The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 22

2C Thursday, March 2, 2000 THE TENNESSEAN www.tennessean.com 3 Media watch fleart transplant recipient, 20, tees off today wNews from TV radio, print J. J. Hi Joe Biddle Jtm tJliiiym. Assoc imed Press MIAMI Erik Compton is in awe. Since he was a kid, he has been romping around the famed Blue Monster course at the Doral-Ryder Open, watching Greg Norman and other stars.

This week, he has a locker next to them He practices next to them on the range. But when Compton, 20, went to bed last night on the eve of his first PGA Tour event, he will be thinking about other things like the. pro and Compton's personal coach. "I will be very surprised if Erik doesn't play well" Compton was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age 9, a disease that enlarges and attacks the heart. Three years later, he became the youngest heart-transplant recipient at Jackson Memorial.

Hospital. He got out of the hospital in time to graduate from the sixth grade. Compton's heart came from a 15-year-old girl who died in a car accident in Tampa eight years ago. Two years ago, he became the first player with a heart transplant to compete in the US. Amateur and earn a scholarship to an NCAA school when he signed with Georgia But he received a sponsor's exemption to Doral not just because he has a new heart, but because he can play a three-time Miami high school player of the year, the top-ranked junior in the world in 1998.

"I know he can make the cut," said Jim McLean, Doral's teaching beating of his heart. Today at 9:09 Compton will become the first heart-transplant recipient to compete on the PGA Tour. "Deep down inside when I go to bed every night, I'm not thinking so much about the golf," he said. "I am with somebody else's heart. I think about somebody is not here, and I am here right now.

That's what keeps driving me to do better." He has done plenty well already. and the Internet. Valenches selected Sounds announcer The Nashville Sounds have named Chuck Valenches as play- by-play announcer for the 2000 season. He had been the analyst for the team's games for the past two seasons. Valenches has been the radio announcer for the Double-A Jack-r sonville Suns and the Single-A High Desert Mavericks.

Former major league catcher Barry Lyons has been named radio analyst for the broadcasts of the home games. All of the Sounds games will be broadcast on WNSR-560 AM and simulcast on the team's Web site at www.nashvillesounds.com Valenches will host a 15-minute pregame show before each broad Arena: Season on, but controversy lingers cast. Steve Selby was fired last November after four years as the Sounds' broadcaster. Kats dates Key upcoming dates for the Nashville Kats: March 19: Training camp opens. April 1: First preseason game, vs.

Grand Rapids, Gay-lord Entertainment Center April 13: First regular season game, vs. Albany, Gaylord Entertainment Center, 7 p.m. "Once it's said and done, anyone here is on the side of the Kats," Sperduto said. 'This is the time to play football and worry about the Kats and worry about the fans. I'm sure some feelings have been hurt, but need to be over it and be a team." Sperduto said his main concern is catching up.

The league had postponed the Jan. 18 expansion draft and suspended all transactions, minicamps and free agent tryouts. "I've got a lot of work to do," Sperduto said. "I'm not complaining, I'm just happy we have a seasoa We're behind because the coaches haven't been able to communicate with the players, work anybody out or sign anyone for two months, but everyone is Baron said of the owners. "No one is going to throw a $7 million investment out the window.

They couldn't get a union so now the league says 'OK, you can form your own union and we'll Still, there may be controversy among players since some were in favor of a unioa Yet one of those players, Kats quarterback Andy Kelly, said last week he thinks friction can be avoided. "Baron and I have talked even though we know we feel differently about this," Kelly said. "We're still both concerned for the players and we're still friends. I know he'll put his life on the line for me and I will for him so I felt good about that." Kats Coach Pat Sperduto also said he doesn't expect any friction when his team opens camp. "vigorously defended" by the league, but will not interfere with the seasoa The antitrust lawsuit charges that illegal collusion among team owners has led to "price-fixed" salaries, no injury benefits and no free agency.

The league's average salary is $30,000. In a 1996 decision involving the NFL, the US. Supreme Court prohibited unionirod workers from filing antitrust suits. The 14-year-old league has become financially stable. Team values have soared to nearly $7 million, and the NFL holds an option to purchase up to 49 of the league.

Also, the league recently signed a television contract with three national networks, including Kats on Sports South: Fox Sports Net will broadcast at least five of the Nashville Kats seven road games this season, the team has announced. The network has broadcast Kats road games for each of the team's first three seasons. The new contract runs through the 2002 a game of the week on TNN. James Baron, the player representative for the Kats, said he wasn't surprised by yesterday's developments and he remains among the players opposed to forming a unioa "They knew they weren't going to shut it down in the first place," E-negotiatmg: In their argument I before an arbitrator regarding how much their closer, Mariano Rivera, should be paid this coming season, the New York Yankees quoted the number of hits he'd made on the team's Web site. The Yankees' star shortstop, I Derek Jeter, got 727,196 clicks on the Web site last season, compared with 68,974 for Rivera.

Therefore the pitcher did not deserve a salary comparable with Jeter's $10 million SPORTS AM. Compiled fromTennessam Staff and News Reports i it itiittil this year. Or so claimed the New York Daily News, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. Rivera had sought a salary of $9.25 millioa The arbitrator ruled in favor of the Yankees' offer of $7.25 millioa i rldr i V-i On the air Television and radio listings. Random ruminations while wondering whatever happened to Bert Campaneris Huge comeback gives Cal Luther his 500ih victoiy We thought Cal Luther had retired after the veteran basketball coach stepped down last year at UT-Martia But Luther coached at Bethel College this season after Mike Nienaber left to join Christian Brothers College in Memphis.

Luther, 72, accepted the job only two weeks before the season started. Bethel is an NAIA Division II school in McKenzie, and limited to six scholarships. Luther got career win No. 499 during the seasoa but a prolonged losing streak prevented him from hitting the 500 milestone until the final game of the season last week. "We were down 10 at half, and by as many as 17 in the second half before we woa 78-74," Luther said.

"It was something right out of Hoosiers, like it was scripted." Bethel finished 6-27, but the win over Indiana University-Southeast was one Luther will cherish. "The kids here are not as talented as ones I have coached, but they are great he said. "We were in almost every game." Luther, who is best known for his Murray State teams, is helping Bethel hire a coach, but he hopes to continue in the professioa "I'm going to take a group of kids on a 10-day tour of Iceland and hope I can get a job for a year overseas, maybe in one of the Scandinavian countries," he said. First-round brains Hofstra QB Giovanni Carmazzi finished at the head of his class at the recent NFL combine. Carmazzi scored a 32 on the Wonderlic test, highest among the QB Class of 2000.

He also ran an impressive 4.71 in the 40. Despite Carmazzi's credentials, Marshall's Chad Pennington is expected to be the only QB taken in the first round. Kicking the NFL Draft Look for Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski to be taken before anyone else at his positioa The question is, how high? The Polish Cannon missed only two of 18 field goals at the NFL combine, and was true on all three shots beyond 50 yards. He was also impressive on kick-offs, knocking all five attempts deep in the end zone. Lipscomb ahead on gym While Lipscomb is playing its final season at McQuiddy Gym and is building a arena adjacent to McQuiddy, Belmont is still trying to raise enough money to build a new on-campus facility.

Belmont is ahead of Lipscomb in the move from NAIA to NCAA Division but Lipscomb used a generous contribution from an alumnus to put it over the top on building its new facility. Both programs have suffered from low attendance in recent years. I saw a TV clip from an old Lipscomb-Trevecca game and it was standing room only. For this year's Trevecca game, McQuiddy was perhaps half full. Purdue may pursue Stallings Rumors around Indiana suggest Gene Ready may hang it up after this season at Purdue.

Keady has five seniors and the timing would be right, but as competitive as he is I'm not sure he is ready to go fishing. When he does retire, however, look for Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings to be Purdue's top choice. Stallings played for Keady at the Big Ten school. APSU honors Mason Golf pro Craig Rudolph, killed in a helicopter crash last year while leaving the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.G, was inducted into the Austin Peay Sports Hall of Fame last week. Rudolph's widow, Kim, represented her late husband at halftime ceremonies during the Austin Peay-TSU game.

I mrm Joe Biddle writes about local sports tJ at www.tenne88ean.coni. Today, he writes about the drug suspen-sion of the Tennessee Titans' Josh Evans He can be reached at 253255 or e-mail nddletennessean com He can be heard 4-6 m. weekdays on 99.7 FM Sports Night Other media sources Link found in Porter probe The investigation into Auburn forward Chris Porter's dealings with a sports agent reportedly involves a man who had improper contacts with Florida State football players in a 1994 shopping spree scandal Porter, a preseason All-America pick, was suspended indefinitely last weekend and has admitted to school officials that someone gave him $2,500, apparently to help him with family financial problems. Published reports yesterday said investiga-, tors are checking to see if the money came from Nate Cebrun, a self-described middleman for agents, who was introduced to Porter through the Auburn player's former teammate, David Hamiltoa CNNSports Illustrated, which reported Tuesday mat Auburn was looking to see if Cebrun provided the money, said Cebrun denied it but confirmed he had been introduced earlier this year to Porter, a senior projected as a first-round NBA draft pick. Auburn suspended Porter while school and Southeastern Conference officials investigate the matter before forwarding their findings on to the NCAA Auburn finishes the regular season at Arkansas Saturday.

Bill Saum, head of the NCAA's agent and gambling enforcement divisioa said his office will expedite its review because the final games of Porter's career are at hand. AP Opening day: Fishermen stand along the top of the dam at Bennett Springs State Park near Lebanon, yesterday. Thousands of anglers staked out their spots across Missouri hoping for a trophy trout on opening day. Spring League to launch A new football league with teams based in four US. cities will feature concerts, sideline access and retired NFL players to interact with fans, league organizers said yesterday in Miami.

The Spring Football League has teams in Houstoa Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio, Texas. Bill Futterer, director of the Spring Football League, said the teams will play a four-game season on Saturday afternoons beginning April 29, followed by a championship game in Miami on May 27. McOanieJ to Bucs Randall McDaniel, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, was added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' revamped offeasive line, signing a three-year contract worth more than $6 millioa The deal included a signing bonus of about $2 millioa The former All-Pro offensive lineman was released by Minnesota in a salary cap move. Lewis case: Two men stabbed to death after a Super Bowl party in Atlanta's Buckhead district were attacked by as many as 10 people, an investigator's report says. Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis and two other men are charged with murder in the killings of Jacinth Baker, 21, and Richard Lol-lar, 24, both of Decatur.

Lewis is out of jail on bail and is under a court-supervised curfew in Maryland. The brief was written from witness accounts by a medical examiner investigator. Other deals: Reserve offensive lineman Bubba Miller, a former University of Tennessee player, has re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, agreeing to a new two-year contract Adam Meadows, a member of the Indianapolis Colts offensive line that allowed an NFL-low 14 quarterback sacks last seasoa signed a new contract worth $20 million over five years. Minnesota guard Corbin Lacina, a seven-year pro who was one of the club's unrestricted free agents, agreed to contract terms with the Vikings-The Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams released veteran running back Amp Lee to clear room under the salary cap.

Lee, 28, had knee surgery before the 1999 season and appeared in only seven games, rushing three times for three yards as a backup to Marshall Faulk last Kansas City Chiefs and return specialist Tamarick Vanover agreed to restructure his contract, a week after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aiding the sale of a stolen vehicle. Vols win sixth straight Chris Brake went 3-for-4 while scoring three runs to lead Tennessee to a 10-4 victory yesterday over Morehead State in Knoxville. Tennessee recorded its sixth straight win and moved its season record to 13-4. More-head drops to 4-4. Bebnont raEes 9th: Luke Hansen hit a three-run home run with one out to cap a five-run rally in the the bottom of the ninth inning to give Belmont an 8-6 victory over visiting Fast Tennessee State yesterday.

Mat Meade drove in two runs with a first collegiate homer to start the rally. Belmont improves to 8-7. ETSU falls to 2-5. MTSU wins: Middle Tennessee State (3-4) scored a run in the first and two in the second and went on defeat the University Memphis (0-10) 6-2 in Memphis. Hingis downs Rubin Martina Hingis, the world's top-ranked womaa won her first match in more than three weeks yesterday, beating Chanda Rubin 6-3, 6-3 in second-round play of the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Monica Seles, unseeded in a WTA event for the first time since 1989 despite wjpning last Sunday in Oklahoma City, fought off four set points to defeat Silvija Talaja of Croatia Seventh-seeded Sandrine Testud of France eliminated Amy Frazier but Ai Sugiyama beat the other seeded Frenchwomaa No. 4 Julie Halard-Decugis, Hingis, seeded No. 1, got a bye into the second round and had not played since winning her first 2000 title in Tokyo on Feb. 6. Today GoSf PGA Doral Ryder Open 3p.m USA College basketball Minnesota at Michigan St (men) 6p.m ESPN Wake Forest at Virginia (men) 6p.m ESPN2 Cincinnati at DePaul (men) 8p.m ESPN The Kevin Stallings Show 8p.m 650-AM SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt vs.

South Carolina (women) 8:30 p.m 98.7-FM UCLA at California (men) 9:30 p.m Rw Sports Net NHL New Jersey at Colorado 8 p.m ESPN2 Nashville at San Jose 9:30 p.m WNAB-58, 99.7-FM Colleges VTV Sports 10 p.m Intermedia Ch. 19 Tomorrow College basketball SEC tournament (women) Georgia vs. Alabama-Ky. winner Noon Fox Sports Net Tennessee vs. Fla -Arkansas winner 2:30 p.m Rk Sports Net Auburn vs.

Miss. St-Ote Miss winner 6 p.m Fax Sports Net LSI) vs. Vandy-S. Carolina winner 8:30 pm Fax Sports Net Golf Senior Toshiba Classic 2p.m ESPN PGA Dora) Ryder Open 3 p.m USA Motors ports Winston Cup qualifying 4 pm ESPN2 America's Cup Italy vs. New Zealand, Race 6 6 p.m ESPN2 NHL Florida at New brk Rangers 7 p.m ESPN NSA Utah at Charlotte 7 p.m TNT Indiana at Los Aogetes Lakers 930 p.m TNT Boxing Trinidad vs.

Retd, wetterweigrrts 8 p.m Pay-per-view Spadafora vs. Sosa, ligrrtweights 8:30 pm ESPN2 1 IE New deal for Skip Holtz South Carolina has extended offensive coordinator Skip Holtz's contract by a year to keep it at five years despite the team's 0-11 record last seasoa Holtz is the son of head coach Lou Holtz. Athletic director Mike McGee compared the cgcteasion to what the school did for men's basketball coach Eddie Fogler. Knowing Fogler faced a rebuilding job, McGee gave him a one-year extension after his second seasoa Sewanee's Chapman honored Sewanee's JI I Chapman was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference female swimmer of the year for the second straight year. She earned all conference honors by winning three individual events and was a member of four winning relay teams.

anmncnznzn BGA to host home schoolers The Tennessee Home School state basketball tournament will be held tomorrow and Saturday at the Battle Ground Academy Middle Sch(K)l (old campus) in Franklin. It features teams from Knoxville, Memphis, Franklin and Nashville. Nashville Central Christiaa which was third in nationals last year, will be host team. Winners advance to nationals in Wichita Kans later this month. New Zealand repeats title New Zealand became the first country other than the United States to defend the coveted America's Cup when it won today in a most unusual way.

In a move that probably only the Kiwis could pull off, veteran skipper Russell Courts stepped aside hours before Race 5 in favor of 26-year-old Dean Barker. The Auckland native made his first America's Cup race a memorable one, the clincher of a sweep of Italy's Luna Rossa Courts could have become the first skipper to win 10 straight Cup finals races. Iastead, he watched from a chase boat as the Kiwis sailed the untouchable Black Magic to their second straight 5-0 final, assuring that the 149-year-old America's Cup will remain at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadroa Daymeon Fishback's first name and high school and his father's college were reportedly incorrectly in yesterday's editions. Daymeon Fishback went to Greenwood 1 Iigh School in Bowling Greea Ky. 1 lis father, Charlie Fishback, played at Austin Peay.

The Tennessvun regrets the errors. i "IV?" XT i'ri Upcoming Sports highlights. Women's basketball SEC Tournament, vandy vs South Carolina 8 30pm NHL Panthers at Range's, 7 TV ESPN NHL. Nasnvilie at Los Angeles, 9.30 p.m. TV WNAB-58.

0 Women's basketball SEC tournament final, 5p.m.TV:ESPN2. NBA Toronto at Portland, 7 pm. TV: TBS. IT. NHL NasrivMe at Sn jor.

930pm. TV: WNAB-58 NBA fnrjyrtaatLA Lasers, 930pm TV TNT Men's basketball South Caroira at varxte'Mt. 7 p.m. RarSa 96 5-FM. CVC tournament final.

1 30 pm at GCC. TV ESPN Li Missouri VSliey final. 8 pm. TV: ESPN.