Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 21

1 SCOREBOARD 2 COLLEGE BASKETS ALL 4 I CLASSSFIED 5 THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1989 Nobody dominated in the '80s like Gretzky rick cleveland Executive Sports Editor The Clarion-Ledger (5), Bo Jackson (4), and Walter Payton (3). Gretzky holds or shares 10 career, 15 playoff and 20 regular-season records. Gretzky's most-cherished record came this season when he passed Gordie Howe to become, at age 28, the highest scorer in NHL history. Howe had scored 1,850 points in 26 seasons and 1,767 games. Gretzky took 11 years and 780 games.

He is the only player in history to score 200 points in a season, a plateau he has reached four times. He set the record for goals with 92 in 1981-82, and then set the record for assists with 163 in 1985-86. During the 1983-84 season, he scored at least one point in an incredible 51 consecutive games. In the decade of the '80s, he was the NHL's MVP nine times and the scoring champion eight times. No wonder the Soviets were looking for rockets in his skates.

his own propulsion. His accomplishments are not built on speed, size or brawn. Other players are faster, bigger and stronger. Gretzky thrives instead from a sort of sixth sense about the game, an innate intelligence about where to be, when to be there and what to do when he gets there. He is a Rembrandt on skates.

Even on the other side of the hockey world, Gretzky is the best known player in his sport, a man who dominated the game from the moment he first stepped on the ice. He is honored now as The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade. Gretzky received 307 votes in balloting by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters to far outdistance quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers, who had 85. Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers was third with 59, followed by Carl Lewis (12), Nolan Ryan (11), Larry Bird NHL star is voted AP's Male Athlete of the Decade. The Aaaoclated Preee On one of their goodwill tours of Canada a couple of years ago, Soviet hockey officials were ushered into a Hall of Fame exhibit at Quebec City.

When they got to the case holding Wayne Gretzky's first pair of skates a spartan set of kid's skates with a small boot, a strap over the top and wide blades they became mesmerized. "The expression on their faces was one of wonder," said Scotty Morrison, president of the Hall of Fame. "They seemed amazed that these simple skates could have belonged to Gretzky. They looked at them as if they expected to find tiny rockets on the backs of them." They did not, of course. Gretzky supplies Wayne Gretzky Liberty Bowl finds a road to recovery MEMPHIS, Tenn.

Whether Dee Dowis runs for 300 yards or John Darnell passes for 400 and both, by the way, are quite possible 5U the 1989 Liberty Bowl will be remembered for something else entirely. Because no matter which team scores the most points tonight, the Liberty Bowl, itself, is the clear winner. If postseason bowl games had a Comeback of the Year honor, the Liberty Bowl would win hands down. No national championships will be decided, but tonight's Air Force-Ole Miss mritch is a godsend for a bowl game that has lagged in recent years. The 31st Liberty Bowl is already the most successful ever.

It couldn't have come at a better time. year's game Indiana 34, South Caro- liria 10 drew only 39,210 to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. And many thought that attendance figure was grossly inflated. i 'No matter, it was the smallest crowd since only 35,000 paid to watch North Carolina State and Georgia in 1967. The trouble didn't stop there.

The Liberty -Bowl's TV contract with Raycom ends this year. The game's future, given dwindling attendance, was very much in doubt. It isn't now. More than 60,000 are expected tonight, and the attendance will easily surpass the previous record crowd of 54,123 for Bear Bryant's last game (Alabama 21, Illinois 15 in 1982). A capacity crowd of 62,384 is possible.

A more lucrative TV pact could be in the offing. Liberty officials struck gold mine As it turns out, the Liberty Bowl's salvation comes from two most unlikely sources: No. 1, the service academies. When the Liberty Bowl announced its new tie-in with the military academies last May, many predicted disaster in the form of a 6-5 Army or Navy team. Instead, the Liberty winds up with 8-3-1 Air Force and its renowned quarterback Dee iDowis.

more, the military tie-in may help in a new TV contract, possibly with one of the major The annual CBS telecast of Army-Navy is annually one of the 'network's highestrated games. tf BNo. 2, Ole Miss. There is some irony here. Three years ago, the Liberty Bowl spurned 7-3-1 Ole Miss to take 6-5 Tennessee.

Ole Miss people were livid, feeling the Liberty had reneged on a gentlemen's agreement. Billy Brewer said at the time that there would come a time when the Liberty Bowl would need Ole Miss, and Ole Miss wouldn't be there. Many Ole Miss fans still harbor a grudge no, I ain't But time and, more importantly, a $1,000,000 payoff have soothed hurt feelings within the Ole Miss athletic department. The Liberty Bowl certainly isn't complaining. Ole Miss has sold more than 20,000 tickets, far and away a Liberty Bowl record for one school.

Obviously, Ole Miss and the Liberty Bowl have been good for each other. Scoreboard could get a workout Even the weather is cooperating. After the arctic-like conditions of last week, clear skies and temperatures in the 40s and 50s are predicted for match-up is intriguing. If you like offense, and most fans do, this should be your cup of tea. Air Force, thtf nation's third best rushing team (behind Nebraska and Colorado), is weak against the pass.

Ole Miss can throw and has been weak against the run. They may need a calculator instead of a scoreboard tonight, For reasons not readily apparent, odds-makers have made Air Force a 3-point favorite. You figure it; I can't. Ole Miss was 7-4 against a much more difficult schedule than 8-3-1 Air Force faced. Three of Ole Miss's four defeats were to teams that will be playing football on New Year's Day.

The Rebels beat bowl teams Florida and Georgia. Air Force beat only two teams that had winning records. After six straight victories at the season's start, Air Force won only two of its last six games. As an amateur oddsmaker, I make it a pick-it game with an over-and-under of about 65 points. Dowis and Darnell should both have their way with the opposing defense.

The best bet of the night is this one: Liberty Bowl officials will watch it all with smiles on their faces. Rick Guy The Clarion-Ledger The outcome of tonight's Liberty Bowl football game might hinge on the passing of senior quarterback John Darnell of Ole Miss (left) and the running of Dee Dowis of Air Force. Points are expected to come in bundles tonight cons. Both had losing seasons in 1988 and shocked the Fisher DeBerry said. "He's been the catalyst for what they've done offensively." Both coaches said the other team is hard to stop because of an unpredictable offense.

Brewer called Dowis "as good a passer as anyone we've seen, certainly the best Wishbone passer we've seen." DeBerry said no other team on his schedule has as much offensive balance as Ole Miss. Both teams got big wins in nationally televised games' the second week of the season. Ole Miss knocked off Flori-j da 24-19 on TBS. Air Force drubbed two-time defending WAC champ Wyoming 45-7 on ESPN. The only previous game between these teams was the 1983 Independence Bowl, which Air Force won 9-3 with neither team scoring a touchdown.

Keeping the Falcons) out of the end zone will be a tough task tonight. See LIBERTY, 40 By Mike Knobler Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer MEMPHIS, Tenn. Air Force runs well but can't stop the pass. Ole Miss passes well but can't stop the run. Coaches and players predict a scoring derby when the teams meet in tonight's Liberty Bowl football game.

Ray-com's telecast begins at 7 p.m. on WDBD Channel 40 in Jackson. Ticket sales, already a record, were nearing 60,000 Wednesday. The Falcon Wishbone attack has produced at least 27 points in every game. i.

"Whatever they need to do to win they do," Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer said. "I've never seen such scores. If they'll let us score, it's going to be a great game. They're going to score and score a lot." The 7-4 Rebels have a lot in common with the 8-3-1 Fal prognosticators in 1989. Air Force, picked to place sixth in the Western Athletic Conference, finished second.

Ole Miss, picked ninth in the Southeastern Conference, finished tied for fourth. The reason is the quarterback. Air Force's Dee Dowis ran and passed for more than 1,000 yards and placed sixth in the Heisman Trophy race. John Darnell set an Ole Miss record of 2,326 passing yards in a season and won two games with touchdown passes in the final minute. "Dee Dowis did more for his football team than anybody in the game today," Brewer said.

"He's the best I've seen running the triple option in the 29 years I've been coaching." "John Darnell has done for his football team what Dee Dowis has done for our football team," Air Force coach Arrows Lady Turk hopes USMis over! its bad half Eagles play Bucknell in the Blue Angel Classic tonight. 't Jf'llV ir i follow leader to 67-66 win All-State guard Johnson i guides Clinton past Hazlehurst. By Bill Spencer Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer With Hazlehurst threatening to boot Clinton out of the Capital Classic Wednesday at Provine, Neisa Johnson demonstrated why some observers rate her the top girls basketball player in the state. The 5-foot-9 All-State junior guard scored a game-high 32 points, 26 in the second half, as Clinton remained undefeated with a 67-66 victory. See ARROWS, 3C By Robert Wilson Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer M.K.

Turk doesn't want to see a repeat of Southern Mississippi's first-half perfer mance in its last game, a 69-66 loss to nessee-Chattanooga a week ago in Chatta nooga, Tenn. If he does see it, don't look for USM to-win the Blue Angel Classic, which begini' today at the Pensacola Civic Center ii Pensacola, Fla. USM, 3-2, meets Bucknelij; See USM, 2Q, B.R. Rascher The Clarion-Ledger Clinton's Neisa Johnson drives toward two of her 32 points in a Capital Classic victory. Wednesday sports by the numbers Bo gets Gipped National Hockey League TV today The Best: No question.

Ole Miss plays Air Force in the Liberty Bowl at 7 p.m. on WDBD (Channel 40 in Jackson) and WGN (Chicago). Dee Dowis vs. John Darnell. Speed vs.

size. The Rest: The All Is A Broncos Perry sentenced Denver Broncos tackle Gerald Perry on Wednesday was sentenced to 15 days in jail, beginning Feb. 5, and a $610 fine after he was convicted of soliciting a prostitute. Aurora Municipal Judge Loretta Hoffine suspended 45 days of the 60-day jail sen- tence if Perry is not arrested on similar charges for a year and continues counseling therapy. She also ordered the starting tack- le to serve 100 hours of community service.

The fine includes $110 in court costs. The maximum sentence for the misdemeanor penalty was 180 days in jail and a $550 fine. Former President Ronald Reagan has milked a lot of publicity from his movie portrayal of George Gipp, but the role didn't impress Michigan coach Bo Schem-bechler. Reagan showed up at a recent University of Southern California football practice to watch the Trojans prepare for their Rose Bowl date with Michigan on Monday. Reagan told the team about the filming of "Knute Rockne, which he played Gipp.

"I saw him play in the movie, and he didn't look good enough to beat us," Schembechler said. Celtics 115 112 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Top Twenty Five No. 6 Oklahoma 142 James Madison 109 No. 7 Missouri 7 1 No. 1 5 Memphis State 65 No.

10 Indiana 75 Wichita St. 54 No. 14 Georgia Tech 98 Morehead St. 76 No. 16 UCLA 74 FrensoSt.65 No.

17 St. John's 77 Howard U. 65 No. 19 N. Carolina St.

90 Florida St. 72 No. 20 La Salle 74 Ohio St. 62 No. 23 Oregon St.

86 Boston U. 66 No. 24 North Carolina 121 Kentucky 1 10 Red Wings 7 Maple Leafs 7 Penguins 7 Rangers 4 Capitals 3 Devils 1 Oilers 2 Flyers 1 Flames 5 Kings 5 Canucks 2 Canadiens 1 National Basketball Association Spurs 107 Bullets 97 Pacers 106 Magic 101 Pistons 99 Cavaliers 82 Wolves 108 Rockets 91 Mavericks 1 14 Hawks 101 Sonics 110 76ers 106 American Bowl featues Texas Tech vs. Duke at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

It might be, it could be, it probably is Duke coach Steve Spurrier's last game for the Blue Devils. 1.