Tacoma

Waad Hirmez sat in front of his locker, a satisfied look enveloping his sweating face."My life is just beginning," he said last night, after the Blast's 4-3 victory over the Tacoma Stars. "Tonight I scored an important goal at the right time. Tomorrow I can celebrate my 30th birthday knowing I am on my way to proving to the fans that I came here with the intention of winning something."Last night, the Blast used goals by defenders David Eise and Iain Fraser, by forward Domenic Mobilio and by their exuberant midfielder to break a two-game losing streak and capture its first victory of the season.

TACOMA, Wash. -- Pat McMurtry hears bells.He's gassing up his 1990 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, an extra-clean car with little leather boxing gloves dangling from the rear-view mirror. Somebody at the gas station says, "Hey, weren't you Pat McMurtry?" and he hears bells. Not gas station driveway bells, not church bells, but the ominous, sonorous gong of ring bells."It's like I'm young again," McMurtry said. He is 59 and lives alone in the Parkland area of Tacoma, Wash., in a trailer populated by publicity photos, boxing gloves and memories.

There's an old expression in sports about a guy "taking one for the club." After last night, Cris Vaccaro could write a book on the subject.If it wasn't for the fact the only goalkeeper on the Blast squad has a right hip pointer as ornery as an absessed tooth, Vaccaro might have been tending the fat lip he picked up as his team was squeezing by the Tacoma Stars, 4-3, at the Arena.The keeper was required to make about a half-dozen acrobatic saves and, well, he didn't have time to be choosy about what part of his anatomy he put in harm's way. This was particularly so in the late going when, with the score tied at 3 and on a free kick situation, Tacoma ended up with a thunderfoot Mark Karpun about to unload from point-blank range with Cris still hugging his right post.

Adam Jones Outfielder The 22-year-old outfielder, often compared to Mike Cameron, was a first-round selection in the 2003 draft and was Seattle's Minor League Player of the Year in 2005. Jones made his major league debut the next year, appearing in 32 games and hitting .216 with one homer and eight RBIs. He came up as a shortstop but was moved to the outfield, where he can play all three positions, but he projects as a center fielder with the Orioles -- if another trade isn't consummated -- because of his speed and athleticism.

I HOPED I'd never have to write about being a war bride. It's a story of indecision, turmoil and fear of the unknown in a chaotic world that changed people's lives forever.But young people, people about to get married, people who are draft age, are asking me ''What was it like?'' and ''Would you do it again?''Yes, I would do it again.What was it like? I was 18 and World War II was in full blast. Philadelphia, the city I grew up in, was geared for enemy attack. German U-boats swarmed the Atlantic Ocean.

WASHINGTON -- Baltimore Blast forward Dale Mitchell will sign with the Tacoma Stars if he is awarded free agency by arbitrator George Nicolau next week, Mitchell's wife, Diane, and father, Bill, said last night."

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Baltimore Blast, with a chance to grab a share of the Major Soccer League East lead, dropped a 5-4 overtime match to the Tacoma Stars last night.Tacoma, 12-6 and leading the West, has beaten Baltimore five times in a row here, dating to March 12, 1989 and all three times they've played this season.Tacoma won the see-saw game despite a hat trick by the Blast's Dale Mitchell, when, after a scoreless fourth quarter, Kia kicked in a rebound from point-blank range after Blast goalkeeper Scott Manning nicely saved a hard drive by Tacoma's Billy Crook at 2 minutes, 52 seconds of overtime.

Trade talks have cooled around the Baltimore Blast these days and coach Kenny Cooper is prepared to play with the hand he dealt himself before the season."

TACOMA, Wash. -- Maybe the Baltimore Blast should mail in the game and stay in Baltimore instead of showing up at the Tacoma Dome.Of the past eight games between the two teams here, the Tacoma Stars have won seven.The latest was last night, when the Stars' Gary Heale, stationed at the right post, scored on a cross from Ralph Black with 27 seconds left for a 5-4 Tacoma victory."Obviously, to lose a game on that type of situation is tough," said Blast coach Kenny Cooper. "But a lot are going to be won or lost that way."

In some circles, you say Tacoma, and they figure you're talking about a Japanese- designed pickup truck. Thousands of people landing at SeaTac International Airport in Tacoma, Wash., right now have no idea what the "Tac" in the airport name is all about. Meaning that Tacoma, the third largest city in Washington (population about 195,000), is another one of those forgotten places that have the misfortune to be situated near an internationally known and gorgeous West Coast playground. Tacoma was primed for great things when it was designated as the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad's transcontinental line in 1873 --- instead of Seattle.