Section A • Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, December 3, 1998
Big names get big money in trades
Mets sign Ventura; Palmeiro returns home for millions
The Associated Press
Rafael Palmeiro and Robin Ventura got the bigmoney as Charles Johnson, Todd Hundley and Armando Benitez switched teams in the big deal.
On another wild day of high finance in baseball, Palmeiro went back to Texas for a $45 million, five-year contract Tuesday, and Ventura agreed to a $32 million, four-year deal with the New York Mets.
And that wasn't all.
In a surprising three-way trade, the kind that's rarely seen in the free-agent era, the Mets sent Hundley and minor league pitcher Arnold Gooch to the Los Angeles Dodgers for
Johnson and outfielder Roger Cedeno, and then traded Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles for Benitez.
As if that wasn't enough, Otis Nixon returned to Atlanta, which also re-signed infielder Ozzie Guillen, and catcher Carlos Hernandez and San Diego neared agreement on a $5.5 million, three-year contract.
“It’s been a day of highs and lows, ups and downs,” said Orioles general manager Frank Wren, who began the day by formally signing Albert Belle to a $65 million, five-year deal, then found out Palmere down the Orioles’ $60 million, five-year offer.
New York cleared a logjam with the trade. Hundley, who is to be paid $5.2 million next season and $6 million in 2000, became expendable after New York kept Mia Plaza with a $91 million, seven-year deal in October.
"It is a bittersweet day in Mets history, with Todd Huddle leaving the organization," Phillips said. "We feel we've added in Armando Benitez one of the best power pitch
Hundley struggled last season after returning from the disabled list in July following reconstructive surgery on his right elbow at the end of the 1997 season and playing mostly in the outfield.
ers in the game."
"Physically, my elbow is very strong," he said. "Matter of fact, I had an MRI done yesterday. The doctor said it looks great."
He hit just.161 with three homers, 12 RBIs and 55 strikeouts in 124 at-bats, limiting his trade
value. Before the injury, Hundley was one of the most feared hitters in the NL, hitting a total of 71 homers in 1996 and 1997 with 198 RBIs
"Last year, I just couldn't get mentally into the game playing field," he said. "I've got to be behind the plate and running the game. Last year mentally was tough for me. I'm confident my elbow is back and as strong as ever."
Benitez, who gave up the homer to Tony Fernandez that lost the 1997 AL pennant to Cleveland, went 5-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves last season for Baltimore. He will be the righthanded setup man for closer John Franco.
Johnson, 27, came to the Dodgers on May 15 along with Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and a minor league pitcher for Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile. Piazza was traded to the Mets a week later.
Palmetro, who left Texas after the 1983 season to sign a $30.35 million, five-year contract with Baltimore, went to The Ballpark in Arlington on Tuesday — without his agent—and accepted a deal that includes yearly salaries of $9 million, of which $1 million a season will be deferred.
"It's good to be home," Palmeiro said. "This is where I want to be. This is where I want to finish my career. And this is where I want to win."
49ers defender's broken leg recovering
The Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The long recovery process already is under way for Bryant Young and the San Francisco 48ers.
Young, one of the NFL's top defensive linemen, was resting at Stanford Hospital following a 31/2-hour operation Tuesday in which doctors inserted a metal rod to stabilize his fractured tibia, the main weight-bearing bone between the knee and ankle. A break in the fibula, the smaller adjacent bone, was set and will be allowed to heal without further intervention.
Young broke two bones in his lower right leg in a frightening collision on the field Monday night. The 49ers (9-3) will have to finish the season without their star defensive tackle.
"It's a violent game, and when you get something like this, it's a real reminder." Coach Steve Mariucci said. "I think it weighs on you, and it's a concern, and it's hard, but you go on, not just me, but everyone in this building."
Team physician Michael Dillingham told Mariucci that he surgery went well and that Young would need 8-9 months of rehabilitation before trying to play again.
"In speaking with Dr. Dillingham about the prognosis, he shared with me that there's a good possibility
that B.Y. will play next season," Mariucci said. "Obviously, there are no guarantees because a lot of healing has to take place, and things have to go right."
Mariucci said that former 49ers center Jesse Sapolu suffered a similar injury and was able to come back and resume a productive career.
"And if somebody can recover from something like this, B.Y. is in that category, so we have to remain optimistic." Mariucci said.
Mariucci said that Young would, for now, be replaced with a threetackle rotation using Brentson Buckner, Shane Bonham and Gabe Wilkins.
Young, San Francisco's first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 1994, had 9 1/2 sacks and was on his way to another Pro Bowl season when he went down during the fourth quarter of Monday night's 31-7 win over the New York Giants.
New York quarterback Kent Graham scrambled out of the pocket, and Young and linebacker Ken Norton Jr. closed in from opposite directions to make the tackle. Young grabbed Graham's jersey when Norton plowed into the pile and his helmet struck Young on the leg.
"I could tell Bryant was hurting pretty bad," Graham said. "It was a Joe Theismann-type injury."
Theismann was playing for Wash
ington when he suffered a broken leg in 1985 after being hit by the New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor. Theismann never played again.
With the exception of Young, perhaps no one took his injury harder than Norton, who played the rest of Monday night's game in a fog and then left for the hospital, where he stayed at Young's bedside until the early morning.
"This game is so strange." Norton said. "You're so fortunate to play it, but I don't think people realize the chances we take to play this thing. Everybody is one play away from something like this. It knocks you out. It's a big hit in the chest. It's very hard to live with."
St. Louis Rams receiver rebukes Fox analyst
The Associated Press
Reports of Bruce's plight are greatly exaggerated
Both the St. Louis Rams' coach and his injured star wide receiver deny a rumored rift that Fox broadcaster Terry Bradshaw said was hurting the team. Bradshaw said before Sunday's loss to Atlanta that Bruce was taking his time coming back from a lingering hamstring
ST. LOUIS — Dick Vermeil and Isaac Bruce may not be pals, but they insist they're not enemies.
injury because he wanted out.
"Then Terry knows more about it than I do." Vermejl said.
In a conversation last week with Bruce's agent, Jimmy Sexton, Vermeil said that no problems were mentioned.
Bruce, who has spent his entire career with the Rams after being a second-round pick in 1994, said he's never said anything to anybody.
"That's what they said on television," Bruce said. "A lot of things are said on television.
Bruce is one of the NFL's top receiving threats when healthy and had a fast start to the season with 21 catchs the first two
lier in the season and there's virtually no chance he'll play tonight at Philadelphia.
games, but now it is third on the team with 32 matches, a 14.3-yard average and one touchdown. He's missed the last five games, sat out most of three earl
Vermeil said he'd have considered putting Bruce on
injured reserve if he had a "dire need" of a roster spot. But he'd like to see Bruce play at least some in the final four games.
"He wants to play badly and you'd like
to provide the opportunity to get back on the field and finish the season strong," Vermeil said.
Vermell could use Bruce in Philadelphia, where he coached from 1976-82 and led the Eagles to their only Super Bowl after the 1980 season. Though he doesn't want to make a big deal of his return, he has a lot of memories of his first NFL coaching stint that ended due to burnout.
"I was nicknamed the 'Little Dictator' and a lot of other things much worse than that," Vermeil said. "All of a sudden, they started reaping the rewards of their efforts and you couldn't work them too hard."
K.C., Denver plan to tackle problem of bitter rivalry
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If any team in the NFL this week is on its best behavior, it had better be Kansas City.
Owner Lamar Hunt said the Chiefs, who committed five personal fouls during Denver's final TD drive, had disregarded themselves and their city.
When these two AFC West rivals last played in Kansas City on Nov. 16, the Broncos won 30-7, and the Chiefs experienced a shocking meltdown of discipline and dignity.
The Chiefs will be in Denver, which is to say they are returning to the scene of the crime. And everybody will be watching — particularly the officials.
Marty Schottenheimer, who was almost 15 minutes late coming into the interview room, apologized for what he called "as great a disappointment as I've ever had in my coaching experience."
This week, Schotte play down the entire thing.
future, and to try to figure out a way to beat what is truly a great football team," he said Monday.
However, there's no getting around the fact that the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry has become one of the most heated and bitter in the league. Three of the last four times these two have played, Chiefs' players have either been fired, fired or suspended.
Free safety Jerome Woods was fined a total of $15,000 for late hits in each regular-season game last year. Then linebacker Wayne Simmons was waived and defensive end/linebacker Derrick Thomas was suspended in the wake of the humiliating fourth-quarter chaos last month.
Thomas, enraged at Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe, drew three of the five personal fouls and sat out the next week when the Chiefs played San Diego.
But charges of cheap shots and head-hunting have flown back and forth between these two teams. Chiefs center Tim Grunhard was taken to the coaches' woodshod last year when he said on his radio show the week of the Denver game that Schottenheimer had to pay any fines his players might get for any late hits on the Broncos.
"It's disappointing to me that it comes to that kind of thing," said Schottenheimer, who denied ever encouraging his players to hurt any opponent.
The Chiefs' coach said he had visited with Denver coach Mike Shanahan about the string of incidents.
"You go back to some of the things that happened, we both agreed that we'd rather not see them happen," he said.
Brown back in Texas for remainder of season
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas — With their secondary alling, the Dallas Cowboys have resigned Larry Brown, their MVP in the Super Bowl three years ago.
Brown played his last game for the Cowboys in the Super Bowl, where he had two interceptions of Neil O'Donnell against Pittsburgh. He was signed Wednesday for $76,000 for the remainder of the regular season.
Brown will get additional money if the Cowboys make the playoffs and they still need secondary help.
"Things didn't work out in Oakland like I thought they would," said Brown. "I'll be ready for any role the Cowboys want me to play."
Cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith will miss Sunday's game at New Orleans, so Brown should see action right away.
"He's familiar with the system and we expect him to play Sunday," owner Jerry Jones said.
Dallas players greeted Brown with much razzing before Wednesday's workout.
"They've been dogging me pretty good, giving me a hard time and cracking iokes." Brown said.
Brown had a $12.5 million, five-year deal with Oakland. He was kicked off the team midway of the 1997 season for what Oakland claimed was "conduct detrimental to the team."
"That was a joke," Brown said. Safety Darren Woodson said it was good to have Brown back.
Steelers-Patriots game critical for both teams
"He'll help the team, he knows the system." Woodson said.
"It was a bad injury and it took me about seven weeks to get my strength back," said Brown, who played 74 games for the Cowboys from 1991 to 1995 and had 13 regular season interceptions. "I'm glad Dallas gave me a chance again."
Brown played five preseason games with the Minnesota Vikings before injuring an ankle and was put on the waiver wire. Nobody claimed him.
The Associated Press
The New England Patriots were one of the beneficiaries of last weekend's officiating follies. The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the victims.
So which way will the zebras lean when then Patriots and Steelers meet Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium?
Neutral, says the NFL.
This game is critical for both
teams, who are in a pack of teams at 7-5 maneuvering for the three wildcard spots in the AFC. The Steelers trail Jacksonville by two games in the AFC Central, the Pats
are tied with Buffalo, a game behind the Jets and Dolphins in the AFCEast.
The odds makers have made Pittsburgh a four-point favorite, which the Steelers should be — they are 5-1 at home this year. But they had problems with the Patriots last season in the playoffs, winning 7-6 at Three Rivers in one of the more
boring playoff games in recent years.
This isn't.
Then, there's the Drew Bledsoe factor. Playing with a broken finger the past two weeks, he's won games in the final second — albeit with help from the zebras last week. Those games were at Foxboro.
STEELERS,20-13.
Detroit at Jacksonville
Thanks to a crazy coin toss, the Lions are still in the NFC playoff picture. They have a history of closeing well.
Still, Jacksonville outdoors means...
JAGUARS, 28-20.
Seattle at New York Jets
The Seahawks are on the cusp of contention in the AFC wild-card race.
This game should knock them out.
JETS,27-10.
Like the Lions, the Buccaneers still have a shot — and Antonio
Green Bay at Tampa Bay (Monday night)
Miami at Oakland
Freeman won't be there. BUCS, 24-23.
Until last season, the Dolphins were 0-7 on the road against the Raiders.
The Raiders are 0-2 in their last two.
DOLPHINS, 15-10.
Buffalo at Cincinnati
The Bills are angry at the zebras.
They'll take it out on the Bengals.
BILLS, 31-14.
Kansas City at Denver When was the last time there was a game so hopeless for the Chiefs? BRONCOS, 30-7.
New York Giants at Arizona In their last six games, the Cardinals have given up an average of 32 points, including 34 in a loss to the offense-less Giants.
CARDINALS,34-32.
San Francisco at Carolina
Bryant Young's injury doesn't
hurt the Niners ... yet.
49FRS 30-10.
49ERS 30-10.
Dallas at New Orleans
Dallas at New Orleans Since starting 3-0, the Saints have found their level. COWBOYS 24.10
It doesn't matter — Jamal Anderson can control this game.
Indianapolis at Atlanta The "off" is for Chris Chandler's status.
FALCONS, 24-16.
Chicago at Minnesota
A lot of points. Chicago tries hard every week and Minnesota is missing Robert Smith and Jake Reed.
VIKINGS 28-17
VIKINGS, 28-17.
Baltimore at Tennessee
The Oilers have to win the rest to
have a chance.
OILERS. 27-20
San Diego at Washington The Redskins have won three of five. But ...
CHARGERS, 24-23.
St. Louis at Philadelphia (Thursday night)
The only people who will watch this are the ones who bet on it.
EAGLES, 5-3.
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