Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 51

2C TIMES TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1996 FANFARE COURIER VS. SAMPRAS TODAY'S QUIZ: Who holds the record for most points in an NBA Finals game? QuUanswarlMlow i TODAY'S QUOTE: "You can drive 10 minutes and be gone from everybody." Why Adam of th JautikM Salt Uk City CAPTAIN'S CORNER A daily guide to fishing in the Tampa Bay area 12 years enough for Miami's Heller 1 SPORTS DIGEST The daytime grouper and snapper fishing slowed after the full moon, but bottom fishing gradually will pick up. Last week, just before the close of the season, snook started a feeding frenzy. They moved into the passes in large numbers. Fishing with his wife, Sandy, Vernon Bonnell caught several snook more than 28 inches at Blind Pass.

In the passes, cast your bait along the edge of the rio current, free-lining live white bait, i im niilhi i i nMfhi AP AP CAPT. TODD WOOD TODAY: French Open top seed Pete Sampras of Tampa meets No. 7 seed Jim Courier, a Dade City native, on Center Court. SERIES: Sampras leads 14-3. He leads 4-0 in finals, 7-1 in semifinals, tied 2-2 in quarterfinals, leads 1-0 in round of 32.

FRENCH OPEN: Courier leads 1-0 (6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in 1994). CLAY COURT: Courier leads 1-0. HARDCOURT: Sampras leads 10-1. GRASS COURT: Sampras leads 1-0. CARPET COURT: Sampras leads 3-1 LAST MEETING: Sampras won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at '95 Paris Indoor championships (carpet).

5 -r, grunts or pinfish. They are fun to catch but the season closed June 1, meaning it's strictly catch and release. Last week, Capt. Bob Puccinelli and I went to Tarpon Springs to sight-cast plugs to tarpon moving down the beaches. Although we saw more than 200 fish, we only hooked a few.

Early morning, before the boat traffic picks up, is the best time to fish for these great gamesters. There have been good catches of Spanish mackerel around the main ship channel just west of Egmont Key. The best method to catch mackerel is to anchor and start a chum line. To chum, take a large pair of scissors and cut your white bait into small pieces. Let the current carry the chum away from the boat.

Fish with live white bait on light spinning tackle using 10- to 15-pound test line with a short piece of 30-pound leader. Spanish mackerel have very sharp teeth, so use a long shank 20 gold hook. The long shank hook helps protect you against being cut off. Todd Wood charters the Woodcraft out of GulfporL Got a fish tale to tell? Call our Fish foni at (81389i24J TxMl mm rrj French from 1C AP WATER TEMPERATURE AND TIDES 8f0 Monday at Egmont Key, southwest of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Miami Dolphins tackle Ron Heller announced Monday his re-' tirement after 12 NFL seasons as the team signed free-agent linebacker Jack Del Rio and re-; signed quarterback Bernie Kosar.

Heller, 33, started seven games at right tackle in 1995 before going on injured reserve after arthroscopic surgery on both knees in October. He played in 171 career games with 166 starts, including 39 starts with the Dolphins from 1993-95. Heller began his career with the Bucs in 1984 and spent four seasons with the club before joining the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound Del Rio was the starting middle linebacker the past four seasons for the Minnesota Vikings. He started in nine games in 1995 and finished as fourth-leading tackier with 70 tackles, a career-high three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Kosar played in nine games with two starts for the Dolphins last season. He completed 74 of 108 passes for 699 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. MORE NFL: Tom Newberry, the Pittsburgh Steelers starting left guard last season, said he is retiring after 10 years in the league. Newberry, 33, joined the Steelers in April 1995 as an unrestricted free agent from the Los Angeles Rams. He started 15 games, missing the next-to-last week of the regular season because of a sore shoulder.

He returned to start the regular-season finale, every playoff game and the Super Bowl. Charles Haley didn't show for the first day of camp, but the Cowboys say he had an excused absence. Backup defensive lineman Darren Benson also was absent. Benson said several weeks ago he was retiring to become a roofer. Benson then said he had changed his mind.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed cornerback Dave Thomas and safety Travis Davis to new contracts. Terms were not disclosed. Bengals fullback Jeff Cothran, 24, was arrested early Sunday morning, charged with drunken and disorderly conduct outside a Cincinnati bar and subdued by police with a chemical spray. TRACK FIELD: Frankie Fred SUN AND MOON Sunrise 6:34 a.m. Sunset 8:23 p.m.

Moonrise 11:14 p.m. Moonset 9:31 a.m. SOLUNARS Minor Major 8 35 a.m. 2:25 a.m. 9:10 p.m.

2:55 p.m. MARINE WEATHER Tampa Bay area Wind east 10 knots except onshore during the afternoon. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Widely scattered showers.

Tarpon-Apalachicola Low High 9:1 1p 9:21 High 2 53p 1 45p High Low 1042a 9 06a 8 02a 612a 8 54a 8 20a 808a 8 33a 5 59a 9 09a 7 07a Withlacoochee River Cedar Key Bayport Tarpon, Anclote River St. Joseph Sound Clearwater Indian Rocks Madeira Beach Cswy Johns Pass St. Pete Beach Cswy Pass A Grille Gulfport St Petersburg Pinellas Point Egmont Key Anna Maria Bradenton Little Manatee River Gandy Bridge Courtney Campbell Hillsborough Bay Safety Harbor llbjp Wind variable 5-10 knots. Seas 1 foot. Bay and inland S.30p waters mostly smooth.

Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms. in his dotage, Muster may never find a bookend for his 1995 trophy. Muster, 28, came into the French Open brimming with the confidence that comes from having successfully defended his titles at five clay-court events this season and having juggled the No. 1 ranking with Pete Sampras. But Muster without bluster is a most beatable contender, and that is the player the 15th-seeded Stich encountered.

As predicted by his peers in the top three, Sampras and Andre Agassi, Muster was ambushed by a serve-and-volleyist who rushed him into errors. "He was definitely not on top of his game, but I didn't mind, actually," said Stich, the 1991 Wimbledon champion who reached the semis at Roland Garros that same year. The 30-year-old Edberg, for whom 1996 is a year of last stops on the circuit, made his Paris reservations long ago. And after a rousing third-round defeat of fourth-seeded Michael Chang, the 1989 French Open champion and last year's runner-up, he hoped his 13th year at Roland Garros would be his finest. But the 14th-seeded Rosset, who cut his teeth on clay and proved it by capturing the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, simply blasted Edberg off the court 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-3.

"He hits the ball so hard, I had no chance of getting out of there," said Edberg, who received a standing ovation from Rosset and the crowd after the match. "Today I felt like I didn't know what to say," Edberg said. "I think they'll understand that." Edberg's final thoughts on the French Open? "It's a tough one to win, that's for sure," he said, wistfully. peers, whom he avoids, as he is with the news media, which he shuns. "He's a bit arrogant, a bit bothering," said the 26-year-old Piol-ine.

Ivanisevic, hobbled by a blister, was a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 loser to the 56th-ranked Karbacher. "It's just bad because I knew I played good, I got my confidence back, draw was okay, it's just bad luck," said Ivanisevic, who started the year by winning four titles in seven finals, tailed off when the clay season started, then stormed through the first three rounds here without dropping a set. But the second-seeded Muster and the unseeded Edberg were the attention-getters Monday. Muster was thumped 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) by Stich, Germany's mercurial man for all courts. Stich snapped 23 aces past the Austrian, who lost for just the second time in 34 matches on clay this year, and for only the fourth time in his 103 matches on clay in 1995 and 1996.

"I just didn't put my game together as I usually do," Muster said after a decidedly bland performance. "I wasn't aggressive enough with my footwork." But Muster, whose hairline is in full retreat, insisted he wasn't about to hasten the process by tearing out his hair over this loss. "I mean, it's a disappointment now, but when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will hopefully have the same hair," he said. "Winning last year hasn't changed my life, and this is not going to change my life, either." It will, however, make it more bleak and a lot more possible that, unlike Edberg, who has six Grand Slam titles to keep him company SPORTS ON THE AIR LATEST LINE Michael Johnson cruises to an easy win in the 200 meters at a meet in France. It was his last race before the Olympics.

leader although trailing the winner by more than three minutes. The U.S. Cycling Federation selected George Hincapie and Greg Randolph as the final members of the men's Olympic road racing team with the hopes that they can help Lance Armstrong win a gold medal. COLLEGES: Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino said that as he left for a golfing vacation in Ireland on May 26, he was 99 percent certain he was going to accept a lucrative offer from the New Jersey Nets. Dave Whitney came out of retirement to return as basketball coach at Alcorn State, where he won 395 games and nine Southwestern Athletic Conference titles from 1969-89.

Football analyst Craig James will join CBS Sports this fall when the network returns to broadcasting regular-season games. ET CETERA: Mutiny midfielder Carlos Valderrama was named Major League Soccer player of the month. He had two goals and four assists as the Mutiny was 4-1 in May. Although U.S. coach Steve Sampson wanted Martin Vas-quez for the upcoming U.S.

Cup tournament, the Mutiny's defensive midfielder still hasn't obtained his citizenship papers and was not included on Sampson's roster. Forward Roy Lassiter is the lone Mutiny on the team. Terry Norris, WBC and IBF world light-middleweight champion, withdrew from Saturday's fight against WBA champ Julio Cesar Vasquez because of a virus. The bout was to unify the title. Golfer Jose Maria Olazabal pulled out of this week's Knglish Open and next week's U.S.

Open because of rheumatoid arthritis in his feet. He has not played in tournament since September. Compiled from Times wires. NATIONAL LEAGUE Favorite Line Underdog Line at Chicago -140 Philadelphia 130 at Florida -135 Montreal 125 San Francisco -120 at Cincinnati 110 at Atlanta -165 New York 155 at Houston -155 Colorado 145 at L.A. -170 Pittsburgh 160 at San Diego -140 St.

Louis 130 AMERICAN LEAGUE at Oakland -110 Kansas City 100 at Cleveland -155 Seattle 145 at Boston -120 Chicago 110 at New York -175 Toronto 165 at Baltimore -230 Detroit 210 at Milwaukee -105 Texas -105 at Minnesota -105 California -105 NHL PLAYOFFS Favorite Line Underdog Line at Colorado -200 Florida 170 Subject to changes by stations and networks. Some stations not available in all areas, Cable only. Stanley Cup 6 p.m. Panthers at Avalanche, Ch. 13; WFNS-AM 910.

Baseball 2:20 p.m. Phillies at Cubs, WGN-c. 7 p.m. White Sox at Red Sox, WGN-c. 7:05 p.m.

Expos at Marlins, WZTM-AM 820. 7:35 p.m. Mets at Braves, TBS-c, WOR-c. 7:35 p.m. Blue Jays at Yankees, WSUN-AM 620.

French Open Tennis 9 a.m. Quarterfinals, USA-c. 1 a.m. Quarterfinals (taped), USA-c. College World Series NBA FINALS Wednesday Line 9 Underdog Seattle Favorite at Chicago BOXING 3:30 p.m.

Game 9: Alabama vs. Clemson, ESPN-c. Friday Line Underdog -240 Chavez Line 190 Favorite de la Hoya ericks ran the 100 meters in 9.95 seconds assisted by a legal wind, the second-best time of the season at the St. Denis international meet in France. Michael Johnson easily won the 200 in 20.23, not near his world championship time of 19.79.

"I wanted just one more race going into the trials," Johnson said. Noureddine Morceli, the three-time 1,500 meter champion, had another easy victory, in a time of 3:32.47. CYCLING: Beating two Swiss riders at the only Swiss finish of this year's race, Ukrainian Alexandr Gontchenkov captured the 16th stage of the Tour of Italy with a solo finish in Lausanne, Switzerland. Heinz Imoboden and Felice Puttini placed second and third respectively, 20 seconds behind. Russian Pavel Tonkov retained the pink jersey as overall 7:30 p.m.

Game 10: Florida vs. Florida St.Wichita St. winner, ESPN-c; WHNZ-AM 570. Boxing QUIZ ANSWER FRENCH OPEN RESULTS 9 p.m. Vacant IBC light-heavyweight title, Hall-Gannon; Williams-Boulware (heavyweights), USA-c.

Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 61 points against the Celtics In 1962. SPORTS BIZARRE The Colorado Avalanche is the former Quebec Nordiques. The num ber of miles between Quebec City and Denver is 1,996. Hawthorn Woods, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2; Meredith Mcwatn, Midland, and Larlsa Neiland (3), Latvia, d. Conchlta Martinez, Spain, and Patricia Tarablnl (12), Argentina, 7-5, 7-5; Gigl Fernandez, Aspen, and Natasha Zverova (2), Belarus, d.

Rachel McQuillan and Louise Pleming, Australia, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). MIXED DOUBLES Third round Katrina Adams, Missouri City, Texas, and Libor Pimek, Belgium (8), d. Ai Sugiyama, Japan, and Paul KDderry, Australia, 6-4, 6-7 (64), 7-5; Krlstle Boogert, Netherlands, and Andrei CHhovskiy, Russia (7), d. Els Catent, Belgium, and Menno Oostlng, Netherlands (13), 5-7, 7-5, 6-3; Manon BoRegraf, Netherlands, and Rick Leach, Laguna Beach, Catt Ji Hetherington, Canada, and John-Laftnte Jager 16), South Africa. 6-3, 6-3.

TODAY'S FEATURED MATCHES Center Court Richard Krajicek (13), Netherlands, vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (6), Russia; Pete Sampras (1), Tampa, vs. Jim Courier (7), Miami; Amy Frazier, Rochester Hits, and Trevor Kronemann, Bradenton, vs. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Mark Philippoussis (IS), Australia; Catherine Barclay and Andrew Florent, Australia vs. Nicole Bradtke and Todd Woodbridge 1 10), Australia.

Court A Karlna Habsudova, Slovakia, vs. Arantxa Sanchez Vlca-rlo (4), Spain; Jana Novotna (10), Czech Republic, vs. Monica Seles (1), Sarasota; Steffi Graf (1), Germany, vs. Iva Matoti 5 Croatia; Conchlta Martinez (3), Spain, vs. Lindsay Davenport (9), Murrleta, Libor Pimek, Belgium, and Byron Talbot (ID, South Africa va.

Jared Palmer, Tampa, and Jonathan Stark, Seattle. AT PARIS MONDAY'S RESULTS MEN Singles, fourth round Michael Stich (15), Germany, Thomas Muster (2), Austria, 4-o, 6-4, 4-1, 7-6(7-1); Bernd Karbacher, Germany, Goran Ivanisevic (5), Croatia, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2; Cedric PMne, France, d. Marcelo Rios (9), Chile, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; Marc Rosset (14), Switzerland, Stefan Edberg, Sweden, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-3. Doubles, third round Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia, and Daniel Vacek, Ciech Republic (7), d. Luis Lobo, Argentina, and Javier Sanchei, Spain 10), 7-6 (10-1), 7-5; Donald Johnson, Chapel Hi, N.C, and Francisco Montana, Miami, d.

Lan Bale, South Africa, and Stephen Noteboom, Netherlands, 6-4, 7-6 S), Jonas Bjorkman and Nicklas Kutti, Sweden (9), d. Sebastien Lareau, Canada, and Alex O'Brien, AmariHo, Texas (8), 6-3, 44, 6-3, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, Australia 1 d. Mark Philippoussis and Patrick Rafter, Australia (15), 6-4, 7-6(11-9). WOMEN Singles, fourth round Conchlta Martlnei (3), Spain, d. Amanda Coetzer (14), South Africa, 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles, third round Katrine Adams, Missouri City, Texas, and Mariaan de Swardt, South Africa (9), d. Lisa Raymond, Wayne, and Rennae Stubbs, Australia (7), 6-3, 7-5; Alexandra Fusal, France, and Mercedes Pal, Argentina, d. Julie Halard-Decugis and Nathalie Tauilat, France 18), 6-3, 3-6, 8-6; Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Helena Sukova, Czech Republic (6), d. Elizabeth SmyHe, Australia, and Linda Wild, Marcum remembers 15 comes before 16 f. JOHN C.

COTEY STORM (Soil umner I ttatet Ate Sock! ANOTHER RING: Director of player personnel and assistant coach Dave Whinham recently was engaged to Jennifer Myron. Whinham, who coaches the Storm's linebackers and running backs, plans on getting married Sept. 22. NEXT UP: The Florida Bobcats, coming off a 51-40 win over Charlotte last week, visit the Storm at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Bobcats (2-4, third in the Southern Division behind Orlando and Tampa Bay) are led by quarterback Fred McNair, younger brother of Houston Oilers quarterback Steve McNair. Fred McNair is the league's ninth-rated passer with 1,271 yards and 22 touchdowns. His favorite target is Bernard Edwards, an all-league selection last season, who has seven touchdown catches. Former Storm players Jake Kelchner and Travis Pearson are on the Bobcats roster. Chris Conlin, who played for the Storm last year, is an assistant coach.

RECORD RATINGS: The season premiere between Tampa Bay and Orlando on ESPN2 was watched by more people than any other Arena Football telecast in the three years the network has been televising league games. The 63-42 Storm win was watched in 90,160 homes nearly triple the audience of last year's first Arena Football telecast in prime time on ESPN2 which was watched in 34,000 homes. The game also more than doubled last year's average ESPN2 audience for Arena Football. John C. Cotey can reached at cotey tptimaa.com The Tampa Bay Storm took a step closer to Sweet 16 Saturday when it beat San Jose for its 14th straight victory, two away from the league record.

But you won't get Storm coach Tim Marcum to say a peep about it. "You want to know what matters to me?" Marcum said. "No. 15. I think you have to get 15 before you can get 16." While Marcum refuses to look past the Florida Bobcats, it's easy to do considering the Storm is 5-0 against the former Miami Hooters, and the average margin of victory is 20 points.

And, this week's game is at home. If the Storm wins, it can tie the record against the last team that beat it the Anaheim Piranhas. Since the former Las Vegas Sting handed the Storm a 38-37 loss June 24 at the ThunderDome, Tampa Bay has not lost. Still, Marcum could not care less. He was the Detroit coach when that team set the league record in 1993.

But the season ended in a 51-31 loss to the Storm in the ArenaBowl. "Here's what happened we won 16 games, and it was an unsuccessful season," Marcum said. "We were 13-2 and lost the ArenaBowl. What's going to be a successful season for this team? A championship? Anything less would be (a failure)." Three current Storm members were on that Detroit team: Willie Wyatt, George LaFr-ance and Wayne Williams. TWO TO 00: Jay Gruden's record-setting season continued when he found LaFrance for a 38-yard touchdown, giving him the career passing yardage mark.

Gruden, who set the completion record earlier this season, is 46 passing $35 00 $5 Off Present this coupon to receive $5 off our regular golf rates on Sunday thru Thursday after 11 a.m. Now Accepting Charity Coupons! ($25.00 after 11 a.m.) Let Us Help! attempts short of a third career mark and 15 touchdown passes away from a fourth. INJURIES: Lineman Lamar Rogers sustained a first-degree separated shoulder and defensive back Corris Ervin pulled a hamstring on Saturday. Neither played in the second half and both are questionable for this week's game. Ervin's absence may give Marcum a chance to look at Antoine Workman, who was signed two weeks ago but hasn't played.

Workman played at Illinois State with linebackerfullback Tony Jones and most recently with Shreveport in the Canadian Football League. HALF EMPTY: The Storm's six-point first half was the fewest points it has scored in any half since scoring just three in a win against Miami on May 28, 1993. WEEK'S BEST: LaFrance was named the Player of the Week. LaFrance caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns and added another 129 yards in returns, including a 37-yarder to open the second half. St.

Louis' Bernard Hall, who rushed for 86 yards, was named the top Ironman. I COUNTRY I 1501 Indian Rocks Road I Belleair, FL 34616 (813) 581-5498 Not valtd with any other specials. Tee time ire accepted four dars in advance I I INTERNATIONAL VASCULAR CLINIC MtH vdiiu inru aeps. ju, lyytj..