The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 66

sl 10 THE PALM BEACH POST FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1990 3C NBA Finals ResultsSchedule Pistons' boost on Salley big" the boards Foreign journalists lacking at Finals Sunday, June 17 Portland at Detroit, 3:30 p.m., If necessary Tuesday, June 19 Portland at Detroit, 9 p.m.. If necessary Tuesday's result Detroit 105, Portland 99, Detroit leads senes 1-0 Thursday's result Portland at Detroit, late Sunday's gams Detroit at Portland, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday's fame Detroit at Portland, 9 p.m. Thursday's game Detroit at Portland, 9 p.m., If necessary NBA Today SCOREBOARD No games are scheduled as the" teams head west for Games 3, 4 and, If necessary, 5 at Memorial Coliseum, where the Trail Blazers have beaten the Pistons 20 straight times, Including 102-82 on Nov. 26.

STARS Repeaters Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone were Joined by Patrick Ewing on the 1990 All-NBA first team, announced Wednesday. Johnson, selected for the eighth straight year, was the top vote-getter with 91-of-92 possible first-team votes and 458 of a possible 460 total points. SEVEN MINUTES "The team was feeling down In the huddle. All of a sudden Isiah said, 'We've got seven minutes. This is It.

Seven All of a sudden, the mood changed." Detroit forward Dennis Rodman on what precipitated the Pistons' game-ending 25-9 run that carried them to a 105-99 victory In Game 1 of the NBA Finals. STATS The winner of Game 1 of the NBA Finals has gone on to win the championship 30 times in 43 series. BRIAN BIGGANE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer AUBURN HILLS, Mich. The NBA Finals have worldwide ap-; peal. Unlike baseball, which almost 'is unknown in many nations, and football, which still is largely a curiosity overseas, basketball is enjoyed and accepted around the globe.

This year, the presence of the first European player in the finals, Portland's Drazen Petrovic of Yu-' goslavia, would seem to command even more attention from the international sporting press and public. But the 1990 Finals are differ- ent. The World Cup soccer tourna-! ment begins today in Italy, and although NBA figures show the Finals are being televised in 77 countries, the foreign press gent borders on miniscule. The largest representation is from Spain; apparently the Spanish tend to ignore everything that hap-'. pens in Italy, so 10-15 Spanish me-i; dia representatives are instead fol- lowing Detroit-Portland.

Not surprisingly, the smallest contingent is from Italy. League officials say "four or five" journal-; ists have made the trip, many of them representing multiple outlets. "The expense involved means that, in most cases, only the largest media outlets can be represented," said Barbara Bottini, an NBA pub-' lie relations assistant who works as I a liaison between the league and Europe. "But we expect the numbers of foreign journalists to keep growing," she added. "We had 35-40 people last year and already expect as many as 50 next year." This year's number, she said, is closer to 25.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Petrovic's home country, Yugoslavia, is not represented. The national news organization apparently couldn't afford the trip, although the games are carried live at 3 a.m. nationwide. Speaking of Petrovic, whose nickname is his home country is "Mozart of the Hoops," the 6-foot-5 guard didn't exactly make his countrymen stand up and cheer with his Game 1 performance, totaling two points and three personal fouls in four first-half minutes. Before Game 2, Petrovic seemed disturbed he had been used so sparingly.

He averaged 5.8 points and 12.2 minutes for the Blazers during the regular season. "I can help our team," he said. "I know I can play much better." Petrovic, who averaged 28.2 points in the 1988-89 season for Real Madrid of the Spanish League, hadn't lost his enthusiasm for his situation, however. "The NBA Finals is the most exciting event of my life," he said. "I was very nervous before the start (of Game 1), but then it's the same as others." Detroit assistant coach Brendan Malone said before the series began he expected Pistons' reserve forward David Greenwood to play an important role because of his size (6-9, 225 pounds) and quick- STIFLING The Pistons have allowed 92.8 points per game In the playoffs and are on pace to break the NBA playoff record of 92.9 points they set last year.

Detroit, which held Its opponents to less than 100 points in 1 5-of-1 7 games last season, already has allowed 1 00 four times this season. But the Pistons also held Chicago to 74 points In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and held both New York and the Bulls to 77 points in earlier playoff games. SIGNED Washington's Charles Jones, at 6-foot-9 the shortest starting center In the NBA, on Wednesday signed a multiyear contract with the Bullets. SPEAKING "The most difficult thing for a basket-ball player is to fight the tendency to make the game an Individual battle. Almost every night I'm playing against a guy I know I can take, but I have to fight that urge because I have to make sure the team plays well.

It's not whether I play well. At one point In my career I had to ask myself If I wanted to win championships or do I want to be a hero. The worst feelings I've ever had as a player were when I was playing well and still losing." Detroit's Isiah Thomas. the back. The latter is taken from Hammer's song by the same name.

Greenwood hasn't yet mentioned any possible royalties, but it would seem Hammer should get his share of what has been a successful promotion so far. Detroit's John Salley on Portland's 280-pound center Kevin Duckworth: "I don't think it's fair to have a butt that big." "When John comes in, he's very active player," Portland forward Jerome Kersey said. "He comes in very fresh and able to ran up and down the court." Salley played a major role in Detroit's 93-74 win over Chicago on Sunday that clinched the Eastern Conference title. He had 14 points and five blocks. In the second quarter, he had seven points and four blocks as the Pistons turned a 19-17 deficit into a 48-33 halftime "I can laugh, joke and jump rope," Salley said, "but when it comes time to play, I play." "A blocked shot takes away )he other team's heart," Laimbeer said.

"When you have Salley blocking shots like that, it leads to some easy baskets at the other On to the Finals. He replaced Laimbeer with 4Y49 left in the first quarter of the opener. Twenty-five seconds later he blocked Clyde Drexler's shot. And 54 seconds after that, -he blocked 7-foot Kevin Duckworth's shot. Salley finished the game with eight offensive rebounds and four blocks, "He's not going to hurt you anywhere but on the boards," Portland coach Rick Adelman said.

This season, Salley averaged 7.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. In the playoffs, he was averaging 10.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks after the opener. He had a total of nine blocks in two of the biggest games the last against Chicago and the first against Portland. off today' he'd rather see it in person and flown in from central Africa? In" Argentina, the government consid-ered declaring today a national holiday but has decided not to close: state offices. Assuming, no there will be bigger things to celebrate later for the matchless Diego Maradona and his mates.

Earlier in the week, there were; frantic reports that the enormously talented Maradona, hero of the World Cup, might not play tdday because of foot problems aggravate ed by ingrown toenails, causing! Argentine coach Carlos Bilardo to; lament, "I am not sleeping at night." 4 World Cup kicks Family, friends always I eager to beam in Bichette The Associated Press AUBURN HILLS, Mich. John Salley began the season as a starter. That didn't work out. He's finishing it just fine. As the Detroit Pistons aim for a second straight NBA title, the 6-foot-11 leaper is playing some of his best basketball of the season blocking shots, rebounding and running.

"In the playoffs, he takes care of himself," teammate Bill Laim-beer said. "He doesn't shoot commercials and all that stuff." Salley has been known for his one-liners as much as his two-pointers. At the end of Detroit's 105-99 victory over Portland in Tuesday night's opener of the NBA Finals, he wore a big grin as he playfully lifted referee Dick Ba-vetta off the court and carried him a few steps. Even Bavetta smiled. Early in the season, the mood was different.

The Pistons had lost Rick Ma-horn in the expansion draft. Coach Chuck Daly put Salley into the starting power forward slot. He pulled him out after the 12th game, a 102-82 loss to the Trail Blazers. In 20 minutes, Salley had three points, two rebounds, no assists or steals and four personal fouls. The Pistons were 7-5 with him in the starting lineup, 52-18 with him providing a spark off the bench.

"I had a pretty consistent season," Salley said. "I stayed at a nice equilibrium. I went down a little, but I did my job. That's the most important thing." lan's Giuseppe Meazza has been called by architect Simon Inglis a "temple to the great god calcio" soccer. More than $4 billion has been spent in construction costs and Pope John Paul II came to the packed Stadio Olympico in Rome just to bless the refurbishing work.

It's simpler to say that the World Cup is the global Super Bowl except that isn't nearly accurate. The Super Bowl is just one game, in one day, in just one city. The World Cup is 52 games, in 12 cities, spread over a month. Today's kickoff will be televised to 170 nations, but Cameroon President Paul Biya has decided freshman at a Division I school. Pollard said Travis had scored 15 on his last attempt.

Travis has signed to play at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Pollard said. "We had hoped he could pull it out," Pollard said. "But it was just too much. He was so far behind. He worked on it, but he never had much of a chance." Neither Florida recruiting coordinator Jim Goodman nor football coach Steve Spurrier could be reached for comment.

Travis is listed at 6-foot-4, 225 State routs Results, schedule 6C 16), which is unbeaten in three game in the CWS, will play for the title on Saturday against the winner of tonight's game between top-seeded Stanford and fourth-seeded Georgia. It will be Oklahoma State's sixth appearance in the title game. The Cowboys won the national championship in 1959 and finished second in 1961, '66, '81 and '87. Only Southern California (12), Belmont Field By JOHN JEANSONNE Newday FLORENCE, Italy It isn't easy to clarify how important the quadrennial World Cup soccer tournament is to most of the earth's inhabitants, let alone explain why the players from the United Arab Emirates would want to bring 10 "lucky" camels with them to the World Cup. It makes more sense to note the camels didn't make it through Italian customs.

It's difficult to describe the level of involvement in the host nation alone. The site of today's opening game between defending champion Argentina and Cameroon Mi UF loses top recruit to poor grades ness. Greenwood didn't play in Game 1, but he has been keeping busy anyway marketing T-shirts. Borrowing heavily from rapper MC Hammer, Greenwood designed a shirt with a hammer smashing into the words "Hammer Time" on the front, and two championship rings, the Pistons' logo and the words "You Can't Touch This" on Renegades sign ex-UM star Smith By SCOTT TOLLEY Palm Beach Post Staff Writer The Florida Renegades al ways are looking for another chance to prove themselves. Wil lie Smith always seems to be looking for another chance.

Peri od. On Mon day, the two will meet on the same playing field when Smith reports to Palm Beach Gardens High School for his first Smith practice as a member of the Renegades, a Mi nor League Football System team. Smith a former All America tight end for the Uni versity of Miami who has faced charges of cocaine and weapons possession, and strong-arm rob bery has signed with the team, Renegades co-owner and Gener al Manager Don Bushore said Thursday. Bushore also said that former Mississippi defensive end and three-year letterman (1982-84) Dwight Bingham will be at Mon day workout and should sign then. Bingham played with the Atlanta Falcons in 1987.

"These are two big catches," Bushore said. "They're both big men. Willie is b-foot-3, 245 pounds. Dwight is 6-7, 280. 1 think this is an excellent indication of where we've come in a short 12 months.

Players and agents see us as a window for getting play ers to the NFL. Last year, the 12-team league placed 16 players in the NFL. This is the kind of steppingstone Smith has been looking for since his taste of the big time in 1987 as a member of the Miami Dol phins' replacement squad. In two seasons with the Hur ricanes, including his 1985 All- America year, he caught 114 passes. But before his senior year, Smith opted against a final season of eligibility.

The payoff was minimal when Smith was drafted by Cleveland in the 10th round. Smith never made it to camp He was released after his arrest in June 1986 on charges of cocaine and weapons possession. Smith completed a pre-trial intervention program six months later that cleared his record, but the Browns washed their hands of him. The following February, Smith signed with Tampa Bay, but again never made it to the field after being arrested the following month on charges of strong-arm robbery. The charges eventually were reduced and later dropped.

"Willie's had some tryouts but he's had a little drug problem," Bushore said. "But he's been off for 18 months. We're looking for people with leader ship. Or if they are in trouble, someone who has shown the backbone to step away from it" Smith and Bingham should he sign will join 78 others who are trying to survive two more cuts. I i it is in The Associated Press GAINESVILLE Linebacker Lateef Travis, considered the top recruit in the Florida Gators' 1990 class, has fallen short of academic requirements and will enroll at a junior college this fall, his high school coach said.

Travis, who played at Pensaco-la Pine Forest, must repeat an English class this summer to receive his high school diploma, Pine Forest coach Jerry Pollard said. Also, Travis needed to score at least 18 on the ACT, a college entrance exam, to be eligible as a Oklahoma The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. Michael Dan iel started a six-run sixth inning with a home run and Brad Beanb- lossom capped it with a run-scoring single to send Oklahoma State into the championship game of the NCAA College World Series with an 11-3 victory over Louisiana State Thursday night. The big inning wiped out a 3-2 LSU lead and eliminated the sec ond-seeded Tigers from the series. Third-seeded Oklahoma State (56- Bichette was little known when he was drafted in the 17th round by the Angels in June 1984, following his sophomore season at PBJC.

At that time, he was better known as the kid who was kicked out of Jupiter High School his senior year for skipping class (Bichette had been cut from the junior varsity as a sophomore), and landed in junior college after passing the GED (high, school diploma equivalency) exam. "He'd pick me up at 7 in the morning, drop me off at school and he'd go straight to the ballpark," said Kurt Jahnke, a longtime friend. "I could never get into Bichette said. "I know it wasn't the right thing to do but school was never my main priority, baseball was." His first bad experience with the professionals turned Bichette on to junior college. In 1982, Bichette worked out for Dodgers scout Paul Duval, and following an American Legion game, Duval offered Bichette $1,500 to sign.

When Wilkes said Bichette was worth $50,000 Duval became upset and asked Wilkes if he was acting as Bichette's agent. Wilkes said he was and Duval produced a paper that, when signed, would identify Wilkes as Bichette's agent. Wilkes signed. "So then the guy picks it up, puts it in his briefcase and starts walking out the door," Bichette said. "And (Wilkes) says, 'What are you doing? I thought you wanted to deal with Duval said no, and told Wilkes that since Bichette had an agent he was ineligible to play in college.

"Can you believe he tried to pull a stupid thing like that?" Bichette said. "My mom jumped the guy and tried to rip the thing out of his hands. I started crying. It was a big mess." The signature eventually was void and in 1987 the Dodgers suggested Duval retire, which he did. They will not say whether this was because of his negotiating tactics.

Bichette then went on to play two years at PBJC. Bichette signed a $3,000 bonus after the '84 draft. "They stole him," said his mother, Mary Bichette. After struggling his first season as a professional Bichette hit .232 at Salem, in 1984 he worked his way through the Angels system. His professional debut was Sept.

5, 1988, in Kansas City. "I couldn't feel my hands I was so nervous," he said. "My first chance in the field I caught a fly off the bat of George Brett. I couldn't feel the ball, but I caught it." He played in 21 games and hit .261 in 1988. But it wasn't until Sept.

30, 1989 that Bichette realized he could be a big league hitter. Nolan Ryan was pitching. It was the night Ryan struck out 13, giving him 300 for the season. Ryan carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning when Downing singled and Bichette followed with a single to right, a meaningless single to most. "I thought, this guy's probably the best who ever pitched and if I can hit him, I can hit anybody," Bichette said.

"For me, that was the moment" A moment surely to be rehashed at the Ale House. "He always seemed to know that he'd be a major league ballplayer," ((ike Bichette said. BICHETTEfrom 1C chette's arm motion. "He's not go-; ing to get any power with that swing." When the Angels are on the satellite, Wilkes, Bichette's father, 70-year-old Mike Bichette, and a group of Bichette's ex-teammates gather at the Ale House to watch. I They reminisce about Bichette's career, from the Juno Beach Little -League to his stormy days at Jupiter High School to his days at then Palm Beach Junior College.

"This is where we keep up on Danny," Wilkes said. Dante Alphonse Bichette, 26, has become an offensive spark on a team that includes Wally Joyner, Lance Parrish, Chili Davis, Brian Downing and Dave Winfield. In his first full season (Bichette played 69 games in the major leagues in 1988 nd '89), Bichette is hitting .276, tied for the team high with seven Some runs, has 29 RBI and leads Xhe team with 12 doubles. He also Jeads all American League outfielders with 11 assists. "It's our job to keep him focused," Angels manager Doug Rader said.

"If we do, he'll continue to develop. He has tremendous potential, but we don't want to get too lip" or too down on Dante, because Jhose are exactly the qualities we'd ike to eliminate from his performance." Bichette's success this season be traced back to last season Jphen he came out of spring training as the Angels' hottest hitter. On July 19, Bichette was hitting .195 Slid was sent back to the Angels' Class AAA affiliate in Edmonton. "Last year was disappointing, Kit it was kind of a relief (to get gent down) because I was struggling so bad," Bichette said during 5 recent telephone interview from Arlington, Texas. "I didn't see an end to it because there was no way Ed get to play every day.

That's the (Oily way to break out of a slump. I knew I'd get back." Bichette came back from his third stint in Class AAA with more Confidence and more determination. "A year makes a big difference fif the development of youth," Rader said. "Confidence can easily te.lost." Bichette, 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, fitted weights during the offseason, idding nine pounds and earning the nickname "Beef." He also played in frjnr local softball and baseball leagues. Bichette won the right-field job during spring training.

came to camp with the attitude that I belonged in the big leagues," he said. "Last year, I didn't know what the big leagues were about. I didn't know what to expect." On May 11, the Angels acquired Winfield from the Yankees and had ta make room for him in the outfield. Although Bichette was leading the team in most offensive categories at the time, he was benched for Winfield's first start The next day Bichette was moved trjrjeft field and hit a three-run home run in an 11-9 victory over Toronto. ZZHe has been the regular left-fielder since.

T' Dave's got to play every day," Bichette said. "It upset me at first when I thought they were going to platoon me in left field. But since Dave's been here the team's play-mgreal well." pounds, and is said to run the 46 in 4.5 seconds. Arizona JC star signs to play baseball at UF GAINESVILLE Arizona! Western Junior College first base-j man Brent Killen has signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida, coach Joe Arnold an-' nounced Thursday. Killen, a North St.

Paul, Minn. native, is a two-time all-state and all-region selection at This season, the left-handed Killen hit .439 with nine home runs and 59 RBI. LSU 14-3 Arizona State (9) and Texas (8) have! made more championship game! appearances than Oklahoma State. Arizona also has played in six title; games. OSU's Gordie Tipton (10-11 stopped LSU on four hits over eight innings and struck out seven.

Tipton retired 15 straight batters after giving up three runs in the first two innings and has won all seven of his starts since Coach Gary Ward brought him out of the bullpen, i2 late April. four starts this year with a front-running, 3-length victory over Ok va's Debut in the $81,900 Genuine Risk Stakes at Belmont Park. It was the second year in a row that Safely Kept won the Grade HI stake for fillies and mares 3 and up. The 4-year-old carried high weight of 1 22 pounds, including Craig Per-v ret over 6 furlongs in 1:10 Vfe. was hand-ridden throughout and eased at the end.

She won last year in 109 h. ff Unbridled receiving special treatment PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY ODDS J. Thirty Six Red Nick Zito MiKe Smith 8-1" 2. Go and Go Dermot K. Weld Michael Kinane 12-1 3.

Baron de Vaux Charlie Peoples Jean Cruguet 30-1 4 Country Day John Parisella Chrts Antley 6-1 Unbndled Carl Nafzger Craig Perret 4-5 Video Ranger Ian Jory Jose Santos 8-1 7. Hawaiian Pass Humberto Agulera Art Madrid 30-1 Yonder Angel Penna J.D. Bailey 9-2 Land Rush D. Wayne Lukas Angel Cordero 12-1 Owners (by post position): 1 B. Giles Brophy.

2. Moyglare Stud. 3, Bayard Sharp. James Seibelli. 5, Frances A.

Genter Stable. 6, Kwon Cho Myung. 7, Charies N. Winner. 8, Frank Stronach.

9, William T. Young. Weights: Each 126 pounds. Distance: 1V4 miles. Purse: $686,000 if nine First place: $411 .600.

Second place: 1 59.200. Third place: $82,320. Fourth place: $41.160. Poet time: 5:30 p.m. EDT.

BELMONTfrom 1C got to get the intestines emptied. You 11 see a little more rib on him than you did at the Preakness, a little more tuck to him. He won't be carrying any expendable flesh. He'll be using all his energy." Nine 3-year-olds were entered Thursday for the race, which lacks not only the Preakness winner but also the beaten Kentucky Derby favorite, Mister Frisky. Mister Frisky, eighth in the Derby and third in the Preakness after winning his first 16 lifetime starts, has undergone surgery for an abscess in his throat.

Among those entered. Thirty Six Red won the Gotham and the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct be fore finishing ninth in the Derby. He skipped the Preakness. Yonder skipped both the Derby and the Preakness but is the only horse in the race coming off a win, in the Jersey Derby. Video Ranger was fourth in the Derby and second to Yonder in New Jersey.

Besides Unbridled, Land Rush the only horse in the field to run both the Derby and Preakness. He was seventh in the Derby and sixth in the Preakness. With the withdrawal of Mister Frisky, the speed horses in the race are expected to be Thirty Six Red and Go and Go, an Irish-bred colt who was eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in his last U.S. start. Safely Kept captures Genuine Risk Stakes NEW YORK Safely Kept last year's Eclipse Award winning sprinter, retnained undefeated in.