The Ithaca Journal from Ithaca, New York • 13

FLU EJJDV CIHTIIMY LATER, 2B Wimbledon's top seed will tend to business before celebrating No. 19 DALLESTEROS IS CQIIFIDHIT, 3B After win at Westchester, Spaniard is readv for this week's U.S. Open CHOICES, 12B Law school and teaching are hot, engineering and medicine are not Classified, 4B-8B Ann Landers, 11B Calendar, 11B Brides, 11B I Features, 12B I -The Ithaca Journal Wednesday, June 15, 1988 Section Sport BRIEFLY et it to gear, beat Lo A Third-quarter acceleration leaves champs in the dust i I jr -''''I Rodman (right) and Los Angeles' Magic Johnson fall to the court during the second quarter of the Pistons' 111-86 win Tuesday. DOWN THEY GO: Detroit's Dennis while scrambling for a loose ball The 1988 1 1. I mill 9 Sports Editor, Frank Benson 272-2321, Ext.

14 North Stars clean house BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) It was housecleaning time at Met Center, long-time home of the Minnesota North Stars, new home of Jack Ferreira and now the former home of one of Minnesota's favorite sons, Herb Brooks. Ferreira was introduced at a Tuesday news conference as the North Stars' new general manager. And co-owners Gordon and George Gund also dropped this little bombshell: All personnel in the "hockey department" including Brooks, the coach they had been chasing for years were "released." cleaning house around there," said Dino Ciccarelli, the NHL team's leading scorer and a Brooks supporter. "I guess I'm disappointed.

It's not for me to say whether it's right or wrong." In addition to Brooks, assistant coaches J.P. Parise and Carl Wetzel, assistant GM Glen Sonmor and the entire scouting staff were fired. personnel were told Saturday that they have been terminate We wanted to give the new general manager a clean slate," Gordon Gund said. "Certainly if they wish to be candidates, they can apply. We will certainly honor any financial obligations." "Isn't that nice of them?" Brooks said.

Dryden honors its senior athletes Beth Ellsworth and Brian Fitts were named the outstanding athletes Tuesday night as Dryden High School held its annual senior athletic awards banquet at the Sheraton. Matt Zimmer and Jennifer Doss received the U.S. Army Scholarship Athletic Award. Vicki Whipple and Steven Hugo received the U.S. Marine Distinguished Athlete Award.

Jim Umscheid and Mark Murphy took home the Babe Ruth Award. Mark Hugaboom was receipient of the Scott Coates Memorial Scholarship and Matt Zimmer received the Mark Harris Memorial Award. Receiving a special award was former Ithaca Journal sports editor Kenny Van Sickle. Ithacans win in BMX contest Two Ithacans won in a bicycle motocross freestyle competition 'this past Saturday in Corning, sponsored by the Hillside Bike Shop. Justin Gauvin of 131 E.

Spencer St. won the 13-15-year-old competition, while Danny Bernal of East Falls Street won the 16-and-up category. S.A. boxer in coma after KO JOHANNESBURG, South Afri-, ca (AP) South African junior welterweight Brian Baronet was in a coma Wednesday after being knocked out by American Kenny Vice in the last round of their 10-round fight Tuesday night. i Vice appeared clearly ahead on points when he stopped Baronet, 27, with a flurry of blows and a powerful left hook to the head, sending the South African collapsing into his corner at the West Ridge Park Stadium in Durban.

Baronet had thrown few punches, and taken many from Vice throughout the 10 rounds. Baronet lay on the canvas, legs twitching, until his handlers lifted him onto his stool. He went into a convulsion, throwing punches at the people around him, then blacked out and was carried unconscious from the ring. TODAY'S GAMES Baseball Yankees at Red Sox, 7:30 p.m., WPIX, WTKO Baseball Cardinals at Mets, 7:30 p.m., SportsChannel, WHCU Isiah bites his lip, plays, 4B By HOWARD ULMAN The Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. The Detroit Pistons' drive toward the NBA title stalled until they started driving to the basket.

Now it's in high gear. The championship series became more aggressive and physical Tuesday night when the Pistons evened it at two games each with a 111-86 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers. In the first quarter, the Pistons charged down the lane and got seven of their first eight baskets on layups. In the fourth quarter, Detroit's Isiah Thomas, playing despite a back injury, charged down the lane and got hammered by his longtime friend, Magic Johnson. "We're playing for the world championship," Johnson said.

"Both of us understand what it's all about. If I go in for a layup, I know he's coming after me. If he goes in for a layup, he knows I'm coming after him." The Pistons went right into the teeth of the Los Angeles defense, a tactic that often resulted in easy baskets or foul shots. They had 46 free throws Tuesday night compared to only 12 in a 99-86 third game loss Sunday. They outscored the Lakers 36-28 from the free throw line.

The dis-parity was 28-13 through three quarters. Detroit's Adrian Dantley, who sfM "What kind of season can you expect him to have next year? There's not much else." Graham certainly proved himself as a Bomber, particularly when the games were most meaningful. In this year's post-season (eight games), Graham batted a team-leading .429 (15-for-35), with 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 7 runs scored and 6 stolen bases. For his career in playoff competition, he hit .377 (29-for-77) with 6 HR, 16 RBI and 19 runs. And Graham isn't a one-dimensional ballplayer he made several fine defensive plays in key situa- See GRAHAM, 3B NBA CHAMPIONSHIP led all scorers with 27 points, made 13 of 15 free throws.

On Sunday, he had only 14 points and only two foul shots. The intensity the teams displayed Tuesday night, when Silverdome temperatures exceeded 90 degrees, is expected to continue in the fifth game there Thursday night. "Nobody wants to be playing Game 6 being down 3-2," Los Angeles forward Kurt Rambis said. "So it's going to be the toughest and the roughest and the most physical game of the series." "It's important for us to win our next home game," Detroit center Bill Laimbeer said. "We don't want to have to go to L.A.

having to win two games." At least they'll be going to L.A. Had the Pistons lost, the defending champion Lakers could have won the title Thursday night. Now, there will be a sixth game Sunday and, possibly, a seventh Tuesday night, both in Inglewood, Calif. Detroit's decision to return to an inside offensive game caused foul problems for the Lakers. "We were penetrating, Adrian was going in there and we were dishing the ball off for easy baskets and we got easy fouls," Laimbeer said.

Johnson, who led Los Angeles with 23 points, picked up his See PISTONS, 3B ANALYSIS Ithaca came together, won a national tide By TOM FLEISCHMAN Journal Staff Six weeks ago, if George Valesente had been asked whether his Ithaca College baseball team had what it took to win a national championship, his answer would have been very simple. It would have been no. Of course, Valesente doesn't get paid to tell the fortunes of his Bombers, and the fact that IC did win the national championship proves that Valesente wouldn't be any good at it, anyway. The fact is, Ithaca wasn't playing like a legitimate title contender six weeks ago. The pitching was anything but reliable, the defense was shaky and, as Valesente observed on more than one occasion, the team just didn't seem to have that togetherness you need to win big ballgames.

The team that broke into a victory celebration at Muzzy Field in Bristol, on June 6, following its 7-5 championship-game victory over Wisconsin Oshkosh, was not the same team that lost consecutive See BOMBERS, 3B Steve Graham a The Associated Press ways good in football and basketball, but I'm glad he chose baseball." George Valesente, the Bomber coach, knew that the situation was such that the younger Graham's decision wasn't extremely difficult. "He was in a situation, where he almost had to sign," Valesente said. "When you're drafted in the lower rounds, if you don't improve much in senior year, you don't have much chance of getting looked at again. "And the fact that we won the national championship, and he was voted MVP of the regional, he's probably accomplished all he wanted to at Ithaca," he added. Bombers SPORTS SPOTLIGHT playing for the Cardinals' single-A farm team.

Attempts to reach Graham Tuesday night in Hamilton were unsuccessful. "It's been kind of a thrill, watching him develop as a ballplayer, attending the same college I went to and now going into pro ball like I did," Bob Graham said from his home in Sherrill. Bob, a pitcher, played until '63, advancing as far as AA with San Antonio of the Texas League. I'He has remarkable athletic ability," he added. "He was al nnv.il I.

ii 1 am Pi5 ROBYN WISHNAJournal Staff FANTASTIC FINISH: Ithaca College baseball players (from 1-r) Shawn Coyle, Dan Bums, Fritz Hamburg, Steve Graham and Brian Parrotte congratulate one another as they receive their awards after winning the NCAA Division III tide in Bristol, Conn. Steve Graham follows his father's footsteps into pro baseball By TOM FLEISCHMAN Journal Staff Twenty-nine years ago, Bob Graham completed his baseball career at Ithaca College, then turned pro, signing with the Chicago Cubs organization. His son has apparently decided to follow in his father's footsteps. Steve Graham, a rightfielder for the Bombers this year and a key player in IC's capturing the Division III national championship, has decided to forego his senior season on South Hill. Taken by the St.

Louis Cardinals in the 30th round of the recent Major League Baseball amateur draft, Graham has reported to Hamilton, and is.