The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 15

1 The Indianapolis Star Monday, July 27, 1333 Birdies carry Irwin Hale Irwin's final-round 69 is punctuated by birdie putts on Nos. 16 and 18 as he rallies to win U.S Senior Open. Page 7 AUTO RACING 2 BASEBALL 4 SCOREBOARD 6 GOLF 7 NFL 8 InfoLine: 624-4636 Online: www.starnews.com 1 10 4 Coryatt's absence is a mystery to coach Mora and his staff are in the dark about the linebacker's whereabouts. i I 1 1 Mi 1 5 i -1 Canadian's thrilling win on the final lap is marred by deaths of 3 spectators. $1 By Mike Chappell STAFF WRITER ANDERSON, Ind.

The list of Indianapolis Colts unavailable to coach Jim Mora grew Sunday afternoon. The most recent absentee, though, came shrouded in mystery. Linebacker Quentin Coryatt, one of the team's defensive cornerstones, was a no-show for Sunday afternoon's practice at Anderson University. On hand for what seemed to be an uneventful morning workout, Coryatt was no fi 1 i By Robin Miller STAFF WRITER BROOKLYN, Mich. Drivers usually do everything possible to get the lead, but Sunday afternoon it wasn't the place to be on the last lap of the U.S.

500. "We Joked before the race that you didn't want to be leading on the white Hag lap and that's exactly how it worked out today," said Jimmy Vasser. In the raciest show of Championship Auto Racing Teams' 20-year existence, Greg Moore dived under Vasser going into turn one of the final lap and held on for a pulsating victory at Michigan International Speedway. But an otherwise spectacular race was marred by tragedy. Three spectators among the estimated 60,000 fans were killed when a tire from Adrian Fernandez's car, which slammed into the wall, sailed into the fourth-turn grandstands on lap 175.

Six other people were hospitalized in the worst off-track accident in recent American motorsports history. "Fans come to watch us race and put on a good show, which we did today, but obviously, this puts a damper on the day," said Moore after pushing the See MOORE Page 2 i- i i 4 1 1 1 where to be found in the afternoon. Late Sunday evening, Coryatt's whereabouts and the reason for his absence from practice remained a mystery. "I'm always upset when a player misses practice and I don't know the reason," Mora said. "I don't know why he WW Schedule Today: 3 to 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday: 9 to 10:45 a.m.; 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Inside: Ryan Leafs contract could affect negotiations with Peyton Manning. Page 8 .1 ilR i 4. mm "1 4i 7 -ifcf ft A t. I.

Jr" I lJ if' v' 1 isn't here and neither do any of the coaches." Coryatt's agent, Steve Zucker, did not shed any light on the situation when reached Sunday night. "I can't tell you anything at this time," he said. Coryatt could not be reached for comment. A teammate who asked not to be identified said Coryatt had been complaining of soreness in his shoulders. Coryatt was the team's second-leading tackier a year ago but was hampered throughout the 1996 season by See CORYATT Page 8 Staft Photo Greg Griffo CHAMPIONSHIP FORM: Jeff Gordon, atop his car, greets the crowd after winning the Pennsylvania 500 Associated Press BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK: Canadian Greg Moore had been in a recent slump but broke it Sunday by passing Jimmy Vasser on the final lap.

Record lead changes made for exciting race Robin Miiier Gordon keeps his cool during hot action at Pennsylvania 500 Brickyard The Winston Cup points leader survives a brush with Ward Burton and a challenge from Earnhardt to lead 164 laps and win going away. hi BROOKLYN, Mich. It was the Los Angeles freeway at rush hour, with no speed limit. It was roller derby in race cars. It was enough to make Bill France Jr.

shake his head in admiration. From start to finish, front to back, in every comer, for three hours it was awesome. Champ cars, Indy cars, stock i iinirti'rii it Jiil i i urn AMERICAN LEAGUE Boston 6 Toronto 3 Detroit 8 Cleveland i fampa Bay 3 Oakiand 1 Seattle id Baltimore 4 New York 6 Chicago 3 Kansas City 9 Anaheim 4 Minnesota ii Texas 3 NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia 10 Florida 9 Atlanta a Pittsburgh i Milwaukee 6 Montreal 5 Chicago 3 New" York i San Diego 5 Houston 4 S. Francisco 2 Cincinnati 1 St. Louis 3 Colorado 1 Los Angeles 5 Arizona 3 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE Indians 4 Richmond 1 COMMENTARY life.

Second-place Mark Martin finished 1.15 seconds back but was no threat to catch the two-time series champion. "I don't know if I've ever had a car work that great," Gordon said. "Every single lap I was thinking, When is something going to break, when is the caution going to come "Usually when you have a car that good, you don't pull into victory lane." Gordon's only problems came in traffic after restarts. When he and pole-sitter Ward Burton raced off the first turn on lap 125, they got sucked Into each other's air. Gordon bobbled, nearly hit the wall and fell to fifth.

That got Gordon fighting mad, but crew chief See GORDON Page 2 By Curt Cavin STAFF WRITER LONG POND, Pa. Jeff Gordon got slapped around at Pocono Raceway and fought back. His punch was fierce. It was one of those drives that makes his NASCAR Winston Cup competitors shiver with admiration. How could the DuPont Chevrolet be any better than It was In his dominating victory Sunday in the Pennsylvania 500? "It couldn't have been," said Gordon, who will come Into this week's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a spirited roll.

"I almost had too much confidence In the car." Gordon led 109 of the first 115 laps, most by double-figure car lengths. He led 164 laps for the day In what he called one of the best rides of his Next stop: Indy Thursday: Brickyard 400 qualifying (positions 1-25), 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday: Brickyard 400 qualifying (rest of the field), noon to 1 p.m.; IROC race, 1:30 p.m. Saturday: Brickyard 400, 12:15 p.m. cars, midgets, sprints, Formula One, Indy Lights, super vees, formula Fords, Go Karts nothing on four wheels has ever been more competitive at high speed for such a sustained period of time.

In all the years I've watched and covered motorsports, I've never seen a race with so many breathtaking moves, so many swarms of leaders and so many changes at the top. See MILLER Page 2 Doby, Sutton climb baseball's summit with induction into Hall 1 sir ,1 WE MADE IT! Larry Doby (left) the first black player in the American League, and pitcher Don Sutton, a winner of 324 games, reminisce at the beginning of their induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. 1, said Doby, who had 253 career homers, 969 RBIs and won two AL home-run titles In his 13-year career. "You're proud and happy that you've been a part of Integrating baseball to show people that we can live together, work together, play together, and we can be successful together," he said. Sutton, the only player elected this year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, thanked the ballplayers, coaches and managers on the five teams he played for In his 23-year pitching career.

He then stared Into the audience at his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Jackie, and grappled with the emotion of the moment. This is what I've wanted all my life," said Sutton, who won 324 games and struck out 3,574. "But as big as this day is, it was all put Into perspective a couple of years ago when she (Jackie) was born 16 weeks early and given a l-in-100 chance of making it. They said it would take a miracle for her to live, but fortunately jjhe was born to a miracle worker. Thanks, little girl, for sticking around to be part of this.

You make it perfect," Sutton said. "You've helped remind me of how much more Important life is than the things in life, even this. With apologies to Lou Gehrig, I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Doby was elected in March by the Veterans Committee, which also picked former Negro leagues star "Bullet" Joe Ro-gan, a pitcher and outfielder for the Kansas City Monarchs; George Davis, a hard-hitting shortstop in the dead-ball era who spent most of his career with the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox; and former AL president lie MacPhail, who Joined his father in the Hall. Also entering the Hall for their media accomplishments were Jaime Jarrin, the Spanish voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the past 40 years, and Sam Lacy. Lacy, 94, won the Ford C.

Frick Award for his pioneering work in baseball Journalism. His columns In the 1930s and 1940s were devoted to desegregating the game. By John Kekis ASSOCIATED PRESS COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. More than a half-century ago, Major League Baseball wanted no part of Larry Doby. On a glorious summer Sunday, he received the greatest honor his sport can offer.

"If someone had told me 52 years ago that I would be standing here being honored by the Hall of Fame, I wouldn't have believed it," Doby said. "I thank God I've lived long enough." The 74-year-old Doby, the first black to play In the American League, was inducted with former Los Angeles pitcher Don Sutton and three others. Doby broke In with the Cleveland Indians 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the summer of 1947. Doby always was overshadowed by Robinson, not that it mattered to him. "When I look back and think about things that were probably negative, you put ttose things on ie back burner," 7 15 1 i 0 Associated Press.