Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 55

SECTION 2E COLLEGES 81 3E PRO FOOTBALL 81 4E BASEBALL 7E AVERAGES 8E GRAVES RIP E1ETS Playoff-minded Atlanta hammered a Mets team tha was thinking of Dwight Gooden's shoulder troubles. Story on 7E. SCOREBOARD TENNIS COLLEGES Democrat antr (Chronicle SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1991 ROCHESTER, N.Y. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Area games ALFRED 38, 14 BROCKPORT 23, TIFFIN 22 BUFFALO ST. 34, HOBART 0 CORTLAND 71, S.J.

FISHER 0 AMERICAN LEAGUE BOSTON 11, SEATTLE 10 TORONTO 4, CLEVELAND 1 OAKLAND 3, DETROIT 1 KANSAS CITY 7, BALTIMORE 4 NATIONAL LEAGUE ATLANTA 6, NEW YORK 1 CHICAGO 2, SAN FRAN. 1 MONTREAL 7, CINCINNATI 5 HOUSTON 6, PHILA. 0 LOS ANGELES 5, PITTSBURGH 1 ST. LOUIS AT SAN DIEGO SPORTS QUIZ What jockey holds the North American record for winning the most races on a single card? ANSWER ON 2E MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 2 (10) CHICAGO AT TEXAS MILWAUKEE AT CALIFORNIA NORTHEASTERN 35, COLGATE 10 ST. LAWRENCE 42, NORWICH 13 SYRACUSE 37, VANDERBILT 10 GABY FALbESEN Youth is served eEes, Courier win at Open 17-year-old takes women's championship By Hel Bock $m0 The Associated Press NEW YORK For Monica Seles, owner of her own personal Grand Slam, there will always be time for Wimbledon and the establishment's version of the tennis sweep.

-ft That how it is when you re 17 and owner of the Australian, French and U.S. Open titles. It's time for Qadry Ismail to shine Seles swept past venerable Martina Nav- Connors falls to youth, strength By Steve Wilatein The Associated Press NEW YORK Jimmy Connors finally ran out of miracles and succumbed to a young version of himself. Jim Courier, too strong and too sharp, swept into the final of the U.S. Open by beating Connors almost as badly yesterday as the young Connors beat another 39-year-old, Ken Rosewall, in the 1974 final Courier, the French Open champion who hasn't lost a set in six matches here, ended Connors' string of comebacks, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a final today against Stefan Ed-berg.

"Fate was pushing me but in the end Courier was playing some unbelievable tennis," Connors said. "I was a little sluggish. I didn't get into it the way I wanted to. I gave it my best" Connors brought the crowd to its feet TURN TO PAGE 3E ratilova, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, yesterday to capture the Open and complete her three-quarter Slam. Wimbledon is missing because Monica bailed out on the shrine of tennis at the always have to live with it It will always be there.

The little emptiness. I have to put it behind me. I can't go back to it. If I had played there. I could not have played the Open." And then, in a blink of the eye, she was 17 again, sitting on top of the tennis world, with plenty of time ahead to correct the oversight.

"For me, next year Wimbledon will be the most important," she said. "It's the only one I haven't won for my collection." Navratilova, in the autumn of her career, was beaten soundly by a player half her age. It was a thorough thrashing and Martina was the first to acknowledge it. "She hit winners all over the place," said Navratilova, who's one month short of her 35th birthday. "I didn't make a dent on her serve.

I didn't make her play enough. I missed too many approaches. I can't give her that many opportunities." And while Seles looks ahead, Navratilova has other concerns. "At my age, I take it one day at a time," TURN TO PAGE 3E jr. last minute, complaining of shin splints and retreating into a Garboesque cloak of secrecy for several weeks.

YRACUSE Qadry Ismail's frustration grew into anger. The good feelings were gone. The football Yesterday, there were still no regrets over an opportunity missed. At that point, I couldn play Wimble i don," Seles said after dispatching Navrati-lova with frightening efficiency. "It was a decision I had to make.

It would not have been fair to my leg. I couldn't run on my leg." The A Moaned Prn Monica Seles basks in the glow of her Open victory over Martina Navratilova. Then Seles turned a bit wistful. I will i season he so eagerly awaited was suddenly on him like double coverage and he dreaded it. Two bad plays.

That's all it took. A drop and a ball that slipped through his fingers into the hands of a foe. It was only a scrimmage, but the Syracuse University wide receiver agonized over the miscues. Finally, he reached for the phone and dialed 911. The doctor on the other end Dr.

Malcolm Conway, a Wilkes-Barre, chiropractor prescribed pep talks from Rob Moore and his brother, Rocket Ismail. He followed the doctor's orders. Moore, the former SU star now with the NFL New York Jets, told him: "No matter what, don't ever, ever doubt yourself." The Rocket? "He gave me brotherly love," Ismail said, recalling Monday's conversation with the Toronto star. "He told me, 'Qadry, your moment has A NEW era dawned on SU yesterday. It was more than Paul Pasqualoni's successful debut as head coach.

It was the start of the age of Qadry Ismail (Pronounced KAH-dree Iss-MY-EL). "htt nun Big sprDDug I t. 1 ij fr-t Greg Walker forces fumble, sets up win over Vanderbilt By John Moriello Democrat and Chronicle SYRACUSE Greg Walker had the opportunity to make plays in the 1990 opener and failed quite convincingly. He put an end to any lingering bad memories yesterday by making the big play in Syracuse's 37-10 victory over Vanderbilt at the Carrier Dome. Walker popped a Vanderbilt receiver to force a sideline fumble on the third play of the second half.

Tony Monte-morra scooped the ball up and returned it 37 yards for the PENN STATE HAMMERS CINCINNATI, 81-0 4E With :27 left in a tied first half, quarterback Marvin Graves passed 23 yards over the middle. He overthrew Ismail at the Vander-bilt 45. The junior nicknamed "Missile" tipped it. Opposing cornerback Robert riouia rnimht. it.

Rut. touchdown that gave Syracuse, ranked 24th by The Associated Press, a 20-10 lead. "I figure you only get an opportunity five, six, seven times a game to make a hit," said Walker, a senior comer-back from Williamsport, who finished with one tackle. "I figure when I get the opportunity I'm going to make it count." Walker was AWOL when it was tima in ha viiina4 of tYa anA nf t)ia -c ft-; 'tt--' Qadry Ismail the Vandy player could come down with the interception, Ismail wrestled it away. Two plays later, John Biskup kicked a 40-yard field goal for a 13-10 halftime lead.

"This is a great start for Qadry," Pas-qualoni said after 24th-ranked SU went on to a 37-10 victory. "He deserves the kind of day he had. "THE BALL bounced his way once or twice, too, I might add." Ismail caught two passes. The track Ail-American also ran a reverse 31 yards for a touchdown that gave Syracuse a 27-10 lead in the third quarter. "I was scheduled to be out on that series," Ismail said, recounting his scoring play.

"Coach Casullo came running over to me: 'Qadry, Qadry, Qadry, you're in the I was thinking to myself, 'You're OK coach. I'm about to go get a He went to get six points instead. Graves called his number, handed him the ball and when he turned the corner, Pasqualoni said, "if you looked in his eyes you could see he was going right to the end zone." Then he headed for the Gatorade dispenser. Up in the Carrier Dome crowd of 35,541, Ismail's mother, Fatma, and Dr. Conway were cheering for the 20-year-old whose day finally had come.

"Dr. Conway is my personal trainer," third quarter in the 1990 Kickoff Clas- Grtf Walkr sic. Facing Southern Cal at Giants Stadium, he was burned deep for a 46-yard Todd Marinovich scoring pass that pretty much finished off the Orangemen. Walker also had trouble handling punt returns against USC and, after being criticized in the local media, he shied away from reporters for most of the season. He avoided no one yesterday, particularly Anthony Carter, the Commodores senior he nailed along the Syracuse sideline to spring Montemorra and highlight the 34 unanswered points the Orangemen scored in the final 32 minutes of Coach Paul Pasqualoni's debut "It was a great overall defensive performance," Montemorra gushed after Syracuse outgained Vanderbilt, 492-258.

Montemorra may have been overstating the case, especially considering the fact Syracuse turned the ball over four times, but the Orangemen will head to Maryland on Saturday knowing they can count on big plays like Walker's from their defense. Vanderbilt's four turnovers resulted in a field goal and two TPs by Syracuse. TURN TO PAGE 4E JmH Ownxno DamocrM and Chronicle Syracuse running back David Walker of Irondequoit searches for yardage behind Chris Gedney's blocking. Pitistaraii FC game uftalo set for key A bteelehs m. Ills Bills' line has an appetite for success Ismail explained.

"He and I are deep into ow do you handle a hungry man? when their light is blocked by several hu Home-field advantage may be at stake as playoffs take shape Well, if he an offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills and it's Friday visualization. SEE GOOD things and good things will come to you, that sort of thing. When he saw things going bad in a scrimmage 10 days ago, Ismail panicked. He has dropped more than his fair share of balls at SU. The cruel joke on Piety evening during the football season, you Who: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-0) Gm time: 1 p.m.

at Rich Stadium (sold out) TVRtdkr. NBC channels 10, 2, 3 (Tom Hammond and Joe Namoth); WHAM 1180-AM By Ssl Msiorana ElOiiS TUMI A GAME Hill was: Qadry got his brother's fleet feet unfortunately they re attached to his wrists. "I wanted to squash the negative thoughts of those two passes," Ismail said. Dr. Conway advised him how to do that simply serve him the entire menu.

"We just tell the waitress, give us everything you've got in the kitchen," joked Bills center Kent Hull, the featherweight of the group at 275 pounds. Actually, these incredible hulksters do show some restraint during their weekly dinner get-togethers at Buffalo-area restaurants. After inhaling several hundred chick -YU i 5 it 1 -nn After calling Moore and his brother, he man eclipses rumbling past their tables. "People's eyes get as big as eggs," Hull said. "Everybody's looking over their shoulder at us to see how much we are going to eat.

We get people's attention." That's quite a contrast with Sunday afternoons when these bulky bodyguards operate in relative anonymity. Eyes gravitate to the ball on game day. Watching Jim Kelly throw or Thurman Thomas run or Andre Reed catch is more appealing to most football fans than watching Howard "House" Ballard pancake some poor defender foolish enough to get in his way. But without these titans of the trenches, Kelly Co. wouldn't be running for daylight, they'd be running for their lives, and the Bills' no-huddle, high-octane offense would be running on empty.

"We go as far as they go," said Thomas, who went for 268 total yards in last week's 35-31 victory against the Miami Dolphins. "In my mind they're the best in the NFL." That motion is seconded by John Madden, the hyperactive coach-turned-commentator who usually heaps praise only on NFC players. Buffalo's blockers lived up to their top Democrat and Chronicle They marveled at Terry Bradshaw's spirals and the way Lynn Swann and John Stallworth caught them. They roared when Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert and the rest of the Steel Curtain defense knocked opposing ball carriers senseless. And as the Pittsburgh Steelers collected Super Bowl trophies in the 1970s as if they were stamps, their fans waved terrible towels and became almost as legendary as the team they were rooting for.

One of the most ardent of all Steeler fans was a kid from East Brady, named Jim Kelly. "I remember the way our town reacted to the Steelers in the 70s, the Steeler mania was definitely wild and crazy," Kelly said the other day. Kelly doesn't root for the Steelers any longer. As quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, that would be a serious conflict of interest Especially on days like today when the Steelers visit Rich Stadium (1 p.m., WROC, Channel 8, WHAM 1180-AM) to play the Bills in what down the road could turn out to be a pivotal AFC game. Besides, Steeler mania has nothing on Bills mania.

"It's definitely crazy up here," Kelly said in reference to Western New York's love affair with the Bills. "I don't know if they could fill an stadium in Pittsburgh. They probably could have back then. I know we do now." Kelly knows what it's like to be a fan. He remembers the jubilation he felt every time the Steelers won a Super Bowl.

"Some day I hope IH be able to say that I have a Super Bowl ring," he said. "Bradshaw's a little greedy, he has four. But growing up, I loved it because I was from the Pittsburgh area. The excitement he brought me, it's something that I hope I can bring to someone else." Today's game could have important SCOTT PITONIAK studied old game films 01 Moore, bpecm-cally, SU's 23-11 victory over Boston Col lege in 1989. "Where," Ismail said, "he made a tremendous catch in double coverage.

I don't know how he made it. "I focused on the ball and I knew if I did the same thing in the game something good would happen." It happened late in the first half on a play that could have kept Vanderbilt in the contest. It will, no doubt, happen again and again for Ismail. No more bad thoughts. "This is my time," he said.

Time to think positive. Time to shine. Gary Fallesen is the Democrat and Chronicle sports columnist. en wings, a head or three of lettuce, three or four entrees apiece and a couple of pitchers of beer, they usually lay off desert "We've got to watch our figures," right guard Jim Ritcher explained, smiling. Those figures attract plenty of attention when the Bills linemen herd into an eatery.

It has nothing to do with their behavior and everything to do with their size. Kestau- TURN TO PAGE 6E rant-goers can't help but do double-takes TURN TO PAGE 6E (nt.