Tatu

Nesko Milovanovic has never heard of Tatu, which makes the Spirit rookie's plan for celebration after a goal that much more appealing.Tatu is the indoor soccer star who years ago began stripping off his jersey after scoring a goal and throwing it into the crowd. He is still at it, most recently as the Continental Indoor Soccer League scoring champion last summer with the Dallas Sidekicks, and has thrown more than 700 jerseys."Seven hundred," said Spirit defender Doug Neely, who played for the Anaheim Splash against Tatu last summer.

He has been throwing his jersey into the stands to celebrate a goal for about 13 years. It has become Tatu's calling card.One time after he hurled his jersey, a woman fan caught it and lighted it on fire, bringing security guards scurrying to extinguish the blaze. Another time, a fan threw Tatu's jersey back on the field, to the delight of the crowd.In part because he scores often enough to strain the team's jersey budget and in part because it is unwise to incite a hostile crowd, Tatu no longer throws his jersey after scoring on the road.

Sometimes, according to singer Kenny Rogers, you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. The Major Indoor Soccer League Players Association might do well to think about that.When the MISLPA filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, charging unfair labor practices against the Major Soccer League, commissioner Earl Foreman, Blast owner Ed Hale, Blast coach Kenny Cooper and the Cleveland Crunch, many, including the union's own members, asked why.It is an even more pressing question now, since NLRB regional director Louis J. D'Amico found no evidence to back up the charges.

Site: Baltimore Arena, 8:05 tonightRadio: WCAO (600 AM)Outlook: This is the 13th annual MSL All-Star Game, the first played in Baltimore. Despite its one-division format, the MSL has retained its tradition of East vs. West by splitting the seven clubs into two teams. Baltimore, Cleveland and Dallas players will make up the East squad. Cleveland F Zoran Karic, the leading MSL scorer with 30 goals and 37 assists, was the top vote-getter in the East in the balloting by the players. Dallas F Tatu (33-30--63)

Tatu is scoring less, playing less and giving away fewer game shirts, but who would have thought he'd try to go incognito?"No, no," he said, laughing from behind a new beard. "I'm not hiding. But you know what they say, when things get hard, you have to get tough. I'm just trying to toughen up my image. I'm trying to look mean, but I don't think it is working."But Dallas (8-6) seems to have righted itself after slipping to 6-6 with two home losses last week."It was a little shocking to start 4-0 and then slip to 6-6," said Tatu, who seemed more himself with a three-goal, one-assist performance this past weekend, which included the Sidekicks' 7-5 victory over the Blast.

The odds were stacked so high against Baltimore Blast goalkeeper Steve Powers Saturday night that it would have taken a near miracle for him to come out of the game with a victory.Powers never had played one game of indoor soccer, he had participated in only 15 practices with the Blast over two months, he had not practiced in a week, and he had only 19 1/2 hours to prepare mentally and physically for his Major Soccer League debut.Also, he was facing the Dallas Sidekicks and their great scorer Tatu at the Baltimore Arena in front of his many fans and friends from the Maryland Bays, for whom he has been an outstanding outdoors goalkeeper for three years.

To say that the odds were stacked against Blast goalkeeper Steve Powers Saturday night would be an understatement.Powers had never played in an indoor soccer game, he had participated in only 15 practices with the Blast over two months, he had not practiced in a week, and he had only 19 1/2 hours to prepare mentally and physically for his Major Soccer League debut.Also, he was facing the Dallas Sidekicks and their great scorer Tatu at the Baltimore Arena in front of Powers' many fans and friends from the Maryland Bays, for whom he has been an outstanding outdoors goalkeeper for three years.

When the Blast was building its team last summer, defense was the first priority. And just how much success Blast coach Kenny Cooper had in picking that defense is starting to show. For two straight weeks, goalkeeper Cris Vaccaro was the Major Soccer League Defender of the Week. Now, the Blast has made it three straight. This time, defender Iain Fraser has earned the honor.Fraser held Cleveland's Zoran Karic and Dallas' Tatu goal-less on back-to-back nights as the Blast lost to Cleveland, 5-4, and beat Dallas, 6-2.Unlike Vaccaro, who has had close to 10 such awards, Fraser said he has had "a whole whopping one" in the past.

Longtime All-Star goalkeeper Zoltan Toth is hanging up his goalkeeping gloves in St. Louis, leaving the Storm in a bind.Is former Blast goalkeeper Scott Manning about to make St. Louis coach Don Popovic's day by coming to the Storm's rescue?"