The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 31

The Beacon Journal Sunday, April 5, 1998 Coming Wednesday A 16-page special section previewing the Akron Aeros as they get ready for their second season at Canal Park, featuring player profiles and a poster-sized schedule you can pull and save. American League National League Cleveland Toronto 9 Cincinnati New York 7 at Anaheim Texas 1 las Angeles 1 Pittsburgh 6 Baltimore I Oakland 7 SL Louis 8 Chicago 1 Detroit 1 New York 3 San Diego 8 Montreal 1 Tampa Bay 8 Kansas City 3 San Francisco i Atlanta i Chicago Minnesota 2 Arizona 3 Philadelphia 4 Boston Milwaukee 6 Colorado at Seattle Florida 1 Houston 3 NHL St Louis 4 Islanders 3 Colorado 1 Rangers 0 Florida 4 Washington 3 NBA Philadelphia I Los Angeles New Jersey 97 Miami 101 Si "ewYori.94 ChariotteM CL SanJoseS GoldenState at Montreal Toronto 3 at San Antonio Phoenix College football Ohio State fifth-year senior Joe Germaine knows he's "The Man" in Coach John Cooper's eyes heading into spring practice. Page CIO. Recruiting Prospective college student-athletes and their parents may want to read Winning Athletic Scholarships. Page CI 1.

Outdoors, Page 2 Auto racing, Page 3 Golfr Page 7 NBA, Page 8-9 THE BEACON JOURNAL HONORS You want what? Tickets to Masters? Right, better be very rich, very patient or both By Michael weinreb beacon Journal stuff vriltr The man wants $4,500. Tickets are going fast, he says. He'll take Visa or MasterCard, he says. He has only four left, he says. I don't know, you say.

Let me think. My name's Jason, he says. Ask forme. You call another toll-free num ber. Vm call- cMisrtus ToUKNIMetiT ill iiMl 1 1 I ujojj senooi ALL KATELYN X- Girls Year and Female Winter Athlete I the Year J- ing about Masters tickets, you say.

The four-round badge, you say. The woman says $3,750. Should I reserve one for you? They're going fast. You tell her you'll think it over. 1998 Masters When: Thursday-Sunday TV: USACBS Inside A special golf section Beginning Thursday, Tiger Woods will defend his title at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

And you will not be there. Not unless you have held tickets since before Watergate, or you work for the right corporation or you carry wads of hundreds in your pockets like lint The Masters is sold out Tickets for the practice rounds (face value $16 for tomorrow and Tuesday, $21 for Wednesday are out They go on sale to the general public each year through a drawing. This is your only real chance, because tickets for the four tournament rounds (face value $100 for all four rounds) are gone. They are so far gone. As in Nixon administration gone, sold out since 1972, four years before Tiger Woods was even brought onto this earth.

So people wait And they wait And they wait. And they wait. The waiting list closed in 1978. It has not reopened since. "Someone could possibly die," said Masters director of communications Glenn Greenspan.

"Or they could move out of the country. It does happen." Sure it does. It happens like the continents shifting. It happens like global warming. Why, after all, would anyone give up a Masters ticket? Even if they didn't use it they could always sell it Couldn't they? Ahem.

See GOLF, Page C7 Boys Basketball, mmmw mm i-a i Girls Pade C13. 'I f't- Ma Ax? Wrestling, ple C14. I TIM CORR1GAN, Chamberiin Swimming, Ppe C15: Gymnastics, page C16. Coaches' All-Star Teams, Page C16. Burba survives first-game jitters A Franklin in mint condition is one thing, but after 11 years.

Legendaiy talk-show host back on local radio, but must battle ghost of himself Terry piuto IvcvpL) Indians at Angels When: 4:05 p.m. today Where: Edison International Field (Anaheim, Calif.) TV: WUAB, Channel 43 Radio: WAKR 1590-AM Pitching matchups: Charles Nagy (0-0, 17.36) vs. Jason Dickson (0-0, 0.00). More On The Trade Sheldon Ocker says the jury is still out on sending prized prospect Sean Casey to the Reds for pitcher Dave Burba. Terry Pluto says Casey is feeling and seeing better after a pre-game mishap.

Page C6 is pleased at the way things turned out In Burba's first start for the Indians Friday night he beat the Angels 6-2. And though he had to pitch himself out of a few jams, he limited Anaheim to six hits and two walks in seven innings. "If this was a month from now, I'd have left him in there," Hargrove said. But since this was Burba's first start of the season, and he threw 108 pitches, the manager felt enough was enough. It was a stressful game for Burba.

"It seemed like I'd been waiting See Burba, Page C5 New Indians pitcher thrilled to pitch well, win in American League debut EDITOR'S NOTE: Lost night's Indians game was not completed in time for this edition. For a result, call the Beacon Journal score-line at 330-996-3830. For a game story and other Indians information, visit our Tribe Central website at http:llwww.ohio.combjl sportsindians. By Sheldon Ocker Bencon Journal staff wrUer Anaheim, Dave Burba is happy it's over. So is Mike Hargrove.

More important the manager he seemed to be 65 for about five years. "Not true," he said. "I really am 70. I'll show you my birth certificate. People just think I'm older because I've been working since I was 17." However old he is, Franklin's no kid.

His favorite sports childhood memory is meeting Lou Gehrig and it will be nice to have someone on the air who knows basketball didn't begin with Michael Jordan. "A lot of today's sports talk is a guy telling a caller to screw him-sefr," said Franklin. "Heck, most See Pluto, Page CIO Pete Franklin knows he's chasing a ghost The ghost of himself. The ghost of the legend who invented sports talk radio in Cleveland, the voice that dominated the market for 20 years. "No matter how well I do, some guy is gonna say, 'Pete ain't the said Franklin.

"I've got the toughest act to follow myself. It's a game I can't win." Franklin is back on the air in i Cleveland for the first time since 1 1987. He'll be doing occasional Ishows on WTAM (1100-AM), one Jor two evenings a week when the "Indians don't play. Let's hope it works. Let's wel- come Franklin back, because even half of Pete is better than all of Jim Rome or some of the other turkeys gobbling up airtime.

Franklin promises to be the same old crusty Pete, even if he is 70 years old and some people claim 70 is his radio age, and that.