Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 40

8D RenoGazette-Journal SPORTS DIGEST Thursday. July 21. 1994 With 4 days to go, Indurain holds 7-minute lead in Tour de France TOUR DE FRANCE FAST FACTS Stage: The 1 7th stage from Bourg d'Oisans to Val Thorens 93 miles with three climbs over 6.232 feet. Winner: Nelson Rodriguez of Colombia Yellow jersey: Miguel Indurain. Favorites fared: Indurain is 7 minutes, 21 seconds ahead of Richard Virenque of France.

Today: The 18th stage from Moutiers toCluses, 108 miles. By Th Associated Press Nelson Rodriguez of Colombia conquered a tough course in the Alps to win Wednesday's stage ol the Tour de France, while Miguel Indurain moved closer to his fourth straight victory in cycling's most prestigious race. Indurain finished fifth Wednesday and held to his lead of better than seven minutes with four davs left. In the stage. Rodriguez beat Piotr Ugrumov of Latvia in a final sprint about a minute ahead of Marco Pantani of Italy, who moved into third place in the overall standings.

Rodriguez, who was sixth in the Tour of Italy, is the smallest rider in the field at 112 pounds. The stage had three climbs to peaks over 6.233 feet, including the last haul up to Val Thorens. the highest ski resort in Europe. 7,544 feet in altitude. Pantani fell early in the day and was reportedly on the verge of quitting with a knee injury.

But he got back on his bike and improved his standing. Richard Virenque of France the next three seasons. The howl will match the Western Athletic Conference runnerup team against the Pac-10 third-place team this December. In 1995 it will be third place teams from both conferences, and in 1996 revert to the WAC's second-place team. WAC commissioner Karl Benson and Orange County Sports Association executive director Don Anderson jointly announced the agreement Wednesday.

Ray Flaherty, a Hall of Fame end who plaved on the New York Giants' 1934 NFL championship team and coached the Washington Redskins to titles in 1937 and 1942 is dead. He was 90. "I le felt he lived a good life and a full one," Flaherty's son, Ray, said after his father's death Tuesday in Cocur d'Alene, Idaho. Flaherty, credited with introducing the screen pass, began his professional career ith the American Football League's Los Angeles Wildcats in 1926. He played for the NFL's New York Yankees in 1927 and joined the Giants in 1928.

mum time limit, but officials allowed them to continue to keep the pack at more than 100 riders. Two days remain in the Alps, including an individual time trial Friday. But none of Indurain's top rivals are left. Wrestling Testimony from 1 1 professional wrestlers is insufficient toconict Vince McMahon of steroid conspiracy, the lawyer for the wrestling impresario said in closing arguments Wednesday. Only one of the muscle-bound witnesses testified he was told directly by McMahon to use steroids, attorney Laura Brevetti said.

Others echoed wrestling star Hulk Hogan, who testified that his 1 3 years of steroid use was a personal decision. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Thursday. It will decide whether McMahon conspired to distribute steroids to wrestlers like Hogan and Ravishing Rick Rude to build their muscles. Two counts, accusing the promoter of actually distributing the drugs, were dismissed for lack of evidence earlier this week by U.S. District Judge Jacob Mishler.

McMahon. 48. of Stamford, owner of Titan Sports and the World Wrestling Federation, could get up to three years in prison if convicted of conspiracy. The dropped charges would hae added eight years. In her closing argument, Brevetti said the government brought in Hogan, the WWF's biggest attraction, to be its star witness, but the move backfired.

"They brought Hulk Hogan in here to prove their case and he did just the opposite," Brevetti said. "He admitted once and for all that he used steroids but he said he was never told bv McMahon to use them." Prosecutor Sean O'Shea disagreed. "What we have seen in this trial is that wrestling is a business with a dark side, a dark, corrupt underbelly," O'Shea said in his summation. Football University of Kentucky football player Trent DiGiuro, fatally shot during a weekend party in his honor, was buried Wednesday on what would have been his 21st birthday. Kentucky coach Bill Curry and doens of DiGiuro's teammates attended the funeral at Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Church in his hometown.

"The service was beautiful." Curry said. "It was incredible." DiGiuro, a walk-on offensive lineman who rose to a starting spot, was shot once in the head Sunday morning on the front porch of the house he and three teammates were renting for the summer. The shooting occurred as an early birthday party for DiGiuro was winding down. "Everybody is in shock right now," said running back Donncll Gordon, who also was DiGiuro's teammate in high school. "I can't believe one of my best friends is gone." No arrests have been made and police have few clues.

The Pac-10 and WAC have agreed to a three-year contract to have football teams from their conferences meet in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium to end stayed in second place, 7:21 behind Indurain. Pantani was 8:11 behind, and Luc Lcblanc dropped to fourth. About 30 riders, including some top names such as Djamolidine Abdoujaparov of Uzbekistan, Raul Alcala of Mexico and Monday's stage winner, Eros Poli of Italy, finished more than 25 minutes behind. They should have been disqualified for being outside the maxi TENNIS Austin's 2nd comeback ends with her retirement tay Dn Touch By The Associated Press Saying she didn't love the game as much as she once did. Tracy Austin bid a tearful goodbye to professional tennis with an unexpected retirement announcement.

With VERYONE 5 normally found in more experienced players. The second-seeded Novotna slowly unraveled after winning the first set. Conversely, Louarsabishvily got stronger and more daring, rifling ground-strokes down the lines and to the corners as well as picking opportune moments at the net. "I really didn't think I could win this match," said Louarsabishvily, winner of eight unior events in 1993. "I was so nervous when I walked onto the court.

Before I knew it, the first set was over. "All I wanted was for the match to last longer and I really didn't think about winning until I was serving for the match." In other second-round matches, Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, who retired from the pro tour in February, beat Parti O'Reilly 6-3, 6-2; fourth-seeded Helena Sukova beat Pam Casale-Telford 6-2, 6-3; and Pam Shriver beat Alix Creek, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. I uesday night's announcement at the Pathmark Classic marked the second time Austin has announced she is nuittine tennis. itdi Including Your Closest Friends One of the Austin-game's best young players in the late '70s and early '80s. Austin quit in 1983 before making two comebacks.

One ended because of injuries she suffered in a car accident; the latest began l'j years ago. "This is my last match. I came back because I was enjoying it." Austin said. "And about three months ago, I stopped enjoying it." Austin then cradled her head in her hands, asking for a towel to wipe away tears. "I can't believe I'm upset," she said.

"It's the end of a long, good career. Austin, 31, made the announcement after retiring from her opening round match against Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere because of a reinjured groin muscle. Maleeva- Fragniere was leading 6-4, 2-0. When she was 16, Austin became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open in her defeat of Evert in 1979.

The record that still stands. In 1 980, she was 'ranked first in the world. Austin stressed that the has nothing to do with her injury, originally suffered 10 days "ago while playing Pam Shriver in Newport, R.I. This time, Austin said, she is leaving the game on her own terms. "Now it feels like closure on a career.

It feels good to walk away from it rather than have it taken away from me." Austin plans on continuing her commentating career with USA Network, traveling and enjoying her home in Redondo Beach, CA. Any regrets? "I look at the glass half full," she said. "I feel very fortunate and hope I can play until I'm 80." PATHMARK CLASSIC: Nino played the match of her young career, stunning eighth-ranked Jana No-otna 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 Wednesday night in the second round of the Path-mark Tennis Classic, Mahway, N.J. Louarsabishvily, 1 7, of the former republic Georgia, achieved the seemingly improbable victory with an ac-' curate two-handed backhand and mettle Motorola 2900 "Attache" I i cm rn rr I I in DM I III A FEDERATION CUP: France, with French Open finalist Mary Pierce leading the way. was among four countries to advance Wednesday to the quarterfinals of the Federation Cup, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Japan, like France, swept its way through the second round of the annual 32-country women's tennis event, while Germany and South Africa advanced with 2-1 victories. Thursday's second-round matches have Spain, the defending champion and top seed, against Argentina, the second-seeded United States meeting Canada, Austria against Australia and Bulgaria facing Indonesia. Pierce thrashed Sandra Cecchini 6-0, 6-3 to lead third-seeded France to the 3-0 victory over Italy." Julie Halard beat Silvia Farina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the other singles match and combined with Nathalie Tauziat to beat Rita Grande and Marzia Grossi 6-4, 6-1 in doubles. LEGG MASON CLASSIC: Stefan Ed-berg, revived by his break from tennis after Wimbledon, routed Alex Antonitsch 6-2. 6-1 Wednesday in the second round of the $650,000 Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Edberg, the second seed, beat the 28-year-old Austrian in 62 minutes. Three other seeds did not fare so well, with No. 3 Wayne Ferreira, No. 9 MaliVai Washington and No. 12 Amos Mansdort, the defending champion, all losing.

Ferreira dropped a 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1 decision to Byron Black. Washington struggled for the second straight day, falling 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to David Wheaton. And Mansdorf was beaten 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 by Brett Steven. In all, seven seeds won second-round matches, including No. 4 Marc Rosset, No.

6 Jaime Yzaga, No. 7 Ivan Lendl and No. 8 Aaron Krickstein. Edberg, playing for the first time since being eliminated in the second round at Wimbledon last month, broke serve five times and winning 74 percent of the total match points. BECKER HURT: Boris Becker has withdrawn from next week's Player's International tennis championship in Toronto with an injured right leg, Tennis Canada announced Wednesday.

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Unprecedented over-the-air programming also is scheduled: ABC Sports will have coverage weekend afternoons, beginning Saturday. Names to watch during Russia's first large-scale international sports event of the post-Soviet Union era: Sprinter Leroy Burrell, who recently lowered the 100-meter world record to 9.85 taking on U.S. training partner Carl Lewis, Andre Cason and Jon Drum-mond. Cuba's Javier Sotomayor, king of the high jump, along with track and field giants such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee (heptathlon), Dan O'Brien (decathlon), Mike Powell (long jump) and Russia's Sergei Bubka (pole vault). By Steve Woodward USA TODAY ST.

PETERSBURG, Russia While the Olympics possess an un-; mistakable cachet, the world's top athletes won't be waiting 24 to test themselves in lanta. Many will converge this week-end for the start of the 1994 Good-, will Games in St. Petersburg, a city of islands, canals and onion domes. The Games' 2,000 competitors include at least 60 Olympic medal-lists and numerous world champions. Highlighting the 16-day 'event: a track meet glittering with I world recordholders, along with marquee names competing in diving, figure skating, I gymnastics, swimming, wrestling.

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