The Sting can only hope the horror of its worst start in six seasons of indoor play is in the past when it meets the improved Pittsburgh Spirit (6-4) on Friday the 13th. Unless the Sting (2-7) maintains its recently renewed intensity level, it can expect a frightening time.
”No way is Chicago going to be an easy team,” said Spirit coach Don Popovic. ”They`re a much better team than their record. Any team with Karl-Heinz Granitza around is a tough team.
”Chicago always starts slow and then comes on strong. They`re doing that now. If they had Pato Margetic . . .”
Popovic didn`t complete the thought, but Sting management, players and even fans want to. Everyone`s getting antsy waiting to see whether the standout forward, who walked out in a contract dispute Dec. 1, will ever play for the Sting again.
”We`ve got to sign Pato,” said Granitza. ”He should sign and I should play with him again. He`s ready. We need him so badly to improve our team. I wish all this would be decided.”
”Pato`s been doing what I`m doing,” said Sting owner Lee Stern, who returned late Thursday from an 11-day Florida vacation. ”Using a bicycle and swimming. I`m disappointed. I haven`t seen any indication that he wants to play for us again. We want to sit down with him, but he hasn`t said he will.” Stern and Margetic`s agent, Augustine Arbulu of Detroit, verbally agreed to a one-year contract Nov. 19, four days after Margetic became a free agent. Margetic left the team when told Stern wanted to make some modifications in the pact.
It will be one year Saturday that Margetic injured his right knee in a collision with Jeff Durgan of the Cosmos. Since then, Margetic has played in 7 of 52 Sting indoor matches. He has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery twice and was rumored to be ready for either the Spirit match or Sunday afternoon`s game against Minnesota–if he had signed.
