Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 22

Digital Edition ww.DemocratandChronicIe.com SECTION Sports TV, FACES IN SPORTS 2D I 7D COLLEGES HORSE RACING 20 I 8D NHL, NBA MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1999 DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE ESS NFL: WEEK 12 Leading Off IM Colts defense puts hold on Jets GANNETT NEWS SERVICE 1 Defense dominates as Buffalo The Associated Press Is It worth it? The team is now 8-4 that coach Jeff Van Gundy, INDIANAPOLIS This time, the defense stepped to the front and kept the Indianapolis winning streak alive. Most of the attention sur above, worries about the most the New York BY STAFF WRITER SAL MAIORANA ORCHARD PARK Knicks is the most valu rounding the Colts' surprising success this season has been able team in the NBA, ac Thomas Smith saw the pack of reporters converging on his focused on Peyton Manning and the offense. However, against the New cording to Forbes. Big Apple's clubs worth big bucks locker stall yesterday afternoon, and he was convinced they were going to bombard York Jets yesterday, Manning threw more interceptions than touchdown passes and him with questions concerning the meaningless touchdown he gave up late in the The New York Knicks and Rangers are the most valu the Colts still prevailed, 13-6. The defense picked us up, able NBA and NHL teams, game to New England's Terry Glenn.

Forbes reports. "Let me go on record as Manning said after tossing two interceptions deep in New York territory. "We put our defense in a bind a couple of times and they came through. This shows that saying I'm (ticked) off that I The magazine, in this week's issue, values the Knicks at $334 million. The Chicago Bulls are next at $307 didn't get that shutout over there," the Buffalo cornerback said.

million, followed by the Los were a complete loot ball team." Angeles Lakers at $282 mil Actually, the media horde lion and the Portland Trail With their seventh consec Blazers at $257 million. didn't really care about the lone mistake Smith and the Bills' impressive defense utive victory, the Colts (0-2) The least valuable NBA have a one-game edge on Mia franchise is the Los Angeles mi going into Sunday's showdown in Miami made. It was more interested in Smith's comments regard Clippers at $103 million. "You want to be in first The Rangers are valued at $236 million by Forbes, followed by the Philadelphia ing the domination he and his teammates inflicted on the Patriots during a critical 17-7 victory in front of 72,111 chilled place at the end of the season, that's what it's all about," Manning said. g.

1 riiin "fta, i lV t. Flyers at $211 million, the Boston Bruins at $197 million "Obviously, you have to put spectators at Ralph Wilson Stadium. and the Detroit Red Wings yourself in that position and at $194 million. So, how about that, were that position right Thomas? now. We have plenty of foot Carolina was the least valuable at $70 million, with JAMIE GERMANO staff photographer Mugged New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe is buried, from top, by Phil Hansen, Gabe Northern and Sam Rogers of Buffalo.

The Bills sacked him six times and intercepted a pass in a ferocious defensive effort. ball left and it doesn't get any bigger than against Miami the Edmonton Oilers at $72 BILLS, PAGE 3D next week." The Dolphins (8-3) edged million. Amerks earn win the Colts on a last- Let's savor this moment: 100 wins in the 90s on road vs. Bulldogs minute touchdown Oct 10 and would win any tiebreaker with another victory at Miami. Veteran forward Dane ORCHARD PARK It was a glori- near the surface.

Ready to tear a team's ous day to live in the moment. heart out Jackson scored two goals and extended his points streak to seven games as the Rochester Americans defeated the To appreciate the confluence of big Fullback Sam Gash, meanwhile, plays, the professionalism of gathered in a short screen The Colts displayed a dimension they didn't show earlier against the Dolphins when they limited the Jets to 214 yards total offense. Scoreboard Hamilton Bulldogs 4-2 yes terday in Hamilton, Ontario. Goaltender Kirk Dauben- speck, making his Amerks debut after a recall from the ECHL, made 31 saves to earn a team coming to work and getting the job done in a very important late-season game. To analyze the importance of an eighth victory and what it means to the playoff picture.

To feel good for 72,111 fans weathering frigid temperatures as Thanksgiving Weekend wrapped up on a high note. pass from Flutie, did a spin move around Patriots linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, and streaked into the end zone to complete a 31-yard scoring play that put the game away. That Gash, the ex-Patriot, performed this feat of ballet and power right in front of Pete Carroll, the coach who didn't think much of him, was delicious irony and the feel-good his first Rochester victory. The Amerks, 16-7-2, good Buffalo 17, New England 7 Arizona 34, N.Y. Giants 24 Cincinnati 27, Pittsburgh 20 Jacksonville 30, Baltimore 23 St.

Louis 43, New Orleans 12 Washington 20, Phila. 17, OT Minnesota 35, San Diego 27' Tennessee 33, Cleveland 21 for 34 points, have a 15-point lead over Albany in the LEO ROTH Empire Divsion. STORY, PAGE 8D Tampa Bay 16, Seattle 3 Kansas City 37, Oakland 34 Indianapolis 13, N.Y. Jets 6 Bowl sweet music for Orangemen? Atlanta at Carolina, (n) Open Denver TONIGHT'S GAME Despite losing four of its story in the Buffalo locker room. The Bills won despite Flutie completing a season-low nine passes, the offense running a season-low 51 plays and converting just 2 of 10 third downs.

That's the beauty of the big play and a hefty error margin courtesy of a defense that's playing the best it has in years. Buffalo nearly pitched its second Green Bay at San Francisco, 9 The Buffalo Bills defeat-. ed the New England Patriots 17-7 yesterday at Ralph Wilson Stadium by coming up with those big plays that keep you coming back for more. Like a duffer hitting one good golf shot in a round of 100. Wide receiver Eric Moulds hauled in a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Doug Flutie to make it 10-o at halftime.

It was a case of two masters hooking up against the blitz, something that hasn't happened with great regularity but is always lurking JAMIE GERMANO staff photographer Inside on 6D Oh, yes Buffalo's Eric Moulds (80) greets fullback Sam Gash after Giants stumble again New Gash takes a short pass from quarterback Doug Flutie and rambles 31 York (5-6) takes a huge hit yards for a touchdown to clinch the 17-7 win over the New England on its playoff chances with a 34-24 loss to Arizona. Patriots at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills now have a bye week. MILESTONE, PAGE 3D last five games, including Saturday's 45-13 shellacking by the Miami Hurricanes, the Syracuse football team will play again this season. The Orangemen (6-5), by virtue of their fourth-place finish in the Big East, will be invited to the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

SU is expected to play Kentucky. Why bother? For one, SU has an obligation to the Big East It also gives SU an extra month of practice to develop players for next year. And heaven knows, they need the practice. "If you're a competitor and you're given an opportunity SU's Thomas just Sampras defeats Agassi in ATP final The former No. 1 player in the world defeats his rival who is now ranked first.

a flick of his wrist r-zjjm from blocks mark to play one more game, you welcome that opportunity, SU coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "What I do know is that Dikembe Mutombo." Near the opposing basket, there is no doubting this SYRACUSE It is bound to happen tonight A Colgate University player will drive the benefits of going to a bowl game far outweigh not THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HANOVER, Germany No longer No. Pete Sampras still has the heart and the game of a champion. He stopped Andre Agassi 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 yesterday to win the ATP Tour World Championship, defeating the man who supplanted him at the top of going to a bowl game. We now have a chance to develop our young players and to be together through the month of December.

To play one more game would be worth that" Thomas. In the paint, he is the Sultan of Swat When you play against the Orangemen, you better be able to handle rejection. "Etan's shot-blocking ability is a tremendous weapon for us," Boeheim says. "A block can be toward the basket and think he has a sure two. But before the points can be registered on the Carrier Dome scoreboard, Etan Thomas, like an eraser sweeping a chalkboard, will smack the ball away.

And should he do it twice, a distinct possibility the rankings. "I was humiliated a lew days ago and I wanted to prove that I still have it. I was very SCOTT rrro.MVk pumped up, ready to go," he said. In 10 consecutive appearances in this tournament Sampras has won the title five times to equal the mark set by Ivan LendL Sampras defeated Agassi four of the five times they played this year, and he leads their lifetime series 17-11. This was the fifth title of the year for Sampras, and the fire was clearly there.

"I was on top of him early," he said. "He always brings out the best in me," He made a strong start by breaking Agassi in the second game. He broke again for a 5-1 lead, and after trailing early in the second set seized control. "It was a bad day to be flat" Agassi said. "I was really unhappy with the way I played." Agassi enjoying the best year of his careen won the French Open and U.S.

Open and lost the Wimbledon final to Sampras. He will end the year with the top ranking for the first time. "He had an incredible year and deserves to be Na Sampras said, Earlier in this $3.6 million tournament a season-ending event for the world's top given that he rejected nine shots his previous game and is averaging close to four a game for his career, Thomas will eight players Agassi defeated Sampras 6-2, 6-2. But Sampras, coming off a Come again? St Louis quarterback Kurt Warner, after the Rams swept the San Francisco 40ers this season: "We got that skeleton off our back." Noted Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury Newr. "I guess there's a monkey in the closet" TVs Best Bets Packers at 49ers, ABC, 9 p.m.: Brett Favre and Green Bay desperately need a victory to stay in the NFC playoff hunt The 4')cn should be able to oblige.

become the most prolific shot blocker in Syracuse basketball history, supplanting former Kendall High School great three-month layoff because of hip and back injuries, was at his best in a final pitting the psychologically uplifting for your team and demoralizing for the opposition. Not only are you taking away a sure two points because most blocks come on layups or high-percentage shots, but you often are creating scoring opportunities for your team by igniting fast breaks. A blocked shot can result in a four-point swing. You get three or four of those swings a game, and Roosevelt Bouie. "He's as good as I've ever seen in college basketball," says SU coach Jim Boeheim.

player of the year against the player of the decade. "I can still play this game, which I never questioned," he said "But you don't really expect to play at the level I did todav." TV AlMiKi IV Swatted Smcuse center Etan Thomas ri-s to flick away a shot a by St. Bna-cnturcs Ernest Bremer in a game Ut December at the Carrier He's right up there with Roosevelt and Patrick Ewing, THOMAS, PAGE 7D Alonzo Mourning and.