European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 b the stars and stripes tuesday August 13, 1991part american games by Steve Wilstein Havana apr Bei Sbol cubans National pastime As it is americans brought out All the passion of the pan american games in a rocking world series style game that Cuba won with an amazing play by a Tel Magoo a the magician. On a sweltering tropical sunday with 60,000 fans jammed into 55,000 seats pounding Drums tooting horns blowing whistles waving flags and drinking car Wezit nearly nonstop for three hours Cuba beat the United states 3-2. Virtually the whole nation tuned into this game which summed up the intense rivalry of Cuba and the United states in a sport that both countries cherish. Each team was packed with players of major league potential. For the cubans this was an Opportunity to show the world once again How Good they Are. In the end cuban shortstop German Mesa appropriately nicknamed a the magician a made the americans disappear with a belly flopping game saving Start of a bases loaded double play in the eighth inning. It was a play that Ozzie Smith has pulled off once or twice in his career. Cuba 7-0, and the United states 5-1, figure to meet again in the medal round later this week and probably in the olympics next year but no game could have much More drama than this one that meant nothing More than Pride. R the tension building All week swelled from Early in the morning As thousands of people stood outside the stadium six hours before the 2 . Game. When the Gates opened at 11 a.m., the crowd filled the bleacher seats that wrapped around the Field plus All of the Steps in Between within minutes. The . Squad took a 1-0 Lead in the fourth with the help of two errors by Pitcher Jorge Valdez who bobbled a chopper by Jeff Hammonds and threw . Stays off track by Bert Rosenthal Havana apr the Black and Silver los Angeles raiders to shirt worn by Jeff Williams aptly described the United states plight in track and Field at the pan american games. A search and destroy a it read. The . Team completing its worst Gold medal performance in the games history was searching for golds sunday. Instead it destroyed itself. Williams typified the self destruction. Running the Anchor leg for the menus 400-meter relay team Williams of los Angeles dropped the Baton after what appeared to be a perfect Handoff from Michael Bates of Tucson Ariz. At the Lime the . Team which also included Lead off runner Andre Cason of Virginia Beach va., and Jon Drummond of Philadelphia had a 5-meter Lead. That disaster along with mishaps in the women a 400 relay and menus 1,600 relay Cost the americans victories in events they have dominated since the games began in 1051. In the previous 10 pan am games there had been 35 relay finals the United states winning 31. On sunday the americans lost three of four with a second in the menus 1,600 and a third in the women a 400. Their Only relay Victory surprisingly came in the women a 1,600, despite the presence of Ana Quirt cubans Queen of sports on the Anchor leg. That Triumph plus victories by Alisa Hill of Arlington va., in the women a 1,500, and Dede Nathan of fort Wayne ind., in the heptathlon was not enough to prevent the . Team from finishing with its fewest Gold medals Ever nine. The americans also lost the Overall medal count for the first time 42-40, to the cubans who had 18 Gold medals. The cubans won the 1,600 relay in 3 minutes 1.93 seconds with the . Team second in 3 02.02. The americans got off to a Rocky Start . To first. Hammonds raced to third on the play then scored on Steve Rodriguez a grounder to second. But the cubans struck Back in the Bottom of the inning taking a 2-1 Lead on a Lead off Homer to deep left Center by Lourdes Gurriel and an unearned run on an error a single and a sacrifice Fly. Gurriel showed All the swagger of Jose Canseco As he watched his Homer from near the plate then waved his hand in a hot dogging Trot around the bases to the accompaniment of the music and screams of the fans. American Ace Jeff Ware who struggled with control Early and threw four wild pitches in the dirt sent a message to the next Batter with two pitches that breezed his ear As the crowd growled and the temperature at the Ballpark seemed to soar. A a it Felt like 212 degrees out there a said Hammonds. Wave after wave swept around the stadium along with chants of a Cuba Cuba Cuba a after Victor Mesa the renowned a Tel Loco of the team scored Jose Raul Delgado with the sacrifice Fly for the second run of the inning. Cuba made it 3-1 in the fifth on a Lead off double Down the line by Antonio Pacheco and a line double off the Fence in Center close to the 400-foot Mark by Gur. Riel. Hammonds leaped but  quite reach it. A the Ball just kept carrying in the wind floating Over me a said Hammonds a 6-footer from Stanford. A the second baseman said i missed it by four of five inches. I did no to mistimed it. I just Wasny to tall  the americans responded with a run in the sixth on a Lead off double by Hammonds a single by Chris Roberts and a run scoring single by Jason Giambi. With two out and two on Craig Wilson lined a Bullet straight at the right fielder. The drama peaked in the eighth inning As the americans loaded the bases with none out. The noise that had flowed from the Start suddenly ceased. A it got quiet in our dugout. It got quiet in the cuban dugout a said . Coach Ron Polk. Cuban reliever Omar Ajete who scouts say has a major league 90-Mph fastball struck out Giambi swinging Iri a classic showdown of Power against Power. After a Brief outburst the nervous crowd fell silent again. 1 Charles Johnson stepped in and rapped a hard grounder up the Middle that looked As if it would go through and score two runs. But Mesa snared the Ball with an outstretched Glove somehow flipped it in an instant to second for one out and second baseman Antonio Pacheco pivoted to throw perfectly to first for a spectacular double play i Mesa called it the biggest play of his life Why a because of the moment a he said and no moment was so appreciated by the cuban fans. Sixty thousands throats roared in the loudest most exuberant outburst of the games. A it was a great play a Polk said. A if he does no to make that play we win. But that a  sporting their hew stars and stripes suits the . Women divers finished a sweep of their events As Eileen  and Alison Maisch won a Gold and Silver on the 10-meter platform. Shriver won her second and third Gold medals in Tennis adding the singles and mixed doubles titles to the women a doubles she won saturday the . Women a basketball team left without Gold a Brazil got that with a 97-76 win Over Cuba a and it was the first time in nine years the americans were denied a major International championship. The women beat Canada 92-61 for the Bronze. But the . Women a softball team easily took the Gold with a 14-1 rout of Canada. . Hopes plummet along with the Baton As Jeff Williams left misses the Handoff from Michael Bates 367 in sundays 400-meter relay. When Clarence Daniel of Alexander City ala., stopped briefly after thinking there was a false Start when he heard the gun fire twice and ended badly when Anchor Man Gabriel Luke of sugar land Texas was knocked off balance by cubans Laz Aro Martinez and Jamaica a Patrick of Connor and Cut off by of Connor in the Backstretch Luke said if those incidents had not occurred a i would have  the United states also would have won the menus 400 relay if not for the dropped Baton. A we were getting ready to walk away with  the distraught Williams said. With the . Team out of the race Cuba won in 39.08. Handoffs also were the Bane of the . Women a 400 relay team which had two Sloppy ones and the third nearly out of the passing zone. Jamaica won in 43.79, followed by Cuba in 44.31 and the United states in 44.62. Only in the women a 1,600 did the United states escape with a Victory thanks to a Brilliant third Teg by Maicel Malone of Indianapolis. Malone gave Jearl Miles of Gainesville fla., a Rometer Lead Over the hard working Quirt a distance the 400 and 800 Champion could Only Cut in half. The . Team won in 3 24.21. In the other american victories Hill ran a front running race in taking the 1,500 in 4 13.12, and Nathan led a 1-2 . Finish in the heptathlon with 5,778 Points eight ahead of Sharon Hainer of Houston