Green Bay Press-Gazette from Green Bay, Wisconsin • Page 25

Looking for something? SECTION ff. ib tuuu iuve nmx I (7X you need inside! Green Bay Press-Gazette Comments? Call Sports Editor John Morton, (920) 431-8222 Thursday, July 9, 1998 PI mm I A Schedule Brewers could have 3 sellouts MILWAUKEE (AP) The Chicago Cubs' first visit to County Stadium since 1965 has drawn record-breaking advance ticket sales, the Milwaukee Brewers said Wednesday. "It has been our strongest selling series ever since we put tickets on sale in February," said Bob Voight, Brewers vice president of ticket sales. "We have done an incredible amount of group business for this series. We have literally booked groups from the entire Upper Midwest." About 170,000 baseball fans bought tickets in advance by Wednesday afternoon for the four-game series which begins tonight That is an advance sales club record for a four-game series, said Jon Greenberg, Brewers director of media relations.

Voight said the Brewers have the distinct possibility of selling out three consecutive games, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which would be another first for the club. "This is going to renew a historic rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee baseball," said Voight Saturday's game had 50,000 advance tickets sold. Some single seat3 and obstructed-view spots remained available. "Our all-time series high was in 1980 against the New York Yankees, when total attendance was 195,657. This four-game set against the Cubs should challenge that mark," said Voight.

The Brewers will face Cubs pitching sensation Kerry Wood on Friday, and Saturday is a nationally-televised game on the Fox network. The Brewers expected to sell out Sunday's game as welL which will wrap up the series. The club also has an attendance promotion scheduled that day with the first 12,000 fans, aged 14 and younger, receiving a replica batting helmet The Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department plans to increase staff at County Stadium for all four games because of strong attendance. Additional deputies will be assigned to work outside and inside the stadium. Sheriff Lev Baldwin said.

Today: Chicago (T apani 9-6) at Milwaukee (Juden 7-7), 7:05 Friday: Chicago (Wood 8-3) at Milwaukee (Woodalt 4-3), 7:05 Saturday: Chicago at Milwaukee, 12:15 Sunday: Chicago at Milwaukee, 1:05 World Cup semifinal: France 2, Croatia 1 Time is si row ror fo) 1 yj. It's a big weekend for fans at Milwaukee's County Stadium, what with the lovable Cubs visiting for the first time in more than 30 years. They probably can't replace the loathsome White Sox as far as the border war is concerned, but they'll be a better attraction nonetheless. To heck with fading stars like Albert Belle and Frank Thomas from a fading team when you've got the likes of rookie pitching phenom Kerry Wood and home run record-chasing Sammy Sosa coming to town on a winning team. The four-game series begins to John Morton Sports opinion WW JM 7 AP photo No time to rest: U.S.

Women's Open winner Se Ri Pak and caddie Jeff Cable enjoy a moment during a pro-am Wednesday in Sylvania, Ohio. Pak will begin play in the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic today. Knights lose two coaches DE PERE There was a run on help wanted signs Wednesday at the St. Norbert College athletic department Baseball coach Jim Burgess and tennis coach Tim Burke each announced their resignations. Burgess, who said he was leaving to pursue other interests, was the winningest coach in school history, posting a 98-65 record during his five seasons.

The Green Knights won their only two Mid-tvest Conference championships under Burgess. "I take great pride in the fact that during my five-year tenure the Green Knights had their five most successful seasons and only two conference Burgess said. "I leave secure in the feeling that the program has a solid foundation for my successor to take into the next century." Burke was hire.d in January to feplace Don retired. He cited increased job commitments at his full-time position with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance as the reason for his departure. Burke, 22, led the Knights' men's team to a 5-7 dual meet record in the spring and a sixth- place finish in the MWC meet, i which tied the school's highest finish ever.

He would have coached the MWC-champion women's team this fall. Chris Bayee- Selig approval expected today CHICAGO Bud Selig is expected to receive 29 of 30 votes today when owners elect him baseball's permanent commissioner at a special meeting. Only Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who believes an owner shouldn't be commissioner, is expected to oppose. Selig, the Milwaukee Brewers Owner who has been interim commissioner since Sept. 9, 1992, will receive a five-year term and a salary of approximately $3 million.

SBA commissioner David Stern is jaid about $7 million. 4 In addition to outlining his agenda, Selig, 63, will brief owners on details of putting the Brewers in trust to remove himself from a conflicting situation. Gannett News Service night, with Wood slated to start Friday. Saturday's game, meanwhile, is already a sellout. Hoopla aside, it's even a bigger weekend for the Brewers as a ball team.

The second half of the season offers a fresh beginning, but don't forget the Brewers currently own an ugly five-game losing streak that has them only a game above ,500. A rough weekend, and they suffer the psychological effects of dipping below .500 and stumbling out of the gate at a time when they must make up ground against a team they're battling for a possible wild-card slot. Tack on the emotional atmosphere of having the -Cubs in town and big crowds on hand, and the Brewers find themselves in a delicate situation. If the Brewers lose this series, they may not recover. Please see MortonC-2 AP photo Big night: France's Lilian Thuram, center, is and Youri Djorkaeff, right, after scoring his second congratulated by teammates Bixente left, goal during a 2-1 win over Croatia.

Kortler cans mi mas men Host France advances to first World Cup final to C0019 When Jim Awtrey, Judy Bell, Tim Finchem and Jim Ritts convened in Kohler on Monday for the grand opening of Whistling Straits and the U.S. Women's Open playoff, it was a rare meeting of the leaders of the golfing world. In Awtrey, the PGA of America was represented. In Bell, the USGA. In Finchem, the PGA Tour.

In Ritts, the LPGA tour. Together, they are most powerful foursome in golf. Rarely does that foursome get together. It's even rarer that they would do so in Wisconsin. After playing Kohler Co.

chairman Herb Kohler's new lakeside links Monday morning, the foursome arrived at Black-wolf Run in time to see the final By Larry Siddons Associated Press SAINT-DENIS, Prance Just when the cheers and chants of the French fans were dying, blue lightning struck twice, and World Cup history belonged to the home team. A pair of goals by defender Lilian Thuram, the first just a minute after Croatia took the lead, gave France a 2-1 victory Wednesday and a spot for the first time in the championship game of the tournament it dreamed up 70 years ago. With 77,000 fans screaming their heads off, some even trying to wrap themselves in a giant blue French uniform that- covered seven sections, the national stadium north of Paris rocked with victory unknown in centuries of athletic greatness. "It is truly the most beautiful day in the history of French sport," French President Jacques Chirac said. It might have been beautiful in the end.

But winning a chance to prevent Brazil from extending its record of four championships in the final Sunday close-range goal 21 minutes from the end. "This is fabulous. I don't even score during training," Thuram said. "It was 200 percent luck. I am not a hero because I scored the goals.

To be a hero that's left for the final." The final was not assured until goalie Fabien Barthez tipped a. last-gasp shot over the crossbar less than 30 seconds before the last whistle. "I don't think we had a wonderful game tonight, but we played our hearts out and that made a difference," French coach Aime Jacquet said. "Croatia played a very strong game and it was hard to move their defense around." The World Cup was the brainchild of Jules Rimet a French sports official in the Roaring '20s. France played in the first one, and nine others since.

Three times previously it made the final four. Never did it win. But now itr will return to the Stade de France on Sunday night to play for the title against Brazil. It will be the first time the defending champion and the host nation meet for the championship. Third-place game Netherlands vs.

Croatia, 2 p.m. Saturday, at Paris (Channel 2) Championship Brazil vs. France, 2 p.m. Sunday at Saint-Denis (Channel 2) France-Croatia summaryC-2 wasn't easy, and France had to play the last 16 minutes a man short after defender Laurent Blanc was ejected for pushing an opponent in the face. He'll miss the final with an automatic suspension.

Croatia, a nation just 8 years old and playing in its first World Cup, took the lead 26 seconds after halftime on Davor Suker's breakaway. "They caught us dead cold," French captain Didier Deschamps said. That quieted the crowd and seemed to drive a stake into the French team's heart. It turned out it just got their attention. Thuram tied it less than a minute later on a play that started with a beautiful steal, and won it on another Rob Demovsky Golf" EMM Nicklaus major streak to endC-3 Juan Gonzalez of Texas has 101 RBIs at the All-Star break.

What's the Milwaukee Brewers' record for most RBIs in one season? Answer on C-2 three holes of the Women's 1 Open playoff. They walked behind amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn and eventual champion Se Ri Pak, watching the future of women's golf. They also had to see a Please see DemovskyC-2 Casco native begins his big-league journey 'I'm a hard headed degenerate. If it wasn't forbaseball, I might be a convict." Yankees pitcher David. Wells Vovles Ditchina in wail' "3 Braves' system Semipro baseball: The Green Bay Billy's host the De Pere River Bandits at 7:30 tonight at Joannes fortunate, that's for sure." Voyles, who was selected in the 45th round of the June amateur draft, appeared in four games for the Emeralds before suffering a pulled muscle in his left side last week.

"It's exciting to end (close) the games," he said. "The first time I went out, I was a wreck. I was hyperventilating. But (now) it's like I've been doing it for a long time. "We get people at our games.

It's pretty unbelievable to throw in front of that many people when the most I ever threw in front of before was probably 150." In 1995, Voyles' senior year at Luxemburg-Casco High School, he wasn't throwing at all. A pitcher as a sophomore, he eventually moved to play catcher After two years, Voyles wanted to take his career farther south. He ended up with a scholarship to Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Term. "Things just kept going my way," Voyles said. He posted a 6-3 record with a 5.06 earned run average this past spring, then waited to hear from a major league team.

When the call finally came, "I was relieved. I just' wanted to get my foot in the door," Voyles said. A starter at LMU, the 6-foot, 195-pound Voyles said he enjoys his new role. "You get to go into tight situations. The crowd is definitely into the game then," he said.

Voyles has a 1.93 ERA with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 9 innings. His best performance came about two weeks ago, when he struck out nine 4' innings against the Boise (Idaho) Hawks. "He has an outstanding temperament and an outstanding breaking ball," Emeralds pitching coach Jerry Nyman said. "He's extremely aggressive in situations where a lot of people are tentative." Now, Voyles must be patient as he rehabilitates his injured side. He could miss up to four weeks, he said.

When the Emeralds' season ends in early September, Voyles will head to an instructional league in Florida. There, he'll be closer at least geographically to his ultimate goal: To get to Atlanta." "I would never have thought it. Never." Casco's Brad Voyles, on his baseball progress and third base. "I was too wild to pitch," he said. Voyles had no intention of playing college baseball.

After graduation, he worked construction and planned to attend technical school. But, in the middle of August a coach from Kishwaukee College, a junior college in Malta, 111., phoned Voyles and offered him an athletic scholarship. The coach had heard about Voyles through a scout who saw him at a camp. By Kerry Utscher Press-Gazette EUGENE, Ore. Three years ago, Brad Voyles figured his pitching career was over.

Today, the 21-year-old Casco native is a member of the Atlanta Braves organization, known for having the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball. Voyles, a right-handed closer for the Class A affiliate Eugene Emeralds, says he almost can't believe it himself. "I would never have thought it. Never," he said. "I feel pretty 'Checkout the latest Packers news on our web site: www.greenbaypressgazette.

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