Dale Mitchell

Dale Mitchell walked around Harbor Place in a generic Blast uniform, reflecting on how he would feel very funny walking around this way in Kansas City."

The Blast is still marveling at the unlikely series of events that has put it in the Major Soccer League playoffs and on a plane today for San Diego."We're in the playoffs!" said defender Iain Fraser, who scored twice in the Blast's 7-2 win Saturday over Tacoma. "Can you believe it? No, you can't. Everyone wrote us off. This feels so great."Blast midfielder Rod Castro, who will get to play against his former Sockers teammates, was equally elated."This is heaven," he said. "This is what I've been waiting for. San Diego is very good.

WASHINGTON -- Baltimore Blast forward Dale Mitchell will sign with the Tacoma Stars if he is awarded free agency by arbitrator George Nicolau next week, Mitchell's wife, Diane, and father, Bill, said last night."

A miracle on Baltimore Street, that's what the Blast players said they were hoping for, and as the 10,519 fans in the Arena alternately sang, chanted and cheered, the Blast concluded a two-day series of events that seemed miraculous.A 7-2 victory over the Tacoma Stars last night qualifies the Blast for fourth place in the Major Soccer League standings and the last playoff spot in the postseason tournament."If you believe enough, anything can happen," said Blast coach Kenny Cooper. "It was a matter of things falling into place, and they did. Tonight, this team was incredibly focused and very serious before the game."

Arbitrator George Nicolau denied newly acquired Baltimore Blast forward Dale Mitchell's contract grievance against the Kansas City Comets yesterday, a decision that upholds the Aug. 20 trade that sent Carl Valentine from the Blast to the Comets for Mitchell.Mitchell was asking Nicolau to make him a free agent on the grounds that Comets owner Chris Clouser fraudulently induced Mitchell to sign by promising him certain things that weren't written in the contract and then trading him to the Blast, whose officials had no knowledge of the extras.

VS. TACOMA STARS* WHERE: The Arena.* WHEN: Tonight, 7:05.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.* OUTLOOK: The Blast (18-18) enters with new inspiration. From the beginning of the season coach Kenny Cooper has said he wished his team would stop measuring its performance by looking down in the standings. They were safely in second, so what was the worry?But there is no longer any safe spot in the Eastern Division. When Tacoma (18-18) arrives here, it will be facing a team caught in a tight squeeze. Yesterday, Cleveland beat Kansas City to pull within a half-game of the Blast.

Dale Mitchell returns tonight to the city he captivated the past four years with his magical scoring touch.He is going to Kansas City, Mo., with the Baltimore Blast to plaagainst the Comets, something he never dreamed 10 months ago would happen.Mitchell wasn't just another sports hero in Kansas City. He was legend on and off the field.Kansas City fans loved his wholesome, all-American image anrugged good looks. He was a perfect fit for Middle America, so much so that Comets owner Chris Clouser told Mitchell last January not to hesitate to buy a home in the city.

During the long, hot summer months, Kenny Cooper studied game films, training routines, game strategy and players' work habits in an attempt "to find that little bit of an edge," he said, that could help the Baltimore Blast win a second Major Soccer League championship.The 11th-year Blast coach said that this season he will substitute more freely -- using a three-line rotation that he hopes will keep his players fresher and prevent injuries.A three-line rotation has forwards and midfielders playing two minutes and sitting four, instead of playing two minutes and sitting two. Most MSL teams use a two-line rotation.

There was silence around the Baltimore Blast players yesterday as they prepared to leave for tonight's game against the Wichita Wings at the Kansas Coliseum.With seven games left, they are unexpectedly fighting for their playoff lives.Three of four teams in the Major Soccer League Eastern Division make the playoffs, and Baltimore entered the season favored to win a third straight division championship.Even if the team faded a little below expectations, it certainly would finish in the top three easily.

A year ago, Dale Mitchell was billed as the Blast's biggest signing since 1983, when Stan "The Magician" Stamenkovic brought his championship act to Baltimore. At least one preseason preview called Mitchell "Out of this world."A year later, the All-Star forward still resembles "The Magician," but only because he has suddenly vanished from the Blast picture.The Blast announced yesterday that not only wasn't it retaining goalkeeper Scott Manning, as was reported in The Evening Sun Monday, but it also was releasing Mitchell, the fourth-leading scorer in MSL history.

A year ago, Dale Mitchell was billed as the Blast's biggest signing since 1983, when Stan "The Magician" Stamenkovic brought his championship act to Baltimore. At least one preseason preview called Mitchell "Out of this world."A year later, the All-Star forward still resembles "The Magician," but only because he has suddenly vanished from the Blast picture.The Blast announced yesterday that not only wasn't it retaining goalkeeper Scott Manning, as was reported in The Evening Sun Monday, but it also was releasing Mitchell, the fourth-leading scorer in MSL history.

There was silence around the Baltimore Blast players yesterday as they prepared to leave for tonight's game against the Wichita Wings at the Kansas Coliseum.With seven games left, they are unexpectedly fighting for their playoff lives.Three of four teams in the Major Soccer League Eastern Division make the playoffs, and Baltimore entered the season favored to win a third straight division championship.Even if the team faded a little below expectations, it certainly would finish in the top three easily.

From the beginning, everyone wanted Dale Mitchell to be an instant success story and from the beginning, everyone around the Blast insisted it was going to take time.When Stan Stamenkovic came to the Blast to deliver a championship at the end of the 1983-84 season, it took 24 games, half that season, for Stamenkovic and the Blast to adjust to each other. With Mitchell, it took 32 games. That's when he began the current point scoring streak in which he has produced points -- 14 goals and 15 assists -- in 13 games.

VS. TACOMA STARS* WHERE: The Arena.* WHEN: Tonight, 7:05.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.* OUTLOOK: The Blast (18-18) enters with new inspiration. From the beginning of the season coach Kenny Cooper has said he wished his team would stop measuring its performance by looking down in the standings. They were safely in second, so what was the worry?But there is no longer any safe spot in the Eastern Division. When Tacoma (18-18) arrives here, it will be facing a team caught in a tight squeeze. Yesterday, Cleveland beat Kansas City to pull within a half-game of the Blast.

Six, for those looking for a hot little number, was the designated digit for the Baltimore Blast this weekend.Last night, for instance, the team scored six unanswered first-half goals in 6 1/2 minutes. The last of those goals, the Blast's seventh of the game and Domenic Mobilio's team-high 30th, was the game-winner in a 9-6 victory over the Wichita Wings. It was goalkeeper Hank Henry's sixth win of the season. And, in its sixth attempt, the Blast won three straight games for the first time this season.

Baltimore Blast coach Kenny Cooper said yesterday that he has had conversations with "a number of teams" about a possible one-for-one trade that could take place in the next few days.Cooper refused to mention names or teams before he left with the team for tonight's 8:35 game against the Dallas Sidekicks at Reunion Arena.But it is no secret he has been unhappy with the play of veterans Richard Chinapoo and Mike Stankovic in the past couple of weeks.Chinapoo and Stankovic were moved from defenders to midfielders by Cooper after making mistakes that cost the team goals in a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Sockers on Dec. 22 at the Baltimore Arena.

Baltimore Blast coach Kenny Cooper said yesterday that he has had conversations with "a number of teams" about a possible one-for-one trade that could take place in the next few days.Cooper refused to mention names or teams before he left with the team for tonight's 8:35 game against the Dallas Sidekicks at Reunion Arena.But it is no secret he has been unhappy with the play of veterans Richard Chinapoo and Mike Stankovic in the past couple of weeks.Chinapoo and Stankovic were moved from defenders to midfielders by Cooper after making mistakes that cost the team goals in a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Sockers on Dec. 22 at the Baltimore Arena.

From the beginning, everyone wanted Dale Mitchell to be an instant success story and from the beginning, everyone around the Blast insisted it was going to take time.When Stan Stamenkovic came to the Blast to deliver a championship at the end of the 1983-84 season, it took 24 games, half that season, for Stamenkovic and the Blast to adjust to each other. With Mitchell, it took 32 games. That's when he began the current point scoring streak in which he has produced points -- 14 goals and 15 assists -- in 13 games.

Kim Roentved and the Kansas City Comets stole the show from Dale Mitchell and the Baltimore Blast last night at the Baltimore Arena.With 8 minutes, 14 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 4, Roentved stole the ball from an attacking Mitchell and passed ot to Doug Neely at the other end of the floor, leading to the go-ahead goal that carried the Comets to a 6-5 victory over the Blast before 7,360.Mitchell had gotten past two Kansas city defenders before Roentved stepped forward to end the Mitchell show.

Dale Mitchell returns tonight to the city he captivated the past four years with his magical scoring touch.He is going to Kansas City, Mo., with the Baltimore Blast to plaagainst the Comets, something he never dreamed 10 months ago would happen.Mitchell wasn't just another sports hero in Kansas City. He was legend on and off the field.Kansas City fans loved his wholesome, all-American image anrugged good looks. He was a perfect fit for Middle America, so much so that Comets owner Chris Clouser told Mitchell last January not to hesitate to buy a home in the city.