Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • 17

Sports CLASSIFIED Cars, jobs, homes, Page SC Section Press Sun-Bulletin THURSDAY AUGUST 16, 2001 NFL 3C MAJOR LEAGUES 4C CHARLIE JAWORSKI EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR 607-798-1 1 91 1 -800-365-0077 cjaworskblnghamt.gannett.com pressconnects.com B-Mets fall behind early, swamped by the Sea Dogs Wat', "I think when you fall behind big early, it kind of looks as though, 'Man, they can't get a runner on and it's not really the kind of lineup we have. In the middle innings, we swung the bats, but it slipped away a little bit in the fifth and in the eighth inning it really got out of hand." in the fifth. "I think the first couple walks, there were some pitches that were close that he didn't get the calls on. I think he did lose his concentration a little bit and that led to the next couple of guys he walked." Strange allowed five hits and eight earned runs in 4'3 innings. The Mets, the Eastern League's home run leader, had two homers in their previous 10 games entering Wednesday.

They stroked three in the loss Juan passes issued by Strange. Eric Gillespie ripped Strange 's second of fering over the left-center field wall for a 3-0 lead that the Sea Dogs (65-58) did not relinquish. Portland (65-58) built on a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Hooper homered on the first pitch from Strange. After an out, Strange walked the next four Portland batters on 20 pitches, including forcing home Gillespie.

"He lost his command," B-Mets manager Howie Freil-ing said of Strange's four walks By STACY CLARDIE Tress Sun-Bulletin BINGHAMTON Bing-hamton Mets starter Pat Strange had trouble throwing strikes, and his teammates had trouble connecting at the plate. The result was an 11-4 rout by Portland in front of 3,485 fans at NYSEG Stadium on Wednesday night. The Mets (62-59) fell VA games behind second-place Norwich (70-52) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Portland 1 1 Mets 4 League's Northern Division! Norwich defeated New Haven, 7-4. Strange (9-6) couldn't recover from a rocky start. Kevin Hooper led off the game with a single to shortstop.

Derek Wathan followed with a walk, the first of six free Leading Off baseball Coverage, Page 1C, AC, 5C Eastern League Portland 11, Mets 4 American League Y. Yankees 10, Tampa Bay 3 Seattle 6, Boston 2 Toronto 5, Oakland 2 Detroit 5, Anaheim 1 Cleveland 8, Minnesota 2 Baltimore 5, Kansas City 4 Chicago 6, Texas 5 National League San Diego 2, N.Y. Mets 1 Chicago 5, Houston 1 Philadelphia 8, Milwaukee 6 St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 4 Atlanta 7, Colorado 2 San Francisco 2, Florida 1 Arizona 5, Pittsburgh 2 Los Angeles 13, Montreal 1 SOCCER Coverage, Page ZC MLS New York-New Jersey 2, D.C. 1 For late scores: 798-1343 YANKEE BASEBALL On the big-league Wt Quick Hits Lebron's two-run homer, and solo shots by Ryan Miller and Earl Snyder.

But they also added to their league-leading total with 14 strikeouts. They have 1,016 on the season. "We have the kind of team that we hit a ton of home runs, so it's like, we score' or a lot of times we strike out or don't have baserunners," Freiling said. "We're not the kind of team that has a bunch of pesky hitters that walk, where we need three singles to score. We're really all or nothing.

Gannett News Service DULUTH, Ga. It'll be bombs away for the world's big hitters when the 83rd PGA Championship starts today at the Atlanta Athletic Club in steamy Georgia. While the PGA Championship has produced its share of surprise winnersinthel 990s until Tiger Woods won th last two, this year's champion probably wili come from an elite group of well-known power players who hit the long ball. When noted golf course architect Rees Jones got done lengthening the par-70 course to a whopping 7,213 yards, it eliminated many players who relied on finesse and course management. The course is nearly.

150 yards longer than it was during the 1981 PGA Championship won by Larry Nelson at 7-under-par 273. Several holes were lengthened to encourage the players to hit their drivers more often. Of course, that would seem to favor big hitters such as Woods, Phil Mickelson and newly crowned British Open champion and local favorite David Duval. The trio just happen to be ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in the world rankings.

Happy-go-lucky Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh and Davis Love III are among the select few who appear to have the length, talent and patience to handle such a demanding test. Not everyone is happy about the recent trend of pushing the tees as far back as humanly possible. Hal Sutton, who missed a month of action trying to shake iff Dim V' '1; V. 4 )V Oneonta's Bellinger copes with constant flux By BRIAN HEYMAN Gannett News Service NEW YORK Clay Bellinger just has to live with it, the uneasiness that comes with life on the major-league fringe. The Yankees usually have a need to activate someone at some point and have been known to take his roster spot away, giving him a pat on the back and an ouibound ticket on the Columbus Shuttle.

It has happened three times this year alone to Bellinger, a 32-year-old utility infielderoutfielder from Oneonta, although one time he didn't even have time to hop the plane because David Justice reinjured himself and he was needed again. "It's been tough," he said. "It's always tough when you're sent out even if you're sent out once." Unfortunately, people have gotten hurt, and it's enabled me to come back and get some opportunities." Like the one he has right now. The Yankees brought him back from Columbus on July 28 and then Scott Brosius broke his hand four days later. They tried Luis Sojo at third, and then Enrique Wilson, and now Bellinger's turn.

"He's got the athleticism more so than the other two guys," Yankees manager Joe Torre said after watching Bellinger save a run with a diving stop and throw to first and basically shine throughout his third straight start at the position in Tuesday night's 5-3 win over the Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium. "He's got more range." His bat is another matter that is until he hit two homers on Wednesday night in the Yanks' 10-3 win. He began the year 1-for-22. That meant ".045" was up there next to his name on the scoreboard. That's embarrassing.

"You know everybody else is looking at it," he said. "It was over three months. SEE BELLINGER 5C INSIDE B-Mets confident about playoffs PAGE 5C off the effects of a sleeper disorder, showed up early to take a look at the Atlanta Athletic Club, formerly the home course of golfing leg SUTTON end Bobby Jones. He didn't particularly like what he saw, especially after he needed a big drive and 3-iron just to clear the water in front of the 18th green during practice. The 490-yard par-4 could produce a wild finish because players who hit mediocre drives might have to lay up or risk going into the water with their approach shots.

"All the things they're doing now plays into the handsof jhe big hitters," Sutton said. "They took the field size from 150 to 25. There's only 25 peoplean this tournament that can win." Making things even more difficult for pros who can't routinely blast drives in the 280- to 300-yard range are Qie soft fairways. Recent thunderstorms have left the fairr ways very soggy and it's doubtful they'll dry up fast enough to help the short hitters this week. Said Mark Calcavecchia, who can drive it past most of his fellow competitors: "You've got to have your driver game going here, otherwise you can forget it.

This course will weed out the guys who aren't hittingit good in a hurry." INSIDE Mickelson wants to shed label PAGE 3C Associated Press upswing road trips to Nebraska, Purdue and Texas That is always a Notre Dame dilemma. Tradition dictates the schedule be beefy, whether the roster matches or not. "When I go recruiting, in the house the thing I sell is come to Notre Dame and play high stakes, high risk, high reward games," Davie said. "That's how it's got to be." Then there's the long lines at several conspicuous positions. Controversies -waiting to happen, if anyone SEE LOPRESTI 5C Colgate now just the Raiders HAMILTON Influenced by controversy over ethnic and racial stereotypes in sports, Colgate University has decided to drop the word Red from its school athletic nickname.

University officials announced Wednesday that the team will no longer be known as the "Red Raiders," but will simply be the "Raiders." The decision to make the change came from the University Board of Trustees, in accordance with a recommendation by the school President Charles Karelis and members of the campus Committee on Athletics. While the nickname "Red Raiders" did not originate as a reference to native Americans the name came from the maroon uniforms worn by the 1932 football ream native American mascots and figures had become associated with the team until the school dropped them in the 1970s. But the references have continued, leading the Committee on Athletics an organization of both students and faculty to suggest changing the name to remove any possibility of racial stereotyping. Jaime A. Seba One to WATCH PGA Championship 1-7 p.

m. today, TNT Tiger Woods shoots for his third consecutive PGA Championship victory ing today at 7 the Atlanta if Athletic Club 'I in Duluth, Ga. Having won if the Masters. Tiger Woods can become the first to win two majors in one year in the same state. CHASING HISTORY HOMERS THROUGH 120 GAMES 2001 1998 5 1 Barry Bonds Giants Mark McGwire Cardinals 51 47 On pace for: 68 I 1998 total: 70 Giants' next game: host Florida today Oneonta native Clay Bellinger has found a short-lived home at third base for the Yankees, here awaiting a throw on Saturday as Oakland's Johnny Damon scrambles back to third after slipping en route to home plate.

iHltM.it,. I. i nn.MM ill, ri Associalcd Press hits 2 HRs Oneonta native Clay Bellinger hit a three-run homer and a solo shot. Derek Jeter added a pair of doubles and a home run as the Yankees scored twice in the first, once in the second and twice in the third. INSIDE Yanks' lead swells to 5 games PAGE 4C never more demanding than when it assumes it has been promised something.

The shirts coach Bob Davie handed out to his players this summer stated matters plainly: "Take it to the next level." Can they? The talent is good, the depth impressive, the lead- ership first-rate. Davie recruited 22 players four years ago, and 21 are still around. "I don't shy away from the high expectations for this year," Davie said Wednesday, adding his belief that Notre Dame will not be a true underdog in It was a hot one at practice on Wednesday for two-time defending PGA champion Tiger Woods at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga. ND to find out fast if football program is really on Clemens 16 Associated Press NEW YORK For the first time in 32 years, a major league pitcher has a 16-1 record. Roger Clemens improved upon the best season of his career, record-wise, by allowing only four hits in seven innings to lead the New York Yankees past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-3 Wednesday night.

MIKE LOPRESTI Commentary in the Fiesta Bowl exposed how far Notre Dame has yet to go. "If anything." defensive end Anthony Weaver said, "it showed us we weren't as Bellinger Yankees 1 0 Devil Rays 3 Clemens is just the sixth major leaguer since 1 900 to start 1 6-1 and the first since Dave McNally for the Baltimore Orioles in 1969. good as we thought we were." This land of great teams and glittering names has lately had neither. A sleeping giant, with nationally televised snoring. The last top 10 finish in the polls? Eight long years ago.

The last Associated Press first team All-Ameri-can? Same thing. The last bowl victory? Ditto. But last season carried the sense of rebirth, whetting the appetite of the frustrated faithful. Encouraging for the Irish camp, but also dangerous. The Notre Dame public is Si7 SOUTH BEND, Ind.

Behold the new world in college football, where Oregon State fights for No. 1 votes. Northwestern is picked to win the Big Ten and a Heisman billboard in Times Square blares the tributes of the quarterback from Oregon. In this altered landscape, hallowed names must put up a fight to remain hallowed. Which brings us to Notre Dame.

Are the Irish really back? We're about to see. The 9-3 record last year suggested revival. The 41-9 pounding by Oregon State DAVIE WEAVER any game this year. Whoa there. Bob.

The first game is at Nebraska. But it has been a tough go, his four years. Forgive him a little hyperbole. Here is the problem: The hopes are real, but also strikingly fragile. The schedule could crush their hearts, with September.