The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 7

eljc Ucs Htoincs iKccitotcr DAVID WITKE, Executive Sports Editor, 515 Iron Man Scott Morgensen of Waterloo 284 8130 TmnsTmrrn C9 I credits his iron shots for his Iowa Amateur tournament lead. Page4S Saturday, July 18, 1992 Fa Sports VIEW Taking all bets: U.S. is golden j0s. jm. if ramj mm By MIKE LOPRESTI Gannktt News Service aybe there's a way to make a profit in this.

Bet on Logan." Butch Cassidy to the Iff Sundance Kid, after being challenged to a fight by the massive Harvey Logan. "I would. But who'd bet on you?" Sundance Kid. There's a problem with the U.S. Olympic basketball team in Barcelona.

The nation's enquiring sports minds will want to know about Michael, Magic and the boys the next three weeks. And where fans' minds go, Las Vegas normally assumes their wallets will follow. But who'd bet on Angola and take 55? On Germany? On anyone? Not many. And so, this Mother of Sure Things may be hard to find for a But who'd bet on Angola and take 55? On Germany? On anyone? -v IIP distance his ball second round during Friday's 64 to take the to reach a settlement, chances are good that the trial will resume a week from Monday without one. The owners will meet in Dallas on Monday when Tagliabue will have another chance, probably his last, to convince them to come up with a proposal that might be acceptable to the players.

"There's still a chance," Gene Upshaw, president of the NFL Players Association, said Friday. "We'll know a lot after their meeting on Monday." But Upshaw isn't optimistic. Nor is anyone else on either side. "My feeling is that they have to lose in court before some of the owners will come over," said Jeffrey Kessler, one of the two lead at- Report 12) Englishman fires a 64 for a three-shot lead and a two-round record 130. Pate and Floyd fade.

Gullane, Scotland (AP) It's a zone, or a mode, or a feeling. Few golfers ever experience it, and none have really explained it. Nick Faldo reached it Friday when he dialed 3-3-4-3-3-3-3-3 on the Muirfield exchange. Those are the numbers the Englishman compiled, beginning on the ninth hole, in a record-setting romp that propelled him to a three-stroke lead at the halfway point of the British Open. "Considering the circumstances, what I was doing, it was a unique feeling," Faldo said after he subdued Muirfield's famed links with a 7-under-par 64.

Faldo reached the tournament halfway point with a 130 total, 12 under par and, by two shots, the lowest 36-hole total in 121 British Opens. "Good luck to anyone who wants to shoot 129," he said. The old record of 132 was set by Henry Cotton in 1934 at Sandwich and matched by Greg Norman and Faldo at St. Andrews in 1990. Faldo, who won his first British Open title on this course in 1987, went on to a second at St.

Andrews and now is an unprecedented 4-7 favorite by British bookmakers to get a third. "I hope I know enough about this game to know what I have to do," he said. "I need to stay in the same mode. "I want to keep feeling right, keep my concentration right, keep mv rrmtinA rictht 1 rfnn't want trt cnange anything." But he has made changes in the then the rest will probably follow and Tagliabue will get the "global settlement" he wants. It would include settlement of various lawsuits, extension of the draft, and a labor agreement that could include a salary cap although some of the better paying teams worry that the cap would provide an advantage to teams at the bottom of the salary scale.

All this has been hanging since 1987, when the players went on strike for 24 days in an effort to win free agency. The suit in Minneapolis now on a two-week hiatus is the first of a scries of antitrust cases aimed at winning in court what the NFLPA couldn't win on the picket line. Britain's Nick Faldo shows the finished from the 18th hole NFL players, owners refuse to compromise SECOND ROUND Par 71-71-142 Nick Faldo 66-64-130 Gordon Brand. Jr 65-68 1 33 John Cook 66-67-133 Steve Pate 64-70-134 Raymond Floyd 64-71-135 Donnie Hammond 70-65135 Ernie Els 66-69-135 Tom Purtzer 68-69137 Jose Maria Olazabal 70-67-137 Larry Rinker 69-68137 past, even the recent past. He took almost two years out of his career to retool his swing under the guidance of David Leadbetter, a man Faldo calls "Lord Lead." The change, back in the '80s, preceded consecutive Masters victories in 1989-90.

But it also produced complaints that Faldo had become too mechanical, too concerned with the techniques of the game at the expense of finesse and feel. Over the past few months he has attempted to regain a more natural swing and a game that again includes the touch and feel that play such an important part in major tournaments. On this cloudy, windy day, he found the combination. "Mechanical Man's gone Monsieur Naturel, please," Faldo said. "All of a sudden out there, I felt so good inside.

I thought, 'If you feel this good, just keep rolling he said. He rolled along for six birdies, an eagle, a record and the lead in the tournament he covets as no other. "I was enjoying it," he said. "1 just set my target, what I wanted to do, and on almost every hole, I did it." He did it with something ar BRITISH Please turn to Page 4S NFL officials eager for a settlement note that Tagliabue has taken over the talks and that the hardliners during the strike are no longer involved. Jack Donlan has been replaced as head of the Management Council; Dallas' Tex Schramm has retired; Miami's Joe Robbie died last year and Tampa Bay's Hugh Cul-verhouse isn't active in the talks.

But there doesn't seem to be much movement among the others. The NFL system which requires approval of 21 of 28 owners for any major action doesn't help things. League officials say nothing can be settled unless Upshaw moves from the four-year demand. leads the Tour de France, reacts the 12th stage. Story: Page 5S.

XC4 Associated Press of the British Open. Faldo fired a lead at a tournament-record 130. Don Shula signs two-year contract extension to remain coach of Dolphins. Page 4S. tomeys for the eight players suing the league for free agency.

"The commissioner has made some efforts, but I don't see much chance right now for settlement." Which brings us to "six" and "four" the owners have on the table a plan that would allow a limited free agency after six years; the players want it to be four. If that issue can be resolved and neither side seems ready to go to the obvious compromise at five Write Off Russell Prep softball sectionals set to open today By CHRISTOPHER NELSON Register Stake Writer Prediction: Russell won't win the state girls' softball tournament. OK, that's not a precarious position to take. For the second consecutive year, Russell has no softball team to field when sectionals begin today across the state. Its scheduled opponent, Wayne of Corydon, received a bye to its sectional semifinal.

"I only had 10 girls out to begin with and because there was no competition for positions, some of the girls didn't have a positive attitude," said first-year coach Julie Schrandt. "They thought they didn't have to go out for practice and knew they were going to play. "One of the girls got kicked off the team, two quit and one went on vacation so I didn't have enough girls." Russell, near Chariton in Lucas County, had an enrollment of 65 students and a graduating class of 12 this past spring. The softball team hasn't played since the second week of the season, after its record dropped to 0-4. Schrandt, a 1991 Iowa State graduate from Postville, hasn't SOFTBALL Ph ase turn to Page 3S patriotic soul wanting to get a bet down.

In Vegas, some casinos won't be touching the U.S. team's crusade in Spain with a 10-foot lance. The man from the Mirage hotel and casino was one. "I wouldn't consider putting it up at this point," said Russ Culver, who manages the sports book for the Mirage. "As much interest as there has been in this team, I don't think anyone is interested in the final score.

I think it's a misconception that anyone gives a damn about the final score. They just want to see Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing together." The man from the Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which sends out the original line on events to the casinos, is of a similar mind. "There's never been heavy betting on the Olympics; serious gamblers have never been attracted to the Olympics," said Roxy Roxborough, president of Las Vegas Consultants. "I think this is going to be more of a bet for conversation. I don't expect serious bettors to go for it." But Roxborough has Olympic odds ready to go.

The U.S. opener is with Angola. That is an easier first game than even Georgetown schedules. Roxborough thinks the line will be in the 55- to 60-point range. That may be a record, he said.

Maybe not. lie remembers a few times when Ivy League teams took their chemistry books and basketballs down to North Carolina and Duke, and the spreads were in the 50s. But he can't ever remember a 60. The odds on Team USA winning the gold? Roxborough has established that at 1-20. You couldn't get much better odds on Tuesday following Monday.

A man does not attain wealth quickly betting 20 bucks and winning $1. Might as well stay over at the Keno tables. Lithuania is next at 10-1, Croatia at 12-1, the Unified Team at 20-1. Judging that many casinos won't be overjoyed at putting up anything at 1-20, Roxborough has came up with silver medal odds. Lithuania is 2-1, Croatia 5-1.

The U.S. odds at winning the silver is 12-1. Think about that. How many times do you see a team get worse odds for finishing second than it had for finishing first? Sounds like wacky business to me. Roxborough said the Dream Team may be a tricky one for a point spread, anyway, from what happened in Portland in the Tournament of Americas.

The Yanks took life especially easy once the margin hit 40 or so. "They seem to let up significantly in the second half," he said. "I don't look at this like Oklahoma beating up on a bad football team, and never calling off the dogs." Culver said two other factors work against the Dream Team being much of a bettable item. No. 1 is the competition level is down, what with the Soviets and Yugoslavs broken apart No.

2 is that late in the blowouts, when the bettors will want to be watching, is just when NBC will feel free to cut away elsewhere. Gamblers love to see their action unfold on TV and very few of them will have Tri-plecast. They will not care for it at crunch time well, their crunch time, anyway if they look at the TV screen and see kayaking. So Culver said it's no deal on the U.S. team.

Right now, anyway. "We'll stick to the meat-and-potato sports," he said. "Track and field. Swimming. Maybe some gymnastics." Time is getting short.

The Games are near. Las Vegas is ready, though not particularly excited about Michael Jordan. But who do you like in the hammer throw? Tough Day The league's labor dispute appears to be headed back to court as the two sides argue over free agency. New York, N.Y. (AP) Forget about "global settlements" in the 5-year-old NFL labor dispute.

Remember the numbers "six" and "four," the keys to whether the NFL and its players take that dispute back to court in Minneapolis. Right now, the best answer seems to be "see you in court." Despite Commissioner Paul Tag-liabue's attempts to negotiate with the players and persuade owners Morning Indiana appoints Goldman Duane Goldman, a Big Ten and NCAA champion at the University of Iowa, was named wrestling coach at Indiana on Friday. Goldman was an assistant coach for the Hoosiers the past two years. He succeeds Joe McFarland, who left Indiana earlier this summer to become an assistant at Michigan. Goldman, who wrestled at 190 pounds, compiled a 132-10 record at Iowa.

He was a four-time Big Ten champion and won an NCAA title in 1986. Gill back to Nebraska Former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill will rejoin the Corn-huskers as a full-time assistant coach, a newspaper reported Thursday. Gill, 29, a coach at Southern Methodist University, replaces 14-year assistant Jack Pierce, the Omaha World-Herald reported. "It's a great opportunity to come back and just be in a program like this," Gill told the World-Herald. Gill will leave SMU on Aug.

1, the World-Herald reported. Gill, of Fort Worth, Texas, was a three-time All-Big Eight quarterback at Nebraska from 1981 to 1983. He led the Husk-ers to a 28-2 record. Pierce is stepping down to become a fund-raiser for the athletic department. He has been an assistant coach at Nebraska since 1978 and the Huskers' chief road recruiter since 1985.

Scores AMERICAN LEAGUE BASEBALL Baltimore 8 Texas 0 Minnesota 3 Boston 2 Kansas City 4 Cleyejand 3 Detroit at Oakland Milwaukee at Chicago New York at California Toronto at Seattle NATIONAL LEAGUE BASEBALL Montreal 3 San Diego 0 New York 1 San Francisco Atlanta 5 Houston 0 Chicago 2 Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 11 Los Angeles 3 Cincinnati 8 St Louis 1 "Quotes of The Day 7 "The Olympics are just a chance to get to drink beers and champagne and sometimes to watch a pretty woman run very fast. This is not a city where people are crazy about sporte. Javier Mariscal, maker of this summer's Olympic mascot the cartoon dog Cobi. think I found my event. I'm a mediocre runner, a mediocre biker and a lousy swimmer, but I'm great at eating doughnuts.

John January, who ate 1 2 doughnuts to win Tour de Donut, a 30-mile event in Illinois in which cyclists subtract 5 minutes for every doughnut consumed in 20 minutes. Today's TV Best Golf: 9 a.m., ABC. BhITISIIOI'HX, TiliKDHOI'M) More listings: Page 2S Frenchman Pascal Lino, who on the podium Friday after.