Hank Henry

The Baltimore Blast will retire Mike Reynolds' jersey number during the first home game of the 1991-92 season to honor the defender, who died Monday as the result of a stroke, a spokesman said yesterday.Drew Forrester, director of public relations, said the Blast will wear black armbands bearing Reynolds' number, 3, during the regular season and in any playoff appearances.Forrester also said the Blast's Unsung Hero Award has been renamed the Mike Reynolds Trophy. The award, which Reynolds won for the 1989-90 season, is voted on by team members and will be presented at the last regular-season home game.

DALLAS -- Tim Wittman's explanation for the Baltimore Blast's lackluster performance against the Dallas Sidekicks was simple: The Sidekicks wanted the victory more than the Blast.Embarrassed in San Diego 16 hours before, the Sidekicks took out their frustration on the Blast, 7-4, before 6,195 at Reunion Arena. It was the Blast's first loss in four meetings with the Sidekicks this season and its first loss in Dallas since Nov. 26, 1989.The Sidekicks were coming off a 7-0 loss in San Diego Saturday while the Blast was in Dallas waiting for yesterday's game.

As the Baltimore Blast struggles to reach .500, coach Kenny Cooper resembles a mad scientist searching for the right formula.His latest experiment -- a third line made up of second-year midfielders Joey Barger and David Vaudreuil and rookie forward Chris Haywood -- will continue tonight when the Blast (3-4) meets the San Diego Sockers (3-5) at the San Diego Sports Arena at 10:35.Cooper put together the young third line at halftime of Sunday night's 7-4 victory over the Wichita Wings at the Baltimore Arena.

These are strange times, indeed.Hank Henry, a 26-year-old goalkeeper who could not beat out a developmental keeper in San Diego last week, has been signed by the Blast and will start against those same Sockers tonight, 8:05, at the Arena."

Backup goalkeeper Hank Henry became the latest victim of the Baltimore Blast salary cap crunch yesterday.Henry, 26, was released on the eve of the opening of training camp after he refused to accept a reduction in his original contract."

THE BLAST will face the hottest player in the Major Soccer League -- Tatu -- when the Dallas Sidekicks come to the Arena tomorrow night (7:35). Tatu, who is noted for tossing his shirt into the stands after scoring, has had 10 goals and six assists in his last three games. Although the Blast's record is only 4-5, coach Kenny Cooper, for once, is being patient. He's breaking in some new players, among them goalie Hank Henry, who has impressed everyone.* A win over arch-rival Loyola Thanksgiving morning would not only give Calvert Hall a .500 season but would make the Cardinals' year.

SAN DIEGO -- They became the first San Diego Sockers' opponent this season to go scoreless in a half. They also lost a lead in the fourth quarter and trailed by one goal with 40 seconds to play.No problem. Led by Billy Ronson and Mike Stankovic, the Blast cleared those hurdles last night, beating the Sockers in overtime, 5-4, before 4,490 fans at the Sports Arena.Baltimore (4-4) kept the Sockers (3-6) winless at home, a span of three games, and beat them for just the third time in the last 10 games.

The Baltimore love affair with Domenic Mobilio continued last night.Mobilio was showered with cards, cookies and a large birthday cake by Baltimore Blast fans before the game. Then, he scored three goals to lead Baltimore to a 9-6 victory over the Kansas City Comets at the Baltimore Arena.Mobilio turned 22 yesterday."The fans in Baltimore have been great to me all along," said Mobilio, who has scored 105 goals and has 51 assists in less than three seasons. "They really show their appreciation for me, and it makes me want to play even harder.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Looks were deceiving last night at the Richfield Coliseum.The Cleveland Crunch wound up with an 8-5 victory over the Blast before a crowd of 3,517, but Baltimore coach Kenny Cooper talked as if his team had won."This was the best we've ever played here," Cooper said after the Blast rallied from a 6-1 deficit with 13 minutes remaining."This never was a 6-1 game, no matter what the scoreboard said," Cooper said. "We played a lot of our younger players tonight with Mike Stankovic [bruised right foot]

The Dallas Sidekicks are a last-place team and going nowhere in the Major Soccer League.But last night, the Sidekicks made life more miserable for the troubled Baltimore Blast before 9,093 at the Baltimore Arena.Dallas dealt Baltimore a 6-5 defeat, dropping the home team two games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 1987-88 season."Any blind man could see that we're not playing well," said Blast midfielder Billy Ronson. "We only have 12 games left, and it's time for the healthy 15 players to start getting the job done.