Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 18

SPORTS The Arizona Republic C2 MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2001 TODAY'S BROADCASTS Mariners leave Bronx filled with confidence The same goes for Bret Boone, who has matched A- ji 'X EVENT TIME TV RADIO BASEBALL Little League World Series 11a.m. ESPN Lincoln, R.I., vs. South Lake Charles, La. Brewers at Cubs 2 p.m. WGN Little League World Series 4 p.m.

ESPN2 Brownsburg, vs. Oceanside, Calif. doubleheader BASKETBALL WNBA East semifinal 5 p.m. ESPN Charlotte at Cleveland WNBA West semifinal 7 p.m. ESPN Houston at Los Angeles EXTREME SPORTS Games 1p.m.

ESPN 6 p.m. ESPN2 FOOTBALL NFL preseason 5 p.m. Ch. 15 ESPN 860 Broncos at Packers TUESDAY'S BROADCASTS EVENT TIME TV RADIO BASEBALL Little League World Series 11a.m. ESPN Bainbridge Island, Wash.

vs. Bronx, N.Y. Little League World Series" 4 p.m. ESPN2 Apopka, Fla. vs.

Davenport, Iowa Diamondbacks at Pirates 4 p.m. FOXAZ KTAR620 Padres at Braves 4:30 p.m. TBS v. A 1 Serena Williams celebrates after beating Jennifer Capriati for the Rogers Cup title on Sunday. S.

Williams defeats Capriati in 3 sets BASKETBALL WNBA East semifinal 5 p.m. Miami at New York WNBA West semifinal 7 p.m. Houston at Los Angeles it necessary COMMENTARY By Bill Madden New York Daily News NEW YORK In the late morning on Sunday, a couple of hours before the start of what would become Mariners 10, Yankees 2 and a very public flogging of Andy Pettitte, Lou Piniella was sitting in the visiting team manager's office sipping coffee, puffing on a cigarette and mulling aloud about the task at hand for his Seattle ballclub. "The Yankees," said Piniella, scrutinizing the stat sheets on his desk, "have more power now than any other team in baseball. With this new lineup, with Jeter on top, they've got power from one to nine.

As a result, they're a team that can win a lot of games late. "I'll tell you something else. It's obvious they take these games seriously." Piniella may well have been right on both counts, but as is equally obvious now, the same must be said about his own team. In the days leading up to this series, much was being made of the Mariners' mounting challenge to the Yankees' record-setting 114-win season in 1998, not to mention all the other remarkable accomplishments by the team that has lost three superstar players in Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez over the past three seasons.

Even more was made of it when the Yankees, behind Mike Mussina, shut out baseball's highest-scoring team in the opener Friday night. "The buildup was back here in New York," Piniella insisted. "I didn't build anything up. We came in here just hoping to play well, and we did." They leave here 89-35, on a pace for 116 wins with 38 games to play, while keeping intact their streak of not losing a road series. In addition, they have not lost three in a row since September of last year.

They are legit. Mike Cameron may not be Ken Griffey but after his two-homer, eight-RBI game Sunday (which boosted his season totals to 20 and 86, respectively), he's not too shabby, either. (At last look, Griffey had 15 homers and 37 RBIs for the Reds.) Listings are for TV and cable only. Satellite programming may vary. TD-tape-delayed.

T-taped. TV channels are listed numerically, cable by channel name. 'Spanish broadcast. 5-game )IAM0MD Vj Radio: KTAR620 Radio: I Radio: KDUS 1060 I XTRA910 KSUN1400 100.7 FM Tickets: Tickets: Tickets: 602.514.8400 602.379.0102 480.965.2381 Tuesday Saturday Sept 8 Aug. 30 Aug.

30 Pittsburgh Chicago San Diego St. San Diego St. Cal State 4:05 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m.

7 p.m. Northridge FOXAZ Ch.10 j. ESPN2 6 p.m. Wednesday Aug. 31 Sept.

15 Sept. 8 i Sept. 8 i Pittsburgh i San Diego UCLA Idaho Stephen F. i 4:05 p.m. 7 p.m.

i 7:15 p.m. 1 7 p.m. Austin FOXAZ Ch.10, TO. 11p.m. FOXAZ 6 p.m.

Thursday Sept 16 Sept 22 Sept. 22 Sept 15 Pittsburgh Washington Stanford UNLV i Oklahoma St. 4:05 p.m. 1p.m. 7:15 p.m.

7 p.m. 5 p.m. FOXAZ Ch.10 TVTBA 1 Associated Press TORONTO Serena Williams served notice that she's back in Grand Slam form with a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory Sunday over Jennifer Capriati in the Rogers Cup championship match. The 19-year-old Williams, who pulled out of last year's final in Montreal against Martina Hingis in the third set with a foot injury, recovered from a rain interruption of almost three hours and a tense tiebreaker loss to win her second WTA title this summer. Williams broke a string of four straight losses to the top-seeded Capriati, who ousted her from the Wimbledon quarterfinals in their last meeting.

Capriati will be the No. 2-ranked player in the world next week in the WTA rankings. Williams, who will stay at No. 10, has to be considered a favorite to win the U.S. Open later this month.

She won the event in 1999. "I want to win seven singles matches in a row," Williams said, alluding to what it will take to again win the Open. Williams won $178,000 Sunday. Capriati, who earned $91,000, was impressed with Williams' play. "She came up with a few big Friday Sept 23 Philadelphia Denver 4:05 p.m.

5:30 p.m. FOXAZ ESPN Sept 29 San Jose St. 7 p.m. Saturday Philadelphia 10:15 a.m. Ch.10 Sept 30 Atlanta 1:05 p.m.

Ch.10 Oct 6 Lousiana Lafayette 7 p.m. denotes home game pre Rod RBI for RBI this season af ter replacing the much-bally hooed $252 million defector in the middle of the Mariners lineup. And while Johnson's imposing presence still has not been replaced at the top of the starting rotation, the three players they got from Houston for him pitchers Freddy Garcia and John Halama and shortstop Carlos Guillen -turned out to be decent com pensation. Garcia has emerged as the M's titular ace with 14 wins and the third-lowest ERA (3.26) in the American League, while Guillen has alleviated Piniel la's biggest concern prior to the season with his stellar play as Rodriguez's replacement at shortstop. "Yes, we've lost three future Hall of Famers," Piniella said, "but what you have to look at is all the pieces we've gotten in place of them.

I'm talking about Ichiro (Suzuki), Camer on, (Aaron) Sele, Garcia, (Mark) McLemore, Guillen. That's a lot of professional people, plus our bullpen guys (Arthur) Rhodes, (Jeff) Nelson and (Kazuhiro) Sasaki. It's a pretty well-rounded ballclub." Even if it doesn't have home run power from top to bottom. "Definitely we had to come in here and play well," Camer on said. "If we didn't, it would have been the story of the year in baseball.

We all know even- tually we have to dethrone the Yankees to play in the World Series. I guess today was a good starting point." Nobody in the clubhouse thinks of Junior, The Big Unit or A-Rod anymore. Without them, it is a clubhouse devoid of big egos and superstars. Pi niella may lament the fact he doesn't have a power hitter at every position and he may privately grouse about the failure of the front office to get him another bat at the trading deadline, but that is quickly offset by the professionalism his team demonstrates. They came into the jaws of the most-hyped series the Yankees have played at the Stadium since October, got shut out in the first game and won the next two.

Another challenge met on the road to October, where they now know they can play with anybody. Including the world champions. Videotapes show Northwestern staff was present at the workout during which Rashidi Wheeler died. must initiate the workout; no information about the workout is recorded or reported to coaches; and players are not punished for refusing to participate or given incentives to participate. "If someone is recording who's there and it's regimented, that's not voluntary," NCAA spokesman Wallace Renfro said.

He could not be reached Sunday for further comment but has refused to address the Northwestern case. Northwestern spokesman Alan Cubbage said Sunday that the school would have no comment until the completion of an internal review, which will include a look at the tapes. Northwestern athletic director Rick Taylor has told Walker to stop the conditioning test until the review is completed. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is acting as a spokesman for Wheeler's family, called the workout a "supervised, unlawful practice." He and others have also questioned whether the staff on hand was adequately prepared for an emergency.

An on-field phone was not working at the time and the 91 1 call was made using a player's cell phone, observers have said. There have also been allegations that Wheeler and other players may have taken an energy supplement that is banned by the NCAA. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has determined the 22-year-old Wheeler died of bronchial asthma but is planning further toxicology tests. Tapes show players continued workout Polygraph shows Tyson truthful 4r Associated Press ones at important times where I didn't even have a play on it," Capriati said. Both players argued calls vehemently with referee Anne Ulrich during the tiebreaker.

Williams was serving for the match at 7-6 in the tiebreaker, but couldn't close it. But she employed her booming serves to her advantage and showed great mobility in chasing down shots in the third set. Williams served for the match when Capriati gave up a break and a 5-3 lead. When Williams led 3-2 in the third set, Capriati disagreed loudly with Ulrich's call to play a point over. "Really, it makes no difference to talk to them," Capriati said.

"Basically it's a waste of breath. It's just trying to vent out a little bit of the frustration." While Capriati often seemed impatient throughout the match, Williams was focused. Capriati noted that she usually expects drama of some sort from Williams in the form of injury or illness, but there was none of that Sunday. "Today she didn't slow down at all or, I don't know, acted if she was sick," Capriati said. "That wasn't in the play today.

She was constantly the same player out there." BRIEFS down during a race at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and he was trampled by another horse, authorities said. The 23-year-old native of New Jersey, the leading rider at the track, had not regained consciousness and was on life support, according to officials at the Royal University Hospital. College football Two Nebraska players were arrested early Sunday outside a downtown Lincoln, bar and spent the night in jail before posting bond. Linebacker Tony Tata was arrested for disturbing the peace outside Mickey's Irish Pub at 12:30 a.m. CDT after he was seen arguing with the bar's owner, Police Capt.

David Beggs said. Running back Dahrran Diedrick was arrested at 12:48. He had been kicked out of the same bar after a disturbance and was yelling at the owner and officers while being restrained, Beggs said. Running Matt Carpenter won the Pikes Peak Marathon in Mani-tou Springs, becoming the first person to win it and the Pikes Peak Ascent on consecutive days. Carpenter, of Manitou Springs, finished the marathon from Manitou Springs up Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak and back down, in 3 hours, 53 minutes, 54 seconds.

Compiled from Republic wire services. ESPN ESPN planner DOG RACING 0 Phoenix Greyhound Park i 602.273.7181 Today Live 7:30 p.m. Radio: K0Y1230 Tickets: 520.621.2287 Radio: ESPN 860 KTNN 660 Tickets: 928.523.5661 AUTO RACING Friday Super Stocks, 4 Factory Stocks, 8p.m. Manzanita Speedway 602.276.7575 Saturday 1 IMCA Mini Stocks, AZ i Sprints, 7:30 p.m. Canyon Raceway Sept 29 Washington St.

7 p.m. TVTBA i Sept 22 Southern Utah 6 p.m, 602.258.RACE 1 HORSE i 1 RACING 9 Turf Paradise i 602.942.1101 Oct. 6 Oregon 7:15 p.m. FOXAZ Sept. 29 Portland State 6 p.m.

Today Simulcast only 9:30 a.m. season TBA to be announced. BOXING NOTES looks like a legal knockout blow from Tyson attorney Dar-row Soil of Phoenix. Further distractions are possible for Tyson as he fights for another shot at the heavyweight title. The alleged victim reportedly has an attorney.

The real surprise would be if Tyson managed to defy the distractions, his self-destructive path and time. At 35, there aren't that many chances left for him to regain the title. He has fought only IS rounds since he was disqualified for biting Evander Holy-field's ears in 1997. He'll fight lightly regarded Brian Nielsen on Sept. 8 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

But he'll have one opponent. A familiar one, too. Himself. Briefs The 7 p.m. card Tuesday at Tempe's Rockin' Rodeo includes a contender who is unknown in the United States.

He's Toncho Tonchev, a Bulgarian who lost to Oscar De La Hoya in the 1992 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1996. Tonchev has gone 24-0 in Europe. His bout Tuesday night is his first pro fight in the United States. He has been campaigning at 130 pounds. Valley manager Ivaylo Gotzev hopes Tuesday night's card is the first in a monthly series.

Gotzev, who manages In- ternational Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion Vas-siliy Jlrov of Fountain Hills, represents former Lennox Lewis promoter Pano Eliades, who is underwriting the card. Gotzev saidEliades.ofLondon, plans to apply for a promoter's license with the Arizona State Boxing Commission. M. NAD Rafter wins RCA title after Kuerten pulls out Associated Press CHICAGO While paramedics tried unsuccessfully to save the life of Northwestern football player Rashidi Wheeler, teammates continued workouts under the supervision of school staff, videotapes show. Representatives of Wheeler's family say the tapes again raise questions about the emergency response to his collapse.

The tapes also could heighten the debate over whether the workout violated NCAA regulations. The tapes of the Aug. 3 workout, given to a Wheeler family attorney by Northwestern athletic department staff members and passed on to the Chicago Tribune, show the senior safety wobbling and dropping to his hands and knees as he attempts to complete wind sprints. Later, an ambulance arrives and paramedics try to resuscitate Wheeler as some players gather nearby holding hands and bowing their heads. Other players continue to take the conditioning test.

Coach Randy Walker requires players to pass the test, and many take it during the summer conditioning program to get it out of the way before training camp. "I am simply amazed that they continued these sprints," said James Montgomery, the Chicago partner of lawyer Johnnie Cochran, who represents the Wheeler family. "The kid was down. They knew he was an asthmatic, and they knew he told them he was dying. Yet they were more concerned with continuing their sprints." The tapes show a staff member with a stopwatch monitoring the drill.

The NCAA in April tightened the definition of a voluntary off-season workout: Players, and not coaches or other team staff members, By Norm Frauenheim The Arizona Republic Mike Tyson's training camp in Phoenix has included a lot of punching bags and one poly graph test. In his fight against rape alle gations, Tyson scored a victory on a polygraph conducted nearly two weeks ago in Phoenix, according to transcripts of an investigation that was con cluded Friday by the San Ber nardino (Calif.) County Attorney's Office. It's hard to say how the poly graph results, which are inad missible in court, influenced the decision not to charge Tyson. But the results could have only helped. In effect, they support his assertion that he is innocent of a crime that had been alleged to have happened July 16 in Big Bear, a mountain community about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.

At the Phoenix office of polygraph specialist Tom Ezetl, Tyson answered four key questions Aug. 8. Three asked whether the al leged victim was forced into sex, whether she was harmed and whether she was restrained. Tyson answered no to each. In the fourth question, he was asked whether the sex was consensual.

Yes, he said. On the polygraph chart, Ty son scored 24. According to a scale devised at the University of Utah, he needed a 6 to be truthful. A -6 would have judged him a liar. There had been some criti cism of Tyson for not sitting down with San Bernardino authorities for an interview.

But a favorable polygraph, along with exhaustive interviews of people close to both the former heavyweight cham pion and the alleged victim, Gustavo Kuerten quit be cause of a rib cage injury just 22 minutes into the RCA Championships final against Pat Rafter on Sunday in Indianapolis the French Open winner's second match of the day. Kuerten won his rain-postponed semifinal against Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday morning, then had only a one-hour break before getting back on court to face Rafter for the title. More tennis Andy Roddick won the first hard-court title of his career by beating Sjeng Schalken 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. Ameiie Mauresmo beat Magdalena Maleeva 6-3, 64 in the first round of the Pilot Pen event in New Haven, Conn. Horse racing Skimming repeated as winner of the Pacific Classic, turning in a front-running performance for the second year in a row in Del Mar, Calif.

Skimming defeated Dixie Dot Com by 52 lengths to make Bobby Frankel the first trainer in thoroughbred history to win the same $1 million race six times. Aptitude overwhelmed his rivals in the Saratoga Breed ers' Cup Handicap in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Ridden by Jerry Bailey, Aptitude went to the outside midway through the far turn, drew even with Gander nearing the stretch, then took command and won by 4Vi engths. Jockey Isiah Sala was in a coma Sunday night, hours after he and his mount went 4.