Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 71

t)t Maxtfoxb jEourant High School Football Schedules PageE12 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10,2000 SECTION Venus Bends, Doesn't Break Falls Behind In First, But Rallies To Keep Title In Family Men's Final Today SPOR r- -v. I ft By ROBERTO GONZALEZ Courant Staff Writer NEW YORK Fresh off her U.S. Open championship victory, Venus Williams chatted several minutes with President Clinton on the phone, asking him to lower her taxes. He said he'd see what he could do. "Should I read your lips?" Williams said.

They both laughed. He then invited her SAMPRAS SAFIN to the White House. Nothing intimidates Williams, whether it's a blistering serve from Lindsay Davenport or chatting with the most powerful man in the world. Williams defeated Davenport 6-4, 7-5 to win her first Open championship. She fought back from a 1-4 deficit in the first set and fought off 12 break points.

She said she never felt the match was lost "I didn't feel that way," Williams said. "This is a Grand Slam. You always try your hardest. I just had to change a few things and fortunately things went my way." For the second consecutive year, the Open trophy will be at the Williams' home. Serena, who was in attendance with her family, won the U.S.

Open last year. Their father, Richard Williams, joined Venus courtside and did a little celebratory dance. Williams won't finish the year ranked No. 1 in the world because she missed four months because of tendinitis in both wrists. The top spot will jo to Martina Hingis, who for the first time in three years, didn't win a Grand Slam title.

Williams, who will remain No. 3 in the world, defeated Hingis 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals Friday. Davenport will stay at No. 2. "I've done my best," Williams said.

"It's a matter of time, but I've really given my- Please see LINDSAY, Page E3 Seeds in parentheses Pete Sampras (4) vs. Marat Safin (6) 4 p.m., Ch. 3 Story, Page E3 REUTERS VENUS FLEXES her muscles as she fights her way back to win the U.S. Open and keep the title in the Williams family. UConn Has Colgate On The Run Turn On A Pitch An Arm Betrays Harding, Not Guts r' Brosius Deposits Pedro's Change Jeff Jacobs By DAVID HEUSCHKEL Courant Staff Writer BOSTON As the ball sailed toward the screen, Scott Brosius knew he had guessed right and Pedro Martinez knew he had made a rare mistake.

ftif VP i mm iHimmamM "One nitnh cost me the game," Martinez said. For the second straight game, the Yankees and Red Sox staged a September classic at Fenway Park, and it could have gone the other way if not for that one pitch. For the second time this season, Martinez was(outpitched by Andy Pettitte as the Yankees held on for a 5-3 victory to increase their lead over the Red Sox to eight games in the American League East. Pettitte pitched eight strong innings. Jose Canseco, a player the Red Sox discarded and the Yankees didn't even want, provided the difference with a two-run homer off Tim Wakefield in the ninth.

But it was Brosius who provided the stunning blow two innings earlier with a three-run homer with two out to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. "I don't know how many times we've seen it with Scott," Yankees manager Joe Please see RED SOX, Page E9 Pedro-Meter Since every Pedro Martinez start is special, we'll chart Pedro's Heat Index orna scale of 1 (like everyone else) to 4 (Gibson-esque): PATRICK RAYCRAFTTHE HARTFORD COURANT COLGATE'S MARK HERMAN IS STOPPED by Jason Dellaselva (31), but only after he gained 28 yards for a first down on a fake punt. Out NEW ORLEANS -According to Eric Harding, the worst thing you can say about a Philly fighter is that he has no heart. The worst thing you can say to a Philly fighter? Or, for that matter, to any light heavyweight contender? "Introducing, from Pensacola, Florida, Roy Jones Jones gives you visions of glory, puts you in a ring only 15 feet away from Michael Jordan appears baffled for most of the fight and then he rips your proud heart out in the JONES WINS ON 10TH ROUND TKO, PAGE E5 end anyway. Or at least keeps his title because you tore your left biceps.

If you ignore the WBO, the latest gate-crasher in the sport's corrupt pot of alphabet soup, Jones has hit enough jaws and dodged enough boxing politics to become the only undisputed champion in the world. Lennox Lewis can't say it. Felix Trinidad can't say it. Neither can Sugar Shane nor Prince Naseem. Jones has collected the IBF, WBA and WBC belts.

He has his posse carry them into the ring, all sparkly and gold. He has dared anybody weighing 175 pounds or less to come and take them. Harding, who left a life of Philadelphia street crime in 1996 for the family life of East Hartford, took up the dare Saturday night at New Orleans Arena. He didn't pull a "no mas" a la Roberto Duran. Far from it.

He proved a difficult puzzle for Jones, who couldn't find a definitive answer for the elusive southpaw. The guy took a punch to the left arm in the second round and kept fighting for eight more. With the muscle drooping from his bone, he still didn't want to stop. But trainer Al Gavin just couldn't, in good conscience, let Harding go out for the 11th. He was afraid Harding's career could end on the spot.

Harding handled himself with humility and class leading up to this title fight. He fought with great heart in it. Vegas gave him a 30-1 chance to beat Jones, but the hard truth is life made him a million-to-one just to get to here. Harding sold crack. He got shot and he got stabbed.

He went to prison and kept going back. He was going nowhere but the graveyard. And then Harding did something wonderful. He turned around his life Pipage (pp JACOBS. Pane E5 Tracey Airs It rs Record Crowd Treated To Rout By TERRY PRICE Courant Staff Writer STORRS It would have been a major disappointment if the UConn football team had fallen on its face Saturday night With a record crowd of 16,632 gathered at Memorial Stadium, the The crowd was the largest ever for a UConn home game.

The previous attendance record of 16,464 was set in 1970. "The crowd really helped our kids," Edsall said. "I hope that the people saw the kind of football that we're going to play." UConn (1-1) continued to play the wide-open style it unveiled in losing to Eastern Michigan on Sept. 2. Tracey passed for more than 300 yards for the second consecutive game, completing passes to eight receivers.

Tracey had an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Fitzsimmons and a Please see UCONN, Page E7 said. "We need some games like this because we're making that transition." UConn quarterback Ryan Tracey completed 25 of 35 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Taber Small rushed for 82 yards and three scores. UConn led 14-7 at the half, but scored three touchdowns and a field goal on its first four possessions of the second half to blow the game open. pressure was on the Huskies to deliver, and they did. UConn beat Colgate, 37-7.

But the victory came with an asterisk. Colgate is a Division I-AA team, while UConn is in its first season at the I-A leveL "Any win is a good win regardless of who you play," UConn coach Randy Edsall Velocity As usual, Pedro was reaching the mid 90s. Give the Yankees credit for laying off the high cheese. Heat index: 3.0 Command He had a high pitch count 42 after two innings and walked two after walking one in his previous six starts. Heat index: 2.5 Stuff His only mistake was a big one.

Should have come back with the cutter to Scott Brosius, who hit a three-run homer. Heat index: 3.5 Overall: 9.0 COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDE NFL WEEK 2 Vi J) Patriots Vs. Jets Monday night: At Giants Stadium, 9 p.m., Chs. 8, 40 Story, Page E5 Giants Vs. Eagles At Philadelphia, 1 p.m., Ch.

61 Story, Page E5 No. 1 Nebraska Beats Notre Dame In OT Eric Crouch's 7-yard TD run in overtime beats the No. 23 Irish. Page E6 Washington Holds Off Miami QB Marques Tuiasosopo leads the No. 1 5 Huskies past the No.

4 Hurricanes. Page E6 The Final Numberc Pitch 119 i Strfces: 77 Strikeouts: 9 Walks: 2 PundMMits: 2 Fiist-pitdi strikes: 16 (27 hitters).