The Sporting News articles from May 2000

The Sporting News archives from May 2000

Voice of the Fan.(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2000... Choice voice 'Move over '27 Yankees--the 2000 Cardinals have Babe Ruth at first base and apparently Lou Gehrigs everywhere else. The Cardinals' legacy of the '34 Gashouse Gang may be succeeded by historical heroics of a `Smashhouse' Gang to...

Caught on the Fly.
May 1, 2000... Hey, didn't you used to be the home-field advantage? * From Fly's hopeful/wishful think tank: A.L. foes're `penning hopes of catchin' the Pinstripes on (over)use of Mo Rivera. Once NY's bulletproof closer becomes merely mortal, personnel...

DEFT SHOT.(Charles Barkley quote)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... "I've played against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dr. J., Michael (Jordan). It won't be the same down at the rec." Charles Barkley, after his final last week in Houston.

Bob Hille's Starting Five.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... 1 NFL post-draft minicamps. Think of it as the first chance for the Saints to kid themselves that they're improved. 2 Late signing period. It's basketball programs' last run at undeclared players. Truthfully, though, until they make their...

DUSTBIN.(baseball player Lyman Bostock)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... May 1, 1978 After signing a $450,000 free-agent contract, new Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock, who hit .336 with the Twins in 1977, hit just .147 in April. Disappointed, Bostock offered to return his month's pay to owner Gene Autry, who...

NHL All-Star Team.(hockey)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jaromir Jagr, Penguins Think about it for a minute. Jaromir Jagr missed 19 games. Yet he still won his third NHL scoring title with 42 goals and 54 assists in 63 games. It makes you wonder: If Jagr missed 19...

STAY COOL.(technical fouls by professional basketball players)
May 1, 2000... The stakes and the intensity are ratcheted up in the playoffs, which makes it vital for players to maintain their composure--a notion that key players like Portland's Rasheed Wallace must embrace to avoid a costly technical foul or, worse,...

Tune into the playoffs for these compelling storylines.(National Basketball Association playoffs)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2000... Do the math, and it works out like this: The duration of the NBA playoffs will be exactly one-sixth of a calendar year. You can fight and win 20 wars in that time, provided the opponent is Iraq. Entire governments can topple. Bill Gates will...

Jackson vs. Riley.(basketball coaches Phil Jackson and Pat Riley)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Success in sports is difficult to achieve. Long-term success is harder--like finding a mason to go see a new Kevin Costner flick. So it is in the NBA, where the coaching carnage (see Don "It's just a matter of time" Casey)--and the subsequent...

Inside the playoffs.(players who need to make an impact in National Basketball Association playoffs)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... NBC Sports NBA analyst Steve Jones looks at some players who will need to make an impact in the playoffs. * Marcus Camby, Knicks As Camby goes, so go the Knicks because he is their energizer. With Camby in the lineup, the Knicks can...

SEASON REVIEW/EAST.(profressional basketball team analyses)
May 1, 2000... Atlanta WHAT WENT RIGHT: When coach Lenny Wilkens finally went with the young players, they made favorable impressions. After an erratic start, PG Jason Terry ran the club with a steady hand and used his speed to create the kind of tempo...

SEASON REVIEW/WEST.
May 1, 2000... Dallas WHAT WENT RIGHT: The Mavericks' 40-42 record was the franchise's best since 1989-90. They were tough to beat when they were hot from the outside and when there was effort on the defensive end. WHAT WENT WRONG: The team lost a...

THE TOOLS OF ... EXPERTISE.
May 1, 2000... Catchers need to excel at play-calling, receiving, throwing and blocking pitches. It also helps if they dabble in psychology. The idea of the catcher came about because of simple necessity. When the pitcher threw the ball and the batter...

Hold on, Philadelphia, Schilling is coming.(pitcher Curt Schilling)
May 1, 2000... Curt Schilling is the antsy type. He can't stand spectating any more than his Phillies can stand seeing him spectate. Sure, Schilling can be tough to take sometimes, with his mouth registering radar-gun readings to rival his dart-like pitches....

YANKEE STADIUM.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Seventy-seven years ago, the Yankees made their priorities clear, building Yankee Stadium with a short right field fence to accommodate prize lefthanded slugger Babe Ruth. Since then, the shape of Yankee Stadium's outfield fence has shaped...

The place to be.(watching baseball game from bleachers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Nothing is better than taking in a game at the ballpark. Sure, you can stay home, save a few bucks and see the game on TV, but what's the fun in that? Surfing through the multitude of channels on that newfangled digital cable isn't worth...

Scouting Sammy Sosa.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Sammy Sosa is a notoriously slow starter, so his mediocre beginning this season shouldn't have been a big surprise. But he usually heats up with the weather, a trend that looked to be under way toward the end of last week. "It's part of...

Can't-miss talent.(Vladimir Guerrero)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Vladimir Guerrero slammed his bat with his right hand as he walked back to the Expos' dugout last week. The frustration of another strikeout for a young slugger? Hardly. Guerrero, 24, had just struck out for the first time this...

TEAM STATISTICS.
May 1, 2000... N.L. HITTING AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR TB St. Louis .309 638 138 197 38 7 42 375 Colorado .285 645 106 184 36 8 16 284 San Diego .282 634 93 179...

INSIDE THE A.L. EAST.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT Because of a back injury this spring and concerns about his age (the Yankees list him at 30; we say 34), there was speculation that RHP Orlando Hernandez could be the next New York starter to break down. After four starts, he was...

INSIDE THE A.L. CENTRAL.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT Don't blame RHP Hideo Nomo for Detroit's struggles. Nomo was 1-1 with a 2.52 ERA in his first four starts. He allowed only 16 hits in 25 innings, the best ratio in the A.L He also had 21 strikeouts. Nomo's forkball and changeup...

INSIDE THE A.L. WEST.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT Angels OF Darin Erstad stayed hot last week, as the continues to rebound from a terrible 1999 (and second half of '98). After 16 games, he was leading the A.L. in batting average (.464) and hits (32). He had two or more hits in...

A.L. LEAGUE LEADERS STATS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... AVERAGE Erstad, Ana 446 Thomas, Chi 409 Olerud, Sea 396 Clark, Bal 385 O'Neill, NY 377 Rodriguez, Tex 373 Fullmer, Tor 370 Bordick, Bal 367 Glaus,...

INSIDE THE N.L. EAST.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT How did Florida get off to such a great start? Look no further than its bullpen, which has been able to keep the Marlins in close games, The relievers had a 2.18 ERA and converted five of the first six save chances in the team's...

INDISE THE N.L. CENTRAL.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT Cincinnati 2B Pokey Reese. Reese, whose average dropped to .396 last Saturday, says not to ask him about hitting .400, which is a good idea. But if he can break .300 this year, and he continues his stellar fielding, he soon could...

INSIDE THE N.L. WEST.
May 1, 2000... Who's HOT Diamondbacks LHP Randy Johnson (4-0) was one out shy of pitching complete games in his first four starts, in that 35 2/3-inning span he struck out 42, walked five and allowed three earned runs, His ERA entering his fifth start:...

N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS STATS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... AVERAGE V. Guerrero, Mon 429 Reese, Cin 397 Owens, SD 387 Sheffield, LA 382 Edmonds, Stl. 379 Piazza, NY 379 Abreu, Phi 375 Vina, Stl. 375 Vidro,...

SEEING RED.(goaltender Chris Osgood)
May 1, 2000... You can say that he's small, that he gives up too many soft goals, but never say Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood isn't good enough to win another Stanley Cup Chris Osgood takes a good, hard look at a dozen reporters after a 0-0 tie in...

Bankrupt? Not the skilled and speedy Penguins.
May 1, 2000... When the Flyers meet the Penguins in the second round of the playoffs this week, Jaromir Jagr isn't sure if he's going to leave Philadelphia's First Union Center on the team bus or in an ambulance. "I just want to survive the first game,"...

For some teams, the last step is the hardest.
May 1, 2000... This was to be the year each of them arrived. Somewhere in the half-hour that defines the season for nearly every program, the world would see North Carolina State, South Florida and Wyoming appear on the television screen, on the NCAA...

Viva Las Vegas: Legal gambling isn't the problem.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The Commerce Committee sent a bill to the full Senate that was simple and direct: No more betting on college athletics. No frills. No fuss. Whether it becomes the law of the land still needs to be decided. "Legalized gambling on kids is...

`Their ship is SINKING'.(Jets football team)
May 1, 2000... The swirling forces of an aging defense, a gruesome salary-cap situation and powerful vacuums created by the losses of Keyshawn and Parcells could capsize the Jets Fifteen months ago, the Jets were 27 minutes from the Super Bowl,...

Ravens, Jaguars and Rams fall victim to the speed trap.(National Football League draft)
May 1, 2000... Speed is to NFL teams what cheese is to mice. The aroma of it dulls their logic to the point where they become oblivious to the loaded traps around them. And so it was in this year's draft. Not including Eastern European immigrants, the three...

AFC.(American Football Conference)
May 1, 2000... Baltimore COVERED INSIDE: By signing DT Sam Adams to a four-year, $20 million deal, the team made sure it was covered in the face of DT Larry Webster's one-year suspension for violating the NFUs substance-abuse policy. Webster has appealed...

NFC.(National Football Conference)
May 1, 2000... Arizona SWAP SHOP: The team "swapped" offensive linemen with Carolina when it signed Norberto Davidds-Garrido one day after losing James Dexter to the Panthers in free agency. The move cannot be considered an upgrade. Davidds-Garrido, a...

The passion behind the smile.(professional baseball player Andres Galarraga)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Andres Galarraga, baseball's smilingest man, is beautiful with a baseball bat in hand, especially in that moment when he has finished a swing that causes a ball to leave town in a hurry. The other night at Atlanta's Turner Field, such a...

Voice of the Fan.(Letter to the Editor)
May 8, 2000... Choice voice `I'm glad Comerica Park has deep dimensions. Some players now have more homers than singles. That's not baseball.' --Paul Podzikowski Farmington Hills, Mich. Second best Chris Osgood is a great goalie, plain and...

Caught on the Fly.(Major League Baseball)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... Hey, didn't you used to be a pitcher's duel? * Fresh from the Rumorama, where hot dish is a Minnesota specialty: Jacques Lemaire is at the head of the line of Wild coaching candidates because 1) G.M. Doug Risebrough's a former teammate and...

Bob Hille's Starting Five.(observations on professional athletics)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... 1 The NBA playoffs. Heat vs. Lakers would be the Finals of choice for the beautiful people. Of course, Mr. Pat wouldn't mind facing someone else from the Western Conference. 2 The Protest. A 6-year-old boy gets the support of a handful of...

DUSTBIN.(Babe Ruth)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... May 6, 1915 The journey to icon status often begins with a single home run. Such was the case with Babe Ruth, who hit his first big-league homer 85 years ago. At the time, Ruth was a pitcher/pinch hitter for the Red Sox. Ruth's first...

Handled with kid gloves.(susceptibility of young pitchers to damaging arm injuries)
May 8, 2000... Their pitch counts, innings and deliveries closely monitored and coaches, standout young pitchers are being protected against the scar of recklessness exhibited by Kerry Wood Kerry Wood holds up his right arm for the camera, as if to show...

Curtains? No, it's curtain calls.(Chicago White Sox player Frank Thomas)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... A couple of months ago, I (and others like me) in so many words declared this a make-or-break season for the White Sox's Frank Thomas. I (and others like me) visited with him in Tucson early in spring training to dissect the loss of his swing...

Soap operas and sideshows make Mets a New York story.
May 8, 2000... The Mets have yet to overtake the Yankees in terms of achievement, and maybe they never will. Yet, when it comes to intrigue and interest, its no contest. In this regard, the fellows from Queens are kings. There's a new storyline every day...

MICHAEL KNISLEY'S LINE DRIVES.
May 8, 2000... * The All-Star ballots are out and they're missing Paul Konerko, who's off to one of the fastest starts in the A.L. The White Sox didn't nominate him, because they could only designate one first baseman for the ballot, and they didn't want to...

TEAM STATISTICS.(batting and pitching numbers for National League clubs)(Statistical Data Included)
May 8, 2000... N.L. HITTING AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR St. Louis .302 824 176 249 8 53 470 San Diego .286 871 133 249 7 25 388 Colorado .283 806 133 228 14 20 381 San Francisco...

COUNTY STADIUM.(Milwaukee Brewers' baseball park)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... Hitting the ball over the outfield wall would seem to be enough to qualify for a home run. Unless you do it in Milwaukee. At County Stadium, home of the Brewers, there's a fence that runs behind the outfield wall, rising about a foot...

Bret Boone on fielding.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... Defense wasn't a priority for Bret Boone early in his career. But after a few years, he realized he could win games with his glove, not just his bat. That's when the hard work started. That's when Boone, now the Padres' second baseman, began to...

Early A.L. returns.(predictions for outcome of American League pennant races)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... It's not too early to handicap the races in the American League. East: Though the Yankees flashed mediocre starting pitching and a horrendous offense early on, they managed to stay in first place most of April. Those areas figure to...

INSIDE THE A.L. EAST.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Red Sox DH/1B Brian Deubach, who has gained another lease on life, Coming out of nowhere in '99, he sizzled most of the year, only to falter in September (a .152 average) and the playoffs (.212). But he's back at it--.361 with 15...

INSIDE THE A.L. CENTRAL.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Kansas City RF Jermaine Dye hit .531 in a recent seven-game streak in which he had seven homers, 15 RBIs and 10 runs. Last year, he struggled with two strikes (.196) and vs. lefties (.267). This year, he is hitting .295 with two...

INSIDE THE A.L. WEST.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Coming into the year, Angels LHP Scott Schoeneweis had a career 5.49 ERA in 31 relief outings. But after five starts, he was 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA, including a three-hit shutout against Toronto and a pair of eight-inning, one-run...

A.L. LEAGUE LEADERS STATS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 8, 2000... AVERAGE Erstad, Ana 442 Olerud, Sea 405 Dye, KC 394 Lawton, Min 378 Garciaparra, Bos 377 Segui, Tex 375 Flaherty, TB 360 Fullmer, Tor 368 Thomas,...

INSIDE THE N.L. EAST.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Atlanta LHP Tom Glavine's ERA dropped to 1.95 after a three-hit shutout against L.A. last week. Glavine had four wins in his first five starts and pitched at least seven innings in four of those outings. Concerns about last...

INSIDE THE N.L. CENTRAL.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Pirates RHP Todd Ritchie was 15-9 with a 3.50 ERA last year but hardly was noticed. He started this season with a 2.28 ERA, proving 1999 wasn't a fluke. Because of horrible run support, though, he had only one win in his first...

INSIDE THE N.L. WEST.
May 8, 2000... Who's HOT Not usually in San Diego's starting lineup, OF Eric Owens quickly is becoming much more than just a reserve player. Through last Saturday, he was hitting .370 with seven stolen bases as the fill-in for CF Ruben Rivera and RF Tony...

N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS STATS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 8, 2000... AVERAGE V. Guerrero, Mon 418 Burks, SF 394 Bell, NY 384 Reese, Cin 375 Tatis, StL 375 Vidro, Mon ...

THE ENIGMA & THE ROOKIE.(the Miami Heat reach the second round of playoffs)
May 8, 2000... The Heat advanced to the conference semifinals--and secured another meeting with their nemesis from the North (Ute Knicks)--because of point guard Anthony Carter and because the guy Miami hopes is the real Jamal Mashburn stood up This was...

The future's bright, but ...(the Minnesota Timberwolves look to the future)
May 8, 2000... The Timberwolves continued their evolution as one of the NBA's best young teams in their series with the Trail Blazers--learning lessons that should help in the future NBA PLAYOFFS WEST The Timberwolves trailed 2-0 in their...

State of the Hornets should serve as cautionary tale.(National Basketball Association)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... This is not an attempt to subject you to the tortured numerology that befits the season, but there was an unusual variety of interesting numbers produced in the first week of the playoffs--from Vince Carter's 3-for-20 to Karl Malone's 50 to the...

Hardcourt central.(professional basketball website)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... The Sporting News and MSNBC help you follow the bouncing ball, providing all the NBA information you need. Just go to sportingnews.com and check out: * Analysis and commentary from Dave D'Alessandro * Team Reports twice a week *...

EASTERN CONFERENCE.(National Basketball Association)
May 8, 2000... Atlanta TOUGH DECISION: SF LaPhonso Ellis has made the team think about re-signing him. Ellis finally got healthy in December and worked his way into shape and into the starting lineup. He was the one player whose effort and attitude did...

WESTERN CONFERENCE.(National Basketball Association)
May 8, 2000... Dallas DALLAS STAR: Swingman Michael Finley was the team MVP this season, finishing 11th in the league in scoring (22.6 ppg), leading the NBA in minutes (42.2) and earning his first All-Star appearance. During the Mavs' string of nine...

TOUGH LUCK NO MORE.(goaltender Ron Tugnutt of the Pittsburgh Penguins)
May 8, 2000... After an up-and-down, 12-year career, the Penguins' Ron Tugnutt is on top as one of the playoffs' hottest goaltenders When we picture a goaltender, we often imagine this painting of a half-crazed man as the silhouette in the shooting range...

The Avalanche has put up a speed trap--and it works.(National Hockey League)
May 8, 2000... Isn't it funny how sometimes it pays to wait and ask the same question a second time-even if it takes well over two years to get the answer you were looking for in the first place? The Colorado Avalanche won a Stanley Cup in 1996 with a big...

Trepidation? NO, DOMINATION.(running back Terrel Davis mending from knee surgery)(includes related article on Jamal Anderson)
May 8, 2000... Running around on his rehabbed ACL, Terrell Davis is convinced he once again can dominate the NFL. He just needs to defy his recovery timetable--and the Broncos' uncertainties at quarterback. Terrell Davis wanted to watch. He to see the...

Raiders will regret using a first-rounder on Janikowski.(National Football League)
May 8, 2000... The Raiders believe they may have the next Morten Andersen in Sebastian Janikowski. One NFC college scouting director wonders if they don't have the next John Daly. The truth probably is somewhere in between. But the bet here is that the...

AFC.(American Football Conference)
May 8, 2000... Baltimore GETTING REPS: With MLB Ray Lewis excused from minicamp to deal with his legal problems, Cornell Brown took most of the work in the middle. In his previous three seasons, Brown has worked almost exclusively on the outside backing...

NFC.(National Football Conference)
May 8, 2000... Arizona REPAIR WORK: In the effort to fix the timing problems that plagued the offense last year, the team is working with QB Jake Plummer on his drops. Plummer noticed when watching himself on film that he seemed consistently to hitch in...

Victories haven't brought due respect for K-State.(Kansas State football)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... The numbers come at you from every direction. Other than Nebraska, Kansas State has had a better record than any Big 12 team since 1993, a dazzling 70-14-1 overall. Kansas State is one of only eight schools to appear in a bowl game in each of...

April signings rarely mean March wins for the majors.(college basketball)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... The headlines are just as big in the spring. Maybe it's because there's not as much going on, and maybe it's because a 6-8 power forward's signature looks the same on a letter of intent in late April as it does in mid-November. There is a...

A `kid' with the look of The Kid.(baseball outfielder Shawn Green)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2000... We're talking baseball with Manny Mota, who could hit, who still has the all-time record of 150 pinch hits. We're sitting in the Dodgers' dugout, and Mota has a computer on his lap. His last big noise came in the 1977 National League...

Voice of the Fan.(Letter to the Editor)
May 15, 2000... Choice voice `Phil Jackson took the greatest group of individual talent and turned it into the greatest team. Doc Rivers turned a mediocre team into a .500 mediocre team, and he gets a trophy?' --John Widener Burbank, Calif. Directing...

Caught on the Fly.
May 15, 2000... Hey, didn't you used to be an easy Round 1? * Pssst, take Staff Ace's in-stadium radar readings with a grain-o-salt off that rubber pretzel, pal. "They had me throwing 92, 93 miles per hour," whispers one A.L. pitcher. "Believe me, I don't...

Bob Hille's Starting Five.
May 15, 2000... 1 Flyers 2, Penguins 1 (50T), When Pittsburgh lost Game 4, the team's spirit was broken. The playoff injury report, however, listed it as only a mild sprain. 2 The NBA playoffs. David Stern says he's unconcerned about the low ratings. But...

DUSTBIN.
May 15, 2000... May 12, 1982 The United States Football League was founded as a low-cost alternative to the NFL. The USFL played its schedule (an 18-game regular season) in the spring and initially planned to make a profit by keeping costs low, especially...

HOW GOOD IS THIS BRAVES TEAM?
May 15, 2000... Let us count the ways, starting with the number 15 In Atlanta, Otis Nixon's 1992 wall-climbing grab of Andy Van Slyke's bid for a home run is known simply as "The Catch," the signature moment to a club record-tying 13-game winning streak,...

Selig's realignment: an absolute mess for fans.(Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig)
May 15, 2000... Baseball's 30 owners are planning to meet June 13-14, and word is they will vote on commissioner Bud Selig's latest realignment plan. But of course, in baseball parlance the word "vote" is merely a euphemism for "pass." Selig has never called...

The book on ... Einar Diaz.(catcher for the Cleveland Indians)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... Indians C, 5-10/185, 2nd year At the end of spring training two years ago, the Indians decided to send catcher Einar Diaz to Class AAA Buffalo. Considering Diaz was out of options and could be claimed by another team, the move was risky....

NETWORK ASSOCIATES COLISEUM.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... From 1968-94, Oakland Coliseum, now Network Associates Coliseum, was the favorite American League park for pitchers. The dimensions are standard--400 feet to center, 330 down the lines--but because the park was so open, it was subjected to the...

The Hit-and-Run.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... The play: The hit-and-run is an offensive play usually called with a runner on first base. It also can be run with men on first and second or first and third. * It is designed to advance the runner(s). * A manager typically calls a...

N.L. playoff watch.(National League baseball)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... There have been a few early surprises in the National League, but odds are the postseason lineup will be very close to last season's. East: With Florida and Montreal starting to fade, Atlanta remains the division's powerhouse and New York...

MICHAEL KNISLEY'S LINE DRIVES.(professional baseball news briefs)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... * Note to the Indians and the Rangers, both of whom hired lefthanders with the Yankees during the postseason in mind: Through last Saturday, Bernie Williams was hitting .341 against lefties and only .292 against righties; Paul O'Neill was at...

Wood's elbow appears fine--just don't ask him how he feels.(Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2000... As body parts go, the elbow has to be one of the least interesting. First of all, you can't really see your own elbow without a mirror, and when you stretch out your arm, it practically disappears. Now think about what Cubs righthander...

TEAM STATISTICS.(Major League Baseball)(Statistical Data Included)
May 15, 2000... N.L. HITTING AVG AB R H 2B Colorado .299(a) 1020 187 305(a) 55 St. Louis .288 1018 199(a) 293 53 Montreal .281 954 162 268 69 San...