Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 27

Sports 5b Star Tribune Thursday Febaiary 11990 1C-. im i k(sp gs'pn If the Cowboys cut the rest of tha player they got for Herschel Walker, they will receive four draft choices. Here are the players and the picks the Vikings would give up: Johnson also wpuld like to keep linebackers Jesse Solomon and David Howard and cornerback Issiac Holt, but he notified the Vikings he will release them by today's noon deadline for Plan free agency unless general manager Mike Lynn accepts an offer that would allow Dallas to keep the players and picks. Plan begins its second go-around today as the league's 28 clubs release their lists of 37 protected players. Those left unprotected are free to negotiate where they choose.

draft picks running back Damn Nelson for a 1991 second-round pick and defensive end Alex Stewart for a '90 second-rounder. If the Cowboys release the other three, they will receive four more draft choices: a 1990 first-round pick (for Solomon), a '91 first-round pick (for Howard) and '92 second- and third-round picks (for Holt). "We're not bluffing," Johnson said. "All three (Solomon, Howard and Holt) are quality players and we'd Vikings continued on page 8C That doesn't hold true for the former Vikings, however. Under terms of the Walker trade, none of those players can return to the Vikings.

And the Cowboys cannot re-sign any of the players if they are released today. That's where Johnson's wheeling and dpaling comes in. He made what he termed a final offer to the Vikings: the Cowboys' third-round choices in 1990 (54th overall) and '91 to waive the trade's clause calling for Dallas to keep the players or the draft picks. Johnson said Lynn asked for quarter back Steve Walsh but received "a quick no." Lynn attempted to acquire Walsh after the Cowboys made him a first-round pick in the supplemental draft last summer. In the Walker deal, the Vikings sent five players, their 1992 first-round draft choice and up to six conditional picks to the Cowboys.

Each of the players was assigned conditional draft choices Dallas would receive if the athlete was released by today. The Cowboys already have unloaded two of the five players for Vikings By Robert Sansevere Sufi" Writer The Vikings will not have a first-round draft pick until 1 993 because the Dallas Cowboys say they plan to keep all of Minnesota's top picks as compensation for Herschel Walker. Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson told Dallas reporters and notified the NFL on Wednesday that he will keep all seven of the conditional draft choices the Vikings offered in the Oct. 12 trade, including first-round picks for the next three years. Nrtlh Sters Ml it Cap $5vv.

1 ipj) 'jw im owerfime Here's how the Stars have fared in Met Center attendance for January; Date Opponent Att. Jan. 3 N.Y. Rangers 10,663 Jan. 5 Detroit 12,468 Jan.

10 N.Y. Islanders 9,035 Jan. 12 Detroit 14,037 Jan. 17 Quebec 10,877 Jan. 28 Winnipeg 10,573 Jan.

31 Washington 12,257 Average 11,416 Note Last year's average for the month was 10,770. us, but it still felt like I was playing at home." It was a strange feeling for Ciccarelli, and for Mike Gartner, too. They had changed teams last March, Ciccarelli going to Washington after nine years with the Stars and Gartner joining the Stars after 10 seasons in Washington. It was only fitting, then, that the game had a strange and quick ending. "One time during the game, I found myself looking at the scoreboard and seeing that the North Stars had a penalty," Ciccarelli said.

"I couldn't remember us getting a penalty and then I remembered that it was the North Stars who had the penalty." His former teammates had gotten off to a fast start. They held Washington without a shot for the first seven minutes, built a 2-0 lead on goals by North Stars continued on page 4C By Jon Roe Staff Writer Since Terry Murphy became coach seven games ago, the Washington Capitals have lost only twice. Both defeats came in the final three seconds. "We were about due for a break," the Capitals' Dino Ciccarelli said. "But I thought we were going to have it happen to us again." Instead, Washington survived a persistent attack by the North Stars in the final minute of regulation, then had John Tucker tip in a shot off a scramble in front of the net in the first 35 seconds of overtime for a 4-3 victory Wednesday night at Met Center.

"This one is tough because it's a game we could have won," the Stars' Dave Gagner said. "We seemed to be in pretty good control through most of the first two periods, but then they scored in the last five-seconds of the second period and right at the start of the third, and that gave them life." The Capitals overcame a 2-0 deficit and survived a goal by the Stars' Neal Broten that produced a 3-3 tie with seven minutes to play. And the Stars were buzzing around former North Stars goalie Don Beaupre near the end of regulation, but he withstood the challenge. "It was a strange feeling for a lot of the game," said Beaupre, who had not played in Met Center since being traded to the Capitals early last season. "I knew it was a road game for Patrick Reusso vN? izp- Player Pos.

Draft pick Jesse Solomon LB David Howard LB Issiac Holt CB 90 1st 91 1st -92 2nd-3rf Note The Vikings received a fifth-round; pick from San Diego when Dallas traded RB Damn Nelson to tne Chargers. Cowboys have cut DE Alex Stewart was tripped up by Calle Johansson. Star wars members of the NBA's Board of Governors. If he was interested iiT! anything other than manipulating the local media, Wolfenson would have; lobked in his Rolodex and given 1 Gordon a call. The Timberwolves spread the word earlier that they were going to make Reusse continued on page SC No.

8 Purdue routs No. 4 Michigan 91 -73, stays zr unbeaten in Big Ten. Page 3Cr No. 1 Missouri edges Iowa" State. Roundup, page 3C.

ways in control." There is no room for error in Has kins' assertion that the Gophers will be ready tonight. The players knowledge the need for victory, both for tangible and morale reasons. The Gophers are three games behind first-place Purdue in the loss column. Purdue is 4-0 in Big Ten play on the road, while the Gophers are 0-3, making them 1-1 1 since the start Jif last season. "We don't really talk about it, but we know it's there," senior tri-captain Connell Lewis said of the road record.

"When you come back on the plane after those losses, you're feeling bad and everybody is looking bad. We need to win, so we can prove to others, as well as ourselves, that-we can win on the road." Gophers continued on page 2C former North Star, stopped a shot by Good guys notable by their absence in latest the Stars' Brian Bellows after Bellows owners, yesterday's stunt by Marv Wolfenson and Bob Stein should have taken care of that. If there was one breath of sincerity in what Wolfenson and Stein had to say, they would have called Gordon Gund with the offer before summoning reporters to a midafternoon press conference. Wolfenson and Gund are both Wolves lower the boom on Sonics Gophers hope lesson! has been well-learned Staff Photo by Brian Peterson Capitals goalie Don Beaupre (33), a The same collection of bush leaguers who have not been able to extricate themselves from a quagmire involving one player, Steve Johnson, are going to save professional hockey and full-scale major league status not to mention motherhood and democracy for the Twin Cities. The same outfit that has given its personnel director, Billy McKinney, Staff Photo by Donald Black The Wolves' Sam Mitchell put up a ft a forum as a TV commentator for backstabbing the team's coach suddenly is going to serve as the peacemaker between the North Stars and the selectively arrogant members of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.

If there was any thought of compromise on the part of Gordon and George Gund, the North Stars shot against Seattle's Brad Sellers. h4( There are no good guys in the mess surrounding the North Stars, the melodrama that has developed so rapidly over the past 48 hours. The Timberwolves tried to cast themselves in that role Wednesday, and in the process they revealed themselves to be the biggest phonies in the whole deal. Philadelphia wins ninth in row, ties New York for first in Atlantic Division. Page 4C.

i Terry Cummings scores 52 in Spurs' victory. Page 4C. The lead was the Wolves' biggest of Ithe season, and their 39-13 domination in the third quarter was also the fnost points they have scored in a Quarter. Richardson's line for the.evening: 14 points; a career-high 12 assists, including eight in the third quarter, three steals; three rebounds, and no turnovers in 31 minutes. "I respect Pooh; he's earned his spot by making a commitment to work hatd," coach Bill Musselman said.

"Poh is playing great basketball." Anybody who saw the third quarter can tell you that Richardson dished off seven assists in the quarter's final six foinutes, which was when the Timberwolves blew the Dale Ellis-less Sonics right out of the building. The Wolves were leading 61-48 when Timberwolves continued on page 4C By Jerry Zgoda Staff Writer That noise you might have heard at 1 the conclusion of the Timberwolves' 110-82 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night was the distant sound of steamer trunks slamming down the road at Met Center. Minnesota sports fans received a glimpse into the future of their new NBA franchise when that sound-swallowing basketball monstrosity called the Metrodome actually rocked for a few minutes during a 21-0, second-half run en route to the Wolves largest victory, not to mention their second winning streak. "I guess that's why they say the NBA is jSvMastic," forward Tony Campbell said. "I just told somebody that on a scale of 1 to 10, that was a 10.

But now that I know we outscored them 21-0, I've changed my mind. That'sall" The 24,153 fans the future, and it was Pooh. As in rookie point guard Pooh Richardson, who helped the Wolves turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 35-point advantage (86-51) seconds into the fourth quarter. By Dennis Brackin Staff Writer Before the season started, coach Clem Haskins placed "must-win" stars next to two games on the Gophers' schedule. One was the conference opener against Illinois on Jan.

6, the other last Sunday's date against Indiana, the only Big Ten team the Gophers seniors had not beaten. Minnesota won both convincingly, 91-74 against Illinois, 108-89 over Indiana. Five days after beating Illinois, the Gophers came out flat and lost 86-78 at Purdue. The danger signs for another letdown are the same tonight (6:05, ESPN). The Gophers (14-4, 5-3) play at Michigan State (16-4, 5-2) days removed from an emotional home-court victory.

This time, however, Haskins is convinced there will not be a repeat of Purdue. "I was responsible for getting them too high against Illinois, and we had no place to go but down," Haskins said. "I made a terrible mistake, but you learn from mistakes. We played well against Indiana, but from an emotional standpoint, we were al-.