Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 16

SPORTS 4C Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Monday July 30, 2001 www.argusleader.coin Moss, Vikes report to camp SpitFire: Fabio nets lone goal Continued from 1C JIM MONEAP Randy Moss Is escorted past waiting fans as he arrives Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings' training camp In Mankato, Minn. BY DAVE CAMPBELL Associated Press MANKATO, Minn. Randy Moss showed up Sunday a much richer man, and Cris Carter came to training camp again uncertain whether it would be his last Dennis Green arrived with his annual assurance that the Minnesota Vikings wouldn't let the loss of several key starters deflate their Super Bowl dreams. Red McCombs slowly stepped out of his car and rallied a throng of fans by quickly belting out "Purple Pride!" in his familiar baritone. Welcome to reporting day, 2001.

The Vikings hold their first official workout this morning in Mankato, where they've spent their last 37 summers. The steady stream of sport utility vehicles into the Minnesota State University campus with a sweaty swarm of autograph-hungry fans in hot pursuit began in the early afternoon. Several hours later, after hordes of kids helped haul their stuff into the residence hall rooms, the players were settled in. Some brought $18 million signing bonuses, others carried a couple of duffel bags. But all of them, save for a few players still recovering from injuries, made it safe and sound.

And in light of Moss's recent extension and rookie running back Michael Bennett's five-year deal everyone arrived with a contract. "It's great to have everyone signed," said Green, entering his 10th season as head coach. "There will be no distractions. We'll be able to zero in on football." Much of that came as a result of some substitutions the Fire made up front, as Hall inserted three pairs of fresh legs at halftime that put more pressure on the Spit-Fire's back line. "I thought we should have scored another one," Fabio said, "because 1-0 is not enough." In the final two minutes of regulation and the five-plus minutes of extra time that provided the biggest scares to the SpitFire, which has given up a few late goals while holding one-goal leads this season.

"I really wasn't worried through the 75th, 80th minute," Maxon said. "Those last five or 10 minutes, I was was sweating it. That's has been traditionally when we've given up the weak goals in the back." In the 88th minute, Chicago took a pair of corner kicks. One was headed away by the Sioux Falls defense, the other was cleared just in front of the goal by midfielder Hakeem Koroma. In the third minute of extra time, Chicago's Johanes Maliza broke into the SpitFire goalkeeper's box.

As Richey came out, he and defender Brian Newland collided with Maliza. The ball bounced over them, then trickled away over the endline. That was a relief," Richey said. Late in fourth minute, the Fire brought Rogers out of net and into the offensive end. But the Spit-Fire's defense managed to regain possession, then ran out the clock to begin the celebration.

"I've waited for this so long," said Koroma, the team's captain. "This is my sixth year in the league, on and off, and I'm happy." -x DAVE EOOEN ARGUS LEADER Sioux Falls' Fabio EldelWeln battles Chicago's Matt Bobo for a header In the first half Sunday night at McEneaney Field. Gossett wins spot on Huset's: Hanssen tops 360 sprints 'Oft 77 Srs ago," said center Matt Birk, expected to help anchor the offensive line in light of his Pro Bowl appearance last year and left tackle Todd Steussie's departure. "In sports, that happens." Successfully predicting how the Vikings will finish has long been a near-impossible task. In some years, Minnesota has played well below its potential.

Other seasons, like the last one in which the Vikings started 11-2 and advanced to the NFC championship game, have seen them far exceed expectations. But it's clear the team still has one thing in mind. "There's a lot of excitement in the air," quarterback Daunte Culpepper said. "We want to be world champions." PGA Tour shots into a bunker on the par-4 17th, the third hole of the playoff. Doyle blasted out to 4 feet before Fleisher hit his shot about 20 feet past.

Fleisher, the U.S. Senior Open winner, two-putted and Doyle calmly dropped his putt. Longer grabs TNT title NOORDWIJK, Netherlands -Germany's Bernhard Langer won the TNT Open, defeating England's Warren Bennett on the first playoff hole for his first title in four years. Langer, also the 1984 and 1992 winner, earned $255,000 and jumped seven spots in the Ryder Cup points to seventh. Bennett bogeyed the first extra hole, missing two easy putts while Langer made a par.

Langer finished with a 5-under 66 to match Bennett (67) at 15-under 269 on the Noordwijkse links. The 43-year-old German has 38 European tour victories. Nicklaus 3rd in Britain NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland-Australia's Ian Stanley won the Senior British Open on the first hole of a playoff with two-time champion Bob Charles of New Zealand. Stanley, who missed a 3-foot putt to win on the 72th hole, holed a 2-footer for par when they replayed the 18th in the playoff. Charles drove into a bunker and made a bogey.

Stanley shot a 69, and Charles closed with a 68 fir 6-under 278 totals. Jack Nicklaus, playing in the tournament for the first time, shot a 69 to tie for third, three strokes back. vim mm the mm a imm COOLER PLACE. Thanks to Puron. It's the environmentally sound refrigerant in our air conditioners.

And not only is it cool for your house, well, it's cool for the planet, too. Whatever it takes. 21 13 No. 4th St' Sioux falls, SD 57104 Phone 338-1231 Continued from 1C Bakker, Justin Henderson and early leader Scott Fokken. After an absence from the track for several weeks, Rapid City's Butch Hanssen showed he still knows the fast way around the mile oval as he came from the 1 1th starting spot to take the victory in the 360 sprint car feature.

Hanssen picked his way through the field to run down leader Mitch Runge late in the race and snatched the lead from After the game, most of the 1,826 fans stood on the metal bleachers cheering and applauding their champions. In return, the SpitFire applauded them while exchanging hugs and congratulations. "The word I would say that best describes it for me is that I'm grateful," Maxon said. "When you coach long enough and you've been in this league a couple of him with four laps to go in the 18-lap event. "We've got a brand new car and this is just the second night for it," said Hanssen.

"We still have some bugs to work out but it ran pretty well." Terry Reilly of Watertown came from 10th to chase Hanssen the final few laps and settled for second, two car lengths back. John Miller finished third followed by Runge, Mark Slendy, Steve Haman and Donovan Peter "That is more important to me right now." It won't make for an easy week. They will board a flight immediately after the match and make the 8-hour trip to London, arriving Tuesday afternoon. That will give them just a day of practice before the British Open. But the tradeoff is worth it.

"I want to show the guys that we can play," Sorenstam said. Webb, who completed her career Grand Slam with her victory in the LPGA Championship, has never met Duval, who broke through to win his first major 8 days ago. Nor has Sorenstam, a member at Big Horn, met Woods. But she ASSOCIATED PRESS SILVIS, 111. David Gossett earned a spot on the PGA Tour on Sunday, closing with a 5-under-par 66 for a one-stroke victory over Briny Baird in the John Deere Classic.

Gossett, the 1999 U.S. Amateur champion, is the first player to win using a sponsor exemption since Tiger Woods in the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. The former University of Texas star earned $504,000 and gained a tour exemption through 2003. "Starting the week, I felt good about my golf game and got myself in good position," Gossett said. "And just to go out and shoot 5 under on Sunday, sleep two nights with the lead and go out and play good golf, play solid." Gossett finished with a 19-under 265 total on the TPC at Deere Run.

The 22-year-old former Texas star is the seventh first-time winner this year. He played 12 Buy.com Tour events this year after failing to gain a PGA Tour card last winter despite shooting a 59 in the qualifying tournament "I missed a few putts and hung in there and made some good birdies when it counted," Gossett said. "It feels great to make that putt on the last hole to win." That last putt was a 4-footer for par that Gossett needed to avoid a playoff. Gossett carried a one-stroke lead to the 18th, but drove into the right rough, then hit his second shot just over the green. He chipped to 4 feet.

"I wanted to enjoy it," Gossett said. "I put the best putt on it I also shot a 66. That's good, from the team's point of view, because time is a wastin'. The Vikings' training camp lasts only 2V4 weeks this year. "It's a high level of intensity in a short period of time," said Green.

"This is where you start building your football team." Some things are different this year: Robert Smith is retired and John Randle is gone, for starters. But this team looks much like it has for most of Green's regime a lot of talent and a lot of confidence, but still with question marks at a lot of positions and the lingering taste of a disappointing end to the previous season. Like New York Giants 41, Vikings nothing. "I think closure was a long time PRO GOLF Delasin rallies in LPGA VIENNA Ohio For the second year in a row, Dorothy Delasin overcame a four-stroke deficit and Se Ri Pak in the final round to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic on Sunday. Delasin shot a 7-under 65 the lowest round of the day on the Squaw Creek course to pass both Pak and Tammie Green on the back nine and collect the first-place check of $150,000.

Pak has won eight of the 10 events she has led heading into the final round with both losses coming to Delasin in the Giant Eagle. Delasin finished at 13-under 203. Green (68) was a stroke back, and Pak (71) was third at 205. Last year at Avalon Lakes, Dorothy Delasin won at age 19 to became the LPGA's youngest champion in 25 years. She beat Pat Hurst on second hole of a playoff.

Doyle triumphs HUNT VALLEY, Md. In a duel between the top two money winners on the senior tour, Allen Doyle made a 4-foot par putt on the third playoff hole to beat Bruce Fleisher in the rain-soaked State Farm Senior Classic. Doyle, the Ford Senior Players winner this month, shot a 5-under 67 to match Fleisher (69) at 11-under 205. Doyle earned $217,500 to move within $40,590 of Fleisher on the money list. Playing in a driving rain, Fleisher and Doyle put their second after being shot in a hunting acci-dent-this week told the Sunday Times of London that he was "devastated" when he learned Armstrong was a client of Ferrari's.

"If Lance is clean, it is the greatest comeback in the history of sport," LeMond told columnist David Walsh. "If he isn't, it would be the greatest fraud." For the first time, riders in this year's Tour were tested for EPO, which boosts red blood cell counts and improves the body's ability to process oxygen. Only one of the 189 riders tested positive. Armstrong has had personal contact with thousands of cancer survivors. Although the scope of his career now prevents him from being as intimately connected, he said he is aware of what his reputation means to the people he has inspired.

ft 1 years, you know anything can happen at any time. We're fortunate to walk away the champions of this Central Conference." Many of the players were with Maxon and the Sioux City Breeze two years ago when they lost to Hall's Chicago Sockers in the conference final. Now, they're moving on as Central Conference champs with a mission. son. Howard Baartman of Sioux Falls led all 15 laps to notch his second consecutive late model stock car feature.

Baartman's win was his fifth of the season, tying him with point leader Gary Brown Jr. of Winner for the most feature wins at the track this year in that class. After suffering a flat tire early in the race, Brown charged all the way through the field to edge Matt Steuerwald for second. sent word to Woods through her agent to bring his "A game." "This is going to be a lifetime experience for us," Sorenstam said. "Personally, I love to play golf with the guys, and we do not do that too often." Woods and Duval will tee off on the odd holes, and Sorenstam and Webb will have honors on the even holes.

All four will wear microphones. "This is not an event to match our drives against theirs," Sorenstam said, "but if Tiger hits a good drive, I want to put it close to the pin or make a putt It's just our way of showcasing the LPGA on prime-time TV." changed his attitude. "It's a landmark for the patient, but it's not as if I'll make five years and then say I don't worry about it, I'm not scared about it, blow off the doctor, blow off self-exams," Armstrong said. "I'll absolutely be as vigilant as I am now. I'll do that 15 years out.

I'll never turn my back." Armstrong is now one of five men to have won three consecutive Tours. The record of five total Tour victories is held jointly by Belgium's Eddy Merckx, Spain's Miguel Indurain and French legends Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault. The Texan, who will head home this week to hit the talk-show circuit and throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Texas Ranger9 game, said he is committed to riding in 2002 but has not looked ahead to the centennial Tour in 2003. "For me it's almost as if things are on cruise control," Armstrong I Bighorn: Live event on TV tonight Says third victory in Tour de France was most fun Continued from 1C women admitted they had second thoughts about accepting. "It being the Monday of the British Open, my immediate thought was, 'Well, it is just not said Webb, who could become the first woman in 15 years to win three majors in one season.

"But, as I thought about it, I realized that if Annika and I both turned something like this down, they would either find two other players or not use women at all. It may not be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but if it is, I want to take full advantage of it. Armstrong: Continued from 1C a surprise, the following year's a confirmation, Armstrong said. The third? "I don't really have a profound message," he said. "I had probably more fun than I've ever had." And why not? This three-peat vaults Armstrong into a select group of athletes who are able to impose their will on an event, to inject it with a certain inevitability even when they are temporarily behind.

His ascent up the overall standings in the Alps and Pyrenees was reminiscent of a set-your-watch third-quarter charge by Michael Jordan's Bulls. In Armstrong's case, the gap at one point stretched to more than 35 minutes, courtesy of a fluky breakaway that propelled a number of riders who had no realistic chance of an overall victory ahead of him. Once in the grueling mountain stages, Armstrong and his chief rival, Germany's Jan Ullrich, gobbled up the half-hour-plus the way a wood-chopper devours a log. The real Tour boiled down to a few said. "Things are very even.

I love the job I do. I love to be competitive and to race a bike. Literally, race the bike every day. It's what keeps me coming back. "I can't think of anything in my life that I'm missing." The only thing Armstrong may lack is the means to convince his doubters that he is completely above the chronic doping that has afflicted his sport for many years.

He has never tested positive for any banned substance, but was pelted with questions during the Tour about his association with Dr. Michele Ferrari, the Italian cycling guru now facing charges in his native country for administering illicit, performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong characterized his relationship with Ferrari as limited and pertaining to areas such as diet and altitude training. The only other American to win the Tour Greg LcMond, who won his second and third titles Ilothinn Grabs you ui.i; Uiiiui: crucial encounters between the two men. In perhaps this Tour's signature moment, Armstrong, who had feigned pain and fatigue for the television cameras through much of the first stage in the Alps, blew by Ullrich and gave him a long, backward glance.

Ullrich, who finished 6 minutes 44 seconds behind Armstrong, conceded the race after it returned to flatter terrain. Carmichael said Armstrong's more gradual climb to pre-eminence was more difficult from a mental than a muscular standpoint. "On the physical side, I never doubted him," Carmichael said. "But psychologically, he had to look at this idea that, I am not the same person I was before, and I never will Armstrong has continued to have twice-a-year checkups, but the cancer that once invaded his abdomen, lungs and brain has remained absent from his system since his original rounds of chemotherapy ended in 1997. Remission, though, has not Vf HAVE GMM ft Banners ftT-Shirts, Polo's etc ft Flag PolesRags ft Promotional Products I fill Uf Maul I ArofiAn Free Exhaust Estimates nvil bVwUUVM DflOmQllQliS 705 N.

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