Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 185

t)t Maxtfoxb WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 1999 Camby's 12 Rebounds Lead Knicks Past Raptors PageC3 iuanU'lllD i fr 1 Right Rat Race ISA Joy Ride ime IT IT0 a mi And. Fresz From Daytona Victory, Gordon Is Toast Of New York mm A mm By DAVID HEUSCHKEL Courant Staff Writer NEW YORK Two days after winning the Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon was still going full throttle. It isn't the first time he has raced around Manhattan. Believe it or not, Gordon once drove a taxicab here. He also raced against one in 1995 after winning the first of three NASCAR Winston Cup championships.

"I was in a Chevy Monte Carlo," Gordon said. "I don't know where they Hamilton Has 21; Jake Limps Off By MICHAEL A RACE Courant Staff Writer STORRS The No. 2 UConn Huskies, supposedly reeling with one loss in their first 23 games, began their de-slumping process by reaffirming some of their strengths Tuesday night They ran well at times, they shot well at i got the car. Maybe Avis or somewhere. But it was a real New York City taxi.

I wanted to race him wheel-to-wheel and go for it They said, 'Let's I' just time it and see times, they pressed well at times and they wound up beating a solid team at Gampel Pa how long it takes you to drive 17 blocks and how long it takes him to drive 17 GORDON vilion. A sellout crowd of 10,027 and an ESPN2 audience watched the Huskies top Rutgers, 77-64. "I think Connecticut played like the No. 2 team in the country," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "I think we looked closer to being an excellent basketball team.

I don't think all the parts did everything I expected them to, but I thought we were very good against a very good basketball There were some glitches. Center Jake Voskuhl reaggravated his old left foot injury and limped to the trainer's room two minutes into the second half. His pain was ascribed to practicingplaying five days in a row. He needs rest but his injury is not thought to be a major threat He is not flying to Houston this morning. Khalid El-Amin was disciplined for poor time management and did not start He had to take time from the morning shoot-around to tend to some other aspect of his college or personal life.

Calhoun said El-Amin's transgression "is not serious" and "not a violation of team rules." But Calhoun wanted to make a point to El-Amin and the other players. El-Amin wound up with eight points in 21 minutes. Richard Hamilton, his right thigh nearly healed, looked more spry even though he was only 5-for-16 from the field. As Calhoun put it "He had a 4-for-16 Saturday and was not very good. I thought his 5-for-16 tonight was terrific.

He shared the ball and took what was there. He just played terrific." Hamilton hit his free throws and finished with 21 points to lead the Huskies (23-1, 14-1 Big East). Kevin Freeman, who has played a lot of ball in New Jersey and loves playing teams from the Garden State, was UConn's monster. He was 6-for-8 and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Please see JONES, Page C4 As usual, Gordon was the winner.

"I beat him," he said. "I can tell you that driving in New York City is a real experience. That's the type of driving that I could get used to. That is fun. You don't pay attention to the lines, to the lights, to the people." Gordon doesn't seem to mind all the attention he has gotten since Sunday.

You can bet NASCAR is loving every New York minute of it "It shows you how big an event like the Daytona 500 is, after you win it" Gordon said. "This is like winning the championship We need a racetrack here so that we can show the people around the New York City area what it's all about I think that would open their eyes up a lot more." Gordon, 27, is doing all he can. Monday morning, he was at Daytona USA in Daytona Beach, as his winning car was put on display. After that he flew to New York and arrived around 2:15 p.m. Gordon had a 4:30 rehearsal for a taping of the "Late Show with David Letterman." After a live reading of the Top Ten List Gordon and his wife Brooke had 30 minutes to change for the ESPY Awards that night at Radio City Music HalL Gordon won an ESPY for best race car driver and was also nominated for male athlete of the year along with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Michael Jordan and Terrell Davis.

"The ESPYs are so much fun," Gordon said. "It's just an honor to be there with all the great athletes. It says a lot about Please see RAINBOW, Page C2 RICHARD MESSINATHE HARTFORD COURANT JAKE VOSKUHL winds up off balance on a jump ball with Eugene Dabney. Voskuhl left early in the second half with a sore foot. Nothinn Gninn To Plan Season Over, But Pats Keep Losing Players Huskies Offering A Senior Special For Duran, It's Also First Step Back EDWARDS The Patriots have had better weeks: 1.

They knew they were in trouble when RB Robert Edwards blew out all four ligaments in his left knee in a beach football game, but Tuesday the Patriots learned doctors are "pessimistic he'll ever play again. 2. Last week, coach Pete Carroll said signing Dave Wohlabaugh would be a priority. Nice words, but they evidently had little impact. He signed with Cleveland Sunday and left the Patriots with a huge hole on an already suspect run-blocking offensive line.

3. Tom Tupa, one of the best punters in the league and a valuable commodity as a backup quarterback, didn't just leave, but kicked sand on the Patriots by joining Curtis Martin et al. in New Jersey. Leaving is bad enough, but signing with Jets coach Bill Parcells hurts i KYLE BRADY SIGNS 5-YEAR, $14.4 MILLION OFFER SHEET FROM JAGUARS, C7. Though not hopeful, Zarins didn't rule out the possibility of Edwards playing again.

It was already determined that Edwards would miss the '99 season because of the injury sustained in a flag football game on Waikiki Beach two days before the Pro BowL But the news on Edwards is just ther latest in what has been a crushing offseason for the Patriots. On Valentine's Day, the Patriots' most stable offensive lineman, center Dave Wohlabaugh, became the highest-paid center in the league (six-years averaging $3.5 million a season) as a member of the expansion Cleveland Browns. Last week, Patriots coach Pete Carroll said signing Wohlabaugh was a priority, but the Patriots' bank book didn't have enough zeros available to keep him. Their payroll is hovering around the Please see LOSING, Page C7 Latest Jolt: Edwards May Not Play Again By DESMOND CONNER Courant Staff Writer If you thought the news was bad for the future of the Patriots, who lost two key starters to other teams over the past few days, get a load of this: Doctors are "pessimistic" about running back Robert Edwards ever playing football again. Edwards had four hours of surgery to repair all four ligaments in his left knee at Massachusetts General Hospital Tuesday.

During surgery, team doctor Bertram Zarins found the nerve going to Edwards' lower leg, although intact was severely damaged. Rehabilitation began immediately after the surgery, Zarins said, and will continue for the next four to six weeks. But the recovery of the nerve function could take months. By JOHN ALTAVILLA Courant Staff Writer STORRS After being forced to juggle their starting lineup so frequently this season because of injuries, the No. 6 UConn women will do so voluntarily tonight against Providence at Gampel Pavilion.

It's Senior Night and tradition compels UConn coach Geno Aur-iemma to load his starting lineup with seniors, of which he has three. One (Amy Duran) is used to starting. One (Tihana Abrlic) has started on occasion. One (Courtney Gaine) has never started in college. "We'll do what we always do.

Get the seniors into the starting lineup and play it by ear from there," Aur-iemma said. "We're going with the five-guard lineup." The other two guards being Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova. That decision was made long before PROVIDENCE WOMEN VS. UCONN, GAMPEL PAVILION, 7:30 P.M., CPTV UConn's latest injury would have forced Auriemma's hand. Junior center Paige Sauer sprained her left ankle in practice Tuesday and was on crutches.

She will not play tonight For Duran, the appearance represents nothing more than sentimental symbolism. It's her first step back after missing seven games with a broken right hand, sustained Jan. 20 against Miami. But it does not represent the end of her rehabilitation. "I don't know how much Amy will actually be able to do," Aur-iemma said.

"Tuesday was the first day she actually was involved in drills that required her to pass, Please see FRIARS, Page C4 WOHLABAUGH TUPA Pats' fans a bit more..