The Tennessean du lieu suivant : Nashville, Tennessee • Page 30

2C Sunday. Fbniry 21 1999 THE TENNESSEAN SPORTS: PAGE 2 UA V1V1 A -A IVJU aW Opposition waves another caution for new trac Frankly, I wouldn't blame Denis McGlynn if he simply threw up his hands, said "To heck with Middle Tennessee!" and took his $125 million superspeedway elsewhere. Plenty of communities would be delighted to land such a prize. The racetrack will be a national sports attraction as well as an economic bonanza for the area. But in Wilson County, it has been one headache after another for McGlynn, head of Dover Downs Entertainment, which is behind the project The latest aggravation is a lawsuit filed last week by track opponents.

The suit claims the process was somehow "flawed," after the face such hurdles? Nope. It didn't happen when tracks were built in recent years in Texas, Florida, California and Las Vegas. It isnt happening in Kentucky, where development of Kentucky Motor Speedway is zipping along. Former Nashville developer Jerry Carroll is building the track, and said has has received total cooperation from everyone in the area. Meanwhile, the local track cant get to the starting line.

The anti-track gang has resorted to scare tactics, suggesting that the superspeedway will promote gambling. They neglect one minor detail: Gambling is illegal in Tennessee. The track couldnt do it if it wanted to. Last week, I watched 190,000 fans flood into Daytona. I didnt see any boorish behavior.

I saw fans pumping millions of dollars into the Daytona economy, then going to the racetrack and having a great time. Fans around the country and those new to our area find it impossible to believe that Nashville once had two Winston Cup races and threw them away. How could it have happened, they ask? Each race would be worth approximately $100 million today. Charlotte's NASCAR and IRL races this year are expected to draw more fans than the city's NFL and NBA teams combined. How did Nashville blow it back in back door.

Now another misguided group is trying to kill the new superspeedway. If it succeeds, it will end any chance of ever bringing big-league racing back to this area. If snubbed here, the track will be built elsewhere. And in a few years when it is drawing huge crowds and national attention, folks will look back and ask, "How could Middle Tennessee have possibly blown it?" All we can tell them is, you had toAse there to believe it Larry Woody is a Tennessean sports writer and columnist. He can be reached at 259-8019 or 1984? You had to be there to believe it A handful of small-thinking, short-sighted people were in charge of the Fairgrounds track.

Decent folks, but clueless about racing. The State Fair Board, which controls the facility, constantly bickered with then-Speedway president Gary Baker. As NASCAR was considering withdrawing the Winston Cup sanctions, I covered a Fair Board meeting which dissolved into a dispute over who was responsible for patching a leak in the office roof. While they argued over a bucket of tar, NASCAR slipped out the Commentary Wilson County commission voted 22-3 in favor of the track. A spokesman for McGlynn said the suit will not derail the project.

But it could interrupt it, and each day that construction is delayed makes next year's opening target date less and less likely. Do new racetracks in other areas MEDIA WATCH SPORTS AM. Compiled from staff" and wire reports by Charles Searcy MTSU beats No. 3 Auburn Jamie Powers pitched five scoreless innings and Bryan Peck had three of the Blue Raiders' 12 hits as Middle Tennessee stunned third-ranked Auburn 8-2 in Auburn, Ala. The Raiders (1-1) held off rallies by the Tigers in the eighth and ninth innings to even the three-game series at 1-1.

The two teams play again at 1:30 p.m. today. CITADEL HANDS VOLS 9-1 LOSS Rod ney Hancock and Jay Morgan combined to strike out 13 Tennessee batters in the Franklin Life Classic in Charleston, S.C., as the Cadets handed the Vols a 9-1 loss. Tennessee starter Marlyn Tisdale (1-1) pitched five no-hit innings before the Citadel scored four times in the sixth and five more in the seventh. The Vols play Old Dominion at 1:30 p.m.

today. Union coach found dead A Union University women's basketball coach was found dead at her home after she failed to show up for yesterday's game against Lyon College in Bates-ville, Ark. Jackson, police found the body of cc-coach Lisa Hutchens, 37, at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday. They had been called by Hutchens' family members after she missed the team's scheduled departure time.

Police were reserving comment on Hutchens' death until more family members could be notified. Lyon women's coach Randy Gatling said both men's and women's games against Union were canceled because of the death. "We want to play the game, but there's a far greater need that needs to be addressed by the families and the players at Union University," Gatling said. Hutchens coached the NAIA Division One team with David Blackstock. The team is ranked second in the division in last week's Associated Press Poll.

Union University is a private college with 2,500 students and is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Neil's from TV, radio, print journalism and the Internet NASCAR considers TV packaging deal Sometime in the next few weeks, NASCAR executives will decide whether to package the television broadcast rights to the 34 Winston Cup race weekends for sale to the networks. The evolutionary move would mean hundreds of millions of dollars a year in extra revenue, plus the added TV exposure needed to cultivate the sport's mushrooming fan base. I By packaging race rights, NASCAR can probably persuade its broadcast partners to provide additional programming such as prerace and postrace coverage, much as the networks do for the NFL. Texas Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager Eddie Gossage said the increased revenue also will help track operators, who keep 65 of TV money (drivers get 25 and NASCAR 10), hold the line on ticket prices.

I Currently, each track operator who is host to a Winston Cup race sells its TV rights individually for whatever it can to whatever network is interested. This year, CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, TBS and The Nashville Network offer NASCAR races. The Daytona 500 sells its rights for an estimated $15 million, while smaller races sell their rights for something closer to $1.5 million. NASCAR races generate about $100 million in TV Rights fees each year. All the major U.S.

professional sports leagues sell 'their TV rights collectively. NASCAR is the only national sports TV property to "increase its viewer ratings every year since 1990, said Mel Poole, president of SponsorLogic, a sponsorship consulting management agency in Charlotte, N.C. Shane Levy of Nebraska appears to wrap himself around the high jump bar as he competed in the Big 12 Conference Indoor track championship yesterday in Manhattan, Kan. Razorbacks, Gators lead Michael Power of Arkansas set a meet record 7 minutes, 56.05 seconds to win the men's 3,000 me-; ters at the Southeastern Conference indoor track championships in Gainesville, helping Arkansas position itself for its third straight title. The Lady Gators finished with 20 points, followed by LSU with 19 and Arkansas with 18.

also was within striking distance with 16 points. MTSU, TSU trail in OVC Middle Tennes- -see's men are in second place in the OVC Indoor Championships, trailing Eastern Illinois by 54 points. Tenneseee State's women are third behind Eastern Kentucky, 28 points back. Davis may move Raiders Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has indicated he wants to move his team again, the Los Ange'es Times reported in yesterday's editions. Davis recently met with Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and told him city and county officials have not delivered sellout crowds since the team moved back to Oakland in 1995 after a dozen years in Los Angeles.

To move, the Raiders simply must give notice within 90 days of the Super Bowl and agree to pay a $500,000 termination fee, Raiders attorney Joseph Alioto said. Courier slowed by foot injury Jim Courier's happiness over reaching his first final in nearly a year was dampened yesterday by a -sprained foot that has him questionable for the St Jude Indoor championship today in Memphis. Courier sprained his left foot during the third set of a victory over John van Lottum and then played four more games before winning the semifinal, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4. "It's going to be a question of how much pain and discomfort he can handle," ATP Tour trainer Doug Spreen said about Courier's status for the final. "The big factor will be waking up tomorrow morning and seeing how it does tomorrow morning," said Courier, who qualified for his 36th career final.

"I'm pretty optimistic. I hope it's going to be fine with the proper treatment and proper help from our trainer." Courier will play No. 3 seed Tommy Haas, who reached his second final this year with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory over topseeded Todd Martin. WILLIAMS BEATS GRAF Venus Williams powered past Steffi Graf in three hard-fought sets, ending it with a service ace, to reach the Hanover (Germany) WTA final. Williams decided an exciting match that had 4,000 spectators whistling and clapping, by breaking Graf's serve at 4-3 in the final set of a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

"Venus has never played better," said Williams' younger sister, Serena. Williams, seeded second, will face top-seeded Jana Novotna in today's final. Novotna beat Russia's Elena Likhovtseva 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Tyson isolated on TV toss Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was put in an isolation cell after a disturbance last night 1 at the Montgomery County Detention Center in Rock-; ville, Md. Several TV stations in Washington reported that Tyson became upset, either in his cell or a break room, and threw a television set The set narrowly -missed jail guards, but there were no injuries.

A hearing on the disturbance has been set for Monday. Tyson, 32, was jailed Feb. 5. He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for attacking two motorists after a minor automobile collision in Gaithersburg, in August "Obviously he was pretty upset over something and he threw" the set, Seleznow said. I He said nobody was injured, but the set which he described as "not a huge, fancy TV" was danv aged.

The boxer is on probation in Indiana for raping a beauty pageant contestant in an Indianapolis hotel room in 1991. He served three years in prison and was released in March 1995. Tryba's 61 sets course record Ted Tryba, continuing this year's record-setting run of low scores, shot a 10-under-par 61 yesterday to rewrite the Riviera Country Club record and vault into the Nissan Open lead in Los Angeles. Tryba, who bogeyed the final hole by muffing his chip from the fringe and missing a 12-foot par putt, had nine birdies to go with an eagle on No. 1 1, where he sank a 30-foot putt His record round put him at 13-under 200, two shots in front of a most imposing trio: Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Davis Love III.

Woods, who shot 62-65 the final two rounds to win the San Diego event last weekend, was clicking again with a 65 that was his lowest score ever at Riviera. NICHOLAS EARNS ONE-SHOT WIN Alison Nicholas is the smallest player on the LPGA Tour, but she can still run rings around the competition. The 5-foot Nicholas shot a 1-over par 73 in rain to win the Hawaiian Ladies Open by one stroke over Moira Dunn and Annette DeLuca in Kapolei. KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE ON THE AIR Telei isiott and radio listings TODAY Time Event Station AUTO RACING 11:30 a.m. Winston Cup Dura LubeBig Kmart 400 TNN Also on 99.7-FM, 1010-AM, 1Q1.7-FM COLLEGE BASKETBALL a.m.

North Carolina at Duke (women) Sports South Noon Alabama at Vanderbilt (men) WTVF-5 Also on 650-AM 12:30 p.m. Maryland at Georgia Tech (men) ESPN2 2 p.m. Vanderbilt at Alabama (women) 1160-AM 2 p.m. Tennessee at LSI) (women) 560-AM 2 p.m. Arkansas at Georgia (women) Sports South 1:30 p.m.

Tulane at N.C. State (men) WKRN-2 2:30 p.m. Penn State at Ohio State (women) ESPN2 6 p.m. Marquette at Memphis (men) ESPN2 :30 p.m. Jan van Breda Kolff Show WNAB-58 10 p.m.

Randy Wiel Show WNAB-58 NBA Noon Detroit at San Antonio WSMV-4 230 p.m. Houston at Orlando WSMV-4 6 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers at Seattle WSMV-4 NHL 2 p.m. Detroit at Buffalo Fox 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia ESPN GOLF 2 p.m.

PGA Nissan Open WTVF-5 4:30 p.m. Senior GTE Classic ESPN SOCCER 2:30 p.m. Chile vs. United States (men) ESPN TOMORROW Time Event Station COLLEGE BASKETBALL 6 p.m. Lipscomb at Union (women) 98.7-FM 6:30 m.

Connecticut at Providence (men) ESPN 7 p.m. Valparaiso at Belmont (men) 560-AM 6 p.m. Lipscomb at Union (men) 98.7-FM 6 p.m Trevecca at Birmingham-Southern (men) 89.1-FM 8:30 m. Oklahoma State at Kansas (men) ESPN 'Jl p.m. Texas Christian at UNLV (men) ESPN a NBA m.

Chicago at Atlanta Sports South 7 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers at Denver TBS NHL 6:30 p.m. Phoenix at Pittsburgh ESPN2 COLLEGES 7 p.m. Vol Calls 1510-AM r- AROUND TOWN Community sfnrts happenings 1: TODAY AP Rudd's Ford leads field at The Rock Tennessean News Services ROCKINGHAM, N.C Jeff Gordon says he doesn't need to win to be happy. But the two-time defending NASCAR Winston Cup champion has made winning practically routine over the last few years.

Gordon will start third today in the 43-car field for the Dura-LubeBig Kmart 400. In fact, his No. 24 Chevrolet is the only General Motors product breaking up a sweep of the top six by Ford Tauruses. Ricky Rudd gained the 24th pole of his career and first in 101 races by getting around the 1.017-mile oval at 157.241 mph. The entire field was determined in one round of time trials on a cold, sunny day after Friday's scheduled opening session of qualifying was rained out.

"There wasnt anything particularly pretty about our lap," said Rudd, whose last pole came at Charlotte on Oct 4, 1995. "I really was sort of mad at myself because I drove into turn one and really kind of overdrove the corner a little bit. I really couldnt believe the lap was that good. But I would have been real happy with a top five, so a pole is great." Jeff Burton took the outside spot on the front row at 157.180, followed by Gordon at 157.167, Jeremy Mayfield at 157.018, Mark Martin at 156.931 and Rusty Wallace at 156.931. A victory for Gordon today at North Carolina Speedway would be the 44th in his still budding career.

He finished the 1998 season with two in a row and got the new season started last Sunday with a victory in the Daytona 500, so a trip to victory lane at Rockingham would match the modern-era record for consecutive wins. Nashvill's Bobby Hamilton was the lone Midstate driver to break the top 20, finishing 16th. Columbia's Sterling Martin was 27th and Franklin's Darrell Waltrip had to use the second of the eight provisionals available to him this year to get the final spot in the 43-car field. Friendships thrive despite competition Tennessean News Services ROCKINGHAM, N.C Just because NASCAR drivers are fierce competitors on the track doesn't mean they cant be friends away from it Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett have a comfortable kinship when they're not behind the wheel. 1 "Competing the way we do actually draws us a little closer," Jarrett said.

"Mark might not want this told Jeff either, maybe. Mark and I have been pretty good friends over the years. Maybe not to the point where we go out and eat all the time or anything like that. But we've talked a lot" He said he and Gordon and their wives went over to Martin's new house in Daytona Beach earlier this month while they were in town for the Daytona 500, The couples talked for more than an hour while their kids played. "It was fun to just sit around and discuss different things," Jarrett said.

"That might be a little disappointing to people that we did that, but then again, I think they would appreciate knowing that with the competitive nature of the three of us, we can 'put that aside until we get in the cars." Best finish: Michael Waltrip's fifth-place finish Writhe Daytona 500 was more than just his best showing in NASCAR's biggest race. It was the first top-five finish for the 35-year-old Waltrip in more than two seasons. In fact, it was only the 16th top-five finish for the younger brother of three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. in 395 career starts. He has yet to win a points race.

Possibly most Important, it came in his first race for car-owner Jim Mattel, who parted company with Geoffrey Bodine after the 1998 season. "It's great to have a car-owner like Jim Mattel, who told us, 'Just keep working, keep spending money you need to spend to get ready for Daytona-and 111 pay the bills until we get our sponsorship worked Michael Waltrip said. GOLF SHOW: Fourth Nashville Golf Show will be held at the Nashville pbnvention Center West Hall from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $7 for dulls, free for children 12-under. Call 345-6450.

Ricky Rudd climbs out of his car after winning the pole position for today's Dura-LubeBig Kmart 400. Burton wins Busch Tennessean News Services ROCKINGHAM, N.C Jeff Burton worked his way from 30th to the front, avoided a series of wrecks and ran off to an easy victory yesterday in the ALLTEL 200 Busch Series race at North Carolina Speedway. "My car was fast, but it wasnt fast enough," said Burton, who beat Roush Racing teammate and fellow NASCAR Winston Cup star Mark Martin to the finish line by 2.647 seconds, nearly a full straightaway on the 1.017-mile oval. Matt Kenseth, who led four times for 108 laps, wound up third, followed by Daytona winner and two-time series champion Randy LaJoie, who remained in the points lead. Nashville's Casey Atwood, an 18-year-old who walked away from a spectacular crash in the season opener, passed Mike McLaughlin late in the race to take fifth.

Nashville's Bobby Hamilton Jr. finished 27th, 10 laps down, and Andy Kirby of White House was 31st after being Involved in a crash. TOMORROW QUE8T 8PEAKERS: The Nashville 8 ports Council will have Vanderbilt Night at 5:15 p.m. at the Stadium Club next to Memorial Gym. Coaches Woody Widenholer.

Jan van Breda Kolff and Jim Foster will speak. Cost Is (25 for non-members. Call 880-1050 for reservations. UPCOMING HOCKEY: Nashville Pradatora have home games Tuesday vs. Dallas, $nd March 2 vs.

St. Louis at 7 p.m. In Nashville Arena. Call 770-7625. RODEO: Mute Cm PRCA Rodeo will be held Feb.

26-27 In Municipal Auditorium. Tickets for Friday session (7:30 p.m.) are $15. $12, and $10. Tickets for Saturday sessions (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) are $20, $15, and $12.

Discounts available for groups, kids and seniors. Call 862-6390. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Ohio Valley Conference men's and woman's tournament wHI be held In Nashville Arena. Women's semifinals are Feb. 27.

at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Men's semifinals are Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Finals are Feb. 28 at 1:30 p.m. (men) and 4:30 p.m. (women). Call 255-9600 for tickets.

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