6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY,SEPT.25,2001
World awaits Jordan's decision; legalities delay announcement
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Michael Jordan kept his mouth shut and fax machine off, and the sports world spent another day awaiting official word of his return.
Jordan already has completed the paperwork to sell his share of the Washington Wizards, but the comeback announcement was delayed for at least one more day because of a licensing issue with one of his sponsors.
A statement from Jordan outlining the reasons for his comeback was being finalized, and he is expected to make his first appearance in a Wizards uniform at media day in Washington next Monday — the day before training camp begins in Wilmington, N.C.
But before he can end his three-year retirement, shoot his first free throw or run his first sprints, Jordan and legions of lawyers must fine-tune the fine print.
Because owners can't play, Jordan had to sell his share in Lincoln Holdings, which owns a portion of the Wizards, the NHLS Washington Capitals and the MCI Center. Jordan's stake, about 10 percent, goes to Lincoln Holdings majority owner Ted Leonsis.
Jordan not only must sell his shares in the team, but he will also have to relinquish his job as Wizards president of basketball operations. Those responsibilities will probably be turned over to general manager Wes Unseld and assistant general manager Rod Higgins.
Unseld and Higgins would be free to consult with Jordan, but NBA tampering rules would prohibit Jordan from talking with officials from other teams.
Jordan reached his own licensing agreement with the NBA in 1992, a side deal that would remain in effect for the upcoming season and beyond when Jordan returns. The quarrel that led to yesterday's holdup apparently involved amending that agreement.
Many Wizards fans no longer doubt that the five-time league MVP will be in uniform: Season-ticket sales have surpassed the 12,000 mark, up more than 2,000 from the end of last season, and are approaching a franchise record.
"Our phones were busy all day," said Matt Williams, Wizards representative.
Jordan's comeback will bring life, if not victories, to a moribund team that hasn't won a playoff game in 13 years. The Wizards will steal the spotlight."
Jordan ended his first NBA retirement in March 1995 with a fax simply stating, "I'm back!" He had quit the game in October 1993 after leading the Chicago Bulls to three titles and then failed in an attempt to play major league baseball.
He led the Bulls to three more titles and retired again in January 1999, shortly before the start of the lockout-shortened season. He said he was "99.9 percent" certain he would not return, a figure he kept using even as he began working out at gyms earlier this year.
jordan had planned to announce he was 100 percent back last week, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted him to shelve plans for a news conference and delayed his final OK.
"We're prepared for Michael's announcement," Williams said, "whenever that may be."
Pirates steal victory in eighth inning; Cubs' playoff chances continue fading
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Gary Matthews Jr., waived by Chicago last month, hit a tie-breaking homer in the eighth inning, and Pittsburgh rallied from five runs down for a 7-6 victory last night that damaged the Cubs' playoff hopes.
It was the second tough loss for the Cubs in as many games and came after Kerry Wood
squandered a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning. The day before, the Cubs wasted Sammy Sosa's three homers in a 7-6 loss at Houston.
The Cubs stayed 31/2 games behind St. Louis with 12 games to play in the NL wild card race but
Matthews, released by the Cubs on Aug. 10, was hitless in eight at-bats with six strikeouts until hitting his 12th homer of the season with one out in the eighth off Scott Chiasson (0-1), the Cubs' fifth pitcher.
missed a big opportunity to pick up a game on the Cardinals, who lost 9-3 at Houston.
Mike Lincoln (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory, only the third by Pittsburgh in
11 games against the Cubs. Rich Loiselle pitched the ninth for his first save since Sept. 15, 1998.
Matt Stairs' three-run homer and Rick Gutierrez's solo shot had helped the Cubs to a 5-0 lead
After Rob Mackowiak doubled, rookie Craig Wilson tied a major league record with his sevent pinch-hit homer, a two-run drive into the left-center seats. Until Dave Hansen hit seven pinch homers for the Dodgers last season, no major leaguer had hit more than six since Johnny Frederick did it for Brooklyn in 1932.
before the Pirates tied it with a five-run sixth.
Wood was cruising with a one-hit shutout until it suddenly fell apart for the Cubs in the sixth.
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Wood never got another out after Wilson's homer, allowing singles to Jason Kendall and Jack Wilson ahead of Brian Giles' two-run double and Aramis Ramirez game-tying double just inside the left-field line.
the lead again in the seventh on Fred McGriff's run-scoring grounder. But the Pirates tied it in their half of the inning when reliever Jeff Fassaro walked pinch-hitter Adam Hyzdu with the bases loaded. That run was set up when second baseman Eric Young dropped a throw on what appeared to be an easy double-play grounder by Kendall.
The Cubs came back to take
Notes: The game was delayed for one hour and six minutes at the start because of rain. The paid attendance was 18,908, though only about 5,000 or so showed up. Wilson has hit a pinch-hit homer in each of Wood's last two starts in Pittsburgh. Wilson hit a homer off reliever Kyle Farnsworth in the seventh on July 18, an inning after Wood was lifted. Wilson was 3-for-3 despite playing only three innings.
Bonds closes in on homerun record
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Barry Bonds hit his 67th home run, putting him within three of Mark McGwire's major league record, and Livan Hernandez pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 last night.
McGwire set the single-season record of 70 homers three years ago.
The homer came in the Giants' 151st game.
Bonds was 1-for-3 with two walks, one intentional and the homer off
McGwire hit his 67th in St.
James Baldin (2-5) in the seventh inning.
The Giants moved within 11/2 games of idle Arizona in the NL West and two behind St. Louis in the wild card race.
Bonds, who had never faced Baldwin before, lined a 1-1 pitch from the righthander into the lower box seats in the right field corner with two outs in the seventh, giving San Francisco a 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers are 41/2 back in the division and five behind in the wild card.
It was his major league-leading 100th extra-base hit.
Bonds broke a tie with Sammy Sosa for the second most homers ever in a season. Sosa hit 66 in 1998.
Louis' 162nd game.
The Cardinals played 163 games that season because one game was suspended by rain
Astros victorious against Cardinals
HOUSTON — Lance Berkman and Moises Alou had two RBIs each in a seven-run fifth inning as the Houston Astros beat St. Louis 9-3 last night and extended their lead in the NL Central to 51/2 games against the Cardinals.
The Associated Press
Houston's magic number for clinching their fourth division title in five years is seven. The Cardinals are the only other team
Mlicki shut out the Cardinals through five innings before Jose Vina led off the sixth with a homer, and Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homer later in the inning, ending a string of 14 scoreless inning for Mlicki.
Dave Mlicki (7-1), who went 4-8 with Detroit before being traded to Houston, hastured his season around with the Astros. He allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings, winning his third straight decision.
The Astros scored six of their seven runs in the fifth inning after two outs. Richard Hidalgo
to win the NL Central in that span, doing it last season. St. Louis has lost two straight after a nine-game winning streak.
led off with a solo homer off Matt Morris (20-8). Hidalgo also had a single in the inning.
The Cardinals jugged their rotation so Morris could pitch twice down the stretch against the Astros. But the move backfired as Morris allowed eight runs and nine hits in 4/2/3 innings to end an eight-game winning streak.
With two outs, Berkman hit a two-run single, and Alou withdrew with a two-run double knocking out Morris. Vinny Castilla added an RBI single off, and Mike Timlin also balked in a run.
The Astros took a 2-0 lead in the third on an RBI double by Biggio and a run-scoring grounder by Vizcaino.
Brad Ausmus singled and was sacrificed to second by Micki before Craig Biggio singled, and Jose Vizcaino walked to load the bases.
Notes: Alou became the third Astros hitter to have back to back 100 RBI seasons. The others were Bob Watson 1976-77 and Bagwell 1996-2001.
Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight attended the game and visited with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, a longtime friend. Asked if he'd become a Rangers and Astros fan now that he is in Texas, Knight said: "Not as long as Tony is managing. I hope the Astros and Rangers have good seasons, but I'll be loyal to Tony."
Baltimore win gives New York advantage
BOSTON — Tony Batista had his fifth straight multi-hit game, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Boston 5-1 last night, assuring the New York Yankees at least a tie for the American League East title.
The Yankees, who were idle last night, are 89-60. With 14 games left, the Red Sox can win no more than 89.
New York can clinch the division champ on ship
105 to Batista scored twice, and Chris Richard added three hits and two RBIs as the Orioles sent Boston to its 17th loss in 21 games.
tonight with a win at home against Tampa Bay or a Boston loss to Baltimore.
Calvin Maduro (4-6) allowed one run on four hits in six innings, breaking a slump in which he was 1-3 with an 8.34 ERA in his previous five starts.
Baltimore is 4-1 in its last five games but 6-19 in its last 25. It scored three runs in two innings off Tim Wakefield (8-11) after starter David Cone left
with the score 1-all after five.
Batista went 3-for-3, starting with a single in the second and scored the first run on Geronimo Gil's groundout.
Batista led on the fourth with a double but was stranded at third. In the sixth, he walked, stole second and scored on Brady Anderson's single that made it 2-1.
The Baltimore shortstop had two hits in each of his previous four games.
The Red Sox scored in the fourth on Trot Nixon's 24th homer of the year.
Cone, who started the game with discomfort in his shoulder, left after allowing the leadoff hitter to reach base in four innings.
The Orioles opened a 4-1 lead in the seventh when Luis Matos walked, took second on Larry Bigbie's third single and scored on Richard's single. Biggie scored when Cal Ripken grounded into a forceout but avoided the double play by beating the throw to first.
Richard singled in the last run in the ninth.
Ripken, who is retiring after the season, began his final road trip by going 0-for-5 without getting the ball out of the infield. The Orioles play four games in Boston and three at Yankee Stadium before finishing the season at home next week.