Sockers in Charge? It’s Not Over Yet

Two possibilities.

No. 1: Ron Newman’s hearing isn’t what it used to be.

No. 2: Ron Newman is still the same cautious coach who insisted throughout last year’s MISL championship series that his Sockers were underdogs to the Baltimore Blast. Remember? That was right before they stuffed the Blast into the runner-up file for the third time in three meetings and won their seventh indoor championship.

Newman was asked the question all coaches hate after the Sockers defeated Baltimore, 5-2, Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in this year’s series. Is it over?

“The series is not over,” he responded. “I can’t even hear the fat lady humming.”

Baltimore Coach Kenny Cooper hears no humming either. He guarantees the teams will be heading back to Baltimore. Game 4 is at 7:35 tonight in the San Diego Sports Arena, Game 5 is here Wednesday and Games 6 and 7, if needed, will be played Friday and Saturday in Baltimore.

Cooper’s prediction aside, anybody around to see the Sockers dismantle the Blast Saturday might suggest that Owner Ron Fowler reserve a seat for the “Fat Lady” for Game 5 and maybe even spring for some throat lozenges. The Sockers played as well as they have all season, setting themselves up perfectly with passes to the right players at the right time, and then finishing what they started with artful goals.

“We didn’t let Baltimore get into their game, and we had a lot of chances from different areas,” midfielder Brian Quinn said. “We didn’t have to count on one player.”

Nonetheless, the Sockers aren’t making too much noise about winning another title. Somebody came up to defender Ralph Black after the game and said: “Just two more” and he said: “One before two.”

And clearly, the Blast can’t yet be fitted for second-place rings. The Sockers were convincing Saturday, but Baltimore had its share of opportunities in the first half and missed. Just a few days earlier, in Baltimore, they had similar opportunities and converted, winning Game 1, 7-4.

Even in defeat, the Blast continues to keep the heads of the Socker defense spinning. Passes get banged off the boards and these little guys, such as midfielders Billy Ronson (5-foot-4) and Paul Dougherty (5-2), sneak into the penalty box and take their shots. It didn’t work Saturday. Who’s to say it won’t tonight?

“We know we have to play better, and we will,” midfielder Carl Valentine said. “(Tonight) is a new game and a win for us changes the complexion of the series.”

To do that, the Blast will need defensive improvement. In the first three games of the Western Division finals, the Dallas Sidekicks held the Sockers to six goals. Baltimore has allowed them 13 in three games.

Offensively, Baltimore is getting production from defender Mark Mettrick, who has scored seven goals in the playoffs to tie for the team goal-scoring lead with forward Domenic Mobilio. That equals Mettrick’s goals during the regular season, which begs the question of why he is doing such a big chunk of the Blast’s scoring while the team’s usual threats--Valentine and defender Mike Stankovic--have been relatively quiet.

Stankovic seemed to be doing more head-hunting than playing during Saturday’s game, in which he was twice put into the penalty box, once for tripping and once for ungentlemanly conduct. Cooper gave his team a short lecture after the game about expending too much energy trying to make Socker forward Paul Wright pay for comments he made about Baltimore not being able to stop him.

Wright has been a big factor in the Sockers’ success against Baltimore, scoring seven points in three games. Indirectly, his verbal stabs at the Blast may be taking pressure off midfielder Branko Segota, who has had his best performances in the playoffs in the past two games, scoring three goals. When the attention shifted to Wright, Segota could do no wrong.

“It’s great to see Branko up to his standards,” Newman said. “He’s enjoying the game once again.”

Series Notes

The Blast has only defeated the Sockers in San Diego one time in 10 tries in playoff history. That happened last year in Game 5 when Baltimore won, 6-3, to force the Sockers to win the series in Baltimore . . . Zoltan Toth (6-1, 2.59 goals-against average) is scheduled to start in goal for the Sockers. Toth is 12-1 in his last 13 playoff starts. Baltimore will start either Scott Manning (5-2, 3.01 GAA) or Scoop Stanisic (0-1, 2.38 GAA).