The sporting news 02 05 1996

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Hic challenge is clear. Hvcrv m em ber ofyour howitzer team must work together to lire %

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,i d o pound shell nine m ile s through the air. and b e right o n target, 'lour team h a s trained

You w ork as a team.

You succeed as a team

and developed the right skills just Tor A

this moment.

__________________________________________________________ I Mow to determine direction ansi elevation How to put distractions and pressure aside ansi focus on lite job at hand.

But most o f all. you've mastered wit at teamwork is all about, ’litis is die Army experience and von can't lins! it anywhere else.

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Sec vour A nn e Recruiter. O r call I -8 0 0 -U S A -A R M Y .

ARMY. BE A LLYO U CAN BE

February 5,1996

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VOICES 8

Dave Kindred: The victory is a vindication of the Dallas system — Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are just pieces of that system.

9

RUSS Sough: Student athletes got dissed again at the recent NCAA Convention.

9 Book R eview ^ 10 Letters

FOOTBALL 18 Steel Curtain — Almost Pittsburgh's defense was good enough to win.

19 Roo Javorski: An inside look at the winners.

21 Bob GUmber. Hiring BiD Walsh could be offensive to the 49ers.

22 VFL Rotes 27 Recruiting: Northwestern’s success can lead to recruiting success — plus the nation’s Top 25 recruits.

30 bran Maisel: UCLA’s Jonathan Ogden will take a shot at the Olympic trials before

taming pro.

BASKETBALL 31 Rational Women: T h e re s more than a gold medal at stake for the l l women on the U.S. National team.

34

Mike DeCourcy: Vulgarity and bigotry are nothing to ch eer about.

35 College Insider 37 MIdS83S0n Report Phony NBA officials, watered-down competition overshadowed first-half accomplishments.

40 Shaun Powell: Los Angeles could once again become M agic’s kingdom.

41

RBA Insider

BASEBALL 42 Ben McDonald: He was Baltimore's can’t-miss kid.

Now h e’s taking the money and running to Milwaukee.

44 Bob HigMaogaJe: Youth can serve Atlanta the second time around.

45 Baseball Notes

HOCKEY 50 Larry Wlgge: Short-term, the Leafs win in a three-team trade: long-term, it’s an Islanders victory.

51 IBR. Insider

DEPARTMENTS 6 Openers 52 The Sports Marketplace 54

The C loser: In Super Bowl I, the real battle for points was waged by C B S and NBC.

Cover photo o f Emmitt Smith by Albert Dickson/TSN.

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Women in sports — and sportswriting Ann KHlion has the most infectious laugh of anyone Fve known in the journalism business, and it bursts into the air at the slightest provocation. That should not, however. lull people into a false sense about h e r She is aggressive. smart, determined and continually fighting to overcome a stereotype. In many ways. her journey is much like that of the team she writes about in this week’s issue, the U.S. women's national basketball team (Page 31).

T h e team has captured the imagination of a broad crosssection of fans as it has barnstormed across the country in an experiment that will * dictate our approach to women’s

squarely in h er s ig h ts

“Women do see sports differently' than m en. We

tend to be much more interested in the people behind the performances.

We could recite statistics as well as men. but the human element tends to be a woman’s primary focus."

She believes women writers are more interested in covering women’s sports than men. generally. and was happy to write about the national team for T he S porting N ew v

This is not the last time voull see # Ann’s name in our publication. Over the coming months, you ll see her move from a regional stage to a national one.

T o s u b s c rib e to T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S o r m ake a ch a n g e o f a d d re ss If you are an e x is tin g s u b s c rib e r, se e P a g e 49.

Published by

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FROM THE EDITOR

Olympic basketball for years to come. T h is is exciting for women’s sports. It is kind of a Dream Team but one a normal person can relate to.

There are no multi-milliondollar p a c k a g e s , a n d I d o n ’ t think th ese women will be c o v e r i n g up the l o g o on their uniforms if they do win a medal." KjUion RI*” 011 says. “I enjoyed that part of delving into what the team means."

Killion is a sports columnist at the San Jose Mercury' News. one of the veryfew women to fill the role on a full-time basis. I can speak first-hand about the ambition that drives Ann. because I hired her in San Jose to cover high school sports in 1988. She rose steadily and has covered the full range of sportshigh schools college football and basketball, the Olympics, and finally the 49ers. The column opportunity seemed

T U E SPO R TIN G N EW S (ISSN 0G38-8O5X) February 5.1996. Vol. 220. No. 6. «s published weekfy. except semi-weekty during a week ;n January. March. Apr.!. A u ­ gust and two weeks in September. November and December tor a total of 62 issues per year by TH E SPO R TIN G N EW S PU BLISH IN G C O M PA N Y . 1212 North Lind bergh Blvd.. St. Louts. M O 63132. Second cla ss postage paid at St. Louts. MO and additional mailing offices For subscription service write to THE SPO R TIN G NEW S. P.O Box 10755. Des Moines. LA 50340-0755. Subscription price ts $60.00 for 60 issues Subscnbers in Canada and other countries add $46 80 per 60 is­ sues. Air M ail rates available on request. Anew six weeks for change of address. Postmaster- Send address changes to TH E SPO R TIN G N EW S. P O Box 10755.

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I

J The Sporting New

B » OPByERS

CAUGHT ON THE ELV

Never mind 45 or 23, his new number is 20 mii Ely s patlem: O'Donnell lo BroN^n. (To. Sleelers fans, you can just call it a down and out.)

■ Hey-yo, roll this number off the ol’ lonjjue. $20 mil.

Thai's the educated {mess Fly's heann' for Mike's per annum startin' next season Bulls Ov^ner Jerry RelrtSdorfs had him over the barrel for lo lht*se eiphl years Jordan's minimal wa^*. $3.8 nvilK But before ya bust Fly's chops about overpaid jocks, remember this: NS’hen Reinsdorf bouchi the Bulls in Februar>--(v'8S. midway through Mike's rook s<*ason. he paid $9.2 mil for a franchise valued at l^ tve Now. by Fly's puesstimate tshaddup'l. this here team's worth close lo $200 mil. Now it's time for Jer to . stick em up. baybee. | ■ First fallout from Miami's thret^year stay in the NC.^.^ hip house: The ‘Canes're pla>in’ hardball with Scott Covington, one of only two on the roster He wants lo transfer, but Miami doesn't wanna let anyone launch a lifeboat from this here sinkin' ship (the 'Canes can hand out 13. count 'em. scholarships this year). The cruelest cut of all: Covinfrton says he wants to transfer lo a Pac-IO or Bijj Ten school where thev run a sophisticated passing offense.

■ Fly sees Chris Morris is showin' his true colors, and they're not Jazz>- purple-n-gold bul malingerin’ blue and red of the dragNcls. The Jazz‘re sssteamed al Morris for missin' SIX games btvause of a chest injury that can't be detected in any tests, “We're not mind readers, so you can only go by what a guy tells you." the Mailman tells the Spies-“We don't want guys who don’t really want lo play. You’Ee better off with the guys that, baning something drastic, are going to play." ■ ■ Fly's guessin' Todd Zelle's eyes lit up when the Phiiberts told him they ll consider a long-term deal in july if he’s played well to that point, .\fier all. that’s the full-season equiv­ alent of Zeile’s .M.O., a ninth-inning hitter for a third-inning blow-out.

■ Speaking of the Fhilberts. that *% lineup iwuh Zeile.

Gregg Jefferies and Mark Whiten) looks familiar back in Si. D><>: ihret.* Cards, no hearts.

■ i'o. TCL\ns. Fly gottaloada that los> to ljnus>AiIle (that was knir non-scholarship Cards on hand and five rotation

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■You can't say Jack McDow­ ell and Steve Buechete forgot where ttiey came from. The ma­ jor leaguers donate the money to purchase and Install lights at Stanford’s baseball M d . Sunken Diamond. They'll be on hand when Stanford hosts Its first-ever iight:^{^e Pfiday-vs. Cal State •ultertorbWi low/ffoniy McDowell can light up Jacobs Beld...

■The Cavaliers' Terrell Bran­ Saadoo: His buHding don is building a barber shop, plan is a cut abovt office and retail complex to help revitalize an inner-city area in his hometown of Portland.

Brandon also runs an annual one-day basketball clinic for kids in Oregon — 700 attended last season — and picks up al) the expenses. *7ou hear so much bad about pro athletes, and you don't hear too much positive," Brandon says. This is something I feel good about"

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Call it a stroke of pore genfDS: San Frtin uriters have come up

uhth a job title for the 4 9 m that f i t the Bill.

players missin* if yer scorin' at home) and has two suggestions; I. T ^ e care of the ball: 2. Don't be talkin' back to back. Jack.

■ Here's the kinda fallout ya get in this here league from millionaire coaches coachin’ billionaire players for bajillionaire owners: It’s Jerry Jones who's showin his age this season because of salcap wrangiin'. nine-figure lawsuits and the f*f-f-fear that one or t'other — Barry or Troy — will w-alk this offseason.

■ Speaking of die Champeenship *Bo>-s. FN- won't hold out on the first Fearless Forecast for the *96 N FL season: Mone>' talks, so Emmttt walks come July in Austin.

■ Fly's Top 3 or “Spahn and Bain and Pray for a Minor League Contract With an Invitation to the Big Camp (The Ail-L'nempioyed Staff and Their likely Destinations)'": I. Mike Jackson. A's; 2. Duane Ward. C\ibs\ 3. Jeff Russell.

Rangers On May).

■ Let's see if this accoundng problem adds up: 18 of 20 player reps (the other nine overslept) vote to give the boot to NBA union honcho Simon Gonrdlne'three weeks after the union approved a two-year contract for Crourdine. “It makes us look ridiculous," pn>Ck>urdme rep Steve Kerr tells Fly. who coiildn't've said it better (shaddup!).

■ Fl>'s bertin' on Vegas now that the Spies say M LB teams're gettin* antsy because Tucson’s years behind schedule on training-complex promises made. The Rocks.

Snakes. Pale Hose and Royals’re considerin’ an offer from Vegas, which is pushin’ it's new "Bring the Kiddies Along' image and wants to build a four-team complex ihat'd be a satellite of the Cactus League.

■ The Spies say don’t think Ray Rhodes doesn't wanna make Switzer-land sweat by makin' a run at some of the 'Boys' top free agents.

■ Fly's bargaining-table suggestion to Junior Grfffey: Check out the K in ^ ' deal after t o Great One asked for a 50goal scorer. (L A picks up KbvI h Stevens, who may score 50 ... if he plays IO more years.) The Spies say Junior wants a guarantee he could leave if the M ’s go flat (iettin’ that could be the key to whether he stays or goes. they say.

■ The Spies say if va think the buzz in the Hornets' locker room is bad now over the Kenny Anderson deal, just wait until Moggsy Bogoes is healthy. (And. Coach Bristov. in case yer wonderin’: Not knowin’ about the deal until after it was com­ pleted was nor a votesxronfidence.)

■ FinalK'. Flv's old friends, the San Francisco media mavens, have ireadv uncovered the Niners’ plan for BIR (Wile L ) Walsh's tide: ‘assistant coach in charge of taking credit" outweighs the several bad big-game calls that have b^n made this season.

Ttiat^s state of Confusion In case you missed the “State of...“ address that really mattered last week (or were as confused by it as we were), frequent NFL contributor Bill Plaschke of the L.A Times offers this Berlitz course to understand what Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said and. more important, what he meant in his Tempe. Ariz.. speech last Friday:

On the move of the Cleveland Browns: *TVe n-ani the fans to know that we care, and that we will not abandon them."

Translation: The league is in negotiations with Cleveland to help build a new stadium lo attract another

team. Bul the Cleveland Browns are history, baby.

On the move of other teams: *TVe recognize tradition, we recognize io>'alt>'. to a degree that is unprecedented in sports.

But we have to allow our teams lo move forward in stadiums that keep that tradition in the right way."

Translation: Your team will not leave town as long as your stadium is keeping your owner rich. The league recognizes that the only tradition understood bv owners is greed.

On instant replay: “A majority of teams are in favor of it But we need three-fourths. So I don't see

On the state of the league: Vt

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Say what? What Tagliabue

says and means can be two things. any change," Translation: That great call made by ofiSciaJs on the final play of the AFC championship game

Openers compiled by Tom Dienbart. Bob Mille. Micbael Knisley. Steve Mamntz and Leslie Gibson McCarthy.

"Every decade provides concerns that the sky is falling. Usually, it’s noL" Translation; Gel off my back and let me enjoy Sunday's game, will ya?

On further expansion: "I think we will have expansion ... but I don’t see it in this decade."

Translation: How- 'bout those Los Angeles Seahawks?

Opening summary: "We are at a crossroads in our relationship with ourseNes and our fans."

Translation: We have as much idea about the future of this league as the man in the moon.

OPENERS •7

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Not measuring up » W hen you get down to i t CBA players don't m easure up to their NBA peers. But that should not come as a surprise, considering that the CBA is looked upon as a little league (literally and fig­ uratively) for the Showtime Boys.

The num bers tell us CBA players are almost 3 inches shorter and nearly 11 pounds lighter than their NBA counterparts.

Bolstering the CBA's average height is the league’s tallest player.

7-foo(-3 Constantin Popa of the Florida Beachdogs. Rich King of the Sioux F alls S k y F o rce u p s th e C B A 's a v e ra g e weight

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by tipping the scales at a league-high 265 pounds.

But as expected, the CBA’s biggest boys don't m easure up with the NBA's prime beef. Popa looks up to few people, but 7-7 G heorghe M uresan of the Bullets is one of them.

King’s 265 pounds pale when com pared with the M agic’s Shaquille O'Neal. who is listed at 301 but reportedly weighs 315.

The following CBA averages are based on rosters as of January 4.1996.

The NBA averages are based on rosters as of opening night 1995.

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Off-menuspecials No, a Xavier U. fan didn’t tip off the Cincinnati Post to this, but the newspaper passed it along with no NCAA strings attached: Turns out University of Cincinnati bas­ ketball Coach Bob Huggins nearly committed an NCAA violation when opening his new restaurant. The Muggs Inn. in suburban Cincy.

At a special invitation-only part)’, the m enus included item s named in honor of five players on this season’s Bearcats team. That's a no-

^io according to the NCAA rules m eisters. who say a coach cannot profit from us­ ing his players’ nam es in a commercial venture.

By the day after the party, the m enus were discarded (collectors, start your en­ gines) and replaced by tem­ porary sheets until new m enus could be printed. Be­ cause the restaurant hadn’t officially opened when the problem was discovered.

Huggins and Cincy weren't whistled for a foul.

Just in case you’re curi­ ous, here are the food

Wired for success TSN has discovered the secret to Ken Griffey Jr/s baseball talents: He’s electric. Actually. Griffey, the Mariners' six-tim8 Ail-Star, was hooked up to computer sensors last week in Carlsbad, Calif.. so that a videogame developer could re-create his swing, fielding and, yes, home-nm trot nam es that were expunged from the delectable, cok lectible original menu: ■ T h e Danny Fortson FulkCourt Burger ■ T h e Bobby Brannem Blackened Barbecue Bacon Cheddar Burger ■ T h e Keith G regor Blackened Bleu B urger ■ T h e Keith LeGree Take Charge Chicken Sandwich ■ T h e Jackson Julson Chicken-in-the-Key sadilla Ouch. NCAA rules or no. of greater concern is that som eone gets paid to make up this stuff.

Ordering takeout Huggins gets

some NCAA food for thought

The alignment of Major League Baseball once * the Arizona and Tampa Bay expansion franchises begin play in 1998 is anybody's guess. The perm utations are endless, and fun.

Here are a few. based on the notion that owners want two 15-team leagues to allow for an . interleague game each day. .

■A rizona goes into the N .L West — the first choice of Owner Jerry Colangelo. T he problem is completing the A L W est Tampa Bay is too far east, and probably will go into the'A L Central.

Kansas City’ moves to the A L W est ■ Houston and Texas are desirous of being in the same league to take ’ advantage of a natural regional rivalry. Kansas City and S t Louis also are interested in making more of their Show-Me State rivalry. Under this scenario. Houston moves into the A L W est and Kansas City into the N.L Central. Or. Texas moves into the N.L g Central, and Kansas {2 City and S t Louis go § to the A L West.

2 ’■•Another twist i adds ClevelandZ Cincinnati to the mix. | S t Louis moves to the A L Central, and Houston moves to the A L W e st This leaves the N.L Central two s h o rt Tampa Bay and Cleveland go to the N .L Central, setting up the 1-71 Ohio rivalry'. This also creates a ClevelandPittsburgh N .L Central rivalry. .As baseball owners inch closer to exploiting regional rivalries, some say. they eventually might opt for a full realignment based entirely on geography.

One plan, suggested by New York Ttmes columnist Dave Anderson, calls for eight four-team divisions, requiring expansion into northern Virginia and Charlotte. NLC The plan puts division winners into the playoffs, eliminates w ildcard berths and allows for three rounds of playoffs.

SOI"NDBITES

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Sieelefs defensive end Kevin Greene, on why be thinks Coach Bffl Comfier is so great ‘H o g els la fe a r face.

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Ha stabbers.” axers emergency canter LaSaSe Thompson, on the inexperience of his team: •‘V • litatsaBbsojoaai, U tM. 1— M__ n in n m w g m i

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The spunkT Spark)' Monum er. plaving reporter, put his CBS-TA* m icrophone up near Barn- Sw iuer s chin and asked a pcKxi question UTien Switzer shoutt^d. “We did it! We did ii!

We did ii’" what did he mean by ihai.^ \\lia i was the messa^re lo the bazillion iele\ision \iew ers s and the thousands of cal* 5 llesnakes kept aw ake by the Su­ per Bowl hoo-hah in this Ari­ CC zona desert paradise’ s "Your mike working? You jerking me around’ " Switzer said happily to M ortim er, who RfWl up: No one gave Sw itzer (right) a chance to win it all, not c^er the Coxoboys lost to Washington and is IO years old and who is David Philadelphia. B ut he probed the Dallas system works, no m atter who the coach is.

I^tierm an s man al Big Sports EX-ents. having achieved fame at Two losses to W ashington and one to Philadelphia — that one fa­ the 199S World Series bv' being the first preadolescent told. "Get outmous for Sw itzers failed gam ble on fourth-and-1 — were enough for ta mv face." bv the winsome .^ b ert Belle. soap opera authors lo imagine dissension and stupidity, all blamed Then Switzer said lo M ortimer. "You’re not old enough to rem em ­ on Jones and Switzer. ber this. but when I became the Dallas Cowboys* coachrLtold Jerrv"Yve seen our graveyard services." Jones said five days before the Jones. ‘W e're going to do ii our way ' .And now we've done It." Super Bowl. “Bul w e're still alive." It was vindication, he said, of his ‘ NMien Jenrv' Jones, after a drink or rw-o. stopped by Jimmy John­ m anagem ent style. And who can argue? Maybe there aren't 500 son's restaurant table in the spring of 199-f to toast the Cow'bov's' sec­ ond straight Sup< r B ow l viclorv'. there began events that led to John­ coaches who could win with these Cowboy's. But the boss certainly knew one. son's disappearance. “Five hundrtxl coaches could win a Super Bowl with this team." w-ere words Jones came to utter later that liquid “No redemption, no vindication." Switzer says. “No. I don’t care. I evening just reload again when i stumble. That stuffs not important to me. I 'Veil, of Jimmy Johnson's possessions, his favorite is a belief he is just want lo be a team guy. All I want to do now is go to Dallas, sit on one of a kind, not one of 500. He'd already• been crossw ays the curb and watch Jerry and the players go by in the parade."

9 with the ow ner So he took a million or two in mad money, walked away to We go now to Michael Irvin, the great wide receiver, m aybe the .Miami and waited tor Don Shula to implode Meanv^-hile. what would Cowboy m ost disturbed by Jimm y Johnson's expulsion, and now we poor o!‘ Jerrv' Jones do for a coach now that he. in a fit of egomania.- hear Irvin almost singing of his third Super Bovd v ia o r y .... had chased away the brain who'd restored the Cow boys to g re a t­ “it’s by far the sweetest one of them'oJl. You can put the other two n e ss’ together and this one outweighs them. Because of the tim es people He w'ould make one phone call counted us o u t Every lime som ebody counted us out, I lo o k ^ to my It took one day right and looked to my left, I saw my boys to my right and my left, .^stonishing, what Jerrv* Jones did. To replace the legend jim m y and we got a little bit tighter and we got it done. No m atter how Johnson, who had replaced the legend Tom Landrv', the owner hired a rockv the w aters were al times, the bottom line was we brought the pariah. He gave the N FLs best job lo a man who couldn’t get a job. ship in."

Colleges wouldn't touch tho rogue whose players ran riot. H e’d never Brought it in with Switzer al the helm, the pariah Switzer, the bonehead who went for it on fourth down and lost to the Eagles: “Let been in the pros. He hadn’t been on a football field in six years.

B arn Switzer said yes in a heartbeat, goodgawdamighty yes. yes. me lei] you about that fourth-and-1," Irvin continues. “Everybody yes. J e m . whatever you sav. Iem -, and folks can say whatever they said, 'Bonehead.' But we needed that from Coach Switzer. Thai w-as want lo say. bul. Jerrv', w*e’re going to do it our way the turning p o in t ll was Barry saving. Tellas. I got faith in y’aii.’ That .As a freshman al .^ k a n sa s in 1962. a slow-footed running back made all the difference the rest of the way." named Jerrv- Jones came under the eye of a young coach named Bar­ On a gorgeous d esert w inter day. this Super Bowl again suc­ ry Switzer, a bootlegger’s son. a hustler up frorM othing. ceeded in exceeding all previous w retched excesses. T here was a ‘■I^anry’d been in the .Army and when he car^* back lo .Arkansas. train robbery on the stadium floor. T here was Diana Ross carried he told me to stay w-here I v^'as." Jones says. "H e^'^d. '.After six away. literally, by a helicopter. T here w ere 25 folks from the Dallas M orning News on hand with, as one reporter put it. "m arching or­ m onths in the -Anny, this is heaven Then, as Jones built an em pire on Oklahoma oil. Swiu<T built an d ers surely m ore detailed than E isenhow er’s on the invasion of Eu­ e n t ^ e on Oklahoma Tniversity football. .And when jo n e s bought the rope." .And when it w-as all done, the Dallas man m ountain Nate New­ L o ^ )> -< in 19S9. his second choice as coach was Barry Switzer. ton. the team 's left guard, said. “I had my doubts about Barry, but "He’^ a great com municator, a great motivator." Jones says. ".And loy­ he let us be our own men. he gave us money, and we won. man. al. loyal I'hai's important, that you have a back-to-back relationship Now w e're going lo go back lo Dallas and set the place on fire, liter­ with the coach " U*ft unsaid, this jo n es no longer trusted jim m y ally."

Johnson # la st <*eason. .swiLzer’s first, the Cowboys lost the .NFC cham pi­ The way these Cowbov's have delivered on their promises so far. someone should, perhaps, advise the fire department folks of Nate’s onship gam e to San Francisco Before this season. Jones created a plans. , ♦ cauldron of pressure by saving. ".Anvihing less than winning the Su­ Dave Kindred is a contributing w rite rfo rT u t STORTING N e w s . per Eiowl IS unacceptable."

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Trade Mart Regstered Founded March 77 7686 by Altred H Spxhk and Cnades C Spelt J C Taylor SouW 7>ut*shef 1914-1962 C C Johnson ScwA Publisher i9 6 2 -iS 8 i

VOICES • 9

February 5,1996

Do as we say, not as we do Student athletes got d i SM " U I again at the recent NCAA Convention

Russ GOUGH

YA Tittle through his eyes Even before ‘Hut 1 ,’ you know this is no typical sports memoir book

Steve 6IETSCHIER

Call m e old-fashioned, idealistic, even naive. B ut of all th e p re ssin g issu es facing college sp o rts, none are m o re critical than sp o rtsm an sh ip and ethics.

P roblem is. every tim e sp o rtsm an sh ip and eth ics a re about to g e t th eir rightful — and n ec essary — place in th e spotlight, they get b en c h ed in favor of college sp o rts' m ost d o m in an t topic, m oney.

T h a t’s precisely w hat h ap p en ed at the re cen t NCAA C onvention in Dallas. D espite the fact th at th e co n v en tio n 's official ce n te rp iece th e m e w as “Integrity. S ports­ m an sh ip and Ethical C onduct in In te r­ collegiate A thletics,’ th e real n am e of the g am e in D allas w as — su rp rise, su rp rise — how to m ake, control and divvy up the alm ighty dollar.

Division I-A schools had begun to voice d isco n ten t with th e one-school, one-vote policy that lim ited th e ir control o v er issu es like sch q larsh ip s, sch e d u lin g and po stseaso n playoffs (read: m oney). So w ith a prom ise to sm aller sch o o ls th at they w ould co ntinue to receive su m p tu o u s slices of th e billion-dollar television-contract pie. th e NCAA d eleg ates voted overw helm ingly for a new legislative stru c tu re th at gives each NCAA division the pow er to sh ap e its own destiny.

So. for exam ple, th e way h a s been paved for m ajor football sch o o ls to u s h e r in a national football playoff, and they w on’t have to sh a re m illions in new rev en u e with sm aller schools.

Wall S treet would b e proud of th e events in Dallas: M oney not only ta lk e d it voted.

D ecisively and brashly.

M any coflege sp o rts fans, how ever, a re not proud. W e a re e m b a rra sse d , if not ash am ed , prim arily b ecau se th is h ig h -stak es w heeling and dealing w as ca rried out in th e n am e of am ateu rism and education — at a convention

w hose th em e w as supposed to be sp o rts­ m anship and ethics.

Let m e be perfectly c le a r T h ere is nothing inherently unsportsm anlike or unethical — or even anti-educational — about college sports contests g en eratin g millions of dollars. T he reality is that big-time college sports are wildly popular in and out of the universitysetting. serve im portant institutional purposes (as any big-time president will attest) and require a bundle of m o n ey to operate.

But it is flagrantly w rong for NCAA lead e rs and university p re sid e n ts to continue calling th e nam e o fth e big-tim e college g am e am ateu rism , w hen every college sports tan in th is country know s the primary- force driving and sh ap in g the gam e is m oney.

Let’s face i t W hat co n tin u es to u n derm ine college sp o rts ’ integrity m ore than anything else is not th e big money’ b u t th e big lie; professionalism u n d e r the p re te n se of am ateurism . C om m ercial exploitation hiding behind a veil of academ ic ideals.

T h e problem is one of dishonesty.

T h is dishonesty is precisely what m ade one particular vote on the NCAA convention floor so brazenly unsportsm anlike and unethical.

W hile schools voted overw helm ingly in the nam e of th eir own finarfdaJ in terests, they did not do so. even in a sm all way. for student athletes. A piece of legislation that would have allowed stu d en t ath letes to work (like any o th er deserving .American) to th eir h eart's and p o c k e tb o o k s content d u rin g the offseason was defeated with a resounding do-as-I-sav-and-not-as-I-do attitude. . T h at stu d e n t ath letes continue to be trea te d so unfairly u n d e r the aegis of am ateu rism is sim ply unconscionable.

To appreciate the ab su rd h eig h ts we've reach ed w ith th is hypocrisy, co n sid er what a university p resid en t w rote about co m m e r­

cialism in college football nearly 60 years ago: “H ere is o u r su p rem e problem — that of honesty. O u r colleges and universities are sup p o sed ly th e soul ce of o u r social m orality and idealism . From th e se institutions we hurl th u n d erb o lts at th e co rru p tio n s of politics and th e d ish o n esties of busin ess. W hat right have p ro fesso rs and college p re sid e n ts to de­ nounce th e d eceits of o th e rs while afraid to expose th e evasions of th eir own athletics?"

W h a ts even m ore striking is the p re sid e n t's prescrip tio n for resto rin g honesty and respectability to college sports. He u rg ed sch o o ls to b rin g football “up to the m oral level now m aintained by professional football and baseb all’ by legitim izing what to that point w ere under-the-table su b sid ies to ath letes — in o th e r w ords, by bringing th ese su b sid ies above th e table and calling them athletic sch o larsh ip s.

W hat th e wise p resid en t saw all too clearly 60 y e a rs ago is that th e ideal of am ateurism would need to be sacrificed for th e sake of re sto rin g h o n esty and integrity to tbeTiails of h ig h e r learning.

My point isn't that sch o o ls sh o u ld begin paying ath letes over and above th e value of th eir sch o larsh ip s. I’m arguing that the NCAA should own up to th e hypocrisy, should stop talking and legislating as th ough big-tim e sp o rts w ere am ateu r and should allow ath letes to w ork and conduct personal b u sin e ss as they see fit.

T h at's th e rig h t th in g co do. th at's one of th e prim ary w*ays to re sto re integrity to college sp o rts, and th a t’s w hat should have dom inated d iscu ssio n s in Dallas. ♦ Russ Gough is a professor o f ethics at Pepperdine University. His new book. *Character is Everything: Promoting Ethical Excellence in Sports' (Harcourt Brace) is due out in July His e-mail address is rgough&pepperdme edu.

com bination of athleticism and artistry, often B row ns of the A T A m erica Football en cap su lated in the m ake-or-break landing of C onference w ere im p ressed and drafted him a tnpk* jum p, h as vast appeal. in 1948. the y ear before D ianne w as bom .

S teerforth P ress. $25).

To u n d ersta n d this p h en o m en o n .

Y A played tw o sea so n s with th e AAFC T h e ’ note on th e au th o r" on th e last page B rennan, a re p o rte r for th e W ashington Post. of th is distinctive book calls D ianne Tittle de B altim ore C olts after being trad ed by the followed th e 1994-95 skating tour from its Laet “a p oet and h arp ist d ed ica te d to the B row ns, one with th e 1950 NFL C olts. IO beginning, a made-for-TV event in Min re-creation of w o m en 's voices from the with the San F rancisco 49ers and lour with Valley. Idaho, th ro u g h the world S um erian. Old T estam en t and G reek oral the N ew York G iants. H e played in seven Pro ch am p io n sh ip s last M arch in B irm ingham . trad itio n s.’ H er m usic is a far cry’ from the Bowls and th re e title g a m e s and w as nam ed E ngland. She gave equal tim e to m en s and so u n d s native to C addo Lake and M arshall. the NFL’s MAT in 1957.’61. *62 a n d '63. He Women s skatin g and stu d ied th e sp o rt s Tex., th e sm all town w h ere h e r father, the held a slew of p assin g reco rd s, including 36 ( llym pic and professional divisions inestim able Hall of F am e q u a rte rb a c k Y A touchdow n p a sse s in 1963. and was elected .As with every sport b u rd en ed with T ittle, g rew up and learned to throw a to th e Hail of Fam e in 1971. con tro v ersy , figure skatin g — in B r e n n a n s football. And h e r book is a far cry as well D ianne w atched th is c a re e r as a view- — is a sp o rt in w hich a g ro u p of from th e typical sp o rts m em oir. [ preco cio u s child, but a child n ev erth eless, ex trao rd in ary ath letes suffer th e slings and F rom tim e to tim e, relatives of prom inent w hose fa th e rs drive was h ard to . arrow s of o u trag e o u s fortune dealt th em by a th le te s have w ritten ab o u t th e ir illustrious c o m p re h en d . In th is book sh e revisits his life ju d g es, co ach es, p ro m o ters, a g e n ts and family m em b ers. To cite tw o ex am p les, Lou and h e r ow n, too. p atch ed to g e th e r from • . parents. It also sh o w s th e capnciouM H -^ G e h rig ’s wife w rote ab o u t th e Iron H orse, m em ories, conversations, d re a m s and in h e re n t in tru stin g one s s u c c e ss lo a boot. and Bob H urley Sr., fa th e r of basketball p h o to g rap h s, and refracted th ro u g h h er a lace and a qu arter-in ch blade. players B obby and D anny, published u n d e rsta n d in g of G reek athletic h e ro e s and It would not be a stre tc h to call th e fig u re “D ivided Loyalties" (review ed in TSN . the o d es ce le b ratin g them . She c o m e s to a sk atin g world a m ess, a highly com petitive Jan u ary IO. 1994) after B obby's D u k e team new appreciation for professional football pit w here som e rivalries and jealousies, and D an n y ’s Seton Hail team lost early in the an d for a bygone ag e d u rin g w hich one of d e c a d e s old. recently have been ex acerb ated 1993 NCAA T o u rn a m e n t. But n o n e of the th e g a m e ’s g re a te st players not only called by th e lure o f TV -generated millions. T he b o o k s in th is g e n re is rem otely com parable his own plays but also sold in su ran ce in the sp o rt is hard to follow even on television, to de Laet’s re m a rk ab le e ffo rt offseason to m ake e n d s m eet. w h ere so m e ev en ts a re broadcast live and B ook lovers know th at som e of th e objects so m e on tapeA elay Som e aren ! ev en ts al all of th e ir affections appeal rig h t from the Inside Ed g e : A Revealing Jo u rn e y into the but exhibitions.

Secret W orld of Figure Skating (By C hristine get-go. T h e y look good, th ey feel good and.

B rennan d o es h e r best to d isen tan g le all B rennan. 319 pp. S cribner. $23). once o p en ed , they re ad good, too. in d eed , : th is. but th e task is too m uch to ask. H er In th e w ake of the hoopla su rro u n d in g even before th e “H ut I ’ th at sta rts th is book flows bum pily b ecau se of th e m any S u p er Bowl XXX, it is good to re m e m b e r that b o o k ’s preface, it is clear th a t re a d e rs a re in d ig ressio n s and b ack track s sh e m ust m ake w o m en 's figure sk atin g is the second m ost for a t r e a t And yet. th is is not an easy book Sim ilarly, h e r effort to explain how figure popular sport on U.S. television, b eh in d only to read or one th at can b e co n su m ed quickly. sk atin g is judged, a su b ject w orthy of Lewis pro football, and th e m ost popular am ong Y A T ittle played hig h school football in C arroll o r p e rh a p s Kafka, will. one su sp ects, .American w om en and teen ag e girls.

M arshall and then d e se rte d th e state and the find re a d e rs skipping p a rag rap h s by the W hatev er som e m ay think of figure sk atin g 's U niversity of T e x a s to atten d Louisiana State. handful. ♦ subjective ju dging system , its often overt His ex trao rd in ary p assin g ability inspired Steve G te tc h ie r is a rc h iv ist o f T h e S h iR T i^ t: national bias and its occasionally excessive Coach B ernie M oore to abandon th e single S e w s . •His e-m a il address is tsnspg'Z aol.com glitz, it is clear that the sp o rt's u n iq u e w ing for th e T-form ation. T h e C leveland Giants & H e m e s : A Daughter's M em ories of Y . A . Tittle (By D ianne T ittle d e Laet. 261 pp.

The Sporting News

IO • VOICES VOICE OF THE FAN En garde

‘I loved your article on the exceptional talents of the Big East guards.

However, there was one glaring omission, Seton Hall’s Danny Hurley, who has combined his wondrous basketball skills and savvy with courage and dedication.’

Sal Tagiiareni Morrisville. Pa. sjtnxstps@aol. com.

Michael Fay Staten Island. N. Y. FFlC@notcsgw.CompuServe, com I am so disgusted with the state of baseball today I cam hardly stand it I have loved the game and the Boston Red Sox for over 30 years. This is no longer the game of Mantle. Mays and Yastrzemski. It is the game of Selig. Harrington and selfish, selfcentered players. To all of you who have helped destroy the game I used to love... you won’t be seeing any more of my money in your pockets.

I don't agree with Ivan Maisel’s arride that underclassmen are wiser about leaving college early (TSN. January* 22).

Underclassmen leaving eariy is the single biggest killer of college football teams.

In the case of Moe Williams, he had a chance to carry Kentucky while Tim Couch comes into his own. He is not ready for the NFL and he is needed in Kentucky. Now vou tell me why he is leaving.

Bill Weber Elk Grove. III. WWeber44S8

Hie puck stops here

When you watch a hockey game and you Bob Patterson Enc. Pa. : have a clue, you don’t just stare at the ice and

j go. “Duh. where did the puck go?" You Three games a year out of 162 between the Mets and Yankees. White Sox and Cubs. etc., will not revive-all of the fan interest that was lost through the strike. It is a weak attempt at appeasing the fans. What we want is exciting games, the ability to see them on television and. above all. a collectivebargaining agreem ent Where does Bud Selig come from, telling everyone that every fan poll is asking for interleague play. For the better part of IO years I have read T h e S p o r t in g N e w s , Sports Illustrated and the National and have never read about this poll.

Interieague play waters down the game and makes the playoffs mean less. This isn’t a purist perspective, either. Three games mean nothing. They don’t add much excitement. J mean, is anyone clamoring for

•

Tile return of the Dolphin I would like to thank Dave Kindred for his near-perfect depiction of Jimmy Johnson (TSN. January 22). As decades go. he is a shining example of the arrogant, no-fear individualist that has become the norm of the ‘90s. His football prowess is fast becoming irreproachable.

Michael E. Laughlin Cleveland

There are role models out there As I sat with my 5- and 9-year-old grand­ children watching the interviews after the Steelers-Colts playoff game. I thought how great it is we still have some class players such as Jim Harbaugh. The other guy, whom I won’t mention, should take a lesson from Harbaugh and Co.

Mike Farenell Glens Falls. N. Y bl595@freenet. Carleton, ca

C a itif in the draft

Why do the lords of baseball continue to try to destroy the game? They have brought us the designated hitter, wild-card playoffs, constant labor discontent — and now interleague play (TSN. January 29).

Baseball had a unique regular season that meant something and the intrigve of a championship between teams that hadn't met previously, like many of basebalFs traditions, this is now being destroyed. It is clear that the people who run the game don't love the game. Those of us who love the game and its traditions don't seem to matter.

*

Jeff Drey Florissant. Mo.

*

I am sorry' to see that baseball’s brain trust (Now isn't that an oxymoron?) has decided to go to interieague play. There was something unique about watching two teams that had not played during the regular season play for the championship.

It is too bad baseball feels it needs interieague play to make a few dollars more.

Mike Allen San Diego

f

J i'

Michael Roach Sioux Falls. S.D. mroach@sdsun06

Now that we finally' have interieague play.why not expand the D.H. to the N.L? As a fan. I want to see my team s best against the other team’s b est The D.H. not only replaces a weak-hitting pitcher with a good hitter, but it also allows a good defensive player to play in place of the D.H. Our best vs. their b est Now. that’s more exciting than the double switch.

hterleague intervention?

January 29).

Hey. Sherren Wilkerson: Maybe you should strap on a Helmet and shoulder pads and see if Coach Osborne might want you to play tailback in Lincoln.

the Yankees to face off against the Marlins?

Bob Campbell Saegertown, Pa.

Tie Ben-evotert Brewers Fair or tori? Selig is a critic offreespendxng teams,

yet the Brewers broke the bankfor Ben McDonald. watch the players set up. you watch thg goalie prepare, and you watch the players h it Fox should stick with its Saturday morning cartoons and leave sports to the rest of the networks (TSN. January 29).

Mark Lazerus Commack. N Y .

VRST6 7A @PROD IG Y. COM As I watched the All-Star Game. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a promotional gimmick as stupid as Fox TV's blue dot Combined with the comet trail and computer effects. I could have sworn I was watching a cheap video game.

• Carl C. Heffner

.Fayetteville, Ark. wyoakak@nwark.com

The defense frnaffy rests This just in from the “Ifs About Time” departm ent Congratulations to Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy* on being hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dungy has been interviewed and considered for nearly every’ headcoaching vacancy for the past three years.

Finally*, someone actually acknowledged his excellent leadership skills and coaching ability. Dungy will be an eloquent and respected leader, and Tm sure he will gain respect for this always-disappointing franchise.

Mike Barish Dix Hills. N. Y SmoothMB@aol. com

Suspended animation Thank you Bob Knight Ifs nice to know that one college coach has the integrity' to suspend or dismiss a player for not only breaking a team rule, but also committing a misdemeanor of domestic battery (TSN,

News item: The smalknarket, financially strapped Brewers give Ben McDonald a twoyear. $6-million contract Reaction: Apparently. Proud-to-be-ver Bud Selig. the anti-commissioner, feels that $1 million per victory is a worthwhile investment

Glenn Langdon Garden Grove, Calif.

See Page 42 for more on McDonald.

Mot ready for Prime Time

9

Deion Sanders wasn’t an All-Pro this season (TSN. January 22). Maybe you should forget about the high-stepping and look at the guys who do their jobs and don’t have to dance.

David Polazzi Bloomingdale. N J. I was extremely' irritated to see that Darrvll Lewis was not selected to the TSN All-Pro team and Deion Sanders did nothing and he made the team.

Thomas O ’B anian Houston TSN*s All-Pro team was not selected by a bunch o f Bozos. Twenty-three NFL personnel directors participated — people whose jobs depend on proper evaluation o f players. So i f they think Deion Sanders was Prime Time this past season, you can bet he was. «

Bet a comment?

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9 R egutar PVIyare

3 S enior P layer*

• Starting tsam 's salary carmot exceed the $7,500,000 salary cap 8! any Cane • Tax squad consists of any 6 players. They are your backups and may be switched onto your starting team tor any reason: perform ance, not playing, injury, e t • Salary cap and p o tmen ckstributjon ru e s do not apply for the taxi squad, bus do apo#y when switched onto the starting team

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•

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$69.00 fo r an entry $59.00 tor each adtSbonaJ entry Savo $ 10-Play both the TSN TOUR I & ll games tor $ t 28 $ ia 00 tor reports to be m ailed to a second address. $ 10.00 per address per team tor reports to be m ailed woe*3y rather than bhweokJy.

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5 1 .0 0 0 5580 5300 5200 5180 550

STO.OOO 55.090 52.500 51.000 5500 5290 5100

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• Player tra n sa ctio n *.m u** be made by Saturday 10AM C entre! T im * to be eflecthre fo r B m WM k *n rf» Tourney*.

ISS!

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S m M t o m Y o u r n P ij$ y g R Amma Salary ID Playa r Salary Salary LD Pl*T*r ID Pl ava r Salary ID Plam r 117 IKE BUSKY 327 SI857 SfliC TT 434.000 353 DIM HEMDRiCXSOM 183.000 1 9 0 B l OAVESTOCTON 1 0 0 328 DALE DOUGLASS 432.000 354 RICHARD RHYAN 181.300 1 .2 3 4 0 111 PAULG0TD0S 1S 0 302 M TRDTO 1.170.000 329 JIM POWEL 385.900 355 ED SMEED 179.000 >19 JOHNIa s c i 1510 303 JU COLBERT 304 BOB MURPHY 356 RIVES MOSS 178.000 1.827.600 330 JAO UCXUUS 381.000 129 JOEACOSTA. JR. 1480 177.000 331 AL GflBBSER 355.000 357 BOBE SMITH 305 LEE TOYING 1.812.000 Y21 SCOTTMCCARRON 1470 305 HAU KWIK 358 H U H SARBER 177.000 1.900.000 332 DEWITT WEAVER 352.900 1470 122 PATRO BURH 333 TOUT JACHIM 346.000 359 BOS BETLEY 164.000 839.000 123 BOHY MABEE 1450 387 JOA ALBUS 334 GART PLATER 322.900 380 BRUCE OEYUK 157.000 M 9 0 308 CSM AOD 124 C0*STAOT*0 ROOD 1 0 0 335 JERRY HOGS 313.000 381 MYE HIU 157 300 813.600 TO I WARGO ta a co u a sm 1430 389 151.300 335 TOMMY AARON 307.000 382 DOM JANUARY m ssm m m 796.900 143.0 311 GRAHAM HARSH 750.000 13 HERBIER 383 CAL YIM PEETE 148.000 337 XKK PAUL CAH 299.000 127 S IS DUFT 143.0 312 J.C. SHEAD 142.000 338 LARRY lAOR&TTI 298.000 384 GAY BREWER 757.000 IO DOUGMARTH 1 9 0 313 BOS CHARLES 339 BCS DIOSO* 250.000 365 CHUCX MONTALBANO 127.000 729.000 129 EHTHCLEARWATER 1380 314 Jin can 124.000 54.000 340 OOM BIES 254,000 386 BOSSY NICHOIS 136 HOWARDTWITTY 137.0 315 BUE HIU 341 BQI SMITH 253.900 387 JOE JIMENEZ 122.000 632.000 10 STEVEPATE 19.0 315 ROOT THOMPSOM 6Q8.30G 342 WALTH? MORGAN 253.000 388 BRUCE CRAMPTON 118.000 117.000 343 T m O IL 245.800 369 DEARE BEMAN IS P K I BUCHAR 1380 317 LARRY SHUST 585.900 379 N C I GOETZ 115.900 344 WALTER ZEMBRISfl 243.300 584.000 133 JU CARTER 13B.0 JU JAY S S E 557.000 345 HAROLD HEWINS 228.000 IT I HOM SD BLANCAS 111.000 319 SKOK HOSOAT 134 RUSS COCHRAN 133.0 108.300 345 TOMSHAW 225.000 372 MARION KEX 1240 329 BRUCE SUOBHAYS 22.000 135 OAKEBARR 106.900 347 LAROT ZIEGLER 223.000 J73 TOMMY ATBXX 501.000 135 ttllUGSZAJf 1140 321 KBMJTZAHLET 374 MHE MCCULLOUGH 102.000 J48JIM F S R S 221.000 453.900 117 ETH FHffiB 1140 322 JAM D F B 349 HARBY TOSCAMO 211.000 375 BOOT B T D ffil 161.900 323 TOM WBSXOPF 443.600 1130 IS QAI POK. 375 ORVILLE MOODY 101.000 350 BUTCH BAJRI] 291.000 324 DAVE SCHEUER G6U42.30C 1110 19 DUDLEYHART 377 RUSERT ZIMMERMAN 94.900 351 CHARLES COODY 192.900 CK OO RODRIGUEZ 440.600 U8 JOW MAHAPfEY 1640 325 92.900 352 JOHS SUMO 185.900 378 O ld UTZ 325 m HUM 439.600 141 MATIE IEV! 950 IC GARY ALLISS 00 IO QAYERUBKLS 00 Jo in th o lO O O sof S a tisfie d Sporting Mows Fantasy Team Owners 144 JOW M A I B0 Aff W vlbyv 0 0 IG E BEG IN S W ITH TO U R NAM EN TS PLAYED ND ENDS W ITH THE U.S. OPEN (J U N E 13-16}.

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W g Q E / x j iit T o i / w A l a v * > S iii^ > # y ig a Salary ID Plav«r ID P lO T B f S ila n r IC E la m Salary ID Player S atan 2170 ss au ra STRAKE 0 JCE (EAU 1 G R ESBSIAI 1.59U 09 a FRS) ROB 0 0 3420 • a TOMWATSON 3410 a K E STAIDLY 2150 0 0 2 coretpayi 1J B J 6B JI FRS) COUPLES 2130 5110 <1 TH) TRYBA 322.0 a BRUMCLAAR 3 BBFWCE 1J 5M 86 & JQH! RUSTOM S DCX FA LD O 4910 C BR ETT OGU 3110 t i JAYDBJ 3 G IJ S .6 0 1 2110 4 L H iU Z a 3770 C ROE! FREEMAN $ o ir u r F w D IM o L B o sa a o rn 2990 £39,101 34 nafEUJWKT £3 M EA L LAN CASTER 2950 4710 a BRUCEUETZXE 3170 i m g a u a & bljfl BUOB a TOMDTE a IEX TRIPLETT 4710 f i CUB PARO T 9 4 JESPEBPARSYH 171661 3110 0 0 ? m tS L m m 4570 • a BUT ABRADE 0 0 SLM 17 BRA0 FAIM 3150 C JOW ADAMS I OAYBUJYEB 192,060 0 1 0 17 STEVESTOBER I n a ififlu i 3150 96 J0XATHAIUYE TTUN S JBHFTI B IOLA! HBC 9 7 M ARCO Q AM S 0 I 4510 3140 1910 73,801 a Paulais m II YUH SOCH B WUAROPRUm a on? b s x 1900 11 1000740511 735,0 A HK TWAY 0 0 em 725JBI 41 OAYDDOVAL 0 0 B BRHUUBBOT 1C 0 4 3 0 79 ABREW MAGS 12 PATK STEWART TI JOW D ALY 1 B ca SIEB 1D 0 CLM 3820 13 W W U B B U i 7130 42 CHAC STAUB 2950 111 MXHAa BRADLEY 1 0 0 14 IIT KAAS 7110 43 BU. GLASSON 6 3 0 72 SCOTTYW U H 100 15 SCOTTHOCK 4340 73 JAY DOI BLAKE 2950 IC FIOCCOE M T !

H U R 44 FUZZYZDBIB IO CHARLES RYM ER 1 00 2920 1720 6 HAL8JTT0I G 1 0 74 HS LOW 11 LORENROBERTS 164 BRABO. CHAMBLEE 1790 4220 75 KUBE MCALLISTER 0 0 17 p h lb b b h 1720 41 LAROTEZE 17X0 4B 0 It OH BOROS 2 0 0 1C MARXIB E 11 JBtlAGS&T <7 0 K& 0VBI 0 0 IM STEVE JO B 1710 77 JOW COOK WM 5520 O JffF flJE U 0 0 1710 2970 ti K F s u a r r 2 9 0 117 BBSBUYA! 21 PCTBtJAfiXSa M M B 49 DJL MEEME 174.0 2570 ta R A I U M <130 SI QUI) SWRSX 3910 79 ROBOT GAMEZ 21 S aC JH B K A I IB TO M M Y TO LLES 100 B RUDI ALLS 2540 • 22 BSEas SE0 SI G H tiO U a G B 0 0 23 MTD FROST 3120 t i m u o n 2480 111 CURT(TRU 1B 0 0 0 52 0UFY KALDOR? 0 0 2480 111 DAK KRU 24 M M KHBRA 3770 e m v M E B 5 0 0 s w a m is H 2 0 WPOOUY 1 00 2410 25 JUSTI LEWKO 3 7 0 3 JQSMOUZAIAL 3 9 0 C GRAUMAHE 100 9 0UOOTAI7 2410 n j OTT SUMP 910.S B C S B M1 0 I i BEMOAT y f f f IU DOBBEHUBBS) 1 9 0 27 EWT PSST 3 2 0 , 9 Q L H fitf S QAI FORSMAN 0 0 35U B B JOETSBOaAR 2210 115 DAVESTDCXTDI. JR 1 9 0 0 0 57 fK X Fat 9 M M M 1570 111 XH1Y S C O ! a SOI ESTES 5210 9 JOW K R S 3490 r a u n iT G O K s 0 0

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To pay with ch o c* c r m oney ord or maul yo ur entry paym ent to CSC D is trib u tio n A M a rk e tin g . Inc. 11756 B o rm a n D rhre. S u it* 220 St. L o u is . »iO 63146-4133 The Sporting N ew s ^ Fantasy Gear Challenge w o ic cm o * e n trie s from around cho w end Ari foes. how ever m ust bo paid w ith u S tonda For C a n a d ia n . M e x ica n , and o ve rse a s o n tn e *. p le a se add $15 to cover addrtxxvw m ailing co sts It needed, our to*1 num bor « I -314 - 99 ' - 1 5 1 '■ U n lis te d p ra y e r* c r * $250.000 a n d c a n n o t be p la c e d in s ta rtin g lin e ­ u p u n til F e b ru a ry 2 0 th .

P layer transactions carm ot bo m ade u n til your team nos boon onto red in to tho com puter database Toam s win be entered w ithin threo w oncng days of receipt P la y e r t r a n s a c t i o n s c a n b o m a d o w it h iiv o c o m m i s s i o n e r s 9 AM -9 PM M onday through Fnday. S aturday T A M -10AM C entral Tim e • in h o event of a so. the cash p riz e * to r the positions bod w ill po adooc ' together and dm dod evenly am ong tho team o w n er* T a t have bod 0 No om oioyoes o f COM. in c . Tho S porting News P ublishing Company or TOU’ fa m ilie s are eligible to play • COM. ire d a tce n so e c t Tho Soor&ng News Pubbsnm g C om pany and is safety responsible tor enacting, adm m tstanng. on! orc m g tho ru le s arc m a i n t a i n i n g th o i n t e g r i t y of The Sp or tin g N e w s ' 1' F a n t a s y O oh Ch ed er go CDM . in c reserves tho ngfrt to revise any rules to m o o re The S porting N ew s ^ Fantasy Oort O-nHcry* F u rth e r e x p la n a tio n of a lf re io s w ill bo c o n ta in e d *n y o u r w e lc o m e Package lf you n a ve q u e s tio n s re g a rd in g th o ru le s of Tho Sporting Mows ** Fantasy (Sort Chadongo. cafl I -600-568-6288

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S p o r ts c o m m is s io n e r s a r e s ta n d in g b y to a n s w e r y o u r q u e s tio n s a n d e n te r y o u r te a m .

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More Cash Winners than any other National Challenge!

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The ’Boys are back on top of the NFL, but free agency and the salary cap will do to them what the Steelers could not

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XXXtra effort Brown's second interception put the Super Bowl. out of reach despite a gallant try by John L Williams and his Steeler teammates, and that meant one last hurrah for a lone star-gazer

T

his victory celebration, of course, was different from the first two. This time it was B arry Switzer, not Jimmy Johnson, who received the Gatorade bath. This time it was Switzer, not John­ son. who touched the Lombardi Trophy and who could pro­ claim the Cowboys the best damn football team in the land.

Yet these three.Super Bow l trium phs by Dallas over the past four seasons are linked by a com m on bond. They are the building blocks that established th ese Cowboys as an elite m odern-era team , raising them into that rarefied atm osphere already occupied byVince Lom bardi’s Packers, Chuck Noll’s Steelers and the rest o f the legendary clubs since the late 1940s. An unprecedented three rings in four years is the re­ sum e of a dynasty. No debate needed.

‘They* are," says Noll, who knows som ething about these things, “a g re a t great team. People think it is easy to do what they have done. But it isn’t. Or m ore would have done it" But as we watched the Cowboys stru t their stuff, as only Deion and friends can do, th ere also was a sad sense of finality about what w-as happening on the tu rf of o u rselv es to continue to ch allen g e tor th e Su­ T h e d e stru c tiv e effects of free agency, Sun Stadium. p e r Bowl." say s Owmer Je rry Jo n e s, w ho gnawDevil ing away at th e b est and im proving the lastagency elite team NFL will sw eet see.satisfaction w inning this gam e w e For a k e s Dallas t will se ealso to thisa tthe “F ree is the the gained

g re a t eq u alizer." says T om F lores, w ho coached th e R aiders to two S uper Bowl rings.

“It can close th e talen t gap fa ste r than you could do in th e p a s t And it is too hard now to k eep g re a t team s together. T h at is why I don't think you will ev e r se e d y n asties anym ore " Even th is last dynasty is h an g in g on now.

F a r from d o m in atin g th e S te e le rs m S u p er Bowl XXX, th e C ow boys n ee d ed two tim ely tak eaw ay s to survive the 27-17 trium ph. It ‘ w as a g am e they should have lost but didn't.

T hey w on’t be so fortunate in the future.

■'We w on’t be as good n ext y ea r as we are th is year." S w itzer says, realistically F ree ag en cy likew ise will m ake sure of that.

T h is glow ing m om ent in the cool Arizona night stan d s as the peak m om ent for an h is­ torical team . It nev er will be the sam e for this franchise or for this league. F or the gap b e­ tw een th e C ow boys and th e rest of the NFL closed noticeably th is seaso n ; th e S te e le rs' m agnificent effort last S unday serv ed lo a c ­ c e n tu a te what losses to the R edskins and Ea­ g les already had exposed. R em em ber. Dallashad to stru g g le to se c u re hom e-fieid advan­ tag e in th e s e playoffs. And th e g ap in 1996 will dim inish even fu rth er, so m u c h so that ss th e C ow boys won't m ak e it four out of five. a -W e'd like to th in k we have positioned

with Switzer instead of Jo h n so n , who w as cast asid e afte r c h a m p io n sh ip No. 2. “B ut we know we will have to suffer so m e h its." By now . ii is o b v io u s J o n e s know s so m e th in g about building and m aintaining team s. But he has*paid a terrib le salary =cap price to co n tin ­ ue th e Cowboy g re a tn e ss, and it is that over­ w h elm in g d eb t to th e fu tu re that will retu rn ' his fran ch ise to a low er level. .And th e crow n­ ing irony is that a d efen se that bailed out the C ow boys against th e S teelers will be so rav­ ag ed by free ag e n cy in th e o ffseaso n it no lo n g er will be of ch am p io n sh ip caliber

f P ittsb u rg h could co m e th is c!o<e to a ring, th en w hy sh o u ld n 't te a m s su ch a> G reen Bay. San F rancisco. Indianapolis.

K ansas City. San D iego and even P hiladelphia and M iam i su d d en ly feel mon* optim istic in 1996 about th eir ch am p io n sh ip chan ces? C om bine that hope with th e blows th e C ow boys will tak e in free agency, and this next season could prove to be one of th e most wide-open and electrifying in years. .And pos­ sibly even th e N F C 's dom ination of th e ^u p er Bowl, now 12.seaso n s long, finallirwil) end.

-You don't feel D allas and San Francisco a re invincible an y m o re." P a c k e rs q u arter-

I

14 • NFL

H ie Sporting News

To put it simply, Jones doesn’t have enough money anymore to keep every star on this roster. back Bren Favre says. happened lo both of them during the season gave ever>’one e^se the feeling they were now vulnera­ ble ^ OU look at it like. 'If we can get just a lit­ tle better, we could catch up-and overcome them.’ ' The 49ers need a running back; the Pack­ ers some defensive help. Both are possible offseason improvements. Still, the Steelers are obvious first choices lo jump on top. But they have a major problem of their own.

Quarterback Neil O'Donnell whose two poorly thrown passes led to two Cowboy touchdowns and decided the game's out­ come. is a free agent who wants to return lo Pittsburgh. But he will be a popular prospect for other teams, particularh- the Eagles, who need to upgrade a position now occijpied by Rodney Peete. Without O’Donnell, the Steelers will tumble considerably. \Mth him. and

with a defense that shoujd be healthier and better, they are formidable. Remember, they lost onf>* two of their last 12 games, and both could have just as eaah' been victories.

“O'Donnell is underappreciated." shiv's Phil Simms, the former Giants quarterback who now is a commentator. “He is a hell of a quarterback who still is young (29). He’s go­ ing to get better. I have the same feeling about him that I had about Brett Favre two years ago."

O’Donnell had moments of brilliance against the Cowboys. But when compared to the steadiness of Troy Aikman, his inexperi­ ence in big games showed glaringly. “As l o ^ as you stay under control and don't make mis­ takes. you can win games like this even if it looks like you are struggling." says Aikman. who ^rew only one interception in three playoff games this postseason. ‘That postsea­

H i w star 9 M r a l: AikTmn was a Super leader again with key early completions, but asking him to take up additional slack next season — and coexist peac^uUy with Switzer— is asking too much.

I . . -

son experience was the only major difference between the Cowboys and Steelers this time around — "our nucleus carries us because they know how to win." Jones says — but even that edge is dissipating.

T

hree years ago. when'Dailas won its first title under the Jones regime, league executives forecast the Cow­ boys' eventual salaryop headaches.

He was caught in a Catch-22, lf he signed his best players, particularly the magnificent trio of Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, then he would tie up so much of his available money he couldn't afford other quality play­ ers. But if he worried about the long-term im­ plications of the cap and didn't continue to sign his stars, then he would reduce his chances of winning multiple championships.

He chose the first route, and now the implica­ tions of that decision will kick in dramaticafiy.

“But he did the right thing," says C^hariey Casserly. general manager of the Redskins.

“You have to win it while you can. when you have a sh ot These chances don't come around very often and you can't bl9w them.

You have to keep those three guys around for whatever it takes."

A few numbers best illustrate what Dallas and Jones now face. His top 15 players will earn $32.8 irifllion of next year's expected S40-million to* $41-rmllion cap maximum.

Teams can carry 53 players. If he pays each of the 38 players n e e d ^ to fill out the roster tile minimum salary of $200,000. then h^m ust fork out anqther S7.6 million. That would meet cap requirements but it would leave him with a bunch of stars surrounded by medioc­ rity. Call it the Price of Deion: signing Sanders to his SSS-million contract last fall re­ moved Jones’ future flexibiHty even as it served as the final piece in this yearns Super Bowl puzzle.

“Dallas was better than the rest of us in part because they had the depth." says Mike Allman, the Seahawks’ player-personnel di­ rector, who has been scouting in the NFL for 31 years. “But free agency is killing their depth, which makes them more vulnerable to injuries and gets them more even with the rest of us. Thafs one of the reasons you will never bufld a dynasty from scratch now that we have free agency. You can't maintain depth, l f a backup is any good, he will leave after his first three years for someplace he can play."

Future strong teams will suffer from the same problem Jones is encountering. They can't ^ o r d to keep a huge nucleus of stars around for their entire careers. “When we had our good teams." says Joe Gibbs, the for­ mer Redskins coach who was selected to the Hall of Fame Saturday, “we had a nucleus of 12 players we could rely on. Now if you can keep eight you would be lucky. That is a ma­ jor difference. That spreads out the talent more evenly around the league, so it be­ comes more difficult to dominate."

The chipping away of the Dallas colossus actually b e ^ soon after its first title, lf that club, composed mostly o f young stars, had re­ mained intact, goodness knows how good it might have become. Says AHman; “You'd be considering this year’s team in the same breath with the 7 0 Steelers. teams like that" Key losses from that Dallas dub were line­ backer Ken Norton Jr. and receiver Alvin

Harper, star offenave-linemen Kevin Gogan and Mark Stepnoski; defensive back James Washington and defensve linemen Tim Jeffcoat and Tony Casillas. “You think about those guys and you shake your head." full­ back Daryl Johnkon says, “^ u t that is what happens in free jgency. You know guys are going to leave.- ^ u can’t blame thenx You have to do what is r i ^ t for your future, But the old teams never had to worry about free agency. I mean. the old Steelers stayed to­ gether."

It was a franchise that, in another era. might have looked at a ^ring of titles unchal­ lenged in history, bstead, now that the gid­ diness surrounding this championship be­ gins to erode, ii is a team about to watch even more of its parts leave.

To put it simply. Jones doesn’t have enough money anymore to keep every star on this roster. He has 35 players under con­ tract-for next season, tying up $40.8 million.

And that is before he deddes what to do with seven key unrestricted or restricted firee ^ n t s (see chart on Page 16). jones' starting linebaddng corps, half of his secondary and a star lineman are contract iiabffities.

The w o rsto se defensive scenario is this:

NFL • 15

February 5,1996 P

A handful: Haley earned his record fifth

Super Bowl championship ring by doing what he always has done best, keeping a watch this time over O'Donnell (left) and running back Bam Moms. Sow the Cowboys and the rest o f the league will watch Haley to see i f he has a sixth sense.

Of all the current linebackers, only reserve Godfrey Myles returns next season, meaning the Cowboys will have to find two starters and the money to pay them ; cornerback Larry Brown, whose m arket value improved off Sun­ day’s MVP effo rt doesn't com e back; out­ standing safety Darren W oodson doesn’t get the franchise designation and is not re-signed; corner Deion Sanders plays baseball again and m isses half the NFL season; and injured cornerback Kevin Smith, who tore an Achilles' in Septem ber, doesn’t com e back fuDy from his injury and leaves the secondary in a mess.

And defensive tackle Russell Maryland, an un­ restricted free a g e n t signs with another team, elim inating what once was incredible depth along the fine.

“No m atter how good your offense is. you still win cham pionships with defense." Flores said a few days before this Super Bowl. And this Dallas defense, which Switzer rightfully credited for the victory, won’t be close to title caliber by September.

M ore likely. W oodson probably will be back and Kevin Smith will be healthy enough to play, keeping the secondary together until Sanders rejoins the team in O ctober. But Prime Time is a baseball free agent and won’t

say if he wifi continue his two-sport life. “I may play baseball, but it is som ething I will deal with later," he says. Still, the finebacking situ­ ation will be dreadful — unrestricted free agents Robert Jones and Dixon Edwards at least are endangered — and Maryland won’t re-sign. So that is a minimum of three starters gone from a unit that was nofheariy as strong as three seasons ago and at tim es seemed* helpless against O ’Donnell and Pittsburgh's four-and five-receiver sets.

“W e once had a defense that didn’t give up big plays and didn’t allow a lot of points."

Woodson says. “We had a lot of mental lapses this year and w eren’t nearly as strong." The Cowboys gave up 27 points to Green Bay in •the playoffs and frequently had problem s de­ fending m edium -range passes and runs up their g u t They suffered through a midseason adjustment when Sanders showed up. but nev­ er were overpowering at any stage.

T rn very concerned." defensive coordina­ tor Dave Campo says. “We have a lot of guys up for free agency and that could be a prob­ lem. Not only because you lose them physK caily. but you lose a little character with each one. Ken N orton... Jam es W ashington... Tony Casillas. You lose som ething when guys like

that leave." lf the Cowboys had drafted better the last few years, then they possibly could have so m ^ young replacements ready to step in. But their stockpiling has been inadequate — defensive end Shame Carver, a No. I draft pick in 1994 from Arizona State, is not going to make any­ one forget Charles Haley — and where-is Jer­ ry Jones getting the salary-cap room to bring in veteran free agents to fill the holes5 He al­ ready is drafting last in April’s first round and can’t afford to pay a No. I choice anyway, so he probably will trade down to the second round, not the ideal way to maintain a cham ­ pionship team.

In addition. Jones might be faced with Ha­ ley’s retirem ent, which would leave a huge pass-rush gap. Haley, who now has five title rings, is under contract for 1996 but has on­ going back problem s (he needed midseason surgery and didn't return until the Super Bowl) and his status is shaky at best. He says he will have his back evaluated before decid­ ing his future. Carver is his projected replace­ ment but is far less talented.

W hatever the outcom e of this defensive reshuffling, there is no question the Cowboys must rely more heavily than ever on their of­ fense. The offense carried them this season, simply overpowering teams at times with the m ost balanced attack in the league. But even though this is an era in which rules and offen­ sive innovations have opened things up dra­ matically — making it easier to win despite de­ fensive w eaknesses — even Aikman. Smith and Irvin won’t be enough anymore.

Their offensive superiority also will be de­ pleted in the offseason, jo n es faces the imme­ diate challenge of making cuts before Febru­ ary 15 to keep his roster under the projected cap figure. He will have 35 players under con­ tract for $40.8 million and likely would have to fork out a few more million to retain rights to his restricted free agents. He will have to con­

sider releasing a number of players from a pool of starters such as tackle Erik Williams (he's due a SS-million signing bonus February I or he becom es a free agent). Johnston, center Derek Kennard and cornerback Clayton Holmes, who is under a league-ordered sus­ pension because of substance-abuse violations.

Normally. Jones would renegotiate the huge contracts of his major stars to help his cap problem, but he re-did eight contracts, in­ cluding Aikman's and Irvin's, to make room to sign Sanders. E nder league rules, he can't change-any of those deals for a year, leaving him with little immediate leeway. And he al­ ready has said he will work with Smith, who has a vear left on his contract, to rewrite and extend his pact.

Smith, not Ajkman. is considered the Cow­ boys’ MYP by opponents — "everything starts with him when you want to defend the Cow­ boys." says Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau — and he surely will want a con­ tract that reflects the same neighborhood nowoccupied by .Aikman and Sanders. Smith prob­ ably will seek a $ 10-million signing bonus within a multi-million-dollar agreem ent. “I’d like to be a Cowboy the rest of my life. but sometimes what we want and what we get are not the same." he says. “But I respect (Jones') atgffity to take care of the people who m atter rtf him. W ell just have to see what happens down the road."

The offensive line also is showing age — guard Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei are near the end of their careers, and center Rav Donalason. who broke an ankle this season, will be 3^ in May — and what about the long-term attitude of ^ k m a n . who doesn't hide his displeasure with the disciplinary philosophies of Switzer?

The only serious flap of Super Bowl week — all the hoopla over the Cowboys riding around in limos and Switzer referring to the gam e as the O range Bowl was unim portant #

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^BrockMatfofi and affected the outcom e not one whit — in­ volved Alleman, who had hinted for weeks that, in his words, “unnecessary' internal” problem s had m ade this season particularly distasteful for him. Turns out he was referring to com plaints by defensive-line coach John Blake that Aikman was m ore apt to criticize African American rather than white players.

Blake, who was nam ed coach at Oldahom a and left the team before the playoffs started, talked to Switzer about the situation, and Aik­ man was not pleased the coach didn’t handle the difficulties m ore dramatically. His team­ m ates dismissed Blake’s charges, saying Aik­ man was a fine fellow. But the quarterback and head coach rarely talk; nor will Aikman ever agree with Switzer's lackadaisical attitude toward discipline. It m akes for an unpleasant atmosphere.

Aikman and Switzer will be back next sea­ son. But .Aikman. who admits be was banged up more this season than at any point in his ca­ reer — he will have offseason elbow surgery, and his knees ache — talks frequently about retiring early, which puts a cloud over his long­ term tenure with the Cowboy's.

“As long as we can keep our nucleus to­ gether. we will continue to be a factor in de­ ciding who wins the Super Bowl.” sayrs Aikman.^who earlier acknow ledged that in the second half of this latest title game, he could fee! things “slipping a w a y ’ It is an emotion that will visit him and his team m ates frequently next season. ♦ Paul A ttn er is a senior writer fo r T W I S k ir t in g N e w s .

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Forget ‘Prime Time’ — Brown is ‘Right Place At Tim Right Time’ go on." But, he concedes, “W hen you have a tragedy, it stays in the back of your head."

Brown played on to his best season, cok Larry Brown is kind of an anti-Cowboy. He letting six interceptions — two of which he re­ doesn’t wear jewelry’, strut, woof or specialize in ego em bellishm ent He may not be swim­ turned for touchdow ns — and best postsea­ son. He also had a key interception in the ming in money — at least not yet — but his NFC title victory over Green Bay. He was on situation is dripping in delicious irony.

In the Land of Haymakers and Limousines, it the firing line after Sanders’ arrival and he not only survived, but he thrived, too. “(Deion's was Larry Brown. $500.000hiv'95 Larry Brown, presence) helped me stay focused," he humble Larry Brown, who won the Super Bowl says. “I knew they were going to come after Most Valuable Player award after the Cowboys' me. so I had to stay focused on every playT 27-17 victory over the Steelers. T m not flashy A form er muffmeister — “I think I dropped or flamboyant" Brown says. “My life is simple nine (interceptions) my rookie year" — and laid-back. That’s not going to change."

Q uestion after question at the MVP podi­ Brown has worked to improve his hands by um. Brown stuck with his team-oriented an­ catching countless passes in the offseason.

Thus. with nine interceptions (regular season swers. deflecting praise and attention to Deion and postseason), he matched the totals of his Sanders and teammates. But it was Brown, 26. first four years. a free agent-to-be who probably won’t return “You know, there are only so many whiteto Dallas, who saved the staggering Cowboys ______________ collar w orkers in this offense in the second half, league," says first-year de­ making two interceptions Brown w a s the first fensive Coordinator Dave that led to 14 easy points.

Campo, who coached lf Deion Sanders is Brown and the Cowboys’ defensive player to win Prime Time. Brown is secondary the previous Right Place At T he Right four years. “M ost guys Time. O ne thing you've the M V P since 1986 have to w ork and work got to say about Brown is hard to make it And that’s h e deserves some good and the first cornerback w hat you have in Larry. fortune. This guy was bat­ He m ade him self better, tered and bruised for get­ ever to w in the aw ard . his hands better, through ting dusted by Jerry Rice _____________ hard work." in the NFC championship And Brown is probably going to be taking gam e last season. It didn’t go away. After his work ethic elsew here. T he implication is Brown got beat by Michael Irvin in the second that the Cowboys probably can’t afford practice at training camp, a fan shouted, “Larry Brown, especially after his strong finish. In Brown, you’re toast as usual. I saw Jerry Rice this salary-cap era, team s can't afford a third do that to you. You'd think you’d learn.” million-dollar cornerback. Brown couldn’t As safety Darren Woodson says. “He's been a scapegoat around here for a long tim e.” have picked a better time for his coming-out Scapegoat and almost odd man o u t When party, though he wouldn’t discuss his future Owner Jerry Jones started firing money at as a free a g e n t “I don’t know Cif the Cowboys Sanders, the Cowboys envisioned a suffocating can afford three expensive com erbacks)." cornerback duo of Sanders and Kevin Smith.

Campo says. “.AD I know is I want Larry Brown But right after signing a big contract. Smith suf­ back with this footbaD team." fered an Achilles' tendon injury in the opener W hen Larry’ B row ns name came up in the that put him out for the season. Brown, a 12thpostgam e q u o te fe st Cowboys players and round draft choice in 1991 who has made a coaches agreed that he was getting every­ habit of surviving, survived again, remaining a thing he deserved with his newfound fame; he starter for the fifth consecutive season. was the first defensive player to win the MYP Then, he got rocked in mid-November when since the Bears’ Richard Dent in 1986, and the his infant son. Kristopher, who had been bom first cornerback to ever win the aw-ard. prematurely, died. Brown insisted on playing “H e’s an am azing guy.” defensive tackle thre^ days iater at Oakland. TVe didn’t know RusseD Maryland says. “I don’t know how any­ what he was going through personally.’ Wood­ body could go through the adversities he's son says. “AD we knew was that he was hurting. gone through and stifl come out on top. God .AD of the D.B.s told him to stay home for the m ust have been looking down and gave him a Raider game, but he was determined to play." hand" ♦ Brown says. “I did consider taking time off, Cart M o n tz is a senior editor fo r T n t but my team m ates rallied behind m e and S p o r t in g N e w s . helped me through the tragedy. You have to

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was that their offensive line was going to crush us. And they didn’t It went the other way. -Our defensive line dominated. Every­ body had this idea that Emmitt was going to run all over us. It didn’t happen."

So when the Cowboys take the field again this fall, they can figure on being fed a steadydiet of the gap-control run blitzes LeBeau used to snuff the rush.

This is what Dallas will see next season.

This is what Dallas saw last Sunday.

T o u commit your front people into the gaps." says Panthers Coach Dom Capers.

LeBeau’s predecessor as d ecisiv e coordina­ tor. “You either cross them or you send them into the gap they’re lined up in, but you pen­ etrate the gaps with either a linebacker or a safety stacked in behind them to be a clean­ up hitter. You try to force the issue that way. to get people upfield and penetrate. And then you have a guy who is going to kind of just roam in behind them to clean up if the ball­ carrier happens to have a gap to cut back in."

Inside linebacker Levon Kirkland did most of the penetrating, to the tune of eight solo and IO to *« “ackles. Safeties Darren Perry and Myron Bell did most of the clean-up hit­ ting.

“We were effective in mixing up our pres­ sures and throwing them for negative yardage," LeBeau says. "Once our guys got figured into what they were doing with their blocking schemes, we started penetrating pretty good. They were our zone pressures." lf you’re the Steelers — if you have Kirk­ land and Chad Brown at inside linebacker, and Greene and Greg Lloyd at outside line­ backer — you do ah that even though the gaps in the Cowboys’ gargantuan offensive Ground role Once the Steelers figured out Dallas' blocking schemes and began mixing up their pressures, they were able to dose quickly whatever gaps line are oh-so-slender. Pittsburgh’s defense-* Daryl Johnston (48> and the Cowboys saw. fly nights end. Dallas had gained only 56 yards rushing. stared through Dallas's widebodies, the 300pounders — Mark Tuinei, Nate Newton, Derek Kennard, Larry Allen and Erik Williams — and found the gaps to fill Without gimmickry’. The Steelers did noth­ ing out of the ordinary — out of their ordi­ nary, anyway — against the Cowboys.

“Vail are the ones that put Emmitt up on that pedestal" Steelers defensive end Brentson Buckner says, with a sweeping ges­ ture toward the assembled media. “Emmitt is good. I’m not taking anything from him. But that Superman image /a ll gave their offen­ sive line and Emmitt... the press created that. ‘ Vail put em up on the pedestal. VaH created this monster, because /a ll thought the big, bad Dallas Cowboys offensive line would come in here and run all over the Steelers.

But we lined up and just played ’em man for man. and we didn’t do anything special We the 49ers seven years ago.

LeBeau was in many ways even closer, de­ just played Steelers defense, and we shut y ic h a e l n is l e y The concepts of the zone blitz, which com­ spite the 10-point margin of the Cowboys’ vic­ them down. We ran the base defense we ran tory bines pressure on the quarterback with safer all year long" n the mad moments immediately after Only once previously in the 30 years of Su­ zone coverages in the secondary, have been .In fairness, the Steelers’ base defense.

Super B o w l XXX. the little coacnes' per Bowls has the winning team gained f e w ­ adopted in part by most NFL teams since the LeBeau notes, is ‘basic for us. Ifs different com er in the Steelers locker room er yards than the 254 Dallas gained in Sunmid-1980s, when LeBeau's Bengals began us­ from what everybody else in the league pave Dick LeBeau his first chance tor days27-17 victory. That came in 1973. when ing it But after last Sunday, it will be a verydoes.” some quiet reflection. Then*, in somethe Dolphins managed only 253 yards in a 14common denominator. / The Steelers talked all last week about the L thing of an oasis amidst the desert ? 7 victory over the Redskins.

The Steelers started spreading the news a importance of stepping Smith, virtually ig­ swarm of postmortems. 1989 first crossed his So LeBeau knows what might have been. year ago by unleashing it on opposing quar­ noring Aikman and the passing game in the mind. were 'n not for the failings of the Steelers’ ofterbacks and passing games — a league-lead­ hyperbole that passes for pregame analysis.

49ers 20. Bengals lh Super Bowl XXIII. ’ tense, were it not for a pair of Neil O’Donnell ing 55 sacks in a reign of terror that stopped We might have expected more of a smoke­ I^Beau's first Super Bowl loss as a defensive • interceptions. just short of last year’s Super BowL Against screen, something to throw Cowboys’ offen­ coordinator Joe Montana to john Taylor with I^eBeau knows close. the Cowboys, they unleashed it on the sive coordinator Ernie Zampese off the scent.

M seconds to play He was that close “We were clearly outplaying them with gam es best running attack in a reign of terror But they- spoke the truth, and then backed But in that one. LeBeau's defense played maybe five minutes to go in the game." he that stopped just short of this year’s Super it up. And Zampese and the Cowboys running the frame hanging by a string. In that one. the says. “Yeah. We were close again. They were Bowl championship. game really never had much of a clue, espe­ 49erN racked up 454 yards of iota) offense In having a hard time with us."

Smith, who gained 1.773 yards in the reg­ cially after the first quarter and a half. In the that one. the Bengals bent and bent and bent .And so the Cowboys are human, after all. ular season and won his fourth rushing title seccnd-half. the Cowboys gained 7 yards — before thee broke rn the final minute.

They can be given a hard time, even if they in the last six years, ran for 49 against Pitts­ 7! — on the ground.

In this one. ie B e a u - defense barely are the NFL champs again, for the third time burgh. The Cowboys had a total of 56 yards “They’re a tough team.” Zampese says. on die ground. flinched. In this one. the Steeled didn t Rive in the past four years. They can be given a T h e y ’re a little bit different, a different kind in inch to Emmitt Smith ani'. 1’rov Aik man <%hard time, in particular, by the wizardry of “I thought our defensive line controlled of scheme. They’re quicker, and the slants mil Michael Irvin cmd the Sumo wrestlers on their offensive line." outside linebacker Kevin LeBeau’s zone-blitz defensive package, the are much flatter. And we didn't block as well Lhi- cowboys’ offensive line in .his one.

Greene says. “Everything I heard last week same package that kept the Bengals close to

Far from overwhelmed, the Steelers’ defense outplayed the Cowboys’ super-sized offense and took Pittsburgh to the brink of a championship 3

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Tw enty-tour yards on the Co'vboys’ rwo second-'nalf scoring dnves, the drives dial won the game. .And in all of the second half. they gained a total of bl Yes, the Steelers

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were clos*-.

I "This team reminds me of the Detroit P i™ tons.” Kirkland says.

“Every year, they got closer and closc-r. I think that next vear. ii we bring back the sam e group of guys and work as hard as we did (his year. w ell In* ^ back in the same posilion. We know it s not easy. We know we're Jost s r a f ^ Deion Sanders'nception over WiUie WiUiams (leftJ was going to have to work one o f die Cowboys’few big plays. The difference was Steelers turnovers, for ii. We really came o f which Aidman (8/ and Irvin took advantage. here.to win the game.

We didn’t lay dowm for anybody. We’re build­ as we thought we would. We wanted to run the football and throw the ball, like we have ing it. We’re almost there. Dallas knew we w eren’t going away. They knew rn the back all year long. We'd like to have kept it in bal­ ance. But as it turned out. we didn't run the of their minds that we were in it the whole baD asw ell as we thought we could. We didn't game long.

“Everybody is a fan of the NFC — NFC have any rhy& m at all in the second half." this and NFC that. and how tough they are. lf But the Cowboys didn't need much anybody was watching television today, they rhythm in their offense to score their two sec­ saw ag re a t Super Bowl, and they have lo rec­ ond-half touchdowns. The drives that led to ognize the heart of this team. We wanted lo those touchdow ns had to go only 18 yards shock the world, and we were so close to (two plays) and 6 yards (another two plays), shocking the world today. They got the vic­ after O'Donnell’s two interceptions. tory. bul w ell be back.”

T he first one. returned 44 yards by cor­ The AFC. we all know, hasn’t been getting nerback Larry Brown in the third quarter, much right in these last dozen or so Super was merely a high throw. O'Donnell badly Bowls. The Steelers got it half-nght this time m issing Ernie Mills. The second one. re^ They outplayed the Cowboys on one side of turned 33 yards, again by Brown, in the the ball. at least. fourth quarter, was a m isread by wide re­ .And LeBeau. sitting in his little coacht-s' cor­ ceiver .Andre H astings on a Cowboys blit2 . ner at Sun Devil Stadium late Sunday night, O'Donnell thought Hastings would react to look a brief moment to reflect on one of the the blitz with an out route: instead. Hastings few other times the .AFC has ddhe enough I’ ran a hitch. right to keep a Super Bowl inferesung.

“W e should've broken outside.” Steelers “A’eah. that last gam*- cros.*^-d my nimd rn receivers coach Chan Gailey says. “The thing there a little bit.” he says 'W e wt-re clos** about it is, we’ve given them leeway in the then, too.” ♦ past for them to read it the w-ay they see it.

We had the blitz picked up. but I guess .An­ Michael Knisley is a senior writer for TMK dre felt like it was softer inside.”

Sl^OKTlNC. N k w s .

Steelers T)’made the game a delight pulling Nate Newton, their left guard, and pulling Larry M e n . their other guard, and gaining a big push against the Steelers' defense. But i e n the Steelers made an adjustm ent — they hit the inside gaps — and forced the Cowboys to bounce outside.

I thought that was a key to the game. The Steelers played their double zone, rolling their com ers up, and their linebackers jammed things on the inside and forced Ron Em m in Smith to bounce outside, w here the JAWORSKI com ers were waiting for him. They did a better job of neutralizing Emmitl than I thought they would. He rushed for 171 yards against the Steelers in the season t was a good chess match. Both team s opener last year. this time, t h ^ held him to w «T well-prepared and welFcoached.

49.

Physically. I thought die Steelers’ After Smith broke that 23-yard run inside defense played very w ell I didn’t think they could do it, so Eve got lo tip my hat to early, the Steelers started lo crash their linebackers, sinking the ends and forcing them. him to bounce outside, w here the It looked like Dallas wanted to come out com erbacks made a lot of Cackles and and run traps at right side outside caused a lot of negative plays. That was a linebacker G reg Lloyd and take advantage real nice adjustm ent they m ade after the of the fe d h e ’s anaD for his position at 6 first quarter. feet 2,226 pounds. T he Cowboys were

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.And I thought Dallas created some -interesting m atchups, loo. especially to get tight end Jay Novacek open. The Steelers had Lloyd locked on him on that first-and-20 situation in the second quarter. But Novacek juked Lloyd and came inside, w here he had inside linebacker Levon Kirkland ones)n-one and he caught a pass for 19 yards.

The key statistic, however, that allowed the Steelers to get back in the gam e was 52 plays in the second half to 19 for Dallas.

And 84 plays in the gam e. As it turned out. two plays — the interceptions by Larry' Brown — were the difference. On the second one. Dallas blitzed and Andre Hastings, the intended receiver, didn't . make the read. It looked like he started to look inside — he was supposed to hit the slant pattern quick — and he left Neil O'Donnell hanging on the play. On the first, interception. I thought Neil saw the safety sitting there, fell the pressure and was throwing the ball away. and he just didn’t see Brown out there. He should have

th ro w n it into th e stan d s.

.Another thing I liked about the Stt*eiers was what they did with Rod Woodson when he got in the game. There were tim**s when they put him head-up on Michael Ivan, and he.did a decent job. He defended one deep sideline route, knocked it away. .And if you can get Woodson lo cover Michael Irvin man to man. now you can double the other people. And in those situations. Camell Lake went back to safety, his old position, instead of playing cornerback. So that ended up being a real good matchup for the Steelers. Honestly. I was surprised Wood­ son played as well as he did. I really didn’t think he would have that kind of day after being out since the first week of the season and having reconstructive knee surgery And the mismatch most experts expected never materialized because the Steelers defense played so well. ^ Former SF L quarterback Ron Jaworski, a pro football analyst for E SP S, previewed the Super Bow lfiyrTw?. SPORTING N tw s .

The Sporting News

20 • NFL

Here are the most-asked questions and answers at Super Bowl XXX

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B y P aul A t t n e r Are you saying tills was just another normal Super Bowl week, filled with pseudo-newssto­ ries and bombastic boasts?

Well. everything seemed about the same until a Phoenix group decided to award two tree tickets to anyone performing the most outlandish stunt You know it brought out Mime-crazies when the guy kissing a dia­ mondback rattler didn’t win. Tile tickets in­ stead went to a man who covered himself with jx'anut butter and jumped into a long trough lull ot cow manure Somehow it seems it would've been easier ii be had found a scalper willing to unload a couple of tickets And bow much would that have cost his bank account?

By game time. SU.iXX) a seal wasn’t an out­ landish asking price But isn't the commissioner concerned about this ticket outrage? (ii course, the league says it hates scalpers. But the N FL helps create this at­ mosphere of grm i with its own ticket pric­ ing For tin- game. it decided, tor the first time. to split up sun I 'evil Stadium into three price ranges.*from S'Jihj to S35o Considering aPe tickets last year were >175. that is a healthy jump But Commissioner Paul Tagliabue also -lieut part ot hi* annual >uper Bow l news conference decoding Permanent Seat In­ cense- the dreaded PSI*, which teams now ask tans in many cities to purchase before lhe\ can buy ;rseason ticket. Tagliabue main­ tain'* that PSI-* allow clubs to build stadiums without asking tor public funding. But they certainly eliminate bluec ollar season-ticket holders.

Doesn't Tsgllabue trave some major traih chlse-movement problems to cope with?

Hoes Jerry Jones cam- on? Tagliabue is like that guy protecting the dike who has to keep plugging leaks wherever he looks He i- starting to run out of fingers. In the course of hi* news conference, he said he didn t think there would be expansion the rest ot the ’P(>s and didn t want any other ex­ isting franchise- to leave their current homes, yet he -aid the league was working on a plan to satisfy both Cleveland and Bal»

limore. lf you don’t have expansion or fran­ chise transfers, it might prove exceedingly difficult to make sure those cities have teams in the near future.

Enough of this league talk. Is it true Deion Sanders was coaching a basketball team two days before the Super Bowl?

And you don't think this is a new era of athletes5 By Friday night, you would think the players would be focusing on Sunday.

But not Prime Time. He sponsored his own basketball game and followed that with a party, which he stiffed because he couldn't miss curfew. Forget the fact that the partyhad been promoted for weeks. Betcha Nitschke did the same running around un: der Lombardi, right5Talking about the past, that's another change in Super Bowl week.

Players, both former and present, are everywhere now at this event, which is surrounded more and more with sideshows of the rich and famous. Ear­ ly in the week. Jim Kelly and Brett Havre were among the prominent stars to host their own private parties, open lo a few hundred or so of their closest friends. .And everywhere vou turned. there was another old-timer strolling around, signing autographs and bask­ ing in the spotlight again. But Terry Bradshaw- boycotted the event, a cartrover from an ongoing feud with the Steelers. who retired him before he wanted to leave.

Hate to stop you, but let's get back to Delon.

Why Is he feuding with Mike Ditks?

Because his momma listens lo pregame shows She heard Ditka's frequent criticism of S?nders and passed it on to her son. “I do what my momma says." claims the Prime man. .And momma says he shouldn’t give an interview to a critic. So he turned down NBC's request to talk to Ditka. who says he doesn't like Sanders' stvle — on or off the field. They would be a great pair to sit to­ gether at a future dinner party.

Maybe they should bays squared off In the wrestling ring, with the Steelers' Kevin Greene as ref?

Talk about craziness. Greene lefCPhoenix •

on Tuesday, flew to Las Vegas and partici­ pated in the wrestling ‘show with Hulk Hogan and Randy (Macho Man) Savage. He traded taunts with one of Hogan’s oppo­ nents. Ric Flair, and then helped the Hulkster toss some wrestlers from the ring. Even if the whole thing was staged, wouldn't it have been something if Greene hurt himself in the ring?

How to t you mentioned rings, Charles Haley of the Cowboys now bas five Soper Howl rings.

Do you think be shows them off a lot?

Haley is a boisterous, demonstrative man. but when it comes to those rings, he takes a far more subtle course. He keeps them in a safe-deposit box. He says he never wears them — never even looks at them. Some­ thing about how they represent the past and he wants to focus on getting better.

•

#

Prime-time fend: Don ’/ invite Sanders (left)

and Ditka to the same party.

Any chance the Cardinals will actually play In a Super Bowl, Instead of hosting the game?

A two-word answer Bill Bidwill. Bidwill called in all his league IOU s to get the game to Arizona;and you would have thought he'd have takec^advantage of the week for all its public relations worth. Instead, the reclusive owner hardly was seen around town. Strange. .And he still is trying to hire a coach and gen­ era) manager to replace Buddy Ryan, who did both jobs badly before getting fired after the season. Bidwill could have made a big splash by at least introducing the general manager

tg up the attention: Afate Newton (wide

body center stage) never met a reporter he didn't like. this week in front of the national media, but that would have made too much public rela­ tions sense.

How did the organizers fare anyway, even without BfdwfH's input?

Sensationally. After losing the 1993 game because the state failed to declare a holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Arizona representatives went ail-out to please every­ one this time around. The state sponsored an astonishing 106 events, the most by a host organization, and shelled out $14 mil­ lion. But the state estimates it reaped $187 million from visitors. How big is big5 Orga­ nizers were planning to cook food on game day for 3.500 limousine and bus dri­ vers alone.

Didnt the ess (rf limos by some Cow­ boys players cause a big flap?

Depends on what you consider a flap. The limo story is a classic exam­ ple of a nothing episode receiving huge headlines just because it is the Super Bowl. More intriguing was the way Jem* Jones and his wife got s? around during the week; they used a tour bus that belongs to Whitney I Houston. It broke down one day. and his players thought that was a real kick. But the best transportation story involves CEOs of some major national cor­ porations. who were wined and dined all week by Arizona officials. On Super Sunday, the CEOs played golf in the morning and arrived at the game in helicopters that dropped them off near the stadium.

By the way, who was the biggest hit among the players during the week?

Hands down. Nate Newton. A natural co­ median. Newton enjoys his time in front of reporters. Newton, a robust 330-plus pounds, was asked to describe his eating habits.

“All day." he says.

Is he worried about his extra pounds?

“Fat works for me." he says.

4 0

Ilia <21

February 5,1996

NFL REPORT

«*

Hiring Walsh could be offensive to the 49ers

Jt

J

Bob

6LAUBER

L

et me say this first about Bill Walsh: The form er 49ers head coach is one of the most influential men in the his­ tory of professional football, a man whose influence is evidenced not only by the grow ing proliferation of his fam ous W est Coast offense, but by the dozens of head coaches and assistants who subscribe to his brilliant theories.

Now. let me say this about Walsh: His re­ turn to the 49ers as a so-called 'offensive as­ sistant" is a huge and unnecessary gamble, a move that sm acks of panic in the wake of the team 's unexpected playoff loss only a year af­ ter a brilliant Super Bowl run.

W alsh, Coach G eorge S eifert and other team executives w ere all sm iles last week when they announced that the Hall of Fame

coach was rejoining the staff. But it won’t be long before his presence casts a menacing shadow over the team. Actually, it already has.

Both Seifert and W alsh say the position does not involve a fundam ental shift in the coaching structure or the team ’s front-office setup. Walsh says he will not call plays, but will be involved in gam e-plan strategy with of­ fensive coordinator M arc Trestman.

‘I have some expertise and experience that I can convey." says W alsh, the 49ers' head coach from 1979 through ’88. "This is much the sam e as (form er C hargers coach) Sid Gillman working on Dick Vermeil's staff with the Eagles. At this stage of my life. I’d prefer to be a teacher and a resource. This is a non­ decision-making role."

S eifert who only’ four years ago was so adamant about not allowing Walsh back that the two engaged in a heated arg u m en t now say's he is “revitalized" by the hiring.

“I ts an exciting time for myself." Seifert says. “It's important to eliminate any skepti­ cism that this move might create. Four years ago. I might not have been able to handle it.

But I look forward to working with Bill. We need a resource for Marc Trestm an. and this is the right time and the right place. I think its som ething that will help us."

T he 49ers’ offense occasionally’ struggled under Trestm an. who inherited the offensive coordinator job from Mike Shanahan after of his apprenticeship, the Bucs can be an im mediate playoff factor, if not, then the endless wait for postseason life continues.

Dungy junpmg U nder ordinary circum ­ stances, a new head coach feces a major rebuilding job that requires at least three years of roster upheaval Not so for Tony Dungy. In feet.

Dungy inherits a Bucs team that is no m ore than two years away from becom ing a playoff team. It could even happen this year.

“I’m very m uch looking forward to the opportunity," says Dungy, who finally gets his long overdue shot as a head coach. "I think there are som e good things going on here (with the Bucs)."

You won't get any argu­ m ent from D olphins Coach Jimm y Johnson. who thought long and hard about the Bucs before signing with M iam i Unlike the Dolphins. a veteran team with huge salary-cap problem s, the Bucs are young, reasonably talented and cheap.

“Jim m y told me that if he looked at the D olphins and Tam pa on paper, he would have taken the Tampa job because ol the roster." says Dungy, who has four picks am ong the first 41 in this Year’s draft. “But he had a lot

Coming if) sta t

Braking a treod? Dvngy's team last made the playoffs in 8 2 o f o th er factors that con­ vinced him to take the Mia­ mi job."

The Bucs' talent base is solid on both sides of the ball. with one very not­ able exception. Quarterback T rent Differ is the biggest question mark, a player who spells the difference be­ tween reaching the .500 m ark and getting over the top and into the playoffs.

But if Dungy, w hose pa­ tience is perhaps his biggest a s s e t can nurse Differ through the perilous waters

Couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of disappoint­ m ent about the outcom e of this year's Hall of Fame vot­ ing. While it was gratifying to see form er Redskins coach Joe Gibhs. former Cardinals tackle Dan Dierdorf. and form er Cowboys cornerback Mel Renfro get in, I have to question why several others w ere over­ looked.

Form er Raiders and Patriots cornerback Mike Haynes and”former Steelers center Mike W ebster come to mind first Form er S te e l ers w ideouts Lynn Swann and John Stallworth are next.

So Charlie Joiner gets in and Haynes and W ebster don't? C'mon. Haynes may have been the best cover cornerback in NFL history’ and W ebster the league’s greatest center. While Join­ er was a terrific receiver in his time, he was m ore a

Ho off ens8, b e t Seifert (left) was reportedly farced to hire Walsh when several players went to management to complain about Seifert’s interference with th e offensive game plans Shanahan becam e,the Broncos head coach last year. But Seifert says the addition of Walsh is “not an indictm ent of Marc T rest­ man. Occasionally, your ego is going lo be bruised in this.business, but it’s som ething you have t o ‘handle. To have another resource can do nothing but enhance the team.

W ell do whatever we believe is necessary."

But the potential for conflict — even the appearance of conflict — creates a needless risk. Imagine, for instance, if the offense sput­ ters early in the season, som ething that was not uncommon even during the 49ers‘ Super Bowl years. T restm an’s authority would b? eroded, creating a sense of chaos and doubt that would further stifle the offense. byproduct of the w ideopen offenses in w’hich he played.

Oilers receiver Haywood Jeffires is a fine talent, too. but he’s also the beneficiary of a receiveroriented offense.

Great receiver, yes. Hall of Famer. no.

Ill concede the notion that Swann didn't play long enough to get into the Hall — I don’t agree with it. but I’ll accept the argum ent — but th e re s no doubting Stallworth's longevity and his production.

Extra points Some people around the j league believe the Panthers are interested in Giants freeagent running back Rodney Hampton, but General Man­ ager Bill Polian says the team is more likely to draft a i running back in the first or j second round. ... Cowboys .

Coach Barry Switzer on his j troubled relationship with ii quarterback Troy Aikman: “I I don’t know if Chuck Noll j had a good relationship with • Terry Bradshaw. But w e're'' j both committed to winning. ! and that’s w h ats im portant I I’m not going to drink an j RC. Cola with him or double I

Walsh says Trestman ultimately will be re­ sponsible for the offense. But I guarantee Walsh won’t sit idly by for long abd perhaps could join Trestm an in the coaches box or even stand on the-sideline during games. .And who knows? Perhaps Walsh will lobby for more power, a possibility that would do little to enhance Seifert’s standing with the players.

Clearly, the 49ers' offense is in need of help. But I would suggest that hiring a capa­ ble tailback, fullback and another quality of­ fensive lineman or two is a far more palatable solution than hiring a man who has been awav from the S F I. for seven vearx and whose presence would do more to exacer­ bate the problems than fix them 0

date with him. but that's not important. We both want to win. and that's what m at­ ters." ... Steelers offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt is said to be considering a move to New England to be reunited with his former Giants boss Bill Parcells. But Erhardt says he has not made any decision. He alsb says he would listen to offers for a head coaching job. ...

The Raiders have begun ne­ gotiations with quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who becom es a free agent February 16.

The team has a right of first refusal on Hostetler, mean­ ing it can match Any offer he receives and keep him.

NFL C om m issioner Paul Tagliabue says he still wants to see Browns Owner .Art Modeil reconsider his move to Baltimore and remain in Cleveland. ’T h a t would be the best solution." Tagliabue says, “but I think .Art has gone over that bridge psy­ chologically and emotional­ ly.- Owners are expected to approve the move to Balti­ more on February 8. but will look to guarantee Cleveland a team within the next three y e a rs .... Considering his in­ tense sideline dem eanor.

0

you would figure Bill Cowher i> a candidate for coaching burnout some­ where down the line. Not so. says Cowher. “I don't think I'm as intense as you think." he says. “I’m enjoying this. too I think there s a differ­ ence between being intense and haring a great passion for the game. I love the game of football. I love work­ ing with young men. I'm just kind of an em otional guy. I don't do a good job of hiding that. I think the people that try to hide how they feel and try to keep things inside ol them. I think that ’n what eats* at you more than just letting it show." ♦ Bob Clauber coven the SF L for Sew sday.

FOR UPDATES on B ob d a u b e r's T S N Pro F ootball R eport, call 1-900-880-4400, 95 cents p er m in u te, In C anada,

a rf 1-90*451-3234.

$L4S per minute.

C allers u n d er I S m ust h a ve perm ission. The ser­ vice is a ccessib le fro m touchtone'-and rotary phones.

ZZ* AFC

The Sporting News

HOUSTON OILERS

BUFFALO BILLS

Draft priorities: .After

Catchy role: Now that Steve T a sk er h as had a taste of being a regular wide receiver, he wants more. He h opes his im­ pressive work in the fi­ nal third of the *95 sea­ son will convince the co ach es that that should be his ne#' role rather than kick coverage, for which he is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection .And why not?

B e sid e s becom ing Jim Kelly s go-to m as — with 22 receptions for 357 yards and four tout*hdowns in six of the last eight gam e s — T asker em erged a s a big-play force. In six gam es, he had seven catch es of 20 yards cr more. “I’d love to spend the whole year at unde receiver and know that I'm going to get a chance to be in then* every play." T ask er says. With the probable tree-agent departures of .Andre Reed and Russell Copeland. Coach Man- l^evv say s the team will consider using T asker in the No 3 receiver role He could even move up to the No. 2 spot, behind Bill Brooks, presum ing B rooks can be re sig n e d .

Justin Armour, a rookie in *95. h as a chance to fill one of the spots, but the Bills are likely to try to upgrade the position in the draft.

Who’s afraid of Jimmy? Although Jim m y Jo h n ­ son 's Cow boys Wat them in back-to-back Su ­ per Bow ls, the Bills still like their ch ances against the Dolphins, whom they have d om s nated in recent years. ‘T h e y ’ve got Jim m y Joh n son ." offensive tackle Glenn Parker says. “ But we've got M are Levy, and we wouldn’t want anybody e lse ." Counting New England's Bill Parcel!*, the Bills now have two of their SujjKT Bowl conquerors in their division.

— Vie CAROCCI

CINCINNATI BENGALS number crunching: Only j N in the salary-cap era — Ii £ the B e n g a ls are preII - I i pared lo let their most athletic secondary play­ er leave a unit that al­ lowed the m ost passing y ard s in club history.

Free saJety Darryl W illiams, a form er No I pick. is a transition free agent, but General M anager M ike Brown can't se e offering a safety s i 7 million to keep the tag on him Coach Dave Sim la sa y * the philosophy is sound. You pay the big money to your pass ru sh ers and cornerback*. You get lower-rent but competent safeties to get the stars lined up However, the B en gals will have to make sure they spend that $1 7 million on a veteran cornerback in frt*e agency or else there could he ch aos back there without W illiams The B e n g a ls have been con cern ed about Williams' m issed t a c k le and hrs ability to call the signals, but no safety is going to look good playing with backup co m ers all season Plus. he leads the team with 60 consecutive starts. .Agent David Levine say s lie won't start talk­ ing le ss than >1.7 million until the B en gals lake off tile transition designation.

Francis vows return: D n eb acker Ja m e s Fran­ cis h as btvn ripped by Shula in the past for not staying in Cincinnati lo work out in the offseason But re h ab 'from a broken leg and ankle surgery have put Francis in the training room every day and a $250,000 workout clause in a new four-year. $10-million contract will put him in the weight room every week.

He say s he will be ready to put on the pads the first day of training cam p — GEOFF HOSSOI

! ! ; i • .

'

i j ; I i ! ; j Kelly's beni: Special-teams legend Tasker hopes his late-1995 work as a go-to wide receiver caught ! the attention o f the Buffalo coaches who will decide his 1996 role.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

DENYER BRONCOS

Belichick to Miami?

Oown-stong: With free

Owner .An M Odell may be wiRrfig to let Coach Bill Belichick go to the D olph ins to becom e Jim m y Jo h n so n 's defen­ c e sive coordinator. John^ son sa v s he “talked to Bill about a lot of different things." but "can­ not speak directly" about hiring Belichick.

M odell say s his team is in for a m ajor shake­ up if the ow ners approve the m ove to Balti­ more on February 9. “D on’t take this one way or the other about Bill, but som e front-office decisions have to be m ade. When we move to Baltim ore, it will be with a new' look and a secono c h a n c e .... We definitely won’t remain sta­ tus q u o ."... In what may be the m ost telling sign that Belichick is on his way o u i he h as not been allowed to replace offensive coordi­ nator Steve Crosby, who resigned jan u ary 5. “ I ve talked to Bill recentlyrn and told him nothmg would be done a s far a s hiring coach es, sco u ts or anv other decision s until after the move is resolved." M odell says. “I’m not do­ ing anything with this franchise untU I get league a p p ro v a l."... Joh n son plans to name a defensive coordinator after February IO. Help coming: With the fourth pick in the draft, the team should be able to get the linebacker it needs. The defense w as woeful on third down. and a rush linebacker with the speed of Illinois’ Kevin Hardy can change that. ...

Team officials will be careful in free agency. .After being burned by .Andre R ison’s S i 7-mil­ lion deal, they'll go after low-profile players, particularly if forced to slav in Cleveland through 1998.

— JffF SCHODa

agency le ss than two w eek s away. General M an ag er Joh n B eake h as been the busiest guy in the Broncos camp, at­ tem pting to dow nsize som e fat contracts. .Among those believed to be on his list are wide receiver M ike Pritchard at $1.6 million, cor­ nerback Ray C ro ck ed at $1,457 million, defen­ sive tackle Ja m e s Jo n e s at $1.6 million, defen­ sive end Dan W illiams at $970,000. cornerback Lionel W ashington at $800,000 and linebacker Britt H ager at $950,000. T here is at least $4 million worth of fat there, and the club already has trimmed $1.8 million with the retirement of defensive end Simon Fletcher and the re­ lease of cornerback Eric Thom as. What this m eans is that the club will go into free agency with at least $10 million to play with, adding an extra $3 million or $4 million from the salary cap increase for 1996. The team is focused on a couple of pass-rusbers such a s Leslie O ’Neal and Quentin Coryatt, but it probably also will make a run at a young com er such a s A eneas Williams or Philiipi Sparks.

Restructuring: Head Coach M ike Shanahan say s he is waiting for the dust to settle in Mi­ ami. Arizona, Tam pa Bay and m aybe even Cleveland before he hires a new director of player personnel to replace B ob Ferguson.

W hoever he h ires, however, will not have the power F erguson had a s director of football operations. T h a t ’s my job." Shanahan says.

The new hire will oversee both the pro per­ sonnel and college scouting departm ents un­ der Shanah an’s supervision. — JOSS* SJUC&2

•* \ <

%

•

scouting the bowl andall-star g a m e s and eval­ uating the list of under­ classm en . coach es and sc o u ts a g re e the stro n g e st p o sitio n s in the draft are wide re­ ceiver. running back and offensive tackle.

T h at’s good b ecau se the team n eed s all three.

They will have the eighth or ninth pick, d e­ pending on a coin flip with Carolina. ’AYe’d like to get a player who puts points on the board or k eep s points ofI the board." Coach Je ff Fish er say s. T h e only way the team will use its No. I pick on a defensive player is if there is an outstanding p a ss rush er available.

Right end Henry Ford will be moved to the left side and a veteran p a ss ru sh er will be sought to replace him. it looks a s if the pick will be used on an offensive player, either a receiver or running back. “ For u s to take a back. h e’d have to be a great prospect who could do every th in g." F ish e r say s. That leav es a receiver to pair op p o site C h ris San d ers, who m ade the Ail-Rookie Team . “I can’t rem em ber when I've ever seen such a good group of receivers in a d ra ft" fish e r says. T h e r e s som eth in g for everyone.’

Scouting sites: .Although there is no gu aran ­ tee th e team is playing in T e n n e sse e next se aso n . Owner Bud A dam s sent F ish er and G eneral M an ager Floyd R eese to explore p ossib le sites for training cam p and a p rac­ tice facility. T h e teain is still under contract to train at Trinity University rn San Antonio, but that is just another deal it h o p es to n ego­ tiate its wav out of if all g o e s accordin g to plan.

—JOH! fcfcUAa

•INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Prebill’ TOW* T h e status of defensive coordinator Mil cc Tobin rem ained up in the air a s the C ar­ dinals received perm is­ sion to interview Tobin for the head coaching vacancy. Tobin had ad­ mitted recently a desire to be a head coach, and it is believed h is stock went up a s the team m ade it to the A FC title gam e. Tobin w as in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl and unavail­ able for c o m m e n t... General M an ager Jim Irsay m et with T ed M archibroda before he left to coach the AFC in the Pro Bowl. It is b e ­ lieved M archibroda left with a contract offer in hand, but no information on the length or value of the deal w as known. “ I don’t antici­ pate a problem at all." Irsay sa y s. S a y s M archibroda: “We had a nice m eeting. I’m happy and pleased with everything Jim m y had to say."

Two seasons, two Pro Bowls: M arshall Faulk will m ake h is second FYo Bow] appearance this w eek. .As a rookie last seaso n . Faulk stole the show in Honolulu a s he earned gam e M YP h onors and set a Pro Bowl ru sh ­ ing r e c o r d .... Jim H arbaugh is still receiving rave review s for his 1995 perform ance at the national level, but h e’s doing h is b est to keep it ail in perspective. The bottom line: He know s bow quickly a good thing can com e to an end. “Iv e seen the ups and Iv e seen the dowms," H arbaugh says. T o me. I know if som eone-is patting you on the back one year, they m ight be knifing you in the back the next year. Tm just enjoying all of this while it lasts."

— Tw it Ku t o h b

AFC *23

February 5,1996

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Center

spread:

The team m ay have a new c e n te r in 1996. Dave \i " W iden had a solid sea­ son pass-blocking but did not get the type of m ovem ent n eed ed up front to su stain a ru n ­ ning gam e. But W iden is su ch a good leader in th e lo ck er room — h e had a m ajor im pact on rookie left tackle T ony Boselli — that he would stay even if th e team would u p g rad e th e position, lf a free-agent c e n te r is not sig n ed , th e team m ay m ove one of its o th er linem en to th e position, th in k in g a c e n te r can b e developed. A m ong th e possible players a re rig h t g u a rd s Ben C olem an and Jeff Novak and tackle M arcu s P rice, w ho m issed his rookie seaso n w ith an an k le injury-. T he team h a s h ig h h o p es for P rice after seein g him in train in g cam p. C olem an is a re stric te d free a g e n t th e team believes it will keep, alth o u g h C olem an h a s said h e ex p ects to get offers elsew h ere.

Tlgtrt end needed: O ne of th e b ig g est holes sh o u ld be fiDed th ro u g h free agency or the draft — a big tight end. Last seaso n th e of­ fense had tro u b le blocking on che outside, and th e tig h t e n d s w ere a big re a so n why.

W ith D erek B row n co m in g b ack from a lac­ erated kidney, and rookie P ete M itchell hav­ ing a solid seaso n , th e team feels good about th e receiv in g portion of th e position. Howev­ er. it still n e e d s a big. blocking tig h t end. lf th e position is filled via th e draft. O hio S ta te ’s Rickey D udley is o n e player th e team will stud y closely, alth o u g h h e n e e d s to im prove som e on h is b locking skills.

— PETS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Looking around: T h e

Jimmy’s list Coach Tim­ my Jo h n so n w ants piaym akers on offense and m ore q u ick n ess on de­ fense. and h e need s a running back capable of ca rry in g th e load for the team . B ernie Parm aiee has u n d erg o n e reco n stru ctiv e knee surgery, and doctors say h e ll be back by train­ ing cam p. But that may be a bit optimistic.

R unning back was a big need even before the injury becau se Jo h n so n views P arm alee m ore as a backup. Johnson also says he w ants a speedy receiver, w hich m eans Irving Fryar. an u n restricted free agent, probably won't be back. Finally. Jo h n so n w ants to im prove the speed of his linebacking corps. Bryan Cox m ay not fit into Jo h n so n ’s plans because Cox w~ants to earn slightly less than w hat Junior Seau m akes in San Diego (around $3.5 million p er season). T h e te a m ’is cash-strapped, and Cox isn’t very quick. Cow boys restricted free agent D arrin Sm ith is a Johnson favorite be­ cause of his speed. T he D olphins could go af­ ter Sm ith to play outside linebacker, then m ove D w ight H o lie r to the m iddle.

Coleman's label: T h e team n e e d s to m ake a decision on defensive end M arco C olem an.

He is an u n re stric te d free ag en t and h a s been pinned w ith th e transition label. To retain him . th e team would have to pay th e average of th e top IO salaries for defensive ends. Be­ ca u se team officials d o n ’t c o n s id e r him to be in that class, th e transition tag m ay be com ­ ing off soon. In th at case. C olem an w ould be free to n eg o tiate with any teant w ithout re­ striction.

— A n o tto Saisuebo

te a m s ch an ces of g e t­ ting an im pact wide re­ ceiver in the draft re­ ceiv ed a significant boost w hen O hio State sp e e d ste r T erry Glenn ann o u n ced he will skip his sen io r y ear to e n te r the draft. G lenn is ex ­ p ected to be the second wide receiver taken — after K eyshaw n Jo h n so n — and the team is a likely place for him to land, it is d esp e rate for wide receiver help and. picking seventh overall, should have a ch an ce to take Glenn. who h a s im p ressed sco u ts with his ability to sep a rate from coverage once the ball is in the air. But will th e team take G lenn5 T h a t's the big question. O w ner R obert Kraft h a s said he w ants the team to g et two im pact wide re­ ceivers. C oach Bill P arcells says he n e e d s to sh o re up his d efen se and a d efen d er m ight be his top priority. T h at b rin g s up the possibility of Sim eon Rice, the lin e b a c k e r/pass ru sh e r from m in d s , w hose popularity with sco u ts has slipped from earlier in the seaso n w hen h e projected as potentially th e first pick o v er­ all.

Still looking: Parcells did speak with form er C ardinals quarterback coach M att Cavanaugh but he didn’t formally offer C avanaugh the job as q u a rte rb a c k s coach before C avanaugh signed to handle the q u arterbacks for the 49ers. Parcells says he hasn't com m itted to hir­ ing a quarterback coach but does have to find a secondary coach after firing Bobby Trott. So far h e hasn't picked a successor to work with the defensive backs, w hose play was p iq u e d by m ixups last season.

—te m M a w

'N /

the

team re p o rte d ly told th e R ed sk in s it would be willing to trad e its first-round pick (No I o v erall) for G us F rero tte. th e -Redskins' firs t-ro u n d e r (N o. 6) and a n o th e r s ta r te r P erso n n el D irecto r Dick Haley co n firm ed that th e club sp o k e to th e R edskins, but he dow nplayed th e signifi­ c a n c e . O th er n am es that have su rfaced in­ clu d e th e S teelers' Neil O 'D onnell, w ho will be a free ag en t, and th e C olts' C r 2 i g E rick ­ so n . O 'D onnell, who grew up rn M adison.

N J ., w as b esieg ed with q u estio n s d u rin g S u­ p er Bowl w eek about a possible h o m eco m ­ ing to th e J e ts o r G iants. 'I g u e s s T erry (B radshaw ) h as m e sig n ed , sealed and deliv­ e re d to th e Jets." say s O 'D onnell, referrin g lo a re cen t Fox TV' rep o rt by th e form er P itts­ b u rg h q u arte rb ack .

Free-agent boom or bust? Incum bent q u a rte r­ back B oom er E siason rem ains rn limbo. He will b eco m e a free agent, and he still doesn't know if h e 's w anted by the team E siason has to be pulling tor o n e of h is form er co a c h e s — p erh ap s C incinnati's B ruce C o s ta or San F ran cisco 's P ete Carrol) — to land th e C ardi­ n als’ co ach in g job. T h at would give E siason. w ho h as a h o m e n ear Phoenix, his best ch an ce to rem ain a starter. .. T he Cow boys, looking for a defensive line coach to replace Jo h n Blake, m ay ask for perm ission t o speak with Ray H am ilton, who could be th e team s top assistan t. H e's sui! u n d e r contract, and th e club probably w on't allow him to m ake a lateral move.

— R ic h C O A X !

Fox to depart: A s s i s t

d raft

P re sid e n t C arl P e te r­ so n d e fe n d e d th e c lu b 's 1995 draft that. afte r o n e season, looks to b e a com plete b u s t O nly w ide r e c e iv e r / k ick r e tu r n e r T am arick V anover, a th ird -ro u n d pick, w as a con­ trib u to r last seaso n . “YouTI se e that th e o th e r play ers from th is draft wfl^ begin to p ro d u ce n ex t seaso n ." P eterso n says. I t s tru e th e vet­ eran team d id n ’t n eed m u ch help last seaso n and th a t a couple of lin eb ack e rs th ey like.

T roy D u m as and J e rro tt W illard, sp en t th e e n tire seaso n on in ju red lists. B ut i t s also tru e first-ro u n d ta c k le T re z e lle J e n k in s sh o w ed little indication h e will ever b e a q ual­ ity N FL player and th a t P hiladelphia, w ith th e No. 2 pick o b tain ed from th e C hiefs, selected a startin g c o rn e rb a c k in B obby T aylor. T h e C hiefs in re tu rn received v eteran wide re ­ ceiv er V ictor Bailey, w ho d id n 't d re ss for any reg u lar-seaso n o r playoff g am es. T h e team also will n e v e r g e t an y kind of c o n trib u tio n from q u a rte rb a c k Steve S ten stro m , w ho is now w ith th e B ears.

Feeling tile bort M o st of th e team , in clu d in g C oach M arty S c h o tte n h e im e r, w atc h ed the S u p e r Bowl w ith an em p ty feeling, believing th a t th ey an d n o t th e S te e le rs sh o u ld have b e e n re p re s e n tin g th e AFC. G ettin g o v er th e playoff lo ss to th e C o lts will b e o n e of th e m ajo r g o a ls in ‘96. "(T h e pain) g e ts w o rse .’

S c h o tte n h e im e r sa y s. "I k n ow , b e c a u s e I’v e g o t p le n ty o f e x p e rie n c e at th is."

H e c o a c h e d th e B ro w n s in tw o n arro w lo sse s to th e B ro n co s in AFC c h a m p io n sh ip g am es.

— AdAMTb o ®

QB speculation: T h e

OAKLAND RAIDERS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Defending

NEW YORK JETS

Bettor to recghB: Speedy Ohio State wideout Glenn could be doing his Patriotic duty for receiver desperate New England next season.

-

h ead c o a c h /o ffe n s e Jo e Bugel will stay with th e team , but defensive co o rd in ato r Jo h n Fox ap p a ren tly is on h is wav out. T he team began interview ing candi­ d a te s to replace him last w eek. F o rm er B ucc­ a n e e rs defensive co o rd in ato r Rusty Tillm an visited El S egundo to speak to team officials, including O w ner Ai Davis. T h e team was one of th e leag u e 's best d e fe n se s th ro u g h th e ti tm IO g a m e s last seaso n , allow ing univ 15.3 p o in ts per g am e T h en . as th e offense sp u t­ tered w ithout q u arte rb ack Jeff H o stetler, the d efen se also faltered — s u rre n d e rin g J V S points p er g am e over th e iast six g am es, ail losses. "It so u n d s to m e like J o h n ’s being u sed as a scapegoat, and th a t's nut fair.’ line­ b a c k e r Rob F re d ric k s o n say s B ugel sig n ed a new co n tract with th e team after re­ jecting Jim m y Jo h n so n 's offer to b eco m e of­ fensive line coach in M iami. He also figures to have m o re influence on p erso n n el deci­ sions and play calling and could replace M ike W hite as head coach if th e team s ta rts slowly next season. , Construction delays T he team may not com ­ plete its m ove to th e Bay .Area before th e star; of n ex t se a so n . T h a t's b e c a u s e soil and d rain ag e problem s have surfaced al the pro­ posed site of the new practice facility, n ear the O akland airport. T eam officials insist they will m ove th eir h e a d q u a rte rs to th e Bay .Area be­ fore the 1996 season begins.

Defensive tackle Jem * Ball is not eligible for free agency. as previously reported. Ball's contract ru n s th ro u g h th e 1997 season.

— R o * K flO IC W C l

k

24 • AFC/NFC PITTSBURGH STEEPERS Greene day: Outside linebacker Kevi n Greene. 33. says he is pood for IO sacks a sea­ son for two or three more years if someone signs him in free agency. Greene's threeyear contract has expired, and he doesn't think the organization will offer him a new one. "W ell see if anyone oui there wants a productive pass rusher." Greene says. “I’m going to look for someone to put me in a po­ sition to have fun. By no means will I go somewhere where I'm not going to have fun.

No amount of money can make you enjoy something you dread." Greene tied for the NFL lead with 14 sacks in 1994. but his total dropped to nine this season. Still, it was good enough to lead the team and earn a late invite to the Pro Bowl. Greene doesn’t think he will be back with the team because Jason d id o n. a third-round choice in ’94. is ready to play.

Plus. Neil O ’Donnell and tackle Leon Searcy need to be re-signed this year, and corner­ back Rod Woodson and linebacker Greg Uoyd are free agents after the *96 season.

Nell’s b est Club President Dan Roonev had a lot to say Super Bowl week on the future of the N F L but one thing he did not comment on was the future of O'Donnell, who is now a free agent- Rooney’s policy was not to dis­ cuss contract situations during the season.

Both O ’Donnell and his agent. Leigh Stein­ berg. have said O ’Donnell would like to re­ main in Pittsburgh, but another team is sure to offer (he sixth-vear quarterback a large contract.

— 6SBY DULAC 9

SAX DIEGO CHARGERS Svayne’s world: T h e team might be waver­ ing on bringing back free-agent left tackle Harry Swayne.

He recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to tighten an anterior cru­ ciate ligament in his knee. The operation went well, but the Chargers aren’t convinced they w-ant to spend the money it will take to retain Swayne. Despite being slowed by knee problems. Swayne started all 17 games. The team nearly lost Swayne to the Cardinals in *93. But the Chargers matched the Cardinals’ offer to Swayne. a transition player, and kept him. The thinking now could be that Tony Berti. a second-year player out of Colorado, might be ready to supplant Swayne. ... The team still is wrestling with the decision of whether defensive tackle Shawn Lee will be its franchise player for *96. But team officials would prefer avoiding that and getting Lee to agree to a multiyear deal — that would cush­ ion the .tyow to the *96 salary cap. ... Among their free agents, the Chargers are most in­ terested in retaining Lee and safety Bo Or­ lando.

Standing p a t Coach Bobby Ross doesn't ex­ pect any changes in his coaching staff for next season. ... In Ross' four seasons, the Chargers have averaged more than IO victo­ ries (42-27. counting the playoffs). ... With Leslie O’Neal, a freesagent defensive end not returning in *96. that leaves but one Charger on the team from when General Manager Bobby Beathard took over in 1990 — center Courtney Hall.

—JAY PARS

Greener pastures? Free agency may be Greene's next target His three-year contract with the Steepers

is up. and he may latch on with a team that will put him in a position to have fun.'

The Sporting News

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Warren peace: Signifi­

ATLANTA FALCONS

cant progress in the ne­ gotiations with halfback C hris W arren could save the organization from designating him the franchise player — and a lot more. The team is drawing close to settling a $3^niflionplusdeal that could make Warren one of the top-paid halfbacks in the N F L As a worstcase scenario, his departure could be blocked by designating him a franchise player. But he could hold out or leave after one season. The best-case scenario is reaching a long-term agreement, which is what appears to be close to happening. T he only problem with the ne gotiations is figuring out how much more than $3 million the team is willing to pay. The three highest-paid backs in average salary are Barry Sanders of the Lions ($3.6 million).

Emmitt Smith of the Cowboys ($3.4 million) and Thurman Thom as of the Bills ($3.2 mil­ lion). By next season. Sanders and Smith should be in the $4-million range. T he team wants to keep the average number around the $3.2-miIlion area.

Coach Slash: Coach Dennis Erickson be­ lieves h e .made a coaching coup by hiring childhood friend Keith Gilbertson as a defen­ sive assistant “He brings years of football knowiedge to this organization." Erickson says. Gilbertson's duties sound almost like Kordell Stewart’s responsibilities with the Steelers. Gilbertson is a defensive assistant — slash — everything. "Coach Slash."

Gilbertson says. “I will just do whatever they want me to do.

—l a c u n a

0pas tin ran I t Team officials insist they won't quarterback Jeff George become a free agent this month, but there has not been much movement in negotiations. Signing George would have a substantial impact on the team’s salary cap. but not signing him would mean introducing a new quarterback into an offense that relies on accurate passing and reading coverages. Things should heat up in a hurry. The team has until February 15 to either sign George or designate him as a franchise player or transitional free agen t George is coming off a 4.143-yard passing season. Critics claim George lacks a w inners demeanor and is inconsistent: supporters point to George’s arm, one of the strongest in the N F L and the fact he took a quantum leap from his first year to his second in the runand-shoot offense. George was outstanding last season in the Georgia Dome, where the team won seven of eight games.

KawalMxuuid: Defensive end Chris Doleman will go to the Pro Bowl as the N FC ’s “need player." Doleman. who had been selected as a fire! alternate, will be playing in his seventh Pro Bowl in l l seasons. He led the Falcons with nine sacks, although 3*/: cam e in the season opener against Carolina. Doleman also had 55 quarterback pressu res, two forced fumbles and two fumble reco v eries....

The team ’s three other Pro Bowl representa­ tives are k ick er M orten Andersen, line­ back er Je s s ie T uggle and sp ecia k ea m s standout Elbert Shelley.

— T(*Y Fai.#> * l I

ARIZONA CARDINALS

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Signs of lit * T h ere final­

Three-wsj tons: Coach

ly are some detectable signs that Owner Bill j Bidwill has made head­ way in his search for a general m anager and coach to replace Buddy Ryan, who was fired a month ago. Bidwill interviewed Dwight Clark, the 49ers vice president in charge of football operations, during the weekend of the NFC championship game. Other sources say_ Bidwill has narrowed his search for a coach to two. T he club has asked permission to talk to Colts defensive coordinator Vince Tobin and reportedly is interested in speak­ ing to Green Bay defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur. Tobin has no comment os the mat­ ter. and Shurmur has not been contacted y e t Bidyili says the process was slowed by the owners meetings in mid-January and by Su­ per Bowl XXX being held in Arizona. n ae constraint Bidwill needs to name at least a general manager in the next week.

T h e Scouting Combine begins February’ 8. and the Cardinals have the third pick overall Also, the team must designate a franchise player by February 25. The team will have to choose between cornerback Aeneas Williams and defensive tackle Eric Swann. Williams has made two consecutive Pro Bowls and has never been seriously h u rt Swann has had four arthroscopic knee surgeries in his ca­ reer. But Swann has not been ruled out be­ cause defensive linemen like him are more difficult to find. ... T he Cardinals scouting staff was kept in tact at least for now, and at­ tended the Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.

— K ot S o b s

Dom Capers says the organization is keeping its options open regard­ ing how it wilJ use its first-round draft pick. which will be either the eighth or ninth overall selection depending on a coin flip with the Oilers. Capers says the team is considering players from three position groups — run­ ning backs, wide receivers and defensive pass rushers. “When you look at the strength of the draft those are the strongest areas, and it could come from any of those." Capers says. “W e’re looking for the biggest impact player we can g e t T h e picture gets clearer and clearer as you go through, but right now there are a lot of players we’d like to have with that pick." Capers says that “though you never say never." he would be surprised if the team trades up or down from its first-round draft position.

K axie’s reward: lf the NFL gave a com eback player of the year aw-ard. safety Brett Maxie would have been a top candidate. Many thought h e had little chance of resurrecting his career when he signed last year because of reconstructive surgeries on both knees, but Maxie was one of the best safeties in the NFC this past season. He finished tied for fifth in the NFL with six interceptions. As a reward, he was given a new two-year con­ tra c t ... Carolina officials say they haven’t decided on a backup quarterback for Kerry Collins next season, but they are expected to re-sign Frank Reich, who is scheduled to be­ com e an unrestricted free agent February 16.

— C h a a Du m b

zs

we

le ® u a rv 5 , S S ?

-

I

CHICAGO BEARS Gazing Arbtrna: The team wiB keep an eye on goings-on with the Car­ dinals that could signifi­ cantly affect the Bears both on the field and on the sideline. There are whispers that the Cardi­ nals are leaning toward putting their franchise-player tag, not on defensive tackle Erie Swann, but on cornerback Aeneas Williams, a favorite of Cardinals Owner Bill BidwilL lf Swann is available, the Bears are expected to make a serious run at signing him. While the early attention has been on the defensive end situation, where Alonzo Spellman may be leaving, the team does not have the dominant inside guy it covets. Swann would fit that de­ scription. ... The Cardinals' interest in former Beais defensive coordinator Vince Tobin to succeed Buddy Ryan as head coach could cause a possible ripple effect on the organiza­ tion because highly regarded linebackers coach Dave McGinnis could leave to become Tobin’s defensive coordinator.

U ifeg T he Steelers have made no moves to re-sign standout right tackle Leon Searcy. lf the B ears cannot re-sign right tackle Jam es Williams, Searcy is expected to be one of the top prospects considered for his replace­ m e n t Team officials have made it clear that they want Williams back but he is expected to test the m a rk e t and the team is worried that once line coaches get a look at his 6-foot-7, 330 pounds in person, offers will flow. The team has a right of first refusal clause, but with other needs to address may not be able to sign him regardless of c o s t —Jo ■ M a u l

DALLAS COWBOYS The sqoggzs: Because of free agency and the te am s already skin-tight salary cap, several play­ ers, including defensive tackle Russell Mary­ land. cornerback Larry Brown and linebackers Dixon Edwards and Robert Jones, might have played their last gam e with the team. The team will open free agency with roughly $1 million to spend on as many as 11 players, though that would change with a reduction in salaries or the release of some veterans. The te a k will be hard-pressed to re-sign Maryland and Brown if they are offered m ore than $1 million a season by another team. Count on Owner Jerry Jones to begin negotiations im­ mediately with free-agent strong safety Dar­ ren Woodson, who probably would command a deal worth $2.5 million to $3 million a sea­ son on the open m a rk e t lf W oodson isn’t signed by the February 16 start of free

hom e to continue rehabili­ tation on a fractured skull suffered during the NFC cham pionship gam e.

Haskell has made a mirac­ ulous recovery and is ex­ pected to be able to re­ sum e his coaching duties in a short while. He will continue rehabilitation in Green Bay on an outpa­ tient b a s is .... Defensive co­ ordinator Fritz S hurm ur has not been conlacted for the open Arizona C ardi­ nals job. S hurm ur. who served as Cardinals’ coor­ dinator from 1991 to ‘93. said he won't push for the job. “If they have interest they will call." Shurm ur says. ... Nose tackle John Jurkovic is recovering well from a tom medial collater­ im n U rn M itchell may not throw in with the Lions as quickly as team officials hope. He wants to know what al ligam ent suffered management has in store for Coach Wayne Fantes before agreeing to a long-term deal against Dallas three weeksagency, expect the team to slap the franchise on the salary cap. ago. He will not need surgery to repair the tag on him. That probably would cost around StaytifpB t: All the talk about assistants head­ damage.

■Tom Sw b b t h i ing south appears to be just that. Defensive $2 million a year.

Tilt B a p t: Defensive end Tony Tolbert prob­ line coach John Teerlinck, who has a great re­ ably will have arthroscopic surgery on both lationship with Tony Dungy, will not be leav­ ing for Tampa Bay. Teerlinck has two years knees. Also contem plating offseason surgery is offensive tackle Erik Williams, remaining on his co n tract and his title of as­ Stepping ap: Foge Fazio. who has struggled to recover from total . •> sistant head coach will keep him obligated to a 24-year coaching vet­ constructive right knee surgery last season. the franchise. Offensive coordinator Tom eran and last season's Moore, who also worked in M innesota with W illiams says he has not regained all of his linebackers coach, has Dungy, has said he loves all the firepower flexibility in the knee because of excessive replaced defensive coor­ and will not entertain an offer to leave. And scar tissue. It’s common for players to urn dinator Tony Dungy. A gossip that offensive line coach rau l dergo arthroscopic surgery to break down former head coach at Boudreau m ighl join Jimmy Johnson in Mia­ the scar tissue following anterior cruciate ie I n i versify of Pitts* mi appears to be unfounded. —TAM KOVALSKI burgh, Fazio has w :ed for the Falcons and ligam ent surgery.

— M e in Sp ABDU NFL coordinator job.

Jets, but this is his “Replacing someone who r e lie d to players and knew as much as Tony is impossible, but well try to pull something out." he says. Fazio is popular among players and thinks hell ben­ Still calling signals: S ecant thoughts: Q uar­ efit in one area from Dungy. "Tony's hands Q uarterback Brett terback Scott Mitchell, were tied last year because we had to play a Favre was one of the who has one year re­ most sought-after peo­ lot of rookies." Faz>o says. "But 111 have a lit­ maining on his contract, tle bit more experience to work with." Team ple at Super Bowl XXX. won't move quickly' on a insiders still consider the loss of Dungy dev­ yet his team didn’t even long-term extension. astating. He was perhaps the best "people per­ make it to the big show Mitchell, who said late son" in the organization abd was able to woo Since winning the Most last season that he want­ free agents with his reputation, linebacker Valuable Player award, Favre has been as ed to stay in Detroit because he believes the Jack Del Rio. who could get released before offense is destined for great things, has be­ busy as a bee attending dinners and interview his contract extension kicks in. says he came sessions. This week. h ell start for the NFC in come leery after Owner William Clay F o rd s to Minnesota to play for Dungy and wouldn’t the Pro Bowl. Favre says he will spend the win-a-playoff-game-or-else ultim atum to mind following him south. majority of the offseason at his parents' home Coach Wayne Fontes. During the team 's lateU n r t a c k r needed: Replacing linebacker season seven-game winning streak, it ap­ in Kiln, Miss., because its very difficult for Broderick Thom as, who was released recent­ peared Fontes was secure. But after a humil­ him to relax in Green Bay. He is currently ne­ ly. is the top priority. The team also plans lo iating 58-37 first-round playoff loss to the Ea­ gotiating sponsorship deals for automobile, add a few defensive linemen via free agency telephone. T-shirt and shampoo products, fn gles, Fontes’ situation becam e less stable.

Mitchell might not want to commit to a long­ the meantime, he will have surgery on his an­ The Broncos’ Shane Dronett and the C harg­ ers' Shawm Lee are other possibilities. Bay­ term deal without knowing the coach or of­ kle to clean up any damage left over from a lor’s D aryLG ardener is a possibility in the fensive system he will be directing. Team of­ severe sprain suffered in the middle of the first round of the draft. Fazio savs he would ficials would like to sign him before next sea­ season. like to retain free-aeent defensive end Roy On tfcf am id: A ssistant coach Gil Haskell was son, maybe stretching out his contract for an Barker to help the continuity —Curt BROU released from a Dallas hospital and returned additional season and lessening the burden

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

DETROIT LIONS

(/REEN BAY PACKERS

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The Sporting News

26 • NFC NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

TAMRA RAY BUCCANEERS

Comeback planned: Frank W arren, who spent 13 seasons as a defensive lineman with the team. has decided to resum e his playing ca­ reer after working the past year as an assistant coach. W arren's comebackr however, appar­ ently won t be as a Saint W arren. 36. informed Coach Jim Mora about his intentions about two weeks before the '95 regular sea­ son ended and has subsequently started working out twice daily. “Frank indicated to me a desire to play for the Saints, but at the present time we have no plans to sign him." says Mora, who won't comment further about why W arren's attempted return isn't wel­ comed. The team has a dire need for help at defensive line. W arren says he will give the team a chance to match any offer he receives.

Run on coordinators: Linebackers coach Jim H aslett who took the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator post offered by Tony Dungy, be­ came the fourth Mora assistant in IO seasons to leave the team and become a coordinator.

The three previous also have been on de­ fense. Two were voluntary — Dom Capers to the Steelers in ‘92 and Vie Fangio to the Pan­ thers in *95. The one involuntary departure was Steve Sidweil. whom Mora fired atter the ■94 season. Sidweil ended up as the coordina­ tor for an Oilers defense that ranked fifth.

Tile Saints ranked No. 22 on defense las! sea­ son ... Steve Trimble has resigned as a quali­ ty control assistant on defense after one year.

Trimble. 37. also assisted with the defensive backs.

—M re Stow

Sharpe carve: The team had considered signing former Packers wide re­ ceiver Sterling Sharpe, but its medical staff ad­ vised against the move.

Sharpe; 30. suffered a serious neck injury late in the 1994 season and underwent an opera­ tion last February' to repair the top two cervi­ cal vertebrae of his spinal column. But team physician Arthur Bartolozzi says ifs going to be difficult for Sharpe to find a team that will give him medical clearance. T h e general consensus among ail spine surgeons would be that he should not play," Bartolozzi says.

“Ive contacted a num ber of people across the country and nobody really would clear him.

Its a risky problem. If they becom e loose and you break your neck, you don’t becom e para­ lyzed. You die. A head-on injury, who knows if those screws are going to hold? Just the thought of it is scaryT Welcome back: Coach Ray Rhodes says he wants offensive tackle Bernard Williams to return for the 1996 season. Williams, the te a m s 1994 No. I draft pick. started 16 gam es as a rookie but missed the entire 1995 sea son for two violations of the league’s drug policy. Williams was replaced last season by rookie Barrett Brooks, w*ho stru g g le d .... Bob Ackees officially left his post as director of football administration to become the Dol­ phins' director of football operations. The team will receive future considerations for letting^Ackles out of the remaining two years of His contract, probably a late-round draft pick or even a player.

— PML D M V ITD l

Happy rotors: Form er coach Bill Walsh begins work at the team ’s com­ plex this week. Al­ though W alsh is trying to low-key his new role as administrative assis­ tant to the coaching staff, som e believe h e ll soon be running the offense, not working in an advisory role to co­ ordinator Marc Trestm an. Walsh insists he will not fill a decision-making job or call plays in gam es. No m atter the final re s u lt the arrangem ent is unusual' a Hall of Fame head coach returning as an assistant in the city where he made his reputation. Walsh has been asked to help Trestm an return the team to the basics of its offense. M any players be­ le v e they* got away from those basics over the last few seasons and that W alsh’s offense has become almost unrecognizable.

What to (to? Offensive line and backfield help are the priorities on the team ’s offseason shop­ ping fist Left tackle Steve Wallace, who was troubled by a shoulder injury', had a subpar season and might be replaced next season byKirk Scrafford. A light-salaried backup could be obtained off the free-agent roster. T h e first backfield need is at running back, although the team also will look for a fullback in case William Floyd doesn’t make it back from his knee su rg e rie s .... Strong safety' Tun M cDon­ ald is waiting to hear w hether the 49ers will pay him the $2.4 million required by his 1996 contract or make him a free a g e n t McDonald, whose contract has been restructured and re­ duced several times, was promised a decision

by February 15.

—ta i M UB

Hard a t work: New Coach Tony Dungy w asted little time putting together a staff, hiring Saints lineback­ ers coach Jim Haslett as his defensive coordina­ tor and Vikings tight ends coach Chris Foerster to oversee the of­ fensive line. Lions offensive coordinator Tom M oore was believed to be Dungy's top choice to fill the sam e job in Tampa, but M oore still has a year rem aining on his contract and Coach W ayne Fontes is unlikely to release him. Another candidate. Steelers running backs coach Dick Hoak, wasn’t available un­ til after the Super B o w l... Dungy will have a say in personnel m atters, but General Man­ ager Rich McKay, director of player person­ nel Jerry Angelo and director of college scouting Tun Ruskei] will remain the key evaluators of free agents and draft picks. The team has m ore than $11 million to spend on free agents and owns four of the top 41 picks in the d raft A Hardy farewell? Middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson praises the hiring of Dungy, but say's it won’t necessarily get him to re-sign. “I don’t know if it would m ake it any easier for me to come back to the B u c s / he says, “lf they want to step up and do som ething, there is time to do som ething. But as far as I’m con­ cerned. I’m waiting to becom e a free a g e n t”...

Q uarterback Trent Differ, who has struggled through his first two seasons, also welcomed Dungy and says he trusts Dungy will hire an offensive coordinator who can bring out the best in him.

—f e n PuHJH

NEW YORK GIANTS

ST. LOLIS RAMS

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Tag team: The team must decide what to do with the franchise-player tag currently placed on vet­ eran offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott.-Although the Giants would like to re-sign Elliott, they might try to do so without a franchise tag. One option is to change the franchise designation to a transition tag and place it on free-agent cor­ nerback Philippi Sparks — a cornerstone of the defense and one of the best in the league at the position. The other transition player is tight end Howard C ro ss.... Co-Owner Robert Tisch and (LM (George Young say the team would like to re-sign running back Rodney*Hampton.

Some players and coaches do not believe Ty­ rone Wheatley is ready to become the featured back. ... Quarterback Dave Browns agent ljeigh Steinberg, was scheduled to meet with Young this week. The two sides would like to complete work on a new contract before the free-agency penod begins February 16.

Long ball? .Assuming Mike Sherrard leaves via i m ' agency, the team s top two receivers will be Thom as Lewis and Chris Callowav.

Both are solid, but neither provides enough ot a deep threat to scare opponents, which is why the team might look for a long-ball threat in the draft or free agency. The team ranked iast in the NFL in passing offense in '95.... lf Michael Brooks re-signs, it should be as an outside linebacker. The experim ent of mov­ ing him into the middle did not w ork.... One of the key developments on the defensive line will be end Jamal D uffs ability to improve his run-stopping skills. He plans to spend the off­ season bulking up.

—HEI BEST

Sapor Bovl Rams: Five former players were on Super Bowl rosters of Dallas and Pittsburgh. including Steelers starters Kevin G reene and Tom Newberry.

"For a team like the Rams to give up five ex-players and we all end up in the Super Bowl, what does that m ean?' says Dallas nickel back Robert Bailey. Bailey and Pittsburgh special teams whiz Tim Lester were cut in training camp. Newberry and Dal­ las special teams tackling leader David Lang signed as free agents during the offseason. “I feel our hands were tied when I played for the Rams." says Greene, who signed with the Steelers in 1993. “I know they paid my bills and so forth. But as a team — the players — we didn't feel we had the support from the owner. We didn’t feel we had the support from the administrative staff." Greene has led the Steelers in sacks three consecutive seasons.

Lester was Jerom e Bettis' lead blocker for much of the 1993 and *94 seasons, but there wasn't a place for him in the new offense.

Walks, talks like a Duck: Coach Rich Brooks filled two staff openings internally. Steve Greatwood was moved to offensive line coach from tight ends coach, replacing fired Dan Radakovich. Nick .Alioth has been shifted to special team s coach from safeties coach, re­ placing refired Wayne Sevier. John RamsdeU was switched to tight ends coach from offen­ sive quality control. Steve Brown will coach com erbacks after serving as defensive quali­ ty control assistant. Greatwood. Alioth. Rams* deU and Brown all played or coached under Brooks at Oregon.

—J a i THOMAS

Trade talk: T he Rams and Jets have expressed early interest in thirdyear quarterback Gus Frerotte, and the Steel­ ers and Raiders could join the chase if they lose Ned O'Donnell and Jeff H ostetler to free agency. Redskins Gen­ eral M anager Charley C assady denied re ­ ports he would swap first-round picks with the Jets, throwing in Frerotte for the right to move up from sixth to first overall At this point of the scouting process, th e re s no play­ er in the draft team officials Tee! they m ust have. And if Frerotte returns to W ashington and moves to another team after next season as a restricted free agent, the team would re­ ceive a first-round pick as compensation. ...

The team signed wide receiver Greg McM urtry. who sat out last season after playing four seasons for the Patriots and one season for the Bears. M cM urtry. 28. has 128 career catches, including a career-high 41 for the 1991 Patriots.

History maker. Only four team s have lost twice to the sam e opponent in a season and •still reached the Super Bow l and receivers coach Terry Robiskie has been on both ends of the issue. Robiskie was an assistant for the 1983 Raiders, who lost twice to Seattle before beating the Redskins for the title. And Ro­ biskie helped the Redskins defeat the Cow­ boys twice last season. T he 1969 Chiefs lost twice to Oakland and the 1970 Cowboys fell twice to the C ardinals.... Rookie guard Brian T hure underw ent surgery on a finger, and defensive tackle Tim Johnson will have an el­ bow operation this week.

—t a i ELHI

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The Boc s t a t s hare: D un® is working quickly to build a winner fo r Tampa Bay.

February 5,1996

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efore the Dream Season, the 102 record, the first Rose Bowl ap­ pearance since 1949. the Charl­ ton Heston overdose and the purple mania, there was this: “Uh. this is Coach Smith of Northwestern University, which is located near Chicago and is a member in good stand­ ing of the Big Ten Conference."

Ai least thats the way Jeff Genyk remem­ bers the recruiting pitches. Genyk should know because he oversees Northwestern’s football operations and coordinates the pro­ gram’s recruiting efforts.

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“In m any cases." Genyk says, “th e re w as a lack of g e n e ra l aw a ren e ss of N o rth w e ste rn University."

M aking a pitch to a prized high school play­ e r often w as g re e te d with ex p ressio n le ss, blank sta re s, as if you w ere looking into the eye of a ch ick en . So lacking in know ledge w ere som e recruits that they probably thought th e school w as located not in Evanston, but in th e Pacific northw est. .All th at b egan to ch an g e after th e W ildcats s h o c k e d N o tre D am e in th e seaso n o p en e r and later u p set Penn Slate and M ich ig an an d n e a r ly b e a t S o u t h e r n California in the Rose Bowl. S uddenly Gary B arnett was doing "The T onight Show" — that is. w hen he w asn't tu rn ­ ing dow n offers from G eorgia and UC LA. D ar­ nel! Autry b ecam e th e co u n try 's m ost reco g ­ nizable th e a te r m ajor. N o rth w estern becam e A m erica's sw eeth eart.

No d um m ies. B arnett and Genyk expanded and refin ed th e ir re c ru itin g plan. .As always, th ey w ould sell N o rth w e ste rn 's tradition of academ ics, as well as its affiliation with th e Big T en. But now they could sell an actual football

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The Sporting News

program T h e resu lts w ere immediate.

"D uring this year we've been able to remain involved in the recruiting of the top-flight b lu e chip players in the country." G enyk says. " I t s to the point now with the exposure, the dream season, the Am erica's-team thing, that th e r e s a great deal of aw aren ess, a d esire to learn m ore. Previously, a lot of the top-flight ath­ letes would show no in te re s t" Rick K im brel. m anaging editor of Bluechip Illustrated, one of the leading recruiting pub­ lications. says: T h e c a lib e r of football player t h a t s looking at N orthw estern is ou tstand ­ ing*" .As next W ednesday’s national signing day ‘approaches. N orthw estern has oral com m it­ m e n t for nearly all its available scholarship s, which num ber. G enyk says, betw een 13 and 17. It is a relatively sm all recru iting class, but onlv• b e c a u se th e W ild cats have 19 of 24 starters returning in 1996.

Setae! c w y Mf. Hamedy chose the Wildcats over Michigan and Ohio State.

NCAA rules don’t allow Genyk to discuss specific recruits. However, he did say the school was attracting more quality* athletes (who also meet Northwestern’s rigid acade­ mic entrance standards) than ever before.

"Early on Cm Barnett’s tenure), maybe we were only batting I for 20 on recruiting top­ flight players." he says. “As we continue to , get better, we're now able to get a handful of that 20."

Asked to update the batting percentage, Genyk says. “L e ts just say its up dramati­ cally."

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.Among th o se p layers who have given N orthw estern an oral com m itm en t is Ja c k : H am edy. an offensive linem an from Mount C arm el High S ch o o l in C h icago. H am ed y I was wooed by M ichigan. O klahom a. M ichi- • gan State. Illinois. Stanford . O hio State and Indiana, but he w asted little tim e ch o o sin g j N orthw estern "I was just so im pressed by the way Coach Barnett and (assistant) coach (G regg) B ran ­ don presented N orthw estern." says H am edy. who had attended football cam ps at M ichigan and N orthw estern “W ith th e acad em ics, you c a n ’t go w rong — that was th e m ain thing.

And th e c o a c h e s and th e players w ere so open T h ey brought you into their family. It was ’Wow' ~ you w ere blown away."

He must have been. H am edy can celed his . o th e r recru itin g trips and com m itted to the W ild cats im m ediately9 after h is official visit.

He says he feels even better about his deci­ sion now .

"When they were having such a great sea­ son. I could tell this is how it would be for a while." he says.

With such a small incoming class, Hamedy already has become friends with fellow Northwestern recruits Ned Carroll, a secondteam all-state offensive lineman from Chica­ go’s S t Patrick High School, and Ty Gamer. a top offensive and defensive lineman from St. Mary's Springs in Fond du Lac. Wis. Corbett Elsen. a quarterback from East Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., also has committed to the Wildcats. Hamedy. Carroll and Gamer attended the Wildcats* Rose Bowl welcome-back celebration at the Evanston campus. Gamer even stays at H am edys house on occasion.

W e ’ve talked about why we went (to Northwestern)." Hamedy says. T h a t’s-all we talk about."

Still to be determined is whether Barnett and his staff can sign the Top 10-type of re­ cruit, the elite high school player of the year.

For perhaps the first time in Barnett’s fouryear tenure. Northwestern has begun to find itself in what recruiting evaluator Allen Wal­ lace calls. T h e better Irving rooms." The rea­ son; a storybook season.

Case in point: Wallace, who works for SuperPrep Magazine, says Northwestern was briefly on wide receiver/defensive back Troy Gamer’s short list. Considered by some to be one of the best players in the country. Gamer, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., will sign with USG. In previous years. Northwestern was bare­ ly a blip on the football radar screen. Now the Wildcats leave purple imprints everywhere.

Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by rival schools.

If they consider Northwestern to be on their level now. that’s fine with Barnet! and his staff, who pride themselves on being re­ lentless recruiters. When wooing Gam er, they basically told him that if he wanted the best in academics and athletics. Northwest­ ern — and not just, say, Notre Dame or Stan­ ford — was now in a position to offer th at It was a claim the Wildcats couldn’t make be^ fore 1995.

Now they should be able to continue to build on their momentum beyond merely this season. Kimbrel says. T h e y could be the Stan­ ford of the Midwest" he says, ‘'because Bar­ nett is one of the most charismatic coaches."

But an unexpected Rose Bowl appearance doesn’t always guarantee recruiting success.

The recruiting class signed by Wisconsin af­ ter the Badgers’ 1994 visit to Pasadena was regarded by some as a disappointment The way Genyk sees it the real trickledown effect of Northwestern's on-field suc­ cess will come in 199C. not 1996. T h ats be­ cause the coaching staff will have had a full year to establish contacts with players who. in past seasons, might not have considered Northwestern an option.

B u t W’allace warns, the situation can change quickly. “When you’re h o t you’re hot." he says. “Most of these (high-profile re­ cruits). thev’re out so much for themselves.

They follow their own drummer."

Translation: Few of the top players want to sign with one-vear wonders.

Kimbrel and Wallace characterize North­ western's recruiting season as solid but not yet in the nation’s elite. Kimbrel says the Wildcats mav rn finish with about the fifthstrongest group in the Big Ten. Of course, that could change next Wednes­ day. .All it takes is a signature or two. ♦ Gene Wojciechowski is a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT

Ogden will take his shot at track before going pro Its plenty imaginable. Ogden will go in the first few picks. The rumor last week went that his hometown Redskins would send Gus Frere tie to the Jets as part of a package to swap places and take Ogden with the first pick.

Trouble this soon?

The .Austin (Tex.) American-Statesman re­ ported last week that the NCAA already is in­ vestigating new Oklahoma Coach John Blake Ivan for recruiting violations. The main allega­ tions concerned Blake's using his ties to the Dallas Cowboys, where he coached the de­ fensive line before returning to his alma CLA senior offensive tackle Jona­ mater, to lure prospective student athletes. than Ogden went to Oklahoma City The American-Statesman reported that Cow­ last week for the formal presenta­ boy’s Coach Barry Switzer, the Sooners leg­ tion of the Outland Trophy, the award presented by the Football Writersend, As­ [visited with some recruits in Norman and that some Cowboys players made phone sociation of America to the nation’s out­ calls to recruits. Blake denies that any m em ­ standing interior lineman. When he arrived b er of the Cowboys has been used to help in at the black-tie dinner and got his first look at recruiting. the trophy, his shoulders slumped and he let Oklahoma hired Blake in an attempt to out an. “Oh my goodness!" rekindle the Sooners football played under The plaque on the sculpture read.

Switzer. This wasn’t the side the university "Jonathan Ogden, 1995 Outland Trophy wanted to see.

Winner, University of South­ ern California."

You may as well label Newt Gingrich “Democrat of Until three weeks ago, the Year."

Frank Howard came to his “Of all the schools." Og­ office at Jervey Athletic Cen­ den said. But he handled the ter at Clemson every day. In error well — literally. While that role and in other ways, r n , Colorado State defensive | Howard, who died last Friday back Greg Myers, who re­ \ . - v ° at 86, served as a relic of anceived die Jim Thorpe Award 3 other time in college football at the same event, posed I He coached the Tigers for 30 * with his trophy pointed to­ years (1940 through ’69), re­ ward the camera, the 6-foottiring with six Atlantic Coast XV. 8. 310-pound Ogden either Conference titles and a turned the trophy away* from record of 165-118-12 (5 8 0 ). t a g h ttM t Blake is rekin­ the camera or placed his I regarded him with awe, dling the wrong kind o f Soon­ huge right hand over the in part because he was a ers memories. plaque. member of the first graduat­ When the dinner ended, the plaque came ing class of my high school (Murphy in Mo­ off. The engravers got a second chance the bile. Ala.) and I was a member of the 5 1 s t next day. They may not know who Ogden is, Howard had a big body and an equally big but rest assured the NFL does. sense of humor. When the university presi­ He is one of those handful of players who dent asked him not to publicize his $25,000 salary, so as not to rile up the professors, had no need to play' in one <4 the postseason all-star games. Ogden has spent the last month Howard replied. “Don’t worry. Tm as preparing for track season. In the shot put, he ashamed of it as you are." finished fourth in the NCAA last season (61 feet I Vs inches) and his goal for this spring is Recruiting notes to qualify for the Olympic trials. “I need to Ohio State has a commitment from defen­ throw 3 or 4 feet longer." Ogden says. The au­ sive back/wide receiver Garrett Shea of Cali­ tomatic qualifying distance is 63 feet l l 3/* fornia. and one month after his father. Terry, inches, so Ogden needs fewer than 3 feel became the head coach at Rutgers, Garrett lf his pursuit of the Olympic trials conflicts still plans to be a Buckeye. Ohio Stale Coach with the plans his future NFL team has for John Cooper has told Garrett there would be him. the trials will take precedence. Ogden no hard feelings should he want to play for his takes the shot p u t something he has pur­ dad. But so far. the commitment holds. Shea sued since seventh grade, seriously. It fig­ has attended summer camps in Columbus. ured into his selection of UCLA over Florida Ohio State coaches figure Shes will play in the and Notre Dame. The Bruins had a better secondary'.... Colorado Coach Rick Neuheisel track program than the other two schools. appears to have won the battle over Washing­ Then-Bruins coach Terry# Donahue had said ton quarterback phenom Adam Bledsoe, that once Ogden reached the second team in younger brother af Drew. The Buffaloes re­ football, he could miss spring practice in ceived an oral commitment last week. ♦ favor of track.

“I can’t im agine an N FL team would be up­ Ivan Maisel covers college football for set with m e going to the trials," O gden says.

Sewsday.

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 31

February 5,1996 c

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There’s more than a gold medal at stake for the 11 talented, tough women of the U .S .

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nce upon a time, there was a little girl named Valerie who loved to play basket­ ball

M A SC H T IS A

basketball story has turned o u i As the liaison between the NBA and the women’s national team, the point person who oversees market­ ing and promotion, Ackerman has a front-row view of what the tides of change have wrought She sees crowds of 6.000 and more at games. She sees young girls standing in line for players’ autographs. She sees Sheryl Swoopes' Nike shoe being bought off the shelves. She sees the national television cov­ erage. She hears male colleagues talking about how the Syracuse women '$ team upset Connecticut the night before.

T h e re are days when I shake my head that all of this has come ab o u t’ Ackerman says.

“In ray day, it was more than unthinkable."

By any account the past four months have been a breakthrough period for women's bas­ ketball Building on years of steadily growing

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. She had posters of John Havlicek and Jerry West on her bedroom wall She wore basketball shoes de­ signed for boys. And when it came time to leave her home in New Jersey and go off to college, she was one of the very first girls to get a basketball scholarship to Virginia, where she played small forward in relative obscurity before a handful of fans.

Val Ackerman grew up. graduated from Vir­ ginia, played professional ball in France, went to law school and eventually joined the NBA t where she is the league's vice president of business affairs.

These days, she is amazed to see how her

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February 5,19%

popularity at the collegiate level, the U.S. team has elevated the sport . to superstar appeal with a 21-stop collegiate barnstorm ing tour. The wildly successful trip, part of a unique year-long training program in preparation for the Olympics, has brought out corporate sponsors, fans and the m edia And, inevitably, expectations.

With a new professional league planned for next fall and advertisers perking up for the first time. 11 players carry- the future of women's basketball on their shoulders as they head to A tlanta WHI they have a fairy-tale ending, with a gold medal around their necks and their sport firmly entrenched in the American psyche? Or. if they fail to win the gold, will it be a setback to their dream s of a professional league in the United States?

here is absolutely trem endous pressure on this team.- Ack­ erm an says.

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A good deal of .that, pressure stem s from this grand exper­ iment, the year-long training program. When the U.S. women lost to the Unified Team in Barcelona in 1992 and came hom e with the bronze, it was em barrassing and eye-opening for USA Basketball.

Clearly the Americans were hurt by their system — if you could call pulling together women who had been playing the international game just a few weeks before the Olympics a ‘‘system."

“Basketball is a team gam e — you can't just say ‘H e re s a ball and le ts go." current U.S. Coach Tara VanDerveer says. “You need time to be together."

The NBA, the m arketing arm of USA basketball, used its vast re­ sources and impressive track record to bring together a team of spon­ sors to bankroll the extended training period. Kraft, Champion. Tambrands. State Farm, Sears, Lifetime Television. Topps and Nike have pumped m ore than $15 million into the project The decision wasn't made simply because the U.S. had lost the gold in the last O lym pics.

The climate also helped.

T im in g is one of the biggest factors in this,**.Ackerman says.

“W om en's basketball is in a strong growth period. We couldn't have done this even five years ago."

In the past five years, the women's game has gained momentum.

The skill level has risen steadily. Players have achieved name recog­ nition — Jennifer Azzi from Stanford. Dawn Staley at Virginia, U sa Leslie at Southern California. A ttendance is up. topping m e n s pro­ gram s at som e schools.

“T hings are definitely different" says T eresa Edw ards. who has been playing overseas since ending her collegiate career in 1986. T h e public is becom ing well-educated."

The NCAA Tournam ent has provided steady dram a as well. In ’93.

Swoopes scored a record 47 points in leading Texas Tech to the title: in *94. N orth Carolina won the cham pionship on a shot at the buzzer, and fast season Connecticut — propelled by Rebecca Lobo — capped an undefeated season by beating Tennessee. T he last game provided a w atershed for the s p o rt pulling down TV ratings of 5.7, surpassing those generated by an NBA gam e the sam e day.

“W e’ve looked at the growth of w om en's basketball the increase in popularity, and we feel there's significant growth potential." ESPN pro­ gram m ing executive John WUdhack says. His network has exclusive rights to the w om en's NCAA Tournam ent this year and also is tele­ vising several national team g a m e s “I t s a very appealing sp o rt" O ther factors have helped drive in terest WTomen have benefited from so m e fan disenchantm ent with m en's professional sp o rts A quarter of a century after the adoption of Title DC. perceptions about wom en’s sports are finally starting to change. Fa­ thers are interested. And the product is easily accessible.

“I always said women's basketball would be the first sport to break through," says Sue Levin, m arketing m anager for w om en’s -sports at Nike. “Girls play the sam e game. Any sportsw riter can go out and cov­ er a girls game. And Americans have a love affair with basketball."

National team player Azzi has seen an attitude change, too.

“W hen I was little, playing basketball wasn't the cool thing to do."

Azzi says, “Now it is."

All of which m ade the w om en’s version of the “Dream Team" — com plete with Spike Lee-produced Nike ads, Swoopes going one-onone with M ichael Jordan and autograph cards — a natural.

“It feels like it’s time to take things up to another level" VanDerveer says. he tour has been exhausting and logistically mind-boggling.

It has covered 25.584 miles and passed through 26 airports, and that doesn’t include a recent trip to Siberia and upcoming trips to China and Australia. The team is scheduled to play international exhibitions throughout the country this spring, ing one at the w om en’s Final Four in Charlotte. It also will make ap­ pearances at the NBA AB-Star gam e next week in San Antonio.

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In each city, the players have made appearances, signed at auto­ graph sessions and been swamped with interview requests. "It feels like the Final Four every day." VanDerveer says.

Though the team has happily discovered pockets of interest ail across the country, the tour also has the feel of a traveling revival meet­ ing. out to convert the nonbelievers. VanDerveer has always told her team s that som eone might be watching women's basketball for' the first time, and she doesn’t want them to leave disappointed. "lf people come to a women's gam e and they see a bad gam e, with sloppy play. they might say, ‘Oh. that’s the way it is,’ and never come back." VanDerveer says. T h e y wouldn’t do that at a poorly played m en’s game. Sometimes we don’t get the benefit of the do u b t" VanDerveer doesn’t have to exhort this team to sell itself. The play­ ers include Edwards, aiming for her fourth Olympic team. Swoopes.

Leslie, Azzi. Staley. Katrina McClain, Carla M cGhee. Katy Steding.

Nikki McCray and Lobo. All but McCray and Lobo have played pro­ fessionally overseas. They all gave up significant income — in Mc­ Clain's case a reported $300,000 — for the chance to earn $50,000 play­ ing for their country. T heir goal is to win a gold medal, certainly, but also to provide the impetus for the professional league. They're already convinced of the importance of converting the heathens.

T h a t’s nothing new to any of us." Azzi says. “W e're all pioneers in this sp o rt" According to Ackerman, the tour has exceeded sponsors' expecta­ tions. They are reaching teenagers, young professional women and families. Attention has come from media outlets as diverse as TSN. Cosmopolitan. M en's Journal. Ebony and Newsweek. Lifetime has pro­ duced personal vignettes on the players, who — to a woman —- can easily be sold as role models.

“If you were looking for evidence that there is a m arket here for teenage girls, then the tour has proved th a t" Levin says. "Little girls don’t have sports heroes. But if you build them, they will come." .And it doesn't hurt that the team has been beating Top 25 programs by an average of 48.7 points. B u t as VanDerveer says, those scores don't guarantee anything. T h e bad thing is that we may be creating a false sense of security in the American public." VanDerveer says.

“Yeah. we can beat Stanford by 40 points, but so could Russia. Cuba and Brazil." .All of the attention and talk of broader implications haven't dis­ tracted VanDerveer and her team from their ultimate goal: the gold medal. .And the coach disagrees that the year-long hype adds pressure.

“I feel it’s less pressure than more," VanDerveer says. “W hen you just throw a team together, then you have excuses. I like to prepare for an exam."

But everyone knows the gold medal and perceptions of women's basketball are lin k e d No sponsors are signed up for the women’s team beyond the Olympics, and there are no plans to make this training pro­ gram a perm anent part of Olympic preparation. "lf they don't win the gold, it’s definitely a setback," .Ackerman says.

“It won't kill off women's basketball — we're beyond that- But it may make USA Basketball disinclined to pursue something like this again."

The sponsors' worst nightm are would be if the team failed to make the gold-medal gam e altogether. In Barcelona, the U.S. team wasn't even seen by the U.S. public.

“Obviously, they need to get into the gold medal gam e so the world will see them." Levin says, “lf they aren’t able to make a lasting im­ pression on the viewing public, then a big opportunity has been missed."

And, though the players argue otherwise, missing the gold medal would also hurt the professional league. T he American Basketball League plans to start in 12 cities next fail, with nine of the U.S. players already signed. The generic response — from the NBA. ESPN and po­ tential sponsors — is “wait and see."

“How we direct our interest is still up in the air." .Ackerman says.

Levin believes there is a need to capitalize on the Olympics, but the quality of the league might suffer in the rush. And Nike would want to be associated with only a first-class operation.

T m concerned that we don’t have an awful lot of time." Levin Says.

The players firmly believe a league will succeed.

‘W h eth er or not we need a league here has nothing to do with w hether we win the gold medal," Azzi says, speaking on a cellular phone while riding on a bus to Boulder. Colo., another stop to sell her sp o rt T h o s e are two separate things. A league would be a continua­ tion for the players you see through college. A league would be the best way to develop basketball, lf we had a league, we wouldn't need to do this."

W hatever the future holds, all participants in the women's Dream Team believe basketball wifl be included.

"If history* proves that this team is not the spark that lights the fuse that blows up W omens professional basketball, then that spark will come from som ew here else," Levin says. T h i s is a good opportunity. includ­ But the growth is not going to stop." + Ann Killion is a columnist for the San Jose Mercury News.

‘lf they don’t win the gold, ifs definitely a setback. It won’t kill off women’s basketball — we’re beyond that. But it may make USA Basketball disinclined to pursue something like this again.’

Valerie Ackerm an,

NBA vice president of business affairs

The Sporting News

34 • COLLEGE BASKETBALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT

Vulgarity and bigotry are nothing to cheer about out som e of the others. Only he didn't say "others."

“Ifs not New Mexico State's fault." Green­ berg says. “Ifs happening other places. It's a rem inder there still is a lot of hate out there."

A Only two days after that incident. AlabamaBirmingham played a Conference USA game at M emphis and afterward charged that fans in the student section behind the visitors' bench were taunting forwards Jam es Bristow Mike and C hris Lee by calling. “Hey. boy."

DeCOURCY throughout the game.

Coach Gene Bartow says. T o me. that’s a racial rem ark. In my 34 years around the game. I just never heard anybody say. ‘Hey. he panic was out there, ready to beboy.’ like that. You read about what went on pin. and Seth G reenberg merely 20 years ago ... but I just had never encoun­ wanted to give his Long Beach tered anvilling like th a t" State team a last few m essapes to G reenberg and Bartow happen to be two rem em ber. So he opened the flaps of the of the finest gentlem en in the game. So when m arker board, and all the 49ers pol a pretty Bartow savs if Bristow had climbed over the good idea of what was waiting for them at bench to chase his heckler. “I’m not sure if I New Mexico State. would have blamed him that much." it seem s On the face of the board, scrawled by some prudent to listen. cretin who m anaged to pet into the visiting These two incidents are only the most re­ locker room, was a statem ent violently mix­ cent. Last season in the W estern Athletic ing profanity and antisemitism that no doubt Conference. Wyoming Coach Jobv Wright al­ unsettled even.- person in the room. leged that fans at Texas-El Paso aimed racial New Mexico State's hom ecourt advantage slurs at him. and Brigham Young’s team had was enhan& d. Mission accomplished ... but its Mormon affiliation defamed by fans at Col­ not necessarily completed. Late in the game. orado State. M emphis Coach L am ' Finch re­ a Long Beach defeat already assured, a spec­ acted rn Barrow s comments by pointing out tator in the NMSL student section called to how ugly the tans had been to his team just G reenberg to “play the white boys' and take

T

Switching sides

'

HTien he was coaching at Southern C a1. George Ravelmg was a vocal critic of summ er invitational cam ps for college prospects, such as the Nike .All-American Camp. He talked about get­ ting the NCAA involved in the business, which seemed like haring the government run health care. but now he has a better idea.

H eil change the system from within Raveling, who retired after a debilitating auto accid en t"^ the fall of 1994. accepted an offer from Nike to run its annual camp, He already is m aking changes, moving the players from a plush downtown Indi­ anapolis hotel to more modest accom m odations, and the com petition from the RCA Dome to the cam pus of Indiana U niversity/Purdue University at Indianapolis.

T h e y wanted som eone who had a lot of camp expelienee, who could model the camp in a way the NCAA and Nike would be proud of it." Raveling says. T h e y 'v e never had anybody m aking decisions at the cam p who h ad a c o lle g e b a s k e tb a ll

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background, who under­ stood the ru les" That led to situations such as flying .Allen Iverson home for his felony trial in july 1993 before the camp ended, then back for a camp all-star gam e. "I said I thought the sum m er cam ps and competition had gotten out of con­ trol. and I continue to be­ lieve that." says Raveling. who also is working as a TY commentator.

Cants aren't crumbling

I If you're talking strictly j about what happens on the I court. Louisville's Denny i Crum is coaching as well as anybody this season.

I The program appears to j be falling apart: an internal I investigation into possible \ NCAA rules violations con­ tinues: assistant coach Larry ; (jay resigned after being ac­ cused of im proper recruiting ; in a series of newspaper arti­ I cles. projected starters Jason ; O sborne and .Alex Sanders I are academically ineligible; i star center Samaki Walker is being held out by the school while the NCAA checks into how he procured an automo­ j

J

bile; athletic forward Eric Johnson is done for the year with a knee injury; and fresh­ man guard Charlie Taylor left die team for personal reasons.

But with all that, the Car­ dinals went 3-0 last week. in­ cluding a 73-76 upset victory at UCLA improving to 14-6.

T h i s is a group of guys that are a lot of fun to be around." Crum says. "In spite of the fact they know they're not as talented, they still think they can win."

OtheifeftOK . T he small trium ph that em erged in G eorgetow n's stunning 83-72 loss at St. Jo h n 's was an 11-point per­ form ance by senior center Othella H arrington, once considered the heir to the Ewing-Mouming-Mutombo mantle.

Of course, l l points doesn’t seem like much, but it m arked the first time this season he reached double figures in four consecutive gam es. He averaged L5.3 points in that stretch, more than three above his aver­ age. Georgetow n Coach John Thom pson says one

Ugly issue: Greenberg wasn't pleased with New Mexico State's home-court advantage. two w eeks earlier at South Florida.

“Unfortunately," G reenberg says, “people think they’re part of the game." Now. where do you suppose they got that idea?

So many colleges have placed their student sections directly behind the visiting benches, subtly imploring those who sit there to make the necessary ruckus to disrupt the enemy and generate a home-court advantage.

So many of those students have noticed the excessive media attention accorded groups like the “Dookies" at Duke and the "Antlers" at M issouri and longed for the same collective fame. key to the surge is that Har­ rington is avoiding contact, slipping through gaps to get his shot instead of concen­ trating on getting bumped.

"I respect the kid, because a lot of kids with his reputa­ tion. 90 percent will quit and moan and complain when things go wrong." Thom p­ son savs. "H e’s never done th a i"

Selective justice Videotape replays are too selective to justify the sus­ p e n sio n -of Tem ple cen ter Marc Jackson for nailing Duke's Greg Newton in the back of the head — a play that didn’t even earn him a foul. But if that’s how its go­ ing to be. what will the At­ lantic IO do about official Bob Donato’s gag job in the sam e game?

Inside the final minute.

Duke's Chris Collins tripped Tem ple fonvard Huey Futch, and Donato blew his whistle and put his hand in the air to signal a foul. W hen another official called for a travel. Donato tried to pre­ tend he had no call in mind.

Check the tape.

T his indecision could

Too many of those students have come to believe vulgarity and bigotry are the surest m eans of accomplishing both goals.

“A lot of people are Duke wannabes, but the Duke fans do it in good humor." Green­ berg says. T h e y don’t do it with malice. They create a comic environm ent w hereas these other people take that same idea and create a hateful environm ent" The NCAA rules com m ittee designated sporting behavior as its sole "point of em­ phasis" for this season, and that is supposed to include what happens in the stands. T here are too few places, though, w here this garbage is not tolerated.

At M arquette. Athletic Director Bill Cords went into the stands a few weeks back to dis­ suade students froqi chanting a familiar twosyllable vulgarity at an opponent who com­ mitted a flagrant foul. The Southeastern Con­ ference has a rule prohibiting m em bers from placing the student body and pep band in proximity to the visitors’ bench.

T hose universities confronted with these ch arg es too often react like those idiot TV critics who im pugn every docum entary about the holocaust of the Native American with the words “politically co rrect" They dis­ m iss the m essage, which tells a truth they wish to su b v ert and focus on the m essenger.

A large part of the response from New Mexico State President J. Michael Orenduff to G reenberg’s charges was a suggestion that the coach was out of line and denigrated NMSU and the state of New Mexico. “Ignor­ ing this type of behavior is condoning it" G reenberg answered.

He suggests fans are well within the bounds of decorum when jeering an oppo­ nent who shoots an airball or a coach who has the nerve to dress differently or be bald.

“But buying a ticket does not give a person the right to attack another hum an being."

A right? At too many schools, it's consid­ ered a duty.

have been decisive, but Tem ple prevailed, 59-58. with Jackson s free throw s the difference.

Parting shots T here isn’t much to pre­ vent Kentucky from becom­ ing the first Southeastern Conference team since Al­ abama in 1955-56 to go unde­ feated in the league. The Wildcats’ five-point victory at Georgia left only four league road gam es on their sched­ ule: at Vanderbilt on Febru­ ary 7. at Tennessee on Febru­ ary 17. at Florida on February 24 and at Auburn on Febru­ ary 27. ... N ebraska Coach Danny Nee doesn't agree with the contention of Okla­ homa State’s Eddie Sutton that the Big E ight in its final season, is going out with a whimper. “I think there is one prem ier team, and that’s Kansas," Nee says, “but I think wdien it shakes out we have a lot of other quality teams." ... W hen Georgia Tech returned to a renovated .Alexander Memorial Colise­ um after playing its early home gam es at the Omni.

Coach Bobby Crem ins was concerned. “I was hoping it

wouldn’t seem foreign to us."

The Yellow Jackets won their first two ACC gam es there, wrecking Virginia and Florida S tate.... Washington reached 12-4 overall 5-2 in the Pacific IO. with its 7 1 -^ escape of California. The Huskies aren’t far from guaranteeing a win­ ning season, wdiich would be their first since 198&87. and becoming the last Pac-IO team to earn an NCAA Tour­ nam ent bid this decade. In the first two seasons under Coach Bob Bender. Wash­ ington won 14 games. Com­ bined. ... Cincinnati has hit a midseason hifl. losing its first of the season, to AlabamaBirmingham, and struggling at home against Conference USA’s weakest team, DePauL Coach Bob Huggins says he saw the CAB loss coming.

“We haven’t played with en­ thusiasm." Huggins had no enthusiasm for suggestions the Bearcats are better off not to carry the burden of an un­ beaten record. “I think you should play all of them to win." ♦

Mike DeCourcy coven col­ lege basketball fo r The Com­ mercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn,

COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 35

February 5,1996

iii

The growl is gone— for now Basketball without the Bear just won’t be the same at Texas-El Paso.

Followers of the Miners lost their ven­ erable icon when a mild heart attack and subsequent triple-bypass operation forced U T E ? Coach Don Haskins from the bench for the rest of the season.

As Haskins prepared to undergo surgery’ on his heart last week. Utah Coach Rick Majerus, who had a septuple bypass during the 1989-90 season, left his team for three days and traveled to El Paso, where the Utes played later in the week. He was with Haskins. 65. before and after the surgery, which was pro­ nounced successful.

"I’d be there for IOO guys if I could."

Majerus says. “I know about the doubts.

I know about the apprehension. I didn't care when the surgery' was going to be. I was going to be there. I was willing to for­ feit."

Majerus says the improved circulation resulting from a bypass operation can make a person feel more vital. He ex­ pects Haskins, a finalist for induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame, to return to coaching next season. "H ell stop smok­ ing. hell eat better and hell feel like he has more energy. Why shouldn't he con­ tinue?”

Those are the sort of feelings that Haskins engenders throughout the bas­ ketball community. After he suffered a heart attack during U T EFs game against New Mexico on January 20. the phones didn't stop ringing at the school or the hospital The absence of the man who has coached the Miners for 35 years weighs on the minds of U TEP faithful. *The Bear is the Bear. You’re so used to seeing him. its going to be like some­ thing is missing.” says Joanne Edens, a longtime fan.'aYou know. its always fun to see his reaction when something hap­ pens. Tm going to miss that" Some spoke as though a member of their family had been hospitalized, in­

Set w e ft For UTE?fans, the thought of Haskins not coaching is unbearable. stead of a coach whom many probablyhad never met “It was very’ sad. very sad." Salvador Gerardo savs. “I talk to him once in a while, and he’s always been a good per­ son to talk to."

Louise Compton says she had been sit­ ting behind the coach when he became ill and left the N ew Mexico game.

“Once he didn’t come back (after halfdme of that game), you had to wonder." she says. “It’s going to seem funny with­ out him there. Our minds will be on him ..."

This is the 30th anniversary of Hask­ ins' NCAA championship team, the team of five black starters that shocked Ken­ tucky’s lily-white Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA Tournament final. In the wake of that 72-65 victory by LT EP. then known as Texas Western. Haskins underwent a public excoriation, led by Kentucky Coach Adolph Rupp, for “exploiting" black athletes ill-suited for college. The

THE SKINNY: A bullish and aggressive

TSN TOF 25 I. I. I i

Team M assachusetts Kentucky Kansas Connecticut Ctodrm atf VU sw va Utah

Ik 16.

17.

Syracuse Purdue Iowa

18.

19. * C L A

20. •ncrooan 21. Auburn 22. Boston College 23.

24.

Nehru** Washington

25.

Clemson

155 14-5 154 12-4 154 12-4 12-4

fF o Ife M ^ is a groupv t top'uiksigned

players* according to Recruiting USA:

PolBtfluard:

•

Texas Tech Arizona

1

I i.

Penn State Virginia Tech

s

Georgetown Wake Forest

ID J

Ik UL 12.

Ik

RECRUITING WATCH

Comment Look out! The Minutemen clay Temple twee rn IO days. is the SEC that bad or are the Wildcats that oood?

Is the Bio B o tt that bad or are the Jayhawts that oood’ Ray Alen is the best non-center rn the nation.

The Bearcats have four breathers until Arizona on February 11 The W W cais may be peaking too early The Utes are the best shooting team rn the rtabon.

Jeff Mdnncs makes every Tar Heel better. a

North Carottm Memphis

W-L 150 17-1 15-1 18-1 13-1 153 153 154 14-3 17-3 t3-3 151 13-2 151 153 14-5 154 14-4

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7. a.

9.

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This is Byrdsong’s third season in Evanston. That first season — when the Wildcats went 15-14 and defeated De Paul in the M T — is pretty much forgotten be­ controversy became so bad that Haskins I cause the senior-dominated team was once said if he could change one thing in composed of players recruited by Bvrd* his career, he would have lost to Ken- S song's predecessor. Bill Foster Everyone is waiting for Byrdsong to tucky. make his mark.

Time heals all wounds, of course .Athletic Director Rick Taylor hasn't exHaskins’ players, including the ones he “exploited," love him. Haskins, with a ca- : artly given Byrdsong a ringing endorse­ reer record of 675-304 (.689). will be re- ; ment. He recently graded his perfor­ mance as “incomplete" and implied that membered as a great The late Rupp is remembered as a coach and a ; Byrdsong might be in trouble it he racist The Miners are 108. but only 2-7 ; doesn't land a top-flight national recruit in in the W’AC entering the week. But as the near future.

“He's got to be able to attract that long as the doctors allow him. expect Haskins to come back to coach next sea­ breakthrough prospect." Taylor says “Right now. we're not on television son. *ust like Majerus predicted. enough to get that necessary exposure " Better luck wouldn't hun. either Hopeless hoops?

Of Byrdsong’s recent recruiting class, Northwestern remains swept up in the his highest-ranked ever. only two of tour euphoria of its amazing Rose players are playing — bare­ Bowl season. The football lyteam's success has given the Guard Nick Knapp col­ entire athletic department a lapsed and nearly died dur­ sense of legitimacy, but also ing a pickup game prior lo has intensified the focus on the season. Diagnosed with the underachieving basket­ a heart condition. Knapp i< ball program that never has not allowed to play played in the NCAA Tourna­ Forward Matt Moran ment. stanch It) games and was .And that’s why North­ the team s second-ieading western's 62-52 victory over scorer and top rebounder Byrdsong Wisconsin on January 20 when he unexpectedly quit couldn’t have come at a better time for ? because he was homesick. Guard Nate Coach Ricky Byrdsong. It was only the ; Pomeday has begun to regain his quick­ Wildcats’ second Big Ten victory in the ; ness after knee surgery at the stan of the past two seasons. Northwestern was season; center Joe Harmsen recently re poised to upset Michigan State in its turned to action after missing games next game. A victory would be an indi­ because of a broken toot “Calling us snakebit would be an un­ cation the Wildcats were slowly becom­ derstatement." says Byrdsong. whose* ing respectable. .Alas. Northwestern flopped, dropping a . troops are 6-10 overall and 1-6 in the Big 68-54 decision in East Lansing. The Wild­ Ten entering the week. ‘W e’ve got the cats proceeded to lose at home lo Illinois i youngest, most inexperienced team in the Big Ten. It's a Catch-22 situation last weekend after building a five-point Freshmen love the playing time. but they halftime lead. It appears the season will can't handle the stress" skid out of control, but thaf's nothing new.

Here’s hoping the coach can Northwestern hasn’t finished above .SOO in the Big Ten since going &6 in 1967-68.

— Dr ew S harp

Does Alen Iverson try to do too much?

The Deacons occasionaly tack a tater instinct Foes had better guard Pete Lrsjcky and Co. on the 3-oomt fine Ba Foster thinks the Hoboes may be too MI of themselves.

The whale of a shaJtow SWC Pond that's about to be drained.

So far so good rn the pestJoseph Blair era.

When the Oranoemen oo on the road. they get sick.

Poor guard ofay and errabc shooing wifl doom the Boners.

A monster five-game stretch may ground the Hawkeves.

A home loss to Loutsvile proves the Brums aren! ready Lous Buttock may be the Most Valuable Wotverwe.

The Tioers have been one of the nation's surprises.

The Eagles had better ww now. because mid-February looks tough.

Danny Nee’s Huskers may be (he Big Etohfs second-best team.

The Huskies are oft to their best start smce 1983-64 Rick Barnes is proving he’s a tomydadfe coach.

Througft S a firfa y s games.

OlhefS receiving voles: C astana. Eastern Michigan, (georgia Teen. Iowa Stale. Kansas Stale. Marquette.

Stanford. Trisa. W isararvG reeti Bay The TSN Top 25 is rfetermnerf tty cofumnist MSW OeCourty and TSN erStors.

OKUMA} KAMM 6to rt, Santa Ana Valley (Cant.) High THESKINNY; Mann, a big, deceptively strong guard with excellent skiRs, can dominate with his anticipation, vision and passing. He beats foes with his scoring ability and by exploiting defensive mis­ matches that he detects.

Off-guard: KERRY HARTFIELD 6-0, Benton Harbor (MIcft.)

THESKWHY: There aren't many 6-foct offguards atmajor Division I schools, so Hartfield Beety will land ala mid-major pro­ gram. He's cat-quick and can score in bunches, pius he has great offensive in­ stincts. Hartfield causes matchup problems.

Small forward; ARTHUR DAVIS 6-4, Frankford High (PMstoptiia)

Jiigh school small forward, the explosive Davis will play off-guard in college. An ex­ cellent slasher. Davis attacks the basket­ ball with unmatched fury.

Power forward: IKE WILLIAMS .

6-6, St. Anthony High (Jer&y City, H.J.) THE SKINNY: The burly WilliaqjgpWho's an overachiever, is no longer a secret. A fierce rebounder who's still developing of­ fensively, Williams has pulled down over 20 rebounds in a game. He comes from a great program, where he's coached by Bob Hurley Sr., so he's fundamentally sound.

Center TONY MARKS 6-9, Palisades High (Los Angeles) THE SKINNY: Marks’ exceptional wingspan makes it difficult to shoot over him. When he's not blocking shots or redirecting them, Marks displays solid post moves and possesses a nice touch from 15 feet: A good athlete. Marks is capable of playing all three frontcourt spots.

36 * COLUGE BASKETBALL

The Sporting News

soft. but massive hands — prefers to play with his back to the basket at the offensive end. which has freed 6-10 senior Derrick Battie. who never liked that role, to move away from the lane. Jackson also has displayed the ability to kick the bali back lo the perim eter when he is double-teamed, which is happening with m ore regularity. That should become an even bigger factor when sophom ore guard Johnny Miller, who was supposed to carry much of the scoring load this season, fulTempte center W recovers from a shoulder injury.

Perhaps m ore than anything. Jackson has insdlled a certain mean­ For a lot of players, being forced to sit out an entire season is one ness lo the Temple backfine. of th e -more unbearable experiences imagrinable. But Tem ple’s Marc “I can’t jump worth a lick. but I know how to clear out space." says Jackson believes a year off was the best thing that could have hapJackson, who recently knocked out Duke's Greg Newton with an el­ pened to him. bow to the head and was subsequent!)'

The 6-foot-IO-center transferred lo suspended for a gam e. “Basketball is all Temple in the sum m er of 1994 follow­ about position. If you know how to get ing a disappointing, injuo'-plagued -your spot. you can get the job done. Fve freshman season at Mrginia Commonbeen playing against bigger guys all my weaJlh. He needed a change and 12 life. It usually boils down lo who wants it nionlhs to put his career back together. more. lf you want to be successful, you "I fell like my back was against the have to be aggressive." wall." says Jackson, who grew up a few Chaney didn’t recruit Jackson, which blocks from Temple in a bousing pro­ was OK with J a c k a ^ . who wanted to go ject. "My confidence w-as s h o t My self­ away to sch o o l If hh didn’t go to VCI*, it esteem had been cut o u t‘from under M ' would have been Pin. me. ll was a tough adjustmenL / r .

But it didn’t take him long to change *^’ou can go two ways, ll can make a his mind. person or break you. I thought the time “I know Temple only goes after one oO would help mc a great deal, lo be player at any position, and Rasheed Wal­ honest, it was a chance lo learn the lace (who chose North Carolina) was the game even rnore. and get comfortable best player in the nation." jackson says. with a new s> stem.

"Not trying to be s m a rt bul I doubt I 'T h e re were tim es when y o u wanted would’ve com e anyway. I was set on get­ to run out there an d 'g rab a rebound. ting out of town. Then, basically as. soon or lose, pe^ople would come up to as I got there. I knew it wasn’t for me. lf me and say. ‘I know it must be frustrat­ you're not happy, ifs tough to play well. ing ‘ I said. ‘Not really.' It gave me a "... rn never forget what I said to (Teach chance lo grow up."

Chaney when I signed. I sat the pen This season. Jackson has turned out down. looked him dead in the face and lo be the low-post presence that Coach > John C h an ey -has been without since o said, T m not the best player in the worid. sz bul Tm a player. Tm not going lo work Donald Hodge left for the NB.A a year early in 1991, The Roman Catholic £ my butt off if I’m not going lo get the t i chance to be a player.’ He said. ‘Bleep High product has performed even bet­ you.’ He w-as joking. I lei him know ter than advertised, averaging teamHe's a hit ViUanova’s Kerry Kitties can attest for the w'here I was coming from. But I under­ highs of >6.1 points and 9.1 rebounds rvugh^rui'0ugh style o f p l ^ employed by Jackson. stood what he was sa)ing. I had to prove entering the w-eek. He is having a firstmyself. I just wanted to let him know that if he got me the ball. I would team .Ab-AtlaniJc IO season. >M)en the Owls (11-7. 7-0 in conference) do som ething with ii." upset top-ranked Kansas al the Meadowlands in December, he had Mostly g o ^ things. .And it figures to get better. career b e ^ s of 31 points and 12 boards.

Just shovre wha! a 12*month hjatus can do for a person’s outlook. ♦ .As im pressive as the num bers are. his contributions go far beyond the stats sheet. Jackson — who weighs 270 pounds and possesses — M K E KERX

THE BOOK O N ...

MARC JACKSON

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Although he is up to 1.6 assists per game this season ( c o m p a r t with less than an assist per gam e in his first two seasons), be also is averaging three turnovers.

Despite trying lo block a lot of shots, Dampier has done a m uch better job of stay­ ing out of foul trouble this season. He f o u l^ out of five gam es and averaged 28.4 m inutes p er gam e as a sophom ore bul has yet lo foul out of a gam e this season and is averaging better i h i 32 minutes.

Dampier does not talk m uch trash. In­ stead. he speaks volum es with his inspired plav on defense.

SCOITING REPORT Despite offensive shortcomings, Danipief will go in draft If Mississippi State junior center Erick Dampier enters the June draft as expected. be likely will be am ong the first five or IO players st‘lected Wake F orest's Tim Duncan and Massachusetts* M arcus Camby are at the top of the NBA's most-wanted big man list. with Dampier close behind.

What separates Dampier from Duncan and Camby an- his shortcom ings on offense.

Dampier’s gam e is limited large!)' lo dunks, lav'ups and follow shots. He also has a small varietv* of low-poSl moves that produa* soft bank shots from close in T hrough lh gamins, he was averaging 15.3 points on 62 pea'ent shooting. Perhaps un­ selfish to a fault, he was averaging fewer than lt> shots per game >M»at I>ampier d(H‘s b<*si is rebound and defend He ranks am ong the nabon’s leaders with almost 3.5 bltK'ks per game, and he al­ ters many mon* shots. He is a strong and powerfully built intimidator •A Mool-11. 265-pounder from New Hebren. M iss. Dampier averagi*s nearly IO rt^ bounds a game. He has Idng arm.c and good hands, and h r runs the floor well for his size.

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Right away this creates an opportunity for the point guard to beat his man off the dribble and get into the key area for a short jum per, or dump it down inside when the defonsivf help • shows up.

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U ke many big men, however, he is a lousy frt^e-throw shooter (55 percent this season and 54 percent over the past three seasons).

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NBA • 37

February 5,19%

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he 1995-96 season is half over. T his might be a g o o d tim e to stop and s ta r t all over again.

Wait. O n s e c o n d thought, just fast-for­ ward to the playoffs. Quick.

You call this a sea son?

T h e quality of co m p e titio n h a s never been cheesier, th a n k s to expansion. T h a t’s partially why the Bulls are on a re c o rd 70-victory pace. T h e r e s discussion th e y m ay finish b e tte r th a n th e 71-72 Lakers, and th e se Bulls a r e n ’t yet the Bulls of ’91. ’92 o r '93.

T h e recipe for the leag ue this seaso n s e e m s to be: Just add water. T a le n t is diluted. T e a m s a re diluted. C o n fe r­ e n c e s are diluted. No one can win on the road. and the Griz­ zlies c a n ’t win at h o m e . W h atev er h ap p en ed to the M aver­ icks? To th e Suns? To the H o rn e ts, since ’Zo left5 To the Sixers, since Sir C h a rles left5 * To th e Clippers, since they left Buffalo5 In the East, t h e r e are precisely two te a m s that should even think about playing bey on d May. All o th e r s that are not C hicago or O rlando, please sit down. you have done nothing to distinguish yourself so far. In the West. th e Spurs are calling th e m se lv e s a title contender, with Will P e rd u e a lot m in u te s at power forward. h e Soni radio stow rn getting Chicago.

T hof a t ’s appropriate, -because h e Tal­ loftyfor p o stse aso n plans, too. T h e yh aintend get past t ways h ad th e hair radio..Benoit Benjamin s w orntotwo round. un iform s already, in creasin g th e n u m b e r of tea m s in hi*catf^ bplayed e e n a stran g e first half.except D ennis Rodman r e e r to 362. HeT hhis a s hnow for every coach John Kundla.

S tra n g e ? T h is has been a crazy first half. Bulletin: Kenny .Anderson tu r n s down $40 minion from th e N ets and forces #

Phony officials and watered-down competition overshadowed the first-half accomplishments of the long-suffering Kings and record-chasing Bulls

ASSOCUHO M ISS

• Road kill: Pippen (fcfl/ and the Bulls 'nave run over nearly everything in ' their path as they pursue TO victories, but the season has bern a struggle for officials and most other teams.

3t*m

The Sporting News

' 4?tb pfck and weighs only a buck-fifty, but this- po mf guard is the engine that makes Sacramento run.

3. Jerry S te c tto ts e , 76ers: The turnovers and poor shooting nights are becoming more frequent but he remains an intriguing talenL 4. Michael Finley, Sons: No longer merely a role player, he’s carrying the team on some nights.

5. Arri das Sabonis, Trail Blazers: At 31. he actually doesn't belong in anyone’s junior di­ vision. because he plays very' much like a se­ nior.

What’s the difference?

The most significant changes:

the team lu trade him to Charlotte. News flash: While coaching the poor-shooting Suns. Paul Westphal tells his players not to take a ^-pointer for an entire game. Fashion alert: The Rockets don soccer uniforms.

Here’s ail you need to know about the first half: fake refs November began with impos­ tors who had a mostly negative effect on games. Police officers blew whistles better than the fake refs. Construction workers blew whishes better than the stand-ins.

Shaquille O’Neal spoke for everyone when he told the officials, as they left: Be sure you return that uniform to Foot Locker fa k e refs. Fake half-season.

Here are a few other first-half notes worth mentioning:

Extra! Extra!

The five biggest headlines: 1. Heat Acquire Mourning .After He Tells Hornets To Buzz Off. 2. Westphal Takes Phal For Suns.

3. Coleman Swapped For Bradley in Minor .VRA Deal.

4. O’Neal Becomes Victim Of Geiger-Fu. 5. Rodman Creates No Stir In Chicago.

The high five The best since November 1. Michael Jontan, Bolls: lf he continues to dominate like this, pretty soon he’s going to become bored and return to baseball.

2. Peen? Hardaway Magic: He answered questions about his leadership when he car­ ried the Magic in Shaq’s absence.

3. Scottie Pigpen, Belk: He is content and more relaxed with Jordan around, and show­ ing ii 4. S h a w Kemp, Sonics: A rebounding title and a berth on the Olympic team may be forthcoming.

5. Barid Robinson, Spurs: He is having a typical Robinson season, the kind that won him MYP last year.

The new wave The best since November (junior division): 1 . Damon Stoudaoire, Raptors: The Mighty Mouse is roaring and soaring in Toronto and making Isiah Thomas look like a genius.

2. Tyns Edney, Kings: He was taken with the

3. The Cavaliers trading M art Price and Hot Rod Williams: These deals will help spruce up

the Cavs in the offseason, when they will use the pair of first-round picks they received and sign a free ag en t now that the team is two large salaries lighter.

XX MAMMY / ASSOCIATE

Hot topic: In a center-hungry league. Mourning is cooking in Miami.

great for Miami, but the asterisk will remain until he signs a contract with the H eat The trade has wrecked the Hornets, who must begin the painstaking process of finding a big man in a league where even Sam Bowie was asked to come out of retirement 2. The Demis Redmaa trade: Instead of buy­ ing a Bulls jersey, fans should show up at cgames and hope the team wins. because Rod­ man launches his jersey into the stands after each victory at home. The Bulls have been getting a lot of victories lately' with Rodman, who gives them a third outstanding defensive player.

PRISS

1. The Alonzo Mourning trade: It has been

Wonting his way: Robinson again is playing like an MVP, even without the presence of a certain tattooed player. But hell need more help if he wants to wrestle away a tide.

4. Team uniform : They’ have taken a turn

for the worse. See: the Rockets. Grizzlies, Raptors, Hawks, etc.

5. Tho Benoit Beniamin trade: Bryant Reeves gets to play for the Grizzlies, who would rather have his numbers than Ben­ jamin’s.

The second half W hats coming next ■ Maybe the February-to-April stretch will bring some pleasant surprises. The Suns soon will welcome baok Danny Manning from major knee surgery, though its unlike­ ly hell become a factor this season. The league truly misses the good Suns, as enter­ taining and colorful as a team can be.

■ The Bulls’ pursuit of 70 victories appears to be exciting for everyone but the Bulls, who claim they couldn’t care less. But for a team that has done everything else. 70 victories wiD indeed be a goal. if it stays on pace. In case the record comes down to the final week, the BuQs will dose with home games against the Pistons and Pacers, then travel to Washington for the season finale. Michael Jordan scored 46 in his last D.C. appearance.

Just dropping a hint ■ When Jamal M&shbum returns from his sore left knee, well see if he continues to dash with Mavericks teammate Tun Jackson or learns to play alongside him.sThe Mavs’ fu­ ture depends on their ability to coexist They could move Jackson or Mash burn by the Feb­ ruary 22 trading deadline.

■ The Hawks will play before at least one more seDouthome crowd. Maybe not ■ The Kings haven’t made the playoffs for nine consecutive years, the Bullets for seven consecutive. Both streaks should end.

■ The Sonics will get over the first-round playoff hump. The Heat will upset someone in the playoffs. The faltering Knicks win upset New York.

■ In the E ast the Bulls and Magic are on a collision course, and though the Magic have Shaq, they have no answer for Scottie Pippen.

■ The Rockets are the best in the West un­ til proved otherwise, and no team has out­ played them yet ■ In the NBA Finals: Hakeem over Jor­ dan? Yep. Just like in the 1984 draft + *

Shaun Powell coven the SB A for Newsday.

NBA *3 9

February 5,1996

Progress report

7. Heat Tale of two teams — one with Alonzo Mourning, one without. * 8. Pistons: Once fiery Doug Collins settled down, things began to look up 9. Buicks: Don Nelson had them bursting out of the gate fast, but old habits and old

These team rankings are based on how clubs have played relative to their preseason expectations — the biggest surprise is No. 1, the biggest disappointment No. 29:

players die hard.

1. Kings: The team without a past appears to have a present, and maybe a future, too.

2. Bolls: Legends are chasing legends. The Bulls are trying to be like the 69-victory Lakers, and Mike’s trying to be like Mike.

3. Cavaliers: The more players they lose, the more games they win.

4. Spias: They don’t miss Dennis now. but wait until the playoffs.

5. magic: Without Shaq. they managed to stay close to the Bulls, thanks to the Penny from heaven.

6. Ballets: It's a good thing Chris Webber doesn't have to cany the team on his shoulders.

improvement, we guess.

11. Jazz: With the addition of Chns Morns, they seem just a little Mo better.

12. Rockets: It’s a good thing Clyde Drexler’s legs are still young and heal quickly 13. Raptors: They have what it takes to win two awards: Rookie of the Year and expansion team of the year.

14. Sonics: They breezed through the first haft. which is nothing new. except they did it without Detlef Schrempf.

15. Grizzlies: Take away-their monster losing streak, and they're just as good as any other expansion team.

16. Hawks: Andrew Lang found some offense to give them some life: but it s just not enough.

17. Pacers: Coach Larry Brown is starting to grumble again This is a sign things are getting better.

18. Trail Blazers: P.J. Carlesimo and Rod Strickland never stopped speaking to each other. The difference is this time, they have lowered their voices.

19. Celtics: The great Celtic Mystique now wiH have to work its magic in the lottery 20. Bets: They have cleaned their house of bad apples and replaced them with green ones 21. Nuggets: The trade for Antonio McDyess will eventually work out in their favor Just not this season.

22. Timberwotves: Contrary to common belief, there are three expansion teams playing in this league.

23. Hornets: When the people who scrubbed Mourning off a big mural rn downtown Charlotte couldn’t come up with a replacement player, they peopled in Hugo the Hornet.

That sums up this team.

24. Lakers: The Lake Show still trails Showtime in the ratings by a wide margin 25. Sizers: They had better start winning, a r else face the wrath of Owner Harold Katz, who doesn’t have Shawn Bradley to kick around anymore.

26. Warriors: They changed a lot of facesbut not the chemistry, which remains awful 27. Bucks: The team gave Mike Dunleavy a lifetime contract. Now there are whispers he has only a few months of life left with Milwaukee.

28. Mavericks: frightening thought: They were better with Roy Tarpley 29. Suns: They already have recycled the coach. Is-the team next?

10. Clippers: They have almost surpassed last season's victory total, which is an

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40 • NOA

The Sporting News

NBA REPORT

L.A. could once again be Magic’s kingdom

Shaun POWELL aybe the coast is clear this time M aybe Magic Johnson can re­ turn to the Rame and not worry about what Karl Malone has to say Maybe he can play to cheers whispers Maybe he can live his life the way he wants, instead of the way others think he should Maybe Magic Johnson can come back and play on his terms. < He is not a businessm an He fancies him­ self as one. but actually. M agics business em pire was built on his celebrity as a bas-ketbal) player He may have shook hands, made deals, worn three-piece suits and sat at courtside at the Forum.

But truthfullv. # he was restless.

He is a basketball player, first and forts most. Probably the best to ever play his po­

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sition. And the league and its fans miss him.

That's whv ^ # there will be few roadblocks standing in M agics way this time, not like his aborted com eback attem pt three years ago.

Sure. some will be uncomfortable playing on the sam e court with a player w’ho carries H P ”. T here will be questions and anti-Magie sentim ent. But the guess here is that most will be muled.

The major questions surrounding a Magic Johnson comeback will be basketball-related, not health-related. Two come to mind: How good is he5 How good can he make the Lakers?

L ets take the first one. Johnson is 36 and hasn't played a full season since 1990-91. So don’t expect a Hall of Famer. Michael Jordan instead returned of after m issing 17 m onths. And he didn’t get into basketball shape until this sea­ son. after he gave up golf and devoted him­ self to basketball full time during the sum ­ mer. Johnson played against NBA-caliber players during his retirem ent, but not in NBA gam e conditions. .

Plus. Johnson will likely come back rein­ carnated as a power forward, which m eans ) he must adjust to a new role.

“M agic’s game has changed, just like the composition of his body." says Reggie Theus, who played on M agic's touring team and works out with him. "He’s put on 25 pounds of muscle. You’d be shocked how strong the

Bulls is no longer a rivalry.

Kidd talk Jason Kidd has done it again U s t season. Kidd played unremarkably through the first three months, then finished-strong and forced a split with Grant Hill in the Rookie of the Year vote.

This season. Kidd played well. yet not spectacularly, before lifting his gam e in january. He had three triple doubles in a six-gam e s p a n , a n d in a tw o-w eek stretch averaged 23.3 points.

11.5 assists. 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

He delivered just as the voters w ere deciding who should stan in the .All-Star Game. Kidd vvas the run­ away fan choice A case could be made on whether Kidd deserves to go at all. Rod Strickland is aver­ aging 20 points and is sec­ ond in assists John Stockton leads the league in assists. .And Gary Payton is having his best season "I see John Stockton and Gary Pavton as a helluva lot better than him .’ says Son­ ics Coach George Karl, who will coach the W estern Con-

Harris believes Magic can make the Lakers signif­ icantly better. At the mo­ m e n t they are a team capa• hie of beating and losing to anyone. They haven’t pro­ gressed from last season, • when they were one of the league’s pleasant surprises.

More than anything, the Lakers could use M agic’s veteran touch and un­ matched leadership capabil­ ities. H arris already has tired of cracking the whip on his young, mostlyspoiled players. In one des­ perate move, he hired a mo­ tivational expert to address the team before a game this season.

"Some of m y m ethods work. and some don't." Har­ ris savs. # T he m ost obvious con§ flict will lie with Nick Van Exel. In a big gam e, score Bring back that sntitC Johnson's enthusiasm (with A C Green in tied, seconds rem aining.

V I) was a benchmark for the Lakers for 13 seasons. who gets the ball? Last sea­ son. Van Exel was the Lakman is. I wouldn’t say he’s Magic at 25. but ers’ designated bail-out e x p e rt and he over­ he still plays at a high level." turned plenty of potential defeats. Van Exel With the new handchecking rules, con­ is saying all the right things about having taining Johnson in the low-post might be Magic around. But Magic's return probably tricky. W hether Johnson can return to MVP wouldn’t be met with universal happiness in level is wishful thinking. W hether he can be the locker room.

•* better than inconsistent Elden C am pbell the Even Cedric Ceballos says, T h e r e may be Lakers' starting power forward, seem s a sure som e guys w'ho will grow concerned about thing. their roles, w'hene Magic would play and “People talk about him being away, but their playing time." h e's never been away." Lakers Coach Del W hether Magic would transform the Lak­ H arris says. “He kept playing. He had his ers into a title contender can be answ ered own touring team. He rented out gyms. For only over a period of time. But it looks like too many players these days, two words Johnson and the Lakers are willing to find they’re looking for is. ‘day off.'" out

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A deserving A M tar? Kidd is the Jons ’choice, hut there are other players who put in a full first half. ference All-Stars.

Karl has a point. No knock on Kidd, but Novem­ ber and D ecem ber — when Kidd was shooting 35 per­ cent and fhe Mavericks were losing — should weigh more heavily than three weeks in January. Kidd is in the run­ ning for player of the month. bul as an .All-Star starter, he should be behind a few more-deserving players.

Knicks knocks Knicks President Dave C h e c k e rs says he will wait until the offseason before

m aking any changes. That m akes sense, because the Knicks are in n o -position to improve before the February 22 deadline. There just isn’t m uch value on the roster, other than Patrick Ewing.

M eanwhile. D ennis Rod­ man savs it is time to break 0 up the Knicks.

T h e y are not the same team thev• used to be." savs • Rodman, adding that the Knicks flashed a “yellow streak" during their January 23 lopsided loss to the Bulls.

In the past, those were fightin’ words. But Knicks-

The Hawks owe their good fortune to good de­ fense and strong second halves. T hrough last Sun­ day. they have allowed just over 86 points a night during their winning streak. They have outscored the Heat by 22 in the second half, the Cavs by 21. the Kings by 11. the. Rockets. Pacers and Pis­ tons by 11 each. The Hawks also becam e a b etter team when Coach Lenny Wilkens had the good sense to sit Ken Norman for Stacey Augmon. ... W hen Sara Bowie turned down lucrative offers (S3 million) from the Bulls and Lakers and stayed re­ tired. it didn’t surprise Doc Rivers. T h a t just goes to show you." laughed the Spurs guard, "how much he got paid at K entucky."... .Af­ ter showing some encourag­ ing signs during last sea­ son’s playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal's free-throw shooting has gone south. He is under 50 percent this season. ♦ Shaun Powell covers the S B A for Sewsday.

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NEA • 41

February 5,19%

All that’s Jazz

a job" and “I had a chance to leave this franchise when I first got here, but I believe you should have a little loyalty." Sloan cuts as stoic a figure as a farmer on his tractor.

“I don’t get involved in that" is his favorite response.

The likeness of his personality to a man growing crops is not by accident He was the last of IO children, reared by a single mother on a starvation farm — “We dam near starved" — after his father died when Jerry was 4. And the reason Sloan is not worried about rumors that the Jazz could fire him — rumors sprung from the need for a scapegoat for Utah’s re­ peated dose-but-no-finals-appearance seasons — is his 900acre farm in southern Illinois.

“They can’t take that away from me." he says. /. -o*> But the direct no-nonsense style is effective on those rare oc­ casions when he does decide to flash a bit of wit or humor, as when he was asked what he grows on his farm.

“Marijuana." he says. “Its acash crop."

The toughness and precision that have made Utah a peren­ nial 50-game winner generally are credited to Karl Malone and John Stockton, the NBA s most durable and resilient tan­ dem.

And true to form, the Jazz, through Sunday, are 27-14 and on a pace for a 54-victory season. But Stockton and Malone will tell you anyone giving them aD the credit is falling one step short of the true source — Coach Jerry Sloan.

“It starts with your coach."

Stockton says. “I think everyone knows Jerry would play with a broken leg. a broken arm. that he’d be out there if at all possi­ ble."

Sloan developed that reputa­ tion over an 11-season career (1965 through 76) with Balti­ l f 4 more and Chicago as a hardnosed shooting guard, making either the first or second alhde—Ric Buena fensrve team six times, and he hasn't lost any of his steely edge From preps to pros as a coach.

The Kevin Garnett effect con­ “I don't know much about tinues as pro scouts crowded the Coach Sloan as a player I don’t have the patience to go back that recent Beach Ball Classic in far in the archives," Malone' Myrtle Beach. S.C.. to get a look jokes. “I just know that he was at Philadelphia's Kobe Bryant, kind of like the model of this the 6-foot-6 son of former NBA •C tr f* ' • team — you could be injured and player Joe Bryant and 6-11 Jer­ you could talk about it but you maine O'Neal of Columbia. S.C. ■ suit up. and when that horn Both are considering jumping blows, you’re ready to play. ' straight to the NBA. an# while “And he understands what many NBA officials- are uncom­ we’re trying to do as players. fortable about high school play­ Some.of the guys coaching have ers. they don t want to pass by never played in this league; they the talent come right out of coDege and get | Says Orlando personnel directhese big contracts. Jerry is not | tor John Gabriel: “W e don't conmaking as much money as a lot ________________________________________________ | done players coming out from of these other guys.”

RHI note Sloan's upbringing keeps the ups and downs h« h schook1' bu‘ " ks our business But don’t look to Sloan to wax of NEA coaching in perspective. know who ^5 ,n eloquent about his playing days. the country are. or the joy of coaching Stockton Adds Sacram ento's Je rry or Malone, or about having the longest current tenure (7l/2 Reynolds: ‘The day they tell me I have to start scouting junior seasons) among NBA coaches. Beyond espousing such blue­ high school kids, Tm done." ^ collar mottoes as “A guy who wants to work will always have — S a m S m ith

TSN POWER POLL Comment W-L 37-3 Rice tor a siumo? 11 of next 13 dames are on the road.

1.

2.

30-11 Best in the West earns Kart an Af-Star trip.

I 30-12 Better reaSzB you play playoff cames on the road, toe.

4.

28-14 14 consecutive home votaries ties a franchise record.

5.

27-13 With a hole a1 power forward and an eye toward Miami’ s Kevm wails 6.

29-15 Is a deai r the works for Charles Bartley?

27-14 This team is Jerrytoufi.

7.

24-17 Defense showing up each mote Now irs the tans' turn. _0_ a.

26-15 Worm cafe ’em yefiow and no one seems to care. ia 22-16 There's been a Hurley siohtinQ reported. ii.

24-18 On a sa-ot-seven tear. there’s Made wi the aff.

12.

22-19 Good news: Tyrone HS is back. Bad news; He’s teefina like a rookie 21-19 Won’t rw mth the eite unti they can run wtth elite on the road IX 14. Tr*f B t o n 21-21 Two A»-$tar cafijer players; one mpressive rootoe.

IS. 21-21 ^©A's best 3-oont shooter... Tm Leoter. Tim Leafed lnf o nm M i nw a 16.

20-21 When Muoosv returns, w« his startna job be taken?

17. Host 19-23 The current Be of Rflev: WS he stay a wa he oo?

18-24 Gettmo used to a new wort: heafihy1£_ Wtrrtors 17-23 They am i exactly ivfn’ in hxjh Cotton.

19. Sum 2a Nugget!

17-25 Struoofino with Ab<W-Hauf but can*! win without him 17-25 Butch takes a out on the officiate.

21. Nets 22. Bucks 15-25 You know its bad when the G rizzles speak a of your defense.

TX ( S B M 16-25 46 turnovers in two losses leaves 'em toeless.'

24. CsOcs 15-26 The reason for the losmq streak? Grvtnq uo 30-ocxnt quarters.

13-27 A^Sta; starter Kidd lone bright spot in a miserable decade.

25. U m Kcks 2 a Raptors 12-30 At 2-17. this team needs to learn to win on the road.

27. T1mbenro#m 11-29 Feefrxj nett ai home in this exp a n se season.

2a Grizzles 10-32 Baa Country takes over Canada.

29. 7Str» 7-54 Bad, tedder, baddest Through Saturday’s games.

THE Spo rting N ew s NBA Power Pofl s determined by Shawn Rowe* and TSN errors.

Ttam BuflJ .

Sonics H ide Paean Spiffs Rockets JC I Kiw is Knfcts Ktogj Lsktrs Cm flers Hi atii ii ■ rxsxant

POWELL’S PLAY Wafting the plank After letting John Lucas squirm for a week while he debated whether to fire him. Sixers Owner Harold Katz finally lowered the ham­ mer — by announcing that Lucas would en­ dure the rest of the Sixers' miserable season.

Even though the Sheers are worse than an expansion team. Lucas deserved better treat­ ment and didn’t deserve to have his owner in­ terview another (Chris Ford) for his job while he was still coaching.

Ford didn't take the job. Word is Ford wanted a long-term, big-money deal to put up with the Sheers and Katz's infamous impa­ tience. Katz just finished paying Doug Moe. who didn't last a season, and Fred Carter. who didn't last two years. Lucas is a seasonand-a-half into a four-year deal as coach and general manager.

“W e just move on from here." Lucas said, after receiving his shaky vote of confidence.

“Its real frustrating for him and myself.

Whether he talked to someone else or' whether he didnt its no concern of mine. I just move forward."

Lucas is moving forward, all right. He’sthat much closer to the end of the plank.

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I getthe hall and mate the decisions.

They expdcta tot othof me.* ' Tbe important thing is that Anderson is having fun again, and thatcould mean a lot both for moiand tits Hornets.

'Kenny’s got to be happyto play well," ave GeorgiaTech Coach Bobby Cremins, his college coach, “lf he settles down; if he settles in, he's the best Panhandler I've ever seen.... lf he's happy. you'Usee a great Kenny Anderson* . '•His season with the Nets was anything but happy, and it showed in his play. His shoofing hit bottom at 38 percent, and at tfmesit was hard to recognize the payer who started in the 1994 All-Star Game.

The Hornets, even with their losing record, looked like his oasis. Rafael Addison, who played/withAnderson in NewJersey, saysUtere isn’t a better place for-Anderson to practice the art of playmaktogthan Charlotte.; > ., “This is a really natural offenseJo r him to run* Addison says. This is a perfect fit. Wth tarty ratohihg the ball in the ...... ritandi&U (Cg to his right he should be like Moses patting the sea.,ill be surprised if he ’doesntput up Sdiije 18-assist games." ' The Hornets areZ-l aihce Anderson’s retumihirt thentoith'reemonths win serve as a Mafpertod ter both Anderson and the Hbmete„k£ ><•J if helBttsfiCthfttre8?agent-to-be wilt re-sign nextSgramer. lf they like him. they maydefiver the $40 million over six yearshetumeddown framthe Nets.

Blit ter now, he’s jtct happy to be happy. . ♦

42 • BASEBALL

The Sporting News

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Potential p ro to n s Big bucks and expectations dogged McDonald in Baltimore (left) and may ruin fiis Milwaukee gig. nando Vina. McDonald never has been a coldweather pitcher and has joined a marginal team that doesn't figure to carry him if he struggles.

None of the Brewers’ regular starters finished the 1995 season with a .500 record, although S d Roberson did have a 64 mark splitting time between the bullpen and rotation On the plus side, McDonald, a notorious gopher-ball pitch­ er, will be in a big park.

It is aD worthwhile from McDonald's per­ spective. Go ahead and p re se t him as the Brewers’ Opening "Day starter, a 20-game winner, a centerpiece for the d u b ’s proposed 1999 ballpark. Remind him that the last time Milwaukee threw big bucks at a pitcher was the disastrous four-year. $ 13-million contract for free agent Teddy Higuera after the 1990 season. Surely he can hack this. *1 went through that when I came to Baltimore and made it to the major leagues at 21 years old," McDonald says. “T here were enormous ex­ pectations and pressure. It was like the first year I had to win 20 ballgames in order for the Orioles to do anything. That bothered me a lot when I was young, but I learned over the years how to deal with that,”

When spring training opens this month, Ben McDonald and the Orioles will go their separate ways

By MARK NEWMAN

veryone has potential but every now and then it is the other way around.

That is the case with Ben McDonald.

Potential has him the way he used to stronghold those gators back in the bayou.

He will report to Arizona this month with the Brewers' pitchers and catchers, bringing more major league innings pitched and vic­ tories than’their other starters combined, and people still will wonder what happened.

It is a loose end that might one day go away. but for now it curiously dangles like the trademark untied string on the side of Mc­ Donald's m itt After all. no one expected him to be the next Jim Slaton. They expected him to be the next Jim Palmer. ^ For all the fanciful changes in the majors this offseason — the A’s becoming the Car­ dinals. the Marlins passing the Rockies; the Yankees dismantling a contender, and the Mets hurrying their wild-card schedule — nothing has been so interesting as the Ori­ oles giving up on McDonald and him giving

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up on them. His free-agent signing with Mil­ waukee was not just another numbing trans­ action; this is a player who shaped a market, ushering in an era of big-bonus, hardball-ne­ gotiating draff prizes.

Had the 28-year-old righthander agreed to his old club’s offer of $2.8 million for this sea­ son. it would have meant a $1.7-miIlion cut from his 1995 arbitration award — but his best chance yet to become a premier pitcher.

McDonald would have had the best middle infield behind him in Cal Ripken and Rober­ to Alomar. He would have had Randy Myers as his closer. He would have had Davey John­ son as a manager. He could have had his first postseason experience. He could have proved to the Orioles his shoulder is sound after a 8-6, injury-plagued 1995 season.

With the Brewers, McDonald instead has an incentive-laden contract that will pay at least $5.75 million over two years and could max out at $13 3 million over three years. He also will have a middle infield of Jose Valentin and Fer-

t always goes back to 1989.

M cDonald grew up in Denham Springs, La.. 12 miles from Louisiana State. He enrolled there on a basketball scholarship, and not until fris junior year did the 6-foot-7 McDonald finally convince Tigers basketball Coach Dale Brown he was a pitch­ er instead of a center. McDonald already had led the 1988 U.S. Olympic baseball team to the gold medal in Seoul and that junior year he threw 44S consecutive scoreless innings and led LSU to the College World Series. No pitcher had been rated higher by the Major League Scouting Bureau.

Baltimore had the first overall draft pick because it had lost 107 games in 1988, but now it held the distinction of being the first team to draft No. I while leading a division.

As anticipated, the Orioles picked McDonald, who was expected to be part of the pennant race and make an immediate impact It was a Ben-addiction. The public salivated over his

February 5,1996 Cf i behind Toronto that feD and given McDonald a better chance for development’ That is the opinion of Larry Lucchino, the Padres' CEO and the Orioles’ former president Now that Baltimore is under virtually new management Lucchino. who negotiated that deal probably is the best authority from a club standpoint "Looking back. I’d say that our expecta­ tions were probably too high," Lucchino says.

“They were fueled, in part by the high ex­ pectations of his agent so that's where it started. Then there were the injury problems and maybe he came to the major leagues too soon. But he's stiD going to be a sensational pitcher. I firmly beDeve that “I think he started out on the wrong foot He should have signed earlier. He wasted a whole summer during one of the most im­ portant phases of his career. It would have been desirable, in retrospect to have him signed in early June instead of August" McDonald concedes he wasn't ready then. I "I make no bones about it — when I made the big leagues at 21.1 didn't know how to pitch." he says. “I knew I had good stuff and eventu­ ally could get guys out but I was learning what it takes to get big league hitlers out on a consistent basis. I think Tm just starting to scratch the surface."

During his seven seasons with Baltimore.

McDonald won 58 games, lost 53. fought through nagging injuries and generally kept Orioles fans on hold. But at least two positive developments did emerge. One was a re­ freshing attitude in today's market: McDon­ ald is well-liked by teammates and others around baseball and always seems unaffect­ ed. surviving a turbulent run where others would have wilted. Second, he did show in a stretch from 1992 through *94 what the 1989 fuss was about. He missed ooly one of 94 turns in the rotation during that span. Then came the screeching halt The strike staffed McDonald on a career-high 14 victories and robbed him of the long-awaited 20-win season.

McDonald says the strike's carryover led to his 1995 collapse, citing the need for more than the two starts he had in spring training.

He says it led to the tendinitis that sidelined him. Although Angels team doctor Lewis Yocum assured Milwaukee that McDonald’s shoulder wff] be ready, the Orioles privately had their doubts. Uncertainty over that and his market value forced the club to non-ten­ der him, which triggered the breakup.

Another factor The emergence of Mike Mussina as the newest Jim Palmer only served to exaggerate the image of McDonald as an underachiever. Mussina had been a top college prospect but did not come with the advance billing McDonald had received.

Tm a firm believer that Ben McDonald’s

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mid-90s heat One columnist called him “young Waiter Seaver Koufex." AD he needed to do was sign the contract What no one seemed to count on was a bit­ ter, two-month negotiation. McDonald was represented by agent Scott Boras, who an­ gered secretive Orioles officials with his brash, high-profile approach to the negotia­ tions. Boras was seeking Si million, and the club offered $700,000. Some saw it as a squabble; the Orioles didn’t want to upset owners by making a cookie a millionaire, and they didn’t want to disrupt their clubhouse.

During the ordeal the McDonald camp said it had a $2-million guaranteed offer from a proposed rival league backed by Donald Trump. (Warning to reader Agent Dick Moss was organizer of that phantom league, as ^eD as the phantom United League that was announced during the last work. stop­ page. The next time you read about a Dick Moss upstart league, think “union bargaining tool" and turn the page.) The Orioles gave up at that point, but under mounting public pres­ sure they agreed to a compromise that guar­ anteed a whopping $925,000 plus incentives.

McDonald was rushed to a quick* Class-A stop and then to the majors, where he made six relief outings. Would a fester signing have prevented Baltimore from finishing two games

Watch the pages of Field 8 Stream come to lite on Cable!

best years are ahead of him.’ says Johnny Oates, who managed McDonald in Baltimore and now manages the Rangers. His club was interested in McDonald until signing righthander Ken Hill as a free agent. “Any time there is that much expectation of you. it's almost impossible to live up to it over a short period of time. He was the highest-rated pitch­ ing prospect ever. and then he pitched a fourhitter in his first start How do you top that?" kip Beltman can appreciate the weight of expectation. .As coach of the LSO* and the 1996 U.S. Olympic base­ ball teams, Beltman is expected by in­ siders to win his third NCAA championship and a gold medal. But then Beltman sees Mc­ Donald on campus three times a week — playing 10-minute long-toss with other LSO pro alumni, looking as strong and playful as ever — and gains perspective. “lf all the stats were put down. and all the time he did pitch for Baltimore, he would come out very well" Beltman says. “Getting into the seventh inning, total starts and so on.

He’d fare very well. In an era where many pitchers below .500 are considered among the best catches, heres a guy who really has an opportunity at 28 to stiff be a superstar. Its just that he’s judged so differently^ Bertman wonders why expectations were so much higher for McDonald than they were for righthanders Darren Dreifort and Paul Wil­ son. The former was drafted out of Wichita State by the Dodgers with the second-overall pick in 1993 and rushed straight to the parent team before being demoted to Double A and then losing 1995 to reconstructive elbow surgery. The latter was the top overall pick out of Florida State in 1994. has been advanced more gradually and is expected to be in the Mets’ Opening Day rotation.

"For some reason. Ben has been held high­ er." Bertman says. "But he’s handled it, and I know he’s excited. I just don’t think you should put *20wins’ or other expectations on a guy. The real measurement is over a career.

The potential for a big career is stiff there, and the Cactus League will see that potential on display this spring for the first time. “I think all players want to be 'the guy'." Brew­ ers General Manager Sal Bando says. “If you are worth your salt in anything, you want to be the guy. You want to go out and play when the game is on the line. I think Ben will be that kind of guy for us." Ben McDonald should have expected that ♦

S

Mark Newman is a senior editor for T n t S p o r t i n g N e w s . Correspondents Drew Olson and Peter Schmuck contributed to this story.

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—Ma» Ke n a i

I he editors of Field & Stream Magazine join local and world-wide celebrities in legendary fishing and hunting locales throughout North America. Check your local cable listings and catch the S t

outdoor legends of America.

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fSBen McDor^dmight'nd have v i T bewmeflwpremtef pftcfter everyone"^expected"wreathe Ortotestfrafted him fitstcverallta 1989, birt he was an infinitelybettar buy than the Yankees got twoyears later. Brien Taylor sent draftbonuses throughthe roof as the top 1991 pick, and it seems unlikely ben aet dose tortes majors. Here Is an update on the heads of each class since McDonald’s entry:■ ' 1995:Darts toted, OF, Angels.

School: Nebraska: Signing bonus: $1,575 million. Progress: invited to major league camp; probably will be a Septembercail-up unless outfield spot opens sdoner. Dominated Arizona Fail League pitching. '.:19S4:Pm I VHsaa, RHP, Mets.

SehbbfeRortda State. Bonus: $1.55 minion.-Progress: Alter finally winning firstpm decision, led all farm pitchers in !95:wfifiif94JCS.In 187K Innings.

Should be ta Mets' Opening Day rotation. ' ■ .

1993: Alar Rodriguez, SS, Mariners.

SchootrMiami Westminster Christian High.Bonus:$1 million. Progress: Rushed badly to parent dub and complained after dizzying ’95 shuttles between Seattle and Triple A. Opening Day.tafrls taste win. . 1992: Phil Marin, SB, Astros.

School: Bai State M erton. Bonus: $700,000.:Progmss: Great TripJe-A player ter Houston, but couldn't replace KenCaminitl. Traded to Tigers and tryirio Jo find position, In outfield or behind plate.

1091; Bries Taylor, LHP, Yankees.

School; EastCarteret High, Beaufort, .

N.C. Bonus: $1.55 million. Progress: Numbers lastyear for roofde-ieague Gulf CoastYanks: 2-5,6.08 ERA. 11 starts,40 IP, 54 walks, 38 Ks. E^qiect ‘Seinfeld’’ barbs. ; 1990:CMpW Jones, SS, Braves.

School: ’Jacksonville Boites High.

Bonus; $275,000. Progress: After swttchtaQte third, helped Braves win it alt lastfiul and was voted TSN Rookie of the Year by peers. MVP Is next logical

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The Sporting News

BASEBALL REPORT

Youth can serve Atlanta the second time around lo win back-ioback World Series. .And. by the way. the Braves also must find a \^'ay to keep their fans from becoming com­ placent.

"Sure. it’s a legitimate concern." Schuer­ holz says. "People get used to winners. But I think our team will be as strong as any team we've ever had in Atlanta.* The Braves never made their way to head­ line news this winter. They onh* re-signed Bob their own players. Their only major trade was NIGHTENGALE sending fifth starter Kent Mercker to the Ori­ oles. No one got fired.

"If you don't win the world championship, raves Vice President john Schueryou have lo do that,’ Schuerholz says. “You hoU shakes his head slow'h*. Hincin^: have lo make more dramatic moves when at the painful memories. It happened you're chasing a team rather than being the IO years aj;o. It u-as another cruel re­ team. minder how quickly a baseball team's fate"lf ii ain't broke, don't fix it We've got a very* T an chance. good team, and the thing that makes it more There were the Royals, vkinning the 1985 comfortable not to make many changes is the \N*orld Series over the Cardinals with Schuerrecognition that our team is well balanced."

Yet, the Braves stilJ have managed to as­ hob as (general manager, setting off a cele­ bration heard throughout the Midwest. One sert themselves again as the team to beat in year later. Royals Manager Dick Bowser was the N.L. particularly with the presence of d>ing of brain cancer. Cy Young winner Bret pitcher Greg Maddux.

Rookie'third baseman Chipper jones onl>* Saberhagen was plagued by .a sore right shoulder and the Royals were finishing 16 will gel better and become a genuine star in games back of the Angels. this game. Left fielder R>'an Klesko will be "It was a nightmare.* Schuerholz sa\'s. better, javier Lopez should emerge as a Now, Schuerholz and the Braves have the frontline catcher. Shortstop Jeff Blauser might)' challenge of becoming onh' the seccouldn't possibly have a worse year than 1995. Outfielder David justice is coming off "?md Nafional League team since the 1921-23 New York Giants (also Cincinnati in 1975-76) only an average year. First baseman Fred

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fans will be willing to wait This is a franchise that easily could wind up in Sacramento.

WmlBieyaigone?

Remember Oakland, the team of the '80s? Well, you wouldn't recognize the bunch.

Remember last year's starting outfield of lackey Henderson. Stan Jarier and Ruben Sierra/Danny TanabuiP Henderson is now a Padre, javier is plaring across the Bay Bridge with j ^ e Giants. Sierra is a Yan­ kee and Tariabull is with the While Sox Oh. and the 1995 starting rotation' Dave Stewart, retired Ron Darling released Todd Stonieni\Te traded lo the Cardinal Mike Barkey released Steve Ontivenj.'i si.grud with the -Angels The .A''^ have a chance ti' be bad this season I mean, disgusimgly bari ^ ^‘et. considering fill'-team ha^ tailed to win more than 67 games in a s<’ason the last three year'', why not junk it all and start over' “To be honest.'" (rem*ral Manager Sand\ .Alderson savs. *■( wish I had donethi'^a

ComiRibacfc

Right mores: Keep an eye on

TartabuU and the WhtU Sot. few years ago. We were pay­ ing big salaries lo protea ourslT v cs a l the gate. It didn't work We're rebuilding the team with young talent. This IS not a plan born out of the new ownership'> desire lo cut j)a>Toll. This is a plan bom out of the feeling that this is thenght wayiodoihis , I'm haang more fun putting this team together than Ive had the last two or three vears.

• and that s bex*ause we're go­ ing someplact* ‘ The question, of course, is whether the Fast Bav area

Don’t look now, but the Uliite Sox suddenly have emerged as a strong wild­ card contender with the ac­ quisition of outfielders Tony Phillips and Danny Tartabuli.

They now have a lineup of Phillips. Robin Ventura.

Frank Thomas, TartabuU. Harold Baines, Ray Durham.

Ron Karkovice. Darren Lewis and Ozzie GuiDen. The top of the order can hit with anyone in baseball.

The ke^'« mav• be Tartabuli. whom the White Sox have lo pay only half of a SS-raiUion salarv. TartabuD Is the team's fourth right fielder* in four years, and if history• slavs * ^ true, then it could be a bril­ liant maneuver Certainh'. El­ lis Burks. Darrin jackson and Mike Devereaux played their way into nice contracts the following seasons.

"We're going to be scor­ ing a lot of runs," Phillips savs. "I mean, a lot of runs. I

Battery powwerfc Reliever Pedro Borbon and catcher Javier Lopez didn't have to toaiZ long Jar their

first worid tide. Y‘oungsters like these, wha closed out World Benes Game 4, won't stop diert.

McGriff is back to hit 30 homers and drive in IOO runs.

In. other word s. the Braves did nothing that needed fixing, and there's absolute!)' no rea­ son to believe the)* won't again have the N.L East clinched by Fourth of jul>' and have their playoff rotation set by Labor Day. "As of right now. it's almost impossible to close the gap on Atlanta, if you want to be honest," FToillies Manager jim Fregosi says.

"It's almost like going into the season pla>*ing for the wild card.’

This also is a team that hardly is aging.

On!)’ three of its top 16 players have reached

... I'm a fighter and a scrap­ per and a clawer. If you want a guy who's going to win. you want me. Anything out­ side of that, you've got the wrong guy. I know the Sox were disappointed last year (32 games behind the Indi­ ans). but that’s a1] going to change.*

Around the bases \\'hitey Herzog says the designated hitter must go onc^ interleague play is adopted. *They'’ve got to have the same rules if they’re going to have inter­ league play." Herzog says.

"If they asked people like Sparicy .Anderson and Dick N^TUiams and me who man­ aged in both leagues, we would tell them the pitcher is meant lo hit. so that a pitcher who is a good athlete ■ can help himself with the bat. .And those that are don­ keys hurt themselves.*... U- • van Hernandez may be a I phenom for the Marlins, but [ Manager Rene I>achemann I says the righthander from ' Cuba needs to lose at least i IO pounds. Team m ates ar- ‘ •

J

their 30th birthday. The youth should se­ verely diminish any chances of complacency.

“I don't think anybody will be coming here waltzing into spring training." Schuerholz says, ’^ 'e have a lot of young guys who have won one title, but they may want to win five.

Guys are not going to say.. Tm 21 years old.

I’ve won one world championship. I don't care if I win another one.’ The blend of the roster is stili young, so they’re still hungry. * “I really think these guys will play their hearts out* That’s just what the rfest of the league is afraid of.

gue he should lose at least 20. ... The Mets still have their eye on Rangers third baseman Dean Palmer ...

Deion Sanders is telling friends he would play for the Reds if he r m m s to baseball That’s a big if, knowing he would have to play for the $500,000 the club is offering.

Then again, he’s got the big money from the Cowboys, and the Reds would be sim­ ply a way of furthering his baseball career. The Reds will enter spring training hav­ ing no idea who win bal lead­ off They will try Curtis Good­ win and Thomas Howard, but realistically, both are long shots. The\*rn need someone desperately. Like Deion. ...

The Dodgers have offered Hideo Nome a one-year deal for about S500.000. th e high­ est contraa for any secondyear player in club history is $600,000 lo catcher Mike Pi­ azza.

Brace yourselves, but the Expos actual!)* are interested in bringing back Pascua!

Perez. 39. who hasn’t pitched in the majors since i99l.

"He's a possibiiit)’ if he's clean and if we can get over I

some hurdles," (>neral Manager Jim Beattie con­ firms. The biggest hurdle, of course, is that Perez stiD is on Major League Baseball’s disqualified list for violating a substance-abuse aftercare program. ... The Indians asked the Angels for Cleve­ land native Brian Anderson in trade discussions, but the Angels were demanding pitchers Chad O ^ a and Ak bie Lopez. Lopez is definitel)' available, but not Ogea. ...

LOU Gorman, you were a class act B aseb^ is going to miss you. ♦ Bob N i^te n g a le covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times.

February 5,1996

ILL • 45

ATLANTA BRAVES

FLORIDA MARLINS

Makteg bis pitch: Pitch­ e r Steve Avery is upset the team wants to cut his S4-tniBion salary by IO percent in what could become a nasty arbitration case. T he team is offering S3.6 million; Avery is asking $4.2 million. "If they want to cut me. I told them. well. we'll see them at the table. I can’t say Tm not bitter about i t because obviously I am." he says, “lf they don’t like what Trn doing, they could just as easily have not tendered m e (a contract of­ fer). and rd be happy to take my chances on the free-agent m a rk e t I think they realize they have an opportunity here to kind of take advantage of me. and Tm not going to let them do i t ’ Avery's arbitration hearing is scheduled for February 14, one day before spring training opens, Last season, he went 713 with a 4.67 ERA and had only three victo­ ries in 15 starts after the AG-Star break. But Avery. 25, surged at season's end with three consecutive quality starts and in postseason was 2-0 with a 1.43 ERA. ... Team officials moved up the opening of training camp to February T6 from February 18. Pitchers and catchers will work out at the West Palm Beach. Fla., training site the next day. and po­ sition players will report February 19.

Reccvertflg: Reserve infielder Mike Mordecai. a surprising sparkplug last season, is throwing again after undergoing surgery' on his painful right elbow shortly after the World Series. Doctors found a bone spur and a few loose bone chips. Mordecai says it’s just a m atter of time before he gets back into throwing shape.

— T m Luke

CHICAGO CUBS TWrf degree: Team offi­ cials, professing to be comfortable with con­ tact hitter Dave Maga­ dan playing third base, added third basem an Leo Gomez as a minor league invitee — just in case. “He certainlyadds pop to the position." says G eneral M anager Ed Lynch, who watched third basem en Steve Buechele and Todd Zeile combine for only IO home runs and a 217 average last season. “I can’t predict what his role will be. H ell be the one who de­ term ines that in spring training." Gomez hit 33 home runs over his first two full seasons for the Orioles, but only 29 over the next three. He reported to Baltimore's 1995 camp out of shape, then missed the last two months with a chipped bone in his ankle.

Nu Ton! award: The team offered free agent Tony Phillips a one-year contract, but the versatile Angels infielder/outfielder signed with the crosstown W hite Sox fqr two years. ... The club has righthander Amaury Telemaco rated high on its soon-to-arrrve list. “He's got Frank Castillo kind of stuff — a good slider, a decent change and always in the 90 to 91 (mph) range — and he’s got a lot of guts." #scouting director Jim Hendry says.

Telem aco. 22. posted a 3 2 9 ERA at DoubleA Orlando (Southern) last season, struck out 151 batters and walked 42 in 148 in n in g s ....

T he d u b may try to extend Brian M cRae's contract to keep him beyond next season.

“H e’s a quality defensive player and leadoff hitter, and h e ’s one of our inspirational lead­ ers," Lynch says.

— JOE 6000ARD

Bitter, Dot sw eet Despite going 7-13 last season, Avery thinks he deserves a raise from his $4-milhon salary. He and the Braves are scheduled togo to arbitration February 14.

CINCINNATI REDS The rock af

When last season ended.

Triple-A sensation Steve G ibraltar faced the prospect of having three center fielders ahead of him — Thom as How­ ard. Darren Lewis and Jerom e Walton. But payroll constraints forced the team to part with Lewis and Walton, leav­ ing Howard the lone incumbent along with newly acquired Curtis Goodwin as competi­ tion. But if Gibralter can prove himself, he of­ fers the power the other two lack. Gibralter.

23. says he is ready to make the jump, even though he was playing Double-A bail in 1994 and only played half a season in Triple A last year — but hit .316 with 18 hom ers in 79 gam es before tearing a ligament in his thumb.

General M anager jim Bowden admits he is a little concerned about rushing Gibralter to the big leagues, but loves the k id s hustle, say's he can play a strong center field and believes Gilbraher can hit 270-280 with 15 homers someday. But former Triple-A M anager Marc Bombard, now a Reds coach, says Gibralter could even be a 25-30 hom er hitter in time, lf nothing else. Gibralter figures to be a fen fa­ vorite in Cincinnati, a throwback type who could follow in the mold of Pete Rose. Tracy' Jones and Chris Sabo. Bombard say's there were times he thought Gibralter was going to need a straight Jacket last year. “Or me." he says.

Not to be left out Don’t rule out Sigel Wilson in the left-field picture. Wilson, who was the Marlins' first pick in the expansion draft in •92. hit 327 in w inter ball.

— MKE Bass

Rollover's reprieve: A year ago at this time.

Bill Hurst was bracing for a third consecutive season out of baseball.

But on March l l . 1995.

Hurst was persuaded to attend the team 's open tryout One of about 350 wannabes.

H urst's 6-foot-7 frame caught the eye of team officials. “I watched him throw three pitches, then I shut him down and said. 'Let's go in­ side and talk.' " rem em bers Gary Hughes, the team 's director of player personnel. That day. Hurst was the only one to walk away with a contract It was second life for Hurst, 25. who was in the Cardinals, organization from 1990 through '92 before elbow prob­ lems and Tommy John surgery led to the righthander's release in Decem ber '92. He underwent another elbow surgery in ‘94. The rustiness of a three-year layoff showed early last season at Class-A Brevard County (Flori­ da State), but by season's end his arm strength had returned. During the .Arizona Fall League. Hurst topped out at 98 mph on the radar gun. He finds himself on the team 's 40-man roster and one strong spring training away from finding a home on an overcrowded staff.

The skinny on Hernandez: Not everyone's first glance at Cuban star Livan Hernandez has been followed by glowing reports. Team offi­ cials have said the 6-foot-2. 220-pound Her­ nandez needs to lose about I O pounds before spring camp. Several players, however, say Hernandez is closer to 20 or 25 pounds over­ weight after a month of being wined and dined.

— SCOTT TOUEY

COLORADO ROCKIES

HOUSTON ASTROS

Swift progress: Bill Swift threw 31 pain-free pitches — all straight fastballs — off a mound last week. It was- the first time he had taken the mound since un­ dergoing arthroscopic surgery on a frayed right labrum in October. .And what made it special was the normally low-keyed Swift even got excited. “It was dif­ ferent.” says Swift, who threw in Tucson un­ der the auspices of pitching coach Frank Funk. “I’d been playing long-toss for three weeks, and throwing off the mound is a dif­ ferent angle. Everything was good I was sur­ prised. It was a lot better than I thought it would b e " Swift is even hopeful of being ready February- 16 for the first spring work­ o u t .And Funk isn't arguing “I was really sur­ prised." he says. ‘T h e thing I was watching closest for was how his mechanic**were. His m echanics were perfect. .After surgery, th e re s attendancy to short-arm the ball and favor things. He didn't do that at all."

Not Prime Time: .At the time of the expansion draft the club was ready to make Deion Sanders the No. I selection, but the Braves decided to protect Sanders, and David Nied was selected. A year ago the Rockies and Broncos considered making a dual bid co­ sign Sanders. But interest has subsided.

Sanders is a free agent, but G.M. Bob Gebhard doesn't plan to pursue him because of Sanders' commitment to football and the ex­ pected cost of signing him. Plus, the club is close to having reached a S37-miUion budget and the outfield is s e t — TRACY R lK O L S B Y

Berry signs: Third basem an Sean Berryagreed to a one-year deal worth >995.000. leaving one arbitration candidate — catcher Rick Wilkins. Berry, acquired from the Ex­ pos for reliever Dave Veres, was reeking $1.19 million. The club's offer was $8<X).IX)0. but the two sides agreed to a contract figure in the middle Berry . 29. made >28.$.<)00 in 1995 when he hit 31* with 55 RBls in 103 games. (LM. Gerry Hunsicker now turns his attention to Wilkins, who made $1 475 million in '95. Wilkins wants >1.55 million, but ffe missed two m onths because of back surgery before returning in Septem ber The club's ot­ ter is $1.25 million Sw in d e lls purchase: (ireg Swindell became the first player to lake the new 'S tep l 'p To The Plate" slogan to bean when he pur­ chased $15,000 in season tickets to help keep the team in Houston. Most of the tickets will be distributed to Houston youngsters through a drug-prevenUon program. Owner Drayton Mc Lane had stressed the franchise needs to d r a w 2.5 million fan> to help prevent a possible move to another city. McLane wants to sell at least 18.000 season ticket*. . compared to 8.500 last year. So far. 6.900 ‘ have been sold. A major advertising cam­ paign began iast week. including com m er­ cials with former president George Bush and I Rockets guard Clyde Drexler. to encourage : fans to buv season tickets. .An anonym ous I purchaser bought $150,000 worth of season r tickets last week.

— T bw y B louvt

ROCKIES

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NEW VORK METS

Smooth Infield: it s the team's thinking it has put together its finest in­ field since the davs of the Steve Garvey-Dave Lopes-Bill Russell-Ron Cey foursome, one that remained as a unit for a major league-record eight seasons (1974 through 'SD. One tiling about this one — first baseman Enc Karros, second baseman Delino ^ 'S h ie ld s , shortstop Greg Gagne and third baseman Mike Blowers — it will cost a little more: SILOS million compared to little more than $1 million. “The key thing, its a very sol­ id infield with good experience." Executive M er President Fred Claire says. Karros is be­ ginning his fifth season. DeShields his sev­ enth; Blowers is coming off his most produc­ tive season, and Gagne, brought in to replace error-prone Jose Offerman, has l l seasons of experience with Minnesota and Kansas City.

Or the rise: Reliever .Antonio Osuna hasn't made it big yet in the big leagues — he was just 2 4 with a 4.43 ERA and no saves in 39 ap­ pearances last season for the Dodgers — but he's the unquestioned king of Mexican Win­ ter League bullpens. Two years ago he struck out 90 batters — including IS in a row in one stretch — in just 4b :/r, innings. This winter, pitching for Hermosillo. he pitched 19 in­ nings and recorded 16 saves in 17 appear­ ances. His ERA. 0.00. ... Lefthander Jesu s Martinez. Ramon's brother, was 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 19 v? innings for Lice)' in the Do­ minican R epublic... Left field candidate Billy .Ashley batted .305 over the winter for Cara­ cas. Venezuela. He struck out 29 times in 95 at-bats.

— G ordo* V e r r b i

No power play: One day after Bernard Gtlkey became the team’s left fielder last week. G.M. Jo e M cllvaine dis­ counted the possibili­ ties of importing a slug' ger. an objective that' seemed primary a month earlier when the club had varying degrees of interest in three .American League third basemen — Dean Palmer. Ed Sprague and Robin Ventura.

Then again. M cllvaine discounted the chance of any major trade in his second day at the Los Angeles meetings, six days before importing Gilkey. ... Overstocked with righthanded-hitting outfielders, the M ets sent Damon Buford to the Rangers for T er­ rell Lowery, a skilled basketball player who happens to be a righthanded-tytting outfield­ er. No matter. Lowery, thought to have greater potential than Buford, is less ad­ vanced than Buford and not ready to clog the outfield at Shea Stadium.

U m p s * os tim M b fe : Even with Buford gone. Gilkey s presence seemingly has re­ duced Ryan Thompson to a lame duck.

Thompson is one of 12 players in the outfield mix. Gilkey. Lance Johnson and Carl Everett are the likely starters; Chris Jon es and Butch.

Huskey are the most likely understudies; .Alex Ochoa and Jay Payton may be best iden­ tified as the class of ‘97; and Lowery. Kevin Roberson. Gan* Thurman and Kevin Flora will be in spring training. “I might be there, too." Thompson says. “Might be." ... Todd Hundley said he has been given the go-ahead for full-scale re-conditioning of his surgically repaired left wrist.

— MARTY ROK-E

MONTREAL EXPOS

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

ST. LO LIS CARDINALS

Far ap art First base­ man David Segui thinks his chances of rW L l l signing a multiyear d ra \ “left with Kevin M alone." Segui. the team s 1995 player of the vear. was $900,000 awav rn from the club's offer when he filed an arbitrabon salary request of $2 million. Segui. who has publicly staled his desire to remain in Montreal, is trying to negotiate a two-year deal worth just over $3 million. ... The team settled one of its arbitration cases, agreeing to •tfrms with el Rojas on a onfc-year contract worth $2,025 million. Rojas, who was 14 with 30 saves last season, had filed ^salary request for $2.15 million. Four other players — Men­ ses Alou. Tim Scott. Rheal Cormier and Jeff Fassero — exchanged arbitration figures.

Fletch lives: Catcher Dam n Fletcher, the subject of numerous trade rumors over the winter, spoke to (General Manager Jim Bealbe and Man ager Felipe Aiou and was assured his role would bt' prominent. “I was told that a lot of it was media guesswork." Fletcher says "I was reassured that that wasn’t a sce­ nario thai they were interested in." .Alou con­ firms Fletcher's impression. “Darrin is a spe«ial player tor this organization." he says. “He has a mulu-year contract and is one of the few lefthanded bats we have, lf I were him. I wouldn't lose any sleep “ ... The \eam has is­ su 'd a spring-training invitation to infielder Kevin Castleberry, who played as a replace­ ment player in exhibition games and spent the rest of the season with Tri pie*A Ottawa (International) — JEFF BLAIR

Left out? Insisting his knee and back are fine and admitting there are people who doubt he can rebound from con­ secutive off years, Lenny Dykstra sent a message to the brass concerning where he wants to play this sea­ son. Dykstra's message was delivered amid reports the team was close to acquiring Boston center fielder Lee Tinsley for Heath­ e n Slocomb. “I don't want to play left field. I didn’t like iL I felt very uncomfortable there. I can best help the team in center," says Dyk­ stra. “My knee is good. One thing we don’t need is another outfielder. We need pitching, but w-hat team isn't saving that?" T he pro­ posed deal for Tinsley, reliever Ken Ryan and minor-league outfielder Glenn Murray ap­ peared to be dead last week, accordmg to a team source. That's just fine by Dykstra, who has been working out two hours a day to en­ sure that his surgically repaired right knee is up to playing center field. M anager Jim Fregosi says. “Lenny Dykstra will play center field unless he is physically unable to do that job." Dykstra believes a healthier knee will strengthen his throwing arm. which baserunners have been taking liberties with for sever­ al years. .And it will allow him to return to the form that carried him to a stellar 1993 season.

Done drat: Second baseman Mickey Morandini avoided an arbitration hearing by agree­ ing to a one-year deal that will pay him $1.75 million. Morandini filed a salary’ request for $2.2 million, and the team countered with $1,375 million.

— GEORGE A. K o * IM

Reality check: Denny b e a g le 's first big sea­ son and first year of arbitration eligibilityhelped land him a $2.35-million deal this winter. Neagle made $740,000 last year. Al­ though he's the club’s only* reliable starter, management will be watching him to make sure he builds on last year's su ccess 'instead of resting on it “W e have to make sure he doesn't get too happy and think he has it all figured out." Manager Jim Leyland says. ...

With Mike Kingery set to take over the lead­ off spot most days. Al Martin will drop to the middle of the order. The team wants to see some big run production out of him. Martin likes a challenge and knows he has to estab­ lish himself as a bona fide major leaguer.

Walt and sea: The Pirates will not draw conclu­ sions from Steve Cooke’s supervised workouts at Three Rivers Stadium. They want to see what he does under game conditions in Florida before they decide if he’s over the arm injuries that sidelined him last season.... Leyland is toy­ ing with the idea of making lefthander Jason Christiansen a starter. That could happen if the club can't get a dependable starter elsewhere.

The move would create some a m p competi­ tion and better left-right balance. Neagle was the only lefthanded starter in 1995. ... When the Penguins were wincing Stanley Cups, the Pirates had a hard time drawing attention for their .April and May gam es Now the Steelers haven't helped, with their Super Bowl run com­ ing during the prime offseason ticket-selling season.— JO W M SW )

§ ta ffil» ! tim Carts: Al­ though predominantly local ownership has bought the team, two S t Louis-native regu­ lars from 1995 are gone. A couple of days after left fielder Ber­ nard Gtlkey w’as traded to the M ets for three minor leaguers, third baseman Scott Cooper agreed to a one-year. $2-miIlion-plus deal to play for the Seibu Lions in Japan. Cooper says, “Fifteen or 20 years ago. it seemed like it would have meant a little more to have local guys on the team. Baseball’s getting more and more like hockey." Gilkey say’s he isn’t bitter about being sent away, but he holds some ill feeling from not being tendered a contract last spring. He was a free agent for a day and then took a pay cut from $1.6 million to a base of $975,000 although he ultimately made $1,625 million with incentives. Fore­ most among the prospects acquired from the M ets was 6-foot-5 righthander Eric Ludwig. who won 12 games at Double-A Binghamton before being promoted to Triple-A. Closing s t a t i m f t Gregg Olson, who missed much of the last two seasons with a partially tom tendon in his right elbow, agreed to a minor-league contract calling for him to j^ ceiv e $600,000. with a chance to achieve another $250,000 in incentives. He may be the closer if Dennis Eckersley isn't acquired from Oak­ land. ... The Cardinals signed center fielder Ray Lankford to a three-year. $ 12.5-million contract, thus avoiding arbitration, and sec­ ond baseman Geronimo Pena to a jninorleague contract — R d HOMMB.

♦

0

For tile Cardinals, trading Gilkey (above) meant not having ta offer him another pay cut For tile Mets, it probably means less opportunity for Thompson in the crowded outfield mix.

(Dove

U A L • 47

February 5,1996

SAN DIEGO PADRES Isvfiel d

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Melvin Nieves, who has m ore raw power than anyone in the franchise, likely will be traded to an Am erican League team before the season.

Team scouts have de­ cided Marc Newfield, not Nieves, should suc­ ceed Rickey H enderson in left field in 1998. when Henderson is to be a free a g e n t Nieves, 24. lost his starting job last year because he struck out too much and played shaky de­ fense. But he tapped his enorm ous power in September, hitting five home runs in nine gam es, and in 234 at-bats he had the team's second-best hom er total with 14. T he team, which finished l i t h among N .L teams in home runs. believes Newfield. 23. has All-Star -potential. ... G.M. Kevin Towers says he isn’t optimistic the club will avoid arbitration with pitcher Andy Ashby, who rejected a two-year deal worth $5 million. A sum of $700,009 sep­ arates the sides. A contract m ust be reached before February 13 to avoid arbitration.

Tony talks: Dialogue between the club and Tony Gwynn s agent has been pushed back, but the intended result rem ains the same: The team will exercise Gwynn's $4-million option for 1998. when Gwynn will turn 38. and will try to devise a way to retain Gwynn as a front-office employee. Owner John M oores is helping to fund a coDege stadium in Gwynn‘s name. ... One reason the team signed utility infielder Craig Shipley. He can play center field and would back up Steve Finley if Nieves departs.

— TOH KRASOVIC

SAX FRANCISCO GIANTS Bany bays In: Barry Bonds is an enthusiastic supporter of the club's offseason moves, partic­ ularly the signing of Cuban pitcher Osvaido Fernandez. “I haven’t been more excited since Ive been here," Bonds says. "Now I know what these guys do upstairs, and Tm here to say I like it" Bonds recently spent about a half-hour chatting with Fernandez around the indoor bat­ ting cages at Candlestick Park. "You can see the confidence in his face," Bonds says. “He has that special feeling about h im ."... Jim Dav­ enport an original San Francisco Giant in 1958 and the team ’s manager in 1985, wffl serve as

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an administrative coach in the up­ coming season, participating in pregame workouts. Davenport fin­ ished last season as the manager of the d u b ’s Triple-A team in Phoenix.

That job now goes to Ron Wotus, who directed Doubie-A Shreveport to the Texas League championship in 1995.

Global thinking: Already having signed Fernandez, the d u b also could be in the bidding for the next two Cuban pitchers on the market.

Vladimir Nunez and Larry Rod­ riguez. .And after being rebuffed last year in efforts to sign Hideo Nomo. the d u b is monitoring the status of Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the latest Japanese pitching star trying to get dearance to pitch in the ma­ jors. However. Hasegawa, 27. is be­ lieved to prefer the American League to avoid comparisons with Nomo. The Giants’ liaison in Japan is M asanori M urakam i, who pitched for them in 1964 and was the m ajors’ first Japanese-born pitcher.

— LARRY STERE

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and 31 RBIs in the Dominican Winter League. lf that is an indication that he is maturing as a hitter, he could be a candidate for the righthanded-D.H. role. He batted a combined 315 the past two years at Triple-A Rochester. ... The team may make a play for the two un­ signed pitchers who defected from the Cuban National Team.

— P E T H ! SCHNUCK

BOSTON RED SOX Loading ap: The team signed 30-vear-old out­ fielder Alex Cole to a minor league contract, invited him to spring training and added him to the Center field mix.

Cole, who hit .342 in 79 at-bats with the Twins last season, would vie with Dwayne Hosey for the starting Center­ field job if Lee Tinsley is dealt. G.M. Dan Du­ quette continues to stockpile players by sign­ ing them to minor league contracts. He also added infielder and ex-Ranger Esteban BeJtre. 28. and righthander Jerem y Hernandez.

29. who was CH) with an 11.57 ERA in seven gam es with the Marlins last season-. Infielder Carlos Rodriguez, who played in 13 gam es with the team last season after undergoing major shoulder surgery, also signed a minor

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P ro to n s o fa r. Life would be sim pler for the Orioles if Surhoff ain play regularly at third base.

H ants M o m ok Third basem an Jeff Man to. who hit 17 hom ers in 254 at-bats last season, accepted a one-year contract with the Tokyo Yomiuri G iants that could be worth as much as $ 1.5amillion, a far cry from the $140,000 he earned last year and far more than he could have hoped to get from the Orioles for 1996. ... Manto was the second form er Orioles third basem an to sign elsew here in a three-day span. Leo Gomez signed a m inor league con­ tract with the Cubs last week after being left untendered.

Who's on think B J. Surhoff is expected to start al third with Jeff Huson or Bill Ripken in re­ serve. If Surhoff gravitates toward more work in the designated-hi tier role. M anager Davey Johnson may have to dedde w hether to bring Bobby Bonilla in from the outfield or sacrifice some run production al third base. Johnson has said he would prefer not to do that. but there are more options in the outfield, where Mike Devereaux could move into the lineup if Bonilla goes to third b a se .... Sherman Obando was the organization’s most productive winterbail player, batting 370 with seven home runs

TM

CHALLENGES

CALIFORNIA .ANGELS

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The S portwq News F antast Golf Challenge Ad rn m s

F or T h e B est S po rts E n t e r t a in m e n t a n d T h e B e s t C a s h P r iz e s , L ook To The Gam es Y o u 'd Ex p e c t F ro m A m e r ic a ' s S p o r t s A u t h o r it y •,mw

league contract H ell com pete with Beitre for . a utility sp o t Long and sh o rt Shortstop John Valentin, who filed for $2.75 million in arbitration (the d u b countered with $2.2 million), would like to ex­ plore a long-term deal. The team is reluctant to give him one. Mo Vaughn, who also has made little progress in his bid for a multiyear deal, has filed for $6.1 million in arbitration.

The club is offering $4.2 million. ... Leu Gor­ man. who spent almost four decades in base­ ball. the last dozen years with the Red Sox, re­ tired last week as executive vice president of baseball operations. He will remain a consul­ tant with the club. During his IO years as Rad Sox general manager (1984 through *93). Gor­ man put together three division winners and m one pennant winner.

— JOE GflJUOm

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Money games: Outfield­ er D arin E rstad. the No. I selection in last J u n e 's draft, has a stran g e "non-incen­ tive" clause in his conm tract. He gets a $25,000 bonus if h e's not called up to the big leagues by Septem ber — in ef­ fect, a bonus for not doing well. H ell get an additional $100,000 if he's not on the big league ro ster by Septem ber 1997. Actually, it's intended to give the franchise a finan­ cial incentive to prom ote Erstad sooner. "I really haven’! set a tim etable for myself."

Erstad says. "I want to get com fortable with professional baseball first, and I know Em not-ready now. It might take me a year or two." Erstad hit .389 with five hom e runs and 25 RBIs in 29 gam es in Rookie and Class-A ball.

Eiatn cle a n Harvey: Reliever Bryan Harvey passed a physical examination that the d u b required before it would finalize his contract Coming off elbow surgery. Harvey will go into spring training as a setup man, but the team is hopeful he can come back strong enough to serve as a closer again ii the need arises. "I just w-ant to be healthy." Harvey says. “I don't really care what role I’m doing right now " ... Don't expect the Walt Disney Co. to push the team 's payroll budget to $40 million in an effort to buy a pennant. The company may be huge, but it has investors to answer to. and the Disney people watch their cash flow carefully'. A modest budget in­ crease. up to about $27 million, appears to be ^ the most General M anager Bill Bavasi can ex­ pect.

— Dave Cuhidkhu*

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The Sporting News

MILWAUKEE BREM ERS

CHICAGO WHITE SOX Taktog shapa: With a new-look outfield of Toay Phillips in left.

Darren Le^^is in center and Danny T artabull M anager Terrv' Bevington can now work on his lineup Phillips ^ i\\ lead off and second-year man Ray Durham probably H-iil be given the chance to bal second. The lineup allows Frank Thom as "tv> bal third. wherA' he is most comfortable, wnth Harold Bairn's cleanup. Tartabull fifth and Robin \> n tu ra sixth "On paper." Bevington says, t h i s is as good a run-producing lineup as we've had in the past seven years.

We have guys batting in the Nos. I and 3 spots who gel on base 40 percent of the time.

And with Frank batting behind him. the No. 2 hitler is going to have a chance to do some damage." ... The bottom third of the order, the obvious weak spot, will be Ron K arko\ice. Le>*is and Ozzie Guillen.

Striktog o u t The team 's strikeout total will be a statistic to watch in Tartabull struck out one of ever>' 3.41 at-bats last season, Karkorice one in evcr>’ 3.85 and Phillips one in even- 3.89. "Strikeouts mean nothing for me unless ii com es nith a runner on third and less than tw(» outs," Herington sa>*s. "I d rather have a player strike out with men on base than hit into a double play."... Tartabull cost the organization one of its top prospects, lefthander Andrew Lorraine, plus m inor league outfielder Charles Pot'. Tartabull. 33. was limited lo 28(1 ai-bais last season because of injuries. G M. Ron Schueler says the A's an* picking up a ‘ substantial amount" of TartabuH's salarv — DAVE VAA D y C I

Singled out Speed and

I Catching the Tram: Although he might play without longtime infield partner io u Whitaker.

Tramm ell uHU earn his stripes with the Tigers, who value his leadership on a young team

CLEVELAND INDIANS

DETROIT TIGERS

.Al­ though General Man­ ager John Hart and .Manager M ike H ar­ grove talk about Eddie Murray, Herbert F e rn ­ and Julio Franco as co­ equal* first basem en. iiV likely that Franco will play the position most of the lime, with Murray as the desigHalt'd hitter and PerT>-’as the backup al first.

Indians fans know- Franco ont>- as a shortstop and sn 'o n d baseman Bul last year. he won the t'quivaieni of a Gold Glove in Japan "I'm « o i w om ed about Juho at first." Hargrove says. "He's alw-ays had good hands." lf work­ outs in spring training go well. Perr>- also will I take on a new assignment: r e s e n r third base^ man behind jim Thome. Perr>' played third in college at Florida.

Minor matters: Cleveland is not one of the tranchist's seeking lo save money by cutting back on player development. However, there is a movement to do just that by many big league clubs, and it is gaining momentum. "I think chances are excellent thai we're going lo see some changes.* Indians farm director Mark Shapiro says '^S'hat isn't known now is what th<- extent of the changes will be." One I tniddltMif-the^road proposal is lo transform Triple-A affiliates into player development teams rather than holding areas for fringe big leaguers "lf changes have lo be made, we could po lo five (arm team s if Triple had more of a developmental function." Shapiro says. "\\'e're tired of getting into a bidding w-ar for insurance-tvpe j>lavers because y o u have lo win at Tnpie .A" ' — ShaD O A OCKER

Duo dhriiSed: Alan Trammelt itll be strange going to spring training knowing that Lou W hitaker won't be there. "I called Lou to ask him what he thought of my going back." says Trammell, who will play his 20th season with the team. “He said. T ram . if you go back and play, ill come oui and watch you ■' \N*hilaker appears to be leaning toward retirem en t He combined with Trammell to form the longest-running team m ate act in baseball histon' Trammell will be a backup at shortstop as well as first and second base.

But most important for rookie M anager Budd>- Bel] will be his leadership on a young club.

Salarv* figures w eren’t released, bul Trammell rt^upped for no more than half of his S1.275million 1995 salarv. not realK'rn the • “M onev's * issue, ju st being back is what m akes me hap­ py." Trammell says.

More building: lf center fielder Chad Curtis becom es loo expensive, the team has a po­ tential replacem ent in lefthanded-hitting Du­ ane Singleton, a 23-year-old acquired from the Brewers. Singleton batted .268 last sea­ son at Trfple^.A New O rleans (American .As­ sociation). with four hom ers. 29 RBls and 31 steals. "He’s a leadofi-tv'pe hitter who has a good chance of making the team." General M anager Randy Smith says. ... I t's -a bitter­ sweet time for Sparkv* Anderson, w'ho will be without a team for the first time since 1979.

A nderson’s m other died last week at age 84. shortly before he was to be honored at a fund­ raising dinner in DetroiL — REID CREASER

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field: No one.

including Hip Roberts. is sure where h e ll play this vear. It could be second base, third base or left field. H e’s more comfortable about left field. ■^'eH figure this out in spring training.” he sav's. “I don't know.

I have no idea." The problem with left field is Roberts would bump Michael T ucker or one of the team 's other bright hopes onto the bench. Tucker could be the lefthanded half of a designated-hitter platoon, but that would cost righthanded-hitting Joe Vitiello a lot of at-bats. it’s expected that second base would be open lo Roberts because Keith Lockhart. who finished the year there, is penciled into a platoon with Joe Randa al third base, lf that fails. Roberts could take over third. Moving around a lot doesn’t appeal to him. * ^ lth my­ self. you’ve got to be careful, lf I'm going to play second, then go play third, then back to second, then go play left, that'll kill your shoulder.” Roberts savs. "And that's all I need is a bum shoulder coming to Kansas Citv* for my first year."

Traiulug tablK For Randa and other Royals in the Arizona Fall League, playing the gam es was just part of the routine. They also were d r ill^ byfitness guru Mack Newton. “It was like a bool camp." Randa says. At first. Randa.

Johnny Damon. Joe Nunnally and Sal Fasano w o r r i t that the workouts would detract from their play. But they came to appreciate the tough drills. "It showed us just how much more we had inside of us than we th o i^ h t we had,” Randa savs.

— D ic k R A E s a

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defense were supposed to provide outfielder EHiane S'lngleton with a ticket lo the majors.

But in the end. an in­ ability to adjust to big league pitching earned him a ticket lo D etroit Once regarded as a top prospect in the organization. Singleton was sent to the Tigers for minor league pitch­ er Henrv'" Santos. Although Singleton hit .268 and stole 31 bases for Triple-.A New Orleans last season, his exit was hastened by the ac­ quisition of Chuck Carr. hitting woes and a history of disciplinary problems. Santos, a 23year-old native of the Dominican Republic, signed with the T igers al 16 and lost 18 of his 6rsl 20 professional decisions. He has a ca­ reer m ark of 17^42 and pitched primariK* at Ciass-A Lakeland last season.

Due left C atcher Dave Nflsson agreed to term s on a one-year. Sl.OS-million contract last week, Jeaving pitcher Cal Eldred as the onK* pending arbitration case. Sullen salary figures were exchanged last m onth. Eldred was seeking $790,000. while the club’s offer w'as $450,900 — the sam e salary Eldred earned last season. The fact that Eldred. 28, is coming off a car^ r-th reaten in g injury — and might not pitch for the Brewers at i i in *96 — m akes this a unique case. T h e r e are som e novel issues that both parties would have to fece {in a hearing)." says Tom Gausden. the club’s contract negotiator. T o u add into the equation the fact that Cal is some­ body who we realK* will look to in the future.

On the other hand, w e’re not going to pay him $790,000.”

— ®REW O isoil

MINNESOTA TWINS Dot, dot, d o t T he club and second basem an Chuck Knoblauch ex­ changed saiary-arbitraCion figures — the club offering S3.75 million and Knoblauch seek­ ing S4.67 million. He made almost S3 million in 1995 wiiile finish­ ing second in the A. L with a .333 batting av­ erage and compiling 46 stolen bases and 11 hom e runs. All figures were career highs.

The lop two second basem en on the tre e agent m arket this winter were Roberto Alo­ mar. who signed a three-year. S18milHon c o n tra a with the Orioles, and Craig Biggie. who re-signed with the Astros for $22.36 mik lion over four years. Knoblauch won’t achieve eligibility for free agency und! after the 1997 season — unless players are credited with service time lost in the strike, which would make Knoblauch a f i ^ agent next w inter....

T he club had talks with free-agent pitcher Kevin Tapani's agent but detided not lo take that path again. The team would rather see younger prospects get the innings.

F tm d a D e ^ problem: Information from an in­ formal poll taken by the organization to figure the best way to approach M innesotans on a new stadium was borne out in another poD taken by the S t Paul Pioneer P ress and a Twin Cities television stadoo. in w hich re ­ spondents basically said. "Don't raise m y tax­ es lo build a new stadium." M innesotans statewide and in the Twin Cities sa>* by more than a 2-io-l margin they would defeat an ad­ visory proposal to use public money for a sta­ dium.

— “S c o n M u ib i

February 5,1996

deal that sent Bobby Bonilla to Baltimore. He has m ajor league experience, sp endin g paris of the last th re e sea so n s in th e big leagues with the O rioles and M ets. In 249 major league at-bats. he has a batting average of .213 with 50 ru n s scored. 12 stolen bases, six h o m e rs and 23 RBIs. lf Buford starts off strongly, he could give M an ag er Johnny O ates the option of a platoon situation with Darryl Hamilton in ce n ter field.

Catch-22: Melvin is showing an interest in signing ca tc h e r Ivan Rodriguez to a long­ te rm contract. R odriguez's arbitration re ­ qu est is $4.95 million T he R angers have co u ntered with a $4-million offer A hearing is scheduled for February 1.5 if no ag reem en t is reached .

— T A SUUJVAN

NEW YORK YANKEES Key’s progress;

Jim m y Key h a s b e e n m aking e x c e lle n t p ro g ress w o rk in g o u t at th e c l u b ’s T a m p a h e a d ­ q u a r te r s and m ay be re a d y m u c h e a r lie r th a n first b e lie v e d .

Key. w ho had s h o u ld e r s u rg e ry last seaso n , a lre a d y is th ro w in g off a m o u n d and m ig h t b e able to sta rt th e se a so n in th e rotation.

Key's po ssible availability m e a n s th e club m ig h t have an e x tra s ta rtin g p itc h e r to trade. Scott K am ieniecki. w ho is to m a k e S i .I million, likely w ould b e c o m e tra d e bait. ... G en e ral M a n a g e r Bob W atso n say s it ap­ p e a rs M elido P e r e z ’s elbo w pain is ju st ordinarv stiffness. T h e club h a s in su ra n c e on P e re z 's $4.4-million salary* sh o u ld h e be u n ­ Winter of d isc o n te n tsLooking good: Key is ahead o f schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery and might be ready able to pitch. ... T h e re w ere familiar n a m e s T eam officials sav ~ to pitch by O pening Day. That could m ean the Yankees will trade Scott Kamieniecki. on th e list of n o n -ro ste r sp rin g invitees, in­ th e v 're not w orried cludin g re lie v e rs Rich M o n te le o n e an d Paul Crowded: T h ere will be .58 players in ugiform that p rojected desigG ibson and first b a s e m a n Kevin M aas. Also on F eb ruary 20 tor the team 's first full-squad ^ nated hitter Carlos Del­ invited w as r e p la c e m e n t p la y e r D ave sp ring training workout in Peoria. .Aru. Half gado hit only ITO m Pavlas, called a ‘ s c a b ” last sp rin g by D on the P uerto Rican Win­ Vacillating; Ken Griffey will be pitchers. G.M. W oody W oodw ard says M a ttin g ly .... M attin g ly 's ag en t, Jim Krivacs. h e h a s been p u rsuing veteran reliever and exter l e a g u e T h e past Jr. h a s been offered a re ite r a te s his client h a s no plan s to play th is M arin er M ike Jackson.

— JIM. STREET couple of years, he has dom inated that league m ultiyear contact that I season. and, for the first couple of weeks, he hit i would m ake him base­ Pass the Bock: Pat Kelly an d Jim Ley ritz n u m b e r of hom e runs." G eneral M anager ball's highest-paid play­ say th e y are p le a se d B u ck S h o w a lte r no C o rd Ash says. ‘ But after that, they simply er. but he is reluctant to lo n g e r is m a n a g in g . B oth p lay ers sig n ed pitched around him His on-base percentage com m it. After offsea­ rw o-vear d e a ls to slav w ith th e clu b after was great." D elgado says his timing was off Coming fourth; Looking son trad es sent Mike S h o w a lte r’s c o n tro v e rs ia l d e p a r tu r e . Says “I can't tell you why. to be perfectly honest." for som eone who can Blowers to the D o d g ers and Tino M artinez Leyritz: “I k n o w if B u ck w a s still th e m a n ­ says D elgado, the league's M V ? a year earli­ provide im m e d ia te and Jeff Nelson to the Yankees. Griffey won­ a g e r. m y agents w ould h av e d o n e w hat help, the team a c ­ e r ... Rum ors that Jot* Carter might be h e a d ­ ders if th e M arin ers will rem ain competitive. I th e y could to g et m e out of h e r e ." Leyritz ed to the W hite Sox were killed when C hica­ q u ired outfielder Da­ ■Their (most recent) offer is very* m uch in the w as u n h a p p y a b o u t h is role u n d e r S h o w al­ go acquired Danny Tartabull Chicago G M m on Buford from the ballpark w h ere Kenny and I believe h e should ter. Kelly w as u n h a p p y to have b e e n d is ­ Ron S chueier says he inquired about C arter s M ets for outfielder T e r­ be." Griffey's agent Brian G oldberg says. “But placed late last s e a s o n by R andy V elarde. availability d u rin g the ow ners m eetings rell Lowery.

GM. the question b eco m es this: Is this the place he ... Steve H ow e re m a in s a po ssibility. T h e Going, going, gone: T h e team s two m ajor D oug Melvin says Buford, highly regard ed as w ants to spend the next X n u m b er of years?

Y a n k e e s h av e o ffered a n o n -g u a ra n te e d . award w inners, as selected by the local b a ^ a defensive player, has the inside track on be­ T h is is a hu m an em otion that anyone in his $500,000 c o n tra c t.

— JOH HETMAN baij writers, no longer are in Toronto R ober­ ing th e team 's fourth outfielder and could be position would be going thro ugh ." T he sixto .Alomar, who signed a free-agent contract its c e n te r fielder of the future. Lowery m issed time .All-Star c e n te r fielder h a s one year re­ with the Orioles, edged F.d Sprague as player m ost of last season with a to m Achilles' ten­ m aining on a four-year. $24-million contract. of the year .Al Lefter, who signed with the don and m ost likely would have spent this Both th e organization and Griffey want the Marlins, w ast! near-unanim ous choice as top season at Triple A if he had not been traded contract to be settled before spring training so pitcher Sprague was nam ed most improved Goodbye, Barmy. M ark “Y ou're talking about two good young out­ it w on’t b eco m e a distraction. ... T h e d u b is player, and outfielder Shawn G reen was top fielders." Melvin says. ‘ But Dam on is m ore M cG w ire liked th e idea confident it can avoid a salary-arbitration h e a r­ rookie. . The team . looking for help in the of D anny Tartabull bat­ ready to play right now than Terrell. The ing with relief pitcher N orm Chariton, its only outfield, signed Ruben Am aro to a m inor M ets have a lot of good young outfielders ting beh ind him in the case. Charlton, largely responsible for the league contract. Amaro. who -pin ia^t season O akland lineup in 1996. and, from their standpoint, this gives-them te a m ’s late-season su rg e with 14 saves in IS b e tw e en C leveland and T nple-A Buffalo But with T artabull trad ­ time for Terrell to develop." Buford, son of opportunities after being signed as a free <A m erican A ssociation!, will join R obert fo rm e r major league outfielder Don Buford, ed to the W hite Sox. it agent du rin g the .All-Star break, is seeking a Pert*/ and Mike Huff in th*- battle tor reserve originally was signed by the O rioles before is n ’t go ing to happen. $2.5-million salary while th e M arin ers coun­ outfield duty — STEVE MILTON being traded to the M ets last July,28 in the “I v e n ev e r h ad anyone (with g re at h o m e run tered at $1.65 million. potential) batting behind m e in th e nine-plus *n r years I v e played.’ M cG w ire says. “So this is i i n o thing different." G eneral M an ag er Sandy t i i A lderson says th a t althou gh th e issue of w ho i a i Fill out this form completely and attach your old mailing will bat b ehin d M cG w ire w on't be je ttie d un­ 1 t a t til spring training, e ith e r G eronim o B e r r o s ladle as indicated below. i ! i w ho figures to b e th e full-time desig n ated hit­ i te r in T a m b u r s ab sen ce, o r th ird -b ase m a n Sign me up for 42 issues of THE SPORTING i 1. IMPORTANT — Attach old mailing label r i Jason Giam bi could fill the s p o t “N eith er has t NEW S at the low rate of S57.96 (save 36% off the here. (lf iabei is not available, print your i i the pow er reputation that Tartabull does." i newsstand price). name and address in the box j .Alderson says, “b u t e ith e r could be ju st as ef­ i a i fective. if not m ore so. But if we could find an a a a J □ Bi)) me later. □ Paym ent enclosed. outfielder with so m e sock, we'd be interesta Sole ^ 'e a s e ai»0* 6 5 *«?♦?«$ ‘cr •*-«» I ’-a -g o — >* vs a ed." a I F or F aster S u b scrib er Service a Financial windfall: O ne m ajor byproduct of 2 Print new address here a 1 th e Tartabull trad e is that th e team suddenly a I N a m e _________________________ _______ ____ h a s m o ney to play with. T h e c u rren t payroll is a Address . _______ Name I $21.8 million, while new o w n ers Steve Schott *: Apt a A d d r e s s _______________________________________ and Ken Hofm ann are willing to spend as i City S ta te 'Z ip a I C ity /S ta te /Z ip ___________________________________ m u ch as $25 million on salaries in 1996. a a “W h a t th is d o e s for us." .Alderson says, “is Canadian su&scnobons add S46 80 tor postage Omer forego rates orii I 3. Mart this form to: request that we get a pitcher in A ndrew Lorraine who a a we th ink will co m p ete for a startin g rotation • R e tu r n to: P.O. Box 10755, Des Moines, IA 50340-0755 a I spot. It also allows us to re sh a p e o u r outfield a h o r F a s t e r S u b s c r i b e r Nervier and it gives us so m e room to m ak e fu rth e r ac­ t P.O. Box 10755 quisitions."

— J o h n Hickey E-M ail: tsnsub(g aol.com Des M oines, LA 50340-0755

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One-night stand turns Muller, Leafs into an item •?

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t started as a reservations mixup but end­ ed as a perfect match (or the Maple Leafs.

W hen they w ere in Los A n geles in mid-Decem ber, the Maple Leafs stayed at the sam e hotel as exiled Islanders cen ter Kirk Both si d es were em barrassed beca u se it fueled rumors that M uller would soon be headed lo Toronto. But the show of affection as the Maple Leafs were getting on the team bus convinced Coach Pat B um s to lobby for the former Canadiens captain. "ll took us forever to leave the hotel b e­ cause all of our players had to say their good­ byes to Kirk." B um s savs. "I had him in Montreal one year and knew h e was the guy I wanted on the ice in all the important situa­ tions. But seein g the kind of affection my •

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players show ed for a player on an opposing team made me realize hew much we had to have Kirk on our team."

It took five m ore w eeks, but th e Maple Leafs acquired Muller from the Islanders, as well as veteran goaltender Don Beaupne from the Senators, in a three-team trade. AU they gave up was backup goalie Damien Rhodes to Ottawa and minor league winger Ken Belanger to the Islanders.

O bviously, they didn’t have to mull that very long.

“It whelps our club immediately." Maple L eafs'center D oug Gilmour says. “Kirk’s a character player who know s wfhat it takes to win. You can't overestim ate th a t He leads bv exam ple and total effort. H ell fit in just fine."

Muller m issed seven w eek s because of his dispute over a contract and over not wanting to play for another rebuilding team, but he looked right at hom e in his first gam e — scoring one goal and helping set up Mike Gartner for the other in a 2-2 tie with the B la c k b a lls .

“Instead of being tired and out of shape, he seem ed to g e l stronger with each shift."

Blackhawks center Jerem y Roenick says.

Muller helped the Canadiens win the Stan­ ley Cup in 1993 by com bining leadership and talent. He was shocked when Montreal traded him to the rebuilding Islanders last winter. W hen his performance this season was

The Sporting News

Although the Maple Leafs g et the most im­ m ediate help, the Islanders clearly got the best of the deal long-term. T hey g et center Martin Straka, a former 30-goal scorer, and defensem an Bryan B e r a n i the first pick in last sum m er's draft, from th e Senators, as well as Belanger to provide toughness.

The Senators get Rhodes as a potential No. I goalie and defensem an W ade Redden. whom the Islanders made the second pick in last sum m er's draft. N ew G.M. Pierre Gau­ thier savs he had Redden rated ahead of Berard w hen he was working as the assistant general m a n g e r of the M ighty D ucks But Berard was No. I on m ost draft lists.

"The deal was made principally for Bryan Berard." Islanders G.M. M ike Milbury says.

"Redden is a laid-back, stay-at-home, good-vision. good-hands player. Berard is an offen­ sive dynam o. W e think he has the upside of a superstar."

Berard could be the next Brian Leetch. with All-Star potential, and Redden could be the next Brad McCrimmon or Jamie Macoun. a player who will be steady but unspectacu­ lar for the next IO years.

T he last tim e No. I was traded for No. 2 w as 1989. w hen the O ilers acquired right wing Joe Murphy (No. I in 1986) from the Sudden im pact Muller had a goal and an assist i Red W ings for center Jimmy Carson. in his first gam e as a Maple Leaf.

T h a t s the unusual part o f this deal." Oil­ ers G.M. Glen Sather says. “Almost everyone subpar. the Islanders sent him hom e. Some had Berard first overall — and now h e’s trad­ say his demand to renegotiate a $3.3£-miiIion ed. I g u e ss Ottawa knew there w as no way contract to $2 million delayed a trade. Others they could get Berard to sign with them. Oth­ thought h e quit on the Islanders. erw ise. the deal doesn't make sen se from the So. the on us is clearly on M uller.'w h o Senators' standpoinL" turns 30 on February 8. to quell the w hispers With goaltender Eric Fichaud and dethat he is nearly finished and thai he quit on fen sem en Berard. Bryan M cCabe. Scott the Islanders.

Lachance and Darius Kasparaitis all under T v e got a lot of people to prove wrong, and 24. the Islanders have poured the foundation th e r e s no better place to do that than Toron­ of a contender. But m ost ev e s wiD be on the to." Muller says. “I'm looking forward to that Maple Leafs to se e how far M uller can take challenge." them in the playoffs.

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give this team."

Jets got approval from the M cM aster says h is team league's board of governors to m ove to Phoenix for next n eed ed a lefthanded power forward and that h e had season , the team had more than 1.000 requests for sea­ tried at least on ce a w eek to son tickets. C oyotes, by the g e l S teven s from th e P en­ way. looks like the front-run­ g u in s th e la st^ ftjip le of ner for team nicknam e. ... years. M cM aster says h e is T he Fivers continue to w orking on oth er d eals — struggle offensively, but the on e reportedly bein g acquisition of veteran center Granato and d efen sem an Dan Quinn from the Sena­ Marty M tS orley to the tors for future considera­ B lackhaw ks for forwards tions could generate produc­ Joe M urphy and Patrick tion from som eo n e other Poulin and d efen sem an than Eric Lindros. John Eric W einrich.

LeClairand Mikael Ren berg.

T occhet. who w-as Gret­ Second-line cen ter Rod zky's clo sest friend on the Brind’Am our has had a Small addition: .After whining in Boston. Stevens isn’t likely to team, says he thinks the trem endous season, but you start winning in Ins Angeles, where more changes are likely.

Great O ne definitely will be wouldn’t know it because his • traded before March 20. linem ates have disappeared 1 ably our most popular play* | Granato says the team ’s Not so Kingly m ost nights. “I se e m yself i cr " chem istry is shoL When W ayne Gretzky like a backup quarterback, S teven s’ work ethic was I "We have just fallen apart suggested the Kings acquire ; questioned — a lot — by w h o’s there if needed." sin ce the rum ors started." a fHigoal scorer, be didn't ; Bruins Coach Steve Kasper.

Brind'Amour says. “Som e looking down: Tocchet says I he says. T h e thought of losmean som eon e who might opponents m ight fear y s Stevens and Cam N ee Iv ! ing W ayne has hit a lot of the Kings have fallen apart.' score SO goals over the rest more if my line could score were dressed bul not used in g u y s hard, and we haven’t of his career But that’'- what lignant lump w as rem oved more often." a gam e January 3 al Toronto. ! reacted very well. M anage­ General M anager sam Mc- ; Instead of working harder. ! from his neck. He learned T he Blackhaw ks may not ment has to look at this and Y ester got when he ac­ I he had H odgkin’s d isease in | want to slow the mom entum Stevens whined more.

5 do som ething. It can’t g o on quired left wing Kevin j 1993 when a malignant lump th ey ’ve had the past 20 "There may be so m e I much longer."

Stevens from the Brum*' tor was found on his neck, but I g a m es (13-3-4 — secondquestion about how h long It w on’t.

T he m essa g e of nght wing Rick Tocchet.

L em ieu x s h r u g s o ff th is best in the W estern Confer­ Rick can slav healthy with . doom has been sent.

“Rick was very special to a ■ the way he g iv es away his lump. “It was nothing." he e n c e ). but w e’ve told you lot of guys bere." Kings nght j body every night." Bruins says. "I've never felt better. I about the M am - M cSorlev| icy bits wing Tony Granato says I defensem an Ray Bourque feel stronger than I v e ever Tonvrn Granato rum ors and "No one would ever question ! says, "but t h e r e s no q u e s ­ Mario Lem ieux savs his felt this far into a sea so n ." ... on e gen eral m anager says his work ethic He was probtion the kind of effort he will health is fine after a non-maT he first tw o days after the h e know s C hicago d is­ #

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cu ssed a Jerem y Roenick* for-Trevor Linden trade with the C anucks. ... If you’re looking for a good of­ fensive d efensem an and w illing to take on z $2-million-a-year contract, call S en ators G.M. Pierre Gau­ thier about Steve D uchesne.

T h e C anucks. K ings and B lackhaw ks sh ou ld be standing in lin e .... P enguins Coach Eddie Johnston used to stop pucks tor the Bruins.

He sa y s his old team did well to get Bill Ranford from Edm onton. T h e ir goaltending has co st them four or five g a m es this year." he says. “Ranford wins gam es.

Look at his record." + Larry Wigge has covered hockey for THE SPORTING N ew s since 1969.

m iiiw on bortyWiggei TSN • UopkeyJttfrtfcall* 1* 908- 868- 408,95 cents

permmn^ifiCanada,. edtfl-900451-3234, $1.45p&:tninuie* CdUenunderfl8 must haveperrmsswn. The serviceis accessiblefrom tou&tohe and rotary phones. -

NHI • 51

February 5,1996

A Senator’s debate

— L a r r y W ig g e

TSN POWER POLL L

Team Red Winos Rawer* Penguins Avalanche Byers Panthers Blackhawks Maple Leals Blues Capitals

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Comment

Udstrom, Konstantinov have passed Coffey as top defensemen How many ooais could RoMaHte score on a line with Messier0 2.

Two QQfiis si final 53 seconds agamist Boston shows the firepower I 4.

Roy needs three victories to reach 300 milestone.

26-1 against conference teams ahead of them $.

11 vidones try one ooal, including seven on read.

6.

7.

Chefcs credits Hartsbmq’s trap defense tor team's success Newcomer Beaupre had 23-11-3 career record against Toronto. a.

With three qoais since break. Twst has outscored the hxjh-pato stars a.

Eight shutouts rn two seasons — no sophomore {ira for Carey eh7 IO. 12-12-1 road record; 3-18-3 last season. ti. Canadians Kasper wms fight with Stevens, but Neefy won’} be next to go 12. Bruins Brodeur breaks Resets team record with 18 consecutive starts 13. Devils Ouch! They've been outscored 102-76 rn five-on-ftve Situations 14. Lightning A M M I lf) L ■ Vrfl n i/ V r l nome cootcnq1n c r ai ljm nace, wnere ukjy nj 1 o-s 18-246 Brown’s performance has Hartford’s power play ricking ie . Whalers 20-24-4 Revitalized Ofczyfc dosing rn on 20 goats.

17. Jets ie. Sabres 19-25-3 A bad habit — two 16 tosses in three games.

19. Rimes 17-23-9 4-1-2 since Roberts returned from a career-threatersnq nee* injury 18-246 Arnee breaks oui of slump with first goal rn three weeks 20. Otters 21. Kings 17-22-11 Touchet tor Stevens isn't a commitment to keeping Gretzky in L A 22. Righty Ducks 17-27-5 15-5-2 when they score al least three ooais.

14-23-10 Nieuwendyk had 314 ocals tor Barnes. Now, he has one against them 23. Stars 24. (slanders 12-276 Straka reunited with ex-coach Bowless, now an Islanders assistant.

25. Shafts 10-35-4 Racine, acquired on waivers from Montreal, wont help defensively 26. Senators 8-37-2 Now mere's an unsuaJ ha! mc* - three coaches sn one season Through Saturday's games THE S porting N ew s NHI Power Pofl is determined by TSN Hockey Editor larry W«gge 34-9-4 30-11-9 3M4-3 26-14-9 24-13-11 30-13-5 25-15-11 22-17-9 20-19-8 22-20-5 23-19-6 20-19-6 21-22-5 20-20-7 17 1C 10

Devascenter

Areal bonus It had been four vears since Allan Bester • played goal in the N H L But now. after three . consecutive victories for the Stars, he mav not leave anv time soon.

Bester had been playing for the Orlando : Solar Bears of the East Coast Hockey League ; when the Stars sent out an SO S because regi ulars .Andy Moog and Darcy Wakaluk were injured.

The recall was supposed to be temporary. ; but it already has been a rewarding expertJ ence for Bester, who gets $2.5Mf for every • point he can help the Stars compile. With vie| tories over Vancouver. Edmonton and Cal* I gary last week. Bester made a quick $l5.ono 0

s

ti s n o w

; A moving force: M artin hopes to show suffering I Ottawa fans some upward mobility

Entering the 1994-95 season, there were few NHL scouts who did not believe Czechoslovakian import Petr Sykora would be the top pick In the '95 draft He already had moved to North America and played 13 games with Cleveland of the International Hockey * League. He appeared ready to make his NHI mark.

- But a so-so IH I start and a shoulder injury changed things. For whatever reason, Sykora dropped to the 18th position on draft day, giving the defending-champion Devils a first-round chance at the draft’s top prospect­ u s had done all of our homework."

General Manager Iou lamoriello says.

“We had the medical reports that showed no' problems with the shoulder, and we even considered moving up a couple of places to take him because we felt he was a bona fide prospect."

So far, Sykora has outperformed the “ 17 players selected ahead of him — 15 goals and 16 assists in 38 games. His

Buffaloed The undermanned Sabres got bad news ’last week when they learned right wing Donald Audette wiil be lost for the m -um .ii fol­ lowing knee surgery Audette has played in 23 oi the team’'- I \ games, scoring 12 goals. But eight oi thoxwere on the power play. a unit that has—ut­ tered since his knee problems intensified

Oil spill Glenn Anderson has spent must of the sea­ son playing in Europe But the Canucks per­ suaded him to come back for their final 30 or so games and try to win his seventh Stanley Cup ring. .All systems were go until the Oil­ ers claimed him on waivers.

Even though .Anderson won five of those rings with Edmonton, there was an initial re­ luctance to report to the Oilers. But don’t be surprised to see Edmonton G M. (lien bather deal .Anderson to a contender before the March 20 trade deadline. ♦

- M ud

.After losing 74 at Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Flyers dropped to 0-104 at che Civic AreI na since November 21. 1990 Coach Terry Murray says Irving to keep ; up with the Penguins' fast-paced offense is difficult, especially when you consider thai Mario Lemieux already has 29 multipl^pom! games and has been held without a point in • just one,of the 41 he has played.

■There aren’t many teams thai want to play the style of game they want to — wide open and run-and-gun." Murray say* The Flyers’ game plan obviously need* some refinement before the playing

k tis

Some plans...

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PETR SYKORA

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Those who think the Ottawa Senators franchise began play in October 1992 are wrong. That was the old franchise — the one that had no money, no di­ rection. no purpose.

The December 12 hiring of Pierre Gauthier to replace Randy Sexton as gen­ eral manager was the fins* big step for the perennial ce llar-dwelter. But the new Senators didn't take their first skate until last week when Gauthier hired Jacques Martin lo coach the team one night and traded unhappy defenseman Bryan Berard a day later Becard, the first overall pick of last summer's draft, was shipped to the Islanders for defenseman Wade Redden, the draft’s second pick.

The sweeping changes came one day after the Senators had dropped a 7-3 decision to the Blackhawk* with only 13.800 fans in the new 18.500-seat Pal­ ladium. “ Finally we have some really good signs that we're moving forward." center Alexandre Daigle says.

Redw ings defenseman Paul Coffey saw positive signs almost immediately.

■This team is going to go places." he says. ‘ It just seems that, with Jacques Martin behind the bench, they have purpose " Martin replaces Dave .Allison, who compiled a 2-22-1 record after replacing Rick Bown ess. who opened the season 643. Gauthier, who was chief scout at Quebec when Martin was an assistant coach for the Nordiques. says it.was im­ perative the Senators obtain a coach with Martin's experience — IO years of professional coaching, including two as head man with the Blues and jobs as an assistant with the Blackhawks and Nordiques/Avalanche. Martin led S l Louis to the Norris Division title in 1986-37. his first season, but was fired after the '87-88 campaign with a two-season record of 66-71-23. ‘ One thing about him. he's extremely demanding." Gauthier says. "H e’s not M ike Keenan, but he's close."

M arlin spoke to the players and media about short-term results, not the fu­ ture and patience. They have been buzzwords for the woeful franchise through its first three seasons — ail resulting in last-place finishes. ‘ I’m excited by the challenge." Martin says. ‘ I have faith and confidence in the management here, that we can make this team a winner ‘ I see a lot of similarities between this team and the one Pierre and I worked for in Quebec. W e struggled early, but we could see the light at the end of the tunnel." .Apparently the move to the Palladium and the slumping state of seasonticket sales have brought about a change in philosophy. Gauthier was openly disturbed that .Alexei Yashin wanted no part of Ottawa — the same sentiments shared bv Berard. Gauthier decided to make a stand that would make the franchise stronger.

In trading goaltender Don Beaupre to the Maple Leafs and center Martin Scraka to the Islanders, Gauthier saved the team about $1:8 million. The Senators are too far out of contention to turn things around immediately, but some shrewd moves between now and the March 20 trade deadline could be beneficial.

You might see the Senators go after such scorers as Stars center Dave Gagner. W halers right wing Geoff Sanderson or Sharks forwards Owen Nolan and Ray Sheppard. lf any of those deals works out. we won't have the Senators to kick around much longer.

THE BOOK ON

goal total ties him with John Maclean for the team lead.

“You wouldn't expect a 19-year-old kid to step right in and outperform many of the players on the defending champions, but he has." defenseman Scott Stevens says. "He may not be th$, triggest guy in the world (5 feet 11.185 pounds), but he can skate, make plays and has the patience of a veteran."

Sykora could be remembered as the biggest first-round draft oversight since Joe Safdc was chosen 15th by the Nordiques in 1987.

Sometimes teams shy away from European players if they don’t score tons of points, especially with the NHL struggles of Ottawa’s Radek Bonk after he starred in the IH I. “I don’t know what the reason was for so many teams passing on Sykora. but there should be a lot of scouts answering some tough questions from their bosses after letting him slip so far down the draft,” Rangers Coach Colin Campbell says. "He stepped right in and gave the Devils a real lift. And they were tough enough to play already." . + — La r r y W ig s

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THE CLOSER MEMORI ES

The Sporting News

Video games In Super Bowl I, the real battle for points was waged by CBS and NBC I

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By DEBBS TUTTLE

'n the beginning. it wasn't even known as the Super Bowl. It was called the first “AFL-NFL World Championship Game." and if there is any doubt about the indifference of the public and sports community toward it at the .time. consider that the game was played before 30.000 empty seats at the Ixjs .Angeles Coliseum.

Now. 29 cham pionship g am es later, the Packers' 35-10 victory over the Chiels has .gained an epic dignity embellished in the recounting. Aes. Max McCiee caught two touchdown passes and the* es­ tablished NFL savored sweet victory over the brash and cocky .AFL But the real story, the best story on January 15.1967. was the bickering and sniping between NHC. televisor of the .AFL games, and CBS. carrier of the estab­ lished N FL "It was a unique broadcast because it was the onlv time two netw orks carried the Super Bowl." savs rn C urt Gowdv. « NBC's play-bv-play man that day. “It was a big argument over who should have the rights, and Pete Rozelle. the commissioner, decided in his solemn wisdom to let both do it and get double the rights fee."

As it turned out. the first Super Bow) Week evolved into a TA’ turf war Jar bet­ ter than the game. The two networks became so entwined in their compet­ itive paranoia and behindthe-scenes shenanigans that thev eventually had to be separated by chain-link fence.

A nnouncers were being as­ signed and reassigned up until the night before the game, and “network executives were running around like chickens with their heads cut off." says Ray Scott, who called the gam e for CBS. "It was a very important gam e from the standpoint of winning the ratings, and the network executives kept emphasizing this." Scott continues. “I was never a very political person, but these people, they didn’t know what the hell they were doing. They couldn't just let us do our jobs. They had to get in the middle and stir things up."

CBS had won the regular-season ratings by a 2-to-l margin because, like the NFC today, tho NFL was in bigger markets. NBC. which had paid S36 million in 1965 for AFL rights and thus had given the league instant stability7, felt that because it didn t have a team in l o s .Angeles or Chicago, it had to prom ote any aspect of the le a g u e s coverage.

T h e battle of the networks look precedent lo the game." Gowdv says. T h e y sent me and Paul C hristm an, my broadcast partner, to be on ‘The Tonight 9

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Show'.’ the Today' show and all over the dial. CBS did the same kind of thing."

“But what happened with us." Scott says, “is CBS got nervous. In those days an announcing crew followed a team the entire year, and I had been with the Packers. Jack W hitaker had covered the Giants, and CBS felt since he was known in New York (the No. I m arket), he should do the Super Bowl reg ard­ less of who won. Then, the night before the Dallas-Green Bay gam e for the NFL cham pionship. I was told that if Dallas won. it was IOO percent Jack wouldn’t do it, and if Green Bay won. it was 90 percent I wouldn't do i t So I told them that if G reen Bay won and I didn’t get to do the game, I wouldn't do the last years of mv contract."

Green Bay advanced, but the networks had another problem: It was decid­ ed only CBS's production would be used, and NBC would share the feed.

“We went to a couple of production meetings, and it was like sneaking into the enem y’s te n t" Gowdv says, laughing.

T h e y finally had to put up a fence between the technicians."

Scott says. Even the team s showed network prejudice. Gowdy savs Packers Coach Vince Lombardi wouldn’t meet to discuss strategy, while Chiefs Coach Hank Strain met with Gowdv and Christman and reviewed films and mapped out the Chiefs' game plan.

“I can’t say Lombardi helped us much." Scott says. “I actually got i most of my pregam e information * throughout the year from Max . a McGee." .After much debate. CBS fi­ nally settled on an announcing team of Scott and Whitaker, with each calk a ing one half of play-byw play. Pat Summerall and Frank Gifford served as reporters, as did Charlie jo n e s for NBC. “But right up until the last night be­ fore the game. I felt CBS wfas em barrassed to have me along." Scott says. “It was like, ‘Whitaker and who?’"

Gowdy says m atters didn’t get much b etter on gam e day. He and Scott say the netw orks never asked them to play favorites for their respective leagues — “I would have told them to go to hell."

Scott says — but NBC executives “stayed in the back of the booth the entire game, trying to get ratings on the phone." Gowdy says.

“Down in the NBC truck thev’d • try• to sneak in a few (production) things of our own by clicking off the CBS production. Little things, really. But they ’d been having midnight m eetings over this kind of stuff."

W hen the gam e w*as over, CBS won the ratings war by a surprisingly nar­ row percentage (22.6 to 18.5) of the nation's total hom es with TVs. NBC felt a m easure of victory, but the shared broadcast had been so taxing that Rozelle decided the networks should alternate broadcasting the game.

“Outside Super Bowi III, when the Jets beat the Colts, it was one of the most 3r I mem orable gam es Iv e ever done." Gowdy says. £ I “I was delighted to have been a part of the first one." Scott says, “but I’ve al­ - I ways been a little bitter about the whole thing, too. I felt I was a good broad­ I£ II 5 ; caster. and they were saving you have to have a big nam e for the big event."

Of course, things haven’t changed much in 30 years. + I I i Dennis Tuttle is a free-lance writer from Cheverly, Md, V

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