The Facts from Clute, Texas • Page 12

2B THE BRAZOSPORT FACTS Saturday, January, 27 1996 SCOREBOARD TENNIS Australian Open MELBOURNE. Australia (AP) Results Thursday of tne $6.35 million Australian Open (seedings In parentheses): Singles Stmfflnalt Michael Chang (5), Henderson, del. Andre Agassi (2), Las Vegas. 7-6(7-1). Boris Becker (4).

Germany, def. Woodforde. Australia. 6-4. 6-2, 6-0.

Semifinal Cnanda Rubin, Lafayette. and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (8), Spain, def. Nicole Arendt. Gainesville. and Manon Boiiegraf (4).

Netherlands. 2-6. 6-2. Mlxtd semifinal Luke Jensen. Ludington.

ana Nicole Arendt. Gainesville, def. Jonn-Laffnie De Jager. South Africa, and jill Hetherington. Canada.

6-2, 6-4. Boys Singles Quart efflnaU Bjorn Renr.qvist, Sweden, def. Paradom Sricnapnan. Thailand. 6-2.

5-1. Mattias Heilstrom. Sweden, def. Robert Bryan. Camarillo, 5-7.

Sergio Gaoni. Australia, def. Jiri Vanek. Czech 4-6, 7-5. 61.

Daniel Eisner, Germany, def. Johan Settergren, Sweden. 7-5. 7-5. Doubles Semifinals Manin Lee and James Trotman, Britain, def.

Mattias Heilstrom and Bjorn Rehnqvist. Sweden, 7-5. 6-2. Daniele Bracciali. Italy, and Jocelyn RoDicnaud.

Canada, def. Jonan Settergran and Per Tnornactsson. Sweden. 5-1. 6-4.

Girls Singles Quarterfinals Annabel Ellwcod. Australia, def. Jitka Schonfeiciova. Czech Republic. 5-1.

5-2. Mirjana Lucic. Croatia, def. Sandra Kleinova. Czech Republic.

63.6-0. Magdalena Grzybowska. Poland, def. Siobhan Drake Brockman. Australia.

5-2. 6-2. Nathalie Dechy. France, def. Amelie Mauresmo.

France. 6-2, 4-6. 6-3. Doubles Quarterfinals Renee Reid and Cindy Watson. Australia, def.

Aubrie Rlppner, Chico, and Mary Carlisle White, Spartanburg. S.C.. 6-3. Olga Barabanscnikova. Belarus, and Mirjana Lucic.

Croatia, def. Nathalie Dechy and Amelie Mauresmo, France, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, Michaela Pastikova and Jitka Schonfeldova. Czech Republic, def. Cho Yoon-Jeong and Won Kyung-joo. South Korea, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5.

6-4. Sandra Kleinova, Czech Republic, and Ludmilla varmuzova. San Marino, def. Amelie Castera, France, and Tina Plivelitsch, Germany. 6-1.

6-3. Seniors Doubles Championship Ross Case and Geoff Masters. Australia, def. Mark Edmondson and Ken Rosewail. Australia.

2-6, 6-3, 7- Australian Open Matches MELBOURNE. Australia (AP) Friday's late matches in tne $6.35 million Australian Open (seeding in parent neses): Centar Court Monica Seles (1), Sarasota. vs. Anke Huber (8). Germany Stefan Edberg.

Sweden, and Petr Korda, Czecn Republic, vs. Sebastien Lareau. Canada, and Alex O'Brien. Amarillo. Texas.

Cnanda Rubin. Lafayette. and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (8). Spain, vs. Lindsay Davenoori.

Murrieta. and Mary Joe Fernandez (3). Key Biscayne. Fla. NFL Super Bowl Injury Report DALLAS VS.

PITTSBURGH Cowboys: DE Charles Haley (back). QB Troy Aikman (elbow-knees). TE Eric Bjornson (lower abdominal strain). CB Larry Brown (shoulder). DE Snante Carver (hand).

LB Dixon Edwards (right pectoral strain), FB Daryl Johnston (elbow). FB David Lang (knee). Brock Marion (thumb). DT Russell Maryland (foot). Nate Newton (knee).

TE Jay Novacek (knee). RB Emmitt Smith (calf). DE Tony Tolbert (knee). Erik Williams (knee- thumb). WR Kevin Williams (shoulder) are probable.

Steelers: CB Rod Woodson (knee). Corey Hoiiiday (hand). WR Yancey Thigpen (shoulder). WR Andre Hastings (quadri- cep) are probable. BASEBALL PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUES.

Pat O'Conner major league baseball liaison: Rob Dlugozlma Internal manager; Carolyn Ashe assistant to the president; Tim Brunswick assistant director of operations: Lori Ann Whltson assistant director of licensing; and Brian Earle assistant to the director of licensing. American CALIFORNIA Joe Rosselli. pitcher, off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. OAKLAND Scott Brosius, Jason McDonald and Scott Spiezio, infielders; Stacy Hollins and Todd Van Poppel. pitchers; and Brian Lesher.

outfielder. National League FLORIDA to terms with Greg Colbrunn, first baseman, on a one-year contract. NEW YORK to terms with Todd Hundley, catcher, and Bernard Gilkey. outfielder, on one-year contracts. ST.

LOUIS to terms with Geronimo Pena. second baseman, on a minor-league contract. Western League GRAYS HARBOR Signed Joe Strong, pitcher. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association BOSTON Eric Williams, forward, from the injured list. Placed Doug Smith, forward, on the injured list.

Continental Basketball Association CHICAGO Stephen Bardo. guard. Placed Scott Meents. center, on the injured reserve list. GRAND RAPIDS Signed Troy Brown, forward.

Placed Charles Thomas, guard, on the injured reserve list. FOOTBALL Arena Football League ARIZONA Jayme Washel, offensive-defensive lineman. MILWAUKEE Claimed Satf Hughes, quarterback, off waivers. TEXAS Robbie Robertson, Kicker. HOCKEY National Hockey League BUFFALO Dan DiPofi executive vice pres'dent-chief financial officer; Larry Quinn president and chief operating officer for the Marine Midland Arena: Jennifer Smith vice president of broadcasting; Andi Poch acting vice president of sales; David Goldberg acting vice president of marketing; and Jeff Eisenberg vice president of ticket sales and operations.

COLORADO Recalled Janne Laukkanen, defense- man, from Cornwall of the AHL. DALLAS Daniel Marois. forward, for the remainder of the 1995-96 season. People in Sports Candy Man David Robinson has reached the height of sweetness. A candy bar is named for him.

The San Antonio Spurs center introduced the David Robinson Bar, a confection containing peanuts, caramel and milk chocolate, to a group of high school students at the Alamodome. The candy will be sold through schools to raise money for students' activities and equipment. "I thought it was a neat opportunity because of the type of program it is," Robinson said. "It encourages kids to get up and go out and sell to raise funds, to get out and do something. This is just something else I can do that will be positive for school children." The wrapper bears the inscription, "You are created to be a champion." Kerry Hitchings, national sales manager of Morley Candy Makers of Michigan, said Robinson worked with the company about four months helping to design the wrapper.

Each bar will be sold to schools for $1 then resold for $2 to benefit the schools. Super ring Even if you're just an armchair quarterback, you can still wear a Super Bowl ring. Just be TIMEOUT 5 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES IN ROMAN NUMERALS 1. World Series (1996) World Series XCII 2. Stanley Cup (1995-96) Stanley Cup LXXIX 3.

NBA Championship (199596) NBA Championship 4. -Grey Cup (1996) Grey CupXUII 5. Super Bowl (1995-96) Super Bowl XXX Source: World Features Syndicate warned that it will cost you $15,000. A gaudy, diamond- studded ring just like one of the four that former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw wears is for sale. In fact, it may be one of his rings the one received for Pittsburgh's victory over Dallas in the 1978 Super Bowl.

Roger Griep, 61, a machine shop owner from Golden Valley, bought the ring for $500 nine years ago. He paid $5,000 to have it restored, and now he wants to sell it for $15,000. "Since Pittsburgh is in the Super Bowl Sunday, I figured this would be a good time," he said. The restored ring has three diamonds set on the top and bears Bradshaw's name and number, the year and the game score Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31. It's not clear exactly how the ring was lost.

"There are a couple of stories on that," Griep said. "One is that Terry Bradshaw had it here and it was stolen from him. I saw him on Letterman once, and Dave asked why he wasn't wearing all his rings, and Terry said it was because he lost one in Minneapolis." Griep said he's also heard that one of Bradshaw's brothers lost it in Minneapolis. Gary Moisten, of Anoka, said that he and a business partner bought the ring in 1980 from two kids who said they had found it in downtown Minneapolis. Bradshaw and the Steelers had been in Minneapolis to play the Vikings a week earlier.

Moisten paid a few hundred dollars for the ring, which was battered, flattened and missing its diamonds. He asked a friend to contact someone with the Minnesota Vikings, who in turn contacted Bradshaw. "We asked him if he wanted it back," Holsten said. "I didn't talk to him, but the word came back that he declined. He already had the insurance money for it.

He said we could do whatever we wanted with it." Associated Press Super Bowl Continued from Page IB Pittsburgh is back for the first time in 16 years, representing the franchise whose four Super Bowls in six seasons between 1975 and 1980 represented the apex of AFC dominance. In two of those Super Bowls, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Joe Greene, Lynn Swann Co. beat the Cowboys and Roger Staubach. Like the Cowboys, the Steelers will try to join San Francisco as the second team with five Vince Lombardi trophies. Unlike the Cowboys, they rejected a chance to be America's Team.

In the mid-70s, when they dominated pro football, NFL Films offered them the chance to use that nickname. "My father turned them down," said Dan Rooney, the team's low-profile owner. "We wanted to be Pittsburgh's team." So Sraubach's Cowboys, who couldn't quite penetrate the "Steel Curtain," became the second-choice "America's Team." But these are the Cowboys of Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. This is a team with stars on the field, on their helmets and on their shoulders. The Steelers arc relatively anonymous, a blue-collar team from a blue-collar city whose best-known players arc: The Nasty Boys, outside linebackers Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd.

"We arc not going to hold back," says Lloyd, who was fined $12,000 for a late hit on Green Bay's Brett Favre in an exhibition game. "If the rcf decides it's a late hit, let him deal with it right then and there." Kordcll Stewart, a rookie nicknamed "Slash" because he plays back. Rod Woodson, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback who will attempt to play just four months after reconstructive surgery on his knee. Another mismatch? Maybe, maybe not. It might be closer than most people think.

There's something about these Steelers that indicates they can stay with Dallas. After starling 3-4, they won 10 of their last 11 games. They were downgraded for their 16-13 win over upstart Indianapolis at home in the AFC championship game, one in which the Colts barely missed convening a "Hail Mary" on the last play. But they can be upgraded for their only loss in that stretch. That came in the season's final game at Green Bay against a team that took Dallas deep into the fourth quarter in the NFC title game before losing 38-27.

The Steelers had nothing to gain, the Packers were playing for the NFC Central title. But Pittsburgh would have won had Yancey Thigpen held on to what would have been a game-winning TD pass in the final seconds. And Dallas is beatable. The Cowboys lost twice to Washington, which won only four other games; lost 38-20 to a San Francisco team playing without Steve Young; and lost in Philadelphia on the coaching gaffe of the year Barry Switzer's decision to go on a fourth-and-1 at his own 29 with the game tied. They've also been beset all season by distractions, beginning on the opening Monday night, when Jones trotted onto the field to announce his deal with Nike.

The deal challenged the NFL's licensing and revenue- sharing policies, and the result was a S300 million lawsuit by the league and a S750 million countcrsuit by Jones. It's probably not an exaggeration to say almost all of the 29 other owners will join the fans in rooting for Pittsburgh. Some of those folks might even be rooting against Switzcr, perceived by detractors to be a college coach in over his head. It didn't help when he didn't seem to know where he was during Super Bowl week. "I'm glad to be here in Tucson this week," he said.

And this: "Our players got us here to the Orange Bowl. Whoops! Did I say Orange Bowl? I meant BIG Orange Bowl." Hired in March 1994 after Jones and Jimmy Johnson had their much-publicized divorce, Switzcr came in knowing that nothing less than a Super Bowl victory was acceptable. Bui last season, he lost lo ihe 49crs in ihc NFC title game, incurring a 15-yard penalty for bumping an official that stalled his team's comeback. His relationship with Aikman is shaky. "Coach Switzcr and I are after just one thing and that's winning football games," Aikman said.

"That's aboul as far as our relationship goes." Few doubt Dallas is the most talented team in football. Smilh and Aikman bolh have won Super Bowl MVP trophies, Irvin is one of the NFL's prime receivers and Sanders, who won with San Francisco last year, is Dallas' answer to Stewart. The best cover cornerback in football, he "accepted" a $35 million, seven-year deal, including a $13 million signing bonus, because Switzer and Jones promised to use him as a receiver and to return punts. Add to that the biggest and best offensive line in the game, featuring right tackle Erik Williams and guards Newton and Larry Allen; fullback Daryl "Moooooose" Johnston; and tight end Jay Novacek. Plus there's a solid defense featuring tackle Leon Lett and safety Darren Woodson.

"It's not just Troy, Emmitt and Michael," Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said. "You work like crazy to shut them down and Novacek gets open over the middle. It's a test on every down." The Steelers will lest people, too. A team that useo be content to send a running back up the middle for 4 yards and a turf bum, the Steelers opened up this year after that 3-4 start. They sometimes use five wide receivers, occasionally even spreading out quarterback Neil O'Donnell when Stewart drops back to quarterback.

But Slash is primarily a wide receiver even though he was drafted as a quarterback in the second round last April and still wants to be a signal-caller. "I'm beginning to like this stuff," he said of his other duties. "On Sunday, I want to catch a touchdown pass, throw for one, run for one and throw a block that springs a teammate for one." He's joking, sort of. Pittsburgh has the ability to befuddle the Cowboys into giving up a big play to Stewart, Thigpen, Ernie Mills or one of the other unsung wide receivers. Dallas got burned in bad alignments against Jerry Rice and Robert Brooks in the San Francisco and Green Bay games.

But that's the rub. Pittsburgh's chances for victory depend on "ifs." As in. if Greene and Lloyd can pressure Aikman often enough; if the Steelers can get an early turnover for a touchdown; if Bam Morris and Erric Pegram run well enough to give O'Donnell some time to pass; if the Cowboys are too cocky and overconfident. Dallas, on the other hand, depends on relatively sure things. "You know you're not going to stop Emmitt on every play," Greene said.

"And if you shut him down, they've got Troy and Michael and Jay and Kevin Williams and all those other guys. What you have to know is that they're going to make a play and that you just have to come back on the next one and stop them." In most games, the sure things beat the "ifs." In this one, a lot of people hope the "ifs" have it. TODAY'S AREA BRIEFS WCGSA registering players West Columbia Girls Softball Association wffl have registration 9 a.m.-noon today and Feb. 3 in the San Jacinto Room, which is next to city hall. Clean-up day slated The Freeport Recreation Association will be having a clean-up day at S.F.

Austin Park today at 8:30 a.m.. All coaches and board members are asked to' attend. For more information please call Marro" Martinez at 239-2256 BGSA holds registration The Brazosport Girls Softball Association will register players 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today at the softball fields. The registration fee is $35 for the first chi.10 and $10 for each additional child.

F'port Pee Wee having sign-ups Registration for the Freeport Pee-Wee will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m., today and 5:30 7 p.m., 30, at the Freeport Pee Wee field. The registration 1 fee is $35 for one child and $50 for two. Additional- children will be $15 each. For more information call Robert Rasberry at 233-9464 or Noemt Martinez at 233-5128. UGSA registration coming Registration and tryouts for the receational division of the Lake Jackson Girls Softball Association will be today 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

at Gator Field. Call Terry McAlister at 265-0328 or Ricky Edge at 297-6979 for more information. Softball registration set Freeprt Recreation Association will be holding its annual softball registration on the following dates: today at S.F. Austin Park 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Jan. 29 at Kroger in Freeport 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

and Feb. 3 at S.F. Austin Park 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Birth certificates must be presented. For more information call Judy Leake at 233-4123.

CGSA registration upcoming The Clute Girls Softball Association is holding registration and tryouts on the following dates at Cobb Field on Commerce Street in Clute: Div. I registration, today, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (tryouts start at noon); registration and Div. II tryouts, Feb. 3, 10 a.m-2 p.m.; registration and Div.

II tryouts, Feb 10, 10 a.m.-noon. AGSA registration set Angleton Girls Softball Association will be registering girls today at Angleton Middle School East. Registration is for girls 5-18 years of age. Tryouts and late registration will be held Feb. 3 at 9 a.m.

at Bates Park. Copy of birth certificate is needed. CLL sets sign-ups Clute Little League will have registration at the Clute Little League fields for players 5-15 years of age on the following: today, 8 a.m.-noon; and Jan. 29 p.m. A birth certificate and proof of residency must be provided at registration.

Call David Rickaway at 265-0219 or John Rangel at 265-1660 for more information. OTHER AREA BRIEFS Correction Because of information given by Houston Marathon officials, the name and age of an area runner was incorrect in results published in the Jan. 23 edition of The Facts. Michael Abild is his correct name and his age is 40. Babe Ruth registration slated The Brazoswood Babe Ruth Baseball Association will hold registration at Suggs Field on the following dates and times: Feb.

10 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Feb. 11,.2 p.m.-5 p.m., Feb. 12-16, 5 p.m.- 8 p.m., Feb. 17, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Feb. 18, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

For new players, a birth certificate and utility bill is required. Girls soccer tryouts to be held Tryouts will be held Jan. 31 from 7-8 p.m. at A.P. Beutel Elementary for girls 14 and under interested in playing winter and spring soccer.

The team wil compete in a Division II league and will play in Division I and II tournaments. Call 2977601 for more information. Slightly Damaged By Road Construction TRAILER SALE Dozens Of 16' And 18' Low Boys AT LEAST 2 Wheel Tilt Trailers AT LEAST Utility Trailers Stock Trailers 1 00 OFF 50 OFF COASTAL TRAILER SALES PICKUP ACCESSORIES 4208 7th Street Bay City -9615 QUITTING BUSINESS LAST 2 DAYS ENTIRE STOCK OFF Open Early SAT. 8 AM Open Early ISUN. 10AM Go OUTDOORS with Jesse Miller and The Facts every Sunday and Thursday MEN'S STORE All sales final.

LAKE JACKSON GIRLS SOFTBALL RECREATION BALL DAY Saturday Jan. a.m. 2:00 p.m./Gatorllield For Regilfrationiindjwout Information 165-0328 Late Registration will b6 accepted through Friday, February 2,1996 (9:00 p.m.) I.