Kansas City Chiefs

DENVER -- John Elway lay flat on his back, underneath Chester McGlockton, the 320-pound Kansas City Chiefs tackle, who, a second before, had driven him into the turf. The two were motionless, listening.Elway had just thrown a ball toward Shannon Sharpe at the goal line, with the Denver Broncos' perfect season at stake."Chester and I were just looking each other in the eye," Elway said of the moment with 3: 34 left to play and the Chiefs ahead 31-28. "We were just waitin' to hear the roar."

In an obituary for Elijah Pitts in July 10 editions, the Associated Press reported erroneously that he became the first player to rush for a touchdown in the first Super Bowl. Although Pitts scored two rushing touchdowns in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the first rushing touchdown was scored by Jim Taylor of the Packers.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 7/14/98

BaseballAngels: Recalled P Jason Dickson from Triple-A Vancouver. Placed P Chuck McElroy on the 15-day DL.Cubs: Placed OF Sammy Sosa on the 15-day DL. Recalled OF Brooks Kieschnick from Triple-A Iowa.Giants: Claimed OF Trinidad Hubbard off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. Sold the contract of C Steve Decker to Colorado.Rangers: Signed P R. A. Dickey.Reds: Optioned IF/OF Eric Owens to Triple-A Indianapolis. Recalled P Mike Remlinger from Indianapolis.Yankees: Optioned P David Weathers to Triple-A Columbus.

A year ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were in the catbird seat.They took the NFL's best record (13-3) into the playoffs and had a home-field ticket to the Super Bowl.It all fell apart when they were stunned by the Indianapolis Colts, 10-7, in their divisional playoff game. That started a free fall that left the Chiefs on the outside looking in for the playoffs this year: They went from 13-3 to 9-7 and now appear to be in turmoil.It starts at the top, where general manager Carl Peterson has yet get a new contract to replace the one that expires at the end of next month.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Heath Shuler is experiencing the growing pains of a young quarterback.Shuler got his second season off to a rocky start last night in the Washington Redskins' 37-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first preseason game for both teams before 70,807 at Arrowhead Stadium.Shuler played the entire first half, completing 11 of 20 passes for 127 yards and was guilty of two of the Redskins' six turnovers. He fumbled a snap and threw an interception."It was a wake-up call for all of us," Shuler said.

With their AFC West lead down to one game, the San Diego Chargers have decided Stan Humphries' dislocated left elbow is well enough for him to start Sunday against the second-place Kansas City Chiefs.Humphries, who sat out last week's 10-9 loss to Atlanta, will play in a bulky brace."I'm getting used to going out there every day and playing with it," Humphries said.Since he joined them in 1992, the Chargers are 2-6 without Humphries."We're at a point where it's a big ballgame, a very important ballgame," Chargers coach Bobby Ross said.

BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Announced that P Mike Bielecki (Dundalk) and IF Bill Pecota refused outright assignments and chose free agency.Orioles -- Announced that 3B Chris Sabo refused outright assignment and chose free agency.Minnesota Twins -- Announced that P Carl Willis refused outright assignment and chose free agency.New York Mets -- Purchased the contract of C Alberto Castillo from Double-A Binghamton and added him to the 40-man roster.Oakland Athletics -- Named Grady Fuson director of scouting.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just when it seemed the Joe Montana saga couldn't get any stranger, it did.Montana turned down the offer to be reinstated as San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback and renewed his demand to be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.The 49ers and Chiefs still couldn't agree on trade compensation yesterday, and, for the second time in three days, talks broke off between team presidents Carmen Policy and Carl Peterson.Nonetheless, the 49ers' Policy all but acknowledged Montana had played his last game for San Francisco since he turned down its No. 1 offer.

BaseballOrioles -- Recalled OF Luis Mercedes from Triple-A Rochester. Optioned P Anthony Telford to Triple-A Rochester.Atlanta Braves -- Purchased the contract of P Randy St. Claire from Single-A Durham.Colorado Rockies -- Named Jerry McMorris, chairman and chief executive officer; Paul Jacobs, general counsel for the team; and Kevin Jordan, acting chief financial officer. Announced resignation of general partner Steve Ehrhart.Milwaukee Brewers -- Activated SS Billy Spiers from the 60-day DL.Minnesota Twins -- Activated P Paul Abbott from the 15-day DL.St.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It only looked like the players in the Philadelphia Eagles secondary yesterday had names like Rye, Wheat, White, Melba and French. Actually, their names were Jenkins, Allen, Waters, Hopkins and Smith.But they were toast just the same in the Eagles' 24-17 loss to the host Kansas City Chiefs."I've never been as wide open as I was today," crowed Chiefs wide receiver Willie Davis, who caught five passes for 167 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

When you arrive at M&T Bank Stadium for today's regular-season opener between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, you're going to be hard-pressed to find anyone who doubts that Joe Flacco and friends are going to fight deep into the playoffs this season. Really, there's going to be so much purple passion bubbling up around Camden Yards that it might even leave a ring around Oriole Park. And why not? The Ravens shocked the NFL world last year when their rookie quarterback and rookie coach took them all the way to the AFC championship game, and now they are a year older and a year wiser and, you would think, a year better than the team that fell a couple of big plays short of the Super Bowl.

It's not surprising that the Ravens are 10 1/2 -point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs, the largest point spread in their favor for a season opener in the team's 14-year history. Fresh off a 2-14 season, the Chiefs have endured a rocky summer, firing their offensive coordinator a week ago and watching starting quarterback Matt Cassel injure his left knee Aug. 29. The Ravens, meanwhile, have rolled through a perfect preseason and appear ready to take that next step - to the Super Bowl.

Which of the Ravens' 11 wins has been the most important? You could build a case for the opener in Tampa, which set the tone for the season; the late comeback in Cleveland in Week 3, which crystallized the attitude change under Steve McNair; or the recent throttling of the Kansas City Chiefs, which was so impressive. But my money is on the 27-0 destruction of the Pittsburgh Steelers just after Thanksgiving. Ravens@Steelers Tomorrow, 1 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Steelers by 3

After scoring the first touchdown of his career, return specialist B.J. Sams got a warm embrace from somebody who had been there a few times before. Deion Sanders, who did not play last night, was one of the first people on the sideline to congratulate Sams in a moment that looked like a passing of the torch from one generation's most electrifying punt returner to what might be another. Sams' 58-yard punt return for a touchdown was just what the Ravens needed, tying the game at 17 shortly before halftime, but not enough to overcome a determined Kansas City Chiefs team that went on to a 27-24 victory.

Kansas City Chiefs return specialist Dante Hall will likely glide side to side, stutter step, reverse field and change speeds in an attempt to find room for a big return in Monday night's game against the Ravens. Hall's histrionics, though, will be only part of the Ravens coverage units' concerns. The 10 other guys paving the way for Hall are just as big an issue. "Those guys can block," Ravens special teams ace Harold Morrow said. "They block all the way up and down the field. We have to play our best game."

After the most dominating defensive performance by the Ravens this year in limiting the high-flying, then-No. 1 St. Louis Rams offense to 121 total yards Sunday, coordinator Mike Nolan is not worrying about a possible letdown. The Kansas City Chiefs game earlier this season and the maturity of his players relieve him of that potential anxiety heading into Sunday's game against the struggling Miami Dolphins offense and their backup quarterback, Brian Griese. "I'm counting on the fact that we've got guys that act and carry themselves in a mature way to get us through that," Nolan said.

AMERICA IS a nation of local sports fans, as Orioles and Ravens backers can tell you. But there is only one sports event that captivates and has an impact on every community in the nation from Maine to this year's host, San Diego, and all points in-between. The Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is uniquely American. The Fourth of July is America's birthday party, but the Super Bowl is America's excuse for a party. Supermarkets have "super sales" for countless "super" parties. Super Bowl Sunday is the second-biggest day of food consumption behind only Thanksgiving.

If anyone knows what Marty Schottenheimer is feeling, it's Dick Vermeil. The two longtime coaches, who personify the word "driven" in their own way, each stepped away from the NFL, seemingly never to return, only to be lured back by the game's siren call. And as the two meet today at FedEx Field, with Schottenheimer's Washington Redskins playing host to Vermeil's Kansas City Chiefs, the longtime friends, who bonded when Vermeil did color commentary on Chiefs preseason games while Schottenheimer coached the team from 1989 to '98, have something else in common: Neither has a win. Those who have played for both of them notice clear similarities.

DENVER -- John Elway lay flat on his back, underneath Chester McGlockton, the 320-pound Kansas City Chiefs tackle, who, a second before, had driven him into the turf. The two were motionless, listening.Elway had just thrown a ball toward Shannon Sharpe at the goal line, with the Denver Broncos' perfect season at stake."Chester and I were just looking each other in the eye," Elway said of the moment with 3: 34 left to play and the Chiefs ahead 31-28. "We were just waitin' to hear the roar."

In an obituary for Elijah Pitts in July 10 editions, the Associated Press reported erroneously that he became the first player to rush for a touchdown in the first Super Bowl. Although Pitts scored two rushing touchdowns in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the first rushing touchdown was scored by Jim Taylor of the Packers.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 7/14/98