San Diego Sockers

Even the eternal optimist, Baltimore Blast coach Kenny Cooper, said the Major Soccer League reached an all-time low on Aug. 7 when it came within five minutes of folding.It took a late decision by former owner Donald Carter to return as majority owner of the Dallas Sidekicks to save the MSL for a 14th season, which will begin tomorrow night when the Blast plays the Sidekicks at 7:35 at the Baltimore Arena.The Blast and Sidekicks will have the stage to themselves on opening night. The rest of the league won't begin play until next week.

Was there ever any doubt?The San Diego Sockers are only a game away from their fifth straight Major Soccer League championship after last night's 5-4 overtime victory over the Sidekicks in Dallas.San Diego, which got two goals from former Blast player and Baltimore native Tim Wittman, leads the series 3-0 with Game 4 Friday night in Dallas.Going into last night, the Sidekicks drew some hope from the fact they are the only team to ever come back from a 0-2 deficit, beating the Tacoma Stars in 1986-87 en route to the only league championship not won by San Diego in the Sockers' nine MSL seasons.

Even while the San Diego Sockers were celebrating their fifth consecutive Major Soccer League championship last night, Blast owner Ed Hale was lamenting the playoff format that cost him money and voiced proposals for improvement.With last night's 8-2 victory over the Dallas Sidekicks in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series, the Sockers became the first team in pro sports history to twice win five straight championships.The New York Yankees won five World Series from 1949 through 1953. The Montreal Canadians won six Stanley Cups from 1955 through 1960.

Scoop Stanisic was banned in Baltimore last week, but he could be wearing a San Diego Sockers uniform very soon.Moments after the Sockers turned back the Baltimore Blast, 8-7, Friday night at the Baltimore Arena, Stanisic was seen talking to San Diego coach Ron Newman in the hallway outside the Sockers locker room.Newman said after the conversation with Stanisic that he would like to sign the goalkeeper who was released by the Blast (2-4) Thursday."I don't know if we can do it," said Newman.

His contract is no cut, no trade. It also exceeds the Major Soccer League's salary cap by $30,000.But San Diego Sockers midfielder Branko Segota may have put that package at risk by going AWOL between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4.As he awaits a meeting today with team owner Ron Cady, Segota had better hope he has read the small print of that contract, because there is little doubt Cady will be reading it with a magnifying glass.When Segota asked coach Ron Newman for time off to go home to Yugoslavia to visit his girlfriend between the Sockers' Dec. 27 game and their next game Jan. 4, Newman said no, giving several reasons:* Yugoslavia was too far to go in too short a time.

Scoop Stanisic, the goalkeeper released by the Baltimore Blast on Nov. 8, has signed with the Hershey Impact of the National Professional Soccer League, the Impact announced yesterday.Stanisic played for the Impact most recently in 1988-89, going 17-15 with an 8.49 goals-against average."We are very excited to have someone of Scoop's caliber and experience back in Hershey," said Jim Carabin, Impact general manager. "We feel that he will bring leadership and enthusiasm both on and off the field."

The San Diego Sockers, defending champions of the Major Soccer League, signed four players yesterday, including former Dallas Sidekicks forward Terry Woodberry, who will play against his former teammates tonight in the Sockers' season opener. Woodberry, a three-year MSL veteran, had 22 goals and five assists last season.While San Diego continued to negotiate with the Blast on the possible acquisition of forward Paul Wright and to talk to midfielder Brian Quinn, it covered its bases by also signing forward Jim Gabarra, who played for Sockers last season (19 goals, 14 assists)

VS. SAN DIEGO SOCKERS* WHERE: Baltimore Arena.* WHEN: Tomorrow, 7:35 p.m.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.* OUTLOOK: Baltimore native Tim Wittman will be making his first visit in a San Diego uniform tonight, hoping to impress his hometown fans. Meanwhile, the Blast (1-4) will be trying to knock off the Sockers, who embarrassed them in San Diego last Sunday, 7-2. San Diego is 2-2 going into tonight's game at Cleveland.The Sockers are healthy as they begin this road trip. For the Blast, defender David Eise (sprained knee)

Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky will be the featured speaker at the Baltimore Blast's "God and Country Day" March 16 at the Baltimore Arena.The Blast will play the San Diego Sockers at 2:35 p.m., and Dravecky will speak after the game.Dravecky, whose battle with cancer in his pitching arm has drawn national attention, was forced to retire from baseball in November 1989 after doctors found another cancerous tumor in the arm.Dravecky had surgery to remove a cancerous lump from his left arm in 1988, but came back and pitched in 1989.