St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 11

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Friday--September 19 2003 Cardinals Report If the Cardinals don't add payroll for next season, players such as John Gall, who had 16 home runs and 73 RBIs in Memphis, might compete for a roster spot. D6 SECTION BRYAN BURWELL CARDINALS 13, BREWERS 0 UP NEXT: 7:10 tonight vs. Houston (FSN) PITCHING MATCHUP: Matt Morris (10-7, 3.54 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (8-5, 3.20 ERA) TV tn.llll.

i i.U.,,,1.1 Qentera Mwz in fe mm aisMisiiiilsrolltoign Stinks? Hurts? What's the difference when you re a Cubs fan 1 1 1 JPi iP In. NL Central leaders Shortstop closes in on 100 RBIs TEAM REC. GB RESUT Houston 83-69 Beat Colorado Chicago 82-70 1 Did not play Cvrinab 79-75 5 BeaHWvwukw pennant contention. If you are an especially optimistic sort, and you are using the Modified Sta-bleford Scoring System, they still have a chance. Otherwise, given the realities of the situation, this is the time of the baseball season where pleasure must be extracted from things more subtle than postseason promise.

Several of those small teasers emerged in a large 13-0 victory See Cardinals, D9 By Dan O'Neill Ofthe Post-Dispatch The Cardinals have not been mathematically eliminated from CHRIS LEE POST-DISPATCH Coach Jose Oquendo greets Scott Rolen as he rounds third base Thursday after hitting his 28th homer, a solo shot in the second. WOMEN'S WORLD CUP Un-magfc number: 5 Any combination of five Cardinals losses or Houston wins would eliminate the Cardinals from the playoffs. RAMS UP NEXT: 3.05 p.m. Sunday at Seattle (KTVI, Ch. 2) Bruce quietly spins records If it doesn't happen this Sunday in Seattle, it will happen Sept 28 at home against Arizona And when it happens, Bruce will have achieved the trifecta for a pass-catcher: Franchise marks for receptions, reception yards, and touchdown receptions.

This is becoming almost an annual affair for Bruce. He broke the franchise record for career receptions last season and has increased it to 633 catches, and counting. In 2001, he became the franchise leader in TD catches now at 63, and counting. And now, he's on the cusp of the yardage record. "It means a lot," Bruce said last week, not sounding very convincing.

"It's not bigger than winning my first game of the season this year." See Rams, DS He needs 99 yards to set third big receiving mark By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch For the better part of a decade, Isaac Bruce has quietly gone about his business as an NFL wide receiver. Now, he's quietly about to break yet another Rams record. Bruce needs 99 receiving yards basically the length of a football field to break Henry Ellard's franchise mark for career receiving yards. Ellard, who played with the Rams from 1983-93, had 9,761 yards for the franchise. Bruce has 9,663.

Top of the Charts The Rams' career leaders in the major RECEPTIONS TD rx i i v. I s7 (t' 2003 'W r. U. team in the World Cup SUNDAY vs. Sweden, at Washington, 1 1:30 a.m.

THURSDAY vs. Nigeria, at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m. SUNDAY, SEP! 28 vs. North Korea, at Columbus, Ohio, 2:45 p.m. if RECEPTIONS bwcBfct 633 baKBnw 63 Henry Ellard 9,761 Henry Ellard 593 Elroy Hirsch 53 Iwt Bnio 9,663 Tom Fears 400 Henry Ellard 48 Elroy Hirsch 6,289 Elroy Hirsch 343 Jack Snow 45 Jack Snow 6,012 Marshall Faulk 342 Jim Benton 42 Tom Fears 5,397 I UB FANS are on the vindica tion trail.

As the Cards con-I tinue to slide into oblivion, so many fearless Chicagoans hold tight to the belief that this is the year the torment and anguish ends. They keep writing me to gloat about my "It stinks to be a Cub fan" column from a few weeks ago. They keep reminding me that my head is stuck in a dark and ugly place where the sun doesn't shine but more than a few moons have been seen. "So do you still think it stinks being a Cub fan?" one gentleman wrote yesterday. Well actually, "stink" is not the word I'm looking for right now.

"Hurt" might be a better word. Or maybe these words are more reflective of what you good folks are about to experience. How about one more excruciating, maddening and torturous stab to the heart? Here is what I am thinking is in store for you. A Cubs vs. Red Sox World Series.

I You know this isn't going to go right? Imagine the Cubs and Sox engaging in a splendid Fall Classic that will go all the way to a top of the ninth inning, Game 7 conclusion. The score will be tied with two outs and Sammy Sosa will hit a powerful rocket shot to deep left field. It will cling tightly to the left-field foul pole, and there will be Sosa waving at the ball like Carlton Fisk, urging the ball to stay in play Millions of Cub fans will be twaving their arms madly trying to push the ball to the right Millions of Sox fans will be waving their arms madly trying to push the ball to the left And just before the ball reaches the foul pole, the world will come to an end. CluutU ha ctaw at cIiaiiLI ItA am? Maurice Clarett might very well be too young, too fragile and too immature to play in the National Football League. But you know what? He ought to be able to make that bad decision for himself and not have that decision made for him by the NFL and major-cok lege football schools.

Every other professional sport has less restrictive age requirement rules, but the NFL and the college football big boys have enjoyed their staggering cartel for a long time and they plan to fight hard to maintain this lucrative, built-in farm system. i The funny thing is, while they might fear some great onslaught of under-aged kids rushing to the NFL, it's highly unlikely. Think of how many college football players over the past 40 years could have made that jump to the pros directly after their freshman years? Jim Brown? Herschel Walker? It's a mighty short list, and quite frankly, most college kids are smart enough to know that Clarett isn't going to change that 1 On balance, If al even. In the world of sports, you always want to take sides, but really now, how do you choose sides in this argument between the University of Michigan and former Wolverines basketball star Chris Webber? i University officials have asked a federal judge to order the NBA All-Star to reimburse the school $695,000 for legal fees and financial losses from NCAA penalties. "Such a payment would reflect Mr.

Webber's long history of deceit, would counterbalance the harm caused the university by mat deceit, and have the added benefit of discouraging other student athletes from making similar errors," the university's top attorney, Marvin Krislov, wrote to U.S. District Judge Nancy Ed munds. That's a nice little dig to get back at Webber for all the trouble he helped generate for Michigan, but really now, isn't this sort of like the pot calling the kettle black? What sort of payment would counterbalance the millions of dollars earned by the university as a result of Webber's image (Le. the sale of his No. 4 jersey and all the various Fab Five-related paraphernalia) and the long history of deceit that was evidently practiced by the old basketball program when it continually broke all those NCAA recruiting rules? E-maA: WMnRRpott4ispatck.eiM PhonK 314-34W185 1 Kr- By Tom Timmermann Of the Post-Dispatch Four years after the high point of women's soccer, the in credible success ot tne lyw Women's World Cup, and five days after the sport's nadir, the collapse of the WUSA, the sport steps into the spotlight for what may be the last time for a while.

The 2003 Women's World Cup kicks off Saturday with two matches in Philadelphia. The American women begin play on Sunday, with a match against Sweden in Washington. The demise of the WUSA figures to cast a shadow over what, as recently as a week ago, was seen as a chance for the sport to shine again and for the league to regain some badly needed momentum. Now, when the tournament ends ITT i ii-ii -miTnyrV, fii.i nn ii inn, i.ir.i i i i.niri Hi iih i ri n. mt1 TIMOTHY CLARY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Brandi Chastain reacts after making the game-winning penalty kick in the World Cup in 1999.

WUSA's demise puts cloud over tourney Isaac Bruce already is the Rams' (633) and TD receptions (63). receiving categories: RECEPTION YDS CHRIS LEE POST-DISPATCH career leader in receptions Weight didn't pile on the expectations. Both are better for it. "Both are very gifted and have die ability to control games out there," said Scott Mellanby, Demitra's linemate and, this week, scrimmage-squad teammate. "Both of them have been two of the most dominant guys in camp, so far.

You expect guys (like mem) to dominate play, to dominate in these type of games. (Weight) looked great I feel like I'm a greyhound chasing a rabbit You cant get the puck away from him. "He looks really determined." Flanked by rookies, Weight led his White squad to a second See Blues, D10 "We're sad. We're all sad. This isn't like a DUS that yOU miSSed.

This is something that we've all invested so much time and energy." BLUES UP NEXT: 4 p.m. today vs. Columbus (exhibition) Centers Weight, Demitra are off to effective starts MiaHamm Oct 12, the 43 current WUSA players taking part in the tournament will join the rest of the league in being out of a job. "It's hard in the sense that it is the last thing you want to be focusing on, but at the same time we can use this to roll into the World Cup," U.S. forward Shannon MacMillan said Monday after a training session in Virginia.

"We can be ambassadors and say, 'Hey, we need We're not ashamed to ask for help. We need more big-time investors to step up, and fuel our dream by believing in us." U.S. forward Mia Hamm said: "We're sad. We're all sad. This isn't like a bus that you missed.

This is something that we've all invested so much time See World Cup, DS Team-by-team capsules, D5 Complete schedule, DH Scrimmage stars show less is better By Derrick Goold Of the Post-Dispatch Fleet, elusive and unrelentingly competitive in the waning moments of scrimmages, the Blues top two centers Doug Weight and Pavol Demitra have been the top two players in training camp because they each trimmed weight during the offseason. Demitra didnt bulk up the muscle this summer. Mia Ha mm and the core of the 9 team have returned. (AP PHOTO) i TP..