Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 9

Reno gazette -journal Tedi Bruschi courageously returns to practice. 6B i CONTACT SPORTS EDITOR Chuck Carlson 775.788.6345 SP0RTSRGJ.COM SECTION Thursday, October 20, 2005 RGJ.comSports RGJ GOLF PERSON OF THE YEAR Hidden Valley pro inaugural winner Mazzaferri is 'Mr. Perseverance' when it comes to local golf He was instrumental in bringing Play Golf America to Northern Nevada two years ago. Play Golf America is a PGA initiative designed to retain golfers and draw more people into the game. The NorCal chapter ranked fourth in the country last year in terms of improving the growth of the game.

In recent months, he organized a Hurricane Katrina relief program for the 500 or so see GOLF on 3B is the notion that all these guys do is play golf for free. No one understands the truth better than Mazzaferri. And it is for that reason that Mazzaferri, the general manager at Hidden Valley Country Club, has been named the winner of the inaugural RG Golf Person of The Year award. The purpose of the award is to honor a person who has made outstanding contributions to the game and Mazzaferri's list of accomplishments in the last decade is impressive. He has served as the NorCal president (2004-05), vice president (2002-03) and secretary (2001 and was named the NorCal Professional of the Year in 2004.

He has also served as president of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the NorCal PGA. Along with Edgewood pro Randy Fox, he started Golf The High Sierra, the 20 regional courses that came together to create the nonprofit marketing association designed to promote the region as a golf destination. DUNCAN MITCHELLRENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL T. Golf Pro Mike Mazzaferri takes a timeout shop Wednesday. Mazzaferri is president Defense dialed in after a rough start Pack starting to succeed in 3-4 scheme --m f-.

it ir BY CHAD HARTLEY chartleyrgj.com Through the first three games of the Nevada football team's season, there were some sleepless nights for Tim De-Ruyter. The Wolf Pack's co-defensive coordinator was brought in to essentially overhaul the defense with a 3-4 scheme (three down linemen and four linebackers) that he's run for most of his coaching career. But in the first three games, which included two losses, the defense struggled mightily and De-Ruyter felt the heat. "Everyone is looking at you saying 'You sold us a bill of DeRuyter said. He never lost faith.

He knows this scheme works, especially against the run, when the right personnel is in place and understands the package. "I had been around this package for a long time, and I know there is a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers lead is. BY DAN H11NXMAN dhinxmanrgj Mike Mazzaferri's golf handicap used to be in "plus" figures, meaning a round of par or higher was not a good day for him. Now it's a 1.8. "The last four or five years, I've played very little golf," Mazzaferri, president of the NorCal Section of the PGA, said Wednesday.

One of the great fallacies about being a PGA professional Houston to play in first World Series BY MIKE F1TZPATRICK ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS No wonder the celebration was so sweet. They never had one before. The Houston Astros made it to their first World Series after 44 seasons, owing it all to Roy Oswalt, who took his team's hopes, dreams and gritty resolve and pitched them past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 Wednesday night.

Even with the NL tropTiy firmly in their grasp, they could hardly believe it. "It's been a long time, you know. I'm not greedy, I'm not selfish, just wanted to go one time," Craig Biggio said. "I can't tell you how happy I am, it took us a long time and we've got 5 million people in Houston who are very pumped up right now." His teammate of 15 years, Jeff Bagwell, echoed those sentiments. "Towards the end of my career, I didn't want an opportunity like this to go by," said Bagwell, a prolific slugger slowed by shoulder injuries the past few years.

Coming off a crushing loss in Game 5 of the NL championship series at home on Albert Pujols' stunning homer, the stubborn Astros refused to be shaken. They jumped to an early lead behind Biggio and Jason Lane, got perhaps a little help from the umpires and watched Oswalt shut down St. Louis for SEE MLB ON 4B Pack coach Mark Fox can't comment on a recruitable athlete. McGee is the son of Pamela McGee, who led Southern California to NCAA women's titles in 1983 and 1984 and was an Olympic gold medalist for the United States in 1984. The player's father is George Montgomery, a former Illinois center who was picked in the second round by Portland of the seven-round 1985 NBA draft.

at the Hidden Valley Country Club pro of the NorCal Section of the PGA. the NFL in rush defense all the time," said DeRuyter, who spent seven years running the 3-4 scheme at Ohio University. "Part of it is their players, obviously, but the other part is that it is a tough defense to run against. You create problems for the offense that they have to get ready for in one week." The problem was that the Pack was still learning early in the season. The players' heads were still swimming and they were thinking about what they were supposed to do instead of just reacting.

"One of the coaches called it 'paralysis by linebacker Jeremy Engstrom said. "Sometimes you sit there and think too much and you end up looking silly." But a lot has changed over the past three games for Nevada, which is idle this week before a Western Athletic Conference showdown at Boise State on Oct. 29. see PACK ON 5B SCOTT SADYRENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL FILE cruited by Northwestern, Marquette and DePaul. "His upside is tremendous," said Hales Franciscan coach Gary London.

"He's a legitimate 6-10. He might be taller. We haven't measured him. "He runs the floor like a deer, very athletic, great stroke. He can shoot it.

He can shoot the three. He's not a post player. He's a three (a small forward)." Under NCAA rules, Wolf GOLF. CLAY LEADS QUALIFIER Garrett Clegg shot his second straight 67 to take the lead at the Dayton Valley PGA Tour qualifying school. 3B Roosevelt Cooks (26), Ezra Butler (56) and the Nevada Wolf Pack defense have given up an average of 21 .3 points per game in Nevada's last three wins.

Here, Washington State quarterback Alex Brink is sacked in the Sept. 9 season opener. Houston Astros shortstop Adam Everett, left, leaps into the arms of first baseman St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series Chicago prep basketball player to make recruiting stop CHARLIE NEIBERGALASSOCTATED PRESS Lance Berkman after the Astros beat the on Wednesday to go to the World Series. in Nevada him at the small forward and power forward.

"With his size, obviously, he can be functional inside, but I wouldn't bury him there because of his shooting," London said. McGee trained this summer with former NBA player Sonny Parker at the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation in Chicago. Parker played six seasons with the Golden State Warriors from 1977 to 1982. "I think he's been able to take advantage of it (his family background)," London said. "He has the skill set of a three.

He can put the ball on the floor and he runs the floor like crazy. "He wasn't always that tall. His mother said she worked with him on his ballhan-dling." Pamela McGee, a Kodak All-American at USC, where she played with her twin sister Paula, played in the WNBA with the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks before coaching with the Detroit Shock. Her son transferred to Hales Franciscan this season after attending Detroit Country Day and Providence Christian in Michigan. London said the player is a natural small forward in Division but probably would be happy at a school that played BY STEVE SNEDDON ssneddonrgj.com Javale McGee, who has two major college basketball stars in his immediate family tree, will be making a recruiting trip to Nevada this weekend.

McGee, a senior from Hales Franciscan High in Chicago, will come to Reno after visiting the University of San Francisco last weekend. He's also being re HOCKEY MINNESOTA GOES WILD The Minnesota Wild trounced the San Jose Sharks, 6-1 behind five third-period goals and 34 saves. 28 THE LOCAL SCENE WHAT KIND OF SPORTS TOWN IS RENO? The Gazette-Journal will provide some answers to that question. A package of stories examining Reno as a sports town will run Sunday. The results of a questionnaire answered by nearly 1 ,000 people will also be unveiled.

LINE OF THE DAY "We're here at the World Series, love it. But what the heck is it going to mean if you don't win it? I don't want to go home without that Ken Williams Chicago White Sox general manager 4B Every Thursday night through December in r-r-7 (Pc'jTi WO ADVERTISEMENT.