The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 11

The Salina Journal Friday, March 4,1988 11 Rietzke named coach of the year Nancy Howser (right) offers some remarks during dedication ceremonies Thursday at Florida State University to honor former Seminole Ail-American and Kansas City Royal manager Dick Howser. Stadium dedicated in memory TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -The Kansas City Royals and Florida State University officially dedicated Dick Howser Stadium on Thursday in honor of the late major league player and manager. A new $175,000 Scoreboard carrying Bowser's name and a bronze bust of the former Royals and New York Yankee skipper were commemorated during a half-hour dedication ceremony. "Today, for all of us who knew and loved Dick, who cared for him, our dream has come true Dick Hdwser Stadium," said Howser's widow, Nancy.

"Dreams really do come true." In addition, Florida State President Bernard Sliger announced plans to fully endow a $650,000 project to fund the school's 13 baseball scholarships, which will be in the future as Dick Howser Championship Scholarships. "We're taking this unusual step to honor one of the finest men ever to wear our colors," said Sliger. "Long after the names of the winners fade, the champions live on with us. Dick Howser was, and is, one of the true Briefly Gibson Practical joke not funny to Gibson VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) Outfielder Kirk Gibson angrily left Holman Stadium Thursday just before he was to play his first exhibition game for the Los Angeles Dodgers after he was apparently victimized by a practical joke.

Gibson, who signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the Dodgers as a free agent in January, had just completed his pregame running and already had been introduced to the crowd as the starting left fielder. He put on his cap just before the start of the Dodgers' exhibition opener against the Chunichi Dragons and found that someone had put eye-black, used to shield players' eyes from the sun, inside the cap. He discovered what happened while on the field, noticing the black substance on his forehead. Gibson got angry, went to the clubhouse, got dressed and left. Gibson, who played 10 seasons with the Detoit Tigers before leaving for Los Angeles, wouldn't comment other than saying he'd discuss the incident Friday.

Stillwell Thurman hurt in collision TALLAHASSE, Fla. (AP) Shortstop Kurt Stillwell and leftfielder Gary Thurman collided while chasing a ball down the baseline during the first inning of Thursday's exhibition game between the Kansas City Royals and Florida State University. Stillwell, acquired in an off-season trade with the Cincinnati Reds, lay motionless for several minutes while being examined by trainers, and left the game. A team spokesman said he had a stiff right shoulder and right knee, and that his availability would be determined on a day- to-day basis. Thurman cracked a tooth in the game, which was scheduled for the dedication of Florida State's Dick Howser Stadium in memory of the Royals' former manager, who died last year.

The game was called in the fourth inning because of rain, with the Royals leading 1-0 on Jim Eisenreich's homer to left center off Rod Byerly. Wadkins has first-round Doral lead MIAMI (AP) Bobby Wadkins shot a 67 Thursday to take a one- stroke lead after the first round of the $1 million Doral Open Golf Tournament. His 5-under-par round, completed late in the afternoon, lifted him ahead of a group of Jack at 68. Wadkins, a non-winner in 14 seasons on the PGA Tour, is the brother of the tournament's defending champion, Lanny Wadkins. Nicklaus, a non-winner since his Masters triumph in 1986, used a metal driver in competition for the first time and attributed his strong play to that club.

Nicklaus was tied at 4-under on the Blue Monster course at the Doral Country Club with PGA champion Larry Nelson, Tom Kite and Chip Beck, who scored his first career victory last week in the Los Angeles Open. Ex-Milwaukee skipper eulogized GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Harvey Kuenn, a former American League batting champion who managed the Milwaukee Brewers to their only World Series appearance, was eulogized Thursday as a man who never had a bad word to say about anyone, never had a bad day and never had a bad bone in his body. Kuenn was buried in Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City after a memorial service at Lundberg's White Rose Chapel here. He died Sunday at age 57 of a heart attack after collapsing in the shower at his Peoria home.

During Thursday's service, Brewers radio announcer Bob Decker recalled with fondness the many happy times with Kuenn, who managed the Brewers to their only American League pennant in 1982, but was fired a year later after finishing fifth with an 87-75 record. Uecker and Kuenn were teammates on the 1966 Philadelphia Phillies and their friendship went back to 1960. champions." Howser became Florida State's first All America selection as a baseball player in 1957. He later returned to coach the Seminole baseball team in 1979 before returning to the major leagues and the New York Yankees in 1980. Howser died last June at the age of 50 after battling a cancerous brain tumor, diagnosed in July 1986 just nine months after he led the Royals to the 1985 World Championship.

"Dick Howser was a man who has left his footprints on the sands of time," Rev. Jerry Garrard said in his invocaton. "He was a man who hi dying taught us how to live and in living taught us how to die." A host of dignitaries including American League President Bobby Brown and Gov. Bob Martinez, who threw out the first pitch in the dedication game between the Royals and Seminoles which was rained out in the fourth inning with Kansas City ahead 1-0 on a Jim Eisenreich homer run. jxGame (Continued from Page 9) game.

The finals are scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. Players from both teams said that the perimeter play of Johnson and Bingesser is where the game could be won or lost. Stopping Johnson is South's primary concern, while containing Bingesser is a must for Central. Other key matchups will have Central's front line of David Short, Londale Richardson, Bill Cook and Flynn Harvey going up against South's Todd Moss, Steve Reiber, Casey Masters and Allen. Masters, a sophomore like Moss, Reiber and Harvey, could quickly become a factor in tonight's game after going O-for-7 from the field in the last meeting while nursing a bad ankle.

"Casey is a really good shooter," Johnson said. "I've played a lot of ball with him. After he hits his first two shots, he's tough." Central also has a sophomore of- note in Harvey, who sparked the Mustangs in the first meeting with 12 points off the bench. Johnson said the Mustangs have had some success using a zone defense against the Cougars, despite Bingesser's outside shooting. On the other hand, South has made Central exhaust its offensive resources, forcing the Mustangs to run through different offenses to find one that works.

It's the patience the Mustangs have shown in discovering the right offense that has Allen concerned. "They're just patient," Allen said. "They'll make five, six, seven 10 passes before they make an attempt at the basket." Thinking the situation over, Allen came up with the conclusion that the game was only fitting. "It's the third time we've played, it's sub-state. You couldn't write a better script.

It's a great way to go out, whether you win or Southeast girls remain alive CLAY CENTER Southeast of Saline's Cheryl Lancaster scored with 12 seconds remaining in the game to boost the Trojans past the Clay Center Tigers, 42-41, Thursday night in the semifinal round of Class 4A sub-state play. The Trojans had built a 34-22 lead in the third quarter but Clay Center rallied and mounted a 19-6 run to give the Tigers a 41-40 lead on Shelly Suter's basket with only 22 seconds left. Lancaster then scored off an offensive rebound to send the Trojans into the finals against Concordia, a 52-31 winner over Council Grove. Lancaster led Southeast with 12 points and Tammy Mann added 10. Susan Siebold canned 13 to lead Clay Center and Cindy Tannehill scored 11 for the Tigers.

NORTH NEWTON Kansas Wesleyan head coach Tracy Rietzke, who led his team to a share of the Kansas Conference women's basketball championship this season, was honored Thursday as the KCAC Coach of the Year. Rietzke's team posted a 16-2 record in the conference to tie St. Mary of the Plains for the top spot as the Lady Coyotes won a school-record 23 games in 27 tries. Two of Rietzke's players Monique Howard and Shannon Hentz were also named to the All-KCAC first team. Howard, a junior, was a unanimous selection after averaging 15.6 points a game and leading the conference in assists (5.5).

Hentz averaged 10 points a game. The other three unanimous women's selections are Friends' Heidi Wimmer and Robelyn Garcia and Sterling's Shanda Ammons. Wimmer, a 6-0 senior, led the KCAC in scoring (23.6) and rebounding (11.1). She was also second in field goal percentage (58 percent) and free throw percentage (81 percent) and was also named Player of the Year. Garcia, a 5-7 senior, averaged 19 points a game and was second to Howard in assists (4.6) and Ammons, a 5-10 sophomore, averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds a game.

Rounding out the first team were Janelle and Lorie Flax of St. Mary of the Plains, Bethany's Rita Seba and Lisa Nyborg, Tabor's Colleen Ratz- Rietzke Howard Hentz Ward laff and Ottawa's Kim Stroud. LeAnn Froetchsner of St. Mary of the Plains will named the Freshman of the year. Kansas Wesleyan senior Bryan Ward was one of seven unanimous selections on the men's all- conference first team.

Ward, a 6-6 center, averaged 15 points a game this season in leading the Coyotes to a fifth-place finish in the KCAC and was the only KW player to make the first team. The other six unanimous selections are Friends' Darin Melka, Bethel's Victor Jackson, St. Mary's Darren Batman, Sterling's Tim Elman, Ottawa's Eric Gault and Tabor's Stan Shew'ey. Melka, a 6-8 senior, averaged 22.6 points and 10 rebounds a game this season in leading Friends to the conference championship. He also led the conference in field goal percentage (58 percent) and was named Player of the Year.

Batman, a 6-4 senior, also scored 22.6 points a game and was third in the conference in field goal percent- age. Jackson, a 6-4, junior, averaged 17.4 points a game. Elman, a 6-5 senior, finished third in the conference in scoring (21.8) and fourth in rebounding (8.8). Gault averaged 16 points in leading Ottawa to a fourth-place finish in the KCAC. Shewey, a 6-5 center, was fourth in the conference in scoring (19.5) and led Tabor to a third-place finish in the KCAC.

McPherson's Brian Hill and Mike Rohn, Southwestern's Jerry Smith and David Rineberg round out the first team. Hill and Rohn were the big reasons why McPherson finished second in the conference and made the NAIA District 10 playoffs. Hill, a 6-5 senior, averaged 17.8 points a game, while Rohn, a 5-7 junior from Colby, was second in the conference in assists (5.7), and was voted in as the Newcomer of the Year. Ron Heller of Friends was selected as the men's coach of the year. No penalties for Kentucky MISSION (AP) The NCAA's investigation of Kentucky basketball triggered by a series of investigative articles that were awarded a Pulitzer prize produced no proof of wrongdoing, the NCAA said Thursday.

In the official finding of the Committee on Infractions, Kentucky is publicly reprimanded for not fully cooperating with the long investigation and ordered to monitor athletic expenditures and report their results to the NCAA for the next three years. Much harsher penalties had been expected. The Lexington Herald-Leader won the Pulitzer prize in 1986 for its stories detailing corruption in the Kentucky program, one of the most successful in collegiate history. The newspaper articles quoted former players as saying that Kentucky basketball recruits received cash, clothing and other extra- vagent gifts in a consistent pattern of abuse dating back to the early 1970s. "Everyone is frustrated," David Berst, NCAA director of enforcement told The Associated Press.

"But out of 33 individuals quoted in the articles, 32 told us they were either misquoted or quoted out of context. It's not fair to convict somebody on third-hand newspaper quotes when these quotes are denied to us in face-to-face conversations." Berst said his repeated requests to examine the newspaper's tapes or notes or interview the reporters were denied. Berst also said the NCAA spent considerable time trying to develop other sources and leads and "talking to a great many people who are familiar with the Kentucky "You can look at it two ways," Berst said. "If the newspaper article was correct, then there were forces at work that caused us not to get the full story. That would be an embarrassment for us.

Certainly, if the stories were incorrect, that would be an embarrassment to the newspaper and an embarrassment to the Putlitzer Award. As to which of us should be embarrassed, I'll leave that judgment to others." John S. Carroll, the editor of the Herald-Leader, said' 'The tapes contain many hours of material, some which was publishable and some not. We have never allowed any outside organization to rummage through notes or tapes. I don't know of any reputable newspaper that would.

"We're not an arm of the NCAA or any other organization. If we have materials that deserve to be read, it will be read by our readers." The allegations in the Herald-Leader series dealt largely with extra benefits to athletes. Some of these were said to have included cash, excessive payments for speaking engagements, discounts for clothing purchases, free meals and improper sales of complimentary tickets. "My impression is that both the university and the NCAA approached this investigation without enthusiasm," Carrol said. "I know there are sincere people who still can't believe that UK would violate the rules.

Those who know the program firsthand, however, know that the violations were widespread, as described in our stories. Of course that doesn't mean they'll speak openly when the NCAA comes around." The NCAA report said the university told the committee that it was unable to develop sufficient information to conclude that a violation had occurred, or it concluded that any proven violation was outside the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations. The report said the investigation by NCAA enforcement staff also was unable to develop substantial information to confirm that violations had taken place within the four-year statute of limitations. Berst declined to reveal any personal opinions among committee members as to Kentucky's guilt or innocence. "I don't know if the committee came to any conclusions whatsoever as to whether the infractions occurred or not," he said.

"It merely has the university's report, which did confirm some violations during the 1970s, before the statute of limitations would permit any action to be taken." A great many of the Herald-Leader's allegations concerned incidents which would have occurred prior to the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations "We concentrated on that period within the statute of limitations, from Oct. 1981, through Oct. 1985," Berst said, adding that the probe could have been greatly helped if the Herald-Leader had cooperated. Mizzou stops OU in overtime COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Derrick Chievous preferred to, go out like a lion.

In the final home appearance of his college career Thursday night, Missouri's career scoring leader had 35 points and 18 rebounds as the Tigers stopped No. 4 Oklahoma, 93-90, in overtime. "He was pretty good, very good, outstanding," coach Norm Stewart said of Chievous. "He's had so many good games for us, he was great." The Sooners, who overcame a 14- point deficit to force an 84-84 deadlock in regulation, need to beat Nebraska at home Saturday to wrap up the regular season Big Eight title outright. Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Sooners fell to 26-3 overall and 11-2 in the league and Missouri rose to Missouri freshman Doug Smith, who had just two points in the first half, finished with 21, including a slam dunk to break an 88-88 overtime tie.

He said Chievous inspired his effort. "He motivates everybody," Smith said. "His hard play carries over. He's just a great guy to be around." MISSOURI 93, OKLAHOMA 90 (OT) Oklahoma (90) Grant 4-13 6-9 14, Sieger 2-7 2-2 7, King 8-17 7-8 23, Blaylock 5-15 6-6 19, Grace 4-12 2-4 12, Mullins 6-70-1 15, Martin 0-00-00. Totals 29-71 23-3090.

Missouri (93) Chievous 12-24 8-10 35, Church 5-9 0-1 10, Smith 10-211-421, Coward 2-3 1-27, Sandbothe 6-10 0-2 12, Irvin 1-1 0-0 2, Buntin 0-1 0-0 0, Hardy 0-3 1-31, Leonard-2-3 1-3 5. Totals 38-75 12-2593. 40, Oklahoma 34. End of 84, Missouri 84. 3-point 9-28 (Mullins 3-3, Blaylock 39, Grace 2-10, Sieger 1-5, Grant 0-1), Missouri 5-10 (Chievous 3-4, Coward 2-3, Hardy 0-3) Fouled King.

35 (Grant 9), Missouri 59 (Chievous 18). 18 (Blaylock, Grace 5), Missouri 22 (Smith 7). Total 24, Missouri 23. Oklahoma has already secured the top seed in the Big Eight Tournament and remains hopeful of being one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

"Missouri played great, probably as well as I've ever seen them play," said coach Billy Tubbs. "I don't think we'll lose any national respect after this loss. A game like this speaks well of the Big Eight." After Smith's go-ahead basket, Missouri increased the lead to 92-88 when Chevious made two free throws with 27 seconds left. Mookie Blaylock made two free throws to pull the Sooners within two and Lee Coward's free throw increased Missouri's lead to three. Ricky Grace's long 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short.

Grace and Missouri's Greg Church missed the front ends of one-and-ones in the final 10 seconds. With seven seconds remaining, Missouri's Mike Sandbothe missed the first shot of a one-and-one and Oklahoma rebounded. Grace ran the ball up court and launching his desperation heave from 10 feet past midcourt. Smith scored 21 points, 19 in the second half and overtime. Sandbothe scored 12 points for the Tigers and Church scored 10.

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