The sporting news 01 08 1996

THE ABA: 20 years later

Your COLLEGE HOOPS conference primer PLUS: Dave Kindred, final NFL stats and much more

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health. « mg ‘tar*. 1.2 mg nicotine a* per cigarette,!*fTOmelhoi

3 January 8,1996

VOICES 6

Dave Kindred: An Olympian effort helps Atlanta orga­ nizers correct their mistake.

Diane Pacta: Michael Jordan isn't what he used to be, but in crucial times, he's still the gcHo guy.

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Letters

FOOTBALL 9

Wild Cards: Don’t expect an NFC surprise unless Ea­

gles Coach Ray Rhodes' motivational magic continues against the Cowboys or Green Bay defensive coordi­ nator Fritz Shurm ur's familiarity with the 49ers sparks an u p se t In the AFC. the Bills have gone from laugh* ingstocks to sentimental favorites.

14 Bob Glauber. Many burdens have made this season less than Super for Troy Aikman.

15 N R Statistics 16

N R Motes

39 bran Maisei: Everyone had Georgia on their mind ex­ cept Kansas Coach Glen Mason.

BASKETBALL 22 Out of Their League: The American Basketball Associ­ ation folded 20 year ago, but not before giving its fans the w ackiest m ost colorful cast of characters profes­ sional sports ever had seen.

28 Shaun Powell: Seventy reasons why Michael and the Bulls will stay competitive.

Georgetown’s ALLEN IVERSON is at his best when be penetrates the defense, meaning the game has changed from Coach John Thompson’s norma! big-man-first approach.

29 NBA Insider 30 Conference Call: An insider s view of what to look for as schools enter conference play.

32 Mike DeCourcy: Playing against the zone defenses of Tem ple and Syracuse can be like playing in the Twi­ light Zone.

33 College Insider

Spirits of the ABA

HOCKEY 35 Larry Wigge: T h e re s no secret to how big diminutive Doug GQmour plays.

38 NHL Insider

BASEBALL 40 Marty Noble: T h e re s no such thing as a borderline Hall of Fainer.

41 Baseball Notes

DEPARTMENTS 4 Openers 44 The Sports Marketplace 47 The C loser The colorful ABA reached its zenith at the 7 6 AU-Star Game.

Cover photo o f Wayne Gretzky by Gary Moss/Outline.

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Gus Gerard. Double G. Of ail the players in the old American Basketball Association, great players . such as Artis Gilmore and, of course.

Dr. J. the one player I rem em ber most is Gus Gerard.

Gus was a 6-foot-8 forward from Virginia who played two seasons in the ABA. a year and half with the Spirits of S t Louis. Now. I rem em ber Gus as having a solid game. And actually, reading accounts of him now. he probably was a better player than I ever gave him credit for being.

But if Gus G erard is my sole recollection'of the ABA. it helps you

for the game of basketball among those who run the game and those who play the game.

T h e re s great irony here. In large part, isn’t that what helped lead the ABA down the path of destruction? Style and flair over substance. Wilt Chamberlain as a coach?

Movin’ Marvin Barnes.

M arketing and music.

There is, no doubt, a positive lasting influence, too. The ^pointer The dunk contest.

But maybe if more of us rem em bered the Gus Gerards of the ABA. the better off the game would be

T o s u b s c rib e to T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S or m ake a c h a n g e of a d d re ss If you are an e x istin g s u b s c rib e r, see Pag e 19.

Pubtehed by

tsnsub@aol.com

FROM THE EDITOR

understand why the league dissolved 20 years ago. (OK. its not my sole recollection of the ABA; my brother did buy a red. white and blue basketball that sits deflated and lifeless in the b asem en t somewhere.)

If your recollection of the ABA is as fuzzy as mine, or even if it’s better, you ll enjoy reading Terry Pluto's piece on Meyerfcoff the Demise of the ABA. (Page 22.). Pluto, a sports columnist for the Akron (0.) Beacon Journal, wrote the consum m ate book on life in .ABA. “Loose Balls," in 1990.

Terry also recently published another book. Tailing From Grace. Can Basketball Be Saved?" (reviewed in TSNV December ll). In that book, Pluto makes the case that there is little Respect

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THE SPORTING NEWS (ISSN 0038-805X ) January 8. 1995. Vol. 220, No 2. ts published weekly. except sem j-weekfy during a week in January. March. Apr.l Aug u st Septem ber. October. D ecem ber and two w eeks rn Novem ber tor a total cf 61 issu es per year by THE SPORTING NEWS PUBLISHING COMPANY 12 1 2 Norm Lindbergh BMI.. S t Louis. MO 63132. Second cla ss postage paid at S t Louts. MO and additional mailing offices For subscription service wnte to THE SPORT ING NEWS. P O. Box 10755. D es M oines. IA 50340-0755. Subscription pnce is $60.00 to r 60 issu es Subscribers rn Canada and ether countries add $46 80 per 60 issu es. Air Mail rates available on req u est Allow s a w eek s for change of address. P ostm aster Send address changes to THE SPORTING NEWS. P O Box 10755, D es'M anes. LA 50340-0755. THE SPORTING NEWS a ssu m es no responsibility for the return of unsolicited m anuscnpts. color negabves cr transparencies COPYRIGHT © 1995 THE SPORTING NEWS. PRINTED IN U S A CANADA GST REGISTRATION NUMBER R -124853730 THE SPORTING NEWS <s a fed­ erally registered trademark of THE SPORTING NEWS PUBLISHING COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Panted in USA

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4 • OPENERS

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The Sporting News *

CAI'GITT ON THE RY

As usual, the Bucs don’t know where they’re headed Fly (college football’s impostor child) played for the Longhorns this season, too.

■ If its January, it’s Spurrierumor time: The Spies say the most important thing in the Bucs’ , gettin’ a new coach hired is location, location, lo­ cation. Until the stadium issue is resolved. RJcfcle McKay can forget about iurin' J in n y J. or Coach Superior Pete Carroll7 That s another matter (like if/when the 49ers get bumped from these here playoffs).

■ Fly noticed two things cornin’ outta this here Bowl Alliance: I) an undisputed national champ; 2) lots-o-fans wearin' empty-sekt suits at a lotta bowls.

■ Hey-yo NYGints fans. Fly’s readin' between porous offensive and ineffective defensive lines when Baa R a m s says he’s not AJ.Kalgin' it. He says he’s just "looking for an opportunity to win.

That’s the bottom line " The schedule gets easi­ er next season, but Danny Boy's chances of lastin' through his contract? A snowball in hell/Gints Stadium.

■ Nobody asked Fly (shaddupl). but looks like Kenny Rogers pulled a se­ rious rock when he turned «iown the stKangers’ fouryear. Si 7.5-mil of­ fer and took $19.5 mil in the Big/Rotten Apple. "Hie Pinstripes were biddin’ against, urn. nobody, but Rogers didn’t take into account lo­ cal/state taxes that ll make the deals about even. Now the Gambler’s gotta put up with a coupla things (three if va count pennant races) that you won’t find in Arlington: I) The Boss, and 2) batteries tossed from the upper deck.

■ Speaking of the Pinstripes, Bob Watson’$ marchin’ orders were win and cut payroll, and as far as Fly* can tell (shaddup!). he’s addressed only haha the equation so far.

About $43 mil of The B on ' money is committed to *96 pacts, and thauloesn’t include five arbitration-eligible cogs: reliev­ ers John Watte brod. Bob Wlckmao and Jeff Reboa. outfielder Berate Williams and utilityman Jba leyrttz. wholl add $8 mil

A date wttfe destiny. Johnson already has thought about the

ore: The day Barny Johnson was introduced as O s skip, he made some vague references about talkin’ to Cai about... schedule’ a day to end his streak. If it happens in *96, theres a chance Calli keep it (sniff) in (sniff) the family (honk!) by lettin’ recently signed bro Billy, who played short in the bushes last season, step in.

■ T he buzz is Charlotte couldn’t puh-ry Ollrw (Tto Really, Really, Really Big 0) Miller from the Raptors because teak likes the big guy. Ed Ptackaey, Cartes R ogeran-Jote S salley? They’re a different story.

■TexTech 55, Air Force 41? Hey-yo, don’t the Raiders know they're ticketed for the Big 12. not the WAC? ■ Speaking of the WAC. more evidence that its the not-ready-for-prime-bme conference in this here Alliance: The conference champ is now 1-9 in the past IO Holiday Bowls.

■ T he Eagles’re h o t for Pacta’s sake, but here's all ya need to know about the ’Boys-Eagles game: Mike tnrtfl's loose, and Troy’s got his best bug-eyed game face on after an off-week. “A bye helps your mind as much as your body." Irvin tells the Spies.

■ Fly hears the deakbreaker for Braca Snyder at UCLA was havin’ to deal with the media. Its a lot harder to lock the bunker in LA ti ran it is in Manhattan. The Spies wanted a response from Snyder, b u t... he wouldn’t return calls.

■ T he Spies say Orts Carter-a-Wanea Mooo’ve learned the Vikes’ secret handshake (which looks suspiciously like a finger pointin’ at anybody/everybody else), joinin’ a vintage Vikes All-Whine team: B en o te! (toey B a a l Usa Ma Right) W after, A attesy (to ey B o tt Pay H e Eaowgh) Carter and

unthinkable — putting an end to Ripken's streak o fall streaks.

Q e b (Fd Ratter Rave a Sack to a e a WM) B e to r n .

■ R ock R ailes tells the Spies that the ever-yawnin’ gap be­

to $9 mil to the bottom line.

■G len Mason proved that blood’s thicker than a six-year deal at $500,000 per not countin’ perks by stayin’ at K.U. “Family considerations" were the motivating factor, the Spies say, but before ya got all weepy’ on Fly, Mason did leverage a raise from $225,000 to $400,000 to stay in Lawrence (until say, his daughter's high school commencement ceremonies in spring-o-*98).

- ■ Even though Pete-n-Pat’re spendin’ dead presidents left­ hander over fist, the Spies point out a bigger story in Baltim­

tween the Pale Hose and the Indians was the divin’ board for him jumpin’ sinkm’ ship. “I don’t know if (the WTiite Sox) are closing up shop or what," he says.

■ T he Spies say Brtaa Mahooey has the same shelf life at S t John’^as Felipe Lopez. Red Storm fans'll forgive-n-forget losses to Big East heavyweights, but what in the name-oHalt Ben^s this here team doin’ losin’ to junior welterweight Iona?

■ Finally. Fly’s dream wild-card matchup: Olphins vs.

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His big break For Gheorghe Muresan. it might be the start of some­ thing big. Or in this case, something bigger.

Muresan. the Washington Bulats center who stands a really big 7 feet 7. is being courted by actor Billy Crys­ tal to appear in a movie Crys­ tal is planning to make. It is a sort-of sequel to the 1987 Rob Reiner comedy, “The Princess Bride." Andre the Giant the late wrestler, had a small role in that film, but Crystal wants to expand the part in the sequeL He has . been searching for a big. co­ ordinated guy to fiD the void and decided that maybe Muresan might be just right He certainly is tall enough to v .................................

A star b bone To Crystal, Muresan (top) is notjust anotherprettyface.

fill any screen.

The two had lunch during a recent Bullets road trip so Crystal could outline his ideas to Muresan, who really

hasn’t mastered English or its nuances. He wasn’t quite sure who Crystal was, nor what he was talking about But Muresan. no dummy.

understood enough to real­ ize this could be one huge extra job for him.

“I like my job," he says, “but this (the film offer) is good." lifthe movie. Muresan would rescue Crystal from a car accident a gesture that would lead to a friendship.

Just to make sure Muresan didn’t get too carried away with this potential new fame, his teammates quickly’ began the tease: “Doni go Holly­ wood oq us." they told him.

No chance.

“You know," says Mure­ san, “I have a good job now."

Lets see what he says once he catches the acting bug. The next thing you know, hell be complaining about type casting.

Openers compiled by Paul Aliner, Michael Knisley, Steve Meyerhoff, Carl Moritz, Amy Shipley and Larry Wigge.

OPENERS • 5

January 8,1996

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Comment Average.cbaching tenure since1970:2.2 years.

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Should be fined for putting Glanville-on the map.

Parcels wfii return, butfor how long?

A winner in town? Never.

Subtraction by subtraction: Sot rid of Jeff Blake, Pete Carroll.

Mora did the impossible: establish credibility

The one constant ModelPs meddling.

An intense winner in Ross.

If at first you don’t succeed, bring back Marion Campbell.

Rhodes is pointed in the nght direction.

Resilient Bills reflect Levy.

George Allen couldn’t make it through the '78 preseason.

Mile High expectations aren’t being met • A quantum leap: Frank Gansz to Marty Schottenheimer

Coaching is a many-splendored thing In this organization.

Is power struggle going to lead to plug-pulling?

Wayne wont-Wane, Defensive breakdowns cost Wannstedt a breakout year.

Dave Sltufa is defenseless but alive.

West Coasting to success in Cheeseland.

Oftthefast tracfcsmce-Gibbs NASCARed.outta there.

One big laugh since John McKay began spinning one-liners.

(toacftesfavfito " Green survives, and rightfully so.

The brain, the hair and the harebrained.

U n d e n t W S iW v e r In C b w f ie t ^ \ \ \ One of the greatest streaks in pro sports. '

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The lore of Danville Stadium may not be as grand as, say. Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. but like a lot of small stadiums in a lot of small towns across America it holds a treasure of memories.

On July 6.1996, Danville. 111., will cele­ brate its baseball past with the 50th an­ niversary' of its stadium. Opened in 1946 with a team affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers, it has seen the likes of Jackie Robinson and Carl Erskine, Darrell Porter and Charlie Leibrandt, Devon WTiite and Dick Schofield, even John Goodman as the Babe.

Yet the only baseball this stadium has seen for the last 11 years is baseball at the grassroots level: high school and college level ball. The last professional team to call Danville home was a Brewers farm team in *82. This will be a celebration of baseball inasmuch as it is a celebration of celebrity.

The city is putting out a call for anyone who played for a DanviDe team in Danville Stadium.

If you’re a Danville Stadiumalum, call Jeanie Cook at 1-800-383-4386 or write P.O. Box 1041. DanviDe. rL 61834.

(To anyone who can remember, the tree that Duke Snider hit a ball through is still standing.)

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Not often in intercolle­ giate athletics do you find the marketing director tak­ ing the blame for a basket­ ball loss. But Pat Forciea, the Cniversity of Minneso­ ta's assistant athletic director for marketing, points the finger directly at him­ self for the Gophers' 70-67 loss to California or>D^ cember 16.

Forciea let himself be talked into moving the game out of Minnesota's cozy, oncampus Williams .Arena and into the Twin Cities' spa­ cious Metrodome. He let it happen for three reasons: 1.) The NCAA wanted a lest run in the Dome for this spring's Midwest Regional.

2.) The department want­ ed to expose Clem Haskins* team to a wider audience than the one that regularly crams into the 14.300-seat Williams Arena; and 3.) The chance to make another few bucks with a bigger crowd was terribly tempting.

So be it. Minnesota vs Ca) in the Metrodome In the game's first few min­ utes. the Gophers trailed 92: and the crowd, so much a part of Minnesota's homecourt advantage in Williams .Arena, never managed to make enough noise in the Dome to make a difference.

"I hate to lose.- Forciea says. “And I hate even more feeling that if I hadn't opened my big mouth a year ago about playing a game at the Dome, maybe it wouldn't have happened Maybe we would have played across the street (at Williams) and won a big game." .At least Forriea's bottomfine reasons for suggesting the rpove to the Metrodome were valid. The game drew about 25.000 fans, including a large number of children, and the payday for the ath­ letic department was about SlOO.OCO more than a Williams Arena game would have been. But it isn't enough to soothe his con­ science.

Says Forciea: "I remem­ ber turning to my wife at halftime and saying. *My God. if we could just figure out a way to get a bunch of buses over here and get everybody to climb in so we could just go five min­ utes down the road to Williams .Arena, we d kick their ass in the second half.*"

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6 • VOICES

The Sporting News

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Jim Thorpe wins again i«ca Ean0MEA»

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Sam Muzny is a big ol' Soon­ er linebacker who lives on 600 acres of north-central Okla­ homa cattle land settled bv his family 108 years ago. He reck­ ons he*s about 6 feel 5 and 255 Stone heard an earful including this firom Gail Tliorpe. Jim Thorpe’s pounds now. down some since his knees started hurting sc* bad. As oldest living child: for heritage, he’s Irish. Moravian. Bohemian and Cherokee. AII of I t hurts my heart lo know that the man almost singlehandedly re­ which brings up a question: Would you pick a fight with Sam? sponsible for making the modem Olympics the success thai it enjoys The Atlanta Olympics did. today ti ignored and forgotten by the very organization he helped lo Atlanta lost put on th e worid map.... IrhaBenge the Atlanta Olympic organizers In November. T h e S p o r t in g Ntrws talked to Sam Muzny because lo acknowledge their blunder by initiating and resiructurmg the he had started a campaign to do right by Jim Thorpe. \Mien the At­ torch run to pass through Sac and Fox tribal lands and his birthplace lanta folks announced the Olympics torch run across 15.000 miles of in Prague." .America, they said the flame would go to Thorpe s birthplace — hon­ One week later, another of Thorpe’s daughters. Grace, answered oring the hometown and the Sac and Fox Nation of the Native Ameri­ the telephone at home in Prague. The call came from the clouds. can who may have been our greatest Olympian.

"Lori Stone called from an airplane on her way home for Christ­ Onh‘ Atlanta named the wrong town. Yale. mas." Grace Thorpe says. “She said the torch route would be It's Prague. * Yale is 50 miles away and has nothing to do with Thorpe s birth. changed to include P ra ^ e ." _________^__________________ Torch weasel David Sam Muzny told us. "Atlanta’s Emanuel now admits a mis­ not u-anting this to be the ‘Bub­ ‘For a while, everybody here was getting ba Ohm picsf But they can't tak e He now says the idea aD even gel Jim T h o rp e's birth­ along was to honor Thorpe. discouraged because Atlanta was paying Emanuel s a ^ the route will be place rig ^ t rrhe only place Jim Thorpe isn't big is with changed. no attention to them, hanging up the Work is under way to take those crackers in Georgia. So it is the 'Bubba Olympic^' Some­ the torch th r o u ^ Sac and Fox body screwed up ... and rather tribal lands as weD as Prague telephoneon them, insulting them. But this is than fix it. they just want us to and Keokuk Falls. The change go away. We're not going any­ adds 20 mfles to the 15.000 wonderful now. and we thank everybody where until they get it rig h t’ planned. The torch should be * Soon enough, and proud of it in Prague on May 18 or 19. who helped u s . ' Muzny made himself a nui­ "It’s wondarful" Grace sance. He wanted Atlanta to Thorpe says. "For a while —Glace Tnorpe change the torch route. He ____________________________ everybody here was getting wanted an admission that Yale’s d is c o u r a ^ because Atlanta only connection to Thorpe was as his home for s k years during his was paying no attention to them, hanging up the telephone on them, lirae as a pro athlete, long after his grealesj fame. The birthplace was insulting fiem . But this is wonderful now. and we thank everybody really Keokuk Falls, a Sac and Fox village a ghost town .just out­ who helped us." side Prague.

Next up for Grace Thorpe: a campaign to have her father named Atlanta’s weasels would admit nothing. Torch relay manager David The Assodated Press Athlete of the CCTtury. "And mention, please, Emanuel.even told us the torch run was not meant to honor Thorpe that we’re woridng to keep nuclear waste off our tribal lands." but to honor all Native Americans in Oklahoma. No mistake. No As for Sam Muzny. the old linebacker, he’s worn o u t “I feel tired, route change. beal up and let down." he says. "I was just getting ready to fight dirty.

"By refusing lo admit they'd screwed up," Sam Muzny say’s, th e y I was ready to do mean and nasty th in ^ — when Atlanta turns made the.^lhing an international incident." around and does die right thing."

Muzny has spoken to reporters from Ponugal. Spain. France. EngHow nasty? "Vile and lurid things. Things that’d make a maggot iatd. ireland. Germany and Switzerland. A Japanese newspaper sent gag." Muzny laughs out loud: “Fm not proud. Fra easOy entertained, a sportswriter to Prague. Muzny spoke to Stockholm’s Dagens Nyrrn from Oklahoma. If Atlanta hadn’t done the right thing — well. heter. that paper asserting a proprietary interest in Thorpe because it Fve been taBdnglo the Lakota Times. They love to pick Indian-rights was in Stockholm that he won the decathlon in the 1912 Olympics fights. And I was about to go to those morons rn the American Indian and heard King Gustav V say. “Sir. you are the greatest athlete in the Movement And if somebody had asked me to, Fd have danced worid."

J naked around that campfire again." *Tve done 40 sports talk shows all over the country.'* Muzny says.

By th a i Muzny refers to hakyon days of impetuous youth. In high T h e United Stales Olympic Committee caDed the Thorpe chfidren to school with the Prague Red D e ^ s . Sam Muzny and his*friends went say they knew where Jim Thorpe was bom. So did the International out to Keokuk Falls, to the very piece of ground where Jim Thorpe Olympic G>mmittee. I'd guess the Atlanta people got some heat from was bom. They lit a bonfire. They got naked and they danced. AD there, loo." this they did by way of a pep rally for die next night’s footbaD ^ e .

Sports Illustrated wrote about the flap. as did The New York So. here’s a rule of life the Atlanta.Committee for die Olympic Times. The Atlanta JoumakConstitution tweaked the torch folks who Games now understands; Never pick a fight with folks who ctoce couldn't open any r^erence book and learn where Jim T h o r ^ was naked around can^ifires. # bom.

On December 15. Atlanta sent a representative to Prague. Lori Dave Kindred is a contributing toriterfbrTm SPORING News.

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ii

VOICES • 7

January 8,1996

Sending the message Air mail Michael Jordan isn’t what he used to be, but he might lead the Bulls to 70 victories

Diane PUCiN

T he score is startling. Pacers 103. Bulls 97. A loss for M ichael’s team? How did that happen?

T he Bulls were 23-3 after that loss in In­ dianapolis last week, and the result d oesn ’t change the fact that the Bulls have played the m ost fabulous basketball in the NBA for two m onths. T his team is without a very good center (Luc Longley) and h as a onelegged point guard (Ron Harper). Still there is talk in Chicago, serious talk, about break­ in g the season-victory total of 69 gam es owned by the 1971-72 Lakers.

Bulls fans have taken to .figuring out w here the other nine lo sses will com e, as if it is a certainty that there will be only nine other losses. And that there will be 47 more victories.

T his seem s so unrealistic, such a silly ex­ ercise. T he Lakers team that won 69 gam es had a 33-gam e winning streak, after all. which m akes the 13 straight the Bulls were w orking on before their lo ss to th e Pacers seem like nothing more than winning a baek-to-back daily double. And yet Michael Jordan, who quit dealing in unreality when he quit the grand baseball experim ent, is asked the question. Is 70 w ins possible?

Jordan d o esn ’t blow off the question, d oesn ’t act as if it is inconceivable.

“Seventy wins?" Jordan says. He repeats the question. He wants to make no wrong as­ sumptions. ‘‘I f s way, way out there. But if s re­ alistic. rd love to do that, but I don’t want to be on the team that wins 70 gam es and doesn’t win the championship. I'd rather be on a team that wins 50 and wins the championship."

Jordan isn’t “Air" so much any more. H e’s goin g to turn 33 in about five w eeks, which m eans his leg s aren't so springy, which m eans he can’t jump so high that he can hang in the air. He can’t fly.

Instead. Jordan has becom e Oscar Robert­ son, and h e still leads the league in scoring.

Ifs not that Jordan still d o esn ’t have more athletic ability than 90 percent of the NBA players. He does. He can still lean his chest le ft have his le g s m ove right and break a double team by becom ing a Slinky. He can still elevate just a sm idgen higher than the sbot-blocker. He can still slam. H e can still take your breath away. Just not as often. Just not as irresponsibly. Jordan must conserve him self now, save the pyrotechnics for cru­ cial plays, crucial gam es, crucial seconds.

But now that h e isn’t outjumping and outdunking the league. Jordan has becom e

|

Robertson. Jordan plays the gam e by feel as with the pressure of being “T he Player." Now much as by jumping. He know s where every­ Jordan is back, and Pippen is freed of any re­ body is all the time. Jordan knows the best sponsibility except to run the floor, get him­ spots for Jordan.to have the ball. He also se lf op en , score, defend. Jordan is the knows the best spots for Scottie Pippen to« sp okesm an . Jordan is happy to accept the duty of scoring the winning basket in the last have the ball, for Luc Longley and Toni five seco n d s. But Pippen m akes it p ossib le Kukoc and Ron Harper to have the bah for Jordan to score the winning b a sk e t The fashionable thing is-to say that Pippen Jordan says that he and Pippen ‘ are pretty is the MV? of this team and maybe of the league. And Pippen is having a fabulous sea­ much on the sam e level now." That is sm art Pippen used to resent Jordan. Now. Jordan is son. All of his stats are up. Hevis the best point making Pippen feel like the MVP and helping guard the Bulls have, the best defender, the most spectacular scorer. Jordan has said this him play like the MVP. It will be wonder­ year that the Buffs ful to watch the next are Pippen’s team H e c a n still l e a n h is c h e s t left few m onths, to see now. who has the best O utside experts one-two punch. The h a v e his l e g s m o v e right sm ile at this.

'B u lls, with Jordan ‘ Let’s be real­ and Pippen? Or the and break a double te a m istic." says Jazz M agic, with Shaq Coach Jerry Sloan. and Hardaway? Just by be c o m in g a Slinky.

“T'ou have to admit, think how much fun they w eren ’t quite the NBA Eastern as good without H e c a n still t a k e y o u r b r e a t h Conference finals be­ MJ" tw een the Bulls and But what is also a w a y . J u s t not a s o f t e n . the M agic will be. It clear is that Pippen will be a terrible let­ is an ex cellen t J o r d a n m u s t s a v e the down if th ese team s front-runner. T his don’t m e e t ♦ is not a knock. p y r o t e c h n i c s for cr ucia l p l a y s , W ithout Jordan, Diane P uan is a Pippen becam e columnist for the cr ucia l g a m e s , cr ucia l s e c o n d s sulky and unhappy Philadelphia Inquirer

Baffs eyes: Jordan and Pippen (belowJ are even more devastating as a team now because Michael isn't trying to do everything.

He 5 picking his spots and letting Scottie beam up some magic of his own.

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8 • VOICES

VOICE OF THE FAN The business of sports

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T h e most glaring ; omission from your list was the fans!’ . . .

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w &?> I.**«* A 1 #r ---1/ ’HE'S BIO! HE'S BAD! HFS BflCillJ I I suppose Ishould not be surprised that the TSN IOO list was.almost IOO percent made up of persons involved with television rights, owning franchises, being agents or commissioners. CEOs and marketing per­ sons or some other area of sports that pro­ duces money. It is not very difficult to see why there are strikes, bargaining agree­ ments, lockouts, free agents and incredible salaries: The world of sports is no longer run by sportsmen.

Barney Lanier Birm ingham , Ala.

Seeing is believing Regarding Mike DeCourcy's a lle g e bas­ ketball parting shots (TSN. December 18): Haring been fortunate enough to witness the last UMass-UConn matchup — it is a BIG deal. The New England area needs more of these types of rivalries, not less.

Chris Prawner New York

More isn’t always better

A t your service

In Shaun Powell’s NBA Report (TSN. De­ cember 18). he implies that Pat Riley is a bet­ ter coach than PauTWestphaL This implica­ tion must be because Riley has more cham­ pionships than WestphaL However, Riley s coaching abilities (or lack thereof) had no bearing on his getting those rings. Riley has championship rings for only one reason: Magic Johnson.

Kudos to Dave Kindred for his statement that the three major Service academies are the last remnants of big-time college football as it ought to be (TSN, December 18). That’s one reason IVe had Navy season tickets for many of the 20 years since I graduated from high school. Why don’t the NFL prep ' schools and the prison camp schools quit pretending to be college football programs, leave the NCAA and create an NFL minor league? Give college football back to schools like Navy. Army and A r Force, where educa­ tion. and not football is the purpose for the school’s existence.

Glenn Langdon Garden Grove, Calif.

Snowballed out I had the displeasure of attending the Giants’ last home game of the season when they played the San Diego Chargers — the one that should have been called and nev­ er was (TSN, January I). I'd like to salute the idiots who were pelting the 10-year-old boy and his father as they tried to scram­ ble out of the seating area to escape the snowballs being thrown from everywhere like a war* zone. You guys showed me everything that could possibly be wrong with humanity.

Joe Gabel Clifton, NJ.

Voting rights In Bill Plaschke’s article regarding Pro Bowl voting (TSN. December 25). he says.

T h e average fan doesn’t know a blocking tackle from a block and tackle." First of all.

Einstein, this is not a presidential election.

What’s the difference who plays? The fans should see who they want to see. After all. they do pay the player's salary* (and yours, for that matter). Seamdly, for you to make such an insensitive, moronic statement about fans like th at you must not spend too much time talking to them.

Thomas La Bella New Rochelle, N. Y

Curtain call Congratulations to Greg Lloyd, Camel] Lake and Yancey Thigpen for being selected to the Pro Bowl A llihreeare having excep­ tional years. While Lloyd is a solid force on the Steelers defense. Thigpen has made a wonderful contribution to the offense. Pitts­ burgh has yet to prove itself in the playoffs, but these three players have done a fine job.

Todd C. Jensen Salem, 0.

Michael Calo Annapolis, Md.

Not everyone’s All-American A couple of comments on your 1995 College Football All-America team (TSN. December 18): First of all Tommie Frazier for first-team quarterback and TSN Player of the Year? lf you feel you must give it to an option quarterback, how about Beau Morgan? He had an equally impressive season at Air Force without all of Frazier’s weapons, lf you do decide to give it to a real quarterback, try Danny WuerffeL Also, why don’t you admit that Troy Davis was the best player in the nation this year? lf aD the people who said Davis deserved the Heisman but couldn’t win it would have voted for him, he would have won.

Brandon Walby Postville, la.

I was very disappointed, to say the least, when I turned to the All-American team list Listed on your second team was tight end Pat Fitzgerald of Texas. It seems you over­ looked Brian Roche from San Jose State, a bigger, faster and stronger tight end who put

up more impressive numbers this year. San Jose’s schedule also was packed with big games (Stanford, Cal San Diego State and USQ. and he finished second in the country among tight ends with 66 catches for more than 700 yards. And he was named to the Associated Press All-America second team.

Becky Roche Chino Hills. C alif

Alive and well in K .C .

As a big fan of the Chiefs. I would like to make a few points to Bob Glauber. Bdl Plaschke, Paul Armer and everyone else who' from the preseason and throughout the year wrote the Chiefs off for dead and gave them no chance.

This team finished 13-3, best record in the NFL This team went a perfect 8 0 in the AFC West, where no team had a record be­ low .500. This had not been accomplished in the division since 1975. This team allowed the fewest points in the NFL This team has now made the playoffs she consecutive years, a streak no other team can match.

The Kansas City-Chiefs were undeniably the best team in the NFL this season. Not bad for someone picked to finish sixth in a five-team race.

M ark Mager Kansas City, Mo. I

Got a comment? would love to hearfrom you. Write Voice o f theFan, 1212 N. Lindbergh B h d , S t Louis, Mo. 63132, fax your message to Us at 314993-7723, or send us electronic m ad at tsnmad@aoicom. Be sure to indude your name and city with your em ail. THE S po r tin g N e w s reserves the right to edit lettersfo r brevity and content ' T h e S porting N ew s

NFL * 9

January 8,1996

THE NFC PLAYOFFS

Tafcfeg w tag: The Eagles need

IaceUencefrom Barnett, who made a 22-yard touchdown catch during a 31-0 secom^quarter run thai crushed the Lions.

Inspired by their miracle-working coach, the Eagles are taking their mystical tour to Dallas. ’ They can’t rise again, can they?

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oaching. Barry Switzer wiD tell you, is overrated. “It's personnel" he says.

“If I have better players than you, I win. It's that simple. I can dazzle you with a lot of talk about Xs and O s and ten­ dencies and that junk. But hell doesn’t mean anything. Players are what it is all about" TeD that to the Eagles and watch them laugh. They'll tell you about a certain game a few weeks ago when Switzer coached his Cowboys to a loss against them by twice go­

ing for a first down when he should have punted. And they'll tefl you that they are still alive this season, still clawing unexpectedly for a Super Bowl berth, because they've been transformed into a respectable outfit by the coaching hocus-pocus of Ray Rhodes. Supe­ rior personnel should enable the Cowboys to win Sunday's NFC semifinal game against the Eagles, but that shouldn’t diminish at all the magnificent job Rhodes has done in raising Philadelphia from the football graveyard.

The Eagles simply shouldn’t be in the play­ offs, much less traveling to Irving. In one sea­ son, Rhodes has given the Eagles backbone.

discipline, pride and a fighting spirit that makes them play much better than their talent should aflow. He has rescued a franchise dial finished last season with seven consecutive losses, mixed in one major free-agent addition (Ricky Watters), added a load of second- and third-tier free agents and castoffs and gotten everyone — newcomers and holdovers — to view him as a football evangelist preaching a gospel that produces some miraculous resuits.

To an outsider, Rhodes' fire-and-bnmstone approach seems so much Hollywood of old. the wijvone-for-the-Grpper angle that lost its ef­ fect once contracts reached seven figures and players became free wander from club to club without a hint of loyalty. But in the after­ math of the Eagles' inexplicable 58-37 rout of the shameful Lions last Satua J * * . i; is obvious the man has got to be doing something right with his words. So watch out Cowboys: Who knows what magic hell conjure up for this one.

No one can ever measure the effect speeches have on athletes. How many times has the best pregame rhetoric been drowned out by horrible performances? We obviously only hear about the successful oratories. But Rhodes is riding quite a streak this season.

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Every time the Eagles seemed on the brink of reverting to their old bumbling selves, Rhodes has righted them with a well-placed word. His latest triumph came on the heels of Lions tackle Lomas Brown’s guarantee that Detroit not only would win but would put the game away before halftime, too. So Brown maybe got carried away. right? But to Rhodes, it was the opening he was seeking.

“The Lions don’t respect you," he told his players the night before die game. T hey dont give you credit for anything you have done this season. It’s like walking into your house, slap­ ping your family around and robbing you."

Rhodes doesnt smile much anyway, but he was steely serious by the timfc he shut up. He was angry. He wears five Super Bowl rings from serving as an assistant in San Francisco, and Brown wears none. “I could see if it hhd been s6meone who had been to a Super Bowl once or twice, but someone who doesn’t even know what it is like, he shouldn’t be making any guarantees," Rhodes said later.

Words can’t block or tackle, which is what an unrepenting Brown said after the game.

But considering that his team did little of ei­ ther — and Philadelphia did both so well — something must have been driving the Ea­ gles, the only home team in the first round not favored. If nothing else. Rhodes was able to use Brown’s outburst to grab the attention of his players and stop them from thinking too much about how inferior they were to the Lions. You have to ride whatever horse is available to get the job done.

What has emerged from a season of Rhodes’ motivational speeches is this: They are fighters. They may not be as good as you or as experienced or as highly paid, but when it comes to clawing and scratching and re­ fusing to say uncle, they’ll take you on every time. But more important they have gone from trying to win to becoming winners in less than a season. Some franchises have nev­ er achieved the latter status in their history.

Ask any coach: the hardest thing for a team to pick up is learning how to win. The Eagles now have done it 11 times this season.

T o u look at our people and you think we don’t have the ability to win." says veteran guard Guy McIntyre, the former 49er and Packer and wearer of three championship rings. “But this is the one moment in sports where heart can overcome talent We make things happen. It took us a while to under­ stand that we had to become fighters, but we finally decided (winning) was worth fighting tor and it has worked “It helps to have a coach like Ray. who has been around and demands that you fight and if you don’t you won’t be here. He will pull you or cut you. but he will demand it of you."

Teams in all sports talk way too much about not receiving enough respect But this is one case where it is true. Look at the Eagles' ros­ ter and see if you can muster a lot of confi­ dence in their abilities. There are few stars and a lot of journeymen. A lot of guys with limited futures who understand that hustle and hard work might earn them a few extra seasons.

But Rhodes, in his first season as a re placement for Rich Kotite, was smart enough to bring in veteran leaders who could hold things together in the most difficult, times.

When Philadelphia got off to a 1-3 start arid looked absolutely dreadful doing i t Rhodes talked to his veterans — players like McIn­ tyre and Rodney Peete — and told them they had better take it upon themselves to straighten out their teammates or the season would be lost “I could see it slipping away."

Rhodes says. A squad meeting, followed by some pointed words by Rhodes, stopped the bleeding and put the Eagles on die path to

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Now. all Rhodes is is coach of the year.

“I think we have reached the point where teams in the league better be thinking Vatch out' when they play us," says linebacker Bill Romanowski. another former 49er. “A lot of teams don't have a guy like Ray. He’s been there five times, bg. has that experience. That gives him inst^nfcredibility. Guys will listen to him and respect him because he has been there and done it." r f course, words can carry a team only so far. At some point having Peete at quarterback and employing an undersized defense will combine to end the Eagles’ journey. But watching Rhodes at work is a fascinating study of how players can be driven to exceed their natural gifts. And it is in such stark contrast to what has happened the last month in Dallas, where the Cowboys have consistently wasted their gifts, nearly blowing home-field advantage for the playoffs with their lethargy. Switzer was known at Oklahoma as a motivator, but that ability seems to have eluded him in the NFL But it can be difficult to reach a team that is used to winning and expects to overwhelm opponents merely by putting on the uniform. . In contrast, the Eagles, under Rhodes, have*come to relish the underdog role of an upstart team. “Ifs the position I like the best," Rhodes says. “I like to have people think we can’t do things. It serves as a motivator." This is a tough, tough man, a guy who bounced around for 14 years as an NFL assistant preparing himself for a head-coaching job.

and cut off Detroit’s long passing game. T d rather get beat by the train than the plane," Thomas says. Philadelphia wound up scoring 34 points off turnovers, finishing with the thirdhighest score in playoff history. This from a dub that hadn’t tallied more than 21 points the previous five weeks.

Now come die Cowboys, Whose offense broke down in the second half of that infa­ mous Switzer loss December IO. After inter­ mission, Troy Aikman was 6 for 22 for 45 yards and Emmitt Smith ran for IO yards after, gaining 98 in the opening hall And rookie cornerback Bobby Taylor limited Michael 'Irvin to a total of three receptions. This stout defense enabled the Eagles to rally from 14 down and win on Gary Anderson’s 42-yard field goaL In Week IO at Texas Stadium, the Cowboys romped, 34-12.

Because Dallas will stack its defense to stop the running of Watters — he gained 112 yards in the last meeting — Peete will have to play as well as be did against Detroit He had suffered through a horrible December, completing less than 50 percent of his passes and throwing seven interceptions. “My dad (Chicago assistant Willie Peete) told me to settle down and take care of the ball." Peete said after the Lions game, jn which he was 17 of 25 for 270 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. “I was not going to force any­ thing. But they did not respect us'with their defense. They were playing us to run." lf Watters can gain yardage behind a so-so line, if fellow back Chariie^Garner can bounce a few outside, ifreceiver Fred Barnett can ex­ cel as he did against Detroit, if the defense can pressure Aikman’and control Smith, if Taylor again negates Irvin, maybe, just maybe the Eagles’ magical, mystical tour will continue.against Dallas. But it’s not likely.

Still, Rhodes thought for a time that the rest of the league considered his team “a joke," even when it was challenging Dallas for the NFC East title. Hey, Ray. no one is laughing at you now. Especially in Detroit ♦

hoping some owner would finally give him a chance. You never know about these rookie Paul Attner is a senior writer for THE coaches. Can they make the difficult deci­ S p o rtin g s News. sions? Can they handle the extra demands of their new job? Can they be The Man? EAGLES 5B, DOHS 37 After benching Randall Cunningham for D M 7 • 0 14 ll J7 Peete in the fifth game, after chastising Wat­ P M rtM t . 7 XI ta 7 SI ters for talking too much after the opening F t* t a t a r (Andron ady. game, after chewing out anyone who dared loaf, Rhodes firmly established his turf. The Sacond ( ta ta r Rk-FG. Aadnon 21, 204.

Eagles had been a loosely run, uninspired R K -« x n B 22 P K I l e a Pm * (Antaean tidy. *17 group under Kotite. Lurie wanted that to 24 ta o e p t n (B m (A ndron tidy. &?i P* —M t a n l a n (A ndron tidy. I ta l change. Those were the orders for Rhodes.

R » -C » p « B r 43 PB I tom F t a (A ndron tidy. HOO Along with: Eventually, let’s win a Super TXM t a t a r F*k-w a n AS p n tam PMM (A nana) tidy. 23a Bowl Rhodes came in running, working hor­ R K ~ FQ .A nan onS l.8a rendously long days, agonizing about losses, R k - f a A n a n a s * ana.

D » -* tx n 68 pen to n Ita^oeta) ^tanexi tidy. t i l barely celebrating victories, obsessed with Oa-Ak*iar 7 pan tom t a * * frtn o n tidy. 11 41 succeeding and refusing to hear any negative ( F a r t ( ta ta r words. But he also is astonishingly honest :* FYi -TTo o b 30 W rap*® i b io (Andron tidy. 23 D»-Stian 2 pen tom ttatataU ( F ta i iw(. 82B and refreshingly consistent He has no short­ Bd ( t a i t c d ( t im p s i tom Ihfrnw frj i«50 term goals, only long-term dreams.

T h a t is what people don’t understand," Rhodes says. “I am not in the playoffs just to be here: I want to keep going. Just getting * here isn’t a particular goaL" Unfortunately for the Lions, they assumed the Eagles might be satisfied with this unex­ pected postseason appearance. Wrong. De­ troit brought in the league’s No. I offense and a sevengame winning streak. Seven turnovers RLKHNG—D BO * S n ta n ICMO. 3-16. R M n 3 1 later, after quarterback Scott Mitchell was R te * * * * . W a r n IM S , Gamer 12-71 M fcn p o o n M i. S e a l * * beached and Barry Sanders was held to 40 F w d M 7 . Cu rtn g B B M S PASSMQ—O B O L I f c t * 1329-4-155. I t t a 1*232-20. yards, the Lions had done nothing to refute Rtatatte. t a 172S 027Q. their reputation as a dome team without play­ . t a t 7-133. t a m 7-73. S t® 5*7. P r o w RECBVMG-OBoLI 32B, A a a 226, S a t in *18. t a x i 1-7. ( t a t B M 8-109. t a ­ off guts. tar* 344. C a ? * * 2 -C . M M U R t a w * 122. C ta fc rw M i.

A nifty bit of game-planning by the Eagles IC S S S ) H B I ) GOAL A T T B r r S - R t a * * * A n d r a 4 ! ffiB C S T O M S -e ir t t ** Action 1» . Thonm 1-Sa W tun thelped contribute to the Lions’ deterioration.

24. I H m ar M IL Zen** I i i G am * I-S. WOOF? RETURNS—OBot. t a x 6-108.Wfcrai M i. 0*14 Defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas decid­ R t a t a . Mhmpaoe Coni* i< i lfc S ta ed to move away from concentrating on RJN! RETU RKS~R*d*t*. C B p T O rM S .

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The Packers face another overwhelming challenge, but they hope familiarity breeds an upset

UWPY GASH I ASSOCIATE) PfltSS

January 8,1996

P K k M ta f it f . You wouldn't know it by their crowd-pleasing antics, but the Packers art carrying a mort mature attitude to San Francisco.

"You know what5 Why not’ varying defenses, tossing in different person­ "We know that San Francisco and Dallas, n el Anything to cause even the slightest con­ until someone beats them, are the best teams fusion for quarterback Steve Young. in the NFC. But you better believe we are go­ T v e had a lot of scars from 49er games, ing in thinking we can win the game." lots of holes in my belly." Shurmur says with Holmgren is convinced he has a more ma­ a laugh. "We’ve had some success against ture team this season, one that is better fo­ them. but they've gotten the best of me plen­ cused and more willing to look beyond the ty. too. They have such great personnel it satisfaction of simply making the playoffs. takes so much to overcome that I am going The players knew realistically they had no to rely on Mike a lot He is going to begin the chance against Dallas die previous two years. structure of our game plan. I mean, it would But the Cowboys and 49ers have proved vul­ be crazy not to take advantage of his knowl B yR A O U TTPt nerable this season. Though it will take a su­ edge’ perior effort by the Packers to overcome San Shurmur would like his chances a lot more t seems to be the same plot every year.

Frantisco, it.certainly is not outlandish to if Reggie White were healthy. White is hob­ The Packers win their wild-card game, think they can win. bled by a bad leg that was supposed toJ&ep then try to make a breakthrough against For Holmgren, the journey to the Bay area him out of the playoffs. He is limited to spot an NFC bully. And fail. The last two is filled with senti­ duty, no .more years, they were crushed by the Cowboys in m ent Many family than 15 plays, al­ the second round. This time, the 49ers are members still live though he says the overwhelming challenge. there, and he is the leg felt better But this time, there are differences. For proud of his asso­ in the Packers’ one, the Packers gradually are maturing, par­ ciation with the 37-20 first-round ticularly on offense, where quarterback Brett 49ers, who have victory over At­ Favre has emerged as one of the league’s not faced Holm­ lanta. Still with­ elite players. For another, their coaching staff gren during his out his best pass has as milch insight about what makes the four years with the rusher, Shurmur 49ers function as any in the NFL P a c k e r s . “We is having difficul­ know how much Coach Mike Holmgren, the former 49ers ty g e n e r a t i n g offensive coordinator, has installed a similar this game is going pressure on quar­ attack with his team. "Ifs like practicing to mean to him," t e r b a c k s . And against ourselves,’ Packers linebacker tight end Mark one of the essen­ George Koonce says about facing San Fran­ Chmura says. "He tial elements to cisco. The Packers' offense is not a duplicate is going to be very sto pp ing the of the 49ers\ but it is dose enough to seem emotional about it 49ers is getting veiy familiar to the Packers’ defense. Of He will want it an upfield push course, knowing what the 49ers are doing very badly. And from the front and stopping it are hardly synonymous. we’d like to win it four, so you don’t But the Packers also can rely Saturday on for him." have to blitz. . the experience of defensive coordinator Fritz But the key to TIK h M C M h |: Holmgren wdl be emotional about "We have had Shurmur, who spent nine years with the any hope the his return, and his players mayfeed offthat to change a lot of Rams plotting ways to throw the 49ers off Packers may have things without stride. He and Holmgren are spending long revolves around the crafty Shurmur, who Reggie," Shurmur says. "We are a little short hours together thisweek, trying to devise a on speed rushers (without him). So you have long has relished matching strategy with the game plan that wffl jprovide die Packers the 49ers’ braintrust Shurmur was the first to be­ to do a lot of juggling and maneuvering to playoff breakthrough they so desperately make up for it But Reggie is our trigger man, gin using nickel packages against San Fran­ want cisco on early downs. His goal has been to he’s the key who makes us go. I just wish he "We are going to win it all" says Holm­ somehow find a way to throw off the 49ers* could play more, because on the sideline he gren, a little grin on his face. He then adds: offensive rhythm by mixing up coverages. is a big pain. He is constantly bugging me to

I

go in.

This has been an enjoyable time for the Packers, who won their first outright NFC Central title since 1972. Even without re­ ceiver Sterling Sharpe, the Packers had the most productive offense of the Holm­ gren era by having Favre spread his pass­ es to a horde of receivers. In the process.

Favre threw for.38 touchdowns and more than 4.400 yards to emerge as the league's MVP. Yet the Packers can’t win a shootout with San Francisco. Somewhere in the game.

Shunnur's defense must contribute substan­ tially for Green Bay to make this season dif­ ferent from the last two. ♦ . Paul Attner is a senior tenter for TRK «' S p o r t in g N e w s .

Gnat) Bay

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The Sporting News

1 2 * NFL

Hold that line:

Bdk linebacker Comdms Bennett puts pressure on Dan Marino. The intense rushfrom Poop, Bennett and Smith could cause problem for the Steeled.

Sentimental journey The Bills have gone from laughingstocks to venerable favorites in the AFC B y^infllER wo years ago. after Buffalo had lost • its fourth consecutive Super Bowl one of my bosses suggested that the Bills had a certain dignity about them, that even th failure, they represented a courage of sorts, a never-say-die attitude that kept them coming back despite the losses. I quickly rejected the notion. I saw nothing positive in their championship performances, particularly the last three embarrassments.

This was a team symbolic of AFC bumbling. of Super Bowl dullness. It was a group that didn’t learn a thing from its previous mis­ takes. I wanted them to go away and stop tor­ menting us.

But darn it — and I thought I would never write these words — now you’ve got to feel a few pangs of appreciation for these Bills.

No longer the ruler of the AFC empire, the Bills have become sentimental favorites. Old

and creaky, they have rebounded from a year of playoff exile to advance into the second round of the playoffs. They’ve got no busi­ ness hanging around. Most of their stars are already eligible for their pensions, aren’t they? Regardless, as younger dubs are cele­ brating the new year at home, the Bills are preparing for their game Saturday in Pitts­ burgh.

Surely, however, this is just a fluke, a gift from the snow gods of western New York to the rest of the football world, isn’t ft?

“No.” says Redskins General Manager Charley Casseriy.wbo began his NFL career under George Allen, a man who fully appre­ ciated aging veterans. Even before the play­ offs began. Casseriy predicted the Bills would win a fifth AFC title, so he is no jump-orHhebandwagon guy. Casseriy has learned from Allen and. later. Joe Gibbs about the ingredi­ ents of a championship team. On the top of that list is experience. And experience is something the Bills have in abundance.

“It is huge." Casseriy says. "They have been there before and they have won. So they know what it takes, and they know if they do the right things, they can win.

T here is no guessing or dreaming involved.

And they have won on die road in the playoffs, too. Not many teams have done that I mean, you have a guy like (quarterback Jim) KeOy in there, pushing you. and it is hard to measure how valuable that is. Guys just naturally follow someone like that and start believing."

Hang around the Bills and it’s quickly ap­ parent who sets the tone. Kelly, Bruce Smith, center Kent Hull. Thurman Thomas has his own agenda, but when he feels like it, he can be an inspiration. How many years have we been hearing these names, reading their quotes, marking their accomplishments?

“I think they can ride this experience to the Super Bowl," Casseriy says. ‘It won’t be easy. because they are going to have to do it away from Buffalo, and ifs difficult to go into some' one elses place in the playoffs and win. But they wpn’t be rattled, and they will be prepared to show everyone they shouldn’t have been counted out."

he snickering you hear is from the old Bills, the guys who stilLbelieve they can win despite their thinning hair. "A lot of people wrote us off and didn’t pay any attention to us," says K ly, a real chip-on-the-shoulder type of guy.

T h a t’s why this year has been so much fun."

Hey', ifs tough to be the one on top that everyone is aiming at. Now, the pressure is on the Steelers and Chiefs, who face the Colts in the other semifinal These Bills, particularly on offense, are much more human now, filled with fragility.

The old, irritating swagger has been replaced by inconsistency and hesitancy. Kelly has been battered for so long that his body lets him down frequently. He fought through arm problems earlier this season, but it’s obvious that the fastball isn’t quite as blazing as in his prime. Nor does the hurry-up offense work with quite the efficiency of the Super Bowl years. And Andre .Reed has been hobbled with injuries, so his production has tumbled.

Instead of relying on passing, the offense has been carried the last few weeks by the running of Thomas. He, too, has had his ail­ m ents this season but has healed at the most opportune time. In vital games against SL* Louis and Miami, he rushed for 129 and 145 yards, respectively, then followed that with a

T

A S M tra p With 158yank, Thomas tiedJohn Riggins’playoffrecord ofsa lOOyard rushinggames

J a n u a r y

NFL • 13

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158-yard effort in last Satur­ day’s wild-card romp over the Dolphins. In that contest, Buf­ falo totaled an AFC-playoffreeord 341 yards rushing, de­ stroying w hatever pride Mia­ mi had left ip this horribly dis­ appointing season.

Someone asked the Dol­ phins’ M arco Coleman how his team might have stopped the Bills. “M aybe we should have killed Mar? Levy before the gam e," he said. It got so bad that som e Dolphins ap­ peared to simply give up and stop hustling.

T he giddy T hom as even feels a bit of that old Bills cockiness returning. ‘ If we keep playing like we played (against Miami),* he says, ‘see you in Arizona."

I am going to add another element to C a s s e ri/s formula for success. Toss in Levy as a pivotal reason for the Bills’ resurgence. Probably those four Super Bowl losses win keep him from receiving the recognition for excellence he deserves, but this man can coach. T he Bills w ere 1-2 dur­ ing his time away after pros­ trate surgery. As soon as he returned, they started their playoff drive.

Escaping mo Out of loyalty. Levy stayed too long with defensive coordinator Walt Corey, whose units were passive and unable to cope with the physical power of the NFC. Levy finally cut Corey loose after last season and hired Wade Phillips, who had been fired as D enver’s coach. Previously. Phillips had been the Broncos’ defensive guru, one of the best around. He gave the Bills' defense a m uch-needed jum p start, increasing their aggressiveness and restoring their pass rush.

“W hen you have a great defense, the sky is the limit," HuD says. ‘And right now. our defense is playing g re a t Frn looking forward to (Pittsburgh). Since Iv e been here. I haven’t had the luxury of playing with a de­ fense that can play the way ours can."

T he old BiBs defense relied on Bruce Smith for its pass rush. Now. he is aided by linebacker Bryce Paup, the form er Packer who was a terrific free-agent addition. Defen­ sive lineman Tim Jeffcoat the former Cowboy who now is a Bills reserve, claims the rush is so good “nobody in the league has seen one like this in years." Paup’s em ergence helped Levy off the field, too. He replaced Darryi Tal­ ley, a longtime Bills star and leader who moved over to Atlanta as a free a g e n t Paup's new teammates like him, so the loss of Talley didn’t hurt quite as much.

Of course, Pittsburgh is hardly Miami.

Unlike the Dolphins, the Steeiers have char­ acter, chemistry and guts. Previously a grindit-out bunch, the improvement of quarterback Neil O’Donnell has enabled them to become more diversified on offense. In fact they often fling it around like, w ell the Bills of old. To counter this passing game, Buffalo has a sec­ ondary that includes rookie cornerback Mar­ lon Kemer. backed by FHrael Johnson, a 1994 seventh-round pick. And rookie Ken Irvin. And reserve safety Greg Evans, who spent the *94 season on the practice squad. Dan Marino threw a record 66 tim es against this sec-, ondary, but it held up against the assault.

Nor are the Steeiers as uncoordinated on

Chicago, he was asked to make the reads off the de­ fense and try to find the dif­ ferent options and players and make it happen that way.

Here, he has just a few op­ tions to look a t and if they are not there, he has the ability to run or scramble long enough to make things happen. He can use his talents as an ath­ lete more so than just as a quarterback." No wonder Har­ baugh. of all people, led the league in quarterback rating this season.

“W e're the hot team right now." safety David Tate says.

“And somebody is going to have to knock us off. I don't think anybody on our team is in awe of Kansas City. We weren't in awe of San Diego, eh ther. I think this is a pretty lev­ el-headed group. W e're mak­ ing big plays, and that's what it can take for you to have a nice ride once you get this far."

OK, this is a nice Cinderel­ la story and all. but it will end against the Chiefs. Neverthe­ less, that doesn’t diminish an­ other nice tale that this game is producing. The story involves Colts safety Jason Belser. who made two interceptions against the Chargers. Seems Belser s Unlike the Bears'system, the Colts'scheme has given Harbaugh freedom to take advantage of his athletic skills. dad. Ceasar. was a defensive Chiefs, and Faulk is essential to making the defense as Miami. They will come after Kelly back for the Chiefs from 1968 to 1971. He won ground attack work. frequently, from various angles and positions. a Super Bowl ring with the team that upset the Not that quarterback Jim Harbaugh should T h e y are aggressive and they can hurt you Vikings after the 1969 season. be overlooked. He is one of those ugly-duckat times," Hull says. “lf you can get somebody “I live in a household where you see a Super ling stories, a makeshift passer who i i riding behind that secondary, you can really hurt Bowl ring every day." Belser safe. “That's our a confidence high. He continued his stellar them . Don Beebe had three touchdowns q u est That’s where you want to go. My team­ play Sunday, and his determination will help against them one year. But you’ve got to pick mates know about it. They know its impor­ the Colts com bat the noisy Kansas City up those blitzes, and that's som ething well tance. People who win the Super Bowl h a v r crowd that gives its team such a decided have to wprk on this week." something to last the rest of their lives." ♦ * home-fiejd advantage.

Still, for the Bills, it will come down to a lot Paul Attirer is a senior writer for Shaun Gayle, who was a teammate of Har­ of familiar scenes: Thom as running. Kelly Th*; SPO RTIN G S N ew s. Correspondents Vie baugh with the Bears, thinks the Colts'.systhrowing to Reed. Smith chasing the quar­ C a m e o , A rm andtfSalguero. Jay Pans and tem is suited for H arbaugh's talents. "This terback, Levy barking at the officials. It could Terry Hutchens contnbuted to this story system caters to his ability." Gayle says. ‘ In be the last stand for a great bunch. And this time, the Bills should be appreciated for the BIUS 37, DOLPHINS 22 COLTS 3S, CHANGERS 20 way they have aged gracefully.

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PurtRaftma OO 2-52 6133 XjdEcd R oclstv 3110 And they beat the C hargers without Mar­ rtortacfcm Returns 4-6' IO shall Faulk, who was injured after one carry-.

23-47-4 Compaa-** 16-2? I J8 Sackod-Yards lost 220 Go figure.

337 P u ts 2 66 T he C hargers helped out by throwing four Furttes-lafl 30 2-0 4-24 PenaflSoe-Yards 4-30 interceptions, giving the Colts seven in the T h* cf Pwsasson 3109 283! last two gam es after having only IO in the first tadMduaf Sta&sfics RUSrtNG—tartanapofcv Crocked J3-J<7 W arm '0-6 Hartaugh 5- JC 15 games. The Chiefs, who thrive on protect­ Fat* M 6 San Otego. Hayden IMO. Mean* 8-n HimpmB *-32 "vta** ing the ball, probably won’t be quite so gen­ 3-23. Harmon t- p m s I) PASSIG—tadarapcda. Harhautfi 16-27 1 i TS San Dwgo. Htmttarnn erous. which m eans the Colts will have to 23-47-4-232 generate m ore production with less help.

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The Sporting News

14 •NR

NFL REPORT

Retirement may not be far for this aching star

Bob GLAUBER

I

f you're looking for the most reliable in­ dicator of how Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been doing lately, then forget taboul looking up his stats. Just ched; out his facial expression. In case you hadn’t noticed. Aikman isn’t smiling much these days.

Even after his team completed a 12-4 reg­ ular season and enjoyed another first-place finish in the NFC Ease even after displaying his customary pinpoint accuracy by finishing second in the league with a 64.8’completion percentage: and even after surviving that fourth-and-1 delwcle in Philadelphia last

month. Aikman simply doesn't look happy He's DOL “Some of the enjoyment of playing has been taken away from this footbafl team be­ cause of the success that we’ve had over the years." Aikman says. “We understand, and I certainly understand, that there will never be another *92 season as long as Tm playing for die Dallas Cowboys. That season was one of 2 kind."

Unfortunately for Aikman, the memory of that Super Bowl season is one of the under­ lying reasons for his emotional malaise. After i i once you have reached the top. the only acceptable outcome is lo get back there, “Coming off that year in *93. certainly then the questions were about repeating and ail Of that," he says. “When you go into a training camp and aff you’re taUiig about is. This sea­ son is only a success if you win the Super Bowl.’ then it takes some (rf the enjoyment and some of the fulfillment out of winning g i^ e s in the regular season."

But there is more than simply the burden of expectation that has Aflonan down. There is his unstable relationship with Coach Barjy Switzer, whose loose-reined approach has Aikman pining for the more dictatorial and

R^stime, Coach He has won more games than anyone, more than George (Papa Bear) Halas. more than. Tom Landry, more than Chuck Noll. He has built a wondrous career w'hose longevity is mea­ sured not in years, but pres­ idential admimstralions — seven and counting.

He has two Super Bowl rings and has gone through a season undefeated. And there is a room waiting for him al the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But now it is time for leg­ endary Dolphins Coach Don Shula to leave the game, a game he once mastered with an iron jaw and offensive'geShuh should nius, It is time for Shula to rttin. with dignity mtaci walk a^ay. sport that chews up and spits This was supposed to be the yearrfhe Dolphins gave’- out its coaches about as fast as the Dolphins’ defense Shula a ^ p e r Bowl farewell gives up touchdowns. Bul it party, when a1) those firsthas to end for everybody, round picks and free-agent and the time finally has acquisitions would ride Dan come for Shula.

Marino’s vapor t r S s a1! the Enough is enough. Coadt way to Tempe injanuary. In­ Go out on your terms. Go out stead. the Dolphins turned wiffi all the dignity your won­ into a team that looks as if ti drous career has produced. would have trouble beating Go out wi&i that t o o u s jaw Iowa Slate, much less the held high. best the APC has lo offer.

And that’s too bad. be­ Roomforone cause Shula deserves better in what should be his final The Redskins appear days, He has become a sort ready to deal second-year quarterback Gus Frerotte. of national treasure in a

Although Redskins G.M. Charley Casserly won’t dis­ close his plans, speculation is growing that die team sim­ ply can’t endure another year of controversy involv­ ing Frerotte and Heath Shlller. lf the Redskins decide to make a trade, don’t be sur­ prised to see the Jets and Rams among the teams showing the most interest The Jets. badly in need of a capable young quarterback bem use of the uncertainty surrounding Glenn Foley’s rotator-cuff problem, scout­ ed Frerotte extensivfely this season. The R a m s ^ inter­ ested because ^ Chris Miller’s career-threaleaing? concussion problems.

Bul not everyone is con­ vinced the Redskins are go­ ing to deal Frerotte. One league executive who is fa­ miliar with their dtuation says “they’d be crazy to trade him. The idea is to keep your young quarter­ backs for as long as you pos­ sibly can."

Safety fist The new rules instituted this year to protect quarterb iicli from serious injuries appOT to have paid ofL De­ fensive players were no longer aD cu ^ to use any portioD of their helmet to tackle the quarterback. The

nBBTII TBBBOBK

The abuse Aikman has suffered and the pressure to Wuk the Super Bowieveryyear may pTumtk him to walkaway m a couple <ffyears, if not sooner. demanding style of Jnnray Johnson. There is hisstruggle to adapt without former offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who as much as anyone m s responsible for turning Aikman into a HaDof-Fame-caliber passer.

And then. there is his body. which after so many years of abuse is beginning to wear down. A look at ABonan’s medical history re­ veals some sort of damage to virtually every body part — finm his multiple concussions, to his separated shoulders, to his bad back. to his banged-up thumb, to his aching knees.

ADonan may be only but sometimes his body teDs him he is more like 79. numbers indicate the rule worked: 13 teams had the same starting quarterback ^every game. In both 1993 and '94. seven quarterbacks started every game.

“We’re encouraged that people are getting the mes­ sage." says Gene Washing­ ton. the league’s (Erector of footbaD development Wash­ ington is responsible for fin­ ing violators of the rule. "I think one of the most grati­ fying agn s is that we haven't had to fine anyone twice for using the helmet on a quar­ terback."

Even the staunchest op­ ponents to the new rules ap­ pear wining to give the safe­ ty oackdown a chance.

T sat down with (Steelers Unebacker) Greg Lloyd not long ago. and I think he got a chance to laiow where I was coming frum and I got a chance to know where he was coming from," says Washington, who fined Lloyd $12,000 for a hit on Packers quarterback Brett Favre. “G i ^ told me, T sdD don’t like the rule, but you’ve got me thinking about it’ " Washington is also en­ couraged byta reduction in fighting.

"Last year, I banded out SS fines totaling about $340,000 for fistin g ." he says. T h is year, it was only 18 fines for about $75,000.’

T know Tm not going to be playing footbaD forever.’ he says.

In fact he may not be playing footbaD tnoch longer. Given aD the phyi^cal and eraotiooal factors that appear to be robbing his en­ joyment of the sport he has dominated for most of ffiis decade, it’s not out of the ques­ tion Aikman simply walks away in two or ffiree years. Maybe sooner.

So as you wateh him play Sunday and per­ haps in the NFC chamt^oship game and the Super Bowl — or even if you see the Cowboys bow out early— do y ou rilf a favor: Appreciate ADonan's brilliance whDe there’s still time.

Quick hits Don’t look for the Pack­ ers to attempt to re-sign tight end Keith Jackson in the offseason. Jackson be­ comes a free agent but the Packers are more interested in re-signing Mark Chmura to a long-term deal. ...

Analomy-of-a<ollapse stat of the week: A ^ r four gam es, the Rams were 4-0 and hadn’t coramitied a turnover. Over their next 12 gam es, they produced 39 turnovers and went 3-9. ...

Wish aD the road teams good luck in this weekend's playoff games. They’D need it Since the league went to a three-team, wild-card for­ mat in 1990, teams with first-round byes are 18-2 in their initial home playoff games. ... At 0-5, Saints Coach Tun Mora looked like a goner, but he saved his job by. winning seven of the last l l . There is a chance, however. Mora will decide to leave on his own. Team Owner Tom Benson is beDeved «to be interested in hiring a general manager and apparently bas told Mora he’s free to pursue other coaching opportuni­ ties if be wants. ... Since leading the E ^ le s lo a 7-2 record after nine gam es in 1994, Rich Kotite is 3-20 in his last 23 games.

The key to the Eagles’ first-round victory over^ the Lions was a tactical shift by defensive coordinator Env mitt Thomas. He moved safety Michael Zordich to linebacker and inserted 32year-old Barry WDbum al safety to defend against the Lions’ higt>i»wered pasang game. T h e way we figured it, it's better to let the other team take the train down the field than the plane."

Thcunas says. ‘ Oiu’ idea was to let Barry Sanders get his yards, bul lo take away the passing game. If we don't do that, we don’t win.’ ... Over his last two playoff games.

Sanders has gained 39 yards on 23 carries. So please, enough with this Barry-isbetter-thaa-Emmitt non­ sense. if s Smith, hands down. ^

Bob Gicuber covers the NFLforNewsday.

NFL *15

January 8,1996

FINAL - HYH IF NUMBERS

FINAL STANDINGS •

East x-Buffalo y-lndianapofc y-Miami New England N.Y. Jets

L T Pct

10 6 9 7 7 9 6 10 3 13

0 0 0 0 0

.625 .563 563 .375 .188

PF

PA

350 331 398 294 233

335 316 332 377 384

Central 11 5 0 .689 407 327 7 9 0 .438 349 374 7 9 0 .438 348 324 5 11 0 -313 289 356 4 12 0 .250 275 404

x-Pifisburgh Cincinnatj Houston Cleveland Jadcsonvffle

West x-Kansas City y-San Diego Seattle Denver Oakland * >

13 9 8 8 6

3 7 8 ;‘ 8 8

0 .813 358 0• .563 321 O BOO 363 0 .500 388 0 BOG 348

241 323 366 345 332

K A T IO H A L O T ffQ Q IC e

East

W

T 4 0 x-Dallas 12 y-PtdadetpHa 10 6 0 Washington 6 10 0 N.Y. Giants 5 11 0 Arizona v 4 12 0

Pct

PF

PA

750 .615 .375 B13 250

435 318 326 290 275

291 338 359 340 422

.689 .625 .563 .500 .438

404 436 392 412 238

314 336 360 385 335

I

Cantril x-Green Bay y-Oetroit Chicago Minnesota Tampa Bay

11 IO 9 8 7

5 6 7 8 9

'0 0 0 0 0

Wast x-San Franasco 11 y-Atlanta 9 7 S i Louis 7 Carofina 7 New Orleans

5 0 .688 457 258 7 0 .563 362 349 9 0 .438 309 418 9 0 .438 289 325 9 0 .438 319 348

x-cfinched dwison Hie; y-cfinched playoff Perth.

MONDAY’S GAME COW BOYS 37, C A R D ftA LS T3 A rts * *

17 0

7 3 10 J 10 0 R rtiO n rtv

J7 13

D * -* . * » * ? * 25 p « s to n Aterian ©end

222

O rt— M ario n 3 2 r f e n a p C o o « r t u n ( B e n d ta c tt. * O rt— F G . B o n d 3 0 . »2ri& S e e o o d Q u a rta r O rt— K. M b m a < 8 P M k e rn A f c n m B o n d B O S. 728 A r a - f G . O m rt 21. l i m H M Q o rtr AU H M h n 4 8 m r c a p f i o n n e n (D ew * tx X 2 3 0 .

A m - K 5 .0 e .r t 23. e t !

D r t - F G . B o r td 2 1 1 2 2 7 F o u rth O o r t r t r O rt—€ . S r t t e 3 M i ( B o r t t toe*}. O’11 0 r t- K i.8 o r td 2 A .i4 3 6 .

A— 72304 O rt

ATO

Z I

12

H - JOI

•-M 3

P s s t f ig

373

222

P u t to C x n t

IO

10

K it e d R e tu rn r

* -5 3

1 U 2

kxv cw A r to u rs

2 -5 0

1- «

2 2 - 33-1

IW M

P r s CfcMTB F k z te w -Y w a i

C a r p e t S K k s d - Y w & io s r P u t!

2 -9

1 7

2JS

A- O

1 2

F t f r t t w L c it P rts O M -V rtd i T it s d P c t s m o n to d M d c rt

.

2 -1

122

122

3 A* 3

2 5 :1 7

i

R U SH X S -O afiev E. Sn*\ 2 * « . S. Wffiama Sd. K.

Vflhrw 121. AJoMrt^TZ Artarin M « 1^7. Woe 2-8.

C a rte l 2-0, Bud! 1-0 P A S S X * —Q ilB V Atenan 21-32-1-350. MfecT l-i-O32. A rtarin Kiw i 12-2B-M52. B u* S+ 041. MMT* M-0-

IO R ECSVXJ-O rtav K M h n W D ! tete 132. L Smte 138. Jotadon 137. ^ ra o n 2-22. Amana. C a rte l 12-172. A n g rie r 2^2. E d « e tiil-1 1 . U cdVrt M i. H a m 1-7. R. U ocn 1-0 U SSED F B P GOAL A T T B n S - N o n e K T E P C S T O C - O t o . Melon 1-32. t e e r 1-18.

Arts™ . W e a rs 1-48.

IQ O O FF RETURNS—O j a i F-W * ar» 4 « . Am ire.

Jonraon 5-86. Doecrtl 1-24. Andarton 1-17. C a rte l M S PUNT RETURNS—None f S /O S -O o fi* . 0. S rth I t a i I Artar*, g frm * * 2

< \ )

S frfltfcs. 6_mm*rie* provided by STATS, h e

E. Smite. Oat Sanders, D A Martin, N X Warren, Sea .Alen. Was. Wailers, Pts. Rhea. TJ Hampton, NY-G Davis. Den. W*ams.Gak. Heyward. A l F a A . hd Salaam. Chi Hears!. Ara Bennes. G B T Thomas. Bul. Bales. N.0 R. Thomas. Hou. Alen. K.C Parma)**. Mia Pegram. P l Munei. NY-J Moore. Car Means. S 0 L*ffie. S F Holmes. Bul rM .K C Green. On. Bete. SIL R. S m flilA n Gamer. Pts. Green. O il Moms. P l Hoard. Oe Stewart. Jack Kaufman. Oak. Brunei. Jack Hayden. S.D CJe. f. Mia Min. A n d e s ite .

Bienwmy. On. Lee. I£n.

Dunbar. Jack

Yds. 1773 1500 1487 1346 1309 1273 1207 1182 1117 1114 1083 1078 1074 1070 1067 1005 951 947 890 878 813 795 740 730 723 698 667 661 637 632 588 570 559 547 S25 490 480 470 432 414 406 338 381 371 361

AHS. 377 314 368 310 338 337 332 306 237 255 238 289 296 284 316 267 245 251 207 236 213 192 195 186 218 172 155 171 183 139 106 107 148 136 137 108 67 128 115 106 HO 58 98 69 HO

A v a TDS. 47 25 4^ 11 14 4 043 15 3.9 IO ll 18 ll 16 3B IO 47 7 4.4 9 4.6 6 17 ll 16 IO 1 3B 14 3 3.8 6 7 3B 3.8 5 43 5 3.7 9 3.8 5 4I I 4 3.8 3.9 5 33 IO 41 4 I 43 3B 2 A. 15 3 43 5 54 6 5-3 3 3.8 9 4.0 0 3.8 2 45 I 4 73 17 3 35 2 4 rf 3.8 V 17 2 6.9 2 33 3 5.4 2 33 2

— T D U C M L in w it s i i

W

PUNTING

RUSHING

*

X Smdh. Dai. Rice. S.F Carter. Mw Pickens. On. Warren. Sea Martn. N.£ Faufc, Ind. USer. Den. Moore. Del Brace. SIL LoviBe. S T R. Brooks. G U Conway. O il Sanders. Del W after. P H Alen. Was. Brooks. Bul. RhetCTB Hampton. NY-G Brown. Oak. Irvin. DaL Metcaff. A l Parmatee. M ia Salaam. O k Maws. AO Pemman, Dec Gateway. Sea Jackson. Oe.

25 17 11 17 16 15 14 U 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 ll 11 10 10 10 10 IO IO 9 9 9 9

-

25 I 0 0 15 14 11 0 0 0 10 0 0 ll ll IO 0 11 IO 0 0 I 9 IO 0 0 I 0

0 15 17 17 I 1 3 H 14 13 3 13 12 I I I 11 0 0 10 IO 8 1 0 9 9 7 9

R et 0 I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 I 0

Pts. 150 104 102 102 96 92 84 84 84 80 80 78 72 72 72 66 66 68 62 60 60 60 60 60 60 56 54 S4

SCORING — KICKING XP— XPA 39/39 N Johnson. P l Bam. Den. 39/39 Hanson, Del 48/48 4#48 Bond. Dal 33/35 Chrofie. Bul. Andenen Ad. 29/30 44/44 Revec. Min. 3434 Peflrey. On. 37/37 Steyanovxh. Mia. 45/45 Butter. C H Dei Greco. Hou. 33/33 Murray. Was. 33/33 Stover. O b .

26/26 Davis. Artz 19/19 Peterson. Sea. 40/40 M rs? acc. KC .

Kasay.Car 27/28 Anderson, P H 32/33 27/27 Bahr. N X Cam ey.SX. 32/33 Jades. G B .

43/43 Bren. N.O. 35/35 DaUso. NY-G 28/28 Hofe. Jack 27/28 25/25 Blanchard, ted.

Rusted, T X 25/25 Ixwerf. NY-J 24/24 WBans. S X 27/29 Jaeger. Oak. 22/22 Fora Oak. 17/18 McLaughlin. SIL 17/17 13/14 Basuto. StL 11/13 Lounger. NO.

FO—FOA 34/41 31/38 28/34 . 27/28 31/40 31/37 26(38 29/38 27/34 23/31 27/31 27/38 29/33 30/39 23/28 24/30 26/33 22/30 23/33 21/28 17/23 19/29 20/28 20/27 19/24 19/26 17/21 12/13 13/18 8/9 8/16 9/12 8/14

Pts. 141 132 132 127 326 122

122 121

118 114 114 114 113 109 109 106 105 98 96 95 94 92

88 87 82 82 75 63 61 41 41 40 35

Tmen. Sea Bennett S.D Lm d e ta S tL Aguar. K C Barker. Jack Fesses. Artz Tupa Cle Hutson. PH .

Roby. T X :■ Kidd. Mia Gardcdd. md.

Horan. NY-G Turk. Was Hentncft, G B Rouen. Den. Johnson. On

Na 83 72 83 91 82 72 65 85 77 57 63 72 74 SS 52 68

Net Avg. 365 “ 3 36.6 66 38.7 63 365 65 38.6 63 3X2 60 64 36.2 34 I 63 38.6 61 36.3 56 33.4 69 36.2 60 37 7 60 35 7 61 38.4 61 38.6 61

Avg. 450 44 7 443 418 438 43.8 43.6 4QJ 42.8 42-7 42.8 425 424 42.2 422 42.1

PUNT RETURNS *

Palmer.

Mashed. Was. Coleman. S U Bums. Buf. Mteum. Den. G ilford. Car Vanover. K C Carter. S F Howard. Jack Jordan. G B Brown. Oak Edmonds. T.B Gray. Hou Gateway. Sea

Na 26 25 28 20 31 U Si 30 24 21 36 29 30 36

Avg. TTH. 1 132 I 12 6 I 11.6 115 0 11 4 0 I 10.8 I 10.6 IOO I 105 0 10 1 0 IO I 0 101 0 IO I 0 1 IOO

Yds. 342 315 326 229 354 475 540 309 246 213 364 293 3C3 360

KICKOFF RETURNS Milburn. Den. Carpenter. NY-J Mashed, Was. Kaufman, Oak. Vanover. K C .

Meggett. N X Broussard. Sea tsm ai Min. McDuffie. M ia H ughes.N 0 A ri Badey, ted Thomas, SIL Freeman. G-B Coleman. SU. K WSams. Cai. Anderson, Att Smith. Jack Gray. Hou Hurter. Cie Caner. S.F

Na 47 21 54 22 43 38 43 42 23 68 54 21 32 24 62 49 24 24 53 23 56

Yds. 1269 553 1419 572 1095 964 1064 1037 564 1617 1306 495 752 556 1411 1108 541 540 1183 508 1227

Avg. TDS. 270 0 263 0 265 0 28.0 I 255 2 254 0 24.7 0 24.7 0 24 5 0 245 0 242 0 I 23.8 235 0 23.2 0 22.8 2 22.6 0 225 0 I 225 225 0 22.1 0 21.9 0

INTERCEPTIONS rn 0. Thomas, Min. Clay. Dec W W *am s.PK Thomas, P H D. Lewis. Hou Brown, Dai. Smith, NY-J WSams, Artz T Wright SIL Mane, Car. Schulz. Buf. McDaniel Oak. Raymond, Dec Marion. D al Butter. G B Vincent M ia " Glenn. NY-G Mayhew, TB I S H Car S. Moore. Clo. - Drafcetord, S.F Blackmon, Sea Hanks, G F Harrtson.SU. Sparks. NY-G McDonald. S F

Na Yds. 108 9 173 8 7 122 7 104 145 6 124 6 6 101 6 86 6 79 6 59 46 6 46 6 i 44 6 40 6 5 105 . 95 5 5 91 81 5 58 5 55 5 54 5 5 46 . 31 5 22 5 ll 5 4 135

“ 3 39 831 371 981 551 491 481 27 49 32 ' 42 18 32 78 691 751 40 361 28 37 21 23 17 8 52

TDS. I 0 I 1 1 2 1 2 0 0 I 1 0 1 0 I I 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

SACKS Paw . Bul S w in e. Oak. Fuller. P H Martin. N.0 O’Neal, SJD. Re. White. G B N Smth. KC. Fan. SIL UcGinesc N X Simmons, Artz Flanigan, Chi. Harmon, P H Thomas, Dec RanSe. Min. Haley. Oat Bennett Ind. a Stnffh, Buf. Harden, Bul Doughs, NY-J Scroggins. Oec

Tots!

175 HO 13.0 HO 125 12.0 HO 115 IVO ll 0 110 11.0 105 105 105 105 105 10.0 10.0 95

Sack Ytrdage 1325 119.0 106.0 83.0 785 965 84.0 79.0 96.0 570 745 71 0 82.0 79.0 785 675 66.0 835 610 560

P X n it r n ; A n d f ix t a d s in d tumov«rs. cortrertince-iBsang h a s .

F lQ u rt In I

is M ta o n M

R a s in g Passing Ytft/Play KO R a to n P ra t Raton) Sacks Toraovtr* OIL O at _ OO. D et Ort. D e l Ort. D e l O ft D e i By Vs. O pp.O jn Artzona Asarta Buffalo Carofina Chicago Cteannafi CJovefcmd Dadas Denver Detrod Green Bay Houston todonapo&s Ja ck so n ^ Kansas O r U-ana Minnesota New England New Orleans New York Giants New York Jets ua«ano Phdadetohia Pteburah San Diego San Franches Seattte S i lo s s Tampa Bay Washington

87 1 124.£ 38.3 120.6 89.9 92.8 1575 124 7 109.6 89J 104 0 1145 106.6 13X8 94 1 1085 116.6 86.9 114.8 79.9 120.8 132.6 115.8 1095 924 136.1 89 4 995 122.3

96.7 2615 2818 5-7 101.8 1855 2105 4 8 985 190.4 215.7 4.5 90.1 233.9 250.1 -5.5 1315 23A.6 26S5 5.3 514.1 224.8 238.9 5.2 110.8 226.4 204.5 5.8 118.4 252 8 206.1 5.7 112.2 2728 237.8 KO 94 7 270.1 227 5 *■« 95 4 202.6 195.3 4-7 91 I 1915 223.1 rn 125-2 1744 2195 47 82.9 1885 201 4 4.9 104.7 2C3-1 223. V 5-5 83.1 2625 •257.8 5-3 117.4 224 4 242.9 4.6 114.9 236.8 232.7 53 T31.8 165.8 199.0 45 126.0 1745 171J 4 I 112.1 2235 206.9 53 1135-167.9 17W 46 825 2*4 8 202.5 5.2 104.8 218.6 211.4 5.0 885 2885 208.6- 56 133.1 133.3 221 2 5.1 1045 237 8 2151 49 109.6 184 8 247 5 4.7 133 3 201 8 2043 51

5.6 47 4.7 5.3 5.6 5.2 5.0 5.1 54 5.0 47 4.9 5.4 43 52 5.4 5.6 5.3 51 45 50 4.6 48 50 4-4 5.3 52 55 Si

21-5 18.6 21 I 203

22.4 22.1 167 21.6 22.7 18.6 19.5 21-7 223 21.4 16$ 22.7 233 20.4 21.0 21 4 21.0 193 203 233 21 6 258 17A 23.7 22.8 23.8 2V3

98 IO I 10 0 75 49 10.2 197 11 1 22.0 23-2 115 204 79 64 21.0 9.7 19.6 21 I 58 207 8.4 9.7 217 58 227 22.4 110 225 95 23.2 93 20.7 70 20.5 85 21 7 101 20.9 IO I 222 93 215 10.9 20.4 IO I 225 9.6 107 22.2 19 0 166 10 1 243 205 12.1

8.4 97 58 93 5.7 87 98 55 153 78 83 118 73 103 76 109 8.6 65 87 12.0 77 13.9 6.5 123 113 114 103 83 67

30 49 36 35 42 29 36 30 42 39 30 29 17 47 29 44 37 44 29 43 43 46 42 35 40 28 38 25 30

43 32 38 15 25 32 13 26 32 3r 32 48 57 21 29 40 2T 28 48 47 36 48 >c32 33 45 43 56 38

30 21 28 2837 41 29 26 24 32 24 .31 25 23 21 30 35 25 16 21 38 38 26 22 24 28 33 21 30 32 40 29 29 36 29 25 31 28 34 42 33 34 38 38 34 34 27 30 34 28 25 32 36 39 30 34 35 30

PASSING

Karnaugh, ted.

Favte. G.B. Aikmar.. Dal Kramer. CH. S. Young. S.F Mitehed.Det. Moon. Min. Marino. Mia. J George. Att. Testaverde. Cle. Chancer. Hou. OUonnefi. P l Everett N O Bway. Den. Brunet. Jack Hostetter. Oak. Blake. On. Kady. ear Hunphrtes. S U Bono. KC. MSer. SIL Brown. NY-G Klieg. Artz E sta te , NY-J _ Parte, P H Mrarr S x i 8teda3e,R E C o in f e r . q m r .T A :i •

Ytrds Gained 2575 4413 3304 3838 321?0 4338 4223 3668 4143 28§3 2460 2970 3970 3970 21$6 1998 3822 3130 3381 3121 2623 2814 3554 2275

P ct A tt Comp. Comp.

537 314 200 STO 359 63.0 432 280 648 60-3 522 315 447 299.

669 583 346 59.3 606 377 62.2 64 1 482 309 557 336 503 392 241 51 5 356 225 63.2 416 . 246 59 1 567 345 60.3 583 542 316 58 I 346..... 201 60.1 286 172 567 326 57 5 55.7 458 255 478 ZB2 59.0 520 293 WI 57 J 405 232 55.7 456 254 58.3 521 304 5X8 389 22Y. . 3?1 . J R .

375 215 391 209 636 > 323* 2*4,.

433 & l 415 . '~'s\ -.--v

57.3 53-5 508

484.

W *« • *4* . . _

T -*

M9. rn 2328 &20 2564 650 3507 5.51 2717 *.:&27 2774 - -.660

.

PASS RECEIVING Na Moore. Dec Rice. S.F Carter. Min. Brace. SIL tenn. Dal. Permian. Dei Metcaff. Att. R Brocks. G.B Centers. Artz Pickens. On. M artn.SU Brown. Oak. LoviBe. S.F THgpen. FN Coates. N X Graham. CH Early. N O Mathis. Att. Blades. Sea. Emanuel Att Rood, Min. Lee. Min. Munefi, NY-J Gateway. Sea. Carrier. Car

123 122 122 119 in 108 1(J4 102 JOI 99 90 89 37 85 04 82 81 78 77 74 72 71 71 57 66

Yds. 1686 1848 1371 17B1 1603 1488 1189 1497 962 1235 1224 ‘ 1342 682 1307 915 1301 1067 1039 1001 1039 1167 558 485 1039 1002

Avg. TDV 137 14 15 15 ?

112 17 150 13 144 IO 13.3 9 ll 4 8 14 7 13 9.5 2 17 125 136 5 IO ISI 3 76 154 5 ?<79 6 4 559 J3 4 8 13 3 9 4 13.0 5 . 14 0 16.2 9 I 79 85 2 7 155 152 3

TOTAL YARDS .

E. Smite. Dal.

Tot 2148

Rush.

1773

A v a Yd. Gained 8.20 7 74 765 735 7 1$ 744 698 761 7 44 735 6.91 7 14 700 732 6-27 6.99 6 74 683 707 6.00 648 6.17 182 536

R ec 375

••6. *

2.4 3.1 4.1

tnt 5 13 7 IO ll 12 14 15 ll IO IO 7 14 14 /•» 9 17 13 14 10 15 10 21 15

Pa Int Rating I 6 . ’ 00 7 23 995 t6 33.6 19 93.5 25 92-^ 2I 925 2.3 91 5 3I 908 2.0 895 2.8 678 2.8 87 8 877 I7 25 37 0 864 26 20 92.6 3I 322 20 32 I 28 31 J 804 29 19 3.7 76-2 22 73.1 4.0 72.6 33 71.4

W ZI X3 Z0 62 LO

14 20 IS IB 18

Z7 5.1 25 AA 40

TD P is s 17 38 18 29 20 32 33 24 24 17 17 17 26 26 15 12 28 22 17 21 r8 IT 16 16

Pa TD 54 67 37 56 45 55 54 SO 43

19 8 13 13 14 ,4

4 9 48 4J

46 48 43 42 49 48 36 40

44

r n ..

675 83-7' 63.7 S IJ ear

; *. ’

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1553 154!

Aten. Was Pemman. Del 1536 1518 R Brooks. G.B 1489 Wfiams. Oak 1484 Davis, Den Heyward. Att 1433 Lovifle. S F 1385 1371 Carter. Min Brown. Oak 5342 Hampton. NY-G 5324 1322 Metcaff. Att 1317 Rhea. TB Hearse Ara 1313 THgpen. PH 1308 Graham. CH 1301 Munefl. NY-J 1260 1241 Pickens. On. T Thomas. Buf 1225 1224 Martin. S U Parmelee. Mia. 1223 Centers. Ara ^*216

Rush. ' 500 36 IT 1487 1067 *•273 0 0 1346 <078 1309 48 21 1114 1117 1083 723 0 0 ii8 2 133 1207 1070 1 0 796 6 1005 0 878 254

R ec 398 1848 1781 261 648 434 1686 ttC3 '247 ' 475 _ 232 1488 1497 375 367 350 662 1371 1342 142 1189 HO 243 1307 1301 465 1235 220 1224 345 962

18* AFC

The Sporting News

HI TF.ALO BILLS Tsniog It

wp This team

has cranked up the dial to the “playoff1 setting, and it is brimming with confidence after its wild­ card victory over Miami.

Running back Thurman a Thomas, who has scored .touchdowns in six consecutive postseason games, says that if the chib continues to pin)' as it did last week, “See you in Arizona." That would be Tempe, Aru., site of Super Bowl XXX. The Bills have a couple more games be­ fore they get there, beginning this week* at Pittsburgh. But one major reason they could keep this surprising season alive is that their veteran core of players has been part of 17 post­ season games, including four Super Bowls.

T hey know what it takes, and it flows right down to the younger players," defensive end Phil Hansen says. “I know it did for me when I was younger, and now I know what it takes."...

Wide receiver Andre Reed played last week for the second time since suffering a hamstring in­ jury on October 8 and went cashless.

Tattered Tasker One of the team s concerns is the status of Steve Tasker, aka “Mr. Every­ thing* Tasker suffered a pulled tendon in the back of his left leg. just above the knee, late in the first half last week and returned only to hold on kicks. In five games as a regular re­ ceiver. Tasker has caught 20 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns, lf Tasker doesn’t play, the Bills would make Russell Copeland their third receiver with Reed and Bill Brooks, and Brooks would return punts. ...

Strong safety Henry’ Jones is expected to re­ turn from a knee injury. That means Kurt Schulz can return to free safety, where he is more com fortable.... Tight end Lonnie John­ son left the Dolphins game in the third quar­ ter with a sprained ankle and knee, and his status is uncertain. Rookie Tony Cline would start in his place.

—VB C M U

CINCINNATI BENGALS tim K ktau p in : Run­ ning back - Khjana Carter is .probably a go for the team’s first mini­ camp. In f a d if the Ben­ gals had made the AFC championship game, they think Carter could have played on his reconstructed kneerbarely five months after surgery. Of course, that's the Catcb-22. They've got to have a healthy Carter to reach the elite level. “It makes you wonder, doesn’t it7" veteran guard Bruce Kozerski-says, pondering the season if Carter had been available. The Bengals won’t rush Carter back, but they think he’ll be ready for the opening of training camp. But just in case, they'll have to pick up a veteran running back as a No. 2 guy. Harold Green is a free agent but is unlikely to return. ... The most worri­ some injuries are in the secondary. Corner-, back Mike Brim (back) and safety Bracey Walker (neck) are mulling surgeries on bulging disks. Those are career-threatening procedures that would make them question­ able for the *96 opener. ... Defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson missed the last two games with a neck strain but should be fine.

S ta te qatr The team’s decision to make only one change in its coaching staff raised eye­ brows, particularly because the defense al­ lowed the most yardage in the league and President Mike Brown is trying to muster

support for a new stadium. The change: as­ sistant defensive line coach Tim Krumrie has taken over the full defensive-line job from Bobby DePauL who is'getting reassigned.

Krumrie and DePaul denied that friction ex­ isted. The linemen welcomed just one coach running the program. The only assistant not to re-sign right away was tight-ends coach Gary Moeller, who wants to stay in the NFL as a coordinator and is reflecting on his situa­ tion.

—SBH H o ra

... There is Some sentiment in Cleveland City Council to build a new stadium rather than renovate Geveland Stadium, but the immedi­ ate strategy is to present the NFL with the renovation plan to show Commissioner Paul Tagiiabue a united front ... Andre Rison caught a career-low 47 passes in 1995, his first with the Browns. Eric Metcalf. traded from Cleveland to Atlanta, caught 104 passes. ... The Browns gave up 356 points after yield­ ing an NFLrlow 204 in *94.

—JBT S O U

mine his future depending on the success of the operation. If he decides to retire, the club will try to sign a proven left tackle to replace him rather than move rookie Jamie Browne into that hot seat One possibility is former Houston tackle David Williams, who has ex­ pressed some interest in playing for the team .... At this point, the team has nine un­ restricted free agents, but only defensive lineman Shane Dronett is not expected to re­ turn.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

DENVER BRONCOS

HOLSTON OILERS

Up-freit T e s te w te Vmny Testaverde still wants the straight an­ swer about why he was benched October 23.

He wants’to know who made the switch, and he wants to know what it means about his future. If he cap get benched in his best season ever, he reasons, what's next? T h e se are some of the questions I have." Testaverde says. “Knowing Art (Mod­ el!). I think hell sit down and talk with me. m start at the top, and if he doesn’t want to talk, HI go to the next guy." If Testaverde is told Eric Zeier is the quarterback of the future, as in 1996, then he might ask to be released, he says. He had IO touchdown passes and three interceptions when he was benched. He threw seven touchdown passes and seven in­ terceptions in the last six games after getting his starting job back. “I want to be the starter whether ifs with the Browns or some other organization." he says. “Hopefully it will be here." , Bynsr retail!tog: Earnest Byner, th e team’s leading receiver and second-leading rusher in *95, says he wants to play a 13th season in 1996. He says his first choice is to play for the Browns again, but hell become a free agent next month and says he’d Uke to know if he’s in the team’s plans before free agency begins.

M ist b e r e n d : One T il, til af t e : Less than year after they took the foil to the freeSU biggest fall in NFL his­ agent market last year, tory, the Oilers were the the d u b doesn’t have most improved team to much choice but to give the league. With a 7-9 it another go. Rebuild­ record, they improved ing the defense is the by five victories. Kansas only way the team is ever going to make it bade to die playoffs be­ City and Cincinnati were tied for second at fore John Elway retires. But after missing plus-four. In *94, the Oilers were the worst badly on linebackers Dante Jones and Britt team to the league with a 2-14 record. Coach H ager and safety Tim Hauck, plus - Jeff Fisher sounds as if improvement will not overindulging on Michad Dean Perry and be enough next season unless the Oilers win James Jones last year, the team is sure to be the AFC C entral “At this time last year, I said much more selective this winter. The focus we wanted to improve during the offseason, will be on a proven pass-msher, either at de­ and we did," he says. ‘Next season, we want fensive end or at outside linebacker. At this to win the division. Every move we make to point, the most appealing defensive end is the offseason win be designed to win the AFC probably Erie Swann of Arizona, who has said Central, and the road goes through Pitts­ he’d Uke to play in Denver, but a less-expen­ burgh." sive up-ancTcomer such as Kansas City’s Dar­ Help wanted: The front office has its eye on ren MickeD might be more attractive under such free agents as Stealers offensive tackle the salary cap. Miami’s Bryan Cox fits the de­ Leon Searcy, Bears defensive end Alonzo scription and is available but is probably too Spellman, Panthers linebacker Darion Con­ hot to handle. “You've got to have a pass- ner and Broncos defensive lineman Shane rusher," Coach Mike Shanahan says. T hat'll D ronett Searcy and Spellman wiD be coveted be a top priority. They’re not easy to find, but by many teams. Spellman wants to move we'll look through free agency and the draft." back to the right side. The Oilers want to Tired Z te M n n c Six-dme Pro Bowl left tack­ move right end Henry Ford, their most con­ le Gary Zimmerman, 34, will have his right sistent lineman this season, to the left side. shoulder surgically repaired for die second T h e tackles will be Gary Walker and Anthony time in a year on January 15. He will deter- Cook, both of whom had superb rookie sea­ sons. The team tried to acquire D ronett 24, two times but could not reach an agreement on a draft choice. Defensive line coach Rex Norris, who coached Dronett with the Bron­ cos, would Uke to be reunited with his former pupil. Conner played for defensive coordina­ tor Steve Sidwell to New Orleans, -w. Last year, the Oilers allowed a league-high 65 sacks. Larry Beightol, who was to his first season as die line coach, helped them reduce the sacks to 32.

—JOW U cC ui

INDIANAPOLIS COLT'S Fraglta hwflc Marshall

Gotog, io tas R u b Powers scrambled/br a first down in what likely was his last game as a Cleveland Brown. But city officials are still scrambling to save the team from going to Babxmort

Faulk's bruised left knee continues to be a source of concern, but the dub has won con­ secutive games without its star, to the regularseason finale against New England, Lamont Warren rushed for 90 yards to Faulk’s place to a 10-7 victory. Sun­ day, it was Utde-used rookie fullback Zack Crockett who filled the bill with 147 yards on 13 carries, to the past two weeks, Faulk has 6 carries for 35 yards; he had one cany for 16 yards last week against San Diego. “Ifs a def­ inite concern, but fortunately we have some players who are stepping up to fill die void," Coach Ted Marchibroda says. “But Marshall adds so many dimensions to our offense. We need him to there to make.both our running and passing games go. We hope another week off of it wiD help him down the road."...

AFC -1 7

January 8,1996

Their S3 active players have 285 seasons, but only six collective Super Bowls. ... Quarter­ back Steve Bono completed 12 passes to wide receivers in each of the last two Kames. The main reason wide receivers made a reappear­ ance in the passing game is that Bono's accu­ racy returned.

Joining the fold: Guard Dave Szott agreed to a five-year deal, joining center Tim Gmnhard as a prospective offensive line free agent who signed before he got on the market. The Chiefs also control the immediate future of W ill Shields, their only unsigned starting lineman. Shields would be a restricted free agent... Kicker Lin Elliott should be heading into the postseason in a positive frame of mind. After struggling for three weeks, he made his two point-after-touchdown attempts and four field-goal tries in the victory over the Seahawks.

— Aum T ao ®

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Spring, fe m : There could be a controversy brewing this spring as Coach Tom Coughlin expects his players to take part in the teams offseason workout pro­ gram. which begins March 18. Although it is not mandatory.

Coughlin wants his players in Jacksonville taking part. A lot of players, though, say they plan on working out on their own. Last year, almost the entire team worked out in Jack­ sonville. “That was a first-year thing." defen­ sive end Jeff Lageman says. “I don’t think you'll see that this offseason." Says safety Harry Colon: “Guys will work out on their own. They don’t need to be here to do it" Stay tuned.

Second wind: By beating the Browns in its season finale, the team will pick second over­ all in the draft behind the Jets. Although the team badly needs outside speed, the top pri­ ority is finding a pass-rtisher. lf team officials don’t do that through free agency, expect them to take a long look at Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy. ... One free agent who almost certainly won’t be back is quarterback Steve Beueriein. With Mark Brunell clearly the No. I guy, Beueriein wifi test the waters. He stiU wants to be a starter in the league. “It doesn’t look like (coming back is) going to happen," Beueriein says. The Jaguars do have a right-of-first refusal on Beueriein, but don’t expect them to use it They like rookie Rob Johnson, who saw action two weeks ago against the Lions.... Another player who Uke-

Swam song: The 1996 roster already is taking shape. Tom Heckert. vice president of player, personnel, has put to­ gether a mock roster that includes players the club would like to obtain during the offseason and excludes cur­ rent players who will be banished. The teamwould love to have Cardinals defensive line­ man Eric Swann on that *96 roster. Swann be­ comes an unrestricted free agent in Februt ary, and his ascending talent as a pass rasher and run stuffer make him perfect for the Dol­ phins. It won’t be easy for them — or anyone else — to wrestle Swann away from the Car­ dinals. Arizona likely will attach the bran­ chise-player label on him.

Saying goodbye: So. where does the house­ cleaning start? Steve Emtman. Gary Clark.

Marco Coleman, Troy Vincent, Keith Sims.

Irving Fryar and Irving Spikes head the list of players whose futures are uncertain. Cole­ man and Vincent are unrestricted free agents, but they are transition players so the team would get compensation if another team lures them away. Both players want to return.

Fryar is an unrestricted free agent but he is 33 and coming off a subpar season. “I would love to come back." Fryar says. T hey might not want me after the season I had." Emtman. who was signed as a free agent was not hap­ py as a backup. Asked if he would be back in 1996, Emtman replies. “Hell no. I want to play." Clark. 33. has a contract through next sdkson. But he is due a big payday March I.

Down and oat With Brunell entrenched, expect

Beueriein (above) to leave as a free agent ly won't be back is wide receiver Desmond Howard. It was thought that a new city would give him new life, but Howard didn’t do much this season. He caught 26 passes for 276 yards and continued to have trouble with the jam.

—PET! PISCO

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Foil bead of steam The team is in good shape as it begins its Super Bowl run. The bye week al­ lowed the Chiefs to heal some of their minor ail­ ments, and they should be at or close to full health when their playoffs begin. Even with injuries and rest aside, the team appears to be on a roll. The players were dominant defen­ sively this season from start to finish, particu­ larly against the run. Special teams finished the season with a flourish when Tamarack Vanover returned another kickoff for a touch­ down against Seattle. Kickoff units consis­ tently provided field position by denying op­ posing teams long returns. On offense, a strong game against the Seahawks allowed the Chiefs to finish as the N FL leader in rush­ ing yardage. Intangibles also may fell in the Chiefs category. They have plenty of veterans with experience, but they should be hungry.

Team officials can waive him before then without taking a salary-cap hit A/ter catching 37 passes. Clark seems to realize the fran­ chise might not be willing to pay him. “I wish them well." Clark says. “I doubt ITI be back here."

—AOftMDO SAlflJBO

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Bill of health: Coaching this team has not gotten the best of Bill Parcells after all. The head coach called an unexpected news conference last week to announce he will return to the Patri-' ots ip ’96. "I want to reiterate my commitment to getting this team back where J think it should be." Parcells says. Tm looking for­ ward to doing that in 1996, and I want to end all the speculation about what I might or might not do. I’m looking forward to it proba­ bly as much as any season." The only’ possible obstacle to his returning for the fourth year of his five-year contract that calls for him to make $12 million in 1996 is his health. “I feel Tine right now." he says. "At the end of the month. I’m going to take a complete physical like I do every year. And I have every reason to think everything will be good, as its been since I had the bypass operation On 1992)."...

While Parcells will be back at least one of his assistants won’t Defensive backfield coach Bobby Trot! was released at the end of the season with a year remaining on his contract It was only the second time in Parcells’ ll years as a head coach that he released a coach — the other was the Parcels late Leo Fontes — whose contract hadn’t expired.

Split dechftm: Owner Robert Kraft says he thinks the team needs two more quality wide receivers. Parcells kiddingly calls Kraft an "offensive owner” and says his priority list starts with a big defensive linem an.... Offen­ sive tackle Max Lane and linebacker Bobby Abrams underwent shoulder surgery the day after the season ended. Tackle Bruce Arm­ strong also may need surgery when he re­ turns from the Pro Bowl. and linebacker Vin­ cent Brown will have arthroscopic surgery on both knees.

—t a n M ia n

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Ashley Ambrose and Jason Belser, two of the primary' culprits in a 27-24 loss to San Diego December 17. made all the big plays in the rematch. Belser had two interceptions and Ambrose had a pair of deflections that led to interceptions. Belser had admitted responsi­ bility for two San Diego touchdowns the first time the teams met Secret weapon: Crocketts 147 yards rushing and 66-yard TD romp were playoff-franchise records. Aside from Crockett Faulk had the only other 100-yard rushing effort in *95. gainihg 177 vs. S t Louis.... The franchise had not won a playoff game since December 26.1971. losing its last five postseason games. MarchL broda was 0-3 in the playoffs.... It would now appear Marchibroda’s job is safe for another year, although no one is saying for sure. His contract is up. Its believed he soon will be of­ fered a two-year extension. —Tsar HUIHOB

18 ‘ AFC/NFC

The Sporting News

NEW YORK JETS

OAKLAND RAIDERS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

‘Wrong fit*: Quarterback B o o m e r. Esiason will have strong reserva­ tions about re-signing with his '• hometown team. Esiason. 34. says he was the wrong man to lead Coach Rich biotites kiddie corps. “Obviously, it was the wrong fit," Esiason says. He wants to errcl his career on a contending team. There are indi­ cations biotite will look for a new starter, ei­ ther in free agency or via a trade. ... For the first time, the team has the top overall draft pick. It could fill a glaring need by choosing Southern Cal wide receiver Kevshawn John­ son or l :CLA left tackle Jonathan Ogden. It also could bolster an emerging defense by laking Illinois linebackers Kevin Hardy or Simeon Rice, although Rice probably isn’t a good fit. He would have to play right, defen­ sive end. and that position belongs to Hugh Douglas, the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year. Personnel director Dick H aler savs he doesn’t see a clear-cut No. I choice, lf th a ts the Case, team officials would be wise to trade down for extra picks or play­ ers and still land a blue-chip wideout.

Tight Hp: Tight end Johnny Mitchell bolted into the offseason without commenting on his plans. Mitchell, a ‘Transition" free a g e n t has told team m ates he doesn't want to re-sign.

Kotite wants Mitchell to return but dislikes malcontents. Team officials would be nuts to k't Mitchell go. He's 24 and the only playm aker on an anemic offense. Esiason says it “would be a real, real shame if the franchise d o esn 't re-sign him. He could become our worst nightm are " ;.. Center Dave ..Alexander is recovering nicely from preseason knee surgery. Pencil him in as the starter in 1996. replacing Cal Dixon, who probably will leave as a free agent.

—RICH C H I U

H ostetler end friends: Once it recovers from this season’s epic col­ lapse. the team will turn .tow ard its list of free agents.

Q uarterback Jeff H ostetler sits atop the agenda, but the team also must consider its leading rusher.

Harvey Williams; its leader in sacks. Pat Swilling: starting defensive tackle Jerry Ball: and the top three offensive tackles. Gerald Perry. Greg Skrepenak and Robert Jenkins.

The decision on H o ste le r becam e more complicated D ecem ber 20. when he had arthroscopic surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Hostetler turns 35 in .April, another reason the Raiders are reluc­ tant to make a long-term commitment to him.

Club executive Bruce Allen dism isses the in­ jury as a factor in H ostetler’s future. “I have no doubt hell be healthy." Allen says. ...

Coach Mike White probably will return, de­ spite the team 's six-game losing streak to end the season. The Raiders missed the playoffs for the third time in four rvears.

Al Davis has n offered no indications of plans to fire White, but that could change if assistant coach Joe Bugel begins receiving head-coaching offers.

Davis might then face a simple choice: White or Bugel?

Player shuffle: Look for widespread person­ nel changes in the offseason. The consensus among Raiders veterans: Too many players gave up as the season unraveled before their eves. “We've got guys who just don't care." [guard Kevin Gogan says. “We have to get rid of those type of people." Cornerback Albert Lewis offers one suggestion for this attempt­ ed reform. “We need to get people in here not necessarily according to talen t but according to character and willingness to be coached." he savs.

—Rat Ab

Playoff ready: T he team will be healthy for its opening-round playoff game, with the possible exception of inside line­ backer Chad Brown.

Running backs E rne Pe­ gram. Bam M orris and John L Williams, who did not play in the sea­ son finale at Green Bay. will be ready for Sat­ urday’s game. Brown, who has been nagged by an ankle he originally injured October 19 against the B e n g is, missed the final four gam es of the regular season. Brown wanted to play, but Coach Bill Cowher held him out to get healthy for the playoffs ... Neil O’Don­ nell becam e the first quarterback since Terry Bradshaw in 1978 to be voted the te am s most valuable player. O'Donnell, who becom es a free agent at the end of the season, says he w'ants to remain with the team. “Everyone wants me to come home and play for the Jets and Giants." says O'Donnell, a native of Madi­ son. N J. T h e n FII have 8 million people ask me for tickets every Sunday."

Greener pastures: Outside linebacker Kevin Greene, who becom es a free agent at the end of the season, says he doesn’t think he’ll be with the team next season. “I would love to be back here next year, but Fro kind of leaning that I won’t be." Greene tied for the NFL lead last season with 14 sacks. His total dropped this season to nine, but it was still good enough to lead the team. But Greene will be 34 next season and Jason Gildon. a thirdround choice in 1994, is ready to become a full-time player. Another NFL team will prob­ ably be willing to pay Greene more than what the Steelers will offer. “It’s not like you can build a defense around me." G reene says. “I am going to try to command a relatively high salary on the frec^agent m arket and see w h ats out there."

—t e a r Dulac

#

9

Sri

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Esiason. 34. says he warps to end his career with a contending team, which isn't what the Jets arr. — or are going to be soon, even with the top overall pick in the *96 d rift

Boom er b a st

RuQBlog WM: W hen Colts running back Marshal] Faulk limped to the sideline early in last Sunday's wild-card gam e. San Diego de­ fenders were relieved — they wouldn't have to chase the AFC’s fifth-best rusher. But Indi­ anapolis rookie Zack C rockett ran over, around and through the Chargers, amassing a startling 147 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-20 victory. One of Crockett’s scoring Tuns went for 66 yards, another for 33.'The Colts gained 178 yards overall, the most the team has allowed all season. “I thought the way we played the last five weeks, they w eren’t going to run the football." safety Bo Orlando says.

“It was surprising they ran the ball that well."

The defense entered the gam e with a fourgam e streak of holding opponents under IOO yards. Linebacker Junior Seau says the Colts w'ent to double wide-out alignm ents in the second half, drawing him away from the mid­ dle. “Indy did their homework." Seau says.

“They got me out of the box." Orlando also credited C rockett the 79th player selected in the 1995 d raft “I don’t know where this kid came from, this C rockett" Orlando says. “He ran extra hard. I don’t know what got into him."

M arketplace T he front office will have some offseason decisions. Among the te a m s po­ tential free agents are defensive end Leslie

O’N eal defensive tackle Shawn Lee. running back Ronnie Harmon and tackle Harry Swayne. ... Billy Devaney. director of player personnel, is being mentioned as a candidate for the Cardinals’ G.M. o p en in g .... John Car­ ney's 54-yird field goal against the Colts was the longest in the team ’s postseason history. ... With IO catches against the Colts. Harmon became the club’s alkim e leader in post­ season receptions with 39.

— JAY PABIS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Mirer’s the one: Coach Dennis Erickson tabbed Rick M irer as next year’s starter, eliminat­ ing any offseason quar­ terback controversy.

M irer struggled through his toughest of three seasons. Interceptions jumped from sev­ e n to 20. His quarterback rating dropped from 702 last year to a career-low 63.7, tied with Drew' Bledsoe for the lowest in the .AFC. Er­ ickson’s thinking is simple. He’s confident that M irer and backup John Friesz can quar­ terback playoff caliber teams. If M irer strug­ gles, though. Friesz will be called upon to bail him o u t “Physically, he’s got all the tools." Er­ ickson says of Mirer. “I’ve said this: He's go­ ing to be successful in this league. It’s just a m atter of time." Erickson will ask M irer to spend more time throwing to receivers during the offseason. Mechanical flaws developed in some of his throws, but all are correctable.

Toogb defense: Looking to next season, the Seahawks can’t afford a slow start or much tum oyer on defense. They allowed 354 yards a game — 20 m ore than last y e a r '— in a schedule that included five of the eight worst offenses in the league. Swap four of the worst for four of the league's top seven offenses, and you have major concerns for the defen­ sive staff. It will have to prepare gam e plans to stop the league’s three passing yardage leaders — Green Bay's Brett Favre (4.430 yards). Detroit’s Scott Mitchell (4.338) and M innesota's W arren Moon (4.228) — along with Dan Marino and the quarterbacks in the .AFC W est The-com erbacks also will have a tough time covering 100-catch receivers Her­ man Moore, Cris Carter. Brett Herriman and Robert Brooks. The tailer receivers will give the Seahawks problems.

—J o n CUYTO*

.ARIZONA CARDINALS Proceed W itt cantion: „ Owner.Bill Bidwill wastcd no time in firing BudA dy Ryan as head coach and genera] m anager. but it appears he will move more slowly in re­ placing Ryan. Bidwill hasn't ruled out giving one man boti) jobs, but after his experience with Ryan, he proba­ bly will have to be convinced that's the best way to go. Bidwill has hinted that he wants the new coach to have an offensive back­ ground. O ther than that, he has been vague, saying he would consider college head coach­ es as well as NFL coordinators and assistants.

Bidwill says Ryan’s firing was based solely on the team 's record, but others believe the po­ tential, drop in season-ticket sales and Bidwill’s effort to get a new stadium built also fig­ ured into i t Ryan has said little since being fired, only that it came as a surprise to him.

Reaction mixed: The .players’ reactions are mixed. Running back Larry Centers, who set

NFC' 19

January 8,1996

s e rie s w ith San F rancisco. Poiian a d m its the P a n th e rs ' w on-lost re c o rd m ay not im prove in th e ir seco n d seaso n even th o u g h they m ay b e m aking p ro g re ss tow ard th e ir ulti­ m ate goal of b eco m in g a co n ten d e r. ... C ar­ olina h a s 18 u n re stric te d free a g e n ts includ­ ing eig h t starters: w ide re ceiv er M ark C arri­ e r (66 c a tc h e s for 1.002 y ard s), ru n n in g back D errick M oore (740 y ard s), c e n te r C urtis W hitley, offensive tackle M ark D ennis, nose tackle G reg K ragen. o u tsid e lin eb ack e r Darion C o n n er, free safety Pat T errell and co r­ n e rb a c k Tim M cK yer. ... O ne of the m ost am azing sta ts in th e seaso n w as the fact .that C arolina q u a rte rb a c k s, playing b e h in q an ex p an sio n offensive line, did not m iss a sin­ gle sn ap b e c a u se of an injury. A’ couple of o th e r sta t n u g g ets: T h e P a n th e rs w eren 't sh u t out and d id n 't sco re 30 points in any —CHABES CHAWLA g am e.

CHICAGO BEARS Down a r f dirty: Sean Jones (left), Ole loose Lam beau Field tu r f and a loud crowd all played a part in Ole Packers tripping up George and Ole Falcons. 37-20, in Ole first round an NFL record for backs this season with 101 receptions, says h e w ants to be traded. O th er players, such as k ick er G reg Davis, are happy to see Ryan go. Davis says it would have been difficult to play u n d er Ryan an o th er year. ...

T he new G.M. will have som e big decisions to m ake. Q uarterb ack Dave K lieg will be 37. and h£ was intercepted 21 tim es this season. T h ere are holes on th e offensive line. at tight end. on th e defensive line and at secondary’. Key free ag en ts need to be re-signed, including defen­ sive tackle Eric Swann, co rn erb ack A eneas W illiams an d . running back G arrison Hears!.

T h e new G.M. will also have to decide if line­ back er Seth Jo y n er and defensive end Clyde Sim m ons are w orth th e $2.9-raiIlion average salary th e team is paying them . — UBT Sg u s s

ATLANTA FALCONS Road-weary: Difficulties with crow d noise and a m u d d y field in G reen Bay u n d e rsc o re th e need to earn home-field advantage next season.

C oach Ju n e Jo n e s and several players say. T he team w*ent 7-1 in th e G eorgia D om e, but lost seveh of nine on th e road, including the play­ off gam e. Five regular-season road losses w ere by a total of 16 points, and four cam e dow n to one play. H ad th e team won two of th o se g am es, it would have won th e NFC W est and been host for at least one playoff gam e. ... T he run-and-shoot offense relies on th e receiv ers gaining y ardage after catching sh o rt passes, and th e loose field in G reen Bay negated that part of th e attack. Crow d noise m ade it alm ost im possible for q u arterb ack Jeff G eorge to check off plays at the line. “A lot of tim es, I had to keep th e play on th at w as called because o u r g u y s co u ld n ’t hear." G eorge says.

“Pm not saying we w ould have won the gam e, bu t it w ould have been a different attack."

To tile table: Look for negotiations to heat up on co n tracts for key players who are potential free agents. G eorge, offensive tackle Bob W hit­ field. defensive end C huck Sm ith and receiver T eran ce M athis are am ong that group. A deci­ sion m ust be m ade on w h eth er to negotiate with defensive end C hris Do lem an. 34. Dolem an had IO sacks in ’$5, although th re e cam e in th e o p en er against th e P anthers. -. Jo n e s’ biggest offseason decisions cen ter around how to a d d re ss shortcom ings on defense. T h e team allowed th e m ost passing yards in history and

is old on the defensive line and at outside line­ backer. T h e team has had th re e different de­ fensive coordinators and base sch e m e s in the last three years.

— TMY FABBO

CAROLINA PANTHERS A profitable loss: T h e team did itself a favor by losing to W a llin g to n in the final gam e, lf it had won and finished 843, it would have picked 14th in th e draft. In stead , th e P a n th e rs finished 7-9 an d will h av e a coin flip w ith H ous­ to n /N ash v ille to d eterm in e th e eig h th and ninth selections. T h o u g h G.M. Bill Poiian says t h e r e s “a universe" of players the Pan­ th e rs m ight pick first, i t s expected to be a ru n n in g back or a wide receiver. T hey've got to g et som e offensive help for q u arte rb ack K erry Collins. ... S peaking of Collins, who tu rn ed 23 last Saturday, he finished th e sea­ son I S as a s ta rte r and b ecam e the first rook­ ie q u arte rb ack to have a w inning record since M iam i’s Dan M arino w ent 7-3 in 1983.

Sophomore woes? A m u ch to u g h e r sch e d u le n ext seaso n fe a tu re s th e S te e le rs at hom e, a g am e at P hiladelph ia and a hom e-and-hom e

Thinking big: M a n a g e m ent and players have d ifferen t th o u g h ts on th e team 's approach to fre e ag en cy . M a n a g e ­ m ent says th e co re is in place and w ants to bring in a high-echelon free agent or two. T h e players w onder why the team isn 't doing m ore to k eep th e core in place. P resid en t M ichael M cC askey says the team finally is p rep ared to spend m ajor dol­ lars on one or m ore im pact free a g e n ts on d e­ fense. F or the past couple of years, th e orga­ nization has stayed away from big-ticket free a g e n ts b e c a u s e th e overall ta le n t w asn't deem ed close en o u g h to w arrant such a move. But bringing rn a top-level free agent th is offseason is “en tirely possible." McC askey says. ‘.And if it co sts a lot o f dollars. w ell spend a lot of dollars." M cC askey adds.

“W e're to th e point w here if we see the right im pact player out th ere , we will stretch to add him to o u r team ." T h e players, th o u g h , aren't su re why enough stretch in g w asn’t done to get Jeff G raham a new contract or o th e r deals finalized with u n sp en t 1995 cap m oney (just u n d e r $1 m illion). New- co n tracts have been com pleted with ru n n in g back R obert G reen and g u ard T odd Perry, but no o th ers. T he team has talked with G raham . B arry M inter.

Ja m e s W illiams. C urtis Conw ay an d o th ers but h a s n ’t sealed anything.

Premium positions: T h e defensive line apd co rn erb ac k are the B ears' top priorities. H ie y need a p ass-rushing en d . and th e C h arg e rs' Leslie O ’N eal, who played one year for Dave W annstedt at O klahom a State, is the top nam e being d iscu ssed . T h e 49ers' Alfred W illiam s is a n o th e r p o ssib ility . A en eas W illiams is ev ery o n e's fantasy at co rn erb ack , and th e G iants’ P h ilip p i S parks is an o th er free ag en t who will get a look. — JOW! MtiUJl

DALLAS COWBOYS Lett stopper Even th o u g h defensive tackle R ussell M aryland (sprained toe) is ex p ect­ ed to retu rn to th e start­ ing lineup, the team has decided it is b etter off with Leon l>ett rem ain ­ ing at defensive tackle than m oving him out­ side to end w h ere he had briefly replaced in­ ju red C harles Haley. “W e need lo stop the run. heavy up inside, be m ore physical."

Coach Barry Sw itzer says. T his m ove is con­ trary to th e team ’s prim ary reaction to th e lo ss-o f Haley Lett initially m oved to right end. and th e team started M aryland and C had-H ennings at tackle. But th e run defense suffered trem en d o u sly , giving up 149 y ard s to Philadelphia, th en a season-high 244 to th e G iants. W ith M aryland out in G am e lh rn a g a in st .Arizona, th e C o w b o y s had little c h o ic e -but. to m ove Lett back inside and start S hante C arver at end. T h e team lim ited the C ard in als to 63 y ard s ru sh in g . So on Sunday I th e Cow boys will re tu rn to th eir three-m an rotation at tackle with Leu. M aryland and H ennings.

Healthier boys: T ig h t end Jay N ovacek is ex\ p ectin g to play Sunday d esp ite having arthro^Jjcopic su rg ery on his right k n e e D ecem b er J 23 to rem ove tom cartilage. .Also ex p ected to j be im proved for th e playoff g am e is NoI vacek's backup. Eric B jom son. who started against .Arizona d esp ite a strained stom ach m uscle ... M iddle lin e b a c k e r Robert Jo n es jum ped back into practice last week for the first tim e since pulling a groin m uscle De­ ce m b e r 3 against W ashington and is sch e d ­ uled to start Sunday. T h e team also gave som e practice tim e off last w eek to q u a rte r­ back T roy Aikm an (back), defensive end T o n y T o ib e rt (knees) and lin eb ack er G odfrey M vles (shoulder).

— MlCCY SPASKU s

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I I I I I I I I I • I I I I . -J

The Sporting News

DETROIT LIONS Still doibt Coach Wayne Fontes an­ swered Owner William Clay'Ford’s playoffs-orelse ultimatum with sev­ en consecutive victo­ ries. but his troubles may not be over. In ad­ dition to player personnel decisions, the de­ fensive staff issure to be a hot topic when Fontes andClay meet next week to discuss the team’s future. Fontes doesn’t plan to fire anyone, but restructuring is a possibility. De­ fensive coordinator Herb Patenra and defen­ sive line coach John Teeriinck continue to have philosophical differences.... In addition to solidifying the offensive line. Fontes wants to acquire a big blocking fullback. The of­ fense struggled in short-yardage situations.

Doable trouble: There were two significant reasons behind the first-round blowout by the Eagles: quarterback Scott Mitchell and the Silverdome. .After playing w*ell in the sevengame winning streak. Mitchell had the worst game of his career with four interceptions.

When Mitchell played well, the team was un­ beatable. bul when he struggled, the team was vulnerable. .As for the Silverdome. no team that plays in a dome has ever advanced to the Super Bowl. Both NPC dome teams lost last week on the road. Until the Colts won Sunday, no dome^home team had won out­ doors in the playoffs since the Oilers in 1986.

That's not a coincidence. The team won’t make a serious playoff run until it 'secures home-field advantage for two games. ... The loss exposed defensive weaknesses, including lack of speed in the secondary. - Mitchell was upset when Fontes took 'him out in the third quarter. He left quickly after the game and was one of the first to clean out his locker and leave the Silverdome after a season-end­ ing physical exam Sunday. “ —IQM KOSALSD

GREEN BAY PACKERS West 0o8$t offeoslfe: Saturday’s matchup between the Packers and 49ers pits offenses of the same ilk. Coach Mike Holmgren, former San Francisco offensive coordinator. knows everything there is to know about the 49ers offense, and George Seifert knows every­ thing he needs to know about Holmgren's.

The Packers are going to have to come up with a creative plan to limit wide receiver je r­ ry Rice. They took Atlanta out of its game with a three-man front and five defensive backs, but the 49ers don’t send as many re­ ceivers out. so they won’t go--with the same schem e... One thing the Packers won't lack is confidence. They believe they are a differ­ ent team than the one that w'as blown out byDallas in the second round of the playoffs the last two years.

- .

Mom of Reggie Saturday: Defensive end Reg­ gie White played fewer than 20 plays against the Falcons, mostly in passing situations. I t# likely’ he’ll play a lot more against the 49errT although its questionable, if hell be more ef­ fective. White, who is rehabilitating a tom hamstring in his left leg. still has the strength to toss aside blockers. But its obvious when he’s chasing down quarterbacks he isn’t as fast as he used to be. ... Guard Aaron Taylor. who w-as having a solid year at left guard, tore the patellar tendon in his left knee against Al-

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change. In the current structure, Morar Bill Kiiharich (football operations) and Jim Miller (administration) combine to oversee the dai­ ly operations. But Mora has served as a de facto G.M., making the final call on aD per­ sonnel moves, something Kuharich originally was empowered to do. Possible G.M. candi­ dates: the Chargers’ Billy Devaney and the Bears’ Rod Graves.

—H E STOM

v.

NEW VORK GIANTS

Road? or afft Tyrone Wheatley believes he A S v will be ready to be the, '• ■ A l feature running back in 1996. T ve always been able to prepare myself I at the heat of the mo­ t.

IL m ent because I didn’t have much playing time this year doesn’t J ™ mean I won’t be ready next year," he says.

-m be damned if I sit down next year, IU tell you that" Wheatley rushed only 78 times be­ hind Rodney Hampton, fin unrestricted free agent The team likely will be forced to let Hampton go and pick up a cheaper veteran as £o - insurance behind Wheatley. -. Quarterback B2 Dave Brown, another free agent plans to add u>: IO pounds before training camp to his 6-footii. Ir. V: 5, 218-pound frame to give him more strength. He says he weighed as much as 230 v * .> 1 ' .*5.7.w as a collegia but had trouble maintaining that w e ig h t... Coach Dan Reeves says Tom­ Thrown Rod: Hampton went over the l.OOOyard mark, but probably will be let go for an inexpensive my Maddox, whose quarterback rating for backup to Tyrone Wheatley, who says he is ready to step in as the starter.

1995 was 0.0, wifl be given a chance to com­ pete for the job with Brown in training camp. lanta. He will be replaced in the starting line­ th at."... Defensive coordinator Tony Dungy up by rookie Adam Timmerman. ... Running is interested in the Cardinals’ head-coaching Maddox, a first-round pick by Reeves’ Bron­ back Edgar B e n n e s 108 rushing yards job. ... End Martin Harrison, who had five cos in *92. hasn’t given up on being an NFL against the Falcons'was the most by a Packer sacks in four games down the stretch, but starter. in the playoffs. The previous high was 105 played only two downs in the loss to Cincin­ Snow bowl: The team identified 75 ticket lo­ held by Jim Taylor and Paul H om ung.... Safe­ nati: “When you don’t play your best players. cations among the 175 people ejected for ty LeRoy Butler, on three reasons the Pack­ shoot, you deserve to lose and you can quote throwing snow and ice during the finale me on th a t I'd say theres a I percent chance against the Chargers and plans to revoke ers have a chance against the 49ers: "Brett many of those season subscriptions. Even Brett Brett" —TOWSUBSTa HI be back.".

—CWT B u n subscribers who gaye or sold their tickets to others are subject to revocation. ... The team’s No. 5 pick in the *96 draft wifi be its highest since it selected Carl Banks No. 3 toolless as usual: Jim overall in ’84. The last two top-5 picks. Banks Mood walk? Warren Mora looks and sounds and Lawrence Taylor (No. 2 in 1981), were Moon sounds unsure if more and more like a linebackers. That is the top priority again.... he wants to come back for a third year with the coach who will return in Reeves on his job status: “I am not a power0 1996. Mora has spoken hungry coach, which has been said a lot of team. “I don’t know at least twice with Own­ times. I’m looking for an opportunity to win. what I want. Ability—t a . Best wise, I don’t think I’m er Tom Benson since That’s the bottom line." the end of the season ready to quit But a lot more things are involved in this decision." and the two plan two days of meetings next Moon say's. The Vikings have a $3-million op­ week. Benson and Mora’s talks were the first tion on Moon’s contract and don’t sound as if between the two in more than two months. they’re willing to trade or release him. He wifl Mora refuses to discuss their conversations Groandiag It oat The turn 40 in November and continues to pile up but did say Benson "didn’t say anything to rushing attack, which pretty' stats. But Moon is 90-90 as a starter, in­ lead me to believe that I wouldn’t be (return­ had been running on cluding 11-13 since the team blew a 20-point ing) .... Its business as usual as far as Tm con­ empty the last few lead last season in New England. ... The cerned. Maybe Tm wrong. Maybe something weeks of the regular Vikings scored a franchise-high 412 points, wiD happen in the next couple of weeks. But season, returned to but they allowed 385. That’s the most since I’m not insecure where I need him to come form with 189 yards, its the ’84 team gave up 484. out and give me an endorsement" Mora, who second-highest output Carter upset Cris Carter is still fuming about is 91-72 in IO seasons, has one year left on his of the season, in last week’s 58-37 playoff vic­ not getting the four second-half receptions he contract Mora described the upcoming tory againstlfie Lions. Charlie Garner, ham­ needed in Cincinnati to keep a share of his meetings as “normal business-type stuff that pered by a broken thumb, had carried the NFL reception record. Herman Moore took we would normally talk about after the sea­ ball six times in the final four regular-season over at 123, one ahead of Carter’s total in *94 son. ... Mora hasn’t ruled out staff changes, games, but he had a team-high 78 yards on 12 and *95. “J don’t care what anybody says, I but it’s unlikely coordinators Carl Smith and carries against the Lions. Kicky.Watters, the know everything was not done to help me Monte Kiffin will be affected. Mora was d u b ’s leading rusher with 1,273 yards, had break the record," Carter says. “All we need­ pleased with Kiffin in his first year working just 49 yards on 18 carries. Watters, who car­ ed was one catch to tie the record. Why not with the defense and steadfastly supports ried the ball a career-high 337 times this sea­ break the record?" Carter says offensive co­ Smith’s control of the offense. son, has averaged 2.9yards a carry in the past ordinator Brian BLQick’s “play-calling was just G oatee 6.M. parts: After consecutive 7-9 sea­ five games. “Ifs important for both of those OK" and that Moon could have done more to sons, it appears Benson may make some guys to be running the football" Coach Ray get him his record back. “There were stretch­ front-office changes. The most likely sce­ Rhodes says. “The change of pace between es in the game when I was disappointed (with nario: hiring a football man as a G.M. For Charlie and Ricky really helps our running Moon)," Carter says. “I will never forget Mora to return, he must accept such a game."

«al

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

I

January 8,1996

TstlBg ap the teat The team will prepare for the Cowboys at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training complex in Vero Beach. Fla “I want to turn it into a training carap atmos­ phere,'’ Rhodes says. I want us to be focus­ ing on football only. It's just like training for a heavyweight fight'... Defensive tackle Rhett Hall may be back for this week's game in Dal­ las. Hall who was supposed to be the dub’s starting right tackle, has played in just two games this season. He missed the first 12 games because of blood dots on his lung, then injured his knee in his second game back. ... Rookie cornerback Bobby Taylor again came up big against the Lions. Taylor, who held Michael Inin to three catches in a 2017 victory December IO against the Cow­ boys, held the Lions’ Herman Moore to two first-half catches as the Eagles lumped out to a 38-7 lead.

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ST. L o r i s RAMS F fJH fr t BVlCBtp&£8T Excluding some fringe players, the team has 16 free agents on its roster.

The group includes five fulltime starters, sever­ al top reserves and kick­ er Dean Biasucri. Cor­ nerback Todd Lyght and tight end Troy Dray­ ton are the marquee names on the list, but the Rams have strings attached to both.

Lyght is the team's transition player, and Drayton is a restricted free agent, meaning the Rams have matching rights to both. Lyght wants to stay in St. Louis if the money is right and he gets a long-term deaL Drayton’s status is less certain. He ended the season disgruntled over the number of passes thrown his way. Other names of note are linebacker Shane eonian and offensive guard Leo Goeas, both starters, and quarterback Mark Rypien. The Rams have matching rights with Rypien, who completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 1,039 yards in three starts at the end of the season in place of injured Chris Miller. It doesn’t look like the Rams want Goeas and eonian bade particularly at their *95 cap figures of $900,000 (Goeas) and $1.2 million (Conlan). eonian, 31, underwent knee surgery just before Christmas — his second surgery in two seasons.

Sip ii, please: The Rams reduced their list of prospective free agents by two late in the regular season by re-signing wide receiverkick returner Todd Kktchen and defensive back Dexter Davis. Kinchen signed a twoyear contract worth $1.5 million. Davis signed a two-year deal worth $500,000. Both

Treystay: After buzane offcut a light year in passes his way, Drayton is up in the air; players would have been unrestricted free agents. Kincben’s contract was signed before his late-season fumbling problems. He lost three fumbles in the Rams' final two games — two of which were returned for touch­ downs.

—Am Ti

SAX FRANCISCO 49KRS to rec The offense gained a lower percent­ age of its yardage by rushing than any other team in the playoffs, and even the 49ers believe they'll need more bal­ ance in the offense if they're going to reach the Super BowL They gained just 243 percent of their yardage by rushing, compared with 35.9 percent for their five Super Bowl winners.' Among other things, they're concerned that the lack of run­ ning puts added pressure on the defense, be­ cause it's harder for the 49ers to work the dock. Three of their five defeats during the regular season came in games in which they led in the fourth quarter. Aside from bal­ ance, the major offensive woe heading into the playoffs is fullback Adam Walker, who dropped sax passes and fumbled twice in the last twoTegular-season games. He has been

troubled by a brace protecting a thumb bro­ Wyche as well as losing the respect of sever­ ken earlier in the season. He wound up in the al starters, including quarterback Trent Dif­ lineup foDowing injuries toseveral other play­ fer and wide receiver Alvin Harper, and his ers, and Coach George Seifert says Walker •touted offense ranking among the bottom five would continue to start But mistakes could most of the season. cause the team to reduce his limited offensive A tote for Tillman: Safety John Lynch cast a vote for defensive coordinator Rusty Tillman role even more.

Taylor to (p it Wide receiver John Taylor, who to replace Wyche even if the Tampa Bay de­ announced his retirement before the season. fense tailed off at season’s end. “Rusty’s a still plans to call it a career after IO years fol­ fiery guy who can get guys to play." Lynch —t a POGUES lowing a disappointing, injury-plagued season. says.

Taylor missed four complete games and most of two others, induding the regular-season fi­ nale. He's expected to be ready for the first WASHINGTON REDSKINS playoff game, but rookie JJ. Stokes, who caught five passes for 106yards in just the first Cntintty is key: Look quarter of the finale against Atlanta, figures to for the team to finally get most of the work.... This was the first time have some stability this since 1981 that the team finished a season offseason after purging ranked higher in the league on defense (first) all but eight players and than offense (second).

—Im HILB two coaches since 1992.

Washington’s six victo­ ries doubled its *94 total TAMPA HAV HI (XAXKFRS and its three-game improvement tied St Louis and Philadelphia for the NFC’s best Wycte sackid: The “We’ve got a nucleus of players that are the team may be without a base of our football team," Coach Norv Turn­ head coach until the fu­ er says. “People are finding out that a large ture of the franchise is number of changes aren't the answer. Conti­ settled — Owner Mal­ nuity’s still the answer." However, one place colm Glazer is explor­ to expect changes is the defensive line — ing other dties in case a where Tony Woods, Marc Boutte and Tim new stadium isn't built Johnson are free agents — which hasn't pro­ in Tampa. While Jimmy Johnson and Steve duced the teams sacks leader since Charles Spurrier immediately jumped to the head of Mann in 1991. Washington’s sack outputs of the class as the most popular choices to re­ 28 last season and 30 this year were its lowest place Sam Wyche, who was fired on Decem­ since 70. Still, Washington’s defense allowed 53 fewer points this’season, the ber 27, it's unlikely either would NFL’s third-biggest reduction. accept the job without a guaran­ En route to leaping from 20th to tee that the franchise will remain seventh in pass defense, the in Tampa. Spurrier, passed over Redskins gave up 531 fewer twice for the Bucs’ head-coaching yards through the air. Only Den­ position when Hugh Culverhouse ver and the New York Jets cut owned the team, has a two-week window that started Wednesday their total by more. The defense also forced 35 turnovers, sev­ to explore other job opportuni­ enth-most in the NFL helping ties. G.M. Rich McKay has no reverse a minus-17 turnover ra­ timetable for naming a new tio from 1994 into a plus-5 in coach, but it’s obvious the Bucs 1995. That plus-22 turnaround would like to have their new man MBJ OuB was easily the league's best, on board before the Super BowL Others who may appear on the short list in­ OB ti**:,ibmy? Gus Frerotte started his lith clude Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turn­ game of the year in the season finale against er. Vikings defensive coordinator- Tony Carolina because fellow second-year quarter­ Dungy, Raiders offensive coordinator Joe back Heath Shuler was out with a broken Bugel and Chiefs offensive coordinator Paul right pinkie. Frerotte has said he would like Hackett. Wyche, whose four-year record was to be traded if he’s not the starter in 1996 but 2341. likely will end up in the broadcast don't expect the Redskins to make a deal. “I booth in *96, possibly with Fox. This team is don't have the urgency everyone else does to for better than it was four years ago when we just have one of them here," says Turner, started," he says. That the Bucs started 5-2 who again denied he has derided on Shuler —DAND Em and lost seven of their final nine games hurt as his *96 starter. ?

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Basketball Free Agents

Players wtio eta to claimed attar noon od FtI., Jan.5th, Players who can be claimed atter noon on Mon.. Jan. TO I. & and before 9PM on Than., Jan. 11th, and to cm before 11PM on Sunday, Jan.14tti. and be on your team for your team for games beginning H i., Jan. 12th. games beginning Mon.. Jan. 15th.

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lAlABY S3J4OJ0O $1,31*000 $2^7*000 $70*000 $1,24*000 $84*000

PQ 05 PLATER / TEAM SALAHI Q 113 Oyd* Brazier, Houston $3J17*000 Q 2B1 Ty*** Etoay, ta c n m e to <800,000 F 312 Cteaoca Waattorspooo, PW! PJPOJRO F 396 Brisa WUxms, LA CSppart $89*000 C 508 Vlada Dtvsc, LA L aten ORLOPP

22 • NM 20 years ago, four ABA teams merged into the NBA, giving the senior league a well-placed kick in the butt. But not before the ABA gave its fans the wackiest, most colorful cast of characters professional sports ever had seen. t gave us Julius Erving. George Gervin.

Dan Issei and Bob Costas.

I

It gave us the 3-point s h o t the Slam Dunk Contest and pro basketball's first taste of free agency. “ It gave us Marvin Barnes, who once had 13 telephones in his 3-bedroopi apart­ m e n t Once. Marvin showed up late at an air­ port, tossed the keys to his new M ercedes to a skycap and told the guy to park it. Then he w ondered why he never saw the skycap or the M ercedes again.

It gave us cow-milking contests at halftime, bikini-clad cheerleaders and a guard named lefty Thom as, who played while wearing rings on all IO of his fingers.

It gave us Wilt Chamberlain ... as in Coach Wilt Chamberlain of the San Diego Conquis­ tadors. Chamberlain was known for wearing sandals on the bench during games — that is, when he showed up.

Then again. Lam- Brown sometimes wore overalls when he coached ... and several In­ diana Pacers w ore_cowboy-stvle holsters and pistols with their street clothes. Pat Boone owned a team. too. as did Morton Downey Jr. It was the American Basketball Associa­ tion. the wackiest, most colorful and strangest .professional sports league e v e r..

This year m arks the 20th anniversary of the dem ise of the ABA. which saw its last season in 1975-76 and merged with the NBA in the sum m er of 76.

The ABA brought four teams to the NBA — Denver. San .Antonio. Indiana and the New York (now New-Jersey) Nets. But it was more than that. What the .ABA gave the senior league w-as a well-placed kick in the butt. It brought energy and athleticism to a league that had grown staid and s{ale. It brought in­ novative coaches such as Hu hie Brown and Larry Brown, who helped bring NBA tactics out of the dark ages.

Most of all. the m erger of the two leagues brought a sense of fun to a Spornha* bad be1 com e as grim as many of the dark, smoky buildings where it was played. •* Given today's sellout crowds. Michael Jor­

The Sporting News

middle 70s. But a-good crowd was 10.000 A good television contract was one that broad­ cast the gam es live, not after the late-night news. A good day was when no one was filing a lawsuit At b e s t the NBA was No. 3 in the con­ sciousness of sports fans. VVIth Muharamacf AU dominating boxing in the 7 0 s , some might say pro basketball was fourth on the list. The Celtics of Bill Russell in the ‘60s and of John Havlicek in the 7 0 s seldom sold out or out-drew the Bruins of the National Hock­ ey League. , T h e bottom line was that pro basketball was a sport in trouble. Remember when some people insisted that college was the future of basketball on TV and in the hearts and minds of sports fans?

'ITrat was the talk back in the 70s.

Believe it or not, the ABA helped change all that

ome will say. ’'Wait a minute. I thought it was Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who saved the NBA.” Or maybe Michael Jordan and David Stem deserve the cred­ it And that is all true.

But every time significant change occurs, there are revolutionaries. It was the ABA that threw the firebombs and demanded that at-* tendon be paid. In many ways, the ABA turned pro basketball upside down.

T h e league began with the 1967-68 sea­ son, when a bunch of young guys who want­ ed a piece of the action in professional sports were beat to the punch by the founders of the old American Football League. Because their first idea was out and they were afraid to challenge baseball, that left hockey and basketball. No one did a marketing survey. No one contacted a gov­ ernm ent agency for advice.

T h e group was led by D ennis Murphy, who would later be among the founders of the World Football League, the World Hockey Association and World Team Ten­ nis. Among the founders, more liked bas­ ketball than hockey. So that's how they de­ cided to start a basketball league. The first tipoff took place with a red. white and blue b asketb all “When fans see our ball in the air, they’ll stand and saluter proclaimed George Mikan.

He was referrin g to a league named Am erican having a basketbafl the same col-* ors as the Am erican flag. And yes, the man speaking was that G eorge M ikan, voted b ask etb all’s g reatest player for the first half of this century. Mikan was the ABA’s com m issioner, the man who insisted upon the m ulti-colored ball — and the 3-point sh ot Why red, white and blue?

"Because it is easier to see on TV," Mikan said then. “Because kids will love it" Mikan was rig h t The dirty-orange basket­ bafl sometimes does get lost against the back­ drop of a brown floor when you watch it on TV. And. yes, kids do love colorful balls.

Come to think of i t how did David Stem ever miss this marketing gimmick?

But even when the ABA had a good idea, there were problems.

"I believe I was the first one to say that the ball (and the league) belonged on the nose of a seal," says Alex Hannum, the legendary' NBA coach. “But when I got a chance to coach in the ABA. I liked i t It was a good ball for teaching shooting because you could see the rotation easier."

But it was hard to find red, white and blue

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ony Computer Entertainment America has followed up its award-winning (and headturning) NFL GameDay with its second PlayStation sports title. NHL Face Off. Video games have tong been the logi­ cal extension of a sports tan's desire to "get into" the game. Now. there's a revolution in the video game industry — gone are the ok) 16-bit systems such as Super NHS and Sega Genesis. TheyVe been replaced with more powerful “next-generation system s" of­ fering game players incredible 3*0 graphics and speed that have created a new sense of realism for the sports video game enthusiast Sony's Plantation game console has rocketed to the top of the sales charts outselling all competitors and is quickly becoming the sports machine of the next-generation systems. It is sure to be on the top of many wish lists this holiday season.

But it s the software for the game machines th| drives the market Savvy game players scour thefr local video game store in search of the latest and greatest games. And every once in a while, a new game comes along that gamers everyone’s attention.

One such game is NFL GameDay. To date. the edi­ tors of GamePro. Electronic Gaming Monthly and Video Games Magazine have singled out NFL Game­ Day with annual "Best Sports Game" awards. And when it hit the shelves just before Thanksgiving, it became an instant hit with many chains selling out and scrambling to reorder more.

*— • - -• •r .

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You k now that dream y o u ’ve always had of p l a y i n g p r o f e s s i o

NFL GameDay bnngs the NFL experience to life allowing armchair quarterbacks to “get into" the game like never before. The authenticity and realism of the game is created through a combination of in­ credible 3-CTanimation. licenses with the National Football League and NFL Players Assoc., team logos, uniforms and rendered stadiums, actual player sta-.

NFL Gam eDay **is the best football game I have ever played and a game that no P layStatio n sp o rt s lover sh o u ld be without, lf you ha ve n 't p u rch a se d the hardware yet... run out and do so.

— Dim ension

P S-X , Decem ber 1995

fishes from Stats Inc. allowing players to perform to their real abilities, an up-to-date playbook that mir­ rors today's offensive and defensive strategies, and options such as player trades and weather condi­ tions “NFL GameDay has been heralded in the enthusi­ ast press and won several awards including 'B est Sports Game' from GamePro Magazine, because of our incredible attention to detail and gameplay.r said Peter Dille. marketing product director. SC EA “With The power of the PlayStation and the supenor artifi­ cial intelligence, combined with the graphics and the realism of the gameplay. NFL GameDay delivers a football game unlike anything before. NFL GameDay defines what is to be expected from a football game in the 32-bit marketplace."

Gameplay realism is key to the suecess of NFL GameDay Sony's internal production team consult­ ed with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Steve Bono on the game’s playbook to ensure that NFL GameDay faithfully re-creates today’s offensive and defensive schemes — a fact that will not be tost on sports en­ thusiasts. The comprehensive variety of plays are re-created on-screen with.realistic animations that depict offensive and defensive players correctly exe­ cuting assignments. In addition. Sony motion-cap­ tured real athletes to re-create authentic football tech­ niques including dives, spins, hurdles, jukesand stiff-

arms. On defense, players can put a swim move or forearm shiver on their op­ ponent dive to tackle, or jump to block or intercept a pass. Additionally, the play­ ers are scaled to their actual height and weight so that Dave Meggett appears smaller than Junior Seau.

With licenses from the National Football League as well as NFL Players Assoc.. NFL GameDay fea­ tures more than 1,600 real NFL players as well as all 30 teams and their respective stadiums. Also featured is complete stat tracking of the players through an entire season, including the Super Bowl.

Gameplayers can select one of four weather conditions (sun, wind, rain or snow) on GameDay, and the weather will not only affect playing conditions (the playing field gets muddy during the game) but also affects the players’ abilities throughout the gam e— running backs who juke and spin will not have their typ­

ical footing. Four different views, three difficulty settings, injuries on or off. and instant replays with a free-floating camera, are some of the other options players can choose from.

A s the second product in Sony's sport Fine, NHL Face Off picks up where N R * GameDay left off. As expected, NHL Face Off sets a whole new standard for hockey video games with its incredible attention to detail.

There are large characters animated with a wide variety of moves; licenses with the NHL and the NHL Players Association; nv depth ptayer ratings and statistics: as well as a sophisticated artificial intefliQence that will make you think you’re actually playing against a Fedorov or Gretzky.

‘Its the smallest of details that can make the difference between a good sports game and a great one," continued Dilie. •‘A s the video game players are con-

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trolling the skater, they w ant to have the feeling of controlling the puck. S o our

and the teams logos' are actually “ in" the ice. A s the game starts, the ice and the

developm ent team spent a lot of time with the puck physics, as well as skating

logos are nice and shiny. But as the action heats up. the ice and the logos actu­

physics. Ifs som ething that's hard to see Put once you pick up the controller,

ally start to d u ll" Audio is another very important factor. N H I Face O ff features

you can feel i t " .

C O quality audio with digitally recorded crowd reactions, organ music (played by

Using its in-house'fadlities, the team used

the organist for the Anaheim M igh ty Ducks) and puck

m otiofvcapture technology to create the realis­

sounds (when the puck hits the post, you'll hear it).

tic anim ations of everything fro m checks to

There’s even a free-floating camera available for instant

skating to shots on goal. Each m ove has its

replays.

ow n anim ation, including cross checks, poke

“ It comes down to this.” said Dine, “games such as

checks, hip checks and shoulder checks. Play­

N H L Face O ff and N F L Gam eOay give sports enthusiasts

#

S a tu rd a y Ja n . B AFC and IV C Divisional Playoffs am bay; Ja n . 7 AFC ara) NFC Divisional Playoffs am bay; Ja n . 14 AFC and NFC Ct a npfanslUp Games a m b a y, Ja n . 28

Super Bowl XXX st teDwvf Sarita*. Tnpa, kl

ers will also be able to use a variety of shots including one-tim ers, slap shots

the opportunity to play against the best there is— be it the combination of Young

and wrist shots. An d players perform to their real Bfe abilities based on their real

to Rice, or The Legion of D o o m . Yo u can play a single game or an entire season

a m b a y; Fo b . 4

N H L stats.

and PlayStation will keep track of you r stats. Grow ing up. we all dreamed of

A F W V C P ro Bowl

Gam e players will be impressed with the fact that aU 26 rinks are in the game

playing professional sports, and with N F L Gam e Day and N H L Face O ff. you can."

m u m m , to w n

26 • NBA basketballs.

Bob Bass tells the story about the Denver Rockets, named after the Rocket Trucking Company, which owned the team. The Rock­ ets were playing an exhibition game in Tuc­ son. the first gam e for a new team in a new league.

“Some genius got the idea to take a brown ball and spray’ paint it red." Bass says. “The thing was like a greased pig. At halftime, the two teams had combined for 44 turnovers."

Form er P acers great Roger Brown even developed a move based on the red. white and blue ball.

“T here was som ething mesmerizing when you saw the colors," Brown says. “So I’d spin the ball in my hands for a second. The d e fender would watch it. and then I'd drive right by him."

While the NBA blasted the ball, the ABA sold i t 4 “We had a test where we put hundreds of kids in a sporting goods store and gave them the choice between our ABA ball and the brown basketball, and- every single one of them picked the ABA ball." recalled Mike Storen. the form er general m anager of the Pacers.

Several reports indicate that more than 30 million red, white and blue balls were sold.

That alone should have made the ABA sok venL But no one in the league office ever put a patent on the ball They owned the ABA logo, but companies could produce red, white and blue balls minus the logo and keep all the money for them selves — which is exactly what they did.

he ABA never wanted to be its own league. From the begin­ ning. the goal was to force a m erger, to convince the NBA that it needed more teams and more m a rk e ts T he reasoning was sound. In 1966, the NBA had nine team s, so there were plenty of players and cities available. But it was hard for the NBA lo take the new league se­ riously.

Here is why:

T

As simple as A-B-C T he Dallas C haparrals were owned by a guy named Roland Speth. He hired Max Williams as his “basketball man" and asked Williams to prepare for the league’s first c o l lege draft. So Williams made a list of college players he liked and left it in the office. Rather than spring for an extra airline ticket to New York. Speth went him self — taking along Williams’ fist' “But the list was in alphabetical order."

Williams says. “Not in order of talent" So the fir st pick in the history’ of the Chap­ arrals was Matt Aitch. The second pick was Jim Bum s. It was sort of the Sesame Street approach to drafting’— pick a letter, find a player.

Speth soon sold the-team to th e Gregoryfamily. which owned show dogs. one of whom was named “Manny Leaks." after the team ’s starting center.

Just say Moe Larry Brown w as an assistant under Dean Smith at North Carolina and Doug Moe was playing basketball in Italy when they were contacted by a team called the New Orleans Buccaneers. Together, they headed to New Orleans looking for a building with a sign for

The Sporting New

the new team. But the address they were giv­ en led to an office for die American Can Com­ pany.

There, they met with a guy named Sean Downey.

“On his desk, he had a two-sided name plate." Brown recalls. “One said. ‘Sean Downey Jr.. Vtc e President of Sales for Amer­ ican Can.' T h e -other side said, ‘Sean Downey Jr.. President, New Orleans Buccaneers.’ He really wanted to sign Doug, but Doug said he wouldn’t play unless I got to be on the team, too."

So the Bucs signed them both — and it was a great move. Moe was one of the league’s top scoring forwards, and Brown, a 5-foot-IO guard, had more assists than anyone during the league’s first five years.

Brown and Moe lasted a lot longer than Downey, who didn't last through the first sea­ son. But Downey did all right (of himself. He eventually worked his way into broadcasting, where, as Morton Downey Jr., he got himself a talk show in New York.

TJie simplest mission for the ABA was dis­ covering players, especially when the league decided to break the unwritten rule between the pros and the NCAA and began signing college players before their senior seasons.

A Joe Smith leaving Maryland causes little stir now. but when Spencer Haywood left the University of Detroit for the Denver Rockets in the fell of 1969, the ABA was portrayed as a cradle robber and Haywood as a moneygrubber.

Actually, Haywood w*as one of the few players in the country younger than 21 who was ready -for pro basketball, although many young m en such as Johnny N eu­ m ann would leave school too early, and th e ir c aree rs never would reflect th eir po­ tential.

T he ABA invented the “h ard sh ip rule" to justify signing these kids, claiming the play­ ers needed th e m oney to support th eir fam­ ilies. Julius Erving, G eorge M cG innis.

G eorge Gervin and M oses M alone w ere The first king of the 3-point shot was a fel­ i> just som e of the early signings. H eck, the low named Les Selvage, a 6-3 guard from U tah S tars signed M alone out of P eters­ N ortheast Missouri State. He was playing for burg (Va.) High School in 1974. He had just the Phi Beta S g s of die Los Angeles Inter-fra­ turned 19. / ternity League at night while working as a shipping d a k at Douglas Aircraft for his day job. Selvage heard that a team called the Ana­ heim Amigos was looking for players, so he tried out and made it In his first season, he hoisted 461 shots from 3-point land — and the line was 25 feet away. not as d o s e as it is in today’s NBA. Not only did he outshoot every o th er player in .that inaugural season, but he outshot every other team, too. He averaged 14 points, but shot b etter from 3-point range (42 percent) than on the 2-pointers (32 percent). He once unleashed 26 3-pointere (making IO) in a gam e against Denver.

The NBA looked at mad b o m b a s such as Selvage and vowed never to allow the 3-point shot in its league. \

The mad bomber

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Glass diamonds Rick Barry becam e the first NBA player to switch to the ABA, jum ping across the Bay from the San Franrisco W arriors to the Oak­ land Oaks. T he Oaks cam e up with a novel way to secure Barry — they hired Bruce Hale, his father-in-law, as coach.

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by Hana urn..

T hose O aks w ere owned by singer Pat Boone, w hose team won the 1968 ABA tide with Barry. But the venture into basketball cost Boone about $1.5 million. Yes, he re­ ceived a cham pionship ring but later dis­ covered that it w asn’t a diam ond — just glass.

Meanwhile. Barry received the brunt of criticism for being selfish and chasing the highest dollar, but domestic tranquility was behind his decision as much a? greed. Sever­ al other players would later jump leagues, in­ cluding Zebno Beaty, Spencer Haywood. Jim M cDaniels, Connie Hawkins and Charlie Scott. The two leagues robbed each other, and lawsuits followed the players bouncing from one team . to the next as each side seem ed intent upon bankrupting the other in order to win the war.

Jig trw ni coaBtte fgriy on, Gervin, who come out early because ofthe hardship ride/played it coolforth* Squires, but he made his name as a red-hot shooterfor the Spurs

NBA • 27

January 8,1996

passed through town. and the team was in St. Louis for only two years. But it never had a. .500 record and won only one round in the playofe.

And the Spirits had Barnes. In a much sto­ ried league, no man had more lore than Movin* Marvin, who once looked at an airline itinerary and saw that a flight leaving Louisvflle at 8:02 a.m. arrived in S t Louis al 7:59 a.m. Not exactly hip lo time-zone changes. Barnes insisted. “I ain't gettin' on that plane. That's some kind of time ma­ chine."

He often missed team flights and once rented a private plane to take him to a game in New York. After the first quarter. Barnes (sweating and in uniform) was spotted writ­ ing a check' to pay the pilot Barnes some­ times arrived at games wearing a full-length fur coat while his team was shooting around.

He’d take it off and have his uniform on un^ demeath. He also carried a bag with burgers, which he ate while the trainer taped his an­ kles for the game.

Aclassby themselves

Poster dlOlisk; fiony, vil^ied a sih ep ro to typ ia d ^ — selfish and chasing the highest (M a r— teas a boon to Pafs team, helping the-Oaks to the'68 tide b^ore eventually returning to the Warrion.

Ww got Spirits, yes we do

PtSHS, stratas a d atoaobfles MTtvn'Afarv in 'led the league in lore,

While it's not exactly a fair image, mention the ABA to many people and they say. “Mar­ vin Barnes."

He fit perfectly into the mid-70s. an ^ of platform shoes. Afros, bushy sideburns, drugs and free love.

Barnes played for the Spirits of St. Louis, whose general manager was Harry Weitman. whose public relations man was Rudy Martzke and whose broadcaster was "young Bobby Costas."

When Costas was hired by KM OX to do Spirits games, veteran broadcaster Jack Buck a ^ e d the young man just how old he was.

Twenty-two." he answered.

“Son," Buck said. “I have ties older than that" This was a team with Fly Williams, a New York playground legend had averaged 30 points per game at Austin Peay. (Fly called it. T h e Pee.7 He had no front teeth, little body strength or ballhandling skills. Coach Rod Thom once gave a timeout lecture about unselfishness, then Williams said, “Man, just give me the ball and get the hell out of the way." He also was a guy who once got into a fight with one of his teammates — during pregame warmups.

The Sfririts had some fine players: Maurice Lucas, Don Chaney, Steve Jones. Freddie Lewis, M.L Carr. Even Moses Malone

When it came to talent, every year in the ABA was better than the last. Consider the Kentucky Colonels, the 1975 champions. A classy, welkroached outfit, they were the ex­ act opposite of the Spirits and more repre­ sentative of the league's better teams.

“By far, it was tile best team that I ever coached." Hubie Brown says.

The center was 7-foot-2 Artis Gilmore, who went on to a solid career in the NBA. The power forward was Hall of Famer Dan Issei.

'The point guard was Louie Dampier, “Mark Price before there was Mark Price." Brown says.

It was Dampier who best demonstrated how the 3-point shot could be more than a novelty a c t When opponents tried to take away the Colonels* inside game of Issei and Gilmore. Dampier bombed away from long range. Brown's team was a prime example of how an insideoutside attack worked to cre­ ate a balanced offense.

The NBA adopted the S^xiint shot in 1979 — three years after the merger. The Celtics’ Red Auerbach was one who said he would never abide by the 3-point sh o t Then his team drafted Larry Bird and he loved ii Of course. Auerbach also told reporters that Julius Erving was a “nice guy" and “not a bad player." bul he didn't think Erving would be an impact player in the NBA. Red was usually rig h t but not always.

When he said that about Erving, he sounded like the same man who drafted Clarence Glover.

Is there a Doctor in the house?

they were flights of fancy thhough traffic near the hoop in which he would switch hands while in mid-air. then softly kiss the ball off the backboard for a layup, He also invented the finger-roll layup, much to the despair of high school coaches everywhere. It was a great shot if you could jump as high as Erving, bul smaller players continually missed layups while trying lo inv itate the Doctor. As veteran basketbij man Johnny Kerr said, ‘Julius was our 'Thomas Edison, he was inventing something new every night’ Erving spent his last three seasons with the New York Nets, where it was hard for the basketball establishment to ignore him. Not only was Erving a player the likes of which no one had ever seen, he was a true ambassador for the league, a nice guy willing to talk to everyone and sell the game. The NBA knew he would be a gate attraction, and by 1976, it *desperately needed one.

rn love you forever ... and forever As the decade continued, contract wars and lawsuits were about to bankrupt fran­ chises in both leagues. Some sort of settle­ ment had to be reached.

After the 1975-76 playoffs, the ABA was down to six franchises — Kentucky. Indiana.

Denver. San Antonio, St. Louis and the New York Nets, In the summer of 76. the .NBA agreed to admit four new teams.'

The only problem remaining was working out deals with Kentucky and St. Louis, the two teams left behind. Chicken baron John Y. Brown owned the Colonels, and he agreed to settle for S3 million. 'Then he turned around and bought the NBA’s Buffalo Braves for $1.5 million, pocketing the other $1.5 million for himself.

St. Louis Owners Ozrie and Danny Silna and Don Schupak were more visionary. They cut a deal where they would receive "in per­ petuity" (and rarely has an expression mean­ ing forever been more lucrative) a cut of the 'TV revenues from the four ABA-turned-NBA teams. 'That deal is now worth close lo Si mil­ lion annually.

The Nets had to pay $4.8 million lo the Knicks as a settlement allowing them lo op­ erate in the .New York market. The franchise couldn't afford it and had to sell Julius Erving lo Philadelphia for $3 million lo help pay the bills.

Of the 84 ABA players at the time of the 76 merger. 63 were in the NBA the following season. Ten of the 24 *77 NBA AU-Stars had spent some time in the ABA, and five of the IO starters in the 1977 championship series be­ tween Portland and Philadelphia had .^ A roots. .And this much is clear 20 years after the last red, white and blue bali coursed across our collective consciousness: 'This league gave us a glimpse at what was lo come. The lingering mystique and the shadows the .ABA casts on a mullibillion-dollar sport of the '90s draws us back to the Squires and Oaks and Spirits. Says Costas, who unlike the ABA has grown up and prospered: "In an era where sports is overexposed a n d , overtelevised, the ABA is the last significanf sports ventun? that has any mystery about it ... Virtually everything that is known about ■ it comes by word of mouth, as if it happened centuries ago.” #

lf there was one man who led to the merg­ er. it was Dr. J. Erving signed with the Virginia Squires in the fan of 1972 after his junior year at Massa­ chusetts. His huge hands and liveiy legs were perfect for a league whose ^ s would spawn the MTV generation — and this was long be­ fore cable television.

As Rod Thorn said. ‘ Players dunked be­ fore the Doctor, but no one ever dunked like Doc. ll was as if Julius invented the dunk."

Terry Pluto is a columnist for the Akron He was 6-7. but his huge Afr^ made him ap­ pear closer to 7 feet He didn't jump, he -Beacon-joum ai Hts 1990 book. “Loose soared. Often, his best shots weren't dunks.B ails.' is the definitive history o f the ABA.

28 • NBA

The Sporting News

the best teammate tandem ever, they are cer­ tainly the best in the game today. Better than Penny Hardaway-Shaquifle O’N eal Hakeem Olajuwon-Clyde Drexler and John StocktonKarl Malone.

"We have a certain understanding of our­ selves offensively and defensively." Jordan says. “I think offensively you can say that about other (tandems). But from a defensive standpoint’ Both ends? I’d like to see the two.

Jordan-Pippen may be enough to cany the Bulls to 70 if the supporting cast contin­ ues to contribute. Rodman wants to become the first player to win a rebounding title with three different teams. Ron Harper, given more responsibility this season, sometimes plays like the pre-knee in ju ^ R o d Harper of the Cavaliers. Luc Longley is taking lessons in toughness from Rodman, and in order to solidify the center position, the Buffs are try­ ing to convince Sam Bowie to postpone re­ tirem ent / Toni Kukoc is still struggling to come to grips with his reserve role and th ats where die upside of the team Bes. If Kukoc can find peace off the bench, then the Buffs will be that much better, and maybe that much clos­ er to 70.

They'D have to fight through the dreary mid-season stretch, they have one more West Coast trip to contend with and they'll have to finish strong. A few more monster winning streaks would help, too.

T h is is probably the best stretch we’ve had," Jordaxrsays. "We haven’t won anything yet even though this is the best we’ve been at this stage. I don’t think ifs in our best interest to pat ourselves on the back, because ifs a long season.

"Are we playing well enough to win a championship right now? f don’t think any­ one in the league is. But we’re playing well enough to have the record we have. I don’t think that’s a false record."

XRA REPORT

Bulls cruising at 73 vps (victories per season) r

being a watered-down league, may help the Bulls break 70.

But if they don’t erase the 1971-72 Lakers’ 69-victory record, it may be because they don’t appear too motivated to get i t T h e record don't mean crap," Dennis Rodman says. "We can win 68,69 games and it don’t mean crap if we don’t get it done in the play­ offs."

Certainly, the Bulls have grander goals.

Jordan didn’t leave baseball to lose in the first round. No matter what the Bulls accomplish during the regular season, the true purpose is not to pull a Seattle in ApriL Still 70 victories is a possibility. Here’s how the Bulls can pull it off: ■ Continue the home cookin’. When the week began, the Buffs and Magic were the only teams unbeaten at home, lf the Bulls are to reach 70. they must also threaten the ’85-86 Celtics’ home-court mark of 40-1.

■ Emerge unscathed from the West Coast. The Bulls went 6-1 on their first ex­ tended western trip this season: losing only in Seattle. The next and last western trip starts January' 30 in Houston and lasts "six games. The Bulls' won-lost record then will determine if 70 victories is a possibility.

■ Close strong. If the Bulk have the play­ off home-court edge clinched in early April, they m ust m uster enough incentive to go for the record. Maybe they would rather rest for the playoffs instead because, again.

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} Olympic gold medal? He has two.

"Check-check.

Championship ring? Check-check-check.

MYP? Check-ch eck-check Scoring title? Check-check-chcck-checkcheck-check-check (and still checking).

Yep. figure that Michael Jordan was pretty hard to please around the holidays.

However, there is one record that doesn't have Jordans fingerprints. It isn't terribly im­ portant or crucial, but it would be nice to dis­ play on the crowded shelf. And it is in sight: Seventy victories.

The Bulls played the league like Jumanji in the first two months of the season. They went 12-2 in November. 13-1 in December and are bn a pace for 73 victories. Several factors, one

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The same might be said for Knicks tanyard Charles Smith. A pair of bad knees and sub-40 percent shooting have conspired to drop his value even lower as the Knicks’ efforts to find a suit­ or are getting more difficult They would Hke to swap him even-up with the Warriors* for Chris Mullin.

Racflrf? V M recant? Rodman says getting it (tem* in the playoffs is all that matters. the best postseason record is the goal, not the best regular season. Yet it would be dif­ ficult to imagine Jordan,1who loves chal­ lenges, allowing the Buffs to trot toward the finish line if they still have a realistic shot at the mark.

The Buffs don’t have the deep talent of the ’ 72 Lakers. They don't even have the talent of their previous championship teams. What Chicago has is two great players and IO role players. If Jordan and Scottie Pippen aren’t

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Fining h e ... But Howard can pick up the slack.

Bulletproof

Tim kegler didn’t have an NBA. future three months ago: now he leads the league in 3-point shooting and gives the Buffets some stability at big guard, where Calvert Cheaney is searching for consistency.

“Al the end of the season."

Knicks Coach Don Nelson says, “they’re going to be right up there with anyone you want to mention."

Better watch out for the Buffets, who may be an es­ tablished winner by the AllStar break. It doesn’t rest on the shoulders of Chris Web­ ber. but it does rest with his shoulder. 1 When Webber isn't bend­ ing over in pain from a slight shoulder separation, as he did last week for the second time this season, he has played like the best big for­ ward in the E ast When he hasn't been the conference’s premier big forward, team­ mate Juwan Howard has.

Raring places From Suns center Joe Kleine: “Charles and I have no-trade clauses. His is writ­

Once again. Mike FrateHo is coaching a mediocre Cav­ aliers team toward playoff contention. General Manag­ er Wayne Embry dumped two starters before the sea­ son began and y e t since starting 0-7. the Cavs have won twice as many as they’ve lost

Am m i the league One league G.M., on the subject of the Heat’s com­ mitment to Alonzo Mourn­ ing and at least one other free agent next summer, says: "I predict Pat Riley will make (Heat Owner) Micky Arison a ' millionaire. Of course, right now Micky's a billionaire." ... Says center

Rony Seikaly of the War­ riors’ woes: TVe have an in­ credible amount of talent but as far as chemistry, ifs below zero. It should melt to­ gether much easier. We don’t have young talent try­ ing to prove itself we have proven players. But there

are negative forces pulling the team apart Usually, they say you need five basket­ balls. We need eight "Team­ mate Chris. Muffin agrees.

"When our assists are up, we win games," Muffin says.

"When the ball doesn’t move, we struggle."^. After

winning player of the week, Michael Jordan said: "That means someone else didn’t have a great week. My week has been consistent for years." + Shaun Powell covers the NEA for Newsday.

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Ja n u a ry 8,1 9 9 6

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. the Magic have ShaquiUe O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. The Knicks need a second 6ddle if they have any thoughts of beating either team.

Seems like old times

HIK HOOK ON

— F i u « Isola

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What do Mookie Blaylock. Kenny Anderson. Charles Is the honeymoon over in New York?

Smith. Dan Majerle. Jamal Mash bum and Jason Kidd have in Coach Don Nelson may start feeling that way soon. His team has lost three of its last four through last Sunday, his common?

They’re all shooting miserably — below 40 percent — and best player is hurt and whining and his locker room, littered are a good reason this season is shaping up as one of the with wounded egos, is slowly being undermined by strife.

“W e lost a couple of games, so something must be wrong." worst ‘shooting seasons ever. Shooting percentages have Herb Williams said, tongue-in-cheek, after last Friday's 127- been declining steadily for the last IO years, and, through last Sunday, was 46 percent leaguewide. a 20-year low.

120 overtime loss to Washington.

Shooting percentages topped out in the mid-1980s. The Perhaps the Knicks' problems will be solved when Patrick league averaged 49.1 percent in Ewing returns, but his status remains ___________ 1981-82. 49.2 percent in 1983-84 and questionable. He sprained his right ankle 49.1 percent in 1984-85. This season, against the Cavaliers last Thursday, only the Bullets. Bulls and Pacers which prevented him from playing are above that average. The against the Bullets. The ankle will likely leaguewide percentages declined to' keep him out of games this week. A best47.6 percent by 1989-90 and 46.7 per­ case scenario would have Ewing return­ cent the last two seasons. The Nets ing to the lineup when the Sonics come are shooting 41 percent as a team, to the Garden on Sunday. which would be the lowest since the The Knicks felt Ewing’s absence on Pistons shot 40.9 percent in 1965-66. both ends of the court against the Bul­ “Its unbelievable," says Trail lets Charles Smith started his first game Blazers assistant Dick Harter, whose of the season and picked up as many team is shooting 62.2 percent from fouls as points — six — in 22 minutes the free throw line and on a pace to But Smith does not deserve to be singled become the worst free-throw shoot­ out He was only partly responsible for ing team in NBA history. the Knicks surrendering 92 points Why the poor performances? through three quarters while digging o cr Among the reasons offered are the re­ themselves a 16-point hole. cent flood of underclassmen coming They did come back, in the fourth into the NBA with poor fundamental V t quarter and force the game into over­ skills, the increased emphasis on 3time, but moral victories are something point shooting, better defense and expansion teams shoot for. When Ewing slower games by the likes of Pat Riley said last week that the Knicks couldn't and Mike FrateDo teams that result in Ffafcfie t o t a Ewing's ankle sprain could win without him being the focal point of shots with the time dock running out the offense, it was a major understate­ give Nelson time to find a second fiddle. increased double-teaming of the post ment But even with Ewing in the lineup, leading to more perimeter shots and highlight packages that the mid-level teams in the Eastern Conference — Cleveland emphasize dunks over solid plays leading to good shots. and Washington — seem to be gaining ground on the Knicks Theres so much isolation and twcnnan games," Harter says, while the gap that separates the Knicks from Orlando and “that players are not getting as many good looks at the basket’ Chicago is becoming a chasm.

But fans are getting looks at increasingly' poor games of W hile Ewing recovers, this is a crucial week for the Knicks basketball as Nelson must develop other fourth-quarter options in time — S am S mith for the playoffs. Ewing should keep in mind the Bulls have

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ComrotTTt Ifs only news when they lose.

Qutcti players: S-2 in games bedded bv three points or fewer Sam, I am? Oh. I a n S am* ll HILL1 Hawtans, Kemp: Hot, ftoCgr. hottest With Rodman pone, there's no cfistracftxvtor team to raOv ’round.

OK. so maybe it s a one-man team.

Steady as he opes: Malone surpasses' the 22.000-oant m arl No toooer one-man show thanks to batananq act.

Al least they have proved BcMs can be beaten.

Ffateio. Cavs doing it wflh mimocs and defense.

Webber wows: 40 ports. Webber woes: hurt acan.

Yo. Qed: b it a sore blee or a sore heatf?

Without Moumno. this team is medocre at best Have won 6 of their last 7 wtti Ha feting charge.

Sony. Charta Bottom Ire: This team s not that good.

A tmnxjint loss lo the BJts a moral victory.

Rose and Rose lated away.

W o id you reafy want Oiver m e r?

Bazars or Briddavers? The worst team n teaoue from the ire.

Losing streak c downright Grizzle._______________________ Things arent as bad s s they seem — they're worse.

Kiss, kiss. You've been "B ria n csT Where w i Kenny end up ?

B could be a boo, cold winter in Miwaufcee. tsiah tsnt oiyinQ up on the Beaty Big 0.

OncfrcronisinQ season alreadv looks to be over B could be tong cold winter in Minnesota. ttten the ooino oets tough, the Sheers rofl overOft, Canada - r s Big Country.

THE S po r t in g N ew s NBA Power Pol b determned by Shaun Rowel and TSN errors.

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POWELL’S PLAY Themoredungschange...

In the offseason, the Warriors cleaned some house, signed a few free agents and took the first player in the June draft. Then why does it seem as if they need to make more changes? .At 12-17. they're stuck near the bottom of the Pacific Division, that’s why. It is a team full of different agendas. Latrell Sprewefl and Tim Hardaway aren't the cause of all the problems, but they are approaching free agency and some in the locker room believe the two are playing for contracts.

Sprewefl’s shot selection remains dreadful he's shooting 40 percent Hardaway lost his starting position to B J. Armstrong two weeks ago and is sulking; the Warriors are peddling him around the league. Rony Seikaly also may be moved because, since he arrived in a trade for Billy Owens last season, he has never fit comfortably with the chib. In Miami Seikaly' was the first option. With the Warriors, he gets seven shots a night and complains.

The Warriors might be wise not to wait un­ til next summer to plan further changes. The current climate doesn’t seem like an ideal one for an impressionable young rookie like Joe Smith.

— Sh aw Pow ai

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points per game;the duo is bidding to breakthsi arnhtned 43.1 pre marie amassed by johnson and Mourning in season. Through Sunday, Rice and Johnson were accounting for 46.2 ' points per game. :, ... But when it comes to the All-Star Game, precedent is working against Bice; When he played for the Heat, Rice was consjstentty.the:13tMteist player on a 12-manBastemCdhference squad.

‘ I know I’ve done enough {in past seasons} itwnake-^ T h e re 's no doubt in my mind,’ .Rice says. “But I know when I do, } dont wantto be one of thc^oiuys who makoitonce and don't ''f l r a k e ; t t a g a i h ^ i ^ ^ y A,

wiBtKi-iii SanAmonio'for the . Feiffiary 9Thrabgti11 AU^Star Weekend :as defending champion hi the a-point . cbnte& Botw tielheFll^ ; Afl-Star;Gam ecodkt^.jajm uch, to

Jrtmson

The Sporting News

Right on Schedule Here’s what to look for as schools enter conference play

i

By MICHAEL KNISLEY ou look over his schedule in No­ vember and December, and you see different t h i n p than he does. .(You see Michigan in November, but ta le Olson sees California this Thursday. You see Texas-El Paso in December, but Olson sees Stanford on Saturday. You see Georgetown in November, but Olson sees Washington Slate in February-. r • You don't think that tar ahead. But Olson does.

It’s probably why you're so surprised that Arizona is as good as it is. lf it helps, you're not alone. The hacks and scribes who rank the nation's best teams in the .As­ sociated Press poll w eren’t look­ ing very far ahead,-either. They gave .Arizona a handful of votes in the AP’s preseason poll, but not enough to put the Wildcats in the Top 2b. To be fair, the genius-inresidence at TBH S p o r t in g N kw s. too. had them ranked No. 29 before those November and December games.

So here goes Arizona into the start of Pacific IO Conference play. °*son on maybe the toughest two-game road trip in the western half of the United States — at Cal and Stanford in a three-day stretch. .And it savs here the Wildcats are ready, more ready to start the conference season than any other team in the land. Granted. .Arizona was up­ ended at hom e by equally surprising Syra­ cuse*. but that doesn't diminish what the Wild­ cats accomplished during an SA) start that saw them win the P reseason NIT. So bring on Cal. Bring on Stanford. Bring on UCLA and Washington State.

Bring em on. because .Arizona spent its November and December prepping for ’em.

Specifically. Olson found team s to play that gave his team the looks itll see now. Michi­ gan'. as talented and athletic as it gets, looks a lot like Cal. as talented and athletic as it gets in the Pac-IO. irT EP. which always plays Don Haskins' strong, defensive, halfcourt-control game, looks a lot like Stanford, which pounds and pounds and pounds and then pounds some more. Georgetown, letting Alan Iverson penetrate to stimulate the offense, looks a lot like Washington State, letting Isaac Fontaine slash the lane to ribbons. Syracuse? Well. Ari-

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zona hopefully will learn how to handle a zone, which the O rangem en used to stymie the Wildcats, because they can bank on seeingm ore.

Bring ’em on in January and‘February', because none of those earlier look-a-likes — not Michigan, not George­ town and not UTEP; not .Arkansas nor Houston, could stop .Arizona in November and December.

"I knew we’d be good." Ol­ son says, “but you're never quite sure until you play. .And I think now we’ve got a chance to get better, because the leadership of Reggie Geary at the point has been outstanding. It’s obvious we have good balance, and I said before the season started that we d be good because of the experience of our se­ niors. .And I felt from the start that this would be our best defensive team because we’ve got good quickness and good, solid strength at each of the positions."

T heir best de­ fensive team?

This one? That’s a strong statem ent Arizona over the last eight seasons has been one of Boffo Bearcats: Whats the best team in theiand? Kansas? Kentucky? UMass? Many people think ifs Keith Gregor the best defensive team s go­ (above) and Cincinnati, which is poisedfor showdowns with Arizona and Memphis ing. at least if you use shoot­ town, whose only 1995-96 loss has been to the that in Stanford’s M aples Pavilion, with its ing percentages as the measure, to 1989-90.

Wildcats. 91-81 in the Preseason NIT final. springboard court that will be invaded by Ari­ .Arizona ranked second in the nation in fieldT h e y play very well together. W hen we zona on Saturday. Been there, done that to goal percentage defense, to '92-93. third. played Arizona, their maturity level was in Pauley Pavilion, where young players some­ With the exception of last year, when they front of a lot of people. It scared me when I tim es keep their eye on UCLA’s nationalw eren’t in the Top 30. the Wildcats haven’t saw them. When I looked at their roster and cham pionship banners instead of the balL ranked lower than 16th in field-goal percent­ saw that they had a lot of mature players on You can't say that about m ost of the rest of age defense since the 1987-88 season. .And the team — guys who hatffc played together the nation’s best teams as conference play be­ this team is better than aH that5 before — it scared me. Decem ber is not the gins. Take a quick look around the next cou­ So the Pac-lO.season begins, with .Arizona ple of m onths with us. time you want to be playing that kind of team. having won more games than you thought it “Now. w hether that ll be the case in March would. And with UCLA losing three more ... itll be a little tougher later in the year than games than you thought it would. Here’s one it is now. because a lot of the teams you’re go­ reason: When UCLA lost Ed OBannon. Tyus ing to play against are going to have kids who Edney and George Zidek. it replaced them with ... isn’t Kansas, isn’t Kentucky, isn’t Mass­ are a little older with a little more experience sophomores. When Arizona lost Damon achusetts and isn’t A rizona Right now, it's by then."

Stoudamire and Ray Owes, it replaced them Cincinnati. And it isn’t just th is^n iu s-to -reswith seniors — Geary at the point Corey So maybe UCLA Coach Jim H arrick’s idence at TSN saying i i That’s the unsolicit­ Williams and joe McLean at forward. In this era sophom ores catch up to O lson's seniors by ed assessm ent of some other people who — of high school' players jumping to the NBA. March. But this is January, and for now. Ari­ hard to believe — might actually .know even how many teams around the country start four zona starts the Pac-IO with a tough road trip more about the game. seniors? (Georgia starts five, but has freshmen and no sw eat W hy worry now? Tile Wildcats "Right this very minute, the best team to playing behind them.) have seen itall before. Been there, done that the nation is Cincinnati." says Texas Christ­ “I think Arizona is good. I think they’re in the big-time Oakland Coliseum, w here ian Coach Billy Tubbs. “Boy. the num bers very good." says John Thompson of George-' they play Cal on Thursday. Been there, done they’re putting up against the people they’re

Best in the land...

GOltEGE BASKETBALL • SI

anuary 8,1996

playing, its uncanny. At Arkansas, at Califor­ nia. They’re just so good defensively, and they have such great athletic ability."

Danny Fortson as a force in the middle, and Damon Flint. DameD Burton and Keith LeGree as triple tyrants on the perimeter — if nothing else. Cincinnati may be the most balanced team going these days. And do the Bearcats play- defense.

“Cincinnati, in my opinion, is the best team in the country right now." Ariibna's Olson says. *They’ve got strength. They've got quickness. They defend like crazy."

A victory at Arkansas. .A victory at Cal. A victory over Temple on a neutral court A rout of Minnesota at home. That's an immpressive November-December run. But it gets even tougher for the Bearcats. Memphis.

LouisviDe. Marquette. Tulane. Alabama-Bim> ingham and I guess you hsvk to throw in DePaul. which ruined Indiana’s Christmas by wanning in Bloomington, if you aren’t on the Conference USA bandwagon by now, the pa­ rade has passed you by.

The b ^ conference matchup of the sea­ son — anywhere, any conference — just might be Memphis at Cincinnati on February 29 (and isn’t Day an appropriate time for those two teams to meet’). As long as we’re I talking matchups, how *bout a non-confer* I ence game between Cincinnati and Arizona ' on February 11 in Phoenix? Pretty nice. ! For the sake of balance, though, w ell ! throw in a dissent about the Bearcats. We did solicit this'one from Coach Todd Boze: man, who saw them first-hand in Cincinnati’s ij 77-70 victory on December 20. f- “I think they’re pretty good." Bozeman says. “I think they’re very g ^ . But the best ‘ team in the country? Shoot, where does that put us? I don’t know that I could say they're ■the best team in the country."

knows where the big games are won. Against Arizona, for instance. Iverson scored 40. Har­ rington 4 and the Hoyas lost by IO. “We’re a lot more perimeter-oriented now. more so than we’ve been in a while." Thomp­ son says. "But in order for us to be success­ ful we need lo mcorporate the frontcourt a lot more into what we’re doing. I feel that's coming, but I don’t know that its where we need lo have it I think we're a good learn now. I think we can be a very good team if we’re able to bring along our frontcourt play and incorporate it into what we re doing more."

Thompson throws in a quick reminder, though, that the school’s all-lime leading scorer is neither Ewing nor Mutombo nor Harrington. It is Eric (Seepy) Floyd, a very snazzy perimeter player for the Hovas from 1978 through’82.

lime Smith started two fi-eshmen on a regular ba­ sis. except that it proba­ bly was about the same time Junior Johnson was b o o t le g g in g h o o tc h through the Carolina woods. They do remem­ ber the last time two treshmen started a sea­ son opener for the Tar Heels, as Jamison and Carter did this year. That happened November 21.

1987. w h en Rick Fox and Pele Chilcutt started in th e T ip-O ff C la ssic against Syracuse. But they were in the lineup only because J R. Reid and Steve Bucknall were serving one-game sus­ pensions for an offseason

fight-

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H ie Ea srs big beasts So w e’re behind the times already. The augmented Big East started conference gam es in December. Bul the real action doesn’t start until ViUanova plays al Con­ necticut on January 8 in the first of a series of tasty showdowns among the league’s four monsters. Entering this week. VUlanova, Con­ necticut (jeorgetown and Syracuse all rank among the nation’s Top 15 teams.

The series in January: Vnianova at UConn on the 8th.

Syracuse at UConn on the 21st Syracuse at (Georgetown on the 24th.

And Vfllanova at Syracuse on the 29th.

Cieorgetown's big Big East gam es don't come until later. Its first game with ViUanova isn’t until February 5. and its one game against U (^nn isn’t unfil February 19. That gives Thompson another month or so to con­ tinue the tinkering that has already taken a season and a half and remains the single most compelling on-court issue in the league; what to do with Iverson. (Georgetown is in ; some ways still a prisoner of its long line of ‘.big men that stretches back from Othefla j Harrington through Dikembe Mutombo to I F ^ c k Ewing.

It started last season, when Iverson was a freshman. Harrington’s scoring average dropped 2.5 points per game and his re­ bounding average went down by 2. This year, his numbers are down even further, until now, as a senior. Harrington is almost an af* terthought Thompson knows Iverson is a special player on the perimeter, but he also

Pass It on: LSf/ wiU get a big assist J h m the return o f Livingston from a knee inhiry.

still missing in action For various reasons, we still haven't seen a handful of the nation’s better players. Now that the New Year and conference games are upon us. look for life from these stars, all of whom have been sidelined so far (with the • exception of LSU’s Randy Livingston, who managed to limp back from a knee injury just before the holidays): Tremaine Fowlkes. 6-7. Cal. suspended Randy Livingston. 6 4 . LSI*, knee Moochie Norris. 6-1. Auburn, suspended

*

Rabbits out of the hat Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace go away. and you gotta figure Dean Smith press­ es a little to keep the Tar Heels' 31-year streak of top three ACC finishes alive. You gotta figure North (Garolina has more than one loss entering ACC play this week.

But maybe you didn’t figure on Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison so soon. No one in. Chapel HIU seem s lo remember the last

Carter and Jamison are there all the time, inefijding now in ACC action.

And North Carolina stili shoots lights-out, even with the freshmen on the floor. The Tar Heels have shot at least 50 percent from the field in 23 of the last 25 years, and they're hovering right there again.

WTiich doesn't mean that Smith, the game’s smoothest naysayer. can't Big big boys: Important games against Missouri on February find something about IO and 26 loom for LaFrentz's jayhawks which lo complain. After Carolina shot 53.5 per­ Iv likes Cincinnati. “They have the best pt-r* cent from the floor in a 17-point victory al Pin sonnel of anybody in the nation." in December, he said. “Even when we had a The SEC looks good, through I)ei.ember Michael Jordan... you could see that when he But conference play will bring a few of those was a freshman he had trouble making the good-lookers ^ say. .Alabama. Georgia and outside sh ot W ell have td play with a lot of Vanderbilt — back into the less-pretty, blindcontrol this year. bul w ell improve." dale category. (Thai's a category, incidental­ One other ACC item before we move on.

Say goodbye to the Georgia Tech Yellow. ly. we can use for several other early fronlrunners, too. including Clemson in the .ACC. Jackets. Oh. they ll continue to attract televi­ Iowa Stale in the Big Eight and Ohio Stale sion attention because freshman guard and Penn Slate in the Big Ten.) Stephen Marbury is a draw. But if a Decem­ Kansas. .No. I through mo'^l of the last two ber loss to Mount S t Mary’s wasn't enough months, plays its first Big Eight game on to drop Tech from the polls, its first five AQQ .Monday at Oklahoma State, and then wait'; games are: Maryland at home January 3. atalmost two weeks for its second. The confer Duke on January 7. North Carolina at home ence season doesn't gel serious for the Jay­ January IO. at Wake Forest on January 17 and hawks until a January 22 game against Okla­ Virginia at home January 20. Brutal. homa The best Big Eight gam es in '96. as usu­ al. will be the Kansas-Missouri matchups Februan- IO in Columbia and Februarv 36 in Lawrence. Missouri is the only team in the Big Eight that can match the Jayhawks' Marquette is up. Indiana is down. Illinois size in the frontcourt; and for thai reason is up. Arkansas is down. We pay attention be­ Tigers Coach .Norm Stewart is sending his cause we don’t expect those things. So we for­ senior 7-foot twin twigs onto the coun to­ get sometimes about the constance of Ken­ gether more often. Sammie and Simeon Ha­ tucky. the consistency of Kansas. Those ley. who were up and down in their first things, we always expect. season al .Missouri a year ago. finally are Now that SEC play is beginning. Kenshowing signs of becoming real plavrrv — tuck>-’fi little drawback — too many great mavbe players, too few spots — is only a problem for Yes. the opponent was only .Austin Peay in the Mississippis and Tennessees on the Wild­ mid-December, but Sammie (the lefthander) cats' schedule. The best SEC game of the I and Simeon (the righthander) spent about 20 year. incidentally , happens January 9. when minutes on the court together and combined Kentucky visits Mississippi State, ll won t be for 41 points. 21 rebounds and 6 blocks. pretty in the paint when the BuUdogs' Erick WTien Kansas trots out 6-10 Scot Pollard and Dampier tangWs with the Wildcats' frontcourt 6-11 Raef LaFrentz at Mizzou in Februaiy. the of .Mark Pope. Walter McCarty and Jared Sammie and Simeon Show c^n figure on a Prickettreprise. ♦ "I think when you gel to the end of the sea­ Michael Kntsley is a senior writer for Th)son. Kentucky probably will be the best SpotmNo team." says Tubbs, who. remember, current-

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Foes find ifs easy to zone out vs. Temple

Mike DeCOURCY ohn Chaney can be an entertaining guy. so long as you are not on the business end of one of his infamous stares or postgame harangues. But he does not think of himself as an entertainer. He is purely a coach.

When his Temple team steps onto the floor, it is not concerned with running, dunk­ ing. looking pretty or dazzling spectators.

“Those are things kids like to do." Chaney says. He prefers to win.

Hence, you will find him eternally devoted to the matchup zone, a scheme that forces a slow pace and instant bewilderment upon un­ prepared opponents. Not long ago. this ap­ proach made Chaney kind of a relic among college coaches, however successful he was, as so many others turned to the press-andrun attack. Now. he's an innovator.

J

Monster of the MAC

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. Think big-time coaches aren't smart? At least they were smart enough to avoid scheduling Miami (0.). The Redskins danced through their first seven games by an average margin of 19 points and suggested they may be the best mid-major team since Lionel Simmons.

Randy Woods and Doug Overton led La Salle to a 291 regular-season record in 1989-90.

Already fortunate to have Mid-American Conference Player of the Year candidate Devin Davis averaging 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds, the Redskins are getting ma­ jor contributions from two freshmen. Damon Frierson and Wally Szczerbiak. With the pressure defense Coach Herb Sendek learned while an assistant to Rick Pitino at Providence and Kentucky.

Miami is forcing opponents into 20 turnovers a game.

The problem may be that schedule. Although visits to Ball State Gama ary 27) and Eastern Michigan (February 21) could be brutal, its not out of the question Miami could become the first un­ a

The 2*3 zone, in a variety of forms, is the hottest defense in the game. In the space of IO days. Temple and Syracuse employed markedly differ­ ent versions of that defense in d e feating the three top-rated teams in the country: Kansas. VHIan ova and Arizona, in the space of a week. Syra­ cuse foiled two previously unbeaten teams, Arizona and Illinois. When Memphis finally stopped Temple’s poll-bust­ ing run. the Tigers did it by turning their own zone on the Owls.

Those entering games against teams that play zone have found themselves in the same position as football teams trying to prepare to defend the wishbone offense: Nothing is fa­ miliar. Every situation is unexplored territory since it’s something rarely seen.

“The thing that carries us is our defense —■ and the mystique other teams have about our defense," Chaney says. “If you're in a confer­ ence where they just run up and down and shoot and gun ... a lot of leagues just play man-to-man. They don’t play zone. I ts not something teams are accustomed to."

Chaney's matchup defense is especially ef­ fective because of three factors: Some teams equate shooting quickly with their preferred, up-tempo style; more players think of them­ selves as capable 3-point shooters; and top teams often lack maturity because many play­ ers leave school early for the pros.

beaten Division I team since UNLV went 30-0 in the 199091 regular season. But what will the NCAA Tournament selection committee think of a team whose only majorconference opponents were La Salle. Xavier and Dayton of the Atlantic IO?

Unhappy New Year Clemson rejoiced in an­ other December holiday full of Winthrops. Charleston Southerns. Furmans and Campbells. The Tigers won their first nine games, in­ cluding credible victories at home against South Carolina and Minnesota and at Miami (Fla.).

Don’t get too excited about the Tigers, though, until they’ve won a couple of Atlantic Coast Conference games. In the previous IO seasons. Clemson compiled a record of 78-13 in games played before January I, a winning percentage of .857.

After New Year’s passed and the ACC schedule started, the Tigers were 101-115. a .468 percentage.

Their worst Novem­ b e r /D u m b e r record in those IO seasons was 6-3.

and three times they were unbeaten, but they finished with a winning ACC mark only twice.

Coach Rick Barnes is at least building a future; the Tigers lost sophomore for­ ward Iker iturbe because of a blood clot in his shoulder but still have three fresh­ men. one sophomore and two juniors constituting their top six players.

Shaper Foyle Colgate’s talented 6-10 center. Adonai Foyle, rapid­ ly lifted his scoring average

Baffing;: Foyle has benefited from a tougher schedule

Scarf Chaney’s 2-3 zone can be daunting.

Just ask Kansas or Villenova. t h e Temple defense exposes and exploits all those human frailties. There are open shots against the Owls, but they dictate when and where those become available. “They want the wrong guy to take the shot at the wrong place," says Memphis Coach Larry Finch.

T h ey know they’re going to get the rebound."

Opponents desperate to force the action against Temple are inclined to launch the first open 3-pointer they find, which can be the most damaging mistake against the matchup defense. Villanova and Kansas shot a combined 61 3-pointers against the Owls; they made 13. Jayhawks guard Jerod Haase was 6 of 20.

Syracuse plays its zone differently but in­ vites the same brand of inaccuracy. Arizona shot 5 of 24 on 3-pointers; Illinois perimeter players Kiwane Gams, Richard Keene and Jer­ ry Hester combined on a Sof-28 abomination.

Whereas Temple rarely has abandoned its from the 12-point level to nearly 16 a game with a re­ cent run of 91 points in .a four-game stretch, proving the only sophomore jinx at work in his case was the se­ ries of collapsing defenses and top teams he had to face.

“If you watch him, you TI see right away he’s much better." says Colgate Coach Jack Bruen, noting that Foyle also was averaging 11.4 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. “Its not even close.

His foul shooting, offensive moves, his off-hand. He’s go­ ing to be a real good player in another year."

Partly in response to critidsm that Foyle would not get enough compefitipn in the Patriot League to devel­ op as a pro prospect, Bruen got the Red Raiders into the Preseason NIT. which in­ cluded a game at George­ town, put them on the road as usual at Syracuse and also entered the Super Chevy Shootout Tournament at Iowa.

Foyle averaged 17 points and 12.4 rebounds as a freshman, but lost the out­ side help he got last year from senior guard Tucker

* base defense through Chaney’s 14 seasons. Syracuse has tended to­ ward the zone in those years when Coach Jim Boeheim has more size than speed. He dusted if off in the early 1990s, when his guards were 6foot-5 Mike Hopkins and 64 Adrian Autry, now. b e s got 6-2 Lazarus Sims at the point and 6-5 Marius Janulisand 6-7 Todd Burgau alternating at shooting guard.

Temple looks to deny familiar and comfortable spots to opposing shoota ers, but Syracuse is more interested | in covering areas of the court and | forcing hurried, inaccurate shots. | On offense, the Orangemen still | want to run the break. | W hether the success these two » have had with their defenses will | cause a trend, or a contagion, is dif­ ficult to determine. There is an ego factor at work; coaches often see zone de­ fense as an excuse for not being able to play man-to-man. Hey. what intramural or recleague player hasn’t set up in a zone strictly for the purpose of avoiding exertion?

Zones depress scoring because they force opponents to search longer for open shots.

This is not the way basketball is to be played in the 90-mph. 90points-per-game *90s.

Out of place in a running game before transferring from Virginia Commonwealth, Temple’s Marc Jackson believes, “It says more about a team that can win in a cork" trolled tempo." Chaney, though, knows some coaches are pressured to “get caught up with entertaining" and that others recruit against him by selling the running game.

“Kids want to run. They don’t want to be harnessed." Chaney says. T h a t’s the way some people recruit kids. I don't choose to.

Think of it as a clock; some teams play the second hand, some play the minute hand We play the hour hand."

Neale. With sophomore Seth Schaeffer finding his range from the 3-point line, Foyle has gotten some relief. ^

> f -------

Parting snots Anyone who has made the trip to Olean, N.Y., knows ifs not easy to visit S t Bonaven­ ture for a basketball game.

So nobody's doing it The Bonnies played nine of their first l l on the road.... Drex­ el is promoting 6-7 low-post monster Malik Rose — who averaged a doubledouble in each of his first three sea­ sons — with a onepage flier decrying his underrated sta­ tus. The catch phrase: “We love him, you love him not We love him, you love him not" We loved th at against our own better ju d g m en t...

The college game’s youth movement continues: Of the nine major conferences, two are led in scoring by fresh­ men. The Pac-IO is topped by California’s Shareef AbdurRahim; the Big Eight is led

by Colorado guard Chaun­ cey Billups. ... Looks like new Duquesne Coach Scott Edgar is doing for junior Tom Pipkins what he i d for guards Marcus Brown and

Lowly phrase: Dresel’s Rose just might catch on.

Vincent Ramey at Murray State. Pipkins always has scored, but in Edgar’s pressand-shoot system, he’s play­ ing smarter, shooting 46 per­ cent from 3-point range and averaging 20 points. Pipkins' 30 points nearly got the Dukes a neutral-courtnipset over Georgetown. ♦ M ike DeCourcy covers college basketball fo r The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 33

January 8,1996

The Big Ten’s no big deal (again) If you didn't sell aD of your Big Ten stock after the 1995 NCAA Tournament dump it now , before it has no value.

W e were told by Midwestern blowhards that the Big Ten’s showing last March (1-6) was a Alike, that the Big Ten would be as‘big and bad as ever this season. Hah! Try some of these earty-season duds on for size: Detroit Mercy 63, Michigan State 61; S t Bonaventure 76. Wisconsin 62; San Diego State 83. Northwestern 63; Wyoming 73, Ohio State 67; Nebraska 96, Minnesota 85.

And when some of the supposedly bet­ ter teams have met national heavyweights, it's rarely been a contest Purdue was out of its league vs. Memphis and Vfllanova.

After beating two pretenders (Missouri and California), Illinois showed its true colors against Syracuse.

Conference favorite Iowa has a nice victory against Connecticut, but that's it Boredom was the Hawkeyes’ biggest foe in an angel-food-cake-soft preleague slate. You didn’t know Hayden Fry did Dr. Tom’s scheduling? He also must help Penn State.

Michigan? Once again, the school that annually produces die most incredibly talented, greatest-ever, extra-super-duper recruiting classes will be up and down.

Need proof? UNLV 66, Michigan 64; Michigan 88, Duke 84; enough said.

W e haven’t forgotten Indiana. W e’ve saved the Hoosiers for last because they deserve extra attention. So, how are you doing, Coach Knight’ "Struggling," he says.

Indeed. His unranked Hoosiers cer­ tainly are struggling even though they are a fairly respectable-but-very-un-Indiana-Iike 7-5 entering Big Ten play Thurs­ day. And that means Knight is doing the same as he attempts to nurture, mold and cajole them into a whole that not only wins regularly, but also regularly n those verities he holds dear.

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That is always his goal; that is what motivates him. At least, it was before his troops lost to DePaul at Assembly Hall, Indiana’s first home loss to a non-Big Ten team since November 1984.

"If Tm going to take you fishing, I want to take you fishing where we can catch some fish." he says. "If Tm goingtocoach a basketball team, I want it to look as if it has been coached. I want it to look as if it knows what it's doing. I want it to play welL So I work to get that done."

That, for him, is arduous work, no mat­ ter the depth of talent, the amount of ex­ perience he is coaching. It can be no oth­ er way, his definition of playing weft as singular as it is. So what must it be like for him with his current Hoosiers? With those inexperienced Hoosiers? W ith

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The Cats jump into Pac-IO ofay; at Cai, et Sanford YiesJ Bfo Ten champs win on the road, Show us your stuff. Hawkeves.

As tong as the backcourt holds uo, the Deacons tol contend.

Watch the Ute? rise a? they run away wahthe WAC. Hawaiwasrriparadfoe, butthe Bpi learned a lot Has there been a more sumrisfoo team in the nation?

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those H osiers who are not yet formed, not yet forged?

His best teams reflect his steely per­ sonality. They roll out at least one player who toils relentlessly and tolerates noth­ ing less from those around him. Quinn Buckner was that kind of guy. Isiah Thomas and CaJbert Cheaney were too.

But this year?

“Mental toughness is a big thing with our kids,’ Knight says. "But this isn't a group of kids that’s just going to knock your jock oft."

His best teams also have been exposed to him and his methods, demands and high expectations, and have assumed his ways. They perform with fervor aflame, with an intelligence accrued over time, with a style as unmistakable as Knight But this year?

"We started out this year," Knight says, “with a fresh­ man, a kid who didn’t play last year, and three juniorcoliege players. That’s out of 12. (Nearly) 50 percent of the team hadn't been there.

I’m no miracle worker. I can’t put kids whore just here into the third year."

Seven of his kids, in fact tfflidlt are sophomores. Only one ever has gone through a season as a full­ time starter. That is senior forward Brian Evans, and he is clearly the ballast of these Hoosiers. But what else is there?

At guard there is sophomore Sherron Wilkerson. He spent last season recover­ ing from the broken leg he suffered 4n the 1994 NCAA Tournament and is strug­ gling with his shooting. And there is sophomore Charlie Miller. He started only a dozen games last season and has had turnover problems And there is sophomore Neil Reed. He played through much of last season with a sepa­ rated right shoulder and still is an incom sistent shooter.

Sophomore forward Andrae Patterson is emerging as Evans' most consistent complement, but he has come under fire Tor his lack of fire. And 7-foot senior cen­ ter Todd Lindeman? He is still soft And the rest of the Hoosiers’ center-by-committee, 7-foot sophomore Richard Man­ deville and 6-9 junior Haris Mujezinovk?

Mandeville remains a project and Mujezinovic, a junior-collqge transfer, has shown signs but is struggling from the free-throw line.

Playing well? Hardly. No wonder, then, that they have beaten only teams of little consequence (Alaska-Anchorage. Nod*?

Dame, Delaware, Bowling Green. Evans­ ville, Appalachian State and Weber State). No wonder, also, that they have fallen to every good team they have faced (Duke, Connecticut Kentucky and Kansas) and suffered an upset (DePaul).

No wonder, finally, that Knight says, “Ifs a difficult team for us right now. because we don’t have enough peo­ ple that really are aware of how to play.

“Do you take a guy out of college and the son of a gun ail of a sudden writes a Pulitzer Prize? Ifs the same way with basketball. We have one kid who never has been a full-time player be­ ls fore. Other guys have start­ ed. played. But nobody else has had the burden on his shoulders other than Evans.

“We just ... I don’t know. Kids have a hard time determining how good they are and how good they aren't Or how good we are and how good we're sup­ posed to be. I don’t know. I think we un­ derstand a lot more now what we have to do to play well than we did earlier."

But ifs still a team that calls for pa­ tience.

“Maybe it calls for something I don't have." the General says.

Knight shouldn’t feel bad. Theres a lot the other Big Ten teams lack. But the Big Ten’s stock has to rise as the season pro­ gresses. doesn’t it?

T h r o # S *u rd ty '» $ B T *L

Otheo receMng votes: Autem. kfichfoan. Pom State, Purdue, Texas. Tiisa. Wastengton State The TSN Top 25 is determined by c a h rn st Mice DeCajrqr end TSN actors.

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The Sporting News

34 • COLif GE BASKETBALL Abdur-Rahim. “Anything you throw a t him. he has som ething he can counter with.’

Abdur-Rahim. 6 feet IO. 225 pounds, can post up and pound oppo­ nents in tilt paint or patrol the perim eter and hit from 3 i» in t range.

He beats fops off the dribble and runs the floor so well he finishes fastbreaks.

Through eight gam es, Abdur-Rahim ranked am ong the national California forward scoring leaders with a 23.5 scoring average, which made him the na­ tion’s top scoring freshman. He also has averaged 7.5 rebounds for Out at Harmon Gym in Berkeley, Calif., they just might be learning th e ‘5-3 Golden Bears. to ask “How long?" rather than “How far’" “Shareef is terrific,’ Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins says. “H e runs F irst California fans saw Jason Kidd and Lamond M urray leave the floor extremely w ell He has great quick­ school before the Golden Bears could make a ness and athleticism." meaningful impression in the NCAA Tourna­ Abdur-Rahim hit his first rough spot last ment. Now. with the season not even half over, w eekend in a loss to Kansas State, which M i it some Cal fans already are wondering just how ed him to 14 points on 4 -o fll shooting. But it long they will get to appreciate freshman for­ will be hard to keep Abdur-Rahim down, ward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. thanks to his versatility.

Abdur-Rahim already has registered the sort “He can play anything from shooting guard of num bers that suggest big-man guru Pete to center." Bozeman says. “But the best thing Newell wasn’t mad when he sa id ih e kid from about him is his work ethic. And he’s an even Marietta. Ga., could become the greatest play­ better person than a player.’ er ever to wear a Cal uniform, p e tte r than Indeed. Bozeman and team m ates are un­ Kidd, better than Murray, better than a little pressed with Abdur-Rahim's demeanor. He ex­ fellow named Kevin johnson. hibits a serenity and maturity unusual for a 19“I thought it would be a long time before we year-old. saw a freshman at Cal as good as Jason Kidd."

“That com es from his Muslim religion." says N ew ell a Basketball Hall of Famer. “We Bozeman says. “H e’s at peace with him self” mav# have one who is better. He’s for real."

H e’s also happy about his decision to come “W hen som ebody who knows says he to C al He was drawn to the Bay Area because maybe will be better than Jason Kidd, that tells of its diversity, because he believed he could vou vou're in for a real tre a t" M innesota Coach live there as a Muslim without discom fort Clem Haskins says. “H e’s a great kid. a great “There are so many different people, so many player." experiences, that whatever you do, its accept­ Abdur-Rahim wasn’t part of the hype ma­ ed." he says. chine that fueled his image in tije early going It hasn’t taken Cal fans long to accept Ab­ this season. You .see. no interviews were al­ dur-Rahim. w hose brief career has been a se­ lowed with him until the fall sem ester ended. ries of highlights. He had 33 points, a school Its a team rule for freshmen. Golden Bears 6ohtea Bear No freshman has made a record for freshm en, in his debut against Coach Todd Bozeman recalls the media circus bigger splash than Cat’s Abdur-Rahim.

N orthern Arizona. He had 32 points, six re­ surrounding Kidd. who played two seasons be­ bounds, three blocks and two steals in an 83-70 victory over San Fran­ fore moving to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in 1994.

“Too much can be disruptive, especially for a freshman." Bozeman cisco. The list goes on.

“For a freshman to do that is pretty amazing," San Francisco Coach says. “Ive been down.that road before. I want Shareef to live as nor­ Philip Mathews says. “We couldn’t do anything with him. H e’Djust get mal a life as possible."

“He lets his play do the talking." Cal center Michael Stewart says of better and better."

THE HOOK O N ...

FROM TUE PLAYBOOK OF Kelvin Sampson

SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM

The skinny or this Bary: He’s big on talent O f sponger! Get tougher! lf you are a Barry boy. you’ve heard those words before.

First there was Jon. who plays for Golden State and was a No. I pick bv the Celtics in 1992.

Then there was Brent, a rookie with the Clippers who was selected in the first round of the 95 draft.

Now there is Georgia Tech guard Drew. who seem s destined to muscle his wav to the NBA Although the 6-foot-5. 191-pounder has gained about 25 pounds since entering col­ lege (he red shined in 1991-92 to develop physically), Barry still needs to bulk up his slim frame. Frequent trips to the weight room are on his agenda. .Aid even though he’s a bit heavier. B a rn 's build strongly re­ sembles that of 6-6.185-pound brother Brent, nicknamed Bones.

While he lacks weight and strength. Barry is a deft passer, like his famous father. Rick.

Barry led the ACC is.assists as a sophomore and junior and has a great chance of doing it again as a senior.

Making Barry an even more effective pass­ er is his great court'vision. which allows him to find open team m ates in areas of the court where they are most likely to get good shots.

But the passing skills that earn him plau­ dits also get Barry in trouble. At times he gets too flashy, making a difficult play instead of an easy one. Still, over the last three seasons. he has done a fine job handling the bail, com-

Pfck Bony: It would be hard to pass up Georgia Tech guard, despite his lack of bulk *

piling an assists-to-tumovers ratio of better than 2 to I. Playing point guard is nothing new to Bar­ ly . who has excelled at the position since his days at De La Salle Catholic in Concord.

Calif. During his career at Georgia Tech. Bar­ ry has shared the point-guard spot with two talented players: Travis B e st a first-round pick of the Pacers last June, and now Stephon Marbury, who many consider the best pointguard prospect in years. The competition has only augm ented Barry's skills.

But Barry doesn’t need good competition

to motivate him. He’s an intense competitor known for hustling on both ends of the floor.

Although he needs to becom e less reluc­ tant to shoot and more aggressive on offense.

Barry has the ability to score on penetration and with the long-range jumper. He also can catch and shoot as well as create his own s h o t Though Barry nailed just 33 percent of his 3-point attem pts his first two years in col­ lege, he c o n v e rt^ 43 percent of the 117 3pointers as a junior.

Barry runs the floor well and does a great job filling the lane on the break. In fact he is a good leaper who is renowned for finishing a fastbreak with an emphatic dunk.

One of the things that NBA scouts love about Barry is h is strong free-throw shoot­ ing. He entered this season making 77 per­ cent of his career attem pts and this season broke Mark Price's school record of 31 con­ secutive free throws made. Barry needs to take advantage of this strength by getting to the line more often Oust 3.6 times per game as a junior).

As Barry has gotten stronger, he also has developed into a good rebounder for a player oHiis size and build. He averaged almost five boards per gam e as a junior.

One area of concern among NBA scouts is the fact Barry has had foot and ankle problems in college, which caused him to miss four gam es as a sophomore and three as a junior.

U ke his brothers (including Scooter, who played at Kansas and in the OBA), Barry is a late bloom er who has com e into his own over the last two seasons. As m ost NBA teams know, the best is yet to come.

— D ot U yothal

Oklahoma

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NKL • 35

armary 8; 1996

NHL REPORT

1,000-point man takes the issue of size to heart ■t

4

J'Ji Larry WIGGE

D

oug GQmour puts his index finger to his mouth and proceeds to share his se c re t

‘Don’t teB anybody, but it gets a little scary out there w hen som eone six inches and 30 pounds heavier than you lines you up and drills you into the boards." he says. ‘Of course, r d never give them the sat­ isfaction of knowing i t / Oops! The cat's out of the bag.

Actually, the secret really isn’t a secret around the NHL anym ore, w here bigger is b etter in the m inds of every coach except those who have players such as Gilmour and T heo Fleury and Joey M ullen — guys who play about six inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than they are.

G ilm our’s g rittin ess on a faceoff in over­

time during this gam e in S t Louis set up M ats Sundin for the Maple Leafs’ winning goal. It was typical Doug Gilmour.

“H e’s got the guts of a b u rg la r/ longtime linemate Dave Andreychuk says. "He gives up his body to set up M ats on the play. But .then. that’s what he’s done his entire career."

That play, along with a goal earlier in the g a m e , a c c o u n te d fo r p o in t No. 1,003 for GQmour in a career that has spanned 13 years and in­ cluded a Stanley Cup title in Cal­ gary in 1989.

GQmour. 32. adm its he wasn't sure com ing into this season w hether he would get to 1,000 points. Because of two herniated disks in his back. the Maple Leafs center wasn’t certain he would even play. But play he has.

T he SToot-10. 182-pounder is averaging nearly a point per gam e and re­ cently becam e the 44th player to score 1,000. £xcept for Henri Richard, he is probably the smallest player to reach that milestone. But no one plays with more heart than GQmour.

“Doctors told him to take time off after last season, but that’s like teQing a kid to give up candy." Coach Pat Burns says. “H e built him­ self up to 186 pounds lifting w eights to strengthen his back, did traction, acupunc­ ture. you name i t to make sure he would be

yr •

St o TO T Two years ago, the Rangers turned to Matteau for help late in the season Now it is the Blues’turn «»■ -

■■ - X w J O

m are roe fear?

Som etim es if s the small trade that m akes a big dif­ ference.

Remember last year when the Devils acquired veteran center Neal Broten from the S ta rs for center Coney Millen, and they got defenseman Shawn Cham bers from th e lig h tn in g for A lexander Semak? M ost people thought Broten was over the h ill but he quickly becam e the team ’s No. I center and a key to its Stan­ ley Cup victory.

And how about the year before, when the Rangers m ade th re e tra d e s rig h t at

the deadline to obtain Glenn A nderson, Brian Noonan.

Stephane M atteau and Craig MacTavish, who helped the Rangers win their first Stan­ ley Cup since 1940?

T hose trades were hardly blockbusters, but they were huge buQding blocks for cham pionship teams.

“Ifs usually not one huge move, w here you acquire a player like a Brett Hull or M ark M essier or Wayne Gretzky." Blues G.M.-Coach Mike Keenan says. ‘Ifs m ore like adding pieces to the puzzle."

W e’re talking about the kind of trade that brings the

Penguins m ore grit on de­ fense. which they surren­ dered during the sum m er when UU and KjeQ Samuelsson and Larry Murphy were sent packing. They will get that grit from Neil Wilkinson from the Jets for finesse d e fensem an Norm Maciver.

We’re also talking about the size the Blues got from the Rangers in left wing Matteau and the electricity center fan Laperriere will take to New York in exchange for Mat­ teau.

W hen we look back at these team s after the play­ offs, we might be pointing to the contributions WQkinson made to the Penguins, Mat­ teau to the Blues and Laper­ riere to the Rangers.

Icy bits D on’t let his first two gam es in goal in the NHL fool you. The Sabres’ Martin Biron, according to some ex­ perts, is the best young goaltending prospect since Patrick Roy cam e up. After a ll four goals on 16 shots in his NHL debut against the powerful Penguins is no crime. ... Bet you didn’t know, but the Sabres are one goaltender from tying

able to play this season."

GQmour laughs at the suggestion that his scoring 1,000 points is more impressive be­ cause of his size.

“You should have seen me this summer." he says, stretching out his body to show how much he has grown. T h e y had me on that traction device and it felt like I was on the rack, that they were stretching me into a gi­ a n t Td swear I grew a couple of inches. Don't you notice it now?"

GQmour clearly is bigger in the chest as a result of weight lifting. But he's still lacking compared with most players.

Gilmour wanted to come back stronger than ever this season so he wouldn’t face the terrible feeling of helplessness he endured m ost of last season.

"I never want to have to go through that again." he says. "I tried to p u sh myself last season, and there just wasn’t any energy reserve there. I didn't know what to think, w hether I was out of shape be­ cause of the lockout or maybe I might have mononucleosis. That’s when my back started bothering" me.

“W hen I got to the playoffs, I had sharp pain running up my legs and into my buttocks. I couldn’t bend over to lace up my skates. I could hardly move."

He has played halfway through this season with no back pain and is looking forward to fulfilling the final two years of his contract — and winning another Stank# Cup. “W inning the Cup inC ^jgary seem s like ages ago." he says. TTem em ber being so ex­ cited that I forgot to carry the Cup around the ice. I see others joining in the celebration each year by hoisting th* Cup into the air and realize how much I regret missing th a t “The next time I won’t let that opportunity

Grit t a f f e t a Wilkinson will try to fill the Penguins' needs. last season’s Kings for using six goalies in one season.

Buffalo has used Dominik Hasek, Andrei Trefilov, Biron, Steve Shields and John Blue. Injured Robb Stauber might help the team tie the record if Hasek and Trefilov don’t return soon....

Has anyone noticed how lit­ tle the Avalanche have missed the power-pfay pro­ duction of Owen Nolan, who led the team with 13 powerpfay goals fast season? The reason is Joe Sakic, who has moved back to the point on the power play and is firing at will. He h as g o n e from

Battier Regardless of how bigger opponents pick on him, Gilmour keeps scoring. pass."

Doug Gilmour’s voice resonates with con­ viction throughout this conversation. It no doubt is the sam e conviction doctors heard last sum m er when they told him rest was theonly cure for his back problem.

T here are no secrets with the latest 1,000point man in the N HL T he secret on GQmour was out long ago. You're only as big as you play — and no one plays any bigger than Doug Gilmour.

of the lineup with a bruised three power-pfay goals last spleen. In his second game season to 15 this season, back. Chicago was 5 for 9 on which ties him for the league the power play in a 5-2 victo­ lead with Pittsburgh’s Mario ry over Buffalo.... The most Lemieux. i heartwarm ing story in The Flyers did a nice Chicago, however, is the thing by letting right wing play of backup goalie Jeff Kevin Dineen go back to Hackett. .After going 26-100Hartford in a trade for future 11 in his career through midconsiderations. Dineen aver­ November. Hackett found aged more than 31 goals and the Fountain of Youth, going 65 points in eight seasons 7-0-1. Most Bfackhawks fans, with the Whalers. Dineen. a you may rem em ber, didn't class a c t didn’t complain w ant the team to bring him about having no goals and to training camp after he two assists as a som etim es went 3-15-5 as Ed Beifour's fourth-liner this season. Ac­ backup the past two sea-' tually. the Flyers will get no sons. An offseason com m it­ com pensation unless the m ent to hard work turned W halers sign Dineert to a the trick for Hackett. ♦ new contract for next sea­ son. Then, they would get a Larry Wigge has covered seventh-round draft choice. hockey for P h i S p o r t i n g ... With All-Star defenseman N e w s s in c e l% 9.

Rob Blake on the sideline for the rest of this season, the Kings hope defensem an John Sianey can help pick up som e of the slack on the power play. All it cost them was a sixth-cound draft choice to Colorado — a worthwhile gam ble if you ask m e.... Speaking of pow­ er plays, bet you didn’t know the Bfackhawks went 8-for 75 with the man advantage in the 18 gam es veteran cen­ ter Bernie Nicholls was out

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36* NHL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ST LABAY W ESS

The Sporting New

■ t

Works of artr not artifacts

sultry June sun engulfs Detroirfor the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals, delayed by a 106-day lodcout The heat of the summer is not normally a time for hockey-heroes, es­ pecially when the ice is in danged of melting.

But this summer is different Martin Brodeur. Scott Stevens and Claude Lemieux dazzle on the ice as the Devils sweep the Red Wings for their first Stanley Cup. But far from those bright lights, one for­ mer star announces his return to the game in Pittsburgh after a one-year absence while re­ covering from Hodgkin’s disease and back problems, while another is making a come­ back of sorts in Los Angeles as a defenseman in a senior hockey league.

Some experts are skeptical of the an­ nouncement that Mario Lemieux is returning to hockey. After all, he hasn’t played close to a fuD season since 1938-89. Far too often his back has given out on him. And that leads many to believe this story is nice, but Mario may just be another Jim Palmer or Mark Spitz, big names whose comebacks have fall­ en short The story of Wayne Gretzky playing in a senior league does not make headlines. Ac­ tually. some snicker when they hear The Great One is playing with seniors, saying that’s where he belonged last season when he had a team-worst plus-minus rating of mi­ nus-20 and averaged just one point per game, the lowest mark by almost half a point per game in his 16-vear career.

Its true that the game changes and it leaves some stars behind as bigger, stronger, faster athletes surpass them. But that isn’t the case with Lemieux and Gretzky. Heck, Gordie Howe proved that a great hockey player could be pspductive well past the nor­ mal retirement age.

In this recent year in which vw? have come .back to the future with Michael Jypdan. Mon­ ica Seles. George Foreman and others.

Lemieux and Gretzky again reign at the pin­ nacle of hockey.

Lemieux threatens Gretzky’s seemingly unreachable record of 215 points set in 198586. and Gretzky has found new life and given life to a team that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons after making the Stanley' Cup finals in ‘92-93.

Clearly’, the most significant developments in the NHL this season have been the return to health of Lemieux. the return to form of Gretzky and the crackdown on restraining fouls, which has resulted in star players get­ ting more room to perform their magic.

And magic always has described Gretzky’ and Lemieux. No one has done — or will do Good times: A happy Gretzky who is havingfun is a dangerous Gretzky, as his statistics and the Kings’record indicate.

— it better.

“Earlier this season. I saw Lemieux and I had to put some serious planning into mer came about as a joke, actually. A friend -Right wing Rick Tocchet who often rides Gretzky in the same week. it was like a flash­ preparing for the season." said he was going to. make up a No. 99 to the rink with Gretzky, says a stable own­ back to the mid-’80s," former Islanders coach Gretzky makes more of a commitment to sweater for Gretzky — and he wanted him to ership — Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski Al Arbour says. Tve been in this game a long training than ever. He does more aerobic con­ play on their team. Gretzky said he would if — has had a lot to dp with Gretzky’s good time and. to me. no two players have domi­ he got the sweater. ditioning. He even plays a little summer hock­ mood. nated like Wayne and Mario. ey. something he has always been loathe to do.

“I don’t think he believed me," Gretzky “Ifs nice to see Waynp come to the rink re­ “Ifs amazing, but when they are on the ice.

After playing last season at 179 pounds, think­ says. “But I showed up every Thursday night ally happy." Tocchet says. “The ownership its almost like the rest of the players are hyp­ ing he needed the extra bulk for strength, he’s I played defense, just looking to get in a good last year was a disaster. Barry Melrose never notized by them." back to his old playing weight of 175. workout I passed the puck to the other guys. knew if he was going to get fired, paychecks A coaching change and new ownership It was a lot of fun. were bouncing. I think Wayne can see that also contributed to a new and improved atti­ “I did accidentally shoot it off a guy’s skate this team can compete — and he’s excited fter missing the playoffs for the sec­ tude for everyone on the team. and got a goal in one game. B ut no. I didn’t about that He still wants to win a Stanley Cup ond straight season. Gretzky con­ The idea of skating in the summer is for­ score any picture-book goals. Playing this here." templates his future. He blames the eign to Gretzky, but a 48-game schedule was summer was more to make the game fun for Despite the rumors that Gretzky, who is on team s poor play on himself. “I not enough to whet his appetite. Some years. me again — and it did." the final year of his contract will wind up play­ knew this was going to be a big seasonhefor has played well over IOO games counting Gretzky saved those picture-book goals for ing in New York with the Rangers, look for the me." he says. “My numbers (48 points in 48 the playoff this season, rebounding to the league’s upper Kings to sign him to a new multiyear contract games with just l l goals) were a joke. I knew Flaying in an organized league last sum­ echelon once again. before his 35th birthday on January 26.

A

Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky are proving there still is life in their legs and lightning in their sticks

A

T

NHL • 37

January 8,1996

*What do you do?’

"He said. ’Starting August 1.1 don’t order french fries with my d u b sandw ich.'"

Lemieux turned 30 the first week of the season. He says everybody knows when you get older you have to start training a little.

And it gets tougher every year.

“My skill level was so high that I didn't need to train when I was 18.20,21 years old." he says. "I just used to come to training camp and get in shape in two weeks and I was"at the top of my game."

Four scoring championships and two Stan­ ley Cups are the results, but perhaps he could have accomplished even more if he had got­ ten into the kind of shape he did last summer. when he hired a personal trainer and worked with weights for the first time in his career. .“W hen you’re young, you think that’s the best you can do." Lemieux says. “"When you’re at the top of your gam e and the top of. the league, you figure th e re s no m ore you can do. But there is more, much more.

Maybe I wouldn't have missed so many gam es if I had taken better care of myself.

“All I know is I won't let that happen again.I have learned you have to work at your game all year long."

And he's better than ever.

“H e’s so much stronger now." Francis says. “And not just physically but mentally."

"I think he’s dominating gam es more than before," .teammate Jarom ir J agr says. “Now. it’s an even bigger difference between him and the other players."

Says Lemieux, “I got a second chance to play. I savor every moment on the ice. Every time I have a chance to step on the ice and play I look at it as a bonus the Lord gave me after beating the cancer and all of my back problems."

Hockey coaches have preached for decades that it takes 20 players to win. not just one individual. But that philosophy doesn’t apply to Lemieux or Gretzky.

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less. Lemieux is more like a Rolls Royce. pow­ erful. luxurious, big engine.

Told roo so: Tbmas Sandstorm (left) and others have been quick to congratulate Lemieux. who has That engine is at top speed, on a pace to proved many wrong by coming back strongfrom Hodgkin's disease and back problems win a fifth scoring title. .After a one-goal, fourassist perform ance against Hartford last “ “ training camp," team m ate Tony Granato week. he had 31 goals and 52 assists in 31 says. ‘T h e re were 60,70 guys skating around games. Gretzky was tied for seventh with 49 out there. But Greta told me to watch points.

Yachmenev. I didn’t see much at first, but T h e r e s only one guy who m ight catch Gretz was right, the two of them have worked him," Gretzky says, eyes roiling in amaze­ great together." ment at what Lemieux has done this season.

Gretzky compares the frustration of not be­ T h e only guy I know that could have caught ing able to connect with a teammate for a goal Mario is a 22-year-old Wayne Gretzky', play­ with Steve Young not being able to throw to ing in Edmonton with all those great players Jerry Rice or John Taylor. Brent Jones or J J. during the Stanley Cup years." « Stokes.

In other words. Mario is home free.

“If no one breaks for the net, you are play­ Dominance of a sport is ing right into the oppo­ unparalleled. Before last sea­ nent’s hands." he says. son. when Jagr won the NHL T 'ou have to score from scoring title. Gretzky and inside the red zone in foot­ Lemieux were the only play­ ball. inside the paint in ers to have led the league in basketball and in the slot scoring since 1980-81. Jagr and in front of the net had 70 points in 48 games. in hockey. Yachmenev Heck. Lemieux had 70 points shows no fear in going this season in 26 games. into that area to convert "W hen the announce­ my passes. m ent was made that Mario “If I keep on playing the would not play last season. I way Tm playing, I’ve got a said. "What we have here is lot of hockey left I feel M ichelangelo, but he can’t like I can skate forever get up the ladder." says right now, and that's a fe-jr Lemieux's agent. Tom Reich."" nice feeling."

“Well. he's back up on that Has led N B A in scoring seven of last nine seasons ^M ich ael Jord an Gretzky isn’t talking ladder, and he s painting one about retirem ent any­ V acate Vltafc One o f the keys to Gretzky's imV -'* heckuva masterpiece." more. He’s recharged. pressive turnaround has been Yachmenev.

Red W ings defenseman “T h e only way I would Paul Coffey has played with Gretzky and retire is if I was horrendous the rest of this Stars Coach Bob Gainey describes the On the ice. Gretzky also plays with a re­ Lemieux. He had no doubt they would be season — and that's not going to happen. Trn helpless feeling of inadequacy' in a recent newed interest in the gam e and the team. back. confident of that," he says. “Bobby Clarke gam e in which Lemieux had two goals and T v e felt a new life," he says. "And it all be­ "Gretz taught Mario how to be a winner at once told me. 'Don’t retire until they tear your one assist in a 4-2 victory over Dallas. He gins with that kid playing on right wing." the Canada Cup in 1988," he says. “You don'r sw eater off your back.’ Tm not sure I really' doesn't even have to mention the name.

Vitafi Yachmenev was not just a face in the lose that thirst for winning. Once you win that understood him when he said i t Now I know “The difference in this game was one play­ crowd to Gretzky at the Iceoplex in North first Cup. you warn to win another and anoth­ exactly what he means. Hockey is my life." er." Gainey says. “I d o n ’t think any other Hills, Calli, amid the palm trees and sunshine er. When someone takes it away from you its parts of their team were any better than ours last sum m er. Yachmenev had been a thirdlike coming hom e and finding your house tonight" round draff choice in ’94. He scored 53 goals in h is been robbed. ’t was the sum m er of ’91 when Lemieux Do you mean Lemieux, Gainey is asked.

59 games for North Bay of die Ontario Hock­ “I knew, if healthy. M ario and W ayne “Most players can be taken out of a game and teammate Ron Francis were relaxing ey League in 1994£5. Gretzky spotted the tal­ would be back on top again. They have that by defense, but Mario Lemieux and Wayne after a round of golf. They were savoring ent in Yachmenev as the two worked out and special thirst, a th irst that won't be Gretzky and. maybe, one or two others are .the first of consecutive Stanley Cups asked new Coach Larry Robinson to let him quenched until they win an o th er Stanley different" he says. T h e y can singlehanded­ work with the kid. Now, those great Great when the conversation turned to offseason Cup." ♦ ly beat a team."

Gretzky setups that went unfinished the last conditioning programs.

In this day of fast cars. Gretzky is sort of couple of seasons are finding their way to the “I asked Mario if he ever worked out in the Larry Wigge has covered hockey fo r TKF like a Cadillac con verdi lo with the top down, back of tile opponent’s n e t sum m ertim e." Francis says. ‘He said. T e a k ' S p o r t i n g N e w s since 1969. not physically imposing but classy nonethe­ "Gretz told me about Yach the first day of I m ust admit I was kind of surprised and said.

-IrFOTOrsports:;'-'

A benchmark for all ages In a league that shuffles coaches faster than you can make a line change. Scotty Bowman has been a constant Bowman still plays the same mind games he used when he got his first coaching job in S t Louis in 1967. With the Red Wings sporting the NHL’s best record, its obvious he still knows how to keep a team on edge — and th ats an accom­ plishment in this_age of high-salaried and difficult-Uxxmtrol players.

When Bowman directed the Red Wings to a 2-1 victory a1 Dallas last Friday, he surpassed Al Arbour’s coaching record of 1,606 games. And after taking Detroit to the Stanley Cup fi­ nals last season, theres no end in sight for the master. He has one more year on his contract and a burning desire to win a seventh Stanley Cup. Bowman, 62, tried to play down the achievement, saying it was just a longevity record. But his words revealed his true feelings.

“I never thought I’d do this," Bowman says. “I thought I was finished about five years ago. When I was fired in Buf­ falo (in 19B7), I thought that was i t I had lost my interest in the game until Craig Patrick asked me to take over for Bob Johnson in Pittsburgh (when Johnson was dying of cancer).

"Getting behind the bench again made me feel young. I know Tm proud of the job I’ve done over the years. Maybe it just hasn’t sunk in yet exactly what coaching in 1,607 games really means. Maybe its kind of like the feeling ray father felt working at the same job for 32 years. I know one thing. The longevity he had at his job was something every one of his children were proud of."

And one thing is certain. The game has not passed Bowman by.

Stiti th e waster. Dino CiccoreUi and the Red ftfygs would Uke His left-wing lock defense — keeping the left wing back to to give Bowman his seventh Stanley Cup championship. remove the odd-numbered breaks — shows his innovative skills are still sharp. That defense has been so successful that Leaving a legacy the Red Wings* talented individual stars have functioned more as a team — Al Arbour Is one of 24 men who have played for and it resulted in the leagues best regular-season record the last two seasons Scotty Bowman and gone on to coach in the NHI. and a trip to last season’s finals against the Devils.

The complete list Some things never change. .

Coach Tearers) Bowman holds the record for career victories (939 entering the $veek), and Al A rt our S i Louis. N.Y Islanders he is the only coach to have taken four different teams — the Bides, Canadi­ Rad Bem oon St. Louis ans, Penguins and Red Wings — to the Stanley Cup finals. He has competed Terry Crtxp Calgary. Tampa Bay against 148 coaches in his long career, and only 19 of them have a winning Rick Dudley Buffalo record against him. Bowman’s six Cup victories are second only to Toe Bob Gainey Minnesota. Dallas Blake’s eight.

Phil Boyette N.Y. Islanders And he’s not finished y et ^ Jacques Laperrtere Montreal — La m

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18-12-6 16-15-3 -A-S b * * ll-C w g ftn f 19-16-2 15-15-6 H._Ughtnbw 12. PDW 16-17-5 14-14-5 15-16-4 15. Satoris 15-16-3 16. W oos 14-15-8 J& 1 & 2 17- r n 12-15-9 l& J lek* 1ft. p a irs 13-20-6 20. M tatotvPockf 14-22-3 21. W hatirc 11-20-5 10-17-7 21 httndm 8-22-6 26. R u n ts . 10-21-7 f t

26.

Section

8-27-1

Young defender Gonchar has seven goals and a plus-20 rating.

Nine roaf victories after three a l of test season._____________ 10 soak, Gratton is fra lv showing firel-rcund promise.

Carn win wfth league's most penalties (25.6 minutes per came).

Bourqueils anan to lead his team in scoring Rootoe Svfcoca leads inoffensive team 13 ooats.

Blue team's fifth ooafteoder this season.

Overtime losers tor fret fane since February 14.1994 (2-1-231 Setanne h hot — nine acate in lasLseyan games.

0-for-27 power-ptay slump a l home.

Weioht — team's first 100-ooint player since Messier in *89-90?

Van A len is among injured [fevers re tu m in Q soon._____________ Bitore Brown. Wesley was only defenseman wfth IO or more points.

W oefii 2-11-5 against teams that entered came s ^ w m n o records.

League's worst penaSv-tdSnq unfl at home (21 of 731.__________ Kbd, a 2ggaroe winner last season, finaty wins consecutive cames.

Bagnarcsgn leads a l rookies with 13 ppww-ttev points.

Yashin tnt help offense that has scored 3 or more goals 3 times.

T h ro # ) S a u n te rs panics.

T h e S po r t in g N ew s NHL Power P o l is determined toy TSN Hockey Effitor Larry Wigge.

Jacques Lerna ire Bill M cCrory Bob Murdoch Barclay Pfager Bob Player Larry Pleau Craig Ramsay Doug R baton) ugh Jim Roberts Larry Robinson Glen Bather Andre Bayard Jim Schoenfeld Ron Stewart Bill Sutherland Jean-G ay Talbot Mario Tremblay

Montreal. New Jersey S t Louis. Vancouver Chicago. Winnipeg S t Louis S t Louis Hartford Buffalo Calgary Buffalo. Hartford Los Angeles Edmonton Quebec Buffalo, New Jersey.

Washington N.Y. Rangers. Los Angeles Winnipeg S t Louis. N.Y. Rangers Montreal

i w jm y m r s Flyers Coach Terry Murray says opposing teams are out to get center Eric Undies, and he’s unhappy referees aren’t protecting Lin­ dies as they do other stars.

“Other teams are trying to use cheap-shot tactics against Eric as strategy to get him off his game," Murray says. T h e y are trying to pick fights with him to get him off his game — and I don’t think referees should let them get away with it T t certainly wouldn’t happen if someone tried to do that with Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux."

COLLIE FOOTBALL • 30

January 8,1996

c ()ij£(;e f o o t b a ll r e p o r t

Goff era ends in tumult, as might be appropriate had ditched his 9-2 team to move to the Southeastern Conference, began having sec­ ond thoughts. He denied published reports that his d e a c o n involved questions of child custody. He just said he couldn’t bring him­ self lo leave Kansas, Whether sentiment or his recent divorcej settlement made Mason change his mind wifl come out in time.

But it always is interesting when a man as competitive as Mason forgoes ambition. Ma­ Ivan son has built Kansas into a Top IO team. But MAISEL as he said at his December 18 news confer­ ence in Athens, his office in Lawrence is on Naismith Drive, named for the man who in­ vented baskeffiafl. As Bear Bryant discovered he Univeraty of Kansas announced 50 years ago al Kentucky and Lon Kruger has last week that its new coach is Glen discovered at Ronda, no matter how good Mason. The two^iine (and finaD Big you are, there are some places where second Eight Coach of the Year went unde­ feated in seven days at Georgia, unifyingbanana the is as good as it gets.

Mason decided he can live with that, and Bulldogs after the tumultuous Ray Coff era.

Kansas welcomed him back.

In all of its lackluster footbaD history. Kansas (jeorgia Athletic Director Vince Dooley has never been^able to steal a head coach immediately phoned Jim Donnan, the former away from a traditional power such as O o rOklahoma assistant who turned Marshall g ia -into a LAA power. Dooley says be had trouble The Jayhawks found a big present under deciding between Mason and Donnan. No of­ their Christmas palm tree on the morning of fense to Mason, but Donnan seems like a bet­ the Aloha Bowl Mason, who a week earlier

T

MaRhaOplan Jim Donnan's departure leaves open a job that is bet­ ter than any number of I-A jobs.

Marshall has excellent fodlities, and its championship ring is just as shiny. One ob­ vious candidate is former Thundering Herd player and assistant coach Bob Pruett, the coordinator who turned Florida's defense into a unit worthy of the Gators offense.

“Ifs where I went lo school Ifs where Pm from."

Pruett said last week. “I check every week to see what they do. I don’t want to get into it a whole lot right now. Pve got an awfully good job. I let it be known I am in­ terested. If they've got some­ body else in mind, well go OD down the road and ^ ^ e at it"

lack of. conmncatkin Nebraska Lback Lawrence Phillips says he won’t return for his senior season if the NFL tefls him he will be a first-round draft pick. But re­ gardless of what the NFL tells Phillips, the Fiesta Bowl win be his last in a Comhuskers uniform.

Think about it The heir apparent to Tommie Frazier at quarterback is Scott Frost the Bill Walsh-trained trans­

fer from Stanford. Frost is also the guy whose apart­ ment Phillips broke into in order to attack former girl­ friend Kale McEwen. Frost is the guy who. for most of this faD. could not have any contact with ' Phillips by court order.

Picture the Nebraska hud­ dle next faD: Frost; TeD No. I to run off-tackle right" Phillips; T'eD the quarterback to make his pio±es higher."

Yeah. IhatTl work.

Victory quest Maybe now North Caroli­ na’s players wiD beUeve Coach Mack Brown when he stresses turnovers. The Tar Heels, minus-18 for the regular season, committed no turnovers in the Carquest Bowl. and Arkansas commit­ ted three. Final score: North Carolina 20. Arkansas IO. The Razorbacks may have put on the feeblest perfor­ mance by a diviaon champi­ on in any sport (OK. by any champion east of the S ettle Sonics). They finished 8-5 with a three-game losing streak in which they scored 13 points. ^When something bad happens to our footbaD team we don’t know how to han­ dle H," Arkansas Coach Dan­ ny Ford lamented after the game.

jars...: I Georgia, thdis, § With his decision to . remain at Kansas, the Jayhawks cooch opened the way for Marshaii's Jim Donnan to take over the BuUdogs. ter fit at Georgia.

Mason, for all the rebuilding he has done al Kansas, hadn’t pushed the Jayhawks any higher than Nebraska wannabe. Goffi even when he kept his best players healthy and away from the NTL never rose higher than Florida wannabe. Donnan has won. No. he hasn’t won al the I-A level. But the PCA Tour is fuD of winners who learned how on the Nike Tour. lf life were scripted as in Hallmark cards. the defining moment of Goff’s farewell at (Georgia would have been his leap into the artis of his players when the Bulldogs upset (Georgia Tech. 18-17, on Thanksgiving Day. But the more accurate measure of Goff's final season came in the waning seconds of the This is a problem for the bowls, not the conferences.

The latter may console themselves with the milDons they are milking out of their championship games.

Texas jmpostor

Wlty fetaran: Weaver wqs on a seven-year plan.

The game at Joe Robbie Stadium had a paid atten­ dance of 34,428. Maybe offi­ cials should rename it the Fanquest Bowl. It won’t get any easier next season. when the Orange Bowl moves to Joe Robbie.

The status of lower-tier bowls always is precarious.

But the addition of confer­ ence championship games in th^ Big 12 and Western Athletic Conference next season wiU mean more bowls wiD have to fight what the Carquest fought When a division champion is no bet­ ter than the third- or fourthbest team in its conference, the last thing its fans want to do is travel to a conference championship game and a bowl game in the same month.

h turns ou{ Texas speciaL teams player Ron McKelvey is 30-year-oId Ron Weaver, now in his seventh season of coUege footbaD. Longhorns Coach John Mackovic began lo suspect something when he realized McKelvey played for him with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not really. But McKelvey.

Weaver or whatever his name is. has left the Long­ horns’ claim on the fin i Southwest Conference championship more tenuous than they would prefer.

Texas could be forced lo for­ feit the IO regular-season victories in which he played.

Weaver enrolled at Texas in August under the name Joel Ron McKelvey. Texas officials say he was a highly recruited player after two standout seasons at Los An­ geles Pierce Community College.

A day before the Long­ horns* ^ g a r Bowl date with Virginia Tech, as Texas offi­ cials investigated his true identity after the scam was revealed by a newspaper In Salinas. Calif., Weaver

Peach Bowl The Bulldogs received a gift touchdown in the final two minutes when Virginia chose not to run out the clock. Patrick Jeffers fumbled a pass reception, and Georgia’s Jason Fergu­ son re tu rn ^ , it IO yards for the tying score.

Overtime seemed a certainty, at least until the Bulldogs kicked off. The Cavaliers’ Demetrius Allen returned it 83 yards for a touchdown with 57 seconds to play. and.

Georgia crashed to a 34-27 defeat Certainly, the victory is poetic justice for Virginia, which made an art form of losing in the final minute. But the loss showed why Dooley felt compeDed to let Goff, his former quarterback, go after seven seasons. Good teams don’t let that happen.

packed his bags and left .New Orleans without notify^ ing the team.

His sister read a state­ ment in which Weaver apol ogized to Texas players and coaches foe any trouble he caused them.

The Salmas Californian also reported that McKelvey/Weaver planned to write a book on “the scan­ dals of coDege footbaD." Hmmmm. That gives me three months to get in shape be­ fore spring practice. Where to enroll?

Anxnd the nation You know, back in Sep­ tember. the last thing I ex­ pected was lo wait on Terry Donahue to finhh interview­ ing someone so I could start ... Even without the New Year’s Day results, the 4-0 bowl record of the schools that win be in the Big 12 next season is a harbinger of the strength of that conference. .As for the 0-3 start of the Pa­ cific IO. th at loo. means something for next season.

And it’s not good. ... You would think Coach Steve Lo­ gan won’t be long for East Carolina after the Rrates closed a successful season by beating Stanford. 19-13. in the Liberty Bowl. But Logan has to overcome the prece' dent set by BiD Le'wis. who took East (Carolina to an 11-1

! season in 1991. then flamed [ out at (georgia Tech.

Iowa Slate Coach Dan I McCamey, in Tempe. A rir. i for the Fiesta Bowl. says the ; rise of .Northwestern "has given hope to us all.’ The ' Cyclones went 3-8 this sea1 son and stayed close in a few I fourth quarters. Plus. 2.000vard rusher Trov Davis should be coming back. ...

Florida defensive end Mark Campbell. aD 6 feet 3 and 289 pounds of him. grew up play­ ing soccer in his native Ja­ maica. Campbell d i m s his field-goai range is extensive, although he has trouble pinj pointing how far ii extends.

I “I can put it right on the 30I yard line and make that. I I don’t know how long that is."

Campbell says. That would be. uh. 40 yards. Mark. ...

Don't fret Tile Kickoff Classic is only seven-and-a-half months away. # Ivan Matsel covers coUege football for Sewsday.

FOR UPOIHIS;:^FooSian

fio m tp u d t^ a n d

-

The Sporting1'News

40 • BASEBALL BASEBALL RHPORT

There’s no such thing as a borderline Hall of Famer A particular strain exists this year because Curl Flood, Tony Oliva and the late Vada Pin­ son are in their final years of eligibility. Each was an exceptional player with solid creden­ tials. but each lacks something to merit in­ duction into professional sports’ most her­ alded HaIL lf there were another corridor for the exceptional-but-not-elite ... but there isn’t So Oliva. Joe TorTe. Don Sutton et ai. are ex­ cluded.

In the afterglow of his 300th career victory in 1986. Sutton unwittingly sabotaged his can­ didacy by acknowledging th a t despite his milestone achievement he was "a level be­ all.of Fame ballots should have low' the great pitchers among his contempo­ been cast by now, none without raries — Seaver, Gibson. Hunter. Palmer. In. the names Keith Hernandez. Phil his candor, Sutton talked his way off the bal­ Niekro and Bruce Sutter checked, all with the names -Bob Knepper, lots ChetI have cast in the first three years of his eligibility.

"Lemon, Jeffrey Leonard. Johnny Ray. Jerry His words reinforced a personal Reuss. John Tudor and Claude^ Washing­ for election — a player should have be&i the ton dismissed and withs25 other names con­ best or among the elite in his particular area sidered but rejected, lf only it were that sim­ of expertise for an extended period. That cri­ ple. teria applied to the 1995-96 ballot yielded This yearly analysis of career perfor­ mances annually becomes more difficult be­ three choices — the best defensive first cause of the effects of expansion — an in­ baseman of this generation, the primary practitioner of the knuckleball and the re­ crease in players eligible and a drop in the liever who regularly made games eight-in­ level of play. When picking Hall of Famers, ning affairs. the idea is to be as selective as Frank Thomas Hernandez was the best at what he did for is with a 30 count The term “borderline Hall of Famer” ought to be regarded as an oxy­ more than a decade, winning l l Gold Gloves. moron.

But his game hardly was one-dimensional.

H

Aition toe mn lf what the Giants havesaid is true — that Rich Au­ riga will succeed Royce Clay­ ton as their regular short­ stop — then they will have a player of distinctive accom­ plishment on their infield; and not only because Aurilia distinguished himself in his September cameo appear­ ances with the Giants.

It was in the fall of 1993 that he did something few people even knew could be ddne — he pinch ran for a batter.

Irhappened in the .Arizona Fall League while Aurilia, then Rangers property, and Butch Huskey, the Mets' pri­ mary power prospect at the time, were playing for the Tucson J av^linas. Huskey crushed a home run but col lapsed in the batter’s box, having suffered a subluxa­ tion of his left shoulder.

Pained and unable to con­ tinue. Huskey was helped off the field. Stunned and eager to please, Aurilia was or­ dered to serve in the ulti­ mate pinch-running role.

Javelinas Manager Davey Lopes was aware of the rule that provides for a pinch-mn-

A new Zete Jefferies may have

a vintage year. ner for the batter only when a home run has been hit Aurilia performed his re­ placement role well. "I knew exactly what to d a ” he said.

As he completed the third segment of his surrogate tro t he approached thirdbase coach Ron Washing­ ton. who extended his right hand to Aurilia and said.

“Way to hit ’em. kid!”

Fmewtme The Phillies’ signing of Todd Zeile did more than fill a void at third base; it also provided Gregg Jefferies with a buddy. And while that

wasn’t the primary reason the club spent $2.5 million for one year on Zeile. it is a legitimate benefit The two spent two sea­ sons together with the Car­ dinals. and Jefferies never was the square peg in S t Louis, not to the degree he was last season with the Phillies, nor as he had been with the Mets and Royals.

S t Louis is a comfortable place to play. And Joe Tone, Jefferies’ manager there, made him feel welcome. Jef­ feries had a genuine friend­ ship with Zeile and a sense that he belonged during his tenure working for the brew­ ery. It probably isn’t coinci­ dental that Jefferies pro­ duced the finest work of sev­ en full big league seasons while he and Zeile were teammates.

Jefferies didn’t endear himself to the Darren Daulton-Len Dykstra disci­ ples last season. In feet, his behavior — particularly his helmet-throwing — prompt­ ed one of the PhOIies to nick­ name him “Chardonnay," as in white whine from north­ ern California. Jefferies is a native of Burlingame, Calif., a suburb of San Francisco.

1 s'

McCarver says.

The knocks on Mark Belanger and Bill Mazeroski, both extraordinary defensive players for extended periods, were that nei­ ther excelled enough offensively to warrant Hall of Fame election. Hernandez was as skilled as either defensively, while also star­ ring on offense. Indeed, in 1985, six years af­ ter he led the league in batting and shared the MVP award, he placed second to Dale Murphy in T he Sporting News’ survey of IOO N L pitchers asked to identify the hitter they least liked to face.

And consider this: Hernandez's rate of of­ fensive production during his prime seasons (1976 through *88) exceeded that of another perennial Gold Glove winner who already is in the Hall Brooks Robinson.

Avg.

R o ta/ ' 500 AB

Hernandez (1 Robinson (1955-1975)

4 •«« Chack, pfessc Hernandez’s feats wen worthy

ofthe attention o fHall o fFame voters He was the N L co-MVP in 1979, sharing the award with Willie StargelL Hernandez should have won the award outright five years later when he served as the Wets’ ‘Pops." He was the leader in N.L MVP points from 1984 through *88. and from 1979 through ’88 he was one of the game’s most-feared clutch hit­ ters.

“No player Tve played with or against or watched, for that matter, did more to help his team win," catcher-tumed-broadcaster Tim The nickname suggests the atmosphere in the Phillies clubhouse may have been ideally chilled.

HR/ 500 AB

RSh i 508 AB

JOI

TW

IU

TSO

Z70

5S5

1Z8

65.0

Niekro was a regular and reliable winner for some dreadful Braves teams, and he kept the knuckleball alive. The latter shouldn’t be dismissed; it added to the lore and color of the game. Niekro (318-274) added to the game’s d ig n ity .^ and Sutton’s (324-256) ca­ reer numbers are comparable, their teams rarely were.

For eight years — an uncommonly long reign for a reliever. Sutter dominated his pro­ fession. The use of short relievers has changed the game. It was the presence of Sutter, first with the Cubs and then the Car­ dinals, that prompted opposing managers to change tfieir game plans. They used-their best pinch-hitiers early rather than waste them against Sutter, who finished with 300 carcer saves.

Sutter was so good that when Ryne Sand­ berg hit two bojne runs against him June 23, 1984, in die midst of a key series. Sandbag virtually locked up the MVP award Hernan­ dez should have won.

Lefter was worth $8.6 million for three.

In each case, the dub could site spedaJ circum­ stances. The Yankees had to Yak is cheap have Cone to have a sem­ This free-agent market ( blance of a rotation; the Astros,TX)tential lame ducks as' has produced a number of it is, couldn’t hold their place relative bargains, the sign­ in Houston’s shrinking ings of Gary Gaetti (35 home, runs) for $2 million 4 sports market without Big­ gio; and the Marlins, armed and Lance Johnson (40 with resources comparable steals and 98 runs) for two to any dub, wanted to make years at $5.7 million among another statement as they them. try to duplicate the success But the contracts afforded of their expansion siblings, David Cone, Craig Biggio the Rockies, and Al Leiter significantly Cone is a bona fide No. I raised eyebrows as well as starter who began his nego­ those players’ salaries. The tiations from a point no other deals fly in the face of the pitcher had attained — an clubs’ theory that die winter annual average salary of $6 meetings — remember million. But he will be a 36them? — had become a fac­ year-old power pitcher be­ tor in escalating salaries. fore the first of two option Acting Commissioner Bud years begin. The Yankees Selig has contended that could have to pay $1.5 mil­ agents had used the meetlion just to say no. . ings to create a feeding fren­ Biggio is the soul of the zy that prompted overspend­ ing.

Astros, a player they But without the meetings, thought they couldn't afford the Yankees still agreed to to lose. But in his seven filii pay Cone $19.5 million for seasons, he has scored IOO three years, the Astros coly or more runs once, hit 20 or traded with Biggio for more home runs twice and $2236 million for four years never driven in more than and the Marlins decided 77 runs.

Lefter may be read y 'to blossom as the general marh agers of d u b s other than Florida suggest Bat the Marlins are paying a ^ y e a rold for potential based on a 33-32 career record and an 11-11 record last season.

All th a t and come Febru­ ary the d u b s will complain about the players, their agents and the arbitrators when Steve Avery or Moises Alou or Kevin Appier is awarded a windfall in salary arbitration.

And there still is no com­ missioner. +

Marty Noble coven the Mets for Newsday. Bob Nightengale is on vacation.

His column will resume next week. if**

- * •' Vt : - v- r

111 • 41

January 8,1996

ATLANTA BRAVES ProgTM head start: Leo Mazzone foresees the day aD teams conduct year-round throwing programs for pitchers.

Until then, the pitching coach will continue get­ ting a head start on spring training by inviting his pitchers to workouts in Atlanta in early February. It will mark the fifth year of the early-throwing pro­ gram, and Mazzone thinks it’s part of the rea­ son his pitchers have remained healthy. I t gives them the ability to get through the ear­ ly part df spring training with a lot less aches and pains,* he says. “It’s an advantage. Soon­ er or later, baseball is going to come to yearround throwing. I can see that coming." The early program will be especially important to rookie Jason Schmidt who is being counted on to be the fifth starter. ‘He’s got a tremen­ dous opportunity in front of him," Mazzone says.

Cabaa prospects The team hopes to increase its pitching depth by signing one or two pitchers who defected from the Cuban na­ tional team last summer. It is particularly in­ terested in Livan Hernandez, 20, who is pitch­ ing in the Dominican Winter League. And it has received excellent reports on Osvaldo Fernandez, 29, who also is pitching in the Dor “Some of our people thought Fernandez could have pitched for us last sea­ son," .General Manager John Schuerholz says. "The feeling on the younger guy is that he win be a better pitcher. I think there will be a number of dubs interested, but I think we have the most to offer because of our suc­ cess in developing pitchers."

—B tl Z ia

FLORIDA .MARLINS Christm as shopping: A

The book OB.. J Bichette reads Williams, whom he calls *probably the greatest hitter who ever lived.

Williams returned the compliment this year, honoring the Rockies slugger in his hitters Hall

CHICAGO Cl BS

CINCINNATI REDS

fe w

Stash lag s a fe r. Starting pitcher David Wells is the latest to join the salary casualty list trad­ ed to Baltimore for Cur­ tis Goodwin, who will compete for the Center­ field and leadoff spots, and Trovin Valdez, a minor league outfielder.

General Manager Jim Bowden says he still has to rid himself of one -more chunk of change, either by peddling another starting pitcher (Mark Portugal or John Smiley) or two or three part-time players (probably Thomas Howard and Lenny Harris). His pref-' erence is not to part with another member of the rotation. As it is, the Wells deal leaves the team with a rotation of Pete Scheurek. Smi­ ley. Portugal and D ave-Burba, with Kevin Jarvis, Tim Pugh and Gabe White vying for the No. 5 starter job.

Open positions: Hal Morris at first, Bret Boone at second. Barry Larkin at shortstop, Reggie Sanders in right field and Eddie Tau ben see at catcher are the only locked-up positions. In left field, power hitters Eric An­ thony and Brian Banter win try to make up for Ron Gant’s 29 homers, and prospect Nigel Wilson will get a shot as wefl. In center. Good­ win (projected by Bowden as a potential" 380 to 390 hitter with 50 to 70 steals someday) wiD compete with prospect Steve Gibralter and incumbent Howard. And at third, Willie Greene will be helped in getting another shot because he has the power the R£ds now need.

But hell still have to ward off holdover Jeff Branson, rookie Eric Owens and returning fafa­ -HIb Bas vorite Chris Sabo.

closen The last piece to the d u b ’s puz­ zle was put together when Doug Jones was signed as the closer.

Ironically, Jones' last stop was Baltimore, which let him go before signing ex-Cub Randy Myers. Jones was 04 with a 5.01 ERA last season but did save 22 of 25 games. At a salary of about $1 million, Jones comes for less than a third of what My­ ers got from the. Orioles. Third baseman Dave Magadan will be playing, for nearly $3 million less than Todd Zeile. The signings hdp keep payroll in the low- to raid-$30-million range. TTiat leaves the Cubs money to make more improvements later this winter. or in the spring as they did last year. "You don’t have to buy in high market unless you have to, and it will never be higher than it is now," President Andy MacPhail says.

Thin! look: Magadan, who hit 313 for Hous­ ton, joins Mark Grace and Luis Gonzalez for lefthanded hitting. Their combined average last season was 306 with 71 RBIs. ‘He’s not the classical power hitter you’d like at a cor­ ner position, but we know Dave’s going to make contact" G.M. Ed Lynch says.... The team should have its 10th different Opening Day starter in left field with Gonzalez, Ozzie Timmons or, if he has an exceptional spring.

Brooks Kieschnick. There hasn't been a re­ peat left fielder on Opening Day since Brian Dayett in 1986 and ’87. Soot! Bullet! started last year but lost his platoon role to Timmons before Gonazal ez came in a trade with Hous­ ton.

-JOEGoOOAffl

COLORADO ROCKIES A rn troubles: There

No. I starter was the team’s primary focus of the offseason, followed closely by a center field­ er and then bench 'help.

The Marlins have added Kevin Brown, who wiU be the staff ace. and lefthander Al Letter to the rotation. And their first signing of the offseason was two-time .All-Star and ex-Toronto center fielder Devon White. They filled their final need .with the signing of former White Sox utility infielder Craig Grebeck. Although Gre beck signed a minor league contract he is fully expected to make the team (much like Alejandro Pena's signing). at which time hell earn $400,000. ... Scouts still rave about Brown’s ‘stuff* but have been critical of the mindset that has led to 7-9 and 10-9 seasons the last two years, respectively. He was a combined 36-23 the previous two years. If lit­ tle else. Brown will give innings. He has aver­ aged 203 innings the last seven seasons, Catctiig tis eft: G.M. Dave Dombrowski might still sign a reserve catcher, but the per­ son will likely start the year in Triple A The Marlins signed former Montreal catcher Joe* SiddaD to a Triple-A contract earlier this off­ season. ... Despite their Cuban fan base, the Marlins are not necessarily the front-runners .for righthanders Livan Hernandez and Osval­ do Fernandez. One source says several teams, including Boston and Atlanta, have made multiyear. multi-miDion-doQar offers. It could take as much as $3 million to sign the highly touted Hernandez and Fernandez, who might be less talented but could pitch now in the majors.

—SCOTT I QUIT

HOLSTON ASTROS

Set lineup: With the ac­ were more d i s c o u r ­ quisition of third baseman Sean Beny. the aging developmentseveryday lineup appears am o n g the s t a r t i n g set: Jeff Bagwell. IB; pitchers, who have had Craig Biggio 2B: Orlan­ - d u ra bili ty pr o b le m s throughout the team’s do Miller SS; Berry. 3B; Derek Bell. RF; Bnan three seasons. Veterans Hunter. CF; James Mouton. Derrick May. Bill Swift (right shoulder). Bret Saberhagen (right shoulder) and Marvin Freeman (right platoon. LF; Tony Eusebio. Rick Wilkins, pla­ elbow) all had postseason arthroscopic surg­ toon. C. “I think it will be very difficult for someone to crack our starting lineup in eries. John Burke finished the '95 season sidelined with a shoulder problem that re­ 'spring training." Manager Terry Collins says. quired arthroscopic surgery. Kevin Ritz, who However. G.M. Gerry Hunsicker says he isn't had reconstructive elbow surgery in .April satisfied with his pitching staff. "I don’t think 1993. and Saberhagen were the the only two we will. make any major deals, but it's possi­ pitchers on the team's staff to work the in­ ble we can find a player or two to help us in nings necessary (one per game) to qualify for that area," Hunsicker says. the ERA title lak year. Ritz had a 4.21 ERA in Replacing Veres: The team has to find a re­ 173Y> innings and Saberhagen pitched 153 in­ placement for Dave Veres, who was sent to Montreal for Berry. Veres pitched’in 72 games nings. but only 43 in nine starts after being last season with a 5-1 record and a 236 ERA acquired July 31 from the Mets.

“Dave meant a lot to this team." reliever Todd idol ta lk : Dante Bichette, who signed the long-term contract he wanted earlier this off­ Jones says. 'W ho is going to take up all those season, will get a chance to meet his idol. Ted innings in the pen? But we got the third base­ Williams. Bichette and Barry Bonds of the Gi­ man we needed, so I know the front office ants were selected as the N.L hitters to be believes this is for the best." The Astros be­ honored at the Ted Williams Museum and lieve Alvin Morman (5-1 with a 3.91 ERA at Hitlers Hall of Fame in Hernando. Fla., in Tucson) may be ready to help. They also will February. “I guess if theres one person in the take a long look at Biffy' Wagner, a hard-. world Fd want to meet it’d be Ted." Bichette ' throwing lefthander who was the team’s says. "Talk a little hitting with him. Just be No. I draft pick in 1993.... After going 4-12 in able to talk to probably the greatest hitter *95, Darryl KDe agreed to a pay reduction from who ever lived and maybe get a picture taken $137 miflion to $750,000. Incentives couldjft with him." Bichette’s fascination goes back him to the *95 level.... Since the Astros didn't nine years when he read Williams’ book. make offers to Dave Magadan, Craig Shipley T h e Science of Hitting." He still consults the and Milt Thompson, they are looking for a vet­ —TBET BOTT book frequently.

—TRACT RkQUBT eran who can pinch-hit.

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The Sporting News

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS

NEW YORK .METS

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For s ta rts* : T h e team Ryan's hope: With Lance will return the same five Johnson and Rico starters who began the Brogna as lefthanded I,- 1995 season — Ramon hitters and switch-hitMartinez. Tom Candiotters Todd Hundley and ti. Hideo Nomo. Ismael Carl Everett m ore pro­ Valdes and Pedro Astaductive batting lefthand­ cio — but not the same ed. the club is likely to see more lefthanded pitching than it saw last five who ended it. Astacio lost his starting job in mid-June and made his final 37 appear­ season, and that could help Ryan Thom pson ances out of the bullpen. As it developed. become the regular left fielder. Thompson. .Astacio pitched much better in relief than as Butch Huskey and Chris Jones are the lead­ a starter 6-2. 3.37 ERA as a reliever. 1-6, 4.82 ing candidates. Each bats righthanded and is ERA in his l l starts. Astacio will get first more effective against lefthanded pitching.

But neither Huskey nor Jones has Thom p­ crack at winning back his starting job. with son's all-around potential or power. But Chan Ho Park also a solid candidate. Park Thompson — at 28. two years younger than pitched well in the .Arizona Fall League (3-1.

2.74 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 42: i innings) after Jones and four years older than Huskey — is a so-so 1995 season at T rip le d Albuquerque running out of opportunities. Last season was (6-7,4.91 ERA. 101 strikeouts in HO innings). to have been his make-or-break test, but in­ ... Darren Dreifort might also be considered juries limited him to 75 gam es while Everett a candidate. Dreifort didn't pitch last season and Jones m ade positive Im pressions. after undergoing reconstructive elbow j Thompson, banned from winter league play surgery. "He's coming along fine: all the rebecause he left his team last year, declined tq ports are good so far." Executive Vice Presi­ participate in the instructional league this off­ dent Fred Claire says. Dreifort appeared in 27 season. saying instead he would heed the ad­ vice of M anager Dallas Green aird work with gam es in 1994, all in relief. He finished the season in the minors as a starter, first at San a private trainer. .Antonio (Texas), then .Albuquerque (Pacific Center filled: lf Johnson is the center fielder Coast). to start next season — and th e re s no reason Goreckl set back: Promising righthander to think otherwise — he will be the ninth Rick Gorecki has been further set back be­ Opening Day center fielder in nine seasons. cause of arm surgery. He appeared ready to ... The club signed lefthanded pitcher Bob compete for a major league job last spring, M acDonald and veteran outfielder Gary but a groin pull sustained over the winter Thurm an as six-year m inor .league free turned out to be a complicated hernia He got agents, increasing to four the lefthanded into six gam es at Vero Beach (Florida State) pitchers they have added sirtcetthe end of the late in the season, then th /a r m problem de­ season and to eight the six-year minor league veloped. . —fioRDti V a s a l free agents they have signed. — MABTT ROBIE

MONTREAL EXPOS

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Bye-bye, B enj: Third

Pitchers wanted: Having

basem an Sean Berrvrn leaves the team for Houston with no re­ grets or criticisms, de­ spite the fact that he never enjoyed the full confidence of Manager Felipe AJou during his stay. “I didn't know what was happening sometimes," says Berry, who had 14 homers. 55 RBis and a .318 bat­ ting average in 314 at-bats last season. “I def­ initely fell like I could play even' day."

Berry's defensive deficiencies used to bother the Expos coaching staff. "But I guess I ve es­ tablished myself, because I’m going to a team that says it wants me to be its everyday third baseman." Bern- says.

Ray of bops: Ray McDavid. once a top prospect in the Padres' minor league system. was picked up on waivers. McDavid. who is 24. hit .176 in l l majorJeague gam es last sea­ son after undergoing thum b surgery. ...

Trade rumors heated up before Christmas linking the Cubs and infielder-outfielder WTI Cordero. Cubs pitcher Jim Bullinger would be the key acquisition for the Expos. Cordero has been bothered bv a sore shoulder in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The Cubs know . perhaps better than any team what his status is since their director of player development.

Tom Gamboa, m anages the club. “WTI doesn't have a pristine shoulder, but that's quite common am ong major league players."

Expos G.M. Jim Beattie says. “But after MR1 exam s. w*e have been told th e re s nothing wrong with the shoulder that needs immedi­ ate surger)'.’

—JffT B un

signed Todd Zeile, 30, to fill a large hole at third base, G.M. Lee Thom as has turned his attention to improving a pitching staff with as many questions as arm s because o f pitchers coming off surgeries, bad years and inexperience. Considering the club's lack of depth and not wanting to trade its best prospects. Thom as doesn't have much to deal with. Add in the fact that the club isn’t in a position to take on a megasalary or sign a free agent, and Thom as will be hard-pressed to find a quality starter with what he has to offer. Reliever Heathcliff Slocumb and catcher Lenny W ebster Cif Dar­ ren D a lto n is healthy) could be trade bait Zelle's deal: Thom as and Zeile’s representa­ tive. Seth Levinson, agreed that any deal struck wouldn’t involve a prolonged negotia­ tion. So', less than 48 hours after the Cubs didn’t tender Zeile a contract Thom as got Zeile’s name on a o n ey ear deal worth $2.5 million. .And despite this being Zeile’s freeagent year. he is open to discussions about signing a iong-term deaL “T here was some discussion about th a t" Zeile says. “But com­ ing off the (thumb) injury I had and the way I finished the season not playing a lo t some people are hesitant I expressed to him that I have interest in playing there." According to M anager Jim Fregosi. Zeile will be part of a two-headed cleanup hitter, sharing the job with the lefthanded-hitting Daulton. Mark Whiten, who hit fourth Jpst year, will move to sixth.

—Go r s A. Kk 111

♦

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Hew lite: Bill Dewitt Jr. would not only bring a background in baseball to the Cardinals but also a love for the game dial has been lacking in the club's ownership since Gussie Busch died.

PITTSBURGH PIR.ATES Filling tte tote: Charlie Hayes passed the team ’s physical and was signed for one year to plug the team ’s hole at third base. T he addition of H ayes m eans the team won’t have to resort to a Kevin Y’oung-John W ehner combo at third and allows Jeff King to play regularly at first, which he prefers. It also liberates Man­ ager Tim Leyland from last year’s Rich AudeMark Johnson platoon, which was not big league caliber. Aude or Johnson might have a chance to stick as a backup, but the club won’t make the mistake of relying on them again. ... The team learned its lesson from the Alejandro Pena disaster, which is why its doctors thoroughly checked out Hayes. The Pirates signed Pena as a free agent a few years ago but were em barrassed when he ‘ missed an entire season after arm surgery.

Wafting game: Kevin McClatchy met his last requirem ent to buy the franchise and aw-aits official approval from the owners. T he im­ pact of new ow nership will be felt more on the business side. G.M. Cam Bonifay and Leyland signed long-term extensions, and it appears McClatchy will let them guide the team while he concentrates m ore on finan­ cial m atters. His priorities include getting to work on a baseball-only stadium that he hopes will be in place by the end of the decade. ... Outfielder M idre Cum m ings has gone from hot prospect to nonentity in al­ most record time. T he way the roster shapes up now. Cum m ings probably doesn’t even have a spot.

—J OHI HBIO

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS Big spenders: The chib struck a double coup when it signed, on the sam e day. outfielder Ron Gant for $25 million for five years and pitch­ er Andy Benes for $8.1 million for two years with a $3.4-mQIion option. This announce­ ment came 24 hours after the announcem ent that Anheuser-Busch had reached an agree­ ment to sell the team to a group headed by Bill D ew itt Jr.. son of the former Sc Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds owner. .Andrew Baur. chairman of a bank; and attorney Fred Hauser. Even before the sale was made pub­ lic. G.M. Walt Jocketty says the group was told what moves were in progress. *[We thought it wouldn't be fair to them to spend that amount of money without their knowl­ edge." Jocketty says.

Big expectations: G an t who hit 29 hom ers and drove in 88 runs for the Reds last season, says. “I think the S t Louis fans should be ex­ cited about the type of team we’re going to put out there. I think we’ve got just as good a chance to win as any team Eve ever played for." Gant, 30. likely will play left field, which suggests that Bernard GQkey will be traded.

The Cardinals could have Ray Lankford.

G an t Brian Jordan and Gary Gaetti hitting in the 34-5-6 positions, with John Mabry mov­ ing to the second sp o t ... Benes, 28, will be playing with his younger brother. Alan, also a pitcher. ‘I grew up watching the Cardinals play and having my brother there m akes it re­ ally special." Benes say s. I couldn’t "be more happy."

—R n K o n a

N I V A ! • 43

January 8,1996

SAN DIEGO PADRES One-fear

CALIFORNIA ANGELS Brown oat? C u b Presi­

difference:

Disappointed over their failure to sign pricey Ron Gant despite break­ ing club policy to muster a huge offer, the team is looking to trade for a righthanded slug­ ger and sign or trade for a pitcher. T h e tough thing is, Gant really was the last mar­ quee. power-type hitter out there," G.M. Kevin Towers says. “So now, it’s piecework."

Towers acknowledges the team sorely lacks righthanded sock. The team offered Gant $20 million in a four-year package, which is one more year than chib policy specified by CEO Larry' Lucchino. But S t Louis trumped the team by giving Gam $25 million for five years. “Holy cow," Towers says. “T h ere was no way we were going to five y ears.".

Left-field platoon: The team still has some in­ terest in free-agent slugger Kevin Mitchell but it appears unlikely it will sign him. For now. youngsters Marc Newfield and Melvin Nieves are projected in left fie ld .... The team was planning to exercise the 1998 option in Tony Gwynn s contract Gwynn, who will turn 38 that year, will get $4 million in salary for that season and an extra $500,000 if he has 500 plate appearances in 1997. Team offi­ cials are also discussing Gwynn s plans after his playing days end — some would like to re­ tain the lifetime Padre. ... Why the team needs righthanded power No Padre has hit more than l l homers from the right side, and new first baseman Wally Joyner, a lefty', had no triples or homers against lefties last sea­ son.

—Tom Krasoyic

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Reid of dreams: The Gi­ ants are trying once again to get a new ball­ park, and this time there is reason t o 'be­ lieve they will succeed.

The key to the latest proposal, which will go on the ballot March 26. is that the planned $255-mi!Iion downtown waterfront ballpark will be privately financed. The proposal must go to voters because it requires changes in waterfront building rules. Four previous b al lot m easures have been voted down, but all called for some form of public-financing. The new park, slated to open in 2000, would be designed by HOK Sports, which also de­ signed Camden Yards, Jaco b s Field and Coors Field. It would seat 42,000 and have the smallest foul territory in baseball. Home runs to right field would land in the Bay. Money for the stadium will be raised through the sale of personal seat licenses and luxury' boxes, along with the stadium name, advertising and beverage “pour rights."

J Cabaa talers: Th£ team is eyeing a pair of Cuban pitchers to help itsT>itching problems.

Righthanders Osvaldo Fernandez, 28. and I> van Hernandez, 20, both of whom defected to the Dominican Republic, were scouted by as­ sistant general manager Brian Sa bean. He hopes to bring both players to San Francisco for a visit in early January and believes Fer­ nandez, in particular, could offer immediate help to the rotation. Both players are free agents. “He can have an impact in the major leagues this season," Sabean says of Fernan­ dez.

—U BT STM

A

Tony awaft At 35, Gwynn won his sixth batting title. Last season s performance was enough to

convince the Padres hell be just as good at 38. Look for them to pick up his "98 option.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Still spending: The fun hasn’t stopped since Pat Gillick becam e G.M. Last week, he pulled off another major pitching trade, acquiring left­ hander David Wells from the Reds for top outfield prospect Curtis Goodwin and minor league outfielder Trovin Valdez. Wells bal­ ances the rotation and adds to a massive ros­ ter overhaul that has turned the Orioles into a favorite to win the A .L East. ... The acqui­ sition of W'ells w-as less expensive than sign­ ing free agent Kenny Rogers, who wanted a four-year contract. But it leaves the Orioles with two starters (Wells and Scott Erickson) who are locked up only through ’96.

End of tbs Hoe: The trade brought an end to negotiations with Ben McDonald, who had been left untendered by the club. McDonald won three gam es in '95 but was reluctant to accept a drastic pay cu t The team would have had to tender him a salary of at least $3.6 mil­ lion (80 percent of his $4.5 million 1995 salary). They got Wells — a 16-game winner — for $3 million. ... The club has brought back infielder Bill Ripken by signing him to a minor league contract Also signed to minor

Cost effective: Baltimore chose -Weds over

Rogers because ofprice and playoffexperience.

league contracts: journeyman pitcher Keith Shepherd and Clay Bellinger, a utility' infield­ er who spent the last three seasons with the Giants’ Triple-A team in Phoenix. ... Gillick continues to pursue a reserve catcher and a utility outfielder. Don’tY e surprised if a for-, mer Blue Jays catcher^— Pat Borders or Randy Knqrr — is signed.

—PETS SCHKJC*

BOSTON RED SOX Mora signings: G M. Dan Duquette contin­ ued his stockpiling of so-so players by sign­ ing free-agent pitchers Jam ie M ayer and Chuck R ica. In addi­ tion. Duquejtte raised eyebrows by giving Dwayne Hokey. a 28year-old who didn’t make rt to the majors an­ ni last September, a two year. $600,000 con­ tract. He hit .338 in 24 gam es last season and was 6 for 6 in stolen-base attempts.

Moyer. 8-6 with a 5.21 ERA last season with the Orioles, will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation behind Roger Clemens. .Aaron Sele. Tim Wakefield and Tom Gordon. Ric­ ci. who was signed to a Triple-A contract, made his major league debut last season with the Phillies and was 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA ifi IO appearances.

No closer la sight Rather than go put and trade for a closer to replace Ric^ .Aguilera.

Duquette says the team will siart spring training with a committee of closers that will include lefthander Mike Stanton and righthander Stan Belinda. ... Duquette says righthander Mike Maddux will be an impor­ tant key to the pitching staff. “He can start. be a long man and even close." Duquette says. “I feel he’s the glue that holds the staff together." ... Reportedly, negotiations with representatives of MAT Mo Vaughn on a multiyear contract will be reopened this week. The sides, while agreeing on a five^ or six-year deal, are far apart on money.

Vaughn is looking in the vicinity of $6 mil­ lion-plus per year and the team is offering $5 million.

— JOE GfflUOTTl s.

dent Richard Brown ex­ pects to be fired when the Walt Disney Co. as­ sum es ownership from Gene and Jackie Autry. ^ a move that probably will occur within the next two weeks. Brown has been with the franchise for 14 years, beginning as its legal counsel, and was appointed CEO in 1990. ...

Other sweeping changes are planned in the front office, but most involve marketing and public relations. Those in baseball opera­ tions. like General Manager Bill Bavasi. still are operating under the assumption they will be retained. ... Righthander Bryan Harvey, coming off full reconstructive elbow surgery, enters the season as the third choice in save situations. Bavasi says veteran Lee Smith will remain the closer, and “if anything happens to Lee. then Troy Percival is the doser." Har­ vey’ still owns the club single-season save record of 46, set in 1991.

First sot last He left with a trace of bitterness after being traded to the Yankees in the midst of contract battles after the 1992 season, but lefthander Jim .Abbott now says he’d like to fin­ ish his career in California, the club he broke in with during the 1989 campaign. T h at is my preference and my family's preference.” says Abbott who began last season pitching for the White Sox. T h e .Angels have been good to me. and the fans have been great to me here.

I do feel a loyalty to this organization and Mar­ cel Lachemann. and as long as they' want me.

I want to be here. Without ruling anything out my priority is to be here." — Dave CUMKHAJI

CHICAGO WHITE SOX New look: Now that Tim Raines and his $3-million-pius contract are gone, the team has chopped more than $8 million from iast sea­ son's payYoll. although $3 million already has been used for other players. That could leave as much as $x5 million for two new outfield­ ers, G.M. Ron Schueler says he expects to have an entirely new outfield next 'Reason and already has signed center fielder Darren Lewis. Schueler had wanted Ron C an t but w'as unwilling to give five years as the Cardi­ nals did. ... Raines savs the team started changing with the departures of Jack Mc­ Dowell and Julio Franco after the 1994 sea­ son. T h a t changed the whole outlook of the team." he says. “We didn’t get any better and Cleveland did.”

Spring thoughts: During last spring's short­ ened season. Schueler felt his pitchers were not worked into shape. He has been taking measures lo correct that in the offseason bv watching their innings in winter ball and monitoring their physical workout progress.

Starters Alex Fernandez. Wilson .Alvarez and Jason Bere were a combined 10-18 and ail had ER*As over 5.00 during the first half of the season/' Managed Terry Bevington has promised to put them through longer and harder workouts this spring, something Schueler heartily endorses. “I take a lot of blame because we didn’t push them to get in shape." Schueler says. ‘ I think that by the time we get through this spring and get our proper innings, we're going to have a good pitching staff.”

—SAVE VAI uTd

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on March 30 at Jacobs Fidd and the Reds on March 31 in Columbus. 0 .. in the annual Ohio Cup g a m e .... How b ad^ did Jack Mc­ Dowell want to play for the Indians? Two years ago, before the labor disunite cost him his-chance to be a free agent, i e ex-Yankee and his wife cruised the streets of Cleveland suburbs scouting out houses. '‘(General Man­ ager^ John Hart called a while ago. and we were really pleased that he did," says Jim Mc­ Dowell jack's brother and agent T h e re was a sense of urgency on our p a rt We knew there was only one slot left to fill here. Jack was Qeveland’s first choice, but they weren’t going to get shut o u t And we were not going to miss this opportunity.’

H n r BOfK The new skipper for the Double-A (^antoo-Akroo Indians (Eastern) win be Jeff Data, who will b ^ his third season of manag­ ing m the organizatioa Last season, Datz, ^ ted Qas&A Gfohimbus to im 80fi2 record and a playoff b o lh in the South Aliantk: League lo 19W. Datz managed Watertown to a 48-26 record, the best in the short-seasoo (Hass A New York-Penn League —S B * Ooca

I M c M b t Boone Hites to m ix up hts lineups, and he should have plenty fun ^ spring

C L K V H L A N I) IN D IA N S IM E tt t a r t ; The club is slated to play two exhibhioQ games against the Braves, the fraod iise’s conqueror in the Worid S e r i^ The first game is scheduled for M a rti 24 at West Palm Beach. Fla. The second wiD be March 29 at Atlanta. After a nonnal Florida spring-train­ ing schedule, the d u b win play the Cardinals on March 28 in NashviDe, Tfenn., the C rates

possible breakthroughs in spring training.

More optlOBs: The dub is getting insurance in the event that Tony CHark isn’t ready to play first base every day. Tim Hires — traded by San Diego in November, the first acquisition by new G.M. ^ d y Smith — is a fine defen­ sive playa* who wiD see a lot of action this spring. He hit .290 with one homer in 82 games at Triple-A Las Vegas (Pacific Coast) last season. Alan TrammeQ also might play some first base, at least in the spring. And the d u b always can fafl back on longtime first baseman Cedi Fieldo*. though ifs trying to ease him into a designaled-hitter role. Clark hit 238 with three homers and 11 RBb after a Septem b^ callup last season, and was C m gi shaky defensively.

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r rog-agoat fm sis; The dub’s failure to sign bigname free agents the past few offoc^Q S was e a ^ attributed to a lack of money. This winter, with the payroll expeaed to increase by nearly 30 percent money isn’t the problem. “We'fe losing guys for reasons we can’t control" says ( j e n ^ Manager Sal Bando, who has beCT unsuccessful despite offering more money than som e free agents have settled for TVhafs knocking us out of the chute are per­ sonal quirks that people have. Ifs frustrating."

In recent weeks, the dub has bid on but missed si^?ung Paul Molitor. B J. Surhofl Tom Gordon and Bobby W i|t With the pool of prospective free agents shrinking, the d u b is t^ ’geting righthander Kevin Tapani and sev­ eral middle-oRhe-road refievers. Bando is also considering the posabfiity of making trades.

Badrgp tacfcitDp: The d u b signed veteran catcher Matt Nokes to a ooe-year minor league contract with a base salary of $300,000 and'several incentive bonuses. Nokes, 32. had an unspectacular season with Baltimore and G)Iorado last year. but the Brewers like that he bats lefthanded and has power. He wifi likely make the team and spell starter Mike M kheny against tough righthandq^i pitchers. ... R i^th and er Bob Scan Ian, who began last season in the starting rotation but was plagued by injury problems and incon­ sistency. was released. "For the dollars he was al ($800,000 in 35). he didn't fit in." Ban­ do says.

--ABI Qua

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boot: In his 'fir^ season as manager. Bob Boone had a lot d fun with. his fineups. using 127 in 144 games. This spring he should have a good time trying to fig­ D i:rK ()iT T i{ ;i:R s ure out who will h a t lim With OO where. The trade of Wally Joyner, the maimproven perform ers in bent No. 3 batter, to the Padres leaves just the rotatioo and a team about every spot open. Previously lefthanded ERA of 5.49 last season, heavy, the lineup now features switcb-hitters the club’s pitching jobs Bip R oberts and Jose Offerman and are open when spring ri^ th an d ed slugger Macfariane. John­ training opens next ny Damon may lead off, but his REI potential month at Lakeland. Fla. may make him a natural for Joyner's vacated Fans should familiarize them selves with third sp o t Tom CJoodwin has tremendous a c o u p l e of lower-profile p r o s p e c t s : speed, but Boone prefers him in the second r^ th a n d e rs Brian M oehler and Cam Smith, slo t w h o e Offerman batted for the Dodgers. either of whom win bring some sorely need­ A logkal 4-5-6 would be Macforiane., Bob ed arm speed to the rotatioo at some point in Hamelin and Joe Vttiello. but that could dog the future. Former general manager Joe the bases. Here’s one lineup with a left-right Klein said the two hit the mid-90s on the variation Boone Ukes: (joodwin (L). Offer­ radar gun; now it’s a matter of experience and man (S), Damon (L). Macfariane (R), command of other pitches before they excel Hamelin (L). Roberts (S). VitieDo (R), consstentiy. The duo joins Icelander Justin Michael Tucker (L). Joe Randa (R) or Keith Thompson and r ig h t^ d e r s Cade Caspar Lockhart CL). The possibiUties are endless, and Mike Drumright — the latter three for­ but finding some stability would be a big plus. mer Tigers No. I draft picks — among the ta the M rttil for t e c Headed by Mike Levy.

HELP WANTED I s \ S(H»rls

successfiil inhyping a greyhound track near Houston for [our years, the team will market heavily. There wfl] be. for the first time. a m ascot T hafs a radical departure from the approach of late owner Ewing Kaufftnan, «dio depended on fielding a good team to draw fans. But Levy's aim is lo enhance the games with added en tertain m ^t and infor­ mation.

—O d KjJSa

or

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48 • A.L.

The Sporting News V.

•

TEXAS RAM

11NM :SOTA 1AMNS Left-side pow er Dave

Bogan ort: W hen Ken­

Hollins joins first baseman Paul M olitor, pitcher Rick Aguilera and catcher Greg My­ ers as the fourth free agent bagged by the club during a 2'/?-week span. Hollins and M yers give the Twins hope for some production by their lefthand­ ed hitters, who left them power-starved in •1995. The team 's lefthanders hit only 15 hom ers combined for the entire season.

‘T h e addition of Hollins gives us a switchhitting third basem an with power, and h e ’s a good fielder with a strong arm." General M anager T e rn 1 Ryan says. “Unfortunately, he has hacLsome injury problem s during the past two seasons, but we hope that’s behind him." Hollins. 29. was an All-Star as recently as 1993 but has played in only 114 gajnes during the past two seasons because oj an assortm ent of injuries. He has spent time on the disabled list in 1994 and ’95 with broken bones in his left hand (twice), complications due to diabetes and a broken right w rist Largely because of th a t he has not been able to get untracked since batting .273 with 18 hom ers and 93 RBIs for the Phillies in 1993 — and hitting .261 against Toronto in that year’s World Series.

Comings and goings; The club dropped pitch­ er Mike Misuraca from its 40-man roster and signed six-year minor league fire agent Mike M ilchin. who pitched for the D odgers’ Triple-A team in .Albuquerque last s e a s o n ....

‘The club is pleased with the progress infield­ er Scott Stahoviak is making after elbow surgery, — SCOTT M ila

ny Rogers turned down a four-year. $ 17.5-mil­ lion offer, the club filled its staff by signing Ken Hill for two years plus an option for a third and reliever M ike Henneman for one year plus an option. Bobby Witt, who lives in the area, then turned down larg­ e r offers from the Giants and Blue Jays to re­ main in Texas. Rogers says he thought seri­ ous negotiations with the club had just be­ gun. but General M anager Doug Melvin was adamant that the four-year proposal he sub­ mitted was his final offer. The rotation is Hill.

W itt Kevin Gross and Roger Pavlik plus a fifth starter to be determ ined. Melvin didn’t rule out another free-agent signing if the mar­ ket drops, but m ost likely the No. 5 would com e from within. Lefthander D arren Oliver is the leading candidate. He was 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA in seven starts last season until he injured his rotator cuff.

Utility bill: T he d u b ’s attention has turned to­ ward finding a utility infielder, and A’s free agent Mike Gallego. 35, is am ong those be­ ing considered. Gallego hit 233 in 120 at-bats for Oakland last season. He missed three m onths with a torn muscle in his left arch.

The Rangers need an infielder who can play second, third and shortstop. They did not ten­ der contracts to second baseman Jeff Frye and reserve shortstop Esteban Bekre and have only Kurt StiHwefl, who hasn't played in the majors since 1993. The team also has in­ field injury concerns in Dean Palmer (torn bi­ ceps tendon) and second baseman Mark McLemore (shoulder).

— LR. SOUVA!

NEW VORK YANKEES

CP VCV

w

--

Duck waft? Scottie w ant to sign Griffey, who has one year left on his contract, before the season begins to avoid a fameduck'situation. But Griffey is concerned about the team’s offseason moves.

OAKLAND A’S

Point, counterpoint The

Rarin* to go: P itcher

gam e of high-stakes hopscotch continues in the A.L E ast Four days after the Orioles traded for lefthander David W ells. G eorge Steinbrenner countered by signing lefthanded free agent Kenny Rogers.

The Orioles went for Wells after losing a bid­ ding war for David Cone. .After All-Star sec­ ond baseman Roberto .Alomar signed with the Orioles, the Yankees traded for left field­ er Tim Raines. Rogers, w ho’ll be the No. 2 sjarter behind Cone, agreed to a $ 19.95-mil­ lion. four-year contract. The club has an op­ tion for 2000 th a t if exercised, would make the deal worth about $25 .million for five years. Rogers. 17-7 last season, was 70-51 in seven seasons with the Rangers.

Raines thrilled: Raines says being with the Yankees will revitalize his running game. He says part of the reason he stole just 13 bases in 15 attempts last season was that the White Sox. particularly cleanup hitter Frank Thomas, didn’t want him running. “I don't feel like I've slowed. I feel like I was slowed down by them not wanting me to.ran." Raines say's.

“I lost a lot of confidence by not being able to go when I wanted to go."... General Manager Bob Watson continues to look Jor lefthanded relief help. Paul Gibson. 0-4 in the minors in *95. is the team s only lefthanded reliever. ...

The team remains in the running to sign Cuban pitchers Livan Hernandez and Osvaldo Fernandez. Yankees officials met with the two in Tampa and New York. Hernandez, 20. is considered the prize.

—it* RETHA!

Todd Stottlerayre was nearly traded to the Car­ dinals, a deal that ap­ pears to have fallen a p a rt Because of the A’s apparent youth m ovem ent Stottlemyre would still like to be traded. He recently’ talked with General M anager Sandy Alder­ son and expressed an 'interest in pitching for the Yankees, w’here his father. Mel. won 164 gam es from 19B4 to 74. Stottlemyre, who was 14-7 with a 4.55 ERA last season and was sec­ ond in the American League with' 205 strike­ outs. clearly wants no part of the A’s rebuild­ ing process. Alderson is trying to accommo­ date Stottlemyre with a trade but will not give him away. One m ore reason for the A’s to trade Stottlemyre: He is eligible for arbitra­ tion and will probably double his $1.8-million salary from a year ago. • Texas bound? Departed free agent Mike Gallego. a solid utility player who can play sec­ ond. third and shortstop, may be headed to the Rangers. Gallego, who made $300,000 last season, would fit nicely into the Rangers’ salary structure. ... Form er major league pitcher Jim Colbom has been promoted and will manage Class-A M odesto of the Califor­ nia League. Colbom managed Class-A West Michigan of the Midwest League in *95, lead­ ing the team to a second-place finish in the first half of the season. Also, Gil Patterson has been named the franchise’s roving minor league pitching instructor, replacing Bob Cluck, who had been- named the big league pitching coach.

— PHK) 6CREZ

SEATTLE .MARINERS Talks ob bold: Contract negotiations betw een the team and star cen­ te r fielder Ken Griffey’ Jr., who has one year rem aining on a fouryear. $24-million con­ tract, probably w on’t heat up until spring training. Before commit­ ting to another multiyear deal, Griffey wants to make sure the team rem ains competitive, and the offseason trades that have removed third basem an Mike Blowers, first basem an Trno M artinez and solid relievers Jeff Nelson— and Bill Risley from the roster have him con-' cerned. The M ariners want the Griffey situa­ tion settled before the regular season begins M arch 31. when Seattle opens against the W hite Sox. “We don't want this to be a lameduck season." club President .Chuck Arm­ strong says of Griffey. ... Although Griffey and som e of his team m ates have volun­ teered in the past to restructure their con­ tracts to help keep the team ’s nucleus to­ gether. a club official says that idea has been blocked by the major league players’ associ­ ation.

Hot seat G.M. Woody Woodward has been taking considerable heat from disgruntled' fans in the wake of his offseason deals. Many are unhappy about the loss of Nelson, who becam e a victim in the team ’s efforts to bol­ ster the starting rotation. “I hear what they say about a strong bullpen being less impor­ tant when you have strong starters, but Oley should rem em ber the Yankees last year."

Woodward says. “They had good starters. and we beat their buDpen."

—J ® STB5T

TORONTO BLEE JAYS Rotation solidified: The te a m s starting rotation, in disarray as recently as two weeks ago, has taken som e shape, with only the No. 5 starter to be determ ined. The signing of 30-year-old righthander Erik Hanson to a three-year. $9.4-miIlion deal just before Christm as gives the Blue Jays the No. 2 starter they were looking for behind holdover No. I Pat Hentgen. Juan Guzman, whose contract surprisingly was renewed, and Paul Qu an trill obtamed in a trade with the Phillies, will be the Nos. 3 and 4 starters. The club will look to one of its young prospects, Jeff W are or Mar­ ty Janzen, or holdover Woody Williams to fill the No. 5 sp o t ... “A lot of team s were com­ parable with the money, but they wanted to keep the third year as air option." Hanson says of why he chose Toronto over other of­ fers. “It’s important to me to take the bail every fifth day and get in more than 200 in­ nings during the season. Tm just coming into my prime the next few years." Hanson, a free agent, was 15-5 with a 4 2 5 ERA with the Red Sox last season.

Still looking: General M anager Gord Ash still is see Iring a lefthanded reliever, a fifth outfielder and a veteran backup in field er....

Ash says that 1993 batting cham p John Olerud, who had a terrible first half before rebounding in the second half of last season, didn't take extra batting practice as often as Ash had hoped he would. T hose sessions m ight not be optional for him in 1996, Ash says.

—Steve M u m

January 8,1996 THE

THE CLOSER S C OR E AND MORE

white and blue beauty Erving, wiA his back to A e bas­ k e t slammed home two balls in one sequence, sped A ree-quarters of A e floor to jam anoA er and went on to beat Thompson, Ger­ vi n, G i l mo r e and Larry Kenon. Thomp­ son, a rookie Bt JOE KOPPS sensation two years removed hey laughed at the multicolored basketball. Poked fun at the from an NCAA 3-point field goal, which they considered pure gimmickry. And title at NorA guffawed over a talent base perceived as grossly inferior to Carolina State, their own. also was a slamNo doubt about it, the NBA powers that be and the established league's d u n k d a z z le r. legion of fans took special delight in casting aspersions upon the upstart Plus, he wound up American Basketball Association. After a l anything's fair in love and war. wiA 29 points in Ae Particularly a signing war, one in which the NBA and ABA did some serious All-Star Game, a con­ jousting for nearly,a decade. test in which 14 players The laughter and disparaging remarks lasted from October 1967, when the scored in double figures.

ABA first took its red, white and blue beauty out of the ball rack, to a January “T o n ig h t rem inded me night in 1976 when pro basketball's version of the of A e NCAA championship ... A e ex­ junior circuit staged the rarest of ballyhooed citement and A e atm osphere,” Thompson said. sports events: an All-Star Game that truly was “I wouldn’t trade A is for anything." spectacular.

Alas, Thompson had to — and so did every Sure, the financially strapped ABA had gained standout on A e floor Aat night. The 76 All-Star varying degrees of — here it comes, folks — re­ Game was A e ABA’s fast, A e 1975-76 season the spect in the 1970s, winning a major signing battle league’s final go-round. By October 1976, the here and there and getting some NBA notables ; .ABA’s Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio to defect to the new league. But it wasn’t until Jan­ Spurs and New York Nets had been absorbed by uary 27, 1976, at Denver’s almost-spanking-new 10:, 0 7 A e NBA and A e best players from the league’s McNichols Sports Arena, that the league was re­ -3 I 5 oA er teams dispersed to NBA clubs. ally able to strut its stuff. And its stuff shots. v W :<M> : 14 TOY'I 3 7 :K §oo*$anJ& TT^ 6 2 .5 10 True, the ABA failed to live on — but its lega­ The ABA All-Star Game 20 years ago matched cy did. in the success of its players. Lucas was Coach Larry Brown’s league-leading Denver , V; ' .

SM ' + 51 34 34138 yr the leading scorer for the Portland Trail Blazers Nuggets against A e best of A e rest — and while in A eir championship season of 1976-77. Two A e best was mighty, mighty good, A e Nuggets WD ---'F6*ATFQ«A FEARER A PF TP JftS L years after the 76 ABA All-Star Game, three for­ were even better A at night. No matter. The out­ .28 r'-5-12TT O O 8-tli. -.KT a 2 24 vw . _ 34 IM S " * 2 4 29 mer ABA standouts — Erving, Thompson and come wasn’t A e thing; A e show was.

31v V f c l 7-9 9 S ' 3 1 9 Gervin — won berA s on A e All-NBA first team.

What it was was entertainm ent tonight — an 4 2 7 37m a 3-3 J 5. .9 19 In A eir first two seasons in A e NBA, A e exquisitely played, 282-point game involving .2.0 2 Nuggets won Midwest Division championships. many of baskeAafl’s top players (NBA people ; -3. . Tl ' -4.

In Aeir second and third years in A e NBA the conceded that A e ABA was now getting its share -3--21B * Spurs captured Central Division crowns. Gervin of A e top college talent) and an accompanying V t:7 5 ; 1 2 • * 03:3 }H . won four NBA scoring titles. Moses Malone, an slam-dunk contest, a novelty at A e time but one emerging ABA player in A e leagues fast two sea­ A at had A e throng of 17,798 howling. Shoot, sons, became a three-time MVP in the NBA And A ere also was a concert featuring Glen CampbeD Malone, Erving and Jones helped power the and Charlie Rich.

Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title in 1982-83.

OiMt OR1CUU&Mont Dructa; Some NBA executives, after checking A e ros­ ^nrumrri ivwn Heck, the NBA even adopted A e 3-point shot ters and A e evening’s agenda, acknowledged within three years of the ABA’s demise. No, the A at something remarkable was going on in Den­ ver that n ig h t “Basketball is my business,” said Phoenix Suns General Man­ of beach ball didn’t make it, but A at’s all right. Nearly 20 years after the ager Jerry Colangelo, who was at courtside, “and this is where if s at tonight league's fast game, it has a special place in A e ABA memory bank. . Just like A e 1976 All-Star Game. ♦ so I thought I should be here. A lot of oA er NBA people should be here, too.” „ Colangelo also uttered words that gave comfort to A e enemy and discomfort Joe Hoppd^a senior editorfor T h e S p o r t in g N e w s , was a Denver resident through­ to A e NBA establishm ent “There’s a lot of talent on this floor,” he said. Colan­ out the nine-season existence of the ABA He was in the stands at the old Auditorium gelo had A at rig h t David Thompson, Dan Issei and Bobby Jones, among oA- Arena for Denver's ABA debut on October 15, 1967, when the then-Rockets defeated ers, for A e Nuggets. And Julius Erving, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, James the Anaheim Amigos, and he was camped in front of his TV set on May 13, 1976, Silas and Maurice Lucas, among oA ers, for A e glittering array of stars. when the Nuggets and the Nets played the final ABA game, Game 6 of the league ti­ Though A e game was played at breakneck speed and featured one stunning n e series, in New York. The Nets won. play after anoAer, A e slam-dunk portion of A e nights activities stole A e show.

The first such competition of its kind on a major scale, A e dunking pyrotech­ nics brought out A e crowd-pleasing best in A e ABA’s pfayers^urned-acrobats.

Mocked for its ‘beach ball’ and 3-point shot, the colorful ABA reached its climax at the ’76 All-Star Game in Denver

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Initiative. T e a m w o r k . D e t e r m i n a t i o n .

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