News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 33

BASEBALL After winning national championship, Kevin Brown's ready to negotiate with Braves 3C RECREATION: Licensed physical therapist helping amateur and professional athletes heal thyselves 8C TOM HAYDEN Sports Editor 335-0357 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday The News-Press SECTION The News-Press Scoreline 332-5600 or (800)848-0515 For late scores and news: www.news-press.com TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2001 INSIDE: Golf 2, 6C Pro basketball 3C Baseball 3-5C Tennis 6C Scorecard, GO! 7C Recreation 8C GOLF: Pasture is greener for those who live in Iowa because of the large number of courses to play 2C Soorts JL Sampras, Hingis selected top seeds Glenn f5T Miller Xl Where are they now i A fc' next week. Andre Agassi, who is second in the rankings, was seeded No. 2, meaning that Lleyton Hewitt, the Australian who Sunday won the grass-court tournament at Queen's Club, is No. 5.

Organizers ignore ATP's rankings The Associated Press WIMBLEDON, England Pete Sampras may have slipped to fifth in the world rankings, but he's still No. 1 at Wimbledoa Organizers of the grass-court Grand Slam championship ignored the ATP rankings Monday and gave the seven-time champion the top seeding for the tournament, which will start will have 32 seeds instead of the usual 16 in each singles draw. The organizers decided to double the number of seeds to try and pacify the clay-court players who claim that the seeding system is biased toward grass-court players. French Open runner-up Alex Corretja, who had threatened to boycott Wimbledon over the issue, pulled out of the tournament hours before the draw, citing a leg injury. French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, ranked No.

1 in the world and another Wimbledon critic, withdrew last week with a groin problem. Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero is the only big-name clay-courter in the men's draw. He is seeded eighth, four places below his ranking. Despite Wimbledon's policy of not sticking to the rankings, the ATP Players Council backed its decision to have 32 seedings. SeeSEEDINGS6C Seedings 6C he and meet until the final.

Australia's Patrick Rafter, last year's runner-up, is No. 3, Martina Hingis was seeded No. 1 in the women's field, the same as her world ranking, followed by defending champion Withdrawals Players who have pulled out of Wimbledon: Anna Kournikova, stress fracture in foot Alex Corretja, leg injury Monica Seles, injured foot Gustavo Kuerten, groin problem Mary Pierce, back SAMPRAS HINGIS despite a ranking of 10, with U.S. Open champion Marat Safin of Russia at No. 4.

Venus Williams. For the first time in its 124-year history, Wimbledon 'dim ora tern (QJ 1 1 I. X. NX South African captures playoff win over Brooks By SETH S0FFIAN TULSA Okla. Retief Goosen made the ending dramatic once again, but 24 hours after blowing his first chance, he finally sunk his putt at the 18th hole to win the US.

Opea Well aware that the world was waiting to brandish him as one of the greatest choke artists in major championship history if he let victory escape yet again, the vanilla-tempered South African calmly hit the center of the cup with a 6-foot bogey putt at Southern Hills Country Club's uphill home hole to beat Texan Mark Brooks by two strokes in Monday's 18-hole playoff. "There was no way I was going to run it by again," said Goosen, who had two chances to win in a similar scenario a day earlier on No. 18 but blew his 12-foot birdie putt 18 inches past the hole, then missed his par putt coming back. "I knew Mark was going to make four from where he was and had a chance. I said, 7ust make your putt and get out of "That was quite a relief after what happened yesterday," said Goosen, who later clutched the US.

Open trophy in one hand and wiped his brow with the other. "It's been a long week. It feels like a year out here." In shooting an even-par 70 on Monday that, like his first 72 holes the four days prior, was rock-steady right until the end, Goosen became the fifth foreign-born player to win the US. Open since World War II and the third from South Africa, joining Gary Player and Ernie Els, a two-time winner. Goosea 32, the South African tour rookie of the year in 1991 and a four-time winner on the European Tour, also became the eighth player ever to pick up his first PGA Tour victory in the US.

Open, joining a list that includes Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Els. More importantly, as he's known to his friends, avoided joining the ignoble list of players who have collapsed in golfs major championships. "Now I know what Jean Van de Velde went through at Carnoustie," US. Open Southern Hills C.C. Tulsa, Okla.

Foreign-born winners Those who have won the tournament since World War II, their home country and the year they won: Gary Player, South Africa, 1965 Tony Jacklin, England, 1970 David Graham, Australia, 1981 Ernie Els, South Africa, 1994, '97 Retief Goosen, South Africa, 2001 Turning point Goosen led by just one stroke after eight holes, but the margin was five when he walked off No. 10. Goosen birdied two straight holes, while Mark Brooks took bogeys at each one. Wire to wire Goosen extended the trend of wire-to-wire winners in major tournaments held at Southern Hills, following Tommy Bolt (1958 U.S. Open), Hubert Green (1977 U.S.

Open), Raymond Floyd (1982 PGA Championship) and Nick Price (1994 PGA Championship). Quotable "When the putt went in, it was great relief. I was a little shocked I won it." Retief Goosen, after making his putt at No. 18 Epperson never gets 'the call' Only two years ago, Chad Epperson talked like many veteran minor-league ballplayers. "One day in the big leagues," Epperson said before 1999 spring training.

"I always tell my wife, and all my close friends and family one day in the big leagues. All these years in the minor leagues would just pay off." Epperson never had that day. His 10-year, minor-league odyssey fizzled out last year. Stops along the way included Port St Lucie and Sarasota. Kingsport, Tena, and Binghamtoa N.Y.

Lafayette, Ind, andTrentoa N.J. Bowie, Md, and the Navajoa Mayos of the Mexican Pacific League. In 1990, Epperson graduated from Bishop Verot High School. In 1992, he began his pro career. It ended last year with the Nashua (N.H.) Pride of the independent Adantic League.

Eppersoa 29, now manages the Cook County (I1L) Cheetahs of the independent Frontier League. "I had a good run at it," Epperson said of his playing career. "Now I'm over it I enjoy this part I have no desire to go back on the field." At an age when many of his former teammates are in the majors, Epperson is beginning a new career. "When you're playing and you're 27 and 28, and they say it's time to go, it's pretty much time to get off the pot," Epperson said. That happened last year for Eppersoa He was 28 and hitting 214 for the Bowie Baysox of the Double-A Eastern League.

The Baltimore Orioles released him midway through the sea-soa Epperson finished the year in the Atlantic League. He knew that 28-year-old ballplayers hitting 214 in Double-A are not destined for the majors. Now, he's an old-sounding 29-year-old, espousing old-school virtues such as playing hard and treating every game as if it could be your last Epperson wishes he could have played with Ty Cobb. He believes playing with passion and fire will pay off somehow. Maybe it won't earn a player promotion to the majors but it might snag him a managing job before turning 30.

"If you love the game and you play the game like the game doesn't owe you anything, somebody is going to see that" Epperson said. "That's the reason I'm here. I wasn't the most talented person in the world. I was a 40th-round pick and played for 10 years. I just played the game hard." Major League Baseball holds a 50-round draft every June.

Teams also sign players from dozens of other countries. To make room every year for those players, others have to be released Epperson hung on for 10 years battling the competitioa Along the way, he spent a couple of spring-teairiing camps with the Boston Red Sox. He was fortunate enough to warm up Boston ace Pedro Martinez in the bullpea He never played in a game, but he can claim that he caught the game's greatest pitcher. In all his years in the minors, Epperson never saw anybody eke with Martinez's arsenal "Nobody has the total package," Epperson said "He's a 10 on every pitch." Only two years ago, Epperson dreamed of joining Martinez in the majors. "It's just one step away," Epperson said in 1999.

"Just one phone call away." The call never came. I V- I Si 1 drT7 The Associated Press THANKS FOR THE APPLAUSE: Retief Goosen tips his cap to the gallery after defeating Mark Brooks in an 1 8-hole plav- See U.S. OPEN 6C off for the U.S. Open championship Monday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Dragons head for Kansas with new guard UP NEXT The Florida Sea Dragons have three regular-season games remaining before the USBL Postseason Festival.

TONIGHT: at Kansas Cagerz FRIDAY: Long Island Surf, 7:35 p.m. at TEC0 Ar8nE SATURDAY: Lakeland Blue Ducks, 7:35 p.m. at TEC0 Arena FRIDAY, JUNE 29: USBL Postseason Festival begins in Easton, home of Lehigh University and the i Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs By DAVID D0RSEY The infusion of a talented veteran just might give the Florida Sea Dragons a chance at winning the United States Basketball League title. At least that's what forward Andre Perry said Monday less than a day after reuniting with new point guard Lazarus Sims. "He's a helluva player," said Perry, who has been teammates with Sims on other USBL teams.

"He doesn't make many mistakes. He runs the team. point guard because Mark Baker, the usual starter, is out with a sprained ankle and is questionable for the playoffs. Florida enters tonight with a 16-11 record and just nine healthy players. Baker and forward DeeAndre Hulett remained in North Naples because of injuries.

"We want to try to build on the good things that have happened," Mackey said "Our two biggest weaknesses have been turnovers and our defense. But at times, we've played very good defense." "When he came into the game, he pushed the ball up the floor. And that was when he was fresh off the plane. He's been everywhere, and he's won championships everywhere. He's a consistent winner." The Sea Dragons were scheduled to leave their North Naples hotel at 4 am today for Salina, Kaa, where they will play the Kansas Cagerz tonight.

Florida will return home Wednesday and will play its final two regular-season games at TECO Arena on Friday and Saturday. The Sea Dragons clinched a playoff berth Sunday by defeating the Dodge City Legend 97-9L Florida coach Kevin Mackey said that three games and one quarter is more than enough time for Sims to fit in with his teammates. Sims logged 13 minutes of playing time Sunday, and finished with one point, two assists and one turnover. He arrived late because his flight was delayed "I know he's going to fit in because of his style of play," Mackey said of Sims, who helped lead Syracuse University to the NCAA championship game in 19. Syracuse lost to Kentucky for the title.

Sims, 29, also helped lead St Louis to the past two International Basketball League titles. "He's going to pass first, pass second and pass third," Mackey said. "The ball moves. And I don't know if you noticed, but the ball went into his hands, and all of a sudden, the ball was past halfcourt "I le has a terrific resume. He's going to help us." Mackey needed help at BASEBALL AMERICAN LEAGUE Orioles 3, Blue Jays 2 Yankees 10, Tigers 1 White Sox 5, Royals 4 Mariners at Athletics NATIONAL LEAGUE Brewers 6, Reds 4 Mets 2, Expos 1 Marlins 7, Braves 6 Cardinals 6, Cubs 2 Astros 13, Rockies 5 nooga and a North Fort Myers High graduate, was named his replacement Monday.

Griffey, 50, will be gone two or three weeks for therapy, Dr. Timothy Kremchek said Griffey's playing career ended in 1991 following neck surgery, and he's taken injections this season for a sore back. GREENWELL PROMOTED: Batting coach Ken Griffey Sr. will leave the Cincinnati Reds for a few weeks to treat muscle problems in his neck, back and left shoulder. Mike Greenwell, batting coach at Double-A Chatta St Lucie at Miracle, rained out TONIGHT: Double-header, St.

Lucie, 6 p.m. GRIFFEY SR. GREENWELL.