San Diego Sockers

What:Tribute to the 1983-84 MISL champion Blast Where:1st Mariner Arena When:Tonight; 1983-84 Blast vs. Baltimore Legends, 5:30 p.m.; pre-game parade and ceremony, 7:10 p.m.; Blast vs. San Diego Sockers, 7:35 p.m. 1983-84 Blast roster:Keith Van Eron, Bobby McAvan, Heinz Wirtz, Mike Stankovic, Dave MacWilliams, Paul Kitson, Max Thompson, Pat Ercoli, Jim Polihan, Joey Fink, Richard Chinapoo, Tim Wittman, Adrian Brooks, Nick Mangione, Lou Nagy, Scott Manning,...

VS. TACOMA STARS* WHEN: Tonight, 10:30 p.m.* WHERE: Tacoma Dome.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.VS. SAN DIEGO SOCKERS* WHEN: Sunday, 9 p.m.* WHERE: Sports Arena.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.* OUTLOOK: The Blast begins an important two-game road trip in Tacoma tonight. Coach Kenny Cooper has told his team the first game sets the tone. But the Stars, like the Blast, are 1-2 in the early going and both are in need of a victory in this one."We've got a chance to come back from this road trip .500 or better," said Cooper.

Baseball Senior Professional Baseball League -- Announced former Red Sox OF/DH Jim Rice has agreed to play with St. Petersburg.Los Angeles Dodgers -- Signed free-agent OF Darryl Strawberry to 5-year, $20.3 million contract.CollegesNCAA -- Placed Missouri's basketball team on two years' probation and banned school from NCAA tournament in March.Baylor -- Announced QB J.J. Joe will miss rest of season with broken thumb.Missouri -- Announced assistant basketball coaches Bob Sundvold and Rich Daly had resigned, effective at end of season.

His life no longer is full of glamorous and financially rewarding moments as a major-league pitcher, but Dave Dravecky insists he never asks, "Why me?""That question has never come up in my mind," the former San Francisco Giants baseball player who is fighting cancer in his left arm said yesterday. "I have no regrets. My dream was to be in the big leagues for just one day. I got much more than that. I played for seven years, and that was the icing on the cake."Dravecky, 35, has warmed hearts with his battle against cancer the past 2 1/2 years and will tell his story today at the Baltimore Arena on "God and Country Day," which surrounds the Baltimore Blast's 2:35 p.m. game against the San Diego Sockers.

SAN DIEGO -- Back on Dec. 1, they were 5-9, in last place and wondering if 40 miles of bad road was stretched before them.Today, the San Diego Sockers are indoor league champions for the ninth time in 10 years. They clinched the 1991 Major Soccer League title with an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Crunch on Thursday night before a near-sellout of 12,073 at the Sports Arena.In clinching at home for the first time since 1986 and taking the best-of-seven series, 4-2, the Sockers substantiated a notion that marathon runners and attorneys treat as gospel:It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Blast defender Sean Bowers, out since Jan. 2 with a severe ankle sprain, is likely to play when the Kansas City Comets visit 1st Mariner Arena tonight. Bowers, last season's Major Indoor Soccer League Defender of the Year, has missed the past six games after injuring the ankle in practice on Jan. 2. Officially listed as questionable, the standout veteran will likely test the ankle tonight, but miss tomorrow night's home game against the San Diego Sockers. The Blast, rested because it hasn't played since a 13-8 loss to the Philadelphia KiXX on Jan. 11, is in last place in the MISL's Eastern Conference with a 7-14 mark.

Matchup: Cleveland Force (8-16) vs. Blast (18-8) Site: 1st Mariner Arena Time: 7:35 Radio: WCBM (680 AM) Outlook: The Blast didn't find much Valentine's Day love in San Diego last Saturday night, losing, 5-3, to the San Diego Sockers. The Blast's second straight loss cut its Eastern Division lead to one game over the Philadelphia KiXX. The Blast has back-to-back dates with the struggling Cleveland Force tonight at home and tomorrow in Cleveland. The Blast is 3-0 against the Force this season and leads last-place Cleveland by nine games in the East.