Panzetta

The Baltimore Blast continued to seek more defensive help yesterday, making University of Virginia defender Kris Kelderman its No. 1 pick in the Major Soccer League collegiate draft in Kansas City, Mo.Kelderman, 6 feet 1, 175 pounds, became an attacking defender late in his senior year at Virginia after starting out as a midfielder.Kelderman, whose home is in Neenah, Wis., played in the MSL RTC College Indoor Soccer Showcase on Tuesday night at Kemper Arena in Kansas City and helped the East defeat the West, 6-5."

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.

They had never seen so many injuries during a regular season. It started with Tim Wittman and Scott Manning and six months later it ended with Wittman and Angelo Panzetta. In between almost everyone missed a game or two because of injury.They had never seen so many one-goal losses, 20 of them, a number worthy of the Guinness Book of Records, the last one coming Saturday, in a 6-5 loss at Cleveland.They had never not started a season fast, never not gone on the roll that provides a little cushion for the dip in the road that invariably comes.

The Spirit's Dan O'Keefe rolled off the trainer's table and got right back to business.O'Keefe, who had missed five games with a knee injury, scored a hat trick -- his first points since Nov. 24 -- to lead the Spirit to a 19-17 victory over the Dayton Dynamo last night before 7,426 at the Baltimore Arena.It was the third time in the past four home games the Spirit drew more than 7,000 and the first time in the club's two-year history that it had back-to-back crowds of 7,000.O'Keefe, the National Professional Soccer League's all-time leading goal scorer with 323, got all of his goals in the second half.

The Baltimore Spirit is expected to announce the signing of several former Blast players and officially display its team logo at an afternoon news conference today.Late yesterday, two former Blast players -- forward Rusty Troy and midfielder Joe Koziol -- both said they hoped to be at the news conference, but neither admitted to being signed."I feel like I'm trying to make the plane to London," said Koziol's agent, Mike Powers, referring to the last-minute signing of Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien prior to the Redskins leaving for London on Tuesday.

BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Added C Jerry Willard and P Randy St. Claire to the postseason roster. Dropped 1B Nick Esasky and P Juan Berenguer from the postseason roster.Boston Red Sox -- Fired manager Joe Morgan. Named as manager Butch Hobson, manager of Boston's Class AAA Pawtucket team.Detroit Tigers -- Named Larry Herndon coach for the 1992 season.Florida Marlins -- Named Whitey Lockman senior adviser for player personnel.Houston Astros -- Signed manager Art Howe and coaches Matt Galante, Phil Garner, Bob Cluck, Ed Ott and Rudy Jaramillo to 1-year contracts.

Blast coach Kenny Cooper isn't defensive about his defense going into tomorrow night's home game against the Kansas City Comets."I think, initially, Kansas City adjusted to the changes in the league better than we did," said Cooper, whose team is giving up an average of 7.5 goals a game compared to the Comets' 3.7. "The Comets, obviously, have played tighter defense than we have. But I also think the last two games show we're playing better, especially in the midfield."The Blast defense has shifted gears.

Veteran Blast midfielder Mike Stankovic spent yesterday watching NFL games on television and preparing himself mentally for today's arthroscopic knee surgery that could determine his future in the game.As Stankovic, 35, faces the 3:30 surgery on his right knee to ascertain the extent of ligament damage, the popular Blast player might be looking at the end of his 11-year career in the Major Soccer League.Stankovic and Blast trainer Marty McGinty both said yesterday that he has a torn medial collateral ligament that would put him out of action six to eight weeks.

Don't look for Billy Ronson to be doing any cartwheels around the San Diego Sports Arena tonight.Ronson, who has been the Baltimore Blast's leading scorer most of the season, has been asked by coach Kenny Cooper to accept a more limited offensive role on the team beginning with tonight's 10:35 encounter with the San Diego Sockers."

SAN DIEGO -- Billy Ronson scored his sixth goal of the season at 5 minutes, 33 seconds of overtime last night to give the Baltimore Blast a 5-4 win over the San Diego Sockers.The win was Baltimore's second in a row and improved its record to 4-4.Ronson, who has scored a goal or an assist in all eight Blast games this season, made it look easy, as he ended a seesaw battle that had been sent into overtime with 36 seconds to play in regulation.Ronson, hustling downfield on a counterattack with only one defender in the San Diego end, took a long pass from Mike Stankovic and beat goalkeeper Victor Noguiera on the left side from about 25 feet away.