Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 25

1 1 iiai'MiMyitm WfnWMp-11fji-HI my Sports WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 1996 STAR TRIBUNE PAGE C5 FOOTBALL Twins' Knoblauch files for arbitration Ryan calls the move routine Modell pleads case with other owners superL, I L. Around the NFL Who: Pittsburgh (13-5) vs. Dallas (144). When: Sunday, Jan. 28, 5:20 pm, at Tempe, Ariz.

TV-radio: NBC (Ch. 11), WCC0-AM (830). Line: Dallas by 12V4. Ryan would not rule out signing Tapani, but others in the organization said it was highly unlikely. "I wouldn't be able to tell you what will happen there," Ryan said.

"I don't believe we'll sign him, but I don't know what his price is." The Rockies, Brewers and Royals have expressed interest in Tapani, although the word in Denver is that Rockies manager Don Baylor doesn't want him. Shelby Stevens i if Jan. 17-21, 1996 '16 SHOWS 1pm, 8pm, 10pm, 12am Fri. 1pm, 9pm, 11pm, Urn Sal. 8pm, 10pm, 12am and 2am VACATION CAMPING a R.V.

SHOW Mpls. Conv. Center Fob. 7 -11 From News Services Art Modell asked his fellow NFL owners Tuesday night to approve the Browns' move to Baltimore, capping a day in which tearful Cleveland fans arrived in Atlanta by the busload to demand their team remain where it has been for 50 years. At least one owner, Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots, appeared swayed by Modell's argument that he has lost $21 million over the past two years and millions more since he leased Cleveland Stadium in 1974.

"I wish the politicians had acted earlier," Kraft said after the 2-hour meeting in which Modell and other Browns officials argued that the move was necessary for the team's financial survival. "That was quite a compelling story he told in there." The NFL's finance and stadium committees heard a presentation by Browns attorney Robert Weber and then a plea from Modell that the owners act as soon as possible on the proposed move. "He was emotional," said Robert Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants. "He would like to get his life set as early as possible in 1996. He has a wife, children and grandchildren involved in this decision." The league, however, said the owners would not have enough time to properly consider the move, and commissioner Paul Tagliabue was not expected to make a formal recommendation.

Waving dog bones and chanting "no team, no peace," more than 160 Browns fans took a 16-hour bus trip from Cleveland to Atlanta to demonstrate their support for the team. Haskell improving Green Bay Packers assistant coach Gil Haskell has made significant improvement after suffering a fractured skull in a sideline mishap during Sunday's NFC championship game. "He is still confused, but is conversing and recognizing family members," said Dr. Michael Foreman, the trauma surgeon directing Haskell's care at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Lloyd speaks again Pittsburgh linebacker Greg Lloyd said his use of a curse word during a nationally televised postgame interview Sunday was not intentional, but he added that he believes the media are "making it more than it is." Lloyd said his use of a vulgar word during a live NBC broadcast after the Steelers' victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game "was something that came during an emotional moment." He said he believed his remarks were being made in private because he had asked NBC's reporter and camera operator to stop recording while he spoke.

Zimmerman has surgery Doctors repaired a torn rotator cuff and torn biceps muscle in Gary Zimmerman's right shoulder, and the Denver Broncos offensive tackle will decide whether to return for his 11th season or retire. Wilkinson found guilty Bengals defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson was found guilty in Cincinnati of striking his pregnant girlfriend, Shawnda Lamarr, 20, during a Sept. 13 argument, but evaded jail when the judge gave him a suspended six-month sentence. New league planned Ex-NFL quarterbacks Joe Kapp and Craig Morton announced plans for a new league they said would begin play next September. The enterprise called All-Star Football expects to have 16 franchises playing games on Sundays in direct competition with the NFL.

111 By Jim Souhan Star Tribune Staff Writer Twins second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, in the midst of negotiations on a long-term contract, filed for arbitration on Tuesday. General manager Terry Ryan called the move routine. "That was expected and normal," Ryan said from baseball's owners meetings in Los Angeles. "Tuesday was the day to do that. There isn't any significance in him filing." The Twins are trying to sign Knoblauch to a four-year deal before he goes to arbitration.

(Hearings are scheduled for early February.) As of last week, the Twins were offering four years at $16.5 million, and Knoblauch was requesting $17.8 million. Ryan declined comment on the negotiations, but others in the Twins organization have expressed optimism about getting Knoblauch signed. And Ryan downplayed rumors that the Mets have expressed interest in trading for Knoblauch, whom the Twins privately consider their best all-around player. Mets general manager Joe Mcllvaine is known to think highly of Knoblauch. "I still haven't had any discussions with Joe," Ryan said.

"That is something that's hypothetical. Anybody who's looking for a second baseman whether the Mets are or aren't is going to be interested in Chuck." Knoblauch said little progress has been made on a mul-tiyear deal. "Filing is just a formality," he said. "Hopefully, we can get a multiyear deal done, but I haven't heard anything, so I don't think anything significant has happened." Persistent rumors that the Twins are interested in signing former starter Kevin Tapani continue to be unfounded. open 1 1 am-3am Daily on im cotMi or in m.

wo ir. iimtm A A a a a a A. i ftik TODAY ikik Marylin Star-Adult Film Star Shews At 1 PMI LUNCH, 8PM, 1 OPM MIDNIGHT A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Conte Down to Bun e3 Ko.ie. and Party with our Show ClirLt mnnmm fcZ. DUNGY.romCl Tampa appears close to hiring Vikings' Dungy as head coach Exclusively lomw ai ueja vu iw rn-i nn 1 MUUiru in Cash Prizes! mm 4 5S EH-1 i.

i 5T5 i Tony Dungy on the basic decision. "I've got an understanding with Tony that we'll sit down and talk with him on his decision and what he wants to do and at that point I'll get an idea of what coaches he is interested in, depending on what coaches he and Dennis talked about." Also on Tuesday, Bucs running backs coach George Stewart, a friend of Dungy's, took a similar position with the San Francisco 49ers. He told reporters that he regretted having to make the decision immediately, knowing that Dungy could be on the way to Tampa. "It was a difficult decision," Stewart said. "I talked to Tony twice again this morning.

It was a situation where if I told the 49ers to wait a week I might not have a job." Dungy, 40, has refused to express optimism publicly over his chances for the job because he has been named a candidate, then spurned, in many coaching what's your situation, are you under contract? You kind of play things out in your mind, but it's still premature." Other rumored candidates include Colts offensive coordinator Lindy Infante, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and Packers offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis. None has been interviewed, however, and Dungy said Lewis wished him luck Tuesday night. Vikings president Roger Headrick told the St. Petersburg Times that he saw Dungy talking with Vikings head coach Dennis Green, presumably about what coaches Green would allow Dungy to take with him to Tampa Bay. "I saw them talking to each other but was not privy to any of the discussion," Headrick told the Times.

"I'll probably talk to Rich McKay tomorrow or Thursday if it all happens. We'll be in Atlanta today for the NFL owners' meetings. I'll see where he is searches. The Buccaneers are interested in him because of his outstanding work with the Vikings' defenses, his sterling reputation around the league, and what they think will be his ability to lure top free agents to Tampa. Vikings vice president Jeff Diamond said he hadn't heard from Dungy on Tuesday night.

"I haven't heard anything but the rumblings, which make it sound like Tony's in pretty good shape," Diamond said. BARREIROromCl After 0-0 start, the Haege Era in Minnesota comes to an end leaving the tryouts early on Sunday. "He just walked out," Scallen said. "I said, 'Where are you He said, 'Back to I didn't want to make a big deal of it, because a lot of people were watching. I said, 'Call me in the morning, Instead, he sent me a fax that he was resigning.

I'm sorry this didn't work out." Haege claims there are other behind-the-scenes frustrations that also brought about the resignation, but he will not say what they are. The man admits to being a little off-center. It is possible the organization did not quite realize what it was getting into when it hired him. It also is possible that Haege has not recovered enough to do the job. More than anything else, he says he was hurt by his perception that the organization was not supporting him while he was recovering.

"It's like when a lion in the woods is wounded, a little chewed up and here comes the hyenas after him, to chew on the bones," Haege said. "You get chewed up a little bit and people want to tear you up, jump on you, back-stab you. You have to jump before somebody stabs you." I have no idea what that means, but it is considerably more interesting than the Winter Park drum major tapping out, "We have to play our style." It was precisely because of such colorful analogies that Haege would have been welcomed on the local sports landscape. But chances of Haege becoming the latest in a long line of Minnesota coaching characters were diminished slightly when he resigned before his first game. It was I heckuva run.

painting my house in Alden, Iowa," he said. "It was a bad one, but the doctors were saying that I was really making a great recovery. One of the things that really bothered me was a couple of guys from Minnesota visited me and basically said they didn't think I ever would be able to coach again. That really hurt me." Scallen, the owner, tells a different story on how the health issue was handled. "He was supposed to join us on Dec.

1," Scallen said. "Obviously, he was not going to be well enough to do that, considering he had a serious stroke in November. Then he was supposed to be here on Jan. 1, and he didn't come up. We were concerned on whether he would be able to perform the responsibilities with the stresses involved.

"We've tried to be very supportive. We asked him to come to see a couple of doctors here who could check on him, and on the day he was supposed to come up, he said the roads were too icy and never made it. We know he has a family with a couple of young children and we told him he could have another job in the organization." As to Haege's discomfort with the assistants, Scallen admits that they were in place before Haege was hired. "He knew going in that these were the assistants we were going to use," Scallen said. Scallen also claimed that Haege stunned his associates by Haege, the only coach the Fighting Pike have ever had, has moved on.

And the Pike are in the embarrassing position of searching for their second coach before they have played their first game. "I went to tryouts on Sunday and I sat down and watched the guys that were here as my assistants and I knew it just wouldn't work out," Haege said by telephone on Tuesday. "I wanted my own full-time assistant coaches, who had played or coached in the league, knew the game. These guys didn't fit my approach. "I'm more of a hell-bent, raise-hell kind of guy who is going to go after people.

I'm not an intramural junior college guy. I'm going to go after things my way. I didn't want a bunch of weaklings. They had some real nice people as coaches, but I saw they just weren't my kind of folks." This might come as something of a shock to one of the assistants, who happens to be Art's son, Frank. Art had appeared to be a natural for the position.

He had coached at every level high school, community college, university and semi-pro. He had coached Arena League football in Milwaukee and Des Moines. Having coached high school football in the Iron Range in the '80s, he also had Minnesota roots. Haege says there were other complications that led to his resignation. On Nov.

19, Haege, 58, suffered a serious stroie. "I was Picture perfect savings. HI With your Club Extra card, save on color film processing: $3 off a roll of 36, $2 off a roll of 24. Next day service only. Check the back of your card for details or call the Club Extra Hotline at 673-9090..