The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 11

THE COURIER-JOURNAL LOUISVILLE, KY. THURSDAY. MAY 31. 1990. SEC presidents recommend looking at expansion "a "i new members yesterday: independent Miami, Metro members Florida State and South Carolina and Arkansas of the Southwest Conference.

Dye said that "nobody has the problems academically, socially and economically that we do in the Southeast" but that those four schools "fit in" with the needs and strengths of the rest of the SEC members. UK athletics director CM. Newton See PRESIDENTS PAGE 5, col. 1 this section Louisville had expressed interest "through certain areas," but Dr. Charles Wethington, acting president at Kentucky, said of was not discussed in the presidents' meeting yesterday.

Wethington declined to say which schools were discussed. of athletics director Bill Olson has said his school won't pursue another conference affiliation until the Metro Conference resolves its own expansion, revenue-sharing and football issues. Auburn football coach and athletics director Pat Dye did speculate on four potential when asked what would happen if the conference found interested schools it liked, Zacharias said, "Then we'll expand." Kramer said several schools will be considered. He would not comment on the number of schools that would be deemed suitable for expansion, but 'speculation by athletics directors, coaches and media has centered on anywhere from two to six teams, with a move to divisional play a virtual certainty. Louisiana State athletics director Joe Dean said Monday that the University of By PAT FORDE Staff Writer DESTIN, Fla.

The Southeastern Conference took the big step at Its spring meetings yesterday. In one quick action, the SEC opened the door for expansion and the creation of a super league, which could change the makeup of other conferences throughout the nation. The presidents of the 10 SEC schools unanimously recommended that league commissioner Roy Kramer enter into dis cussions with schools interested in joining the conference, for the purpose of making recommendations for membership to the presidents. "This is an ideal time for us," said Donald W. Zacharias, president of Mississippi State University and chairman of the presidents committee.

"We're healthy, we're on the move, and I think we're giving a great opportunity to athletes to compete in American intercollegiate athletics." All individuals involved shied away from saying SEC expansion is a done deal, but Pence leads PRP to a 10-8 win over Walton-Verona Aguirre on fire as Pistons top Bulls 97-83 When Walton-Verona shortstop Bart Bresser got his third hit, a two-run double in the fourth, PRP's chances looked slim against the small Boone County school. "When their pitcher (Hance Anderson) started walking everybody, I had a feeling somebody would do something for us," said Pence, who now has 4ft RBIs on the season. "I thought we'd score some runs, but the way we were greasing the ball in the field I didn't know if we could keep them from scoring," said Miller, whose team made seven errors. Miller wasn't surprised Pence produced the key hits. "He's started three years, and this is his third sectional, so he's a veteran," Miller said.

"Those were two big hits he got, but I felt we had a shot as long as their pitcher stayed in there." Anderson, a junior left-hander, walked 11 batters and five of them scored, three after Pence's home run. See PRP PAGE 3, col. 1, this section By BOB WHITE Staff Writer Even though Ronnie Pence is a junior, the Pleasure Ridge Park High School right fielder is called "a veteran" by his baseball coach, Bill Miller. Pence certainly played like it last night, driving in seven runs with a three-run double in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the fifth to help PRP overcome a 7-2 deficit and whip Walton-Verona 10-8 in the Sectional Two tournament at PRP. Pence's three-run double pulled PRP (31-8) within 7-5, and his ninth homer of the season put the Panthers ahead for good at 9-7.

"It was gone as soon as I hit it," Pence said of his home run over the left-field fence. "I hit a fastball right down the pike. The inning before I hit a double. I hit a fastball then, too." PRP's 13th straight victory moved the Panthers into tomorrow's 7 p.m. final against Male or Elizabethtown.

The sectional winner will move on to the. State Tournament's Final Four in Lexington on June 7-8. 2 Associated Press Mark Aguirre scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Detroit Pistons used superior depth to take a 3-2 lead in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference finals with a 97-83 victory over the guest Chicago Bulls last night Game 6 of the best-of-seven series will be played tomorrow night at Chicago Stadium, and a seventh game would be back at the Palace on Sunday if needed. All five games of the series have been won by the home team, and the Bulls are 6-0 at home in the playoffs. Aguirre's effort helped the Detroit bench outscore Chicago's reserves 35-13, including 21-6 In the fourth quarter.

Joe Dumars scored 20 points for the Pistons and Bill Laimbeer, who scored a total of four points in the Bulls' two victories at Chicago, finished with 16. Michael Jordan, who scored 89 points in Games 3 and 4, led Chicago with 22 points and Scottie Pippen had 19. Detroit now is 10-0 in the playoffs when holding the opposition under 100 points. When the Pistons allow more than 100, they are 0-3. During the regular season, the Pistons held opponents to 98.3 points, the sixth-best ever in an 82-game schedule.

Aguirre scored Detroit's first eight points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play and a three-point goal, giving the Pistons an 80-68 lead, their largest of the game to that point, with 8:52 left Detroit built the margin to 89-71 with 5:28 left, and the Bulls didn't threaten again. The Pistons took a 54-45 lead early in the second half before Jordan scored seven of his 11 third-quarter points and Pippen hit a three-pointer, helping the Bulls close within 60-57 with 4:20 left in the period. But Dumars, who had nine in the quarter, STAFF PHOTO BY JEANIE ADAMS Elizabethtown starting pitcher Demond Thomas pitched against Male High School. Brohm might try pro baseball while at of I 4i I tf 4' i "'I so "jit -lb give up baseball. "My goal is still to be (UofL's) No.

1 quarterback and lead the team to a bowl game," Brohm said. "But I'm just trying to leave both opportunities open instead of closing the door on baseball." Brohm said he thinks he can play both sports without hindering his progress in football, since he would miss no practices. See CARDS PAGE 3, col. 1, this section and Toronto Blue Jays have expressed an interest in Brohm. The Expos, who drafted him in the seventh round last spring, and the White Sox have been to Louisville.

An Indians scout is due in today, the White Sox may return tomorrow and Brohm will work out for the Reds Saturday in Riverfront Stadium. Brohm, a pitcher-shortstop who hit .490 for Trinity High School his senior season, said he discovered after playing college football for a year that he wasn't ready to tinue to play football at of pursuing his dream of becoming the Cardinals starting quarterback. Baseball would amount to a summer job, one to which of football coach Howard Schnellenberger has given his unqualified blessing. Chances are good that Brohm will be selected in the draft, which begins Monday and continues through Wednesday. Five teams the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos By RUSS BROWN Staff Writer Football is still Jeff Brohm's first love, but the University of Louisville quarterback continues to carry on a summer romance with baseball.

So Brohm has made himself available for major-league baseball's amateur draft next week and plans to begin a professional career this summer if he's drafted. However, the sophomore-to-be would con See PISTONS PAGE 2, col. 6, this section mnimimiiL mainiin mmu mm. inn 11 in Cool Corbett, coming back from 16-month absence, is heating up Gilkey, Wilson help Birds clip Braves 2-1 $17,500 claiming. "Sometimes you take a base on balls when you've had a couple of bad races," he explained.

"We knew all along he had the talent" Thomas said Sunday's race "might have been the most impres- sive race of any horse I've trained. He went to the front and was challenged by Pastourelles all the way to the quarter-pole, then put him away. It really looked like he was sprinting the last three-sixteenths." Thomas' 12-horse stable has won six of 18 starts, two behind meet leader Bernie Flint Thomas gives some credit to the deep muscle massage therapy he began using this spring. "I've gotten into stretching my horses, giving them massage therapy before they go out and after they come in," said Thomas, a 1968 graduate of Trinity High School. "You notice all the track stars, all football and basketball players, they're into stretching." Which raises the wonderful image of a horse touching his toes.

How do you do it? Thomas demurs, saying, "Oh, I can't tell all my secrets." Thomas began thinking about the procedure when he was suffering See AFTER PAGE 5, col. 1, this section By JENNIE REES Staff Writer Cool Corbett has been hot at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old gelding, off for 16 months before returning to the races in April, has won his past two starts, including Sunday's $28,500 allowance feature. On May 12 he paid $33 to win a $17,500 claiming race, then returned $26.80 when he upset heavily favored Dewdle's Dancer by two lengths. Cool Corbett, a son of 1979 Belmont winner Coastal, had been laid off after undergoing knee surgery and a subsequent ankle injury when he joined trainer Phil Thomas stable this winter.

The gelding is owned by Bruce Lunsford of Louisville and Lanny Holbrook of Cincinnati. He was last in an allowance sprint at Keeneland, then Thomas brought him to Louisville at 1 116 miles on May 3. Cool Corbett ran to the head of the stretch but faded to last against $25,000 claimers. "But he had run his first quarter of a mile in the paddock," Thomas said. "He was really washed out" After that, Thomas took Cool Corbett to the paddock every morning before he galloped.

Thomas still had high hopes but dropped him down to By GEORGE RORRER Staff Writer Minnesota Fats would have loved it. Craifj Wilson and Bernard Gilkey of the Louisville Redbirds turned Cardinal Stadium into a giant billiards 4able last night, using two cushion shots to beat the Richmond BravesT and 20-year-old pitching marvel; Steve Avery 2-1. Avery (5-3), one of the brightest prospects in baseball, held the Red-birds to five hits over eight innings but struck out just three. He lost his second straight decision because of two of the three walks he issued and because of hits by Wilson and Gilkey that caromed into left field. Wilson's single went off the glove of third baseman Ed Whited and scored! Todd Crosby, who had opened the sixth inning with a walk.

Aftes! Richmond tied it 1-1 in the eighth on Geronimo Berroa's two-out single, Gilkey bounced a single off the- second-base bag in the bottom o( the inning, again scoring Crosby; who again had opened 'with a walk. "Yoifve got to have a little luck in 4 I See REDBIRDS I PAGE 2, col. 4, this section LlJ, f. -1 I- STAFF PHOTOS BY BEN VAN HOOK PUTTING ME ON: Trigg County's Jaime Towler, above, was relieved after sinking this putt on 14. She finished the first round of the state tournament in Elizabethtown yesterday with an82.

She is four strokes behind leader Karla Hopper, above right, of Madison Central. Hopper was reacting after sinking a par putt on 16. Stories on the girls' and boys' tournaments, Page 3. INSIDE Sports People Major-league baseball High school sports Scorecard French Open results hold truer to form Bonds, Bream guide Pirates to 5th straight TODAY IN HISTORY 7 YEARS AGO MAY 31, 1983 The Philadelphia 76ers win the National Basketball Association Cham-: pionship with a 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, completing a four-game, sweep. 3 5 Thoroughbred racing See Page 2 See Page 3.