Cleveland Rick

When I was a kid, I lied a lot. Lying, for me, was easier than learning to tie my shoes. I could tell lies like my best friend, Dave, could eat French fries — by the fistful. When I was in junior high school, I used to cut class and take the bus downtown to watch movies in the big, old, rat-infested theaters. If you were a kid you could get into R-rated movies, no problem, as long as you paid. My classmates liked to hear my renditions of those movies, in all their gory detail. "Deliverance," "The Godfather" and "Walking Tall" went over especially well.

When I was a kid, I lied a lot. Lying, for me, was easier than learning to tie my shoes. I could tell lies like my best friend, Dave, could eat French fries — by the fistful. When I was in junior high school, I used to cut class and take the bus downtown to watch movies in the big, old, rat-infested theaters. If you were a kid you could get into R-rated movies, no problem, as long as you paid. My classmates liked to hear my renditions of those movies, in all their gory detail. "Deliverance," "The Godfather" and "Walking Tall" went over especially well.

Taft 27, Cleveland 0--Rick Clausen completed 21 of 33 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns at Taft. Lee Marks carried 17 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, including a 10-yard run with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter to give Taft (7-2, 3-1) a 13-0 lead. Clausen connected with Steve Smith for a 15-yard touchdown pass and Waylon Witcher for a 31-yard score with 2:15 to play in the third quarter.

New York 5, at Baltimore 3: Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano also connected for the Yankees. at Boston 4, Tampa Bay 3: Jonathan Papelbon powered his way out of a ninth-inning jam with three straight strikeouts after Jason Bay doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth. Detroit 5, at Cleveland 3: Rick Porcello extended Detroit's streak of strong pitching, and the Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the struggling Indians.

The Boston fans, remembering the past and seeing a run of bad fortune, are expecting the worst. They think the Red Sox will find a way to lose the American League East. Earlier Friday, the Red Sox learned that Roger Clemens, their best pitcher, has tendinitis in his shoulder and and will miss at least his next two starts. Then, they fell three runs behind the Seattle Mariners in the first two innings at Boston.

Kennedy High scored two runs on a suicide squeeze with one out in the seventh inning to hand host Granada Hills a 6-5 loss in a North Valley League baseball opener Thursday. John Davis walked to lead off the seventh, Jason Makahon singled, and both runners advanced on a ground out. Darrin McCall followed with a bunt that scored Davis and, when Granada Hills threw to first base to retire McCall, Makahon scampered home.

The Utah Jazz clinched homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs Friday night with a 102-99 victory in Phoenix that ended the Suns' 10-game winning streak. Karl Malone scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Bryon Russell matched his season-high with 21 points off the bench. Russell made three free throws in the final minute to help secure the victory.

The tension that has always existed between Orlando Hernandez and Jorge Posada--sometimes for the better, sometimes not--exploded Saturday. El Duque punched Posada in the face before the New York Yankees' game against the Chicago White Sox, and teammates had to pull the two men apart, according to Newsday. The incident probably will strengthen the desire of the Yankees' front office to get rid of Hernandez after the season.

Former big league outfielder Harry (Peanuts) Lowrey, who died earlier this month, played bit parts in a number of films while he was growing up in Culver City and while he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. One of the movies was "The Winning Team," starring Ronald Reagan as Grover Cleveland Alexander.

Mike Boddicker says it means nothing, this business about getting the opening day start or the tag of "Staff Ace" or even hearing that the key to the 1987 Baltimore Orioles might be his having not merely a good season, but a great one. That would be the kind of season Roger Clemens had for the Boston Red Sox in 1986 and Bret Saberhagen had for the Kansas City Royals in 1985. The kind Boddicker himself had in 1983 and again in '84 when he rolled up a 38-19 record and a 2.67 earned-run average.

North Hollywood High's baseball team forfeited an East Valley League game to Sylmar on Tuesday after Husky Ignacio Olmos took a line-drive foul ball in the mouth while seated on the team bench at Sylmar. With one out in the fourth inning, North Hollywood's Rene Avelar fouled a pitch at Olmos, who was seated about 15 feet away.