The Times from Munster, Indiana • 92

Send us your Region newsmakers! Is there a Region athlete, current or native, that you think the rest of our readers should know about? Send your tips via e-maij to sportsnwitimes.com or The Times, 601 W. 45th Munster IN 4632t 1 lo CO (B 12.09.04 THREE WATER li Thursday December 9 2004 page COOLER STORIES FROM THE WORLD OF SPORTS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL sportnews.nwitimes.com TRIPLE PLAY HEADLINES COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP FILE a PRO GOLF PHOTO i i lf I EZ AY si A Press AP FILE PHOTO Wie to play PGA Tour event MICHELLE WIE ACCEPTED a PGA Tour sponsor's exemption Tuesday night to play in next month's Sony Open. Wie came within one shot of making the cut at the tournament last year. "This is really great," Wie said bv telephone. White is Heisman finalist JASON WHITE, the Oklahoma quarterback who won last year's Heisman, was chosen as a finalist for the award this season.

Joining him for Saturday's award ceremony will be Adrian Peterson, Southern California teammates Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, and Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Associated Press IB -8 mmmmmi Associated AP FILE PHOTO Rangers to sign Alomar Jc SIX-TIME ALL-STAR CATCHER and former White Sox Sandy Alomar Jr. agreed -Wednesday to a $550,000, one-year contract with the Rangers, who anticipate, the 38-year-old Alomar being a backup to. Rod Barajas and playing no more than 60 to 70 Press COLLEGE FOOTBALL it Notre Dame; recruits in limbo THE ZONE I MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SOX PURCHASE CLOSER INSURANCE TEAM INKS RELIEVER HERMANSON TO TWO-YEAR DEAL did not offer salary arbitration to outfielder Magglio Ordonez, shortstop Jose Valentin, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and second baseman Roberto Alomar by Tuesday's 11 p.m.

deadline, effectively ending all four players' tenure daily briefing pro college sports scoops CHICAGO BEARS Bears sign offensive lineman The Bears signed rookie offensive linemen Bo Lacy to a three-year contract Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lacy was drafted in the sixth round 177th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004 out of the University of Arkansas. Lacy began the season on the Steelers practice squad before being signed to the Cleveland Brown active roster on SepL 30. Lacy was waived by the Browns on Oct 20 and re-signed with Pittsburgh's practice squad on.

Oct 21. -Times Staff INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Harrison signs $66 million deal Marvin Harrison decided to stick around with the Colts as Peyton Manning's primary target Harrison agreed to a six-year, $66 million contract with the team Wednesday that includes a $22 million signing bonus, according to a source within the league who requested anonymity. The star receiver is making $5.56 million this season. Harrison, 32, who set an NFL record with 143 receptions in the 2002 season, has 826 receptions in nearly nine seasons with the Colts after being their first-round draft pick in 1996. PURDUE CALUMET BASKETBALL Borys lifts Peregrines with buzzer-beater Nikki Borys took a pass from Jenny Sullivan and made a 30-foot bank shot at the buzzer Wednesday night pushing Purdue Calumet to a 64-62 victory over visiting Aquinas (Mich.) in women's college basketball action.

The Peregrines (6-6) trailed by as many as seven in the second half, but pulled within 62-61 with 7.1 seconds remaining. But Aquinas' Leslie Hoffman missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Sullivan rebounded and got the ball to Borys for the winner. La'Sharon Watson had a game-high 20 points for Purdue Cal, while Sarah Vaughn added 16. Times Staff VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY VU signs volleyball, softball recruits The Valparaiso University volleyball team announced the signing of three players during the early signing period. Joining the Crusaders for the 2005 season are Brittany Marks, Allison Sears and Jill Meyer.

Marks is a 5-foot-4 libera from Elkhart Memorial High School. She was named second-team All-State this past season and first-team All-State as a junior. Also from Elkhart Memorial is Sears, a 6-foot middle blocker. She earned first-team All-State honors the last two seasons. Meyer is a right side hitter from Crystal Lake, III.

The softball team announced that three players recently signed national letters-of-intent Joining the Crusaders for the 2006 season will be pitcher Stephanie Kelly, infielder Karen Korb and outfielder Ashley Wolter. Kelly has earned All-City honors three times while playing for Plainfield High School. Last season she was 19-6 with a 0.46 ERA. Korb, the starting shortstop at Indianapolis Lutheran High School, was a member of the 2004 Class A state champions. She is a career .330 hitter and earned all-conference honors.

Wolter twice earned first-team All-State honors while playing for Denver High School in Denver, Iowa. She is among the state's all-time leaders in home runs and triples. Times Staff Report VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY SOCCER VU soccer teams earn awards Valparaiso University is one of 53 intercollegiate soccer programs of all divisions to have both its men's and women's soccer teams recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. For the second straight year, both teams earned the NSCAAAdidas Team Academic Award by posting a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher for the academic year. The men's program earned a 3.15 GPA and was one of 73 men's teams to receive the award.

The women's team earned a 3.46 GPA and was one of 290 female programs recognized. Times Staff Report BY JOHN O'MALLEY jomalleynwitimes.com 219,933.3233 Ohio defensive end -Wilson reneged on his verbal com-" mitment to Notre Dame last wedk." Another recruit, Texas wide 0 receiver David Nelson, is exploring-his options and rethinking his pledge to the Fighting Irish. -fR Until school officials hire a fobt- ball coach, Notre Dame's list of verbal commitments remain frozen at 10 and that only holds true if the players who've given their word stay firm. Recruiting analyst Allen lace, editor and SuperPrep Magazine and Scout.com., based in Laguha Beach, said the lush' shouldn't be concerned With, recruiting as much as hiring right man as the school's nexti football coach. "What's important right nowis-the coaching legacy they're trying to restore," Wallace said.

"Doing that is immensely more important than any recruiting class theyt might bring in. "In fact, if they get the right guy as coach, it's probably worth three or four recruiting classes." Despite the long list of pro anS. college coaches who've stateci they're not interested in leaving their present employment situa- tions, Wallace firmly believes ND's diamond in the rough is out there. "It's Notre Dame," Wallace. said.

"The world will never expe- rience a time when there isn'tif fantastic coach out there who's i willing to coach at Notre Dame, manson to the White Sox. Takatsu finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to Oakland Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby. However, the middle-aged Japanese deception artist struggled through August before rebounding with an effective final month. Marte was inconsistent, with his most notable blow-up coming when he walked in the winning run at Wrigley Field to give the Cubs a three-game sweep of the White Sox in July. Hermanson's best year was 1998, when he won 14 games and posted a 3.13 ERA as a 25-year-old up-and-comer with Montreal.

He matched that victory total with St. Louis in 2001. Z2f Ihe Giants started Hermanson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 amateur draft, 18 times last season before moving him into the closer's role. "He prefers being in the bullpen right now," Williams said.

"He likes the juice of the ninth inning, in particular. But eighth innings are as important, sometimes more important than ninth-inning situations. He was our No. 1 target for the back of our bullpen." As expected, the White Sox stats SV IP 17 131.0 132 71 22 1,219.0 1233 655 BY JEFF CARROLL jcarrollnwitimes.com 219.933.3373 For now, Dustin Hermanson is viewed simply as a veteran boost to the White Sox bullpen. But he could serve an even more important role as the 2005 season progresses.

Hermanson, who will turn 32 later this month, signed a two-year, $5.5 million free agent deal with the Sox, the team announced Wednesday. The club holds a $3.5 million option for the 2007 season. General manager Kenny Williams said he foresees Hermanson, who saved 17 games for San Francisco last season, serving as a right-handed setup man for incumbent closer Shingo Takatsu. "Dustin was looking for a closer job out there, but he was also looking for a team he could win with," Williams said. "In a face-to-face meeting, we were able to talk some things through.

"He's always been a team guy and I'd heard that about him. He's very satisfied to come here as a setup guy, but also knows that if Shingo or Damaso (Marte) may not be out there for match-up reasons or whatever, he may be the guy called upon." The "or whatever" may have been the carrot that drew Her Dustin Hermanson's career W-L ERA GS 2004 6-9 4.53 47 18 Career 71-74 4.31 294 180 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Cutcliffe, Solich, BY MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS David Cutcliffe, Frank Solich and John Cooper -three out-of-work coaches have expressed interest in Indiana's vacant football coaching job. Each told The Associated Press that they missed the profession and would consider returning to the sidelines, possibly in Bloom-ington. None of the three, however, said they had been contacted by Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan. Indiana spokesman Pete Rhoda said the school does not comment on an with the club.

AP FILE PHOTO ER HR BB SO 66 15 46 102 584 154 442 836 Solich was fired by Nebraska in November 2003. He has not coached since, but Solich interviewed last year for the job at Army, where Greenspan also served as athletic director. He later withdrew from the search, and Greenspan eventually hired Bobby Ross. But Solich's passion for the game has not waned. He spent this year traveling the country to study college and professional teams so he could use a more balanced offense in his next job.

Speculation has also centered on two other Ohio coaches -Bowling Green's Greg Brandon and Miami's Terry oner. i r-i if and that's the reward tor that kind of heritage and tradition. The puzzle is finding the guy, targeting him and making sure he's available. "That's the $64,000 question. Who is he and how can Notre -i Dame get him to go there and 'j coach and run the program right 'A now?" i After firing Tyrone Willingham last week three years into a six- year contract Irish officials can't be frugal.

I "I hope Notre Dame takes itself out of the bargain-hunting busi- i Cooper show interest in IU job ness," Wallace said. Bobby Burton of Rivals.com thinks Notre Dame has time to make the right move but believes the process of hiring its new coach must be complete by the end of the month. 7.Z" KTf tYitru rlnn'f Vav( a mar any potential candidates that eight-member search committee named Monday is considering. Cutcliffe was fired by Mississippi on Dec. 1 the same day Greenspan fired Gerry DiNardo.

Cutcliffe coached both Peyton and Eli Manning in college. After spending one week away from the recruiting trail, Cutcliffe already wants to return. "I'm pretty eager," Cutcliffe. said Tuesday. "I love the contact with the kids and the recruiting.

I didn't know how much I'd miss it. Any time you have a chance to take over a program and make it better, it's exciting." XT rtA. I rr.i. new lcai Liay, i timiiv il guuig to become very difficult for them in terms of recruiting," Burton said. "After that time, the number, of weekends left to recruits before the siting date 3 (Feb.

2) and the time coaches are allowed to contact recruits is limit-f ed.".