4B
Friday, October 4, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Cardinals lead series 2-0
St. Louis scores in eighth inning beats out Padres
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIIS — Tom Pagnozzi, who played on the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals' World Series team, drove in the game-winner yesterday, giving St. Louis a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres and a 2-10 lead in their National League playoff series.
The Cardinals, playing only their second playoff game since 1987, now head to San Diego with a chance to sweep the Padres. The teams will resume the best-of-five series tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Donovan Osborne will start for St. Louis against Andy Ashby.
St. Louis had blown a 4-1 lead, allowing San Diego to tie it in the eighth on Steve Finley's RBI groundout.
But Brian Jordan drew a leadoff walk in the eighth of Doug Bochtler and advanced on a groundout before John Mabry,
who hadn't hit the ball out of the infield in six playoff at-bats, was intentionally walked.
Bochter's wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, and Pagnozzi hit a 1-1 pitch just to the left of Hoffman, which caught the tip of his glove and bounced to second baseman Jody Reed, who threw to first as Jordan scored.
"It was big," Pagnozzi said. "I knew that I had to put the ball in play... It was huge."
Dennis Eckersley, who turned 42 yesterday, pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the series and the 13th of his postseason career. Eckersley retired pinch-hitter Greg Vaughn on a grounder to third for the final out, sending a record Busch Stadium crowd of 56.752 into a frenzy.
Ron Gant had a three-run double in the fifth, giving St. Louis its 4-1 lead.
Ken Caminiti homered his first fair ball of the series for San Diego, the team's first run of the game.
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the fifth on one-out singles by Andy Benes and Ozzie Smith and a walk to McGee. Gant then hit a 2-2 pitch from Dario Veras above cen
Benes, who played his first seven seasons in San Diego, took control early. He retired the first 12 batters, striking out six, before Caminii led off the fifth with his homerun.
ter fielder Steve Finely's head, clearing the bases.
Benes struck out nine total and allowed four runs on six hits. He tired in the eighth, leaving after allowing a leadoff single to pinchhitter Scott Livingstone and a walk to Rickey Henderson.
Benes' two-strike sacrifice bunt in the third advanced Luis Alicea to second. Willie McGee hit a one-out RBI single. Later, his base hit ignited the Cardinals' three-run fifth.
Sanders, making his first career playoff start, lasted 4 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs and three hits. He settled down some after throwing six straight balls in the opening of the game, but two of the four batters he walked scored.
The Padres turned consecutive singles by pinch hitter Chris Gwynn, Rickey Henderson and Tony Gwynn into two runs in the sixth. Center fielder McGee threw wildly to third on Gwynn's RBI single, trying to catch Henderson at third, allowing the second run to score.
The crowd of 56,752 was the largest ever to watch a baseball game in Missouri.
The Cardinals have won seven consecutive postseason games at Busch, with the last loss in Game 2 of the 1987 playoffs against San Francisco.
The Cardinals had lost 15 in a row at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium dating to 1992 before they won four of six there this year.
Benes won his only start against the Padres this season.
Today is St. Louis manager Tony La Russa's 52nd birthday.
Pacers' Smits struggles with pain
Most recent surgery on nerves in his feet keeps him on bench
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Rik Smits doesn't want to rush his recovery. As much as it pains him to sit on the sidelines while the Indiana Pacers practice, the pain in his feet concerns him more.
Snuts had surgery less than four weeks ago to relieve compression of the nerves in both his feet. The Pacers said he probably would be out for at least six weeks.
"It's too early to tell," Smits said about the effect of the operation. "I'm still sore."
Smits, whose foot ailment plagued him almost all last season, was sitting at courtside yesterday while the rest of the Pacers practiced at North Carolina's Smith Center at Chapel Hill. When he walks, he walks gingerly.
"I spent the whole summer visiting doctors all over the country. Every doctor came up with something different," the 7-foot-4 Smits said. "It would work a little, and then the problems would come back again."
Nevertheless, he averaged a career-high 18.5 points per game.
Foot pain prevented Smits from practicing for much of last season, especially late in the regular season and in the five-game playoff series against Atlanta.
The foot problems date to his surgery for inflamed nerves when
Smuts also had an operation Nov. 1 to have bone spurs removed from his left ankle and missed the first 12 games of the season. His latest surgery was performed in Houston by Donald Baxter, an orthopedic surgeon.
he was at Marist College.
"I had four different operations," said Smits, who has had Reebok design new size 20 sneakers for him. He wore a size 18 last season.
"It seems last year the shoes dropped half a size," Smits said. "They just got narrow and tight. I
kept playing with them, and that might have been part of the problem."
He doesn't know if the new shoes will help.
"I haven't had the chance to test them," Smits said. "It's still a little early. I just want to get back with the guys in training camp as soon as I can.
... There is progress. So as long as there is progress, I'm happy."
While his teammates practice, Smits will swim at the Smith Center.
"That's probably about the only thing I can do now without aggravating the feet," he said.
NCAA extends director's contract by 3 years
The Associated Press
OVERLAND PARK — NCAA executive director Cedric Dempsey was given a three-year contract extension yesterday as the organization moved toward restructuring its operations.
Dempsey's contract, scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 1998, was extended to Dec. 31, 2001, the NCAA announced.
The extension comes as the NCAA nears a restructuring that takes effect in August 1997.
"We are very pleased that Ced
Dempsey has agreed to remain as the leader of the NCAA during this transition," said Samuel H. Smith, president of Washington State University and chairman of the NCAA Presidents Commission. "It's important to have strong, visible leadership and to have stability in that leadership as we go through our restructuring."
Dempsey became executive director Jan. 1, 1994, after Dick Schultz resigned in controversy about infractions at the University of Virginia, where he had been athletic director. Virginia was given
probation and mild sanctions after it was learned that athletes had received interest-free loans — loans Schultz said he did not know about. Schultz said he resigned to preserve the integrity of the NCAA.
Walter Byers has been the only other executive director in the history of the NCAA.
Under the restructuring plan, the NCAA will be run by an executive committee of 16 college presidents elected to four-year terms. Dempsey would report to the executive committee.
The NCAA's governing structure, the council, executive committee and presidents commission, will be abolished. The new system is intended to simplify rule- and decision-making.
Each division will have its own board of directors made up of 15 college presidents.
Dempsey said that he once had told his son that he felt his purpose in life was to make a difference.
"I believe that I can make a difference for intercollegiate athletics, and this position makes that possible," he said.
Hockey begins its 80th season
The Associated Press
After putting it all together in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche are trying to keep it together when they open the 1996-97 NHL season tonight at St. Louis.
"It's been a funny training camp with a few injuries to key people and a couple of people not here due to contract situations, so we really haven't had the whole group together," said coach Marc Crawford. "But we're ready to get started."
So is the rest of the NHL as it begins its 80th season with three games tonight: Colorado at St. Louis, Buffalo at Edmonton and the New York Islanders at Los Angeles.
The Avalanche will be missing some important pieces as they begin their quest for a second straight Stanley Cup — not the least of which is contract holdout Valeri Kamensky, who was the third leading scorer on the team last season with 38 goals.
Crawford said Rene Corbet will play left wing on the line with Peter Forsberg and Claude Lemieux for as long as Kamensky is absent.
"I think Corbet is going to show himself very well," Crawford said. "He's been a player who's been able to jump into any role for us."
Although Forsberg didn't practice Tuesday because of a bruised left thigh, Crawford said the center will be ready for tonight's opener.
Center Mike Ricci will be a noshow, though. An integral player in the Avalanche's playoff run last season, Ricci is recuperating from arthroscopic knee surgery. Crawford said he didn't expect Ricci to be able to play until Tuesday against San Jose, at the earliest.
The Blues, meanwhile, could start the season with a younger lineup than last year's — particularly if veterans Al MacInnis and Igor Kravchuk aren't to go. MacInnis has an infected elbow, and Kravchuk is recuperating from knee surgery.
The Blues signed Joe Murphy during the offseason in an attempt to fill some of the void left by the loss of free agent Wayne Gretzky. As of yesterday, the Blues' roster featured six newcomers — an adjustment for a team coached by Mike Keenan, who usually goes heavily with veterans.
The Sabres will start their season with a three-game road trip.
"Going on the road early in the season can only help," said Pat LaFontaine, fresh off the United States' victory in the World Cup tournament. "Everybody's hungry to play. If you're going to take a western road trip, now is the time to do it, when everybody's feisty and hungry. It also gives the guys an opportunity to have some team dinners and spend some time together. It's a plus."
He isn't the only Sabre excited about the oener.
"In my mind, it's been a 25-day plan to get ready for Oct. 4," Brad May said. "I've been focused on getting there. It's getting to be that time of the year."
The rest of the NHL's 26 teams open tomorrow, when 11 games are scheduled: New York Rangers at Boston, Phoenix at Hartford, Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, Ottawa at Montreal, Droroit at New Jersey, Florida at Philadelphia, Chicago at Washington, Anaheim at Toronto, Colorado at Dallas, Calgary at Vancouver, and the New York Islanders at San Jose.
Cardinals fans play fate
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — Wade Boggs has his chicken. Ray and Tad have their Super Slingers.
Boggs, the Yankees' third baseman, is known to eat chicken on game days. It is one of many bizarre superstitions associated with baseball.
Some players never step on the white foul lines as they enter and exit the playing field. Some wear the same rancid hats for years out of fear that a change of headgear could upset the gods of baseball.
Cardinals shortstop Royce Clayton wore ugly knee-high red socks with white horizontal stripes in a game in September, and he had two key keys that helped St. Louis beat the Cubs.
Superstitions aren't limited to the men on the field. For years, Cardinals fans have rubbed the foot of a Stan Musial statue for good luck. Others wear lucky shoes or other apparel.
"I knock on wood a lot and hold onto
my thumbs," said Fred Hanser, one of the Cardinals' owners, prior to last night's playoff game against San Diego. And then there's the Super Singer.
A contingent of Cardinals front office workers have taken to eating at the OT Hodge Chili Parlor downtown on the days of important games. Thirteen times they have ordered the vaunted Super Slinger.
"We've never lost," said Ray, who wouldn't divulge his full name out of fear of jinxing the ritual.
Knowing lunchtime would be too busy to get away, the group had Super Silengers for breakfast yesterday.
"Disgusting," said co-worker Patty Rule, a non-participant. "Could you eat something like that at 7 o'clock in the morning?"
That something is this: two hamburger pattys, hash browns and eggs topped with chili, cheese, Tabasco sauce and a burrito.
Talk about taking one for the team.
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