The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 19

ft. 'Bama's tie better than the alternative 4' .1 ''-Jo A 'i i the latter part of the game and at least tied the ballgame up." The Tide (5-0-1, 3-0-1 Southeastern Conference) was on the verge of its first loss since Sept. 14, 1991 when it got the ball at its 18 with 1:44 remaining, trailing 17-9. "I was just determined to get the job done," said Barker, who was 22-of-40 for 312 yards despite being sacked six times. "I told everybody on the offense to give me some time and we would get the job done." With plenty of time to throw as Tennessee dropped back in a prevent defense, Barker directed an 11-play, 83-yard drive that prevented Tennessee (5-1-1, 3-1-1) from beating Alabama for the first time since 1985.

The junior quarterback completed five straight passes for Please see TIE, B-9 Onward through BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Gene Stallings wasn't happy with a tie. But it sure beat the alternative for Alabama. The No. 2 Crimson Tide rallied in the final two minutes, scoring on a 1-yard run by Jay Barker with 21 seconds left and then getting a 2-point conversion run by David Palmer to salvage a 17-17 tie with 10th-ranked Tennessee on Saturday.

That broke Alabama's 28-game winning streak and snapped a string of seven consecutive victories over Tennessee. But it also kept the Crimson Tide unbeaten and preserved their hopes of becoming the first team since Alabama in 1978-79 to repeat as national champion. "I'm not pleased with the tie," Stallings, the Alabama coach, said, "but I am pleased with the way we came back in Scoreboard, B-2 High Schools, B-11 Alexandria Bails tm, talk Racers cut through the fog as they run across the golf cross country meet. Menard's girls won the small school di-course at LSUA Saturday during the Menard Invitational vision. Please see story, B-12.

ppQ Sunday October 17, 1993 A white-collar win for Jays Defending champions leave Phillies in their dust, 8-5 Bob fli I Tompkins VIr7T The Town Talk u'vt' '3 Stephen Reed Staff photographer error. Schilling, who also walked his first batter of the game, gave up two runs on four singles in the second inning. Paul Molitor drove in one run with an infield hit that Duncan could only knock down platoon second baseman Mickey Morandini might have made the play and another scored on a forceout by Tony Fernandez to tie it at 2. Duncan, in the game for offense more than defense, singled to start the third and stole second. Kruk fouled off a 96 mph fastball on a full count before hitting another RBI single.

The Blue Jays made it 3-all in the third with help from the Phillies, and perhaps the fans. White sliced a drive to left-center that center fielder Dykstra and left fielder Milt Thompson both called for, but they didn't hear each other. They nearly collided and the ball glanced off Thompson's glove for a three-base error, and Joe Carter then hit a sacrifice fly. Went ahead Philadelphia went ahead for the third time on a triple by Duncan and a wild pitch. Guzman set an AL record with 26 wild pitches during the season, many of them on his hard slider in the dirt, and tied a playoff mark with three wild pitches in Game 1.

White's solo home run in the fifth tied it at 4. Alomar got cheers for a diving catch on Dykstra's looper in the fifth and for stopping an infield hit in the sixth that kept the bases loaded, bringing up Kruk for his key at-bat. "Of the postseason and World Series, this was my best night," Alomar said. "I think you have to play good defense to win games, and today I think we proved that." TORONTO (AP) If image is everything, picture this: A crisp, clean and efficient machine called the Toronto Blue Jays leaving the down-and-dirty Philadelphia Phillies in the dust. The Blue Jays seemed to barely break a sweat, barely muss their hair.

They just went about their business, beating up Philadelphia with a relentless batting order Saturday night for an 8-5 victory in Game 1 of the World Series. While Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk and the Phillies were slid- Please see NOTEBOOK, a related story, B-9 ing home for their runs, the Blue Jays were scoring standing up. Devon White tied it at 4 with a solo homer in the fifth inning, John Olerud put them ahead with a solo homer in the sixth and Toronto put it away with three runs on a pair of no-doubt doubles in the seventh. Three times the Blue Jays fell behind, three times they came back. "We have a good offensive team," Toronto second baseman Roberto Alomar said.

"We try to get the top men on base and let the bottom men in the order do their job. That's what we did tonight. Toronto, bidding to become the first World Series champion to repeat since the 1977-78 New York Yankees, will try to make it two in a row Sunday night when playoff MVP Dave Stewart pitches against Terry Mulholland. On a night when both starters were shaky, the bullpens helped decide the game. Al Leiter was the winner in relief of Juan Guzman.

He made the big pitch, striking out Kruk with the bases loaded to Vr vV, the fog reaches for the as Lenny Dyks- Dykstra stole a base and Duncan slid home head-first to score on a wild pitch. Olerud, who led the AL in batting and had three hits in the playoff opener, lined a shot into the right-field stands with one out in the sixth for a 5-4 lead. Schilling left after allowing two singles in the seventh, and White and Alomar followed with doubles into the left-field corner that allowed them to trot easily into second. The Blue Jays won with apparent ease after the Phillies took it to them in spring training. Philadelphia was 4-0 Scores Top 25 No.

1 Florida St. 40, No. 15 Virginia 14 No. 3 Notre Dame 45, Brig-ham Young 20 No. 5 Ohio State 28, Michigan St.

14 No. 6 Nebraska 45, Kansas St 28 No. 18 Michigan 21, No. 7 Penn State 13 No. 20 Colorado 27, No.

9 Oklahoma 10 Stanford at No. 11 Arizona (late) No. 22 UCLA 39, No. 12 Washington 25 No. 13 Texas 34, Baylor 17 No.

14 North Carolina 41, Ga. Tech 3 No. 16 Wisconsin 42, Purdue 28 Washington St. 34, No. 21 California 7 No.

23 Louisville 35, Southern Mississippi 27 No. 24 Syracuse 24, Pittsburgh 21 SEC Kentucky 35, LSU 17 Mississippi 19, Arkansas 0 Georgia 49, Vanderbilt 7 Alabama 17, Tennessee 17 Auburn 38, Florida 35 Mississippi St. 23, South Carolina 0 State NSU 34, Sam Houston 27 USL 19, Arkansas St. 3 TCU 14, Tulane 7 East Carolina 31, Louisiana Tech 28 SF Austin 35, Nicholls St. 21 Grambling 41, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7 Southern 16, Jackson St.

3 McNeese St. 18, North Texas 17 NLU 40, SW Texas 21 Is tra of Philadelphia the first inning I Associated Press steals second base during of the World Series Saturday. Roberto Alomar of Toronto ball that gets away from him end the sixth with the score 4-all. Kruk twirled his bat and tossed his helmet toward the dugout in disgust. Duane Ward fanned Mariano Duncan with two on to finish the eighth, and struck out two while allowing an unearned run in the ninth for a save.

Curt Schilling, the NL's playoff MVP despite no wins, was the loser. He gave up seven runs, although three came on an RBI double by White and a two-run double by Alomar off David West. True to form, Dykstra, Kruk and the Phillies got dirty. against Toronto in exhibition games. Both teams and both starters looked jumpy at the beginning.

Guzman walked Dykstra to start the game. Dykstra stole second and Kruk, after fouling off three two-strike pitches, lined an RBI single. Manager Cito Gaston visited Guzman during the middle of another walk to the next batter. Darren Daulton followed with a single so sharp that the crowd of 52,011 actually went "oooohhh," with one run scoring as right fielder Joe Carter was fumbling the ball for an On tarnished justice and other thoughts This, that and the other: Regarding the knife-wielding lunatic who attacked Monica Seles and got off with a two-year suspended sentence: I've heard that justice is blind, but in this case it is deaf and dumb, too. Excuse my gloating, but back in July the prediction in this space was Toronto and Philadelphia in the World Series.

The prediction now is Toronto to repeat in six. Even baseball fans partial to the Atlanta Braves might have to admit being relieved we won't suffer through any bleacher shots of Ted and Jane and Jimmy during the World Series. How about that hustling, diving catch Toronto second baseman Roberto Alomar made almost behind first base Saturday night? Scowls for Evangel Scowls for EvangelChristian Academy head football coach Dennis Dunn for running up a 72-0 score on Northwood Friday night. My goodness, Northwood had all of 13 players dressed out for the game, and one of the starters had to be taken to the hospital after the first series to get his chin sewed up with 10 stitches, according to North-wood coach Tom 'Kelly. That left O'Kelly with one player, a tiny seventh grader, on the bench.

Everyone else on the team who was healthy and in uniform was on the field. O'Kelly says Dunn told him before the game he was going to try to help his prolific quarterback, Josh Booty, get a national passing record. That explains his sending Booty back into the contest in the fourth quarter to air it out. Dunn also wanted Booty to get enough playing time so as not to get rusty. Booty didn't get his record, thankfully, but what pride could he have taken in such a record, had it been gained against such an outmatched opponent? O'Kelly said when his team was down by some 50 points, Evangel blocked a punt and it wasn't as if it was an aggressive backup player looking to make a rare splash who did it, says O'Kelly.

"I'm not saying they shouldn't quit trying," O'Kelly says, "but you don't need to be rushing a punter in that situation." Nor do you need to have your starting quarterback airing it out in the fourth quarter. Why not give a tackle the chance to play quarterback? How about punting on second or third down? How about giving your reserves and freshmen a chance to get some playing time to better prepare them for the future? This is high school football, Class A high school football, for cryin out loud. Where is the sense of sportsmanship? What kind of example is the coach setting to his players by playing the bully over the pipsqueak? And he's at a Christian academy, no less. See TOMPKINS, B-9 Demons stage rally to defeat SHS, 34-27 Kentucky adds to LSU's misery Wildcats post easy 35-17 win By Jeffrey Nixon Staff reporter HUNTSVILLE, Texas The catch words and phrases are beginning to pop up in the Go for three? Lou Holtz recalling when he was a member of the Ohio State coaching staff during the reign of head coach Woody Hayes. "I remember when we beat Michigan 50-14 and went for two at the end of the game.

When I asked Woody why we went for two, he said, 'Because they wouldn't let me go for three." Associated Press Inside COLLEGE: Auburn rallied to hand Florida its first loss of the season. B-3. FOOTBALL: The Saints and the Steelers seem to mirror one another. B-6. BASEBALL: The Atlanta Braves say they'll be some changes made.

8. Northwestern State camp. Words like "special" and "destiny" have begun creeping into talk about the Demons. And for good reason, if Saturday's performance at Sam Houston State is any indication. NSU staged the biggest comeback of the Sam Goodwin coaching era, rallying from a 17-0 deficit to notch a 34-27 Southland Conference road win.

With the victory, NSU improves to 3-3 and 2-1 in SLC play. Sam Houston falls to 2-4 and 0-2. "I think this group is special," Goodwin, coach of the Demons, said. "These guys never quit. They never give up, no matter how far down we are.

The kids really believe no matter what the odds, they can come back." That would have been difficult to believe after the first quarter. NSU lost a fumble at the Demon 10, had a punt blocked and gave up a 71-yard touchdown pass on Sam Houston's first three possessions to jump to a 17-0 lead. "It looked exactly the same as last year except it happened before Goodwin Please see DEMONS, B-9 By Michael A. Lough Staff reporter LEXINGTON, Ky. One week after suffering its worst loss in 100 years of football, LSU simply suffered its second-worst loss to Kentucky in the 44-game series here Saturday night.

The Wildcats led by as much as 25 points and befuddled the Tigers on both sides of the ball en route to a 35-17 Southeastern Conference win over LSU at Commonwealth Stadium. A crowd of 54,750 withstood damp and misty weather to watch Kentucky improve to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC and obtain its first three-game conference winning streak since 1977 when it went unbeaten. LSU dropped to 2-5 and 1-4. Only a late touchdown by Robert Toomer prevented the loss from being the worst ever in meetings with Kentucky series. The 33-13 win by the Cats in '77 still holds the honor.

Quarterback Pookie Jones led Kentucky, completing 14 of 22 for 164 yards and one touchdown while freshman tailback Moe Williams added 106 yards Please see LSU, a related story, B-2 on 16 carries. Fullback Damon Hood chipped in a pair of scores and 45 yards. The Wildcats outgained LSU 374-313 in total yardage and had the ball a full nine minutes longer than the Tigers. LSU quarterback Jamie Howard completed 12 of 25 with one touchdown and one interception for 149 yards while Jer-maine Sharp led the ground game with 55 yards on 15 carries. Eddie Kennison touched the ball four times all night, LSU had 35 yards in losses, and couldn't force Kentucky into any turnovers.

"I'm not sure how popular I am. I have people try to tell me, but they're not real nice about it," said LSU coach Curley Hal-lman said. "That is not a big concern of mine, because I don't listen to it." One of the more popular guys Please see LSU, B-9.