Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 75

Friilay, April 16, 2004 www.courierpostonline.com Coming tomorrow Varsity gets you caught up on the week in scholastic sports. Auto Racing The Champ Car World Series begins its season this weekend. Page 5 Sports Baseball 2-3 ScoreboardTV 4 NBA 6 Varsity Extra 7 Golf 9 NHL 9-10 panastasiacouriorpostonline.com Sports Editor Phil Anastasia (856) 486-2424 Johnsson goes from last draft pick to emerging star By CHUCK GORMLEY Flyers already knew. At 28, Devils at Flyers Game 5, Eastern Conference quarterfinals 3 p.m. Saturday, ABC, at Wachovia Center FLYERS VS.

DEVILS April 8: Flyers 3, Devils 2 April 10: Flyers 3, Devils 2 April 12: Devils 4, Flyers 2 April 14: Flyers 3, New Jersey 0 Flyers lead series 3-1 Saturday: at Flyers, 3 p.m., ABC 'Sunday: at New Jersey, 4 p.m., TBA 'Tuesday at Flyers, 7 p.m., CSN if necessary Flyers' Game 4 recap and a story about the optimistic Devils. 9-10F NHL playoff wrap. 9F Courier-Post Staff V00RHEES Other than the fact the New York Rangers selected him with the last available pick 286th overall Flyers defenseman Kim Johnsson has scant recollections of the 1994 NHL entry draft Neil Smith, who was the Rangers' general manager at that draft and is now an analyst for ESPN's Stanley Cup playoff coverage, remembers two things about taking Johnsson late that afternoon. "The first thing I thought was that Kim is a weird name for a Johnsson has become one of the league's elite defenseman. "He's been wonderful," Flyers right wing Mark Recchi said.

"He's our Scott Niedermayer. He does everything." Flyers captain Keith Primeau said he gained an appreciation for Johnsson last month while he was sitting out with a concussion. When the Flyers' defensemen started dropping like wounded flies, Johnsson stepped up his play, finishing the season with a career-high 13 goals and 42 points See JOHNSSON, Page 10F boy," Smith said with a laugh. Smith's second thought had nothing to do with the 18-year-old native of Sweden. "I looked down at the draft table and (thought), 'Are we getting all the pens and pencils off the (Former Rangers assistant coach) Dick Todd was getting ready to steal the mask phone, and I wanted it." The mask phone each team was given a phone shaped like a goalie mask with its team logo was one of the most coveted items on draft day.

Some may suggest even more coveted than Johns-son. Ten years later, Johnsson is one of the NHL's emerging young stars. Through the first four games of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which the Flyers can clinch with a win Saturday at the Wachovia Center (3 p.mVABC), Johnsson is tied for the NHL lead in playoff assists (five) and playoff points (six). His first-period goal in the Flyers' 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 Wednesday was his first career playoff goal, bringing attention to something the IFUDiDs mm bmsih ftlroiioglli Sixers need to part ways with Iverson Lieberthal's 3-run homer tops off late hitting spree Billy King doesn't seem quite ready to let go of Allen Iverson just yet. It's like he can't accept what's staring him straight in the face: It's over.

The 76ers and Iverson are a marriage that has gone bad and no amount of counseling from this point forward is going to fix it. Yet, King, Celeste Whittaker the Sixers' president and general manager, isn't talking as if. By EDWARD de la FUENTE Gannett News Service PHILADELPHIA For six innings they were the same old Phillies, letting down a nearly full house at Citizens Bank Park with their inability to generate any offense. The first glimmer of hope in the seventh inning piqued the fans' interest. Then came the eighth inning, when the Phillies' bats finally broke loose and the audience, at last, was free to do the same.

The Phillies' fr4 victory over Cincinnati Thursday was not only the first win for the home team in the history of Citizens Bank Park, it might have been just the tonic they needed to overcome their sluggish 1-6 start "It was fun to get off the SJ. Scene: History of Philadelphia baseball exhibit is open at the Atwater Kent Museum in Philadelphia. Read Chuck Darrow's 'blog' at courierpostonline.com. schneid and pick up a much-needed win," said newly acquired closer Billy Wagner, who earned his second save of the season and first in front of his new team's fans. "You've got to hand it to our offense.

I knew it was going to happen." It didn't happen until the seventh inning, after the Reds had built a 4-0 lead and the Phillies had managed only two hits off starter Jose Acevedo. To that point, the crowd of 37,512 had done little else but boo, as they had when the Phillies dropped Monday's home opener. See PHILLIES, Page2F i 1 k- i rzfk 4 At i i ty' This should he a jump-starter he feels that way. "It's my intention that Allen will be on the roster (next season)," King said earlier this week. And sure, we all have intentions that actually never happen I intend to be a millionaire with two homes and a yacht but I get the feeling that King may mean it.

That's all well and good, but I'm not sure it's fixable at this point. Sure, anything can happen, but Iverson just completed his eighth NBA season, and there's been every indication that he is what he is at this point. Beyond that, King has to know that Iverson's best years are more than likely behind him. That, to me, is the larger issue here. Is Iverson the worst person in the world? No.

Can he still play the game? Yes. Is he still one of the top 25 players in the league? Yes. But, back in 2001, Iverson, who will be 29 in June, was more like a top five player in the league. He missed a career-high 34 games this season, many due to an injured right knee, not a good sign for a player whose game relies so much on quickness. Iverson also was not a good teammate this year.

On March 14 at Detroit he declared himself ready to play, but changed out of his uniform and back into street clothes after being told by interim coach Chris Ford he'd have to come off the bench. That pretty much said it all. If I could play King for a day, here's what I would do: I would call Seattle first and inquire about the status of guard Ray Allen. Allen is five inches taller than Iverson, a better shooter and a better team guy as well. You won't have to worry about missed practices or any of the other nonsense that has gone See IVERSON, Page 4F Kevin Roberts PHILADELPHIA The Phillies understand why you want to panic.

They get it. They know they were 1-6 after a week of play in one of the most anticipated Phillies seasons ever, and they know they stunk. "When you're losing and no one is hitting, it's tough to keep your confidence," Mike Lieberthal said. "Guys have been upset. Overall, it's very depressing.

It's tough for the dugout to stay positive. "We've really looked bad at the plate. We got a lot of boos and we were deserving." But Thursday, finally, they showed why they didn't panic. There's a difference between a good team going bad, and a team that's just plain bad. Oh, it's been tough to tell the difference for a few days here.

The Phillies, in fact, played six innings Thursday looking as if this funk that started their season would never end. Then David Bell hit his first home run of the season, and then the Phillies actually batted around in the eighth inning highlighted by Lieberthal's second home run of the season and beat the Reds for their first win at Citizens Bank Park. In the Phillies clubhouse, they've been talking about being positive. Optimistic. Confident.

Hasn't it been kind of hard? "It's easier when you're playing," Bell said. "Watching it has probably been See ROBERTS, Page 3F 'T-S LA I i 1 PLAYOFF! GEORGE WIDMANAssociated Press Mike Lieberthal hits a three-run home run Thursday afternoon to put the Phillies ahead of Cincinnati 6-4 In the bottom of the eighth Inning. 2 0 0 4 Previews of all eight first-round series. 6F After 16 innings, Kingsway wins on a wild pitch Varsity Extra a two-run home run to 9 her sixth at-bat of the day in the 16th inning of its Tri-County Conference Softball game at Clear-view. With one out and the bases empty, Danner launched a line drive to the gap in right field and legged out a triple the game's only extra-base hit.

The hit ignited one of the Dragons' few offensive rallies, but it turned out one was enough as unranked Kingsway knocked off Clearview, No. 17 in the Courier-Post cole DeSimone. A junior fill-in starter coming into the season, DeSimone scattered eight hits over 16 innings and made the game's final out when Clearview cleanup hitter Erin McCauley bounced a grounder her way. "How about DeSimone?" Briles said. "She comes into the year as the second or third pitcher on our team, and she steps in there after we have some injuries.

She See MARATHON, Page 4F By RYAN LAWRENCE Courier-Post Staff HARRISON TWP. Kingsway High School senior Tina Dan-ner wasn't available for a postgame comment. The third baseman didn't even have time to hear her coach's celebratory speech. Along with a handful of teammates, Danner was late for an honor society function. Luckily for Kingsway, Danner was available for Top 20, 1-0.

Four batters later following a pair of bunt hits and a fielder's choice that cut Danner down at the plate Sarah Si-mmler came home on a wild pitch with the bases loaded to give Kingsway the game's only run. "How many innings was that?" Kingsway coach Rob Briles asked. "When I was coaching at Delsea with my dad, we had a game over here like this. We went up in extra innings and then they hit Audubon's Keith Evans slides Into second ahead of the throw to Riverside's Eric Wright In the first Inning Thursday. Audubon won 6-3 as high school sports returned after two days of rain.

Also, Anthony Scirrotto is always ready to help West Deptford. Page 7F JOSEF. MORENO Courier-Post beat us. That's as close as I've ever seen to this. I was just so proud of them today." The dramatic win was even more remarkable when you consider they were up against one of the top pitchers in South Jersey.

Clearview sophomore left-hander Lauren Davis had allowed just one base runner in the game's first 12 innings. Davis was good, but so was her lesser-known pitching counterpart, Ni i mmmm .11 1 1 IMJ 1999 Honda Civic, 4 Cylinder, 2 Door, Auto, 75,565 miles, VinXL055324. Tax and tags extra. Prices valid tor 3 days alter publication date..