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SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP

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BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

* DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
---------------------------------

Bulls F Scottie Pippen repeats desire to leave Chicago
------------------------------------------------------

Disgruntled Chicago Bulls star forward Scottie Pippen told a
local radio station today that he doesn't "give a damn" what
happens to the team after this season, repeating his desire to
leave.

"I feel like it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP
Radio in Chicago. "It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there
are many other teams looking for complementary players.

"I don't give a damn if I did burn any bridges," continued the
seven-time All-Star, who has been involved in a long-running
feud with Bulls management. "I'm gone. I'm not looking back
over my shoulder. I don't give a damn about this franchise
after that."

United States takes 2-1 lead over Russia in Davis Cup
-----------------------------------------------------

Americans Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg scored a 7-6 (7-3),
6-1, 2-6, 6-1 victory over a Russian tandem today to give the
United States a 2-1 lead in the first round of the Davis Cup at
Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

Martin and Reneberg beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 18-year-old
Marat Safin, but since the match lasted more than 30 games, the
Russians exercised their option of pushing their reverse singles
matches to Monday, instead of playing them today.

Andre Agassi will be matched against Kafelnikov in the first --
and possibly decisive -- reverse singles match, starting at 11
a.m. EDT and Jim Courier will play Safin afterwards.

RHPs Fetters, Rivera injured in Yankees win over Oakland
--------------------------------------------------------

The Athletics and Yankees lost their respective closers, Mike
Fetters and Mariano Rivera, to injuries today in New York's 9-7,
10-inning win at Oakland.

Fetters, who was acquired in December to bolster the beleagured
Oakland bullpen, appeared to have suffered the more serious of
the two injuries and is expected to miss three weeks. He broke
to cover first base on a foul ball to the right side and fell
after suffering a strained left calf. The Athletics are
expected to make a roster move Monday, when they open a two-game
series against unbeaten Cleveland.

Rivera, who finished second in the American League with 43 saves
last season, aggravated a lingering groin injury with two outs
in the ninth inning with the Yankees leading, 7-5. New York
will fly pitcher Mike Buddie from Triple-A Columbus to Seattle,
where the Yankees begin a three-game series Monday, if Rivera
must go on the disabled list.

Raptors C Oliver Miller hospitalized with chest pains
-----------------------------------------------------

Toronto Raptors center Oliver Miller was hospitalized prior to
tonight's road game against the Philadelphia 76ers after
suffering from chest pains on Saturday night and this morning.

The 6-9, 325-pound Miller was taken to Methodist Hospital in
Philadelphia after complaining of chest pains to team trainer
Chuck Mooney. He underwent an EKG, blood tests and a chest
X-ray, all of which were negative. "I got them last night and
this morning they kept occurring," Miller said. "That's when I
got worried. I came in here and I told Chuck that I needed to
see the team doctor."

The 27-year-old Miller is averaging 6.2 points and 6.4 rebounds
in 58 games this season, mostly as the starting center. He has
battled weight problems throughout his career.

Rams obtain QB Bono from Packers for draft pick
-----------------------------------------------

The St. Louis Rams acquired veteran quarterback Steve Bono from
the Green Bay Packers today for a late-round pick in the 1999
draft.

Bono, who backed up MVP Brett Favre last season, will battle
journeyman Will Furrer for the same role with the Rams. Mark
Rypien, who played behind Tony Banks in St. Louis last year,
signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons.

The 35-year-old Bono completed only 5-of-10 passes for 29 yards
in extremely limited action behind Favre last season. Bono
spent three seasons with Kansas City, enjoying his best year in
1995, when he threw for 3,121 yards and 21 touchdowns in leading
the Chiefs to a 13-3 record and the AFC West title.

U.S. forward Eric Wynalda out 3-4 weeks with knee injury
--------------------------------------------------------

Forward Eric Wynalda, the leading goal-scorer in the history of
the United States National soccer team, suffered a sprained
ligament in his left leg in a Major League Soccer game today and
is expected to be sidelined for a month.

Wynalda, who plays for the San Jose Clash of the MLS, suffered
the injury when he collided with Dallas Burn goalkeeper Garth
Lagerwey in the shootout round of a 3-2 loss.

The 28-year-old Wynalda sprained the ligament that connects the
left tibia to the fibula. Clash spokesman Rick La Plante said
X-rays of the left knee were negative, but Wynalda is expected
to miss three to four weeks, pending an MRI to be taken Monday
at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose.

Reds 1B Casey slated for surgery Wednesday, out 3-6 weeks
---------------------------------------------------------

Cincinnati Reds rookie first baseman Sean Casey will undergo
surgery Wednesday to correct the orbit around his left eye
socket, which was damaged in a freak accident during fielding
drills before Thursday's game.

Casey was struck in the face with a thrown ball in infield
practice before a 5-1 victory over San Diego. A broken bone
around the eye is pressing on a muscle, causing Casey
double-vision when looking up, although his vision has improved
since the mishap. Team doctors thought surgery would keep Casey
out more than the originally anticipated three-to-six week
period, but said today he should not miss more time than that.

The procedure will be performed by Drs. Mark Cepela, Kevin
Shumrich and James Sanitato at noon EST Wednesday at
Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital.

Westwood claims Freeport McDermott as first PGA victory
-------------------------------------------------------

Lee Westwood of Britain carded his fourth consecutive round in
the 60s today and captured his first American victory at the
$1.7 million Freeport McDermott Classic at the English Turn Golf
and Country Club in New Orleans.

Westwood, a 24-year-old who last year dominated the European PGA
Tour and played for the victorious European Ryder Cup squad,
fired a 3-under-par 69 today and finished at 15-under 273, three
shots better than Steve Flesch. He won $306,000 as he prepares
to return to next week's Masters, the first major championship
of the season.

Jim Carter, Mark Wiebe, Glen Day and Steve Lowery carded 1-under
71s today and finished tied for third at 9-under 279. Day
continued his strong play with his third top-10 finish of the
year. Duffy Waldorf was one shot behind that group at 8-under
280.

Morgan defends title at Tradition with two-stroke victory
---------------------------------------------------------

After waiting three rounds, Gil Morgan finally made his move
today and defended his title at the $1.4 million Tradition, the
first major championship of the year on the Senior Tour at the
Desert Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 51-year-old Morgan, who lurked in the shadows as Tom Wargo
tried to complete another wire-to-wire victory, fired a
2-under-par 70 to overtake a faltering Wargo and reclaim his
crown with a 12-under 276 and a two-shot win.

Wargo, who won the 1993 Senior Players Championship, struggled
to a 74 and was denied his second win in a major. He held onto
second place at 10-under 278, one stroke better than Vicente
Fernandez. Hale Irwin carded a 68 to finish fourth at 280.

Andrews rallies for one-shot win at Longs Drugs Challenge
---------------------------------------------------------

Donna Andrews birdied the 15th and 16th holes today and rallied
for a one-shot victory over Sweden's Carin Koch at the $600,000
Longs Drugs Challenge at the Twelve Bridges Golf Club in
Lincoln, California.

Andrews shot a 3-under-par 69, matching her best round of the
tournament, and captured her sixth career LPGA victory with a
72-hole total of 10-under 278. Koch fell one stroke short in a
bid for her first win, carding a final-round 70.

Another Swede, defending champion Annika Sorenstam, finished
third at 6-under 282. Trailing by 10 shots after 36 holes,
Sorenstam played the final two rounds at 8-under, including
today's 70, to record her sixth top-10 finish in as many events
this year.

With help from pit crew, Martin wins Texas 500
----------------------------------------------

Mark Martin's pit crew came through at the end, getting him out
first on the final stop and sending him to a victory in today's
NASCAR Winston Cup Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort
Worth.

Martin stayed in front when the race was restarted with 24 laps
remaining and held on for his 24th career Winston Cup victory.
He defeated Roush Racing teammate Chad Little by 0.573 seconds,
holding on as the transmission on his Ford Taurus quit on the
final lap. Robert Pressley was third, followed by Joe Nemechek
and another Roush Racing car driven by Johnny Benson, Jr.

Martin averaged 136.771 miles per hour for a race that had seven
caution flags for 43 laps and 24 lead changes among nine
drivers. Martin's victory came in front of an estimated crowd
of 200,000 and brought an end to a brutal day at Texas Motor
Speedway. The race was marred by a major crash at the start of
the second lap, causing a delay of 33 minutes.

Alex Zanardi wins CART Long Beach GP in dramatic fashion
--------------------------------------------------------

Defending champion Alex Zanardi of Italy came from nowhere and
passed pole-sitter Bryan Herta with two laps remaining today to
win the CART Long Beach Grand Prix in California.

Zanardi, driving a Reynard-Honda-powered machine averaged 88.946
miles per hour and won by a margin of 2.917 seconds to give
Honda its first victory of the season. Starting from the 11th
position, he worked patiently through the field to record his
ninth career CART victory. Zanardi, who was not near the lead
until very late, passed Herta cleanly but aggressively with an
inside move.

Dario Franchitti of Scotland also was strong down the stretch
and overtook Herta at the same time Zanardi did to finish
second. Franchitti, also piloting a Reynard-Honda, recorded his
best career finish after starting eighth.

Coetzer defeats Spirlea in Family Circle Cup tennis final
---------------------------------------------------------

Amanda Coetzer of South Africa captured the most prestigious
event of her career today, defeating Irina Spirlea of Romania in
the finals of the $926,250 Family Circle Cup tennis event in
Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The ninth-seeded Coetzer needed one hour, 34 minutes to take out
the fourth-seeded Spirlea, 6-3, 6-4, and capture the first prize
of $150,000.

It was the sixth career title for Coetzer, and her first since
an event at Luxembourg last year. The Hilton Head resident took
advantage of 51 unforced errors by Spirlea.

-------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------

--------
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BSW

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

* DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
---------------------------------

Bulls F Scottie Pippen repeats desire to leave Chicago
------------------------------------------------------

Disgruntled Chicago Bulls star forward Scottie Pippen told a

local radio station Sunday that he doesn't "give a damn" what

happens to the team after this season, repeating his desire to
leave.

"I feel like it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP
Radio in Chicago. "It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there
are many other teams looking for complementary players.

United States takes 2-1 lead over Russia in Davis Cup
-----------------------------------------------------

Americans Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg scored a 7-6 (7-3),

6-1, 2-6, 6-1 victory over a Russian tandem Sunday to give the

United States a 2-1 lead in the first round of the Davis Cup at
Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

Martin and Reneberg beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 18-year-old
Marat Safin, but since the match lasted more than 30 games, the
Russians exercised their option of pushing their reverse singles

matches to today, instead of playing them Sunday.

Andre Agassi will be matched against Kafelnikov in the first --
and possibly decisive -- reverse singles match, starting at 11
a.m. EDT and Jim Courier will play Safin afterwards.

RHPs Fetters, Rivera injured in Yankees win over Oakland
--------------------------------------------------------

The Athletics and Yankees lost their respective closers, Mike

Fetters and Mariano Rivera, to injuries Sunday in New York's 9-7,
10-inning win at Oakland.

expected to make a roster move today when they open a two-game
series against unbeaten Cleveland.

where the Yankees begin a three-game series tonight, if Rivera

must go on the disabled list.

Raptors C Oliver Miller hospitalized with chest pains
-----------------------------------------------------

Toronto Raptors center Oliver Miller was hospitalized prior to

Sunday night's road game against the Philadelphia 76ers after
suffering from chest pains on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

The 27-year-old Miller is averaging 6.2 points and 6.4 rebounds
in 58 games this season, mostly as the starting center. He has
battled weight problems throughout his career.

Rams obtain QB Bono from Packers for draft pick
-----------------------------------------------

The St. Louis Rams acquired veteran quarterback Steve Bono from

the Green Bay Packers Sunday for a late-round pick in the 1999
draft.

U.S. forward Eric Wynalda out 3-4 weeks with knee injury
--------------------------------------------------------

Forward Eric Wynalda, the leading goal-scorer in the history of
the United States National soccer team, suffered a sprained

ligament in his left leg in a Major League Soccer game Sunday and

is expected to be sidelined for a month.

Wynalda, who plays for the San Jose Clash of the MLS, suffered
the injury when he collided with Dallas Burn goalkeeper Garth
Lagerwey in the shootout round of a 3-2 loss.

The 28-year-old Wynalda sprained the ligament that connects the
left tibia to the fibula. Clash spokesman Rick La Plante said
X-rays of the left knee were negative, but Wynalda is expected

to miss three to four weeks, pending an MRI to be taken today

at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose.

Reds 1B Casey slated for surgery Wednesday, out 3-6 weeks
---------------------------------------------------------

period, but said Sunday he should not miss more time than that.

The procedure will be performed by Drs. Mark Cepela, Kevin
Shumrich and James Sanitato at noon EST Wednesday at
Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital.

Westwood claims Freeport McDermott as first PGA victory
-------------------------------------------------------

Lee Westwood of Britain carded his fourth consecutive round in

the 60s Sunday and captured his first American victory at the

$1.7 million Freeport McDermott Classic at the English Turn Golf
and Country Club in New Orleans.

Westwood, a 24-year-old who last year dominated the European PGA
Tour and played for the victorious European Ryder Cup squad,

fired a 3-under-par 69 Sunday and finished at 15-under 273, three

shots better than Steve Flesch. He won $306,000 as he prepares
to return to next week's Masters, the first major championship
of the season.

Jim Carter, Mark Wiebe, Glen Day and Steve Lowery carded 1-under

71s Sunday and finished tied for third at 9-under 279. Day

continued his strong play with his third top-10 finish of the
year. Duffy Waldorf was one shot behind that group at 8-under
280.

Morgan defends title at Tradition with two-stroke victory
---------------------------------------------------------

After waiting three rounds, Gil Morgan finally made his move

Sunday and defended his title at the $1.4 million Tradition, the

first major championship of the year on the Senior Tour at the
Desert Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Andrews rallies for one-shot win at Longs Drugs Challenge
---------------------------------------------------------

Donna Andrews birdied the 15th and 16th holes Sunday and rallied

for a one-shot victory over Sweden's Carin Koch at the $600,000
Longs Drugs Challenge at the Twelve Bridges Golf Club in
Lincoln, California.

Another Swede, defending champion Annika Sorenstam, finished
third at 6-under 282. Trailing by 10 shots after 36 holes,
Sorenstam played the final two rounds at 8-under, including

Sunday's 70, to record her sixth top-10 finish in as many events
this year.

With help from pit crew, Martin wins Texas 500
----------------------------------------------

Mark Martin's pit crew came through at the end, getting him out

first on the final stop and sending him to a victory in Sunday's

NASCAR Winston Cup Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort
Worth.

Alex Zanardi wins CART Long Beach GP in dramatic fashion
--------------------------------------------------------

Defending champion Alex Zanardi of Italy came from nowhere and

passed pole-sitter Bryan Herta with two laps remaining Sunday to

win the CART Long Beach Grand Prix in California.

Coetzer defeats Spirlea in Family Circle Cup tennis final
---------------------------------------------------------

Amanda Coetzer of South Africa captured the most prestigious

event of her career Sunday, defeating Irina Spirlea of Romania in

the finals of the $926,250 Family Circle Cup tennis event in
Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The ninth-seeded Coetzer needed one hour, 34 minutes to take out
the fourth-seeded Spirlea, 6-3, 6-4, and capture the first prize
of $150,000.

It was the sixth career title for Coetzer, and her first since
an event at Luxembourg last year. The Hilton Head resident took
advantage of 51 unforced errors by Spirlea.

-------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 6:30 A.M. EST)

BSW

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
-------------------------------

Bulls F Scottie Pippen repeats desire to leave Chicago
------------------------------------------------------

the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for a late-round pick in the 1999
draft.

-------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 7:30 A.M. EST)

BSW

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

-------------------------------------------
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BSW

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

--------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 10:30 A.M. EST)
--------------------------------------------

BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

* DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
---------------------------------

Bulls F Scottie Pippen repeats desire to leave Chicago
------------------------------------------------------

Disgruntled Chicago Bulls star forward Scottie Pippen told a
local radio station Sunday that he doesn't "give a damn" what
happens to the team after this season, repeating his desire to
leave.

"I feel like it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP
Radio in Chicago. "It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there
are many other teams looking for complementary players.

Pippen first expressed his desire to leave while recovering from
a foot injury earlier this season, saying he would not play for
the Bulls once he got healthy. He later softened his stance and
agreed to return.

Pippen, who has teamed with superstar Michael Jordan to lead the
Bulls to five NBA championships in the last seven seasons,
missed the first two months of this season after undergoing
surgery on his left foot.

Jordan repeatedly has said he will not return if Phbil Jackson
is not coaching the Bulls. Jackson signed a one-year contract
prior to this season with the agreement that it would be his
last season with the club.

League rebound leader Dennis Rodman also is a free agent this
summer and it appears the Bulls will have to rebuild, whether or
not they win a thrid straight championship.

Pippen did not rule out following Jackson to another team if the
circumstances were favorable. Pippen becomes a free agent July
1st and is expected to command a multi-year contract averaging
at least $10 million to $15 million per season.

"If it's the right situation, if the opportunity is right for
me, I would definitely look forward to something like that,"
Pippen said. "But I'm not really hitching my horses on anybody's
wagon right now. I want to see what's out there on the market
for me."

In late November, Pippen possibly tried to bait Jerry Krause
into dealing him away by calling the Bulls' general manager a
"chicken" in an article published by the Arlington Daily Herald.
He mentioned the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers as
potential new teams, but admitted he had not spoken with Krause
about his demand.

Pippen, who last year was voted one of the NBA's 50 Greatest
Players, also assured WMVP that his feelings about the
organization have in no way squelched his desire for a third
straight title.

"I play to win," said Pippen, who last season was voted one of
the NBA's 50 best players of all time. "I want to come out and
be the best when the season's all over. That's very important."

One of the best all-around players in the NBA, Pippen is in the
final year of a contract that pays him a comparatively paltry
$2.77 million. After missing the first 35 games of the season,
Pippen bounced back to average 19.3 points, a team-high 5.6
assists and 5.4 rebounds, helping the Bulls to a league-best
58-17 mark.

Last season, he averaged 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7
assists per game, helping the Bulls win their second straight
title.

While Krause spent nearly $38 million to keep Jordan and Rodman
for another season, he tried to deal Pippen to the Boston
Celtics on draft day. In 1995, he tried to trade Pippen to the
Seattle SuperSonics for Shawn Kemp.

RHPs Fetters, Rivera injured in Yankees win over Oakland
--------------------------------------------------------

The Athletics and Yankees lost their respective closers, Mike
Fetters and Mariano Rivera, to injuries Sunday in New York's
9-7, 10-inning win at Oakland.

The Athletics are expected to make a roster move today, when
they open a two-game series against unbeaten Cleveland. Oakland
relievers allowed six runs and five hits while walking six and
striking out four in 4 1/3 innings Sunday.

Fetters, who was expected to take over as closer for the aging
Billy Taylor, was traded from Milwaukee to Cleveland in a
five-player deal on December 8th. He was shipped to Oakland the
same day for right-hander Steve Karsay. The 33-year-old Fetters
recorded six saves in 51 games during an injury-plagued 1997
season after posting a career-high 31 saves with the Brewers in
1996.

where the Yankees begin a three-game series today, if Rivera

must go on the disabled list.

"It's not a pull. I didn't feel it pop," said Rivera. "I felt
it a bit when I faced Rickey (Henderson in the ninth inning)."

New York would sorely miss its top closer if he misses a
significant amount of time. Left-hander Graeme Lloyd relieved
Rivera Sunday, needing one out to save the Yankees' first win of
the season. He inherited a 1-2 count on Matt Stairs but issued
a walk before surrendering a tying two-run homer to Jason
Giambi.

New York eventually pulled out the win in the 10th.

Raptors C Oliver Miller hospitalized with chest pains
-----------------------------------------------------

Toronto Raptors center Oliver Miller was hospitalized prior to

Sunday's road game against the Philadelphia 76ers after

suffering from chest pains on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"I got them last night and this morning (Sunday) they kept

occurring," Miller said. "That's when I got worried. I came in
here and I told Chuck that I needed to see the team doctor."

Ironically, Miller's problems occurred in the CoreStates Center,
where 76ers forward Derrick Coleman announced earlier this
season that he was experiencing an irregular heartbeat that
sidelined him for three weeks.

"I don't play with chest pains, not with the history in this
league," Miller said. "I just wanted to be precautionary."

Miller did not play in Friday's 120-112 loss to Washington. He
was suspended one game by coach Butch Carter for a violation of
team rules.

"I feel OK now and I'll suit up for the next game but whether I
play or not will be up to Butch," Miller said.

Miller signed with the Raptors early in the season after the
team experienced a series of injuries to frontcourt players
Sharone Wright, Marcus Camby, Popeye Jones and Zan Tabak. Jones
and Tabak later were traded to Boston.

The 27-year-old Miller is averaging 6.2 points and 6.4 rebounds
in 58 games this season, mostly as the starting center. He has
battled weight problems throughout his career.

Miller was a 1992 first-round pick of Phoenix and spent two
seasons with the Suns. He played one season with the Detroit
Pistons and was selected by the Raptors in the 1995 expansion
draft.

He averaged career highs of 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in
Toronto's inaugural season and was signed as a free agent by the
Dallas Mavericks, who waived him four months later. He rejoined
the Raptors in February 1997.

Rams obtain QB Bono from Packers for draft pick
-----------------------------------------------

The St. Louis Rams acquired veteran quarterback Steve Bono from

the Green Bay Packers Sunday for a late-round pick in the 1999
draft.

"Tony is our starting quarterback," Rams coach Dick Vermeil
said. "It's the same thing I was telling Mark Rypien, that the
backup job was going to be open for competition."

Bono, who also has played for the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh
Steelers and San Francisco 49ers, has a 28-12 record as a
starter.

United States takes 2-1 lead over Russia in Davis Cup
-----------------------------------------------------

Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg scored a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 2-6,

6-1 victory over a Russian tandem Sunday to give the United
States a 2-1 lead in the first round of the Davis Cup at Stone
Mountain Park in Georgia.

Martin and Reneberg beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 18-year-old

Marat Safin to break a five-match losing streak for American
doubles teams in Davis Cup play. Because the match lasted more
than 30 games, the Russians exercised their option of moving the
reverse singles matches to today instead of Sunday.

"It kind of gets the monkey off everyone's back," U.S. coach Tom
Gullikson said. "It makes tomorrow a much better match for us."

"I'm sure everybody can understand," Kafelnikov said of taking
the extra day. "I'm not expecting myself to go back on court and
play 100 percent. I'm very tired."

Andre Agassi will be matched against Kafelnikov in the first --
and possibly decisive -- reverse singles match, starting at 11

a.m. EDT. Jim Courier will play Safin afterwards.

"Let's not put the pressure right now on the youngest," said
Kafelnikov. "I have to win first."

Kafelnikov pulled out a 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 win over
Courier in a singles match Saturday. Agassi then rolled to a
6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Safin to tie Bill Tilden's U.S. Davis
Cup record for most consecutive singles match victories of 16,
set from 1920 to 1926. Agassi's streak dates back to 1991.

Rain postponed Friday's action.

In other matches, undermanned Sweden, which swept the United
States in November to capture its sixth Davis Cup title, won
both reverse singles matches Sunday to pull out a 3-2 victory
over Slovakia in Bratislava.

First, Magnus Norman outlasted Slovakia's Karol Kucera, 6-3,
4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Then it was Magnus Gustafsson claiming a
6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 victory over Dominik Hrbaty in the decisive
match.

Sweden dug itself a huge hole by dropping both of its singles
matches Friday, but stayed alive Saturday as Magnus Larsson and
Mikael Tillstrom beat Jan Kroslak and Jiri Hromec, 6-2, 6-3,
6-4.

The Swedes played without eighth-ranked Jonas Bjorkman, who won
three matches in last year's final. Bjorkman is suffering from
a throat infection and iron deficiency. Sweden already was
without Thomas Enqvist and Nicklas Kulti. Enqvist is out with an
elbow injury while Kulti and his wife stayed home with their
newborn baby.

On Friday, Hrbaty outlasted Norman and the 12th-ranked Kucera
disposed of Tillstrom.

Host Germany earned a series-clinching victory Saturday as Boris
Becker, plagued by various ailments this season, teamed with
David Prinosil to beat the South African duo of David Adams and
Ellis Ferreira, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Saturday's victory at Bremen
rendered Sunday's reverse singles matches meaningless, though
the Germans won both to make it 5-0.

Zimbabwe rallied to defeat host and 1997 semifinalist Australia,
3-2 as brothers Wayne and Byron Black posted victories in
reverse singles Sunday at Mildura, Victoria.

Wayne Black defeated Mark Woodforde, 6-3, 7-4, 6-7 (3-6), 6-4,
before Byron Black beat Jason Stoltenberg, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Zimbabwe advanced to a second-round meeting with Italy in just
its first appearance at World Group level.

Woodforde was filling in for Patrick Rafter, who was forced to
pull out with a respiratory tract infection.

Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya were the heroes for Spain, which
rallied for a 3-2 victory with singles wins Sunday in Porta
Alegre, Brazil. Corretja started the day with a 6-3, 7-5, 4-6,
6-4 victory over French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten. Moya
capped the triumph later with a 7-6, 2-6, 2-6 whipping of
Fernando Meligeni.

Kuerten and Jaime Oncins beat Corretja and Javier Sanchez, 6-1,
7-5, 3-6, 6-2, in the doubles match on Saturday to give the
Brazilians a 2-1 lead. Kuerten gave Brazil the early lead
Friday by rallying past Moya, but Corretja evened the series by
outdueling Meligeni.

Host Switzerland closed out the Czech Republic, 3-1, Sunday when
Marc Rosset beat Bohdan Ulihrach, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5, making the
match between Ivo Heuberger of Switzerland and Martin Damm
meaningless.

Host Italy won its match with India, 4-1, in Genoa. Andrea
Guadenzi defeated Mahesh Bhupathi, 6-1. 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 in the
first singles match Sunday to clinch the victory.

India's Leander Paes, who together with Bhupathi comprise the
third-ranked team in the world, could not compete with a
shoulder injury.

In Brussels, host Belgium made it 2-2 Sunday when Filip DeWulf
beat the Netherlands' John van Lottum, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4. In the
decisive match, Belgium's Christophe van Garsse leads Sjeng
Schalken, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6 in a match suspended by darkness.

The Netherlands took a 2-1 lead over Belgium as the team of
Jacco Eltingh and Jan Siemerink dispatched DeWulf and Libor
Pimek, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, on Saturday.

U.S. forward Eric Wynalda out 3-4 weeks with knee injury
--------------------------------------------------------

Forward Eric Wynalda, the leading goal-scorer in the history of
the United States National soccer team, suffered a sprained
ligament in his left leg in a Major League Soccer game Sunday
and is expected to be sidelined for a month.

Wynalda, who plays for the San Jose Clash of the MLS, suffered
the injury when he collided with Dallas Burn goalkeeper Garth
Lagerwey in the shootout round of a 3-2 loss.

Wynalda is the top offensive threat for the U.S. national team,
which will participate at the World Cup in France this summer.
He is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. soccer history with 31
goals in 97 international matches.

One of only two players who was on both the 1990 and 1994 World
Cup teams, Wynalda played just 14 games last season with San
Jose after undergoing surgery to repair a groin injury. He
likely will miss the trip to Austria for the national team's
exhibition game on April 22nd in Vienna. Pending results of the
MRI, Wynalda may be able to play in a May 30th exhibition match
against Scotland, the final tuneup for the World Cup.

The United States begins World Cup play on June 15th against
world power Germany in Paris. The U.S., which is in its third
straight World Cup tournament, also faces Iran and Yugoslavia in
Group F play.

Reds 1B Casey slated for surgery Wednesday, out 3-6 weeks
---------------------------------------------------------

The procedure will be performed by Drs. Mark Cepela, Kevin
Shumrich and James Sanitato at noon EST Wednesday at
Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital.

Casey, acquired from the Cleveland Indians on the eve of the
season opener for pitcher Dave Burba, received 20 stitches and
was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The 23-year-old left-handed hitter has dominated at the
minor-league level. Last year, he hit a combined .380 with 26
doubles, 15 homers and 84 RBI in 82 games at Double-A Akron and
Triple-A Buffalo.

Casey, a 1995 second-round pick from Richmond, hit .318 with two
homers and six RBI in 44 at-bats for the Indians this spring.

Despite his impressive numbers in the minors, Casey was blocked
in Cleveland by slugger Jim Thome and the team decided to trade
the young star for Burba, who was to be the Reds' Opening Day
starter.

In Cincinnati, he should battle right-handed-hitting Eduardo
Perez at first base.

Westwood claims Freeport McDermott as first PGA victory
-------------------------------------------------------

Lee Westwood of Britain carded his fourth consecutive round in
the 60s Sunday and captured his first American victory at the
$1.7 million Freeport McDermott Classic at the English Turn Golf
and Country Club in New Orleans.

Westwood, a 24-year-old who last year dominated the European PGA
Tour and played for the victorious European Ryder Cup squad,
fired a 3-under-par 69 Sunday and finished at 15-under 273,
three shots better than Steve Flesch. He won $306,000 as he
prepares to return to next week's Masters, the first major
championship of the season.

After winning three times and posting 12 top-10 finishes abroad
in 1997, Westwood won his first PGA Tour event by building upon
a one-stroke lead entering the round. By the fourth hole, he
built the lead to three strokes and was never challenged.

"It was harder than it looked," said Westwood, who became the
second first-time winner on Tour this year. "I won like a swan,
gliding on top but paddling like crazy underneath.

"I am playing 100 percent better now than last year going into
Augusta. This year I have played three big tournaments and I'm
all geared up."

Flesch, a former Nike Tour standout, more than tripled his
previous career earnings by capturing the $183,600 second-place
check. He moved into the top 50 in earnings this season and
likely secured his 1999 Tour card.

"I probably secured my card for next year, so I couldn't be
happier," Flesch said. "Everytime I play with (Westwood), he's
rolled it in from everywhere. He just seems fearless."

Jim Carter, Mark Wiebe, Glen Day and Steve Lowery carded 1-under
71s Sunday and finished tied for third at 9-under 279. Day
continued his strong play with his third top-10 finish of the
year. Duffy Waldorf was one shot behind that group at 8-under
280.

Westwood opened his round with a par but moved to 13-under with
a birdie at the par-5 second hole. After a par at No. 3, he
used a sand wedge to get within eight feet and birdied No. 4. He
played the rest of the front nine at even par before getting hot
just after the turn.

On No. 10, Westwood sank a 10-foot birdie putt and on No. 11 he
drained a 40-footer to move to 16-under. He gave a shot back at
the 14th hole after double-hitting his putt. He answered with a
birdie at 15 but three-putted at 17 before parring the par-4
18th.

"I never had a double-hit in my life," said Westwood, who would
be exempt through 2000 should he decide to join the PGA Tour.

Flesch had a relatively uneventful round that featured just a
birdie on the par-5 15th hole. Entering this tournament 128th
on the Tour in putting, the 30-year-old Flesch was solid with
his putter throughout the day. On the back nine he reeled off
par putts of six and seven feet before draining consecutive
15-footers to remain at 11-under.

On 15, he rolled in another 15-footer, this time for birdie, but
it wasn't enough.

"I knew I had to go out and shoot about 16-under to win," Flesch
said. "I felt a lot better but didn't make anything. I was
proud of myself, I wasn't worry about the leaderboard or what he
(Westwood) was doing."

Defending champion Brad Faxon carded a 1-over 73 Sunday and
finished at 5-over 293, 20 shots off the pace.

The English Turn Golf and Country Club is a par-72 layout that
measures 7,116 yards.

Morgan defends title at Tradition with two-stroke victory
---------------------------------------------------------

After waiting three rounds, Gil Morgan finally made his move
Sunday and defended his title at the $1.4 million Tradition, the
first major championship of the year on the Senior Tour at the
Desert Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Morgan was ninth after the first round but moved into second
with a 66 Friday. He kept pace with Wargo on Saturday, firing a
69 to stay within two strokes, and his steady play Sunday
produced his third victory of the year.

Morgan, who finished second on the Senior Tour money list last
year with more than $2.3 million, picked up another $210,000. He
also leads all seniors in winnings this season with $674,850 in
just seven events.

Playing in the final threesome with Morgan and Bruce Summerhays,
Wargo moved to 13-under with a 30-foot birdie putt on the first
hole, but gave back the stroke on No. 2 when he two-putted from
10 feet. Morgan halved the deficit to one stroke with a birdie
on the par-5 fourth hole.

Wargo rebuilt the lead to two strokes with a 10-foot birdie putt
on No. 6, but he killed any chance of building momentum when his
4-iron tee shot on the 194-yard seventh hole flew over the green
and into the water. Wargo's double-bogey left the two golfers
at 11-under.

"We got off to a fairly good start, you know, and then I
overclubbed the seventh hole, and that's the one that hurt us
pretty bad there," understated Wargo. "That broke our
momentum."

Both birdied No. 8, but Wargo had to sink a 30-footer to keep
pace. He bogeyed the ninth hole, but moved back into a tie at
No. 10, dropping a three-foot birdie putt on the 424-yard hole.

However, Morgan stepped up as Wargo faltered. He placed a
7-iron on the green of the par-3 11th hole and sank a seven-foot
birdie putt. Wargo hit his 7-iron thin and followed with a poor
chip on the fringe before two-putting for bogey.

Morgan went for the kill on No. 12, reaching the par-5 511-yard
hole in two shots and two-putting from 25 feet for birdie. Wargo
was erratic on the hole, hitting a bad drive and sending his
wedge shot over the green before scrambling for bogey. The two
holes gave Morgan a four-stroke lead with six holes to play.

"I think 11 and 12, obviously, were the key holes," said Morgan.
"I made a birdie on both holes and he made a bogey at both
holes. That made a four-shot swing through those two holes, and
then I turned around and made a bogey at the 13th hole to kind
of give a shot back."

Morgan had bogeys on Nos. 13 and 16, but Wargo was unable to
mount a charge down the stretch. Morgan also saved par with a
four-footer on 17 and nailed a 10-footer for par on 18.

"Being away from the field a little bit and two of us out there
within three or four shots, I think I liked that separation,"
said Morgan. "My game plan was to try to play as consistently
as I could, not make any mistakes and then try to birdie all the
par-5s, and if I happen to make a couple of birdies somewhere
else, that would be great."

It was Morgan's 10th victory on the Senior Tour as he became the
second player to defend his title at the Tradition. Jack
Nicklaus, who designed this course, did it in 1990 and 1991
before repeating the feat in 1995-96.

The Cochise Course at the Golf Club at Desert Mountain is a
par-72 layout that measures 6,954 yards.

Andrews rallies for one-shot win at Longs Drugs Challenge
---------------------------------------------------------

Donna Andrews birdied the 15th and 16th holes Sunday and rallied
for a one-shot victory over Sweden's Carin Koch at the $600,000
Longs Drugs Challenge at the Twelve Bridges Golf Club in
Lincoln, California.

The $90,000 first prize moved Andrews into the top five on the
money list with $215,395. She was 13th last year with $393,567
and is on pace to break her previous best of $429,015 in 1994.

"It was a tough day for me. I didn't feel I was at the top of
my game," Andrews said. "I missed the first green and thought,
`This is not the game plan.'"

Another Swede, defending champion Annika Sorenstam, finished
third at 6-under 282. Trailing by 10 shots after 36 holes,
Sorenstam played the final two rounds at 8-under, including
Sunday's 70, to record her sixth top-10 finish in as many events
this year.

Barb Mucha and Brazil's Luciana Bemvenuti tied for fourth at
5-under 283, two shots ahead of Brandie Burton, Chris Johnson,
Tracy Hanson and Japan's Mayumi Hirase.

Andrews and Koch began the day tied for the lead. Koch stumbled
out of the gate with a three-putt bogey on the first hole, but
regrouped and had birdies at the second, fourth and sixth holes
to move to 9-under.

Andrews saved par at the first hole but two-putted from 12 feet
for a bogey at No. 3. She turned her day around at the par-5
sixth, holing a 6-iron from 107 yards for an eagle that moved
her to 8-under. Andrews, who turns 31 on April 12th, nearly
duplicated the feat at the par-3 eighth, sticking her tee shot
within one foot of the cup.

"When the ball went in on No. 6, there was a big clap of thunder
and I thought it was a sign from above," she said. "That is a
shot I will remember. It gave me more confidence with my
swing."

Koch, meanwhile, missed the green at the par-4 seventh and
two-putted for her second bogey before matching Andrews with a
birdie at No. 8. But that was the last birdie for Koch, who
closed with 10 consecutive pars.

"I think I played steady," she stayed. "I didn't mess up too
bad. I had a few chances on the back that I just didn't make.
... If a couple had rolled in, it would have been my day. Donna
made the birdies on the back and I didn't."

Andrews faltered with bogeys on the first two holes of the back
nine, three-putting from 20 feet at the par-4 10th and
two-putting from 15 feet at the par-4 11th. But she began to
climb back up the leaderboard with a 12-foot birdie putt at the
par-5 12th and caught Koch with a 30-footer at 15.

"She probably got pumped up after those two bogeys," Koch said
of Andrews. "You could tell she has been there before. She was
fired up. This is not new to her."

Andrews grabbed the lead on the next hole with a six-foot birdie
putt.

"I got the good bounces today (Sunday) and that's what it takes
to win a golf tournament," she said. "You'd like to say it was
all skill, but there is a lot of luck involved. Carin had so
many chances and her putts just weren't going in.

"I'll be the first to admit that Carin hit the ball much better
today (Sunday)," Andrews added. "The only bad shot she hit was
on No. 17 and then she got up and down. She just didn't get
putts to drop."

The par-72 Twelve Bridges Golf Club course is a 6,412-yard
layout.

Mark Martin wins NASCAR Texas 500
---------------------------------

Mark Martin's pit crew came through at the end, getting him out
first on the final stop and sending him to a victory in Sunday's

NASCAR Winston Cup Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

"Yes sir, man we did it!" Martin radioed his crew heading to the
checkered flag. His second win of the season was worth $356,850.

Robert Pressley was third, followed by Joe Nemechek and another
Roush Racing car driven by Johnny Benson, Jr.

"That's unreal," said Martin, who also won the Las Vegas 400.
"We didn't have one bit of trouble. This Ford Taurus was on
the money. I didn't step on it until the end. We had a real
fast car and it was tough to pass here today (Sunday)."

When asked what he thought of the troublesome track, Martin
said, "I love that we won.

"It was sweet that it turned out this way. It was a great pit
stop. It was time to go and our shot at winning the race."

Martin averaged 136.771 miles per hour for a race that had seven
caution flags for 43 laps and 24 lead changes among nine
drivers.

Martin's victory came in front of an estimated crowd of 200,000
and brought an end to a brutal day at Texas Motor Speedway. The
race was marred by a major crash at the start of the second lap,
causing a delay of 33 minutes.

As the field entered the first turn to start the second lap, a
chain-reaction crash started when Gary Bradberry was on the
apron of the track. That sent Jeff Gordon into the back of Rick
Mast, shooting both cars into the wall. Mast's car took John
Andretti's Pontiac into the wall and Andretti's car erupted in
flames.

As cars scrambled to get out of the way, Kenny Wallace, Kevin
LePage, Hut Stricklin, Bradberry, Ted Musgrave, Darrell Waltrip,
Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan and Gordon were also involved.

Safety crews got to Andretti's flaming car, extinguishing the
flames and pulling the driver out to safety.

"A car in front of me got crossed up, I eased out of the gas,"
Mast recalled. "John Andretti behind me eased out of the gas.
Someone behind hit him."

Although the track has taken its fair share of criticism this
week, Mast did not believe the speedway was to blame.

"You wreck every week, no matter what track you are at," he
said. "If someone gets crossed up, it doesn't matter if you're
at Martinsville, Daytona or Texas, you are going to have a big
wreck.

"I feel bad for track management for this to happen two years in
a row. I feel bad for everyone involved."

Andretti was able to escape the accident without injury.

"It looked like the 78 car (Bradberry) got sideways," Andretti
said. "I don't know if somebody turned him. I slowed down and
got hit really hard from behind. It pushed me into the 75 (Mast)
and started sliding across the apron and thought I was going to
be in pretty good shape and the car hooked on me. I was real
fortunate that somebody straightened me up before I got into the
wall.

"When it's all said and done we'll take a brand new race car and
throw it away and build another one."

The race was stopped as safety crews cleaned up. Last year's
race also had a large crash involving 14 cars in the first turn
of the first lap.

"I told the guys on the radio before the race started, that
first turn looks slick," Waltrip said. "It's a beautiful sunny
day, and we're all in the garage wrecked like this. I have never
seen so many torn up race cars in one weekend. We have torn up
over 30 cars here in one weekend.

"They had a massacre down here called The Alamo. That's what
this is beginning to look like."

Once the race was restarted, the field stayed single-file until
gaining enough confidence in the track to start to drive hard.
And the driver racing the hardest was Jeremy Mayfield, who
started on the pole but was shuffled back to fourth during the
frantic first two laps.

Mayfield shot past leader Ward Burton in the third turn on the
28th lap. He led five times for 105 laps -- most of any driver
in the field. In fact, much of the race was a battle between
two of the top young drivers in Winston Cup racing -- Mayfield
and Jeff Burton, who led four times for 48 laps.

But both drivers would see their chance at victory snatched away
by bad luck. Mayfield had a right front tire explode while
leading the race on the 178th lap. He was able to make it back
to his pits to repair the tire but ended his chances of winning.

Just eight laps later, Burton's shot at defending his title was
thwarted when he suffered a broken brake rotor.

With those two drivers out of contention, the race settled into
a battle between Jarrett, Little and Martin. Several teams
began to use pit-stop strategies in an attempt to stretch fuel
mileage to the end. But that strategy ended when Dave Marcis
blew an engine on the 302nd lap, spraying oil on the
frontstretch to bring out the final caution flag of the race.

The leaders pitted, and Martin was first out of the pits,
followed by Little. The race was restarted with 24 laps to the
finish to bring one of the most bizarre weekends in NASCAR
Winston Cup history to a merciful end.

Mayfield is 24 points behind Rusty Wallace, who leads the
overall standings.

Alex Zanardi wins CART Long Beach GP in dramatic fashion
--------------------------------------------------------

Defending champion Alex Zanardi of Italy came from nowhere and
passed pole-sitter Bryan Herta with two laps remaining Sunday to
win the CART Long Beach Grand Prix in California.

Zanardi, driving a Reynard-Honda-powered machine averaged 88.946
miles per hour and won by a margin of 2.917 seconds to give
Honda its first victory of the season.

"To be honest, I didn't think it was possible to get 20 (PPG
Cup) points," he said. "I thought fourth or fifth was possible.
At one point, when we made a pit stop, I was hoping (the crew)
would put on fresh tires so I could have a chance to win the
Omega watch for setting the fastest race lap. But I came home
with the win.

"It's amazing, I'm very, very happy," Zanardi added. "There are
no words to describe it. Like Cleveland last year, I thought it
was unrepeatable, and I was able to do it again."

Starting from the 11th position, he worked patiently through the
field to record his ninth career CART victory. Zanardi, who was
not near the lead until very late, passed Herta cleanly but
aggressively with an inside move.

"I had the steering wheel bent completely, but we kept going,"
said Zanardi. "When they stopped at the hairpin turn, I stopped,
too. That's where I think I damaged the wheel."

Zanardi was referring to a multi-car jam which came to a
complete stop in a tight corner of the temporary street course
in Long Beach. All cars had to maneuver in order to continue
the race.

Before that incident, Michael Andretti's became slightly
airborne as he was pushed by Bobby Rahal, whose car stalled.
Andretti continued and was in contention until he gambled with a
ripped front left tire and hit the wall on lap 55 instead of
going to the pits for a change.

Herta settled for third in a Reynard-Ford.

"It was a wild race," he said. "Alex had a different strategy,
he had new tires. Who knows, if we'd taken tires it may have
been different. But we may have lost it in the pits."

Adrian Fernandez of Mexico, coming off last week's win in Japan,
was fourth in a Reynard-Ford, while Brazilian rookie Tony Kanaan
finished fifth in a Reynard-Honda.

The race started with a caution on the first lap for the fourth
time in the history of this race. Al Unser Jr. made contact
with Scott Pruett, struck the wall and was forced out of the
race. Unser was visibly upset and refused to speak with the
media following his exit.

In one other notable incident, Paul Tracy's car also was lifted
into the air on lap 19, forcing the Canadian driver to retire.
The race had seven cautions for 28 laps and took one hour, 51
minutes to complete. It also featured 12 lead changes among
eight drivers.

Greg Moore, Mark Blundell, Jimmy Vasser, Brazilian rookie Helio
Castro-Neves and countryman Mauricio Gugelmin rounded out the
top 10. Castro-Neves led late in the race but had to stop in
the pits and settled for a ninth-place finish.

Vasser, who won here in 1996, was never in serious contention
Sunday.

The race was the third of 19 in the FedEx Championship Series.
Next is the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth,
Pennsylvania on April 26th.

Coetzer defeats Spirlea in Family Circle Cup tennis final
---------------------------------------------------------

Amanda Coetzer of South Africa captured the most prestigious
event of her career Sunday, defeating Irina Spirlea of Romania
in the finals of the $926,250 Family Circle Cup tennis event in
Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The ninth-seeded Coetzer needed one hour, 34 minutes to take out
the fourth-seeded Spirlea, 6-3, 6-4, and capture the first prize
of $150,000.

It was the sixth career title for Coetzer, and her first since
an event at Luxembourg last year. The Hilton Head resident took
advantage of 51 unforced errors by Spirlea.

"If I could have picked the tournament, this would have been the
won," Coetzer said. "I came in with no expectations. ... I just
kind of tried to play the next point and just make the best out
of the situation."

Coetzer won the final three games to close out the first set,
breaking serve in the eight game. She broke serve to go up 4-3
in the second set before holding serve to close out the match.

The 26-year-old Coetzer needed to win twice Saturday to advance
to Sunday's final. She was tied, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), early Saturday
before her opponent, unseeded German Andrea Glass, bowed out
with an injury. Coetzer had less trouble in the afternoon,
disposing of 15th-seeded American Lisa Raymond, 6-4, 6-1.

Coetzer also performed double duty Thursday, defeating Silvia
Farina of Italy and Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual to reach the
quarterfinals.

Both Coetzer and Spirlea, who outlasted Monica Seles of the
United States on Saturday, were competing in their first final
of the year.

The tournament was the first in a series of claycourt events
leading up to the French Open.

--------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 11:30 A.M. EST)

BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
-------------------------------

Bulls F Scottie Pippen repeats desire to leave Chicago
------------------------------------------------------

Disgruntled Chicago Bulls star forward Scottie Pippen told a
local radio station Sunday that he doesn't "give a damn" what
happens to the team after this season, repeating his desire to
leave.

"I feel like it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP
Radio in Chicago. "It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there
are many other teams looking for complementary players.

* Agassi looks for U.S. clincher vs. Kafelnikov at Davis Cup
------------------------------------------------------------

Andre Agassi will not only be looking to clinch a United States
first-round Davis Cup victory over Russia today, but he is also
seeking American Davis Cup history when he faces Yevgeny
Kafelnikov at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

With the United States leading the best-of-five series, 2-1,
heading into today's match at 11:00 a.m. EDT, Agassi could break
Bill Tilden's American record for consecutive Davis Cup singles
victories with 17, dating back to 1991. The 27-year-old Agassi
improved to 25-4 lifetime in Davis Cup play Saturday with a
straight-set victory over Marat Safin, an 18-year-old playing in
his first Davis Cup match.

If a fifth and deciding match is necessary, Jim Courier, who
lost a tough five-set match to Kafelnikov on Saturday, will take
on Safin.

RHPs Fetters, Rivera injured in Yankees win over Oakland
--------------------------------------------------------

The Athletics and Yankees lost their respective closers, Mike
Fetters and Mariano Rivera, to injuries Sunday in New York's
9-7, 10-inning win at Oakland.

expected to make a roster move today when they open a two-game
series against unbeaten Cleveland.

Rivera, who finished second in the American League with 43 saves

last season, aggravated a lingering groin injury with two outs
in the ninth inning with the Yankees leading, 7-5. New York
will fly pitcher Mike Buddie from Triple-A Columbus to Seattle,

where the Yankees begin a three-game series tonight, if Rivera

must go on the disabled list.

Rams obtain QB Bono from Packers for draft pick
-----------------------------------------------

The St. Louis Rams acquired veteran quarterback Steve Bono from

the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for a late-round pick in the
1999 draft.

The 35-year-old Bono completed only 5-of-10 passes for 29 yards

in extremely limited action behind Favre last season. Bono
spent three seasons with Kansas City, enjoying his best year in
1995, when he threw for 3,121 yards and 21 touchdowns in leading
the Chiefs to a 13-3 record and the AFC West title.

* Florida St QB Dan Kendra could miss season with torn right ACL
----------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State junior quarterback Dan Kendra, who sat behind Thad
Busby for two seasons but was finally ready to step in as the
starter, will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn anterior
cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Kendra, whose imposing 6-2, 245-pound frame is usually found on
a fullback, was injured in the third quarter of Florida State's
annual intra-squad contest on Saturday. Florida State team
physicians Drs. Tom Haney and Doug Henderson will perform the
surgery on Thursday, and the amount of time Kendra will miss
will be determined thereafter.

Kendra, who was highly recruited out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
had thrown for 134 yards on 11-of-25 passing with one touchdown
before getting hurt.

U.S. forward Eric Wynalda out 3-4 weeks with knee injury
--------------------------------------------------------

Wynalda, who plays for the San Jose Clash of the MLS, suffered
the injury when he collided with Dallas Burn goalkeeper Garth
Lagerwey in the shootout round of a 3-2 loss.

Reds 1B Casey slated for surgery Wednesday, out 3-6 weeks
---------------------------------------------------------

The procedure will be performed by Drs. Mark Cepela, Kevin
Shumrich and James Sanitato at noon EST Wednesday at
Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital.

Westwood claims Freeport McDermott as first PGA victory
-------------------------------------------------------

Jim Carter, Mark Wiebe, Glen Day and Steve Lowery carded 1-under

71s Sunday and finished tied for third at 9-under 279. Day
continued his strong play with his third top-10 finish of the
year. Duffy Waldorf was one shot behind that group at 8-under
280.

Morgan defends title at Tradition with two-stroke victory
---------------------------------------------------------

Wargo, who won the 1993 Senior Players Championship, struggled

to a 74 and was denied his second win in a major. He held onto
second place at 10-under 278, one stroke better than Vicente
Fernandez. Hale Irwin carded a 68 to finish fourth at 280.

Andrews rallies for one-shot win at Longs Drugs Challenge
---------------------------------------------------------

Another Swede, defending champion Annika Sorenstam, finished

third at 6-under 282. Trailing by 10 shots after 36 holes,
Sorenstam played the final two rounds at 8-under, including
Sunday's 70, to record her sixth top-10 finish in as many events
this year.

With help from pit crew, Martin wins Texas 500
----------------------------------------------

Mark Martin's pit crew came through at the end, getting him out

first on the final stop and sending him to a victory in Sunday's

NASCAR Winston Cup Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort
Worth.

final lap. Robert Pressley was third, followed by Joe Nemechek

and another Roush Racing car driven by Johnny Benson, Jr.

Martin averaged 136.771 miles per hour for a race that had seven

caution flags for 43 laps and 24 lead changes among nine
drivers. Martin's victory came in front of an estimated crowd
of 200,000 and brought an end to a brutal day at Texas Motor
Speedway. The race was marred by a major crash at the start of
the second lap, causing a delay of 33 minutes.

Alex Zanardi wins CART Long Beach GP in dramatic fashion
--------------------------------------------------------

Defending champion Alex Zanardi of Italy came from nowhere and
passed pole-sitter Bryan Herta with two laps remaining Sunday to
win the CART Long Beach Grand Prix in California.

Zanardi, driving a Reynard-Honda-powered machine averaged 88.946
miles per hour and won by a margin of 2.917 seconds to give

Honda its first victory of the season. Starting from the 11th

position, he worked patiently through the field to record his
ninth career CART victory. Zanardi, who was not near the lead
until very late, passed Herta cleanly but aggressively with an
inside move.

Dario Franchitti of Scotland also was strong down the stretch

and overtook Herta at the same time Zanardi did to finish
second. Franchitti, also piloting a Reynard-Honda, recorded his
best career finish after starting eighth.

Coetzer defeats Spirlea in Family Circle Cup tennis final
---------------------------------------------------------

The ninth-seeded Coetzer needed one hour, 34 minutes to take out
the fourth-seeded Spirlea, 6-3, 6-4, and capture the first prize
of $150,000.

It was the sixth career title for Coetzer, and her first since
an event at Luxembourg last year. The Hilton Head resident took
advantage of 51 unforced errors by Spirlea.

--------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 12:30 P.M. EST)

BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
-------------------------------

* Kafelnikov stops Agassi to force deciding match at Davis Cup
--------------------------------------------------------------

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov halted American Andre Agassi's
attempt at making Davis Cup history with a decisive 6-3, 6-0,
7-6 (7-3) victory that forced a decisive match in the
best-of-five series at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

Jim Courier, who lost a tough five-set match to Kafelnikov on

Saturday, will take on 18-year-old Marat Safin for the right to
meet Belgium in the quarterfinals. That match will begin at
1 p.m. EDT.

With the loss, Agassi was denied a chance at breaking Bill

Tilden's American record for consecutive Davis Cup singles
victories with 17, dating back to 1991. The 27-year-old Agassi

lost for only the fifth time in 30 career Davis Cup matches.

* Yanks closer Rivera bothered by lingering groin injury
--------------------------------------------------------

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera insists he is not headed
to the disabled list, but he will likely not be available for
the upcoming three-game series against the Seattle Mariners
beginning tonight at the Kingdome.

Rivera, who finished second in the American League with 43 saves

last season, aggravated a lingering groin injury in the ninth
inning of Sunday's 7-5, 10-inning victory at Oakland. With the
Yankees leading, 7-5, Rivera recorded the first two outs in the
ninth inning and had a 1-2 count on Oakland's Matt Stairs. But
one strike away from the win, Rivera was battling through
persistent pain in his right left and motioned to the dugout.
Manager Joe Torre rushed to the mound and immediately made a
pitching change.
Rivera originally injured his right groin while pitching in an
exhibition game at San Diego State last Monday. Sunday was his
first appearance of the season.

The Yankees have summoned reliever Mike Buddie from Triple-A
Columbus and he will join the team if the Yankees need to make a
roster move.

* Iona promotes assistant Jeff Ruland to head coach
---------------------------------------------------

Jeff Ruland, the foundation on which the Iona basketball program
was built in the late 1970's and an assistant coach for the last
three years, today was named as the new head coach of his alma
mater.

The 39-year-old Ruland succeeds Tim Welsh, who left the school
last Thursday to become the head coach at Providence.

Ruland starred at Iona for three seasons under coach Jim Valvano
and led the Gaels to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances
in 1979 and 1980. After putting Iona on the college basketball
map, Ruland embarked on a successful nine-year NBA career.
Ruland served as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers
in 1993-94 before returning to Iona as an assistant under Welsh.

Florida St QB Dan Kendra could miss season with torn right ACL
--------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State junior quarterback Dan Kendra, who sat behind Thad

Busby for two seasons but was finally ready to step in as the
starter, will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn anterior
cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Kendra, who was highly recruited out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
had thrown for 134 yards on 11-of-25 passing with one touchdown
before getting hurt.

-------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 1:30 P.M. EST)

BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

DENOTES UPDATED OR NEW MATERIAL
-------------------------------

Kafelnikov stops Agassi to force deciding match at Davis Cup
------------------------------------------------------------

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov halted American Andre Agassi's

attempt at making Davis Cup history with a decisive 6-3, 6-0,
7-6 (7-3) victory that forced a decisive match in the
best-of-five series at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

Jim Courier, who lost a tough five-set match to Kafelnikov on
Saturday, will take on 18-year-old Marat Safin for the right to
meet Belgium in the quarterfinals. That match will begin at 1
p.m. EDT.

With the loss, Agassi was denied a chance at breaking Bill
Tilden's American record for consecutive Davis Cup singles
victories with 17, dating back to 1991. The 27-year-old Agassi
lost for only the fifth time in 30 career Davis Cup matches.

Yanks closer Rivera bothered by lingering groin injury
------------------------------------------------------

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera insists he is not headed

to the disabled list, but he will likely not be available for
the upcoming three-game series against the Seattle Mariners
beginning tonight at the Kingdome.

Rivera, who finished second in the American League with 43 saves
last season, aggravated a lingering groin injury in the ninth
inning of Sunday's 7-5, 10-inning victory at Oakland. With the
Yankees leading, 7-5, Rivera recorded the first two outs in the
ninth inning and had a 1-2 count on Oakland's Matt Stairs. But
one strike away from the win, Rivera was battling through
persistent pain in his right left and motioned to the dugout.
Manager Joe Torre rushed to the mound and immediately made a
pitching change. Rivera originally injured his right groin while
pitching in an exhibition game at San Diego State last Monday.
Sunday was his first appearance of the season.

The Yankees have summoned reliever Mike Buddie from Triple-A
Columbus and he will join the team if the Yankees need to make a
roster move.

* Athletics to place closer Fetters on DL
-----------------------------------------

The Oakland Athletics will likely place closer Mike Fetters, who
will be sidelined for about three weeks with a strained left
calf, on the disabled list before tonight's game against the
Cleveland Indians.

Fetters suffered the injury when he ran to cover first base on a
foul ball to the right side in the ninth inning of Sunday's 7-5,
10-inning loss to the New York Yankees.

The 33-year-old Fetters was acquired in December to bolster the
beleagured Oakland bullpen. He was expected to take over as the
team's closer. Fetters was traded from Milwaukee to Cleveland in

a five-player deal on December 8th. He was shipped to Oakland
the same day for right-hander Steve Karsay.

Iona promotes assistant Jeff Ruland to head coach
-------------------------------------------------

Jeff Ruland, the foundation on which the Iona basketball program

-------------------------------------------
(NEXT SPORTS NEWS ROUNDUP AT 2:30 P.M. EST)

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