Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 19

Lansing State Journal www.lansingst3tejournal.com Baseball Lugnuts drop to 0-3 with loss to Fort Wayne Page 3C Sports Editor Vince Ellis 377-1071 Classified 7C PORT Jack Ebling Wednesday April 12, 2000 Jets agree to trade Keyshawm the two-time Pro Bowl receiver, and Bucs general manager Rich McKay broke off talks about 9:30 p.m. and will begin meeting again this morning. "Nothing has been finalized, but they are still talking," Bucs spokesman Reggie Roberts said. The holdup apparently was over the amount of a signing bonus, with a range of between $9 million and $13 million being discussed. Tampa Bay offered Johnson a deal that would average just over $6.5 million a year for either four or five years.

He would have made $2.4 million under the contract he signed when the Jets made him the No. 1 overall se-lection in Johnson the 1996 draft. With the Bucs, he'd be among the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. The Jets would get two first-round draft choices, Nos. 13 Deal on hold while Tampa Bay, receiver try to come to terms Associated Press NEW YORK A trade sending Keyshawn "Johnson from the New York Jets to Tampa Bay was worked out Tuesday, but remained on hold when the wide receiver and the Buccaneers couldn't agree on a new contract.

Jerome Stanley, the agent for 1996, Johnson has caught 305 passes for 4,108 yards and 31 touchdowns. The Jets, who claim they are strapped by the salary cap and couldn't afford to renegotiate with Johnson, would have plenty of draft leverage. They could use a combination or all of the four picks to move way up. The Cleveland Browns have the overall No. 1 pick.

Dwight Clark, the personnel director for the Browns, said recently that three first-rounders would interest his team. "If someone came to us with Ballpark shows promise DETROIT The new ball- Eark is better than its familiar allclub. But for one frigid April afternoon, the Detroit Tigers were almost worthy of playing in gorgeous Comerica Park. Now, the Tigers, who defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-2 Tuesday, just have to learn a few fundamentals and realize it's a different game in a park so big it's baseball's version of Yellowstone. After a season-opening victory and five straight losses on the road, Detroit showed up for its Comerica debut with the worst record in the sport.

Phil Garner's team was lucky Tuesday, as it committed three errors and was out-hit 12-8 by Seattle, which Tigers win opener in Comerica Park p. I fe Moehler good enough to make lead stand up tifii Iiry irt-M frr Jt Zt A -nt-: By Barry Kiel Lansing State Journal DETROIT At least for one game, a day at Comerica Park turned out almost exactly the way the Detroit Tigers hoped it would. A crowd of 39, 1 68 packed the glittering new park to watch a Tigers victory. Of course, they had to brave temperatures in the high 30's, and many left before Detroit's 5-2 victory over Seattle concluded on Tuesday. But with a major league-worst 1-5 record coming in, the Tigers weren't going for style points.

Just a win and successful opening of their $290 million showcase. "It was just electric out there," said starting pitcher Brian Moehler (1-1), who allowed two runs, only one earned, over six innings to get the win. "The ballpark was great. I think everybody kind of needed this boost after coming off the road. It was kind of a new start for us." And a new era.

A Comerica Park era. From the monstrous scoreboard in left field to the unique view of Detroit's skyline from in- and 27. It would give them four selections in the opening round, the most ever for one team. Previously, they got the 16th choice from New England for allowing Bill Belichick to become Patriots coach, and owned the 18th. Johnson threatened to hold out if the Jets didn't renegotiate his contract, which had two years remaining at an average of about $2 million.

That was well below the going rate for a receiver with his credentials. In his four seasons since being the top overall choice in have to do the things you can do. And it's a great park for triples and bunting." This year's team isn't built that way but could attract a few of those players next winter if the word starts to spread and there is money available. "I know if I was a free agent on another team and came in here and saw how this park was going to play, I would definitely want to pitch here," said Brian Moehler, Tuesday's winner after scattering 10 singles and doubles over six innings. If Detroit gets a reputation as a haven for pitchers, it could help a franchise that never seems to have enough quality arms in the free-agent market.

Okemos volleyball By Geoff Kimmerly Lansing State Journal Anna Schaberg of Okemos High was a little disappointed in herselr this season. The Chieftains finished 49-6-5 and Inside Volleyball Dream Team. Page 4C lost in the Class A regional semifinal to Battle Creek Lakeview. Okemos split the Capital Circuit championship with rival Lakewood, and beat the Vikings in a regular-season match at Lake Odessa for the first time in school history. "Volleyball has always been a passion I could spend all day playing volleyball and not get bored," Schaberg said.

"I want to be the best and I ex NFL Draft on TV Saturday Noon ESPN; 7 p.m. ESPN2 Sunday 11 a.m. ESPN; 1 p.m. ESPN2 four first-round picks, we'd have to do it," he said. "If it were three, we'd have to think about it." Inside Baseball roundup See Page 3C Clark's play a game-saver.

Tigers-Mariners box score. See Page 5C side and attractions such as a fer-ris wheel and a carousel outside, Tuesday's opening was a hit. Tigers players weren't shy about their initial thoughts on their new home. "This is a great place to play now," said left fielder Bobby Higginson. "This is one of the best ballparks in the league.

It makes it more fun to come to work now." The Tigers' win came without two key players. Right fielder Juan Gonzalez and second baseman Damion Easley were both sidelined with injuries. It was Higginson's two-run triple, along with two RBI from Gregg Jefferies, and solid pitching from Moehler, that made Comerica's debut a winning one. The Tigers had a lead in their new park after just two batters Please see TIGERS, 5C v3 -a the year cies of .347, .373 and .385. "We hit effectively because she put the ball there," Okemos coach Jamie Ianni said.

"And she has the intangibles you don't coach into kids. She has the things you can't teach work ethic, heart, intensity, desire, determination." And her ability to lead may have been as important as her physical talent. "She has a spark, a fire, that gets everyone going. When people need to be motivated, she picks them up or gets in their face. But she doesn't yell, she's always cheering," said senior teammate Emmy Miller, who joined Schaberg on the Dream Team.

Schaberg will play at Grand Valley next season after considering Lehigh, Colgate, Kent State and North Carolina State. A 1 GREG DeRUITERLansing State Journal Off to a good start: Luis Polonia leads off the bottom of the irst inning with a triple for the Detroit Tigers. It was the first hit at Comerica Park and Polonia also went on to score the inaugural run at the new stadium. Tigers must adapt plans to fit new field stranded 13 baserunners. "Yeah, this is a victory cigar," the former Milwaukee Brewers manager said with a grin.

"It was flown in all the way from Milwaukee." Some balls fell at the edge of Comerica's warning track, blasts that would have left Detroit's former home, Tiger Stadium. Those balls now equal triples or long outs. Maybe the Tigers will come to love the wide-open spaces of left-center field, with the flag pole in play more than 420 feet from home plate. Or maybe they'll find a better fielder than error-prone Juan Encarnacion to patrol the left-center and right-center power alleys. Different style Until then, they need to adjust to Comerica-ball, with an outfield that calls for a riding mower and infield grass as long as a two-week vacationer's lawn.

Given the park's peculiarities, General Manager Randy Smith needs to build a team around pitching, speed and left-handed power unless he plans to move the left-field fence about 30 feet closer. And there's nothing wrong with that kind of baseball, since a triple is usually more exciting than a homer, if not as majestic. "I love this park," Detroit Ieftfielder Luis Polonia said after tripling and scoring Comerica's first run in the bottom of the first inning. "I'd been preparing for that first for months. But I can see we're going to have fun here this year." Speedsters such as Polonia are made for this place.

And mediocre pitchers like Tuesday's winner, Brian Moehler, could see their earned-run averages dip at home. What Garner has to do is make sure his players don't throw their backs out of joint by trying to muscle the ball over the left-field wall. Long distance For right-handed pull hitters such as Dean Palmer, Da-mion Easley and especially offseason acquisition Juan Gonzalez, that challenge will be tricky. Palmer was 0-for-3 Tuesday, while Easley and Gonzalez were spectators with a strained right rib cage and hamstring, respectively. If they'd played in sub-40-degree temperatures, they might have tried to be macho and suffered further injuries in search of Comerica's first homer.

"That ball I hit to left would have been a homer in any other stadium," Encarnacion said of an eighth-inning laser for a double. "When I got back to the dugout, Juan (Gonzalez) said, 'I told you his place was big. I told you! That ball was If that's the worst thing about a park with all the amenities a fan could want, so be it. When you think of Comerica, think of Oldsmobile Park on steroids and you'll have a decent idea of the scene. But it'll still take some getting used to for a team that needs to become accustomed to winning.

"The ballpark itself is well laid out," Detroit first baseman Tony Clark said. "It's up to us to give it a flavor. When you walked around Tiger Stadium, you saw the chips in the paint and dings in the wall. It's up to us to put chips in the paint and dings in the wall at this place. Today was a good start." Winning always is, no matter how or where it's done.

What do you think? Write to Jack Ebling at 120 Lenawee St, Lansing, MI 48919. By Jack Ebling Lansing State Journal DETROIT Comerica Park could be a power hitter's nightmare and an average pitcher's best friend. The Detroit Tigers will have to deal with that baseball perception and perhaps that reality if they plan to compete in the American League's Central Division and ultimately win a World Series for the first time since 1984. When the franchise drafts players, it will have to consider the dimensions of its new home for 81 games each season. And when it tries to sign free agents, the response might GREG DeRUITERLansing State Journal Souvenir: Jim Consiglio of New Baltimore displays the first foul ball caught at Comerica Park.

senior Schaberg is Injuries will test defending champs hinge on the shape and length of a lush, green field. "As a player, sure, it's something you'd look at," Tigers broadcaster and two-time World Series hero Kirk Gibson said Tuesday after Comerica's debut, a 5-2 Detroit win over Seattle. "But you look at a lot of things, including the people you'll play for, when you make that decision." Gibson, who left Detroit in 1987 and was the National League MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers the following year, said Comerica could be a plus or a minus in player procurement. Right-handed home run hitters will have to wonder about Death Valley distances 345 But Joe Nieuwendyk's balky back acted up last week, giving him painful spasms. Defense-man Sergei Zubov, a catalyst on the power play, is sidelined indefinitely because of a knee injury.

Winger Jere Lehtinen, twice the Selke winner as the top defensive forward, played only 17 games because of ankle problems. He returned in the season finale, but the Stars finished with an 0-3-2 streak and raised questions about their readiness to defend their title. "We're certainly going to have to play a lot better than we're playing right now," Coach Ken Hitchcock said last week. And for every reason to pick the Detroit Red Wings including Sergei Fedorov's stellar play and Brendan Shana-han's fifth season with at least 40 goals there are reasons feet to the left-field foul pole, 395 to left-center field and more than 420 to the flagpole where center field begins. Since key offseason acquisition Juan Gonzalez could leave the Tigers at the end of this year and hasn't said yes or no to a reported seven-year, $140 million offer, Comerica's dimensions and flight patterns could become crucial.

But for left-handed power hitters, gap and slap hitters, outfielders with speed and pitchers who give up long fly balls, Comerica might be a tremendous place. "We already know it's hard to hit homers here," fleet left-fielder Luis Polonia said. "You Playoffs on TV Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m., Ch. 9 Edmonton at Dallas, 7 p.m., ESPN San Jose at St Louis, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 Osgood still key for Red Wings, Page 6C for caution. Those include the sprained knee that idled team captain Steve Yzerman the last four games and the injured cheekbone defenseman Chris Chelios suffered last Friday.

player of pect to be the best. I have high for myself in a lot of areas but I feel like I never played to my Schaberg potential. But "not to her potential' is still pretty good. Schaberg, a senior, is the Lansing State Journal Volleyball Player of the Year for 1999-2000. She started all four years for the Chieftains.

This season, in 113 games, she had 1,195 assists in 2,377 set attempts. She scored on 451 of 502 serves with 89 aces and had a .491 hitting percentage in 124 kill attempts. The Chieftains' top three attackers had hitting efficien i Los Angeles Times For every reason to pick the Dallas Stars to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, there's a reason to think they can't win again. Goalie Ed Belfour tied Buffalo's Dominik Hasek for the NHL's best save percentage, .919. The Stars' penalty killing was the NHL's best, 89.3 percent.

They topped 100 points for the fourth consecutive season, a franchise record. The Stars, who open their first-round playoff series with Edmonton tonight, have been through this grind before. "We know what it takes to step it up for the playoffs," center Mike Modano said. "The experience we gained last year can take us a long way. We had to go through it firsthand to understand it.".