Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 2

Journal Star Sunday, July 7, 2002 Sf ORTS SORENSTAM GRABS THIRD-ROUND LEAD3E www.journalstar.comsports Sports news tips? Call John Mabry, 473-7320 Serena takes her tunni with trophy Beats older sister for second straight Grand Slam WEATHER: Mostly sunny with patchy clouds. High temperature was 70 degrees. ATTEN BYHOWARD FENDRICH The Associated Press WIMBLEDON, England At the trophy ceremony following the first one-family final at Wimbledon in 1 18 years, Venus Williams leaned over to sister Serena and whispered. "You have to curtsy," Venus said. "Did you know that?" It was the only time Saturday that there was any need to coach Serena now No.

1 in the world and her own home. In a two-sided display of powerful shotmaking that featured more stellar strokes than their title matches at the U.S. Open and French Open combined, Serena won her second in the first set. With dueling grunts from the baseline, they aimed for the lines and hit them. It might not have been an all-time classic, but the play was downright impressive.

Now there's little doubt Serena is No. 1, which she will be for the first time in Monday's new rankings. She didn't drop a set at Wimbledon, has won a tour-best 19 straight matches, and is 36-3 in 2002 with five titles. Plus, she's beaten her older sister three straight times to pull within 5-4 in their pro careers. "It's not fun losing, no mat- Wil'bmses head-to-head (Venus leads 54) 1998 Australian Open, hardoutdoor, round of 64, Venus, 7-6 (4), 6-1.

Rome, clay-outdoor, quarterfinals, Venus, 64, 1999 Key Biscayne, hardoutdoor, finals, Venus, 6-1, 46, 64. Grand Slam Cup, hardnndoor, finals, Serena, 6-1, 36, 6-3. 2000 Wimbledon, grassoutdoor, semifinals, Venus, 6-2, 7-6 (3). 2001 U.S. Open, hardoutdoor, finals, Venus, 6-2, 64.

2002 Key Biscayne, hardoutdoor, semifinals, Serena, 6-2, 6-2. French Open, clayoutdcor, finals, Serena, Wimbledon, grassoutdoor, finals, Serena, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Women's French-Wimbledon champions Women who have won the French Open (clay) and Wimbledon (grass) singles titles in the same year: Serena Williams 2002 Steffi Graf Martina Navratilova 1982,1984 Chris Evert 1974 Billie Jean King 1972 Evonne Goolagong 1971 Margaret Court 1970 Maureen Connolly 195354 Helen Wills-Moody Suzanne Lenglen 1925 I DANCE: 27,857. Last year on the 12th day it was 27,770. WOMEN'S FINAL No.

2 Serena Williams over No. 1 Venus Williams 7-6 (4), 6-3. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'I just wanted Wimbledon. I wanted to become a member of so much prestige. I want to be a part of history." Serena Williams after winning her first Wimbledon singles title.

INSIDE: No. 28 David Nalbandian finishes a 7-6 (2), 64, 1-6, 2-6, 6-2 victory over No. 27 Xavier Malisse in the men's semifinals. Story, Page 4E. ter who you lose to.

Doesn't matter," said Venus, 0-3 vs. Serena in 2002 and 41-3 against everyone else. "It's not something that I'm going to get used to or try to adjust to because I'm not one for losing often. At 20, Serena is 15 months younger. "I just wanted Wimbledon," she said after stopping her sister's 20-match winning streak at the All England Club.

"I wanted to become a See WIMBLEDON, Page 4E straight Grand Slam title by beating two-time defending champion Venus 7-6 (4), 6-3. "My dad always saidthatoneday we'd be playing in the finals ofWimbledon, in the finals of the U.S. Open, just the big ones," Serena said. "And here we were, 10, 15 years later." Their previous eight matches tended to be more lackluster than blockbuster. But each Williams was at the top of her game, particularly THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Serena Williams, who will be No.

1 in Monday's new world rankings, beat her sister, Venus, for the Wimbledon women's singles championship Saturday. Rain stops Saltdogs, Explorers Lincoln woman's son living boyhood dream in IRL team BY MARK DEROWITSCH Lincoln Journal Star About the only people unhappy with Saturday night's steady rain shower were sitting in the Lincoln Saltdogs' dugout. They were glum because at the time the rain started the Saltdogs were raining down runs on Sioux City and trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Saltdogs had taken a 3-0 lead, on Dustin Delucchi's bases-loaded walk, with one out in the second inning and had chased Sioux City starting pitcher Jordan Romero when the game was halted. Lincoln had pounded Romero with four hits and drew three bases on balls before he was pulled for reliever Ralph McCasland.

After a three-hour, 10-minute delay, the baseball game was finally postponed until 3:05 p.m. today as part of a Northern League double- a OWN BY TODD HENRICHS Lincoln Journal Star KANSAS CITY, Kan. On those carefree days growing up in Indiana, Tim Cindric would race his Hot Wheels and dream of winning the Indianapolis 500. So when Janice Spicha of Lincoln witnessed her son's dream come true last year, the memories flooded back like cars thundering down the long straightaway at over 200 mph. "There's no explaining what it means seeing your son fulfill a dream like that," Spicha said last week.

"And to see it a second time was just well it's something you'll never forget." The dark-haired boy who turned kid-sized wrenches on the family's pedal race car, the one who washed parts for his father's engine shop along famed Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis, Cindric has directed driver Helio Castroneves' back-to-back victories in what's recognized as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Not only is Cindric the calming voice in Castroneves' ear on race days, at age 34, respected president of one oi the world's most notorious racing operations. At Marlboro Team Penske, he's second in command to legendary owner Roger Penske, one of his heroes growing up. "As a kid, you joke around and the drivers are heroes," Cindric said. "But I guess to me, I always knew the guys behind the scenes, and to me they were more of a hero than the driver a lot of times. The older I got, the more I realized that." Cindric stopped through Lincoln on Thursday to visit his mother and grandmother, Dorothy Grabowski.

Today he'll be on Castroneves' scoring stand, mapping strategy at the Ameristar Casino Indy 200 at Kansas Speedway. Castroneves and Gil de Ferran, Team Penske teammates, come into the event first and second in the Indy Racing League point standings. A driver's championship would be Penske's third in the three years Cindric has had charge of the team's open-wheel race operation. Few people who know Cindric are surprised by such success, certainly not his mother. Spicha, a graduate of Lincoln High School, married Cindric's father, Carl, a racer from California who was working with "Little" Joe Saldana in the 1960s.

Born in California, Tim Cindric spent a year of his youth living in Lincoln but grew up in Indiana, where passions run deep for both racing and basketball. A prep standout and small-college star on the basketball court at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Cindric's real love was racing. A promising baseball pitcher, he gave See CINDRIC, Page 3E SATURDAY Lincoln vs. Sioux City, ppd. TODAY Lincoln vs.

Sioux City, DH 3:05, Haymarket header. The second game will be shortened to seven innings. would have liked to keep playing, but unfortunately the weather didn't let us do it," Saltdogs third baseman Josh Brinkley said. "We've got to somehow prepare and be ready to go right away on Sunday." There was a silver lining in all the clouds over Haymarket Park: Saturday's game AT; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Helio Castroneves has won back-to-back Indy 500s with Tim Cindric (in white shirt, top left) in charge at Penske Racing. Cindric's mother is Lincoln real estate agent Janice Spicha, who says winning the 500 was her son's dream while growing up.

Castroneves signals his second Indy 500 victory on May 26, 2002. BRINKLEY Happy night for Waltrip i -i x. ruary, in the Daytona 500. Back then, he crossed the finish line a split second after Earnhardt hit the wall in Turn 4 and died. Thus MnstonCti ill i v.

The Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Michael Waltrip won. Dale Earnhardt went for broke. And the Intimida-tor would have loved the whole show. At the track the late Dale Earnhardt treasured the most, it was his good friend, Waltrip, holding off a latex challenge from his son, Earnhardt to win the Pepsi 400 on Saturday night.

Waltrip earned his second career His only other win came last Feb his boss would be there for his biggest successes. Time has healed some of that hurt, and Waltrip's second victory Rusty Wallace finished second in a race that ended under caution was as fitting a tribute to The Man in Black as anyone could imagine. So was the way Earnhardt went down fighting. Trailing his friend and Dale Earnhardt teammate through most of the end of the race, Junior had to See NASCAR, Page 3E a- added yet an-other poignant chapter to the Earnhardt family saga at the track. Waltrip was Earnhardt's good friend and employee he was like another son to the Intimidator and he always figured THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A tireman for Todd Bodine's No.

26 team is pinned by Robby Gordon's No. 31 car Saturday night during the Pepsi 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was taken to the infield care center for treatment. vvill be resumed today exactly where it left off, meaning Darren Doskocil will open the first game with the bases full and with one out. It's a game the Saltdogs almost have to win.

Lincoln trails Sioux City by three games with five games remaining in the first half of the season. The Explorers, 25-15, can clinch a tie for the South Division title with one win today and can clinch the crown outright with a sweep. The trouble for the Saltdogs is baseball teams tend to split double-headers. "That's usually the way it is, but we've got to find a way to get it done," Brinkley said. "We've really got to win both games if we want any shot of pulling out the first-half championship." At least Lincoln is In good position to win the first game today.

Bryan Britt led off the second inning with a single, then moved to third when Gabe Duross doubled to right-center field gap. Alexis Hernandez popped out to first baseman Tony Mitchell, but Brinkley singled to right to score Britt and Duross came around when Sioux City's Andy Wilson bob-bled the ball. Romero walked Juan Silvestre, Limbcrth Marin and Delucdii to give the Saltdogs a 3-0 lead before the game was stopped for the rain delay. At least die 5,500 fans took in the scheduled fireworks show, which was held during the rain delay. Tickets for Saturday's game can be exchanged for the best available seats and are good for both games today.

Stella to stay in Omaha, play for Mavericks BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE sion and get started with what I have to do." cy. Stella and other Husker officials have re self. Whatever the coaches see in me, they can One of the fastest linebackers in Husker history, Stella said he'll need to take two or three summer courses to become eligible. "I don't think that'll be a problem," he said.

An Omaha Benson graduate, Stella hasn't played football since the 2000 season. He was suspended indefinitely for all of 2001, and the suspension became permanent diis spring. The only explana Lincoln Journal Star Nebraskans hoping to watch fleet linebacker Randy Stella resume his playing career won't have to travel far. Stella, dismissed from the Nebraska football team April 5, said Saturday he plans to begin courses later this month at Nebraska-Omaha and play for the NCAA Division II Mavericks this season. The 6-foot, 210-pound Omaha native, the I Iuskers' second-leading tackier in 2000, had also been considering Western Illinois, a Division I-AA school in Macomb, 111.

The thought of moving from home, and all the accompanying complications, made UNO the more sensible alternative, Stella said. "The whole process has just stretched out too long," he said. "I wanted to make a deci peatedly declined to discuss specifics. Stella's situation has drawn significant attention because of the explosiveness he showed on the field in 2000, when he started 10 of 1 1 games for the Huskers at weakside linebacker and recorded 58 tackles, including 34 unassisted. In 1999, Stella became the first Nebraska linebacker to return kickoffs, averaging 23.2 yards on 10 returns.

Stella said he'll play whatever position UNO coaches want him to play. Asked if he'd consider playing running back, Stella said, "I think I could play running back at any level. That's all I ever played until I got to high school." As for what he hopes to accomplish on the field in 2002, Stella said, "I can't even predict it. I don't want to put any expectations on my take it and run with it. Stella said he discussed his situation with UNO Coach Pat Behrns last week.

In an interview last month, Behrns said, "We did get permission (from NU officials) to speak that's all I can tell you." Stella will have two seasons of plaving eligibility at UNO. The Mavericks, who finished 8-3 last season after a first-round Division II playoff loss, begin preseason camp Aug. 8. Western Illinois Coach Don Patterson said he would have welcomed Stella onto his team. "Randy's such a good player, a lot of coaches would accept him into preseason camp at the 11th hour, Patterson said.

"He's a bright guy. He can get his (schoolwork) done." Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or tsipplejoumalstar.com. STELLA tion Nebraska Coach Frank Solich offered for the suspension was that Stella violated atliletic department poli-.