Logansport Pharos-Tribune from Logansport, Indiana • Page 9

Sports Editor Dave Brown (219) 722-5000, Ext. 113 PHAROS-TRIBUNE SPORTS B2 Boxer Dies B3 Hoops 4 B3 Training MONDAY, March 3,1997 Andretti Captures Season-Opening Marlboro Grand Prix HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Michael Andretti hardly knew who to thank first. The second-generation Indy-car star earned an important victory Sunday in the season-opening Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami, establishing himself as at least one of the favorites to win the 1997 PPG Cup championship. Widening his smile after the race at Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex was the fact that his victory came in the first American-made chassis to win an Indy- car event in 14 years.

And it came with an engine that proved considerably stronger than a year ago, when Andretti still managed to win five races. "We had to be optimistic because we knew we won all those races last year with a package that shouldn't have been able to win," Andretti said. "Now it's nice to have the whole package out there the Swift, the Ford engine and Goodyear tires." Sunday's race was the debut of the Swift chassis, built in San Clemente, Calif. It was powered by a Ford-Cosworth XD engine. "What was nice about today was that we had so much more power than last year," Andretti said.

"It was nice being able to pass in the straightaways. I haven't done that in a while. "This year's engine allowed me to pull out and go by people. Last year, you'd pull out 'and it was like hitting a brick wall. "It's a great car and I knew it from about the third lap of testing Phoenix.

I really felt like I had the best car out there today." It was the 36th victory for Andretti, at 34 the leading active race-winner in the CART series. "It's always been my goal to win races," the 1991 PPG Cup champion said. "I don't set goals to win championships. Those come. My next goal is to win the next race." On Sunday, Andretti pulled away at the end, beating Paul Tracy's Penske-Mercedes to the finish line by 3.401 seconds about a quarter of a lap.

The most recent Indy-car victory by an American car was by Gordon Johncock, who drove a Wildcat at Atlanta Motor Speedway on April 17,1983. Tracy, who made the top three for the first time since a third-place finish last June at Milwaukee, was hurt by traffic on the final restart. "We got a yellow (flag) at the end and it was a but (Scott) Pruett got between us on the restart and wouldn't let me by," he said. "Mike got away from me and that was it." Jimmy Vasser, who began his run to the 1996 CART PPG Cup championship by winning this race a year ago, had a tire puncture and a problem with, the car's balancing device, but wound up third. He was followed by Greg Moore, the last driver on the lead lap, Alex Zanardi, who started from the pole fora record-tying fifth consecutive race, led until Gil de Ferran, who started third in a backup after crashing his primary on Saturday, passed on lap 32.

Andretti, working, his way carefully through traffic, got past Zanardi on lap 38 to take second place. The former series champion then began to chase down de Ferran. After rookie Dario Franchiti spun and hit the wall on lap 46, bringing out the first caution flag and allowing the leaders to make their first pit stops under yellow, Andretti trailed by less than a second On lap 69, de Ferran came up fast on the lapped cars of Max Papis and Dennis Vitolo. Papis moved past Vitolo on the backstretch and, as the two slower cars started into the third turn, de Ferran tried to drive under Vitolo. The two banged together hard, sending de Ferran.spinning up the track into the concrete barrier.

Andretti got through unscathed to take the lead. "I was beside him and all of a sudden he turned and he kept turning. I had nowhere to go," de Ferran said. "I was out there running at my own pace, not worried too much about Zanardi when he was in front of me or Michael coming up close behind me. I was doing what was best for the car and myself with the pace.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am." Vitolo said he just got caught in the. wrong place. "Max got past me and he braked very; hard," Vitolo said. "I had to brake very hard; to keep from hitting him. With Gil on one; side and Max on the other, I had absolutely; no place to go." Andretti narrowly avoided the accident "A piece of debris hit me in the (face)! shield," he said.

"I was right in the middle of; it." i But Andretti got through, and was the car; to beat thereafter. His only close call was; when he nearly lost the lead as the third and last caution flag came out on lap 111 after Papis stalled in the cool-down lane. i The final round of pit stops for the lead-; ers.had already begun when the caution; came out. Zanardi, Pruett, Mauricio; Gugelmin and Raul Boesel had pitted under; green, and found themselves scored a lap behind when the caution waved. ACTION JACKSON Jackson Completes Return With Triple-Double Night Point guard returns to post triple- double as Smits, Dale Davis card, double-doubles in Pacer victory By ERIC BRANCH Pharos-Tribune Staff INDIANAPOLIS To the uninformed observer, the final minutes of the Indiana Pacers' 10185 win over Los Angles Sunday afternoon provided all the suspense of a spring-training exhibition.

PACERS LAKERS, Ki 101 HD Key: Indiana's 13-0 fourth-quarter run puts game away. Next: Indiana (28-29) plays host to Boston on Tuesday. But Indiana point guard Mark Jackson's pursuit of a triple-double was enough to keep many of the 16,711 at Market Square Arena on the edge of their seats. And Jackson's sneakers off the edge of the sideline. "Coach told me I had a minute to get a rebound," Jackson said.

"So I knew time was dwindling." The clock dwindled down to two minutes before Jackson chased a long rebound caroming toward the Indiana bench. Jackson cradled the loose ball and simultaneously tippy toed in the first Pacer triple-double since Derrick "It might be nice to look at once the season is over," Jackson said after his 17 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. "But I wasn't concerned about it If it came or if it didn't, so be it The win was much more important. It's important that we played well." Indeed, the formerly listless Pacers have shown signs of life since Jackson was reacquired on Feb. 20 as part of a five-player deal with Denver.

After losing their first two games with the NBA's assists leader, the Pacers have won three straight matching their second-longest winning streak in a what has been a disappointing season. "Our energy and enthusiasm are back," said Reggie Miller who finished with a team-high 27 points, "Mark provides that, and the rest of us are feeding off it" Jackson set a Pacers' record with 19 assists in a 104-85 victory over Milwaukee on Friday before recording his ISth-career triple-double Sunday. "He's playing great and he's made everyone else look like they're enjoying the game," coach Larry Brown said. "He makes everyone better." A look at the stat sheet supports Brown's claim. Miller connected on 10-of-17 field goals against Los Angeles after hitting eight of 12 against the Bucks.

In his previous 10 games, the Indiana star had shot over 40 percent from the field just twice. In addition, Dale Davis had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. "He's so unselfish," said Laker guard Byron a former' teammmate of Jackson. "I loved 'playing' witH wbrk to get open know you'll be rewarded when Mark's on the floor." Despite playing without injured starters Shaquille O'Neal and Robert Horry, the Lakers (38-19) trailed just 44-42 with 2:19 to play in the second quarter. But four consecutive Jackson assists highlighted a 9-0 Indiana run to extend the hatftime lead to The bulge grew to 20, 67-47 with .7:19 left in the third quarter before Los Angeles shot its way back into the game.

Center Elden Campbell managed just two of his 17 points in the second half, but the Lakers hit eight 3-pointers during a 14-minute stretch to trim the defecit to six, 88-82 with 5:23 remaining. Guard Eddie Jones hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the third period. "With Shaquille out I have to step my effort up at both ends of the court," Jones said. "But I'm not capable of taking over ballgames like (Shaquille) is." After Jones left with back spasms with 4:15 remaining his teammates proved equally incapable. Indiana salted the game away with a 13-0 run highlighted by a 3-point bomb from Travis Best (11 points) and a baseline jumper from center Rik Smits (15 points, 10 rebounds).

After Indiana completed the tear, the lead was and Jackson's triple-double, remained the only item in question. "When the game came down to winning time Mark got us good shots," Brown said. Meanwhile, in the other locker room, the Lakers' shots were being directed at each other.After losing for the sixth time in eight players met privately behind closed doors. Associated Press Indiana's Mark Jackson (13) scores on Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant during the first half In Indianapolis. Jackson carded 17 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds In the Pacers win.

"It was just a time where guys got up and "We need to weather the storm. We'll do it, but voiced their opinion to each a little an- we need a little spark." gry," Scott said. "I'm surprised it didn't happen Funny, the Pacers were saying the exact same two weeks ago, but it's over with. thing a few days ago. Belle's Same In Chicago TAMPA, Fla.

(AP) Albert Belle has his own set of ground rules which apply to fans, media members and pitchers. Respect them, no lems. Break them and pay. 1 Belle's glad to sign that ball, just don't get pushy. He's willing to talk, too, but only when he has finished his work.

Throw him the wrong pitch and watch it disappear over the fence. Yes, Belle may have changed uni- forms and moved to a new city over the winter, but little else about base- ball's baddest man has changed. "I'm not going to change because somebody 'change," Belte-said Sunday'after leading the White S6x to an'8-4 victory'over the New York'Yankees: He's talking to reporters this spring not that he didn't do that in the past with the charm and wit that his supporters always said exist- ed beneath his rough exterior. And he's already ripping the baseball like it was July. Belle tripled, doubled and drove in three runs before leaving Sunday's game in the fifth inning.

He gave the Yankees and 10,232 fans at Legends Field a taste of the damage he, Frank Thomas and the White Sox plan to in- flict on American League pitchers this season. After Belle met with about two dozen reporters, some- I thing he never did during his final season with the Indians. The four- time All-Star left fielder discussed a variety of topics, his transition with the White Sox, his disappointment I with the Indians and his contract Belle signed with the White Sox last November after spending eight sometimes turbulent years in Cleve- land. Not long after the Indians were eliminated from the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles, he left for Chica- go's offer of five years for $55 million. His pairing with Thomas has pro- vided White Sox fans with hope that the club may finally get back to the World Series.

Belle, who will bat cleanup behind Thomas, knows the duo will be impossible to pitch around. Wallace Wins Pontiac 400, Or Does He? RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Rusty Wallace wasn't happy with Jeff Gordon's hard driving at the end of the Pontiac Excitement 400. A short time later, NASCAR wasn't happy with Wallace. The engine in Wallace's winning Ford Thunderbird failed a critical post-race test, and NASCAR officials said they were taking it for further testing.

"It was marginal on compression, so they're taking it to an environment where they can check it at one of NASCAR's facilities," Robin Pemberton, Wallace's crew chief, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. NASCAR official Kevin Triplet! released few details about the problem. He said an announcement probably would come today. Last year, NASCAR limited engines to 14:1 com-' pression on restrictor-plate superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega. This year, the requirement applies to all tracks.

However, drivers found using illegal engines haven't been stripped of victories in the past. Richard Petty was allowed to keep one in 1983, and Mark Martin retained one here in 1990. In both cases, fines were assessed, crew members punished and Winston Cup points forfeited, but the driver who took the checkered flag remained the winner. A points penalty against Wallace almost certainly would kill his chances of a second Winston Cup title'this year. Wallace, the 1989 champion, stood 10th unofficially in points after the behind 1995 winner Gordon.

Wallace also could forfeit $86,775 in prize money. For Pemberton, the penalties could be more severe. He was the crew chief car when it was found to have an illegal part here, a violation that cost Martin 46 points in the series standings. He lost the 1990 championship by 26 points to Dale Earnhardt. Before the engine question arose, Wallace said he was annoyed at how Gordon drove at the end of the race.

Gordon, a lap down to the leaders, jockeyed to get ahead of them in case another caution came out. That would have put him fifth in line for the resulting restart, giving him a chance to win an unprecedented third straight event at the start of a Winston Cup-season. "He thought he had a chance to win being a lap down with five to Wallace scoffed. "I don't know. That's pretty tough to do.

You've gotta be Houdini, although that kid's pretty good. I don't know." Ernie Irvan said Gordon ran over the left front of his car, sending him into the wall on the fourth turn with seven laps to go. He was fourth at the time, finished 36th and promised to remember in a future race. "That is pretty bad when somebody takes it away from Irvan said. "But what goes around comes around.

A lapped car should not try to dictate what happens at the end of the race. We all earned what we had." Associated Press Rusty Wallace (2) spins In front of Ricky Rudd (10) as Ernie Irvan passes high during the Pontiac 400..