The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 15

X6 C3 C3 COMICS Isle File Symphony Run MONDAY, April 2, 1990 The Honolulu Advertiser TOMORROW: NCAA Championship TME Ff LEWIS 1 Staff Writer 1FMAL Nevada-Las Vegas and Duke try to climb one last mountain in Denver 'Bows' Souza has dissolved all the doubts HE date will live not only in Brian Souza's memory, but on his right elbow: March 22, 1988. In the fifth inning of the Rainbow Spring Baseball Tournament game against the University of Hawaii at Rainbow Stadium, Souza was pitching for the University of Washington when he felt something pop. Not the trademark live fastball he threw at 90 mph speeds, but in his right arm near the elbow, when he tried to throw a fastball. Later, he would find out that he tore a ligament off the bone, one that would cause his ulna nerve to scar and pop out in fifty, p. I I I I s-Vi 1 7 -Jk.

'A. throbbing pain. The elbow would swell and, eventually, force him to the sidelines and into surgery. It also brought him back home to Hawaii for rehabilitation and, in a curious turn of events, to the Rainbows and the Rainbow Spring Tournament where the events of this past weekend have Brian Souza Bullpen stalwart By Thomas Bonfc Los Angeles Times DENVER Duke and Nevada-Las Vegas, two teams with similar defensive styles and totally different images, will decide the 52nd NCAA men's collegiate basketball championship tonight. But there is much more at stake.

Neither team has ever won a National Collegiate Athletic Association title. Duke, with its squeaky clean reputation, is appearing in the Final Four for the eighth time while longtime NCAA renegade UNLV is here for the third time. Some see it as matchup of Good Guys vs. Bad Guys, the law students vs. the law breakers, the Establishment vs.

the rebels. Hearing such contrasts makes Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski uncomfortable. "I don't look at Las Vegas as the bad guys and us as the good guys," Krzyzewski said. "People are talking like we're Cinderella or Snow White. Geeze, I've ridiculed the press this year.

I've charged officials. We've yelled at one another. We've been pretty bad, too, I guess." Coach Jerry Tarkanian said this is his best team in his 17 years operating in the neon glare of Las Vegas, many of them spent under the spotlight of NCAA investigators. Even as Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebels play for the NCAA title, NCAA investigators continue their two-year inquiry into the recruitment of former New York high school star Lloyd Daniels an inquiry that could result in probation for UNLV. Tarkanian isn't sure what a victory over Duke might mean to himself and his program.

"I don't know if we'll ever be vindicated," he said. But Tarkanian is certain of at least one thing. "Our image is a crock," he said. For UNLV (34-5), it's been a long season alternating between flashy victories and highly publicized brushes with trouble. Eight players were suspended for one game for failing to pay their hotel room incidentals during the 1988-89 season.

Two players were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct when they didn't leave an off-campus party. Chris Jeter and Moses Scurry were suspended for a game for their roles in incidents surrounding UNLV's game with Utah State in which Scurry punched Utah State Coach Kohn Smith. See NCAA, C5 AP photo Mike Krzyzewski (left) of Duke and Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV share a laugh before the big game. Christian Laettner (left) and his Duke teammates will try to focus their attention on beating UNLV tonight. AP photo WHAT: NCAA men's basketball championship WHO: Duke (29-8) vs.

Nevada-Las Vegas (34-5) WHEN: Today 3:15 (HST) WHERE: McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colo. RADIO: 2:30 p.m. on KGU (760-AM) TELEVISION: 7 p.m. (delayed) on KGMB-Channel 9 L.A.:.,i... Musburger ouster no April Fool's joke made for less painful memories.

Where he once left holding his elbow, Saturday Souza departed Rainbow Stadium holding the trophy as the tournament's outstanding pitcher. He won a record-tying three games and saved another in helping pitch the Rainbows to their first Easter tournament title since 1981. SOUZA'S ARRIVAL and the Rainbows' return to the tournament championship are something more than coincidence. "I knew we wouldn't win the tournament again until we had the pitching," said Les Murakami, the UH coach. "We didn't have the pitching for how many years?" Souza (5-1) helped set the tone for a bullpen that went overtime in pulling the Rainbows through their toughest tournament field ever, three nationally-ranked teams.

In 10 games, the Rainbows not only didn't get a complete game from any of their starters, but six times they were forced to call the bullpen because a starter failed to go more than six innings. While the starting rotation remains a question mark, the bullpen seems to be coming together nicely, at least at pitcher-friendly Rainbow Stadium. Norman Holt showed signs of being a middle-inning man the Rainbows can use, lefthander Barry Currah and righthander Jeff Ball gave the Rainbows two good set-up men and Souza also gave them something they haven't had in eight years, an real hard throwing, honest-to-Goose Gossage late-inning closer. Not since hard-throwing Bryan Duquette have the Rainbows had one. "My bullpen guys won it for us," Murakami said.

Currah won two games, Holt one and Ball saved two as the Rainbows won the close ones, six games decided by two runs or less. That Souza would ever be part of it was something that neither he nor the Rainbows could have imagined. "It is sure interesting how it has turned out," Souza said, shaking his head. THE RAINBOWS recruited Souza out of Kamehameha Schools where he was a three-sport performer (baseball, basketball and volleyball), but backed off when he made his intentions of going to the Mainland known. "I wanted to go away and it was good for me to grow up in a different environment," Souza said.

"But after I had surgery, I wanted to stay home for rehabilitation. I was going to have to redshirt a year anyway, so I decided to transfer." Not that there was any guarantee at the time that he'd be able to pitch for anybody. "Coming out of surgery, I was barely able to move my arm," Souza said. "I started off working with just a one-pound weight and I had a hard time with that. From there I just kept building it because I was determined to at least try to pitch again.

I didn't know how effective I could be, but I wanted to give it a shot." This past weekend it turned out to be one for both he and the Rainbows to remember. nounced on April Fool's Day and one day betore the NCAA final, many television officials at first dismissed the firing as a joke. Sources said Musburger was stormy, came to an end Saturday night. Sources said Musburger's brother and agent Todd wanted a final answer on the contract Saturday. Sources said he confronted a CBS Sports executive in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Denver after Saturday's telecast wanting to know where CBS stood on his brother's contract.

The executive told him Musburger's CBS career was over. There would be no more negotiating. While CBS said money was one issue in the final split Musburger earned close to $2 million per year sources inside CBS pointed to a number of other issues, including Musburger's role at CBS Sports, his attitude and the possibility of hiring another marquee network name to join the staff. For the several months, CBS and Musburger were involved in negotiating a new contract. Musburger's 5V6-year deal expires in July.

The negotiations, at times Advertiser News Services NEW YORK Brent Musburger, whose voice and face were the signature marks of CBS Sports for 15 years, was fired yesterday on the eve of the network's NCAA Final telecast. The swiftness and timing of the move sent chills through the industry, stunning CBS staffers assembled in Denver to cover the tournament. Because the move was an given the option of doing tonight's final eame and Musburger agreed to take to the microphone one more time. Steady play takes Meyer all the way event, dropped behind early with a 6-over 42 on the front to finish at 81 par-3 fifth with a 20-footer. He bo-geyed the 413-yard par-4 seventh when he hit a tree on his second shot.

On the back side he played par golf until the 389-yard par-4 15th when the wind died down and he hit the wrong club and wound up 3-putting. But he got back to 2-under with birdie on the next hole (par-5, 474 yards) by making a 10-foot putt. "The 18th (410 yards) into the wind was one of the tougher holes yesterday. Not many made the green in regulation," said Meyer. "I was lucky V- Country Club.

"I was happy to keep the ball in play and finish with 71. "The course played tougher today and the wind was a little stronger, gusting at times then dying down to make club selection a problem. It was really tough to putt, especially if you were on the slopes. You just had to putt well for a good round." Meyer, who finished four strokes behind Ishii last year despite a course record 64 in the final round, said the course played tougher than last year. "I'm happy with my score," he said.

Starting the day at 1-under he bird-ied the 394-yard par-4 second hole with a 12-foot putt and the 161-yard for 294 and sixth place. Richardson (75) and Richard Martinez (73) tied for second place with 291s. Sasada (76) finished with 292 and Casey Nakama (72) moved up to fifth place with 293. "It was a day when everyone struggled because of the wind. By Monte Ito Advertiser Staff Writer Greg Meyer, playing a steady and consistent game while the others struggled, won the 1990 Mid-Pacific Open Golf Tournament by five strokes with 2-under-par 286 for 72 holes yesterday at the host Mid-Pacific Country Club course in Lanikai.

Meyer, who was runner-up to David Ishii last year, shot a final round 1-under 35-36-71. He started the day two strokes behind Lance Suzuki and three shots ahead of Maui pros Jeff Richardson and Craig Sasada. Suzuki, a six-time winner of this Meyer tough pin placements and hard greens," said Meyer, a pro at Pearl See Meyer, C3 I.