European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1./ a year of drama the sports Sconi twins Gene Larkin watches a Hla Fly off braves a Alejandro Pena Falls in for series winning hit Diamond was filled with sparklers by Ben Walker a baseball writer from top to Bottom baseball in 1991 meant great moments greater games and maybe the greatest change the sport has Ever seen. Starting in Spring training when Jim Abbott stunned everybody by hitting a 400-foot triple to the summer when no one was surprised As Denver and Miami became the two new expansion teams to the fall and the fantastic world series when Lonnie Smith shocked everyone by getting lost on the bases something special seemed to happen every Day. Sometimes in fact there was too much for one Day. On the afternoon of May 1, Rickey Henderson Dove into third base pulled up the bag and proclaimed a i am the greatest after breaking Lou Brocks record of 938 steals. A few hours later Nolan Ryan reclaimed the Honor a without bragging a by pitching his seventh career no hitter. On and on it went that Way with managers losing their jobs and the Minnesota twins and Atlanta braves losing their labels As Lousy teams. The twins did it partly by winning 15 straight games stamping this year As a season of streaks. And its still not Over. Just last month Bret Saberhagen and Kevin Mitchell were traded world series map Jack Morris jilted the twins and joined Toronto and fellow free agent Frank Viola hooked up with Boston. There was a new look too in the record books. A statistical committee finally defined a no hitter and purged 50 of them including perfect games by Harvey Haddix and Ernie Shore. Also dropped in another Section of the rewriting wus the asterisk a which never actually appeared a that intruded on Roger Marisa 61 Home Rups. The pay Scales of course spiralled even higher with the average salary reaching $850,000, and that was before Bobby Bonilla signed for $29 million. The umpires also got new contracts after a dispute that caused almost All of them to miss opening Day. At least the regular umps were in place when president Bush threw out the first Ball in Texas. There was a new look in the dugouts sort of. Fourteen managers were fired or quit this year this after the first Winter in 40 years in which none lost their jobs. But of the new men hired Kansas City a Hal Mcrae was the Only minority. A a it a been slow. Its not even slow. The Progress has just kind of stopped a perennial candidate Don Baylor said. Drug problems however did not. Otis Nixon a run with Atlanta ended in september when he was suspended for cocaine use and Steve Howe suspended five times for drug and alcohol violations was arrested dec. 19 on a cocaine charge. Alan Wiggins whose career was Check ered by cocaine use died in january of complications caused by aids. Steve Palermo one of the most highly regarded umpires in the majors was shot while breaking up a robbery attempt and its Uncertain if hell be Able to return. To Jackson and Orel Hershiser gave doctors the credit for their comebacks. Hershiser returned after missing More than a year to was Back after an nil injury threatened to take him from two sports Down to none. For now hell Settle for just one with the Chicago White sox. Deion Sanders meanwhile is playing baseball and football. On one Day he practice with the Atlanta Falcons took a helicopter to the Ballpark and stole a base for the braves. If any single image summed up this season it was the non Stop cheering Tomahawk chopping and chanting in Atlanta. The braves became the Only team Ever to rebound from the worst record in the majors to first place. They overcame a 9l/2-game Lead held by Darryl Strawberry and the dodgers to win although they were a week late in becoming the first big league club to go from last place to first a the twins already had done it. It seemed inevitable that Atlanta and Minnesota would meet in the world series and they did. In the playoffs the twins wiped out Toronto in five games while Atlanta behind 21-year-old map Steve Avery needed seven games to slip past Pittsburgh which again kist in the postseason when Barry Bonds Andy Van Slyke and Bonilla skidded. In the world series though there were heroes galore. Little Mark Lemke. Journeyman Jerry Willard. Powerful Kirby Puckett. It added up to the closest series of All time a week in which a record three games went into extra innings and four games were decided on the final swing. And it wound up with one of the most intriguing tense and exciting games in history. Lonnie Smith led off game 7 that night by shaking hands with twins Catcher Brian Harper in a Nice show of sportsmanship. Later after both teams blew bases loaded chances in the eighth inning Terry Pendleton walked to the plate to Lead off the 10th in a scoreless game and Harper said to him Quot hey lets just Call it a tie and Well both be  because of Jack Morris a and the metronome maybe a the twins became champions for the second time in five years. Morris stopped Atlanta on seven hits 1-0, in the Best performance of his life and Pinch hitter Gene Larkin finally won it in the l the with a Fly Ball single Over the drawn in Outfield. When it ended players on both teams embraced As the fans cheered in Celebration. A it was a classic a Morris said. Two months later he again made news. After tearfully talking 10 months earlier about How he had realized a lifelong goal by getting to pitch in his Hometown he left Minnesota after one season and signed in december with the Blue jays when they offered More Money. Another Day another change. And just another note in a season that also saw a Rob Dibble suspended for throwing a Ball at a Batter and into the stands where his toss hit a schoolteacher. He also was fined for throwing a Ball at Doug Dascenzo after a bunt. Dibble and his Cincinnati reds both struggled at times leaving the 1977-78 new York Yankees As the last world series Winner to repeat. Oakland s Streak of three St night pennants also stopped. A Albert Belle suspended for firing a Ball at a fan from close Range. In an even stranger incident Yankees Star Don Mattingly was benched for one game by the team because he would not get a haircut. A Lenny Dykstra endure a real rough year. He was investigated for poker losses in Mississippi was charged with an alcohol related offence after crashing his car with teammate Darren Daulton As a passenger and was sidelined after breaking his Collarbone when he collided with an Outfield Wall in Cincinnati. A Toronto set an attendance record with 4 million fans at sky dome. The White sox lost their debut 16-0 at the new Comisky Park and Baltimore dropped its finale 7-1 at memorial stadium with Detroit Pitcher Frank Tanana winning both games. More problems at olympic stadium causing Montreal to play its last 26 games on the Road. A Cal Ripken become map of the All Star game map of the american league and win his first Gold Glove. He also extended his Streak to 1,573 consecutive games closing in Lou Gehrig a record of 2,130. A Dennis Martinez pitch a perfect game two Days after Montreal teammate Mark Gardner took a no hitter into the 10th against los Angeles. White sox Rookie Wilson Alvarez Tommy Greene and Saberhagen also pitched no hitters. A Cecil fielder hit 44 Home runs a year after he hit 51. He tied Jose Canseco for the major league Homer Lead and led baseball with 133 Bis. A a it a a joke a he said after losing the map vote. A Atlanta become the big Winner in the postseason awards. Terry Pendleton was map Tom Glavine won the by Young beating out Lee Smith and his no record 47 saves and Bobby Cox was manager of the year. A Roger Clemens win his third by Young. I be did it despite serving his suspension that carried Over from his run in with Umpire Terry Cooney in the 1990 playoffs. A Ferguson Jenkins Gaylord Perry and Rod Carew get elected to the Hall of Fame. None of them Ever played in the world series. A Pete Rose a former world series map be ruled ineligible for the Hall of Fame ballot until he is reinstated to baseball. A the deaths of Hall of Famer Luke Appling and Leo Durocher among others. It was Durocher who said that a Nice Guys finish  that would make Leo a Nice Guy barely because in his 24 years of managing Only his 1966 cubs finished at the Bottom. Wednesday thursday january 1/2, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 17