The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page C3

Time: 04-08-2008 21:54 User: sbyrne PubDate: 04-09-2008 Zone: KY Page Name: 3 Color: Morning Briefing Mike Mudd, page editor 582-7186 TODAY, IN 1978 Gary Player shot a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot. WEDNESDAY APRIL 9, 2008 www.courier-journal.comsports DAILY ESSENTIALS TODAY ON TV Smart's shot lives on through Chalmers Champions League soccer 2:30 p.m. AS Roma at Manchester United ESPN2 Pro basketball 7 p.m. Boston at Washington ESPN 9:30 p.m. Phoenix at San Antonio ESPN Pro baseball 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York Mets ESPN2 8 p.m. Cincinnati at Milwaukee FSN Ohio NHL playoffs 7 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh Versus 10 p.m. Calgary at San Jose Versus TODAY ON RADIO Horse racing 4:40 p.m. Keeneland feature race WAVG-1450 College baseball 6 p.m.

Marshall at Louisville WAVG-1450 Pro baseball 7 p.m. Louisville at ScrantonWB WKRD-790 8 p.m. Cincinnati at Milwaukee TOMORROW ON TV Golf 4 p.m. The Masters ESPN 8 p.m. The Masters ESPN Men's college hockey Frozen Four 6 p.m.

North Dakota vs. Boston College ESPN2 9:30 p.m. Michigan vs. Notre Dame ESPN2 Auto racing 7 p.m. Sprint Cup qualifying Speed Pro baseball 7 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh WGN NHL playoffs 7 p.m. Nashville at Detroit FSN South Versus 10 p.m. Dallas at Anaheim Versus Pro basketball 8 p.m. Denver at Golden State TNT 10:30 p.m. L.A.

Lakers at L.A. Clippers TNT IU hero happy to reminisce Should Mario Chalmers be wondering how a single shot in a national championship game can affect a man's life, there's only one person he needs to ask. Keith Smart would be happy to tell him and would have a happy tale to tell. "He's going to learn that shot is going to take on a life of its own," said Smart, who hit a baseline jumper with five seconds left to give Indiana University a 74-73 victory over Syracuse in the 1987 NCAA Tournament final. Kansas' Chalmers joined him in one of sports' most exclusive clubs by hitting a three-pointer that forced overtime and set up the Jay-hawks' victory over Memphis on Monday.

Few others have hit such momentous jumpers, though Lorenzo Charles did grab Dereck Whitten-berg's airball and dunk it to complete North Carolina State's comeback victory over Houston for the 1983 title. Chalmers' heroics brought Smart's shot back to life in articles and online message boards. That's why Smart found himself conducting interviews with people all over the country yesterday morning. He did so without complaint because he has yet to tire of talking about it. And he talks about it nearly every day.

As an assistant coach with the NBAs Golden State Warriors, he's constantly in front of fans with long memories, whether it's at an arena, an airport or a hotel check-in desk. "I always try to accommodate the people, so if somebody comes up with something they're excited about, I don't turn them away," Smart said. "It's 3 Associated Press file photo Keith Smart said fans still enjoy asking him about his title-winning shot in 1987, and "I don't turn them away." SEVEN-DAY PLANNER something they want to relive. People go into complete detail, like, was sitting at Smitty's bar Chalmers rimmed out. Chalmers probably will receive similar opportunities, even 20 years from now.

Smart also predicts Chalmers' shot will nudge him toward a better life by keeping him in the public eye as a pleasant memory and a beacon of hope for others. "It's going to be constantly chasing you to make sure you do all things the right way," Smart said. "Your name will always be in bright lights, good or bad. You have people paying attention to you no matter what, so you want to make them proud. It keeps you sharp; it keeps you on your toes.

"It's not a bad thing." The Indianapolis Star DIGEST FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AUTO RACING NASCAR penalizes Newman, Penske Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman became the latest driver penalized by NASCAR, losing 25 points yesterday because his car failed inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Newman's No. 12 Dodge was too high when NASCAR inspected it after its fourth-place run, an adjustment that could provide additional downforce. The penalty dropped Newman from eighth to 10th in the Sprint Cup standings. Also penalized were car owner Roger Penske, who was docked 25 points, and crew chief Roy McCauley, fined $25,000 and placed on probation until the end of the year.

In other Sprint Cup news: Jeremy Mayfield parted ways with Haas CNC Racing, and Johnny Sauter will drive the No. 70 in Phoenix this weekend. The team said the split was mutual, but it comes after his 38th-place finish Sunday in Texas. It dropped Mayfield to 36th in the standings. Stewart Cooper was hired as crew chief for Kyle Petty, taking over the slumping No.

45 Dodge after it missed the past two races. Cooper replaces Billy Wilburn. PRO FOOTBALL Ravens kicker Stover wants to oust Upshaw NEW YORK Matt Stover, the Baltimore Ravens' veteran kicker, has begun a campaign to replace Gene Upshaw as executive director of the NFL Players Association by next March. Stover's action comes at a time when the union could be heading for critical negotiations with the league on the collective-bargaining agreement. Union president Kevin Mawae of the Tennessee Titans said Stover's stance does not reflect the opinion of the players.

Upshaw's contract runs through 2010. Vikings sign Frerotte EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. The Minnesota Vikings have signed quarterback Gus Frerotte again. The 14-year veteran served as Daunte Culpepper's backup for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, and now he's in line to do the same for Tarvaris Jackson. Frerotte, 36, has 82 NFL starts, but most of those came at the front end of his career with the Washington Redskins from 1994-98.

He spent the past two seasons with St. Louis. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Penn State kicks receiver off team STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Suspended Penn State receiver Chris Bell was kicked off the team after university police charged him with threatening another player with a knife. The 21-year-old from Norfolk, faces charges including terroristic threats and simple assault, both misdemeanors, after the encounter Monday night at a team dining facility.

No one was hurt. TENNIS Venus Williams to take hiatus AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. Six-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will be sidelined indefinitely, though she did not say why she will be out of action. "I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible," Williams said at the Bausch Lomb Championships. "I'm not going to get any further into it, but of course I love the sport." with my girlfriend, and I proposed that Things like that.

"It brings up big things in their lives. I don't rain on their parade." Smart is involved in a promotional campaign for Subway restaurants with Jared Fogle, the Indianapolis native who has served as the company's spokesman for the past 10 years. He knows he wouldn't have received that opportunity if his shot against Syracuse had Colleges Bats Reds Keeneland Baseball atScranton WED at Milwaukee First race Marshall 7 p.m. 9 8:05 p.m. 1:10 p.m.

atUofL FSN Ohio 6 p.m. atScranton THU at Milwaukee First race 7 p.m. 10 1:05 p.m. 1:10 p.m. Softball Pawtucket FRI at Pittsburgh First race Syracuse 7:05 p.m.

11 7:05 p.m. 1:10 p.m. atUofL Home FSN Ohio 4 p.m. (DH) opener Lacrosse Pawtucket SAT at Pittsburgh First race UConnat 2:15 p.m. 12 7:05 p.m.

1:10 p.m. of FSN Ohio Softball Pawtucket SUN at Pittsburgh First race Pittsburgh 1:15 p.m. 13 1:35 p.m. 1:10 p.m. atUofL FSN Ohio 1 p.m.

(DH) Arkansas at UK lp.m. Lacrosse Pawtucket MON UC-Davis 7:05 p.m. 14 atUofL 3 p.m. Baseball Norfolk TUE at Cubs Indiana 7:05 p.m. 15 8:05 p.m.

atUofL FSN Ohio 6 p.m. No man's an island, but one is an icon For many Puerto Ricans, no ballplayer ever could rival the late Roberto Clemente. So when Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Clemente was only the third-best player produced by the island, behind Ivan Rodriguez and Roberto Alomar, it ignited a tropical storm. "No one is going to take No. 1 away from Roberto for the moment," said Ramiro Martinez, a retired sports reporter who covered Clemente's career beginning in the 1950s.

Ratings again say we're March mad College basketball is still king in Louisville. The national ratings are in for the 2008 men's NCAA Tournament, and for the ninth year in a row, WLKY-TV the local CBS affiliate led the nation for March Madness. In the 56 major and medium markets where Nielsen produces overnight ratings statistics, WLKY averaged a 2L0 rating and a 36 share for all tournament games, up 15 percent from last year. For Monday's final alone, Louisville ranked third (27.042) behind Memphis (50.464) and Kansas City (33.747). A look at the top 10 markets for the entire tournament, with rating and share: 1.

Louisville, WLKY 21.036 2. Memphis, WREG 16.926 3. Charlotte, WBTV 13.424 4. Ind'polis, WISH 13.024 5. Kansas City, KCTV 12.122 6.

Cincinnati, WKRC 11.924 7T. Columbus, WBNS 11.722 7T. Greensboro, WFMY 11.721 7T. Nashville, WTVF 11.720 10. WRAL 11.420 The newspaper Pnmera Hora entered the debate with two full pages of stats from the three players and commentary that overwhelmingly favored you know who.

Clemente, a Hall of Fame right fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, had 3,000 hits when he died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 Clemente TICKET INFO Cincinnati Reds: Call tickets.com at 1-877-647-7337, the Reds ticket office at (513) 765-7500, or visit www.cincinnatireds.com Louisville Bats: Call Ticketmaster at (502) 361-3100, the Bats office at (502) 212-2287, or stop by the Louisville Slugger Field box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. You can also visit www.batsbaseball.com Louisville Fire: The Fire plays home games in Freedom Hall. Go to www.louisvillefirefootball.com or www.ticketmaster.com to order or for more information, or call (502) 368-0009.

NOTABLE NUMBER It still pales compared with the $16 million sale price for the thoroughbred colt The Green Monkey in 2006, but Sheik Ham-dan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, paid $2.7 million for a female camel during a Bedouin festival yesterday. The event also included a camel beauty contest that drew more than 17,000 entries, which were judged in such categories as best neck, head, nose, legs, feet, hump and we kid you not lips. on a trip to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Guillen, a native of Venezuela who described himself as "the biggest Roberto Clemente fan on earth," said he placed Rodriguez ahead of him in part because Pudge plays a more demanding position as a catcher and has endured the Texas heat for so many seasons. "That's my opinion," Guillen said.

"It doesn't have to be the right one." Rodriguez was happy just to be in the conversation: "It motivates me to keep playing hard." Associated Press GIL THORP I NEAL RUBIN AND FRANK B0LLE AND SPEAKING OF THE PROBLEM TRIVIA TIME Only four golfers have won the Masters by leading after all four rounds. How many can you name? YOU STILL ARE. JUST NOT ANDREW WITH HIS PROBLEM. I NEED TO Answer: Craig Wood in 194L Arnold Palmer in 1960, Jack Nicklaus in 1972 and Raymond Floyd in 1976. START SETTING MORE INVOLVED!.