SAN DIEGO SPORTS YEAR IN REVIEW : RETURN TO THE SCENES : Cup Is Among Those Finding a Home Here; Others Moved On in ’87

Before the debris from New Year’s Eve is swept under the rug, it is time to examine some of the bits and pieces from San Diego Sports ’87.

Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes crew provided the biggest story of this and almost any other year when they brought the America’s Cup to San Diego in February.

But there were other “ups” . . .

Tony Gwynn, Benito Santiago, Point Loma girls’ basketball, Kira Jorgensen, San Diego State soccer, University of San Diego basketball, Scott Simpson, San Diego State rugby, Todd Santos, San Diego State football recruiting and the replacement Chargers (3-0).

And there were “downs” . . .

San Diego State football, the Padres, San Diego State basketball, the Sockers and the real Chargers (4-7).

There were “ins” . . .

Jim Brandenburg, Larry Bowa, Benito Santiago and Chip Banks.

And there were “outs” . . .

Smokey Gaines, Charlie Joiner, Steve Garvey, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Bell, Ernie Zampese and Jean Willrich.

This year in review was compiled by Steve Beatty , Chris De Luca and Chris Ello .

AMERICA’S CUP

Cup Comes Home: After three years of scheming and four months of racing, San Diego’s Dennis Conner reclaimed the America’s Cup with a 4-0 victory over Kookaburra III in a best-of-seven final series off Fremantle, Australia, in February.

Conner, representing the San Diego Yacht Club, guided his blue 12-meter yacht, Stars & Stripes, to the easy victory. Stars & Stripes led at every mark in the four races and was behind only once, on the first leg of the third race.

In 1983, Conner had become the first American to lose the Cup, which the United States had held for 132 years.

The Stars & Stripes crew returned to a rousing welcome in San Diego and was given a ticker-tape parade in New York.

Kiwi Capers: Plans for an America’s Cup defense in 12-meter yachts off San Diego’s coast in 1991 were scrambled when a New Zealand multimillionaire, Michael Fay, challenged the SDYC to race in 90-foot boats in 1988.

When the New York Supreme Court upheld Fay’s challenge, the SDYC accepted it but stirred more controversy by excluding all other challengers and keeping the site and nature of the boat it will build secret.

In fact, it’s not even clear when the races will be held.

CHARGERS

Coach Joiner: When Charlie Joiner announced his retirement in January, his fondest memory of an 18-year career had little to do with National Football League records for most career receptions (750) and receiving yardage (12,146).

Instead, Joiner reflected on the 17-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in 1979 that gave the Chargers their first divisional title in 14 years. Joiner twice returned to the field bandaged and/or stitched after being forced to the trainers’ room with injuries.

Joiner, now an assistant coach, laughed: “I kind of questioned my own sanity that night.”

Zampese Goes North: Ernie Zampese, one of the most respected offensive coaches in pro football, left the Chargers to coordinate the offense of the Los Angeles Rams. Zampese’s contract had expired at the end of the 1986 season.

A longtime associate of Don Coryell, who resigned as the Chargers’ coach in the middle of last season, Zampese was central in developing the San Diego offense from 1981 to 1986. He was approached by Ram Coach John Robinson to revamp an offense that had been centered on running back Eric Dickerson.

“I never envisioned leaving here,” Zampese said. “I thought I would stay here the rest of my life.”

Draft Picks in Banks: The Chargers gave up first- and second-round draft picks to acquire Cleveland Brown linebacker Chip Banks on draft day, April 29.

The Chargers also selected Texas A&M; tight end Rod Bernstine with another first-round pick. They took Iowa quarterback Mark Vlasic in the fourth round.

Bye-Bye, Benirschke: Before the season started, the Chargers traded kicker Rolf Benirschke, a local favorite, to the Dallas Cowboys for a draft choice.

Benirschke, the Chargers’ all-time leading scorer, was famous for his “Kicks for Critters” program, in which he donated $50 to the San Diego Zoo for every field goal he made.

Later waived by Dallas, he officially retired at a December news conference at the zoo.

Who Were These Guys? The Charger replacement team was the AFC’s only unbeaten strike team, winning all three games on the road. Its brief season was highlighted by Elvis Patterson’s last-second, 75-yard interception return for a 23-17 victory over the Raiders at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Because the games counted in the regular-season record, the replacement players gave the team something it might not have achieved by itself: first place in the AFC West with a 4-1 record.

When the regulars decided to come back, a few of the strike heroes were still around. In addition to Patterson, 10 replacements remained on the 55-man roster when the regular games resumed.

Coming Back Strong: While the replacements were doing their thing, the regulars stayed together. They heckled the replacements in the morning and practiced at UC San Diego in the afternoon. Unlike other NFL teams, all of the regulars kept to that schedule. None crossed the picket line.

Consequently, the Charger regulars came back to win four more games for an 8-1 record . . . best in the AFC.

Downhill Racers: A 16-14 victory over the Raiders Nov. 15 was the peak for the regulars, and the beginning of the end.

Dan Fouts pulled a calf muscle before the game and did not start in a 34-3 loss at Seattle the next week.

That started a six-game plunge from the heat of a race for first place to the cold of a blizzard in Denver. The 24-0 loss Sunday left the Chargers at 8-7, literally and figuratively out in the cold.

PADRES

LaMarr’s Last Stand: The Padres asked waivers on pitcher LaMarr Hoyt on Jan. 7, three days after the former Cy Young Award winner began serving a 38-day jail sentence at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. A month earlier, Hoyt had pleaded guilty to illegal possession of Valium tablets and another painkiller.

Hoyt was suspended from baseball for the entire 1987 season by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth on Feb. 25. He later signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox, the team that traded him to the Padres in 1985.

But his problems were not over. On Dec. 5, he was arrested in South Carolina by narcotics agents who allegedly found two grams of cocaine and several plastic bags containing marijuana. Hoyt denied the charges in a San Diego court on Dec. 11, and a hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15.

Hoyt was the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team in 1985 and finished 15-8. But in 1986, he was just 8-11 with a 5.15 ERA.

Chance of Raines 0%: The Padres ended their negotiations with free-agent outfielder Tim Raines March 1. Ballard Smith, then club president, pulled out of the negotiations after Raines’ agent, Tom Reich, rejected a $1.3-million contract for one year.

Raines eventually re-signed with the Montreal Expos.

Padres Sold ... Almost: Joan Kroc, owner of the Padres, announced in March that she had sold the team to Seattle Mariner owner George Argyros for $50 million to $65 million. Kroc’s late husband, Ray, purchased the team for $12 million in 1974.

Before the sale had been announced, several groups had shown interest in purchasing the club, one of which included veteran first baseman Steve Garvey.

Kroc pulled out of the sale in early June, saying she was prepared to renew her commitment.

Big-Bang Theory: The Padres set a major league record for consecutive home runs at the beginning of a game when Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk hit them against the San Francisco Giants in the San Diego home opener April 13.

Another explosion came in the sixth inning, when manager Larry Bowa was ejected for the first time.

The Giants won, 13-6.

This Is Baseball?: The Padres’ Andy Hawkins held the St. Louis Cardinals hitless for three innings at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium May 7, but it was not to be a day for pitching. The Cardinals scored eight runs off Hawkins in the fourth inning and opened a 14-0 lead en route to a 17-10 victory.

Bruce Bochy hit a three-run home run and Stanley Jefferson a two-run homer for the Padres, but they were not nearly enough.

Curt Ford, the Cardinal right fielder, had a long day. He went 0 for 6.

A Quiet Farewell: On May 25, first baseman Steve Garvey went on the 21-day disabled list and wound up missing the remainder of the 1987 season because of a torn biceps tendon in his left shoulder.

It also marked the end of his Padre career, because his contract expired at the end of the season and he was not offered another.

He batted .211 in his mini-season.

Ringside at Wrigley: In the first inning of a July 7 game in Chicago, Cub outfielder Andre Dawson hit a home run off Padre starter Eric Show, his third homer in two days off San Diego pitching.

In Dawson’s next at-bat, Show hit him in the left cheek with a fastball and precipitated a wild, bench-clearing brawl. While Dawson lay on the ground, Cub pitcher Rick Sutcliffe charged to the mound and hit Show. Dawson then arose and, in a wild search for Show, began swinging at almost everybody.

By the time the game had ended--the Cubs won, 7-5--Cubs Dawson, Sutcliffe, Manny Trillo, Greg Maddux and Scott Sanderson, Manager Gene Michael and interim manager Johnny Oates had been ejected.

Afterward, Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said, “Today was the first time in my life that I have been scared to go to the plate. . . . I’m glad we got out of there without getting hurt.”

Seven’s Not Enough: John Kruk, the Padres’ first baseman, had quite a night Aug. 4 against Atlanta. He hit a pair of three-run homers and drove in seven runs, but the Padres still lost to the Braves, 12-7.

Proving to be an adept mathematician, Kruk noted: “I could have had 11 RBIs tonight--and we still would have lost, 12-11.”

Big Year for Catcher 22: Catcher Benito Santiago, 22, almost had the rookie of the year award sewn up by the All-Star break. But he sealed it when he hit in 34 consecutive games from Aug. 25 to Oct. 4. He broke the major league record for rookies with a hit in game No. 28 on Sept. 27.

The streak was stopped when Santiago went 0 for 3 against the Dodgers on Oct. 4.

He batted .346 during the streak and tied George Sisler, Dom DiMaggio and George McQuinn for the 12th-longest hitting streak ever.

Santiago was the unanimous choice for National League rookie of the year.

Who’s More Valuable?: Tony Gwynn had the best season of his outstanding five-year career but, at the end of the season, said he still thought he was not fully appreciated.

Gwynn led the major leagues with a .370 batting average and 218 hits. He was third in the majors with a .446 on-base percentage, third in triples with 13 and fourth in steals with 56. He was the first player in NL history to hit .370 and steal more than 50 bases.

What’s more, he won his second consecutive Gold Glove.

“My best season in the big leagues, no question. This has been the best year of my career,” Gwynn said. “And yet I’m disappointed because I can tell people think I had a disappointing year. I’m on a losing team, and everybody considers people on a losing team losers. Hey, I’m no loser.”

That feeling was reconfirmed when Gwynn finished eighth in the balloting for National League most valuable player. The voters, by the way, didn’t think Andre Dawson of the last-place Cubs was enough of a loser to keep him from winning the award.

SOCKERS

No Joy of Six: The Sockers’ stranglehold on the Major Indoor Soccer League championship ended June 4 when the Sockers lost to Tacoma, 8-5, in the seventh game of the Western Division championship series at Tacoma. San Diego had won five consecutive titles.

The Sockers led the series, 3-2, but lost Game 6 at home, 4-3, and had to return to Tacoma for Game 7. Branko Segota scored three goals for the Sockers in the deciding game, but Preki scored three goals and Gary Heale and Gerry Gray added two each for the Stars, who then lost the MISL Championship Series to Dallas.

An Era Ends: Bob Bell, who brought professional soccer to San Diego in 1978, resigned as co-managing general partner on Oct. 14. Sockers Management, Inc., headed by San Diego businessman Ron Fowler, took over. In his 10 years as the Sockers’ sole managing partner, Bell had lost $9 million.

What’s New?: The Sockers traded captain Jean Willrich to the Wichita Wings to get under the salary cap of $1.25 million. Naturally, he beat them with a game-winning goal in the season opener.

There was speculation that several others would be traded, but nothing has come of it--except hard feelings.

The Sockers tried to trade veteran goalie Jim Gorsek. Later, defender Kevin Crow said he did not see eye-to-eye with Coach Ron Newman on anything and demanded to be traded.

But Juli Veee was the only one who fought with the coaching staff . . . other than orally. He slapped assistant Johan Aarnio after a game against Minnesota Nov. 22 and got a 30-day suspension.

GOLF

Crying Towel: A bizarre succession of circumstances led to the PGA’s decision to disqualify San Diegan Craig Stadler from the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open at Torrey Pines. The disqualification cost Stadler a second-place tie and $37,333.

In the tournament’s third round, Stadler used a towel to keep his trousers dry while playing a shot kneeling beneath a tree. The course had been dampened by a steady rain the previous night.

The violation went unnoticed by PGA officials until television viewers called in after seeing replays.

A Stroke of Victory: San Diego’s Scott Simpson was just one shot off the U.S. Open golf championship lead when the final round started on June 21 at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, but things didn’t look too good. After all, the leader board was populated with names such as Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Ben Crenshaw and Bernhard Langer. Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman were also in the hunt.

But Simpson played steadily while the big names slowly dropped out of contention. Birdies on the 15th and 16th holes moved Simpson into the lead. He saved par out of a bunker on 17 and parred 18 to hold on, beating Watson by a stroke for his first major championship.

COLLEGES

Stolz Stays: An improved financial package and greater community support was enough to sway San Diego State football Coach Denny Stolz away from an offer from the University of Arizona.

Stolz’s contract was extended through 1991, with a financial package that would pay him about $130,000 annually. He said major factors in his decision included the enlarged football facility under construction at SDSU, positive reception from local recruits and a berth in the 1986 Holiday Bowl.

Local Harvest: San Diego State had its biggest local recruiting year, signing 13 of the county’s top high school football players last February. The previous best at the major college level was six.

The locals who signed were Tommy Booker, Scott Barrick, Patrick Rowe, Ian Dunn, Arlando Hill, Jim Jennings, Kevin Macon, Robert (Jumbo) Malsack, Sai Nui, Morey Paul, Judd Rachow, Ray Rowe and Johnny Walker.

“You can’t ask great players to stay unless you have a winning program,” Stolz said.

Gaines Gone: Two years after being named Western Athletic Conference coach of the year, SDSU’s basketball coach, Smokey Gaines, resigned. In the midst of a 13-game losing streak, Gaines submitted his resignation effective at the end of the 1986-87 season.

Gaines came to SDSU from the University of Detroit in 1979 and led the Aztecs to an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 1982 and the NCAA tournament in 1985. Gaines’ program peaked in March 1985 when the Aztecs defeated Texas El Paso to win the WAC tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament. They lost in the first round to Nevada Las Vegas.

Out of the Cold: Coach Jim Brandenburg left Wyoming in late March and signed a five-year contract to coach basketball at San Diego State, inheriting a team that finished 5-25.

In Wyoming, the news of Brandenburg’s departure was greeted with disbelief. The Cowboys had their top eight players back from a team that had beaten Virginia and UCLA in the NCAA tournament.

Brandenburg’s record with the Cowboys was 176-97 in nine seasons. He led them to the NCAA tournament three times and to the National Invitational Tournament final in 1986.

Gaining Respect: The University of San Diego lost to Auburn, 62-61, in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional but received a standing ovation from the crowd of 29,610 at Indianapolis’ Hoosier Dome. It was the Toreros’ first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1984.

The Toreros won their second West Coast Athletic Conference title with a 61-48 victory over Gonzaga College. Afterward, players celebrated by throwing Coach Hank Egan into the pool at the USD Sports Center.

A Title for SDSU: Steve Forster scored on a penalty kick to give the Aztecs a 10-9 victory over Air Force in the national rugby championship game at Pebble Beach May 3.

The rugby team, which is not funded by the university, finished 30-1.

No San Diego State team had won a national championship since the men’s volleyball team in 1973.

Over the Top: Big things were expected for SDSU quarterback Todd Santos before the 1987 season. Most observers expected Santos to break Kevin Sweeney’s year-old NCAA record of 10,623 yards passing in his career. Santos finished at 11,425.

Santos broke the record at Brigham Young Nov. 7 when he completed a 23-yard pass to running back Ron Slack.

It was an exciting moment for Santos, but the 64,341 fans never knew it happened. BYU officials decided not to stop the game to honor Santos because the Cougars had lost in 1986 when they stopped a game to honor a Colorado State player.

A BYU official came to San Diego three days later to apologize and present Santos with the game ball, but the sour taste still lingered.

Nyet Good: Unlike Indiana’s Bob Knight, Jim Brandenburg kept his team on the floor the entire 40 minutes when SDSU played the Soviet national team Nov. 10. But Brandenburg may have wished he hadn’t. It was not a pleasant debut--the Soviets won, 94-65, in front of only 2,186 fans at the San Diego Sports Arena.

In addition to the humiliation of the loss, Brandenburg had to listen to Soviet Coach Aleksandr Gomelsky, who had seen the Aztecs play in only one game, tell the media something Brandenburg already realized: “He has to do a lot of work in order to field a good team.”

No Encore: After SDSU’s 1986 Western Athletic Conference championship and last-second loss to Iowa in the Holiday Bowl, Aztec football fans expected their team to repeat the performance. It was never close.

SDSU started 1-6, including five straight losses. It was the Aztecs’ worst start since 1980 when the team started 1-8.

The defense took most of the blame. The Aztecs gave up 428 points, an average of 35.6 a game.

One Step Away: The Aztec men’s soccer team seemed to be patched together with chewing gum. Goalie Bryan Finnerty was a third-stringer in 1986 and started only when Felipe Hernandez broke his leg midway through the season. Chris Keenan, the leading scorer for Indiana University in 1986, played defense after he transferred to SDSU. There were only three scholarships.

But the team, brought together by Coach Chuck Clegg, came within one game of winning the NCAA championship.

After road playoff victories at St. Louis, Southern Methodist and UCLA, the Aztecs were in the Final Four. They defeated Harvard before losing to Clemson in the championship game, 2-0.

Forward Kyle Whittemore was named a second-team All-American and set a SDSU record with 58 goals in his three-year career.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Point Loma ... Again: Led by Terri Mann, the Point Loma High School girls’ basketball team claimed its fourth consecutive state basketball title with a 60-44 victory over Grant High School of Sacramento in March.

During her four years at Point Loma, Mann--now playing at Western Kentucky--led the Pointers to a 122-1 record.

Mann set San Diego Section records for most career points (3,188), points in a season (1,174), points in a game (65), career rebounds (2,256), season rebounds (816), career steals (652), season steals (251), career scoring average (27.7), season scoring average (36.7), career free throws made (350) and season free throws made (132).

In the 3-A boys’ basketball championships, Morse overcame a fourth-quarter surge by Monte Vista to pull out a 59-51 victory. In the 2-A game, Junior Seau’s jumper in the lane with 35 seconds remaining lifted Oceanside past Avocado League rival El Camino, 52-51. In the 2-A girls’ title game, La Jolla slipped past San Pasqual, 44-40.

In the 1-A boys’ championship, Calipatria, whose players had competed together since the seventh grade, defeated La Jolla Country Day, 63-53. In the 1-A girls’ game, Mary Andringa sank four free throws in the final minute to secure a 38-32 Calvin Christian victory over Holtville.

“It’s a Launching Pad Here”: That was the reaction of Dave Heid, Fallbrook High School’s baseball coach, after his team hit eight home runs, including five straight, in a 22-5 victory over Carlsbad. Fallbrook’s Jason Rusk had three, two in the same inning.

The eight home runs in one game and three by a single player were not San Diego Section records. In 1985, Santana hit 10 against El Cajon Valley, and Santana’s Jimmy Tatum had four.

Record-Setting Rudolph: La Jolla High School’s Harry Rudolph shot a two-under-par 70 at the Singing Hills Golf Course on May 20 to become the first golfer in San Diego Section history to win back-to-back individual championships. Rudolph’s two-day total of four-under 140 gave him a one-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson of University of San Diego High. Rudolph’s score was also a record for the San Diego Section individual tournament.

Squeezing In: Bill Kutzner, Escondido High School’s baseball coach, loves the squeeze play. With the score tied, 2-2, in the top of the 10th inning of the San Diego Section 2-A championship game against Clairemont June 3, Kutzner called his favorite play with Andy Martin on third base and Gary Larrabee at bat with a 3-0 count. Martin broke for the plate and scored the winning run on a wild pitch in Escondido’s 3-2 victory. Later that day, Mt. Carmel won the championship by beating defending champion Santana, 5-2.

Brotherly Love: On June 5, Michael and Carl Chang of San Dieguito High School met at the San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club to decide the San Diego Section individual tennis championship. Carl, a senior, defeated Michael, a freshman, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5, to deny his younger brother a chance to repeat the title he had won as an eighth-grader.

But later in the year at the U.S. Open, Michael, 14, now a resident of Placentia, won his first-round match to become the youngest male player to do so.

The Comeback Kids: Twice the Morse football team took a big lead in the first quarter against Point Loma. Twice Point Loma came back to win.

The second time, Point Loma trailed, 14-0, in the Section 3-A title game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium Dec. 12 but won, 16-14, on T.J. Linardi’s 38-yard field goal with 1:46 left to play.

Morse took a 13-0 lead the first time the teams met, on the last day of the regular season. Point Loma came back behind quarterback Mike Bennett and won, 14-13, to take the City Eastern League title and remain undefeated.

They’d Never Been This Close: San Pasqual’s Mike Dolan and San Marcos’ Ken Broach were assistant coaches under Bob Woodhouse at San Marcos in the 1970s. The two are still friends and see each other often.

They met again at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, when their teams played in the section 2-A final.

Dolan and Broach use the same kind of defense and similar power running games. They finished the season with a 14-14 tie to share the title.

Kira Conquers the Country: Everyone knew that Kira Jorgensen of Rancho Buena Vista would be one of the best in the country this season after she finished fourth in the Kinney National cross-country meet last year. But few could have predicted that she would be as good as she was.

Jorgensen was undefeated, winning the section and state titles and finishing first in the Kinney Western regional at Fresno.

Jorgensen, 16, beat the top runners in the country by eight seconds to win this year’s Kinney at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

And she’s only a junior.

MISCELLANY

Indoor Cooking: UCLA star Greg Foster equaled the world record of 7.47 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles at the Michelob Invitational indoor track and field meet at the San Diego Sports Arena. Foster tied the mark held by Canada’s Mark McCoy.

Viva, Raffaella: Italy’s No. 1-ranked women’s tennis player, Raffaella Reggi, wasn’t too happy with her game, but she still played well enough to defeat Anne Minter, 6-0, 6-4, and win the Virginia Slims of San Diego tennis tournament Aug. 9.

Reggi had criticized her own game throughout the week-long event but had continued to win. After her victory over Minter, Reggi said, “Maybe every day I should say I can’t win.”

As it turned out, the victory over Minter was Reggi’s only title of the year.

Racing on Four Wheels: After a 25-year hiatus, Grand Prix sports car racing returned to the Del Mar Fairgrounds Oct. 25. Jochen Mass won a record $86,500 in the Grand Prix of Southern California. Nearly 33,000 turned out to watch the racers drive through a course of concrete walls. Drivers complained that it was difficult to avoid slower cars because they could not see around corners.

Marathon Inspirations: Doug Nelson of Colorado Springs qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials by running a personal-best 2 hours 18 minutes 52 seconds in the San Diego Marathon, a combination of the old Mission Bay and Heart of San Diego marathons.

Debbie Waldear, a member of the U.S. cross-country ski team, won the women’s San Diego Marathon with a time of 2:50:49, 50 seconds shy of qualifying for the trials.

Personal memories pushed Don Janicki to victory in the Holiday Bowl Marathon. Janicki, who had already qualified for the trials, dedicated the race to his father, who had died two weeks before the Dec. 12 race. Janicki set a San Diego record with a time of 2:12:06, bettering Thom Hunt’s year-old mark of 2:12:26.

Maureen Custy won the women’s Holiday Bowl race. Her time of 2:33:38 was the fastest run by an American woman this year.