Kevin Blocker

Jack Kevorkian and the RU-486 abortion pill are two reasons why America is "rapidly becoming an evil empire," one of the nation's most influential Christian conservatives said Friday. "Folks, we live in an evil age," syndicated columnist Cal Thomas said.

Norma Albers, Sally Packer, Paul Glade and Phyllis and Steve Judd wait to take a Lake CdA cruise. Albers, Glade and Steve Judd are WWII veterans. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

FOR THE RECORD: 9-14-96 John Luppert Sr., who died in a car accident this week, is survived by his wife, four children and three step-children. A story in Wednesday's paper gave an incomplete list of survivors. Tom Sahlberg of the Spokane County Collision Investigtion Unit takes video at the scene of Tuesday's fatal crash. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

The Colorado Rockies pitching staff gave up 18 runs in their last two games to the Cincinnati Reds. Their Class A farm club in Portland has given up just one to the Spokane Indians. Now no one will ever confuse Indians hitters with those of the Reds, but given the lack of horses in the bullpen in the Mile High city, well, some of these Portland pitchers may find themselves climbing the minor-league ladder a little sooner than expected.

If it takes an ambidextrous pitcher and practice uniforms to spark the Spokane Indians to a win, then so be it. Jake Chapman pitched six innings of two-hit ball and struck out nine, and the Indians, in their navy blue practice uniforms, beat the Everett AquaSox 9-1 in Northwest League baseball Monday night at Seafirst Stadium. Chapman, who pitches left but is a natural righty, faced just 20 batters, two above the minimum he could have faced in six innings of work, while improving his record to 4-0. In his last two outings, he has allowed just one run on three hits in 11 innings and struck out 13.

The good news first. The Spokane Indians didn't commit an error in Monday night's contest against the Southern Oregon Timberjacks. Unfortunately for Spokane, in front of a season-low crowd of 3,080, the Indians gave up four runs to the Timberjacks in the top of the ninth and were beaten 9-8. They entered the ninth leading 8-5.

It really wasn't necessary to talk to Spokane Indians manager Bob Herold after Southern Oregon beat the Indians 8-5 Sunday night at Seafirst Stadium. But Herold was kind of enough to oblige anyway. Actions always speak louder than words. So, when some of the Indians emerged from their locker room just 5 minutes after losing to the worst team in the Northwest League, well, filling in the blanks was the easy part.

In National Hockey League Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden's book entitled "Goalies Are Different," the legendary Montreal Canadien described the various duties of the position. Wrote Dryden: "A goalie is simply there, tied to a net and to a game; the game acts, the goalie reacts. How he reacts, how often, a hundred shots or no shots, is not up to him." In the Spokane Shadow's 6-2 win against the Yakima Reds Friday night before 1,034 at Spokane Falls Community College, it was the impressive reactions of Shadow goalie Bill May that helped his team early.

Jill Watkins, right, focuses on dig after hit by West Star Shawna Sears (2). Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

The Greater Spokane League and volleyball have been a good fit for each other for more than a decade now. GSL schools have won AAA state titles in four of the last five years. Before that, Shadle Park won the crown four times from 1985 to 1990. So it's no surprise that in tonight's Dairy Farmers East/West AA/AAA All State Volleyball Series at North Central, seven of the 11 players on the East AA/AAA team are from the GSL.

Lightning isn't supposed to strike twice in the same spot. But there's a place in Spokane that defies the laws of chance - the 16th hole at Liberty Lake Golf Course. On Friday, Spokane's Michael Regan hit a hole-in-one on the 144-yard hole using an 8-iron. Less than two weeks before, on June 29, he hit one at the same hole using the same club.

Not even one third of the Northwest League baseball season has been completed, but the Boise Hawks appear to be well on the way toward winning their fourth consecutive championship. Monday night at Seafirst Stadium, the Hawks defeated the Spokane Indians 8-2 to take three of four games from the Indians in their only visit to town this season. If you didn't get a chance to see the Hawks, well, that's too bad. Fundamentally, on and off the field, the Hawks are the poster boys of organizational stability.

Spokane second baseman Kenderick Moore tags out Boise's Eduardo Ferrer, but can't turn double play. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

1. Coach Mike Davis looks for answers during an 11-12-year-old game. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Molly Carlson, right, shows her defensive ability on Sunday afternoon. Carlson is a member of the Spokane Stars. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Center Court looms for many teams playing in championships. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Four admirers check out action in one of the women's games along Spokane Falls Boulevard while trying to get a tan in the process. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 3. Adina Bruketta, left, and Cindy Bruketta traveled from Kittitas to cheer on Adina's daughter in the 10-11-year-old girls division at Hoopfest. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

1. CdA's Carly Hutton, left, Katie Schlotthauer and Candace McEnespy rest. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. No child's play here: Members of the Jern Jammers look for an opening in their battle with the Sharp Shooters on a Riverside Avenue proving ground. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 3. Kraig McCoy of Seattle takes a break between games. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1. A rebound battle was the order of the day beneath a basket Saturday along Spokane Falls Boulevard. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Spectators collect souvenirs left by an overzealous slam-dunk contestant. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

To this day, Robert Martin and his doctor don't know what caused him to have a cardiac arrest during Hoopfest weekend of 1993. An uncle on his father's side of the family died of heart problems some years ago. But to the best of Martin and his family's ability, they haven't been able to trace a history of heart problems. Three years later, Martin, 26, now has 750 reasons to believe such an event won't happen again.

In the tunnel leading to the Eugene locker room after a 9-4 win over Spokane on Sunday, it sounded like the Emeralds had lost and not won. Jim Saul, the Emeralds' manager, was yelling at the top of his lungs because his team was only given hand towels to dry off with after showering. "This is the second day in a row we've been given these little-bitty towels!" Saul said in his southern Appalachian Mountain accent. "I'm a mild-mannered man (from Bristol, Va.) - I don't get mad very often!" Saul went back to the dugout and made his demand to at least two employees. The best the Emeralds could get were two full-sized towels.

Despite being included among 122 women in the American Basketball League's initial draft pool, Washington State's Jenni Ruff was passed over Wednesday in the league's inaugural player-selection process, held in San Jose, Calif. The eight-team league will limit rosters to 10 active players and three alternates. Though Ruff didn't make it, former Moscow High and University of Texas star Andrea Lloyd was selected in the seventh round by the Columbus, Ohio franchise. Montana State's Cass Bauer was chosen by Columbus in the fifth round.

B baseball Somebody call the Securities Exchange Commission. The DeSales Irish have a monopoly on Washington State B baseball championships. Saturday at Seafirst Stadium, DeSales beat Davenport 8-3 to win its fifth straight state crown. It was Davenport's first trip to state.

A baseball Kiona-Benton entered Saturday night's State A Championship game against Lakewood the way "All My Children" soap opera star Susan Lucci enters an Emmy Awards presentation. Most people have lost track of the number of times Lucci has been denied an Emmy after having been nominated, but Ki-Be knew this was its third straight trip to the state championship game and the Bears hadn't claimed a crown in the previous two. That trend changed last night. Ki-Be beat Lakewood, 7-0, at Seafirst Stadium.

B baseball/AAA/AA softball When you hear Davenport, it's only natural to think of wheat farming and girls basketball championships. This weekend, Davenport baseball could inch its way into the town's hallowed lore. The Gorillas' baseball team will make its first appearance in the State B playoffs when it takes on Kalama at 4 p.m. at Seafirst Stadium on Friday.

Ferris catcher Jon Steinman (18) and coach John Thacker await relief pitcher Ryan McClenny, who also had no luck. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review