The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 23

I ,4 ThoGourIer-Nws Inside: Lifestyle Frank exhibit, C-5. Baseball, C-2 High schools, C-3 SiOIDIilO satR nke irtaen adhe Midnight Key dates for Rutgers Boston College. Big East Conference Tournament: March 5-8 First exhibition game: Nov. 14 vs. France.

First regular-season game: Nov. 26 vs. Wagner. First Big East game: Dec. 4 at well.

I came out to see the new faces. They've got a couple of 7-footers coming in, and it's about time we got some size on the team." Midnight Madness, a basketball coming out party where the team takes the floor at the earliest possible practice date allowed under NCAA rules 12:01 a.m. on October 15 was the first chance for Rutgers fans to see the six newcomers to this year's team. For freshmen Josh Sankes, Earl Johnson and Sammy Sanders and junior college transfers Johnie Blake, Jamar Holcomb and Terry Mills, it was an opportunity to try out their By JIM CARTY Courier-News Staff Writer NEW BRUNSWICK Few fans have fit the term "Rutgers faithful" better than the 1,300 or so people who showed up to watch Midnight Madness this morning at the College Avenue Gym. After all, the Scarlet Knights' basketball team is coming off its fourth straight losing season, posting a 9-18 overall mark and a 6-12 record in the Big East, and is predicted to finish last in the conference by most of this Wenzel year's college basketball preview magazines.

None of that dulled Charles Balut's enthusiasm, though. The Califon resident said he has faith that this will be a solid season for coach Bob Wenzel's team and he came out Tuesday morning to be on board from the beginning. "I'm very optimistic," Balut said. "I think they're going to do pretty til Jl GAME FIVE: BRAVES 14, CARDS 0 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES MISSED CHANCE: Cards' fails to eliminate Braves. C-2 new Rutgers uniforms and impress the fans with an array of dunks and jump shots.

Long Valley resident Michael Guer-riere said he thinks the newcomers can team with returning starters Geoff Billet, Rob Hodgson and Eric Clark to provide Scarlet Knights' fans with a pleasant surprise. "One of the things they had going for them last year was a lot of young players," Guerriere said. "I want to see how much progress they made in the summer, guys like Hodgson and Billet. I also want to see if Billy Gilli-gan put on a couple of inches." Packers' official builds winner Bob Harlan has been with Green Bay since 1971 in a variety of positions. GREEN BAY, Wis.

(AP) Bob Harlan does not suggest he can coach the Green Bay Packers as Jerry Jones sometimes does with the Dallas Cowboys. He does not have a reputation as a master of the salary cap like Carmen Policy of the San Francisco 49ers, whom the Packers played Mon- TAKING THE DAY OFF: Yanks enjoy rest after victory. C-2 Knicks ink guard Brooks Scott Brooks, a free-agent point guard who spent last season with the Dallas Mavericks, signed with the New York Knicks on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Brooks, 31, averaged 5.1 points and 1.4 assists in 69 games last season for Dallas.

He has averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in eight seasons with Philadelphia, Minnesota, Houston and Dallas. Brooks will back up Charlie Ward, pressed into the starting lineup with Chris Childs sidelined by a non-displaced fracture in his right leg. Childs is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. Atlanta staves off elimination, 14-0 Faeyrr" NX. PLAYOFFS More coverage, C-2 ATLANTA 14, ST.

LOUIS 0 HOCKEY More coverage, C-4 RANGERS 5, CALGARY 4 BOSTON 5, VANCOUVER 4 OT EDMONTON-PHOENIX (n) FOOTBALL More coverage, 04 GREEN BAY-SAN FRAN, (n) By MIKE LOPRESTI Gannett News Service day night. But the Packers' president is responsible for his team becoming perhaps the NFL's best. And he probably has had more to do with his team's ascent to the elite than Jones or Policy had with their clubs. Harlan has been the model CEO of a sports franchise he's ST. LOUIS The giant is awake.

And heading home to Atlanta. The Braves looked a long way from dead Monday night, crushing St. Louis and its champagne plans 14-0, sending the National League Championship Series back to Georgia tied 3-2. Koyshawn to return? Jets wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson says he mav return CHIEFLY hired the right Sunday to play people and gotten tne Buffalo Bills out of the way. a week earier "It's not me, than PYnfirtert ix fife after having Tied? tertainiy.

rne uarainais may still lead by a game, but it is the Braves who are going home for Game 6 (Wednesday, 8 p.m., Fox). And Game 7, if it comes to that. And it is the Braves who have fully rested starters named Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine ready to save the day, while St. Louis must now turn to Donovan Osborne and Andy Benes on only three days' layoff. And it is the Braves who should have fresh confidence in their bats, after a ferocious attack Monday night on the St.

Louis pitching staff that gave John Smoltz a pleasure cruise to his second victory of the series. It was the worst rout in the histo it the guy up there," he said Sunday, pointing to the second floor of the Pack arthroscopic knee surgery. Details, C-4. ry of divisional playoffs. To be sure, the Cardinals still are closer to the prize.

But the Braves are a wounded and desperate champion. And Mon-1 day night showed how dangerous they can be in a corner. "We need to jump on somebody," Smoltz had said before the game of an Atlanta offense shackled all series. St. Louis starter Todd Stottlemyre should have winced at the very words.

This was a terrifying assault by a team that See BRAVES on Page C-2 Associated Press photo SPORTS 12 athletes to be honored Mark Messier, captain of the New York Rangers, and Patrick Ewing, co-captain of the New York Knicks, lead 12 inductees into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame. Also chosen were Hall of Famers Walt Frazier of the Knicks and Rod Gilbert of the Rangers, longtime St. John's basketball coach Lou Carnesecca, broadcaster Marv Albert, boxing champions Joe Frazier and Oscar De La Hoy tennis stars John McEnroe and Steffi Graf and Olympic track and field champions Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Inductions are set for Tuesday, Oct. 29.

BASKETBALL Pacers' Brown to have surgery Indiana Pacers coach Larry Brown will have surgery for a double hernia Tuesday evening and will miss the team's trip to Europe for two preseason games. Brown also will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital, Pacers spokesman David Benner said Monday before Indiana's exhibition game against the Washington Bullets. Cardinals third baseman Gary Gaetti, above, looks glum as the Braves and Javy Lopez, above left, compiled a 14-0 victory on Monday. Central Jersey 'crazy about the Yanks' ers' headquarters, where Ron Wolf, the Packers' vice president and general manager, has his offices.

Yes, but who hired Wolf? Harlan, 60, is the first president in the history of the publicly owned franchise to have come up through the ranks. He has been with the team since 1971 in a variety of positions after serving as public relations director of baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. That has turned into a huge plus. For when he was elected by the team's board of directors in 1989, he had his own ideas about why the team had sunk to mediocrity after Vince Lombardi left the team in 1967.

He was right. Two years after taking over, he fired general manager Tom Braatz and coach Lindy Infante and hired Wolf. Wolf hired Mike Holmgren and traded for Brett Favre, who had spent one year on Atlanta's bench. Five years later, Green Bay is at the top of the league and Harlan has retreated to the background. "My place is not on the field," he says.

"That's the least of my last thing I'm going to get involved with. My purpose is to help Ron and Mike the best way I can." That doesn't mean he isolates himself from the community. After all, the Packers are a community owned team. He also has that background in public relations. So call the Packers and ask for "Bob Harlan" and there's a good chance he will pick up his own phone.

If you write him with a suggestion, he may call you back to discuss it with you. By ART STAPLETON Courier-News Staff Writer "The Yankees are the team of destiny. We're going to take Lb "They've worked hard to get there and they will be rewarded. The Yankees have gone through a lot and they've "This team is a bunch of winners, people who have won in the past and people who are going to win again. With all the trouble the the Series in six games Vinnie Mannillo knows exactly how crazed Central Jersey fans are about the New York Yankees.

He spent most of Monday morning disappointing them. "The phone has been ringing off the hook since I walked in at 9:30 with fans looking for American League Championship stuff," said Mannillo, the manager of Sports Fan in the Bridgewater Commons. "Unfortunately, our shipment is scheduled to come Tuesday. "We're just hoping it comes bright and early so we can sell it out by lunch." See YANKS on Page C-2 They know given that extra effort' wnat tney have to do, and they're going to win." Shay Stevens Remington Yanks have been up against, they overcome everything." Herb Mesa Elizabeth Matt Usa Scotch Plains BEST BETS Basketball ROCKETS-KNICKS, 7:30 p.m.. MSG Hockey DEVILS-CANADIENS 7:30 p.m., SC Sports on TV, C4 Rangers get 1 st victory of year, 5-4 I Rangers-Flames boxC-4 Xkm irx j- Bad start Entering Monday, Luc Robitaille, left, and the Rangers were winless.

However, a look at the records of their opponents in those games reveals they played some tough teams: Dallas Stars, 5-0 Florida Panthers, 3-0-1 Montreal Canadiens, 2-0-2 Boston Bruins, 2-1-1 period goals by Corey Millen and Joel Bouchard, the Rangers tied it during a second-period burst in which they outshot the Flames 14-0. Brian Leetch scored a power-play goal at 10:36 when he took a behind-the-net pass from Alexei Kovalev and stuffed it under Kidd's pads. It was Leetch's first goal of the season. Thirty-two seconds later, Sergei Nemchinov made it 2-2 when be converted his own rebound while standing untouched in front of Kidd. The Rangers started the season 0-3-2, including Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and losses to the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars.

Wayne Gretzky scores go-ahead goal in the third period as New York beats the Calgary Flames. NEW YORK (AP) Wayne Gretzky scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the New York Rangers got their first victory of the season, 5-4 over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. Gretzky's power-play goal at 10:39 of the third put the Rangers ahead 4-3 and helped end one of the worst starts in team history. The Rangers, now 1-3-2, made it 5-3 on Daniel Goneau's goal at 13:17 before Calgary's James Patrick closed out the scoring at 18:08. The teams exchanged goals during a 4-on-4 at the beginning of the third period.

Mark Messier put the Rangers ahead 3-2 with a wrist shot from a sharp angle that beat Flames goaltender Trevor Kidd. It was the Rangers' captain's first goal of the season. Dave Gagner's shot trickled through Mike Richter's pads to even the score at 3-3 after Gretzky fell down at his own blue line, giving the Flames a 2-on-l break. After the Flames took a 2-0 lead on first- EST A TIP? For questions or comments, you can e-mail us at You can also reach Sports Editor Bin Price at (908) 707-3156..