Sockers Find Comfort in Crowd : MISL finals: A playoff victory over the Blast and 11,014 fans in the San Diego Sports Arena left owner Ron Fowler feeling good about his team.

The clenched fist shooting into the air upon the Sockers’ first goal Saturday night was not the only one.

Hardly.

There were 11,014 fans in the San Diego Sports Arena for the Sockers’ seemingly annual championship series with the Baltimore Blast. It was the biggest crowd in the MISL playoffs this season.

But this particular fist stood out. This one extended from a cuff with the initials “RLF” embroidered on it.

Minutes before, the same hand was being extended, open, to anyone and nearly everyone passing by. The gesture--something like that of a party host--said, “Thanks for coming. Have a nice time.”

Ron L. Fowler, owner of the home team, was clearly a happy camper.

The obvious reason for this joy was that the Sockers could again be champions--if all goes well--by Wednesday. Their 5-2 victory made it 2-1 San Diego in the best-of-seven series.

Should that happen, Fowler was pleased, too, that his team will probably have a chance to repeat next year.

He says the franchise--one he had to bail out of bankruptcy in 1988--is as healthy as it has been in five years.

Saturday’s attendance--up nearly 4,000 from the 7,017 averaged in five previous home dates--led Fowler to that assessment.

“I’m very happy with the crowd tonight,” Fowler said. “With the Padres at home, and it being bag night there, I think we’ll get in the 9,500-to-10,000 range, which would put us right on target with last year’s (playoff attendance).”

An hour or so earlier, Fowler was quite concerned.

Joe Fan had a smorgasbord of excuses for missing Fowler’s gig. The Padres indeed were at home. The weather was, well, perfect all day. You know the story. And so does Fowler.

Furthermore, playoff attendance had become quite a concern to the MISL.

The Sockers-St. Louis series drew dismal numbers in St. Louis. Dallas-San Diego in the Western Division finals was an improvement, but not much. And the first two games of this series drew only 12,002 combined in Baltimore.

Saturday night had all the makings of the same.

The parking lot, adjacent streets and sidewalks were hardly packed an hour before the scheduled start.

Oh, there were the diehards, and a few others who are always early for everything, but it was not a scene reminiscent of a rock concert. Nor was it a scene Fowler would have cared to see.

But then they came, as if on the same bandwagon. Volume need not even be mentioned. That’s never a problem with Sockers’ crowds. Soon, all was well.

Well, almost. The tardiness did force Fowler to delay the start of the contest about 10 minutes.

“I’m concerned about the rest of the league, but I feel good about where we are,” Fowler said. “I like the direction we’re heading in.”

Like the Sockers’ season, better late than never.