Mike Sims

Mike Sims calls a good game at catcher. It's expected. Mike Sims throws out baserunners. It's expected. Mike Sims is an emotional clubhouse leader. That too is expected. But Mike Sims hit home runs? For Cal State Northridge, it was a pleasant surprise Saturday when Sims, the Matadors' Sultan of Squat, turned Sultan of Swat in the first game of a doubleheader against Grand Canyon.

Mike Sims riffles through his mental Rolodex in search of words to describe his personal tumult during the first week of spring training. He whips out a photo identification card given to each player because of security concerns. Never had one in three years of pro ball. Everyone correctly assumed the big-league players' strike would complicate matters this spring, but Sims and many minor league mates in the Florida Marlin organization never thought it would affect them directly.

Moments after a benches-clearing melee in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, another one erupted when umpires reversed a decision on a collision play at home plate that led to the first one. When all was said and done--and there was plenty--U.S. International's baseball team tip-toed away 4-3 winners over 15th-ranked Cal State Northridge.

Mike Sims calls a good game at catcher. It's expected. Mike Sims throws out baserunners. It's expected. Mike Sims is an emotional clubhouse leader. That too is expected. But Mike Sims hit home runs? For Cal State Northridge, it was a pleasant surprise Saturday when Sims, the Matadors' Sultan of Squat, turned Sultan of Swat in the first game of a doubleheader against Grand Canyon.

Mike Sims riffles through his mental Rolodex in search of words to describe his personal tumult during the first week of spring training. He whips out a photo identification card given to each player because of security concerns. Never had one in three years of pro ball. Everyone correctly assumed the big-league players' strike would complicate matters this spring, but Sims and many minor league mates in the Florida Marlin organization never thought it would affect them directly.

Cal State Northridge will hold its annual baseball alumni game Sunday at 1 p.m. at Matador Field. Former Matador standouts expected to play for the alumni include catcher Mike Sims, pitchers Ken Kendrena, John Bushart and Vale Lopez, and infielders Scott Sharts, Mike Solar and Andy Hodgins. All former Northridge players are invited to participate. Information: 818-885-3233.

Key: Jacksonville's David Garrard led a game-winning drive for the second week in a row, throwing a touchdown pass to Mike Sims-Walker with 56 seconds remaining. The Jaguars have their first three-game winning streak in nearly two years. Jaguars said: "When I walk into that huddle, you can see it in everybody's eyes. Nobody has that glassy-eyed look. Everybody's focused and ready to roll." -- Garrard Bills said: "All for nothing when you don't get the win. I'm glad for the opportunity to make big plays, what I've always wanted to do. We came up short."

Two members of the radical environmental group Earth First! have been arrested in connection with a pipe bomb that blew their car apart and injured both of them, police said today. Judi Bari, 40, and Darryl Cherney, 33, were hurt Thursday when the bomb exploded as they drove through Oakland. Cherney was treated for a head injury, but Bari underwent surgery for a fractured pelvis and other injuries and is in serious but stable condition today at Highland Hospital.

The owner of a pit bull opened fire on police trying to take his dog into quarantine Wednesday, starting a shootout that left him, his father and one officer dead. The dog had bitten at least three people in recent weeks and was overdue for its rabies vaccination, Lt. Mike Sims said. The 21-year-old dog owner repeatedly refused officers' demands to take the animal in for routine tests and would not let authorities take the it from him, Sims said.

The city has reached a record-breaking 164 homicides this year, three more than last year, after a bloody night of violence left four people dead, police said. The deaths mark the third consecutive year that Oakland has broken a previous year's record, according to Lt. Mike Sims. In 1989, the city had 148 homicides and in 1990 there were 161. Sims said the unrelated homicides on Monday included a teen-ager found shot to death in a car and a suspect shot by a police officer.

Moments after a benches-clearing melee in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, another one erupted when umpires reversed a decision on a collision play at home plate that led to the first one. When all was said and done--and there was plenty--U.S. International's baseball team tip-toed away 4-3 winners over 15th-ranked Cal State Northridge.

The discovery Monday of a slain kidnap victim pushed to 167 the number of murders in a city that only hours earlier eclipsed the previous single-year homicide record, set last year. Eric Dorrough, 22, was found shot to death near a junior high school, said homicide Lt. Mike Sims. The victim had been taken from his home at gunpoint Sunday night. "We got a call from his wife that the husband was kidnaped but there were no ransom demands," said Sims.

Two Earth First! activists, injured in a car bombing a year ago, sued Oakland police and four FBI agents, saying their reputations were smeared by a cursory investigation that treated them as suspects rather than victims. The suit by Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney seeks $3.