Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 17

ENQUIRER 4C Football camp NFL players start to report 5C British Open Norman begins title defense today pini A Russian import Sombo competition opens AAU wrestling championships AAU wrestling Where: Kellogg Arena. Today: Greco-Roman. Friday and Saturday: Freestyle. Wednesday's Sombo champions, 2C. Carroll, his 10-year-old brother, Johnny, and 155 other competitors did their part to help Wednesday afternoon at Kellogg Arena.

Sombo competition kicked off the Amateur Athletic Union's Grand National Wrestling Championships. The tournament continues today with Greco-Roman wrestling. Freestyle competition is set for Friday and Saturday. Male and female competitors ranged in age from 8 to 57 Wednesday. They came, like the Carrolls who hail from Amarillo, Texas from all over the U.S.

Please see SOMBO, 3C By Todd Schulz Staff Writer Like most people in the United States, 8-year-old Wayne Carroll still doesn't know much about Sombo. But Carroll knows what he likes. "I like grabbing the jacket and slamming 'em," he said. A straight-forward answer. A not-so straight-forward sport.

Sombo allows athletes to combine the techniques of Freestyle wrestling and Jujitsu. While hugely popular in its native Russia, the sport still is trying to catch on here. 1 Harding's ex gets 2 years in prison Suiper powers to collide Jim SanchezEnquirer GOT A HOLD ON YOU: Ohio's John Foster, left, and California's Nick Martinez try to control each other during the Junior Division's 60-pound class. semifinals: Italy 2, Bulgaria 1 premacy," Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. The winners outshot Sweden, 26-3, and dominated play.

Now Brazil goes for No. 4. So does Italy, which beat Bulgaria, 2-1, earlier in the day. On Sunday, back at the Rose Bowl, the first World Cup staged in the United States will have a historic ending. "The two great schools of soccer," Romario said.

"It will be a great classic of international football, a clash of two three-time champions," added Brazil Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. "Finally, the world will have a four-time champion." Ironically, Brazil's last title came against Italy, in 1970 at Mexico City. That was the last of Pele's three championships. "We took the initiative from the very be 'Tm happy for Italy. I hope I gave people some moments of glory." They had been questioned for so long: Italy for failing to qualify for the 1992 European Championship, and Baggio for an eight-game scoreless streak that extended through the first round of the World Cup.

Bulgaria, which hadn't even won a World Cup game until last month, had few good chances. The Bulgarian goal came on a penalty kick by Hristo Stoitchkov with a Utile more than a minute to go in the first half after Alessandro Costacurta pushed Nasko Sirakov over goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. In the 21st minute, from 20 yards out, Baggio took a throw-in from Roberto Dona-doni dribbled from left to right across the top I World Cup Brazil 1, Sweden The Associated Press PASADENA, Calif. For more than two decades, Brazil has been frustrated. What's another 80 minutes? Since they last won the World Cup in 1970, the Brazilians have been uncrowned kings of soccer.

Every four years, they are expected to become World Cup champions by their countrymen, themselves and most of the soccer world. Every four years, they have failed. They didn't fail in Wednesday's semifinal against Sweden, overcoming the Swedes' unwillingness to do anything but lay back and defend. It worked for 80 minutes, but prevent defenses don't prevent forever, and Romario put home a header for a 1-0 victory. "1-0 does not translate into Brazil's su The Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ.

In 90 glorious minutes, with a roar as deafening as any back home, Roberto Baggio and Italy erased years of doubt Eight days ago they were called underachieving bums, two minutes away from a humiliating second-round exit On Wednesday, before a singing, chanting, cheering throng that made New Jersey seem like an Italian province, Baggio scored twice in a five-minute span of the first half, leading the Azzurri over Bulgaria 2-1 and bringing Italy within one victory of an unprecedented fourth World Cup title. "Incredible. Too beautiful," Baggio said. Laid-back Sweden can't stop Brazil, a fcee-time champion World Cup Semifinals Italy 2, Bulgaria 1 Brazil 1, Sweden 0 Third place Saturday: Bulgaria vs. Sweden frorn Rose Bowl, 3:35 p.m.

(ESPN). Championship Sunday. Italy vs. Brazil from Rose Bowl, 3:35 p.m. Schedule, 2C.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED: Brazilian forward Romario, left, misses a header to the goal against the defense of Sweden's goalie Thomas Ravelli and Patrik Anders-son (3). Romario later scored on a similar play to give the Brazilians a 1-0 victory and a berth in the World Cup finals against Italy. Associated Press Baggio gives three-time champion Italy another title shot ginning," Parreira said. "Tactically, physically, we controlled the game in all aspects. The only difficulty was to get the ball in the net." At last, Romario took care of that as he usually does scoring his fifth goal of the tournament while Sweden was short-handed.

The goal came off a brilliant cross pass from the right corner by Jorginho. Romario had beaten defender Roland Nilsson and had plenty of time to redirect the pass behind goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli. "To go into the Swedish penalty box was really almost impossible," Romario said. "We really were trying to go up the flanks and the goal came from going up the flanks. We tried to do that many times and it finally paid off." 4 5 of the penalty area.

He ran past defenders Petar Houbtchev and Zlatko Iankov, and drove the ball past goalkeeper Borislav Mi-haylov inside the far post Just four minutes later, Demetrio Alber-tini clanked the ball off the left post One minute after that Baggio's brilliance flashed again. Albertini sent him a lead pass on the right side, and from a severe angle Baggio slotted the ball across the goalmouth from 12 yards out, tucking it into the back corner of the net "He should never be kept unmarked near the goal," Bulgarian goalkeeper Borislav Mi-haylov saidY'That's what happened today." The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday, drawing the harshest penalty of the five defendants in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. The judge brushed aside a prosecutor's request for a more lenient sentence as he wrapped up the criminal prosecution of the bizarre case that captured incredible national attention in the first few months of this year. District Attorney Michael Schrunk urged the sentence be reduced to one year because of 0210013 extraordinary cooperation with investigators.

But Presiding Circuit Judge Donald Londer said he would stand by the terms of the original plea agreement he accepted when Gillooly pleaded guilty to racketeering on Feb. 1. Londer cited the seriousness of the offense and the fact that Gillooly was "the driving force" in the plot Moments earlier, Gillooly apologized to Kerrigan even though, he said, "any apology coming from me rings hollow." "I would say to anyone who is considering entering into a desperate act such as I did to think again," Gillooly said, "Because I didn't I'm going to prison." The sentence included a $100,000 fine. Kerrigan was in Phoenix on Wednesday to addess the national Lions convention. She was asked if she accepted 0010018 apology.

"How do you accept it? I don't accept it I just sort of put it away," she said. "I don't know if he's sorry." Shawn Eckardt, Shane Stant and Derrick Smith each was sentenced to 18 months in prison with no fines. Eckardt pleaded guilty to racketeering. Stant and Smith admitted to conspiracy to commit second-degree assault Harding, the only one of the five who didn't go to jail, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Report: Ditch hunting for new Tiger digs The Associated Press DETROIT Detroit Tigers owner Mike Bitch, frustrated in efforts to get backing for a new Tiger Stadium in Detroit again is scouting the suburbs, a newspaper said Wednesday.

"We're looking at all options, including Detroit and some sites in western Wayne County and Oakland County," Lisa Bitch Murray told The Detroit News. Murray, who heads her father's Build the Ballpark Information Office, declined to identify specific sites. But officials in Wayne County's Northville Township confirmed that Ditch began looking about a year ago at county-owned property there. Deputy County Executive Michael Duggan would not comment on whether county officials have discussed the 900-acre site with the Tigers. "But we own that property, and this administration will not support any effort to take the Tigers outside of Detroit," he said.

Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, who has lobbied for state money to help finance a new park, said Wednesday he remains confident "We do need a new Tiger Stadium. Tm not discouraged by what I read," he said. "I know that the Bitch commitment is to the city of Detroit" Bitch also reportedly is considering property near Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus. More baseball news. 3C.