St. Cloud Times from Saint Cloud, Minnesota • Page 39

wvw.sd i mes.comsports 2 in a row on road I Mike I Lopresti Gannett 1 News Service ii urn milii columnist Wolves prevail over winless Heat, 88-797D ID Red Sox managers know the end is near Sports editor, Dave DeLand, 255-8771 St. Cloud Times Sunday, Nov. 9, 2003 Final game at Selke Field. 1937-2003 OU UUUU OUltC eJtlj HUi 111 JLtUVUUl JUXLC VJ JL Mm 4 i. Jl A'- I Times photo by Adam Masloski, amasloskistcloudtimes.com St.

Cloud State gets ready to run a play against North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at Selke Field. It's the last time the Huskies will play at the historic stadium. Huskies give field's last game -a thiilling finish College football scoreboard 1 Evidently, there axe actually men out there who want to manage the Boston Red Sox. i' But then, there are guys willing to catch cobras for a living, too. v.

Baseball's offseason is now up to speed with all the customary proceedings awards bestowed, free agencies declared, ticket price increases announced. And something else this year. What future target of ridicule they get to manage in Boston. The Red Sox are in the interviewing process. Presumably, one of the questions is, "When the time comes in a couple of years, how would you prefer to be fired?" It has been barely two weeks since the noose was put around Grady Little's neck.

You remember Grady Little. Nearly became the only baseball manager ever deported because of one pitching decision. That, as every second grader in New England understands, was staying with his tiring ace too long on the American League D-Day with the heathens from the Bronx. Pedro Martinez eventually coughed up an Jorge Posada blooper that tied a Game 7 that would later be lost Destiny is so temperamental. Had Posada's quacking duck instead been a laser straight to the shortstop or 4 380-foot drive that the right fielder tracked down, Little would have a job today.

He would be a Yankee-idlling hero. Instead, he is history. He won 188 games in two seasons. He kept a happy clubhouse despite a full ration of basket cases. But he was thrown out with the last of the Fenway franks.

Now the Red Sox seek to fill his ofiice, and the volunteers are stepping forward, just like they do in the movies for the suicide mission. One is Terry Francona, last seen averaging 71 wins in four seasons in Philadelphia. Win 71 in Boston, and he's fish food. The Boston media is carnivorous, the fans are passionate but psychotic, haunted by ghosts and goblins and pinstripes. Manny Ramirez carries a big stick and baffling attitude.

Stalwarts such as Martinez, Nomar Garcia-parra, Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe are all free agent-eligible after next season. I And George Steinbrenner will spend $200 million, if that's what it takes to plug all the holes in the empire exposed by the Florida Marlins, The heartbreaks of the past are everywhere. It is said they shouldn't matter, but they do. Grady Little paid for all of them by adding one. History should warn the guy who gets the job what he is in for.

He will likely have cantankerous stars. The Red Sox always do Williams, Rice, Ramirez, etc. i The public will have little forgiveness, and less mercy. And he might come close, but when he does, all that means is he's condemned. John McNamara came within one pitch of a world championship in 1986 and was gone within two years.

Dar-rell Johnson made it to Game 7 against the renowned Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 World Series and didn't last through the next season. Dick Williams pushed St. Louis to seven games in 1967, and had vanished by the end of 1969. Little didn't survive two weeks after Game 7 in Yankee Stadium. Since expansion in 1961, 19 of those 20 teams have had at least one manager last five years.

The exception? The Red Sox. So move in the new man. Tell him to pack lightly. College football ta, gives the Sioux the outright NCC title. The loss also ends the NCAA Division II playoff hopes for North Dakota State (5-2 NCC, 7-3 overall).

It was the last scheduled St. Cloud State game on the field, which opened in 1937. With Victory Sports One providing TV timeouts and the two teams combining for 76 pass attempts, the game ended at 4:20 p.m. and shadows nearly fully engulfed the playing field on the last play. Selke has not had lights since the of there," said Huskies head coach Randy Hedberg, who has virtually no sentiment for Selke.

"It was a game that tested our character and I think our guys really battled and hung in there. It was a credit to Our players still believing we could win the game in overtime." It came down to a field goal for the fifth time in six weeks for the Huskies, who finished 2-3 in games decided by three points or less. See SELKE, 4D Game summary, notes, NCC standings4D Vikings must deal with Flutie ft3 Keith I Heckendorf a yards rushing early 1950s. Lights are one of the many amenities that will be available to St. Cloud State next fall.

The university is building a $9.7 million multipurpose stadium with lights and an artificial surface that is scheduled to be ready for the next home game. "I was telling the official that we don't have lights, so we were fortunate to get out minutes remaining, and the Huskies won their fifth in a row. That exceeds the longest streak they posted last year, when expectations were much higher. And St. Cloud State, ranked 10th and 11th in the national polls, is cer-tain to move even higher See SCSU, 8D Game statistics, notes, NCC standings4D a.

A X. A i Is fl By Mick Hatten mhattenstcloudtimes.com The game ended without fireworks or celebratory music, just the St. Cloud State football team running and jumping jubilantly on a frozen Selke Field after the last play of an overtime win. The sun was literally and figuratively setting on Selke as the Huskies beat North Dakota State 33-30 in a North Central Conference game played before an announced crowd of 4,218. The Bison's loss, combined with North Dakota's 37-3 win over South Dako- College hockey scsu sweeps UMD Doyle scores twice, including winner, in 5-3 road win By Kevin Allenspach kallenspachstcloudtimes.com DULUTH The Bulldogs and their fans might want to blame it on the full moon that loomed over the harbor.

Or maybe bad bounces, calls by the referee, or any other excuse in the hockey lexicon. The Huskies, who rode their bus home from the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center with a two-game sweep Saturday night, might have a better explanation. Maybe they're just better than everyone thought The plain facts are: Following Saturday's 5-3 win over Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State remains the last unbeaten team in the WCHA. Adam Coole, who beat the Bulldogs 3-2 in his return to Duluth on Friday, was even better in the series finale, stopping 40 shots before a near-capacity crowd of 5,309.

..1 ,1 Ulty Big Ten No. 7 Ohio State 33, No. 14 Michigan State 23 No. 16 Purdue 27, No. 10 Iowa 14 No.

24 Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 34 Indiana 17, Illinois 14 Northwestern 17, Penn State 7 Top 10 No. 1 Oklahoma 77, Texas 0 Clemson26, No. 3 Florida State 10 No. 25 Pittsburgh 31, No. 5 Virginia Tech 28 Next Today: The Vikings (6-2) play the Chargers (1-7) at 3:05 p.m.

today in San Diego. TV: Fox (Channel 9). that it's not unlike the way Culpepper who's much bigger than Flutie plays. "The ability to run around and make plays on your own, improvise." "I'm pretty excited about it," said Flutie, who's backed up Brees the last l'i seasons. "I'm looking forward to getting on the field and trying to put the ball in the end zone, see if we can score some points." That'd be a radical change for the Chargers, who've lost 14 of their last 17 games.

Flutie hasn't started since 2001, when he was the first-stringer all season and the Chargers were 5-11, losing their last nine games. Brees, 9-15 in his Vfr seasons as the starter, threw five interceptions and no touchdown passes in the last three games. "There's not always a quick fix but hopefully a change at the quarterback position can maybe reinstill some confidence in the other guys and get them to play well, as well," Flutie said. Flutie isn't sure whether it's his mannerism, body language or the way he op A a. No.

18 Tennessee 10 No. 6 Miami 6 NCC St. Cloud State 33, North Dakota State 30 (OT) South Dakota State 42, Augustana 22 1 Nebraska-Omaha 42, MSU-Mankato 25 North Dakota 37, South Dakota 3 MIAC 5 St. John's 29, Bethel 26 Concordia 34, St. Thomas 20 St.

Olaf 41, Gustavus 27 Carleton45, Macalester 13 (NC) erates in the huddle that gave the Chargers a spark last Sunday. "What I do know is I welcome the opportunity and I'm excited about playing and I feel athletically, arm-strength wise, just like I have for the last 10-15 years," he said. This will be the Chargers' first home game in seven weeks, the longest span between home games since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Their home game on Oct 27 against the Miami Dolphins had to be moved to Tempe, because of the deadly wildfires that ravaged the area. The Chargers responded with a 26-10 loss.

Because of all the smoke in the air, the Chargers spent two days in Champaign, 111., preparing for their game against the Bears, then fell flat again. On top of that, the Chargers are 0-2 in San Diego this season. At least the Chargers haven't forgotten how to get to the stadium. "I stay right across the street from it I see it every day," said rookie cornerback Sammy Davis, who's part of a secondary that will try not to be overwhelmed by Moss. Moss has caught 52 passes for 878 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Chargers have already been burned for 15 TP passes. i NFL capsules, injury report, standings6D Veteran QB takes over struggling San Diego offense SAN DIEGO (AP) -They haven't seen the inside of their home stadium for seven weeks, they were sent on a multistate odyssey because of wildfires and now they've got to face Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and the Minnesota Vikings. So what do the San Diego Chargers have going for themselves? Well, how about 41-year-old Doug Flutie? After watching Drew Brees flounder the last three games, coach Marty Schot-tenheimer finally benched the third-year pro in favor of the energetic, 5-fcot-10 Flu tie for today's Gets start home game. It's likely way too late the Chargers are 1-7 but hey, anything for a shot at win No. 2.

The scrambling Flutie did lead the Chargers on their only scoring drive in an otherwise dismal 20-7 loss at Chicago last Sunday, and Schottenheimer hopes the spark is still there against the NFC North-leading Vikings (6-2). "Doug Flutie brings a different style of play as was evident the other day," Schottenheimer aid, noting i A A-A A Doug Flutl Photo special to the Times by Justin Hayworth Minnesota-Duluth's Junior Lessard brings the puck up the ice past St. Cloud State's Matt Hendricks during the second period Saturday night at Duluth. Next Friday: The Huskies (5-0-1 WCHA, 7-0-1 overall) play North Dakota (2-0-0, 6-1-0) at 7:35 p.m. at Grand Forks, N.D.

Radio: KNSI (1450 AM), KCML (99.9 FM). Mike Doyle scored twice, including the game-winner with less than eight A. J. A Mike Lopresti is a Gannett News Service columnist. I.

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