European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 22, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 25 injuries Power Galaxy s Black Hole world league week 10 a amps file Kon George trainers lend a hand to Mike Perez after the Galaxy quarterbacks season ending rotator Cut injury in april. Playoff picture lacks focus with the world league playoffs just a week away the playoff picture is muddled with a a ifs and a a huts As week 10 approaches. A few things we do know Barcelona 5-4 won the european division and will make its second straight playoff appearance. The dragons Are the Only team from Europe to make the playoffs since Frankfurt 27 and London 2-6-1 turned in sub Par performances. Last season two european division teams a London and Barcelona a made the inaugural world bowl. In North America however the picture Isnit As Clear. Orlando 72 has clinched the North american East title outright but Sacramento 7-2birmingham 6-2-1 and san Antonio 7-2 go into this weekend All times local saturday s games London at Frankfurt 7 . Barcelona at Orlando 1 . By no at Montreal 1 . Sacramento at san Antonio 7 . Sundays games Birmingham at Ohio 4 . Week 10 looking for some divine playoff intervention. A san Antonio can Clinch the North american West title by winning or tying Sacramento on saturday. Sacramento can win the division Only by beating san Antonio. A Birmingham can Clinch the Lone world league wild card berth by beating Ohio 1-8 on sunday provided the riders surge game does not end in a tie. If the fire loses to the glory and if the surge loses to the riders Sacramento gets the wild card. A if san Antonio Sacramento and Birmingham All finish at 7-2-1, the riders would be crowned champions by virtue of of its had to had won loss tied percentage against the other teams. If All three teams tie this weekend Sacramento would get the wild card berth. The semifinals which will be held May 30-31, will open with san Antonio Birmingham or Sacramento at Orlando 7-2and Barcelona at san Antonio Birmingham or Sacramento. World bowl ii will be played june 8 in Montreal. By Rob Staggenborg staff writer Frankfurt Germany a the Best of times lasted but three weeks for the Frankfurt Galaxy. It was Way Back when april 11 to be exact when the Galaxy was 2-1 and tied with the Barcelona dragons for first place in the world league s european division. Frankfurt had dropped a 17-7 decision to the Birmingham fire the week before but no one was fretting. But on april 11, things took a fatal twist. The Galaxy lumped out to a 17-0 Lead on the dragons in the first Quarter and it looked like quarterback Mike Ferez was primed for another big night. Through a Frankfurt defensive breakdown Barcelona chipped away and finally tied the game at 17-17 As the fourth Quarter approached. On the first series of the fourth Quarter Perez went Down on a pass play and was slow to get up. He clutched his right shoulder As he painfully limped off the Field. It was the last time Mike Perez would Wear shoulder pads this season. The diagnosis was a torn rotator cuff which ended Perez a season and possibly his career. Barcelona went on to win 20-17 on a last minute touchdown pass from Scott Erney to Tony Moss and would go on to Clinch the european title. Frankfurt would go on to lose seven straight. A a losing Perez was what Hurt us most a Galaxy coach Jack Elway said. A the was throwing about As Well As a quarterback could throw. He had Cut Down on his interceptions and was throwing the intermediate passes Well. Mike could have ended up As one of the top quarterbacks in the  last season Perez completed 171 passes in 357 attempts for 2,272 Yards and 13 touchdowns in just 10 games. The 1992 Book on Perez 86 completions in 147 attempts for 985 Yards and five touchdowns in just four games. Elway a woes actually began in the first game of the season when lineman Eric still and Billy Poe went Down with injuries. All world league lineman Garry i rank the 6-1, 320-Pound offensive line plug has been playing with a sore knee that Hasni to healed fully. He will undergo surgery in the off season. Defensively the Galaxy had been decimated by injuries and the exodus of several key players after finishing 1991 As the top defensive unit in the league. Chris Williams who signed with the Phoenix cardinals last season did not return to Frankfurt nor did defensive linemen Mike Teeter or Mark Mraz. The three accounted for 63 tackles and 13 sacks. The line backing corps was dealt a bad hand when Topi Paul a was injured Early and has played with a nagging shoulder injury. Nil allocation product Willie Don Wright had been effective Early in the season and linebackers Pat Moorer and Kevin Wolfolk both Frankfurt vets anchored the Early season defensive attack. Lyneil Mayo was a defensive Surprise this season for i Way. A a Frankfurt a the Type of team that blitzes a lot and has been effective at it a Orlando Thunder quarterback Scott Mitchell said. A you can either live by the Blitz or your can die by  other disappointments include Michael Simmons who was the Galaxy Stop draft pick in february. He was largely ineffective and was released two weeks ago. Kicker Robbie keen another nil allocation has been lukewarm and inconsistent. But this season on the stink Hasni to been without the proverbial Silver lining. Quarterback Chris Cochrane who began the season As the third string quarterback Lor the expansion Ohio glory threw for More than 300 Yards in a loss to Ohio and has showed signs of Promise. Elway hinted Cochrane could be his quarterback of the future should Perez not come Back. Other Bright spots include the progression of operation discovery players Olaf Hampel and Gerald Olszewski. Quot Gerald would have made this team in training Camp on his own merits and not just because he san operation discovery player a offensive coordinator Bob Beers said. But the brightest spot of the Galaxy franchise comes not Between the end zones but in the stands. More than 34,000 people on the average flocked to Galaxy games despite the teams horrendous Home record. I hese Are the same fans who switched allegiances on the Galaxy against Orlando and cheered the Thunder. I be never been in a stadium where the fans Start cheering for the other team a Mitchell said. A unless the team is 0-11 and the fans Are wearing bags Over then Heads. But these people have the right idea about football Over Here. Sometimes americans get too caught up with the game and forget to have fun. These people seem to come Here just to have fun. That s the w in football should be  Quot i hese Are the Best fans in the world a Elway said. A i just wish we could win a few More. Games for  postscript a a 2-7 record does no to sit Well with any fan but consider some of those seven losses a Frankfurt dropped three games by three Points or less two of those games were lost on the last play of the game. A Only three teams blew Frankfurt out and two of those teams Are powered by Veteran nil quarterbacks. Sacramento a David Archer who is the leagues to rated passer pounded Frankfurt 51-7 in week 7. Mitchell who is the leagues second Best passer zapped the Galaxy in a 38-0 win at Wald stadium. San Antonio which is vying for a playoff spot this weekend pounced on the injury riddled Galaxy 43-14 last sunday. Apparently the front office has taken to the losing Streak. Its weekly release said a a. Frankfurt fans would love to watch the Galaxy take it to the Mon Arches in this classic european showdown. And if the Galaxy does not win at least they will have had a Good  pass the pesto. Ticket talk a More than 32,000 tickets have been sold through thursday for the season finale team officials said. Immediately following the game the team will Host a a Galaxy Power party a on the Morefield in front of the stadium., if you missed the velcro jumping a bar Fly thing last sunday put away the tissue because its Back by popular demand Galaxy spokesman Jurgen Nitsch said. A Bull Riding also with the mechanical Bull a he added. The party officially begins at 10 30 . And runs until Midnight. After Midnight the team will move the party to the Musi Halle in downtown Frankfurt. Coaches Corner a offensive linemen Billy Poe and David a the Bulldozer Diaz Infante will stay behind in Germany after the season to coach German american football teams. Poe will Fly his wife and two children Over while he coaches the rus Selheim Razorbacks. Diaz Infante will take the reins of the Darmstadt diamonds