Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 9

Business Rate hike expected, but will it be the Sports Editor: Bill Broderick, 966-0678 Battle Creek Enquirer Tuesday, Aug. 24, 1999 1B Shock open first playoffs tonight 3H nr. ular-season games, averaging 17.3 points and 12.1 rebounds during that stretch. She also averaged 21 points and 12.5 rebounds during the final week of the regular season to help the Shock win three of four games and reach the playoffs. The Shock (15-17) will play host to the Charlotte Sting (15-17) on Tuesday night at The Palace in a one-game Eastern Conference semifinal.

The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference finals to face New York in a best-of-three series scheduled to begin Friday. The idea of a one-game playoff should be nothing new to the Shock Essentially, they already have had two one-game playoffs winning Friday at Charlotte and Saturday at The Palace against Orlando to qualify for postseason play. Palmer had 20 points and nine rebounds in a 58-57 victory over the Sting and followed with 21 points and 14 WNBA squad on roll heading into Sting game David Goricki Gannett News Service AUBURN HILLS After the Detroit Shock traded Korie Hlede and Cindy Brown to the Utah Starzz last month, fans voiced their displeasure by booing Nancy Lieberman-Cline, the Shock's coach and general manager. But Iieberman-Cline is now receiving applause from those same fans for bringing 6-foot-2 power forward Wendy Palmer to The Palace in the deal. The Shock were struggling with a franchise-record five-game losing streak, and their goal of reaching the playoffs was slipping away when Palmer began to show her form of two years ago when she was a second-team All-WNBA selection.

Palmer, 24, had five double-doubles in the last seven reg- DETROIT SHOCK UPDATE TODAY: One-game Eastern Conference -semifinal, Charlotte Sting (15-17) at Detroit Shock (15-17), 7 p.m. (ESPN). WINNER: Advances to best-of-3 Eastern Conference Finals vs. New York, starting TODAYS OTHER SEMIFINAL Western Conference, Sacramento at Los Angeles, 9 p.m. (ESPN).

rebounds in a 74-68 victory over Orlando. "This Was a great trade for us," Lieberman-Cline said. "You guys (media) really didn't know who Wendy Palmer was. You didn't know who Olympia Scott-Richardson was. We're not Einstein here, but these trades were not made on a whim.

"Wendy was so tight the first couple of games. Think of the pressure on this woman. She wanted so bad to prove me right for trading for her. She felt I got her out of jail ASSOCIATED PRESS The Charlotte Sting's Andrea Stinson, left, and the Detroit Shock's Wendy Palmer, right, joke around between their practice sessions at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Monday. "Yeah, I envisioned going to the playoffs.

I envisioned winning it all. I think as a player you have to look at those things and think like that If not, why are you competing? Why are you playing? "That was a big thing to happen in the last part of the season for us. The fans were more patient. Everyone has been patient with us, and we're bringing it together." ftp nn nn MM lid ME WD ji ywaflwaaHMy" 1,1 jraij Albion, Hillsdale. JCW might leave HOME RUN CHASE Monday: Off.

Today: FTW at Cats, 7 p.m. Aaron McNeal McNeal is chasing the Midwest League record for HRs in a season of 42 by Jeffrey Jones set in 198Z McNeal has 37 homers with 13 games left. MONDAY'S SCORES PRO BASEBALL Home team in capital letters AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto 9, OAKLAND 4 Chicago 10, TAMPA BAY 2 Baltimore 4, KANSAS CfTY 2 Boston 4, MINNESOTA 1 New York 2L TEXAS 3 Detroit at ANAHEIM, late Cleveland at SEATTLE, late NATIONAL LEAGUE MONTREAL 1L St Louis 7 Arizona 2, PITTSBURGH 1 San Diego 7, PHILADELPHIA 6 NEW YORK 3, Houston 2 ATLANTA 6, Cincinnati 2 San Francisco at CHICAGO, ppd. rain Los Angeles at MILWAUKEE, late PRO FOOTBALL NFL PRESEASON GREEN BAY 27, Denver 12 QUICK HITS PRO GOLF Mickelson hot on course, Crenshaw ALOHA, Ore. Phil Mickelson had two eagles to carry his team into a share of the lead after Monday's opening round of the million Fred Meyer Challenge charity best-ball tourney.

Mickelson and teammate Jay Haas finished at n-under-par 6i to tie Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon. Then, regarding controversy over whether Ryder Cup players should be paid, Mickelson said that during the PGA Championship earlier this month, an angry Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw incorrectly picked him among others who spoke out on how the PGA of America spends its profits from the Ryder Cup. "I did not say anything to the media. I did not say a word," Mickelson said Monday. "I didn't say what my views were.

All Ben said was he was disappointed in me. That was a confidential meeting." 3RD-STRING GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME IB-Hank Greenberg 1930,33414547 2B-RodCarew 1967-85 SSCal Ripken 1981-present 3B George Brett 1973-93 LF StanMusial CF Mickey Mantle 1951-68 RF TonyGwynn 1982-present YogiBerra LP Warren Spahn RP Graver Alexander 1911-30 Gannett News Service (One of a series of all-century teams running all year in the Enquirer) BEST BET PRO BASEBALL WHAT: Detroit Tigers at Anaheim Angels. ON 3B: Baseball roundup. HOW TO REACH US Have a story tip or idea? Here's how to reach us 24 hours a day: SPORTS HOT LINE 966-0678 FAX 964-0299 GREAT LAKES FREE-NET: Leave a message in the Battle Creek Enquirer conference area. E-MAIL 37 5r rl.f(ilTlllii.itf since Utah had been in last place the last couple of years.

I just sat her down and told her there was no pressure on her. She was going to play 35 minutes a game." The Shock were 1-3 in Palmers first four games, when she averaged 6 2. points and 4.7 rebounds. They are 4-3 in their last seven games. "You just had to give us time," Palmer said.

"Things are not going to go smooth from the beginning. It was a transition, getting used to the system, getting used to being here and playing with different players." Palmer was the first woman in University of Virginia history to have more than 1,000 points (1,911) and rebounds She was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1995 and a Kodak Ail-American in 1995 and 1996. During the WNBA's inaugural season two years ago, Palmer was fourth in the league in scoring (15.8) and second in rebounding (8.0). son County Western will be joined by Stockbridge and Brooklyn-Columbia Central for what is at the present time a five-team division. "Our goal is to add one, two or three more schools, to have two legitimate divisions," Riley said.

"That would make the scheduling easier to organize." The most recent shakeup in the Twin Valley also involved Jackson County Carr said he will base his decision on everything the two have done through spring and preseason practices. "I'm not going to go into the final scrimmage and base it on what they did that day," he said. Carr has no timetable for making the quarterback decision public. "When I'm going to tell you, I don't know. I'm not going to make any promises because I'd hate to break a promise," Carr said.

"My wife wants to know, and I don't think I can tell her." I Last season, she was 14th in scoring (13.5) and 10th in rebounding (6.6). But she lost her starting job this season to 6-2, 210-pound Natalie Williams, a former American Basketball League player who averaged 18 points (fourth in the league) and 9.2 rebounds (second). "I just wanted to come here and do the best I could to help the team," Palmer said. --liiiriM Western. The Hastings Saxons left the Twin Valley at the end of the 1994 season to join the O.K.

White conference. The league played with just seven teams until Jackson County Western joined the league at the start of the 1996 season. Shad Powers covers prep sports. He can be reached at 966-0679 or Brady said he's enjoying the competition no matter how it turns out. "When you know you have to go out and perform every day, it keeps you sharp," Brady said.

Brady, offensive guard Steve Hutchinson and middle guard Rob Renes were named tri-captains in a vote of the players. "It's certainly the greatest honor I've ever received," Brady said. "It's something we choose and that's why it's the greatest Please see U-M, 4B Shad Powers The Enquirer A shakeup in the Twin Valley Conference appears imminent, as member schools Albion, Hillsdale and Jackson County Western have applied to join the Cascades Conference, according to athletic directors around the league. If the Cascades Conference accepts the proposal, which will be determined in a meeting on Sept. 13, those three schools would leave the Twin Valley and the conference would be left with five schools.

The Twin Valley's annual fall kickoff meeting was held Monday night and the conference's athletic directors and football coaches discussed the possible fallout associated with the secession of the three teams. The three teams still have a two-year commitment to the Twin Valley, so the changeover would not occur until the beginning of the school year in 2001. "I'm a traditionalist, and I would be sorry to see them go," Harper Creek athletic director Ed Greenman said. "I feel that our league is one of the best leagues in the state of Michigan. But they have to do what's best for their school and community." According to Hillsdale athletic director Scott Riley, the impetus for the move is based primarily on wanting to be more competitive by joining a league with schools closer to its own size.

Hillsdale has 569 students and Albion has 456. The schools that would remain in the Twin Valley like Lake-view Coldwater (983), Sturgis (891), Harper Creek (825) and Marshall (837) -have, in some cases, more than double the enrollment. Jackson County Western does have a competitive enrollment at 800 students. "We didn't want to just up Packers buck Broncos 27-12 Associated Press MADISON, Wis. -Slippery conditions led to a sloppy performance by the Denver Broncos.

Backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the Green Bay Packers beat the Broncos 27-12 in an exhibition game Monday night at rain-soaked Camp Randall Stadium Before a noisy sellout crowd on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, the Packers scored 24 first-half points against the Broncos, who struggled for the first time this year after two easy preseason wins. A steady rain fell until moments before game time, soaking into the artificial turf. The con-ditions resulted in numerous slips by both teams, but Hasselbeck and the Packers moved the ball easily, scoring 17 points on their first three possessions and putting the game away early. The Broncos' offensive first-stringers moved the ball erratically and couldn't get in the end zone. Meanwhile, Denver's defensive backs particularly starters Ray Crockett and Eric Brown -seemed tentative on the wet turf and couldn't prevent the Packers from throwing for 160 yards in the first half.

Backup quarterback Brian Griese (U-M) rallied the Broncos to a fourth-quarter touchdown that made the final score closer, and Nate Wayne tackled Basil Mitchell in the end zone for a safety with 47 seconds left in the game. Brett Favre started at quarterback for the Packers but left after eight plays when he was knocked to the ground by John Mobley and landed awkwardly on his right hand. Favre stayed on the sideline for the first half but watched the second half from the locker room. The Packers said no X-rays were taken of Favre' hand and the injury wasn't serious. Hasselbeck spent last year on Green Bay's practice squad but was handed the backup job when Rick Mirer was traded to the N.Y.

Jets. PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW COMING WEDNESDAY The Enquirer's annual special prep football preview section will appear in Wednesday's edition. The 1999 prep football season begins Friday. and leave the Twin Valley, but it's a numbers game for us," Hillsdale's Riley said. "Our winning percentage since we joined the Twin Valley is about 30 percent.

We talked about moving a couple years ago, but in recent years people have started realizing that a change was necessary." With the change not scheduled to occur until 2001, that gives the five remaining schools- Harper Creek, Lake-view, Marshall, Coldwater and Sturgis some time to find new schools to fill the void. But that is not an easy task. "It's going to be scramble city," Greenman said. "Once we hear official word that they're leaving, we have to get to work on finding three new schools immediately. "We would look for schools that are close in proximity and the same size as the schools that are in the conference right now.

Who that is, I don't know." Greenman said that the search process often goes in both directions. The Twin Valley league secretary would contact schools that would be a good fit, as well as other schools contacting the league to inquire about joining. Marshall athletic director Rich Hulkow agreed that filling the void left by those three schools could be an uphill climb. "Finding schools that want to come in will be tough," Hulkow said. "There are Carr apparently will stick to his original plan and will not decide on the quarterback until a week before the opener.

The Wolverines are scheduled for their last preseason scrimmage Friday. "We're going to let this thing play itself out," Carr said. "I think both have performed well That position is going to be a strength and that's all I can say." Brady, a fifth-year senior, started all 13 games last season as the Wolverines overcame an 0-2 start to finish 10-3 and earn a share of the Big Ten DOUG ALLENTHE ENQUIRER Lakeview's Kyle Acheson (41) hits the gap just as Albion's Ben Buskirk (36) attempts to fill it during a Twin Valley football game last September. Albion, along with Hillsdale and Jackson County Western, want to leave the Twin Valley for the Cascades Conference. Brady voted tri-captain, but may not start for U-M league's like the Wolverine Conference that are close by and have the right size teams, but they really have no reason to help us out." According to Riley, the official proposal turned into the Cascades during this most recent transition is for a separate division to add to the conference which already has eight teams.

Hillsdale, Albion and Jack championship. Henson, a sophomore from nearby Brighton, is regarded as one of the best quarterback talents ever recruited by Michigan and saw action in eight games last year as Brady's backup. "Henson, the more he plays the more comfortable he feels and the more he learns," Can-said. "Brady, obviously, has been in this offense five years and he knows everything about it. "They both have strengths and both have weaknesses and both bring a lot to the team." Associated Press ANN ARBOR Quarterback Tom Brady has been voted a tri-captain by his Michigan football teammates, an honor he calls the greatest he's ever received.

But coach Lloyd Carr says it won't have any bearing on his decision whether Brady or Drew Henson will be the starting quarterback when the No. 8 Wolverines open their season Sept 4 at home against Notre Dame. "None," Carr told reporters at a Monday media briefing. "Absolutely none.".