Padre Minor Leaguers to Play in Taiwan

Some of the San Diego Padres’ top minor league prospects will play teams from the Taiwan professional league in mid-November, the club announced Wednesday.

The tour, the first by a major league organization in Taiwan, will feature six games in four Taiwanese cities from Nov. 10 to Nov. 16. The Padres will send mostly double-A and triple-A players. Tom Gamboa, Padre coordinator of minor league instruction, will manage the team.

The Taiwanese teams will be a mixture of all-stars and current teams from the 2-year-old Chinese Professional Baseball Organization.

After working out in the Phoenix area Nov. 2-7, the team will arrive in Taipei on Nov. 8.

Padre outfielder-first baseman Phil Stephenson has cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent. He joins outfielders Kevin Ward and Oscar Azocar as Padre free agents.

FOOTBALL

San Diego State Athletic Director Fred Miller announced the football program has sold a record 33,354 season tickets, eclipsing the 24,792 purchased last year. This year’s total represents a 35% increase over 1991. Last year, the Aztecs’ home attendance averaged 33,241.

The Aztecs play their Western Athletic Conference home opener Saturday against University of Texas-El Paso (6:05 p.m.) at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. It is the team’s homecoming game.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The San Diego-based United States men’s national team defeated Japan, 15-7, 15-6, 15-12, in Dallas in the second of a five-match series. The only two Olympic starters still with the team are Bob Samuelson (27 kills, four blocks) and Steve Timmons (15 kills, two blocks). Also contributing were Carlos Briceno (22 kills, five blocks) and Nick Becker (21 kills). The U.S. has won both matches.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Cal State Los Angeles defeated UC San Diego, 15-5, 15-13, 15-10, in a nonconference match. Laura Kranz led UCSD (6-12) with nine kills. Andrea Ferchaw had 17 kills for CSLA (14-6).

MEN’S SOCCER

Michael Succi scored on Anthony Russemano’s assist 28 minutes, 35 seconds into the game to give visiting UC Irvine a 1-0 victory over UC San Diego.

Goalie Michael Madden had five saves for UCSD (6-5-3). Irvine is 4-8.

TENNIS

La Jolla’s Bill Bond was named Professional of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Assn.

Bond has been a tennis teacher for 22 years and a USPTA member for 21. He won 15 national titles, including three foreign and 12 domestic championships. He competed at Wimbledon three times and the U.S. Open eight times from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. He is the tennis professional at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

The USPTA also awarded 11 pros, including San Diego’s Angel Lopez, its highest possible certification, Master Professional. Fewer than 1% of its 10,000 members achieve such status.