The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 13

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1998 I UMIa I PORT HURON, MICHIGAN 1B iVr.lTOCll: FOR SPORTS SCORES PORTSCLASSIFIED Rick Jakacki, sports editor (810) 989-6266 (call before noon daily) Rick Jakacki's SportsTalk (810) 989-6297 Port Huron claims 2 winners 1B DDES KB 'a Wander and Gillespie's boat is Jubilee. All but Jubilee sailed the Shore Course, which is 204 nautical miles. Jubilee navigated the Cove Island Course, which is 259 nautical miles. For Shinske By BRIAN MARSHALL Times Herald MACKINAC ISLAND This year's Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race was a productive one for local skippers, with five nabbing pennants for placing in the top three of their classes. The 74th annual race was close to finishing this morning, with just one of the 251 boats in the fleet still racing.

Celerity was the final boat on the lake as of 8 a.m. Among Port Huron Yacht Club boats, Jamie Shinske of St. Clair and co-owner Bill Wilson of Ann Arbor guided Loon Magic to the PHRF Class win. Bob and Pam Wall of Algonac captured the PHRF championship aboard their boat Chippewa. David Williams, Winfield Cooper and Al Gillespie each captured third-place flags.

Williams owns Overdraft, Cooper is the owner of Course. "We had a bad start," said Shinske. "We got caught in traffic and couldn't get away. We almost ran aground near Lexington. "We got cooking, and got the spinnaker up near Harbor Beach.

We were fourth or fifth in our class around Thunder Bay." Shinske said Loon Magic made its major move about 80 miles from the finish when it made a sharp right turn. "We rocked and rolled to trie finish," he said. Shinske said he and his crew decided to sail the Shore Course this year just to try something different. The got to the island several hours sooner than they would have on the Cove Island Course. "The challenge is still there," he said.

"I don't see much difference in Please see RACE, page 3, this section TODAY IN SPORTS and Wilson, it was their second class win, both coming in the last three years. Loon Magic also won in 1996. This time, the boat survived an extremely tight finish, beating second-place Roulette by a mere three minutes. Loon Magic finished the race in 45 hours, 29 minutes. Its corrected time was 43:29:33.

This was the first year Loon Magic raced the shorter Shore By TONY PITTS, Times Herald BIG WINNER: Loon Magic, which is owned by Jamie Shinske and Bill Wilson, is seen leaving the starting line Saturday in lower Lake Huron for the start of the Mackinac Sailboat Race. Loon Magic and Chippewa were the two local winners. TIGERS WATCH MONDAY: Royals 6, Tigers 4, 10 innings. RECORD: 37-52 STANDINGS: Fifth place in the Central Division, 1512 games behind Cleveland. NEXT GAME: Vs.

Royals (1 p.m.) today at Tiger Stadium. 4 0 Port Huron film producer takes on Mackinac project MACKINAC ISLAND Phil Tuttle figured the only way to film a documentary on the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race was to get down in the trenches. Tuttle owns Tuttle Vision, a Port Huron company that produces TV commercials and industrial training videos. He has formed a group of five filming specialists to produce the ultimate documentary on the 74-year-old race. Tuttle, who has lived in Port Huron the last 12 years, hopped on board the boat Merlin to film the race from the best possible vantage-point.

Cohort Tom Moore of Port Huron who produced the documentary last year on the new Mackinac Bridge was getting footage while sailing on Ihnsanity. A third camera-toting associate, Mike Shamus of Detroit, was aboard RX-Sight, a 60-foot boat from Sweden that was the third to reach the island. George Goodman of Los Angeles captured the boats as they finished at the island. Jim Luke of Marysville shot the start from the race committee's starting boat. "As a kid I did a lot of long-distance sailing off of Florida," said Tuttle, 37.

"This is a constant two-day sail. What is unique is the people work as hard as they can to make the boat go fast day and night. It's very exciting." Tuttle and Moore began discussing the project after Moore sailed in his first Mackinac Race last year. The idea mushroomed quickly into a goal and the two went to work. Tuttle approached Bayview Yacht Club, the host club of the race, last October for its approval and blessing.

They got that, although it took about six months. Tuttle and Moore have accumulated reels and reels of footage, including their own and some professional and amateur films of Mackinac races in the late 1920s and from the 1940s and 1950s. "In the earliest races, the race committee put chains around the race boat engines to make sure they didn't use them," Tuttle said. "They would tow the boats to the starting line." Tidbits like that are likely to make it into the final production of the race, which Tuttle hopes to complete in late August. The crew also interviewed officials and competitors from the race's rich history, including legendary Bob Roadstrom, who competed in the very first race.

Goodman was in the sky last Saturday to film the start of the race. The pre-production shooting will wrap today with the post-race party and then the fun really begins. "I've been told I've got some very good, usable stuff from the aerial," Tuttle said. "I trust the guys I've got shooting. "I've got 60 hours of footage and the goal is to have a show that is 60 minutes.

I have to sort through what we've got and edit it. It's unique because whatever happens when you film (the race) is what you've got." Tuttle will handle the production process of the project. He has two potential sponsors that would help defray costs. He didn't want to divulge what it would cost to complete the project. "The show is going to get cut together with or without sponsors," Tuttle said.

The final product will be available in video format and Tuttle is confident it also will be purchased by a television network. "Discovery and Outdoor Life Network are a couple national possibilities and PBS regionally," Tuttle said. "It's being produced on speculation, but the one thing we can do is make it so good that someone wants it. "This is one of the major regattas in the world. Our goal is to make (the production) one of the best sailing documentaries ever," Brian Marshall is a Times Herald sportswriter.

Royals knock off Tigers, 64 The Associated Press DETROIT Jeff Conine made Matt Whisenant look good. Conine hit a tie-breaking two-run double with two out ih the 10th inning Monday night as the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4. But Conine wouldn't have had the chance if not for a great escape act by Whisenant, who sent the game to extra innings by working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth. "Considering I created the jam, I'm glad I got out of it," said Whisenant (1-0). Whisenant issued a one-out walk to Tony Clark and hit Luis Gonzalez with a pitch.

Geronimo Berroa then hit a slow roller that shortstop Shane Halter tried to convert into an out at second, only to see Gonzalez beat his throw to Jose Offerman. Whisenant struck out Gabe Alvarez and got pinch-hitter Joe Randa on a groundout. "I got ahead of (Alvarez) the way I wanted to and got the strikeout I needed," Whisenant said. "It took' the pressure off a little bit." Royals manager Tony Muser said he's comfortable using Whisenant in any setup situation. "Matt's grown up a lot for a guy who came here last year and you didn't know whether he could get the ball over the plate," Muser said.

"He's really earned his role." Tigers Manager Buddy Bell left himself wide-open to second-guessing in the 10th when, with a runner on second and two out, he went to the mound and decided to intentionally walk Jeff King and pitch to Conine. "I had made the decision when I went out there," Bell said. "It's not a reflection on either of those guys (King or Conine)." Conine ripped a 1-1 pitch from Todd Jones (1-4) into the left-field gap, easily scoring both runners. Conine is 4-10 against Jones in his career while King is 2-9. By ANJALI J.

SEKHAR Times Herald As Karen Newman prepared to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of yet another crowd of hundreds Monday at McMorran Arena, she said she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach. Newman performed the American National Anthem for Monday's game that pitted the Port Huron North Americans against their Great Lakes Division roller hockey rival, the Columbus Hawks. Newman sings the anthem for the Detroit Red Wings and at several other occasions around the Detroit area, but said no matter how many times she she still feels apprehensive about her first song. "I'm always nervous," Newman said before singing before a crowd of about 400, an unofficial number according to North Americans Coach Bobby Clouston Jr. "I think it's sort of an adrenaline thing; No matter how many times I sing, I always need a song to warm up.

Once I get past the first one I'm usually OK. "But here, all I have is one song and that's it. I always get nervous on the first song." Newman's presence was a plus for Major League Roller Hockey fans. Many fans mentioned they had planned to attend this game just to hear Newman, while others said they didn't find out until they got to the rink. "I can't go down to see her sing at Joe Louis (Arena)," Port Huron's Dale Kessel said.

"Her being here plus the roller hockey makes a good combination." "I thought it was pretty cool having her here," Janine Stein of Port Huron added. "I noticed it in the paper today, and my husband and I have been wanting to go to a game, so this was just an added bonus." The North Americans, however, were slightly disappointed that the actual crowd was so much sparser than usual. "1 don't think it helped much GAME COVERAGE, 3B at all," Clouston Jr. said. "I think the crowd (Monday) was smaller than most.

We thought we'd get 1,000, but I think we only got about 200." Newman didn't open the show, however. The Canadian National Anthem was sung by Kathryn Nixon, an 11-year-old Sarnia resident. Newman visited Port Huron Monday in hopes to draw a larger crowd for the North Americans. Newman's best friend is the sister of Jeff Thomas, North Americans general manager, and Newman said she made the trip to McMorran as a favor. But there also was a personal reason for traveling to Port Huron, Newman said.

"It was a combination of a favor for a friend and a personal gesture as well," Newman said. "I spent time with my godparents for a while in Marine City, so I feel close to this area. And it's such a great area. It's beautiful and you're near the water." Newman also had a chance to market her new CD "Moment in the Wind," co-produced by Tim Mitchell and Bob Stewart. She sold and autographed CD's, while posing for photos with fans, throughout the game's first half.

Each CD was $15, with a portion of the proceeds going towards the fund set up for injured Red Wings Vladimir Konstantinov and Sergei Mnatsakanov. Newman said she felt she owed the Wings for her success. "They were one of the reasons that prompted me to put out my CD," Newman said. "I needed the confidence and over the years, as I built up a fan base, it started building my confidence. It's built up to the point where I can tell, now it's time." The North Americans lost the game 9-3, but fans went home remembering the sight of the blonde they usually see on TV, singing on their home rink.

By MELISSA WAWZYSKO, Times Herald SINGING STAR: Karen Newman, who sang the National Anthem during the regular season and throughout the playoffs for the two-time Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings, performed the anthem Monday before the North American's roller hockey game against Columbus at McMorran Arena. Just 400 fans were at the game. PfliRsf i I 1 3 -g By MELISSA WAWZYSKO, Times Herald DIVING SAVE: North Americans' goalie Darryl Foster hits the ice in an attempt to stop a shot by Columbus' Kory Karlander Monday during a game at McMorran Arena. The North Americans suffered a 9-3 setback. Related story, Page 3B.

SPORTS WHIRL Runner earns trip to nationals WNBA Shock 74, Utah 67 I I TODAY'S STAR Cleveland Indians' Jaret Wright became the first pitcher to beat the New York Yankees twice this season. The Indians earned a 4-1 victory Monday. Boxscores, 2B. to race against some good competition." The win at the Hershey's finals earned him a trip to the nationals, to be held August 15-19 in Hershey, He was chosen to go to the nationals based on his time compared to other winners from Ohio, Minnesota, and other Houston 81, Washington 67 Phoenix 72, Los Angeles 62 BASEBALL Royals 6, Tigers 4, 10 inn, Indians 4, Yankees 1 Red Sox 2, Devil Rays 0 Orioles 5, Blue Jays 0 White Sox 5, Twins 2 Athletics 5, Angels 2 Mariners 10, Rangers 3 Pirates 6, Cubs 2 Marlins 8, Expos 7 Rockies 9, Padres 5 By ANJALI J. SEKHAR Times Herald Joshua Neal took his experience at last year's Hershey's Track Field State Finals seriously.

Since then, he remembered the time of last year's winner, and trained under his father's watchful eye since the winter to compete again in the Track Field event last Thursday in Howell. He ended up winning the 1, 500-meter run in the 13-14 male division with a time of 4 minutes, 59 seconds. The event attracted a crowd of about 1 ,400. For his performance, Neal is the Times Herald athlete of the week. "It was really fun," Neal said.

"There were a lot of people there and it's one of the biggest races in the nation. It was good because I got LOOK AHEAD Joshua Neal WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should the state crack down on how much high school teams play in the summer? Call the K'Vtf, SportsTalk Line at 989-6297 Sportswritcr Brian Marshall returns from Mackinac Island and will file a final report and the results of the 74th annual Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race, Midwest state finals. Neal said he owes his improved times to some disciplined training from his father, Clayton Neal, who is a former marathon run- Please see NEAL, page 4, this section 3.