European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday october 5, 1991 the stars and stripes commentary braves dodgers race is great to by Jim Litke a base sweeping Chimpanzee. A motorized Bathtub race. A chilling dive into the a a world a largest dish of ice  a mad scramble through the a world s largest dinner  a Wedlock and Headlock Day a in which 34 couples tied the knot before the game and pro wrestlers tied each other in knots afterwards. With All the gimmicks the Atlanta braves front office needed Over the years to get their fans attention it seems funny that nobody thought of a Pennant race before this. For one thing its turned out to be a lot less Messy. A we knew what we wanted to do a braves general manager John Schuerholz said thursday looking Back at the Start of this frenetic season. A but i can t Tell you that anybody even myself was so certain it was going to work this quickly and this  when the los Angeles dodgers went to Spring training with Darryl Strawberry and Brett Butler stirred into an already potent mix you just knew this was going to be a season of late nights of watching Johnny Carson while the late scores crawl in from the West coast. What you did no to know was How much time you a spend each night watching the braves a like some East coast version of de Mcmahon a do the Lead in. But in the last week there Hasni to been a better Chase scene on television than the braves pursuing the dodgers nightly through the Thicket of the National league West. In the four games each has played since sunday los Angeles has taken the fiend every time knowing it has to win to remain the Headliner in the division. At the end of that stretch the clubs Are dead even heading into the final weekend. And the games that brought them there like the promotional Campaign for any blockbuster has showcased moments of the wild the Wacky and the wonderful. On sunday night the braves blew an Early 5-0 Lead at Houston then rebounded As they have done several times since a drug test scratched spark plug Otis Nixon from the lineup to win on Brian Hunter s rib double in the 13th inning. But the dodgers came through against the giants in even More dramatic fashion. They tied the game in the ninth when Mike Sharp Erson a broken Bat ground Ball hit the broken piece of the Bat a second time a on its Way to third a then won with Strawberry who else singling Home Butler who else tuesday night the braves spotted Cincinnati a 6-0 Lead. They got two Back against reds reliever Norm Charlton a who was ordered to play in the series by no president Bill White a won in the ninth on a two run Home run by David Justice. In a season of improbable finishes a Atlanta was 3-60 in games where it trailed after eight innings a this one so impressed the braves that a number of them stormed out of the dugout on piggyback in Cele bration. But the dodgers calmly answered with another of their strengths As Bob Ojeda easily handled san Diego. On wednesday night they reversed roles. This time it was the braves who did the expected As Tom Glavine became the major leagues first 211-game Winner. And it was the dodgers who ran into the unexpected As san Diego used five infield hits a including a bunt single by Jack Howell that came to rest on the third base Cha Kline a to put together a six run eighth in route to a 9-4 win. Now with three games left the braves and dodgers share first place. There have been closer races a from Start to Lin ish. And a few that ended with dramatics that this one will be hard pressed to match like Bucky Dent s Homer in 1978 or Fred a  a Boner Quot in Lam s of Bobby Thomson s shot heard round the world the 40th anniversary1 of which fell on thursday. A maybe the thing that s unique about this one is the Way it s unfolded a said Bill Deane the senior researcher at the baseball Hall of Fame. A a there a so much coverage now and the games this past week have complemented each other so Well. It s become a Little like a continuing television  and if you get lost Channel surfing Between the games this weekend and see a Chimpanzee or a Bathtub or an ice Cream sundae on the screen when you thought it was supposed to be the braves done to keep flipping. Its probably just a commercial. Etta associated pros Strawberry pays huge dividends by John Nadel los Angeles a no More bad Karma for Darryl Strawberry. Strawberry is carrying the los Angeles dodgers through september just like they thought he would. The dodgers have won 23 of 31 since sept. 1, and the $20.25 million Man seems to be getting most of the winning hits. A there have been no frustrations no pressure a Strawberry said tuesday night after his second Homer in As Many games helped the dodgers Over san Diego 3-1. A a there a been More peace of mind this year than  Strawberry broke an 0-for-u slump sunday night hitting a single in the Bottom of the ninth to drive in the winning run in a 3-2 Victory Over san Francisco keeping the dodgers one game ahead of the braves in the no West. He homered monday night in a 7-2 Victory Over the padres and homered and singled tuesday night. On wednesday night his rib single in the first and two run Homer in the fifth gave the dodgers a 3-2 Lead against the padres. A Straw has been awesome a dodgers manager Tom Lasorda said. Quot he carried the club for a  Straw Berry a first season with the dodgers Hasni to been exactly trouble free a he injured his shoulder running into the dodger stadium Wall on May 15 and wound up spending time on the disabled list. He really Wasny to Back to full health until after the All Star break a nearly two months later a but even while he was sidelined he seemed As Happy As Ever and said repeatedly he d contribute when he got healthy. And he was Correct a since the break he s hitting .294 with 19 homers. Overall he s Balling .2 >4 with 27 homers and 96 Bis. He drove in 24 runs m september and in his last 45 games he s hit 11 hornets with 45 Bis. Strawberry said he a Happy just making a significant contribution. �?o1 think the most satisfying thing has been the second half of the season its been a big plus a he said. A a in be been Able to do the things i m capable of doing coming through and helping the team win. A a in a looking Forward to the excitement in the Many years to come  Strawberry smiled when asked his reaction to Atlanta s latest comeback Victory a 7-6 Triumph Over Cincinnati on tuesday night which the braves completed shortly after the padres dodgers game began. A the main thing for us to do is win ballgames a he said. A we have four games left,.we re playing Good right now. A if we win the next four it will be ours. That show in a approaching  Strawberry endured eight turbulent years with the new York mets before signing with the dodgers. It was a return Home a the 29-year-old right fielder grew up in los Angeles and was a first round draft Choice of the mets in 1980, shortly after his graduation from Crenshaw High. Expectations were great almost from the Start. Strawberry became a full time major leaguer Early in the 1983 season and was the no Rookie of the year. He left the mets As As the franchises All time leading Home run hitter with 252, yet whatever he did never seemed Good enough. Upon joining the dodgers he expressed Joy and Relief and neatly 10 months later he seems As Happy As the Day he signed. A it s a lot of fun. Just go out there and try to get the Job done and have Iun at the same time Quot he said. A i just feel comfortable at the plate i feel like i m swinging the Bat Well not Over swinging not 11\ me to do too much. Arr Al Strawberry has been the heart of the dodger attack during the Pennant drive