The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 21

Sprjts SECTION NFL draft begins today National Baseball Local C4 C11 Page C5 Sportsview Sunday, April 22, 1990 The Journal-News, Rockland County, N.Y. LATEST ROCKLAND SPORTS SPECIAL SCORES 1' Caps even AMERICAN Texas 9 YANKEES 6 Minnesota 8 California 0 Detroit 3 Baltimore 2 Cleveland 8 Chicago 4 Toronto 5 Kansas City 1 Milwaukee 2 Boston 0 Oakland 7 Seattle 6 (11 inn.) NATIONAL METS 5 Montreal 4 Cincinnati 8 Atlanta 1 Pittsburgh 4 Chicago 3 Philadelphia 7 St. Louis 6 (10 inn.) Houston at Los Angeles (n) A 74 Kl i I 3 Stony Point resident James Padula keeps his eye on the baH after swinging and missing in a Just week. Padula is four years old. game that's just dent.

"There's no pressure ap- Baseball Unique leaque Unique league for youngsters By Pete Caldera Staff Writer To enter it is to see baseball's lowest common denominator, its simplest form. It doesn't matter if you can't catch every line drive yet, or hit a ball on the outside corner, or hit a cut-off man. You don't even have to know what a cut-of' man is. Welcome to pressureless baseball, truly baseball like it ought to be for kids just beginning. No counts, no umpires, no standings.

On some levels, no outs and no score. This is what playing in the Just For Fun League is about. "The premise of the league is just what it says, just to have fun and have a good time," said Don Betancourt, the league's presi Rockland should be proud of its Little League programs Sportsview, page C11 level, and is the hottest yctoth sport in Rockland. The league's enrollment has increased by 80 percent since 1988. Th gam To watch a game between four-year olds, in the Babe Ruth division, is to truly understand the league.

An inning consists of everyone taking a turn at bat hitting an Incrediball, a soft sponge-type baseball, off a tee. In the next inning, the batting order is reversed so no one bats first or last forever. The kids are all decked out in baseball uniforms, taking their positions in the right stations around the diamond. Parents take their positions around the field armed with cameras and Rangers fall, 6-3, at Garden By Rick Carpiniello Staff Writer NEW YORK The Washington Capitals took on a new look last night. One of the changes was a new goalie, Don Beaupre.

But the bigger change was on the Caps' faces. They looked mad, mean and serious in Game 2 of their Patrick Division final series with the Rangers, and they played that way with a physically one-sided 6-3 victory at the Garden. The series, tied at a game apiece, shifts to Landover, for Game 3 tomorrow and Game 4 Wednesday at the Capital Centre. The Capitals, blown out and embarrassed by a 7-3 count in Game 1, smoked the Rangers at every opportunity, outbattled Rangers in front of both nets all night and sent a message that this will be a long series. John Druce, the new Washington hero, scored his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the playffs after scoing just eight during the entire regular season and Geoff Courtnall, a no-show in Game 1, had three assists.

Washington also contained the Rangers' red-hot power play limiting them to one goal on five advantages, including one of three minutes and one of five minutes to end the game and scored on each of its first two power-play chances. Dino Ciccarelli, who had eight goals and three assists in the Caps' first-round victory against New Jersey, was held off the scoresheet for the second consecutive game and left with 7:41 to go when he suffered a left leg injury in a collision Please see RANGERS, C7 Texas shells Cadaret Rangers 9, Yanks 6 Next: 3:05 p.m., today, at Texas Radioi WABC-770 TV: MSG Leary (1-0) vs. Brown (2-0) By Tom Pedulla Staff Writer ARLINGTON, Texas When left-hander Chuck Cary was forced onto the disabled list with an inflamed elbow last Sunday, the Yankees were forced to make a decision. Who should replace Cary in the fifth slot in the rotation? Manager Bucky Dent first said Clay Parker was his choice. Then he said it would be Parker or Greg Cadaret.

Then Cadaret was selected. The much-debated decision looked terrible when Cadaret was rocked for seven runs and nine hits in 3 'A innings in last night's 9-6 loss to Texas at Arlington Stadium. The bombing of Cadaret, victim Please see YANKEES, C4 9 Silk. Staff photoVincent DiSalvio For Fun League game last for fun 'The premise of the league is just what it says, just to have fun and have a good Don Betancourt, league's president Then the ball is hit, and an air-raid drill starts. "It's like a rugby game," joked Betancourt.

"They all go for the ball at the same time." Yes, at four years old, a tapper in front of the mound is fair game for the rightfielder, too. Please see FUN, C10 Smokeless tobacco: Users start under age 21 16-18 years Souroa: Mul Uu of Tobaooo Surmyt (AUTS), Offio ol Smoking and Heh Tho JournalNmnJohn Comoll intwined in the fabric of sports that it is looked upon acceptably many athletes. Please see CHEW, C10 37l 33.8 Under1621 or older yaarsfy San Francisco 6 San Diego 4 NHL Washington 6 RANGERS 3 Boston 5 Montreal 4 (OT) NBA Milwaukee 96 NETS 95 Atlanta 130 Miami 109 Portland 118 Sacramento 110 LA Lakers at LA Clippers (n) HEADLINES LOCAL SOFTBALL! The Rockland County ASA will sponsor a Men's Class A Softball Tournament on Memorial Day weekend. It will be limited to 1 6 teams. The winner will advance to the National Qualifying Tournament, to be held in Staten Island in July.

Information: Call 634-3896. SOCCER: The Hal Block Ramapo Soccer League, Inc. has increased its scholarship awards from $500 to $750 per recipient. The league annually presents two awards to graduating seniors in each of the three public high schools in the Town of Ramapo. Completed applications must be received by May 19.

More information: telephone 638-2211. WEISS WATCH Walter Weiss, a 26-year-old native of Suffern, is a shortstop for the Oakland Athletics. Here is how Weiss performed Friday night and yesterday: Friday night: Score: Seattle 6, Oakland 1 At the plate: 0-for-3. In the field: No errors. Yesterday: Score: Oakland 7, Seattle 6, in 1 1 innings.

At the plate: 0-for-5. In the field: No errors. Other: Weiss is now batting .262 (11-for-42). LOOKING BACK 15 years ago today in Rockland County: Nanuet High's Tony Harlin bettered of the 25-year-old county discus record of Spring Valley's Marvin Branche by two inches with a toss a 160-5. INSIDE Associated Press CELEBRATIONi Ray Bourque (left) of Boston hugs teammate Craig Janney after the Bruins' 5-4 overtime victory last night over the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL playoffs.

Story, Page C7 Chewing tobacco is 'playing with death' plied. Taking the pressure out of it is what makes it fun." Betancourt is a co-founder of the league, which is in its fifth season. It's for kids ages 4 to 14, and any youngster living in Rockland County is eligible. It is designed for kids who like baseball and want to learn by playing, not by sitting on the end of some bench because their skills might not be up to par with their teammates. "It came from the choose up sides mentality originally, and it's been modified a bit," said Betancourt.

"It's a little more structured than the original conotation, but the principle is still there. "No one is refused, we take anybody," said Betancourt, and that has included physically and mentally handicapped kids as well. It is an idea that works for kids at any age level, any skill You'll see it and think nothing of it. It's been part of the game for a hundred years, so rarely is the connection ever made that chewing tobacco is as addictive, as damaging, as deadly as cigarette smoking. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, an association of physicians who treat problems of the head and neck, smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer, high blood pressure, constriction of blood vessels and many other serious ailments.

The AAO also reports that over 50 percent of teenage snuff users develop mouth sores that can become cancerous after RED RAIDER RELAYS and sporadic rain yesterday, 22 meet records were set and four were equalled in varsity trial heats and finals. No team scores were kept. Rocklanders accounted for 13 gold medals, led by Manno's victories in the javelin and discus. Powerful Uniondale, L.I., fresh off its boys' and overall championships at the Nanuet-Elks Relays last Saturday, racked up six girls' and four boys' titles while setting 11 meet records and matching three others. Manno, a senior bound for Northeastern on a full scholarship, earned the meet's Boys' ing Field Performance award for winning the javelin with a throw of 215-feet-U, tops among U.S.

school By Pete Caldera Staff Writer It looks innocent enough, and that might be the greatest problem. Go to any diamond in Rockland where there's a recreation Softball game, a high school or rec baseball game, or even a lacrosse game, and you'll probably see it: The kid in center field with the chipmunk cheek spits at the grass; the runner leading off third with the outline of a tobacco can in his hip pocket; the coach walking back from the mound, reaching the bench, then reaching for his pouch of Red Man or some other brand. Manno tosses a U.S.-best in javelin Should Little Leaguers wear chest protectors? Inside, page C10 an average of just 3.3 years of use. Unless oral cancer is detected and dealt with at an early stage, treatment can be radical and disfiguring, and the cancer can be fatal, according to the AAO. In view of newer statistical and physicians' information, smokeless tobacco has become a huge concern from the the major leagues to Little League.

But the product is so widely used, so boys this season according to rankings compiled by USA Today, winning the discus in a meet-record and personal-best 169-10; and finishing second to Nyack's Moussignac in the shot put. Clarkstown South's Keyes bagged the Boys' Outstanding Track Performance award. After equalling the meet record in the 400-meter dash in his semifinal heat in 49.6 seconds on Friday, the mercurial junior came back yesterday to hold off archrival Jon Taylor of North Rockland in the final, :49.8 to :49.9, and to split :49.7 on South's third-place 1,600 relay. The Girls' Outstanding Performance awards went to Uniondale's Crystal Wills, who won the 100 hurdles in :15.0 after clocking a meet-record :14.9 in the semis, and Please see RED RAIDER, C3 by 9 a 1 22 meet records set in 2-day competition By Jamie Kempton Staff Writer Mike Manno of North Rockland reclaimed the national scholastic lead in the javelin while Melvin Keyes, Amy Guccione and Russell Moussignac shared the spotlight at the third Red Raider Relays this weekend. The two-day, 42-event meet, which combined individual and relay events, attracted 41 teams from the New York metropolitan region and one from the Albany area to North Rockland High School's Ralph J.

Cordisco Stadium in Thiells. In dry, mild conditions Friday Staff photoDiane Stevenson Dave Patten (left) of Albertus Magnus leads George Newsome of Clarkstown South on the third leg of the relay at the Red Raider Relays. Albertus won the event; South was second..