The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 20

Plnyfcoy ir.razfoc nr.rr.c3 Majors ccacft cf year, CC 2COIJTDOQRS 7 rrTTxr-HTr SF.CTION 4CMAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 7C FRENCH OPEN Tm TENNESSEAN THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1990 is ow taking applications: SEC to expand I DAVID V5 CLIMER 5, Tennessean Sports Writer -LliL Future members of the Southeastern Conference? ence that appears to be crumbling. Negatives: Currently plays as an Independent in football and does not have to split television or bowl revenue with other schools. MIAMI, FLA. Positives: National prominence in football, strong in non-revenue sports, located in major TV market, currently unaffiliated with any conference. Negatives: Like Florida State, does not have to split television or bowl revenue; basketball program has lagged; located in a pro city as opposed to the college Kramer would not speculate on schools which might be approached.

He also said he is not operating on a specific timetable, nor are there limi-tiations on the exact number of new members except that it would be in multiples of two or the geo DAVID CUMER Sports Writer DESTTN, Fla. The Southeastern Conference yesterday initiated the move to expand beyond 1 0 schools in a precedent-setting decision that has broad national implications. In a unanimous vote at the SEC Spring Meeting here, the presidents' of the conference schools recommended that Commissioner Roy Kramer be authorized to enter discussions with outside institutions for the purpose of expansion. In making their decision, the presidents considered the possibility of splitting the SEC into two divisions for football, said Kramer, who added it is premature to speculate any further on that possible plan. No current members of the SEC are expected to leave the league, according to the recommendatioa The 10 schools were among the league's 12 charter members in 1933.

otis TTI I its Mis eye or a 3-2 edge DEST1N, Fla. Schools which ap pear to fit the criteria for membership in the Southeastern Conference as the- teague considers ex-- panslon: FLORIDA STATE Positive National power in football; successful overall program in basketball and spring sports; located in traditional SEC territory; a favorite in strong Florida TV market; member of a Metro Confer- "Change is a part of intercollegiate athletics," Kramer said in making the announcement "A great deal of research has been done on potential expansion by the conference of ice. This is not something that has only been on the burner for two weeks." cieiesise Tonight: Portland at Phoenix Status: Trail Blazers lead series 3-2. TV: TNT cable. Where 8 p.m.

Story, 7C. homecourt can do that for you." The series moves back to Chicago, where the Bulls are 6-0 in the playoffs, for Game 6 tomorrow night. Detroit shot 55.9 and outre-bounded Chicago 45-36. The Bulls have yet to shoot 50 against the Pistons. Aguirre's effort helped the Detroit bench outscore Chicago's reserves 35-13, including 21-6 in the fourth quar- ter.

For Pistons' bench has outscored Chicago's 183-115. "I got the ball where I wanted it" Aguirre said. "I got the ball in the post and that's where I can do the most damage. People think of me as a jump shooter, but I'm really not" 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. Vinnie Johnson was also aggressive with eight points and eight assists.

Scottie Pippen had 19 points for Chicago. 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 golnt, with 8:52 left Detroit eventually 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 points of his 1 1 third-quarter points. Pippen hit a three-pointer, helping the Bulls close to 60-57 with 4:20 left in the period. But Dumars, who had nine in the quarter, started a run that enabled Detroit to pull ahead 72-64 going into the final period.

A. I A rlW and Arkansas. Donald Zacharias, president of Mississippi State and current president of the SEC, acknowledged there are certain schools which fit the conference's requirements and ambitions, although he would not identify them. "There are several who meet the criteria If the schools we want say they want to come in, it will happen and it could happen fairly quickly," Zacharias said. "This is an ideal time for us.

We're healthy and we're on the move." While expansion was clearly the blockbuster development of the SEC Spring Meeting, conference presidents also moved to keep the SEC office in Birmingham, by authorizing Kramer to enter negotiations with city officials on a new downtown site. Also, the league athletic directors I Turn to PAGE 8C, Column 1 Henderson expected to file suit today against the Knights Attorneys for former Nashville Knights Coach Archie Henderson are expected to file a breach of contract lawsuit against the minor-league hockey club today. Henderson, 33, was fired on April 20 after guiding the Knights to a 26-30-4 season and a first-round playoff berth in their inaugural season. Annaronilu at tesuVinthe HENDERSON lawsuit Is a clause which tied Henderson's salary to the attendance for the team. Nashville's attendance this past season was an announced fans in 30 East Coast Hockey League gvnes played at Municipal Auditorium downtown.

John Reynolds. Henderson's attorney, would not discuss the lawsuit when contacted at his home last night. "I'll talk with you after noon tomorrow (Thursday)," Reynolds said. Henderson also declined comment, referring all questions to his attorney. At the time of Henderson's firing, owner Bob Polk cited differences in philosophy, saying "it was a difference in how we wanted the Knights run." Staff reports 1,1 AUBURN HILLS, Mich.

(AP) The Detroit Pistons, who left their defense at home while they went to Chicago, found it right where they left it Mark Aguirrescored 13of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Pistons held Chicago to 33.3 shooting in a 97-83 Game 5 victory over the Bulls last night. The victory gives Detroit a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, in which the home team has won each game. "Mark had a big game," Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said. "But we worked very well defensively the whole game. They did not shoot as well and that was the key.

"There is no secret to our defense. We just worked hard, that's all. In Chicago, we have to work as hard as we worked here." The defense, as usual, was aimed mainly at Chicago triggerman Michael Jordan. He scored 89 points in the Bulls' two wins in Chicago over the weekend, but in three defeats in Detroit, he has averaged 28 points including 22 last night Detroit defending NBA champion, is now 10-0 in the playoffs when holding the opposition under 100 points. When the Pistons allow more than 100, they are 0-3, including losses in.

Games 3 and 4 at Chicago Stadium. "You've got to give their defense credit" Jordan said. "They took us out of sync on offense." Jordan took only 19 shots, hitting seven, and he managed only six points in the first half. Jordan said plan was to spread the scoring around. wanted to do something to draw more attention to everyone else," Jordan said.

"The Pistons were making me dish the bail to the open man, and then we just didn't make the shots. "I felt, very good about the way we played, even if we didn't make those open shots. Their defense was on. The -v town normally associated with the SEC. SOUTH CAROLINA Positives: Strong football program; rabid fans; recently on the schedule of several SEC football and basketball teams.

Negatives: Television market is not strong; located outside normal SEC boundaries. ARKANSAS Positives: National power in football and basketball; AD Frank Broyles is a I Turn to PAGE 8C, Column 2 graphical area from which they can come. Since the topic of expansion first surfaced more than two years ago, schools which have been reportedly interested in joining the SEC include Florida State, Miami, South Carolina Hammond's arm, bat lift Sounds LARRY TATT Sports Writer The Tidewater Tides experienced a dose of vintage Chris Hammond last night snappy fastballs, a few curves, enough change-ups to make life at the plate miserable and a relative easy Nashville victory. Hammond, the 24-year-old lefthander, struck out 1 1 batters last night the most for a Sounds pitcher this season, as Nashville rolled to an 8-0 victory over the Tides. Hammond even starred at the plate, picking up two of the 1 1 hits Nashville batters got off of Tidewater pitching.

"I threw a lot of change-ups early, with a few curves and the fastball late," Hammond said. "By the end of the game you could see that they were trying to guess with me. i "When you feel the way I did to-i night you want to get the ball back from the catcher and throw the next pitch as soon as you can. You don't want to walk around like you do when you're Vi' EMI SEC seeking 'right teams for big show DESTTN, Fla If your VCR has indefinite programming capability, go ahead and set it for the second Saturday in December 1999. You won't want to miss this one.

Save it for posterity because it's history in the making. Live pom Peachtree Stadium in Atlanta, it's the Southeastern Conference championship football game between the Miami Hurricanes and Arkansas Razorbacks. That's right. Miami won the Eastern Division of the SEC with a 7-1 league record, finishing a half-game ahead of Florida State. Arkansas wound up atop the Western Division with a 6-2 mark, edging out South Carolina.

They'll meet in Atlanta, which is mw the geographical center of the Southeastern Conference, for the right to go to the Sugar Bowl, which is on pay-per-view at a cost of $99.95. DONT SCOFF. It could happen. In fact it probably will happen on the basis of what transpired here yesterday. At a conference meeting where the biggest discussions normally center around each others handicaps, the SEC just got serious about expansion.

Two years of talking boiled down to a couple of suggestions and a quick vote which will change the direction of the Southeastern Conference as we know it. By giving new Commissioner Roy Kramer carte blanche to seek out new members, the SEC will boldly go beyond the 10-member status it has held since 1966, when Tulane exited. It is an idea whose time has come. But there are some interesting factors at work here, including the potential for a precedent-setting split into two divisions within the conference for purposes of football. The SEC plans to expand in multiples of two, with 14 being the most likely intermediate number.

Note, please, that the schools mentioned most prominently by the expansionists are best known for their football excellence. Nobody has asked Virginia Commonwealth if they want to bring their football team to town. A ALWAYS, this is a football con-reference. It pays the bills, and the addition of a few more heavyweights is going to be especially important as the SEC attemptsto increase its share of television revenue. At the same time, they want to keep it all in the family.

"There's a lot more sentiment toward expansion because of academic, social and economic reasons," said Pat Dye, Auburn's football coach and athletic director. "We have problems in the Southeast that nobody else has. We need to find people with the same problems and make them part of the family." Conveniently, the four schools which first come to mind are Florida State, Miami, South Carolina and Arkansas. You might have heard of them or seen some of their scholar-athletes running around a football field on a given Saturday afternoon. Pondering those four additions to the SEC brotherhood, Dye's shoulders moved in that distinctive football coach's shrug and said: "That would be a damn strong conference." And when you're talking about expansion, is there a magic number? Is four enough? Is six too many? SOMEWHERE ALONG the way, the SEC powers-that-be must note that there can be too much of a good thing.

A conference especially the Southeastern Conference is much more than a dawn-to-dusk television monopoly on Saturday. Yesterday, no one of the premises here seemed willing to establish parameters for this expansion. Instead, they would talk about TV marketability. Asked if he thought there should a geographical limit to expansion because of the traditional name Southeastern Conference, UT Athletic Director Doug Dickey smiled and said: "It's just a name. If we found the right school and they joined the conference, we could rename it" Live from Peachtree Stadium in Atlanta, it's the championship game of the Good Old Boys' Big Old Conference.

i i w(-y An Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan (right) reacts as Detroit's Dennis Rodman partially blocks his shot. ill Tullahoma AA champion 9) A WLAF rejection appears imminent LARRY WOODY Sports Writer Nashville has apparently fumbled its bid for a World League of American Football team, and the official concession speech could come today. -Asof yesterday, neither leagueflorioc officials were close to resolving the stadium stalemate that stands between the city and one of the NFL-backed springtime teams. "We could have an announcement tomorrow or the next day," said WLAF Task Force chairman Ben Rechter yesterday. Rechter declined to disclose what that announcement will be, but made it clear that the news will not be good by saying: "When we went In we knew it would be a long shot and it still is." Vanderbilt Vice-Chancellor Jeff (SaiT yesterday said "nothing of substance has changed" in the university's reluctance to lease its stadium for pro football use.

Carr, like Rechter, indicated the end is near by saying: "I think we will reach the end of these discussions soon." There has been speculation that the WLAF might consider Tennessee State or Middle Tennessee State as an alternate site if Vanderbilt Stadium proved unavailable. But WLAF vice president Joe Bailey last week said neither MTSU or TSU stadiums are acceptable. A WLAF source yesterday told The Tennessean the league's hopes of putting a team in Music City appear over, and that the league has already turned its attention to Columbus, Ohio and Charlotte, N.C as alternate sites. Turn to PAGE 7C, Column 1 Ricky Ro(ersj Staff Pitcher Marc Mattasits warms up before leading Tullahoma to a 14-2 victory over Marion County last night for the Class AA state baseball title. Tournament report, 6C.

Turn to PAGE 3C, Column 3 Is".