4B
Tuesday, October 29, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ALLSPORT
Wayne Gretzky, known as the Great One, lived up to his nickname on Sunday night. He had one goal and three assists. He also helped kill six power plays. After his performance, he was ranked fifth in the NHL.
Gretzky adjusting to new Ranger uniform
Changing teams has checked progress of star
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — In his first month with the New York Rangers, Wayne Gretzky has been unusually quiet.
Not that he hasn't been the Rangers' best player and a spokesman in the locker room.
But while methodically piling up a team-leading point total in the first 11 games, he was more the Good One than the Great One.
He had yet to have a forceful breakout game, like he did during his days with the Edmonton Oilers. Then came Sunday night, when he had his most productive outing with the Rangers, aiding in New York's 6-4 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
"When he's on a roll, not too many guys can stop him," said Buffalo coach Ted Nolan.
Gretzky was like an artist painting a masterpiece, the ice as his canvas at Madison Square Garden.
He had a goal and three assists and controlled the game's pace from start to finish. He even helped the unit that killed all six of Buffalo's power plays.
said the Buffalo's Matthew Barnaby. "We can't fear him, but we do respect him."
Barnaby was playing against Gretzky for the first time.
"He deserved first-star status," Barnaby said. "Wayne is the best player ever to play the game."
In the Rangers' season-opener, Gretzky was pointless. He never had more than two points in any game thereafter through the next 10, although he scored in each one.
His 13 points on four goals and nine assists ranked him fifth in the NHL. But he seemed to be feeling his way with his new team while coach Colin Campbell tried him on a line with just about everyone but the stick boy.
Gretzky started out with Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Nemchinov on his wings. The current combination of Gretzky with Luc Robitaille, his former teammate with the Los Angeles Kings, and Niklas Sundstrom appears to be one that could stick.
Gretzky admittedly needed this tryout period with his new teammates, after missing most of training camp because of the World Cup of Hockey tournament.
There was reported friction between Gretzky and Robitaille when they played in Los Angeles, but the pair seems to be clicking smoothly now. Sunday night, the two were on the ice when three of the Ranger goals were scored, with Robitaille netting one and assisting
on another.
"Wayne played incredible," Robitaille said. "I think I played a little smarter staying more in the crease rather than being caught in the corner or behind the net. With Wayne, you have to get open and I started doing that last game, and it paid off a little more tonight."
For four or five games he would get caught up in watching Gretzky, he said.
"Id be right next to him behind the net or stuck in the corner," he said.
Miami's Mack attacks punt, snags a victory
Gretzky is such a great playmaker that he can feather a pass through two or three guys, Robitaille said.
When Gretzky walked into the Ranger locker room this season as the most famous free agent signee in hockey history, he brought an amazing pile of statistics and a modest demeanor with him.
Interview after interview, Gretzky was quiet and subdued, seemingly trying to feel his way with the media as much as he has with his new teammates. Part of it was no doubt the Rangers' mediocre play so far.
But Sunday night, he was smiling and more animated than at any time since his arrival in New York.
"I said all along the line is going to be all right," Gretzky said of his association with Robitaille and Sundstrom. "We had some hard luck around the net earlier this year. But if you keep getting chances, some are going to go in."
West Virginia no longer unbeaten
The Associated Press
Dramatic. yes. Shocking. no.
While the timing stunned West Virginia, the University of Miami's last-minute victory on a blocked punt was not as far fetched as it might have seemed.
With 29 seconds left in Saturday night's game, Mack raced around the end to smother the ball on Brian West's foot. The ball bounced to Jack Hallmon, who handed off to Nate Brooks who scored the winning points in the visiting Hurricanes' 10-7 victory.
After all, West Virginia already had four pints blocked this season, and Miami safety Tremain Mack blocked one punt and deflected another last season in a Hurricane victory against the Mountaineers.
"I don't think their punt-protection team's formation is very sound," Mack said. "Once you get outside, there's no one there to stop you ... We had the block planned out, and it worked."
No. 22 Miami (5-2, 3-0 Big East) moved within a half-game of Syracuse in the Big East standings. No. 18 West Virginia dropped to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big East.
West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said, "I've been around a long time, and I think this is the toughest loss I've been associated with."
In other Top 25 games, it was No. 2 Ohio State 38, No. 25 Iowa 26. No 3 Florida State 31, No. 16 Virginia 24; No. 4 Arizona State 41, Stanford 9; No. 5 Nebraska 63, Kansas 7; No. 6 Tennessee 20, No. 10 Alabama 13; No. 7 Colorado 28, Texas 24; No. 8 North Carolina 42, Houston 14; No. 9 Michigan 44, Minnesota 10; No. 11 Northwestern 27, Illinois 24; No. 12 LSU 28, Mississippi State 20; No. 13 Brigham Young 45, Texas Christian 21; No. 14 Kansas State 42, Oklahoma 35; No. 15 Penn State 48, Indiana 26; No. 20 Utah 45, University of Tulsa 19; No. 21 Washington 33, Oregon 14; No. 23 Southern Mississippi 31, Tulane 28.
Top-ranked Florida, No. 17
Wyoming, No. 19 Notre Dame and
No. 24 Auburn were idle.
No.2 Ohio St.38,
No.25 Iowa 26
At Iowa City, Iowa, Stanley Jackson threw two touchdowns, and Damon Moore intercepted three passes as the Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) built a 38-18 lead.
No.3 Florida St. 31,
No.16 Virginia 24
At Tallahassee, Fla., Thad Busy was 25 for 36 for 316 yards and two touchdowns, and Warrick Dunn scored on a 65-yard run for the Seminoles (6-0, 5-0 ACC).
No. 4 Arizona St. 41, Stanford 9
At Stanford, Calif., Jake Plummer threw two first-quarter touchdowns and ran for another as the Sun Devils (8-0, 5-0 Pac-10) raced to a 21-point, first-quarter lead.
No. 5 Nebraska 63, Kansas 7
At Lincoln, Neb., Scott Frost threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more for the Cornhuskers (6-1, 3-0 Big 12). The victory was Nebraska's 34th in a row at home, breaking a school record that had stood for 90 years.
No. 6 Tennessee 20, No.10 Alabama 73
At Knoxville, Tennessee, Jay Graham raced 79 yards with 1:17 left as the Vols (5-1, 3-1 SEC) rallied from a 13-point deficit.
No. 7 Colorado 28, Texas 24
At Boulder, Colo., Steve Rosga intercepted a pass with 135 left as the Buffalooes (6-1, 4-0 Big 12) rallied to beat the Longhorns.
No. 8 North Carolina 42, Houghton 14
At Houston, Chris Keldorf was 25 for 36 for 322 yards and four touchdowns, and the Tar Heels' (6-1, 4-1 ACC) top-ranked defense allowed just 226 yards.
No.9 Michigan 44,
At Minneapolis, Chris Howard ran
for two touchdowns, including an 86-yarder, as the Wolverines (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat Minnesota.
No.11 Northwestern 27, Wichita 24
At Evanston, Ill., Adrian Autry's 12-yard touchdown run with 62 seconds left lifted the Wildcats (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) to victory.
No.12 LSU 28,
No.13 Brigham Young 45,
At Baton Rouge, La., Kevin Faulk ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns and passed for a third for the Tigers (6-1, 4-1 SEC).
No.14 Kansas St. 42, Oklahoma 35
Texas Christian 21
At Fort Worth, Texas, Steve Sarkisian threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Cougars (8-1, 4-0 WAC) to a 31-7 halftime lead.
At Manhattan, Brian Kavanagh tied a school record with four touchdown passes for the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). Kevin Lockett had a career-best 12 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.
No. 15 Penn St. 48, Indiana 26
At Bloomington, Ind., backup quarterback Mike McQueary sparked the Nittany Lions (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) to 38 second-half point
No. 20 Utah 45, Tulsa 19
At Salt Lake City, Juan Johnson,
taking over for the injured Chris
Fuamatu-Ma'afala, ran for a careerbest 197 yards and three touchdowns and added a touchdown catch for the Utes (7-1, 5-0 WAC).
No. 21 Washington 33, Oregon 14
No.23 Southern Mississippi 31,
Tulane 8
At Eugene, Ore., Corey Dillon ran for 259 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies (5-2, 4-1 Pac-10).
At New Orleans, Kendrick Lee returned a punt 29 yards to the Green Wave 14 to set up Eric Booth's 1-yard touchdown run with 604 left, as the Golden Eagles (7-1, 3-0 Conference USA) won their sixth straight.
AP Sports Writer
By Paul Newberry
Braves' place in history confused by Series woes
"We weren't worrying about being one of the great teams," Marquis Grissom said. "We just wanted to win it. Period."
NEW YORK — Maybe when the shock of yet another World Series loss wears off, the Atlanta Braves will be able to consider what it means to their place in baseball history.
Instead, the Braves wound up in an all-too-familiar position: trying to figure out what went wrong in the World Series. For all the regular-season wins (550), division titles (five) and pennants (four) since 1991, Atlanta has managed to capture only one World Series Championship.
"When you lose, it's almost like there's a black cloud over your season," John Smoltz said. "But there's no black cloud over this organization. We're a very proud organization."
Still, this latest loss was especially galling. Not only did the Braves have to give up the championship they won just last year, the city's first major sports title, but they lost four straight games to New York after winning the first two at Yankee Stadium.
Does another World Series loss
The Yankees, with their deep bench and outstanding middle relief, exposed those same two areas as major weaknesses for the Braves.
Greg McMichael gave up three runs without getting an out in the eight inning of Game 3, allowing the Yankees to break open a close game. Steve Avery walked in the winning run in Game 4. The pinch-hitters were hitless in 22 postseason at-bats. Klesko (.100) and Terry Pendleton (.222) gave the Braves hardly any production at designated hitter.
"Obviously, it might take a little something away, but it shouldn't," said Greg Maddux, who took the loss Saturday night when the Yankees wrapped up the Series with a 3-2 victory in Game 6. "It's very hard, very difficult to get this far. We just came up short."
Overall, the Atlanta hitters demonstrated a maddening inability to execute the more subtle skills, like driving in runners from third with less than two outs. That's why the Braves lost even though their pitchers had a 2.33 ERA and the Yankees hit only .216 as a team.
Trailing 1-0 in Game 5, the Braves
overshadow the Braves' many accomplishments in the past six seasons?
If there was a silver lining in defeat, it was the development of rookie outfielders Andruw Jones and Jermaine Dye. The 19-year-old Jones looked like a future star after hitting .400 with two homers and six RBI.
got a runner to third with one out in the ninth. But Javy Lopez grounded out when a fly ball would have tied the game. Saturday night, Pendleton hit into a double play on a 3-1 count with the bases loaded — after Yankees starter Jimmy Key had just walked in a run.
"We had some young guys who received opportunities to perform and play and show what they're made of," said General Manager John Schuerholz. "They showed we can rely on them to be a big part of our championship years."
Now, for the bad news. Smoltz, who won 24 games during the regular season and four more in the postseason, is a free agent.
"A lot has been played about loyalty and making the right decision." Smoltz said. "But deep down, John Smoltz and his family have to take time with my agents to decide what's the best avenue. You never want to close any doors, never want to be narrow-minded."