Why the decision is so hard How when you do something for that Long its hard to just pick up and walk away from it. I Only Hope i do it before the Day comes when in a embarrassing  Bob Feller lost his Heater when he slipped off a no . Fit. 1 1 Mound in Philadelphia one afternoon but Hung on with guile and managed a few Good seasons 2 a a others extended their their playing Days in similar Fash after that. A few Ion scuffing the Ball or coming up with a new pitches but they rarely worked for Long. As John Tudor ukr Feller a member of the once fast fraternity who fell Back on craftiness said you can tire pretty quickly of having to be a a perfect simply to survive. Ryan has made some concessions to age in the Way he pitches but he wont make any More. A at the Peak about 70 percent of my pitches were fastballs and now its about 65. But in a not going to go to a Knuckles or a spirit Finger just to hang on. In be had More than enough. A when the Day comes that i can to perform physically at this level this Way anymore a he said a that s the Day ill be gone.�?�. It will someday. But who knows when