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Fans Toast Sockers, Sockers Toast Fans

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

A stage, not a field. Half full, not full. No opponent.

Five days later.

The Sockers had a little celebration in the San Diego Sports Arena Monday night, three days after they won their eighth indoor championship by defeating the Blast, 6-4, in the sixth game of the MISL championship series at Baltimore Arena.

This was five days after a sellout crowd watched them fail for the second consecutive season to take the title in San Diego. About 3,500 showed up to voice their approval for an accomplishment they were only able to watch on television. And they made almost as much noise as the crowd at the game.

We’ll start with a joke from team captain Brian Quinn, the MVP of the championship series, who had all five children in attendance.

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“It’s all very nice and good,” he quipped into the microphone, “but you guys didn’t help us Wednesday night.”

Everybody got a chance to say a few words, which isn’t a problem for this rather voluble group of players, who are rarely tongue tied.

A few excerpts:

Defender Ralph Black showed no mercy to Blast Coach Kenny Cooper, whose teams have lost four times in the MISL championship series to the Sockers.

“I love to see tears in Kenny Cooper’s eyes,” he said. “It was beautiful.”

Black also led a moment of silence for Scotland, which lost in World Cup competition Monday to Costa Rica, 1-0. Black’s family is Scottish.

A little later, midfielder Branko Segota, the man who wasn’t able to polish his game until the championship series, expressed relief.

“It looks like my nightmare ended on a good note,” he said. “I’m looking forward to next year.”

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Coach Ron Newman had a bit of praise for the fans, who endured a very forgettable regular season in which the Sockers finished 25-27.

“You never faltered this year,” he said. “We tested you. We lost a few games. We wanted to see if you’d still show up. And you never let us down.”

Midfielder Waad Hirmez wrapped up the player speeches saying he was going to miss the fans. He suggested everybody meet in the Sports Arena sometime during the summer.

When the words were finished, fans poured onto the floor to grab an autograph or two.

And that was that. Another Socker season come and gone.

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