Clarion-Ledger du lieu suivant : Jackson, Mississippi • Page 27

ounvonr NBA 2 SCOREBOARD 11 OUTDOORS 12 sjjirw TO SHARE TIPS, IDEAS: Contact: MikeKnobler, sports editor Jackson area: 961-7293 Toll free: 1-877-850-5338 Fax: 961-7224 E-mail: mknoblerjackson.gannett.com SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 1999 THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI Jones pummels Johnson for 1 -sided decision hacked Johnson to the ropes, 'Best fighter pound for pound' unifies We've never seen anything to match this sports year light heavyweight title By Mary Foster The Associated Press BILOXI Roy Jones Jr. When he managed to get inside, Jones punished him with jabs and uppercuts. "I'm going in there with caution," Johnson said, "because the punch that gets you is the one you don't see. "He does a lot of things wrong, but his hand speed makes up for it. He's got fantastically fast hands." By the fifth round, Jones who claims the unofficial title "best fighter pound for pound" was hitting Johnson at will.

At one point, he quickly, but was bleeding from his right eye. In the third round, Jones countered a right from Johnson with a left-right combination that sent Johnson to the canvas. Again Johnson got up quickly and the bell ended the round. By that time, blood was streaming from his eye. Johnson, 171, was only able to fight back in spurts by the fourth round.

The rest of the time he was backing away or covering up. quished the title in 1985 to campaign as a heavyweight. "It didn't mean much to me. I already knew I was the best fighter in the world," said Jones, who dominated despite a rib injury during training. "I didn't tell anyone about it, because I wanted to fight and I wasn't taking any Jones, who weighed 174, used a straight right 1:58 into the first round to knock down Johnson, 39-6-1.

The IBF champion got up Johnson in which he won every round. Each judge scored it 120-106. Jones punished the Houston fighter from the third round on, punching him at will in the late rounds. "I just did what I had to do," Jones said. "Any time somebody comes to beat me, that's what I do." Jones, 40-1 with 33 knockouts, became the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Michael Spinks relin looked at Michael Jordan seated in the front row and throwing a flurry of jabs.

In the sixth, Jones backed Johnson into a corner and poured it on while Johnson, blood dripping down his chest and staining his white trunks, covered up as well as he could. Jones landed 273 punches to Johnson's 49 and connected with 63 jabs to 16 for Johnson. won every round and now owns every light heavy Don't bother thumbing through old scrapbooks packed with yellowing newspaper clippings. There's no need to strain your brain trying to recall the details from some weight boxing title. Jones, the WBC and WBA champion, claimed Sports Editor the IBF portion of the title on Saturday night with a brutal beating of Reggie k.

mm mm mm PI FI i i i 9 isinirSreinrMii mm glory days of long ago. You don't need help from any librarian to research Mississippi's most successful college sports year this century. All you need is short-term memory. After all, we just got through living it. From Mississippi State's J.J.

Johnson to Southern Mississippi's Courtney Blades to Ole Miss' Savante Stringfel-low, college athletes in Mississippi made the year gone by better than any year that i ir C.5. Women's Open Lemon Drop Kid denies injured colt Old Waverly See Section I for com naacome oeiure. -r- It began last fall with a pair of football nple UrOWn prehensive coverage of Saturday's third round of championsnips, ana it enaea oaiuraay By E( scnuyer Wltn Uie 1V11SS Marcus tjones cuiupeuiig The Associated Press the 54th U.S. Women's NEW YORK Charis Open championship from Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. Stories today matic left the Belmont starting gate a mile and a half from becoming a racing legend.

He left the track in an include: BJuli Inkster takes 4- ambulance, his career over. shot lead into final round in the NCAA triple jump. Pardon me if I omit something; we've never had such a long list of successes. 3 bowls, 2 All-Americans Mississippi State won the Southeastern Conference Western Division football championship, the school's first football championship in half a century. Johnson set school records for rushing yards in a season and in a game.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss' Rufus French and USM's Adalius Thomas made Just moments after the Rick Cleveland col umn: Old Waverly unde Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner finished third Satur serving of negative publicity Mike Knobler col day behind Lemon Drop Kid and Vision and Verse in the Belmont Stakes, a pall dropped like a curtain over the crowd of 85,818, biggest umn: Karrie Webb lurking in the wings SuDreme challenge For the first time, State, Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi played in bowls in awaits today on 7 2nd hole if 41 Ti 4 i II Hi kit in New York racing history, as Chris Antley pulled up the big chestnut colt and Saturday's hole of the same academic year. the dav And Delta State won its first Gulf dismounted. Scores and today's South Conference football title. About an hour later, the In basketball, the Ole Miss men won pairings Section word came that Charismatic fractured two bones in an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in four tries. Alcorn State won the his left front leg the can non bone and the sesamoid.

Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, then "That means he's 1 1 y'KMlM through as a racehorse," gave Stanford a scare in the opening round of the NCAAs. And Mississippi College made the said veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage. "We expect him to be fine as a stallion." Adam CoglianeseThe Associated Press Division III Sweet 16. Mississippi State's women's basket Dr.

Jim Hunt, a veteri Lemon Drop Kid (center) with jockey Jose Santos aboard outraces Vision and Verse (right) and Charismatic to win the Belmont. ball team, lone the doormat of the SEC, narian for Charismatic climbed into the middle of the pack and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, earned its first trip to the NCAA Tour said the horse will have surgery probably today or Monday, but that it was not life-threatening. nament. Delta State once again won the Gulf South Conference and reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

Ole The colt lower leg was Miss played in the Women NIT. Tennis, everyone placed in a cast and he was drew praise from Lukas, veterinarians and Bob Lewis. "He was simply marvelous," Lewis said. "He might have saved the horse." The disappointed Lukas, who has won 12 Triple Crown races and all three in one year but with different horses, said: "I think we had the right horse at the right place on the right day, but we didn't get the right situation. "It's racing and these things happen.

We'll deal with them." returned to his stall the After Charismatic crossed the finish line, he clearly was limping. Antley rolled off and immediately ran his hands down both front legs and picked the left leg up to keep Charismatic from putting weight on it. "I've had horses break down in the past. I've seen whatit'slike before," Antley said. "I ran my hands down both his legs.

Horses go into shock. They can't feel that (a broken bone)." Antley's quick action past the wire. It was an unfortunate ending for the former claimer who had caught the public's imagination in his bid to give a Triple Crown to Lukas and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis. The Lewises failed to win the Triple Crown two years ago when Silver Charm finished second in the Belmont. "We're devastated at the thought that anything could be wrong with Charismatic," Bob Lewis said.

a horse get hurt," said winning trainer Scotty Schul-hofer. "I would have felt better if it hadn't happened." Even if the injury hadn't occurred, it appears Charismatic wouldn't have been able to hold off Lemon Drop Kid and Vision and Verse, who were a head apart at the wire, with Charismatic another Wz lengths back. The filly Silverbulletday finished seventh. Bramlage said the injury apparently occurred just Ole Miss, State and USM baseball teams made it to the NCAA Tournament barn at Belmont Park, where Lukas said he was in the same year, another first. And Delta State featuring Ail-Americans Dee resting comfortably.

Surgery at the equine hospital next to Belmont Park will insert screws to hold the Haynes and Jeremy McClain pulled off vet another 40-win season and got to tne Division II tournament. Jackson State fragments of bone together. won the SWAC East. "Naturally, you hate to see Thunder rumbles past Pride Mistake-prone Jackson falls 12-7 in RFL contest By Henry Goolsby Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer The Mississippi Pride wore the same uniform it did last week in an emotional upset over Mobile. But Saturday, the Pride looked as if it had switched uniforms with the lowly New Orleans Thunder.

Pride quarterback Stewart Patridge had a nightmare of a game. He was stopped at the 5-inch line as the game ended, giving New Orleans a stunning 12-7 upset before an estimated crowd of 2,700 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Patridge, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, had two turnovers that led to both of New Orleans' scores. He had an interception early in the first quarter that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Shadrick McAfee, a Philadelphia native. On the Pride's next possession, Patridge was hit and fumbled at his own 44.

New Orleans linebacker Blades set the NCAA season strikeout record while leading USM to the softball JA's Wells sparks South at plate, on mound College World Series. Alcorn won the SWAC tennis championship and a trip to the NCAA Tourna the losing pitcher but also ally like to save my hard ment (both firsts). Ole Miss won the SEC's regular-season men's tennis title and the SEC Tournament women ten nis title, then sent both its men's and women's teams to the Sweet 16. Ole Miss' men found and beat a familiar foe there Mississippi State and didn't lose until the semifinals. The Lady Rebels got to the quarterfinals.

State's women's inning with a one-out single. David Blister of Jackson Prep and Josh Harrell of Silliman each delivered two-run singles. Wells was the fourth of eight pitchers for the South, which led the series 11-7 before this year's format change to two games. Dustin Cliburn of Hillcrest Christian threw the final two innings to earn the save. Cliburn also homered in the eighth.

"It was a little different because I've never really pitched just one inning before," Wells said. "I usu Only two weeks ago, Wells led Jackson Academy to the AAAA state championship. Wells, an All-MPSA quarterback, has a shot at being Davidson's No. 2 signal caller next fall which could factor into his baseball plans. "I've been thinking about it," Wells said.

"The main thing I want to see is how hard it is to play football and still make the grades I want to make. It's a tough school." Wells, an All-Metro infielder, started the South's four-run fourth Hillcrest's Cliburn picks up save in 6-4 win in All-Star game By Todd Kelly Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Erskine Wells may or may not play baseball in college, but he certainly ended his high school career on a good note. Wells went 2-for-2 at the plate and was the winning pitcher as the South beat the North 6-4 Saturday night in the Academy Class AAAAAAA All-Star game at Smith-Wills Stadium. smacked a pair of doubles. North wins AAA A 10-run seventh inning sparked the North to a wild 18-13 victory.

Trey Lamar of Magnolia Heights singled, doubled and tripled to earn North MVP honors. South MVP Trent Owen of Porter's Chapel went 3-for-3. Matt Magee of Bowling Green homered for the South, while Daniel Munn of Newton County Academy hit a round-tripper for the North. breaking pitches for later. "But it was a lot of fun.

We joked around a lot. Dustin Cliburn was wearing all his (championship) rings from the past few years. We've ordered ours, so hopefully 111 get it before I leave." Blister, who was 2-for-2 at the plate and made a nice play in the hole at shortstop, was the South MVP. Prairie View shortstop Donnie Crye was 2-for-3 including a sixth-inning solo homer with two RBIs to earn North MVP honors. Todd Fowler of Kirk was team made the NCAA Tournament, too.

JSU swept the SWAC men's and women's golf titles. Ole Miss and State both made the men NCAA Tourna ment, and the Rebels advanced to last week's championships. Ole Miss' Strinrfellow placed third in the NCAA long jump and ran on one of the nation best 4x400 relay teams. No, there were no football national championships, no appearances in the men's basketball Final Four, no trips to German, 21, blitzes Heatwave field baseball's College World Series. Those things happened for Mississippi teams in past years.

But for all-around excellence, 1998-99 topped the years that came before and set a high standard for the millennium to come. NCAA Super Regional Alabama 13 LSU5 Florida St. 6 Auburn 3 Miami 8 Wake Forest 1 11 Rice 10 SW Louisiana 1 Baylor 17 St. 7 Clemson 10 3 Texaa League Tulsa 5-5 Jackson 4-10 Contact Mike Knobler at 961-7293 or mknoblerjackson.gannett.com Tomorrow: Rick Cleveland Shannon Jones scooped up the ball and carried it 36 yards for a 12-0 advantage. The Thunder failed to convert on an extra point try and two-point conversion.

"We just didn't play well," Pride coach Johnny Plummer said. "It can be attributed to a lot of things. You can't take anything away from New Orleans. They played hard and they deserved the win." The Pride fell to 4-4. The Thunder is 2-6.

On its first seven posses-sions, the Pride either punted or turned the ball over. Several times the ball was snapped over the head of Patridge, who played a good portion of the game in the shotgun offense. Patridge hit tight end Clarence Benford on a 4-yard touchdown with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter for the team's only score. See PRIDE, 4D RFL New Orleans 12 7 States three years ago as an exchange student and lived in Memphis for a year. He returned a few months ago to visit, but will return to his native Germany Monday.

"I'm going back to study international business at the university," he said. His competitors probably hope he stays in school. Volke finished the swim in 9 minutes, 36 seconds; the bike in 1:01.02 and the run in 30: 16. No one could catch him. Chad Hon, 29, of Mobile, came in second, a distant 2V2 minutes behind.

"This is the best I've ever done, and I couldn't come close to Andre," Hon said. "I've been doing triathlons since the eighth grade and See TRIATHLON, 4D Former exchange student Volke swims, cycles, runs to victory By Robert Wilson Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer MADISON Andre Volke isn't used to the Mississippi heat, especially Saturday with temperatures rising into the 90s. But the 21-year-old German breezed through the Heatwave Triathlon at Lake Caroline like he'd been living here all his life. It took Volke just 1 hour, 40 minutes and 54 seconds to swim a Vi-mile, bike 24Vfe miles and run five miles and win the men's overall division. "I can do better.

It was a decent time," said Volke, who came to the United Turkey season's long gone, but the best stories are still fun to tell. 12D "It doesn't do anything for the game. It screwed up the schedule. I think we should go back to the way the game of baseball is meant to be played." TfiT." E3 us Lublin. McGwire nrtol -ii 11 ir 1 We'll give you complete final-round coverage of the U.S.

Women's Open. St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, when he was asked his feelings on interleague play. By Barbara Gauntt The Clarion-Ledger T.J. Walters, who finished first in the 1-19 year-old division, hits the ground running after the swimming leg of competition..