European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 29, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 38 the stars and stripes sports Friday july 29, 1994 royals creating three Way fight by the associated press the two Best teams in the american league Central May soon be joined by a third. The streaking Kansas City royals have quickly turned the Al Central into a three team race with a five game winning Streak including their 4-1 Victory Over Chicago on wednesday night. While the White sox and Cleveland indians swapped turns atop the division and then took turns beating each other in the past two weeks the royals have used their winning Streak a the last three Over Chicago a to pull to 5 a games behind the first place White sox. Kansas City which has hovered around .500 for much of the season has opened the second half 9-5. A the Guys have dug in and they re ready to fight a royals manager Hal Mcrae said. A it is not a Streak yet but it is going to take a lot to Knock us off our  Mark Gubicza pitched Jason Bere to a standoff through seven innings and the royals capitalized on an error by third baseman Robin Ventura in the eighth. Brian Mcrae scored the go ahead run when Ventura bobbled Wally Joyner a easy grounder. Bere coming off one of the worst starts of his life held the royals to three hits for seven innings before he was replaced by Kirk Mccaskill 13 after giving up a Lead off double to Chico Lind. Lind who went to third on a single by Mcrae was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Zzz in Guillen while attempting to score on Dave Henderson s grounder Mcrae took third and Henderson went to second on the play. Dennis Cook relieved Filc Caskill and got Joyner to ground to Ventura who failed to Field the Ball As Mcrae scored. Joyner stole second and Bob Hamlin walked to Load the bases for Felix Jose clippers by the associated press los Angeles a Bill Fitch the fifth winning est coach in National basketball association history was to be introduced As coach of the los Angeles clippers at a news conference thursday a source close to Fitch said wednesday night. Fitch who guided the Boston celtics to the 1981 Aba title and led the Houston rockets to the 1986 Aba finals reportedly signed a multiyear contract with the clippers. Fitch 60, did not return several phone Calls to his Houston area Home wednesday. Joe safety Clipper spokesman declined to confirm or deny the report saying a your objective remains the same we will hire an experienced Well suited and highly motivated  Fitch must rejuvenate a team that lost All Star for Ward Dominique Wilkins who signed a three year contract with the Boston celtics last week. The clippers who had decided Wilkins was expendable could also lose guard Ron Harper who became an unrestricted free agent july 1. Cotton bowl jeopardized Dallas a the future of the 58-year of Cotton bowl apparently is Riding on whether it lands an exclusive prime time spot in the annual new years Day lineup. There will be Only four bowls included in a so called a tier in bowl Alliance that could be used to determine a National Champion and Cotton bowl officials said they might not want to continue on a lesser scale. The Rose bowl oldest of the Post season classics is exempt and will continue to occupy an exclusive primetime Slot on new years Day american league who grounded a two run single to Center. Rusty Meacham 2-3 pitched to one Batter in the eighth for the win and Jeff Montgomery pitched the ninth for his 22nd save. Chicago s Frank Thomas went l-for-4 and has Only two hits in his last 15 at bats. Elsewhere wednesday. Athletics 11, Angels 3 at Anaheim Mike Bordick had three hits including an rib single during a six run outburst in the first inning As Oakland inched closer to the top in the Al West. Geronimo Berroa hit a three run Homer in the third inning for the a a who with their fourth straight moved to it games out of the Al West Lead. The a a were once 13 games out this season. Ron Darling 10-9. Won his sixth straight decision giving up three runs and eight hits in five innings. The a a ripped Phil Leftwich 5-9 for six runs and  in just one third of an. Inning. The Angels have lost six straight Yankees 3f red sox 3 at new York the game Between the red sox and Yankees was suspended because of rain in the Bottom of the eighth. It Vyas scheduled to be finished thursday before the regularly scheduled game. Boston scored twice in the top of the eighth to tie it 3-3. Mike Stanley who hit two homers singled with one out in the Yankees eighth and Bernic Williams was batting when play was halted. The suspension was announced 1 hour and 7 minutes later. Stanley has hit seven homers in his last 10 games and has scored a run in 14 straight games nearing the modern athletics Troy Neel Breaks up double play by upending Angels Damion Easley. Major league record of 18 set by red Rolfe of the Yankees in 1939. Tigers 3, mariners 1 at Detroit Mike Moore allowed Only two hits in eight innings and Travis Fryman hit a two run Homer off Randy Johnson. The Victory enabled tigers manager Sparky Anderson to move into a tie for fourth place on the career managerial win list with Joe Mccarthy. Anderson has 2,126 victories. Moore 10-9 walked four and struck out four out ducting Johnson 11-6who struck out 13 but dropped to 0-5 in his career at Tiger stadium. Brewers 5, Blue jays 0 at Toronto Dave Nilsson hit his second three run Home run in As Many games and drove in four runs. Bill Wegman 8-3 allowed four hits in seven plus innings for Milwaukee who have won five of their last six Road games. Mike Ignasiak completed the five hit shutout with two innings of Relief Pat Hentgen 12-7 gave up five runs and seven hits in seven innings. Nilsson who went 3-for-4, hit his l2th Homer in the seventh inning off Hentgen to put the Brewers up 5-0. Twins 1, rangers 0 at Arlington Pat Mahomes pitched six solid innings and the Minnesota bullpen bailed him out of a Jam in the seventh making a first inning rib groundnut by Kirby Puckett hold up. It was Only the third time this season the rangers have been blanked and it was pretty surprising considering the twins entered the game with the worst Era in the majors at 5,79. Texas which has been alone in first place in the Al West since May 30, now leads surging Oakland by just a games Puckett a one out grounder scored Chuck Knoblauch who opened the game with a double off Texas fill in starter John Dettmer 0-5. Knoblauch also doubled in the fifth upping his major league leading total to 41. Mahomes 8-4 allowed three hits in 6vj innings. To name world notes in search of one of the other three tier i slots the Cotton bowl was one of nine jowls making Oral presentations thursday and Friday to a group of Mcaa division i a  Cotton bowls bid projected to be somewhere Between $80 million and $85 million for six years two title games and four other Alliance contest Sis far behind the $100 million or More promised in each of the bids by the Orange bowl Gator bowl and fiesta bowl. Padova gets Lalas Chicago a Alexi Lalas the . Defender with the fiery red hair and Goatee was loaned to Padova of the italian league on wednesday for one year by the the . Soccer federation. Ansa the italian news Agency reported that Padova would pay the Usuf a $200,000 Transfer fee and Lalas would get a one year contract Worth about $200,000. Spanish stars Advance Stratton Mountain it. Spain a Arantha Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez the no. 2 and no. 3 players in the world breezed through opening round matches wednesday in the $400,000 Acura . Women a hard courts tournament. Sanchez Vicario ruined the women a Tennis association tour debut of Amateur Mashona Washington 62, 6-0, in 46 minutes. Martinez the defending Champion needed 62 minutes to defeat Stephanie Rottier of the Netherlands 61,6-1. Bruguera Lendl Triumph Toronto a top seeded Sergi bruguera and six time Champion Ivan Lendl had no problems advancing wednesday in the players International Tennis tournament Lendl seeded 12th, routed australians Wally Masur 6-0,6-0. Bruguera the French open Champion making his debut to the $1.7 million tournament needed less than an hour to defeat american Jim Grabb 6-4, 6-2 and move into the third round. Sale still hanging Minneapolis a an offer by Minnesota businessman Bill Sexton to buy the Minnesota Timber wolves was still on the table after another round of negotiations ended without an agreement. The $143.2 million offer includes $87.2 million from Sexton and his partners $2 million from a consortium of twin cities businesses $42 million in state approved Bonds and $12 million in Minneapolis backed Bonds. Lumps not cancerous Philadelphia a John Kruk delivered the Good news in his usual Down to Earth fashion. A they done to know what it is but it ainu to cancer a Kruk said As he left Thomas Jefferson University Hospital following a night of worrying that Quot the cancer he fought off earlier in the year had returned. A instead doctors confirmed that the lumps the Philadelphia Phillies first baseman found on his body were a a minor medical problem unrelated to the testicular cancer they found in March