The sporting news 02 26 1996

A WEEK WITH THE BULLS

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February 26,1996

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VOICES 6

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Cathy Barasta: Dale has figured oui exactly how to win the Daytona SOO. only its Dale Jarrett and not Dale Earnhardt.

Letters

BASEBALL 12 Flight of the Cardinals: Tony l.a Russa and Dave Duncan have taken their pitching-restoration program to S t l>ouis. where the next group of projects awaits.

15 Bob Nightengale: There never seem s to be a final choice lo inherit Tommy I^sorda'< job with the Dodgers 16 Baseball Notes

FOOTBALL 22 BUI Plaschke: Ted M archibroda is a salesman, not an architect — and Baltimore needs som eone to rebuild its "team.

27 N a Notes 31 Ivan Maisel: Tiebreakers are wek*ome. but the format isn't

BASKETBALL 32 Mike DeOourcy: D ring on the bubble — and the lonely lite of waiting to see w hether the NCAA Tournament com mittee picks you 33 College Insider 37 In Defense of the Bulls: You can look at the scoring provided by Chicago’s stars, but in its pursuit of 70 victories, defense is the reason tor this team 's success.

41 Shaun Powell: Look for the Bullets' Juwan Howard to be the most sought-after tree agent — and the most likely to switch learns 42 NBA insider

HOCKEY 43 Larry Wigge: Never say never w hrn ii com es to W ayneTirettky finishing his career in New York. Or in St U>uis. Or anywhere but Id s Angeles 46 NHL Insider

DEPARTMENTS 5 Openers 44 The Sports Marketplace 47 The Closer. Jackie Robinson brought major changes to baseball by breaking the color barrier in 1946 in the International l**agui\

Cover photo o f Albert Melle by Todd Bigelow fo r T SS.

In some circles, watching the BULLS come through the runway at Chicago is almost as celebrated as the running of the bulls in Pamplona. i

FROM THE EDITOR

Image is almost everything You're surprised to see Albert Belle staring at you sardonically from our cover this week. As am I. When Senior W riter Steve MaranU suggested he could get Belle to spend som £ time together and then construct a balanced profile. I was skeptical. But. after several conversations between Steve and T ern ' Belle. Albert's brother. an accommodation w-as reached and the story that begins on Page 8 is the satisfying re su lt T e r r y tried to exert as much control over the process as possible, limiting topics and asking for approval over copy.' M arantz says. “He is newly in charge of .Albert's public

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relations and believes Albert m ade a mistake talking about the Halloween- in* cident to another reporter."

The limitations agreed to: no mention of alcohol, batcorking or Halloween. We did not. however, permit Terry to review the story ■* --* before publication or allow mararnz him to write his own bylined story to run adjacent to Steve's.

This is not the first story Belle has consented to since the season ended, but com pared with the other two stories I have read, this gives you the best insight into what drives him. It is unusual for us to accede to conditions stipulated by an interview subject, but I believe the benefit to you outw eighs traditional journalistic considerations.

Belle is one of baseball’s full-blown stars, and you should know m ore about him than his ill-considered

.tem per tantrum s. T h e ! journalistic question here w hether i t s better to view som ebody unconditionally from a distance or to get up close with imposed conditions." M a ra n a says.

“M any media have viewed Albert from a distance. Th* story has been done. We wanted a different story. even if it m eant doing it by his rules.

In illustrating Belle's som ew hat naive effort to shape and control his image, we draw a m ore com pelling portrait than could be done with a litany of his m isdeeds."

Now. .Albert, about that new d ie t...

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OPENERS • 5

February 26,1996

CAUGHT ON THE FLY

N eb rask a bask etb all play ers' ooe<iay strik e w as to protest th e c o a c h 's behavior? Fly calls it a to e s-a -je rk reaction.

■ B ad day at 30 Rock w hen NBC th in k s it can fool Fly (shaddupD . Yeah. yeah, th e sc h e d u le w as a factor, b u t if you th in k Stipel Jo e left on his ow n. th en you think Warren Wood w asn't du m p ed by T N T b ecau se of his. ahem . do m estic p roblem s. Last call for M ontana w as w hen he c o u ld n 't/w o u ld n 't say a bad w ord about S te re Bono s “p erform an ce" in th e C hiefs’ loss to th e Colts. Fly h a te s to say Fly told ya so (OK. Fly loves to say Fly told va so), but Hearty Most Powerful Dick s netw ork team couldn't use an analyst co ach ed by T h u m p e r’s m other.

■ S peaking of over-the-hill N in ers. th e odds-oR oget Craig g e ttin ’ a co n tract in San Fran are as long as Merton Hanks neck. C raig say s h e ’d like a re tu rn gig: V eep Dwight Clark's oh-fficial 3C om m ent: No ch an ce, b ut “if so m eb o d y tells m e to sign him . I certainly will do it" L et's see. d o es he m ean Eddie 0 o r Wile E. Walsh’ ’ . ■ Still w o n d erin ' why b aseb all’s pencil-necked ow ners h a te arbitration? (C heck th e ir w on-lost reco rd , nim rod; 2-7 w on’t k eep ya in th is h e re league.)

■ Last tim e Fly saw N R

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a p p ro p ria te d en o u g h for a pinhead, on th e head of a pin. A prom inent coach for a c u rre n t to p -IS team tells th e Spies that h e called G arrett to ask about th e vacancy. G arrett’s response: Iv e never h ea rd of you. lAnd if you th in k Hank B itolyl ju st keepin' the ch air w arm tor Paul W estphal. then you need to k n o w th e Spies say W’e stp h al’s trollin' for an NBA job like. say. Bill Pitch's.)

■ Yo, C olts fans, before you have visions of offensive firew orks u n d e r Undy Infanta, th e Spies say he suffers from BCS (Brace Ccslet S yndrom e): a g reat co o rd in ato r w ho's in over his h ead. Coach.

■ R y ’s g u essin ' that was no lefihand<d com plim ent when California dealt southpaw Brian Anderson to th e Indians last week. T h e Halos screw ed up w hen they tendered A nderson a salary past the max pay cut limit. A grievance was possible, so they did what any m ajor league team 'd do: They dum ped him tor a ca re e r scrubeen ie starter who craw ls through air-conditioning vents to retrieve allegedly corked bats .and a no-shot ex-replacem ent reliever, then su/rwore they did it because thev had too manv lefties on tile staff.

■ H ere's w h a ts w rong with the S F I. (OK. here'< one of a bajilGon things w rong with the NFL) It s easier to a move a franchise than an assistant coach Jimmy ^ y i; Johnson's first choice for his offensive line coach was + £ / * the 'Boys' Hudson Houck, but Jeny Jones went for the block by prom otin' Houck to assistant head coach, which assured that any move to Miami would bt- lateral. verboten under S F I. “rules " Forget about that regu l a r v a s rn m atchup in the fall. OI' H elm et H a irs I'M vs. Dallas.

Hi Magic su/rwears he w asn't cam paignin' for a D ream job w hen Team CSA C oach Lenny Wilkens was in Inglew ood last week. Pay no attention to that triple-double va b u rned .Atlanta tor. right Ear.-1 ■ Hey-vo. Fly knuwv. shtick iNhaddupL. and th is 'S tro s ad cam paign (with ex-PTO Bush-n Babs. The Gfyde and o th e rs; is a yuk a m inute. Bul at H H ^ K r heart-o-this team 's problem is th e D om e (the '27 Y ankees couldn't PTY J • draw 3fi.OOO a night th ere > S ay s one • • TexaSpy: "You carl d re s s a pig rn a tuxedo c and it's still not pretty ’ * s

coac^ eb ^ sco u ts this im p ressed , th ey'd been told th e ir new VCRs could reco rd one g am e while they w atched a n o th e r But the 200 ai th e com bine gave icelan d McElroy a stan d in g 0 after his ■ W hat th e Eek, two

c o n s e rv a tiv e s ^ w ritten off the — homi es . but take Fly's word (shaddup!), S t Loo’s positively a-gog over th e se Red (nee: D ead) B irds. T h e clo ser va g e t th e m ore va think this h e re team can co m p ete for a division title, eh Waft? (And d o n ’t ya think Joe Torre w oulda loved to w ork with th is roster?)

■ Simla d id n ’t w ant th e job. M arcbibroda did.

N ext on Art M o d e ls l i s t th e Spies say. w as ^ Howard Scfcneileoberger o r Weed Ew tank. \ ■ FN' h e a rs A rizona fans o u g h ta be n-n-nervous b e c a u se P e p p e rd in e ’s g o n n a co m e sniffin' 'ro u n d a ssistan t Je ssie E r a s , w h o ’s th e guy mainly responsible for th e ’C ats' recru itin ’ haul in so u th ern California.

■ S peaking of so u th e rn California, it’s way ap p aren t OI' SC .AD. Mike B arrett’s bask etb all k n o w le d g e d fit.

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Arab madness:

T h e th em e for the .American H ockey L eague's S yracuse C runch is “A Swift Kick in th e I c e " T hev've b een delivering som e swift kicks at the d o o rs o fth e leag u e office as well this season.

W e're all aw are of the lost m ajor league baseball season in 1994. But you may not know th at a hockey seaso n w as once lost. too.

But not any longer.

W hen S y racu se won die leag u e title in 1936-37. it w as n ev e r p re se n te d with th e C ak ier Cup. th e leag u e's ch am p io n sh ip tro p h y It w as

■ F inally. F L '- old frie n d Greg

Robertson w rites "D-t m e get thi" right.

St. L u i s to .An/.ona. B altim ore to Indianapolis. O akland to ( .A to O akland. L A to n l^ouis. Seattle to L A . C leveland to B altim ore And the A want m e lo buy a perm anent seat lic e n s e ' lak e heil

Eckersley's new teamgets A's in offseason moves.

The case of the missing championship

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Parsons Cleft/ and his Syracuse mates were honored hr a banner season Better l a t e . . . :

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the first season the .AHL o p erated , and th e re was no C alder C up until the next season.

Sixty year* 'utter, the om ission war. co rrected .

Openers compiled by Com Dienhart and Larry Wtggs

Tuna-iP M ap le 1.1-a)' “Sixty y e a r '' i> a lo n g tim e to w ait."

P a r l o r ' n4jv% “B u ! it l e e ! ' g o o d to b e r e c o g r u / e d a tte r a1] :])•^ y •-ar- I kl '.ow sir. t e a m m a t e s w o u ld be h a p p y to krn-w lie .; havt finally bee!', i. J.tv sa..'» dec Ian d cl. am ; tonA banner h o n o rin g d ie B O * 37 > y -a c u < e M a rs wa> raid e d to th e r a n e r - ig ( m .m d a g a C m :;.’;. V\Ti; M e m o ria l

w hen AHL R e s id e n t Dave A ndrew s p re se n te d th e tn p iiy to S i y e a r-old G eo rg e I'arsono, a forw ard on lit** chamiMoiishiD a a m and l o n m r m em b er of 'In

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6 • VOICES

The Sporting News

A sport hitting high gear . i i

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A l l thdst' in lavor of seeing D ale win ibt* Daytona f>(KJ on Sunday pol their wish. Bul iht1 victor did noi turn out lo b e th e Dale w h o se tale ra n k e d a m o n g th e r a c e s top th re e focal points T h e triple* threat, in tact. tailed to deliver in te rm s of re a c h in g Victory Lane. Bul in­ stead ut producing a letdown, stock-car rac­ ing got to sh o w off its d ep th and d e m o n ­ strate how riveting a defeat of expectations can be .And Dale J arret! left you w ondering w h e re h e learn ed th e fierce shot-blocking that allowed him to reject Dale E a rn h a rd t’s (H e n ploy, c h a rg e and m a n e u v e r in a late going that m ad e a powerful case for defen­ sive driving W ith tactical brilliance and. yes. a fast F o rd . J arret! clo sed even- lane to E arn ­ h a rd t's d esp e rate stabs.

If NASCAR w anted a thriller to welcom e fans to its W in sto n C up serie s, th e seaso n o p e n e r so cked it to th em . lf auto racing w anted so m e spin on a sh o w ca se race, the day at the Daytona International Speedway delivered th e kind of d ra m a that u n d e r­ scored why the sport no lo nger is preaching only to th e converted The kev sto re lines started with an overw helm ing trio of com pelling big m en. .And they started one. two. three.

E arnh ardt, th e seven-lim e W inston Cup cham pion see k in g his first Daytona 500 tri­ um ph in his 18th try, ran from the pole. car. “T h e r e is n o b e tte r vehicle than racing. W e're glad to see a E rnie Irvan. onlv 18 m o n th s rem oved from a near-fatal (.rash, started from th e 45-car field’s No 2 hole. .And Sterling Marlin, attem ptin g an speedw ay going up in Texas, b ec au se it c re a te s a new m ark e t for us u n p re c e d e n te d third co n secu tiv e Daytona SOO victory, launched from and for NASCAR. W e can build m o re brand a w a re n e ss and entertain th e third position our c u s to m e rs in that part of th e country.

But lrvan and Marlin lost their sh o ts fairly early in the 2(XMap co n ­ “I’m not a fan of auto racing, but it's my favorite sport." test. .And Jarrell, w ho took th e lead for th e last time on lap 177. won .Anyone in S unday's crow d of about 150.000 w ho did not start the I day fisting auto racin g as his o r h e r favorite sport m ight have had hr- second Daytona 30o by o u t d a t i n g E arnhardt, who finished sec­ ond for th e tourth time. secon d th o u g h ts by th e r a c e s end.

E n g in e p ro b le m s cost M arlin his d re a m after-81 laps. Irvan fin­ Ja rra tt hum bly says his Ford acco unted for th e victor)'. But w hoev­ ished 55th alter h e b u m p ed th e e r taugh t him to block op ponen ts 'a n d protect a lead s h o u ld /lave wall to bring on (he scvond of the race s six cautions taken a bow. too. \ J arret! m ight not h av e h e a d ­ S om e m ight say E arn h ard t did lined the race going in. But going his sport no favor by losing this in. officials su c h as CB S S ports race again and b ec o m in g a oneVice P re s id e n t l r n D e U ic a a1m an equivalent to the Buffalo read> w e re confident. He knew Bills. M avbe h e should have takIns n etw o rk would not lose with en so m e lesso n s in ru n n in g for au to racing.

D eL uca said daylight from so m e of th e drivers NASCAK no longer c a rrie s the re_________________________________________________________________ on Your local freeway. Anyway, a gional lag that associated it maintrium ph would have en larged his Iv with lilt* N iu tbeast. It rates b e tte r than most of CB S’s college bas- I tow ering legend and given 44-year-old Baby B oom ers ev ery w h ere a ketball telecasts, except for the NCAA T ou rn am en t. D e lu c a cited th e j reaso n to ch eer.

T ex as M otor speedw ay, u n d e r construction in Fort W orth, as one of But NASCAR got an even b e tte r story with E a rn h a rd t's 18th Daythe re a so n s h i- netw ork is sn excited about auto racin g's im age and ; tona 500 failure, b e c a u se now his saga continues. He m ight be chaspotential, but he could h e s h a k i n g about th e s p o rt’s g ro w th in many \ ing this particular rainbow 30 years from now. c o m e r* ol tin- country Racing is sh ap in g up as a stirring sport that can't lose, no m atter Ii m ight b e a pu.-b as to w h e th e r TV love* NASCAR m o re than co r­ w hich driver wins. O r doesn't. poral** *pon*or- crave it Each good story g e ts better. .And every driver h a s a story, most of "Fan* os N A M ’AR arc loyal to th e sponsor* and th e brand nam es. which are m oving e n o u g h to attract fans of all stripes.. ♦ a* well a* I" their favorite driver*." says R oger H ogeboom . w hose Cathy Harasta is a colum nist fo r The Dallas M orning Sews. em ployer. J]!innj*-based Raybesios. is an associate sp o n so r of Irvan's Dave Kindred is on assignment and will return next week.

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The day at the Daytona International Speedway delivered the kind of

drama that underscored why the sport no longer is preaching only to the converted.

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VOICES * 7

February 26.1996

influence in the locker room as well as unproductive on th e field last year, and now the team is stuck with his S i.8-million cap figure.

T o d d O w ers W est P a lm B e a c h . Fla. to w e rs@ e m a il.fp l. com

VOICE OF THE FAN M o d e rn M a th I Q I

‘Tell me what’s wrong with this: The Cowboys get aggressive in signing players and it’s buying the Super Bowl.

When the 49ers do it, it’s clever salary-cap management.’

the league will welcom e the next Ricky W atters (great legs, sm ooth moves, deficient brain) with open arm s — Phillips s e e m s to fit the bill, and T om O sb o rn e and th e N ebraska athletic dep artm en t have helped him put his re su m e together God bless .America. It almost m ak es me w onder what we are defending over here, j, Joseph t i ' M a r k O p e ra tio n J o in t E n d e a v o r .Z a g reb . C ro a tia a e u fc -o p s-0 3 rth eid elb erg -em h 11 a r m y m il

A HUGE wave !

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Russell Pozsonyi Washington, S.J. f

T o co u n te r th e 300-pius pound corpulent offensive linem en, no d oub t the w-ave of the fu tu re will be to have two o r th re e 400- to 525-pound su m o w restlers on th e defensive line. Visualize, for a m o m e n t the three-m an line — one m an over th e center. W ith the bull ru sh th e.c e n te r and q u arte rb ack would b e rocked back, d estroy in g all tim ing. Don't laugh now. su m o w restlers are athletes, too. you know.

S ta n B u r e k M a d is o n . Has.

I NCF-R1P Tile term "league" su g g ests a strongly unified association. .Amid all the other c h a n g e s the NTL is currently adm inistering. | j may I suggest they contem plate a « rech risten in g to becom e the ‘ National C onfederation of Football-Related Investm ent F an n ers." a D a n n y je z in r T -*r e ’ ' »S r \ im - A —*> B ro o k P a rk. O Taking a hike: S o t m any centers would agree to escher d /e z w r tc c u y a h o g a Un oh us stoop over with this monster ready to pounce -

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Being a football fan. Iv e had to put up with a lot of h ig h s and lows. Eve been a S eahaw ks fan for life, and I cried w hen I h ea rd that Ken B ehring w-as m oving the team to S m og City.

Like th e people In Cleveland. I am sick and tired o f tfygse ow ners taking off for g re e n e r p a s tu re s ; J So I am writing to anno unce that I am quitting. stepping dow n as a football fan.

M y h eart has been b ro ken for the last time.

J o h n P h illip s T a c o m a . W ash.

co ach in g job in the playoffs without so m e of his b e tte r players w as cause for high expectations for Lie com ing year.

M archibroda was a coach who never sought the spotlight but w as known as one of the best te a c h e rs in the gam e.

I give a lot of th e credit to M archibroda for the exceptional year that Jim H arbaugh had.

Hope the Baltimore franchise will have the sam e class and integrity h e has.

B ru c e H *ylto n M a r tin s v ille . Va. gw fo o tb a llQ aol. co rn

MoCapital investments T h e ex p e rts say J e rry Jo n e s b o u g h t the cham pionship. But let u s com pare the n um bers: Dallas lost th e likes of H arper. Stepnoski.

Gogan. G esek. M artin. B euerlein, Kosar.

Jo n es. Je ffc o a t Casillas. N orton. W ashington and P eete to h e e agency’.

T h e Cow boys signed S anders. K ennard.

D onaldson and Wilson.

To m e. that d o e s not see m to ad d up.

T h e trade of T e e m u Selanne to the M ighty D u ck s (TSN. F eb ru ary 19) ju st blowsqjny mind. N ot b ec au se W innipeg traded him. but b ec au se the W ashington Capitals did not do everything possible to ac q u ire him.

Everyone know s th e Capitals don't score e n o u g h goals to win in th e playoffs — and a line of Selanne. P eter B ondra and Michal Pivonka would have b e c o m e o n e of the Daryl Eau cr I leag u e’s m ost feared lines.

I t s beginning to look to Capitals fans like K ersey. Pa. Abe Poulin w'ants to save all his m onev for a n o th e r lam e basketball star who plays IO or 20 g a m e s a season.

Jo h fl P C ooke D o n 't g et m e wTong. d u n k in g (TSN. F red e ric ksb u rg . Va. F ebru ary 12) pu ts a Hair into any basketball i gam e. But w hen 6-foot g u a rd s find it easy. l e t s m ak e it a ch allen g e and raise the basket so th e ch alleng e of defensive and offensive I w as sad to see th e trea tm en t of a highly battles shine — not just one offensive move. re sp e cted coach like Ted M arch ib ro d a by G eorge F rey th e Colts (TSN. F e b ru a ry 19). A g reat F a ir L a w n . S . J.

Dunking tor donuts

Unbridled Cote

What a fish story Bill P lasch k e's contention that Don S huia's p erso n n el acum en would serve B altim ore well (TSN. F eb ru ary 19) is d o w n rig h t laughable.

- T o th o se of us who have followed the D olphins closely, it w as painfully evident that G.M. Shula continually thw arted Coach S huia's efforts. T h e D olphins drafts of the late 1980s are littered with first-round b u sts such as j o h n Bosa (1987). Erie K um erow (1988) and S am m ie Sm ith (1989). A lthough the drafts of th e '90s have been m o re fruitful. th eir impact has been n eg ated by Shuia's m ishan dling of Plan B and free agency.

Example: Shula ru s h e d to sign G ene Atkins on the first day of th e free-agent signing period in 1994. Atkins was a divisive

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Everybody is happy that M agic is back (TSN. F ebruary 12). and he may lead the Lakers to the next level in (he playoffs. But 111 g u aran tee you this: T h e first time he gets cut on the floor, the rest of the players will • scatter like co c k ro ach e s on the kitchen floor w hen the light c o m es on.

G a ry rn F isch er S h e r id a n . In d g fis h e r tis h e n d a n .o r g

Operation resume C o n g ra ts to T e rry Frei tor having a firm g ra s p of th e ob viou s w hen h e w rote "R eg a rd less of how one feels about O s b o r n e s h an d lin g of Phillips and the N e b ra sk a a d m in istratio n 's hands-off appro ach, th e idea that O s b o rn e sold his soul to the devil for th e sake of a national c h a m p io n s h ip is ludicrous" from ’ HollowG round?" (TSN. J a n u a ry 35). Even if Phillips had been at h o m e w atching, w h ere h e u n d o u b ted ly should have been.

N e b ra sk a would have rolled over R o n d a .

Justified national c h a m p io n s h ip ' Certainly T ain ted national c h a m p io n s h ip ' You b etter believe it.

T he w hole sce n e w as bad for college football, and even w orse for a pro gram that u sed to have so m e class T he best thing that can happen to Law rence Phillips is that he will be sn u b b ed on draff day by the N F L Unfortunately, he is a heck of a running back — and once again, dollars and c e n ts will prevail over the small sh red of d ecency left in professional sports and over com m on sense.

Law rence Phillips will take his place proudly am ong the league's punks. I am sure

An Art gallery Mr. Modell steps off a plane in Baltimore and proclaim s. ‘ It's good to be hom e " I would g u e ss he was speaking of the cozy feeling he g e ts in the ro om s of your bank vaults and wallets Browns fans only had to en d u re one Model!, the people of Baltimore will be cu rsed with g enerations of them As we sav­ in Cleveland. “I-osing is a real .Art." R ick D ues V ersailles. 0 .Art Modell is th e epitom e of w hat s wrong with our society: the failure to accept responsibility T he Browns are leaving tor Baltimordell b ec au se of ModeH‘> m ism anagem ent, except Modell i< th e univ o n e who d oesn t see it.

J a m e s F A lb ertso n S o r m a n . O k la

No bull Well. Deton. isn t n about time von offered your services to th e Chicago Bull- n o w ' I m ean, m aybe they could pay you about SI?11 million dollars ... bul th ere is a catch . you have to play defense in basketball and you have to go both ways. You ’w ould even g et to play for an o th e r ow ner nam ed Jerry Im agine, you and D ennis Rodman on the sam e team J a so n R e in h a r t R D - 2 B ox 9 2 C o n n e a u tv ille P A lo 4 D b J 6 8 b 12 0 R ( ’ v o x c d n ib n ro .e d u

Got a comment?

T W S k ik tin c . N ew s w ould love to h ea r fro m you.

Write Voice o f the Fan. 1 2 1 2 S . Ijn d b erg h B lvd .

S t U m is. Mo. 6 3 1 3 2 . fa x 'your message^to us a t 3 1 4 -9 9 3 -7 7 2 3 . or sen d us fleet r o m a n o ii *} a t tsn m a ilo kio l.co m . Be sure to included your e-mail. *vo u r n a m e a n d city + with 9 TH* Sf<>KUM. N e w s reserves the right to ■ ed it-letters fo r b re n ty a n d content

Upon halter review... . ■ T ickets for the 1995 S up er Bowl cost 5200 and $300 T h e price was incorrect in the F ebru ary 5 issue

The Sporting News

“I think I have the pitcher thinking that lbert Belle wants a puff when I come up he better have his best stuff," piece. He is being inter­ Belle says. “He may get m e once, he may get viewed on a condition: no me twice. But sooner or later. HI get him. "negatives." There are to M aybe not this year, but next year. He knows be no questions ab o u t as soon as he m akes a mistake, he's in a lot of ahem, problem s and inci­ trouble." dents. No mention of law­ “You’ve got a look in your eve." I say. “Do suits. suspensions, repri­ you try to make eye contact?" mands. dark moods and deep anger. Nothing.

Gnawing delicately. Belle strips a last shred in short, about the gritty substance of .Albert of meat from a gleaming breastbone.

BelleV character.

“I like to look in a pitcher's eye and see how “I'm tired of seeing negative stuff." Belle he feels that day." he says. “You can tell if a says i ’m sure everybody else is. Enough neg­ guy is confident out there, or not confident" a t e r stuff has been said."

He dies the example of Blue Jays righthand­ Right. And who am I to argue with Belle as er Juan Guzman, a dominant starter until suf­ he assaults four pieces of fried chicken and a fering a sore arm two seasons ago. When Guz­ baked potato? We are at a U s Vegas casino man w'as healthy. Belle says, he had “a killer cate earlv in February. Twice he has asked if instinct, the eye of a tiger." After his arm went I am expensing the 'meal and twice I have as­ bad. his eyes were furtive, afraid. sured him. No reason to spoil his dinner, and “Do they avoid eye contact?" I ask. risk a scene, by dwelling on negatives. Indeed.

“Some do." he says. “Some just look at the I am compelled to write som ething nice and catcher." here it is: Boxers stare down one another wdien re­ Albert Belle has a good appetite. C anion ceiving a referee's instructions, I point out. birds do not pick bones as clean. His enjoyment BeBe acknowledges the similarity. of a potato is so pure, he doesn’t “Some (boxers) don't Eke to look at the other bother with fork and knife. guy." he says. “Some try to intimidate the oth­ WcD-mannered Geveland writ­ e r guy. Some guv's are pretty confident ers might interpret this as a vi­ They've been training hard, so they're going olation of Amy Vanderbilt: I to come out with their best stuff. see it as a lusty zest for life.

T h e way I look at i t a pitcher always is go­ .Another nicety: Belle is so ing to com e out with his best stuff. I antici­ good he will break Roger pate that so I will be ready for him.’'

Maris' single-season home run Simply p u t Belle com es to the plate ready record this year, the 35th anto rumble. nh’ersarvrn of No. 61. You read it here first — more on it later.

“W eren't you at the World Series?" he asks. n idea is occurring to Belle, like a “Yes." green tendril pushing through a “I rem em ber your lace. I crack rn c e m e n t He is thinking don't rem em ber nam es, but I there may be no gain in being base­ rem em ber faces." ball’s Sonny Liston. Nice guys get productInasmuch as 1.000 report­ endorsem ent deals, win MAT aw ards, be­ ers cover a World Series. com e F ranchise players, ju n io r Griffey.

Belle's memory serves him Frank T hom as and Mo Vaughn are nice well But I hasten lo remind guys. Belle is toying with the notion of ac­ him of our first meeting. D ur­ quiring a new image — Sunshine .Albert — ing the ALCSI approached his as he might a chic spring w ardrobe. Which cubicle in the Indians club­ he needs. house. He was pulling on socks To be sure. Belle is sm art enough to know and stirrups. I stood next lo a genuine personality m akeover is difficult him for 30 seconds, he did not possibly painful. But th a ts not a problem. “.Al­ look up. Finally, he said. "I bert doesn’t need to change his personality: don't like people standing over me. i ou better he needs to change his image." says Terry get the bleep away." He never saw my face.

Belle, his twin brother and advisor. Percep­ Strength anti numbers: M ans was all smiles tthen the summer of “i o u probably rem em ber my shoes." I say. tion is reality in show business. Why change '61 began, but by year’s end he wearied of media attention Belle, "I'm wearing the same shoes." personality when he can get what he wants hts top challenger, says: V c should haw just shut them off.'

Belle chuckles. by changing image?

"Oh. yeah." he says. "I thought ? recognized your shoes."

“I am concerned then? is a lot of negative publicity about .Albert Belle, and f he >ultan of Surly has a sense of humor. He likes to tease, and he can ap­ a lot of positive things I do haven't been brought to the surface." .Albert says. preciate his own caricatured image as a hulking tough. During a photo ses­ “Maybe its my fault for not being'accessible to the media. So I guess I’m go­ sion with photographer Todd Bigelow, he grinned, momentarily. “Careful, ing to work on changing my image." you'll m in your image." I said. He reverted to character, screwing his face into Toward that goal. Belle may be counseled by a psychology professor. a hard slate I thought I heard him growl.

Charles M aher of Rutgers, hired by the indians as a “mental skills" consultant Belle's sense of his own m enace rem inds me of Sonny Liston, a form er Belle may sign autographs. He may agree to regular postgam e interviews: heavyweight champion, knockout artist and bully. Historian B en Randolph changing im age in baseball can be as simple as chatting up reporters. He may ixigar writes of Uston: “For all his raw power and size. Liston's most rem ark­ do a1) of these things, or he may not. able attribute was psychological rather than physical. He made a science out !

"How feasible is that?" I ask. ut inspiring lear in the b e a n s and minds of his opponents, breaking their wills A speck of chicken lodges between canine and incisor. Belle digs it out with with a stony stare during the referee's instructions, and stuffing towels under a fingernail. in- robe to make his enorm ous physique look even bigger and more intimi­ I “lx>ok at D ennis Rodman. He w'as a bad guy until Michael Jordan said he dating In >bort. he was 'the meanest m other on the block, and not only I was OK. Now everybody savs h e's OK." • 0 0 liar. I he care who knew- it. he wanted everyone to know it.’"

“That’s only as long as he shows up. does the job. and they win." I say Belle i> baseball's version of heavyweight champion — hom e run king. He ; “Well." Belie says, “that's what I do." hit V' last season — in a 144-game schedule, mind you — and four more in the 'P ru e. But you don't have Michael Jordan." jx»stseason. .Although it is fashionable to describe Belle as an “intelligent" hitter , He feigns discouragem ent — certainly his opposite-field home run off Greg Maddux in World Series-Game T h a t ’s rig h t I need Michael Jordan. Maybe h ell come back to baseball."

5 wa> technically brilliant — I think this ignores his essence: brute intimidation.

“I have an impression you enjoy your Bad Boy image."

Simply, .he scares the hell out of pitchers. They see what Liston's opponents used j Belle wipes his mouth with a napkin. He sips from a glass of juice and glances to see align- malevolence. Belle's Bluto-like torso, at ?>2.210 pounds, is built to • around to see if anybody is approaching; nobody is. He lowers his voice. punish A muscular furrow- runs across his forehead. Dark eyes Speak a language “It has its advantages." he says. "People stay away from you. I have a tenot domination — particularly when they are fixed on dinner. i dency to keep people at a distance. That's my personality. Only a few people “I would be intimidated if I'm a pitcher.” I say. "Do you encourage that5" are really friends A lot of time I really don't trust people. Because of things that

A •

Can Albert Belle do what no slugger has done since 1961?

It’s more than food for thought

*

9

♦

10'BASEBALL

The Sporting New

HOW POSSIBLE IS 60?“Easy. lf you hit 10 home runs a month for six months.

Sounds like a piece of cake, doesn’t it?”

happened in the p ast I don’t trust a lot of people. I keep my guard up.'

Bottom line. Albert Belle isn't sure he wants another image.

elle is golfing with a friend, te n Spacek. a Cleveland-based oil m erchant The rwo m ake an odd couple, on a chill desert af­ ternoon. Belle 29 and black. Spacek 51 and white, competing furiously at a S2 skins game. Predictably. Belle hits long off the tee. about 280 yards. He tends to push his drives, evoking markable home run against Maddux. The context, remember, was that Maddux had stoned the Indians on two hits in Game I. Facing elimi­ nation in Game 5. Belle came up in the first inning, two outs, one on.

He crowded the plate, reached outside on the first pitch and faded one into the visiting bullpen — Indians. 2-0.

The hom e run was a stunning refutation of M addux’s supposed in­ vincibility. m an o r mane, prime time, championship b o u t Every scout­ ing report in the National League, from now on. is going to say. “Crowd

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the plate on Maddux. Don't give him the outer edge. He's from Las Vegas — call his bluff."

Neck reddening. M addux came in high and tight on Eddie Murray.

But m om entum and emotion had swung to the Indians, who won. 5-4.

If not for Tom Glavine's Game 6 mastery, it might have stayed with them.

The Braves were smart about Belle. They walked him seven times; he finished 4 for 17 with rwo hom ers (another opposite-field shot, off Steve Avery in Game 4. sixth inning, knotting the score hislefthander re­ at I). He credits Braves scouts for a clever plan.

T w o things." he says. T h e y defensed us real well. .And they kept the bail out of our strength. I w-as ahead a lot in the count. They just wouldn’t give in to me."

After the Series. Belle retreated to Las Vegas, losing himself in golf.

Little of his baseball personas — high focus, anger, tension — is evi­ dent on a golf course. I expect him to wrap a club around a tree. or chase somebody in his cart. but his most despicable act is forcing Spacek to putt out a gimme.

“Everybody • • thinks that." he sa\*s.

• “But thev• don't know the real me. I don't have to make a living do­ ing this, lf I had to play scratch golf it might be dif­ feren t" "Is baseball stressful?"

“It can be if you let it get to you. I know a lot of times I don’t look like I'm relaxed or enjoying the game, but I am. I don't walk around with a smile on my face 24 hours a day. becaijse I have high ex­ pectations of myself and my team m ates and the or­ ganization when I step on the field. But it can be stressful. W hen you’re not producing and winning. it can be real stressful."

Even on a golf course Belle can't, or w o n 't for­ get entirely w'ho he is: a star. He doesn’t pay if somebody else w in And he expects service. On the

•: AI heil Belie becam e univ the fourth m a id loamier ■ to bn m ote than 5 0 hom e tu n s in a se a so n The •’ VV; ice M a v s ’.Villi the G iants <52 rn «9 6 5 i G em ae She R e a s * 5 ? rn 77? ann C ? c :i Fielder with the n 90 ?

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third hole. he hands me the pin.

T o u ’re not doing anything." he says. “Hold this.’

It is an offer I can't refuse.

“No Cleveland writer would do this." I observe.

Belle stands over a 20-foot p u tt He has a sur-| posingly soft touch, for a hulk. But h e ’s not think­ ing about the p u tt his obsession is awakened.

“W ho's your favorite?” he asks. “Hoynsie. Ock-| e r or Ingraham."

He is invoking the names of three Ohio beat w rit-| ers who travel with the club; Paul Hoynes of th< Plain D ealer in Cleveland. Sheldon O cker of the Akron Beacon Journal and Jim Ingraham of t h e | Lake County News-Herald. .All are well-regarded and talented.

“Ocker." I say. “He bought me a drink once."

Belle nods and putts. It runs four feet past o n | the high side.

“D in a " he complains “I was thinking about t h o s ^ Cleveland reporters."

Preoccupation with media borders on obsession^ Befle’s conversation often segues into a polemic onj media. He has standard complaints: intrusiveness, repetitiveness and distractioa And he falls into a com­ mon trap — media are monolithic and conspiratorial

February 26,1996

B A S E B A L L

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During the season. Belle rarely does interviews, avoiding informal conversations that fill newspapers and sportscasts and keep players in touch with fans. He says interviews break his routine and focus, suggesting — with tongue half in cheek — that baseball writers use in­ terviews as a crutch because they don’t watch the game.

That’s because they’re eating hot dogs and drinking beer." he says.

“What we got to do is kill that spread upstairs. No food, no beer.

Makes them fat.'

“So why do you interview in the offseason?'

“You get some good meals. If you do them during the season by the offseason nobody wants to talk to you."

Pinpointing the root of Befle’s mistrust is speculative. He mentions a story, written in 1992 by a national publication, in which he believes a writer deceived him. A more likely' cause is the uncomfortable real­ ization that, as a public figure, he is the sum of his history. Belle would like to reinvent himself — with emphasis on religious and family val­ ues from a middleclass Shreveport, La., upbringing — and wipe away the, ahem, problems and incidents of his fast. Yet somehow, he keeps reinventing himself as himself — disdaining the courtesy and re­ spectfulness taught him by his parents, both retired educators. Media hold up an unpleasant minor.

“You cost yourself the MVT." I say.

Belle doesn’t dispute this. Boston’s Mo Vaughn narrowly edged him for the 1995 award voted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of .Amer­ ica; several writers said Belle’s attitude swayed their vote. He suggests his relationship with writers should be irrelevant.

“You should look at strictly statistics," he says. “Look at what a guy does on the field, not off the field or after or before the game. What he does first pitch to last out" “Writers are human." I say.

No response. Radical ideas require time.

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r-1v9S5 indians fed tiiernbst stacked .‘"lineup in.recentyears,;amJ all they did .ilntheoffseason wasreplacePaul ?Sorrefitowitb diil&Franco, who had 98 RBIs two years ago. Pitchers can’t tool around with Kenny lofton on tass.

->-Xffi2-gan»*»edul0. Never say never as long as Bito Seiig and Don Fehr inhabit the same planet, but this should be the first time since 1993 that Belle has been allowed a tull-season try.

•Salary drive; It would be out of character forthe lodlans to make one of theircore players twist inthe financial wind,But with thedub'expected to win the World Series, it.would make even less sense to give him one of baseball's

essert is a banana split with three scoops and gooey topping.

“Do you keep a diet1" I ask.

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“Low-fat" says Belle, smearing marshmallow sauce across his tongue.

Dessert is about to be served in Belle's professional life; the fun is just starting. He is negotiating a new contract that will carry him through his prime years and likely be his most lucrative. He wants to stay an Indian; the Indians want him to stay. Money could be a problem if BeBe is as hard on Owner Richard Jacobs as on my expense tab. In­ dians officials expect Belle to draw a bead on Griffey’s recent four-year. $34-raiflion deal Nobody doubts that Jacobs, swimming in money, could make Belle baseball’s highest-paid player. (The question is: Does Jacobs want to create a structure that will crack under its own weight or one that can thrive fa the reality of the Cleveland market’ Problem is, without a labor agreement Jacobs cannot project the market) “If Griffey is worth $8.5 million, what are you worth?" I ask.

“I leave that up to my agent and the Indians," he says. “What do you think?"

“It’s an interesting question. You have to compare yourself with oth­ er players. Is it based on stats, or more than stats?"

He ignores my evasion.

Tm asking you," BeBe persists.

“If I say you’re worth $34 million, (General Manager) John Hart is going to call me and say. Thanks for spending my money.’ * Belle drops a maraschino cheny into his mouth.

“A lot of people have said it ’ Consider these figures: In 249 games over the past two labor-short­ ened seasons, BeBe has more home runs (86) and RBls (227) than: Grif­ fey (183 games, 57 homers, 132 RBIs), Barry Bonds (256, 70. 185), Frank Thomas (258, 78,212) and Cecil Fielder (245, 59,172). Bonds, Thomas and Fielder are fa the $7-2-miHjoD range. Griffey and Bonds are Gold Glove outfielders. Thomas and Fielder below-average first base­ men. BeBe is a below-average left fielder. No, I didn’t tell him to his face.

If BeBe doesn't sign, then he win have ample motivation to post big numbers. There is no guarantee he can improve on last season — he became the first to reach 50-50 (50 home runs and 52 doubles). But again, that was over a 144-game schedule fa which he played every game but one. So improvement is conceivable.

According to Terry BeBe, Albert speculated recently that he could break Maris’ hallowed and surprisingly little-contested single-season record — if he hits 30 by the AB-Star break Belle had 14 at the break fa 1995. When I remind him ofhis remarks toTerry, BeBe declines to take the bit His goals, he says, are to win the World Series and stay healthy.

“I make reasonable goals," he says. “Sixty is a pretty’ hard goal to at­ tain. But 30 is attainable.5 “lf you hit 30, people win say you had a bad year."

“Who?" “Not me. Other people." * “Yeah, but if we win the World Series, they wouldn’t care about the 30 homers.

“How possible is 60?"

“Easy. If you hit IO home runs a month for six months. Sounds like

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a piece of cake, doesn’t it?"

In two months last summer. August and September. Belle hit 31 homers, breaking the previous record for most homers in a two-month span. 28, set by Babe Ruth in May-June 1930 and equaled by Maris in June-July 1961. I mention that Rutitian-Marisian pace to suggest to :^ f- to e - h ^ re tie iffir^ e l^ ^ rt6 r'a BeBe his upper limits. He concedes that the notion of 60 first intrigued prospectrushed to The Show, him while watching a film biography of Ruth.

Belte’*ifag.'fri;-1961, theYankees “It can be done with a lot of luck." Belle says. “Somebody is going were coming off their crushing World to hit .400 or break the home run record, but you’ve got to have a lot Series losito'Bili Mazeroskland the of luck Maybe before the turn of the century somebody will do it."

Pirates,That ’61 team won 109 games “Do you know what Roger Maris went through?" and was driven to win it all, sd tberethe “No." lr:pyrotechnics of Mans andMickey I tefl him about Maris, a shy and reticent man. being hounded by the (54,homarsy.frt intoa bigger * New York press corps and jeered by' fans of Ruth and of Mickey Man­ picture;Befie should;be driven not only tle. a more popular teammate. Maris’ health suffered; pain gnawed at by.'sal^; bubby thatflret ring, too. ♦ his stomach. By the time he broke the record on the last day of the 1961 season. his hair was falling out and his eyes were sunken.

That’s probably because he talked lo the media every day," BeBe snaps.

The story elicits a visceral response.

“He should have just shut them off.” Belle ■' i J . i f Cirl -n o s * u t iJ a n :j( ie iii :«;•* n w titie u t continues. That's what I did after we r u j r i i i ” .r: A i r n ‘ •' a M i . * 5 w J u t * * ; 1 3 :t: j i l l ’; clinched the pennant Even after I got the I*. S » !lit*« litW f .IJH! * ‘ Ii O tfo n e r H»»h* is a lo o k .it record (50 home runs, SO doubles), I shut s >■.* •» Mi’irff? .{•’!(.* .iff*?.* rn** A .i-Sr.if them out So if he had just shut them out it Mr.. M,r s r rut would have been easier for him." : * v -' His mood da^ens at the thought of poor Maris oppressed by media. And then it hits me. lf BeBe chaBenges 61 and media de­ After dre3k Before break scend, Sonny Liston will rise from the dead.

At least I hope so.

Sunshine Albert is a fine offseason identity, suitable for golf and banana splits. But base bad is overrun with cheerful players eyeing careers fa broadcasting. Skulking, glowering home run hitters, on the other hand, are rare.

Albert BeBe should stay the way he is. He may not always be nice, but he’s never bor­ ing♦ Steve M arontz is a senior w riter fo r T he S porting N ew s .

12'BASEBALL

Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan have taken their pitching-restoration program to St. Louis, where the next group of projects awaits B y S t ev e M arantz s thai venerable tandem of Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan start over as man­ ager and pitching coach of the Cardinals this spring, they hope to relive history.

Alm ost IO years ago.

La Russa became manager and Duncan pitching coach they molded one of the best staffs in baseball, converting a journeyman reliever. Dave Stewart. into a dominant starter, and a used-up starter.

Dennis Fxkersley. into a Hall of Fame closer.

Built upon a scrap heap, the A's won three .American league pennants and a World Series Stewart's 16-year career ended last summer.

Af an emotional retirement announcement.

Stewart recounted being at a crossroads, con­ fused and worried. "I didn't know which direc­ tion my career was going in." Stewart said tearfully. “Running into Tony and Dune at that time was a blessing — a flat-out blessing."

U Russa. 51. and Duncan. SO. hope to turn more pitchers in the right direction. They weren’t hired solely to fix pitching — the Car­ dinals need overall improvement after a 61-82 record in 1995 but pitching is what they fix best.

The Cardinals have a handful of veteran pitchers — Danny Jackson. .Andy Benes. Mike Morgan. Gregg Olson. Todd Stottlemyre — who need fixing or improving. They have sever­ al youngsters — -Donovan Osborne. T J. Math­ ews. John Frascalore — who need developing.

The Cardinals did not have an awful staff rn '95. their 4 09 FRA was sixth in the National League, better than the league average of 4 18 But un­ less their offense improves from an N.I.-worst 563 runs and .247 average — and it should with the addition of Ron Gam. Gary Gaetli and Royce Clavion — their pitching -will have to be better The Braves hit only .250 last year and were ninth rn runs 1645). yet won the N .L pennant on the strength of an N L -best 3 4-1 FRA In Oakland. Iii Russa and Duncan were sal­ vage and improvement specialists. Fxkersley. .stewart. Rick Honeycutt. Storm Davis. Mike Moore. Ron Darling and Jeff Parrott revived moribund careers Others who had not bot­ tomed out — Gene Nelson. Bob Welch. Scott Sanderson. Stottlemyre. Jim Corsi — raised

A

performance levels. La Russa and Duncan look at pitchers as an engineering challenge. Cardi­ nals General Manager Walt Jocketty says they enjoy “rebuilding" pitchers. He says they think of ii as “overhauling an engine."

'They see a guy they can Cry-and fix and they enjoy doing it" Jocketty says.

Question is: Do La Russa and Duncan need fixing? Theifc first four Oakland teams (not counting the ’86 half-season) finished fifth, first and Quickly first in ERA The 1991 team dropped to of first the A's.

18th. The division-winning ’92 team was fourth.

The *93 A’s finished last in ER A the '94 team eighth. Last season, the A's finished 12th. at 4.93. worse than the .American League average of 4.71.

Interpretation is ambiguous. Were their best staffs riding the coattails of overpowering teams? Or were their worst staffs .dragged down by poor teams? Can they produce a strong staff with a mediocre team? Pitching is an arcane science. Transforming a mediocre pitcher is only slightly less ambitious than an alchemist's dream of turning lead into gold.

Can they once again elevate mediocre pitch­ ers to a higher level? This season promises to test them with a collection of injury-slowred vet­ erans. unrealized mid-career pitchers and raw youngsters. Can a Stewart or Eckerslev emerge? ("Excluding Fxkersley himself, whom the Cardi­ nals obtained last week from Oakland for minor league pitching prospect Steve Montgomery.)

"I think we have a real good blend." La Rus­ sa says. “But you don't build a Dave Stewpan without a couple of things being true. You can’t create something in a guy who doesn't have it — its got to be there. Secondly, Dave Stewart pitched for a good club, where good pitching was rewarded with good defense and sound baseball playing. The idea is for all that to be in St. Louis."

The acquisition of Eckerslev seemingly com­ pletes the Cardinals' staff, buying the team some time to develop Mathews or Frascatore. both 26. into a closer. But Eckerslev doesn't au­ tomatically solve the closer situation. He w*as inconsistent last season — a 4-6 record with a 4.83 ERA and 29 saves in 38 opportunities — and."’at 41. may be no better than mediocre.

The Cardinals mav have to seek other soludons. One of the youngsters may emerge. Tom Henke may be lured out of retirement or they may opt for something more radical. *

#

BASEBALL • 13

The A’s w ar Under the discerning eyes of

Lo Russo and Duncan (above left), projects past and present wilt be tweaked and tuned up. A green wave of rebuilt pitchers, including Honeycutt. Eckersley and Stottlemyre (below, far right), has hit the Cardinals' camp.

ackson. 34. is an obvious can d id ate for salvage w h o se n am e ju m p ed out at D uncan as he scan n ed the roster. A 23g am e w inner in 1988 w ho w ent 14-6 in 1994. Jack so n w as 2*12 w ith a 5.90 ERA last season, w hen he w as h am p ered by th e side effects of a c a n cero u s thyroid condition and an an k le injury'. “H e’s e x p e rie n c e d su c ­ c e ss." D uncan says. “W e feel like th e phys­ ical ability is still th e re , and if we can pull ev ery th in g to g eth er, h e is a guy who could regain success."

Indeed. D uncan se e s a bit of E ckersley in Jack so n , an aging s ta rte r w ith ero d in g sta­ m ina and a fiercely com petitive nature. T h e notion of co n v ertin g Ja c k so n to a clo sin g role w as d iscu ssed before the acquisition of E ck ersley . "H e w ould b e a g u y w ho ce r­ tainly h a s th e physical ability, e x p e rien ce and b ac k g ro u n d to pitch the ninth inning."

D uncan says. “He could han d le it m entally and physically — w h at's going to scare D an­ ny Jackson? Basically, th a t’s why w e're con­ sid e rin g it. not b e c a u se we d o n 't think he can be a successful starter." H ow ever. Ja c k ­ so n u n d e rw e n t an k le su rg e ry in Ja n u a ry and w o n 't be available for tw o o r th re e m o n th s. But if E ckersley falters, th e J a c k ­ son ex p erim en t could g o forw ard.

A nother possibitity is O lson, in cam p on a mi­ n o r league co n tract after pitching in 20 g am es w ith th e Royals last year. O lson w as an effec­ tive clo ser for th e O rioles from 1989 to '93. un­ til a so re elbow d erailed his career. He says he sig n ed w ith the C ardinals, in p a n b e c a u se of La R ussa's and D uncan's reputation. T h e i r rep­ utation p re c e d e s th em — th e way th ey w ork a staff." O lson says. T h e way T ony ru n s a bullpen is a bonus."

J

5.86 ERA with th e M arin ers after being acq u ired July 31 from th e P adres. His p assiv en ess in a 7-0 loss to th e In d ian s' in G am e 4 of th e ALCS cost him M an -' ag er Lou Piniella's respect.

La Russa and D uncan see in B en es a p itch er who h asn 't learned to properly blend his pow er and finesse T hey see in S to ttlem y re an im proving p itch er w ho n e e d s to b e le ss c a re le ss. E ither o n e could be th e No. I sta rte r, e ith e r one could b eco m e a dom inant t a r t e r "You re ach a point in a c a re e r w hen y o u 're recep tiv e (0 putting it tog eth er."

Russa says. ‘Som e is m aturity Som e is having your feet wet en o u g h to u n ­ d erstan d what it tak es to be succe""fu1 G uvs like T<xid and Andv B ene" — von get th em at th e right point — they re looking to stre s s th e fine point" am bit* th e ex tra th in g s" D uncan sp en t D ecem b er and J a n u ­ ary' looking at tape and talking with p itc h e rs on th e p h o n e C o n v ersatio n ^ wjrre straig h tfo rw ard w hen p o ssib le D uncan identified a p itc h e r'" role ami an expectation of p erfo rm an ce stottlem vre. for instance, was told he i" being £ c o u n te d on for as m any a" >4 "lari". w hich would equal h i- c a re e r high S om e ro le" a re h ard to pinpoint M organ underw ent "b o u ld er "urgery in D e c e m b e r; h e w o n 't b e re a d y u n til May I but "hould mettle in a s th e third . o r fourth s ta rte r then Alan B ene". J I. ^ A ndy'" b ro th er, could break into th e ro* tation but n ee d " a c h a n g e u p to co m p le­ m ent his im pressive speed T he lefthanded ()"borne, an off-speed p itch er w ith control, coo Sd win a spot if h is elbow p ro b lem " a re b eh in d him . M ark P etk o v sek . 30. a rig h th a n d e r {6-6.

4.00 ERA), is in th e mix.

O n e of th e se tu p sp ecialists will b e H o m y c u n . 41. w ho like S tottlem yre. E ckersley. Bar­ re n and M oore c o m e s to St. Louis as a form er O akland reclam ation su c c e ss story H oneycutt h o ld s a sp ecial place in La R ussa's and Dun«

to ttlem y re . 30. and B enes. 28. p o se ro u g h ly th e sam e c h a llen g e . Both a re big. stro n g rig h th a n d e rs al th e ir physi­ cal prim es. Both have experienced m od­ est su cc ess; n e ith e r has b ro k e n th ro u g h a s a d o m in a n t s ta rte r. S to ttlem y re w o rk ed u n d e r La R ussa and D uncan for the first tim e last year and sh o w ed im p ro v em en t (14-7. 205 strik e ­ o u ts). alth o u g h his 4.55 ERA su g g e sts that in­ consistency is a problem . B enes was 7-2 wu h a

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The Sporting News

B A S E B A L L

Ant^B0(ies,§orted^afreeagent by the: Cardinals, coiiW te Torv^v-^ LaAussa'samJ OavetDuman’sm ost challengfrtg^roiecCBehfelias-tfte' ?-k Mariners;Manager Loa Pinielta ' oozed disgustafter;Benes’6-run, 2feinning outing against toe.lndians in Game 4 dftrie AmericaiLiSagae Championship Series.'Rniella, indicated Benes’"nibbling approach is symptomatic;of a weak backbone. It had happened before, iii theriext-toiast game of toe regular season,.when Benes wentl Yj innings and gave up seven runs inta $2 loss ta the ' Rangers. The Mariners needed a victory to avert aglaybff with the Angels.

“Lou knows what it takes to win— nobody is willing to say his evaluation wasn’t a good one," La Russa says.

"But it was Benes’ first postseason.

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appearance, There’s’sblheddng lobe saidtfor growing into telltaiked to /tody. I mnk|to beSev^iwftasl to- I improve lh Mrtato a n ^ '- ; v La Russa’stheorylsthatBm es’ development,was hurtby becoming , toe Padres’ No/1 starter at ayoung age. Series, 28,whose career mark is 76-77, ritade 31 starts for Sari Otego in 1990. That’s a big burden to put on ayoung prtcJrer* La Russa Says. .

Pitching coach Duncan says his firsthand knowledge of Behesis limited, but reports sug'gestthat.

Benes is hurt by predictable pitch selection. . - '■ "lf there’s any criticism of him, it’s that he falls into a.trick-’em mode, a finesse mode, drat other.times a power mode, without blending toe two together," Duncan says. To be consistent you have to nevergive something up. You have to use all toe abilities you have.

“I feel that put on a competitive club he can be a strong force. I’m expecting him to be a success simply because toe situation should be right for him.’

—Sim Muon

can s hearts: he is the only pitcher to be salvaged twice. In the late ’80s, they resived his career by converting hirh to a reliever. In 1994. Honeycutt ap­ peared to be washed up with the Rangers, but the A’s gave him another chance, and he epjoyed a *95 season (51.2.96 ERA) reminiscent of his prime.

In late September, he was sold to the Yankees, who sold him to the Cardi­ nals in the offseason.

"When vou’re with Tonv and Dune it seems simple.” Honeycutt says.

Then you go away. and you see how people make it difficult" * Honeycutt's admiration was ce­ mented after the ’89 ALCS, during which he had three bad outings against the Blue Jays. La Russa stuck with Honeycutt assuring him before the World Series that his setup role was intact. “Ill never forget Tony."

Honevcutt says. “He lived and died with me all year. I helped get us there in that role. Everybody else was ready to w-rite me off."

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he la Russa-Duncan Method emphasizes preparation, psy­ chology and communication:

■ Preparation. Studying

opponents' tendencies, identifying a pitcher's role. perfecting mechanics and un­ derstanding the pointillist art of pitching, as distinct from throwing.

Duncan pioneered in the early 1980s the study of tendencies and matchups — common practice today. He constructs elaborate charts showing which pitches work and fail against individual hitters, and pitchers’ effectiveness against individual hitters. He breaks cate­ gories into subsets, and subsets into esoteri­ ca. Raw data is processed by microchips im­ planted in the heads of La Russa and Duncan.

■The biggest thing they do is throw you into situations where you can succeed, and af­ ter you succeed you get confidence again."

Honeycutt says. “Its hard to explain, but you feel like you’re on the same wavelength with them. Most of the guys who are in the bullpen, after a while when the phone rings, nobody' is looking to see who it’s for. The guy is already taking off his jacket because he knows when he’s going to be used."

A's catcher Terry Steinbach says: “Dunes a teacher. A guy might think he needs a new pitch when the pitches he has are fine: it’s how he's using them. Dune helps him figure it out’ Stewart blossomed when Duncan encour­ aged him to throw a seldom-used forkball.

Moore was transformed when Duncan helped him add a forkball. Last year. Duncan rearranged Stottlemyre’s mix. increasing his volume of curves and changeups.

“They break a game down to its simplest form for you to use your strengths." Stottlemyre says. T hey give you a game plan that’s easv to understand. When vou walk on the mound you're confident in your ability to match up."

■ Psychology. The focus is on confidence.

Duncan and La Russa monitor confidence as carefully as farmers watch weather.

“One rule is," La Russa say's, “if a guy has pitched his heart out, and you know he's not going to finish, you try to do two things. Try not to let him face the goahead run where he can be the loser. .And that means giving your bullpen a chance to make a mistake without putting them on the spot Why wait until the bases are loaded? "... .All it is is paying attention. Take time to

Lefthanded complement Osborne should win a

starting spot if his elbow problems are cured pay attention to 25 guys. Pay attention and use common sense, lf you're going to change a guy’s role from more important to less impor­ tant there’s going to be a consequence. You better do something lo anticipate it Its not going to happen showing up late and doing it the last minute. You gotta think about it" .An example: Stottlemyre lost 6-1. to the In­ dians July 21. allowing six runs in six innings.

The game was the first of a three-game se­ ries; the A ’s wanted badly to win after drop­ ping four straight in Geveland a week earlier.

But Stottlemyre’s pitches were not moving.

Body language betrayed Stottlemyre’s dis­ couragement he is a tightly strung personal­ ity' whose emotions sometimes get the better of him. Duncan cornered him in the club­ house; a quiet conversation ensued.

Later. Duncan recounted the discussion. “I told him not to get overly concerned." Dun­ can says. “lf you start 30 to 35 games, you’re going to get a few where you go out without much to work with. That’s part of it Get ready for the next one.

“It’s not very often I talk to pitchers after a game. That was the right time to talk to him. rather than let him go home and beat himself over the head."

Honeycutt says: *What they do best is get inside your head."

■ ConmanIcation. An attitude. Honest dis­ cussion underlies Duncan's and La Russa's relationships with pitchers, lf a pitcher’s mix is too predictable or he is nibbling needless­ ly. he will hear about it lf an arm or an elbow is sore, he must report it lf a role is changed. a pitcher will be told why and what to expect in the immediate future.

Steve Ontiveros, a righthander with a his­ tory of arm problems, recalls being pulled from a close game last season — in the fifth inning — after throwing IOO pitches. The A’s won. But Ontiveros felt the hook was hasty; La Russa invited him into his office.

"How long you been playing’ " La Russa asked Ontiveros.

Since 1982, the pitcher replied.

“Between me and Dune, we have close to

50 years experience," La Russa said.

La Russa explained that Ontiveros had been going seven or eight innings per start, throwing a lot of pitches.

Here was a chance to rest his arm, give the bullpen work and still win the game. Down the road. La Russa said, Ontiveros would be given a couple of extra innings, Ontiveros walked away in agreement “Handling pitching is one of the places where you get a chance to make a contribution as a manager."

La Russa says. "You don’t invent any­ thing. You just learn it."

La Russa suggests — perhaps too modestly — that his handling mainly involves allowing Duncan room to ma­ neuver. T h e things pitchers get here they get mostly from Dune," he Says.

Tou need mechanical help, he can do that You need work around the edges psychologically, hell work with your mind and get you believing positive.

You may have this kind of fastball and hell say, ‘lf you use it like this, en tgjT count ifs real good.’ The otEertfeng is that Dune is the least buDcrap guy a lot of us have met They trust him im­ plicitly."

But the combination of La Russa and Duncan is more than the sum of individual parts, says Yankees G.M. Bob Watson, who was an instructor and coach with the A’s in the mid-‘80s.

“Dune has a real good working knowledge of pitching, and La Russa is a leader who un­ derstands people." Watson says. T h e conti­ nuity they have together has a lot to do with their success."

La Russa and Duncan became a tandem in 1983, when Duncan joined La Russa and the White Sox as pitching coach. They guided Chicago to a division title that year, helping LaMarr Hoyt blossom into a Cy Young win­ ner.

Fired by the White Sox in June 1986, La Rus­ sa took the A’s job less than a month later, bringing Duncan. Stewart’s conversion oc­ curred the first season; Eckersle/s the sec­ ond. Davis was salvaged in ‘88, and Moore in ‘89. Davis went from 3-8 in ’87 (with the Padres and A ’s) to 16-7. Moore improved from 9-15 (3.78) with the Mariners in ’88 to 19-11 (2.61) in ‘89. tacking on three postsea­ son victories The Cardinals signed Moore (515. 7.53 ERA with Detroit in *95) to a minor league contract last week.

By that time. La Russa and Duncan had in mind qualities defining a salvageable player.

Tou want somebody who still has the ability to perform, the desire to improve his perfor­ mance and an overwhelming desire to com­ pete." says Duncan, a former catcher, “lf you have somebody with those ingredients, then you have a shot. Then it’s a matter of the way they’re thinking. Something has got in the way of their success" Not every salvage attempt works The late Eric Show, in 31, was a notable and lamented failure. Shawn Hillegas, in *92-93, could not be helped, nor could Storm Davis, in 33, on a second tour with the A’s Stewart returning to the A’s in 35, had nothing left Salvage failures in Oakland were magnified due to an absence of talent in the farm system.

The Cardinals’ system supposedly is more fer­ tile, with pitching prospects Matt M orris Bri­ an Barber and Mike Busby on the vine. lf so, La Russa and Duncan won’t be per­ forming CPR — Cardinals Pitcher Resuscita­ tion — as often. ♦ 5

Steve M arantz is a senior writer for T

he

S p o r t in g N e w s .

BASEBALL • IS

February 26,1996

and be successful.

Yet. that isn't the Dodger style. Scioscia hasn't paid his dues. He has nev'er managed, and until he obtains the experience in the mi­ nors the organization will wait. ' “It's not like I don't fee! I can do the job." he says. “but right now I don’t consider my­ self a candidate. Fred Claire savs he wants someone with managerial experience, and I don't have that prerequisite."

Sciosoa was offered the opportunity to man­ age in the minors this season to prepare for the possibiiiry. but instead he o p t ^ to return to his job as a roving catching instruaor He simply isn't ready to hit the traveling d ro iil again, not with a wife and two young kids.

Russell. 47. long has been considered the front-runner to be Lasorda’s successor l ^ sorda. in fact. even'’’publicly endorses him Russell spent two years in .Albuquerque in 1992 and *93 believing he was the heir appar­ ent. Yet. his stock appear^ lo be slipping, ac­ cording to organizational source'^, and his close lies with Lasorda might actually be a hindrance.

Speculation will continue, and the baseball in'dustry will contin'ie to await the idenpiy of onK the third Dodgers manager since Charlie Dressen was replaced after the 1953 season.

Then again, who says l.asorda ever will step aside.'

“I laugh when I hear pLH)ple say that if the Dodgers go to the World Series, Tommy may just hang them up." former manager Sparky .Anderson says. "You got to be kidding Tom­ my? I tell you what. if the Dodgers win the U'orid Senes. he's going lo w-ani to manage an­ other five years. He am i goin' no place ' Remember, this is a guy who d<x'sn’i 'goli I)oesn'l hunt. Doesn't fish. Never play'; tt-nni<. Cerxamly nevtT skis. ^ “So if I retired." l-asorda says. nearly in a whisper, “w’n ai would I d o ' I mean. what els*would I d o ' Baseball is my life I love this job I can't imagine being without it. I rememb«'r Far! Weaver once told me. You love u* m an­ a g e ' I can't stand it.' I don’t understand that How- can you quit doing something you love lo do'"

BASEBALL REPORT

There’s no final chapter for this successor story

Bob

NIGHTENGALE

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before returning.

“Can you imagine if I went down to (TripleA) Albuquerque in *88 when they wanted me to?" Russell says, laughing. “Man, I’d still be down there, wailing. I joke around and say.

Tom m y, come on. give one of us a chance.’

Bul he just may outlast all of us."

The theory am ong sources within the or­ ganization is that if this really is Lasorda's fi­ nal year. then Regan would take over until Sdoscia is ready, lf Lasorda, 68. continues to m a rin e for several years, then Regan coaid be skipped while the job is being passed direciK’ to S d o sd a.

In fact this should be Lasorda’s final year as Dodgers manager, and che stage is set for Regan. You simply don't volunteer lo manage at .Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League at age 58 when it would -be so easv' to stay in the majors as a coach or front-office executive. ‘ I hear that a lot and I’m always asked th a t" Regan sa>'s. “bul I really can't see Tonv my retiring. I did this because I still love man­ aging. I couldn't dedicate IO years of my life to give it up after one year. B u t hey. if I’m in the position, and being in the organization, I just hope I’m considered. \Vho really knows what will happen?"

Indeed. Fred Claire, the club's executive vice president insists no list of successors ex­ ists. No one has been promised an interview, he says, let alone the job. “It's craz>' to think of who m ight be there right now." Claire says, “because we don’t n e ^ to know."

Regan, who managed the Orioles to a dis­ appointing 71-73 record last season in his first year as m anager, still is the heavy favorite. #

ight years have passed since Bill Rus­ sell first was asked to prepare for D odgers M anager Tom Lasorda's job.

Phil Regan, who manages a team each win­ te r in Venezuela, has listened the last IO years to rum ors he would be the one lo re­ place Lasorda Mike Sdoscia still was sitting behind the plate when he first heard his future was man­ aging the Dodgers.

R e ^ e Smith had just become a m em ber of the coaching staff two years ago when w hispers em erged that he would be the next Dodgers manager.

The baseball world continues to speculate on the chosen one to replace Lasorda. and all but Smith public!)' say they are interested, but the truth is there is no guarantee in the near future that the job wiD becom e open.

Bobby Valentine got tired of w-aidng. So did Davey Lopes. And Kevin Kennedy. And T err)' Collins. And Jerr>' Rov'ster. Regan, too.

Road to recovery Acting Com m issioner Bud Selig couldn’t help but break 'into an expansive grin on the opening of spring training. No strike, no re­ placem ent players, real har­ mony.

TTie mood is good." Selig says. “I think w e’re in the eariy stages of a very power­ ful recovery. T he acrim ony has been r o u t e d on the i i bor scene, at least publicly.

Tm very encouraged.

“Does that mean there iai't work still to be done? Of course there is. We need a la­ bor deal But when you think of where we were a year ago and aD the turm oil I feel bet­ ter. We've come further than anyone could have ‘imagined."

O p ^w id e

; I ■ f : ; I V I I : I

Stfaig Ray; AU Knight needs is

talent to match his confidence. and proclaimed; “Actually. I had a bigger challenge in 1979 when I took over third base for Pete Rose with the Reds. Nobody believed in me except (Jenera! .Manager Bob Howsam. M anager John M cNamara and myself. Peepie in baseball didn’t think I had a chance to perform, but I did. Had I gotten caught up in people's negative expecta­ tions and feedback.

I wouldn't have succeeded."

Knight also said the Braves’ sweep over the Reds •

Rookie Reds M anager Ray Knight already had angered his colleagues by criticizing predecessor Davey Johnson and announcing that manag­ ing really isn't that difficult Now he is at it again.

Knight walked into camp

He's one of Claire's closest associates, and certainK* one year didn’t provide time to eval­ uate Regan’s performance.

“I still haven’t quite figured out what hap­ pened." Regan says, ' ^ ‘e won 71 gam es anc the Rockies won 77 games. (Don Baylor) was manager of the year and I got fired. (Pittsburgh .Manager Jim) Leyiand w-as 27 gam es oui of first place and he got a five-year contract.

“It was difficult because it takes time to put in a philosophy E venihing I did. they said.

T h a i’s not the Oriole way. This is the way you do things.' Well. that way hasn’t worked in 12 years, so maybe it wasn't the right way" If Began indeed is the m anager in wailing. then Scioscia. 37. is the m anager of the fu­ ture The D odgers players rave about his managerial instincts and intelligence. Veter­ ans swear he could step into the dugout now

knows it can't have any negalive influences ... Expos M anager Felipe Aiou says son .Moises is ‘ ready for a big year" after w-atching him swing the bat in the Dominican W inter League playoffs and the Caribbean Series.

Says Dad: “I saw the return of a much more dramatic hilAround the bases te r." ... Now that Dustv BakLook for the Cubs to \ er has named Osvaldo Fer­ nandez as his No. 4 starter. m ake som e major moves it m eans the Cuban defector this spring. Surety, they can’t fittingly will make his major expect to com pete with their league debut April 5 at Flori­ current roster. "I certainly da. T h e re ’s an outside think clubs will be in a posi­ chance it even could be tion to make som e of their against fellow defector Livan quality players and pitchers H ernandez, although he is available in the right kind of m ore likely to be the M ar­ deal." G eneral M anager Ed lins’ No. 5 starter “W herev­ Lvmch says. ... Indications e r it ends up being will feel are that the union and man­ special." Fernandez says agem ent are in agreem ent through ag en t/in terp reter on interleague play for 1997.

Joe Cabas. ‘But if it’s Flori­ If that was going to be a da, it will be more special be­ sticking point in further la­ cause of the large Cuban bor negotiations, then it’s population."... Paul .Molitor good news.... The Tigers are says his right shoulder is downplaying it, bul C edi sore. bul the Twins are un­ Fielder's attitude will be ad­ concerned. M olitor under­ dressed in camp. The club went surgery in .November, knows he would prefer be­ David Cone knows he and ing with a contender bul also in the playoffs occurred only because of pitching. ".At­ lanta’s starting eight was not as good as our starting eight Bul we couldn’t match up with their pitching, especial­ ly in depth. Once you got into the seventh inning, evervthing swung in their favor"

V.

Beglanfag of the eaet? Replacement talk is sttU in vogue in L A . at least regarding Lasorda

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other Yankees will have lo take on more of a leadership role with Don .Mattingly gone “I think everyone looked to Donnie and terred^to him on a lot of is­ sues." Cone savs. Cone has been talking lo the new- play­ ers about how lo deal with .New York. "If you prove you can take a shoL the New York media will give the benefit of a doubt, by and large." he savs. .. The Yankees finallv got their lefthanded reliever when Steve Howe finally ac­ cepted their non-guaranieed offer. Howe will almost suredty’ make the team since the Yankees have no other lefthanded relief pitchers with big-league experience other than Paul Gibson ... The Reds have offered .%V^VK)i ) in base salaries with incenuves to Kevin .Mitchell and Deion Sanders, but neither is biting.

The Reds are shopping .Mark Portugal and John .Smiley, hoping to trade one of their salaries by Opening Day for a less^xpensrve starting pitch­ er. The duo will make a com­ bined S8.6 million this season.

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The Red N)X lead the m.i|or league^ with o2 player^ in camp, but the Tigers have 2>i' pitchers in camp I niortunaiely for the Tigerv. their .'i*' pitchers have combined j’or onlv Ifv' victones. which would rank third behind Den­ nis .Martinez t’2 3i) and Den­ nis Eckersley fl93) In fact. the Tigers' tentative Opening Dav roiauon consists of Sean Bergman. Felipe IJra, J o v lim a. Clint Sodowslo and C J Nitkowski. Their combined major league record. 2t>47 lo ts of luck. Buddy Beil #

Bob Sightengale covers the Dodgers fo r the h is Angeles Times.

FOR UPDATES on Bob Ni^ttengale's T SN BasebaU Report, c d f 1-R 0M 6M 40G , 95

cents per minMte. In Canada, ^ » /^ 1 * 9 0 e4 5 ^ 3234, $ L 4 5 p erm inu te, Callers under 18 must have permission. The ser­ vice is accessible fivm touchtone and rotary phones.

The Sporting News

The old-fashioned way The return of a real spring training means the return of dollar-free, no-nonsense notes from your favorite team’s camp. Here are the first reports from Arizona and Florida:

field, the com petition will be am ong Curtis Goodwin's speed. Steve G ibralter’s hustle. power potential and solid defense and Thom as Howard's reliable bat but average de­ fense. ... Four-fifths of the rotation is set (Pete Schourek. John Smiley. Dave Burba and Mark Portugal), but with W eDsgone, there is a battle for the final s p o t T he candidates in­ clude Trevor Wilson. Kevin Jarvis. Tim Pugh and Gabe AVhite.

Checking in: M anager Ray Knight says one of his biggest concerns in camp will be finding someone who can help set up Jeff Brantley or even close on occasion. ... General M anager Jim Bowden says one of his main worries is that, other than Reggie Sanders in right field. he doesn’t have the 100-RBI hitter he had in recent years in left field and the middle of the lineup.* — M K E BASS

Checking In: General M anager Ed Lynch will be w atching for trades that can fill voids that m ight pop up in the starting rotation and Camp competition: Gener­ bullpen. Though he refuses to say his team needs pitching, he does say quality pitchers al Manager John Schuerholz did some minor tin­ | could be available w hen team s assess the kering with the bench ( spring health of their p lay ers.... Second base­ man Ryne Sandberg w orked m ost of the win­ and starting rotation ter at the team 's training hom e in Mesa, Adz. during the winter, but “I feel great physically." he said as pitchers he didn’t disturb the and catchers reported to camp. "Thirty-six regular lineup or the top isn’t that old. T h a ts all individual. I stay in tour starters. T here are only three openings Camp competition: Pitch­ shape. I’m very active. It all feels g o o d ." ... on the 25-man roster, two in the bullpen. Four ers Mike D ejean and Riggleman says m ost of the spring will be de­ relievers — Mark Wohlers. Greg McMichael.

John Habyan and catch­ voted to fundamentals.

"Talent-wise, w e're a Brad d o n t? and Pedro Borbon — are set. A er Jeff Reed are the only good ballclub: we’re not a great ballciub." he pair of middle reliev ers/setup men will come players on the 54-man savs.

“We need to fine-tune parts of our from a group that includes Terrell Wade and r spring roster who were gam e."

— DAV* VA* DYCK Brad Woodall, veteran Rod N ichols and not in the organization youngsters Joe Borowski. Darrell May and a y e a r a g o . B ut t h a t Tom Thobe That leaves one opening on the doesn’t mean everything is set. The biggest bench, and it s up for grabs between Tyler question is a rotation that has only two sure Houston, who can.play a variety of positions, mem bers; Bill Swift and Kevin Ritz. T here are Camp competition: The but doesn't have any big-loague experience, eight candidates for the other three starting team lost half of its and infielders Kd Giovanola and Aldo Pecoslots — .Armando Reynoso. Bryan Rekar. Mar­ third-base platoon when rilli. Rookie righthander Jason Schmidt will vin Freem an. Mark Thom pson. John Burke.

Mark Lewis was sent to replace Kent M ercker in the rotation as the Roger Bailey. David Nied and Lance Painter.

Detroit to com plete the fifth starter, while rookie catcher Eddie David Wells trade, leav­ Reynoso and Rekar would appear to have tile Perez, a defensive specialist, will serve as inside track, and Freem an is com ing off ing Jeff Branson as the Javier D>pez’s backup O utfielder Jerom e lone incumbent. His de­ arthroscopic elbow surgery. Painter is the Walton was signed as a backup outfielder and only lefthander of the group. Eric Young fig­ fense m akes him a good bet to at least platoon pmch-hitter and will be reunited with former ures to be the leadoff hitter and second baseagain.

Bul there are a lot of candidates this Cubs team m ates Crreg M addux and Dwight man. but he will open the season on the dis­ season. Willie G reene, last season’s Opening Smith. abled list with a broken bone in his hand. That Day third basem an, has great power but a Checking in: second basem an Mark Irm k e opens the door for Jason Bates and rookie wants to continue being the No. 2 h itle r Ele­ questionable work ethic. C hris Sabo is back, Craig Counsel!, who will battle for the Open­ but w hether his back will hold up is ques­ vated trom hi'' N o s spot late last season when ing Day job. Bret Saberhagen. who is hoping tionable. .Also.- there are prospects Eric Jell Biau'ier failed to produce. I-emke hit .301 to avoid reconstructive shoulder surgery, Owens and Pokev Reese. In left field, with in the second spot and feels he should open won’t decide until March.

Ron Gant gone. Ainee Coleman may get the the sea>on in the same slot. However. M an­ Checking in: The team heads into the season nod if the team wants to em phasize speed, lf ager Bobby Cox says Blauser. despite a ca­ with a new-look coaching staff. Gene Glynn. power is more the concern. Mike Kelly. Nigel reer-worst .211 average*, is the better No. 2 hit­ who joined the staff when Don Zimmer Apison. Eric .Anthony or Brian H unter has a ter Pointing at Blauser's ability to hit behind w-alked out last June, is the only holdover, and better shot. Eric Davis had .All-Star-caliber a runner and his better speed. Cox will proba­ he will be m aking the adjustm ent from the speed and power in his first stint with the bly restore him to the No. 2 hole. but l^ m k e first- to third-base box. M anager Don Baylor team, but a year away from the game because no doubt will be pushing Blauser — B ai ZACK of injury m akes him a long s h o t.... In center I also will be working with new pitching coach

ATLANTA BRAVES

COLORADO ROCKIES

CINCINNATI REDS

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CHICAGO CUBS Camp competition: How do you replace Randy M yers and his leagueleading 38 saves’ That’s the big question Manag­ er Jim Riggleman has to answ er in spring train­ ing The apparent solu­ tion is Doug Jones, w ho is live years older than M yers and saved lo fewer gam es for the Orioles last season. But Riggleman could go with a bullpen by com m ittee if Duane Ward and Rob Dibble can come back from arm surgeries or young T e rn - Adams grows quickt f\ into the role Riggleman also has to fwd a third basem an to replace Todd Zeile Dave Magadan could be a shon-tenm answer, but he lias never reached double-digit home runs so look tor veteran U h? (rome7 lo get a look.

Incumbent left fielder Ions Gonzalez could be in trouble if American Association home run leader B ro o k ' Kie*chnick show s he can hit big-league pitching rn the spnng.

Hews at 5: Riggleman has a few questions to answer at the Cubs' Mesa camp, most notably how he is going to replace M yers'38 saves. Our question .Jim: How did you pry the media away from Sandberg?

Frank Funk. first-base/hitting coach Ken-Grif­ fey. bench coach Jackie M oore and bullpen coach Paul Zuvefla. Funk was pitching coach at Triple-A Colorado Springs (Pacific Coast) the last three seasons and spent much of the last three springs training with the big-ieague club.

— Tracy Rb g o lssy

FLORIDA .MARLINS Gasp competition; With the lineup, bench and rotation set. the only questions are in the bullpen.

T here are givens: Robb Nen will be the closer and .Ale­ jandro Pena the setup man. W orkhorse Terry M athew s will be any­ thing from a setup man to a long reliever.

H ell be joined by M att M antel and Yorkis Perez, who threw well during the winter and may be ready to recapture his 1994 form after a tough ‘95. That leaves one bullpen opening (spot starter/lo n g reliever) and a lot of candid dales. Front-runners Ryan Bowen. Dave W eathers a n d M ark G ardner all filled that role atvsome point last season. T here are also Randy Veres. Jay Powell, the team 's M inor leag u e'P itch er of the Year in *95. and former Cy Young winner Mark Davis.

Checking In: Gary H ughes, the team ’s direc­ tor of player personnel, says to keep an eye on righthander Mario Brito. “He could be a sleeper." M anager Rene Lachemann saysSUthough h ell turn 30 early in the season. Brito is com ing off a good year in Taiwan and an even better w inter in the Dominican Repub­ lic. ... Many think that Livan H ernandez’s big contract will push the front office to do what­ ever-it can to see that he m akes the te a m ....

Chris Hamm ond’s second-half slide has made him the fifth starter behind Pat Rapp and will have him looking over his shoulder if H er­ nandez has a stunning spring. Lachemann and pitching coach Larry Rothschild would prefer not to put H ernandez in the bullpen.“W e have to see how close he is to pitching in the big leagues." Dombrowski says. “If he is. we might have to look at that (bullpen spot). Cleveland did it with Julian —Scan tiOLLEY T a v a re s’

HOUSTON ASTROS Camp competition: The biggest battle this spring will be for the middle-relief spots. T he team needs a replacem ent for Dave Veres, who pitched in 72 gam es last season with a 22 6 ERA. He was traded to the Expos for third baseman Sean Berry. One person who will get a long look is hard-throw ing lefthander Billy Wag­ ner, who has been a starter iii the m inor leagues. He struck out 80 batters in 76^ in­ nings last season at Triple-A Tucson (Pacific Coast). O ther pitchers battling for a relief spot include three newcomers who were signed as tree agents: Anthony Young. John Johnstone and Scott Bankhead. M anager Terry Collins says he probably will start the season with an 11-man staff. T he big question is w hether John Hudek can return as the team 's closer.

He had surger)' last June to remove a rib that was causing circulation problem s in his right arm. Hudek threw the ball well the first few days of cam p and says he has no lingering problem s from the surgery. If he isn’t ready

by April I. then Todd Jones will be the closer.

February 26,1996

!

Checking In: Jeff

Bagwell ar­ team and also has the apti­ rived in Florida a week early tude for the job. But his 78 to get in some extra work. He strikeouts are a concern. If had toyed with the idea of Tarasco isn't up to the chal­ changing his open batting lenge. and if Felipe Alou stance to protect his right m akes good on his plans to h s id . which has been broken | drop W hite into the middle in each of the last three sea­ s of the order, then M ike U nsons. But he has abandoned | . sing or M ark G rudzielanek that idea, saying the new pro­ 2 will lead off. M oises Alou tective device he began wear­ would then shift from left ing last Septem ber will pre­ field to right, and the leftvent the injury from reoccur­ field spot would fall to Henry ring. ... Collins says he plans Rodriguez or possibly Cliff to start Rick Wilkins at catch­ Floyd. L efthanders Rheal You know the drill: Bullpen er. with Tony Eusebio play­ C orm ier and O m ar Daai and competition is nothing new for ing against tough lefthanded righthander Tavo Alvarez fig­ Osuna and other Dodgers. pitchers.

Collins wants ure to fight it out for the fifth Wilkins' lefthanded bat in the lineup and likes s ta rte r’s job. The final area of com petition the way Wilkins calls a gam e and handles the could end up being solved via a trade. Alou — T bhy Buran will use three catchers as long as slow-foot­ pitchers. ed Darrin Fletcher is his No. I man. but the only reserve strength he has is Tim Spehr and m inor-leaguers Bob Henley, Chris Howard and Raul Chavez and strong-arm ed Camp com petition: Left lifer Gilberto Reyes.

Checking Im Early medical reports on field, th e No. 5 spot in righthander Ugueth Urbina, a hard thrower the rotation and the who underw ent arthroscopic surgery on his bullpen supporting cast shoulder, are optimistic. Still. Urbina would be for T odd W orrell are a long shot for the fifth starter’s spoL ... team priorities in the Righthander Derek Aucoin. the Montreal na­ spring. In left field, all tive who has a chance to earn a bullpen spot af­ eyes will be on Billy ter a strong performance in the Arizona Fall Ashley, who was handed the job last season League, showed up for early workouts with his and played only 81 gam es, batting .237 with wrist bandaged after a m inor injury suffered eight hom e runs. If A shley falters again. while he was lifting w-eights.

—JffF l&Affi th re e rookies are ready to pounce: Karim Garcia. Todd H ollandsw orth and Roger Cedeno. Team officials want to see how Ashley responds. T h ro u g h o u t his career, it's ta k ­ en Billy two years at each level before m ak­ Camp com petition: The ing an im pact," Executive Vice P resident m ost intriguing- sce­ Fred C laire says. “I d o n ’t view th is as a nario in cam p involves m ake-or-break situation. We have four play­ the infield in general ers who all played well in Triple A and de­ and shortstop in partic­ serve the opportunity to c o m p e te ."... Pedro ular. Rey O rdonez. 23.

Astacio. who ended last seaso n in the and Jose Vizcaino, iden­ bullpen after struggling as a starter, wili get tified by M anager Dal­ first crack at winning back his job. Korean las G reen as the m ost valuable player in the rig h th a n d e r C han Ho P ark and D arren D reifort, who m issed all of last season b e ­ '95 second-half surge, are the key p la y e rs cause of arm surgery, will provide the com ­ O rdonez will win the shortstop job or return to the m inor leagues. If he is dem oted, the petition. Two lefthanders. Joey E ischen and infield alignm ent probably will revert to the Gary Rath, also are in the mix. Antonio Os‘95 version — Vizcaino at short, Jeff Kent at una. Scon Radinsky, John C um m ings. M ark G uthrie. Rudy Seanez and Eischen are com ­ second and E dgardo AJfonzo at third. But Vizcaino and Alfonzo are w orking at all peting for bullpen jobs.

Checking In: T he spring’s first casualty was th ree positions and Kent is working ai sec­ ond and third. O rdonez works at shortstop coach Reggie Smith. His surgically repaired exclusively. G reen acknow ledges the team right knee gave out while he was hitting would have g reater depth if Vizcaino is the ground balls the first day of capip. Smith all-purpose backup, lf Pete H am isch (shoul­ called it a slip, not a knockdow n, and re­ der surgery) isn’t ready for the start of the turned to duty with a few lim ps.... Promising season. Dave Mlicki or Juan Acevedo prob­ infielder Wilton G uerrero, Garcia and third ably fill out the rotation. Jason Isringhausen. basem an Dave Hansen were early arrivals so Bill Pulsipher, rookie Paul Wilson and Bob­ thev could be checked out bv the m edical s ta y All sustained minor injuries playing win- - by Jo n e s are all-but-certain starters. Tr.e — Gordo* V B w ai i right-field job appears to belong to Carl ter bali.

E verett. But veterans Ryan T hom pson and C hris Jo n es, non-roster additions Jerry B rcw ne. Gary V arsho and Gary T hurm an and rookies T errell Lowery. Jay Payton anc!

Camp com petition: The Alex O choa will get a look. T he club hopes to find a lefthanded setup man am ong C hris question heading into spring training is: Who i NabhoLz. Bob M acDonald. Pedro M artinez will get the third out- j and Steve Dixon.

Checking In: Todd Hundley, recovering from field spot surrounded wrist surgery, probably won't play until midby Rondel! W hite and March. ... Varsho. a lefthanded hitter, has a M oises AJou? Tony good chance of winning a spot. None of the liktvTarasco will get first Iv reserves on the roster — Tnompson. Jones crack at the job because M anager Felipe and Butch Huskev — bats lefthanded, (hiIv .Alou would like him rn sci*- the leadoff soot swiich-hiiter Browne and Kevin Roberson can outright. Tarasco. who led off 41 arnee last proride lefthanded hitting.

— MARTY NOBLE vear. ie die bes- Dure base stealer on the

N I. • 17

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS

NEW YORK METS

MONTREAL EXPOS

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T h e M ic k e y M a n tle F o u n d a tio n , the S ta te University of New York Health S c ie n c e Center at Brooklyn, and Brooklyn Union have teamed up to raise aw are n e ss about the dire need for organ donation.

Right now, 42,224 people are waiting for donors.

M any who can be saved must wait. For some, the wait costs them their lives.

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The Sporting News*

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Camp competition:

lieves Bell has enough narurai line-drive pow­ er without trying to hit hom e runs. On the other hand. Ire la n d thinks Orlando Merced would be better served by thinking long ball more often. Irelan d says Merced often sac­ rifices power in order to hit for a higher av­ erage.

— J OHI MEHM

,c .'rv V MJ -»r

With onlv one reserve-infield job open among tile po­ sition-players and 31 pitchers going alter ll spots, it's not hard to find The most comfiertive pan of camp “A lot Camp com petition: One of clubs are bringing in a lot of pitchers." says of the five candidates M anager Jim Fregosi. who wilkgo with five for the second-base job starters and six relievers (two lerty: four is Geronimo Pena, who righty). With Cun Schilling (shoulder). David has been the starter sev­ West (shoulder) and Bobby Munoz (elbow) eral tim es the last few no! expected to be ready lor the beginning of years but could not hold the season. Fregosi opened camp with just it because of injuries. two sta n e rs — Sid Fernandez and Mike Pena still has value because of his speed and Williams The battle tor the final three slots in­ power potential as a leadoff man. Longtime cludes Tyler Green. Mike Grace. Willie starter Jose Oquendo figures more as a utiliBanks. Dennis Springer. Tommy Greene and tyman. and Mike Gallego. who cam e from Carlos Crawford If Springer doesn't start, he the A's. might wind up as the starter if Pena has experience in the "bullpen T h a ts where can’t play. David Bell, who hit .250 as a rook­ Dave Irip er. Steve Frey. Ricardo jordan and Michael Mimbs will fight for the two left­ ie. and smooth-fielding Tripp C rom er also are in the mix. Look for Pena to win the job if handed jobs. Ricky Bottalico. Ken Ryan. Toby he can stay healthy, but La Russa likes the Borland and Mike Walker are the favorites for idea of Gallego pushing him. At shortstop, the righthanded spots. .As for the reserve-inthe only question is when Royce Clayton will lleld slot, it's between Howard Battle and Kevin Jordan. The winner will join Mike Ben­ i take over from Ozzie Smith. Smith. 41. says his arm is ready for the challenge after shoul­ jamin as tile other infield reserve. Catchers der surgers- last season. It would be a big sur­ U*nny Webster and Mike Lieberthal are vying prise if Smith beats out Clayton, but Smith to be Benito Santiago's backup However, ifs has surprised people before. T he big ques­ likely W ebster will be dealt. Fregosi says he tion is: Would Smith agree to be a backup? will c a rn - six outfielders. The seventh. Tony Itever caught without his tools: Benito Santiago's arrival at spring training as catcher for the At catcher. Tom Pagnozzi must re-establish l-ongmire. is a candidate to start the season on Phillies means the Darren Daulton experiment in left field is officially on. himself as a force.

T he backup job will be the disabled list because his broken left wrist contested among Danny S h e a re r. Pat Bor­ Checking In: Rookie shortstop Jorge Vethe leading contender to land the fifth starting hasn’t healed.

Checking in: H ie club hopes reuniting Terry ders and Scott Hemond. With starting pitch­ landia, whose glove is better than his bat, will job.

Checking in: Right fielder Glenallen Hill says get a strong test in spring training. T he team Mulholland with pitching coach Johnny Pe­ ers Danny Jackson (ankle) and Mike Morgan (shoulder) not ready for the start of the sea­ wants to see if Velandia. 20. can back up Anthe left hamstring pull that limited him to dros will help Mulholland regain his old form son. Mark Petkovsek has a chance to regain dujar Cedeno. For now. Archi Cianfrocco and pinch-hit duty for the final week of was ac­ after two substandard seasons. “The reason a p diion spot, but don’t overlook Brian Bar­ Craig Shipley have that job. and those two tually a two-inch tear. Hill-expects to be ready he wanted to come back here was because of ber. a former No. I pick. for the .April I opener in Atlanta, but his slow also can play outfield and c a tc h e r.... Though Pods." Fregosi says.

— GeORSE A. KIM III Checking In: Dennis Eckersley w'as acquired he was signed to a minor league pact, Chris recovery will give more playing time this spring from the A's at the start of camp for righthander to non-roster invitee Mel Hall Mark Leonard.

Gwynn is almost certain to be one of the rn Steve Montgomery Eckersley is expected to fill te am ’s five outfielders. That m eans young J.R. Phillips and perhaps Mark C arrion, the the closer breach until T J. Mathews is ready. slugger Melvin Nieves will be traded barring team’s starting first baseman. ... After the Camp competition: There ... The A's connection was extended when the an injury. ... T he team is attaching a score­ team's first workout. Baker tentatively named team signed veteran Mike Moore, who starred Mark Leiter. William VanLandinghara. .Allen board in right field that will result in the wall will be a free-for-all tor l a Russa in Oakland but bombed last vear in Watson and Cuban defector O s v id o Fernan­ being about three feet deeper and l l feet for the 11 jobs on the Detroit.

— RIC* KIMME higher. dez as his starting pitchers. — MARA SOCALES — TOM KRASOVIC pitching staff with as many as fivi* available.

Righthanders Steve Par­ ris and Est eh an Diaiza will be trying to m i a m i Camp competition: G.M. their jub" in live rotation. Righthander Jon Camp com petition: The Camp competition: The Pat Gillied took care of Bieber, who had a terrible season last year. health and production of starting lineup is set. second baseman Robbv most of the team's ques­ .md lefthander Steve Cooke, who was oui all What isn't are starting year with injuries, will be trying lo make the tion m arks during his Thom pson figures to pitching spots four and whirlwind spending ‘.earn. Dan Plesac has one of the lefthanded five. at least one bull­ have a big effect on Che team's offensive and de­ spree in December and "jail" in the bullpen, but the other two are up pen spot and a utility •or grab" It Jason Christiansen doesn't \xK January. T he starting job. Ideally, righthander fensive plans. Thom p­ come a starter he'll have one of (he other lineup appears set, Scott Sanders would r e son. 33. has played in a Holdover i>ee Hancock and non-roster total of 130 games in the past two seasons b e though there is some question about the w*ay turn as a starter, bul he must show he has M anager Davey Johnson will handle third additions Dreg Cad aret and Joe KTink are in surm ounted an elbow injury- that nearly r e cause of season-ending surgeries on both base and designated hitter. B J. Surhoff was die hunt. too. along with Kevin Rogers The shoulders, as well as left groin and right quired reconstructive surgery. Righthander signed to be the third baseman, but hell prob­ other big issue i> al catcher where either JaTim Worrell, who had reconstructive elbow quadriceps pulls. Manager Dusty Baker wants Min Kendall or .Angelo Kncamacion will stay ably get significant playing time as the DH. "iirgery in May 1994. will compete for anoth­ Thompson to play in at least 135 gam es and .md the ru n n e ru p wjj) go lo Triple A to play er starling job. as w-j}] journeym an Willie hit in the second spot to take advantage of his leaving a partial opening for utilitymen Bill •egularly Die job i" Kendall's to lose as camp Ripken and Jeff Huson. That is. if Johnson Blair and lefthanders Glenn Dishman and bunting ability. However. Thompson hit .209 »pen> The other seven positions are -set. as Fernando Valenzuela. General Manager doesn't decide to beef up the offensive lineup in 1994 and .223 last season, lf Thompson .in* the prime backup" — Nelson Ijriano in Kevin Towers has a hunch: “I think Tim Wor­ struggles at the plate, shortstop Shawon Dunby moving Bobby Bonilla into third base and using Mike Devereaux as a regular outfielder. rell will step up." T he camp's 28 pitchers will ston may have to hit in the second spot. Dun' fit infield and I lave Clark in the outfield. The The starting rotation is all but set with new­ .•iller competition is tor backup spots with include several fringe starting candidates ston hit .296 last season but had onlv seven John Wehner. Kevin Young and Patricio Clau­ who have major league experience: Pete sacrifice bunts. Rich D elu cia's shoulder com ers Kent M ercker and David Wells join­ dio holding the edge Jacob Brumfield and surgery will sideline him tor most of the ing Mike Mussina, Scott Erickson and rookie Mnith. Paul Abbott. Richie Lewis and Mike Midn* Cumming" are candidates to be traded Oquftt. The team wants a second lefthanded spring, putting a greater em phasis on Jimmy Haynes. The fifth spot appears to be Checking in: Hit learn i" counting on Jay Bell reliever to go with Ron \Tllone and thinks righthanded relief help to set up closer Rod Haynes' to lose, but promising Rick Krivda :«■ "tar: strong till" season Bell will hit rn the joey b in g is ready. Ii he isn't, righthanders will get a look and veteran .Arthur Rhodes Beck. The candidates include Mark Dewey. rniiicH* ot the order this se ason, bul Manag­ I Justin Hemianson and .Andres Berumen will Jose Bautista. Scon Service. Sergio Valdez and could be a possibility- if he recovers from er Jim I .ex land want" to m ake sure Bell have a better chance The plan is to carry 11 shoulder surgery ahead of sch ed u le .... There Carlos Valdez (no relation). Jamie BrewingI ton. who went 6 4 as a rookie last season, is ii*•♦•"JI t change Ins approach I re la n d bepitchers. are bullpen jobs open, though newcomers •

•

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

SAN DIEGO PADRES

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

SAN FRANCISCO GLANTS

•

MUSTY MKN* OY / ASSOCIATED

PW SS

•

February 26,1996

Randy M yers and Roger McDowell leave only the long- and middle-relief roles in doubt.

Righthander .Alan Mills should fill one of the roles. T he final spot could go to newly ac­ quired Keith Shepherd or O scar Munoz.

Checking in; Outfielder Bobby Bonilla didn't have to be here early, but he arrived at train­ ing cam p m ore than a week ahead of sched­ ule after spending much of his offseason play­ ing winter ball in Puerto Rico. Is this guy fired up about 1996 or what? “I'm excited every baseball season." sav•• s Bonilla, who — entering his first full year in an Orioles uniform —is one of the re aso n s expectations in Balti­ more are at a 13-year high. — P E T S SCHMUCK

Checking In: Hart sa y s he h as been chasing

Anderson tor at least a year. .Anderson, th*third overall pick in the 1993 draft, went 6-.' with a 5.87 ERA in 18 g am e s, including 17 starts. "We have been short of starting left­ handed pitching tor som e time." Han sa y s.

"W ethink Brian may have been rushed to the m ajor* a little We see a very high ceiling for him." T o acquire him. the Indians shipped righthanders Jason Grimsley and Pep Harris to the .Angels.

— SHHJIGK OCKER

DETROIT TIGERS

BOSTON RED SOX Camp competition: .AQ positions appear set with the possible excep ­ tion of who will fill the utility roles. T h e fiveman rotation h as four righthanders (Roger C lem en s. .Aaron Sele.

Tim Wakefield. T om Gordon) and a left­ hander (Jamie Moyer). M over might lose his No. 5 spot if he h as a bad cam p and righthander Je ff Suppan h as an outstanding one. However, the team still would like Sup­ pan to get a little Triple-A experience. Second b a se apparently will be m anned by WTI Cordero. He h as played there sparingly in his m ajor league career, but i t s his position to lose. That m eans last seaso n 's starter. Luis .Al­ icea, will probably wind up on the bench or on the trading block. The outfield is set with Mike Greenwell in left, newly acquired Alex Cole in center and J o s e Canseco in right. Freeagent signee Mike Stanley will be the catcher, and Mo Vaughn (first). John Valentin (short) and Tim Naehring (third) will round out the infield. T h ere will be no competition in the bullpen, which will be com posed of Heathcliff Slocum b. Stan Belinda, Mike Stanton. Mike M addux and Jo e Hudson.

Checking in: All e y e s in the early d ays will be focused on Sele. who had sh oulder problem s last year. His return to top form is a m ust if the Red Sox hope to com pete with the Orioles and Y a n k e e s .... C lem en s stirred controversy even before arriving. He appeared signifi­ cantly overw eight during a nationakTV ap ­ pearance two w eeks before cam p opened. But he say s he will work the extra weight off dur­ ing the se aso n . Last year, he w as about 20 p o u n d s overw eight when he reported. He ended up getting hurt and didn't pitch until ju n e 2.

— Joe Grouorn

fJ r

ka

CALIFORNIA .ANGELS Camp competition: At least four jo b s will be con tested — second base, third b ase , catch ­ er and the No. 5 starting pitcher. Last se a so n 's I^ Opening Day starters at seco n d and third — Dam ion E asley and E duardo Perez — cam e to .Arizona a s underdogs. Over the winter, the team acquired Randy Velarde in the h opes he can bat leadoff and play second, and signed Tim Wallach and ja c k Howell to platoon at third base. E asley and Perez immediately began training h a r d e r .... Brian A nderson, who w as a favorite to be the No. 5 starter, w as traded to the in d ian s mainly b e c a u se h e's lefthanded. T h e A n g els already have three solid lefthanders in the rotation. Righthander

Home delivery. Anderson is from the Cleveland area, but the main reason he was traded to the Indians, the Angels say. is that California had too many lefthanded starters and Geveland too few Phil Leftwich is the new favorite. In the trade, the team received 28-year-old journeym an starter ja s o n Grim sley and 23-year-oid minor le agu e reliever Pep Harris. N either is e x ­ pected to land a spot on the roster. Only three to five jo b s on the staff appear to be open, and 24 pitchers are fighting for them.

J o r g e F a b r e g a s is the leadin g candidate to take over the catch ing job from departed G reg M yers.

Checking in: T here are 61 players in camp. Of th ose, a club-record 22 are non-roster invi­ tees. The previous record for non-roster invi­ tations w as 16 (1987 and '94). ... General M an ager Bill Bavasi is exploring the idea of m ultiyear con tracts for J.T . Snow. Jim E d­ m onds. G arret A nderson and Troy Percival. ... M an ager M arcel Lachem ann again is run­ ning a tight cam p, with heavy e m p h a sis on conditioning. W hen laid-back reliever Lee Sm ith saw L ach em an n 's drills for the first time last spring, he muttered. -What is this, football?"

— D ave C u w h g h a m

oles. Typically. Tapani did pitch a combined 190S innings for Minnesota and Los .Angeles last season. "We think we can com pete with all (five) of them." M anager Terry Irvin gton says, closing the book on that subject.

Checking In: It's a whole new ballgam e for Karkovice. “ I can see again." he says of g o g ­ g le s worn to correct eyesight problems. "I’d been wearing contacts, but obviously, they didn t do much good." Karkovice hit 217 last s e a s o n .... Jason Bere and Wilson .Alvarez, twin disappointm ents last su m m er with a com ­ bined lb-26 record and 5.58 ERA. reported with no carryover problem s from nagging in­ juries. Bere, who had an elbow twinge, re­ ceived clearance from four Boston doctors. .Alvarez say s he felt no sh ould er pain in the Venezuelan winter league, where his ERA was 1.26.

— JOE GOODARD

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Camp competition: Get a scorecard. More than ft > players will be in cam p by this weekend, many of them youngsters with much to prove — r a ­ cially on the pitching staff. Righthander S an Bergm an. 25. enters the spring as the rotation “veteran" with a grand total of 31 major-league starts and a 5 18 KRA S>. even though the r*> tation.is penciled in as Bergm an. Felipe Lim. J o s e Iama. Clint S x io w s k y and C J Nitkow­ ski. expect som e of those nam es to change Other candidates range from bargain pickup Omar Olivares to talented but inexperienced p ro sp ects Justin Thom pson. Brian M oehler and Mike Drumright. The bullpen also figure" to be competitive. T h ere is no d o s e r G reg Gohr h a" the fastball for the job. but it " un­ certain whether his ofw en d er arm can take the pounding With newly acquired Mark Par ent in camp. last year's starting catcher. John Flaherty, will have to prove that his secondhalf fade w as an aberration First base is Tom Clark'" tor the taking, but h ell need to im­ prove on his one-month major league num­ bers 1.238,three homers) Powerful ex-Padr-Eddie Williams could challenge, or the dub. could fall back on Cecil Fielder, who - be"! suited to HH now Bobby Higginson and I bm ny Bautista will battle it out for left field, and Higginson wall win unless Bautista m a g i c a l discovers how to hit.

Checking in: It'* literally back to the drawingboard in Buddy Bell's first spring a" manager Bell will ux- a chalkboard to g e l points aero— a s the d u b em phasizes teaching, scouting .mb development. Bell is an easygo in g type b u ­ bas no patience for a (ack of effort or bad fur.dam rntai" — REID CREAGER

Camp competition: With a set lineup, at least fourfifths of a rotation and a bullpen that returns in­ tact. M anager Mike Har­ Camp competition: T h e grove and CLNL John club is so confident its Han have few decision* five offseason acquisi­ to m ake in sp n n g train­ tions of Harold Baines. ing. However, there will be a battle in three ar­ Danny Tartabull. Tony eas. Mark Clark appears to have a lock on the Phillips. Kevin Tapani No. 5 spot in the rotation. However. H an say * ■and Darren Lewis will if Chad O gea or Albie l>opez perform s well in fill major holes that man­ the spnng. then the team might seek a trade agem ent can think of only three small holes for Clark. O gea made a strong im pression os left for patching — even though the team fin­ a rookie last season, l-opez has yet to be given ished 32 g a m e s behind the Indians last se a ­ an extended big league trial, but no one son. The sp o ts include a backup catcher to doubts he has the stuff to win. la s t week. the I Ron Karkovice (switch-hitter Chad Kreuter rotation got another competitor in lefthander has the ed g e after se e in g limited duty with Brian .Anderson, obtained from the .Angels Seattle in F995). a fifth starting pitcher (Kirk With Hargrove leaning toward keeping l l M cCaskiil h as enough experience to go into pitchers instead of 12. there will be room for cam p a s the leading candidate over J a m e s two utility infielders and two extra outfielders.

Baldwin. Scott Ruffcom . Luis Andujar and .Alvaro Espinoza is almost certain to return as Mike Bertotti) and middle relief (Bill Simas. a backup at third and shortstop The question Matt K arch ner and Larry T h o m as are in front). T o think the new men will m ake the I is whether Mario Diaz. Scott le i u * or Herbert Perrv* will make it. Perry• is the best defensive club better is assum in g a great deal. Exclud­ fir^t basem an on the club and dem onstrated ing Lewis, who is 28.^ the av e rage a g e is 35. prom ise at the plate last seaso n However.

Barnes and Phillips are the only on es coming Karkovice wrtti a ‘s e e 1: 77m Mute Sox catcher Hart might not want him to spend most of hi" off really good seaso n s; Phillips hit 27 home tics his stints >n: some new goggles time sitting on the bench runs for the .Angels and Baines 24 for the On-

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

r

The Sporting News

20 • A l.

s a y s .... Torre says he warn': worry too much about the prospect of g e e in g tired, always a possibility when you're working for G eorge Steinbrenner. “Eve b een fired three tim es al­ ready. Eve been in baseball 30 years. Em very confident in what I can do. T he first job. sure it's tough."

— JO I H e t m u

KANSAS CITY ROYALS tiff

Camp

competition:

Even' non-pitching spot is unsettled. The out­ field is loaded with you ng talent, notably M ichael Tucker. John­ ny Dam on. Tom Good­ win and Jon Nunnally.

Damon 3nd Goodwin seem sure shots, ll Bip Roberts tails to deliver at second base, he could com plicate matters by m oving to left field That would eliminate T ucker and Nunnaily. although either could be a lefthanded HH. a spot that would be shared with nghthanded-hirting Joe MtieDo. The infield likely will feature Bob Hamelin al first Roberts at second. Jose Offerman at short and a Joe Randa-Keith Lockhart platoon at third.

H owever, surehanded David" Howard wall push Offerman and Roberts, and M anager Bob Boone might use Howard to shore up a w eakened d efen se Howard s hitting picked up last season , so don't overlook him. He could force Offerman to third base. The catch­ er's spot belongs to Mike M adarlane. but the Royals an* high on Na! Fasano. GiTthe rotation. the first four are set with Kevin .Appier. Mark Gubicza. Chris Haney and Tim Belcher. The fifth spot is open with lefthanded jason lacom e the top contender. The bullpen, headed by closer Jeff M ontgomery, appears set with Hipolito Pichardo. Rusty; M eacham and Mike M agnam e. Bul with 29 pitchers in camp, ih erell be fierce competition.

Checking lo: T h e Royals, still seek in g righthanded-hitting outfielders, signed exMariner Patrick le n n o n and have him in ihe big leagu e cam p ... Veteran lefty ’Tim Browning, w ho abandoned a com eback from a broken arm last sum m er, is back. “W e’ll find out as quick as we Can on him." Boone sa v s — OIC* KaEGEL

Bando spent a good deal of tim e this winter d efending Ins farm s y s te m and scou tin g d e partment. Of th e players the team drafted in the past seven years, only eigh t played in the majors last year Of ihe 700-plus major lea­ guers. onlv 35 cam e from the B rew ers’ sys­ tem .

— D rew O lsot

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

MINNESOTA TWINS

Carap competition:

It s no! as urgent as a lack it lependable pitching or as vexin g as :he club '* perennial injur* problem s. but a logjam of infielders prom ises to b e one of the m ore in­ teresting problem s for Manager Phil Gamer jo se Valentin ha> a 'lock on the starting job at short mop The other three infield spots are •pen It appears that Dave N ilsson. John Jaha anti Kevin Seltzer will split duties at first base and b H A: secon d base. Pat lista c h will bat­ ik* Fernando Tina .md rookie Mark b iretta it none of th ose three em erg es, i lam er could *hi?t Jeff Cirillo — the heir apparent at third - .a second and slide Seltzer to third With f rr«*c Vaughn set lo return lo left field and lew com er Chuck Carr entrenched in center.

-.lie battle tor ihe right-held job will be am ong Mat* M ieske. Turner Ward and David Hulse ■>K»k *o! Ward. a <witch-lutter 'n platoon with viieske* who bats righthanded Expect Jamie \U Andrew, Brian Givens. .Angel Miranda and stev e spark" *<> com pete for the final two sjvijs -.r the -oration behind Ben M cDonald.

Rh k\ B on es .md sco tt Karl le ft ie s Kevin W ickander and vsrneme IJoyd will work as mer: ak mg «:ih Mark Kieler and a host o! o t h e r s

Checking in: T *p pr.»>jxv:> Jeff D Amico. An■•>ne W illiam son and Gruff Jen k in s appear in ad*-.; th.- big irS gu es The tim ing . V I . s.- V tt r r I Jenera) M anager n j ! . . .

OAKLAND A’S Camp competition:

Starting over Aguilera, who arrived in Florida last week with his daughter Rachel, will try to secure victories instead o fsates with the Twins in his second tour with Minnesota.

Camp com petition:

.Al­ ler Rick Aguilera. Brad Radke and Frankie Rod­ riguez. th e o th er two sp o ts in th e rotation a r e o p e n . L o o k fo r righ th and ers Jose Par­ ra. LaTrov H aw kins.

Scott K lin gen b eck and Marc B arcelo and ‘lefties Rich R obertson and Dan Serafini to make bids. T here also ar. plenty of bullpen sp ots open — Pat M ahonias. Eddie Guarda­ do. Scott W atkins. Greg Hansell. Dan Sault)* and K lingenbeck will battle. Matt W albeck figu res to be th e catch er, but ih e club sig n ed G reg M yers, w ho will co m p ete for th e job. T he club would like Paul M olitor lo play first b ase, but h is cranky sh ou ld er could open (he door lor Scott Stahoviak and Ron C oonier. T he scen ario is sim ilar at third, w h ere if n ew co m er Dave H ollins stru g g les Stahoviak ut C oonier will step in A side from ih e p itch ing staff, the m ost in­ terestin g com petition may be in center field, w V r c free agen t Roberto Kelly and you n g ­ sters Matt Lawton and Rich B ecker will duel for th e starting job.

Checking in: .After suffering through one of the m ost em barrassing sea so n s in club h is­ tory*. :be Twins are cham ping al the bit. T m excited to get going." General M anager T r ry Ryan says. “I like our everyday nine. I think we're goin g to score runs. W e have a d ecen t balance of lefthanded hitters and •yc hi barnier* lf we can hold em (opponents) ♦

down with our pitching, that's a big q u e s­ tion."... Players are looking forward to being reunited with .Aguilera. “It's certainly a pleas­ ant surprise." W albeck says. “I look forward to catch in g him as a starter. I always liked catching him as a closer. He's easy to work with ’ — S c a n M iller

. NEW YORK YANKEES C u p competition:

With D ennis Eckersley gone, the closer's spot is open.

The early candidates in­ clude Don W en d en .

M ike M otlier and Jim Corsi. who at 34 is the oldest player in camp.

But an interesting name has em erged for the c lo s e r s role:Todd Van Poppel. who would be ecstatic if given an opportunity to win the job.

A year ago. when Van Poppel relegated to the bullpen at the start of the season , he moped about being forced to relieve. Sudden­ ly. the idea of closin g appeals to the former wunderkind who has struggled to find a niche in the big lea g u es sin ce being picked 14th overall in 1990. T he idea has m erit especially considering Van Poppers overpowering fast­ ball and more mature outlook. O ne consider­ ation that should be taken into account is the fact Van Poppel is just 24.

Cfescktag in: Aside from third base, the infield appears to be s e t Jason Giambi and Scott Bro­ s e s will battle for the starter's spot at third.

Expect Giambi to win the com petition with Brosius becom ing a Tony Phillips-type player.

Brosius can play third base, center field and left field. G iam bis lefthanded bat has appeal, as d o es Brosius' versatility. E x p e a both to get at least 400 at-bats this season. The rest of the infield will line up with Tern- Steinbach at catcher. Mark M cGwire at first Brent Gates at second and M ike Bordick at s h o r tsto p ....

The outfield com petition is less clear with G eronim o Berroa. .Allen Barde. B rosius and Pedro M unoz the early leaders to start.

M unoz and Berroa likely will split rime b e­ tw een designated hitter and starting in right field. ... Minor leagu e outfielder Scott Lydy had his contract sold to a Japanese league team.

— PHW) S W E

Man ager Joe Torre says four sp ots in the rotation are set: David Cone. Kenny Rogers. Dwight Gooden and Andv Pettitte. Vving for the fifth spot are Jim m y Key. Scott Camp competition: Un­ K am ieniecki. M elido Perez and Mariano le ss Darren Bragg re­ Rivera. If Key proves healthy, the job should gains the stroke that be his. However. Torre says he isn't counting made him a solid minor on Kev for April. In that ca se. K am ieniecki league hitter, the team would he th e likely ch oice. Perez had elbowwill open the season trouble th is winter, and the Y an k ees don't with its sixth different feel they can count on him. Rivera is a candi­ left fielder in as many date tor th e bullpen. T here are lots of righthanded relievers, so Jim M ecir and Rich I years. Bragg earned the starting job last spring, only to falter and return to the minors.

M on teleon e may have trouble m aking the Vince Colem an, who finished the season in learn. Presum ably ahead of them are closer left. is go n e and Rich .Amaral and A lex Diaz John W etteland plus Bob H ickm an. Jeff N el­ uil! g et looks. But the probable starter is Luis son and Rivera. Steve Howe appears to b e a Poloma. a free agent w ho signed a minor lock as ih e lefthanded reliever. Paul Gibson league contract and entered camp as a nonand a host of young lefthanded-relief candi­ roster invitee. Another priority is finding a dates are hoping Torre k eep s two lefties in the bullpen. .Among position players, the only starter to join Randy Johnson. Chris B osio. question involves the readiness of top short­ Sterling Hitchcock and Bob W olcott in the ro­ stop prospect Derek Jeter. Torre says the job tation. T h i s is the best collection of young is Jeter's to lose, but Tony Fernandez, whom arms we've had sin ce Eve been in Seattle." the club has tried to deal. is waiting in the M anager Lou Piniella says. Salomon Torres and Edwin Hurtado, a righthander acquired wings.

Checking in: Camp se e m s m uch m ore re­ from the Blue Jays, are tront-runners. Two laxed with Torre in com m and than it had bullpen spots are available with veterans been with Buck Show alter. who was big on Norm Charlton. Bobby Ayala and Mike Jack­ regim entation and structure. “I'm easygoin g son a ssu red o f jobs. First base ha< been hand­ as long as everybody w ork s hard." Torre ed to new com er Paul Sorrento •

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SEATTLE MARINERS

Al • 21

February 26,1996

Ctecfcbig ta: PinieDa welcomed 27 pitchers to the first day of camp, bul Hurtado wasn’t one of them. His arrival was delayed by visa prob­ lems in his native Venezuela. BnieDa says he win increase the intensity of workouts.

■TVe’re going to work these kids hard." he says, "There is no slacking off. We'D probably work them a little harder than in the past just to send a little message."... Unl&e last season, when spring training was dominated by trade nimors involving Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez, this camp wiD be virtually traderumor free. *TVe can concentrate on getting our work done and preparing for the champi­ onship season." PinieDa says.

Stb^

and Jeff W'are. afl of whom have had Dmited experience and success, and youngslerswith-a-bu(Iet Travis Baptist and Marty Jantzen. lf second-year man Tomas Perez, a slick-fielding 22-year-old natural shortstop who sat on the bench last season, doesn’t win the second base job outright he wiD be sent to the minors to play sh o rt and veteran utili­ ty infielder Domingo Cedeno probably will inherit Roberto Alomar’s old position. Bill Risley, obtained in a trade from Seattle, has the inside track on the closer's role but is by

THX.A.S R.-\X(;ERS C n p cp y irtltlo a: The team's priority is to find a fifth starter lo go with Ken Hill. Roger PavUk. Bobby Witt and Kevin Gross. Darren Oliver will win the job if he shows he has recovered from a partiany tom rotator cuff. Bul the con­ tender list includes righthanders GiJ Heredia and Rick HeDing and lefties Mark Mimbs and Tim Rumer. Competition could be stiff for buUpen spots alongside Mike Henneman.

Matt Whiteside. Ed Vosberg and Dennis Cook. Heredia becomes a strong candidate if he doesn’t win a starting job. Lefthander Dan Smith could jump into the pictufe if he shows he has recovered from the elbow problems that sidelined him last season. The lineup ap­ pears to be set with Ivan Rodriguez at catch­ er, Win Clark at first base, Marie McLemore at second. Benj! Gil al shortstop. Dean Palmer at third. Juan Gonzalez in left field.

Darryl Hamilton in center. Rusty Greer in right and Mickey Tettletoo at OH. Damon Buford, who was acquired from the Meis. could push Hamilton, but not before Opening Day. is: The major focus wiD be health, and everybody wiD keep a close eye on the players coming off injuries. Of particular con­ cern are Palmer (biceps tendon). Clark (el­ bow), Gonzalez (back). McLemore (shoulder) and Tettleton (knee). AD have received good winter reports, and the team looks for (Gonza­ lez to bounce back in a big way. He cut back on his ofeeason weight-Dfdng routine and has dropped excess buBt in his ch est Team offi­ cials are hoping that wiD increase his flexibili­ ty and bat speed. ... There has been talk of (^nzalez moving to right field because of his strong arm. Greer, who has more range, would shift lo left — SOUJVAI

no means a shoo-in. Mike Timlin has ex­ pressed a desire to compete for that job. Tim Crabtree, who made 31 appearances as a rookie last year, also is being considered but wiD likely l ^ d a setup role.

Cbeeklag ta: Danny Cox. 36. will be hard­ pressed to keep his long relief job after see­ ing his 1995 season ruined by injuries.

Miguel Cairo, obtained from Seattle in the Risley trade, and Triple-A grads Tilson Brito and Felipe Crespo will give Cox a definite run for his money.

— STFfE MaTOI

QuantriU hop€S to solve one of the Blue 5 Jays ' problem this I spring by filling a spot in their rotation.

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TORONTO BIT E .I.WS coapetltior. Sec­ ond base, long reDef, closer and the fourth and fifth spots in the n> tation are the critical contests as the team opens camp, but the most important battle could be Juan Guzman against himself. After checking him out in winter bafl, management has him pegged as No. 3 in the rotation, but if he continues a two-year pattern of wildness and enough starters emerge in camp, the Bluejays could release Guzman by March 26 to save th r e e ^ a n e r s of his salary. Con­ tenders for the fourth and fifth spots include Paul Q u^triD , obtained from the PhiDies. holdovers Giovanni Carrara. Woody Williams

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22 • NFL

The Sporting News

NFL REPORT

mond C hester and Mike Siani. two men who switched places in a famous 1978 trade engi­ neered by M archibroda. C hester joined the Oakland Raiders and becam e a star. Siani joined the Colts on crutches.

M archibroda is a wonderful locker-room leader who should never have been dumped

by Indianapolis. But hiring him without a strong general m anager is like electing a Bal­ timore mayor who is allergic to crab.

B ill The form er Browns are desperately in P IES C H K E need of reshaping. But M archibroda and Owner .Art Model! — who presum ably will combine to make the decisions — are sales­ men. Not architects. Though Marchibroda in­ ed M archibroda recoined the Balbdeed led the Colts to a 31*11 record and three m ore No-Tell M odells last week. division cham pionships in his first three and you would have thought thai years as coach (1975 through ‘77). it was dur­ Norm Bulaich himself had come swaggering through the door ing that time that he presided over the franchise's eventual destruction.

T here was talk of Bort Jones, and Lvdell With picks such as Burke and McCall and Mitchell, and three consecutive playoff sea­ sons under T n d e Ted in the mid-TOs. Kids 1 trades like the one involving Chester, he laid the shaky foundation for a collapse that beran out lo bin- black high-tops. Adults gan with 3*11 seasons in his last two years flocked to Ear! M orrall's old barber. For peo­ ple who can recite every start by a certain (1978 and 79).

How did M archibroda acquire so many shortstop, th ese M arylanders have very short memories. good young players in Indianapolis? Easy. He 7Te talk should h a w been of firsJ-round didn't. Bill Tobin did. M archibroda’s most no­ bust Randy Burke, and first-round bust Reese table personnel move last season was placing McCall, and a streak of nine consecutive los­ Craig Ericksoq ahead of Jim H arbaugh before the season, and vou know how thai ing seasons that began on M archiboda’s watch The talk should have been of Ravturned out.

T

♦

Green. Terrell Buck­ ley. Louis’ Oliver.

Just one day into Steve Emtman and tree agency, the Randal Hill. process reached This vear. there is the height el silli­ a chance they may ness w-hen D arren spend zilch. True to W oodson received his controlling na­ a raise of nearly ture. Jimmy Johnson U t hi percent One wants nothing to do day. the Cowboys' with anvbodv who safety is m aking mav not think he is St30.000 H ie next The Almighty. Crazy day. he is being as it sounds, he has handed a check for a point.

S3 t million as part "Anv tim e vou of a six-year deal bring a veteran in. worth Sib million. you're going to have T h e government a guy w ho’s been W ithholding on this through the rigors of check is m ore than pro football, and I ve made in my en­ who's going to have tire career." Wood­ an opinion on how son told agent U*igh you do things." John­ Steinberg son savs.

"NN’hen rvou • n T he Cowboys bring in a college could have slapped player, he doesn’t a franchise tag on have any opinions W oodson and it since its his first ex­ would have cost posure to profession­ Star power. The 'Boys got their man, signing them about Si J* mil­ al football. lion. total But thee Woodson to an outrageous SlS-million deal.

“I'm not in te re st­ were ultimately con­ ed in having a lot of opinions. vinced that if they don't Jimmy’s way I want guys who want to keep thai lag available* for Kmmitt Smith in a couple of I-asl year, the Dolphins work, and who want to do years, it could cost them spent $18 million in signing whatever it takes to win. Vou twice what they paid Wood­ might say. I v/ant guv’s with bonuses to bring in such son stellar free agents as Eric blind loyalty."

Crazy days

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ROBERTO B O R IA /ASSOCIATED PRESS

Without a G .M ., Ted will be toast, not toasted

Forget It The decision-making team of Marchibroda and MOdell won't remake Teds excellent adventure in Baltimore (above).

E nter Modell. whose resum e includes last spring’s debacle of the Andre Rison acquisi­ tion. And the Eric Metcalf departure. And the first-round trade with San Franciso that dropped the Browns from 10th to 30th for the right to pick up nondescript linebacker Craig Powell.

Not to mention. Modefl threw $8.2 million at running back Leroy Hoard, who ended the year as the answ er to a good trivia question: Who w?as the only player am ong the top 20 ru sh ers in either conference not to score a rushing touchdown?

M archibroda is a good pick in plenty of ways. He will soothe any rift between Rison and the rest of the team. He will make Ninny

Testaverde feel wanted again. Players who were beaten down by BID Beiichick’s childish insults will want to play hard again.

But can M archibroda pull the trigger on a new running back tor the le ag u e's 22ndranked rushing offense? Can he find a good cover linebacker and an o th er cornerback for the leag u e’s 24th-ranked passing de­ fense?

The No-Tell Modells — with good wide re­ ceivers and decent offensive and defensive lines — can win IO gam es next season with the right changes.

But hiring a strong general manager would have been one of them. Even the guys from "Diner" could have told vou that.

George’s town If Jeff G eorge re s ig n s with the Falcons, and this is seem ing m ore likely by the day. the deal would be hastened by his father’s health situation. Dave G eorge r e centlv suffered a severe heart attack that caused Jeff to spend several weeks near his bedside. George walked away from the experience with a better realization of the importance of family. .And if nothing else, the Falcons have treated George like family, putting up with his odd behavior when no­ body else would.

9

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Quick hits lf the Cardinals are going to sign sh a k y -k n g d ^ e fe n siv e tackle E ric 9$<mnat the expense o f cornerback A e­ neas Williams V and this looks to be the after Swann was designated a franchise player — some personnel folks have jus! three words for them: You blew it. Williams will play every week. and. heck, he won’t even need a baby sitter named Joe G reene. ... The only thing curious about the axing of W arren Moon at

Staleness of tie Raiders: A l s

image is suffering.

T urner Sports was. what took so long? From the time Moon was charged with as­ saulting wife Felicia last sea­ son. some Turner employees have not hid their distaste for him. ... Somebody from th e C hargers' coaches office will be signing books at a local store this spring, but it won't be Bobby Ross. It will be sec­ retary Tammy Renich. who just finished h er third Civil War novel, this one called, "Not W ithout Courage." In reading the book, you may recognize one of the cavalry­ men. He is "Kidd Carney." a name formed in Renich s mind after years of typing those last nam es next to each other on the C hargers' depth chart. ... W hat has happened to his team is now-

happening to him. Al Davis is slowly b e a m in g an object of public ridicule. He recently attended a Lakers-Bulls bas­ ketball game at the Great W estern Forum. He was booed from the m om ent he stepped into the arena until the time he le ft .As he was walking out. a solitary fan reached down from the stands with his hand out­ stretched.

When Davis moved over to shake it. the man pulled his hand back.

The boos became cheers. ♦ B ill Plaschke covers the N F L fo r the Los A ngeles T im es a n d is a fre q u e n t contributor to THE S p o r t in g N e w s . Bob G lauber's co lu m n w ill return in the M arch 4 issue.

MAKE 1996 YOUR MOST ENJOYABLE BASEBALL SEASON EVER!

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AFC ♦ 27

February 26,1996

BALTIMORE Hew (Batter Bill Belichick was fired as coach last week and replaced by Ted M archibroda.

Beiichick finished with a record of 37*45. a winning percentage of .451. The only other Browns coach with a lower winning percent­ age is Forrest G regg, who was 18-23 (.439) from 1975 through 77. Belichick was 8-2 against the Bengals — 2943 against the rest of the league.

Bargain stopping: When the team shops in the free-agent m arket it will look for every bargain it can find. Not only will Art Model! s team be frugal in seeking free agents, but also some high-priced starters with contracts will be re­ leased before the end of the month, including right guard Bob Dahl, scheduled to make $2 million in 1996. .Also on the way out are line­ backer Carl Banks and running back Lorenzo White. White gained only 162 yards last sea­ son. and he was scheduled to make $900,000 this season. WTiat releasing White does, though, is make even bigger the need to find a quality running back in the draft because the crop of free-agent running backs is w eak Eddie George, the Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, likely will be available when the team picks fourth. The next trick however, is getting him into camp on time. T he Browns have had a poor record of getting their first pick signed earl)' in recent years. Last year, an­ other Buckeye, linebacker Craig Powell didn’t get into camp until A u g u s t... Baltimore could use a cornerback to challenge Donnie Griffin on the right ade. One possibility is Roger Jones of the Bengals, unless Model! wants to grab a headline and go after Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown of the Cowboys. But Brown is looking for at least $2 million a year and likely is out of ModeD’s price range.

— JS T SCHUE

BUFFALO BILLS Franchising Rna: The de­ cision cam e down to this: risk losing a rising star from the offensive line or a veteran lin e backer with trem endous versatility- The team opt­ ed to make left tackle John Fina, 26. its franchise player instead of linebacker Cornelius Bennett. 29. lf Bennett goes, it will be a serious blow to the defense.

With the franchise label. Fina is assured of re­ ceiving at least a one-year contract for $2.64 million.' However, he could have received much m ore upfront money in the open m ar­ k e t The Jets and Raiders had been prepared to make' substantial offers. T he Panthers.

Packers and 49ers are expected to pursue B en n ett who is seeking more than $3 million per year. W ithout B en n ett the Bills would be significantly w eaker at inside linebacker. where their best option would be to retain free agent M ark Maddox, who is recovering from major knee surgery.

The Christie fee: Aware that Steve Christie would have been the top kicker in free agene)', the team locked him up with a fiveyear. $4.25-million contract that includes a $ 1.5-million signing bonus. Christie is the sec­ ond-highest-paid kicker behind Carolina’s John K asay.... W ideout Andre Reed is shop­ ping his services, but he could return if his age (32) and the fact he is recovering from a serious ham string tear scare off other teams. ... To free cap money, the Bills waived fullback Carwell G ardner, w hose 1996 cap figure would have been $700,000. and safety M att Darby ($663,000).

— Vie CARUCCI

HOUSTON OILERS Lining tem up: Two years ago. in William Fuller.

Ray Childress, Glenn M ontgomery and Sean Jones, the team had per­ haps the best defensive line in the league. .After the club's recent moves. Montgomery' is the only one still around. But he may be the next lo go. be­ cause his cap figure will be $1.6 million and because m anagement wants to free up money for other players. The last piece of the team s defensive-line puzzle may fall into place in the offseason. Henry Ford, the club's most con­ sistent lineman last season, will move from right to left end. Left end .Anthony Cook, who was impressive when he was healthy last rea­ son. will move inside and be paired with Gary Walker. The Oilers prefer to solve the right end problem in free agency But if they don't, they probably will use their No. I pick on a pass rusher such as Oklahoma's Cedric Jones or Texas' Tony Brackens. By the start of next season, the club believes the line will be set for several years.

Permission denied: Offensive line coach l a r ­ ry Beightol was hired by the Dolphins, but the Cowboys. Raiders and Buccaneers were not given permission to talk to defensive line coach Rex Norris, receivers coach l^*s Siwifc el and secondary coach Rod Perry, respec­ tively. ... Receiver Haywood Jeffires was waived for the third consecutive year to free up cap dollars. But he didn't appear to be bothered by that and is expected to re-sign ... Two Bears free agents interest the Oilers: receiver Jeff Graham and offensive tackle Jam es Williams.

— JOH* McCuiH

The late stow: Baltimore could draft Heisman winner George, but considering the Browns' poor record o f getting first-round picfts signed early, getting him into camp on time is another matter.

CINCINNATI BENGALS Combine fallout lf the

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

DENVER BRONCOS Change of style: In the

draft were tomorrow, past, the team used to bring in the free agents the team probably would take Auburn offensive of its choice one at time, lock them up in a tackle Willie Anderson nearby hotel and start with the 10th pick. Some piling on the money and people think he's too the incentives until thev young (20) and that he signed. It was effective but also expensive. needs time to grow into his massive. 320Times have changed. This year. Coach Mike pound frame. But the club loved his end-tt>end effort during drills ai the recent scouting com­ Shanahan says the club plans to bring them in bine. where offensive line coach Paul .Alexan­ in small waves of four or five players, send them on their way. then decide later whom to der appreciated his agility. Plus. .Anderson has 35-inch arms, the longest of the tackles at the I pursue. H ie risk, of course, is that another team will do what the Broncos used to do. But com bine. Last year in the third round, the because the club doesn't expect to sign more team took Syracuse tackle Melvin Tuten. who than two or three free agents, the plan should also had the longest arm s in the group (36 help Shanahan and his staff make better deci­ inches). The thinking is that with .Anderson on the left and Tuten on the rig h i the team final­ sions than they have in the past. With Erie Swann designated as a Cardinals franchise ly would have a pair of young, athletic tackles player and Quentin Coryatt designated as a to take them to the next level. Of course, all Colts transition player, the club has shifted its that could change if the club signs a tackle in interest to other pass-rushers. particularly de­ free agency. With only $4 million to spend, the fensive ends. .Among those expected to visit in Bengals won’t be able to get a left tackle, but tHe first wave: the Chargers' Leslie O'Neal, the they could get a solid right tackle such as Lions' Robert Percher, the 49ers‘ -Alfred Richard Cooper or Greg Skrepenak.

Williams and the Falcons' Chris Doleman and More defense? lf the Bengals use their free Chuck Smith. agency money to land veterans at cornerback Contracting: Left offensive tackle Gary Zim­ and offensive tackle, don't be surprised if they m erm an has signed a new one-year contract pick a pass-rushing end at No. IO. They were worth $2.4 million, and the Broncos are ex­ disappointed with the group that worked out pected to start working on an extension for at the combine, but they won't pass judgm ent Pro Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe. ... Den­ until the individual workouts. A defensive pick ver Mayor Wellington W'ebb has approved a would bring moans from some fans. In nine of metro-area tax plan to help the Broncos build the past IO drafts, the club's first pick has been a new $260million stadium that calls for Own­ in the first round. The Bengals have picked a e r Pat Bowlen to provide 25 percent, of the defensive player seven of those tim es, with cost.

— J o seph S a k h e marginal results.

— 6HHT HOBSffli •

Transition game:

N?w Coach Lindy Infante will continue lo be the offen­ sive coordinator, a dual role that should prevent the team from losing astep in its offensive ap­ proach. Al the same time, d in v to r of tnotbalj operations Bill Tobin moved quickly and hired linebackers coach Jim Johnson as defensive coordinator The hope is Johnson will allow the defense to keep its continuity as well “We want to do ever* thing we can to keep the momentum we had coming out of the 1995 season." Tobin says*1 Marshall Faulk questioned the direction the team was headed on the sam e day Infante took over And Faulk's agent. Rocky A ra neaux. says the decision to put the franchise tag on Jim Harbaugh raises doubts concern­ ing Faulk's importance in the offense. Infante did his best to put any Faulk rum ors of bad feelings to rest. “M arshall is a very integral part of this offense, and I don’t think well have any problems." Infante says.

Line concerns: A big question mark in the team 's hope to keep continuity remain** on the offensive line. w here four players’ con­ tracts are up. The Colts made a move to keep one of them when they left the transition tag on tackle Will Wofford The contract with cen­ ter Kirk Lowdermilk could be the key He earned $2.2 million last year and has hinted he may retire, but the Colts need his leader­ ship. The contracts for starting guards Randy Dixon and Joe Staysniak are also/up. The Colts also left the transition tag on linebacker Quentin C oryatt — T EURY Hint*.13 C *

*

The Sporting News

ZIL‘ AfC

as a restricted free agen t Johnson hopes to re-sign Byars, but he will look for som eone in the Daryl Johnston mold in the draft to chal­ lenge Byars in training c a m p . CoUs running back Marshall Faulk has told guard Keith Sim s and linebacker Bryan Cox that he ex­ pects to be traded to the Dolphins for Rich­ mond Webb and a first-round draft pick. The trade probably would benefit both team s, bul it seem s unlikely because of salary-cap con­ straints.

— AfittMDO SALfiOBD

n e \ v e n (; la\ i ) p .a™

is ensured of continuity rn the middle of its fin e.... Defensive end PeDom McDaniels, who developed into a productive reserve last sea­ son. also has re-signed. But there's still much lo do. Among the team’s free agents are cor­ nerback Dale Carter, who has b ^ n designat­ ed as a transition player, and running back Marcus AOen. A dlftsreirt path: The team officially entered the market for a new kicker when it did not lender a contract offer to Lin EUiott, who would have been a restricted free agent With alternatives slim and none in the free-agent market, the team is considering drafting a k ick er.... Wide receiver W ebster Slaughter, quarterback Rich Gannon and offensive bneman Joe Valerio were released to clear room under the salary cap. Slaughter, who caught 34 passes in his only Kansas City season, wasn't a good fit in the offense. Team officials would like lo re-sign Gannon and Valerio at reduced prices. The only quarterbacks under contract are Steve Bono and untested Steve Matthews. Valerio, who has the abibty to deep-snap and play most of the fine positions. is a versatile substitute.

— AfiAllTEIQEt

Bosser’ v o lt e : Quarter­ back Jeff Hostetler is a restricted free agent w hose name has been linked lo the Steelers.

Jets, Eagles. Giants.

Rams and Cardinals.

Owner Al Davis may want VBre-sign him. but does Hostetler want to return to the Raiders? "In my conversations with him since the season has been over, he’s said he'd like to work it oui and com e back (to Oakland)." says former quarterbacks coach Tim P assel who recent^ was named offenrive coordinator of the Cardkials. "Everybody likes to look al their opportunities. He'D look if som eone else is interested, but he’d like to com e back and work H out" Hostetier will be 35 in April and the Raiders have gone 27-21 since he signed a three-year, $7.68^ i^ on con­ tract before the 1993 season. Hostetler usually heads home to Moigantown. W. Va., as soon as the season ends. He stayed in California for a few w eeks to rehabilitate his shoulder this y w . which may indicate he hopes to remain with the team. The Raiders have the right to match any offers made to Hostetler.

Here to Free-agent nmning back Harvey Wilfiams, who d e a r ^ the l.OO(>yard mark for the first time and caught 54 passes (second m ost OO the team), signed a long-term d eal ■With ail the negative things people were say­ ing about me in Kansas City. Al Davis said.

"We're going to see about this.’ * says Williams, p itie d up ^ the Raiders in '94. “He look a gam ble and it paid off. ... Mr. Davis stepped up to the plate and showed Harvey Wifliams can play."

— t e l HATS

.MIAMI DOLPHINS

NEW YORK .lETS

P n rS B l RGH STEELERS

Fatter f l p m : With money to bum and sev­ eral holes to fin a team usually associated with false starts got off to a fast start by sigmng for­ mer Oilers right tackle David Williams to a fiveyear. $12.25-mfllion deal — two days b^bre the offidai start of the free-agency signing period.

Williams, of “Babygate" fame, has b e ^ a free agent since last November, when he was re­ leased by Houston. Coach Rich Kotite says the signing “sends a m essage to a lot of people about how serious we are about turning this thing around." The Jets want to make them­ selves more quarterback-friendly to enhance their chances of signing R ttsburgh’s Neil O’D onnell.... Next objective: finding a quality left tackle. The dub h ^ hoped to pursue John Fma, but Buffalo made him a franchise play­ er. The Jets now will make a run at Detroit’s Lomas Brown and. possibly, the Giants’ Jum­ bo EIliotL Fad still anmut: The team alleviated a potential headache by re-signing defensive end Marvin Washington to a four-year. S9.2-million con­

CHtenaH 0ffer Quarter­ back Nefl O'Donnell was given a SS-milEon-a-year offer in hopes of signing him before the freeagency period began.

But O'Donnell and his agene Leigh Steinberg, apparently wifl test the m arket Team officials w ill^jtti^i^other free-agent quarterbacks in case O'Donnell signs elsew here, but thai is unlikely lo happen, lf O'Donnell leaves, how­ ever. the team will groom Kordefl Stewart its No. 2 draft pick last year, for the starting job. ... (Tomerbiick Rod Woodson, whose S3.4-mfllion salary is the team’s h ighest says he would lake a pay cut if it meant re-signing key free agents O'Donnell and finebacker Kevin Greene. “I want to go back to the Super Bowl. and I feel we need N eil. Leon (S e ie y ) and Kevin to do it" Woodson says. Searcy signed with the Jaguars.... FuDback John L W i l l i s has not h e id from team offidals about exer­ cising the option year on his contract That m eans Williams. 31. who was scheduled to make S880.0(X). will becom e a free agen t He was limited by a knee injury last season.

EngUtndwiih Coach BiUParceiis. with whom he coa^ M /br eight yean in New York

Fast sta rt Moving aggressiveh' lo open the free-agent period, the team signed Steelers of­ fensive tackle Leon Seam ' and Bears defensive end .Mon2 0 Spell­ man. Searcv’s five-vear. $ 17-minion deal includes a SS-milbon signing bonus and makes him the highest-paid offen­ sive lineman. Spellman, a transition player, signed a four-year. Sl^snilbon ofier sheet v^ith a S4-milbon bonus. The Bears had until Friday to match. ... Searcy* brings championship ex­ perience to an offensive line that includes tack­ les Tony Boselb. last t-ears .No. I draft pick. and Brian DeMarco. Coach Tom Coughlin says DeMarco will play right guard next to Searc>-. ... By signing Spellman, the team moved to improve its league-worst pass rush.

Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox. the Falcons’ Chuck Smith and Robert Porcher of the Lions are others on the wish list. .. Will Coughbn’s p p d ways force the learn to overpay free agents^ f)efensive end Jeff Lageman says a few pla,vers might be scan‘d off. “but money talks. T h o ’ want that and a chance to win."

Plc)(*iilc: niihois linebackers Simeon Rice and Kevin Hardv and Southern California wide receiver Keyshawm Johnson, targets for the Tfam’s second overall draft pick, joined learn officials for dinner last week. Hardy and Rice didn’t hav(‘ great com bine workouts bul re­ main high on the team’s list Johnson will have a pnvaie woricout .Marrh 6 in lx)s .Angeles...

Somewhere in the draft, the team wiD lake a third-down back. Penn Slate’s Mike .Archie is gertinpa-elose look —-PETE PWSCC

I

Nev pbllosopbf: The club has bowed out of the free-agent frenzy be­ cause of its saJao'-cap situation. But beyond that free agency doesn't fit Coach Jimmy John­ son’s philosophy. “Any lime you bring in veterans from another dub. you're going to have a guy who has been through the rigors of profesaonal football and } somebody who has an opinion on how to do things." Johnson say's. “I’m not interested in having a lot of opinions. Pm not interested in how it was done som ewhere else. Pm inter­ Good sign: The team ested in having guys who want to work and do took another big offenwhat it takes to win. You might say I want stve step when it re­ guys who have blind loyalty." Don Shula’s signed fVo Bow) guard regime had contrary views and suffered for it Will Shields to a six-year Shula believed free agency could build cham­ contract one day before pions and found out the hard way that team he was lo becom e a re^ chem istry suffers. That’s why the Dolphins stricted free agent. Two were among the most fractu re clubs in the other starting linemen, center Tim Grunhard NFL last season. and guard Dave Szoti. rc-signed late in the fi­ Back d m : The club was without a fullback nal season of their contracts. With all three on the roster after it released Keith Byars and players signed through at least 2000. the team declined lo tender an offer lo Robert Wilson

KANSAS c m ’ CHIEFS

OAKLAND RAIDERS

R m hM t t e ; The team has added another exGiant to its coaching staff. Coafh Bin Parcdls hired Bill Belichick. fired as head coach of the Browns early last week. to be the P ir io ts’ assistant head coach. Belkhick. who coached with Parcefis for eight years in New York. ^ will have responsibility for the defensive .backs. Bobby Trotl, who handled the sec­ ondary the three years, was released at the end of the se a so n .... Chris Palmer, who had coached the receivers for three years, was shifted to quarterbacks coach. C h iiie Weis, who had the running backs coach and the tightjends coach the past three years, has been shifted to receivers coach, making room for Maurice Carthon to be full-time running backscoach.

Frfar*s ctak Wide receiver Irving Fryar. who spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Patriots, would like to com e back.

He has spent three years in Miami, bul salary-cap problems there are forcing him to make a move. “Coming back to the Patriots would be good because it would aflow me to com e full d r d e and play again where my ca­ reer started." Fryar says. Owner Robert Kraft would like lo bring Fryar back, but don’t count on it The decision will be made by Parcells. w hose first m ove as Patriots coach three years ago was to trade F ryar.... lin e ­ backer Todd Collins, who retired the day be­ fore training camp began last season at the age of 25. has asked the NFL to take him off the retired lis t — lUVB MaH X

LawlteS OO bls to e t Itdidn'tjai^longfifr Belichick to find anomer job. He win be reunited in New

JACKSONMLLE JAGl’.ARS

) in

tract, inclucflng a $23-miflion signing bonus.

W ashington, com ing off his best season. would have been a hoi commodity on the freeagent m a rk et... Free-agent tight end Johnny M itchell was bumped up to m a transition player to a franchise player, virtually eliminat­ ing the chance of him signing wiffi another team, lf the Jets dedde not to keep Miichefl, who apparently wants to play elsew here, then they can use the franchise desigpation as leverage to create a trade.

—A es C ool

February 26,1996

AfC/WFC»29

Coadtlnf k a to ite c a p e : lo the ^-ake of o feiv I value. ‘■Robert is very upset* agent Jim Suns sive coordinator Roo E rhardt’s firing, special says. "He wants to try to find a way lo get o u t team s coach Bobby April accepted a similar He doesn't think he’s going to get a fair deal." position with the S ^ t s . Erhardt was repbced Blackmon probably would have to go anyway by wide receri’ers coach Chan Galley. Ron because the Seahawks can’t afford three mil­ Zook, former defensive coordinator al Eorida. lion-dollar safebes Eugene Robinson is the oth­ replaces A pril Dave CuDey. let go by new Buc­ er. ... The team removed left tackle Ray caneers Coach Tony Dungy, r e p l a ^ Galley. ^ b e r ts ' transition designation because it didn’t Mike M ularkey. also re le ^ e d by Dtingy. re­ want lo give him a to p ic level salary. If Roberts places tight ends coach Pat Hodgson, who leaves, the ream wtU have to keep jam es Atkins was fired along with ErtiardL — S bojy DuUC al leff tackle and sign a guard. —j c w CUTTn

SAX DIE(;0 CHARGERS

iVRlZOXA CARDINALS

RislBS fDrtBae&: Defen­ sive tackle Shawn Lee. who re-signed for four years and $8.5 million, bas com e a long way from his 1992 stint on the NTL dum ping ^ u n d s . After a 1991 knee injury cost him jobs in Miarai and Tam­ pa Bay. C hargers took a chance and signed him as a low-priced free agent (^60.000). hoping for the best. They got that and m ore over the last two years, and Lee recorded eight sacks last season, the m ost am ong AFC interior linem en. Lee agreed to the contract just before the free-agency dead­ line, and the team was happy it didn't have to use its franchise tag to k eq ) him. “Ifs an ex­ cellent d e a l" Lee says. "Let's just say Tm very happy." Lee. who was in v o lv e in a recent al­ tercation at a New York City nightclub, faces a m isdem eanor assault c h a r ^ . ... Junior Beau, the team 's highest paid p l a ^ . restructured his contract, shaving about S l.8 mifiion off his previous 1996 cap num ber of S5.7 million.

Beau received a bonus and his c o n tra a was extended through the ’98 season.

C t o |l B | thnwK T he team hired Brian Baker as its defensive line coach, replacing Dennis M urphy. Baker, 33. was Georgia T ech's de­ fensive coordinator and linebackers coach last season. He played linebacker for thenM aryland Coach Bobby Ross and later served on T ech 's stafL M urphy w-as reas­ signed as a defensive a s s i s t a n t ... Offensive line coach Carl M auck joined the Cardinals staff. M auck had been with the C hargers for four years.

—- J at P wus

So Swaflo sops: Vince s Tobin made his first significant personnel dedsion as head coach by placing the franchise la­ bel OD defensive tackle Eric Swann. T he label m eans Swann will re­ ceive at least S2.4 miilion next year, a hefty raise from the S800.000 he m ade last season.

Tobin could have given the designation to cor­ nerback Aeneas Williams, an unrestricted free agent the team still hopes to re-sign. Tobin knows ifs imperative the Cardinals keep both Swann and Williams, two youn^ Pro Bowl players who help form the nucleus of the team. W ithout Swann, the team has no major force on the defensive line. W ithout Williams. an already weak secondary could be horrible next se a so n .... Without a general m anager in place. Tobin largely will determ ine the team's course in tree agency and the d ra ft T he lack of a G.M. was a major sticking point in Tobin's negotiations with Owner Bill Bidwill. “I came back to that point several times: W here does one’s authority slop and w here does the oth­ er's start?" Tobin savs.

Big InpiovaB eut Tobin spent much of his first week on the job picking a coaching staff, and he appears to h a w done a much better job of it than his predecessor. Buddy Ryan. Offen­ sive coordinator Jim Passel has experience inthe job. unlike Dave .Atkins. R>*an’s coordina­ tor. Defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis has spent IO years in the league. Running backs coach Jim Skipper, wide receivers coach Mc Rapp and defensive line coach Joe G reene are all veterans of the N FL a I t;:v'

ATLANTA FALCONS

CHICA(;0 BE.ARS

Payhig to wlm In signing tackle Bob Whitfield to a five-year. SI 5.5-million contract and designatquarterback Jeff G eorge a transition player, the team has taken major steps to­ ward keeping th e starting offense together Signing W hitfield was critical because it dem onstrates the com m itm ent G eorge and o th e r players want to see. G eorge says he plans to establish roots in .Atlanta and hopes lo sign a long-term c o n t r a a T he transition designation assures an opportunity to match any offers to Geocge from other team s. .A new round of negotiations betw een the Falcons and G eorge’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, were se t to begin this week. b i t f i e l d played all but four snaps over the past th ree seasons and moved from right tackle to left in *95 to replace the retired .Mike Kenn. ...The team cleared som e age from the ro ster and some cap room by releasing three defensive play­ ers — linebacker Darryl Talley. safet>- Kevin Ross and tackle Jum py G eathers.

Ob tin (Bend: Despite blow ing che most pass­ ing yards, the team probably won't throw a lot of money at free-agent com erbacks. ll is counting on .Anthony Phillips lo return healthy after suffering a badly broken leg in Game IO against Buffalo. Phillips, a third-round pick in 1994 out of Texas .A&.VI-KingsviDe. was com­ ing on strong as the starting left com er. Start­ ing right co m er D.J. Johnson is still under c o n t r a a ... Alton .Montgomery, a valuable role player as a nickel linebacker, re-simied for one year. *—Toty Fa ♦MMM

lo a rasii: Crisis hit when the Jaguars signed defensive end .AJon/o Spellman, the ream ''' transition player A >4miUion signing bonus rn his four-year. .'>13-m]Ilion deal created a dilemma, match the offer and lose cap maneuvering room. or not match and regroup at defensive end, M atching would likely kill any chance lo gel free-agent linebacker Bryan Cox. Ktstricted free-agent receiver Curtis Conway got a tender offer that will cost team s first- and third-round picks. Bul there was no contact with Jeff Graham, who set a franchise recorif with 1.301 yards on 82 catches. The problem is not a lack of interest in Graham but a mon­ ey concern. Conway is the No. I prionty. and cutting M ichael Timpson would cost >1 mil­ lion of cap space. Right tackle Jam es (Big Cat i Williams, like Graham, is on hold until the on defense is sorted out. Graham has heard from the Jaguars and Oilers, the R aid as. Buccaneers. Oilers and C hargers have contacted Williams.... To hedge against losing Graham , Baltimore receiver Keenan .McCardell was scheduled to visit this week T he need for a cornerback might .Hwatl the draft or Cox's decision.

Mofln' on: The team might lead the league rn coaches lost. T g h t ends coach .Mike Shula went to the Buccaneers as offensive coordina­ tor. Dave McGinnis and Cxeorge Chryst joined Ainee Tobin's Cardinals staff. Bob Slowik will handle '.he linebackers and C a r lo Mainord the aefensive backs. Ted Plumb returns :is ughi ends coach.

— JOKB MlHJUl

CAROLINA PANTHERS

DALLAS C0WT50YS

sit­

uation

%

—Kan

SEATTLE SEAELAWTiS mom:

K a |« Despite hanging in limbo be­ tween Seattle and Los .Au­ g e ^ the team lived up lo its [Homise by aggres­ sively re-signing several of its players and one highly regarded free agent First it signed running b a ^ Chris War­ ren to a ihree-year. S10m31k)n c o n tra a Then it signed defen^*e a id Michael ^ n d a ir lo a fouryear. SG.-knflBon deal, only minutes before the beginning of free agency. Then. linebacker Dean was signed to a threeyear. S23-million d eal The capper came when the team sigiied B « ig ab s tro i^ safely Darryl Williams to a four-year. S7. IZSmiBion d eal a move that may signal die departure of freeagent safen* Robert Blackmon. Wily Williams? At 36. he is two years younger than Blackmon, and he's cheaper.

WHfiams also played for Coach Dennis Erickson at .Miami and likes Erickson‘s defensive system.

Fresdom; The Williams signing seemingKclears the way for the Seahawks to drop the j franchise tag from Blackmon. The tag had an- ■ gered Blackmon, who is seeking more than S3 To defetss: Chkago designated SpeUman a million in annual salary and vvants to test his transition player, but jacksonville came a<alling

\

Making money: In the fi­ nal davs before the fret^ agency signing penod the team cleared a r -"Xtni ■S2.7T million in cap room by .making five rf)sir.iTKtves- O ffcnshe lacklr Derrick Graham, widtreceiver Don Ek-ebe and tight end Pele .Metzriaapi were waived, saving :he Panthers l.A million toward the cap. The Panthers al.so :iecided not lo pick up the option on the conine*. of third-team quarterback jack Trudeau and reached an agreem ent lo restructure backup safen- Bubba .McDowell s c o n tra a Thost- twri moves combined to save SI.33 million in .

The Panthers got rid of their biggest free-agent mistake with the release of Graham, once term ed the "comersione" of the offensive lirfe Graham began the season as the starting nght tackle bul got injured in the seventh game and later wasn't able to regain the job from Mark Dennis. "A'ou hit some and you miss s*)me.' team President .Mike McCormack say'' "Things just didn't work out with Derrick ' Moore gooe? Carolina'- attempt to re-sign run­ ning back Derrick Moore has stalled, and he entered free agency considering a move else­ where. .Moore, the te a m '' leading rusher with 740 yards, fum ed down a diree-year. .S3,-Lmjllion deal because the signing bonus was $200.(XX). He wanted close to Free-agent cornerback Tim McKyer seemed ready to leave, then changed agents, and talk ' have resumed. New agent Jordan Woy js opti­ mistic a deal can 'De worked out. Earner neg«^ tiations had stalled when McKyer asked for Sl.3 million per vear and the Panther^' best offen was n v «.K' — CHAiHiS ChakOUR ♦

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one -ll hi- ?i;p defensive p la y e r' on 'h r marKei 0 ; courv-. the Nl.-t-miliion b o m i' c'mt.*k iidn ‘ hu n .

Iwner jerry Jime< and Alce lY esdeiii N c p h rn .Io n e' n m k x i help from 't'verti; pl:o Cf'- ti: ’.h e learn lo vdear rrx>m fur WiMKi'Mm'** :ir<t y**:ir. 'y\ Lmillion ch arg e .ig ain ': ;he ■ ijj flu- :eam started 'ny reiea.sing .’enie: k K ennani and su sp en d ed co rn erb ack CIav»on Holmt-'n. .‘learing s i o7.1 million >h :h r . jp Then it paid IVo Bowl center Ra\ D onakN jn 'Donu> for the n g h l to extend iu> -.div '.rad to a tw(>year. S'J l.Vmilliun deal Then sh*l ^ l ^ a c t ^ xii co rn erb ack Kevin sm ith .md 'f t' .<msrvt' tackle Leon IxTt wvre ad/u^terl to •'n h eir cap im pact by nearlv sNXi.-Km ••ail) And th e club .jtilized a 'ouy-back iauNi c a-

lensivi- backie Knk Wll'aani'^' deal. wIik r. 'v*-n:uaif> will pay him a So.l nulhon bom i' Choice more: The >aJary maneuvering :iig ni(\ made foom fur AVoud'^n under the . ap. 'nut al'M) ’nabied ihe team lo 'lifer reM nc’ ed tn-e agent l)a m n sm ith a '^7 7 .1 .'«»■ qua'ntvmg Ater That a>sun*' a tirsi-round drait . iioice .'eturr: ti the team ch*)os/'v not if. .'Hatch .uh■ Jiber ' lifer The team w a '«*\{>e\-led t*j .innounc»‘ the hinng of deiensive a>si'tant Jim IL ite '. who worked with the Brcw nx m*c oiuiarv last season SPAOBOIA

no • WFC________________________________________

DETROIT LIONS Ho choice: The team s most pressing need is defense, bul the Ijons didn't have much choice when they selected Pro Bowl center Kevin Glover their franchise player Because Pro Bowl left tackle Lomas Brown, an unrestricted tree afront, probably won’t be back, the team had to add security to the offensive line Detroit also could lose unrestricted free-apent left .cuani I loup Sid e ll and ripht puard Dave l-utz. who will be asked to take a pay cut. Having .hiph-pnced talent such as Bam- Sanders. Her­ man Moore. Brett Perriman and Scott Mitchell won’t mean much it they can’t pet any block­ ing By restrictinp Glover, the lio n s have so Edified the line They not only have their cen­ ter. but the two tackle positions (M ike Comp­ ton on the left and Zetross Moss on the right) are accounted tor. too .. Nepotiations with Mitchell, who still has one year left on his con­ tract. are movmp slowly. Mitchell may bi* waitmp to s<*e what Pittsburph's Neil O'Donnell pets before committing to a lonp-term deal Blades stays: Safety Bennie Blades lost his ap­ ical and will maintain his transition-player sta­ tus. Blade's believed he was an unrestricted free apent. hut the bons arpued that since Blades extended his contract in 1993. the transition sta­ tic was extended with it. An independent arbi­ trator agreed .. Tile first man on Detroit’s tm*apenr wish list is Phoenix cornerback Aeneas Williams. Others include Miami's Troy Vincent San Francisco's Brie Davis. Dallas linebackers Damn Smith (restricted). Dixon Edwards and cornerback Lam- Brown.

— TOM KOWALSKI

GREEN BAY PACKERS On the Mark: Perhaps wiser after losinp Bryce Paup to free agency last year. the team didn t even pi vc unrestrict­ ed iVee-apent tipht end Mark Chmura a chance to shop around the league He signed a three-year. $4.8-million deal ^a SI ^m illion signing bonus) that will make him the third-highest paid tight end in the N FL. Chmura recognized that playing in the Packer- offense with a quarterback w ho iovrv Jo jji l him the ball is in his best inter est Not so tight: One of the fa llo u t ut signing Clinium i> that veteran tree agent Keith Jack­ son will likely play somewhere else next sea­ son Jackson, who was a force during the play­ offs. wants to be a tull-time starter somewhere on a jiass-oriented team ... Don't look tor the Packer* to re-sign starting right guard Ham (ialbrealh. an unrestricted tm* agent .Aaron Taylor, who should be back in time tor the season atter another serious knee injury, and Adam Timmerman are their starters tor next season .. The Packers were expected lo ex­ tend a qualifying offer lo unrestricted freeagent gaiety George Teague that allows them lo receive a first-round draft choice it they chin»si- not lo match an offer. Teague did not have a very good year but has the talent to be a --olid play er The Packers are exjxvtetfto put him through a batten of tests to determine if he is still being effected by a thyroid problem that caused him to lose So pounds aft ex his rookie season He is back al his normal weight, but he hasn’t played as well as in his rookie season — Tom SILVERSTEIN

The Sporting News

team s highest-paid re­ ceiver after ending 1995 ranked third behind Michael Haynes ($2.5 mil­ Safety first: The team re lion annually) and Torsigned strong .safety ranee Small ($1,375 mil­ Mike Zordich to a three lion). .After earning year. $2.6-miUion con­ $966,700 last season. Ear­ tract three davs before ly is seeking a contract he would have become worth between $2.5 mil­ an unrestricted free lion to $3 million annual))*. agent. Zordich. who re He caught 81 passes for ceived a $300,000 signing bonus, has been one 1.087 yards and a teamof the games most productive strong safeties leading eight ID s in ‘95. the last two years. Zordich. 32. called the which is more than the 79 team’s defensive signals last season, and receptions and 1.058 Coach Ray Rhodes felt it was important to yards Haynes and Small hang onto him. Four other defensive starters combined to produce. The i — free safety Greg jackson, cornerback front office had offered Mark M cM illan and linebackers Kurt GouEarly $6 million for three veia and B ill Romanowski — are unrestricted years with a $600,000 free agents and might not return.... The team signing bonus before the has made a speedy go-to wide receiver a pri­ start of free agency. It like­ ority. “W e need speed. man. receivers with ly will take a signing speed." offensive coordinator Jon Gruden bonus of $2 million or savs. Team officials were enamored with Penn more to sign Early. " I’d Dolphin migration: Olivadotti. ousted in M iami, might not be the only State’s Bobby Engram at the scouting com­ like to continue to play for one who will make the move to Minnesota. bine. the Saints.” Early says.

I Full staff: The team hired former Chargers .As­ He’s going nowhere: Due to an editing eiTor. it sistant G.M . Dick Daniels to replace Bob Ackwas incorrectly reported in the February 5 edi­ ies as director of football administration. Acktion that Jim Haslett had taken the defensive )es left to join new Dolphins Coach Jim m y coordinator job with the Buccaneers. Howev­ Miami pipeline: Now Johnson. Daniels will oversee contract nego­ er.

Haslett is defensive coordinator for the that once-embattled Dol­ tiations and the scouting department and will Saints after being promoted from his previous phins defensive coordi­ work closely with Rhodes on personnel mat­ position of linebackers coach.... Bobby .April nator Tom Olivadotti is ters. ... Surprisingly, the team did not try* to re­ and Dave .Atkins have been signed to one-year the team s linebackers sign offensive guard Guy M cIntyre before the deals to replace Joe Marciano and Jim Skipper coach, whom will he start of the free-agency signing period. Mein as special teams and running backs coach, re­ bring with him3 Several tyre. 35. was the club’s best linemen last sea­ spectively.

Marciano joined former defensive of Olivadotti’s starters in son. Team officials say they want him back, coordinator Monte Kiffin in Tampa and Skip­ Miami are unrestricted free agents, including but thev’re willing to let the market determine per joined the Cardinals’ staff. — MOE STROM linebacker Bryan Cox and cornerback Trov his value.

— PAIN. DOMGWTTCH Vincent. Olivadotti loves Cox. who could be the replacement for jettisoned middle line­ backer Jack Del Rio. A nither logical Dolphin tor the Vikings to pursue is defensive end Mar­ co Coleman. Roy Barker, a starting defensive Spats plug: The team Hurst so good: W hen you end for the Vikings, is the only unrestricted signed one of its most im­ face the pass-happv Fal­ fret^agent starter on defense. ... The Vikings portant free agents last cons and 49ers twice a plan to retain cornerback Donald Frank, who week. agreeing to terms vear. you can’t have is an unrestricted fret* agent with a right-of-first with cornerback Phillippi enough good defensive refusal.

Sparks on a four-year backs. W ith that in Blame It on Del Rio: The Vikings reneged on a contract. Sparks. 26. mind, the team w*as de­ two-year contract extension negotiated last lighted to sign former emerged last season as season with Del Rio. The deal called for a one of the league's best all-around comers. By Patriots cornerback M aurice Hurst to a one$7(0.00(1 roster bonus scheduled for payment locking up Sparks, the team ensured that it vear deal that will be worth $1.4 million if he is last Friday. The Vikings decided to dump Del again would have one of the league's best sets healthy on the final cutdown day in August.

Rio. their leading tackler in the 1990s. Look of young comerbacks. Thomas Randolph, en­ He underwent offseason disk surgery on his for him to end up with Dave Wannstedt in tering his third season, will play the other lower back. The team had claimed Hurst on Chicago or Tony Dungy in Tampa. Del Rio. side. Add veteran safety Vencie Glenn and the waivers November 21 after his release from 32. missed half of the ‘95 season with knee secondary will be a strength again. B y not New England, only to negate that claim when problems. The Vikings will to try* to keep freeusing a transition tag on Sparks, the team he failed his physical. Hurst will be the start­ agent linebacker Je ff Brady and make a big was able to put the designation on run­ ing right cornerback, with .Anthony Parker ! push for Houston linebacker Eddie Robinson ning ’ back Rodney Hampton, giving the moving to nickel back. The Rams intend to re­ through free agency.... The Vikings saved $2 club the right of first refusal. Hampton's agent sign left comer Todd Lygh t a free agent who million by jettisoning 13-year blocker Chris has warned that if the team doesn't offer more is a transition player. Hurst. 28. has a reputa­ than a one-year contract. Hampton will hold Hinton, john Gerak. Je ff Christ)'. Todd tion for being a tough, durable player and has Steussie. Korey Stringer and all-pro Randall out. The backfield situation remains unre­ better speed than Parker.

M cDaniel will return as the starting offensive solved. Coach Dan Reeves says he won’t use The Miller watch: After taking a couple of linemen. ... The Vikings auditioned former both Hampton and Tyrone W heatley ext enmonths off to clear his head, concussionEagles first-round defensive end Leonard srvelv because he believes a team needs a teaplagued Chris M iller visited specialists in — Curt B rown Renfro. tured back. Last December. W heatley said.

Pittsburgh and New York for tests and con­ "IU be damned if I sit down next year. IU tell sultation. He soon will meet with Coach Rich you that.”

Brooks to discuss his future. The Rams w'ant Jumbo opportunity: .Another of the team s to handle the situation delicately, in part be­ free-agent priorities, offensive tackle Jumbo cause Brooks and M iller go back together to Elliott, saw his slock rise last w*eek when the the mid-’80s at Oregon. But there appears to Well-received: Quinn Bills named John Fma their franchise player be no way M iller figures in the plans. The Early has led the team in and the Falcons re-signed Bob W hitfield. EF team can’t risk going into another season with receptions and receiving lion is near the top of the tackle market and M iller as the starter, especially not at his base yardage in each of the will attract plenty of interest. The Giants gave salary of $2.2 million. Jeff Hostetler and Gus last two seasons and themselves insurance at the position by re­ Frerotte remain at the top of the Q B wish list. now- wants to be com­ signing Greg Bishop, a tackle who started The Rams would have made a strong run at pensated for ii. Early, last season at left guard in place of injured who heads the club’s list Jim Harbaugh if the Colts hadn’t designated Scott Davis.

— HEIL BEST him a franchise player.

— JIM THOMAS of 11 unrestricted free agents, wants to be the

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

%

#

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

•

*

NEW YORK GIANTS

ST. LOLIS RAMS

•

•

9

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS +

9

*

February 26,1996

SM FRANCISCO 49ERS Joggling act

Corner­ back Eric Davis, the team's only unsigned starter, became a free agent when he could not agree with the 49ers on a new contract. Now the team hopes history doesn't repeat itself. Last year, the 49ers lost running back Ricky Watters when he became a free agent and signed with the Eagles, and they wound up with a nagging problem on of­ fense that eventually became part of their downfall. A year later, they're still looking for a running back. The 49ers. who have been bumping up against the salary cap since it was instituted, are trying to save as much money as they can to pursue a back and a pass-rusher. But Davis, who made a big breakthrough in the last year of his contract figures this is his chance to grab the really big bucks. His loss would be significant because he is the team's only established, true cornerback.

Craig wants back: Former 49ers running back Roger Craig wants to make a comeback.

Craig. 36. last played for the 49ers in 1990.

He finished his career with the Vikings in 1993. The team has no interest in him .... The city of San Francisco soon will formally noti­ fy the N F L it is withdrawing as host of the

NFC/COILEBE FOOTBALL • 31 1999 Super Bowl because it will not go ahead with a promised $26-million upgrading of Candlestick Park. The 49ers want a new sta­ dium before their lease runs out in 2007. and the team and the city think it would be foolish to put money into Candlestick if it will be tom down in a few years. The 49ers want the city to use the $26-miUion as seed monev for a new park.

— IRA MlLUR

trail was voided by a league-appointed special ing period with 17 projected starters under master. Mayberry, who has started a teamcontract They also didn t expect in^ur^ high 80 games, was freed because of a con­ mountable problems in bringing back the tract snafu dating to the offer sheet he signed . others — receiver Henry Ellard, defensive with the Patriots in 1993. tackle Marc Boutte, tight end Scott Gal­ Nickerson should be popular Middle line­ braith. halfback Terry .Allen and end Sterling backer Hardy Nickerson was busy answering Palmer Washington retains the right to the telephone on the first day of free agency, match offers to .Alien and Palmer However. and it appears the Bucs could have a tough . .Aliens value wet., up with the decision by the time resigning their leading tackler of the Giants to put a transition lac on Rodney past three seasons. Among the teams courting Hampton Offensive line coach Jim Mandan Nickerson are the Bears. Broncos and Eagles considered Simmons his best blocker the lf the Bucs are looking for a replacement, the past two seasons, and .Alien gained mo-u of Relocation rumors bort Vikings cut loose Jack Del Rio. and he has ex­ his 1.31f t yards running behind the right -idi­ pressed interest in rejoining Dungy in Tampa.

Despite the hiring of ot Simmons and guard Tre Johnson Aller Tony Dungy as coach — ... The Bucs resigned wide receiver Horace struggling with injuries during h> first five Copeland, who would have been a restricted and his reputation seasons. Simmons raised ju>t three nj the free agent, to a three-vear contract, which among players around past 7)9 games. He was the uni) Redskin t-s. the league — the team might mean bye-bye to free agent Courtney play all l.u'JG snaps on offense in Hawkins.

— MICIC P U S U E S E mav find an obstacle on Cap relief? The expected r e le a ^ retirethe free-agent highway * ments of oft-injured offensive tackle jim I in the relocation rumors that have the fran­ i Lachey and defensive tackle Bobby WiUon chise playing anywhere from Cleveland to ; will leave Washington with about million Birmingham to Orlando as soon as 1996. lf ; to re-sign its own free agents and add a money is the key factor, Tampa Bay has about Staying offensive; .After starter or two The top candidates are d e f e n ­ SIO million available under the salary cap. But sive linemen. Cowboys tackle Russell M ary­ right offensive tackle G A I Rich M cKay notes that much of that land. (dons swagman Robert Percher and Ed Simmons, a ninemoney has been earmarked for the team's sev­ year veteran and the se­ Falcons end Chuck Smith. Offensive tackles en restricted free agents, including kicker nior member of the of­ Jumbo Elliott of the Giants and Harry Michael Husted. safety John Lynch and de­ fense. agreed to a threeSwayne of the Chargers are also on the agen­ fensive end Chidi Ahanotu.... The Bucs' list of vear. $6*miIlion contract da due to U ch ey s probable exit and the tell­ unrestricted free agents grew by one when the ing that left tackle Joe Patton belongs at on the eve of free option year of center Tony Mayberry's con­ agency, the Redskins headed into the sign­ guard — David im

TAMPA RAY BUCCANEERS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT

Tiebreakers are welcome, but the format isn’t cry out for resolution. Now there will be one.

Rules committee chair Vince Dooley, speaking the day before the meeting began, expressed doubt that the group would pass the tiebreaker. After every season, the com­ mittee sends Out a survey with two dozen or so proposed changes. The regular-season tiebreaker received “about 50 percent" of the votes. Dooley said. “That's not a mandate. I can't speak for the committee.... W e ll get a Ivan feel from all the people represented."

The committee got a feel, all right About 75 LA head coaches, meeting in Dallas the previous weekend, voted unanimously to en­ dorse the tiebreaker. That vote swayed the here comes a lime when die status committee. quo is accepted for no reason. Col­ Dooley said the committee had been "par­ lege football accepted ties because, ticularly sensitive to the overwhelming man­ well. uh. that's the way it has always date" of the coaches. ".After much discussion, been done. Last week. the NCAA Football the committee felt the rule regarding how a Rules Committee, a hidebound group in a game is resolved should be common hidebound sport, took a bold leap and ap­ throughout college football." Dooley said in proved a tiebreaker for the regular season. a written statement "People who have been (It approved the wrong one. but w ell get involved in the tiebreaker report it is very ex­ to that in a minute.) citing. and it will help resolve problems de­ Ties will be relegated to the history books, along with one-platoon football and five-point termining conference championships."

The tiebreaker also will have an impact on field goals. Ties had their quaint charm, but how many teams qualify for bowls. No one the nobility of finishing with a handshake and an arm around your opponent's shoulder is can finish 5-5-1. a half-game short of the sixstrictly leather-helraet stuff. The fan would victory minimum, any longer. Now. about rather have a winner and a loser. that format — it goes down as easily as broc­ coli.

There is the rare occasion when a tie is suf­ Yuck. ficient. Florida State's 28-point, fourth-quar­ ter comeback to tie Florida. 31-31, two years The NCAA will employ the old Yankee ago. would have lost its magic had the Semi­ Conference tiebreaker, in which each team noles lost in overtime. But for every one of gets a possession on the opponent's 25-yardthose theres a hundred 17-17 sleepwalks that line until the score is no longer tied. The

MAISEL

T

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Elf

AMisgssjppiteiefid In 1947, coming off a 2-7 season, Mississippi hired a new coach, John Vaught He went to a senior, a grizzled World War ll veteran named Charlie Coneriy, and implored him to stay out of the tars and get in shape. It he did.

Vaught would let him pass to his hearts content. The rest is history: Ole Miss finished 9-2 and won the Southeastern Conference.

In tin o p en er, Coneriy outplayed Kentucky quarterback George Blanda and upset Bear Bryant’s Wildcats. 14-7. Late in the season. Coneriy threw for four touchdowns and rushed for two more as the Rebels gave Tennessee Coach Gen. Robert Neyland the worst defeat of his storied career, 43-13. Afterward.

Neyland called Coneriy “the greatest Gfe&f f l e M Coneriy led-Mississippi to the SEC hack I’ve ever seen.” In a'year with title, then New York to the NFL championship. passers such as Blanda, Harry Gilmer of Alabama and Bobby Layne of Texas, Coneriy broke N CAA records.

New York loved Coneriy tor taking the Giants to the 1956 NFL cham pionship But Mississippi made him a folk hero. The College Football Hall of Famer died last week at 74 NCAA has used it for 15 years rn postseason play in Divisions LA A II and III. The South­ eastern Conference adopted the tiebreaker for its championship game and. last season, the I-A bowls followed suit.

Is that football? Well. the tiebreaker has been used in high schools. .And it has comr into play at times in the NCAA playoffs. I .ast December. Toledo edged Nevada. 40-37. in the Las Vegas Bowl by scoring a touchdown in overtime after Nevada had kicked a field goal. But is it football’ No. lls putting sugar on ice cream. W hy trick up something that needs no tricking up?

The news will be met with some trepida­ tion among the TY networks. The open-end­ ed nature of this tiebreaker doesn t fit well in the 3 -hour window allotted to a game.

“When we get to 7 p.m.. we're walking right into affiliatei-programmedJ time." C B S Sports Vice President Len DeLuca says.

"Having a better-defined overtime, a la the N F L would mean ies^ ot an oven im*• Hue*are concern<we need to confront."

The Big Hast Conference, dancing to th", tune d i s whistled, expressed a preference tor an NKI.-style overtime earlier la^t week at the league’s winter meetings. However, the NC AAS action overrode that preference t oven that tile committee has ended the tie .In we . know u. it is un^-emly to complain about how it was adopted (hie onside .it a lime. please ♦

ira n M aisel rovers college t'oothdll for S e w sd a v •»

POR UPDATES on (he TSN College Football Recruiting Hotline call 1-900-788-5400, $1.59 per minute. Callers under 18 must have permission. The service is accessible from touchtone an d rotary phones.

22_! COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The Sporting News

COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT

Tourney talk has NCAA hopefuls bubbling tourney selections March 7 in Kansas City*.

Mo. Some will have to wait for the verdict March IO. which is Selection Sunday.

“I think we came very close last year to a bid. but it wasn't there." Kresse says. “Col­ iege basketball may be a little down this year.

The more I watch the Big Ten. the ACC. the more I think there aren't more than four teams from those conferences better than us.

“We are no longer a flash in the pan. If you asked Jim Calhoun or Jim Boeheim if they thought we desefved another entry. I think they'd say we do.”

Odd he should sav that, because the two Big East coaches had weighed in on the sub­ ject just a couple days earlier, and their col­ lective opinion was Charleston should be any­ where but the NCAA Tournament, lest either of them be forced to play the Cougars again.

That those two gam es were competitive should aid Charleston's case. The Cougars. with two juniors, one sophomore and four freshmen joining 6-8 junior center Thaddeous Delaney (lS.Fppg. 11.5 rpg) and 6-3 ju­ nior point guard Anthony Johnson (11.5 ppg.

6.8 apg). built a 164 lead on Syracuse. “And then the clock stopped beking." Kresse says.

The Orangemen won. 72-61. UConn visited Charleston so star guard Ray Allen, from Dalzell. S C., could play a homecoming-type game. The Huskies led by four at the half. then won. 77-60.

Charleston probably should have played more such gam es, but Charleston Southern and The Citadel, right there in town, are pop­ ular opponents with fans. The Cougars host an in-season holiday tournament and play 16 league gam es in the T.AAC. That doesn't leave a lot of room.

“I think both UConn and Syracuse wiped their brows at the end of the game and said.

Thank God that's over with.'" Kresse savs.

Mike

DeCQURCY e has lived tor so long on this “bub­ ble." John K ress? ought to have paid off the mortgage by now. Such is life at the top of major college bas­ ketball's bottom.

K resse coaches at the College of Charleston. The sch ools arena is named for him. just like Dean Smith It has room for TSO*1 spectators, which is not like D ean s dig^ K ress? has a team. though, he would like to play against the North Carolina Tar Heels. He surely would enjoy it were that game lo come in the NCAA Tournament As a member of die Trans America Athlet­ ic Conference. Charleston will not get there as most low- and mid-major teams do: by win­ ning their league tournaments. Having moved into Division I seven years ago. the Cougars arc in the last season of an NCAAimposed waiting period to be eligible for au­ tomatic qualification. Their only hope is ar. atlarge invitation, which they got when they won 24 gam es in 1993-94. bul not when they won 23 last season.

They an* one of about 30 schools that can br considered “on the bubble" tor an NC.AA beni;.

Man) will have played themselves out of con­ tention by die time the Division I Men s Bas­ ketball Committee begins meeting to make the

H

Rolling Wave

i ; !

'; ,

lik e Richard Iaigar and Bob Human. Pony Clark is trying to come from Dehind on tin* campaign trail.

Clark, who coach es Tulanc. is taking a personal approach in his quest for A ssociated P ress poll votes Hi sent signed notes hi voters, looking for suppun for a team among the nation'- hottest Following a oo-.V- loss at I NC C har­ iot:! on January 14. tile (iro n ; Wave won nine of It*. They put Conference USA — which does no: have ar. automatic NCAA bid this season — in p osi­ tion tv get five at-large berths (including Cincin­ nati M em phis Louisville and Mumm tie = Iii ‘in Tulare

l o g a m e s ah or

nu»\i

:i

«•» a lineup

Campaigning: iu -rrk Isin s

laming ' - i n lawrence Ne!

J lid Tutti/*- i.’* ‘ 7 hii’ ;j rn:

< o n .in

-coit: line u r n 6-!;

Jerald Honeycutt and 6-7 Rayshard .Alien, the Wave went 8-2. held opponents to 38.8 percent shooting and blocked 68 shots. In the first IO gam es. Tulane recorded 40 blocks and the opposition shot 43.8 per­ cent.

Honeycutt 'leads Tulane in scoring tlS.o) and assists (3.7) and is second in r e bounds (7.6). blocks (1.7) and steals (1.7). He again leads in turnovers bul has a positive assists-to-tumovers ratio for tire first time in his career.

“His biggest thing is he tries to do too much because he’s so competitive." Clark says of the junior, “i think he's learning he doesn't have to do that, and he can play with som e of tile other guys. Jerald has grown. Not sn much his gam e, bm his menial approach has grown."

Wolverine woes: The loss ofTroyior only com­ plicates Michigan's pursuit of an S C AA bid.

The difference between this season and 1993-94 is back then the Cougars had victo­ ries over .Alabama. Penn State and CNC Charlotte. This time, as with last season, their case is built on just sheer volume of victories.

This particular selection committee has been more accepdng of mid- and low-major pro­ grams. but that didn't get Charleston in last season. So th eres no way to know.

T h e bubble" is the one NCAA Tourna­ ment cliche acceptable in polite company, be­ cause it is nearly impossible to discuss the se­ lection process without it. What else are you going to say? “On the fence?” That's just as bad. “M avbethev’re in. maybe chevre not?"

• * * rn Not exactly shorthand, is it?

Cinderella, March M adness and The Big Dance are almost enough to drive you away from the tournament, but the bubble is some­ thing we can live with. just as these folks will be living on it for a little w^hile longer.

1. M lcb lgan /M ld rigaD State. The Wolver­

ines were fortunate to have lost only center Robert Traylor (broken arm) in an auto acci­ dent that involved five players and top recruit Mateen Cleaves at 4:30 a.m. February 17.

Michigan- hasn’t missed the tournament since the Pre-Fab era and has at least five quality victories, but even before the near­ tragedy. the team had faded to five losses in a six-game stretch. The Spartans are near the front of the Big Ten but lost to Detroit and Central Michigan — perhaps the worst loss by any at-large contender. The winner of the Michigan State-Michigan game February 27 in Ann Arbor could be the only one to ad­ vance.

2. Kansas Stats/Okfebamaftebraska. The Big Eight is a m orass of mediocrity that m akes Missouri look almost legit. If more than one of these three gets invited — com­ bined. they had only five decent victories out­ side the league — itll be the first upset of the tournament.

3. The Atlantic Coast Conference, North Carolina. Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are there: the other she schools have a chance. however slim it ma\ be for Florida State.

Maryland and Virginia. Duke had better beat UCLA at home on Sunday. rn Clemson will struggle to survive road gam es at Wake For­ est. N.C. State and Georgia Tech.

4. Tuba. Coming off consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Tulsa would be hard to leave ou t .Any more losses in the Missouri Valley Conference — all but one of its last five gam es are at home — and itll be harder to invite the Golden Hurricane.

5. Fresno State. The Bulldogs are catching loo much grief for their loss at Hawaii, al­ though it would have been nice if they’d been competitive. That’s a tough trip, and the Rain­ bows are improving. To get Jerry Tarkanian back in the tournament for the first time since the 1991 Final Four, though, irs going to re­ quire at least a semifinal finish in the West­ ern .Athletic Conference Tournament.

6. Washington. Four of the Huskies' losses have been to teams outside the top 98 of the Ratings Percentage Index. They’ve got to get through a trip through the Bay Area (Cal. Stanford) and a visit to UCLA and L SC to close the season. In between are home gam es against Arizona State and-.Arizona.

Mavbe next year.

Parting shots Big East coaches have been moaning lately in re­ gards to their league's No. 6 standing in the recent RPI report, blaming it on an over­ abundance of league gam es rather than the real problem: the three crummy expansion teams (Notre Dame. West Virginia and Rutgers) that are outside the RPI top IOO and the dismal Georgetown non-league sch ed u le.... The winner of the Big East Tour­ nament has failed to advance to the Sweet 16 in each of the past four NCAA Tourna­ ments, which causes some wondering about whether its good for a team to spend that much energy on a rather meaningless affair. “I think its good for your team. that competition." Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim says.

“You have to play ai a high, high level, and ii you re

Boing, g o i n g Without

Henderson. LSC is a goner. readv for that, vou’re readv for the NCAA."" On its two-game trip to In­ diana. Penn State, leading the nation in 3-point shoot­

ing. hit a combined IO of 37 from 3-point range. Its two double-digit lo sses were its first of tile se a so n .... David­ son isn't quite up to UM a ss standards but did stand un­ beaten through the first 14 gam es of 1996. With IO play­ ers getting serious minutes, the Wildcats held their bigtime. cross-town rivals from UNO Charlotte to a 12-year scoring low (46 points) earli­ er this season and won sev­ en of their first eight on the road. ... .Already struggling to endure frequent injuries to point guard Randy Liv­ ingston. who left school last week to concentrate on re­ habilitation. LSI’ also is with­ out shooting guard Ronnie Henderson, who had knee surgery.

9

Mike DcCuurcy covers college basketball fo r Toe C om m ercia1. A ppeal in M em phis . Tern.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 33

February 26,1996

im ll of you Luddites out there may want turn the page. We're about to mix technology and sports, which for some IS akin to seeing Rick Pitino on the sideline in I Kentucky. SEC. I f o i r f H c o m p m f r«nfcinc a red Angora sweater. Ifs not a pretty picture.

1 6 Coppin State. Atd-Easfem. 181 But bear with us as we consult only the a Arkansas. SEC. 2 9 _____________________ computer and compile an NCAA Tournament 9 M arquette. ConferBncs USA. 3 3 bracket based on games through February 17 The basis for the learns selected and seedings 5 W ts.-G reen Say. Mkfwsstem CcSeoaJe, 1 7 is a product of the Rating Percentage Index 12 Iona. Metro Auantic, 51 (RPI), which has been used by the NCAA 4 G eorgia Tech. ACC. 1 3 since 1981 to supplement the selection of at* 1 3 Princeton, /vy, 1 8 0 large teams and the seeding of all teams tor the NCAA Tournament. The ranking of the 6 io w a Bk] Ten, 21 teams is an independent duplication of the 11 Teocas, Souttrwest, 41 RPI without input from the NCAA, which does 3 C incinnati. Conference USA, 3 not release the RPI to the public.

14 W eber State. Bio Sky, 9 4 The four schools which just missed the cut are Clemson. Vanderbilt. Kansas State and ^ 7 M aryland. ACC. 2 5 Tulsa. But ifs not too tate.

1 0 O klahom a.

37 lf you don't find your school included in this 2 Purdue. Big Ten, 5 ersatz bracket tell your beef to the computer 1 5 M cNeese State. SoutNand. 161 and cheer for Old U. to finish fast before you find yourself drawing up an NIT bracket or West getting bached for spring football practice.

And. oh. by the way. Selection Sunday is March First round IO. I Kansas. Bio Eiphf, 4 Following are the leagues with more than one invitee. Let the Big Ten bashing begin: 16 Samfofd^ Trans Amencg. 1 7 4 Big Ten: 7 (Illinois. Indiana. Iowa. Michigan. a Duke. ACC. 3 2 Penn State. Purdue, Wisconsin).

9 Providence. Big East. 3 6 Atlantic Coast 6 (Duke. Georgia Tech.

S y irq in ia Tech. Auantic IO, 2 0 Maryland. North Carolina. Virginia, Wake Forest).

1 2 UNG C harlotte. Conference USA. 4 7 Big E a ^ 6 (Boston College. Connecticut.

4 Utah. WAC, 1 6 r n Georgetown. Providence. Syracuse.

1 3 A rkansas-Little Rock. SunBeft. 6 6 Viiianova).

6 Santa Clara. West Coasi. 2 4 Conference USA; 6 (Cincinnati. Louisville.

Marquette. Memphis. Tulane. LINC Charlotte). l l Tulane. Conference USA. 4 4 Southeastern: 5 (Arkansas. Georgia.

3 Syracuse. Bk? East. 1 2 Kentucky. Mississippi State. South Carolina).

1 4 M ount St. M ary's. A/oftfwasr. 81 Atlantic IO: 3 (Massachusetts. Temple.

7 M ississippi State. SEC. 2 8 .•V., Virginia Tech).

Big E ight 3 (Iowa State. Kansas. Oklahoma). .vt: IO Temple Adanfk: IO. 3 9 Pacific IO: 3 (Arizona. Stanford. UCU).

2 North Carolina. ACC. 8 r - r ' •Southwest 2 (Texas. Texas Tech).

1 5 Nevada. 8 ^ West 1 1 2 Western Athietic: 2 (New Mexico. Utah).

■iir.*'

East First round

I M assacnusatts. AUantx IO. 2 16

Colgate. Painof. 1 80

a Bradley, Afesot/n Vafey. 3 0

I Hi

I 9 Stanford. Pac-TQ. 3 4 5 Texas Tech, Scuffrwest, 1 8 12

v'cr.

4 13

Virginia. ACC. 4 5 Iowa State. Big Sghr. 1 4 Drexel. AkxtftAtfanOc. 7 8

6 Indiana. Big Ten. 2 2 ll

-5r-V fur:

New Mexico. VVAC. 4 2

3 14 7

r-v-

10 2 15

Artzona. Pac-fO. IO Davidson, Soctf>em, 9 0 Georgetown. Big East. 2 6 HllnoiS. dig Ten. 3 8 Connecticut. Btg East 6 UNG GreansbOfO. Big South, 1 4 4

Southeast First round 1

ViHanova, Bk? East. 3

16 Jackson Slate. Southwesfem Atfi/e&c. 1 7 5 a M ichigan. Big Ten, 31 9

Eastern Mtcnigan. Mid'A/nencan. 3 5

5

Louisville. Conference USA. 1 9

12 W isconstn. Big Ten. 4 6 4 13

U C L^. Pac-IO. 1 5 Vifg>n<a Com m onwealtn. Coiontal. 7 7

6 Memphis. Conference USA. 2 3 11

G eorgia. SEC. 4 3

3 Wake Forest. ACC. 11 14 7

M urray State. Qftx? Va/Zgy. 8 3 Boston College. S*gSast. 27

IO South Carolina. SEC. 4 0 2 15

Penn State. 8*g Ten, 7 Valparaiso. MiQ-Connneni 1 4 0

•t

TSN TOP 25 Tm i b

Comment WaichinQ (kid Uarcus Cambv. you'd never know he was 5 l i .

An u n b e ^ record t i the SEC seems assured for (he WBdcats The Huskies' hauoMv 23-oame wvbviq streak tnav end.

The 'Cats have won IO in a row headfoo into UConn showdown.

The B e a m ts 'to u r oames wd be brutal jetod Haase’s sfomo has to be a concern for the Javhawks The Red Raiders w i be tested Saturday a1 Texas.

T iles are wort on (he road, where three to u ^ tests tocm.

W i the Utss be a No. 2 seed in the West?

The Oeacots are set UD to al least tie for (he ACC boa.

The Hoyas dose the scso n with a d ffio A state.

The Hokies have tfecovered what I takes to be a too IO team.

A weak nterfor tfaeatens to turn CndereBa toto a baa.

The Bruim have command of the Pac-10 and may be a Na 3 seed.

The Tioets have beaten tost one ranked team this season.

The W ltkate-are a iT u h Qucker tsani without Joseoh Blair The Oranoernen are orirned for a tast b ish .

The Heels' oame a1 Wake on Feb. 27 may dettrm ne the ACC ttte The seconrFbest of a bad Bio Baht tot.

The k m to Oeoon Beety ended the CanfnaTs Pac-10 tifle hopes.

The Canfinats have been touohened bv an arduous schediie FaKai Abraham f i one ot the nation's undenated olavers.

Liffle freshman Scoorw Pern makes (he Eaotes OO. Coni look now. but the Yefiow tackets may vin the ACC. The Phoena are unbeaten smce taAng to Kentucky Dec 6.

-^ ^ I. KM &icky Z I Connecticut 4. V lm o v t S. CtndRttstt & K c tttts 7. T n a T o d i & P vdw t tilth W tk tF o m t la G eoroctovn ll.

12. V M n la T ie h Penn S U ll 14.

IS. MlQDnB Aitzsna ll 17. S v n c ste l l North C vo to e IS. io v iS ttte Stanfocd sa 21. U o M le 22. Ueraoelte 21 Boston CoBeoe 24. G eorqkiTedi 2S. v n s .-G M iB s y Tbrough S atifdays games. rs . .«*«. .4 t ^ I. . utners recavfig vctes: bracsey, ta sa m iwcnigan. kaeor^ n ^ iw ig a ^ . ww<i. i ukuw.

T ile Top 25 is detemioied by columnea l® te DeCourcy and TSN aStors

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I

W-L 250 22-1 24.1 2W 19-2 21*2 22*1 21-< 21-4 17-4 21-5 IM IM IM 17-5 19^ IM 19-7 IM IM 18-7 16-5 IM 16-10 tt-2

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RECRUITING W m 'H

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3^ ioj^(magned

icqdpog^; Rediiitfiig USA:

Small forward: ' ' }.

DAVID UUJIZAMAM

6-7,T011l0«^.)

TW StOiOiy; One of the most underrated . players in the nadon. Lalazarian excels at c i^ n g ttis own shot; and when he gets it Jitfs a good bet to knock it down. "

Power forward:OESMOKOWAlXPt ■^ 6 ? .6 tw d O t(A iil.)

THE8ldHIIV:Walkfir.adead-eye shooter .and:tendciousTel)ounder;isihe best of a talentitprbup of forward prospects from.Mabama. However, grades inay force filth to attend a junior college, where h'e'fiourK to be a top-five recruit -* in 1998.

Center.

^TME

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diisvrark^dn.Hls;g:rohrt^i|pe^W n(»^isa

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.6 -9 .F io iid a A iM ^a Ila tQ tt8 « , Ra.)

THESniiHYi Kunter is being recruited on . . potehbak'A developing athlete with a lOBcicfDrbttKking shots, Hunter needs to fBfine fotiworfcand add muscle. How­ ever, he’s ^ c fc to the glass and has a b^ upside bedujse of hts athleticism.

ii In »/// o u r <>hi h i ic k .'lo p 'n

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c x f h T h '/ n ’Cit h n n u s y w i d e n

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enure I

B o n U eo K er

l l s The D ifference Betw een W a tc h in g It Anti P la yin g lr w A p j->

°w>

v m v jv y iv m How to Play • U s e your M C I ’ calling card to call and draft your team.

• E a c h team c o n sists of 1 8 players — 6 pitchers (3 starters - 3 reivers), a player at e a ch of the eight fielding positions, an extra O F. 2 extra IF and an extra catcher.

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Is

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3R • COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The Sporting News

a fresh m an (4.5) w h o ’s a v era g in g six th is se a so n w h ile sc o rin g 16 p oin ts a g a m e, w h o really lig h ts th in g s up.

C ould h e play a n yp lace else?

“W hat kind of q u e stio n is that?’ D rak e says. “W h y w ould you w orry about Earl p layin g an yp lace else? H e's popular right h ere. Enjoy him w h ile you 've g o t h im .’

T h at’s probably g o o d ad vice. B e c a u se w ith all of h is appeal. B oyk in s is certain to b e c o m e a national m ed ia darling if th e E a g le s co n tin u e to It is no accid en t that Earl B o y k in s lo o k s and plays like a m iniature play w ell.

“Earl cou ld play* for m e an yw h ere, put it that w ay.’ Eastern M ichigan Isiah T h om as- .Almost from th e day h e w a s b ig e n o u g h to b o u n c e a C oach B en Braun sa y s, “lf Earl can play ball. B o y k in s h a s tried to co p y th e for­ at E astern M ich igan , at ou r lev el, h e can m er P isto n s great. play an yw h ere. B eca u se w e play at a pret­ T oday, th e label o f g r e a tn e s s is about ty h igh le v e l.’ lo d e sc e n d upon B o y k in s. T h e so p h o ­ T h a t m ay s o u n d lik e a c o c k y s ta te ­ m o re from C entral C ath olic H igh in m en t. B ut from B rau n , it is sim p ly th e C levelan d is listed rn th e E astern M ich i­ tru th . gan p rogram a s > 7 . 140 p o u n d s. That “Earl’s g o t a lot of d e te rm in a tio n .’' says n w y b e stretch in g it. T h ey don't call him mk _ a . u . t* * I•• __#i •__ Braun, w h o g u id ed E astern M ich igan to ‘h a d th e Squirrel" for n oth in g th e S w e e t 16 in 1 9 9 0 9 1 . “H e ’s a h ig h ly But it certainly# is no stretch to sac• that com p etitiv e kid. and th a t’s rubbed o ff on B oy k in s is th e k ey to th e -E a g les' rise to o u r team . Earl b e n c h -p r e s s e s 250 national p rom in en ce. T h e little b ig m an p ou n d s. You w ouldn't think that, lo o k in g h a s E astern M ich ig a n . 19-3 overall and 12-2 in the Mid-A m erican C on feren ce e n ­ at him."

N o. in d e e d . But lo o k s can b e d e c e iv ­ terin g th e w e e k . p layin g w ith th e big ing. In only two se a so n s. B oyk in s already boys. h a s sc o r e d m ore than 700 p o in ts and tal­ " T h ey've g o t th r e e p la y e r s w h o are lied 260 a s s is ts . T h e a s s is t total ran k s th e b est in our le a g u e at th eir p o sitio n .’

12th in sc h o o l history.

C en tral M ich ig a n C o a ch le o n a r d “I try’ to u s e m y s iz e to m y a d v a n ­ D rak e sa y s. " B o y k in s is th e b est point t a g e .’ B o y k in s s a y s . “I th r iv e on m y g u a rd . Brian T o lb e rt is th e b est s h o o t­ q u ic k n e s s . I d o n ’t s e e m y s iz e a s a d is­ in g gu ard and T h ero n W ilso n is p roba­ a d v a n ta g e .’ bly th e b e st s h o t-b lo c k e r in th e M id ­ ^ B ut e v e r y th in g c o m e s with a price. In w e s t .’ th is c a s e , ii h a s b e e n E M U 's n ation al T h e E a g les h ave m ade basketball a lot | ran k in g th is se a so n . It cou ld h ave infiatof fun in th e D etroit area. .And that’s say­ § ed th e E a g le s ’ e g o s , but it hasn't. Yet it ing so m eth in g . R em em b er. E M C 's ca m ­ pus in Ypsilanti is only about sev en m iles ? h a s m a k e th in g s m ore d iffic u lt | T h e r e is m ore p ressu r e now . S o m e is from Crosier A rena, h o m e o f th e M ich i­ « self-im p o sed . S o m e c o m e s from fan s on g a n W o lv e rin es. T hat u se d to b e a for­ th e road w h o chant “overrated" w h en the m id ab le sh ad ow .

5 E a g le s tak e th e floor. E a stern M ich igan N o lon ger.

The Earl of EMU: Boykins m a y be only 5-7, bul he casts a felt that p r e ssu r e la st w e e k . w h e n it T h is is no P odunk U . E a stern M ich i­ big (a n d quick) shadow fo r Eastern M ichigan. d rop p ed a 72-70 d e c isio n at B o w lin g g a n h a s 24.000 stu d en ts. It is D ivision I all th e w ay. and th ey d o it up right. Pep G reen. band, c h e e r le a d e r s, pom pon g irls and a stu d en t sectio n not u nlike the “G y m s that u sed to b e h a lf-em p ty now are full w h e r e v e r w e go."

B o *y k in s sa «v s. “N o w . th ev* w ant to s e e u s lo se . B u t w e feed on t h a t ’ C am eron C razies at D uke.

“W e r e g o in g to beat th e h ell out of y o u .’ th ey chant in 5.600-seat H is h ero . Isiah T h o m a s, u sed to play w ith th e sa m e attitude. ♦ B ow en Field H o u se as w arm ups w ind dow n —Harht Atkdcs It is all great fun. But it is B oyk in s, th e M A C ’s lea d in g a ssist m an as

THE BOOK O N .

FROM THE PLAYBOOK OE Kevin O’Neill

EARL BOYKINS

Tennessee

sn Michigan pard

I

I

5 cuts over the top o f the reverse cross screen set by 2. 3 looks fo r the lob pass to 5. 1 cuts off o f the screen set by 4. 3 passes to 1 . 4 looks to slip the screen versus d en ta l pressure.

t/TW y *** WU <- v»( * • .vz *wr.c£3£»*4a . TTM .--a* v + .1 V y .v O ^ s i

1 dribbles the ball tow ards the m iddle. 2 cuts off o f the screen set by 4. 1 passes to 2.

E S I •T x ? * ? ilg s u r t

•- £ 2 dribbles the ball across the m idline. 3 cuts off o f the baseline screen set by 5. 2 looks to pass to 3 or 5.

S h effer is m o stly a catcha n d -sh o o te r w ith a q u ick re­ le a s e w h o u s e s tea m m a tes' s c r e e n s w ell to g e t op en .

N B A s c o u ts w ou ld lik e him e v e n m o re if h e co u ld im ­ prove a s a p en etrator and do a b ette r job of cr e a tin g h is S in c e arriving at th e U n iv ersity of Con* ow n sh ot. i . *011011 in 1993. D o ro n S h e lle r h a s m a d e it K now n in h is native counk now n that h is N o I g o a l w a s to im prove g try a s 'T h e Israeli Ice Man." e n o u g h to play in th e N BA . H e has d o n e just § S h e ffer m a k e s few m ista k e s that, and h e is e x p e c te d to b e no w orst1 than a x w ith th e ball. H e s e e s th e late first-round se le c tio n in J u n e ’s draft. f floor w ell. find s th e op en m an .Although SheCfer is in h is third year of col* | and h a s an a ssist-io -tu m o v er ' £$-■ this is h is final se a so n of elig ib ility . A na- I 2 ratio o f a lm o st 2.5 to I th is .jve of Rama! Elal. Israel, th e 6 -fo o to , 197“ se a so n . pound point guard co u ld b e c o m e th e first Iv He has a shot S o one denies Shewer is a fin e shooter, but he needs S h effer is a lso a g o o d re­ rraeli to play in th e NKA. H e w ill en te r th e to become a better pen etrator a n d creator from the poin t b o u n d er for a gu ard , averag­ NBA next se a so n with m ore e x p e r ie n c e and in g alm ost five per g a m e at ^p*vy than you r a v era g e ro o k ie H e turns 24 w hile m akin g 44 p ercen t of h is s h o ts from the C on n ecticu t. D esp ite la ck in g th e sp e e d and on M arch 12 field and 41 p ercen t o f h is 5-point attem pts. q u ic k n ess of m any N E A point gu ard s, h e is a B efo re corning to A m erica. S h e lle r w as on e S h e lle r started ev ery g a m e in 1993-94 and com petitor w h o w ork s hard on d efen se. H e has of international b ask etb all's top point g u a rd s w as n am ed B ig East R ookie of th e Y ear after quick h an d s and h a s averaged m ore than two H r w as M A T o f th e Israeli C lub l e a g u e in m akin g 51 p ercen t o f h is s h o ts from th e field stea ls per g a m e over th e past th ree se a so n s.

1992-93 w h ile co m p letin g a three-year military and 41 p ercen t of h is 3*point attem pts. But last Pro s c o u ts will ex a m in e S h e ffer’s footw ork ob ligation se a so n h e sh ot 40 p ercen t from th e field and d u rin g th e p o sts e a s o n .All-Star ca m p s to s e e * H is build and sty le of play likely will rem ind 37 p ercen t from 3-point ran ge. H e lo st co n fi­ h ow h e fares p layin g m an-to-m an d e fe n se e x ­ N BA fo llo w e r s o f Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hord e n c e in h is sh o t and b e c a m e relu ctan t to clu siv ely . O n e th in g N B A te a m s do not have n a cek U k e H o m a c e k . S h e lle r p a s s e s , h a n ­ sh o o t ev en w h en open. to b e co n ce rn ed w ith is h is durability. H e h a s That h a s not b e e n th e c a s e th is se a so n . H is d le s and s h o o ts th e ball w ell T h ro u g h 24 n e v e r m isse d a g a m e d u rin g h is c o lle g e ca­ sh o t h a s retu rn ed , a s h as h is co n fid e n c e, and g a m e s th is s e a s o n , h e w a s a v er a g in g 16.4 reer and h a s started all but on e.

I h e is lofting se v e n 3-point a ttem p ts p er g a m e. ta in ts . 4.7 reb o u n d s. 6.3 a s s is ts and 2 . 1 stea ls

SCOliTING REPORT

‘Israeli Ice Man’ is ready to make his move to the NBA

— Do* Uvamou.

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NBA»37 \

Story by PAUL A U N E R ♦ Photos by ALBERT DICKSON

he first time you see Bo romping around the Bulls' practice facility, it’s quite startling. H ere is this happy-go-lucky g olden re trie v er ru sh in g th ro u g h room s, furiously w agging his tail, seeking w hatever at­ tention h e can m uster. T hin and en erg etic. Bo know s nothing about the tall. rich guys who train rn th e build­ ing; he just w ants to be loved. On this particular m o rn ­ ing. th re e d a y s after th e NBA .All-Star G am e, h e is search in g frantically for his m aster. Phil Jackson. But Jackson, like most of the players h e coaches, is unavailable. T he athletes are tired. T hey are about to start an o th e r tre a c h e ro u s road trip, and they want to rest. T heir coach w ants to read his mail.

Bo eventually rom ps upstairs to the second level of offices, away from the locker room that. according to an ann ou n cem en t by impish ce n ter Bill Wen* nington. "has no hot water. I repeat, no hot water." So. as the Bulls contem ­ plate what could be a historic season. they are unable to go hom e d e a n — and a frisky dog is left to occupy the attention of the media.

Not to pick on poor Bo. who. by the way. finally found Jackson, but his ap­ pearance s e e m s appropriate. August is baseball's dog days; for basketball, the d ru d g ery of the season com es in late February, during the coldest weeks of w inter w hen te am s have settled into p attern s and the elite have sep arat­ ed them selv es from the p re ten d ers. It is now that the jockeying for playoff spots and mental e d g e s begins. T he best eye hom tscourt advantage, the rest h o p e a .500 record m ight earn th em an undeserved playoff spot.

But so m eth in g unexpected h a s happened to the Bulls this season. T hey figured to be good, as long as Michael Jordan improved on his retum-fromre tire m e n t perform ance of last spring and new com er Dennis Rodman seri­ ously attem pted to curtail his fanatic behavior. But not this; not this serious run at a 24-year-old m ark for most victories in league history, a run that has given m ean ing to normally ordinary g a m e s and energized fans ev eryw here they alay. T h e Bulls are bringing excitem ent back even to a re n a s that have lan guish ed less than full for m u ch of th e season, places like M inneapolis and Atlanta, P hiladelphia and th e L A S po rts Arena. T h e y have created

tough tickets and scalper heaven tin Sacram ento, th ere was a n r a r n o t river standing-room -only seats); heck. even M agic Jo h n so n w anted to becom e part of th e fun again By w inning so frequently, the Bulls have fanned a mmt-hell lur th em ­ selves. D uring th e dog days, they usually could take a lew night-' un on the road. N o big deal if they lost away from T oited C enter Hell. th at‘s the NBA way. anyway. But the pursuit of th ose enticing Ti) v ic to rie s one m ore than the L ak e rs’ 69 in 1971-72. has c h a n g ed the norm al pattern and created ur g en cy at every s to p C ham p ions always talk about gettin g everyone'" best shot the next season, the Bulls aren't ex a g g eratin g w hen they maJfe that claim this season. ■ T he players protest that they won t sacrifice their playoff c h a n c re wasting en e rg y to reach 70. but ii they can get th ro u g h th e grind *>i F ebruary fit .md without m any m ore than th eir c u rren t five defeats, they will h e draw n into the drain of the pursuit, willing or not. T h e n ature of t o d a y s athletic atm o s­ phere. w h ere every hint of an accom plishm ent b e c o m e s a m ajor event, will d em and nothing less. . » So th e team looks at its sch ed u le and picks out significant period" and gam es. D uring a nine-day. six-gam e w estern road trip b efore the .All-Star break, it sputtered, losing twice and seeing the end to its I n g am e winning strea k . S o m ew h ere in that journey, th e Bulls m isplaced th eir offensive rhythm , which they didn t regain until th um ping Indiana lasf >unda>

Mass appeal: Pippen and the Bulls are bringing excitement back to league venues that languish in February ennui.

In Detroit, for example, young fans pine for the visitors bench like patrons at a rock concert.

.Ahead lie th e Magic in a nationally televised g a m e Sunday m C hicago.

T h e te am s split their first two g am es, but Shaquille O 'N eal played in n v jf

38 • NBA

The Sporting News

Poor shooting cost the Bulls those two early-February losses.

Impressive defense is carrying them through these dog days.

‘ 'Prime time: .4/ 33. Jordan is a m on versatile player than

he aas barm hts retirement. ' He is determined ta prove his best days hate not passed him by {her He will sui! up this time. and the oldest team in the league will be m easured against the team oi the future. They'll be playing for menial edges and trash-talking privileges; the serious stuff will come in late May. when they likely will be matched up for the conference cham pionship “T h e s e are check-pomt gam es.” jordan says.

These are the gam es the team can use to m easure progress and cheek out its parts. Al­ most ev en - other contest is already down as a victory in its column; the Bulls have been so dominating that a road.loss to*any of 20 or so opponents has to be an upset.’T ake a mo­ ment to com e on a w eek2* journey with this team, to see what it is like to be the best everv night.

lf it’s Tuesday, it must mean defense Fatigue can turn giants into mortals.

It is Tuesday, two davs after the .All-Star Gart9c. and the Bulls are tired. T heir western tn p before the break revealed a first glimpse of mortality, and now their legs are dragging.

The players need a lengthy hom e stand. In­ stead. they will begin another road swing to­ morrow. Jackson is concerned his club will continue a normal pattern and not play well following the break, even if the opponent is ♦

•

the outm anned Bullets.

In the third quarter. W ashington is hang­ ing close. Then, over a six-minute span, the Bullets are outscored. 14-6. Turn 'out the lights. Chicago 111. W ashington 98. .After­ ward. Coach Jim m y Lynam talks not about the Bulls' offensive explosiveness. Rather, he is overwhelmed bv their defense.

T h e y jumped us on defense so whatever we wanted to do. we had to work at it." Lynam says. “W hen they start a game, at four of the ♦

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five spots, they have the top defensive play­ ers in the league. They pick it up and extend their defense and pressure the ball and get at you. and it is so. so hard to make a pass in­ side to get your offense started. Orlando has size, but these guys have quickness. And they've been doing this for a while. Orlando still is a young, inexperienced playoff team.

“I know fans see Chicago and all their of­ fensive weapons, and they should adm ire that. But coaches see the way they play de­

fense. That'll carry them."

Poor shooting cost the Bulls two early-Feb­ ruary losses. Impressive defense is carrying them through these dog days. and it will be the reason behind anything they accomplish by season’s end. T h ere is so much to absorb with this team — the personalities, the stun­ ning talent, the sideshow that follows them everywhere, including bodyguards for jordan and Rodman — that the foundation of its suc­ cess is easily ignored. But over the course of

NBA • 39

February 26.1996

lf it’s Wednesday, it must be Bill Bradley. ..

Bill B ra d le y a n d Phil J a c k s o n w e r e r o o m ­ m a t e s w h e n th e y p la y ed for t h e K n ic k s. N o w J a c k s o n is p u s h i n g for B r a d le y to r u n to r p r e s id e n t o n a th ird -p a rty tick et. “.After Iowa, it is o b v io u s w e n e e d a n a lte r ­ native." J a c k s o n is s a v in g after finally r e a d in g h is mail. J a c k s o n is c o m fo r ta b le w ith h is ima g e a s a social a n d political id e a list w ith in a c o a c h i n g f ra te r n ity w h o s e m e m b e r s ra re ly d eal w ith life o u ts id e b a s k e tb a ll. But h e also h a s g r o w n into a n e l d e r s ta te s m a n , s p o rtin g a g r a y is h b e a r d th a t a d d s d is tin c tio n to h is g a w k y fram e. H is b ello w in g voice c o n tro ls h is p la y e r s , y e t h e d o e s n 't o v e r c o a c h . H e tr e a t s t h e m like p ro fe s s io n a ls ; d u r in g tim e o u ts , h e ta lk s briefly, o ffe rin g q u ic k in s t r u c tio n s a n d no h a r a n g u e s . H e c r e a t e s th e k in d of a tm o s ­ p h e r e th a t c a n a b s o r b a R o d m a n , giv in g h im th e s p a c e to n u r t u r e h is in dividuality b u t also th e s tr u c t u r e to k e e p h im in line. R o d m a n not only p a y s a tte n tio n d u r in g tim e o u ts , h e also k e e p s o n h is s h o e s w h e n h e is on th e b e n c h — tw o b e h a v io r p a t t e r n s w h o s e a b s e n c e d r o v e S p u rs officials c ra z y last se a so n .

O n e C h ic a g o n e w s p a p e r k e e p s a c h a r t of R o d m a n 's v a r io u s ham c o lo rs . C u r r e n tly , h e is c o n te n t w ith a m u te d s h a d e of lig h t b lo n d e ; a s y m b o l u s e d by th e A rtist F o r m e r ly K no w n a s P r in c e is c a rv e d in to t h e b a c k of h is h e a d .

O t h e r th a n o n e m a jo r o u t b u r s t in early J a n u ­ ary. w h e n h e g o t e je c te d . R o d m a n h a s b e e n a m o d e l p la y e r u n d e r J a c k s o n 's g u id a n c e . In tu rn . J a c k s o n s a y s R o d m a n 's zeal a n d t h e d e ­ lig h tfu lly fu n n y w ay h e p e r f o r m s will k e e p h im in c o a c h i n g a w h ile lo n g e r . T h e B u lls h a v e h e lp e d R o d m a n by e m p lo y in g h is c lo se frie n d J a c k H aley , w h o is in ju re d b u t <its on t h e b e n c h every' g a m e . At firs t, t h e r e s t of R o d m a n 's t e a m m a t e s h a r d ly s p o k e to h im ( P ip p e n a n d h e h a d m a jo r p r o b l e m s w h e n R o d m a n p la y ed for t h e P is to n s ). Now th e y 'v e c o m e to a c c e p t h is s h y n e s s a n d lack of lo c k ­ e r r o o m f ra te rn iz in g , re a liz in g h is p u n k -ro c k b o d v h id e s a n in c re d ib le w o rk eth ic. In tu rn . h e h a s p ro v id e d th e te a m w ith th e r e b o u n d ­ ing a n d d irty w o rk it la c k e d last s e a s o n .

W a tc h in g R o d m a n on a lm o s t a n ig h tly bas is is a n e d u c a tio n . H e g r i n d s e v e n - g a m e , r e ­ le n tle s s ly a t t a c k i n g t h e b o a r d y . H e will g o t h r o u g h s p a n s w h e r e h e g r a b s e v e ry m is s e d s h o t, ta k in g o v e r c o n t e s t s in t h e p r o c e s s .

W h a t e v e r h is life sty le off t h e c o u r t, h e rem a i n s in e x c e ll e n t c o n d itio n ; t h e o n ly conc e rn is h o w well h e c o n t r o ls h is tr i g g e r tem p er. “O n e of t h e g r e a t e s t ro le p la y e r s ever." s a y s L y n a m o f R o d m a n , a g a in th e l e a g u e 's le a d in g r e b o u n d e r “ I'm n o t p la y in g a n y d iffe re n t th a n I e v e r h a v e ." R o d m a n s a y s , “b u t h e r e i t s d ifferen t.

S ata n h a s b e c o m e a n a n g e l. It w o r k s b e c a u s e t h e y h a v e a ‘I d o n ’t g iv e a d a m n ' a t t i t u d e a b o u t t h i n g s . T h e y a r e n 't c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e c ra p ; ju s t th e p e r f o r m a n c e ." J o r d a n , w h o h a s a ta tto o on h is c h e s t, n o w u r g e s p e o p le to lo o k p a s t t h e h a i r s t y le a n d w a tc h t h e m a n play. But will M J . socialize w ith t h e e c c e n tric R o d m a n ? T m n o t th a t c u r io u s ." h e say s.

: w ell. w e h a v e a c h a n c e . " h e s a vrn s . “O th e r s o n ta k e s a m o r e w orldly view '.Ail t e a m '' go w ise . .." H is v o ic e tra ils off. t h r o u g h a lull like th is." h e sa y s. “a n d o u r W h e n R o d m a n p la y e d on D e t r o i t 's title c h o r e is to limit it a s m u c h a s p o s s ib le an d t e a m s , t h e P a la c e w a s t h e m o s t u n p le a s a n t g et b a c k on th e r ig h t track." p la c e t h e B u lls v isited . N o t a n y m o r e . T h is W ith o u t L o ng ley . w h o is r e c o v e r in g from : se llo u t c ro w d is filled w ith C h ic a g o fans, an d a s o r e k n e e . J a c k s o n p la y s lon g m in u t e s with ! th e y c a n 't b e lie v e w h a t th e y a r e s e e in g . B oth a u n it th a t in c l u d e s P ip p e n . j o r d a n a n d • J o r d a n a n d P ip p e n a r e s h o o t i n g p o o rly . .Al­ K uk oc. th e f o rm e r E u ro p e a n s ta r w h o . s h o c k ­ t h o u g h r e s e r v e S te v e K e r r is a te rrific spotingly. is th e h ig h e s t-p a id p la y e r o n th e r o s te r I u p 3-point m a r k s m a n , th e B u lls rely s o h e a v ­ — for n o w K u k o c is e x t r e m e ly ta le n te d but ily on s c o r in g fro m J o r d a n a n d P ip p e n it can soft. H e o v e r th in k s , m a k in g a s im p le o ffe n se b e a v u ln e ra b ility . T h a t is a p p a r e n t in th is co m p lic a te d . P ipp en a n d J o r d a n tre a t h im like , g a m e . B u t t h e P is to n s blow a five-poinf lead a y o u n g e r b r o th e r , c o n s ta n tly ta lk in g to an d j in t h e final 38 s e c o n d s on a 3 -p o in ter by T o ni r e p r im a n d in g h im . K u k o c n o d s h is h e a d like i K u k o c a n d a tap-in by R o d m a n , a n d th e Bulls h e u n d e r s t a n d s b u t r e m a i n s f r u s tr a te d with pull it o u t in o v e r tim e . 112-109. j o r d a n a n d h is r e s e r v e ro le . Vet im a g in e th e m a t c h u p P ip p e n a r e a c o m b in e d 17 o f 53, b u t J o r d a n p r o b l e m s th e B ulls p r e s e n t w h e n th e th r e e , I s c o r e s e ig h t in th e e x tra perio d; a tu r n o v e r byall s u p e r b b a llh a n d le r s . a re on th e c o u rt.

Hill tr y in g to d riv e t h e la n e e n d s D e t r o i t ’s 1 ■They a r e so v e rsa tile ." C ollins say s. “You j h o p e s. c a n o n ly d o s o m u c h w ith th e ir m a tc h u p s . ] “T h i s is g o o d p ra c tic e ." sa y s J o r d a n a b o u t ■ Phil c a n c h a n g e t h e p a c e of t h e g a m e in a lot c lo s e g a m e s a g a in s t t h e also -ra n s. B u t J a c k ­ of d iffe re n t w a y s by th e lin e u p s h e u s e s . T h a t ! \

9

• th is six-day. f o u r- g a m e in s ig h t in to its b e in g , d e f e n s e k e p t th e te a m b r e a th in g . W h e n th e y h a d to . t h e y c r e a t e d a t u r n o v e r o r tip p e d a s h o t o r m a d e a d e f e n s iv e sto p th a t s w u n g th e o u tc o m e .

■ T hey a r e t h e m o s t a g g r e s s i v e d e f e n s iv e te a m ." D e tr o it's G ra n t Hill sa y s. “P la y in g th e p a s s i n g la n e s , g e n i n g s te a ls , c r e a t i n g tu r n o v e r s . T h a t is w h e n th e v a r e at th e ir best.

T h e r e a r e a lot of g r e a t o ffe n siv e p la y e r s in th is le a g u e , b u t w h a t th e y c a n d o co llectively a n d in d iv id u a lly o n d e f e n s e s e t s t h e m a p a rt fro m t h e r e s t . T h a t is w h y th e y a r e 45 a n d s o m e t h i n g th e y play g r e a t d e f e n s e ."

Al s o m e s ta g e in th e ir c a r e e r s . S c o ttie P ip ­ p e d J o r d a n a n d R o d m a n h a v e m a d e t h e N BA a ll-d e fe n siv e te a m . P ip p e n r e m a i n s a r e m a r k ­ a b le d e f e n s iv e p la y e r, t h e b e s t n o n - b ig m a n d e f e n d e r in t h e le a g u e . J o r d a n a n d R o d m a n h a v e s lo w e d a b it. b u t t h e o r g a n iz a tio n still t h i n k s R o d m a n is t h e b e s t d e f e n s iv e p o w e r f o rw a rd a r o u n d , a n d J o r d a n , e v e n if h e m u s t c o v e r s m a l l e r p l a y m a k e r s . c a n e le v a te h i m ­ se lf w h e n n e e d e d .

T h is te a m h a s to b e g o o d , b e c a u s e its r o ­ ta tio n at c e n t e r d o e s n 't f e a tu r e o n e s ta n d -o u t d e f e n d e r , its m o s t g l a r i n g w e a k n e s s . It w a s h a r d e n o u g h fo r t h e B u lls to w in t h r e e c h a m ­ p i o n s h i p s w ith Bill C a r t w r ig h t in th e m id d le ; g e t tin g a rin g w ith L uc L o n g ley will b e a h u g e a c c o m p lish m e n t “H o w a b o u t r u n n in g o v e r s o m e b o d y o n th e w ay to t h e b a s k e t? " R o d m a n a s k e d L o n g le y e a r l ie r th is s e a s o n . H ^ f s still w aiting.

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lf it’s Thursday, it must be overtime. . . i

In 50 m in u t e s . D o u g C o llin s ' P i s t o n s will ; play h rs f o r m e r te a m , t h e B u lls. C o llin s is a s k e d h o w h is y o u n g s q u a d will c o p e w ith th e i c h a lle n g e . “If S co ttie a n d M ic h a e l d o n 't s h o o t

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Filling Phil’s gaps: Players Uke Kukoc (7) and Iheftry Sim pkins 'fit fir e (hr Pulls depth but it is Rodman (led i. a i (Ii his flamboyant personality and incredible work ethic, who has provided the team tach the rebounding and dirty work it tacked last season

The Sporting News

40‘ NBA is what makrs them so irreal The\ can beat you in so manv different vva>*s.“ Still, it almost always comes doNMi to Jordan and Pippen. They aren't particularfy close, but Pippen. when Jordan was away. came to re­ alize how little fun it was to fill the role of top dop Now they respect each other's pame more. and Pippen is deli;?b!' ed to allow Jordan attain to absorb the attention and adu­ lation. But now. Pippen is the better player. He is amazmjfh' talented. slronR and long. the team's pla>*maker. passer and most versatile shooter. He is loupher than he appears and spends more time divinjr after loose bails than anyone but Rodman. Jordan still wants lo be the closer in tight (james, but al ^ he recognises that his skills have dropped a bit. It is Pippen s consistent play that carries the team nightly.

“It's his team.’ Jordan sa>*s. Pippen smiles.

He knows better. "Fm just having more fun.’

Pippen says. 1/anything. Jordan is more popu­ lar than ever. .And more relaxed. He never expeded this kind of dominant season: the chase for 70 has sumed hisimerest — “I t s realistic.

Si) well take a look al ii" — and stimulated his play He takes better care of his body than befon*. lifting weights and working.oui daih\ displaving what Jackson says is "more determinabon." if that is possible Longtime Jordan w-atchers marvel at an attitude latdang in anger that they haven't seen since before he won the first of three NB.A titles.

“I think he is playing harder now. espe­ cially on defense, than he ever has." says Seattle Coach Creorge Karl. Jordan laughs "I'm'comfortable with what I am doing," he says, including leading the league in scoring once again. The irony is that b>’ losing some of his athletic skills, he has been forcH to be jess selfish and more mulh-faceied. .And p<*rhaps a.better player •

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lf it’s nearly the weekend, It must be time to relax...

The first seUoul cn>wd of the season gn*ets the Bulls on Krida> in Minneapolis. They ex­ ert just enough energ>- to hold off the TimberwoK’es. who are buoyed by pushing their

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Up Bad away, dm n and d b tf. A l^to u ^ Pippen can jump wish the best rf&tem. he also is wiUing to dxt^ after loose balls. It is his consistent play that carries the team night afier night

opponent so hard. .And once again, the Bulls force a turnover in the final moments to wrap up the 103-100 \ictoiy.

"A measuring slick." says Wolves Coach Flip Saunders about his squad's performance.

"Never thought we were in trouble." says Jackson, whose team hardh* seems to be ex­ tending itself, not with the ^ c e r s coming up on Sunday.

But for the Wolves, this is a happening: one fan purchased a dckel after holding up a sign that said he had just been released from the hospital and seeing the game could make his recovery complete.

• The Bulls, of course, are accustomed lo such adulation. They frequently sneak through hotel kitchens and loading docks to avoid the fan crush. “It’s something to watch

PRIMESS k

what swirls around this team." Kerr says *^Ve joke that Elvis must be part of our group."

Jordan is a rock star. but Rodman has de­ veloped-his own fanatic foDowing. \Mien he hits a rare 3iX)tnter. the fans in United Center produce Joi^an-like cheers. At the end of home games, he sheds his uniform top and tosses it into the crowd. Management picks up the SlOO replacement cost Pippen. whom the Bulls w an t^ to trade the last few seasons but wise!)' didn't gladly can disappear through the cracks created by his more fi^ b o y an t mates. \Mlh eveo’ mounting victory, the scrutiny will increase, as will the pointless questions about how this club compares to past great teams, like the 72 Lakers and the *67 Sheers.

A few holdouts aren't convinced they are even the best team this season. Says Toronto Coach Brendan Malone: T h e y are grood but not as good as what people think." And Charles Barkley wades in with his belief that come playoff lime, the Bulls wiD be pressed to win the championship, a goal much more im­ portant to them than 70 victories.

lf it’s Sunday, it must be showtime... lf nothing else, the Bulls are hams.

The Indiana game is played before a na­ tional television audience, and the team re­ sponds with easih* its most focused, intense output of the week. Two months ago. the Pac­ ers beat the Bulls in Market Square Arena.

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Hockey Free Agents sy ert vtro eau be ciaimad sftar noon on frf.. Fob. 23r0. and before SPM on Tliors., Feb. 29tft. and bs on yoor team tor games beginning Ffi.. March le t.

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So this is message tune for an op­ ponent Chicago may have to face in the playofe. Oh my. what a message the Bulls send. jo rd an , abandoning a jump shot that has been inconsistent for three weeks, returns lo his past a day after his 33rd birthday, driving to the basket at wiD and making athletic plays that border on the inconceivable. Pippen shakes off a poor first quarter and joins this driving contest And Rodman brags the boards relent­ lessly. finishing with a seasonhigh-tying 23 rebounds, giving him 61 his last three outings.

In the 110-102 victory'. Jordan (44 points) and Rppen (40) be­ come the first teammates to score 40^his in a game since 1984 rad only the sixth duo to do it in regu­ lation. This is incredibly enter­ taining ba^etbaH filled with plays only the most gifted can make. But afterward.

Indiana (Toach Larry Brown says the Bufls can be beat even widi those two scoring al wiD. "Bul you can't give up second shots and turn the baff over." Brown says. It's thai de­ fense again, this time at near playoff-intensfty. forcing Indiana from the b a ^ e t rad tipping aD sons of passes. Chicago led by only four with 3'.23 remaining before Pippen drove for a layup rad Rodman stole a Rick Smits pass that Pippen converted into ihreeiw ini play.

Just that quiddy. the margin was back to nine, and the Pacers were done.

T h e y wouldn't be 46-5 if they didn’t make a statement every night," Brown says. T h a t is the difference between them rad the pre­ tenders. They are so hungry to win every night that is A e key. They are phenomenal."

VVIA nine of February's 14 games over. Ae Bulls already an? off to the best start in league history; Aey also are just three victories ^ m Jackson's goal of IO for A is monA rad a good bet to reach 70 as long as Aey avmd ma­ jor injury. After all, 60 percent of A eir con­ tests A e next two months are in United Cen­ ter. Now Aey can focus on Orlando. Three oAer <H)ponents remain before that matchup, but A e Buffs know what is important: unfin­ ished business, "Orlando still Ainks Aey are in it," Jack­ son sav*s- ■^V’e are g o i ^ to have to win Sun­ day lo convince Aem it is a foregone conclu­ sion. Bul Aey have a right to feel Aal way. af­ ter beating us in A e playoffs last year."

The Bulls are about to put A al foolish Ainking to re st Then 70 will be next ^ Paul A ttn er is a senior w riter fiir Tht Sporting NE^^*s.

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NBA • 41

Februrary 26,1996

have an outside shooter (Hous­ ton). low post scorer (Howard) and all-around playmaker (Hill) Detroit also represents home for Howard, who played at Michi­ gan.

Knicks: They cleared $7.5 mil­ lion in -salary for next season byunloading Charles Smith Howard would bt- a major plus to their youth movement. He also would become a much-needed second scorer Tile Knicks have been looking for a costar for Patrick Ewing ^ver since the; drafted him sn 19H3. Howafd would fill a need tor the future as well as the present.

Heat Their greatest need is at point guard, bul they will find Howard almost as attractive, es­ pecially if they dump power for ward Kevin Willis this summer.

Balls: Howard’s hometown team will make a strong bid for him if it decides not to re-sign Dennis Rodman.

Lakers: Long shots because they have been sri at power up­ ward ever since the reincarnation of Magic Johnson Still, they will

NBA REPORT

Howard leads the league in free-to-go percentage r is

Shaun POWEU ext summer, the big-name free agents have millions of reasons to stay put, in addition to a few others.

Michael Jordan’s identity, along with his business interests, are in Chicago.

Alonzo Mourning is one of the few players who actually love Pat Riley’s marathon prac­ tice sessions in Miami.

ShaquiHe O'Neal can’t find a Penny Hard­ away anywhere but Orlando.

But when it comes to Juwan Howard, there are few reasons to keep him in Washington.

Not even former college teammate Chris Webber counts for much.

Of all the free agents who will demand in excess of SIO million a season next summer, the one most likely to leave is Howard. That, in turn. makes him the most coveted of them ail. agent David Faflesavs.

“Ive said before that Juwan Howard is go­

N

ing to be the most highly sought-after free agent.' Falk says. ‘He’s younger than the oth­ ers. and with a iot of the others, you don’t ex­ pect them to move.’* Theres something else. too: Unlike the others. Howard hasn't expressed a strong de­ sire to stay. He says he’s still upset over his treatment two years ago during contract ne gotiations. The Billets had a S2-miilion slot but refused to give it to Howard, handing him the lesser S i.3-million available slot That first-year salary was less than some of the players drafted after Howard, the fifth overall pick in 1994. .Atter a holdout that lasted through train­ ing camp. Howard eventually settled on a 12year. $37-miIlion deal with a two-year escape.

Howard says the Bullets didn’t treat him with respect during their talks and underestimat­ ed his talent “There are a lot of things that happened that I won’t iorgeC he says.

What followed was a mixed blessing for the Bullets. Howard developed quickly as a rookie and even faster in his second season, when the coaches elevated the 6-foot-9 for­ ward to All-Star reserve. Arguably, he is a bet­ ter all-around talent than Webber, Certainly, he would be a big loss for die Bullets if he signed elsewhere.

The Bullets will pay Webber S II million for each of the next soc seasons but have in­ dicated they will up the ante for Howard.

They've leaked word there will be ST million for Howard for the 1996-97 season, and

L A . and besides, the drive have fallen to shah place in : down the Sama .Ana Freeway the Western Conference and For someone who owns would be too far for [tis should be passed by the Suns half of Beverly Hills, the last i celebrity courtside friends. now that Danny Manning is thing Donald Sterling needs back.... .After shedding some is reahestate advice. So excess weight. Joe Dumars Around the league heres some real-estate ad: I also dumped something else Michael Jordan quietly vice: Take your team south to — his sixth-man role. Pistons | turned 33 last Saturday. .Age Anaheim. The Clippers can Coach Doug Collins says he | hardly has slowed him: in option out of their lease at the hopes Dumars can create fact, J ordan’s years are barely L A Sports .Arena if they more scoring opportunities j ahead of his scoring average, serve notice by March I. than did former starting point j Still, he says his few nh-pickIfs been proved many guard Lindsey Hunter. ... times that the dark, amenity- { ing critics (who mostly five in Heres a1, you need to know j his imagination) will use age iree building doesn’t serve about the Sixers’ interior de­ i as ammunition. ‘ ' They’re gothem well. No one wants to fense: Guard Jerry Stack­ watch the Clippers in L A . ; ing to start looking for little house leads them in blocked • discrepancies in my game to either, as evidenced by this shots.... Pressure is growing 1 associate me with turning season’s attendance figures. on the Olympic basketball se­ Most nights, the Clippers : 33." Jordan says. “People will lection committee to give one barely draw 7,000. .And if I say. ‘He’s losing something.’ of the two remaining spots to { W ell quite naturally, you tend Sterling has any visions of Magic Johnson. Kings guard the Clippers owning L A in ■ to lose something. But you Mitch Richmond finds that the near future, then he : gain something, too. Tm a lot I strange. Johnson misses four should check the team ! smarter now Even though years and all of a sudden is across town and see who . I’m 33. I’m sure people are Olympic materia] again. Rich­ still scared of me at 33."... .Af­ just came out of retirement. mond has been a model of ter starting 19-9and spending The league office has consistency for eight years a few weeks in first place in leaned on Sterling in recent and still awaits official word vears to consider the Pond I the Pacific Division, the on his appointment. Says Kings are learning that main­ of .Anaheim, a spiffier place Richmond: ‘ I felt I should’ve taining a winning pace is just with a population base that’s been included with the firs! as hard as building ii A Febpanting for another pro ln players." + swoon and defensive team. But few- expect Ster­ : ruarv * ling to relocate because he lapses have conspired to send Shaun Powell covers wants to be associated with the Kings toward .St >0. They Hip S B A for Seu:sda\

Top Of the Class: As a top free agent, Howard (5) knows his

reach can extend well beyond Washington after the season. stretched over seven seasons the deal would be worth just more than $78 million.

Because of the Larry Bird Exemption, ‘die Bullets can pay Howard more than any other team. However, others can offer ballpark money for Howard.

The candidates for Howard’s services are many Expect the following to send limos: Pistons: They are attractive because they have young talent in Grant Hill and .Allan Houston. who is expected to re-sign. Add Howard lo that mix. and the Pistons would

Ponder this

•

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‘ I rn not sure whats going to happen," Howard says. “I’m just going to clo • whats best tor Juwan. It’s not about going to the team that offers the most money or the . team with the biggest city. I’m going to do whatever makes Juwan happy."

In retrospect How'ard says, he’s happy the Bullets didn't give him that $2- million slot — or the six-year. $24-million contract he asked for two years ago. ‘ It wouldn't have been a good deal mr me." he says. “Right now. I'd be like Scottie Pippen I’d be looking to get *;t »»i mv contract."

BY THE NUMBERS has bean outstanding since be returned from retirement, and entering tfiis week Is testament to that. But not 3V&) Magic£0 (i!d tove known he would come back after four years and outplay *e v e r y o n e : ' -According:to Points Created, which measures overall play in 11 primary and secondary statistical categories, Johnson ranks first In the NBA with an .841 rating, in hisftfst s e v e ritie s * Johnson's per-game stats were 19.1 points. 7.7 rebounds, and rebounds and 7 assists shy of averaging a triple-double. Consider ^ occasionally runs the offense,Johnson was averaging Consider also that he was I, Otis Thorpe and PcUr^Crea^l.Bvafuaflescpfayer stats an a per-mmutebasis. The system rewards -players'forpolfft^-iebdunds; assists, steals and blocks.it penalizes players for missed field go^Sfflid#^ ftirbws;.turaovers and persobaf.tQUls.-iaclvcategofy is weighted and played. The difference-hBween Johnson’s .841 rating and :1(%rarif© tf Jdf^Stockton's^^.653-b about nine jw r4$ minutes.

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— Bob B a u m i

The Sporting News

42 • NBA

w*- - ........................

The quiet man A little m o re m an a y ear ago. U tah 's Jo h n S tockton was in p u rsuit o» th e NBA s c a re e r assists record u n d e r the watchful eye of th e national m edia, including T n t S p o r t i n g N n v s (Feb­ ruary 20. 1995V w hich ch ro n icled th e c a re e r of th e leag u e's quiet, reluctant hero H e go! that record, of course, su rp assin g M agic Jo h n so n 's m ark ut 9.921 on F eb ru ary 1.1995. with a pass to — who else?

— Karl M alone L T u t th is sea so n . S to ck to n h a s p u rs u e d a n o th e r of the leag u e'* re c o rd s in relativ e anonym ity. E n terin g th e w eek.

S to ck to n , w ith 2.309 c a re t - steals, w as two aw ay from surp assin g M au rice C h e e k s' leag u e re c o rd B arring injury, the reco rd falls this w eek. likely in front of hom etow n fans against B oston or T oronto As u su al. S to c k to n s h ru g s off th e p ra ise , p re fe rrin g in ­ stead to talk ab o u t his team . "I do n 't g e t c a u g h t up in raak-

ing ste a ls o r g e ttin g a s s is ts o r b re a k in g any re c o rd s." S to ck ­ ton say s. “I ju st try to h elp th e team out by playing th e b e st I can on offense an d d efen se. I try to get b e tte r ev ery y e a r as a player."

And h e has. In S tockton's 11-year ca reer, he has averaged 2.44 steals p e r g a m e and won the leag u e's steals dtie in 193889 and 1991-92. w hen h e averaged 32?) and 2.98. respectively.

H e h a s finished in th e top IO in steals nine co n secu tiv e se a ­ sons. T h is season, h e is averaging 1.68 steals p er g am e (and is again leading th e leag u e in a ssists w ith 11.3 p e r g am e). An­ o th e r trib u te to S tockton's longevity and p erseverance: He has played in 495 co n secu tiv e g am es, th e fourth-longest streak in the league.

Jazz C oach Je rry Sloan says th e re are a lot of sim iliariues b etw een S tockton and C h e e k s. “C h e e k s did not play with m u ch so-called flair.' Sloan says. “He w as one of th o se g u y s who didn't get the recognition h e deserv ed b ecau se of th e way h e played. H e just w ent out th e re and quietly beat you. Like Jo h n ‘ S tockton, an eight-tim e .All-Star, a m e m b e r of th e original O lym pic D ream T eam and a future Hall of F am er. w ants som e­ thing m ore than individual honors. T m going to keep trying to win a ch am p io n sh ip for o u r team a s long as I can. and th at's why I*rn here." h e says. “It al) co m es dow n to playing well at th e right tim e. It's s u c h a fine line in th e playoffs."

THE BOOK ON...

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B e fo r^ tfie ^ ;< te Itl^ i^ ^ n d e n s o n

may have ' H

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-

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running the team in cniolalldurtM uarter Sbadh Bu b a Beard, toere was a perfectly - -ioqicalexplanation. : nJhriSChildsis Ara best guard I have.

Period,* ha would say.

->■ The Nets.wiif.be relying on Childs even '. more in Oncoming weeks, with Kendall Gill outw itha broken haitoandKhafid

Shaq hacked

Prince of thieves: S to c k to n h a s squired sto le n m o m e n ts ic ith N ic k I ar, E x rI t i f f }) a n d c o u n tle ss o th e r P a n h a n d lers.

H e r e s why it is so refresh in g to see players such as M ichael Jo rd an and M agic jo h n s o n , who clearly love the g am e and can teach the young sta rs a thing or tw o about being in the public eve: • .After bein g sn u b b ed in the .All-Star M YP vote —■a vote tak­ en by th e m edia covering th e g am e — S haquille O 'N eal asked th e fans not to vote for him anym ore. “T h e .All-Star g am e w as fun. but I think that w as m y last one." O ’N eal says. “I’m just tired of it. i ju st d o n ’t know w hat I've got to do to g et resp ect.

I don't get the sam e treatm en t that the o th e r so c a lle d stars do.

“I'd ra th e r tak e th o se days off to w ork on my gam e."

O ’Neal w as so ticked off after th e MNT sn u b th at two days later, after sc o rin g 3 0 points and grab b in g 12 re b o u n d s against the N u g g ets in O rlando, h e refused to sp eak to th e m edia and left th e O rlando A rena by an em ergency-exit door, settin g off a fire alarm and ig n o rin g a s e c u r i ty g u a rd w ho tried to stop him .

O 'N eal can sn u b th e m edia all h e w ants, but it is th e fans w ho voted him in th e All-Star G am e, and it is th e fans w ho w ant to see him th e re . S haq. it se e m s, also is fo rg ettin g it is the fans who buy his sh o es, his rap C D s and th e p ro d u c ts he en d o rse s.

TSN POWER POLL J. 2.

3.

4.

Team

W-L

Comment

Bulls Sonics

45-5 37 1?

37 14

Michael and Scottie tom 4 0 4 0 duo Piayinq well. but playoff ftameouts have to be on then mines Hey Shag Worry about the road record, not AU-Stat MVP Have shof 50 percent or better rn eiQht of last 15 (james

Magic Jazz

5. ..S fit if J 6 Rockets 7 Pacers

15.

16.

17.

18. ) 9-.

20. r —« A A

21.

22.

23.

24.

25 26.

27 25.

29 Hrf t '

I

13.

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X

12.

ro

Hawks Pistons

Brown says Miller's contract status has hurt his play Only one toss since Maqic reappeared Acquisition of Anderson should heip §

II.

Cavaliers *

30-19 3M 6 29 20 27 22 25 23

Smith M i1excel - until playoffs start With three rn seven qames. Clyde tnpie-doubles hts pleasure

a

Lakers Km cks

16 16 IS 16

X rx> 5

6.

9.

IO.

34 3?

33 32

Soon there win be 1 .OOO reasons to respect Lenny Dumars adjusting weli to starting again

Kings Hornets Suns Trail Blazers

24 23 24-25 23 26 24-27

Playoff teams don! lose to the T-Wofves ai home At least tor one week, Getqer countered opponents Mannmg has made a difference but as always. KJ s the key Sa bon is continues the sharp shooanq

Heal

23-25 22 27

Bealing themselves in dose (james Oh-ler road tnp gave learn $ea$on-htqh s h -game losmq skid

23-27

in Hardaway and Sprewetl, Adelman has Rip City. Part ll Three consecutive victories over quality teams How car. they have such a poor record’

Bullets W arriors Ll wets __ _____ Nuqqets S u cks Celtics Clippers M avericks Tim berwolves Raptors G rizzlie s

2t 29 20 30 19-29 19-31 1733 16-33 U -34 14-36 ’ I 36

Maybe their dosed-door meeting wife help Worst Censes learn since 1978-79 B L [Before Larry) Are you ready for this team. Anaheim’ Does any dub have a more unimpressive front line’ They warn to move Rider but so tar . no takers Christie has been deaf! by three teams in three years Reeves rn fine shape - wen! the distance vs Hawks Lucas endless harping is Muzak to players ears

7&ers 10 39 ‘C s ate through Saturday s games n. . k- \ v a - NBA Ppwe« poi- is oefernimec 0v Shaun Powell and TSN editors

POWELL’S PLAY T h e w ise c ra c k re a c tio n to D avid S te m 's $8 m illion-per-year c o n tra c t e x te n sio n cam e swiftly. “I th in k th ey sh o u ld put a salary cap on th e c o m m issio n e r." say s M ichael Jo rd a n , o n e of th e m ain d is s e n te rs in last s u m m e r’s lab o r w ar. S haquille O ’N eal w o n d ered why a pay ra is e w as in o rd e r for so m e o n e w ho “h a sn 't g ra b b e d a re b o u n d ."

O ne also can a rg u e th at S te m , th o u g h a sm art and creative m an. h a s b een the benefi­ ciary of great tim ing. His p re se n ce grew w hen M agic Jo h n so n and L am - B ird gave the leag u e cred ib ility in th e m id-1980s, and it d id n ’t take S te m ’s m ark etin g touch to sell the public on M ichael Jo rd an .

H ow ever, i t s easy to se e why NBA ow ners rew arded S tem lavishly. For one. h e m anaged to p u sh th ro u g h a labor c o n tra c t th a t m ost ow ners found favorable, avoiding an in-season work stoppage. Second, h e gives th e NBA the stro n g e s t and m ost stab le le a d e rsh ip in sports.

T h e NBA re m a in s h ealth y . A tten d an ce is up. m ost team s are m aking a d ecen t profit and th e g am e is d o in g big b u sin e ss in m e rc h a n ­ dise. especially o v erse as. S te m h asn 't g rab b ed a rebound, and his scoring average is still 0.0. His team is still w inning, th o u g h — SHAU* POWHi

rrturnih^iriimr an ankleinjwy.'

-Childs may lie moved to shooting guard.o t k Reeves.futty;reawers,M ha 'thefloor.teader.ffe ftK sfto w n ld b ea tm syifithspectaralar^itrtgtianJ, with his quick penetialj<»;i«relerting -. defense and unselfish atfitode;-;. " • .Alto’s the typ&'tf guythatybucan pot the flail m filsflan d strtd irtrtm n tn tfte team .'ftcem assaairt^^co a'ch^H eani s a lte s t weekafter theNetofleattbem-. oftcons8cutive Bjghts:'Ke%'m)taS ' flashy asiKenny; flutfle’i r ^ f l a r d awry

and that's the whole if- tentering the'weefeC&B(k;w6disSteet 3,-.was averaging i t points andsix - ' asastepef game;And M tocreased: minutes at point guard will give him a. . chance to Teftneh'tsskfiiS-thersi Bestill,', has a tendency to try to force theaction' / in tightsitoations. antf he needs t o vtork on his deefeion-raaJdng;.“A lot of times, ho challenges the big men,* Heard says.

“Heheeds to have that puB-apjump sh o t (and)- know when to shoot and when to take it alttfe-way.* ; i v;: .'.

Childs is th his Second yesrin the ' '■ le a g u e d fits climb to gelto this level has taken much longer; He-pfeyed tourypars at Boise State, wert lindrafled in-1989, then played with six'CBAteams in five-seasons (heM Quad City to the CSA championship in 1994) before being scouted and signed bytfeis ELM. Willis R od. ' - • r ' . For m uchof hiscareer, Childs has battled adrinldng problem: Besought treatm ert tfrres years ago, and after being counseled by-John Lucas, now the 76ers coach, Childs realized he was sick: He still realizes i t Tmmrt welt by any means,* he says.

"AD i've done is arrest my disuse, lf I don't continue to learn and grow as a person, (the addiction) could come back. ” ♦

February 26,1996

NHI *43 NHI REPORT

The battle over Gretzky will produce fireworks Luc Robitailie. defenseman .Manias .Nor >trom. a first-round draft choice in 1996 and S3 million for Gretzky- ^ d veteran right wing Jan Kurri. That deal w-as left on the negotiat­ ing table w'hen (iretzkw's agent. Michael Bameu, said $7 million per year. take it or leave it.

■ Gretzky, on the chances of rejoining Messier. "I think itll get resolved quickh*. Bv the end of the week."

Larry ^ What he means: T h e Kings have had four WIGGE w'eeks lo make a trade already I can't believe they're not taking me more seriously. .No wonder we keep losing. Ai least now all of the other players know the owners of this team ^ever say never. do not want lo make a commitment to win­ A lot has been said about Wayne ning."

Gretzk>- and what is going to hap­ The Blues, who earlier had given the pen lo the league's alkime leading Kings a list of five young players — Chris scorer between now and the March 30 trade Pronger, Craig Johnson. Patrice Tardif. deadline. We made ii clear several weeks ago David Roberts and Denis Chasse — are stiU that Gretzky' is using his right lo become a in the bidding. The Kings would have their free agent without compensation after this choice of two or three young guys, along with season lo force a trade. He would prefer to cash and draft choices. play in New York with Mark Messier and in­ ■ Blues G.M.-Coach .Mike Keenan: “It's to win another Stanley Cup with the Raggers. I reall>' out of our control. You can’t negotiate The Rangers and Kings agreed to ^ e a l with anyone when they don't want lo negoti­ before all the trade rumors popped up last ate. unless you want to negotiate with your­ week. Bul a snag resulted when the Rangers self. which is maybe what Nei! Smith is do­ found out Gretzky would not budge from his I ing. The Kings have told us they are not request for S7 million a season for the next ready lo trade." two years.

Wt(3t he means; “I know the Kings think That deal is still there — and will be re­ I I'm low-balling them, but I'm not a devious visited. guy. now am I? I've never believed a word In the meantime. I thought you'd like to Neil Smith said and I never will; the Kings know what's being said about the Gretzkvwill find out all about .Neil Smith, too. The sweepstakes, with a few comraents of our Blues will be right there till the end in this own.

Gretzky thing, you wail and see."

■ Rangers General Manager Neil Smith: The Kings traded right wing Rick Tocchei T h e real message is that there is no trade to the Bruins for left wing Kevin Stevens and imminent with anyone. I don't foresee a trade dealt defenseman Darrvi Sydor to the Stars coming up in the foreseeable future.... But, for right wing Shane Churla and defenseman in this business, you never say never."

Doug Zmolek. Insiders tell us the Kings are What ha nttans: “I'm going to stay in there as long as that no-good so-and-so Mike closer to trading Kuni and defenseman Mar­ Keenan does. You notice I went through the ty .McSoriev than they are Grelzkv. So. don’t whole press conference without saying expect anything concrete on this Gretzky Wayne Gretzkv's name. I can't say it now or trade until March. else Commissioner Gary Bettman will hit me ■ Kings President Rogie Vachon; ’ Put it with a tampering charge. But I'm in this for this way. we're Irving to help our club in the duration. Ive just got lo convince my trades. Whether it’s Wayne or anybody, we d bosses that the extra salan- lo Gretzk>' will be be crazy not to listen to offers." realized when we win another Cup." What be means: 'Wayne doesn't want to The Rangers offered the Kings left wing play for us. and we've got to gel somebody tn*

N

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The best-laid plans

Happier tiioes: The Bruins haven't been smiling ail that much this season, despite players such as (from leftI Ray Bourque. Adam Oates and Cam Seei\.

The Bruins have not mis.sed the playoffs since 1967. They thought they had a great team in training camp, bul it w-as out of play­ off contention as it em­ barked on its current sevencity. 11-day trip.

Bruins (LM . Harrv Sinden can’t figure out what went wrong.

TTiis is not the team I thought rd have in Febru­ ary." Sinden says. 'I mean, a lot of people aren’t here. but the people who are here 0

The Bise Ranger When the sweepstakes end. (irrtzJ^-aimost rrrroi«/v wiil be trading his Kings uniform for something in a shade of blue

terested in him We don't like the Blues deal, and no one else even calls to see what we want for him. The reporters keep saying Chicago. Philadelphia. Toronto and Vancou­ ver are interested in Gretzkv. but ihev aren't.

Bul that's good becau*ie then everybody thinks we are doing a good job of collecting .-'n the offers Honestly. I thought wed 'De able to really snooker someone into giving us a big deal for a .T>year-oldformer sufjerstar' One genera) ntanager luld us. “When you factor in the cost of acquiring (ireuky and the cost of signing him. there just i>iT! thai much interest.'’

■ Devils right wingjohn MacU‘nn.<)n the possibility of the Rangers getting (ireizky They'd definitely be pegged as the front-run­ ners. the team to beat with that oifenMVe fire­ power, It would be two lint*s you'd have to 'De aware of all the lime, and I'm sure (iret/kv would boost their power play I'd be >un)riv d if it happened, but if I were a Ranger. I'd ^av it was a good thing."

What he means; "Why would they warn to mess with the chemiNlry they alreariy have' They already have a great iuKkey team I have a lot of resptvl for (iretzky. but I think aren't anvwhen' near what I thought we'd bt*. I don't like the look of this situation at ail." .Sinden iradf-d Kevu} Stevens lo l.O' .Angeie' Cam Neely is having an iff year and i> trade Blaine liicher. wht) ui'i season became :h»' N • I goalie. IS In :he :Ti;n»r' \jl#

M a r (itMeii'eir.a:’. .\i latrate

i ' injured ‘ I don’t 'et' •he tram we planned at an." ''iiulen say' l»ok for r«M)kje C 'acii Meve Ka^'per to take the !all

Maclean

the Ranger'^ have a teajn nghi novs . apabk of winning the Stanley Cup Ii I ;i*e Ranger'^. Id raihiT have than (ifetzky ' ITit' inlnguing thing ab^'Ut '.lie ‘ t-e;/ky -weepMakes is it become XLk- \.-er^."i Vs S e ll Smith .And 'Dec.iUM- •.h*-'*- a :is ro love lijsi between thoM* -W4J Aln-: •^••■r.an worked for smith with the kanu-*-' in ~ and de<pi>ed -\* r. i.i> ■ ■— there should be N4>me firewr.r.k' toe trade deadline get Kei-nan. you mav reme:!ib» r ♦ ''m iihN job after coacliing ’ha- K.cg* •Cup championshij) thai m -.-jnj ,:-. ;*•. • :e .et*. .New Vt^rk to beCoUJt- g»'r:-fr.d ■ il’.j ; rct»achinN Dn:3> I'^ie K in g ' ohviuU’' dislike 'l)elwei-n ••'e • a<: vantage D lere I-' enuiigil r'-ar.

Uia:.' jni!iH!-*i{v in i t i e v :w.j .a::;;'-* . ■ five W eek' betore ’.be ‘.-:k .v i<.e.'.V tereMjiig ll Cffet/kv g e t ' i u ' w t;.. a !! ■ tract for a Inile i e " v cv: York That ' whv • bU'Jfle-"

Star search With the M a r ' trading center Davr' (>agnrr and rig!)! wing M wne Cburla rn th<' p a 'l ihret- w r r k ', M ike Nhrdano i ' iln* only remainmg niem'Der fr<im the clui) ' Manley Cup itnahM "if they re cle.mmg houM-.

I g u e ". I in next." S IV ' Modale I. w hom r.minr'' ‘nave 'inked with tin- D e vil' "'[lu-'e guy-' are al way' telling me about the rum or' ilia! I'm being trnied. and then they’re the *m e' -wh«i leave."

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NHL / THE SPORTS MARKETPLACE • 45

February 26,1996

Continued from Page 43 der G.M.-Coach Bob Gainey. Since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach. there is more room. for creativity on offense. T h a ts why M odano's num­ bers have improved and why he's not going anyw here in a trade.

Churla was the most popular player on the team because of his physical presence, but his lack of discipline bugged Hitchcock, who dressed him for eight of 17 gam es after tak­ ing over.

T he Stars wanted a m ore offen­ sive-minded defensem an to go with Kevin Hatcher. That explains the trade of Churla and defensem an Doug Zmolek to the Kings for defenseraan Darryl Sydor, who is more mobile and creative. *We had determ ined in the hock­ ey departm ent that we needed to redirect our defensive group."

Gainey says. “W e wanted to see if we couldn’t add some mobility to a group that's been built on size and physical presence."

Sydor, 23. had 20 goals and 85 as­

sists-in 288 gam es with the Kings.

Zmolek. in 243 gam es with Dallas and San Jose, had seven goals and 24 assists.

Ic y b its F irs t the Jets traded Teem u Selanne to the M ighty Ducks for prospects Oleg Tverdovsky and Chad Kilger. Then. they traded de­ fensem an Darryl Shannon and prospect Michal G rosek to the Sabres for veteran defensem an Craig Muni and a first-round draft choice. They also acquired right wing D enis C hasse from the Capi­ tals for m inor league defensem an Stewart M algunas. W hat all this m eans is that the Jets want Muni to help make Tverdovsky a better d e fensem an. and that Jets General M anager John Paddock is dealing from a position of strength. You don't think the team 's new owners would let him make deals of this na­ ture unless they had complete con­ fidence in him?

T he player many team s are watching m ost before the trade i

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season. The Flam er are going to keep him as long as they can to try to ensure a playoff position, but there are several team s — Win­ nipeg. Dallas and Vancouver — very

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deadline is Flames defenseman Phil Housley. He's having a terrific season. but he becom es a free agent without compensation after this season — and he wants $3 million per

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EQUIPMENT Step To The Plate And Play.

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Under scrutiny. Several teams in need of a top-flight defenseman are interested

interested. One team thai should be interested is New Jersey. Having Housley coming in late on offense is the kind of strategical edge the Dev­ ils need, not another center such as Mike Modano or Pat LaFontaine....

The Flyers' inability to score in the past IO gam es can be attributed to the stomach injury to right wing Mikael Renberg. Kric U ndros and john LeClair h av en t been the same without Renberg. particularly LeClair. who had one goal in Renberg's absence. The Flyers are 16-3-5 when l>eClair scores, so you can see why they want a healthy Renberg in the lineup as soon as possible.

Bet you didn't know that the Pen­ guins. who have won two Stanley Cups in the 1990s. hold the league’s best record in the decade but have not won in the M ontreal Forum in the '90s. They are 4-52-7 at the Korum and will play their last game there Saturday +

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^ Protecthre custody: I Roenick's new plastic | shield may not meet g his standards of I macho, bul ii should ^ keep him on the ice I and help him save I face.

First is for losers?

Team

Starkey Cup final result

1994-95

Red Winos

LosttoDevfc

1993-94 1990-91

Rangers Blacfchaaks

Defeated Canucks Los: to Renowns

1989-9C

Bruns

Los: to o le rs

1988-89

Rames

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1986-87 1983-84

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Olers

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1981-82

Islanders

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1980-81

islanders

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1977-78

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TSN POWER POLL t.

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Team Red W lnoi

W-L-T 40-11-4

Comment Oops! Vernon gives up four ooals in four consecutive games

R a m je t

34-13-11 31-17-10 28-17-11 34-18-4 33-17-7

Robitaii1? gu>eis trade rumors with two goals R oy rs 10-9-1 since com na to Colorado A16-3-5 record when LeCtair scores a goal Frrsi 100-potoi season tor Jag:

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26.

Panther!

Blackhawk* Devils Canadrtns Capitals Blues Maple Letts Lightning Canuck!

Bruins Whalers names Jets

31-16-11 24-23-8 29-22-7 25-22-7 24-23-10 25-23-10 24-24-8 22-22-14 24-24-7 24-26-6 21-27-11 23-28-4

22 29-6 20-29-6 Kinps 16-28-13 Mighty Ducks 20-33-5 J6-29-H Stan Islanders 16-326 Sharks 13-396 Senators 11-43-3 Sabres Oilers

Five game-wmners tor up-and-commq Niedermaver They're 22-06 when leadinq after first penoC 0-6-2 vs. Anaheim. San Jose. Edmonton and Canary Switch to center has been godsend tor steady Damphousse Career-high 37 goals and eight multjpfe-goal games by Bondra Courtnali catches fire on No 1 line with Hun. Corson.

Backup help7 Beaupre is 0-2 since Kxninq Toronto.

Bradley's still the leader Team ts 10-1 when he scores a goal Were over .500. briefly, tor first time since November 7 Tocchet flexes muscles, and Boston responds to new leader Muzzato gives Burke capable backup rn goal - tor once.

Hows it going with tree-agentTo-be H o o sie r Second home sellout in loss to Pittsburgh Dawe and Plante have been unlikely heroes Bad news Amott's out tor three weeks Look for newcomer Churla lo loosen up these losers Selanne was only player to gel more than one goal in five-game top.

11 -4-4 vs Pacific Division; 5-25-7 against rest of N H L Straka - five points in 11 games since leaving Ottawa They've been outshot in 44 of 58 aam es Only Affiedsson and Cunneyworth have scored IO goals

Through Saturday s games T m Si-oR Tiv. N n vx N H I Power PoD is determined by TSN Hockey Editor tarty W^ge

M

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Doctors ordered Chicago's Jerem y Roenick to wear a facemask when he returned last week after missing seven days with a broken jaw. But after one period with the new look.

Roenick demanded a second opinion.

Roenick. who suffered the injury in a collision with Blues winger Geoff C ourtnall says he hates the d e a r plastic shield, which crosses his face at the jawline. He asked team phvsirians if he could remove ic The doctors said no. so Roenick will just have to get used to it. He says he doesn't like the mask because the United Center lights reflect x)ff it.

“I felt like I was in a fog a lot of the game."

Roenick says. “It was a big distraction."

It didn't seem to affect Roenick's play. however. He assisted on both of Bernie Nicholls' goals in a SD victory over Boston.

I

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In a fog?

There are plenty w ho think the N H L 's regular seaso n is m eaningless.

T eam s play 82 g am es with 16 of 26 qualifying for the p ostseason. The belief that team s can cru ise through the regular season, turn it on in the playoffs and knock off team s that w orked hard to post great re co rd s is prom inent But reguiar-season play m ight be m ore m eaningful than people think. Of the last 20 re guiar-se a son ch am p io n s. 13 went on to play in the Stanley Cup finals, and nine of them w on the Cup The finalists Year

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■ ch a n ce a n d re a d y fo r a fig h t f o r g o t ) . ? ; .

Florida rising The idea of playing Calgary and Edmon­ ton in consecutive gam es used to send chills up and down coaches' spines. Now the worst travel region is Tampa Bay and Miami. *They both play such good defensive sys­ tems." Flyers Coach Terry Murray says.

‘T h e big key, however, is they work as a team and never stop working."

No team has won both ends of a Florida trip this season, and the Florida team s have swept seven unsuspecting visitors. The Pan­ thers and Lightning have combined for a 269-5 record against teams that play them back-to-back.

Bet you didn't know the Panthers have a chance to reach the 100-point mark. a mile­ stone only one other NHL team achieved in its third year. the Oilers.

Seeing red How effective has Coach Scott)' Bowman‘s experim ent with an all-Russian unit been?

Through last weekend. Detroit was 33-5-4 when getting a goal from one of its five Russ­ ian players — Igor Larionov. Slava Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov up front with Slava Feti­ sov and Vladimir Konstantinov on defense. l

“ -

Chicago hope Chris Cheiios and Garv• Suter rank second and third in Blackhawks scoring, lf they were to finish one-two. then it would mark the first time in NHL history-* that two d e fensemen led their team in scoring.

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THE CLOSER

February 26,1996

TS N

C L A S S I C

No minor feat Jackie Robinson brought major changes to baseball by first breaking the color barrier in 1946 in the International League

“ Robinson and Wright are highly pleased with their reception." wrote Burr. “Everyone h as been very help­ ful." Robinson told him. “ Ive been told how to play the different hitters and John here has picked up a lot of pointers on pitching."

On M arch 17. Jim Crow w as put to the test when Brooklyn played M ontreal in an exhibition gam e.

Robinson m ade his professional debut, playing five in­ nings without incident. Royals exhibitions scheduled for Jacksonville and Del-and w ere canceled, but R obing I son played against the D odgers again April 2. He got I his first professional hit. a single, and m ade a couple of decent plays at second base. “ He ll -> lw ... ... m ake the M ontreal team this year."

Bv S t e v e G i e t s c h i e r Rickey told T SN . “and he definitely he 50th an n iversary of is a big-league prospect." the integration of m ajor On .April 7. Robinson'^ nam e was leag u e b aseb all will not in the starting lineup as the Royals arrive officially' until 1997. faced the St. Paul Saints in Sanford. but a good c a se can be m ade that Batting second. Robinson beat out the celebration should begin now. an infield hit. then danced off first Ja c k ie R obinson first played for and stole second on a broken p i c k the Brooklyn D o d g e rs in 1947, but off play and scored on a bingle, slid­ ing under the c a tc h e r s tag. Two in­ a year before he played for B ro o k ­ nings later. Sanford's chief of police lyn's farm team in the International walked onto the field and dem and­ L eag u e , the M ontreal Royals. On ed that Robinson and Wright leave M arch 4 .1 9 4 6 , he donned the Roy­ the dugout. H opper reluctantly a ls uniform for the first tim e and com plied. w orked out at the D o d g e r s’ pre­ .Afterw'ard. the organization took sprin g training site in Sanford, Fla. a m ore militant stance. Royals P res­ Robinson had sign ed a M ontreal ident H ector Racine said. “It will be contract on O ctober 23, 1945, can­ all or nothing with the .Montreal ing for a $3,500 bon us and a salary club. Ja c k ie Robinson and Joh n o f $600 a m onth. But w heth er he Wright go with the team, or th ere’s w as destin ed to play m ajor leag u e no gam e." In fact, as historian Ju le s b aseb all w as d eb atable. Dan T ygiel h as pointed out in his book.

D aniel, w riting in T h e S p o r t i n g “ B aseb all’s Great Experim ent," the N e w s for N ovem ber I, 1945, quot­ R oyals sim ply sw itched several of ed D o d g e rs President Branch Rick­ their road g a m e s to Daytona Beach. ey a s saying, “H e is not now m ajor “an island of enlightenm ent in a sea leag u e stuff, and there is not a sin­ of bigotry." according to Tygiel. g le N eg ro player in th is cou n try Within a week or so. M ontreal who could qualify for the National b ro k e cam p and h eaded north to or A m erican leag u es." open the International L eagu e C om e M arch, though, Robinson sch edule with 12 road g am es, sta rt­ and pitch er Jo h n W right, a n ith e r ing with the Je r se y City G iants on black sign ed by M ontreal, arrived .April 18. Robinson batted second in in Florida a s Rickey lectured the or­ the Royals lineup and went 4 for 5, ganization on fair play. “We didn ’t hitting a three-run hom e run and sign either of th ese b oy s b ecau se of two sin gles, a s M ontreal won, 18-1. political p r e ssu re ," he told T h e Ob, Jackie; Before Robinson stole the show in Brooklyn (top), he starred for Montreal in the T h e S p o r t i n g N k w ^ published a S p o r t i n g N e w s (M arch 7, 1 9 46).

International League in 1946, when he helped lead the Royals to the Junior World Series title photograph of Robinson c ro ssin g “We sign ed ’em b e cau se of our de­ the plate after hitting the hom er and headlined its 1.1., roundup. “ Robinson sire to have a winning team in B rooklyn ."

Steals Int Sh ow ."

After ju st two days in Sanford, Robinson and Wright, Robinson's wife and two By the time the Royals arrived in M ontreal for their hom e opener. Robinson black journalists, Wendell Sm ith and Billy Rowe, left suddenly for the D o d g e rs’ had hit safely in IO g a m e s and was batting .372. H is team was only 6-6. but its main training cam p in D aytona B each . Sanford officials had m ade it clear that black s and w hites would not be allowed on the sam e field. In Daytona, this dif­ new second basem an had scored 17 ru n s and stolen eight bases.

H ie Royals went on to win the International L eague, finishing 18*•/_• g a m e s ficulty could be circum vented. T h e parent club w orked out in the white sid e of ahead of S y racu se. T h ey won the I . L ’s G overn or s Cup S eries, too. and d e­ town, while Robinson and the Royals practiced in the city’s black section.

H arold Burr, writing in T h e S p o r t in g N e w s for M arch 14. noted that Robin­ feated the Louisville C olonels of the .American .Association in the Ju n ior World Series, 4 g a m e s to 2. Robinson led the L L in hitting with a .349 av e rag e . and son and W right had been accepted by their teanim ates without friction. T h e r e Clay H opper w as nam ed M inor L eagu e M an ager o f the Year by T h e S p u r j i m , are 43 players on my sq u ad ," said M an ager Clay Hopper, “and Robinson and W right are only two of ’em . They’ will get the sam e chance to m ake good a s the N ew s. " ♦ Sieve Gietschier is archivist o f T h e S p o r t i n g N e w s . rest of ’em . No favoritism will be shown to anybody." *

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