Baltimore Blast

FOR THE PAST four months, Elkridge Elementary School fourth-graders Sierra Cannady and Katlyn Holley have been collecting magazines to bring to the Central Maryland Oncology Center in Columbia. Every month, they get on the school's public address system and publicize their magazine drive. And they're so successful that the oncology center doesn't have room for all the magazines. Overflow magazines are donated to Howard County General Hospital. On March 7, the girls were recognized for their efforts with a private tour of the oncology center.

The timing was sheer coincidence, but the Blast hopes it's also perfect. Trying to get up from a five-game fall, the Blast announced two signings yesterday to potentially provide short-term and long-term lifts. Veteran defender-midfielder David Vaudreuil, a 13-year veteran of indoor and outdoor pro soccer, returns to Baltimore expecting to make an immediate impact with the Blast (16-12), currently struggling in third place in the NPSL's American Conference - 1 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia KiXX.

Curley graduate Barry Stitz, who is completing his final season with the Baltimore Blast, has been hired to be head coach at his alma mater, replacing retired coach Pep Perrella. "I've been looking to get into coaching for a while, and coming back to Curley is a dream come true," said Stitz, a 1987 graduate.

No excuse for BelleHow can Albert Belle make $80,000 per game and behave so poorly?I am no great fan of baseball, but these types of actions by highly overpaid professional athletes make my skin crawl. If I carried myself in my profession like Belle does in his, I would be jobless in less than a week.As soon as it is possible to get rid of Belle, the Orioles' management should not waste a second in offering him the door.Jim McFallsHanoverHow to cope with bad yearWith respect to the 1999 major-league baseball season, an advance reality check sadly indicates that perhaps no team missed reaching its potential by as wide a margin as the Orioles.

The Baltimore Blast soccer team is kicking in support to encourage reading.At Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Kixx, the Blast will accept donated books for young readers and distribute fliers promoting its "Booklist Challenge."Students taking the "Challenge" will read for three hours, alone or with their parents. In exchange, they will receive free tickets to the Blast's Dec. 18 game, also against the Kixx, and be recognized at halftime.The fliers will be distributed and books collected by Maryland Sings, a teen group that has toured Europe and performed at the White House.

Bill Stealey, owner of the Spirit throughout its six-year history, announced at half-time of the team's 16-11 victory over Kansas City last night that he has sold the soccer team to local interests.The closest Stealey would come to confirming that former Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale had purchased the club, however, was saying: "I started out as a Baltimore Blast season-ticket holder several years ago ... and tomorrow I will be a season- ticket holder of the Blast again."Along with the rumor that Hale, a banker and owner of the Baltimore Bays of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, was interested in returning to professional soccer was that he planned on resurrecting the nickname Blast.

PHILADELPHIA -- Dave MacWilliams, who resigned as Baltimore Spirit coach on Jan. 29, was hired yesterday by the expansion Philadelphia Kixx.MacWilliams signed a three-year contract to coach the Kixx, which will begin play next season in the National Professional Soccer League."

Paul Crossley, who played for the Baltimore Blast in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983, died of a massive heart attack Monday in Seattle. He was 47.Crossley, a native of Rochdale, England, played 10 years in the English league before moving to the United States in 1975 to play for the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League.He is the second former Blast player to die in the past two months. Stan Stamenkovic, regarded as one of the greatest-ever indoor soccer players, died on Jan. 28 after suffering a severe head injury in a fall at his home in Titova Uzice, Serbia.

It's never easy for indoor soccer in our town, but people continue to come forth and keep the flame burning.Other sports? Hey, it doesn't matter what they do. The citizens take their lumps and come back for more, money in hand.The NFL put this city through all kinds of hoops. It made us sell out an exhibition game to prove -- after all those years of great support in Baltimore -- that this is a football town. It made us buy season tickets for a nonexistent team.And then it kicked us in the teeth.

The Baltimore Spirit yesterday re-signed Baltimore native Tim Wittman to a one-year contract and announced its 1993-94 schedule, which will include 18 weekend games at the Baltimore Arena.The Spirit will kick off its second season in the National Professional Soccer League on Oct. 29 at 7:35 p.m. when it plays host to the Chicago Power.Wittman, the leading goal scorer in the history of the Major Soccer League's Baltimore Blast, played in 32 games last season and finished with 32 goals and 19 assists.