The sporting news 02 19 1996

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The Cavs’ rebound by CHUCK DALY CORNERBACKS get even - in the ~ NFL

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Keo Rosanthal: Don't blame Baltimore for stealing the

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Browns before you know the facts.

Richard lapchlcJc Justice always deserves a second look, no matter what the circumstances.

Book Reviews

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BASKETBALL 13 Mike DeCourcy: Mississippi State. Maryland and

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Missouri — all ranked in the preseason — have struggled.

14 College Insider 16 A Cavalier Attitude: Chuck Daly provides an inside perspective on how Coach Mike Frateilo has orchestrated the Cavs' remarkable turnaround.

19 Shaun Powell: If the Spurs wanted a real power forward from the Knicks. they should have taken Charles Oakley — not Charles Smith.

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BASEBALL 21 A Junior Partner? Ken Griffey Jr. covers the bases.

22 Boh Nightengale: A real spring is a marvelous thing.

23 Baseball Notes

ALEXANDER MOGILNY has been so electrifying that sometimes referees haven't had time to catch opponents taking liberties with him.

HOCKEY 29 Russian Roulette: There was no gamble with the Canucks’ investment in Alexander Mogilny.

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31 NHL Insider 32 Larry Wigge: The Mighty Ducks win short-term in the

FROM THE EDITOR

Teemu Selanne trade, but the Jets get the long-term edge.

Insider’s report

FOOTBALL 33 Recruiting: Quarterback Tim Couch gives Kentucky a blue-chip look in recruiting.

35 M alt Blaodschun: The proposed bowl schedule would lessen fan interest 36 Free-Agent Darby: Comerbacks draw the most attention among free agents.

39 Bill Plaschke: Baltimore should bring Don Shula back.

40 NR Motes

DEPARTMENTS 5 Openers 44 The Sports Marketplace 47 The C loser The Heckler has been a fixture at Bullets games since 1985.

Cover photo of Kentucky's Walter McCarty (40), Ron Mercer (33) and Oliver Simmons by Albert

Dickson/TSN.

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learn. Do you remember the sullen, skinny forward out of Southeastern Oklahoma State who landed with the Pistons in the second round of the '86 draft? Daly crawled inside that man s head and made Dennis Rodman the premier rebounder of the NBA Frateilo has gotten more production from Danny Ferry than anyone thought possible Very different challenges, and perhaps one day similar results.

Listen to Daly and watch for his ups as the second half of the season plays out. I agree with his characterization of the Cavs: a team you don't want to see on the other side of the floor in the playoffs.

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T o su b s c rib e to T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S or m ake a c h a n ge of a d d re ss lf y o u are an e x istin g su b scrib e r, see P a g e 35.

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A Tim es M irro r Com pany ~

When you survey the NBA at the AllStar break, what do you see? Chicago clearly is the best team in the league.

Phoenix the most disappointing and Utah the most intriguing. For my money, ITI take Cleveland, under Mike FrateDo. as the most pleasant surprise.

After a dismal 0-7 start, the Cavs ran off a 26-13 streak with talent that is inferior to teams with lesser records.

How could this happen? To answer that question, we went to a man who should know: telecaster-tumed-coachtnmed-telecaster Chuck Daly. His story appears on Page 16.

Why Daly for this analysis? To begin with, he is recog niz ed within the profession among the finest coaches of

his era. His .598 winning per­ ce n t a g e and con secutive NBA ch am p io n sh ip s with Detroit in 1988-89 and ‘89-90 are testament to his skills. In addition, he sh ares some important characteristics with Frateilo that make his observations more trenchant than others.

Rawlings Both are c o a c h e s who understand basketball is won by playing tenacious defense. Daly's Pistons seldom were described as poetry in motion, but they never were. described as pushovers; that was always his way of operating, even when he was winning Ivy League championships at Penn. This year s Cavs lead the NBA in giving up the fewest points per game — maybe the fewest in decades. Daly and Frateilo learned how to get the most out of players, a trait some coaches never

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T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S (IS S N 0 038-80SX ) February 19. 1996. Vol 220. Ne 8 is published -weekly except sem iw eekly dunng a week rn January War en April A ugust and two w eeks in Septem ber. Novem ber and Decem ber for a total of 62 issu e s per year by T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S P U B L IS H IN G C O M P A N Y 1 2 12 Norm Undbergh BNP.. Si. Louis. M C 63132 Second cla ss postage paid at St Louts. M O and additional mailing offices For su b se c tio n service write to T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S . P O - Box 107 55. D e s Motnos. LA 50340-0755 Subscription pnce # 560 OO for 60 issu e s Subscrib ers rn C anada and ctner countries add $46.80 per 60 issues. Air Mail rates available on request Allow s a w eeks tor change of address Postm aster Sen d address ch an ge s to T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S . P O. Box 10755. D e s M oines. IA 50340-07S5 T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S a ssu m e s no responsibility for the return of unsolicited m anuscripts, color n e ga ­ t e s or transparencies C O P Y R IG H T C 1996 T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S. P R IN T E D IN U S A C A N A D A G S T R E G IS T R A T IO N N U M B E R R - 124853730 THE S P O R T IN G N E W S is a federally registered trademark of T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S P U B L IS H IN G C O M P A N Y A LL R IG H T S R E S E R V E D R E P R O D U C T IO N IN W H O L E -O R IN P A R T W IT H O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D “ Printed .n U S A

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February 19,1996

CAUGHT ON THE a v

Butch cuts through the paperwork Don't worry, kids — show up on the Web picks of Glory. Power. Force or Wizards.

■ Don't be surprised when Amenca's soon enough. If Tipper (homepage: Scnibeenie.com) tries lo censor that one. we’ll basketball sweetheart. Becky Lobo, gels uniform make her download T-wolves art No. 86 in the coming weeks. The Spies say Lobo's ■ The NCAA hammer hit Miami and Bama on been no Lisa Lesfls on the U.S. team, shownn’ up the same empty noggins* limitin’ scholarships to a oui-o-shape in October and never recoverin'. dozen apiece. & how come the former picked off "Rebecca's a great person, it's just that she s at another level of basketball now." L'.S. Coach Tara some major talent last week — most notably top VanOerreer tells F3v. Here’s the ironv: ex-l.'Conn D>lineman prospect DaBSioofi Lawfs of Sulphur Springs. Tex. — while the latler's sdl] linoleum? male te a Wotters might replace Lobo.

Heres why: Botch is like Jbmiy and likes to recruit ■ Just when Fly was wonderin' if you used to be Toby. Westword is that this isn t a sophomore and sell his program. Bise Gena finds the whole jinx. Shuttlin* between the 1-2*3 spots. Mr .April is process distasteful. With talent w ell see the Canes leadin’ the champs in scoring and might have a lot back in the real worid a lot faster than the Tides. more buckets if he weren't also second in as.Msis.

■ While Wlooie was settin' the M LB record for most conferenceoD connections for a retirement Coach J ’s explanation: "We haven’t been going lo Bailey a lot for his shot. He remind^ me of that press conference. Spies say Donnla B-Ball was goin‘ every' dav." out for good the quiet way. Spies who hoop with ■ Speakin' of the Bruins, what’s a guy like ex-23 say he’s “done* and couldn't care less about Henry Bibby doin' coachin' at a nval like dressin’ again. As long as Boss is around, though.

Spies say he's just boldin' the job tor Paul Fly s bertin' on at least a few Westpbai. a real ex-Trojan. Judgin' by Bibby < last words. debut last Thursday al Maniord — a 99-6H \o-< '— ■ Flv's Top 5.

Fly's wonderin' if he's there lo sabotage . nab or -Wliv Rail ■ Fly knew Fish and a Fryar just didn't match O’Damff Would With all (hose g«>od hands cornin' out of college, Even Think .About expect them to replace the !13-year-old receiver Goin’ From Top To with a draft pick. Fryar. an unrestricted free agent, Bonom": I. Ron expects to double his U*95 salary of ."^lO.OOO The Erhantt s out as Fish think a draft pick can replace him for half that Sleeler Ocoorand contribute just as much with greater dinaior and in with long-term potential the Jest (Neil’s ■ Between all these mak*^Fly-puke JA' speed-diaJ included); and iryin’ to keep Andrae ouita foul trouble.

2. Xsysfaavn makes a Down town: Why would O'Donnell go from a Pittsburgh penthouse to an S Y basement ’ General Bobby's still got time to dish an occaMonal better target than larr| assist. Spies say he helped fellow Hiwisier Tbom Brennaman last weekend and gave new meanin' to the word "offspring* Bnnn: 3. The Jest are targeting Bills free agent John Rna. — then Fly'd have no doubt about the best SBA player ever land a mike job with the .Arizunabacks in ‘98 .After just the blocker he needs: 4. Maybe 8-10 mil upfront because Brennaman left the Cubs' WCrN learn, he met Knight at a ■ Spies say one of the best moves rookie Blackhawks of better cap and need to overpay a marquee guy: 5. He's a Bulls game last tall Knight called pa! Three-Way Cotangelo Coach Craig Hartsfanrg made w zs movin' veteran center Jersey guy who grew up a traffic jam away from the M-lands.

Jeremy Roenfck to right wing on a line ^^ith Bernie Nfctiofts and suggested he hire Brennaman.

■ Fly’s been givin' some thought (shaddupO to this ■ Finally. Redbird righty Andy Benes is a very popular man and Tony Amonte. Roenick's goal production has increased at Alr-vs.-Stitt debate, and it always comes back to Pages around St. Ixiuis. at least for now The big question is least twofold since the move. Throw in the Bulls, and United 161-163 of yer friendly TSN *95-96 Oh-fficial NBA Guide. It h e l l g e t a lo n g w ith th a t o t h e r B e n e s In t h e ro tatio n , kid Center’s startin' to feel a lot more like MSG in '94. says under “Stngle-Game Bests" that Shit not only put up the brother Alan. "I've only him pitch once." .Andy s^iys *| ■ Hey-yo. Washington, is Fly gonna have to run the whole c*note in Hershey, but also has 15 of the top 20.49 of the lop was'ven- envious of mv brother when he w-as drafter! bv ihi* country or what? Rename 'em the Washington Supremes and 71. and 61 of the top IOO big games. Air checks in with 8 of Cardinals. I said. 'Some da>. I'm going to be there ’ Wrjr<* send Fly some free ping-pong balls in June. Either thai or the the top IOO. inciudin’ No. IO (69 points at Cleveland in ’90). going to either really like each other ( )r wt-'re really not Gheorges. Even the Supermen (faster than a speedin' Hey-yo. Airheads, don't blame Stilt because he v,as tall going to like each other" ♦ Bullet). Fly s got a rackiful that run Beltways around yer local ■ If Rick could jump like Brent — who went to San Antonio •

*

Won, lost... and found lik e most things that are lost Tice Brown was right where the Continental Basketball Association left him. .Brown, you TI recall, is that league's career scoring leader. He was among 20 players who were named lo the alkime team at the CEA All-Star Game last month, but he did not attend the festivities because the CRA couldn't find him. After retiring in 1988. Brown seemingly had fallen off the face of the earth.

The CEA should have looked where it last saw

Browm. He spent his last two Years with the Savannah (Ga.) Spirits — and has been in Savannah ever since. But it wasn't until an acquaintance saw the item entitled “Where's Tico’" in the January 29 issue of The S p o r t i n g N e w s that the league finally discovered his whereabouts.

“I was with a couple of my (business) partners and we stopped in at this sports bar to have a beer." Brown says.

“A guy said.'! got something I got to show you.* He went home and came back with a copy of The Sporting News. and that s how I found oui I was missing."

Brown wasn't hiding all those years. He just went into the insurance business

busmens. Brown hi*' partner^ played (he "\Miere'< Tico'" stor\- (<>ihr hill, running around the bar with the story and asking evervone. “\L*ht*re's Tico' Have YOU ><*en Tico'" Niv'' Brown ‘ It kind of had me blushing for a while " Brown, who doesn't ulk about his basketball career unless others bring it up. says he doubt.s the league will have trouble finding him if it ever plans to honor alllime greats again, “I don't plan on moving." he says Brett .Meister. the C R A s vice pri^sident of public relations, says he is grateful for thai — and for our assisi. "^V"lthout that." he says. “I don’t know if we. ever would've found him * ^

Tlco: A live and well. and lost touch with his CHA cohorts, partly because SavannaJvhas not had a CRA franchise since he retired, 'But a lot of people in town knew I was here ail along."

BrowTi savs.

Six. months ago. Brown and some associates launched .Metro Brokers, an Insurance and investments r

Openers compiled by Bob Glauber. Carl Montz. Mike Habrstedt. Mark Newrmn^Mark SbimaOukuro and Urn/ Wigge

•

6 • OPENERS

The Sporting News

Hear, hear

SOUND BITES

W ith I h r Indian> going to-thc W orld N^nt*> for lilt* first unit* in m o re than lo u r d ecad es last tall, we su sp ecte d that a lot m ore C ieveland-area tan s than usual listened to g a m e s on radio Now t h e r e s p ro o f T hat m a r k e ts W K N RA M station is louting itseli as “tho No I all-sports radio station in A m erica.'’ citing A rbitron ratings for th e Fall 1995 period that, not coincidentally. covers S ep tem ber2I-I V cem b er lo A ccording to .Arbi­ tro n . 4.9 p e rc e n t of th e to ta l C le v e la n d Station M arket Rating a u d i e n c e o v e r th e 1.'WKNR Cleveland 4.9 ag e ai ll’ that listens 2. KNBR San Francisco 3.9 to r a d i o at le a s t 15 m inutes a day be­ 3.WEE1 Boston 3.3 tween h a m and J. WIP Philadelphia 3.2 mi dni ght t uned i nt o.

5.WFAN New York 2.9 the Indians flagship 6. XTRA San Diego 2.3 s t a t i o n d u r i n g t hat period Th e rating 7. WSCR Chicago 2.3 rn mrn was a full point h ig h ­ 8. KFAN Minneapolis 2.3 e r t h a n t h e next 9. KTCK 2.0 Dallas closest H S . all-sports st at i on H e re is th e IO. KJR » Seattle 1.8 top IO

U

Lakers Owner Jerry Buss, on the return of Magic Johnson: “I had the same reaction as Louie Armstrong wtw be first sa* Dotty, soooo A e t* baw job bacfcvtaeyae'betag.”

Nets fortran! Jayson Wiffiams, alter hearing Coach Butch Beam was considering malting him a fuIHime starter because of his rebounding skSIs; “Tfa been rebountfiag ail year Ob S is, so ab aft Owbis tbiag? lf Utook ton this (cog to figure it oat, rd bate te sit bere and do a crossword

A-fish-ionado

Southern comfort: Anson hod a warm a n d fuzzy feeling

Writes of spring lo o k in g for so m eth in g lo c h a se away w inter b lu e s5 H ere s som e w elcom e new s P itch ers and c a tc h e rs report to sp rin g training th is w eek W ith next w eek s springpreview issu e. T nt SpoKTiV: Nt ' n*' will tak e you along tor b aseb all's annual trek to Florida and .Arizona But that i< nothing ne* W e’ve been giving you spring-training reports for I lo years, starting with \ ’ol I. No h o n M arch IT. I KSU From that issue, h e r e s the end til a story on Cap .Anson and his W hite Stockings as they prepared lo head south to Hot sp rin g s. .Ark

How ‘bout som e Prim e Tim e angling? It seem s P e k in S an d ers is in terested in getting his own fishing show . joining th e boatload of fish-story sp in n e rs on Saturday m orning TY. You know. Roland M artin. Jim m y H ouston. Baht* W inkelm an and the guys. O f course.

Oeion h a s h is own ideas on TA’ and trollingBoth.

“You know th o se show s you watch on television'" S an d ers sacs.

“M an. 9von • c a n ’t get to th o se spots. You d o n ’t have th e equipm ent they have I’m going to bring back cane poles, the straw hats, the pull-onto-the-sideof-the-roari spots, go-lo-thebait shots. I'm going to show th e w orm s, th e w igglers. I'm g o in g to bring back all that stuff. And as tar as that catch-and-release stu fP Tho way I see it. if y o u ’re big en o u g h to cut my bait. y o u ’re big en o u g h to hit my plate "

Hie good tim e is

approaching.

Vue season is ai hand When the merry d ic k o f the two-base Iirk Wilt hr h e a r d th ro u g h o u t the ta n a.

'Hie fri>st stilt lingers on the

No. the Vatican’s heavy hitter isn't reporting to Florida for spring training. That was Gene Greytak. a professional Pope John Paul ll impersonator, wearing the home whites last week at “Baseball Heaven," a Mets fantasy camp in Port St. Lucie. Our adtice: Wait for the high one.

Here’s the offering

a n d budless are the trees.

H ut rite merry rin g o ' the lo ir e ot spring.

Is h o m e u p o n the breeze

5 1

Oilers scout Glenn Cumbee, on Baylor defensive end Daryl Gardener, a top NFL prospect who is 6 feet 6,327 pounds: percentage or dog* fat isse is* ,yea coaid strike a match oa bbs.

When I look ai tem, I see to

Transition gape T h e NBA is not to be confused w*ith th e N FL w hen it co m es to m oving team s, but in creasin g stadium issu es do pose a th re a t to the NBA s longtim e stability'.

M ore and m ore te a m s are packing th eir b ag s for muc h g re e n e r — m uch g re e n e r — p astu res. H ere a re a few team s m aking new s on the ho m e front:

Team: Spurs.

Status: T hey w ere host to ?

S unday's .All-Star G am e, but team executives sav# the cav ern o u s A lam odom e is b e tte r suited for football.

Last su m m er. S purs C hairm an Robert M cD erm ott th re a te n e d to leave th e city if a new aren a w asn't built. T h e club probably will d ecid e by the en d of th e seaso n w h e th e r to m ove into a privately financed aren a n o rth east of th e city. M eanw hile, a group from New O rlean s is w atching.

Team: Heat.

Status: T eam officials are

ecKh.

With the way th is w inter has g o n e Jor nearly th e entire c o u n try . we co u ld n ’t have said ii b e tte r todav

p unJe

co n c ern ed w ith fan safetv• o u tsid e M iam i .Arena an c are unhappy with the quantity and quality of luxury boxes. for starters. T h e city and the aren a a re in D ade C ounty, and th e co m m issio n e rs of adjacent B row ard C ounty have voted to build a stadium if th e H eat can be

sig n ed to play th ere.

P resid en t and C oach Pat Riley w an ts th e team in M iami. C onstruction is already* underw ay• on a new practice com plex th ere . But no p ro g re ss has b een m ade on a new stadium in D ade, lf th e H eal c a n ’t se c u re a new hom e in D ade, then will it be. tim e to tu rn off th e ir fax m achine?

Team: Warriors.

Status: T hey pian to play in San F rancisco next season while O akland C oliseum .Arena — w'hich has the sm allest seatin g capacity (15.025) in th e leag u e — u n d e rg o e s renovation. N ext season, th e W arriors will cal! th e Cow P alace hom e. # A ttendance for G olden State h asn 't b een a problem in the ’90s. But if for som e reason people beco m e relu ctan t to c ro ss th e Bay B ridge, p ro m o tin g every g am e as “Jo e M ontana N ig h t” w ouldn't h u r l

Team Clippers.

Status: T h e team is playing eight g a m e s this season at T i e Pond in .Anaheim, and th e re are ru m o rs m ore g a m e s are .planned for next season. .Although O w ner Donald S terling insists th e team isn ’t m oving, th e Los .Angeles B u sin ess Journal re p o rted in D ec em b er S terling w as negotiating w ith D isney to p u rc h ase 25 p ercen t of the

team and m ove it south.

Even if the C lippers stay in L A . th eir days in th e S ports .Arena ap p ear n u m b ered .

T r, n m , M

Teanc navies.

Status: A tlanta M avor Bill • C am pbell say s th e re are plans to.build a $200-million com plex that will include 2.000 club se a ts and IOO luxury b o x es on th e site of T h e O m ni, th e te a m ’s c u rre n t hom e. T h e aren a w ouldn't be ready until 1999. and th e H aw ks would have to play at th e G eorgia D om e or G eorgia T e c h 's 10.000seat stad iu m in th e m eantim e. Even so. with the te a m ’s history of fan apathy, booking th e M agic for 41 d a te s would be a good start.

Team: 7Bers.

Status: T h e S ix ers have a new stad iu m — in th e fall, th e team is sch e d u le d to m ove into th e new C ore S tates C en ter, w hich will hold 21.000 for basketball — so ev ery th in g should b e rosy. But th e team h a s th e NBA’s w orst reco rd , atten d an c e is dow n 1.000 fans p er g a m e and th e re are ru m o rs th e club is stru g g lin g to k eep its 4.200 season-ticket h o ld e rs and find ta k e rs for luxury-priced se a ts in th e new facility. At th is rate. th e S ix ers’ best m ark etin g slogan next seaso n m ay be: Rotten to th e C ore. O h. for th e d ay s of Ju liu s E m T rrrm v in g .

Wuhite aa M a w r iifcn wiyyx kni .p uB in

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VOICES • 7

February 19,19%

The Baltimore Scavengers? Not quite and landed a football team. The result wa< a landmark facility in sports history- — the <: -V ' -.- : {*&*£-%&v high-revenue. state-of-the-art Camden Yards.

Schaefer secured the legislation authorizing public funding for a baseballonly park for the Orioles, and a football stadium for a new N FL franchise The citv J J then flirted with no fewer than seven NFL teams, and failed in its expansion bid.

Finally, a n ew governor. Pams ROSENTHAL Glendening. threatened to revoke the funding for the stadium. .And .Art Modell jumped.

You want to condemn Baltim ore, To much of the nation, the Browns condemn Baltimore. Call it a city with no owner represents all that is wrong with memory-. Call it a city with no morality. sports in the late 20th century — the Call it anything you want. but at least selfishness, the deceit, the greed. But to know the facts. The N FL started all the Baltimore, he was the first owner to * trouble. The N FL created the monster.

Cooked: I ic!tin;"), is un fee offor AVtis*:ins main negotiate with the city in good faith.. lf there is such a thing as civic rather than using its offer as blackmail to harassment — and why not in this day get a better deal someplace else. and age? — then Baltimore could make Whatever you think of Modell. its clear quite a case. To the end. the N FL tried to he wanted out of Cleveland. He saw stick it to the city, asking it to wait until Baltimore as the last city in North 1998 for an expansion team so the Browns America offering a publicly funded N R . could remain in Cleveland. stadium. If he hadn’t taken the deal. (hen.

The difference this time is that Arizona’s Bill Bid will and Tampa Bays Baltim ore had leverage. A $36-mi!!ion Malcolm Glazer might have fought (or it. antitrust lawsuit it had filed against the The entire league knew the financial league. And the threat of blocking three package was that good — even Tagiiabue admits it now. stadiums — two in Maryland, one in Cleveland — if the owners Obviously, it would have been less traumatic for Baltimore to steal rejected the teams move. the Cardinals-or the Buccaneers, but their owners already had image It was quite a metamorphosis. problems in the city.

Baltimore, the skinny kid w'ho got sand kicked in his face once too Bidwill jilted Baltimore when he moved the Cardinals from Sr. often, became the baddest dude in town.

Louis to Phoenix after the 1987 season Glazer had been a candidate For nearly 12 years, the city jumped through every hoop, fought to own a Baltimore expansion team, but when he bought the the good fight played by all the N FL’s silly rules. What good did it Buccaneers, he said. “I sure as heck would rather own a team in do? The league snubbed Baltimore in expansion, choosing Charlotte Tampa than I would in Baltimore.” ? and Jacksonville. The league turned the city into a scavenger, and Expansion, it all comes back to expansion. Cooke denies I r v i n g to along came the Browns. keep a team out of Baltimore, but his actions indicate otherwise lf not a deal with the devil, it certainly was a deal with an owmer Baltimore and Washington are distinct markets — o n e thinks of itself who voted against Baltimore in expansion, a deal that created a local as a small town. the other as a cosmopolitan world capital. But Cooke as well as national furor. The likely political outcome will be a-state contribution of $273 million to two football stadiums — one for the - tried to move the Redskins to laurel. Md.. 15 miles south of Baltimore Community opposition killed Cooke’s plan, but only after the NFL Browis, the other for the Redskins. had expanded to Charlotte and Jacksonville. The damage was done No one wanted this.

Expansion was never a fair fight. Cooke now plans to build in But to return to the N F L Baltimore had little choice.

Landover. Md., outside Washington. He will finance the project Build a museum, thats what Commissioner Paul Tagiiabue himself, but Glendening has committed $73 million in state funds-for suggested to a Baltimore television reporter after the city lost out in roads and infrastructure. expansion. Heck, the league even sued Baltimore’s CFL franchise to Two stadiums for one state5 It might sound crazy, but it became a prevent it from using the Colts name, claiming it was capitalizing on political reality in Maryland. Glendening is from Prince George s the ‘goodwill" created by the original N FL team.

County, where the Redskins’ stadium will be built. The project In the end. Tagiiabue and Co. got what they deserved. The amounts to a tradeoff for state legislators from the ILC suburbs who relocation of one of the N FL’s most storied franchises, the one that oppose the Baltimore stadium. gave the league Jim Brown. Otto Graham and Marion Motley. .And As it turns out. the N FL couldn’t leave .Maryland twisting and n>k the revenge of a city it portrayed as a demographically incorrect. losing two stadiums, plus a third in Cleveland with no deal from mid-Atlantic wasteland, never mind its place in league history.

Modell. It was a fitting final chapter to this bizarre, twisting saga.

Want to talk memory? Colts Owner Robert Irsay is the one who Baltimore apparently couldn't get into the league because of Cooke moved to Indianapolis. Redskins Owner Jack Kent Cooke is the one — and apparently couldn't return wvho'-i him. who wanted to claim the Baltimore market for his own. .And Great world.

Tagiiabue. the self-appointed Sun King, is the one who was so hot to Tagiiabue said at the Super Bowl the league would have faced I expand into virgin territory. relocation issues no matter where it expanded — “just the names of Want to talk morality? Fine. name a town that isn’t willing to play the players would be different." That isn't necessarily true Charlotte this seedy game. Cleveland, guaranteed an existing or expansion Owner Jerry Richardson says he would not have attempted to buy an franchise by the time the new stadium opens there in 1999. says it existing team, and Jacksonville might not have been so appealing won’t accept a team that fails to meet the league’s relocationwithout a new stadium. guidelines. Fair enough, but lets not put the city on a moral pedestal.

At least if the N FL had gone into St. Louis and Baltimore, it would Chances are. it still will wind up with someone elses team. • have done the right thing. Instead, it created an environment for the Baltimore learned the hard way. and so did Cleveland — k’s mother of all franchise shifts. .And now Baltimore fans must pay for business, dirty business, and woe to anv city that won’t build a new * * permanent seat licenses to cover Model's moving expenses on top ut stadium, no matter how loyal its fan support. Viewed from that providing a new stadium. That was not part of the city's expansion narrow perspective, the Browns were a logical target for Baltimore. offer. .And even then, the city is not entirely comfortable with its ' It is victory, but at an outrageous price. participation in such an unseemly act.

You want to condemn Baltimore, condemn Baltimore The Colts left in 1984.left in Mayflower vans, left in the middle of a Just know who ereated the monster ♦ snowstorm, under cover of the night The psychological imfjact was Ken Rosenthal is a columnist fur the Baltim ore Sun. Dave enormous. William Donald Schaefer, the mayor and then governor, Kindred is on assignment and w ill return in the March 4 issue embarked on a crusade to ensure that the city kept its baseball team

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8 • VOICES

Justice always deserves a second look Unfortunately, some cases ; of black and white are distinguished only because of personal celebrity

Richard LAPCHICK

The Sporting News

We frequently read about athletes and coaches who are in trouble with the law.

Stories assum e their circum stances tell us things about the destructive nature of sport on some human psyches. There is an assumption that such stories may be about athletes as a whole. There are few denials of that image. Many seem ready to believe the worst, especially as African .American athletes have come to dominate our most popular sports. r Over the past decade, several mis­ conceptions have developed, am ong them equating: ■ Low graduation rates with athletes be­ ing ‘■dumb" ■ Drug use by ^pme with athletes being drug users as a pack.

■ The cases of a notable — but not extra­ ordinary — num ber of football and basketball players who have assaulted women with the dangerous assumption that playing those sports m akes them more inclined to batter­ ing women.

My point? We are ready lo stereotype athletes, especially in sports .African .Americans play in most, as being on the edge of the criminal world. .As with all stereotypes, these are hazardous, powerful and extremely harmful.

There are athletes and coaches who are bad people — some are even evil. But I have not seen anything that convinces me there is som ething about playing or coaching sports that made them bad and evil. T here are bad and evil policemen, but I don’t believe that being a cop made them that way. I am convinced that perceptions of race are a factor.

It is easier to be in denial than to accept the reality that many have learned to hate on the basis of skin color or religion.

When an .African American church is

destroyed by fire, white police and fire officials frequently assum e it was accidental: when a black man is killed by police, most whites accept that the lives of the officers were at risk: when Jewish people cringe after seeing anti-Semitic graffiti, some may think them to be paranoid: when an all-white jury sees an incontrovertible videotape of a black man being beaten by white men. it can somehow equate the attack with a defense against a menacing black male.

You can go through history and see such patterns. But you still can be in denial.

However, some recent stories about biggerthan-life sports figures have made us look twice.

When the Packers played the Cowboys and the Steelers battled the Colts in the NFL’s conference championship, the Packers’ Reggie White and the Steelers' Ray Seals were the focus of major stories.

White was as admired as any player in either game. Five weeks earlier. White was supposed to have year-ending surgery. On the day of the scheduled surgery. White announced he would continue to play. He said his god gave him a miracle.

T here were no miracles the Monday before the gam e, however, when 18 incendiary devices were set off and racist graffiti w'as found on the walls at the Inner City Community Church in Knoxville. Tenn.. where White is co-pastor.

Original reports indicated it was an accident, with no word of graffiti. It received national attention only because it w*as W hite's church. The three other predominantly black churches in T ennessee that were fire-bombed in 1995 received no national attention. O ur eves were forced open because it was an athlete’s church.

Many people in the North would like to . believe such an incident is a "Southern

thing." These people must confront the case of Seals and his cousin and business partner.

Johnny Gammage. Seals, a defensive end. lent his Jaguar with Florida plates to Gammage. who was stopped by the police, handcuffed, and forced to the ground in a prone position. The police insist he was a threat to them.

Eight m inutes after being stopped.

Gammage's pulse stopped and he died of asphyxiation from com pression to his neck and upper chest. Three policemen are now charged with involuntary m anslaughter. If it was simply another black man in Pittsburgh or any other city, would they have been charged? But this was Ray Seals' cousin, so we found out m ore than the usual police denial to a brutality charge.

Then there was the following case: On January 22. the Long Beach State men s basketball team played New Mexico State in Las Cruces. There were anti-Semitic slurs written in the visiting dressing room aimed at Long Beach Coach Seth G reenberg, who is Jewish. Neil McCarthy, the New Mexico State coach said. "If it happened, I’m sorry." l f it happened? The university’s president implied G reenberg overreacted, apparently thinking the coach should have simply swallowed the poisonous pill.

These cases unfortunately dem onstrate the depth of prejudice in America and ho* hard it is for African Americans to obtain justice without personal public prominence to force a second look. Once again, sports teaches us lessons on life. It should also teach us not to stereotype ail athletes when som e — or even quite a few — commit criminal acts. ♦

B attle's End: A Seminole Football Team Revisited (By C aro lin e A lex an d er. 220

produce students capable of doing coflege work. With their decided lack of preparation, it is no wonder thai. once the football system spit them out, so many of their lives have gone awry.

read quite differently.

Having survived a rocky relationship with H ouston’s previous owner. Charlie Thom as, and having rediscovered his devotion to Islam and having helped win two NBA championships. Olajuwon has now published his life story. W ritten with the help of an experienced free-lance writer, it is a simple, straightforward book that almost belies the extraordinary' events related in i t For Olajuwon is now such an integral part of .American basketball, including this year's Olympic team, that it is easy’ to forget he played soccer as a child and segued into basketball from team handball in his junior year of high school.

Clearly, it is Islam that has brought peace and stability to Olajuwon’s life and enabled him to achieve great things on the c o u rt Olajuwon was raised in this faith but prettymuch abandoned it once he came to .America. Only after being persuaded to visit a m osque within walking distance of the Summit and then making his first pilgrimage to Mecca in 1981 did he attain the inner strength that so many pro basketball players seem to need to achieve at the highest level.

Olajuwon writes openly about his religion, but he does not evangelize. Readers who know him-only as a player will one suspects, come to a deeper , understanding of his accompt lishments, on and off the co u rt ♦

•

Nine ways to next Monday for Seminoles Revisiting former football players adds up to a failing grade for Florida State

Steve GiETSCHIER

•

9

pp. K nopf. $23).

Caroline .Alexander grew up in the shadows of Florida State's Doak Campbell Living the Dream: My U te and Stadium in the pre-Bobby Bowden days. but Basketball (By Hakeem Olajuwon with as th e d a u g h te r of E n g lish Peter Knobler. 300 pp. Little.

Bro WTI. $22.95). im m ig ra n ts alw ay s wan* of Sports fans who occasionally A m erica and A m e ric a n s, sh e never bought into T allah assee’s play what-if can ponder two unsated lust for football celebrity. pivotal events in Hakeem After a peripatetic childhood and Olajuwon's life. In O ctober 1980. a college education abroad, she the young Nigerian got off a retu rn ed lo T allahassee in 1981 plane from Lagos at JFK Airport I: \ I I i I ^ in New York with an itinerary and took a part-time job tutoring L M ) fo o tb a ll p la y e rs in E n g lish that was supposed to take him to g ra m m a r and c o m p o s itio n . A recruiting visits at five schools: dozen years later, she searched Sl John’s. Houston. Georgia, out nine of her former students to North Carolina and Providence. find out what had become of them and how.

New York was cold and dreary, and no one if at all. they reflected on their collegefrom S t John's bothered to show up and footbal! experience. meet him. Olajuwon jum ped on the next \N*hat she found, as revealed in this book, plane to Houston, where he was treated quite should chill the hearts of those who hold fast d iffe re n tly . So Big E a st fan s to the belief that the good spawned by might w onder what would have college athletics outweighs the bad. The nine hap-pened if the first stop on his players she tracked down have not been trip had proved m ore hospitable. treated kindly by life. Two have played pro T he second what-if occurred football, one works in a bank and one in in ’84. w hen the R ockets m ade mosquito control. One is a court officer, one O lajuw on th e first pick in th e a correctional officer and two are in prison.

NBA draft. Portland then elected One has simply disappeared.

Sam Bowie, and the Bulls took These young men were simply small cogs in M ichael Jordan. But just before a powerful machine that cared not one wdut for the draft Portland offered Clyde them as people or students To get a college D rexler and the second pick to education, which only some accomplished, they H ouston for eith er Olajuwon or had to struggle mightily without guidance or Ralph Sampson. The Rockets said support They were betrayed not only by the no. but if they hadn’t. Hakeem. Michael and lures of the coflege recruiter, but also by high Clyde might have been on the same team, and schools that abdicated their responsibility to the NBAs history over the past decade would 9

Richard Lapchick is director o f Northeastern University’s Center for the Study o f Sport in Society a n d a regular columnist fo r T h e S po r tin g N ew s .

Steve Gietschier is archivist o f THI S porting N ew s . His e-mail address is tsnspg@aol.com.

VOICES • 8

F e b ru a ry 1 9 ,1 9 9 6

fans are staying away in droves.

VOICE OF THE FAX Showtime returns

‘One question for Magic Johnson: Are you willing to donate a portion of your playoff money to the poor 12th man who ends up losing his job so you can play again?’

Kyle EricSon Riverside. Calif.

Mark Newman's story on Ben McDonald (TSN, February 5) m akes me want to vom it McDonald and agent Scott Boras stole $4.5 million horn the Orioles in arbitration for three victories and a long stay at C u b D.L McDonald has a lot of potential, but what has he really done to warrant a large contract?

He was a regular on the D .L and never has showed any consistency. He was wellliked by fans and team m ates in Baltimore, yet he turned down $2.6 million and a chance to be on a cham pionship team for $3.3 million and a losing team. Clearly. Ben McDonald chose money over loyalty and winning.

Rich M alm gren Jr. Seattle mstr300@aol. com

Seatless in Seattle

Charles Zabielski Ridgewood. N.J.

Cote jolt Last falL you ran a story on the M ariners called. “The Road to Respect" (TSN. Septem ber 18). lf one was done on baseball’s unsung heroes, one should also be done on football’s — the ragamuffin Colts. W hat a season! A team, which in years past had packed it up by Halloween, scared the football world, lf not for a few missed calls. they- would have played in the Super Bowl.

Hats off to the Colts’ organization for putting together a winner. This team will be even better next season.

Ray H elm im ak Toledo. 0.

I am so proud of Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh (TSN. january 15). When he first came to Indianapolis, I was skeptical, to say the le ast But once the season started. I saw confidence in him. His accurate passing and decision making in the playoffs was

a® • m.

I would Uke to congratulate Ken Griffey on the recent signing of his new contract (TSN. February 12) with an average annual salary of $8.5 million. Although I certainly don’t begrudge Mr. Griffey for getting all that he can (after all its the American way and I would do the same thing if I were in his shoes). I hope Mr. Griffey, the Mariners, and Major League Baseball don’t expect any of that money to come bom me. At that annual salary, by the seventh inning of Opening Day. Mr. Griffey will have already made more money than I make in an entire year. And they wonder why

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T S N j& e i^ P a d A di

Regarding “De-Icing a Legend’ (TSN. January 22). Ive always found it curious no one seem s to know much about the most important aspect of Bart Starr's sneak play.

This “cold, hard fact" should at least give us pause to think about the greatest coach ever. Vince Lombardi, and his judgm ent that day. Starr snuck in from one yard. It was thud and one with 16 seconds remaining.

T he call should have been a pass, followed by the sneak on fourth down. lf Starr would have been stopped on that third-down play.

Lombardi would have been a goat — the Packers had no timeouts. History- would have been different.

I am getting sick and tired of reading about Magic Johnson. This latest ruse by him is enough to make me puke. The reasons for his return are obvious. F irst Michael Jordan.

There is no comparison to Michael and Magic coming back. Michael is a much better athlete and is in much better physical shape. He doesn’t have HJV. Then there is the Laker Legacy. Magic is afraid that with the way the Bulls are playing the 1971-72 Lakers record for victories in a season is in jeopardy.

Magic Johnson should realize that the MBA can. is. and will survive without him trying to cause strife am ong players regarding his condition.

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Jim Poston Perry Hall, Md.

He made the call

Alfred Sonny Piccoli Bloomfield. N J.

f'COQC£nM^; DaQa^ championship run Is far7 ^inbrelinpiresfflTefljan th ats! (he Steepers: ^

Motivated by money

D avid Zjaba Rochester, N. Y

Magic Johnson conjures a positive m essage with his return to professional basketball after testing HIV-positive. Magic speBs hope to many — especially those coping with life-threatening illnesses — that life can still be productive and rewinding.

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kept it a dose game. Paul Aliner focuses on how the team will till apart next season.

Instead of looking for a collapse* Mr. Attirer shoold b e giving more praise to a team th a t^ b e a S u i^ Bowl threat for yearn foaHi&;As !fo Aliner auTecily some key they wifl retain many of th ^d rfen av e starters They also will S

have-threfpfthe best defensive players in f die leaguern E eoalett Beton Sanders and1

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sobtt4b4>eie’Sghed Darren Woodson.

L ^ s not write off this team yet. ^ John Ziobrotcski Rotterdam, ALK

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...........>qnshg>.9easoiL £*•.= * -BjjEKbop 1 Many thanks to Paul Attoer for his great ' J .7-' ‘ Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif story on theSuper Bowl champions. That .\rtey91a@ lprod^.com wak indepth coverage on the Cowboys that 4 r -• • * . - ". you didn’t get anywhere else. Keep up the Lea^ittoTSN todedicatean’eiltire, goodwork. a td ^ tm the Sup^ Bowi to next (season’s * Steve Cope demise and dismantling of the Cowboys.

Miles, Tex excellent. The Steelers were lucky this year.

Next year is ours.

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Jason Ort Pierceton. Ind.

Let’s review M e r we saw all the blown calls thi$:; season, throughout the playoffs and even in the Super B ow l it looks like instant replay is the only answer. But why not give each team three replays per half, just like tim eouts5 This way. coaches would have to choose the plays they want reviewed, it would elimirihte all the tim econsum ing replays.

Bill Lynch Taylorville. FII.

Knight and day Mike DeCourcy seem s to idolize Bob Knight fc5" his recent actions regarding the suspension of Sherron Wilkerson (TSN. January 29) while demonizing Tom Osborne for his actions regarding Lawrence Phillips.

Let's review some more of Knight's actions.

Hp is the coach who was once arrested by rtierto Rican police for abusive behavior while traveling with the U.S. national team. He is the coach who hurled a chair across the court while an opposing player was attempting to shoot a free throw after a tec hnical foul was charged to Indiana. He is the coach whose temper knows no bounds, to the point of verbally humiliating his players during g a m e s.

Let the facts speak for themselves. I would love to play for Tom Osborne any day

Chris Peterson Fairfax. Va

Baseball weakly I keep reading that Major League Baseball is going to interleague play because that is what the fans want. Which fans? W here? I haven't met any.

We all k n o w the real rea$on. Ins& ad of copying all the other sports, baseball should build upon and m arket \h€ one thing that sets it apart from the others — tradition.

Got a comment?

T h e S p o r tim , N

ews

would love to hear from you.

Write Voice of the Fan. 1212S Lindbergh Blvd.

S i Jjouis. Mo. 63132. fax your message to us at 314-993-7723. or send us electronic mad at tsnmaiLdkiol.com. Be sure to include Art Farmer your name and city with your e-mail.

I Cincinnati T he S p o rtin g N ew s reserves the right to a/7 9 5 7@aol.com edit letters for brevity and content.

IO* COLLEGE BASKETBAU

The Sporting News

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An overabundance of talent was supposed to cause Kentucky chemistry problems, Rick and Art. But they were w earing Kentuck7 uniform s, so everyone could pretend P hcitos bv A ib e r t D ickso n this was an epic of Blue against Evil. As col­ lege b a s k e ib il gam es go. this m eeting of the he Kentuck>^ W ildcats Kentucky junior varsity, resurrected this sea­ were com ing, that was son after a 19-year hiatus, and S t Catharine. the big news on Sunday a junior college in central Kentucky, wasn't in O wensboro. Ky. Well. exactly UCLA vs. Houston in the Astrodome. not exactly the W ildcats The two team s com bined for 51 turnovers, T here were no Tonys. m issed m ore shots than they m ade and W alters or Antoines, bul raised the question as to why anyone would 2.500 fans sbl! flocked to brave the cold and pay SS to watch. B u t hey. the Sporiscenter. a dark, dreao'. anbque gyin Need m ore be said? this is Kentucky. w here Rex Chapman once dribbled basket­ Four varsity players play on the JV team, balls for .apollo High which recently S n ip e d its season 94. but two There were no Rex Chapm ans plaving this of them. freshm en Oliver Simmons and Nazr day. either, just som e guys nam ed Dustin.

M oham m ed, carry the load, just as their

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coach expects. Simmons, a 6~fooi~8 forward from Nashville, Tenn., scored 21 points and. m ore im p o rtan t willed his wiry 210-pound body to grab 16 rebounds. M ohamm ed, a 6IO. 250iX)und behem oth from Chicago, dom ­ inated the paint and. m ore im p o rtan t loped up and down the court the entire gam e, sweating away pounds and gaining stamina.

The men and women of O wensboro were happy w atching this and seem ed happy watching the other Wildcats who were cho­ sen to play from open tryouts, players such as Dustin. Rick and Art. T he children were happy, too. for not only did the Wildcats win.

1 0 ^ 7 . but after the gam e, the children storm ed the c o u rt shouting, “We want Nazr!

We want Nazr!" (This m ust be a first A guy

averages 2.4 points and is mobbed for his au­ tograph. Bul rem em ber, this is Kentucky.)

“Al first it was hard," says Simmons, who was a two-time T ennessee Class AA Player of the Year. “Some of the guys didn’t know the plays, and we used to be pretty bad. But we're better now. And Tm getting ^ tte r ."

T he junior varsity team 's contribution to the W ildcats’ varsity success has been mimmal. of course. Instead, the team is a reflec­ tion of K entucky’s staggering depth, and a perfect example of Cbach Rick Pilino’s quest for perfection. He created the JV squad this season not only to handle his ^prodigious overflow of talent, bul also to develop Sim­ m ons and M oham m ed in hopes of them play­ ing a few solid m inutes in the NCAA Tourna-

C0LLE6E BASKETBALL

February 19,1996

N ovem ber. F ans in the B luegrass, who have waited 18 y ears for a n o th e r national cham pi­ o n sh ip . se e m an x io u s, even neurotic. T h is team is too good, too talen ted . S om ething, so m ew h ere, som ehow m ig h t go wrong.

“I know they'll be disappointed if we d o n ’t win it all." sig h s sen io r c e n te r M ark Pope.

B ern ard King and la r r y B ird, and how H a­ k eem O lajuw on w ent from being know n as *The Black Hole" to one of th e b est passing c e n te rs in th e NBA. T he W ildcats also watch a tw o-m inute videotape of g reat passes, and Pitino also will m ention th e N o a h C arolina loss in th e S o u th east Region Final last sea­ son. w hen K entucky's passing fell apart.

"I ^ s e lfis h n e s s is th e key. Anybody can go wo d ay s after K en tu ck y 's se c o n d out and sc o re 20 points, anybody can be a g am e, th e M a ssa c h u se tts loss in leading sc o re r." Pitino says. “T h e y 'v e berm A uburn Hills. M ich., th e W ildcats sacrificing from th e I ’.Mass g am e on." g a th e re d in th e lo c k e r room of T h e W ildcats are also a clo ser knit bunch, M em orial C oliseum , th e o n < a m p u s literally, gym than m ost team s, liv in g tog e r in w h ere K entucky once played and now p rac­ the plush Wildcat Lodge adjacent to M emorial tices. A ntoine W alker, a 6 8 so p h o m o re for­ C oliseum doesn't necessarily guarantee great w ard who h a s b eco m e th e W ildcats' m ost on-court chem istry, but it can b a n g an already valuable com m odity, called for a team m e e t­ close team closer. Everyone appreciates the ing. T h e doors w ere d o s e d . No coaches w ere sw eet singing oLMcCarty. who w as trained as allowed. a gospel sin g er as a child and now sings flip­ Everyone, inducting freshm en, spoke about flop th ro u g h o u t th e dorm . .Mid everyone w hat it would take to win a cham pionship and see m s to enjoy teasing a freshm an like M er­ why they had lo s t T h ey talked m ostly about cer.; w-ho team m ates call “pretty boy" tor his playing tim e, how th e re w asn't en o u g h for ability to attract wom en. T hey also experience I everyone, and how som e g u y s would have to L exington's m ad n ess to gether, w h eth er it's sacrifice for th e com m on _______________ teen-aged girls spotting good. Tw o g a m e s into th em at th e fooci court ai th e sea so n , th e W ildcats Fayette Mali and shrieking h it th e o a n ic b u tto n . or carrying oui an od(. ‘ Unselfishness is the T h e y haven't lost since. death wish from the faith­ k e y . . . .

They’ ve been “I tolci so m e of th e se ful. Earlier th r. season. g u y s th a t for so m e of us, Kentucky equipm ent m an­ sacrificing from the ag e r Bill K eightley ban th is w as th e last tim e we gam m on.’ each m em b er of the team w ould b e w earing a K en­ !• tei • n 1e ! ' ? *; : *J * i s • f* l f r ' I sign a bali. It was for a man tucky u n ifo rm .” says M c­ %» • / ‘ i . 1 • • I • r m * 4i t i i J who had just died. Keight­ C arty. sen io r. “E very­ ley told them . O ne of the body w as exp ectin g u s to m an 's w ishes. K eightiey fail. W e d ecid ed rig h t said, was to be buried with th e re w e will not flw orrv* the autographed ball. about playing tim e.”

“I w as lik e .’O h m a n '." ' “I cam e from O hio M cC arty says. “I g u e ss it State, w here I w as averag­ ju st sh o w s how- people ing 17 (m inutes) a gam e. live and die for K entucky to h e re w h ere I average basketball."

IO." says A nderson, who Pitino h as been blessed joined th e W ildcats this that M ercer and T u rn e r season. “I cam e to college w ere happy to tak e their to play team ball. I want to fresh m an sea so n s slowly, win a cham pionship." not d em an d in g m inutes A lthough th e W ildcats o r s h o ts . M e r c e r , w h o w ere su p p o sed to be the ch o se UK over T en n essee m o st talented team in the (w h ere h e would have nation th is season, ch em ­ b een the man) , cam e to istry — o r th e lack of it — L exington in part b ecau se he w anted to d e­ w as supposed to b e lethal. T h e arrival of An­ velop al his own pace. K entucky a lw h as been d erso n and rwo su p e r fresh m en . Ron M erc er fortunate that its sen io r class — T ony Delk. from O ak Hill A cadem y in V irginia via M cCarty. Pope and P rickett (who is recover­ N ashville, and point g u a rd W ayne T u rn e r ing from knee su rg ery and is red sh irtin g this from C h e stn u t Hills. M ass., added th re e po­ seaso n ) — is an ex trem ely talented bunch. tential s ta rte rs to a team already loaded. T h is but not too talented P erhaps th e reason Delk follow ed th e sag a of Rod rick R hodes, who and M cCarty, who are likely first-round NBA said h e w as forgoing his senior season for the draft picks th is Ju n e, stayed at UK for four NBA, and later ch an g ed his m ind and tra n s­ years was. in p an . because they w ouldn’t have ferred to S o u th ern California. T h e re is an un­ been lottery picks as u n d erclassm en ea sy feeling in th e B lu e g ra ss th at R hodes, “W hat sto p p ed N orth C arolina and M ichi­ who failed to fulfill his m assive hype, was g e n ­ gan from w inning it all?" Pitino says. “S tack ­ tly p u sh ed into leaving to m ake way for M er­ h o u se and W allace leaving, and th e Fab Five cer. co n sid ered by m any to be th e c o n se n su s leaving. T hey don't grow into a sen io r class. national high school player of th e year.

W e've been lucky that o u r g u y s have been a At m edia day. a petulant W alker said hownotch below." m any m in u tes h e exp ected to play. Pitino Jig g lin g th e sta rtin g lineup h as b ee n a w anted to re d sh irt so p h o m o re g u ard .Mien boon to K entucky. D elk. a n atural sh o o tin g E dw ards, w ho refused and later sp ecu lated g u ard , b egan th e seaso n at point jjnd s tru g ­ openly ab o u t tran sferrin g . And th e re had gled. leading an offense that w as sluggish, es­ been th e W ildcats’ five-game tour of Italy over pecially ag ain st UM ass. After that loss. Piti­ th e su m m er, w hen W alker scre am ed at for­ no m oved Delk back to sh o o tin g g u ard , and w ard Jared Pricket! d u rin g a gam e. (But this h e h as re sp o n d ed splendidly, averaging \ n 9 turned out to be a non-story. W alker, the m ost points in 25 m in u tes p er gam e. O riginally, ju­ com bustible W ild cat scream s at everyone.) nior A nthony E pps w as m oved to th e point, .Mid y e t on th e day b efore th e Florida but for the past six g am es. T u rn e r h as run the g am e in early February'. Pitino an n o u n ced : offense, w hich re lies less on th e 3 -p o in ter “O u r c h e m istry is te e te rin g on bein g awe­ th an in past seasons. som e." W hat gives?

T h e changes, which included starting W alk­ B efore every g am e. Pitino talk s ab o u t e r for Pope and A nderson for M ercer with som e of the g reat unselfish players, su ch as

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hut Pitino may have the mix of a champion ra e n t th is M arch . So in ad d itio n to m op-up duty and re g u la r varsity p ractice — alw ays a h e ila d o u s tra c k m e e t — S im m o ns and M o­ h am m ed . alo n g w ith v arsity w alk-ons Jaso n L ath rem an d C am ero n M ills, sw allow h ard and rid e P itin o 's JV bus.

S en d in g two a ssistan t c o a c h e s and a team 200 m iles to O w en sb o ro m ig h t seem e x c e s­ sive w hen it's for th e benefit of two g u y s who ra rely play for th e varsity. B ut th e n again, w ith th e W ildcats 19-1. riding an 18-game win­ nin g stre a k and leading th e nation in w inning m arg in (23.1). th e re is little else to do but w orry ab o u t niggling details.

T ake W alter M cC arty's w e ig h t for instance.

“I t s 225." Pitino says, clinically, “b u t w e'd like to g et him to 230." A nd that ho-hum / i-63 vic­

tory' over Florida on F ebruary 3? T he W ildcats had the gall to fall behind. 2-0. and Kentuckyhad only IO first-half “deflections," a season low. (That the UK coaching staff keep s a tally' of “deflections" is frig h ten in g en o u g h .) And d o n ’t forget th e re b o u n d in g d isa ste r against Florida, in which th e W ildcats only prevailed by 36-33. D erek A nderson, a 6 4 tran sfer guard from O hio State, had zero boards, and M c­ Carty. a 6 1 0 forward, had one. After the gam e.

Pitino w as very, very concerned.

So it should co m e as no su rp rise that K en­ tucky may b e th e first team to go u n b eaten in th e SEC since A labam a ra n th e table in 195556. and w hy th e W ildcats a re th e finest team in th e nation, even b e tte r th an top -ran k ed M assac h u setts, w hich d efeated UK. 92-82. in

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swrA £2.« McCarty (below) and the nation‘s deepest bench, opponents rarely have a shot against the Wildcats ¥

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Defensively, the Wildcats are vulnerable in­ Turner at point guard (Pitino was reluctant to side. Walker. Pope and McCarty are superb, have two freshmen start), have spurred some but the lack of a true center has hurt at times. fantastic runs. On December 19 against Mar* Against UMass, M arcus Cam by scored 32 shall. Kentucky went on a 366 run in the first points, grabbed nine rebounds and had five half and won by 19 points. Playing on the road blocks. In the Florida victory. Dametri Hill, January 9 against a Mississippi State team the Gators’ 6-7,275-pound forward, bullied his primed for an upset in front of an ESPN audi­ way for 29 points and IO rebounds. ence. the Wildcats’ 17-1 second-half run fin­ But what concerns Pitino m ore than the ished the Bulldogs. There was the 34-8 firstWildcats' soft middle is the Wildcats' lack of half lead over Texas Christian on January’ 20 rebounding. “We don’t have a rebounder to and a 30-2 second-half run that sank South take over the inside game." Pitino says, “Wre Carolina the next week. A 1 9 0 first-half streak need gang rebounding and the I. 2 and 3 February 7 helped hand Vanderbilt its worst guy’s rebounding. They haven’t been doing loss in Memorial Gym. 12081. th a t" Also, free-throw shooting has been spo­ T h a t ’s what this team can do so well.’ radic. On the year, the Wildcats are shooting says Pitino about his press. “Unlike som e 68.3 percent from the line. team s in the p a s t we have a great recoverytime. If we get beat on a pass, we have the Pitino also cautions that blowouts don’t guarantee anything. T he 1993 Final Four speed this year to get back."

But the nationally televised X. !*■ > • v v V - ' • - u -a- • Louisiana State gam e January 16 X.; V ^ . v r - r V - V— Vt was the Wildcats’ true m aster­ ■ r V I I V I f 'l n 'l r V V I I l F V : piece. Its effect on the college bas­ ketball world was the equivalent of ' ta the Beatles appearing on the Ed pressure foes into more than 24 turnovers a game;. '■ Sullivan Show. Kentucky’s press I • j «-v snuffed out the Tigers early, and are f the Wildcats made layup after commonplacftforthe ‘Cats,who torched dunk after layup and led. 8642. at halftime before winning. 129-97.

Walker, who is averaging 16 Vanderbilt for 120.-The following chronicles the points, scored 28 in the first hall b e n c h & P « H i^ e < i^ ^ mostly on a variety’ of dunks. After Opponent Point* Refiotmd* . Assists the game, a punchy LSU Coach w* *• Dale Brown, in his 24th season as iS r 10 13 Tigers boss. said. T h is is the best Massachusetts 32 . " lo : ‘ 12 team Tve ever seen at UK and the : 3-' . . 3 Indiana' 16 best team I’ve ever seen. Maybe ii ■7 Wisconsin-Green Bay 16 they’re the best team ever.’

T h e y are unbelievable." says Georgia Tech .

38 20 12 M ississippi Coach Rob Evans.

Morehead Slate . 40 . 2 4 ....

12 whose Rebels lost, 90-60, January’ Marshall-- 47- - . 15 11 6. T v e been in this business a Louisville ' v ' iii 9U-V-8 X -6 long tim e, since 1968. and they are the best team since those UCLA teams."

I T h e y are so well coached," South Carolina' "• 29 says M ississippi State Coach 22^ T 8 33 Mississlooi Richard Williams. “And I know 8 Mississippi State ; " 24 2 coaches are supposed to brag Tennessee ^ ...

21' 11 ' 7 about each other because i t s a 52 17 close family, but one thing peo­ Louisiana State * 17 ple overlook is how hard it is to Texas Christian 42 16 16 take that many talented players Georoia ■' ■ 17 > ' IO 6 and get them not to worry' about South Carolina 29 14 10. minutes. T hat’s not easy. Rick is Florida 30 15 8 doing a marvelous job to put the 11 Vanderbilt team first."

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itino delivers his message of modestylike a preacher, to listeners on the ra­ dio or reporters at a news confer­ ence. “I think UMass is in a class by themselves," Pitino says. “Every single night, they play defense like starving dogs, like they haven’t eaten in a week." Although he has placed the M inutem en on a pedestal.

Pitino says the Wildcats are one of about IO teams that can win a championship. Cincin­ nati, he says, “is an ad for Gold’s Gym." Kansas has depth and plays great team de­ fense. Connecticut and ViDanova have been tested in the rugged Big East. N orth C ata­ lina and Georgetown are coming on strong.

T o u have to have great guards and an in­ side game to beat Kentucky," Williams says.

T o u need som eone to take advantage of their lack of a true center. The most impor­ tant thing, though, is having guards who can handle the press. and have five skilled play­ ers. T heir press is so sophisticated, they will force the unskilled players to handle the ball. and that’s where they will kill you."

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team . which he say’s was better offensively than his current team, won the Southeast Re­ gion by an average of 31 points a game and lost to M ichigan rn the national semifinals.

Last year. the Wildcats cruised through the NCAA Tournam ent, winning by an average of 30.7 points before crum bling against North Carolina.

Winning a national cham pionship is a crap shoot, really. Kentucky has already placed it­ self in the top tier of capable teams, and come April I. will be playing for its first cham pi­ onship since 1 9 //-78. T here is som ething special about this Kentucky team, which has come so far since the UMass loss.

"I wish we could play all the team s that beat us in the T ournam ent," Anderson say’s.

“First M arquette (which knocked UK out of the *94 field), then Michigan and North Car­ olina, and maybe UMass in the Final Four."

Talk about attention to detail. This season, nothing has been left for chance. ♦ Steve H arrison is a fr e e la n c e w riter based in B a to n R ouge, La.

Coast Conference. 6-6 overall, before rallying to win six of its next seven gam es. With in­ experienced M arcus Bullard taking over at point guard. M ississippi State opened 10-1 but struggled, then plunged to four defeats in its next five Southeastern Conference games.

Missouri, missing the scoring and inspiration provided last season by guard Paul 0 lin e y , limped to 0 6 between D ecem ber 20 and Jan­ uary 29.

M ike t h e thing all three teams have in common OeCOURCY is an inability to move and control the ball.

Missouri and Mississippi State have substan­ tially• more turnovers than assists, and Mary* land is about even. By com parison. No. I reat Expectations. You read the UM ass has 55 more assists than turnovers, book, probably against your will. and No. 2 Kentucky had 95 more.

Now. see the game tapes.

“We had to make sure after we started out 0-3 in the league that we understood why."

Mississippi State. Maryland. Mis­ souri. They were expected to be am ong the M aryland Coach Gary Williams says. “I great teams, but it hasn’t worked out that way thought our patience and shot selection for any of the three Ms. In late-summer. The wasn’t there, and our defensive intensity h asn ’t been the way it has in recent years.

S p o r t in g N e w s determ ined the Bulldogs had enough talent to be the No. 7 team in the pre­ And th a ts with or without Joe Smith."

W'ith senior Mario Lucas grabbing the season, the T erps would be No. 8 and the Tigers would be No. l l . In mid-February, the majority of the m inutes that used to go to Smith — ostensibly a center. Lucas is third trio is fighting to be Nos. 62. 63 and 64. on the team in 3-pointers attem pted — the scram bling for positions in the NCAA Tour­ nam ent dynamic of M aryland’s offense was altered.

“I don’t mind the high expectations,” says For the worse. Lucas and forw ards Keith M ississippi State Coach Richard Williams, Booth and Exree Hipp shoot a com bined 40 whose team has fared the best of the three. »■ percent from the floor. Hipp. in particular, “W hen you have high expectations for the has had a disastrous season. A 6-foot-8 senior team, it generally means there are some good small forward. Hipp s scoring is off by near­ players. I've never seen a team with high ex­ ly half from last year, to 7.1 points per game. pectations that had bad players."

He is shooting under 20 percent from 3-point T here have been quite a few bad team s range. that had good players, though, and each of The T erps recovered from their lapse to these three teams has flirted with that reality. construct a heartening string of six victories Maryland, adapting m ore slowly than antici­ in seven gam es, including an 84-78 victory pated to the early departure of All-America at North Carolina, but rem ained unreliable center Joe Smith, started 0-3 in the Atlantic

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A loss isn't a loss Virginia Tech loses on the road to George W ashington and falls from No. 8 to No. 13 in the Associated Press poll.

Georgetow n loses to a sub.500 SL Jo h n ’s team and drops only from No. 6 to No. 9. M arquette loses at UNC Charlotte and goes from No. 24 to nowhere. W ake Forest loses at North Carolina and falls from No. 9 to No. 12.

Sometimes it seem s there is a bias against certain con­ ferences in poll voting, a lack of understanding that its tough to win on the road in the Atlantic IO as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference.

And maybe there is.

In the four AP polls be­ tween January 15 and Feb­ ruary 4 — counting team s that dropped out of th e poll as having fallen five places — ranked team s in the Big East that lost one game

dropped an average of 1.5 spots the next week. while Pac-IO team s dropped 2.8 spots and ACC clubs 3.1.

In Conference USA the WAC and SEC. the decline was 3.5 positions. T he one real surprise was the disre­ spect for the Big Ten: its one-time losers fell 4.4 posi­ tions.

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San*, B a rite Parker won't enjoy the fruits of his labor

Parker^ packing

Parting shots

T his is what happens when jerks like Mike Garrett becom e the boss: Charlie Parker. 21 gam es into his first full season as coach at USC. gets fired by his athlet­ ic director. P arker brought 6-11 center Avondre Jones back to USC from junior col­ lege and got Rodrick Rhodes to transfer from Kentucky, but he never had a chance once Paul W estphal becam e a coaching free a g e n t W estphal, presum ing he wants the job. is almost cer­ tain to replace interim Coach Henry Bibby after this sea­ son. A form er Trojans star, W estphal will have the ben­ efit of a solid group of regu­ lars Parker helped recruit and develop and probably will make G arrett look like a hero next season. Appear­ ances can be deceiving. right5

Speaking of preseason ex­ pectations. the M ustangs of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo were rated No. 301 in the preseason by TSN after a 126 debut at the Division I lev­ el. This year's M ustangs. with nine new players and new Coach Jeff Schneider, opened 12-10 and lead the four-team America West C onference.... Virginia Ath­ letic Director Terry Holland will become chairman of the NCAA Division I M en’s Bas­ ketball Com m ittee when Kansas A D . Bob F reder­ ick's term expires August 31. Holland will serve one year and then be replaced by K entucky’s C.M. Newton.

With Holland having previ­ ously worked as an A D . at Davidson, the com mittee may continue its generous treatm ent of mid-major pro­ gram s in handing out NCAA

Preseason expectations for Maryland were toffy, especially Hipp. have been slow to develop offense, and Stewart has struggled to keep ei­ ther bi his 7-0 twin towers. Simeon and Sammie Haley, on the floor The defense looks fine statistically, hold­ ing opponents to 40 percent shooting, but Colorado slapped 106 points on the Tigers.

Following a 73-62 humbling of Missouri. Iowa State’s players noted som e on-court bicker­ ing and obvious frustration am ong the Tigers. Outside Columbia, they won just two of their first nine games.

“T here has been a couple of time* this year when I thought we played well on the road." Stewart says. “T h e other times, we've been driving in a muddy field without a trac­ tor W ell start playing well. then hit a rut."

Tournam ent berths. ... If Iowa guard C hns Kingsbury is such a great long-distance shooter, som ebody explain his 29 7-percent accuracy from 3-po int ra n g e .... Fresh­ man guard Stephon M ar­ bury has scored in doublefigures in all of Georgia T ech's gam es. ... California center Shareef Abdur-Rahim is a rare freshman on the list of the U.S. Basketball W rit­ ers .Association's 15 leading candidates for the RCA Play­ er of the Year aw ard.... With UM ass still unbeaten, the M inutemen keep hearing about trying to match Indi­ ana's unbeaten 1975-76 cham pions. How about we first let them try to follow the unbeaten regular seasons posted by UN LV in 1990-91 (300) and Indiana State in 1978-79 (29-0)? If only two team s have done it in the past 19 seasons, it m ust Tie an achievem enL... Michigan

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT

enough to follow that with a crushing loss at Florida State.

Like Maryland. Missis­ sippi State touched bottom and began to surface. Un­ like Maryland, the Bulk dogs do not play in a con­ ference capable of expos­ ing w hatever flaws they still possess. After its 3-4 SEC start, MSL won five consecutive games.

Bullard, a 6-3 sopho­ more. w-as recruited by most as a shooting guard and plays the point like he can’t wait to get back there. He is a 48 percent 3point shooter, but turns over the ball as often as he sets up a teammate. Shoot­ ing guard Darryl Wilson, the SEC’s best last season. “is not gening the sam e shot opportunities."

Williams says. Junior-cok lege recruit Dontae Jones. a spectacular athlete at small forward, only recent­ ly began to play like pan of a team.

“It was difficult to deal with." Williams says of the preseason ranking. “T h ere Hot-SO-merrftand: was some pressure we but the Terrapins, didn’t have before. We’d been sort of an underdog program. But I think we're an improved basketball team."

M issouri’s decline has been the most se­ vere and mystifying, which stands to reason given how tough it is to conventionally eval­ uate Coach Norm Stew art's program . How does he win so consistently w ithout great point-guard play? How does he win so many regular-season gam es without finding NCAA success? How could his T igers lose to last-place Colorado, then beat first-place Kansas?

Those who recognized these Tigers might encounter backcourt problem s figured Stew­ art had overcome that in the past and would again. He hasn’L Missouri lacks precision on

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CQLLKE BASKETBALL • 13

February 19,1996

Precocious: Abdur-Rahim is no ordinary freshman.

Coach Steve Fisher benched starters Maceo Baston.

Travis Conlan and .Albert White after an em barrassing 8059 home loss to Purdue.

With Robert Traylor. Dugan Fife and Willie Mitchell in their place. M ichigan was able to destroy Ohio State, but could only close the gap in a visit to Purdue. 69-64. ♦ 0 M ike D eCourcy covers college basketball fo r The C om m ercial A ppeal in M em phis. Tenn.

14 • COLLEGE BASKETBALL

ITI

The Sporting News

Twisting the Big Eight race In 21 starts.

6-11 Cato didn’t play basketball at Litho­ Question What do you get when you As the only returning player who got combine two Sun Belt reserves, two ju- nia High in Decatur. Ga., but his AAU play nior-college transfers and a returning earned him a scholarship to South Alaba­ any significant time in conference play last season. Holloway was being counted on point guard who scored less than one bas­ ma. Coming off the bench, he set a school record with So blocked shots irk 1993-94. for leadership and stabilityket a game last season?

“He never gets any credit, but we Answer The most surprising team in but he transferred to Iowa State. He is av­ eraging 9.7 points. 8.4 rebounds and more couldn’t live without him." Floyd says. the Top 25.

“Our team would selfdestruct" Meet Iowa State, a team that was sup­ than two blocks a contest Though still not a scorer (4.2 scoring posed to reside in the Big Eight rubble.

“He gets better every time out" Floyd average). Hol ­ Expectations were rightfully low after the savs. T h e re may* loway takes care Cyclones lost 95 percent of their scoring not be a better ath­ of the ball. In from a team that won 23 games and ad­ lete inside in the 1994-95. his asvanced to the second round of the NCAA league." sist-totumover ra­ The )unlor-colTournament last season. tio was nearly' 4 to lege forwards from In his first year coaching Iowa State.

I. Holloway has Tim Floyd inherited a cupboard full of the west The Col­ 102 assists to just lege of Southern Fred HoibeVg. Julius Michalik and Loren 43 turnovers this Meyer (who rank third, fifth and 13th. re­ Idaho delivered &6 season. And Hol­ spectively. on the schools career scoring Shawn Bankhead. loway. a .6-foot ju­ From Eastern Utah chart). For his second season. Floyd was nior. has even came 6-3 Kenny left with crumbs.

Pratt made 16 ^-point­ •- T im Floyd had to build that team." ers after going 0 -Kansas Coach Roy Williams says.

Bankhead's for 4 last season. eight points a game Thus far. it lo o fa s if it has been built Different play­ to NCAA Tournament specifications. The have helped ease ers, di f f er ent the departure of Cyclones are 17-5and their 6-2 conference styles, different rr&rk is only bettered by league behemoth Michalik and Mey­ » origins.-So why Kansas (19-2. 7-1). which suffered its first er. His season-high | does Floyd keep Big Eight loss Saturday at Missouri. 77-73. 23 points led the 5 getting similar re_“We wouldn't have dreamed for this Cyclones past Col­ I suits? kind of record." Flovd savs. Particularly orado January’ 24. i “With new guys, considering the^eclectic components: Pratt's play has I a real key is to get The surging to-Sun Belters: Dedric struck up compar­ Willoughby, who was a reserve on Floyd's I involved early to isons with Okla­ foster some kind last two teams al New Orleans, has re­ homa' s E r n i e Dreamy Stott U ke Iowa State. Cato, a South of togetherness." placed Hoiberg as Iowa State's go-to guy Abercrombie, an­ Alabama transfer, has surprised.

Floyd say's. “In the other rugged Big and has led the team in scoring 16 times.

Willoughby, a 6-foot-2 junior guard who Eight forward who plays much bigger preseason, they'd lift weights together at 6 a.m.. run at 7 and then go to breakfast. .Af­ averages 20.8 points per game, has than his size. Pratt's 14.1 scoring average evolved from a orte-dimensional 3-point trails only Willoughby on the Cyclones; ter class, they’d have individual workouts in groups of three for two hours. Then, shooter at CNO into one of the best scor­ his 6.0 rebounding average ranks second they'd have free play from 3 to 5. They ers in the nation. In Saturday's 74-59 to Cato. thrashing of Nebraska. Willoughby “Pratt creates a lot of matchup prob­ would then eat together and go to study scored a career-high 29 points. In the last lems." Flovd savs. “He finishes a lot of hall until 9:30. They* never left each other's side all dav." seven games, he has scored 20 or more shots and has a great ability’ to get to the free-throw line." .Another asset has been the free-throw points s& times.

The point guard who was afraid to shoot line. The Cyclones have made 420 free Kelvin Cato's progress, though, is even more remarkable considering that he has -Last season. J acy* Holloway scored 61 throws. Their opponents have attempted 322. By far. Willoughby has made and at­ played 40 organized games in his life. The points — the entire season. In 34 games.

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TSN TOP 25 I.

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Team Massachusetts

WA 22-0 19-1 22-1 18 I 20-3 19-2 19-3 15-3 182 17-4

Comment A victory at Virginia Tech likely will lead to a perfect reqular season.

The Wildcats are on track to be the No. 1 seed in the Midwest A jwcHjame top (Georgetown, VDlanova) wfll decade the Bk; East title A difficult schedule wiB make the Bearcats mean in March.

Freshmen Guards Howart Brown and John CeJestand provide spark The matchup al Iowa Stale Saturday looms large tor Roy's Boys Games at Fresno Stale and Brigham Young are only touah ones left The Tar Heels' slump leaves the Deacons in the ACC dnver's seal Nittany bons deserve Bio Ten title it they win at Indiana and Purdue The Tigers will get much-needed rest before corno to Georgetown.

Win the greatest athletic season rn school hrstory aet better Saturday^ ' Red Raiders, to be tested at Houston, havent beaten a ranked team The Boilermaker aren! pretty, but veteran bunch knows bow to win The less Othelta Harrington cs involved, the more Eke* Novas lose A victory al UCLA would make the Wildcats Pac-10 favorites John Wallace is showing he's a legitimate AB-Amenca candidate Tim Floyd ts a (the7) top-candxlate tor nations; coach of year honors.

The schedule is favorable untS a season-ending, three-game trip. it took a while, but the Tar H eels'shallow depth fmaBy is showmq Recent road success should fuel the Eagles dunnq the stretch drive It looks tike the Bulldogs finally are reaching their potential The Brains are showmq a tendency to lapse rn the second haft It s doubtful the Cardinals will survive their last five Games The Phoenix is unbeaten since losing December 6 at Kentucky U te Ear? (The Squirrel Boykins makes the Eagles go

Kentucky Connecticut 4. Cincinnati 5. Villa nova 6. Kansas 7. Utah a. Wake Forest JL_ Penn State HL Memphis Virginia Tech ll.

18-2 12. Texas Tech 20-1 19-4 IA ­ f Purdue 19-5 IA . • Georgetom 174 IS. Arizona ISA !£ _ Syracuse 17. Iowa State 175 18. Stanford 15-5 18-7 19. North Carolina 15-5 ?A_ Boston College 21. Mississippi State 18-5 22. UCLA 16-6 177 23. Louisville 24. W I*.-Green Bay 19 2 25. Eastern Michigan IS T Through Saturday s games Others recerving votes Bradley George Washington. Georgia Tech. Marquette The TSN Too 25 is determined Oy columnist Mike DeCourcy and TSN editors .

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RECRUITING WATCH Polloi^

tempted more free throws (140 for 177) than anyone in the conference.

Iowa State and Kansas State (14-8.5-5). two schools picked to finish at or near the bottom of the conference, have shaken up ''abe Big Eight Despite a three-game slide.

Vie Wildcats are competing for postsea­ son play, thanks to the combination of "guard Elliot Hatcher (16.1 scoring aver­ age) and forward Tyrone Davis (143 scoringaverage).

T h e two biggest surprises are Iowa State and Kansas State." Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton says. “You have to credit their coaching staffs. The teams are a lot alike. They play outstanding defense and have an outstanding player on the in­ side and an outstanding guard."

The Cyclones have a good lead on the Wildcats, Oklahoma and Missouri in the race for second place in the Big Eight The teams that finish second, third and fourth are good bets to join the Jayhawks in the field of 64. .An NCAA trip this year would be Floyd's fourth in his 10-year coaching ca­ reer. At Idaho. New Orleans and Iowa State. Floyd never has coached a team with a losing record. Before trading in his red beans and rice for the beef and pork of .Ames, Floyd coached New Orleans to four 20-victory seasons in six years.

But he isn’t ready to buy into this sea­ son’s success story’just yet Iowa State has played Nebraska without Jaron Boone and Oklahoma State without Maurice Robinson. Missouri’s Julian Winfield played less than a minute against the Cy­ clones because of an injury and Col­ orado's Chauncey Billups didn't start be­ cause of disciplinary reasons.

“W e’re bv no means a dominant team."

Floyd says. “WTio's to say we still won’t finish last W e’re a horrible rebounding team. Wre just had some things happen right for us, and we feel very fortunate right now."

Fortunate, yes. But also deserving, con­ sidering they nearly have turned the pre­ season predictions upside down. “Iowa State is not a mystery now," Williams says.

They are just a good team."

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COUSE BASKETBALL * 15

February 19,1996

dismal 25.7 p ercen t Bullock's accuracy and range keep teams from constantly collapsing on the Wolverines’ formidable front line.

“The key is getting to a couple of spots on the floor where I feel most comfortable," Buflock says, “lf I get to those spots, IT hit 80 percent That's tough to do. though."

Buflock made his first five 3-point attempts at Indiana and finished with seven.

Michigan guard “After m aking my second one at Indiana, when I was two steps be­ hind the line. I felt real good." Buflock says. “I established my comfort ■ The only num bers that m atter to M ichigan’s Louis Buflock are those zone and have been shooting real well lately. on the scoreboard and the one on his b ad e “I had a few gam es where I had to adjust to getting my shot off in the “My favorite player is Isiah Thomas, and I had worn No. 11 my whole Big Ten. Team s started to key on me. So I shot 20 minutes before every life because of him," says Bullock, a 6-foot-2. 165-pound freshm an practice to work on it, and it helped." . guard horn Laurel (Md.) Baptist Academy.

He doesn’t like to shoot a lot before games and is superstitious about Bullock wears No. 22 because his favorite num ber belongs to senior his routine. “I always come into the locker captain Dugan Fife. Did he consider asking room and sit down first to read the program," Fife for it?

Bullock says. T h e n I change and get taped “Nab." Buflock says, “never. No way'. De­ and go back and sit. pending on how far we go this year. I may •»/ “I don’t like to shoot too early or too keep 22.1 just took 11 and doubled i t ’ ii/ m uch — seven or eight minutes, tops, lf I go T here is m ore to like about Bullock, WI . out and shoot too early and too long. I don’t whose team has dropped four of its last five ? ' l r Vt 1 shoot well in the gam e. And nobody can entering the week. than his 3-point s h o t He touch my shooting hand; I always shake o r. is a scorer who doesn’t know his average slap five with my left hand." (entering this week its 13.7. second on the Most shooters with his touch have a reg­ club), a freshman who knows his place. ular regim en of taking 100-plus shots each “Lou is an exceptional shooter." Coach /* -• day. “But I don’t do that," Bullock says. "I Steve Fisher says. “With time, he will learn .>• \v spend fo u rh o u rs most days in the summer to play different people, different situations.

■*%!* just playing games; Ive been blessed with all Lou plays a little so ft h e ’s thin and frail and these gam es to play all summer. I never get learning how to play tougher. too much of the game."

“But I love him a b t He’s brought a b t to Bullock has been hooked since he was 8.

Michigan basketball and is a g re a t great b d . when he played at a Boys Club in Maryland.

He doesn’t let what he can’t control bother “It was the first night I played and th e . him. Hopefully, by the time he’s a junior, hell first league." Bullock says. “I hit the longest be better than he is as a freshman." o shot of all the kids that night, from behind Buflock already has made an imprint more a the 3-point line. Everyone was looking than halfway through his first season. He: around after that one."

■ Scored the game-winning basket on a M ost kids that age astonish adults by court-length drive with 3.9 seconds left at simply hitting a free throw. - I dropped the Louisiana State. ball down to my hip and got it up." Bullock ■ Scored 22 points against Arizona in says. “I was nervous, but it went in. Shooo!" his first start and 27 in his first gam e at In­ Shooting star. It hasn’t taken long for Bullock, a They never stopped dropping. Bullock diana deadly shooter, to make his mark ai Michigan, m ade 90 3-pointers last season at Laurel ■ Ranks am ong the Big Ten leaders Baptist, won the 3-point shooting contest at the M cD onald’s Allwith an 84-percent m ark from the free-throw line. a 41.5-percent aver­ America G am e'last spring and keeps flicking them in for the W olver­ age on 3-point shots and 2.22 3-pointers per game. ines.

■ N eeds 5 treys to rank fourth on M ichigan’s single-season list Maybe he should wear No. 3. ♦ Buflock filled F isher’s greatest need as a reliable outside shooter.

Jimmy King led Michigan with 28 3-pointers last season, but he shof a — St iv e Kow ac xj

THE HOOK O X ...

FROM THE PLAYBOOK OF

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Hash makes hts points with hard work, corranitmeirt Steve Nash has gone so far as to dribble a tennis ball around the Santa Clara cam pus to sharpen his baflhandling skills- So. whatever this guy’s potential is, he intends to reach i t Although the senior point guard is not en­ joying as good a season as he had hoped, he figures to be selected in the first round of this Ju n e's d ra ft Quality point guards simply do not grow on trees.

Listed at 6 feet 3 (although he may be a bit smaller) and 195 pounds. Nash is a solidly m uscled point guard who is not likely to be pushed around in the N BA And you can be sure he will not be outworked. He has a well­ earned reputation as a gym rat who works 365 days a year.

Nash adm its to being obsessed with mak­ ing it in the N BA and perhaps that is why som e of his offensive num bers are down. As a junior, he averaged 20.9 points, connected on 45 percent of his 3-point attem pts and at­ tem pted 6.4 free throws. T hrough 20 gam es this season, he was averaging 16.6 points while converting 34 percent of his 3-point at­ tem pts and shooting 2.9 free throws. That last statistic is im portant when you consider that Nash has shot just under 90 percent from the line the last two seasons.

He probably is putting too much pressure on himself and trying to do too much knowing

cal jump). Nash is an outstand­ ing athlete who has excelled in hockey, baseball, lacrosse and soccer (the sport his father played professionally in England and South .Africa).

He is a bom leader with good court vision w hose assist-totum over ratio is creeping d o se r to 2-to-l. He has averaged more than six assists per gam e the last two seasons and excels at throwing crisp passes, often off the dribble. Nash m akes great use of the bounce pass, which is som ething of a lost art. He also can penetrate and dish off.

His assist totals would be higher if he were surrounded by better offensive players, a s he will be in the NBA Thanks in part to Pressing Nash (right) may be experiencing a bad season the tennis ball. Nash has turned because he’s trying, too hard to impress NEA scouts. himself into a solid ballhandler. that NBA scouts are watching his every’ step In addition to having a soft shot andbeing a on the c o u rt But look for him to develop into good catch-and-shooter with NBA 3-poini one of the NBA’s top playm akers and longrange, he also can shoot off the dribble and range shooters. likes to penetrate before pulling up for 1012A native of Victoria, B.C.. and a hero in the foot fallaway jumpers.

Nash possesses fairly good quickness. Op­ dty of Vancouver. Nash is a three-year m em ­ ber of the Canadian national team. He is ex­ posing coaches often come away im pressed pected to start for Canada during this sum­ with his toughness and enthusiasm . He is a fiery' com petitor who works hard oncfefense. m er’s Olympics. His international experience is one of many things that impress NBA scouts.

— O w Le v h t h a i Although not a great leaper (31-inch verb-

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(IAMES TO WATCH

64 Arf?tit imVMassaxdComeioTtocieso mayfact their toughest challengeyet

Massaetasetisat Virginia Tech, 12 p.m. ET, Satxirisy, BSPM: This Is the game every­ body la s been wahine for. The Howes’ depth and homecourt will be difficult to top. birt, hey, the Minutemen have overcome long odds allseason.

Memphis at Georgetown, 3 p.m. ET, Satur­ day', CSS: The Tigers will have had nine days to prepare for the Hoyas, who will be happy lobe home after a tough trip. Neither club has impressed recently, so a victory would boa much-needed confidencebuHder.

Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday, E3PH2: In this battle for ACG su­ premacy, the Deacons may have the answer for the Yellow Jackets’ stellar backcourt, but Georgia Tech has no one to match up with Tun Duncan. The,homecourt, however, may swingThings in Tech’s favor.

Missoni a! Maryland, 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, AB£ A season that held so much promise forthe Tigers and Terrapins has boiled down te a must-win sttuafionfor each with thoNGAAToumamentlooming.

IG • HIGA

The Sporting News *

Coach Mike Fratello has orchestrated the Cavs’ remarkable turnaround and given sports fans in Cleveland something to smile about B y C h u c k D aly

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the sur­ prise teams o f the season. Left for dead after an 0-7 start, the Cavs loon 16 of their next 21 2 ? ^ v ^ -r I T games and now are a respectable 26-20.

Spearheading the turnaround is Coach Mike Fratello. the coach-tumed-broadcaster-tvmedcoach. who has turned a team o f relative un­ knowns into a playoff contender. For insight into this incredible turnaround. T h e S porting N ew s went to another coach-tumed-broadcaster, Turner Broadcasting's Chuck Daly. for his spin on the Remake by the Lake.

A figfrtiop d a m : Fratelio's ability to get the most out o fplayers such as Ferry (above) — whose development this season is a welcome surprise — is one reason Cleveland has turned its season around.

February 19,1996

■ ^

smart, he makes shots and he has done a nice job for Fratello — I think a better job than the organization ever hoped for.

Ferry is a player that’s not very athletic. He is kind of a strange mix.

He’s a good outside shooter, but doesn’t have the jumping ability and a lot of the shot-blocking ability and quickness from the waist down.

That will harm a player who has to play as far out as he’s doing. Be­ cause of the skills he possesses, he always has had a problem defining his position. Is he a power forward? Is he a small forward? There are other players who have trouble defining their roles, but what makes There was an undercurrent of feeling within the Fem- stand out is he plays realty hard and he's getting minutes. Guys organization that General Manager Wayne Embry who play hard — even those with limited talent and skills — usually and his staff needed to rebuild with young players, get the minutes. including making some significant trades to get draft choices. In ad­ dition. they thought they would have to go through the same situation The knock on the game today is that there are too many individuals, most teams reestablishing themselves go through — a long losing pe­ too many players out for themselves. But what you realty have in this riod followed by a long rebuilding process. league is no different than any other profession. You have very talent­ What the organization didn’t count on was that it had one of the ed people in the N BA and always the most difficult job is to get guys more brilliant coaches in the business right there in Cleveland in Mike to play like a team.

Fratello. Mike has done — not only this season, but also last season Its a constant selling job — one a coach is continually addressing. when there was a little bit of a different situation — a phenomenal job.

Some guys get it, some never get it Some players are only concerned He has taken talent to its potential, and that's the mark of an out­ Geveland. andhis early in the season I with getting their 30 or 35 minutes (per game) standing saw themcoach. in Detroit I had some con­ — which isn't too hard because most players at I went and watched them during the exhibition season in cerns. butdown I didn’t think they would this level have all been high school or collegiate start off 0-7. The fact is they strug­ .All-Americans. Players can always get the num­ gled early for two seasons in a row bers and the playing time, but that's not good It is hard to believe the Cavaliers once now. which is kind of surprising, and enough to win ballgames. It has to be a cohesive occupied the territory of the Grizzlies and then they stepped out of it effort: The right shot ai the right time by the Sixers in T h e S porting N ews Power Poll.

That’s not to say they don’t have right guy combined with all the other aspects of But when the season began, the Cavs came the game. the talent They do. The important in at No. 28 in our poll because of their 0-5 What Mike is doing so well in Cleveland is thing Mike does is what you have to record. “Ferry's shoes aren’t the only thing making his three-part system work. He do in a rebuilding situation: utilize leaking on this team." we said in the Position has an outstanding defensive philoso­ the talents you have and learn what November 20 issue. lo poll phy. he has a very solid offensive phi­ thev have to do to win.

Since then. Cleveland has made some net During the preseason. I didn't r.vsvr 1 losophy and he preaches team and gets gains and has gotten as high as No. 10. people to play together. Thai's the think the Cavaliers had enough I a spot it held four consecutive weeks in 2 toughest job of any coach in the NBA — depth or size. They didn’t have real January before slipping two notches and 3 or at any level. presence in the lane. They had some holding at No. 12.

4 Mike's defense comes down through good one-on-one players, but I TSN ’s Power Poll is determined weekly by 5 a vein of the Hu hie Brown philosophy. I thought they were a little short tal­ colum nist Shaun Powell and a panel of 6 think when he worked with Ruble (from ent-wise compared to some of the editors. The fortunes of the Cavaliers: 7 1978-81 as an assistant with the Hawks other teams in the league. A big part 8 and from 1982-83 as an assistant in New of their slow start was that the play' 9 York) he learned a lot in particular about ers wanted to run and play a wide-open game *’ > v *\ 10 the game and the defense in the pro and not use as much of the clock as they did 11 game. A lot of us ieamed a lot of things' last season. They went that route, and it 12 from Hubie. didn't work. They went back to more of a 13 But Mike has applied some of those control game — dominating the clock, play­ 14 lessons well. He has always been very, ing good defense, trying to get good shots — 15 very solid in terms of the basic philoso­ and that’s when they started winning basket­ 16 ball games. The talent margin is so narrow in 17 phy of defense: Pressure on the ball and Cleveland it makes it extremely difficult if 18 knowing where the weakside help is you are just going to run up and down with 19 coming from. His rotations are precise, teams.

20 and he has clarity of thinking regarding 21 defense. .Although defense sounds and 22 may look complicated, it really isn't — ll-Star Terrell Brandon; who leads 23 its simple. But it is getting the players 24 to do it on a daily basis Thai's the hard the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game, as much as anybody-, has 25 part I think like all outstanding coaches. been a big reason for the Cavs' turn­ 26 Mike hangs his hat defensively. He 27 around, but you just don’t win basketball games with one guy. There are a lot of play­ 28 knows you have to control the tempo ers contributing to their success — forward 29 and control the ball, lf you are going to win, win consistently and win big in the Chris Mills (16.2 points. 5.8 rebounds), N BA you're going to have to have an guard/forward Bobby Phills (15.8 points. 3.7 outstanding defense. Mike thoroughly rebounds), forward/center Michael Cage O in 'r - co in CNI en in CM CO Cg CM CSJ CM understands that. You know, theres an (7.8 points and a team-leading 10.2 re­ CD © CO co co CD J O CD cr CD CD old axiom we have in our business that co co HS CO -O JO bounds).

E - O - O -a =3 E CD E E co co C c cr J O E y o u never become an offensive coach But one player I’ve been pleasantly sur­ O E OD CD CD CD CD CD JO * CO co cc O co > CD a? > —3 until you become a great defensive prised and happy for is Danny Ferry. Because O O O E CD CD o Q a coach and vice versa — you never be­ the Cavs are so short of people, he has got­ come agreat defensive coach until youten a lot of minutes. He doesn’t always put up understand everything there is to know great numbers, but he plays hard, plays

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he Cavaliers have gone through a metamorphosis, which isn’t a basketball term, but its the right word. They looked at their roster and realized they had been riding the Mark Price-Brad Daugherty era for a number of years.

Net gains

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Entering the All-Star break, the Cavs were 26-20 and, barring a second-half meltdown, headed for the playoffs. But tie* outlook wasn’t always that bright.

After the 0-7 start, most fans and pundits in Cleveland were talking about lottery picks, as lf the season was already lost.

But Owner Gordon Gund made it dear he didn't want to hear such talk. : “I will not tolerate a team that I own going into the tank to get a higher draft choice,’• Gund said earlier this season.

“Overtire long term, ifs a losing strategy. Ifs not fair to the players pr the coaches who are working so hard.

Is that clear?"

Gund also may have played a role in rthe turnaround. During the winless start, the owner kept In touch with Coach Mike Fratello by telephone. He knew the losing was eating up Fratello. : “When Tyrone (Hilo had his auto accident (injuring his back), that was a real blow," Gund said. “After all the injuries we've been through the last few years, it was hard for all of us — not just Mike — to deal with that" Gund dropped by the dressing room before the November 17 game at the Spectrum in Philadelphia to chat with Fratello. “ It was no big deal, just a little informal talk to tell him to hang in there and that we were behind him." Gund said.

Gund also reportedly assured Fratello that he was the coach, regardless of the team's-record this season. He told Fratello to relax and develop the younger players. It was the kind of reassurance every coach needs when his team has been playing for almost three weeks and has yet to win a game. ‘ That night the Cavs hammered the Sixers; 114-82, for their first victory.

Dan Majerle broke out with 21 points. " and Terrell Brandon flashed a glimmer of his potential with six assists. Since that night the Cavs have gone 26-13.

Gund's take on this season's turnaround? "Divine Providence." the owner says. “Thafs as good an ^ . explanationasany." ~ - ♦— T s a r P luto

18 •NBA

The Sporting News

s for Mike s job this season with the Cavaliers. overcoming injuries and his team s talent level will be his toughest challenge. Even as good a job as you You have to go back 40 years to find defense like the Cavaliers play. Last season, Cleveland came within a hairsbreadth of the NBA’s do. at some point your players just come up all-time season record for fewest points allowed, leading all teams with a season average of 89.8 points per game. The problem for the short against other teams that have more talent.

Cavs, however, is that in this era you have to have a powerful offense to win. Last season, the Cavs came in 27th in offense;averaging or more size in particular. The Cavs are going 90.5 points per game. The Gavs lost to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, 3-1. to have to get through this season in a very sol­ This season is shaping up much the same. At the All-Star break, the Cavs lead the league in team defense, allowing 90.5 points per id way then add some personnel over the sum­ game, and are 28th in team offense at 92.5 points per game, just ahead of the expansion Grizzlies’ 90.6. mer to improve for the long term.

Here’s a look at the top four defensive teams In league history and how they fared: * Somehow, the Cavs have to sustain their Differential How they tared Season Team Points allowed Points scored success in the second half. Because of their style of play, their games are very close. They League champions 89.7 + iJ “ 1954-55 Syracuse Nationals 91.1...... can get pretty stressful. Mike will always have + 0.7 90.5 First-round playoff loss 89.8 1994-95 Cleveland Cavaliers his team in the game because it plays hard and +2.4...

Lost in Finals to Syracuse 92.4 90.0 executes. But when yow come up short it can 1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons take its toll. How a team handles losing close 26-46 record worst in the league -3.0 90.4 87.4 1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks games is what it is really ail about.

The Cav? have an opportunity to hang in about the offensive side of it. Mike understands that. Thats why he there if they stay healthy. There is going lo have to be some luck in­ is a Rood coach. volved as well. particularly in terms of injury. Forward Tyrone Hill has .Another area that has helped Mike become a better coach is his ex­ come back from a car accident. If he comes back to anywhere near his perience as a broadcaster for NBC. In television, you take an overview. potential — he’s an .All-Star player — then they've got a chance to do But when you coach a particular team, you are so wrapped up in your well. Ill tell you one thing — the Cav? are one of those clubs you wouldn't want to play in the playoffs. team you can't see the iorcsi for the trees sometimes. You can't see out They have come a long way and Mike Fratello has brought them of your own cocoon, your own vacuum. But when you have the op­ there. How far have they come? lf I had been coaching this team — of portunity to see a lot of teams through the eyes of a television analyst, course. J already tried that once, and it didn't work out so well — but you get a different perspective. if I had been coach of the Cav? at the beginning of this season. I would One of the characteristics Mike was known for in .Atlanta was being have become a close associate wish a priest, a psychologist and some a very tough-minded coach. Since his broadcasting days, he has soft­ other person of that nature. ♦ ened in some ways and become more of a people person with his play­ ers.

Chuck Doly spent 12 seasons as a head coach in the S B A But all his experience has helped him. What you do in our profes­ with the Pistons. S ets and. yes. the Cavs. His first head-coachin'g sion as you work you way up through the ranks is watch and listen to job was a bust: He went 9-32 as the third o f fo u r coaches o f the everyone you can. When you do that, you pick up an idea here and hapless 1981-82 Cavaliers. He fo u n d more success in Detroit, then’ and form your own basic philosophy. If it works, you keep your w inning two S B A titles. He also coached the Dream Team to job. lf it doesn't, you don't keep your job. the gold m edal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Retro Caws

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NBA REPORT

Smith may fit the Spurs, but he won’( bring a title This isn't to say Smith will be a bust with the Spurs. .Actually, he may fit in well. He thrives in an uptempo offense. When he was with the Clippers. Smith was good for 20 points a night, primarily because the Clippers used to run constantly. With the Knicks.

Smith was a bad fit because they favored a half-court, defensive-oriented game that sel­ dom drew the best of his skills.

He should make the Spurs a better team.

Shaun He probably won’t make them a champi­ POWELL onship team.

The four-player deal between the Knicks and Spurs signaled the last call for trades. he Spurs have been shopping^ a The February 22 deadline looms. Teams are talking. power forward with decent hair and But unlike the Spurs, few teams are willing a good attitude since they sent Den­ to add a heavy- contract lo their payrolls, es­ nis Rodman to Chicago. They with the attractive free-agenr market looked at Kevin Willis. They considered pecially Otis this summer. The Knicks accepted J R. Reid Thorpe. Then they called the Knicks. and Brad Lohaus from San .Antonio because They took Charles Smith. their contracts are up after the season, which They took the wrong Charles. will clear about S3 million of cap room for Charles Oakley would have been a better New York. Everyone wants to give them­ fit Oakley next to David Robinson would've selves a chance at Dikembe Mutombo. sent a chill from Seattle to Houston, instead, Juwan Howard. Reggie Miller, etc. the Spurs took a 6-foot-10 player with smallTherefore, only a few players can expect to forward skills whose legac>- in New York was set new addresses in the coming weeks: secured when he couldn't go up strong in the [Tira Hardaway, Warriors. Relegated to a 1993 playoffs against the Bulls.

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;§ I a: Bolden target Mutombo already is being recruited. one it happens to."

Nuggets teammate Bryant Stith says: “I have enough understanding to know you can’t pass the virus off as such. Still, it crosses your mind.'* And forward Tom Ham­ monds: “ I was feeling bad for Magic. Its something he's going to have to live with, knowing he's got to al­ ways be looking over his shoulder, with people look­ ing at him. He's got to live with that the rest of his life."

At .All-Star Weekend. Mn Baker tried to persuade Dikembe Mutombo to sign with the Bucks. Mutombo responded by saying he does not play “where it is 40below." The Bucks will dump Benoit Benjamin and make a run at Mutombo anyway. So will the Maver­ icks. who have one of the worst interior defenses.

“That’s what we’re looking for. a couple of big men." Ja­ son Kidd says. ... Steve Smith is expected to sign a contract worth about $4 mil­ lion per season with the Hawks. ... Before dealing with the Spurs, the Knicks dangled Charles Smith and Doug Christie in front of the Raptors. Toronto wanted to deal W illie Anderson and Mctor .Alexander, but not Carlos Rogers, the player the Knicks wanted. ... Con­ trary to common belief in Denver. Bernie Bickerstaff says he will not give up his position as coach or presi­ dent before next season....

The Spurs now say they are exploring ways to construct a new arena in San Antonio, but the odds are the Spurs will move before taxpayers approve yet another costly, multi-million-dollar sports

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Expendable: Dealing Cheaney would give the Bullets more money to resign their free agents. * backup role. Hardaway wants out. and after hesitating, the Warriors are finally in agree­ ment Question is. where do they send him? .And what do they want in return? Hopefully, not much, because there is a cool demand for a point guard who has lost some of his crossover dribble. Yet, with free agencylooming for Hardaway, the Warrionnvoulcl be foolish to keep him past the deadline and not get anything in return.

Around the league

Moment of distress There was an interesting moment in the fourth quar­ ter of the Nuggets' recent game with the Lakers. Ref­ eree Ron Garretson stopped ‘play when he saw the sight of blood smeared on the arm of Nuggets guard Mahmoud AbdukRauf.

Fears were heightened when. after Garretson or­ dered AbduLRauf off the floor, it was discovered the player was not c u e "There's blood." Nuggets Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said, “but he’s not bleeding.

Better check someone else."

Everyone looked in the di­ rection of HIV carrier Magic Johnson, before checking themselves.

It turned out the blood be­ longed to Dikembe Mu­ tombo. but Johnson did have his first “blood scare" since returning to the NBA. T h e thing to do is just check." Johnson says. “I didn’t have (a cut), and you just play. Its not going to happen. It's over with.

Theres no difficulty."

Not everyone brushed it off that easily , though.“Yeah. you wonder." Abdul-Rauf says. “You can’t help but wonder. You won­ der. hoping you’re not the

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Dee Brown, Celtics. Lam' Bird slammed him recently for lack of leadership. Maybe that was the kiss of death for Brown, who is unhappy playing behind former CBA player David Wesley, lf the Warriors and Celtics are wise, they should realize they share the same problem and make a straight-up deal.

J.B. Rider, Tiraberwolves. Yes. the Timberwolves are still trying to deal him, though he has been on good behavior this season-. CLM. Kevin McHale wants no wor­ ries on this team. However, he is asking too much for a player who was tailed last season bv 9 NBA security. + Kevin Willis, Heat. The biggest loser in the Smith-Reid deal was Miami The Heat wanted to dump Willis on the Spurs in the worst way Coach Pat Riley isn't even using Willis in the fourth quarter anymore There s still a chance he could end up on a power forwardstarved contender. The R o c k e t s come to mind.

Calbert Cheaney, Bullets. The development of Brent Price makes Cheaney expendable Price is everything Cheaney isn't — a 3-poirff threat and an automatic shooter when left open. The Bullets want to trade Cheaney now to open cap room that will enable them to re­ sign Howard and Price, who is also a free agent Lionel Simmons, Kings. The fangs will take anything.for a player who runs with the sec­ ond team. The Knicks were interested once. but not anymore.

One player unlikely to be traded is Charles Barkley. The Suns are committed to keeping the dub together this season and taking their chances in the playoffs, especially with Dan­ ny Manning back from a knee injury and playing surprisingly well. However, all bets are off once the summer begins.

BY THE NUMBERS Bill Pitch Is at it again. A s the Clippers1:venerable coach, he is leading another formerly hapless franchise toward respectability.

Last season, in Fitch's first year as Clippers coach, he inherited a roster devoid of experience, save for Loy Vaught and Pooh Richardson. Consequently, the youthful Clippers stumbled to a 17-65 record. This season, with the additions of center Brian Williams amt guard Brent Barry, plus solid play from Malik Sealy, the' Clippers entered the All-Star break one victory shy of last season's total. "'I Although a recent slump has them mired in last place in the Pacific Division, the Clippers still are competing for a playoff spot Beginning the week, they were 16-32.seven games behind Fitch eighth-place Phoenix, with 34 games to play. In previous jobs, Fitch has turned around franchises in Cleveland, Houston and New Jersey. In Boston, he assumed control in 1979 — Larry Bird's first season. For four years under Pitch, the Celtics averaged 61 victories, capturing an NBA title in 1981. Here is a history of Fitch's turnarounds, With numbers indicating each team’s improvement or decline in victories from one year to the next: TMO CMCBX*

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structure. Spurs Owner Robert McDermott says building the Alamodome was a mistake, yet the NBA quietly campaigned for its construction. “I thought it would be good for the

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NBA." Commissioner David Stem says. "We worked be­ hind the scenes to get the city an NFL franchise. When that didn't happen, we be­ lieved the move to the dome would be best at that time."

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... Magic Johnson says (he Bulls “are as good as we were in the ‘80s. Thev’re as • effective as we were. no question." ♦ S h a u n Powell covers the S B A fo r Sew sday.

20 • COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The Sporting News

up. I th o u g h t h e w as m ean , but h e really Bartow wrote. cares about you a lo t I always tell him to keep “D idn't b o th e r m c. I d id n 't really care."

‘No one knows what happened (at Alabam a). on m e w hen I m e ss up."

S anderson says. “I alw ays th o u g h t the kids in T h is sea so n , with essen tially• P la n ’s r e A labam a w anted to go to .Alabama. Now I’m He m ay or m ay not have done it. e m its ca rry in g th e offense. UALR u p set na­ h ere. and I’m on th e o th e r sid e of the fence. tionally ra n k ed M ississippi State. 70-68. D e w h ere ev ery o n e w ants to play (or .Arkansas. I cern b e r 9 in Starkville w hen forw ard D errick But one mistake can't take away what he's accom p lish ed .' can u n d ersta n d that."

C ray to n h ad a tip-in at th e b u zzer. It w-as T hat te m p e re d re sp o n s e aside, han d lin g S an d erso n 's first g am e ag ain st an SEC team criticism is not what W im p d o es best. He has sin ce h e lost to K en tu ck y in th e been know n to cab re p o rte rs c a rb ­ SEC T o u rn a m e n t final in 1992. in th e m o rn in g and blast th e m it “H e’s a m uch b e tte r coach than he feels h e h a s been w ronged, but h e ’s given c re d it for." W illiam s w hen he feels he has been treated say s. “All h is an tics d istra c t peo­ fairly, h e ll w rite a thank-you note. ple. b u t h e 's really a tre m e n d o u s W hat W im p is know n for with the te a c h e r and a g re a t technician." m edia, how ever, is b ein g a w hin­ “I w as p roud of w hat we did at e r W hy w as th e a tte n d a n c e p o o r’ A labam a." S an d erso n says. ‘W e W hy did th e n ew sp ap er bury the w ere ju st n e v e r able to g et one sto ry about th e big win? W im p m ore win in th e to u rn a m e n t I was w hines b ecau se W im p never stops s u re p roud to g e t th e re , th o u g h . com peting Just as h e did w hen he I’m not s u re p eo p le realize we played his so n s in b a sk e tb a ll in m ade it to th e Sw eet 16 six tim es, th e backy ard and kept a ru n n in g and w hat th e se k id s acco m ­ tally of th e w inner on a pirn* of pa­ plished." p er tn th e kitchen. .And just like he T h e d e c isio n to b rin g S a n d e r­ d o es on th e sideline, w hen life bn> A :;,* 1/ •*. son to Little Rock cam e to fruition co m es m iserable. . * V, . w . v« I •-IT-U .. f —■ — -- .—. ... at th e g ra n d P eab o d y H otel in W hen N ew ton, a soft-spoken Planning to succeed: Insiders know Sanderson is a m aster teacher who preaches defensive intensity aver offense, but the m an. was hired as A labam a coach M em phis: T enn. UALR Alce C h an ­ uninformed thtnk he's a bully because o f his intense sideline histrionics that include stomping his feet and waving his arms. in 1969. h e didn't know quite w hat cellor Bill W alker and th en -ath let­ ic d ire c to r M ike H am rick, w ho to do with W im p. "T he first y ear I son tra d e m a rk s — w as quite rem ark ab le, re ­ front of th e b u s lo sin g som e co u n try fa­ was th ere, he was m uch mon* anim ated than both had b ee n im p ressed with B am - S an d er­ ally. M untrelle D obbins, a streak y ju n io r for­ v o rite s’ O r that W illiam M ayfield, a juniorI was u sed to. H e’d be h ollerin' on the bench. so n . m et W im p and A n n e tte th e re in .April w ard w hom S anderson inherited, sco red a ca­ college tran sfer who is re d sh irtin g th is s e a ­ so I stmt him on th e road recruiting. .After five 1994. B efore an y o n e m en tio n ed it. W im p reer-h ig h 28 p o in ts an d sen io r g u ard D erek or six g am es, he a sk e d . 'W ill I e v e r set* us son. ca m e to th e S a n d e rso n s' for C h ristm as talk ed ab o u t h is resig n a tio n . W alk er and d inner w hen h e couldn't get ho m e to ChicaF ish e r, a n o th e r Jim P iatt-leftover w hom play ag a in ’’ T h en h e started controlling him ­ H am rick w ere im p ressed . T h ey offered him go?

S an d erso n unofficially h a s an o in ted team self by chew ing on a towel. .And w hen h e be­ th e job th e next day. lead er, sco red 19. E ven w h en they w ere W h a ts also tru e is that W im p S anderson is cam e head coach, th e towel cam e out."

“S o m e of u s w o n d ered ab o u t A labam a I a p retty funny and term inally m o d est guy. dow n 17 to th e traditional co n feren ce pow er, lo u is ia n a Stale C oach D ale Brow n, who g u e ss, but that w ent away." F ish er says. “No not o n e T ro jan folded. Playing for W im p.

About his two-year h iatu s from coaching, in phoned S an d erso n often d u rin g his two-year o n e know s w hat h a p p e n ed . He m ay o r may you Ii b e c o m e th ick -sk in n ed and will learn which he w orked — m ad e com m ercials, ac­ ab sen ce, re m e m b e rs a one-point defeat to .Al­ not have d one i i But o n e m istak e can 't take tually — for a lu m b e r com pany: “I’d like to how to b o u n ce back from adversity and criti­ abam a in th e mid-1980s. “W e w ere k*ading by away w hat h e ’s accom plished." say I did som ething, but I did n ’t. I d o n ’t know cism (m ostly S a n d e rso n ’s). O n h is radio IS th ro u g h o u t th e gam e, and .Alabama com es In h is tw o-year ab sen ce. S an d erso n h ad n 't sh o w afte r th e WKL? victory.

S an d erso n back late. T h ey m ad e two free th ro w s after a 2-bv-4 from a 2-bv-8."

O r h is occasional • • d o n e m uch o f an y th in g . He g re atly appreci­ w ork a s a color c o m m e n ta to r for television g u sh e d th a t th e triu m p h w as o n e of h is th e b u zzer to win th e gam e, and afterw ard I ated th e o p p o rtu n ity to do c o m m e rc ia ls for b ro a d casts durin g his hiatus: “I w as terrible. p ro u d e st m o m en ts as a coach, m eet W im p, and h e lo o k s te rrib le . I said. ‘I Jim m y Rayne, w ho ow ned G re at S o u th ern “I c a n ’t say I v e e v e r enjoyed playing for got this screw ed up You won the gam e, and N obody told m e I w as terrib le, but I w as ter­ Wjgod. b u t they w ere in no way fulfilling. You I'm h ap p ier than y o u .'" rible." On h is dem otion to th e Sun Belt C on­ anyone else m ore." F ish e r says. “It w as a can only play g o lf so m uch. He w as c o n sid ­ sh o ck w hen I h ea rd h e w as com ing h e re last ference: “I w ent from the jet-set to th e yellowDavid H obbs, w ho was prom oted from as­ ered for an a ssistan t co ach in g job at M issis­ year. I k n ew th ey had talked a b o u t g e ttin g sistan t to h ead coach w hen S an d erso n Re­ b u s league." I t s as if S an d erso n is still e m ­ sippi State, b u t th a t fell th ro u g h . He kept up b a rra sse d . and know s y o u know h e ’s em barhim . and I knew it w ould b e good for th e pro­ sig n ed . w as an a ssistan t at V irginia Conv with college b ask etb all, b u t to th is day h a s n ’t m on w ealth in 1985 w hen B enny D ees, who ra sse d . and w an ts y o u to know h e know s. gram . P eople just w ent crazy in th e com m u­ see n o r listen ed to an A labam a gam e. had serv ed on S a n d e rso n 's staff and had M aybe he sh o u ld finish the sen ten ce: I went nity." rn • “W e talk ed so m e, b u t n e v e r ab o u t th e P erh a p s crazy is h y p e rb o le — only 2.780 co a ch ed H o b b s a s a player at V C I’, re c o m ­ from th e jet-set lo the yellow -bus leag u e and team ." H o b b s savs. “It w as aw kw ard. You m en d ed H o b b s to S a n d e rso n “B enny kept goddam n it 111 m ak e it back. fans fought the cold and snow to se e th e T ro ­ d id n ’t really know w hat to say. You ju st knew m aking it so u n d so g o o d . and I th o u g h t. I "I ask ed him . ‘W hy do you want to put up jan s play th e H illto p p ers th a t night. But h e w as paying a tre m e n d o u s price." know it s not heaven dow n th e re . So I asked with it again? You d o n ’t n eed th e h a ss le .’ " S an d erso n 's arrival in 1994 gave UALR a veW hat also h a p p e n e d , a s th e rad io call-in B enny. 'W h a ts th e w orst th in g about the says M ississippi S tate C oach R ichard h id e to prom ote its basketball team in a town sh o w s ra ise d Jiell and p eo p le sn ic k e re d on jo b ’- and he said. 'W im p ' Well. W im p s just W iliam s. “But he n ee d ed to get back into it devoted to th e R azorbacks. Look for W im p on th e stre e t, w as h is family b ec am e clo ser, or W im p " becau se of the wav it ended."

TA’. O r on b illb o ard s. O r b u m p e r stick ers: a s .Annette says, m ay b e ju st le a rn e d to ap­ S a n d e rso n 's son B arry h a s b een a TALK “W im pnotized!" and “W im p... T h e re it is!" preciate each o th e r m ore. T h e re w as a saying assistan t sin ce 1992. twin y ears before W im p (T he latter, how ever, is a little p asse.) T h e s h e d isco v ered d u rin g th o s e tw o y ears, joined him . prom pting th e o th e r assistan ts to n an em pty lo c k e r room of B arton Coli­ basketball offices, renovated the y ea r S a n d e r­ w hich s h e m em orized. T oday, i t s w ritten in ask if W im p w as. in d eed , a tyrant. (Jim. the seu m . W im p S an d erso n lean s back in his son cam e, even fe atu re a wall d e c o ra te d in calligraphy and h an g s on a wall in th e S an d er­ o ld est son. c o a c h e s at F au lk n er in M ont­ folding chair, relaxed and (for now) selfplaid. so n 's new h o u se. g o m ery . .Ala., and Scot! w as an a ssista n t at Last y ear, th e T ro ja n s w ere 17-12 in assu red . after an 84-75 victory Jan u a ry 6 O u r fa m ily is a circle o f strength a n d love C olorado b efo re h e was recen tly reassig n ed against W estern K entucky, w hich had b e a t­ S a n d e rso n 's first seaso n , and lost in the Sun With every birth a n d every union in th e athletic d ep artm en t following a co ach ­ en TAI JR seven co n secu tiv e tim es. “At half­ Belt C o n feren ce T o u rn am en t final to WKL’. the circle grows ing ch a n g e.) In 1991. A labam a played at tim e. I a d d re s s e d each one. I told th em we 82-79. T h at first seaso n w*as a m ild su c c e ss Every joy shared adds m or° love T ex as AKM . w here Barry w as a g ra d u ate as­ could win." S an d erso n savs. “I felt like they (the T ro jan s w ere 13-15 the y ea r b efo re), but Every crisis fa ced together sistant Before th e gam e. Barry rem inded dad n eed ed to h ea r th at." It w as a sw eet victory: injuries and strea k y play — not everyone ad ­ m akes the circle stronger ju ste d to S a n d e rso n 's fury — w ere th e rule to sto p and m eet his girlfriend. Kristie, wh o is T h e H S to p p e rs led by 17 with 17 m in u tes to Two a u tu m n s ago. before his first g am e as play. now h is wife. W ell. A labam a won but played last season. th e h ea d coach of A rk ansas-L itlle Rock.

“O ver th e s u m m e r, he talked to th e kids a crum m y gam e N ird le s s to say. W imp didn t S an d erso n , of co u rse , w as a different m an W im p p u t on a plaid sp o rt co at for th e first give a dam n about m eetin g anybody Kristie, then. "HOW IN TH E H E U . CAN YOC N O T ab o u t th e ir ro le s and w hat they could and tim e sin ce his .Alabama days. He w*as a little already nervous, w atched in lear as th e coach BK READY TO PLAY?" h e th u n d e re d durin g c o u ld n ’t do." F ish e r says. "N ot ev ery o n e nervous, alth o u g h h e w o u ld n ’t ev e r saw such a tim eout. “T H IS IS ONLY T H E B IG G EST could be a star. Som e people w ould have to steam ed past h e r like a bus. a th in g . A n n ette w as n erv o u s, too. and so S an d erso n u n d e rsta n d s his im age prob­ GODDAM N GAM E O F YOUR LIFE!" Earli­ have certain roles. T h e re w ere tim es last year proud, s h e alm ost cried. . er. barely two m in u te s into th e g am e, w ith w hen I could tell h e w as having a h ard tim e lem. and. contrary' to his im age as a big bully.

Today, th e jet-set leag u e is history. Today. c a re - what people think. "M y bark is worst* I AU? leading. 5-4. S anderson tu rn ed to p ress d ealin g w ith k id s w ho w eren 't a s athletic or W im p S an d erso n still rid e s th a t yellow bus. row “I WISH TH IS GAM E W.AS OVER AND than my bite." i*- a favorite saying, as is “W hat as talented."

W ho know s w h ere it will take him . ♦ you s e e isn t what y o u get." W hich is tru e S ays W esley, th e jun io r-co lleg e tra n sfe r I WAS H O M E DRINKING WARM MILK." How m any know that after a big victory at T h e second-half com eback, keyed by a fulk S t e v e H a r r is o n is a fr e e - la n c e w r ite r who launched that bad shot against Louisiana court p ress and a wicked d efen se — S an d er­ T ech: “W hen I first saw him on TV grow ing fr o m B a to n R o u g e. La. A uburn. S an d erso n so m e tim e s stood in the s

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BASEBALL• 21

February 19,1996

Junior's mint

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Baseball’s marquee attraction has a slew of money, but he says spring training will be business as usual B v M ike B ass Ken Griffey will rep-rrt to Peoria. A r u ., next week as baseball's highest-paid player a n d the cornerstone o f more M ariners team s to come.

Nevertheless, som e people in C in cinnati now w onder w hat m ight have been, l f the Reds h a d n ’t passed over his fa th er fo r a coaching job. then theres a good chance Junior, the outfield­ er fro m C incinnati's M oeller High, would not have signed his recent $34-m illion. four-year contract extension. Instead, he m ight have come home a free agent in 1997.

7 don't w ant to say it was the end-all to be­ a ll/s a y s B rian Goldberg, Griffey's agent. ‘B u t i f (M anager) Ray K night had hired Ken Sr. as a coach — or a t least called Senior, as he prom ised he w ould — I'm sure Ken Jr. was m uch more likely to play o u t the season and then weigh his options after that as opposed to signing a n extension now . ' K night reportedly h a d decided not to add Griffey Sr. to his new Reds staff, so the form er B ig Red M a chine cog , who still lives in the C incinnati area J o in e d Don Baylor's Colorado coaching staff.

A s fo r Griffey J r ., the only way he will see the N ational League is through interleague play in 1997 — or, o f course, i f the M ariners take that next big postseason step.

The A ll-S ta r discussed this y e a r’s m odified M ariners, his signing, the In d ia n s a n d other subjects with T S N correspondent M ike Bass, a colum nist fo r the C incinnati Post.

TSH: How im portant w as it to you to play on a w inner? * Griffey: lf Pd w ent th ro u g h free agency, no m a tte r w h ere I w e n t th e re w as no g u aran tee of m e b e in g on a c o n te n d e r. T h a t’s th e bot­ tom line. W e’ve w on o u r first division cham ­ pionship, and I’d like to win a n o th e r o n e and eventually g e t to th e big o n e and win t h a t Q: W as p a rt o f you c u rio u s to try fre e agency?

A: Y eah. like any o th e r ballplayer. E very­ o n e ’s cu rio u s ab o u t playing in a different sta­

dium . in a different uniform . I still had a year le ft so a lot of people th o u g h t becau se I didn't go free a g e n t I d id n ’t explore o th e r options.

At th e m orning pap er th e re (T he C incinnati E n q u ire r). th e two guys (colum nists T im Sul­ livan and Paul D au g h e rty ) ripped m e. O ne th in g th at h u rt m e was. they said so m eth in g ab o u t my dad. th a t not even M arg e is that d u m b to h ire him ju st to get m e. How m any negative th in g s have you h ea rd about my dad in baseball? N in etee n y e a rs in th e big leagues, and a n ew spaper is ju st ripping him .

All h e w ants to do is h elp out players to g et w h ere h e has been. T h ere was a headline that I didn’t want to com e th ere , anyway, that I just w anted to b oost up my price. I'm not like th a t I d id n ’t say. “Pay m e th is m uch, or I’m going so m ew h ere e lse .- T h e M arin ers b ro k e dow n th e co n tract th e w-ay they w anted to. and that was it. T h e re w ere no arg u m e n ts. I w anted to m ak e s u re th e re could b e e n o u g h m oney available to m ak e su re they had th e opportu­ nity to g e t m ore players if they w anted to.

Q: So th e M a rin e rs w anted it stru c tu re d th is way?

A: T h e y ’re th e o n es w ho said. T h i s is the way we w ant to do it." I t s still not set in stone on th e w hole contract.

Q: W hat th in g s a ren 't set in scoria?

A: W e can wait m o re y ears before they pay th e d e fe rm e n t And I’d be willing to increase th e d eferm en t and low er m y annual salary.

Q: W e re you c o n c e rn e d w hen you saw som e of your team m ates going, such a s Tino M artinez and M ike Blowers?

A: Yeah, becau se those g u y s are good play­ ers, and it w as tough. Anytim e you lose tea m ­ m a tes like that who drive in 200 runs and hit SO h o m ers, you w onder w hat's going on. But we k ep t N orm C harlton, and we got M ike Jack so n and Luis Polonia and R uss Davis. I didn’t know too m uch about all those guys, but from w hat people say. Davis can be equal or b e tte r than B low ers and is (four) y ears younger.

I}: W ere you w orried y o u r co n tract would k eep y o u r team from being able to afford to build a w inner, especially in a sm all m arket

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‘lf I d went through free agency, no matter where I went, there w as no guarantee of me •

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being on a contender.

That's the bottom line.' su ch as S eattle5 A: M y co n tract is sp read over nine years.

I t s not th at I get $8.5 million a year. I've de­ ferred som e of thai m oney for four years after the c o n tra c t Q: W ith a new stad iu m planned for 1999. w on’t that help pay th o se d eferre d paym ents — and gWe the team plenty of m oney to af­ ford o th e r players?

A; Yeah. Look at th e C leveland situation.

T oronto. B altim ore. T exas. T h o se cities also have all ch a n g ed th ro u g h the new stadium s.

G oing to C leveland was like th e w orst trip of th e year. Now. it’s one of the b e tte r trips. You d re a d e d g o in g dow ntow n w hen you w ere in C leveland. You couldn't wait for th e th re e or four days to be over. Now, you c a n ’t w ait to get th ere. You've got the new stadium , you've got all the sh o p p in g around dow ntow n, and th e city h a s cleaned up a lo t A nd as for the: team , look at C leveland now. Jack M cDowell.

Jose M esa, Kenny Lofton. A lbert Belle. O m ar Vizquel. Jim T h o m e. B ecause of th e m oney from th e stadium , th ey ’ve been able to k eep th o se g uys. O rel H e rsh ise r. E ddie M urray.

C arlos B aerga. T hat is unreal. T hat is as close

to being Cincinnati in TS and 7 6 as any team can ever get to.

G: Are you IOO percent n o w after the bro­ ken wrist?

A: I'm g ettin g th e re T he m o v em en t's al­ m ost there. Iv e been w orking out. I still have a lgtie sw elling in th e w rist. .All in all. I feel b e tte r with th e plate and sc re w s out than w hen they w ere in th ere T h e re 's a lot m ore m ovem ent. (fr W hen 9vou went on rvour hom e-run tear n in th e playoffs last year, you still w eren't IOO p e r c e n t w ere you?

A: I w as d o s e . I w asn't IOO p ercen t, but I adjusted my swing. My thinking was. w hen I hit it, stay th ro u g h it and don't stop it.

G: So che injury actually helped your con­ centration?

A: Yeah. H aving th e patience from being off that long helps. Having to be a father re­ ally helps. Your patience level h a s to be high w h en 7 ou have a l s o r 2-year-old who goes nonstop. I took som e of that from hom e to the ballpark.

Q: .Any goals for th e se a so n 5 A: One: not to get h u r l A lot of people don't know. but my first question I asked the doctor was. TMO I play again?" Not. “Oh. I'm not go­ ing to be able lo m ake any m ore m oney.’ I wanted to play baseball again. He said it would take 2-2: m onths. I couldn't go on any trips be­ cau se of my reh ab sch ed u le. I had to work hard to get back into shape. After a week and a half. I lost a lot o f weight b ecause o f the painkillers they gave me. I got seven screw s drilled through my bone in a plate. T he longest was 2 !r in ch es long, th e sh o rtest was half an inch. Two w ere in the joint, so I couldn't move.

Q: Any on-field goals?

A: Ju st to stay co n sisten t and do all I can.

I'm never satisfied with what I do. lf I hit .290.

I want to hit .295. If I'm th ere . I w ant to hit .300 lf I have 23 h o m ers. I want th e 24th lf I have TO RBls. I want to k ee p going Q: A ny th o u g h ts about ch allenging Roger M aris' h o m e run reco rd as so u did in 1994 before th e s t r i k e A: If it happens, it happens. I ve g o t to put m yself in that situation again. T h o se type of goals, you don't shoot tor U k e Paul M olitor said, th o se are B ugs B unny n u m b ers. Can vou believe Hack W ilson had 190 RBls? #a Q: Im agine how m any h o m e rs you could hit ii you joined your dad with th e Rockies A It's too cold th e re in April. Really, my dad d o esn 't care w h ere I go. His th in g is. as long as I'm happy, h e 's happy Q: A re you h a p p y ' A: I've always been happy +

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Watch tile pages o! Field 8 Stream come to lite on Cable!

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The editors of Field & Stream M a g a z in e join local and worldwide celebrities in legendary fishing and hunting

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22 • BASEBALL.

The Sporting News

firing a secretary or PR man. the Brewers moaning about the inequities of the system, the Cardinals and Orioles wearing name tags ‘that say. “My name is." B a m ’ Bonds griping that he's underappreciated. Mark McGwire wondering where everybody went. Ozzie Smith insisting he deserves to continue be­ ing the Cardinals' shortstop. Tommy Lasorda earn in g on about Dodger Blue. Dusty Baker and Don Bavlor saving Lasorda’s an­ Bob tics are nauseating. Ray Knight trying to back NIGHTENGALE track from his remarks that managing is so easy. Reggie Sanders explaining his m ise r able postseason, the Mariners boasting that their town know's the difference between ow . can you believe it3 VMiat a re­ runs and points, Greg Maddux shrugging his freshing. wonderful feeling. We shoulders at his phenomenal success. Mo are actually having a genuine, Vaughn ridiculing the Red Sox for failing to honest-to-goodness spring train­ sign him to a multiyear contract. Rickey Hen­ ing derson taking potshots at Tony La Russa. La Come on. you remember that unique con­ Russa taking shots at Henderson, and every­ cept. one in the world asking the Indians whether This will bt* a spring training where fans they will lose a game all season. can actually see baseball 'players and not While we sit back and watch this glorious watch a fantasy camp for truck drivers and ! game return to our lives, let’s reflect upon the bartenders trying to become replacement offseason moves that guarantee the Indians players. will be back in the World Series and the A's There is no strike, no lockout no threat of will make the Brewers look like a power­ a work stoppage. Oh. sure. we still have no house: labor agreement, no commissioner and no We .Are Now A Contender Award: Car­ revenue sharing among clubs, but baseball is dinals. Walt Jocketty filled his shopping cart back ready to play a 162-game season.

We know the small-revenue teams still will with two top starters in .Andy Benes and Todd Stottlemyre. power-hitter Ron G ant short­ stink, the rich clubs still will contend, but in stop Royce Clayton. La Russa and just about the spring, everyone again will be euphoric about his chances.

• . everything else not bolted to the ground in Well watch and listen to Albert Belle snap­ Oakland.

Wily Will .Anybody Want To Watch Us ping at reporters. Drayton McLane threaten­ I Award: Athletics. Their entire starting rota­ ing to move the .Astros. George Steinbrenner

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enter camp with 13 players on their projected 25-man roster having been selected to at least one All-Star team.

In fact, eight of the IO players expected to be in the Opening Day lineup have All-Star experience. The only two “non-stars" in the start­ ing lineup are shortstop Omar Vizquel. who has won three consecutive Gold Gloves, and Jim Thome, who batted .314. with 25 homers last season.

Expos expose Expos starter Jeff Fassero. who has been as­ sured he's staying put. sim­ ply wants to erase last year's nightmare * , “I'm going to show up thi^ spring with a new attitude. he says “Whatever happens happens. Last year was a joke. The whole season was a disaster. It started at the beginning when they traded a championship team with­ out getting anything in re­ turn. I let that bother me.

This year. I'm just going to try to have fun and let it go."

F assero 's optimism isn’t being shared by Expos Man­ ager Felipe Alou.

“It’s going to be a long vear." Alou savs “In today's baseball, it's tough to com­ pete with team s that spend $60 million a year Better yet. its just not fair “We are an example of the trampling going on. Last year we saw Larry Walker.

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Around (tie bases Bary, Barry good: Bonds is in the best shape of his career. * ! couldn’t pay them. Then i Marquis Grissom goes. and we get back a few rookies.

What kind of deal is that?

Right now. I may have three j or four rookies in the lineup. j .Ah. and then t her es the pitching." | j Stars galore [ Just how strong are the In­ I dians this spring3 They will

Giants left fielder BarryBond s. who has been work­ ing out ail winter with trainer Raymond F an is — who also trains 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice — has lost 12 pounds, built his stamina and is stronger. “He didn’t realize how bad shape he was in." Farris says. “I thought. ’Oh my God. I can’t believe how he got away with this and did what he did.’ He’s stronger, he’s faster, he’s in focus." Bonds’ w

The Back To Reality Award: Cecil Fielder. Tigers. Fielder sug­ gested a1) winter he might be hap­ pier playing elsewhere. Guess what, so would the Tigers. The trouble is the Tigers couldn't give F eld e r and his $7.2-miiIion con­ tract away.

Can You Spare A Snickers Award: .Albert Belle. Belle may have a candy bar named after him. but he refused to give out Hal­ loween candy to trick-or-treaters. got his house egged and now is be­ ing sued for hitting a kid Belle was chasing in his truck.

Best Contract Award: Buck Showalter. .Arizona Diamondbacks.

You’re out of work, you’ve just to s t been rejected by the Tigers, but glove to make life easier for Cal Ripken. you turn around and the Diamond­ The Rich Get Richer Award: Indians. backs give you $7 million over seven years Just in case anyone had any notion that the without having to manage a game for two indians might slip this year, they signed ace years. Sure, happens to all of us.

Jack McDowell. See ya in the World Series.

Best Free Agent Signing Award: Rober­ The Poor Get Poorer Award: Brewers. to Alomar. Orioles. Alomar will add three The Brewers not only lost B J . Surhoff and years to Cal Ripken’s career. Thank you. tailed to sign Paul Molitor, but also couldn’t Worst Free Agent Signing Award: Osfind anyone to take any of their money until valdo Fernandez, Giants. The Giants shelled Ben McDonald was left unescorted. out $3.6 minion over three years to a guy they The Sieve Defensive Award: Royals. The believe is the next Hideo Nomo. Scouts will Royals have assembled an infield that could teU you he is no better than a fifth starter. have Keith Miller at third base. Jo se Offer­ Most Improved Starting Rotation man at shortstop. Bip Roberts at second base Award: Marlins. General M anager Dave and Bob Hamelin at first. Work on those Dombrowski got married over the winter and strikeouts, boys. spent $26.3 million on presents: pitchers The Gold Glove Team: Padres. They have Kevin Brown. Al Leiter and Livan Hernandez. five players on the team who have won Gold Best .Advice Award: Darren Daulton.

Gloves, including their entire starting outfield.

Phillies. Daulton limped into General Man­ Best Concession Speech: Bill Buckner. ager Lee Thom as’ office one day and was told WTiite Sox. Buckner, rebutting criticism after that his team was negotiating with catcher being hired as hitting coach of the WTiite Sox: Benito Santiago. “You better sign him."

“Hey. I’m the hitting coach, not the fielding Daulton said, “because with the way my knees feel. I ain’t catching no more." coach." goal for 1996: joining Jo se Canseco in the 40-40 clu b ....

Wow. how times have changed. WTen the Rockies opened play in 1993. their only player earning $1 mil­ lion was outfielder Jerald Clark. This year, they will have 12 millionaires on their roster, including four play­ ers who will make at least $4 million — Andres Gaiarraga ($4.5 million). Bret Saberhagen ($4.3 million). Bill Swift ($4,275 million) and Larry Walker ($4,125 million). ...

The fifth time is the charm.

San Francisco voters finally will approve a new down­ town stadium, which will ap­ pear on the March 26 ballot A recent survey reveals that 34 percent of the voters are opposed to the privately fi­ nanced stadium that will be built in the city’s China Basin District Any guesses on how often Reds right fielder Reggie Sanders will be asked about striking out 13 times in 22 postseason at-bats last Octo­ ber? ... Astros Manager Ter­

I

ry Collins on the emergence of the Cardinals, who should be co-favorites with the As­ tros in the N .L Central: ‘T h ey certainly have got to get used to playing with each other, but with Tony (La Russa). I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.

With the additions they made, they’ve got to be pret­ ty e x ritk l."... The Cardinals would be silly to give up rookie reliever T J . Mathews for Dennis Eckersley. “lf he goes elsewhere, itll be S l Louis, it won’t be anywhere else." A’s G.M. Sandy Alder­ son says. “But right now we’re not making progress with S i Louis."

Dodgers first baseman Erie Karros predicts that Braves third baseman Chip­ per Jones will soon become one of the top five players in the league. “It’s scary how good he’s going to be." Kar­ ros s a y s .... The Indians pri­ vately are seething over Ken Griffey's four-year. $34-miF lion contract extension.

They realize that they will I

now have to pay Albert Belle a minimum of $7 million a year in his next c o n tr a c t...

The Red Sox are interested in signing Kevin Mitchell af­ ter changing their mind on Darryl Strawberry. ... The Rangers are considering moving Juan Gonzalez from left field to righ t hoping to use him more in the outfield. ... WeO. Dave Winfield, at last you won’t have to worry about George M. Steinbren­ ner any longer. ♦

Bob Nightengale covers the Dodgers fo r the Los Angeles Times.

/ ASSOCIATED PHJ SS

There’s no replacement for a real spring training

PON IMMU

BASEBALL REPORT

tion and entire starting outfield from Opening Day 1995 are gone.

Dennis Eckersley is the next to go.

Do you want to shell out SIO to watch McGwire being walked all year round?

February 19,19%

N.L • 23

ATLANTA BRAVES

HOUSTON ASTROS -.

Feeling Chipper: The team may drop its phi­ losophy of not signing young players to multiyear deals long enough to sign third baseman Chipper jones to a three- or four-year deal.

“It’s something we're considering.' G.M. John Schuerholz says. “It’s a different approach than we’ve taken in the past. but we have de­ cided in Chippers case he’s a guy who's worthy of this." Says Jones, There is nothing I want more than to stay here for a long time."

Pitching in: Temperatures that only icicles could love forced Braves pitchers inside last week for the first workout of pitching coach Leo Mazzone's early throwing program. The program, designed to unlimber arms and pre­ pare pitchers for the opening of spring training, brought out a curious mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Although four-time Cv Young winner Greg Maddux was absent.

Tom Glavine. Mark Wohlers, Pedro Borbon.

Greg McMichael Steve Avery. Jason Schmidt and Brad Clontz took turns on the mound be­ neath the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium stands. Also on hand were a pair of young righthanders acquired in recent trades — joe Borowski and Chad Fox — who will join the fight for two spots open in the bullpen.... The Braves are on pace to match their 1994 record of 29.000 season tickets sold, an increase of 5,000 over last season’s total. In seven years, the dub has increased its season ticket totals from among baseball’s worst to among its best “When I first started in 1989, (the total) was 5,000 season tickets.” Paul Adams, di­ rector of ticket sales, says.

— ftu . ZACK

CHICAGO Cl BS 20 vistas: Righthander Jaim e Navarro pre­ dicted he would reach 20 victories last spring despite the shortened season. He didn’t quite get there, starting 5-0 before finishing 14-6.

Now that the season is back to 162 games. he is calling for 20 victories again. “W hy not?" he says. *This is a really good team with Ryne Sandberg coming back from re­ tirement and Mark Grace re-signing is a free agent Tm really looking forward to playing with Sandberg. Iv e only met him a few times, but IVe seen him on television a lo t’ Navarro, who has a new three-year contract might have finished one or two victories be­ hind Greg Maddux’s league-leading 19 if the offense had produced more than nine runs in four of his no-dedsions. Navarro was one of baseball’s best free-agent pickups last spring.

He was signed for $850,000 after the Brewers declined to tender him a contract Ob a roil: Club President Andy MacPhafl kept his arbitration slate clean by getting catcher Scott Servals and righthander Frank Castillo signed a few days before their scheduled hearings. MacPhail never has gone to arbitra­ tion. ... The Cubs were outbid by the White Sox for Kevin Tapani. $1.1 m illion to $950,000. but Tapani could have reached $2 million with Cubs incentives compared with $1.5 million with the Sox. ... Four catchers with minor league contracts — Brian Dorset:, Lance Jennings. Matt Merullo and Hector Ortiz — wjfl challenge Mike Hubbard for the job as Servais' backup.

— JOE 6 TOOM)

member of the Rockies' pitching staff. .And he j gets strong endorsement in his new job by his • students. T haven't talked to one pitcher that j doesn't worship the ground he walks on.” re-' .

Biggie optimistic: Craig bever Darren Holmes says. “He has coached Biggio sees a lot of sim­ me probably a total of about 20 days since I’ve ilarities between this known him. but those 20 days have made a year's team and the one bigger impression on me than 99.9 percent of the Astros had in 1994 the people who have coached me." that was a half-game Standing pat The Rockies did less during the back in the Central Di­ offseason than any other team, although they vision race when the did sign one free agent (catcher Jeff Reed). strike starlet “We wfnt into spring training Only two players from the postseason roster in 1994 a lot like we are going into this one." are gone — catcher Joe Girardi dealt to the Biggio says. “We knew who (he starters Yankees and center fielder Mike Kingery. who were and what the rotation would be. Tile signed with the Pirates as a free agent. .And difference is this team will have a lot more only three players from outside the organiza­ experience than that one had Just about tion will be in spring training — Reed and everyone we're counting on now has a few righthanded pitchers Mark Dejean, who Came- years under his belt. So I'm pretty excited from the Yankees in the Girardi deal, and John about this season. I look at the team we have Habyan. the only one of the 14 non-roster invi­ and I see as good an opportunirv as anybody tees to camp who wasn't in the team's minor in our division. I know it s an old cliche, but league system in 1995. — TRACY ffeMG(fc£8Y if we can stay healthy, we can win it."

20-20vistas For the second consecutive year.

Navarro is predicting 20 victories.

CINCINNATI REDS A Grease prospect?

Form er Reds pitche * Tom Browning proven prophetic in 1995 spring training when he callet ' supposed phenom thin baseman Willie Greene — The only weak link" on the team. His take on it now: “I didn’t say it to downgrade Willie. He's a good guy who’s got some talent, but you can’t just go through the motions. I don’t care if you’re 21 or you’re 31 or you’re 41, you’ve got to go out there and prepare yourself. Here was a job that was lit­ erally given to him, and instead of saying. ’OK. I’m going to get myself in shape and Pm going to do everything I can to show these guys that I deserve it and I want lo keep it,’ he just kind of said. ‘Well, its mine. Its mine to lose.’ And thats exactly what happened.

He lost it. I saw a couple games in spring training, and I said. 'Man. whats going on?

What’s wrong with Willie?" He looked like he was just going through the motions."

Tmstita tnwfcto: As proof the postseason at­ tendance problems weren’t a fluke and the organization must do a better job selling the team to a city still reefing from the sport’s labor problems, the Reds still haven't sold out Opening Day. the city's unofficial holiday.

Opening Day tickets went on sale January 13.

In 1993, Opening Day tickets sold out in about 65 minutes.... The Reds have talked to catcher Joe Oliver about returning, but his price tag appears too high for a club bent on keeping payroll down this year. Same with outfielder Kevin Mitchell.

— M * E BASS

COLORADO ROCKIES Feeling lanky? At 60.

Frank Funk is heading into a major challenge.

He’s the new pitching coach for a team that fin­ ished last in the N .L in ERA in all three years of its existence. Funk, however, is the only pitching coach in pro ball who actually believes fife might be easier at Coors Field than where he has been working.

The last three years he was the pitching coach at Triple-A Colorado Springs, where the wind always blows out to left and the altitude is 6,531 feet, higher than Denver’s 5,280. Funk has worked with virtually every

Wfclns wins wfcttratton: Catcher Rick Wilkins will make $1.55 million this season after win­ ning his arbitration hearing last week. The cluh was offering $1.25 million, which w^as a TWaktag tag: The bullet reduction from the $1,475 million he made hole is now a dimelast season. W ilkins joined the Astros last sizeu scar on n i• lei: june rn the trade thai sem Luis Gonzalez and shoulder, and the rigb. : Scott Servais to the Cubs, but Wilkins missed shoulder is more thai. two months oi the season after undergoing Sd percent healeti from surgery to repair i disk in his neck. He hit offseason surgery .207. lor the year in 65 games, but Wilkins Now. if Gary Sheffield’ . had » .25o average in September after re­ emotions have healeti from a year in which turning from the injury. Wilkins was the only he was stalked, shot and accused of threat­ □layer who wen: through the arbitration ening an old girlfriend, he could have the process. The other three arbitration eligible season the team has been waiting for. A year players — Derek Bell. Derrick May and Sean after hinting at a 4040 season. Sheffield says Berry — a1) reached one-year contract agree­ it is again possible in 1996. He missed 80 ments with the team before the arbitration games last season with a torn thumb liga­ hearing.

— TBW Y BlflUHT ment and shoulder strain, vet his numbers projected to a .324 average. 41 homers and 118 RBls over a 162-game season. He says . he would like to finish out the final two sea- ; sons of his four-vear. $22.5-milfion contract/ The fifth man? A key then re-sign for four more with the Marlins. . v player in the team’s for­ or possibly his hometown Tampa Bay Devil tunes for this season Rays. In that time. Sheffield says he could w ill be righthander put up Hall of Fame numbers “What if.they Pedro Astacio. who has pitch to me every day. like they do a (Jeff) struggled often since Conine or (Greg) Colbrunn?" he says. Then his astounding debut in you would see that the home-run record 1992 Las* season. might be broken or the RBI record broken ~ .Astacio only 1-6 through his first ll starts.

Florida International: Cuban star pitcher going nearly a year between victories. He Livan Hernandez finally signed his four-vear. errded the season in the bullpen. ‘ He's had $4.5-million contract, albeit three weeks after some good games." Manager Tommy Laagreeing to terms. The signing was held up sorda savs. “but the wav its been, we don't because it was the first time the Marlins had know which one will show up: the one who dealt with agent Joe Cubas. and some of the pitched so well or (he other one " W ill contract’s language had to be worked out.

Asiatic win back his starling job’" The fifth The team also signed 17-year-old Australian i spot in the rotation is one of only two con­ outfielder Brett Roneberg to a minor league cerns the team has going into spring training contract — SCOTT TOUEY • ; — left Geld is the oilier — and the competi­ tion runs deep. Besides Astacio. there will be Gary Rath. Chan Ho Park. Rick Goreckg Darren Dreifort and perhaps lefthander Joey Eischen. Birt .Astacio will get first crack at it “It- seemed* when he went to the bullpen last year he had better focus." executive vice president Fred Claire says, “ He pitched hard right from the start. Naturally, thats what we want to see from him as a starter “ Folly stocked: The Dodgers will go to spring training with 18 non-roster players, which is two more than last year. when it appeared at times that all the organization was doing was stocking its replacement team .Among the spring invitees are three members of the re­ placement club: Ron Maurer, lefthander David Pyc and righthander Jody Treadwell. lf* Official: Three weeks after agreeing to .AD three have been in the Dodgers organiza­ tion their entire careers. — Gordo* V b k u terms. Hernandez signed with the Martins.

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28 •

The Sporting News

MI.

HPHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Good news: G en eral

M anager Lee Thom as basem an David Segui delivered encouraging signed a two-year. $3.1news about pitcher Curt million contract after an Schilling on the eve of arbitration hearing he sp rin g train in g. "H is described as "brutal " doctor says he may be Segui had requested a ready to pitch when the ^--million salary. while season starts." Thomas says. Schilling, who the organization responded with an offer of underwent season-ending shoulder surgery Si I million. “I didn't mind that they caned last August, wasn’t expected to be ready be­ up my statistics. ! knew.to expect that going fore May I. .And several team officials thought in." ^egu i sa y s. "Rut som e of the other that prognosis was optimistic, if Schilling is things that wen1 said got out oi hand. There healthy and the shoulder holds up. the staff was a lot of belove the belt stuff " The sides will be much improved. The five starters started talking about the deal dunng a break in the hearing held February 7. They con­ when spring training opens should be Sid tinued during the afternoon before the con­ Fernandez. Mike Williams. Mike Grace. Tyler Green and Tommy Greene, another pitcher tract was concluded Says Nice President Bill who experienced arm trouble last season. ...

Stoneman. "Lf you'd been in on the hearing When pitchers and catchers report to Clear­ you would have thought that we were talking abou: two c o m p le te d diftereni p layers." water. Fla., for the first day of workouts. Man­ Segu i sa y s h e ’- happy with the deal bul ager Jim Fregosi will welcome 30 pitchers upset it took so long to get ii. and six catchers. The full squad should in­ U rtiia heals: Righthander Ugueth Urbina. clude 56 players. who late last se a so n underw ent a rth ro ­ tetter ten em : New catcher Benito Santiago. who is entering his 10th major-league season, scopic surger-' on a small tear in his right says he is at the top of his game. “Right flow arm. threw well at voluntary winter camp.

The team was concerned tha; a small recoi1 consider myself a lot better catcher than J was because oi all the experience have, ‘ say ai the eno ot hi - deliver - was putting undue Santiago, who signed a one-vear deal tor S i., wear bn his arm. "He’s Worked that out oi million. “I am still young (30). and I have a lot his delivery.” says Bill Geivett. director of of gam es left in my body. Santiago, who will player development. "He told us he did it by be playing tor his third team in four years, w atch in g h im se lf throw in tront of a mirror.' Rumor has it Urbina could end up replaces Darren Daulton. who will try to move a closer, but Geivett is not so sure. " I ts up into the outfield. Mike Lieberthal will be the in Felipe AJou and Jot* K em gan. oJ course, backup. ... The team h as talked to Terry but r think the m ech an ical ch an g e h e ’s M ulholland's agent about the lefthander rejoining the club he pitched for from 1989 to triage might mean his future is as a starter."

— SH W E A. K W III C’reivett savs.

— JEFF BLAIR *93.

NEW YORK METS Write It down: D allas G reen s a v• s the onlv• definite elements in his projected batting order are Lance Joh n son at leadoff and the pitcher at tho ninth spot. But G reen's initial plan in­ clu d es B ernard Gilkey batting third, fol­ lowed by Rico Brogna. Jeff Kent and Todd Hundley. ... Green also is considering using Dave Mlicki in short relief and perhaps as an occasional closer. ... Jerry Browne is one of 52 players due in camp Only nine of them experienced Dallas G reen s torturous camp in 1994 — Kent. Hundley Jo h n Franco. Ryan Thompson. Bobby Jon es. Tim Bogar. Pete Walker. Alberto Castillo and non-roster I,uis Rivera. ... Brogna underwent minor surgeryon his right knee November 8. Subsequent indoor running in the offseason irritated it.

Still kicking: The club has signed Gary Scott, the onetime Cubs third-base prospect, to a minor-league contract. With Butch Huskey out of options and Aaron ledesm a traded to the .Angels. Triple-A Norfolk needed a third basem an Scott. 27. is Five years removed from being the C u b s' Opening Day third baseman and four years removed from his last m ajor leag u e ap p earan ce. He never played a game at Triple A before joining the Cubs But since 1992. he has made up for it by playing with Five Triple-A teams — Iowa iC u b s). In d ia n a p o lis (R e d s). P ortlan d (Twins). Phoenix (Giants) and Richmond (Braves) — in the past Five years. He was the property of the Marlins in the winter of 1992<g . too '

— M a r t y R o b le

I

PITTSBl RGH PIRATES

Worts: This is the time of the year Manager Jim Leyland starts drawing up possible lineups. Prelim inarv d e c isio n s indu de dropping Jay Bell from sec o n d to the middle of the order to get Carlos Garcia and .Al Martin closer to the top. Leyland wants to start with speed, and Garcia and Martin are the Pirates' only basestealing threats. He believes Bell can be a sig­ nificant run producer bunched with Jeff King.

Orlando Merced and Charlie Hayes. Leyland has also penciled in three of his five starting pitchers: Denny Neagle. Paul W agner and John Ericks. That seem s to suggest that Es­ teban Loaiza. one of last vear’s starters, could go back to Triple A for some of the seasoning he missed by jumping from Double .A One of the pitchers who will compete is 40-year-old Danny Darwin. The Pirates have also invited Zane Smith back on a trial basis.

The owner Is...: Kevin McClatchv* finallym is scheduled to take over as Pirates owner this week. He has been working on a marketing plan and is ready to start as soon as the ap­ proval is o fficial. T h e sa le p r o c e s s h as dragged on for 18 months, and McClatchv’s bid was nearly derailed when one of his in­ vestors bailed out at the last minute. ... Im­ proving team defense was one of G.M. Cam Bonifay’s top offseason priorities. Bonifay es­ timates poor defense may have cost the Pi­ rates as many as 15 gam es last season. He fee Is the matter has been addressed satisfactorilv with the addition of Mike Kingery. a I bona fide center fielder.

— J WW MENNO •

pw ss

Paltrtol process: First I

fy a i pf O f w a i u / associate

MONTREAL EXPOS

Captate OOdeck: McQatcky takes tile Pirates'helm after IS months of negotiations. He will swing into action with, a marketing plan when baseball’s hierarchy makes the deal o fficial

ST. LOLIS CARDINALS W tlcaw e back: Willie M cG ee, com ing home after six years, received one of the loudest ova­ tions at the annual St. Louis Baseball Writers’ dinner. After suffering a serious .Achilles’ heel in­ jury. McGee returned to the big leagues last season with the Red Sox, hitting .280. “I’m pretty su re I could play every day." say s McGee. 37. “but I don't think Tm here for thai You look al the guys they have here (Ray Lankford. Ron Gant. Brian Jordan) and it's quite an ou tfield." ... Fred H anser, the chairman of the Cardinals' new ownership committee, surveying the work the front office has done says. “I guess you’d have to say we've been leading with our chin." Hanser estimates the payroll to be at $35 million, up more than $6 million, and says probably nothing more can be done in the way of player movement un­ less there is a trade, such as for Dennis Eckersley. But the A’s would have to pick up some of Eckerslev's $225 million salary.

A pltcb for Benes: M anager Tony La Russa say s the m ost likely candidate to replace Danny Jack so n , out until Ju ly after ankle surgery, in the starting rotation is rookie .Alan Benes. ".Alan definitely has to pitch his way off the team." La Russa says. ... Royce Clayton, who is caught in the middle as 41-year-old shortstop Ozzie Smith tries to come back. says he relishes the time he will spend with Smith this spring. Trn going to pick his brain and try to learn as much as I can This is a chance to learn from the greatest shortstop to play the game."

— ftCA HUMMEL

SAN DIEGO PADRES Tradtog tees: The team h as d isc u sse d a trade that would sen d ou t­ fielder Melvin N ieves.

24. to the White Sox for righthanded pitcher Luis Andujar. Chicago wants a pitcher to be included with Nieves, who hit 14 home runs but batted .205 last season. Team officials believe An­ dujar. 23. could start for them in 1996. Andujar

was 14-8 at Double-A Birmingham (Southern) last season and 2-1 for the White Sox.... Gen­ eral Manager Kevin Towers is happy the team : ; bringing back the “Swinging Padre” lo g a Towers wants patches of the portly friar to be sewn on uniform sleeves and says die move could bring luck. Towers says his team will need good fortune because Los Angeles has the West Division’s best team — on paper.

“Pm not going to blow smoke and say we're the best team —. the D odgers have a good team," Towers says. "But we've improved this team in the-.offseason."

P lck ii* a id c b m t e ’ : The team will pick 15th in the Jun e draft, and officials would love to select a local talen t But Travis Lee. a San Diego State first basem an, probably will be gone by then. ... The team, looking for b e tte r co n tro l from its D oubie-A p itc h e rs, h ired p itch in g co ach Ja c k so n Todd to work at M em phis, which led the Southern League in walks last season. An­ oth er new pitching co ach . G alen C isco , might be asked to work with righthander Marc Kroon at Triple-A L as V egas. Kroon can throw a 98-mph fastball but his mech­ anics are inconsistent — Tom K ra so v ic

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS M I Is back: Mel Hal a form er m ajor-league ou tfielder who h as spent the past three sea­ sons in Japan, signed a m inor-league contract with the team and w as invited to sp rin g training. During 12 seasons with the Cubs. In­ dians and Yankees, Hall was noted for having a powerful bat hitting 134 home runs and accu­ mulating a 277 lifetime average. T v e heard it said of certain players they could foil out of bed and hit" G.M. Bob Quinn says. “Mel could hit the ball falling out of bed before he hit the floor." H a l 35. will compete for a spot as a re­ serve outfielder and backup first basem an.

Playing last year for the Ch unichi Dragons, he hit 236 with 12 homers and 35 R B Is.... The Gi­ ants also signed 23-year-old first baseman Mal­ colm Cepeda. son of former great Orlando Cepeda, to a Class-A contract with Burlington.

The younger Cepeda, originally a 13th-round draft pick of the Royals in 1993. played in an in­ dependent league last year after the Royals re-

N I / A.L. • 27

February 19,1996

leased him during spring training.

Keystone pals: M a n a g e r D u sty B a k e r say s h e 's going to arran g e for Shaw on D unston to have a locker next Robby T hom pson, his new double-play partner. “I w ant th em to really get to know each other." B aker says. T hom pson is trying to bounce back from consecutive in­ jury-plagued seasons. In 1994. h e was limited to 35 g am es b ecau se of sh o u ld er surgery and hit .209. Last season, he had sh o u ld er and ieg injuries and b atted .223 in 95 g am es. “I saw him in Florida recently, and h e looks great," B aker says.

— LARRY STOKE

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

DETROIT TIGERS

B o s t o n s H isp an ic C e n te r, a n e ig h b o rh o o d n e tw o rk o rg a n iz a tio n . C o rd e ro will d o na t e $200 for e a c h d o u b l e h e h its . L ast s e a so n with th e E xpos. C o rd ero had 35 d o u b les in 514 at-bats. In his ca reer, h e ’s had 101 dou­ bles in 1.530 at-bats. ... T h e Red Sox and Hi­ ro sh im a T oyo C arp of th e Ja p a n e se L eague are d is c u s s in g a tra d e th at would sen d r ig h th a n d e r R obinson C h eco . a C u b a n d e­ fector. to B oston. C heco. w ho d efected to the D o m i n i c a n R e p u b l i c , w a s o n e of t h e t op p itc h e rs in th e Ja p a n e se L eague last season, g o in g 15-6 with a 2.74 E R A — JOE GfUUOm

Tough spring? T erry Bevington's first prom ise as the team 's new m anager w as to h a v e a h a r d e rw o rk in g . m o r e - d is c i­ p lin e d s p r in g tra in in g than p re d e c e sso r G ene L am ont. H e isn 't b a c k ­ ing off on that prom ise. ‘ Spring training will not b e a picnic." first b a s e m a n /d e s ig n a te d h i t t e r F ra n k T h o m a s s a y s . ‘ H e 's a lre a d y p h o n e d to let u s k n ow ." T h o m a s sa y s The players back Bevington. even though he has a reputation around the league of lacking con­ tro l. ‘ B ev lik e s to w in . a n d h e b a c k s h is players," T hom as says. “W e cam e to the park the last m onth last season just to be there, but th a ts going to c h a n g e ." ... After getting Kevin T ap a n i a s a s ta rte r . G e n e ra l M a n a g e r Ron S ch u eler gave th e bullpen potential h e lp by ad d in g lefth an d er Jo e M ag ran e as his latest project. M ag ran e. 31. w ho led th e N ational L eague with a 2.18 ERA in 1988. sp e n t last season with T r ip le d Ottawa, going 3-6 with a 4.84 ERA Back to f u t u r e : W ith tic k e t s a le s h a v in g d r o p p e d m o re th a n 25 p e r c e n t fro m th e te a m 's d iv isio n -w in n in g s e a s o n tw o y e a rs a g o . th e S ox a re p lo ttin g e ffo rts to m a k e C o m isk ey P ark a ‘ fun place." In clu d ed will be su ch novelties as a sp o rts b a r in the o u t­ field patio area. ... H arold B aines, back with th e team for a second tim e, says h e will ‘unre tire " h is u n ifo rm No. 3. “W h en I s ta rte d thinking about i i I th o u g h t it w as going to be stra n g e playing w ith my n u m b e r up on the wall." B aines says. “I'm taking it down. ... A retired n u m b er m eans y o u 're supposed to be dead and done already." — DAVE VA* DYCK

May the b est men win: A c o m p e titiv e s p r in g tr a in in g will f e a tu r e som e interesting battles for outfield jobs. Besides s ta r tin g c e n te r fie ld e r C h ad C u rtis and newlya c q u ir e d rig h t fie ld e r Phil Planner, roles haven’t been defined. G M. Randy Smith says left field looks like a battle b e tw e e n in c u m b e n t B obby H ig g in so n and D anny*B a u tis ta , la s t y e a r 's s ta r tin g rig h t fielder. Bautista, who is out of minor-league op­ tions. needs to hit this spring o r he m ight end up w ith a n o th e r o rg an izatio n . ... New ly a c ­ quired outfielders M icah Franklin. Curtis Pride and D uane Singleton are ail interesting talents.

T h e re w ere w h isp ers that Franklin, w ho hit .293 with 21 h o m ers at Triple-A Calgary (Pa­ cific C oast) in ‘95. w as an attitu d e pro b lem w hen th e P irates let him go on waivers. But. Smith says, "my understanding is that he has settled down." Pride. 27. a form er Expos prop­ erty. is- 96 percent deaf. “A lot of o th er team s were interested, including Japan." Smith says. . ‘ He can run and swing the baL" Singleton. 23. is a sp eed y , leadoff type recently picked up from th e B re w e rs o rg a n iz atio n T o d d S tev­ enson. a backup from last year, figures to be a reg u lar at Triple-A T oledo (International) u n ­ less he has a great spring.

Calling all lefties: T h e search for quality left­ h an d e d p itch in g b e g in s w hen cam p o p en s T he list now includes Scott A idred. T m Fortu g n o . M ike M y ers. C.J. N itk o w sk i. Ju stin T h o m p so n and T re v e r M iller. ... T h e a d d i­ tion of Jeff Frye for infield in su ran ce d o esn 't m ean Alan T ram m ell w on't play any second base. Sm ith says.

— SEID CREASER

CALIFORNIA .ANGELS

CLEVELAND INDIANS

KANSAS CHV ROYALS

Hold everything: W a lt D is n e y 's d e a l to ta k e over the team m ight be in d a n g e r of fa llin g a p a rt A naheim city offi­ cials a re try in g to lu re m an N F L f r a n c h is e an d h a v e h e ld s e r io u s d is ­ cussions with the Seahaw ks. lf A naheim com ­ m its to building a new football stadium , the city m ight not be able to sw ing th e $ 110-mil­ lion re n o v a tio n D isn ey w an ts for A n ah eim Stadium . D isney can back out if th e stadium issue is not settled by M arch 18. O ne insider believes it will be: an o th er says it’s only 50-50. ... lf and w hen D isney finally d o es take over. every front-office em ployee autom atically will be fired b e c a u se G ene A utry's G olden W est B aseb all Inc., will cease to e x is t Som e of the e m p lo y e e s , s u c h a s G e n e ra l M a n a g e r Bill B avasi and a ss is ta n t T im M ead, will b e r e hired quickly u n d er new contracts.

S a r a storm: First basem an J.T. Snow, who was trade bait a year ago, now is one of th ree un­ touchable players. T h e o th ers are right fielder T im S alm on and s h o rts to p G ary D iSarcina.

Snow’s stock rose in 1995 w hen h e won a Gold Glove, batted 2 8 9. hit 24 h o m ers and drove in 102 ru n s.... O ther A ngels unlikely to be traded a re p itc h e rs C h u c k F inley. M ark L angston an d Jim A b b o tt an d c e n te r fie ld e r Jim E d­ m onds. E dm onds and Salm on will be featured in TV c o m m e rc ia ls for th e F ox N e tw o rk ’s baseball c o v e ra g e .... After signing free agents F in le y a n d A b b o tt to m u ltiy e a r c o n tra c ts .

B avasi said h e knew o th e r te a m s w ere p u r­ suing Finley, but h e did n ’t se e the sam e sen se of interest in Abbott.

— DAVE CUMKHAM

Taking the fifth: W ith a se t lineup, four-fifths of a rotation and a bullpen th at re tu rn s intact, what w ill th e c lu b d o in sp rin g train in g b e sid e s get in s h a p e 5 "The fifth sp o t in o u r ro ta tio n is still o p en ." M a n a g e r M ik e H a rg ro v e says.

■ T h e re s also a question about o u r extra in­ fielders and outfielders and w h e th e r we will have l l or 12 pitchers." .After signing-a con­ tract for $900,000. it ap p ears M ark C lark has the inside track as the fifth starter. However, that d o e s not end th e m atter. “W e know that M ark is an asset and th at o th e r clubs m ight h av e an in te re s t in h im ." a s s is ta n t g e n e ra l m a n a g e r Dan O 'D ow d says, ‘ lf C had O gea or Albie Lopez has an o u tstan d in g spring, we m ight do so m eth in g (trade) with Clark." O '­ Dowd ad d s that if a reliev er w ithout a ro s te r sp o t e m e rg e s d u rin g tra in in g cam p. Julian T avarez could be shifted from the bullpen to th e rotation.

D are'S world: Dave G allagher has joined the com petition to win a b e rth on the bench. Gal­ la g h e r w as signed to a T rip le A contract and in v ite d to s p rin g tra in in g . G a lla g h e r. 35. played for the Phillies and .Angels last year.

H e b eg an his c a re e r with C leveland, w hich p ic k e d h im in th e secondary- p h a se of th e 1980 J u n e d ra ft. L ast s e a s o n . G a lla g h e r batted 3 1 8 in 157 at-bats for the Phillies and h it .188 in l l g a m e s fo r th e .A ngels. G al­ la g h e r w as slow ed by a strain ed ribcage after a rriv in g in A n ah eim . He will b a ttle W ayne K irby, Je ro m y B u m itz an d B rian G iles for one of two ro ste r spots.

— SHELDON OCKER

To maricBt T h ro u g h o u t Ewing K auffm an's ow n­ ership. th e Royals' m ar­ keting plan basically w-as "If we win. theyrn ll com e."

N ow . w ith o u t M r. K 's d ee p p o c k e ts and with a tte n d a n c e d o w n , th e team h a s lau n ch ed an a m b itio u s m ark etin g p ro g ram . B lending tradition with youth, the c lu b is a irin g a TX' c o m m e rc ia l fe a tu rin g G eo rg e Brett and new hope Jo h n n y Damon, M arketing guru Mike Levy says this is the first time Brett has m ade a TA' spot for (he d u b . in­ dicative of how little has been done. Also. the Royals are going to com puterized ucket salt^ — the last major-league d u b to do so The No. 1 goal: T h e im p o rta n c e of sig n in g rig h th a n d e r Kevin .Appier to a one-year core. tract, while continuing to talk to him about a m ultiyear deal cannot be overem phasized ‘ I t h i n k it’s v e ry i m p o r t a n t for u s to k e e p a p itch er like Kevin .Appier as the No I guy."

G eneral M an a g er Herk Robinson says “ P i t c h e r s like. t h a t do n' t c o m e a long very often. Kevin .Appier can cam - a d u b ‘ ... l e f t ­ h an d er Dave Flem ing, who was not ten d ered a contract in D ecem ber, is com ing to cam p on a m inor league c o n tra c t Flem ing. 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA in nine g am es after being obtained from the M an n ers, could com pete for a starting job ... F orm er O rioles farm hand John DeSiNa also is a non-roster invitee to spring training. O ut­ fielder Keith H ughes is retin n g as a player and joins Class-A W ilm ington (Carolina) as th e hit­ tin g coach. He re p la ces Sixto Lezcano. w ho w as prom oted to Triple-A O m aha (Am erican A ssedation).

— DICK RAEBEL

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Brand opening: T h e team o p en s cam p am id g reat e x p e c ta tio n s and p re s ­ su re to succeed. T h e ac­ q u is itio n o f R o b e rto A lo m a r. R an d y M y e rs and o th e r v eteran stars h a s B a ltim o re f a n s -al­ re ad y b e g in n in g th e ir W orld S e rie s w atch.

B ut th e u n k n o w n fa c to rs of c h e m istry and h e a lth m a k e th is s p rin g tra in in g d iffe re n t from th o s e of r e c e n t y e a rs . N ew M a n a g e r Davey Jo h n so n h a s few on-field decisions to m a k e b e c a u s e n ew G e n e ra l M a n a g e r Pat Giflick ad d ressed virtually every need during a whirlwind reco n stru ctio n p ro je c t T h e only startin g job in q u estio n is left field, and that w ill be a n s w e re d if J e ffre y H a m m o n d s is h e a lth y .... F re e a g e n t acquisition B J. Surhoft is the only position player w hose role has not b e e n c le a rly d e fin e d . H e w ill o p e n s p rin g training at third base, but h e could end up in a T o n y P h illip s-lik e u tility ro le . S u rh o ff also could be used at d esig n ated hitter, in the out­ field and behind th e plate.

Ballpen aadltiOBs: T h e acq u isitio n s of clo ser M yers and setu p m an R oger M cD ow ell have e ra s e d so m e tro u b lin g q u e s tio n s a b o u t th e bullpen, b u t a b ack u p for th e trio of M yers.

M cDow ell and J e sse O ro sco m u st be found.

T e a m officials a re h o p in g rig h th a n d e r Alan M ills m a k e s a s u c c e s s fu l c o m e b a c k from s h o u ld e r S u rg ery , b e c a u s e 'h e th ro w s h a rd enough to b e a m iddle-inning s to p p e r .... Left­ h a n d e r A rth u r R hodes is co m in g back from an arm injury and could provide ro tatio n or bullpen d ep th . B ut th e team is not cou n tin g on his retu rn before April. — PETH! SCHMUCK

BOSTON RED SOX Mo r a t ahead: N egotia­ tions on a long-term deal b e tw e e n th e te a m an d M VP first b asem an Mo V aughn are beginning to tu r n u g ly . T o m R eich.

V au g h n ’s ag en t, is irate b ecause of what h e calls foot-dragging by th e organization, and h e has taken aft proposals off th e table. Vaughn, who won’t b e eligible for free agency until after the 1997 season, h a s given th e Red Sox proposals of three-to-five y ears w orth an estim ated $6.5 million a year. T h e team ’s offer is m ore than $1 million less. V aughn asked for $6.1 million in arbitration, th e team co u ntered with an offer of $4.2 million. T h ere have been stro n g hints from th e V aughn cam p that if h e ’s forced to go to arbitration on F ebruary 19 h e will drop any attem pt to g et a m ultiyear deal and leave a s a free ag en t w hen h e ’s eligible.

Seeing d o s t las: WH C o rd ero w asn ’t in B oston for 24 h o u rs w hen h e sh o w ed h e cares. After s ig n in g a tw o -y e a r c o n tr a c t. C o r d e r o a n ­ n o u n ced h e is estab lish in g a p ro g ram to aid

ba

Angry slo g g er Vaughn and the Red Sox a n

striking out in their negotiations.

tiff

IC

28 • A l

The Sporting News

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

TEXAS RANGERS

Closing a rg o o en ts:

Comeback trail: Right­ hander Cal Eldred, who pitched four games last season before under­ going reconstructive elbow surgery, spent most of the winter working out in Arizona, and insiders are optim istic about his progress. -Eldred received a positive report after a recent exam and has stepped up a rehabilitation program -that now includes throwing off the mound. But Manager Phil Gamer downplays Eldred s potential impact for 1996. "It has been my experience that these things always take at least a year before the guy gets back to the way he was." Gamer says. ... The team will unveil an aggressive statewide marketing plan. A series of bill­ boards and radto-teievision ads will feature announcer Bob reeker, a Milwaukee native who is entering his 26th season with the club.

The team, which has been criticized for not keeping up with marketing trends, also plans a site on the World Wide Web. Construction concerns: I axal politicians warn that groundbreaking for the hew stadium could be delaved because the club hasn't collected money for naming rights or finalized a loan from a state agency. Team officials, however, express confidence construction will begin in mid-March.... Contrary to early reports, it appears the team will be sole tenant of the new spring training complex that is scheduled to open in West Phoenix next vear The While 'Sox had been rumored to be ajro-tenant. ... The team will wear uni­ form patches commemorating Milwaukee's 150th anniversary as a citv. — DREW OLSON a

Sticking amu Mi: Carter wants to remain a Jay though ¥7, and the dub needs his big bat

NEW YORK YANKEES

MINNESOTA TWINS

Pitching concerns: Early

lf relief ace Dennis Eckersley is traded to the Cardinals as expect­ ed. several team offi­ cials are pushing for righthander Todd Van Poppel to get a shot at becoming the team's closer. Tm not saying it's going to happen." General Manager Sandy .Alderson says. “ (Pitching coach) Bob Cluck thinks he can be successful as a starter." Van Poppers history is one bad in­ ning in each start. Based on that pattern, some conclude that Van Poppel could save five of every six games. Van Poppel. who en­ joyed his best major-league success when he was used as a reliever in the first half of last season, made 21 relief appearances and recorded a 3.25 ERA with 17 walks in 475 innings. He also made 14 starts and finished with a 4.88 overall ERA. Details, details: The biggest holdup in the Eckersley trade is his agent's insistence that more money be offered for waiving his no­ trade clause. Eckersley. who will earn $2.25 million this season, can veto any trade be­ cause of his status as a 10-year veteran who has spent the last five seasons with the same club. ... The team was stung when reliever M ike Jackson opted to sign with the Mariners for a base salary of $800,000 in­ stead of a better offer from the A's. They were considering Jackson as their closer. ...

Former thjrd baseman Carney Lansford, out of a job after Manager Tony La Russa signed with St. Louis, will spend spring training as a coach with the Cardinals. The job will end with spring training.

— PHfflO GOMEZ

spring training em­ phasis w ill be on the progress of pitchers Kevin Gross. Roger Pavlik and Bobby Witt.

Staff ace Ken H ill should be solid, but the other three are major questions for a team that perennially comes up short because of pitching. All three had their moments last season, and the team is counting heavily on them showing more consistency. Pavlik was 5-4 with a 2.89 ERA in his -last 13 starts after opening the season with a 5-6 record and 5.87 ER A Gross was 8-9 with a 4.20 ERA in his last 20 outings after a 1-6. 9.89-ER4 be­ ginning. W itt was 2-7 with a 3.90 ERA for Florida and 34 with a 4.55 E$A after being traded to Texas. The sleeper of spring training could be lefthander Mark Mimbs. who was picked up from the Dodgers organi­ zation in the Rule 5 draft He could push for the fifth starter spot. ... Lefthander Dan Smith is throwing well after missing all of last season with an elbow injury. Smith has excellent stuff and could be a valuable addi­ tion to the bullpen if healthy.

First Impressions: Third baseman Luis Ortiz has spent the winter learning to play first base, which should give him needed versa­ tility. Ortiz has been working out daily with minor league infield instructor Perry Hill. ... The team is inviting 14 non-roster players to its major league training camp.

Among the invitees are veteran infield­ ers Kevin E lste r, Kurt S tillw e ll. M ike Pagliarulo and Rene Gonzalez and out­ fielder Rudy Pemberton. — T.R. SULLIVAN

SEATTLE MARINERS

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Tapped oat The strange

Yankees lower: Left­

Reshaped 'pen: After

Carter reconsiders: The

saga of pitcher Kevin Tapani came to an end when he signed a onevear deal with the W hite Sox. W hy so strange’ W ell. after al­ ready bringing Rick Aguilera back to the club, the Twins decided at the last minute to make a pitch for Tapani as well. Tapani spoke with Manager Tom Kelly. General Manager Tern- Ryan and even had a telephone conversation with Owner Carl Pohlad. "I told my agent early on. money is not the top factor." Tapani says.

"I wanted to go somewhere where the team has a chance of winning. I wanted to avoid a situation like last year where it's like, ‘lf he does good, we can't keep him. and if he does bad. we're paring him too much money Free-agont bonanza: With Tapani no longer on the market, the learn likely is finished tinkering w iii. its foster until after spring training begins "As far as the free-agent market, we're pretty well done." Ryan says.

■The people available who we like don't fit. and as for the pitching, there's not much we're interested in. I think what you see here is what we're going to go to camp with. .And I'm very happy. I never in my wildest dreams thought we'd go to camp with Paul Molitor.

Kick Aguilera. Roberto Kelly. Dave Hollins and Greg Myers, as well as the guys we al­ ready have. I know I'm taking some heal by not signing Tapani, but if you asked me a month ago if I'd be happy going to spring training with these other guvs, f'd have said

hander Kenny Rogers took some shots at his former Rangers team' while explaining why he took the Yankees' fouryear. S20-million offer.

“Its going to make a big difference playing in this atmosphere."

Rogers says. “Its nice to be on a team that has a possibility* of winning a World Series. I haven't had that in the past. All my family back home is glad because they feel that just now I ve made it to the big leagues. I think they never considered the Texas Rangers a big-league ballclub."... Tino Martinez knows the challenge he will face in New York. “Obvi­ ously. he's one of the greatest Yankees ever." says Martinez, referring to Don Mattingly. the man he will replace at first base. “I have no idea what to expect. It's an honor to be the next guy after Don Mattingly."... Righthander Jeff Nelson, who also was acquired in trade for Martinez, signed a two-vear. $ 1.85-million contract.

Doc‘s prescription: Dwight Gooden says he will lean on former Mets teammate David Cone during his comeback attempt. “Hell be a big plus for me." Gooden says. “Eli be talking to David all the time about the umpires, the strike zone, his approach to the game. FU definitely be in his ear this spring."... Jimmy Key is making great progress in his comeback from last season's shoulder operation. Tve stated ail along I haven't really counted on Jimmy Key until maybe June or July." G.M. Bob Watson says. Then I saw him throw, and I would have to move that up."

— JO I HETMAN

creating potential bull­ pen d isa ste r areas by trading Jeff Nelson and B ill Risley. the team may have plugged those holes by sign­ ing righthander Mike Jackson and settling with closer Norm Charlton without arbitration. Jackson, whcr pitched for the Mariners from 1988 to '91 be­ fore being traded to the Giants, returns as Charlton's late-inning setup man. Jackson signed a oneyear. $800,000 contract after un­ dergoing a physical exam in Seattle. A sore right elbow limited Jackson (6-1. 2.39 ERA) to 40 appearances and 49 innings last season with the Reds. Charlton, who had been seeking a three-year contract and was the only Mariner eligible for arbitration, settled for a one-year. $2.1-miIIion deal with two op­ tion years. If Charlton appears in 55 games or finishes 45. the contract is automatically renewed for $2.95 million in 1997.

Next In left? Ken Griffey might be looking at another new partner in left field. Luis Polonia. who signed a one-year, minor-league contract and was invited to spring training, is expected to open the season in left. Since Griffey be­ came the center fielder in 1989. there have been 42 players who have been in left field....

Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr.. the team's first-round draft choice in June, struggled playing in Puerto Rico this winter. He hit .194 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 155 at-bats. ... Mac Suzuki had a 32-10 strikeout/walk ratio in the Arizona Fail League but finished with a 6.05 ER A — i m S w eet

agent for Joe Carter says the team’s left fielder will not retire at the end of this season.

Carter, who will make $6.5 m illion in 1996. said when he signed a four-year deal before the 1993 season that it would be his last contract and confirmed that notion last year. “But Joe made it dear to me that he made up his mind (to play through 1997. and perhaps later) after a lot of thought," Jim Turner says. The Blue Jays had been expecting Carter to retire at the end of the season. “I was mildly surprised."

General Manager Gord Ash says. “ He’s a competitive guy and probably wants to make sure he doesn’t end his career on a down note." In the strike-shortened ’95 season.

Carter hit .253. IO points off his career av­ erage. and for the first time in seven years fell short of IOO RBIs with 76. Ash. who had tried to trade Carter earlier, says. “He’s prob­ ably worth more to us right now as the big bat than he is as someone to trade."

Mental games: Over the next few years, the team will spend more time on teaching the psychological and emotional aspects of the game in their minor-league system. New di­ rector of player development Karl Kuehl is co-author of the book T h e Mental Game of Baseball." “Baseball is 90 percent mental, and if we’re not teaching ll we’re missing a heck of a lot." Kuehl says. “It’ll be a big part of our program." The new system will start with daily sessions lasting only IO or 15 min­ utes, — Steve M h o *

•

yes "

— S a m M iller

I

I

</gV *

February 19,1996

NHI • 29

I

Creastng tbs crease Mogiiny often gets behind the d^ense. os he does here against St. Louis for a scoring chance against goalie Grant Fuhr

Vancouver took a chance acquiring Mogiiny, but he has been worth the risk

maklAo^pire than a year ag a Yet none has c)»ncffto

By LARRY WIGGE here are two definibons of Russian roulette in the dictio­ nary. M aybe i t s bine for a third:

T

... a move by a general m an' ager in the N ational Hockey League, in which a star Russian player is acquired, a t great expense and reservation, with the expressed purpose o f leading his new team to a Stanley Cup title. ' Far-fetched? Silly? Absurd?

Nyet, nyet and nyet.

There are those who say general managers in the NHLplay this gam e every da.y. The be­ lief that a team cannot win the Stanley Cup with a Russian in the lineup because they, uh, w ell they’re foreign and don’t understand the im portance of Lord Stanley and his silver goblet the way we db in North America still exists, right or wrong.

This is a form of roulette. N H I style —

pitier who scores

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Racers-Whalers , .,•54, OfJecs

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—U sbt V b s t

•

R angers won th e title in 1993-94 with .Alexei Kovalev. Sergei Zubov. Sergei .W m chinov and .Alexander Karpovi.'^v rn the lineup Still. th e re are th o se w ho believe brin ging in a high-ouality Russian player can be ju st as risky as playing Russian rouleUe. C hem istry and timing on an .VHI team fraitile en o u g h without incorporating a highprofile talent who m ight not pull his weight.

So what do you d o ’ R a y it .safe. stand pat and never be q u estio n ed ’ O r do you reach for the pho ne — and the .ViaJox — and cai! the nvai G M. to m ake th e tra d e ’ .Alexander Mogiiny is like th e guy who has th e skill and ex p ertise lo d o a triple leap on a .high wire. but on the ice his reputation is ot guy w ho isn't a team player and w ho looks out onlv« for himself. He definitelv# is one of th o se players w ho can push to th e e d g e the general m an ag e r who acq u ires him.

Mogiiny had 76 goals in 77 gam es to ^hare th e league lead in g oals in 1993-93 But h e h ad n e v e r h ad as m any as 40 goals. In an> o th e r season until this one. He was traded by th e S ab res to th e C a n u c k s in th e offseason — Mogiiny and a ’95 fifth-round draft choice for gritty third-line c e n te r .Mike Peca. junior d e fe n s e m a n M ike W ilson and a U5 ilrsrround pick. T h e deal m ade little s e n se on pa­ per. considering th e im m ense talent .Mogiiny p o s s e s s e s . But th e s tig m a of an u n d e r achieving Russian player — that roulette phi­ losophy — had so m e ex p ectin g the worst in V ancouver “I don't care how many ■jj:bals h e scores."

Flyers General .Manager Bobby C larke says.

"M uck (S abres G.M. J o h n M uckier) could not live with .Mogiiny anym ore. U"hat is a coach g oin g lo say to the little guys h e wants to b^si their butts, w hen this guy is m aking -S3 million and is n 't’ It's a tra d e th e Sabres had lo make."

P o I take the chance "This was a g re at opportunity lo add M)nie e x p lo siv e n e ss to o u r team ." C a n u c k s G e n ­ eral .M anager Pat Q uinn said, a sm ile as wide as an o p en net c ro ssin g his face after h e a n n o u n c e s th e tra d e in July "W inning g a m e s with talent h e lp s b rin g tan'- out of their s<*ais Except for Pavel B ure we haven't had that.

“But m oving into a new aren a wi- have to put on a shfiw to fill th o s e t'x ira se a ts We have to m ak e s u re th<' p<‘<iple* w ti! com<' ’ (^uinn w as gttijibling that Mogilnv and B ure would com bine the boyhtiod skilK they displayed in Russia w hen the> plaved wiiii Red W ings c e n te r Sergei F e d o r o v and form ed p e rh a p s the best s c o n n g unit in the world.

Early rn training cam p. Mogilnv and Bure stru g g le d . T h e fact that .Mogiiny sw m hed from left w ing a - a y im n g s ie r in Ru^'via to right wing in th e .NHI. w as confusing >mce B ure a is ) plays right wing T h e two b u m p ed into o n e a n o th e r T h e y w ere no ihriMi "D oes .Alex have a pulse?" fru strated C an u ck s C oach Rick U ‘y said after w atching M ogiiny go thn^ugh th e m otion^ in yet an ­ o th e r uneventful p r e s e a s m gam e or play it safe ’ "W e gave u p a front-line p lav er wh«» m o v e s V an c o u v er c lo s e r lo w in n in g the S tan ley C up. bul it w as a m ove we hacH it m a k e to begin o u r c h a n g e of directio n ."

M u c k ie r says. "O u r salary s tru c tu re is way out of w hack We w ere n» • go ing to stay at ■919 million. T h e first thing we had to do was g et that rectified " W hat he m eant to say is Nfogilny was great when h e scored 76 goals and the team played a widenDpen gam e. But w hen Buffalo, which picked .Mogiiny in th e fifth round of th e 'HH draft and w elcom ed him as a defector in 'H9.

3 0

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The Sporting News

N O L

Yes. .A lexander M ogilny definitely h as a pulse.

"Is th at like h ea rtb eat?" M ogilny says, pointing to his h eart. He sm iles as if recalling all th e n eg ativ es that have b een attach e d to his bio th ro u g h th e y ears, "i know- th e critics have fun. T o m e. it's all new in V ancouver. A different city. A d ifferen t team . A d ifferen t uniform .

"T his h a s b een like a new life for m e. I n ee d ed a ch an g e. W hen I sco red 76 goals in Buffalo. I w as allow ed to go on offense. T he past two y e a rs they w^anted m e to stay hom e and play defen se. T h ey yelled at m e if I left th e d efen siv e zo n e b efo re th e puck. T h a t's not hockev. T h a t's soccer."

a s k 'd A k'x to sa crifice. lo play a link* d e fe n s e .

b e sulked

h e d o c k lic k s dow n lo a p recio u s Jew s e c o n d s at Kiel C e n te r in St. U rnis on F e b ru a ry I T h e B lues have a 2-1 lead,

T

IU. M ogilny lak es a jxis> from T rev o r lin d e n just in side th e St. t a u is zone. All-Star deten sem an .Al M ac ln n is slid e s tow ard Mogilny. T h e re d o esn 't seem to be any way M ogilny will .eel his sh o t past M acln n is and still pet e n o u g h pow er on it to beat goal­ te n d e r C ram Buhr. Bul M ogilny isn't just any player. He fires a shot that ro c k ets past Buhr with 7 > se c o n d s left.

"I Inly a p lay er iike .Alex could score in that situ atio n ." V ancouver c e n te r Cliff R onning says. "I played a lot of y ears with B ren Hull and saw him sco re a Mi of goals, but I don't think even he could have sco red th at one."

T he clock h as not ex p ired for the C anucks th is seaso n , even th o u g h th e g ra n d plan of seein g B ure and M ogilny in th e lineup e n d ­ ed p re m a tu rely w hen B ure w as sidelined with a serio u s k n ee injury in N ovem ber.

M ogilny. th e co ach killer, th e g u y who didn't want lo w ork h ard in Buffalo, h a s been V an co u v er's b est player. T hat goal in St. J.oms was his 40th. purling him behind only M ario ta m ie u x and Ja ro m ir J ag r for the league lead.

T he q u estio n s about his lack of effort, his selfish play, have been d ism issed — for now. th o u g h they could retu rn in V ancouver at any tim e just as they did after his big goal-scoring

Sticking with i t Last season, there were nights in Buffalo when Mogilny would disappear when the going got tough. Here. he fights through a check by S t Louis' A l M aclnnis in a recent game. season in Buffalo.

“How can you com plain about h is effort?" lin d e n says, arg u in g for his new team m ate.

“W e’re not ask in g him to win the S elke T ro ­ phy a s th e le a g u e 's b est d efensive forw ard.

So w hat if h e d o esn 't alw ays co n c e n tra te on defense? T h a ts not why we got him . W e got him becau se th e re have been tim es in th e last few y e a rs w hen we stru g g le d m ightily to score goals. .And boy can he do that.

“H e’s like having to face M ichael jo rd a n .

E v e n ' tim e h e ’s on th e ice. h e 's a th re a t to m ak e a highlight-film goal. H e's alw ays look­ ing to hit a h o m e run."

Says F uhr. "H e ll dazzle you w ith som e of h is m oves, but t h e r e s no trick ery o r d ecep ­ tion w ith M ogilny. H e's co m in g at you oneon-one a1! th e tim e. I t s h is b est, sp ee d and s h o t against y o u r b est. .And. obviously, h e 's w inning a lot of th o se b attles th is year."

ogilny sm iles w hen fo rm er Slova­ kian s ta r P e te r S tastn y a sk s him to au to g ra p h so m e of h is so n 's trad in g cards; oth erw ise, his face is stoic. He sp eak s in m onotone.

B ut M ogilny is n o t th e co m m u n ist au­ to m ato n th at so m e R u ssians a re p o rtray ed to be. B oris B edenov h e 's not, eith er.

T m only hum an." he says, with a sly smile.

“I t s not like I’m from a different p la n e t" Pat L aF o n tain e w as M o g iln y 's c e n te r in Buffalo. “Alex is like a th o ro u g h b re d w ho can 't stand it if you hold th e rein s on him ." La­ F o n tain e says. "You have to k ee p calling his n u m b e r, o r h e g e ts m oody and po u ts. You have to be p atien t w ith him .

"I alw ays felt kind o f like a q u a rte rb a c k out th e re trying to g e t him th e q u ick outlet p ass like a sp eed y w ide receiver."

T h e re h a s b een no p o u tin g in V ancouver.

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NHL • 31

February 19.1996

only a co m m itm ent to succeed that started as c h a n c e s of m aking th e playoffs are slipping far back as six w ee k s before training cam p T h e C an ucks have been inconsistent, staying w hen M ogilny d ed ica te d him self to a daily around th e .500 m ark m ost of the season. But w orkout re g im en with B ure that took place no one can say M ogilny hasn't done his part. u n d e r the watchful eye of B u re ’s father. Mad. In fact. M ogilny, who tu rn s 27 later this a form er Olympic sw im m er. m onth, b ristles w hen h e is ask e d about his “Not m any people can keep up with the reputation. kind of w orkout I do with my father, but Alex “People s h o u ld n ’t ju d g e m e w ithout evi­ did." B ure says. "He show ed me that h e want* dence." h e says. "B ecause I had a fear of flying I ed to have a big season to show the C a n u c k s’ for a while in Buffalo, people th o u g h t I would tans they m ad e a good trade. You could see it be w orse in V ancouver b ec au se th e C anucks by how hard h e was working." travel m ore. B ecause I had tro u b le living in T h e C a n u c k s play th e S a b re s M arch 3 in the defensive system in Buffalo, people say I Buffalo and M arch 6 in V ancouver, th e first don't play for the team. m e e tin g s of th e c lu b s sin ce th e trade. T h e "People don't take tim e to get to k n o w me.

S ab res have go tten good use out of th e s ta r­ I care for my team m ates; I just had no fun in • Buffalo the last couple of years. I knew it was less attack and defense-first approach of roo k­ ie C oach T e d Nolan, a lth o u g h the team 's tim e for a ch an g e. I told Jo h n M uck ier if he

was going to trade me. I would prefer to g o to Detroit to be with Sergei o r to Vancouver with Ravel. We all have th e sam e appreciation for the g a m e and how it’s played. I got my wish " Savs * Lev, • " I t s a s h a m e Pave! and .Alex couldn't have re k in d le d their boyhood suecess here. But 111 tell you. I still dream about the day w hen I can throw the two of them out th e re and w atch th e o th e r team squirm , be­ cause they give us a 1-2 punch no one. I mean no one. has."

Bure, who was selected to the starting line­ up but could not play in the .All-Star Gam e at Boston, looked on as Mogilny enjoyed every m inute of his time with th e rest of the league's best players. Bure h a s begun rehabilitation on his k n e e and should begin sk atin g by midM arch and be ready to play in the playoffs —

o r s o o n e r B u i N % > r e \ no real t h o u g h t oi p u tti n g t h e m t o g e t h e r aga in, e x c e p t o n p o w r r

plays. ‘ It would sort o f like moving (Y a w sm ith from shortstop to second base to m ake room for Royce C layton.' Blues Met* President Ron C aron says ‘You could do it. but you might take away the effectiveness of each player ‘ Having depth — two good scoring lines — in the playoffs is often the key to success How would you like to have to stop Burt- on <me shift and then face Mogilny on the n e x t'" W hen that happens, it would be time to go back to the dictionary and a find fourth defin­ ition of Russian roulette +

[jCinry IVigge has covered hockey fo r Dir S p u rtim ; News stn c e / 9 £ 9

Rulebook interpretations

co u n terin g som e of the size disadvantages they face ■ T h e p egs that hold th e net in place could be a different color — they now are red. just like the goalposts — so th ere is T h e n a m e s W ayne G retzky. Pat L aF ontaine. Je re m y no conusion for th e referee when th e net has been dislodged.

Roenick. M ike M odano. Kevin H a tc h e r and Scott Niedermay- I ■ T h e current dump-in. d u m p o u t style of play, which is forced e r all cam e up in co n v e rsatio n s d u rin g th e four-day g en e ral by players getting back onside, has hurt the effectiveness of dem a n a g e rs m eetin g in T ucson. Ariz. But th e m eetin g was m ore fensem en carrying the puck out of their own zone — ail the wavth an ju st a trad e co nvention or an e x c u s e to play golf. T h e down to kids' hockey. T he discussion centered around forcing leag u e's G.M .s spent m ost of their tim e d iscussin g w h ere the the offensive team to m ake at least one pass before shooting the g am e is h ea d ed and w hat they can do to m ak e it better. puck back in while players clear the zone. T hat rule, which has T h e biggest co n c ern was o v er th e com p u terized sched u le been used on an experimental basis for two seasons in the Fast and all the. u n n e c e ssa ry travel te am s have faced this season, ; Coast Hockey League, has eliminated such m indless play so m etim es flying coast to coast with no day off betw een gam es.

■ T h e re is stro n g sen tim en t to im pose a g am e m isconduct T h a t n ev e r h a p p e n e d w hen te am s and a on e-gam e su sp e n sio n on any goal­ had a say in th eir schedule. te n d e r c a u g h t u sin g illegal eq u ip m en t.

But th e b ig g est on-ice ch a n g e will Goalie equ ip m en t is c h e ck ed sporadically, involve sh o ts that d e f le a into the net and i t s no sec ret m ost players believe the off p layers' sk a te s — goals that c u r­ glove of Buffalo's Dom inik H asek and the rently a re disallow ed. T a p e s of at pads of C olorado's Patrick Roy are larger least 16 skate-related goals and non­ than the rules permit. T he feeling is that tbs go als w ere review ed with th e con­ m ore drastic penalties will force te am s to se n s u s opinion that a player w ho is m ak e certain th eir goalies' equ ip m en t ad­ h e re s to the rules. talented en ough to d efie d a shot into A com m ittee will m eet lo form ulate the th e net off his sk ates should be treat­ exact w ording for the proposals before the ed th e sam e as a player who d e f le a s next G.M. m eetin g, and they will be pre­ a sh o t off his stick. But a definite s e n te d to th e board of g o v e rn o rs for ap­ kick-in goal still will b e waved off.

H ere are so m e o th e r su g g estio n s proval th is su m m er.

A pad lock: The width o f Roy's goalie pads Look tor m ore c h e ck in g of go alten ders' th at could be im plem ented next sea­ continues to come under scrutiny. equ ip m en t an d a less strin g en t attitude to­ son: ward skate-deflected goals in th e final two !With players g ettin g bigger, the le n g th of stick s h a s g o tten lo n g e r th an th e c u rre n t 60-inch j m o n th s of this season. .And look for new pegs and many of the m ax im u m . T h a t m ax im u m could be in cre ased to 63 in c h e s j o th er c h a n g e s to be im plem ented next season. with th e idea it m igh t give sm a lle r players a lo n g e r reach . I — L A R fir W lGGE

TSN POW ER POLL Team Comment W4.-T 38-104 Seven wm nq acate bv Fedorov 1. Red Winos 2. Ranoen 32-13-10 Every regular cs plus sn ptus-mmus ratings.

Avalanche 29-1610 R oy beats former Montreal mates, looks for 300th victory I 4. Rvers Second-tae help9 Corium scores on first shift 27-15-11 33-174 16 shorthanded ocals — a league-teadina 6 by Lemieux 5. Penguins Panthers 33-15-6 33 victories be 84-came learn record of 1992-93 7. Blackhawk 30-16-11 Allowed three or fewer acate sn 24 cf last 26 oames.

24-22-7 They’re comma - 60-3 since AH-Star break Devils 9. Canadiens Five 20-ooal scorers rn balanced attack 27-22-6 26-21-7 Defense (joes south on Western trip.

KL .Capitals 11. Haole Leafs 23-22-10 2 br fewer ooate in 9 of 11 oames — and winless rn IO of them 14-1-1 when they score four ooate or more 12. Blues 22-23-9 20-21-14 11 Canucks Only Anaheim has a weaker Dower play at home 14. Lightning _ 22-226 612-3 rn oames wfchout Puooa rn goal 20-24-11 Fleury c only wine’Br with JO ooate 15. Ra/nes 22-23-7 16. Bruins Coach Kasper is rn deep. deep trouble.

23-264 They're 2-0 smce trading Selanne.

17. Jets 18. Whalers 22-25-6 An impressive four' consecubve road victories 22-234 19. Sabres Averaged 3.08 ooate rn first 40 oames. 2.36 rn last 14 21 Oilers 1628-6 11 ^-ro u n d ers on roster but Arnotta only producer Goalterxfing controversy? Not when nobody can win 21. Kings 162612 22. Mighty Ducks 1631-5 14 ooals rn seven games before the Teemu sjghtng Hitchcock has words with Modano about his hockey sense 21 Stars 162611 24. Islanders 16306 TheyVe been outscored rn the third period. 7638 3 three-point efforts rn ast four games bv lOumeyman TanaO 25. Sharks 16365 26. Senator* 10-42-2 2-7-1- since Martmlook over as coach Through Saturday's games.

T h e S p o rtim . N ew s NHL Power Pot) ts determined by TSN Hockey Editor Larry Wigge.

6. a.

E

1

TOE BOOK ON

MARCUS RAfiMARSSQN Sharis defenseman Put Ragnarsson in a media capital and he could be the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. His offensive skills are that good, particularly when he's running San Jose ’s power play.

R agn arsson ’s offensive abilities were the main reason the Sharks decided to trade defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to the Avalanche. Through 47 games.

Ragnarsson had eight goals and 2f a ssists to rank first among rookie defensemen and sixth overall among first-year players.

“His ability to handle and shoot the puck make him a threat every time he $ on the ice. particularly on the power play/ Mighty Ducks Coach Ron Wilson says. “He’s definitely not bashful about putting the puck on the net.”

Ragnarsson. 24. had planned to play the 1994-95 season in the N H I. but a knee injury that limited his 1993-94 campaign in the Swedish Elite League to 19 gam es changed his thinking.

Show ing that he’s as smart about career development a s he is in finding the open an on the power play, Ragnarsson ecided to stay in Sweden one more year and played for his country in the 1995 world championships.

Ragnarsson's NHL debut was spectacular as he scored eight goals rn the Sharks' first seven games'. But he also committed embarrassing turnovers in his own end that turned into opposition goals, a problem he has corrected “H e's so cool out there now." Coach Jim Wiley says. “He picks up on things, sometimes before I can tell him."

Ragnarsson, a fifth-round draft choice in 1992. confirms Wiley's assessment. “I knew the N H I was going to be tougher and faster than in Sweden," he says “You have to move the puck quickly and keep your head up. It took maybe 20 games before I got used to that."

Says Blues G.M.-Coach Mike Keenan “What I like about him is his ability to take a hrt and keep on going. Som etim es that isn ’t the case with European players."

At 6 feet 1.215 pounds, Ragnarsson is a player to watch. There are a lot of things about the Sharks that can be criticized.' but Ragnarsson isn’t one of them. +

A

All Penned up T h e P e n g u in s sc o re plenty of goals, h u t c e n te r M ario Lem ieux h a s noticed recent p ro blem s with the defense.

“I’m going to talk to (General M anager) Craig Patrick about it." Lemieux says. “We've got a good chance to do som ething in the play­ offs. but we're going to need to lighten up on defense to get there, (jetting Neil Wilkinson was one move, but we need another just like it."

T h e P engu ins could get Izike R ichardson or B ryan M a rc h m e n t from K dm onton for M ark u s Nasiund.

Roy-Tremblay ll T h e r e is no love lost betw een A valanche goalie Patrick Roy and his fo rm e r coach.

M ontreal's Mario Trem blav First Roy publicly em barrassed Tremblay by going to Canadiens O w ner Ronald C orey and saving he could no longer play for Tremblay.

Then, after beating the Canadiens. 4-2. in his first gam e against them as a m e m b e r of’the Avalanche. Roy tossed the g am e puck at T rem ­ blay as he went past the Montreal bench. • ‘Just for tun." Roy says with a m ischievous smile. ‘ I think the fans loved it. I k n o w { e n ­ joyed doing it." *

— URRY WtS6£

32 • NHL

The Sporting News

NKL REPORT

King me After listening to his standout player. D ucks G M Jack F erreira went out and acquired a S ig n a l scorer Do vou think a star for the other southern Cal­ ifornia team isn't gnashing his te eth , w ondering why Kings G.M Sam Mc NI aster is still sitting on his h a n d s ' After the general man­ agers' meetings last week in Tucson. Anz.. the Wayne Gretzky watch is back on Several executives say they have been approached about (heir interest in Gret­ zky "Put it this way.” Kings President Bogie Yachon says. "we're trying to help our club in trades Whether it - Wayne or anybody, we d be era/) not lo listen to oi­ lers " Obviously, the Kings’ niH trade stance on Gretzky has changed after winning one •

ot their last 19 road games.

I Tile Mighty Ducks report­ edly have joined the Blues as the mostlikelv teams to land The Great One.

t ASSOCIATE

LAMIN

A

Kfvm

is going to be like having two Paul Kariyas out there. Ive seen gam es this year that Paul has won singlehandedly. I think Teemu will do the same thing for us."

Sa #vs Anaheim Coach Hon Wilson: “I have a feeling I just became about 20-percent smarter as a coach."

What Wilson doesn’t say is that getting Se­ lanne is no guarantee of making the playoffs.

In fact. .Anaheim’s depth isn’t strong enough.

Larry nor is its goaltending good enough to with­ W IG GE stand the pressure of a playoff race.

"It s a great trade for Winnipeg." Black­ h a w k G.M. Bob Pulford says. “Chad bulger is a player we liked very much, and Tver­ linit? mort* than a month ago. I asked Mighty D u ck s General Man­ I dovsky is a good defenseman."

The Jets traded Selanne for several rea­ ager Jack Ferreira about trades I* made by fellow expansion teams in sons: ■ Keith Tkachuk makes $6 million, and Florida. San Jose. Ottawa and Tampa Bay. the team can't trade him for a Year because it Ferreira said there is no one in the league for matched a free^agent offer sheet from Chica­ whom he would mortgage the future, except maybe Mario l^m ieux or Erie Ijndros. go in September. Besides, as an American.

“T h e onlv♦ wav• to build a team is from the Tkachuk — and not Selanne — is the player (he Jets will try to sell ground floor on up." he said. “I ou have to to Phoenix in their sea­ keep your draft choices and not give into the son-ticket campaign temptation to trade tor a quick fix. You can't this summer. deviate from your plan to draft well and then ■ Selanne's injured build around the Paul Kariyas and Oleg Tver* dovskys and Chad bulgers." knee a year ago was so bad it had to be frozen Temptation came knocking last week at before each game. Jets Disneyland — and Ferreira gave in. He trad­ ed Tverdovsky. bulger and a 1996 third-round doctors, we're told, say draft choice to the Jets for right wing Teemu the chances the prob­ lem will return are SO­ Selanne. center prospect .Marc Choumard and a '9 6 fourth-round pick. Tverdovsky was SO the Ducks’ first pick in the 1994 draft and bul­ ■ Jets G.M. John Paddock had been trying to trade Selanne for ger their first pick in ’96.

Ferreira says the Disney folks aren’t push­ a young cornerstone defenseman. He ing the panic button thought he had traded Selanne and another player to the Islanders for center Kirk Muller \ "This is stiff like building through the draft." Ferreira says. “T eem u is just 'J5 'flus and defensemen Mathieu Schneider and

KU SS

The Mighty Ducks take a head start on the future

Raving a niC8 trip: l f new arrival Selanne (left) con keep his skates planted firm ly on the ice. he should help the Mighty Ducks settle more than a few scores.

Wade Redden a few weeks ago.

You need onlvrn look at-the fact Selanne scored more goals as a rookie — 76 in 199293 — than any .Ana­ heim player except veteran Todd Krygier has in his career to see why the Mighty Ducks went for this deal. Now that they have Selanne and Kariya. the Mighty Ducks figure to be mighty difficult to stop on the pow'er Tverdovsky play. .Anaheim’s pow­ er play has ranked last in each of its three sea­ sons in the NHL Actually. Kariya came back from the .AllStar Game raving about Selanne's presence and ability. When Ferreira kept reading

A

♦

What’s Brew-in’?

With the Bruins’ record streak of 28 consecutive sea­ sons making the playoffs in jeopardy, the future of rook­ ie Coach Steve Kasper is in danger In fact. Kasper could i ^ be replaced by assistant gen­ eral manager Mike O'Con­ nell this week.. ' U)oking to make their first season in FleetCenter a No denying: Buffalo is trying to shuffle the high-scoring good one. the Bruins spent ImFontaine ( 16) off to the highest bidder. lavishly — acquiring right • wings Rick Toechet and Joe playoffs. .And Kasper has record, surpassing the five Mullen, left fcing Shawn had several run-ins with changes made in 1990-91.

M cEacbem. center Todd The list of coaches replaced: players.

Klik. defenseman Rick ZomEven more difficult is the Montreal’s Jacques Demers, bo and goaltender Bill Ran­ fact the Bruins face a sevenHartford’s Paul Holmgren. ked. But they were ninth in game. 11-day trip.

San Jose's Kevin Constan­ th e F a s l e r n C o n f e r e n c e lf the Bruins fire fvasper, tine. Dallas' Bob Gainey and standings entering this it would be the sixth in-sea­ Ottawa’s Rick Bowness and Dave .Allison. week. one position out of the son coaching change — a

about how Selanne was available, he called "Winnipeg G.M. John Paddock.

T h i s is great for Paul." Wilson says. ‘ He sees he d o esn ’t have to wait two or three years for younger players to develop. He’s getting a little instant gratification. This will take a little pressure off him. I t s just going to make Paul and the whole team a lot bet­ ter."

Selanne had 24 goals and AS assists in SI gam es entering this week.

“He's a superstar and he's still young."

Kariya says. “.All we need to do is get faster ice for him to skate on."

The slushy ice surface in .Anaheim may be the worst in the NHL — and it could be the best defense against the fast-skating Selanne.

For now. the Mighty Ducks get the better of this deal, but should Tverdovsky develop as many e x p ect the trade could quickly shift in favor of the Jets.

Icy bits Forget the denials by Sabres Genera) M anager John M uckier that center Pat LaFontaine is being shopped around the league.

Flyers G.M. Bobby Clarke — who never ge\s in the middle of ru m ors — says M uckier talked to him about LaFontaine. Clarke says the Sabres wanted his best young prospects, a deal he is not prepared to make. ... Rumors say as soon as the Rangers ex ­ pressed interest in Sabres tough guy Brad May. the Flyers got in on the conver­ sation. ... In an attem pt to satisfy Wayne Gretzky’s re­ quest for a 50-goal scorer and a Paul Coffey-type de­ fenseman, the Kings inves­ tigated the possibility of trading defensem an Darryl Svdor to the Flames for de* fensem an Phil Housley. ...

Bruins right wing Rick Toc-

chet. on the waning for­ tun es of the Kings: "Larry' Robinson believes the Dev­ ils’ system of playing four lines is the answ er to the Kings' problem s. But be­ cause the team isn ’t win­ ning. all he has th ere are angry players who a re n ’t happy about having their ice time cut down." + L a rry W igge has covered hockey fo r THE Sporting News s ta r e 1969.

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February 19,1996

COLLEGE FOOTBALL • 33

RECRUITING WRAPUP

A bold cad player of this caliber headed to Lexington."

As one might expect Couch received tremendous pressure from Kentucky' resi­ dents to,stay home and help Curry rebuild the Wildcats. Although Couch considered Tennessee .and made an informal visit to Knoxville, lie was a Wildcats fan who had B y M ichael B radleygrown up attalding Kentucky games. He just couldn’t'disappoint the legion (dare we call hen Tira Couch arrived one them “Couch Potatoes?") who had flooded month ago at the Hyatt Hotel in Jhim with phone calls and letters and had Lexington. K>\, for a big recruit­ .flocked to Leslie County games for four years ing weekend, he sounded more to watch bite* as Couch puts it, “do somelike an assistant coach than a high-school * thing unbelievable." The impact of his deciquarterback. Don’t go to another school and . sion already is being felt at Kentucky, which become the latest name on a list of whatev­ ’was forced to conduct a spedaJ one-week. e r . he told the visiting prospects. Come to * season-tkket sales period earlier this month.

Kentucky and chase immortality.

"The fact that he handled everything and On December 23. Couch, a 6-foot-5. 210still maintained his manners and equilibrium pound record-setting passer from the hills of is shocking." Curry says. “Anybody who can Hyden. Ky., had thrilled Wildcats fans by an­ weather the kind of praise and idolatry that nouncing — in dramatic fashion before the Tim did and still keep their dignity is some­ annual Kentucky-Louisvihe basketball war — thing special" that he would help Coach Bill Curry rejuve­ It would appear the hysteria is justified. nate a program that had bumbled to a 5-17 While at Lesfie County. Couch demonstrated record the previous two seasons. Three all the traits a successful college quarterback weeks later at the Hyatt his mission was to needs. Operating from an offense which re­ persuade more standouts to join him. sembles Florida State's “fastbreak" attack, he “I told them they had a chance to be part of made every kind of throw, showed surprising something special, * Couch says. “They could agility for a player his size (he has been timed go somewhere else and be part of a long line at 4.7 in the 40) and blossomed into the undis­ or come to Kentucky and be remembered puted leaderof a young team during his senior forever." season. When Cuny went to watch him. he Even if Couch doesn’t complete a pass for saw Couch call 75 percent of the plays at the the Wildcats, his high-school exploits will line in the ho-huddle system, delivef crisp guarantee him some form of everlasting passes under pressure and run the ball. “It celebrity, at least in the Appalachian foothills. was a one-man-shpw." Curry says. “He’s like In his four years as a starter at Leslie Countyno high-school quarterback Ive seen."

High School. Couch set national career Couch is perfectly suited to thrive in Ken­ records for completions (872). yards (12.104) tucky’s one-back system, which offensive coand touchdowns (133) while leading the Ea­ ortlinator Elliot Uzelac brought to Lexington gles to a 38-13 record, including 11-3 in 1995. l^ t year from Colorado. The Wildcats lacked “Coach Curry and the Wildcats have been balance last season, because injuries and in­ waiting for Tim to graduate for three years,’* experience forced them to rely heavily on tail­ writes Bluechip Illustrated, which ranks back Moe Williams (1.600 yards rushing), Couch as the nation’s top quarterback who declared for the N FL draft earlier this prospect “Never in Wildcat history has a year. But there were signs of encouragement

Quarterback Tim Couch is on a mission to revive Kentucky’s program

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Talent show The following conference notes rank the three best recruiting classes in each league, as well as miscellaneous reports on other schools, and were compiled by TSN correspondents Tony Barnhart, Kirk Bohls, Andy Boogaard, Michael Bradley, B. G. Brooks, Bob Clark, Dong Doughty, Bruce Hooley and Lenn Robbins.

Atlantic Coast I. R oridi Stott. The Seminoles en­ joyed their usual success in Ronda. signing the top two naming bads, Laveranues Cotes and Vannez Gooch of Jacksonvifle. The school also landed two of the top prospects sr Texas, tie ­

backet Kwaes Palmer {Sulphur Springs, Tex.) and Reginald Durden (Artngton, Tex.), a Beefy recenter or de­ fensive tack. Defensive end Roland Seymour (New Orleans) is one of the top pteyers rn tousana.

2. Georgia Tach. Coach George O'Leary fas shown he has a recmaingmtensjve staff. The Yellow Jackets signed Georgia's best quarterback.

Quincy Carter (Decatur) Another in­ state quarterback signee. Jon Muyres (Ufoum). s a decatfiete who caid ptey a variety of positions.

I Virginia. The Cavaliers signed the No. 1 prospect rn the stale, running back Thomas Jones (Big Stone Gap), and an impact receiver in Demetrius Dotson (Staten Island. N.Y.), who vffl replace Peach Bowl hero Demetrius (Petey) Aten. Vrgraa abo signed play­ ers from Castana, Texas, Ronda and Otoo.

Around tho league: Kevin Carty (SomervBe, N J.) and juraor-coflege transfer Chits KekJorf (Palomar. Cafif.) m2 be quarterback cancfriales ta North Car­ olina. But the Tar Heels fefl short of dorranabng the state, where academics

derated some of the best prospects...

Clemson, the ACC's answer to Line­ backer U.. signed one of the nation s best rn kins Pncs (Milford. Conn.). ...

Maryland has not controfled the mtodle Auantic area. but the Terrapins signed seven players from New York and sa from New Jersey. Most noteworthy rn thai group are quarterback Mafic Camp­ bell (Buffalo. N.Y.) and receiver Omar Cheesebox (East Orange. N J.). ...

Rashon Sp ies (Meriden. Conn.) could be a franchse running back al North Carotol State. The Woolpack also needed quarterbacks, and signed three of them.

Big East I. Miami. NCAA sanctions limited Coach Butch Dave to 12 scholarshps, 13 fewer than the maximum, bul he used them wisely. He signed one of the canon's top defensive linemen.

Carotene Lewis (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), along with defensive lineman Quincy tfpps (Tampa). And with Rorida’s toprated fatback ar. Nathaniel Webster (Miami) and defensive back Al Blades

Errand floor: Although Couch won'(start immediately, he is*perfectly suited to the Wildcats' one-back offense, a system in which the full power of the passing game has yet to be tapped. when Kentucky scored 64 points in its final I Florida and Alabama al the oulset of its Southeastern Conference schedule could en­ two games — including 31 against Tennessee. sure that — fans' calls for Couch will become Don't assume Couch will be an instant starter, no matter how fervently Kentucky more insistent, lf he is installed, neither coach nor quarterback will be worried fans believe in his capabilities. H ell find plen­ “I can gel the people around me lo play ai ty' of competition at quarterback, including re­ a level higher than they think they're capable turning starter Billy Jack Haskins and redshift freshmen Jeff Snedegar and Greg Hergott. of." Couch says. ‘ I can get them to believe." ‘ I told Billy Jack that he was our starling At a school that has struggled as mightily quarterback, and that takes some pressure as Kentucky, that's a good start. ♦ off of Tim." Curry says. ‘ He doesn’l have to M ichael B radley is a free-lance w riter be under center for our first game."

Should Kentucky start slowly — visits to- fro m Philadelphia. *

(Plantation. R a j - brother of former Hurricanes stars Brian and Benme Miami’s class made up n talent what it tost rn numbers 2. S yricu te. The Orangemen grew stronger on the defensive line with the sprung cf Vaughn Smith {Canton. Md.).

C&ftad Snell (Worcester. Mass.) and Enc Downing (Paterson. N J.), a tno of physical and mobte players. The tradi­ tion of outstanding receivers should continue with the signing of ten McIn­ tosh (Chesire. Conn.) and Quinton Spotwood (Elizabeth'. NJ ) .

I Boston Cotoge. Michael Cook (Wal­ pole. Mass.), who might wind up on of­ fense or defense, should continue the schooTs tradition cf outstanding line­ men. Tight end Mike Guazzo (Oakland.

N J.) should fit rn with Coach Dan Hen­ ning’s multiple bghi-end offensive for­ mations Adam Grace (Kings Park.

N.Y.) is one of the top Imebacking prospects rn the East.

Around the leig u e: Pittsburgh re­ ceived commitments from Pennsylva­ nia's top-rated quarterback. Tony Zim­ merman (Harrison City. Pa.) and may have a replacement ta receiver Dietrich

Jells n Chiffon Aiien (Passaic. N J I Virginia Tech add Temple dug mtothe lunior-college ranks The Hotoes signed three of the Top 80 Juco players in the country, as wen as prep lucker Shayne Graham (Dubfm Va.), to f i the vote left

by Ade Larsen The talent pool rn New Jersey was one of the deepest to IO years. But Rutgers’ coaching change resulted in virtually all the too players leaving the state

Big Ten 1. Ohio State. The Buckeyes tost tail­ back Durefl Price (Sytmar. Calif) to UCLA, but they s&fl brought in plenty of backfield talent rn Nick Gangs {Dublin.

0 ). Jerry Westbrooks (Boca Raton P a ) and Michael Wiley (Spnng Valley.

Calf.) Receivers David Boston (Hum­ ble. Tex.) and Vamess Provitt (Fork Uraon, V a) wiB get a chance to replace Terry Glenn, and linebacker Andy Katzenrooyer (Westerville. O ) and de­ fensive back Michael Burden (Palatine. in.) should shore up the run defense Juco signee Mart Garcia (Modesto.

Cast.) wB compete ta the starting quar­

*

terback (OC

2. Penn State. Quarterback Rashard Casey (Hoboken. N J} may be a bud ding Tommie Frazier but with a better arm. Receiver Titus Petngrew (Clem­ mons. NC) , will soothe the toss of Freddie Scott and linebacker Courtney Brown (Moncks Comer. S C ) should offer immediate help The Nittany bons also signed impressive tailbacks Joe Dawkins (Hackensack JE X ) and Ken Watson (Harrisburg. Pa.) agJW eeto& standing offensjve-kne 3. M ichigan. The Wolverines went South ta an influx of Texas tavern that made up for getting only one player out of Ohio. Illinois and Pennsylvania com­ bined. Defensive back Tommy Hen docks (Aldine. Tex ), and offensive tackle Jeff Backus (Norcross. Cai) could play right away The quarterback situation improved with S-foot-6. 225pound Jason Kapsner (Eden Plaine.

Mm) Around the league: Despite its turn­ around. Northwestern stQ couldn't en bee recruits away from Michigan and Notre Dame. But offensive lineman Jack Hamedy (Chicago) is one bright

34 • COLLEGE FOOTBALL spot... Indian! hefc onto quarterback gem Bart Hansford (MartmsviDe. Ind.). who could revrtakze the program ..

Michigan Stat* upgraded to defense and rushing game try getting taflback' Sednck Irvin (Miami) and defensive end Robaire Smith (Fbnt, Mich.)

Big 12 1. Colorado. The Buffaloes stocked up on recervers (five), defensive hoe men (four) and defensive b a a s (sa) Their 4-3 defense begs tor a stronger pass rush. and Jesse Wanen (Oates).

Sean Jame (Anaheim. CaW.) and lan Loper (San Diego) might provide ii Most surprising catch receiver Ryan Nunez, an Austin native who initially committed to Texas 2. Nebraska. The Huskers lost two coveted quarterbacks (lo Auburn and Baylor) but didnt lose many other bat­ ties Versatile quarterback Clint Finley (Cuero. Tex.) might end up rn the sec ondary atoncpde superb comers Mike Brown (Scottsdale. Ariz.) and Ralph Brown (Walnut Calif.) Ais usual. Ne­ braska landed massive linemen and a great I-back - DeAngelo Evans (Wi­ chita. Kan.) 3. Baylor. The Bears finished with a fabulous d ass paced by Texas' best quarterback. Oden James (Aldine). who was coveted by Nebraska But they have tour or five academic ques­ tions thai must be resolved to keep the impressive group intact Baylor look linebacker Enc Clay (Houston) horn Texas AAM and hauled m key running backs Btjah Burtons (Port Arthur.

Tex.). DarreB Bush (Houston) and Tyson WHsoo (Dallas) Around th# league: Kansas landed massive offensive foemen rn Ishmea?

Kruqht (Tampa) and David Glover (De­ troit) ... Quarterback Jonathan Seas ley (Glendale. Anz.) could compete anmediately tor K in s ** State. ...

Iowa State added running back Oar ten Dave (Miami), brother of Troy. they could be m the same ba&fieki ..

Texas wen? heavy on defensive and offensive linemen Win Goodies (Spnng Valley Calif.). Cednc Woodard (Sweeny, Tex.). Derrick Cur­ ry (Houston) and Casey Hampton (Galveston. Tex) are expected to push for playing time along the defensrveTront .. Texas AAM didn't get its usual blockbuster class, but defensive backs Detan Wngh: (Lancaster. Tex).

Jeff Wilson (Temple Tex.) and Jason Webster (Houston) should provide im­ mediate help

Pacific 10 1. Southern California. T h is is per haps the best group we've ever re­ cruited at USC.* Coach John Roberson says The class is led by offensive free­ man Travis Qandge (Vancouver.

Wash.) and receiver Stan Gayness (Los Alamitos. Calif ), who are expect­ ed to step right into the lineup. Quar­ terback Mike Van Raaphorst (La M esa Caw ) may take time to devel­ op. but there’s immediate help a: line­ backer. where it s needed most with Chns Claiborne (Riverside. Calif.).. Sul­ tan A b d > M a » (Arcadia Cab!.). David Gibson (Santa Ana Caw) and Sham su d -On Shaheed (Los Angeles) 2. Oregon. The Ducks consecutive appearances rn New Year's Day bowl games translated into a quality group of skrC-positicm players, led by two of the best receivers rn California, laCorey Coffins (Oakland) and Tony Hartley (Los Alamitos) But because Oregon doesn’t have a baseball pro­ gram. i? lost out lo UCLA on offensive lineman Oscar Cabrera, who wanted to play both sports 3. Washington. The Huskies tost out on a halt-dozen of the top local play­ ers bu? they got much needed help in the secondary with five players. The

The Sporting News

found some quaity in defensive back ran Bowens (KSen. Ala.) and tight end Gorman Thornton (Montgomery.

Ala.). ... Twenty of A rkansas' recrufe Cam pton outside the state, led by tuSback Chrys Chukwuma (Mont­ gomery, Ala.). ... A ubu rn's efforts were hurt by a postseason coaching shuffle, but the Tigers landed a pair of talented quarterbacks rn Ben Lean) (HartweA Ga.) and Tefie Embery (Sy­ lacauga. Ala.).

group is led by Ka: Bynum (Ofympa.

Wash.), whom Huskies coaches say was overlooked nationally Taflback Curtis Wifcams (Fresno. Calif.) could be a backup right away to Rashaan Shehee Around the league: U CLA finished strong with the signing of tai&ack Dural! Price (Sytma;. Calif.), who us­ ually committed to O ta State.... New CeBfoftila Coach Steve Manned talked quarterback Terry Hess (lake Bandi. Caw.) out of he commitment to Oklahoma and linebacker Thabiti Lockhart (Oakland) out of a pledge to Colorado They're Caf's top two signees ... Sanford quietly put to­ gether a quality d ass of 20 players from 12 states thai includes tight end Steve Coughfm (Ansonia. Conn ).

Western Athletic 1. Brigham Young. In keeping with their rich quarterback tradition, the Cougars snagged one of the nation's best passers in Bret Engemarm (Pro­ vo. Utah), who is expected to go on a two-year Mormon rrassion. They win recerve immectiate help from juniorcoDege transfer and defensive back Oman Morgan (B Cantino, C ai.. Col­ lege). Running backs W S Snowden (Boulder. Colo.) and Bonney Jenlons (Hueneme. Calif.) fortify the ground game, but Jenkins may not quality academically.

2. Utah. This class has size. speed and a balance of offensive and defen­ sive strength. It indudes Kaw afs pre­ mier passer, Dania* Arceneaux (Horv oktiu), defensive back tin Bums (Cov­ ina; C df.) and offensive lineman Dustin McOurvey (Bountiful Utah).

Quarterbacks Jonathan Crosswhite of Fpothfl (Cafif.) Community College and lance Rice (Salt Lake City) afec signed. One of the three quarterbacks wa have to redshift I T em Christian. The Homed Frogs won more in-state batties with Texas and Texas AAM than usual The best examples are running back Reggie Hunt (Denison), linebacker Shannon Brazza* (Lewisville) and defensive tackle Reuben Vaughn (Fort Worth).

The toss of three-year starter Max Knake left a huge void at quarterback. bul Coach Pal Sufivan landed ta d s fifes.) Commxtity Colege Al-Arneocan Fred Taylor.

Southeastern t. Tennessee. The Volunteers landed the top player in Alabama, quarter­ back TaMaunce Martin (Mobile), who originally had given an oral commHmen! to Auburn Tennessee also signed one of the best players rn South Carolina rn defensive end Shaun Efts (Anderson. S C.). Running back Brian Darden (Vicksburg. Mss.), who was an academic casualty last year, re-s^ned and wa be the Volun­ teers' next great back 2. Florida. The Gators warted hek> on the defensive brie, and they got ii The bes? of the bunch is end Derrick Chambers (Lawndale. N C.), who had flirted with Tennessee and Notre Dame Ronda also received help along the offensive fine with guanl Zac 2edaks (Alachua. Raj. I Louisiana State. Coach Gerry DvNardo made good on he promise of keeping the best talent at home S a ­ teen of the schoofs signees are from Louisiana And from Mississippi. Juco quarterback prospect Bryan Sparaono (Northwest Mississippi) may come rn and help immecfcatefy Around th* league: Georgia landed the state's best running back. Patrick Pass (Tucker); best defensive line­ man. Marcus Stroud (Quitman); and best defensive back. Champ Bailey (Folkston) ... South Carolina signed cts best class under Coach Brad Scott.

The group is led by receiver Donovan Norman (Union. S C ). ... Alabama was allowed to sign only 12 players because of NCAA probation, but it

Pulling rank

Around th* laagur Colorado Stat*

Tall order USC opponents soon may have this view of Clandge,

who couldplay right away on the offensive line.

continued to restock its deep finebactang corps by bealing Washtogion and Purdue, among others, tor Ahayneh Turner (Denver).... Fresno State Coach Jan Sweeney says the Bulldogs have turned the comer with the in-statfi 5kes of running back Michael Gray (Bakersfield) and foe-

backer Ty Grayson (Fresno).... Sen Diego Stitt bolstered a suspect alass by beating Washington State late for nm m g back Marty Graham (La Mesa.

CaH.).

Independents/ Conference USA 1. Notre Dame. The Irish may not have dupfcaied last year's outstand­ ing haul, but they did import much needed taken! a1 wide receiver in Deke Cooper (Evansvae. Ind.) and Jay Johnson (Sta rtle , Miss.), and forti­ fied the offensive and defensive fronts.

They cfid not, however, add much in the defensive backfield, a partiakarty thin area. although some offensive players may move there.

2. lo u liv t ilt. The Cardinals did a great job to Kentucky but also were ac­ tive to Ronda and Michigan. They added speed al the s k i positions and concentrated on improving their de­ fensive front seven. Jurtior-colege AlAmerican PJ. Zanczny (Merced.

Call.. CoBege) should provide mmecfate help al tight end.

3. Southern M ississippi. Four Juco recruits are part of a d ass that is strong along both fines. The Golden Eagles regraded their speed, too, with defensive back Perry Phenix of Twisty Valley Community College ti Texas: running back Kefoy Nance (Hattiesbug, Miss.); and receiver Dennison Robinson (Motte, Ala).

Around the league: Signing home­ town ftiglvschoof teammates, Mem­ phis may have signed the most im­ pressive duo to Conference U SA wipeout Carmen Dodson and quarter­ back Kenton Evans.... East Cvofina (fid we! along the fines, but took out tor Chns Satterfield (Raleigh. N.C.), a two-way threat who probably wtil play defensive back. ...The gem of Hous­ ton'* sow d ass is receiver Kenny -Davis (Houston), although defensive foeman Marcus Sanders (Mesquite.

Tex.) and w rang back Katie Sanford (Corscana. Tex.) also sto lid help. ~ Oncfcmitl has six Juco newcomers to 4s dass, which is heavy on defensive backs and receivers. The Bearcats also added quarterback Jon, Elder, who signed with Nebraska two years ago before moving to Garden City (Kan.) Community CoSege. ♦

Here are the nation's top 25 recruiting classes, as compiled by Bluechip Illustrated^ Joe Soriano:

1.

2.

I

Team Ohio Slate Penn State Southern Cal.

Comment John Cooper cant be criticized tor hts recanting The Buckeyes' d sss has bc-time potential at every position except quartaback.

The Nittany Lions went back to their South Carolina we* by sjqntoQ linebacker Courtney Brown (Moncks Comer, S.C.), one clttobest recruits at any position_______________ John Robm son's quest to lift the Trojans back to the top is nqhl on schedule. U SC helped teeff tremendously at fcnebacker.________________________

4.

5.

6.

Florida State Tennessee Notre Dame

7.

Michigan

8.

Florida

When was the last time the Seminoles landed out of the top 5 ? Bobby Bowden and his staff are the model tor successhi recruiting._____________________________________ With Peyton Mamma a junior, the most pressing need was at quarterback. They found a great one in TaMaunce Martin (Mobde, Ala.).___________________________________ The Irish looked to beef up then defensive foe, and they ta . Remember these names: Jim Jones (Oak Lawn, BL), Jason Ching (HonokAj) and Brad W ifem s (Santa Ana. Cafif.)

The Wolverines' best darers came from Texas. But they also stoned the Mktwesfs top quarterback prosoed to Jason Kapsner (Eden Prairie, ta rt).

The Gators improved along the defensive fine, an area that wasn't their strong suit last season. Defensive end Thad Briard (live Oak. Fta.) is one ofi the key cockups

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Colorado Nebraska Baylor Georgia Tech Louisiana Stat*

14.

Miami

15.

16.

Orason W ashington

17.

18.

19.

2a

illinois Texas South Carolina UCLA

21.

Virginia

22.

21 24.

25.

Georgia Oklahoma Arizona North Carolina

Once aoam, the Buffaloes (fid an excellent job in Caeom a. And Adam Bledsoe (Yakima. Wssh.). Drew's brother, looks to be tile quarterback of the tutJa The Comhuskers d ass s one of the most athletic in recent memory. The s k i positions are sow except at quarterback, but ScoC Frost's transfer wa heft there.

Because some of the Bears' recruits have vet to qualify academically, this d ass could e n d a sta h a sN o . 5orm av drop as tow as N a 35.

One of the surprise classes in a year tul of surprises. The.Yellow Jackets shocked the nation when they received commfcnent from quarterback Gurney Carter (Decatur, Ga.) im p rovem ent on the field pad big dividends. The Tioers filled needs at every postoon.___________ *_________________ Coach Butch Paws did another remarkable job. Imagine how oood the Canes w * be when they get a tut aflotment of sctoiarstos. in this dass. the Ducks may have enough to take another shot at Pasadena Sag cams at wide receiver.

The Huskies are back, though they tost some key in-stats talent, something gray seldom do. They made up for it by landing strong prospects from Caftorraa.

La.) is one of the best defensive foemen to the nation The Ufo* wa five up to thee defensive reputation with this dass. EricJefferson The Longhorns have a dass with excellence on both sides of the ba*, especially along the offensive fine.

The Gamecocks managed to get an outstanding class, and if they hadnt finished as the second choice for some key xv-stata players, they would have been in the top 5.

Dream Teamer Quieti Price (Svtmar, Cafif.i. who has the sfcgs to ofay immetfiatefy, was a pleasant surprise.

Coach Georoe Welsh may have one of the Cavaliers' best classes to some time. Running back Thomas Jones (Biq Stone Gap. V a) leads an impressive fist.

The BuBdogs' top five recruits are as good as any. Leading the way is runrunq back Patrick Pass (Tucker. Ga.).

The Sooners started late but freshed with a flurry. Receiver Mike Woods (Del City, Otfa.1 and defensive foeman Steve W ftam s (Sapulpa. Okla.) are .great aoqucsflorts.______________ The Wfldcats had a soft) year in what was one of the better requffing years for the Pac-10 to recent seasons. Runranq back Leon eaten (Concord, CaH.) may see considerablejime sarty "Another sofid class for Coach Mack Brown. Linebacker Brandon Spoon (Burtnqton, N.C.) and quarterback Kevin Carty (Somervfle, NJ.) am the key signees.______________________

FOR UPDATES on the TISA’ College Football Recruiting Watch by Bluechip Illustrated, call 1*900-896-8900. $1.69 per minute. Callers under 18 must have permission.

The sennce is accessible from touch tone and rotary phones.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL • 35

February 19,1996

COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT

Proposed bowl schedule would lessen fan interest p e o p le w a n te d to m o v e th e g a m e to th e w e e k e n d ( J a n u a r y 3 o r 4 ). “T h a t w a s Orange crusted: A B C 's c a ll." T r a n g h e s e s a y s . “T h e y felt Orange Bowl th a t J a n u a r y 4 (S a tu rd a y ) w o u ld n ’t 'w o rk traditionalists icill b e c a u s e th ey h a d tw o N FL g a m e s s c h e d ­ hove to cheer in Joe u led for e a rlie r in th e day. and h av in g two Hobble Stadium NFL g a m e s p lu s th e No. I vs. No. 2 g am e beginning next season in co lleg e fo o tb all w as a bit m uch.

— that is. if they're in ‘T h e y also d id n 't w ant to play it on Friday a festive mood night b ecau se ABC is very stro n g in th e rat­ Mark December 30 ings th at n ig h t So th e decision w as to stick BLAUDSCHUN w ith Jan u ary 2."

T h e new d ate for th e O ra n g e Bow}, which C o o p er h as had to deal with criticism in th e “e x p e rts ." B oston C o lleg e C oach Dan T w ill b e p la y e d fo r t h e f ir s t tim e in J o e H enning says it is too easy to pin labels on j th e p ast a b o u t w h at p eo p le p e rc e iv e as a R obbie Stadium next seaso n , is p e rh a p s the players in hig h school, that a g reat quarter- j poor reco rd d u rin g his ten u re in C olum bus: couple of New Y ear’s trad itio n s are m o st c o n tro v e rsial s n itc h . W ith Ja n u a ry I back in high school m ight turn into a wide ; no Rose Bowl ap p earan ces and one victory a b o u t to e n d . F o r th e first tim e . c r o w d e d a n d n o d e s i r e to p la y o n N ew re c e iv e r o r d e fe n siv e b ack in co lleg e and j over M ichigan.

N ew Y e a r’s E ve m ig h t b e to tally Y e a r’s E ve, th e O ra n g e B ow l. w h ic h h a s As th e B uckeyes' dream seaso n unfolded th at players m atu re at different levels. * d a rk in te rm s of bowl g am es, and b e e n p lay ed on J a n u a ry J o r 2 s in c e th e “O u r p h ilo so p h y of recruiting." H enning ; la s t y e a r , th e c r itic is m an d s p e c u la tio n th e h isto ric O ra n g e Bowl, a staple on New g a m e b eg a n in 1935, an d CB S d e c id e d to sa y s, “is b a s e d on No. I. o u r e v a lu a tio n ; [ a b o u t h is fu tu re d ied ... u n til O h io S late Y ear’s n ig h t, m ig h t be played n ex t seaso n again lost to M ichigan. g am b le o n D e c e m b e r 30. u sin g a M onday No. 2. th e evaluation of th e c o a c h e s th e se th e n ig h t of D e c e m b e r 30. .After th e s e a s o n , e v e ry th in g a p p e a re d night slot in w hich m any view ers a re accuse m en played for rn high school."

R epresentatives of th e Bowl Alliance m et in O f c o u rse , so m e ju d g m e n ts seem to be • q u iet again, until th e re p o rts about C ooper tom ed to w atching football.

Dallas recently and agreed on tentative dates and the. C ardinals surfaced. Som e people at T h is m ig h t w o rk . b e c a u s e it will be for obvious. R utgers, w hich reportedly had the and tim e slots. T h e p rim etim e attraction, the O hio State su sp ect th e story was a plant to only one season. T h e O ran g e Bowl will get w o r s t r e c r u i t i n g c l a s s in th e B ig E a s t, m atchup of No. I vs. No. 2, will be played in sig n ed Jo e C irone. a defensive e n d /o u ts id e . hurt Ohio State in the final days of recruiting th e No. I vs. No. 2 g am e in 1997. th e S u g ar Bowl th e n ig h t of Jan u a ry 2. th e T h a n k fu lly for O h io S ta te a n d C o o p er, lf th e traditionalists in th e O ran g e Bowl. lin e b a c k e r from th e S an Jo se , Calif., a re a Fiesta Bowl (3 vs. 5) will be played the night th e q u e s tio n s e n d e d in th e m id d le of last w ith w h ic h new C o a c h T e rry S h e a is fa­ w ho fou g h t th e m ove to Jo e R obbie, m ak e of Jan u ary I and th e O ran g e Bowl (4 vs. 6) w eek. T ile C ard in als an n o u n c ed th ey had miliar. C irone is 200 pounds. too m u c h of a fu ss. C B S. w h ich also te le ­ will b e th e night of D ecem b er 30. h ire d V ince T o b in , allow ing C o o p er to go Shea, who has yet to coach a gam e at Rut­ v is e s th e F ie s ta B ow l. c o u ld flip-flop th e Som e of this m ak es sense. Som e does n o t back to being th e B uckeyes' coach. g e rs . a lre a d y h a s b e e n b la ste d by s e v e ra l d a te s of th e O ra n g e and F iesta bow ls, but T h e big problem appears to b e playing the na­ football w riters in New Jersey. So intense has th at d o e s n ’t ap p ear likely. tional cham pionship gam e January’ 2 or even b ee n th e sc ru tin y th a t S h ea is w o n d e rin g : Around the nation later. T h ere m ight have been a big build-up to what will happen once the season begins.

Paper games the Fiesta Bowl last season, but gam e day it­ I t ’* s i c e to s e e s o m e t h i n g s h a v e n 't self w as lacking in any kind of dram a. c h a n g e d . N e b ra s k a sig n e d a p la y e r from T h e early sc o re c a rd s a re in, and fans of Going nowhere N o rm ally , th e c o u n try g e ts in th e bowl Florida, defensive back Robert Pollard, who th e top sch o o ls are crow ing about th e ir re ­ m o o d by tu rn in g on its te le v isio n s e ts on h a s a m isd em ean o r assault case pending Even in the d ead of w inter. O hio State'* c ru itin g c la s s e s . B ut if y o u r sc h o o l d id n 't New Y ear’s m o rn in g and w atch ing non-stop T h e Big Hast w as s c h e d u le d lo m eet this Jo h n C o o p er can 't seem to stay away from finish in th e top tw o o r th re e in sig n in g s. football, cu lm in atin g in a New Y ear’s night w eek in Fort la u d e rd a le and approve a tie­ c o n tro v e rs y . C o o p e r w as h o m e in O h io . that d o e sn ’t m ean ail is lost. extravaganza, gen erally in th e O ran g e Bowl. b re a k e r for deciding a cham pion. O ne Big w orking on re c ru itin g , w hen h e tu rn e d on C o n sid er this. N o rth w estern , w hich won B ut that w as lacking last season. Instead Hast so u rc e s a c s th e tie -b re a k e r will be a his television and saw he w as a leading c a n ­ th e B ig T e n an d w e n t to th e R ose B ow l. of a lead-in of g a m e s for th e F iesta Bowl. we c o m b in a tio n of h e a d -to -h e a d c o m p e titio n d id ate to b eco m e coach of the A ik o n a C ar­ w a sn ’t in any T op 25 re c ru itin g c la s se s in h ad so ap o p e ra s an d g am e sh o w s. P eople and ranking in th e polls, ♦ dinals. In fact. C ooper learned he had m et th e p a st fo u r y e a rs . V irginia T e c h , w hich w ent b ack to w ork on Ja n u a ry 2. M uch of M a r k B l a u d s c h u n corers college tw ice with C ard in als O w ner Bill Bidwill. won th e Big E a s t also did n ’t m ake th e T op th e bow! m ood w as lost. and th is w-as m ade fo o tb a ll f o r the B o sto n (Hobe i r a n “.An absolute lie." C ooper says ‘Ju st bad 25 in any re cru itin g lists the past four years. w orse by N e b ra sk a ’s ro u t of Florida.

Mai sel 's c o l u m n will r et ur n next week journalism ."

N ot su rp risin g ly , so m e c o a c h e s d ism iss It w o u ld m a k e m o re s e n s e to c le a r out New Y ear's n ig h t for th e title g a m e and then find su itab le tim e slots for th e o th e r two Al­ liance bowl g am es.

N e x t s e a s o n , f o r e x a m p le , th e S u g a r Fill out this form completely and attach your old mailing Bowl could b e played th e n ig h t of Jan u a ry I. table a s indicated below. th e F iesta Bowl could m ove back to an after­ noon slo t J a n u a ry I an d th e O ra n g e Bowl Sig n me up for 42 issu e s of T H E S P O R T IN G 1. IM P O R T A N T — Attach old mailing label could stay in its D e c e m b e r 30 tim e s lo t N E W S at the low rate of $57.96 (save 3 6 % off the here, (lf label is not available, print your P erh a p s so m e exclusivity in tim e slo ts — new sstand price). o n e of th e k e y e le m e n ts fo r th e .Alliance nam e and add re ss in the box.)

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The Sporting News

After enduring a tide of criticism and rules changes, a deep group of comerhacks is about to get its payback in free agency

t .. . *ThepOTerhasoneffmcffcKi—coye*Wman*Mara & says. ‘E th er in lone ca: man to man, ifs fairly base, no

ttterrtfereheplays.*

lim n

Gombine that; Mara s a ^ rtfh th e fact that few can doit well during this passing era, andwJTOs year,you haves position thatis going to command alot of money.* personnel who helped^engmew.&dr^gmng of Deion Sanders, says themath is an^ile,i-Axorikshack^fa one guy who can take another player out of the game, all by hhnsdt" Jones says. "He can allowyour defense to do so mud) more. He is was one ofyourcornerstones.’

By BILL PIESCHKE % he NFL thought it could stick them out on that island forever, but the NFL was wrong. And here they come. One by one.

Scars and attitudes showing. Eyes straight ahead, for a change. Walking forward, for a change. Chips being taken off shoulders and hurled at the establishment with all the force of the criticism that has been thrown at them.

The NFL was wrong about its comerhacks. And now, the NFL will pay.

Beginning Friday, the leagues free-agent market will be dominated by the men who spend most of their sea­ sons on that imaginary island, just them and a wide re­ ceiver, with the receiver holding the only gun and all the bullets.

They have been pushed, cheated, ripped and made to be scapegoats and outcasts. But for the next five months, from the Cardinals' Aeneas Williams to the Giants’ Phillips pi Sparks, they are storming off the island to become something else: millionaires.

Thanks to increasingly unstoppable passing games bol­ stered by increasingly unfair rules, guys who can singlehandedly shut down those games have become some of the most important players in the game today. tim skf. The soon-to^>e^ Spares, the mast underruted And thanks to agents who saw this coining, no fewer than IOwill be top free agents this season. And by July 15, comtjpack in the league, would be a welcome sight in Green Bay.

T

Cornerbacks

. * ..s

Best buy: Ambrose. Made enem ies and : influenced people during the postseason with | his recklessly hard play. He can provide a team not just with an athlete, but an attitude.

Buyer beware: Brown. Put it this way': He could leave the Cowboy's and there wouldn’t be a wet eye in the place. Great guy. hard worker, but he is no Sanders or Kevin Smith.

Perfect fit: Sparks and the Packers. Let’s see M ichael Irvin try som e of that physical stuff now.

1. Aeneas Williams. Cardinals. The arnval of Vince Tobin has to be appealing, but the Cardinals probably can't afford Williams and another free agent. Eric Swann.

2. Dale Carter, Chiefs. .After putting up with all of his off-field troubles, the Chiefs deserve to benefit from his stardom.

3. Philiippi Sparks, Giants. The most underrated cornerback in the league. Great abilities must be hard to spot during snowball fights.

4. Erie Davis, 49ers. He will never leave his Santa Clara sugar daddies.

1. Darren W oodson, Cow­ 5. Troy Vincent. Dolphins. Ripped the boys. To those who think he will Dolphins for not giving IOO percent in the l e a v e B i g D. y o u a r e Bi g playoff^, then was late for Jimmy Johnson's D-reaming. first team rpeeting. You decide.

2. Robert Blackm on, Se a6. Larry Brown, Cowboys. OK. so he has hawks. Finished the year with a good timing. b a n g . And a c r u n c h . And a 7. Cris Dishman. Oilers. W ants to play for a winner. So why would he want to leave . thw ack. You want an enforcer, hire him.

Jeff Fisher5 3. Darryl Williams, Bengals.

8. Todd Lyght, Rams. A solid cover guy C n k n o w n s t a r is a b o u t to coming off his best season. Not likely to , change all that. leave.

4. Bennie Blades, Lions. An 9. Mark McMillian, Eagles. Finally has old salt they can’t afford to lose. overcome the rap that he’s too small to play 5. Greg Jackson, Eagles. Not the position. so c o m f o r t a b l e in E m mi t t 10. Ashley Ambrose, Colts. Typified Thom as’ defense. tough Colts attack.

Safeties

Who is the only player to compete on both champi­ onship teams the two years?Acoraeri»ck, ofcourse.

One Deion Sanders. Who was the MVP of toe last Super Bowl? A cornerback, of course. One Larry Brown. This yearis fist is so impressive, ty toe way, that Brown ranks sixth.

Who made up nearlyonefburth (I I) of the 46 rotated cornerbacks in the playoffs?'Former unrestricted free agrafe who were signedfrom other teams, ofarase. Five of the 12 playoffs teams had at least one fanner unre­ stricted free-agent cornerbackas astarter.The bottom fine is this: With the rules so heavilyweightedm favorof receivers— and so few cornerbads whocan stop diem —comers: It doesn’t take the loss ofa cornerback to hurt a b ... in free ageucy.thou^Ljust adc ffreFakxras, who could lose seven starters, including their top quarterback 0 ^ ‘GeQr^)ffv^iecdvier'(reim )a Mathis) and pass rasbg: er (Chris Doleman). Orhowabootthe Cowboys,with five I defensive sferters who are unrestricted fieeagents.Tbexr Super Bort victims, fine Seders, amid lose their quar­ te teAack (Nett ODonndl) and best offenave findnan s(Lecm Searcy).

3

franchise or transition designations wifi be peaced on some p la y ^ making it difficult far them to move.

6.

Bo Orlando, Chargers. Second on the team in tackles, first in setting hard-hitting example.

Best buy: Blackmon. The Seahawks are so confused with the im pending move to Los Angeles, perhaps you can swipe their young stars now while they're not looking.

Start here.

Buyer beware: Jackson. A high-priced veteran who descended after a career year

in 1994.

Perfect fit Blackmon and the Saints. whose 22nd-ranked defense could use a huge dose of strong safety.

Outside linebackers

1. Cornelius Bennett, Bills. W e’ve been here before. He won't leave, nor should he.

2. Quentin Coryatt, Coffs.

Finally, this second overall pick in *92 is playing like he has a due. Can stardom be far behind?

3. Dixon Edwards, Cowboys. Is it the player, or the system ? W ell soon find o u t 4. Kevin Greene, Stealers.

Old dog with nine sacks in *95 deserves one last growl at a title.

5. Eddie Robinson, Oilers.

Unknown except to Houston opponents, who buckled under the weight of Robinson and the league's fifth-ranked defense.

Best buy: C oryatt Colts. Just listen to frustrated Colts Director of Football Operations Bill Tobin, who says, “Now that w e’ve gotten him ready for the dance, everybody else gets a Hair trigger SHU a wild pass rusher, Greene deserves one last shot at a title. chance to dance with him."

*

NR * 37

February 19,1996

Buyer beware: Edwards. Say what you want about Jerry Jones. He doesn’t get rid of players who can help him.

Perfect fit: Greene and the Panthers. who could sneak into playoffs with his inspiration.

that championship.

Buyer beware: Spellman. Just ask Dave W annstedt When Wannstedt is finished pulling out his hair, that is.

Perfect fit O'Neal and the Colts, who are close enough that he would make the difference.

Turns 27 in April. Wily are people confusing this guy with Herschel Walker5 2. Harvey Williams, Raiders. Just don't I expect to see him do it between the tackles in December.

3. Harold Green, Bengals. It was only three years ago that he gained 1.000 yards.

Make him sign a no-pouting clause, and you may have a Pro Bowl player.

4. Marcus Allen, Chiefs. He would rank 1. Hardy Nickerson, Buccaneers. Tony first on class alone, but he's so unavailable.

Dungy’s first official act as coach should be He’s probably retiring in a Chiefs uniform. • 1. Erie Swann, Cardinals. When he can to tie this guy in a chair and burn him with 5. Ronnnie Harmon, Chargers. Finally, stay on the field, nobody is better in football cigarettes until he stays. he can get out of town and stop complaining. at his position.

2. Bryan Cox, Dolphins. He wants to play Best buy: There are none. Running backs 2. Shawn Lee, Chargers. Bobby in the nasty AFC W est where hell be just who are worth astronomical salaries never Beathard will throw one of the guv's. leave home. himself in front of Lee’s 3. Robert Jo n e s, x Buyer beware: Harmon. He wiD tell you car to stop him from Cow boys. H ere’s one he is an every-down back. History will prove getting out of town. . p lay er who w on’t be he is greatly exaggerating.

3. Robert Porcher, running back to Jimmy Perfect fit: Hampton and the 49ers. They Lions. This hard rusher Johnson, who Jones felt wiD acquire him at a decent price and could prosper in a more didn't treat him fairly. become the best team in football again. defensive environment.

Probably staying put Dam right ifs not fair.

But wherever he goes, 4. Chris Splelm an, their offsides penalties Lions. D etroit is trea­ wifi increase by 200 ting him like an old man percent — he doesn’t even play 4. Russell every down anym ore.

I 1. Kimble Anders, Chiefs. Kansas City Maryland, Cowboys.

But there are plenty of has made him a decent player. But will he Some say he’s team s who would like declining, but its hard this old m an's wisdom to argue with three and inspiration.

Super Bowl rings.

5. Jerry O lsa v sk y , 5. Moo Gardner, Steelers. Surely there is Falcons. Solid inside a place for a guy who. guy on the league's when ask ed about the ninth-ranked rushing C ow boys’ tendency to defense. mispronounce his name Rarify appetite: The Bues must go all out 6. John Jurkovic, d u rin g S u p e r Bowl to keep Nickerson, a tackling machine.

Packers. Set back by week. said: “I don’t care the knee injury* suffered in the NFC if they m ess up the middle, as long as they championship game. One place he won’t be get the ‘O' right, and the ‘sky’ right/ Best boy: Nickerson. D eserves to play going is DaBas. Best buy: Jurkovic. Packers. A prototype somewhere that will appreciate his tough­ nose tackle who is blossoming, and could ness. Maybe Tampa Bay is not it come cheaper because of the injury.

Buyer beware: Cox. Teammates love Buyer beware: Maryland. He has not him. Opponents hate him. But the guy is improved much since his first ring. still a time bomb.

Perfect fit: Swann and the Broncos. They Perfect fit Cox and the Chargers. This need a defensive lineman, and he needs to relaxed team could use a little tick-tick-tickbe among other mountains. tick.

Inside linebackers

Defensive tackles

a. r

n

r

n

Fullbacks

1. Leslie O’Neal, Chargers. Still commands respect in the locker room and trenches. He ranked third in the AFC with 12tf sacks.

2. Chuck Smith, Falcons. AD you need to know about this young, underrated force is that, even at end. he was second on the team with eight tackles in its playoff game against the Packers.

3. Marvin Washington, Jets. Ask Chris MiDer how hard he hits. Coming off a career year. Still young enough (30) to make a difference.

4. Marco Coleman, Dolphins, lf Jimmy Johnson doesn't think he can turn this talented guy into an aD-star. maybe nobody* else should try.

5. Michael Sinclair, Seahawks. Another rising Seattle player who could be stolen on the way to Los Angeles.

6. Daniel Stubbs, Eagles. Became a new man under Ray Rhodes and Emmitt Thomas. Get him while he’s h ot 7. Alonzo Spellman, Bears. The most intriguing player in the group. Looks more like a defensive end than any defensive end alive. Maybe somebody can find his fuse.

Best buy: O’N e al Get him within a game of a championship, and he can wiD a team

1. Jeff George, Falcons. The problem with acquiring his wonderful arm is. you must also take his head.

2. Neil O’Donnell, Steelers. Anybodyseen Scott Norwood? . 3. Jim Harfcaugh, Colts. Might be kidding himself if he thinks he can lead the league in passing with any other team.

4. Jeff Hostetler, Raiders. Too broken down?

5. Dave Brown, Giants. Only behaves like he's broken down.

Best buy: Hostetler. He wants to come back East, where folks appreciate heart as much as passer ratings. He’s bruised, but he’s still a winner.

Buyer beware: ODonnelL He may never fully recover from those two interceptions in the Super Bowl. And if does. weQ, then you have just given $25 million to Neil O’Donnell Think about it Perfect fit: Was there ever a team and player more right for each other than George and the Raiders?

Running backs 1.

Rodney Hampton, Giants. L e ts see.

Five consecutive 1,000 yard-plus seasons.

Pf H a w a i i . M I

Quarterbacks

fit in Oakland, but Harbaugh ought to stay put

00UG

Defensive ends

Pocket change? George (below) would be a perfect

38 • NFL

The Sporting News

Perfect fit: Searcy and the Bengals. KiJana Carter, come to Mama. lf Mike Brown pays now. he wins bigTater.

Guards •##

1. Oenick Geese, 49ers. .And you thought we had forgotten aD about the guy who started for their last championship team.

2. Randy Dixon, Colts. A veteran bearing Marshall Faulk footprints.

3. Harry Galbreath, Packers. As solid and unchanging as a Green Bay winter.

4. Keith Sims, Dolphins. .Alternately ’not and wet. like a Miami summer.

5. Guy McIntyre, Eagles. He has a nice home in Philadelphia: he shouldn’t mess it up.

6. Jay Leeuwenburg. Bears. What. leave noted offensive line coach Tony Wise after all Wise has done for him?

Best buy: Deese. As if he would really leave the 49ers after they rescued him from the scrap heap.

Buyer beware: McIntyre. After leaving two great organizations — the 49ers and Packers — you wonder what it takes to make him happy. Or is it just his bosses: Perfect fit Galbreath and the Lions. We love it when those NFC Central teams steal from each other. Besides. Barn- Sanders deserves him.

Centers 1. Kevin Glover. Lions. Only the best in the NFC by about IO miles.

2. Kirk lowdermilk, Colts. Still feisty* at End malt Don't look for Chtnura, who ascended to a Pro Bowl season in Green Bay and is chummy with his quarterback, to pack up and go. stay there and become a great one’ 2.

Tommy Vartfeli. Browns. Now thai his knees are fixed, he needs to run as tar from Bill Belichick as he can.

Best buy: Yardell. His best days as a blocker and third-down receiver are still ahead of him.

Buyer beware: Anders. Can he thrive without Coach Marcus?

Perfect fit: .Anders and the Oilers, who could use him to complement Steve McNair and Rodney Thomas.

Tight ends 1. Marie Chmura. Packers. Withstood heat not just from linebackers, but from Keith Jackson. Brett Favre will make certain he doesn’t leave.

2. Johnny Mitchell, Jets. A star anywhere else. He thinks.

3. Keith Jackson, Packers. Retirement alert, retirement alert.

4. Wesley Walls, Saints. He's about to turn 30. bul he has really only been part of an offense for two full seasons. A 6-footo.

250-pound blocker who can catch like Brent Jones 5. Alfred Pupunu. Chargers. They needed more out of him than that pineapple spike.

Best buy: Walls. He could make* some­ body's West Coast offense real happy.

Buyer beware: Jackson. Don't make the same mistake the Packers-did. lf he was with them the entire season, thee would have been hosting the Cowboys in that title

3 a championship waiting to happen. In other , words, he ain’t walking. \ 5. Lomas Brown, Lions. See Win Wolford.

1. Andre Reed, Bills. Jim Kelly' and the 6. John (Jumbo) Elliott, Giants. Be guys no longer have any use for him. But he • careful with this one. He has a bad back and just turned 32. so somebody surely does. : wants to play on grass.

2. Terance Mathis, Falcons. .Another 7. Harry Swayne, Chargers. One of the player vs. system argument W ill he be as . few reasons Stan Humphries is still alive. effective away from the run-and-shoot? i 8. Gary Zimmerman, Broncos. Says he 3. Fred Barnett, Eagles. Great athlete, doesn’t want to sign with anyone but the not much of a tough guy. lf you need ; Broncos, who don’t w-ant him to sign somebody to win jump balls in the end zone, I anywhere else. he’s your man.

I Best buy: Whitfield. He win be worth the 4. Floyd Turner. Colts. Big-time ; money for the next IO years. performer in the playoffs, adequate No. 2 guy.

Buyer beware: Swayne. He is 31 and 5. Irving Fryar, Dolphins. Seemed hurting more than ever. uninterested by season's end.

Wide receivers

6. Brian Blades, Seahawks. Worth a look, but perhaps you want him to beat that Florida manslaughter rap first Best buy: Turner. Helped Harbaugh . become a Pro Bowl player. Maybe he can do the same for another team, and for far less than a bunch of Bad Moons.

Buyer beware: Fryar. If you can't catch 70 passes with Dan Marino, who can you do it with’ Perfect fit: Reed and the Rams. He could get 80 receptions opposite Isaac Bruce. Just • don’t know from who.

Offensive tackles

1. leon Searcy, Stealers. Best right tackle in football. H ell be insanely rich by ; June. even if he doesn't play in front of a • lefthanded quarterback.

2. John Fina, Bills. The Bills would like came ; him to stay, but hell also be insanely rich by Perfect fit: Mitchell and the Easies. He ! June. would be comfortable in the Railes’ version .

3. Bob Whitfield, Falcons. Smart, strong of the West Coast offense and their coach. . and just 24. Load up the truck.

Ray Rhodes, could make him a man 4. Will Wolford, Colts. An integral part of

. Amiflow,* quick review ofthe testes of free agencyrwhfch runs from Febma^ 15 to July 15: • f ■V *, . « Teams can to e a maximumof one franchise designationand two transition designations.

■A franchise player is guaranteedthe average safely otto*five highest-paidplay­ ers at his position, lf tte pfeyeftTmginaL, team waives its rightofErstrefusal, allowlog the franchise player to It will get twofirst-round draft picfcsfiomfte signings tearn.. : \ v ; ■ A transition pfayw is guaranteedtbs average salary of the 10 highesH>a&J play­ ers at his position. His originalteamhas the rightof first refusal on the offer sheet lf the contract isn'tmatched,the signing team does not toe to providecompensation. But the leaguecanawardcompensatory picks to the transition players original team. * ♦

soon-to-be 33.

3. Roman Fortin, Falcons. Has played I everywhere on the offensive line, including tight end. .Also has gotten some time at — gasp — blocking fullback.

Best buy: Fortin. His versatility is a must in this age of cap-weakened benches.

Buyer beware: No high-priced center has made an immediate difference since the beginning of free agency.

Perfect fit: Fortin and the Cardinals. w*ho can begin rebuilding their offensive line around him.

Punters 1. Rick Tuten, Seahawks. The highest gross average in the AFC at 45.0 yards per kick. though his net average w'as 36.5. . 2. Rich Camarillo, Oilers. -One of the league’s best inside the 20. placing 26 punts there last year, ranking third in the .AFC. 3. Tom Tupa, Browns. A former QB who can make things interesting on fakes. Also a fun guy to have on two-point conversions.

Best buy: Any of them. These guys don’t break the bank. only your heart on windy days in December.

Kickers 1. Steve Christie. Bills, lf you have a chance to acquire a kicker with his own television show, you do it. Now. 2. Eddie Murray, Redskins. Gets better with age.

Best buy: Christie. He is the fourth-most accurate kicker of all time, trailing leader Nick Lowery, and if you don’t think that matters, ask the Chiefs. ♦

B ill Plaschke covers the S F L fo r the Los Angeles Tim es and is a frequent contributor to T h e S po r tin g N ew s .

.

NFL • 39

February 19,1996

versity Coach Steve Wilson5 He's a little rough. Don But so were *you once.

Baltimore needs Don Shula ... almost as bad as Don Shula needs Baltimore.

So wife Mary-Anne mav* want * you to spend this fall relaxing amid south Florida’s social cir­ cles. huh Don? What football per­ son do vou think all those nch people will be asking you about5 Imagine the reaction if Owner Art Mod­ What man with a lyrical name el! made that announcem ent Even M o d e ls will be the center of attention, 35 bodyguards would clap. Now that those from Key West to Coral Springs, NFL ow m er/m aids have cleaned up the from now until the turn of the ; A. rental property that M odell vacated in century-5 Hint: It air.'! W m D en r n Cleveland — rubbing his stains out of the Herder. carpet, em ptying his trash, paying off his You wili get tired of talking landlord — it is time to focus on his newabout Jimmy johnson, of being home. com pared with Jimmy, of being The franchise needs to sell tickets It needs asked to second-guess Jimmy B ill to sell hope. One of the most venerable pro .And one more thing. In a couPLASCHKE football cities in America needs to rem em ber s pie of years, there is another Shuwhat once made this gam e so g re a t ? la who will be bead-coach materIt needs Don Shula. Now. He would run | ial. One who. like you. was bom the front office. Run the d ra ft Run free o i t Don. The coach inside you may | for the job. Mike Shula. who reagency.

All areas that did not falter in his final be gone. But the football man is n o t < cently became the B uccaneers’ years with the Dolphins. Remember, the Dol­ T he part of the sport that involves 5 offensive coordinator, sometimes phins had good veteran talent And they had walking the sideline for 60 minutes | looks more like you than you. good youngsters, high draft picks such as may be past you. But the foundations ofthe the, | Don. He has the Shula instincts, Troy V incent M arco Coleman. O J. Mc­ sport will be with you forever. It was you, af­ the Shula glare Executive action: Shula never xiii recapture the glory of his Duffie. Terry Kirby and Tun Bowens. ter all, who helped pour them. So do it. Don. Many fee) he eventually will be coaching days, but he could ride high as Baltimore's G M Shula's only problem was coaching. Which Go back to one of your old neighborhoods. a big winner for a long time in would not be a problem here. Because he Not as coach, but as cornerstone. this league. Imagine if he was would hire one. Somebody he could tutor and I Thomas, the star defensive coordinator of the ‘Introducing the Baltimore Mustangs new that big winner rn Baltimore Working for his nurture. Somebody who would listen.

Eagles, seem s like one good choke. Or how old man. president and director o f football operations.

Form er Redskins assistant Emmitt ; about another sort-of local guy. Howard Uni­ Don Shula. ’ So stop imagining. Don. .And just do it.

NFL REPORT

Here’s your chance, Don, to execute the return game •

D

Plaschke’s points A rundown o f a busy NFL w eek... the good, the bad and the Behring: T h e g o o d : Vince Tobin wades into the landfill that is the Cardinals. At first glance, this seem s to be another case of O wner Bill Bidwill hiring a lifelong assistant he can control. Can you say Jim Hanifan?

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Baddy Cleanser Tobin's nononsense style makes sense.

But upon d o se inspection.

Tobin may be the perfect an­ tidote for this total-nonsense team. Only a no-nonsense guy such as Tobin can han­ dle a locker room that pro­ duced fistfights on C hrist­ mas Eve and Christmas Day. By turning the players against each other. Buddy Ryan left the te a m s self-im­ age in sham bles. Tobin is

quietly tough enough to re­ pair it. He won’t sell tickets or make headlines.

But to those poor fans in Phoenix, he could say this: “You’ve got a football guy in tow n.'

T he b ad : One pass away from a Super Bowl, and Ted M archibroda is dum ped by Colts boss Bill Tobin. Tobin has consistently confounded critics with a string of un­ orthodox moves that have turned the Colts into cham ­ pionship contenders. He has not just had the last laugh. he has had every laugh.

With these past successes in mind. I approach his latest journey with one carefully considered question: Bill. are you out of your mind?

M archibroda is to the Colts what Barry Switzer i3 to the Cowboys. On the side­ line he is just another guy. but h e ’s their guy. They love him. M ore im portant, they play hard for him.

Sure, M archibroda needs strong coordinators, and the Colts lost one w hen Bin's brother Vince went to Ari­ zona. And sure, offensive boss Undy Infante could be headed to Baltimore if, by som e strange twist, he isn’t given M archibroda’s job.

But people m ake a mis­ take in this game when they discount the hum an ele­ m e n t T he last two Super Bowl cham pions were coached by m en — Switzer

and George Seifert — who never will be m istaken for geniuses.

But they are men who people will fight for. The Colts fought for Marchi-

broda. How much of that fight was lost last week re­ mains to be seen.

T h e B eh rin g : Despite what you may have read.

Ken Behring's chances of

turning the Seahawks into the Los Angeles W h a te v e r are slim. NFL owners be­ lieve Behring has zero chance of escaping the IO years remaining on his King-

few of the top backs opted to work out that when McBroy ran his 40-yaid dash, coach­ es and scouts applauded nim. When ha ran a 4.28, they coveted him. , litiofrottfw scoffingcom bine.; 3. Steven Conley, OE, Arkansas. The anythingt o fastest defensive lineman with times in the low 4.5s. Everyone in the NFL is looking for frnednetottfBayfor.defensive a speed rusher. He is undersized at 230 :6arifeiifcHffJs6feef6,327 pounds, butWs game topes will be-scrutiptHflu&iiffis strong and fa&aiid put hlmntzed.< S^Mdt^jfcvattttacombirie.He rat 404. Tony Bards, OS, Michigan State. It’s a soft draft for quarterbacks, but Bams aid scouts wanted showed a five arm In the passing drills. He -nick and felt compelled to worieout to rein-, also tes NFL Siza (&4,225).

Some who inched down: .

'■ I . Simeon Rice, DE,llllnois. He was con­ l#aht:tasf»,aiftmatimbv^^Gar- sidered die best pass rusherto the draft afall this up huge s t numbers a* i™I ^ ^ v lKickec Spe& te htegame; but he ran hi the r-v'4 J s at the combine; Everyone expected him <TTtJ Se in the 4.5s or’4^s:;KrtRS» did-have a tortffia'dbfet o v-:sOfltrtly put!&dhamstring; scouts expect him WI,; aHap un MmiMw & ll to' riiii run Kbetteron campus.-•. '■ 2; Tomfflfe ftprfwrflfr, Nebraska. Try as fV*.

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One predicted scenario is that a judge grants a perma­ nent injunction forcing Behring to slav in town. then orders King County to make the structural repair^ B ehnng claims are neces­ sary in case of an earth­ quake. Repairs, incidentally*, that never have been re­ quested by any of the Kjngd o m e s other tenants.

So the M anners and dozens of other groups don't care if they die Or Ken Behring is a total sleaze Hmmm.

The rest The ow ners made the best of a ious\ situation bv awarding .Art M odell’s fran­ chise to Baltimore but keep­ ing the Browns' hentage in Cleveland and promising the city a team by 1999. At least the Browns' name and col­ ors will stav• in Cleveland Fans in Los Angeles could only shake their heads and sav.

“Darn, we * should have thought of that." Can you im agine an .Al Davis team that was not nam ed the R aiders5 He would need a loan from the league just to buy new clothes. + B ill Plaschke covers the N F L fo r the Los A ngeles Tim es. Bob Glauber's colum n w ill return in the M arch 4 issue.

40*AFC

The Sporting News

tions. If the franchise tag isn't used on Ben­ n e tt it would make sense lo use it for Fma. However, the Bills might not do so because Fma’s cap figure of $875,200 would climb lo more than S2.6 million. If he leaves, the Bills could make a run at their forme^r left tackle. \M11 Wolford, a Colts transition free agent.

The Coils can match any offers, and Wolford would have to be paid al least the average of the lop IO paid players at his position, which is about $2.4 million.

—Vc CABUCO

Quentin Cory^att or Bryan Cox for their one big signing. Cory'att and Cox reportedly’ have placed the Broncos on their short lists After the one big signing, look for the team to go after a prom ising y o u n g er player such as Cowrboys cornerback Laary Brown or Chiefs d efen siv e lin em an D a rre n M ickell. th en maybe finish up with one or two short-term pickups and possibly even a quarterback pro­ ject such as Ty D etm er or David t i n g l e r .

The team can easily* free SIO million or more to spend on free agents this year.

Fade route: T h e only p lay er th e B roncos cannot afford to lose is left tackle Gary' Zim­ m erm an, who h as indicated he has no in­ terest in leaving, lin eb ack er Elijah Alexander is a big-time talent but has fallen out of favor with the club over an injury issue and could move on. leaving the team even weaker at its weakest position. Young defensive end Shane Dronett has not fit in with the new coaching staff and will leave.

SabD C

dress. Gary Brown. Glenn Montgomery. Hay­ wood Jeffires. .Ai Smith and Kenny Davidson wifl have to accept pay cuts or be released to free up what could be as much as $5 million.

Fate roota Reese and Fisher have three im­ portant unrestricted free agents they hope to keep — cornerback Cris Dishman and outside linebackers Eddie Robinson and jo e Bowden.

Reese has been w orking furiously to try to sign Robinson to a long-term deal. Robinson plays th e left side and e x c e ls in F is h e r’s system because of his coverage ability. The ODers probably wiD use the franchise or tran­ sition designation on Dishman because they believe he wiD sign with another team if he is unprotected. B o ^ e n is the most underrated player on the defense and is coming off an ex­ c e lle n t s e a s o n . T h e O ile rs w ant to sign Bowden to a long-term deal, and they might m ove him into Ute m iddle w hen th e team likely chooses not to pick up the $1.5-miIfion option on Smith's contract McGUfl

CINCINNATI BENG.ALS

HOUSTON OILERS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Let the bidding begin With the free-agency period opening Friday, ifs time for some NFL shop talk. Here’s a look at the free-agency needs and potential losses for each team.

BALTIMORE The mission: Because the two big-name offen­ sive free agents from last year — receiver A n d re R ison and running? back L orenzo ^^’hile — w eren’t nearly as productive as ex­ pected and because 1996 \^ill be a rebuildinp year. the club will look for younger players with potential who will cost less and have a chance to im prove T he biggest needs are running back and linebacker. The problem; Few running backs fit the young and cheap ciitena. which m eans the club might have to mak<' one big splash and go after the G iants’ Rodney H am pton He would com plem ent U*ruy Hoard the way \S*hiie was supposed to. The B engals' Ricardo M cDonald would fill a void at linebacker but signing anyone early will be a problem because of the uncertaint)' in the front office.

Fade route: P ersonnel d irecto r M ike Lom­ bardi says the team has its core players al­ ready signed for next season. None of the players (he team stands to lose would hinder its chances of im pro\ing in *%. Center Ste\'e E veritt is a re s tric te d free ag en t, and he p ro b a b ly w o n ’t leav e. F u llb ack T om m y \'ardell. who received linie pla>ing time last season, probably will. In the right system, he could do what Darvi Johnston does for the Cowbovs: block for the tailback, c a m ' the ball on third-and-shon situations and catch p a sse s out of the backfield. Receiver Rico Smith, who show ed vast im provem ent last season, could bt* lost. \M ih Rison, Keenan M cC ardell and M ichael Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart. Smith's only chance for playing lime is with another team. The general m anager who signs him might even­ tually look like a genius.

— SCHUDA •

•

BUFRUO BILLS The mission: D on't e x ­ pect the team lo be any­ w here n ear as a g g re s­ siv e th is y e a r as in 1995. It doesn’t have as m uch salar>--cap room and is determ ined lo re­ sig n m o st of its own fret' agents, bt'ginning with linebacker Cornt'lius Bennell. NMde receiver is the position of biggest need. and the wish list includes Fred Barnett. Jeff Graham and Quinn Flarly.

The7e app* ars lo be a difference o f opinion w ithin th e o rg an iz atio n re g a rd in g .Andre KtH'd Some players are against re-signing him btvause the> though! he look too long to return from his ham string injur)' and gave a half-hearted effort in the playoffs against fitl^ b u rg h Receivers coach Charlie jo in e r says It w'ould be a m istake to cut Reed loose.

T ight m d IS an o th er m ajor need, and the te a m IS lo o k in g al th e P a c k e r s ' M ark Chm ura and Keith Jack.'^on and the M kmgs' .Adnan Cotiper Fade route: Offensive tackle John Kina and kick<*r .Steve C hristie figure to be tough to re-sign because they are expected lo com ­ m and the stro n g est attention at th eir posi­

The mission: A fter s u r­

The mission; G e n e ra l

Hie mission: D espite a

r e n d e r in g th e m o st passing yards in its hislor>'. the club m ust gel a v e te ra n c o rn e rb a c k .

With about $4 million to sp en d in free agency, the team is not going lo sink it in a top-ofthe-line player such as Ae­ neas Williams. The B en g es are m ore likely to pursue Phillippi Sparks of the G iants or Lam- Brown of the Cowbov's. .Another possibilit)- is the E agles’ M ark McMillian. They also need a v eteran offensive tack le, and there are enough that they could find one in their $l-m illion to $1.5-miIIion price range.

T h e c lu b h o p e s a p la y e r s u c h a s D avid W illiams will com e down in price or that a y o u n g er tackle su ch as th e B ears' Jam es Williams can be lured by the idea of blocking for KLJana C arter and Jeff Blake. Jum bo El­ liott also will get a look.

Fade rente: T he team will take the transition free-agenl tags off free safety Darryl Williams and running back Harold G reen, and prob­ ably will lose them . It doesn't mind saying goodbye lo G re e n ’s m oods. W illiam s is a deeper loss, but he had an off season as a lad d er in 1995. Right outside linebackers Ri­ cardo M cD onald and .Andre Collins could leave, bul the team has the right of first re­ fusal on Collins. The Bengals probably would match offers to al least two of their three star restricted free agents — middle linebacker Steve T ovar, lig h t end T ony M cG ee and kicker Doug Pelfrey. T he club tendered all three the minimum salan'. thinking it would match any offers.

—te fF H O B S O I

M a n ag er Floyd R eese and C oach Jeff F ish e r have ta r g e t^ two posi­ tions in free agency — right defensive end and rig h t offensive tackle. .A lthough th e O ile rs ranked fifth in defense, their pass rush was anemic. Ends Henry Ford and Anthony Cook tied for th e team lead with AV, sacks each.

Fisher wants to move Ford from the right to left side. .Alonzo Spellman, who was u n h af^ on the left side in Chicago and wants to return to the right ad e. is of prime interest - - as is Broncos end Shane Dronett. On offense, the guy they love is Steelers tackle Leon Searcy.

A p p aren tly , v e te ra n s s u c h a s Ray C h il­

s u c c e s s fu l ru n in th e playoffis. the front office still has plenty of areas it needs lo strengthen.

T h e team n e e d s a big p a s s - ru s h in g en d to play opposite Tony Ben­ n e tt and size and s p ^ is needed at safety.

Depth on the offensive line is a big key. espe­ cially considering four starting line positions are currently occupied by unrestricted free a g e n ts W ill W o lfo rd . K irk L o w d erm ilk .

Randy Dbcon and Joe Staysniak. But the lop priority is getting a defensive end.

Fade ro^ta; T he fact Ted M archibroda will not be back could have a negative effect on the team ’s attem pt to sign many of its free

DENAIR BRONCOS The mission: T he team w ould like lo b eco m e less aggressive in free a g e n c y and m o re a g ­ gressive in the draft, but the positions it needs to fill — defensive line and o u ts id e lin e b a c k e r — an* scarce in the draft and abundant in free agene)'. The club has an attractive opportu­ nity in defensive tack le E ric 5w*ann. who would love lo be in Colorado to ,be near his in-law s. T h e d e fe n s e d e s p e ra te ly n e e d s players w*ho can put pressure on offenses lf the Broncos can't sign Swann, they probably’ will look to Leslie O 'N eal. R obert P erch er.

W bo’n foot the Bin? Retaining Christie won't be a snap, as By^olo team.jjfficials wiUftnd when they begin kicking around freeagent terms. He's among the top performers in his field.

AFC • 41

February 19,1996

be a sm art addition. T he biggest offensive need is a big-play receiver and the team also could use a veteran offensive lineman to back up tackles John Alt 33, and Jeff Criswell 31.

Fade route: Of its 18 free agents, the team can 't afford to lose ru nn ing back M arcos .Allen, guard WHI Shields and receiver Dan an Hughes. Allen is still the team's most valu­ able offensive player. Shields is a Pro Bowl lineman and H ughes is a standout specialteam s perform er and pass catcher. Shields and H ughes are restricted and Allen prob­ ably will re-sign if he postpones retirem ent ... Key decisions will have to be made on full­ b ack Kimble A n d ers and re c e iv e r Willie Davis. Anders, who made the Pro Bowl, has led the team in receptions the last two sea­ sons. Davis is a one-dimensional deep threat whose playing time decreased as last season progressed.

—AWM T a o ®

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

The mission: T h e sim ­ plest way to figure out th e te a m 's free-ag en t prio rities is to look at the 1995 statistics. Of­ fe n siv e ly . it had one pass play of more than 40 y ard s to a wide r e ­ ceiver and just six others that were 30 yards o r lo n g e r . D e fe n s iv e ly , th e te a m h a d a league-low 17 sacks, which is partly respon­ sible for th e paltry total o f 13 interceptions.

Look for Coach Tom Coughlin to search for a big-play wide receiver and pass-rusher — either a defensive end or a linebacker. “We have to have m ore playmakers." Coughlin says. A m ong th e p a ss r u s h e r s th e team might consider are end Alonzo Spellman and linebacker Bryan Cox, who could move out­ side in the 4-3. Coughlin also wouldn’t mind signing Packers defensive tackle John Jurkovic to play alongside Kelvin P ritchett and there has been talk of pursuing a top safety, perhaps Cincinnati’s Darryl Williams or the Cowboys* D a rre n W oodson. On offense.

Coughlin will be on the lookout for top wideouts and a tight end. He says the team will focus primarily on premier players.

Fade route: The team opted not to re-sign any of its seven u n re s tric te d free a g e n ts and Coughlin wiD consider them part of the freeagency pool The top candidates to return are linebadcer Keith Goganious and running back Vaughn Dunbar, although both will test the m arket Free-agent safety Darren Carrington and wide receiver Desmond Howard probably won’t be brought back. but nickel back Dave Thomas will be welcome.

— P H F PESCO

The m ission: Save m o n e y . T h a t 's th e credo the club will live by d u rin g free agency 1996. It is pushing the $38-million figure with 41 p layers u n d e r c o n ­ tr a c t With the cap ex­ pected to be about $39 million, th e re s little room to chase high-caliber free agents. The D olphins will re stru c tu re the co n tracts of so m e p la y ers and waive o th e r s to m ak e room under the cap just so they can chase bargain free agents. Coach Jimmy Johnsonh as said the team will build th ro u g h the draft Fade route: Don’t expect Bryan Cox to stay.

Say goodbye to Irving Fryar. Keith Sims also might be bound elsewhere. T he D olphins’ priority during free agency is keeping cor­ nerback Troy V incent the closest thing the team h as to an im pact d e fe n siv e player.

Every’ oth er free agent could be replaced.

Cox met with Johnson for the first time, and the public's concerns about the linebacker's antics w eren’t even addressed. Most of the talk focused on money. Cox says he will seek a contract that could average $3 million per season and include a $5-million to $6-million sig n in g bonus. T hat co ntract won't com e from th e D olphins, but it m ight from the C hargers. Bears. Broncos or Packers. Pro Bowl guard Sims is seeking $2.8 million per year. Too steep for Miami. T h e Dolphins probably could find two guards for that price and might do just that because they believe Sims didn't play up to Pro Bowl caliber last season.

— AattJDO SiUi

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Tha m ission: it h as not b e e n te a m P r e s id e n t Carl P ete rso n s style to make a big push in tree agency, so look for the focus to be on retaining key free agents. If Pe­ te r s o n a c c o m p lis h e s that. then there won’t be many areas of need.

The team will be shopping for a kicker, and Bengals free agent Doug Pelfrey would be a nice fit But his price might be too high. Oth­ erwise, the team doesn't have a lot of holes.

Secondary depth could be a concern, espe­ cially if Mark Collins follows through on re­ tirement plans. Defensive tackles Joe Phillips and Dan Saleaumua had strong seasons, but both are over 30 and a backup lineman might

The mission: T h e team h a s s p e n t a lot of m oney on free a g e n ts w hose p erfo rm an c es have been d is a p ­ p o in tin g . T h is y ear, however, there is a new hierarchy in place. Per­ sonnel director Bobby Grier, not Coach Bill Parceils. will be in charge of the offseason acquisitions, and the results might be dif­ feren t, T h e m ost g larin g need is for two sp eed re c e iv e rs, but th e team n e v e r h as thought it was smart to spend lots on wideouts. Besides, this year’s crop of free-agent wideouts lacks marquee value. But the draft is loaded with quality receivers. The team's mission in free agency is to strengthen the

defense; it needs a big in­ side pass rusher like Eric Swann or Shawn Lee but isn't willing to spend the $3 million a y ear it will ta k e to g e t on e of th e u p p e r-e c h e lo n players.

The Pats also have to find an inside linebacker and a fre e safety w ho can make plays.

Fade route: O ne of th e b ig g e s t p r o b le m s th e Pats faced a year ago was replacing some important support players who were lo st in fre e a g e n c y — Kevin T u r n e r . H arlo n B a rn e tt. Tim G oad.

M ic h a e l T im p so n and Leroy T h o m p s o n . T h e team won't lose any key p la y e rs th is y ear. T h e only u n r e s t r i c t e d free agents are defensive end Tim R o b e r t s , offensive g u ard William Roberts.

On watch: Cox will give a 'look to several teams' offers, but don't long sn ap p er Steve Deexpect to see the Dolphins am ong the top bidders.

O ssie and pu n ter Bryan Wagner. Each will receive an offer, but the ! be bolstered by signing Buffalo left tackle team won’t suffer if any leave. The core of j John Kina. They also could sign Pittsburgh right tackle Leon Searcy. Defensively, the the club should remain through 1996. which is why the Pats should contend for the .AFC Jets will try to sign a cornerback to replace Otis Smith.

— K m Mabbx East title.

Fade route: I ts highly unlikely Boomer Esiason will return. He wants to finish his ca­ reer with a c o n ten d er T he Jets' two best free agents are tight end Johnny Mitchell, a transition player, and defensive end Marvin The mission: T he front office will try to u p ­ Washington. The enigmatic Mitchell wants grade two areas via free i edit of New York and probably will gel his ag e n c y ; q u a r te r b a c k ; wish. Re-signing W ashington, com ing off his best all-around season, is a must. The and offensive line. The team also has holes at I Jets would like to retain left guard Roger wide receiver, bul those I Duff)*, but if they sign a right tackle, they can be addressed in the | may slide Siupeli Malamala to right guard draff. The front office is considering picking ; and Matt O'Dwyer from right guard to left S outhern Cal wideout Keyshawn Johnson ' guard. In that case. Duffy would be the odd with the No. I overall selection. But what the ; man oui. He is val uabl e b e c a u se he can team needs most is a premier quarterback, lf j play c e n t e r a nd l ong s n a p I n c u m b e n t Neil O'Donnell do esn't re-sign with Pitts­ ■c e n t e r Cal Di xon pr obabl y woo l be r e ­ signed. Dave .Alexander ready to step in burgh. he will become the team's primary al center — RICH ClHtll focus. T he Jets have a bad line, but it could

VSI

agents. Marchibroda. unlike Bill Tobin, was popular with the players and many veterans may use free agency as an opportunity to e x p r e s s th e ir fe e lin g s on th e su b ject to Tobin. The biggest name is Jim Harbaugh. who many believed would remain because of his close relationship with Bill Tobin. B e sides H arbaugh. the oth er big nam es that could be in je o p ard y in clu d e lin e b a c k e r Quentin Coryatt. Wolford and lowdermilk.

Prior to last seaso n . C oryatt told friends that he was interested in playing elsewhere after his contract expired. It has been spec­ ulated that Wolford wants to return to Buf­ falo. Coryatt and Wolford have transition tags, giving the Colts the right to keep them by paying them the average of the top IO at their positions. Lowdermi&’s status is up in the air. but Wolford's decision could effect his decision.

— T e a r Hutchbs

W OO

NEW YORK JETS

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42 • AFC/NFC

The Sporting News

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Cowboys sa/etv Darren Woodson, a Phoenix native. Offensive line, right cornerback and both safety positions need to be addressed.

Fade route: T o b in ’s s u c c e s s in free agency won’t be determined by what outside players the team sig n s. H is b ig g e st jo b will be re ­ taining his best players. The two biggest are defensive tackle Eric Swann and cornerback A eneas W iliam s. T h * team likely will desig­ nate one of th ose p lay ers a s the franchise player but will m ake every attempt ho sign the other. Losing one would be a disaster for a team that h a s too few you n g sta r s . T h e team also needs to re-sign running back G ar­ rison Hearst. a restricted free agent. Som e o th e r fre e a g e n t s will be m o re e a sily r e ­ placed.

— K h t St iris:*: •

OAKLAND RAIDERS The mission: T h e club needs lo strengthen its secondary and offensive line. The agenda would becom e more crowded if q u a r t e r b a c k J e f f Hostetler 'leaves n a free a g e n c y . J e f f G e o r g e 's name often surfaces lit Atlanta does not des­ ignate him a s its franchise player), but the R aiders also might co n sid er potential tree agent Jim Harbaugh. They were interested in him th re e y e a r s a g o when H a rb a u g h r e ­ sign ed with Chicago. No matter what hap}x-ns at quarterback, the (earn must improve its p 2 s s p ro tection . It could c h a s e fum ier H o u ston offen siv e tack le D avid W illiam s, whom the Oilers waived last season. There is ample room under the salary cap to acquire playmakers in the defensive backfield Oak­ lan d s a f e t i e s had tw o in t e r c e p t io n s last season, and starting cornerback Albert l>ewis had none for the second consecutive season.

Fade route: Hostetler hardly represents the i Knock against him? Teams might have second thoughts about signing Olsavsky. He's an unrestricted future at quarterback, given his age and bat­ i free agent, but concern about his reconstructed knee could flatten some offers. te r e d b o d y . He t u r n s 3 5 in A pril and is on ly a d e f e n s i v e e n d . a c o r n e r b a c k and com ing off arthroscopic su rgers- on his left m aybe a b ack u p wide receiver. “W e ll just shoulder Even so. the team would struggle h av e to wait and s e e w h e re we a r e ." E r ­ to r e p la c e h is t o u g h n e s s and le a d e r s h ip ic k so n s a y s . "W e re only g o in g to sig n a skills Club executives have not tipped their The mission: T h e cry couple of players." Erickson plans to hit the h an d s on H o ste tle r's future, but thev are from the front office is road and travel lo the free agents in order to confident running back Harvey Williams svjll “DEE-fense!" T h e team I show his interest. The defensive-end target return. W illiam s e sta b lis h e d c a re e r h igh s needs help at defensive last season for rushing yards (1.114) and re­ end and is looking at At­ will be the m ost critical and m ost costly. In­ c e p tio n s (54). T h e team fig u r e s to m ak e l a n t a ’s C h r i s D o l ­ te re st from o th e r te a m s in d e fe n siv e end Michael Sinclair could put the Seahaw ks be­ s o m e c h a n g e s at o ffe n siv e tack le, w here m an . M i a m i 's M a r c o hind from the beginning. If he leaves, the G erald P e r n - and G re g S k re p en ak are eli­ Coleman and Chicago's Seah aw ks will have to spend big to acquire a gible for free agency .

— ROI KRO! ►i s A lo n zo S p e ll m a n . It w o u ld lo v e to g e t p a ss rusher.

Doleman. but not if he’s intent on a 53-million Fade route: T h ree key re-signings won't be contract. Coach Bobby R oss is a big fan of easy. Though halfback Chris Warren signed Coleman, whom he coached at Georgia Tech. i but C o le m a n is a tran sitio n play er. L in e ­ a three-year. S 10-million contract, the club The mission: The priori­ backer is another priority and potential candi­ also wants to sign safety Robert Blackm on. d a te s are T a m p a B a y 's H ardy N ic k e rso n . I left ta c k le Ray R o b e r t s and p u n te r Rick ties during free agency Tuten. Blackmon wants m ore than 52 million Dallas' Robert jo n e s . Indianapolis’ Quentin are signing quarterback a year, and if he isn't,signed, the Seahaw ks Corvatt and M iam i's Brvan Cox. T h e team N e il O ’ D o n n e ll and wants to retain defensive tackle Shawn Lee i might have to jum p on B en gals safety D a m ! righ t ta c k le Leon W illiam s. L o sin g R o b e rts cou ld force the and. lo a le sse r d egree, safety Bo Orlando.

Searcy The club will try On offense, a reliable wide receiver is a top- ! Seah aw ks to sign a guard and install Ja m e s to sign O'Donnell before priority. General .Manager Bobby Beathard I Atkins at left tackle. Tuten. one of the best the free-agen cy period. punters in the league, would be difficult to likes Philadelphia's Fred Barnett. but O'Donnell and his agent. Ir ig h Steinberg. replace, lin e b a c k e rs Duane B ic k e r and Bob might wait to see what kind of offers O'Don­ Fade route: The team cleared about 58 million S p itu lsk i. c o rn e rb a c k T on y Brow n, safety in cap m oney by letting g o of sev eral free nell receives from other teams, lf the Sleelers Rafael Robinson and tackle Mike Keim also agents: defensive end Leslie O'Neal, running don't re-sign O ’Donnell, who says he wants lo may sign elsewhere.

— J I M CIATTO* back Ronnie H arm on, lin e b a c k e rs D en n is stay, it would be b ecau se they are com fort­ G ibson and David B randon , wide receiver able with Horde!) Stewart, whom they drafted Mark Seay, right tackle Stan Brock and quar­ last year in the second round. Signing Searcy. terb ack G a le G ilbert. And it's not certain a No I c h o ic e in. 1992 and a th r e e - y e a r whether left tackle Harry Swayne or tight end starter, could be difficult because his asking .Alfred Pupunu will be back, lf Swayne is cut 'price i> about S3 million a year Hie club will The mission: WTien new lo o se , then the team is b a n k in g on T ony not pa>- Searcy m ore than Pro Bowl center C oach Vince Tobin beBeni. a second-year player with a lot of poten­ Dermontti Dawson, who will earn about $3.2 g in s to plot the te am 's tial but little e x p e rien ce, lf Pupunu leaves. million in 199b, lf the S te e le rs sign Searcy, c o u r s e in free ag e n c y .

Beathard is confident he can draft a blocking ^ h e will find th at the look for them to unload a high-priced veteran te a m h a s too m an y offensive lineman, probably guard Tom New­ tight end. T he C h argers are expecting wide receiver Shawn Jefferson to take a pay cut- if berry They will not be very active in pursuing h o le s an d too little he doesn’t, he could be gone.

— Jay PARB m o n ey to fill all of its other tree agents, un less it is to fill holes in needs. Under Buddy Ryan, the team gave big the depth chart Fade route: > o m e NEI. team probably will m oney to som e of his form er players, most notably linebacker Seth Joyner and defensive offer Kevin G reene a big contract to improve end Clyde Simmons. Tobin likely will have to its p a w ru sh . but it won t be the S te ele rs. do som e maneuvering there to come up with They are ready lo replace Greene with Jason The mission: With h is more cash. He probably won’t have enough Gildon. a No 3 pick in H>94 from Oklahoma h e a d q u a rte rs in transi­ Mate who played a s a rush end in the club's money to pursue a quarterback, so don’t be tion. C oach D ennis Er­ su rprised if Dave K lieg is back for another dim e d e te n te Gildon is y o u n ge r, q u ick er ickson faces one of the season. The team could make a run at Bills of­ to u g h e st c h a lle n g e s in and c h e a te r than Greene, but G reene's loss free a g e n c y . E ric k so n fensive tackle Joh n Fina. who played at the c o u ld hurt the d e f e n s e b e c a u s e he is so University of .Arizona. At tight end. the team physical Inside linebacker Jerry Olsavsky is h a s to sell h is o ffe n se could enter the competition for the Packers' and th e te a m d e s p i t e an unrestricted tree agent, but team s might M ark Chm ura. Tobin could decide to shore the c h a o s within the o rg a n iz a tio n . F o r tu ­ shy away from him b e c a u s e o f h is re c o n ­ up his secondary and make a serious bid for structed knee — Gerry Dirac nately for him. the plan c alls for him lo sign

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

•

PITTSBURGH STEEPERS

.ARIZONA CARDINALS

•

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

*

ATLANTA FALCONS The mission: T h e team m u st d e c id e by T h u r s d a y w h e th e r to designate Je ff G eorge a franchise player. Doing s o w o u ld r e q u i r e a tender of 54.083 million for one year. But if the franchise designation is used on G eorge, it will be m ore difficult Ip keep offensive tackle Bob Whitfield, another key player. However. with the lack of quality quarterbacks on the m a rk e t keeping G eorge is a must. T he team h o p e s to retain a s m uch of the starting of­ fense a s possible, and u se free ag e n c y and the draft to get younger on defense. Slot re­ ceiv e r T e r a n c e M ath is and c e n te r Rom an Fortin are the other starters on offense who can b eco m e unrestricted free agents. Each h a s in d icated he h o p e s to return. On d e ­ fense. the team will look for help at safety, linebacker and in the line.

Fade route: lf the front office d o e sn 't act quickly, it could not only lose G e o rg e apd Whitfield, but also ail four starting defensive lin e m en . T h e team w ould lik e to re-sign C h r i s D o le m a n . C h u c k S m it h an d M o e Gardner a s starters, and Pierce Holt' for less m oney and in a red u ced role. Inside passru sh in g sp e c ia list Ju m p y G e a th e r s is still under contract. Devin Bush will return as a starter at one safety spot, but the F alco n s m ust find a replacem ent for Kevin R o ss at the other, lf G eorge is allowed to leave, the Falcons could turn to Bobby Hebert, but he is on the verge of becom ing an unrestricted free agent.

— ToiY FaB&ZH)

CAROLINA PANTHERS The mission: T h e club will have m o re m oney ($ 1 2 m illio n - $ 15 m il­ lion) to s p e n d in free agency’ than alm ost all other team s and should be active in the market.

It i s lik e ly to g o for quality more than quantity, paving top dollar for at least two prim e free agents. Carolina probably will try to sign one of the top cor­ n e r b a c k available and is likely to pursue a tackle, lf the C ard in als put their franchise tag on c o r n e r b a c k A e n e a s W illiam s and leave d efen siv e linem an E ric S w a n n avail­ able. then expect the Panthers to jum p into the bidding war. Swami is a native of North Carolina. It is n ’t a great crop of free-agent wide receivers, but the B e a r s’ Jeff Graham or the E a g l e s ’ F red B arnett would be an u p ­ g r a d e o v e r w h at th e P a n t h e r s h a d la s t season.

February 19r 1996

IIFC • 4 3

Fade route: The team entered the final week before the free-agencv signing period with 16 unsigned, unrestricted free agents. The Panthers have re-signed nose tackle Greg Kragen and now are focusing on center Curtis W hitley, safety Pat Terrell, corner­ back Tun M cKver and offensive tackle Mark Dennis. W hitley is the most vital player to keep. He was the team 's best offensive lineman. Three key figures who might not be back are lin ebacker D arion Conner, leading receiver Mark Carrier and leading rusher D errick Moore. Contract negotia­ tions with Moore stalled, and he was urged to pursue other options. Look for talks to re­ sume after he does some comparative shop­ ping.

— CHARIS CHAROS

I

able to reach a deai. chances are the Cowboys would designate him their franchise player. The Cowboys also are talking with Super Bowl M AT Larry Brown.

Fade route: The position of biggest concern is linebacker, where all three starters enter some form of free agency. Robert Jones and Dixon Edwards are unrestricted free agents, and Darrin Smith is a restricted free agent.

The club likely will make a qualifying offer for Smith at $785,000. meaning it would re­ ceive a first-round draft choice if another club signed him. Resigning Jones and Ed­ wards will depend on market value, as will the fate of defensive tackle Russell M ary­ land. Starting free safety Brock Marion is a restricted free agent.

— MICKEY SPASWU

CHICAGO BEARS

DETROIT LIONS

The mission: The prime directive is to fortify the defensive line with vet­ eran help. W ith Owner M ike M cC askey on record as saying the team will shop top^helf. a tackle from the group of E rie Swann (C ard in als). Shawn Lee (Chargers). Russell Maryland (Cowboys) and John Jurkovic (Packers) is the best bec If the team can't re-sign .Alonzo Spellman, then there could be interest in ends Marvin Washington (Jets). Marco Coleman (Dolphins) and .Alfred Williams (49ers).... Top comerbacks also will be brought in. but its more likely the team will address that need in the draft. The Bears also will give Jeremy Lincoln a last chance.

Fade route: if Spellman leaves, it will mark the third consecutive year a sack leader has de­ parted. Richard Dent left after the 1993 season and Trace .Armstrong after '94. Spellman is hoping some team will promise a move back to his preferred position of right end. ... If strongside linebacker Ron Cox leaves, then untested Sean Harris will be elevated and Barry Minter will switch among all three line­ backer spots.... The big offensive worry is that the money the team spends to fix the defen­ sive line win hurt efforts to re-sign receiver Jeff Graham, the glue of the passing game last season. ... One of the biggest questions is backup quarterback Steve Walsh, lf he leaves, the team has only Steve Stenstrom behind Erik Kramer. But Walsh did not receive an offer after his breakout 1994 season and chances are he will return.

—J a i M i l l

The mission: Not to lose ’X Jfc . A

ground. It doesn't sound A like a lofty goal for a | .) team that has suffered | three consecutive firstround playoff losses.

Rut the Lions are loaded with offensive talent. and quarterback Scott Mitchell, running back Barry Sanders and wide receiver Herman Moore reduce the cap by more. than $10 mil­ lion. The team has less than $ 6 million to spend on free agents, including their own.

TTiat doesn't give Coach Wayne Pontes much margin for error. The biggest weakness is lack of speed at linebacker and in the sec­ ondary. The defensive backs can’t cover man to man and they're slow in collapsing zones.

Early interest has been expressed in Dallas linebackers Dixon Edw ards and D arrin Smith. .Arizona cornerback .Aeneas Williams.

Dallas cornerback La m ’ Brown and Giants cornerback Philippi Sparks: Fade route: Pontes is in a Catch-22 situation.

Paced with the prospect of losing Pro Bowl offensive linemen Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover, a pair of unrestricted free agents, he must decide whether to address the defen­ sive deficiencies or lose the heart of his of­ fense. W ith limited money, any move he makes is bound to leave a hole unplugged....

Linebacker C hris Spielm an and safeties Bennie Blades and W illie Clay also could-ciepart but they lack great speed and would be easier to replace. Pontes would like to keep them, but Spielman and Blades would have to take a big salary reduction.

— T a i KOWALSKI

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DALLAS COWBOYS The mission: As Super Bowl champions for the T m T V l ^ird time in four seaj yW T iA sons. the Cowboys see I ^ happen this time every year. Teams covet the clu b 's free agents rn ore. and the club has very little room under the cap to match lucrative offers. In fact, the Cowboys won't have any money available if the cap is set at about $39 million. But they have seven defensive starters, the punter, the kicker, four veterans who contributed heavily and the third quarterback entering free agency'.

So Owner Jerry Jones’ initial mission will be to attempt to renegotiate the contract of quarterback Troy Aikman. who will charge nearly $ 6 million against the cap. Top on the list of free agents at risk is Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson, whom Jones is attempting to sign before the start of free agency, if un­

f

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Riding into toe sunset? Maryland's other offers will determine his future as a Cowboy.

GREEN BAY PACKERS l l NEW ORLEANS SAINTS The mission: H aving made it to the N PC cham pionship game. the Packers don't think they are far away from being a Super Bow l team. Their priority is to sign an aggressive middle linebacker who can be a leader on the field. The Dolphins’ Bryan Cox and the Buccaneers' Hardy Nickerson are frev-agent candidates. Meanwhile. Reggie White spent a lot of time at the Pro Bowl trying to recruit Cardinals' defensive tackle E ric Swann “ I think what makes a great defense is how its front four rushes the passer." White says.

■This year, we're going to need one of our defensive tackles to have af least IO sacks and the other between 5 and 7." .Also. it's possible the team will look for help at corner­ back and sa/etv. * Offensively, 0 the team needs depth at offensive guard, w here Aaron Taylor is coming off a second knee injury and Harry Gal breath is a free s e e m Fade route: Before anything else. the Packer; need to settle their ught-end situation. That means signing M ark Chm ura or Keith Jackson. Chmura. a Pro Bowl selection, wants to return to Green Bay but might find the money elsewhere too tempting. The sad part is that Chmura was willing to sign for about $ 1.1 million last seas on. If Chmura goes.

Jackson will become the priority. The Packers like nose tackle John Jurkovic but probably not enough to throw big money at him. Galbreath wants to return and probably will for less than his current salary. — Ton SlYBtSTEW

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The mission: linemen, a cover cornerback to pair . with Erie Allen and a headhunter at safety would make new defen­ sive coordinator Jim Haslett'-* job easier Chuck >mith of the Fal­ cons. ATonzo Spellman of the Bears or I Jarrell Mickell of the Chiefs would do nicely as a left end to complement Renaldo Turnbull on the right side. That would allow Joe Johnson, the • club's No. I pick in 1994. to move to nose tackle and strengthen the run defense Cardi­ nals cornerback .Aeneas Williams is a New ( )r. leans native and has expressed interest in coming home to play, but it is unlikely the Saints can afford him. .. The club e \ j * - c l s to bt* about So million under the projected 1090 salary cap. but it must re-sign free agent' and • allow for a rookie pool of $2.3 million Fade route: Wide receiver Quinn Early, tight end Wesley Walls and right tackle Richard Cooper are unrestricted free agents the Saints don't want to lose They also would like to re-sign center Jeff 1'hlenhake bul likeiy can't afford to keep him at his s] j .mil­ lion salary The team '' initial attempts to resign Early, its leading receiver th*- past two seasons, and W alls, who has caught 95 passes and scored nine touchdown' in h i' two seasons as a Saint, failed. Both players . have told the club they will t»-<t the Ire*agent market The three most important un­ restricted free agents on defense probably . are defensive backs Jim m y Spencer. Sean Lumpkin and Tyrone Legette. — Mike STROM 0

NEW YORK GIANTS

The mission: The target for upgrading is the defensive front seven. In )} particular, linebacker B ro d e rick Thom as needs replacing He was unloaded after an underwhelming season and an offseason arrest. His departure will save $ 1.8 million in cap money. Houston's Eddie Robinson and Baltim o re's Gerald Dixon are two possibilities at linebacker for the Vikings, who are expected to dump middle linebacker Jack Del Rio before a twoyear. $3.2-million extension kicks in. Despite coverage problems and the fact several bigname comerbacks are available, the Vikings don't plan to bid for a $2-million comer The club thinks the money is better spent up front, possibly on a defensive tackle such as the Chargers' Shawn I-ee. New linebackers coach Tom Olivadotli might want to bring end Marco Coleman with him from Miami.

Fade route: Two underachieving players — tight end Adrian Cooper and defensive md Roy Barker — are the only two unrestricted free-agent starters the team might lose Nei­ ther loss would be a big deal. Running back Robert Smith is a restricted free agent whose lack of durability might make the club think twice before matching an offer A couple of backups — linebacker Jeff Brady and defen­ sive end Martin Harrison — could help a depth problem. Best bet: Brady stays and Harrison moves on. Veteran lineman Chris Hinton was released last week. Defensive end James Hams and offensive tackle Rick Cunningham also are on their way out. Both did little in '95 and the team considers them dead wood — CURT BROW*

The mission: Coach Dan R e e v e s s a y ' that re taining players jx better than integrating th* IM* from o th e r N > M rnt' T o p p rio ritie s tor r e ­ signing are quarterback D a v e B ro w n , c o r n e r ­ back Philiippi sparks, tackle Jum bo Elliott and tailback Rodney Hampton G M George Young hopes to have B ro w n aud sp a rk s under contract before the tree-ageni ix rmq begin' Hampton J ' drawing interest and the team can't justify overpaying him It >parks or Elliott leaves, at least theirs are deep just* ( i o n s on the market. The team might lunk to the draft for linebackers and p a " rushers Y o u n g h a ' >1D m illio n to '1 2 nullo.n *»spend under the expected salary cap Fade route: If H am p to n le a v e '. Iv rone W heatley will De* under pressure to be the featured back, something teammates doubt he is readv to do W ide receiver M ike sh, ?rard likely will be replaced by tonner No i pick ‘Thomas Irw is . Tile team isn't sold on Lew is as a deep threat arid m ight seek a big-play receiver in tnt* drat!

Assuming Sparks returns, the key delensjve tree agent who might not re-sign is middle* linebacker M ich ael Brooks. H ie team needs to over haul its linebacking corps, traditionally it ' strength. Fret- agent M ike Croe! w a ' a <Li^ appointment and appears unlikely to be re­ signed ... lf S p a r k ' leaves, signing a top co rn erb ack w ill be im perative The team lacks depth at that position. Reeves, who has criticized the team s failure to retain key tree agents, says he m ight speak lo players inform ally during the negotiation process — He r B est 9

The Sporting News

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M arch M ndnoaa 1996. P ick in g tho W l r v ^nora is your guide ic the N C A A tourna meot P a s ! tourney resuhs •actual anc -SS 'e x p e cta tio n s! by c o a c h e s and confer .ences the effects cf various factors o n •ytourney performance insightful essays its ail here' T h i^ ail-new .nformaiion :s easy re use and understand Auf hor R ec N e y e r s worw 's featured ' e g u ' a r ' y n E S P N Total S ports an c m e w a » StreetJ o u r n a l To Crde* S e n d S ’ 2 0C fD M arch M ad n o ss P O . Bo x 6040-x E v a n s to n . IL 60204 Order by Fed 20 to guarantee March ’ delivery or add $3 extra for snooty mail I* ■

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The Sporting News

48 • BFC PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Tim mission: With 25 un­ restric ted free agents. the team has about SIT m illion to spend. T he big q u e s tio n : How much will go toward resigning players. Coach Rav Rhodes wants to resign quarterback Rodney Peete. but team of­ ficials were disappointed in his late^season play. Expect them to approach free-agent quarterbacks Neil O’Donnell of the Steelers and Jeff H o stetler of the R aiders. A passcatching tight end also is a priority. Mark Chmura of the Packers and the Jets’ Johnny M itc h e ll w ould add a d im e n s io n to th e te a m ’s W est C oast offense. R hodes also would like a big inside run-stuffer for his de­ fensive line. Middle linebacker Kurt Gouveia played boner than expected last season, but ~ som ebody b ig g er, q u ic k er. S tro n g er and younger is needed O th er need positions: cornerback, offensive line and safety, if Greg Jackson a n d /o r Mike Zordich boll.

Fade route: Rhodes expected big things from wide receiver Fred Barnet!. Barnett never delivered. His 48 catches were not enough from a guy who wants more than $2 million.

Bamert may be let go. with 1995 third-round pick Chris T. Jones taking his place. A wide -receiver will be a draft priority. Quarterback Randall "Cunningham says he would like to resig n , but Rhodes and Owner Jeffrey Lurie w'ant no part of him. The team would like to re ta in c o rn e rb a c k M ark M cM illian. who wants a million-dollar deal. It’s doubtful line backer Bill Romanowski will return, at least not for $1 million.

—PtUl DOKOWTTCH #

ST. LOUIS RAMS The mission: With Chris Miller’s return in doubt b e c a u s e of h e a d in ­ ju rie s . q u a rte rb a c k is the most pressing need position. Team officials a re in trig u e d by Jim H a rb a u g h and Jeff Hostetler, but neither figures to bt* available.

So the Rams may have to trv to trade for the R edskins' G us Frerorte or the C olts’ Craig Erickson. Help also is needed at linebacker and cornerback. The team has pursued cor­ nerback M aurice Hurst almost since his release from the Patriots. He can be signed at any time. Middle linebacker Shane eonian.

•

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Williams, Dale Carter and Phiflippi Sparks, lf the team fails to draft a pass-rushing defen­ sive end, available free agents include Robert P ercher and Leslie O 'N eal Fade route: First priority is to re-sign middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson. The top tackler th e la st th re e s e a s o n s , h e is am o n g th e le a d e rs on a te a m in need of them . N ick­ erson will receive interest, and the team may regret not having extended his contract last fall. Defensive tackle Santana Dotson prob­ ably will leave. W ide re c e iv e r C o u rtn e y Hawkins could attract a team seeking a con­ sistent possession receiver. Kicker Michael H asted is a restricted free agent, but it’s un­ likely Dungy will let him go. —t a Pug KE

an unrestricted free agent, is not expected to retu rn . T h e D olphins’ Bryan Cox. w ho is from the St. Louis area, is a top free-agent in­ side linebacker. Som e team officials rave about him: others are interested only if the bidding doesn’t get out of hand.

Fade route: Including eonian, five starters and kicker D ean Biasucci are free agents.

Tight end Troy D rayton, a restric ted free agent, caught a career-high 47 p asses but was inconsistent Coaches tired of his com­ plaints about not g ettin g the ball enough.

C ornerback Todd Lyght, the team ’s transi­ tion player, played near Pro Bowl level. The team p ro b a b ly w o n ’t re -sig n g u a rd Leo Goeas or H-back Marv Cook. Q uarterback Mark Rypien is a free agent, but the team has m atching rig h ts and w ants to re-sign him. Reserve offensive tackle Clarence Jones wants starter money, and the team may look for a speedier third-down back than Johnny Bailey. " — JBI TUMAS

WASHINGTON REDSKINS Tbs mission: T he team

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS The mission: T h e p ri­ mary needs are a passru sh in g defensive end and a big-time running b a c k . A nd if W illiam Floyd can’t meet the op­ tim istic projections for his return in 1996 after multiple knee surgeries, a fullback will be an­ other priority. Cornerback Erie Davis is the only u n s ig n e d s ta r te r . A tla n ta 's C h ris Doleman. who played for defensive coordi­ nator Pete -Carroll when both were with the Vikings, could be the pass rusher the team pursues. Tftle 49ers like Giants running back R o d n e y 4 te n p to n . but so do m any o th e r teams, and that could drive the price out of the 49ers’ range, lf they lose Davis, they may go after the Cardinals’ Aeneas Williams.

Fade route: Davis says he wants to stay and the team wants to resig n him. but the sides were far apart in earl)' negotiations. Davis is the te am 's only e sta b lish e d , pure c o rn e r­ back. so his loss would be critical — espe­ cially because it probably would cost m ore to sign a top rep lacem en t than to keep him.

The team also wants to retain defensive end .Alfred Williams, a part-time pass rusher last year. But Williams, who played for $400,000 in 1995. is looking for a lot m ore money than the 49ers are willing to pay. Guard Derrick Deese. a starter on the cham pionship team a y e a r ago. is a free a g e n t and a q u e stio n mark. The 49ers are concerned about main­ taining depth in the offensive line, but Deese

P R IM E S * U t' p resen ts

TAMPA BAA’ BUCCANEERS The m ission: C o ach Tony Dungy h as m ore than S II million avail­ a b le to re -s ig n key p la y e rs an d p u rs u e blue-chip free ag en ts.

T eam officials believe they are a few players from ending a 15-season playoff d ro u g h t.

Those players will come via free agency and four of the draft’s first 41 picks. T he primary need positions are the offensive and defen­ sive lines, the secondary and fullback. Offen­ sive coordinator Mike Shula is scrapping the H-back and needs a fullback to complement tailback E rrict R hett. T he team likely will pursue former Oiler David Williams, who is from the Tam pa area. Williams would start at right tackle and allow Scott Dill to shift to left guard. Look for the team to go after a corner­ back to challenge — if not replace — Martin M ayhew . C a n d id a te s in c lu d e A e n e a s

rom

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Kansas City, MO 1 Jonathan Lofberg 2 Paul SwttaOa 2 Todd Rafbgeber Los Angeles, CA 3 Robert LaPercha Springfield, MA 3 Tom nippon 4 R A Q Akers 4 Steven Wycoff Madison Hts, MI 3 Hurley / Abrefl 3 Matthew Secede Muncie, M Long Beachy CA 6 A lines P r n Wo t 6 Jerry sp earman 7 Bsfle/Trojend 7 Ron Webber Winchester, MA a Heal Yang 6 Malcolm Baxter Loveland, OH Carm ic heel, CA 0 Alan Kraut 0 Vince langley 10 Anthony Orjr CA 10 Craig Funfchouser 1 Sh elton I W ilson

Hockey Free Agents who can be claimed after noon on Frl., Fab. 16th, and before 9PM on Thor*.. Fab. 22nd. and be on your team tor games beginning Rh.. Feb. 23rd.

‘"T in e ... Feb. 28th and Call for details 1-8wigEEm-Ei Save $10 Ad in t h i s

has a history of injuries, including an ankle problem th a t ended his *95 season in Sep­ tem ber.

— Ir a M ila

T h e G am e Y o u C am T r u s t F

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L ook f o r T he S p o rtin g N ew s F a r t a s t B a s e b a ll C h a lle n g e

Rare bint Many teams would jump for joy if williams (35), with Keith McCants, signed on

is s u e

will address its biggest w e a k n e s s : th e d e fe n ­ sive line. T h e top ta r­ gets will be tackles Eric Swann (Cardinals), who probably will get a fran­ c h is e ta g . S haw n Lee (C h a rg e rs ) and R ussell M ary lan d (Cowboys). Sw ingm an R obert P o rc h e r (b o n s ) and end Chuck Smith (Falcons) also are pos­ sibilities. Team officials say Lee no longer is in c o n sisten t and has becom e a dom inant ta c k le . M ary lan d p lay ed tw o s e a s o n s at Miami (Fla.) for defensive line coach Bob K arm e lo w jc z . an d C oach N o rv T u r n e r watched him for three years when both were w ith th e C o w b o y s. E ith e r c o u ld be th e standout on a line that featured waiver-wire tackles Marc Boutte and William Gaines last season. With Jim Lachey talking retirem ent and Joe Patton yet to prove he can play regu­ larly. the team also will look for an offensive tackle.

Fade route: I ts a good thing the team has a right of first refusal on halfback Terry Allen because the 1,300-yard ru sh er is the player it can least afford to lose. Losing offensive tackle Ed Sim mons (right of first refusal) or g u a rd Ray B row n a lso w ould h u r t . But Brown could step in if Sim mons leaves and center John G esek could take Brown’s s p o t Team officials are waiting to see what land of offer wide receiver Henry Ellard. 34. will attract. Ellard has g en erated m uch of the team 's offense the last two seasons. Kicker E ddie M urray had a terrific 1995 season, but the team would rath e r gam ble on Scott Blanton, who spent h is rookie year on in­ jured reserv e. M urray will tu rn 40 in Au­ gust — David Elp o i

PQ EQ PLATES/BEAM Q 36 T. SodsrstrtxB, NT Islander* C 111 Mats Sontfln, Toronto « 435 Stere Thomas, New Jersey V 518 Martin ftucfcssfcy, Montreal D 632 Corth Lescfcyshyn, Colorado D 949 Keith Carney, Chicago

SALARY *1,050400 *2,100,000 $1,571X000 $940,000 $1,040,000 $330,000

Regina* SASA K. Vancouver, BC EBxabetfe Cfty^U M a y Part, PA Forest Hffls, NY Teetansah, ORT St. Louis, MO Holland, PA MkkBeton, PA

Basketball Free Agents Playert who can be elatmed after noon on Mon.. Feb. 19th, & before 11PM on Sunday. Feb. 25th. and ba on your team tor games beginning Moo.. Fab. 26th.

ES ID PLATER/TEAM G 103 Raggle lefter, taftana Q 205 Chrh Cfc&ds, New Jersey F 317 Kevta WSB*, Miami F 454 M feaith , Golden State C 507 O ft Robinson, Portland

SALARY $3,521X000 $850400 $2,640400 $1,5004)00 $343X000

THE CLOSER

February 19,1996

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one point during a timeout. Picker shouts across the bench, “Chris Carr. YOU sit down. NOW! lf vou don’t sit down. I W L L sit vou down." Carr stares down The Heckler and refuses. Picker keeps yelling. “Sit down. Sit down." Finally. as play resumes. Carr has no choice but to concede. Later, in the final minutes of the game. The Heckler would get on Carr's nerves so bad that Kleine would have to go over to Carr, tap him on the chest and tell him to forget about it.

Pickerhas been served with warnings seven times this season (a second of­ fense results in an ejection). .And he says two officials. Steve Javie and Jess Kersey, “spend more time worrying about me than watching the game."

B y D en n is T it t l e But in the pantheon of great love/hate relationships, few can match The Heck­ he Heckler seizes the opportunity like a full-court trap. having wait­ ler and Barkley'. In his book, “Somebody’s Got to Be Me." Barkley spends an en­ ed for the Swiss-precision moment when one of his favorite victims tire chapter on The Heckler. Picker claims Barkley secretly paid for him to fly to — bald, burly, and on this night, very surly — would be isolated and Phoenix i?>r a playoff game a few years ago. helpless.

Barkley, cantankerous from a 15-day trip.

The Suns’ Charles Barkley, who is at the free-throw line early in . is in no mood for The Heckler this daw rarely the game against the Bullets, has taken a nanosecond too long to paying him attention, in the past. Barkley has release his shot The moment is here.' left Ficker notes on his seat. Ficker savs A booming voice rifles through the • Barkley has given him a game ball twice. .An­ lower bastille of USAir Arena. other time, Barkley ripped away The Heck­ T W O ALL-BEEF PATTIES!... ler’s posterboard and wrote on it. “My name . “SPECIAL SAUCE, LETTUCE, is Robin. I’m retarded."

C H EFSF1’ The Suns always bring out the best in The “PICKLES. ONIONS ON A S E S Heckler. And though Barkley is in a sour A-ME SEED BUN!!!" mood and replies only by lip-syncing com­ Laughter ripples from the seats, to pound adjective cuss words. The Heckler is not deterred. When Barkley takes a breather a both benches and onto the court * Barkley doesn’t flinch and sinks the and sits at the end of the bench. The Heckler Batlet shot But the Suns’ Wesley Person yells, “Guard that water cooler and don't let it grows an ear-to-ear smile, and teammate Joe Kleine turns admirably score!" A while later, he spouts. “CHARIES to acknowledge the singi^edged razor of The Heckler’s taunt BARKLEY1If YOU could fall IN L O T with ■.I# “If it had been warmer tonight" chides lawyer Robin Picker, the YOURSELF again, would YOU DO TP" famous, if not infamous Heckler, T d have come in wearing a Three rows back and sitting to the right is ■: A towel like he does in the McDonald’s commercials." actor Mark Curry of the TV show. “Hangin' Picker, a fixture behind the visitor’s bench at Bullets games W'ith Mr. Cooper" Curry is laughing so hard since 1985 and a man clearly loved or hated by players, fans and he is slouched over. .After a couple of chil­ *,1 the NBA, arrives at each game with pomp and circumstance. He dren get his autograph. Curry sends them to I l r bounces down the aisle like a Super Ball on steroids, armed with The Heckler. if a life-sized poster of Gheorghe Muresan, white posterboard and a “I love him. man. He's incredible." Curry gym bag that contains rubber chickens, biographies, boxing says.

But as the game wears on. the players tol­ gloves, markers, a bugle, a catcher's mask and a mini megaphone.

He gets cheers, jeers and curious indifference all the way to his erate The Heckler less. .And when the Bullets $90-per-game, front-row seat. And theres never any doubt The commit a stupid turnover with a two-point lead Heckler has arrived, because he wastes no time beings the most 5 and only IT seconds to play, the Suns’ bench obnoxious, most embarrassing fan in America I erupts and Kleine turns around lightheartedly. cr Earlier, he warmed up by jumping as high as he could and 3 “Go warm up the bus!" he says to Picker. cs When the Suns pull away late in overtime, the stomping on the wood platform floor. Of course, he is wearing players turn around and hold their throats. weighted boots. He stretches his lungs by yelling at Barkley in the huddle. “Hey. CHUCK! You’re living proof that hair doesn’t The razz man: Ficke/s barbs target every opponent, The Heckler doesn’t respond. He learned especially his favorite Sun. grow on a ROCK!" long ago to receive as well as give, and some His presence puts the Suns on the defensive and sends security guards into opposing players know bes merely having fun. When the game ends, three of position. “My primary job is to watch him," security official Mike Porche says. the Suns put their arms around each other and sing to The Heckler...

“I go to the officials before each game and read them the gag rule (known as “... Take your loss and go on home."

T he Picker Rule") and let them know where I’m standing in case theres a The players and Picker exchange high-five*and pleasantries. But in tin* lock­ er room, Barkley explodes when asked about The Heckler. problem."

Depending on the team, Picker can be merciless — but never rude or vul­ “Robin Picker is a bonehead and-don’t give him anymore (bleeping) credit. gar — in his attacks. When the intensity of the game heats up, so does ... He’s just a pain in the ass. Make people famous who do something. This guy Picker’s verbal karate and the players’ nerves. And he likes to pick on unsus­ ain’t done (anything) in his life, and he’s famous for being a heckler."

Well. yeah. Chuck. Only in America.^ ♦ pecting rookies, which endears him to veterans.

On this-night The Heckler is especially harsh on Suns rookie Chris Carr.'At D ennis T uttle is a free-lance w riter fro m Cheverly. Md. *

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For one Bullets fan, tormenting Charles Barkley is part of another night’s work

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Just thinkofit-A-dasebali season that starts„6n time (ahead of time.it seems) and ends"when the schedule says irs supposed*; What a hovelidea. ■ •' r *

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Oh, sure, the players and owners could blow it again with some act of gross stupidity, hut alt signals Indicate the 1996 season is a go . from opening hight(Maroh.31, believe it or not) through the chilly Series evenings in fete October, Sora change, there is a pleasant aff of expectancy and hot a foul smell of discord.- ; ' :•

-lf the prospect of a whole season excites baseball fans, so should the arriyafiOfour baseball coverage. Next week, readers win receive the Spring Training Previewissue of The - S toring News, and next Tuesday, r S owi ng News' 1996 Baseball ^YeaOrtSok wflf be available on UnewiKtands. v ^Resident bad boy Albert Belle will

be featured in TSN. Among the stories in the Yearbook are the game's best managers, a poignant romantic story by two Chicago writers on the enduring bond between baseball and radio, and Dave Kindred on-Rex Hudler.

The T996 Baseball Yearbook can be purchased at newsstands or by calling 1-800-825-8508. ♦

1996

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WE WO N F O U R E V E N T S . Y O U G E T TO P A R K T H E T R O P H Y IN Y O U R D R I V E W A Y .

Power. P a y l o a d . T o w i n g . A n d B r a k i n g / T he T a c o m a 4 x 2 w e n t u p a g a i n s t l e a d i n g c o m p e t i t o r s a n d b r o u g h t

h o m e f i r s t - p l a c e f i n i s h e s by the t r u c k l o a d . B u t w h a t else w o u l d y o u e xpe ct from a T o y o t a T r u c k ? The Ta coma b o a s t s an a v a i l a b l e 2 9 0 - h o r s e p o w e r V6. A n d th e h i g h e s t s t a n d a r d t o w i n g a n d p a y l o a d in its class.'* Y o u also get th e s o l i d peace of m i n d t h a t c o m e s w i t h o w n i n g a To yo ta . S o w h y j u s t w a s h an o r d i n a r y t r u c k i n y o u r dr iv e w a y , w h e n y o u c o u l d be o u t t h e r e p o l i s h i n g a t r o p h y ?

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