The Post-Star from Glens Falls, New York • 17

THE POST-STAR Auto Racing George Mack is the second black dnver to qualify for the Indy 500 field. PAGE C2 TIILRSDAY Ma 2 2002 I iKul Sjris SnrciarJ L4 Wildcats Co li A Cats fall short against Kansas WILDCATS TONIGHT r. found themselves in position to win in the final minutes of the contest. That was, Sanders said, until the officials took the Wildcats out of the game. gotten a foul call or a jump ball at the least.

Had House gotten the call and made the throws, it would have tied the game. Instead, the call went the Cagerz's way, and the next time up the floor, Wildcat Larry Abney was whistled for a cheap foul, Sanders said. The Cagerz made the free throws and turned a potential tied game into a four-point lead with less than a minute to play. The Wildcats never recovered. "I can see, getting the calls the way they are, why they are (9-1) at home," Sanders said.

"When the calls are going to go in your I Cagerz 105 Wildcats 98 "We just really got screwed in the second half with a lot of the'calls by the officials," Sanders said. Sanders was talking of an incident involving Fred House under the basket, where Sanders said House was fouled putting up a shot, and then was called for traveling when he should have Stuff report SALINA, Kan. The Adirondack Wildcats began their five-game, 10-day road trip through the Midwest with a 105-98 loss to the Kansas Cagerz Wednesday night at the Bicentennial Center. The win was the Cagerz's ninth at home this season "We didn't shoot well in the second half and we had IS turnovers in the second half," said Adirondack coach Mike Sanders. "We need to do a better job of protecting the ball." Despite the poor shooting and ball handling, the Wildcats still HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFFS Opponent Oklahoma Storm Site: Mark Price Arena, Enid, OWa.

Radio: WCKM Season series: First meeting. Outlook: Oklahoma is coached by NBA geat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and are 5-8 on the season, all of the wins coming at home. Storm split their home dates between Enid and Oklahoma City, which is located about 50 miles south. Ira Clark has been a force on the boards this season, his 9.7 rebounds a game rank second in tneUSBL Salem's Lee Foster, left, puts the tag -A 0 0 yr- 4 on Lake George's Brian Kandora at third base during Wednesday's Adirondack League Championship game. Lake favor at the end of a game, how can you lose?" The Wildcats, shooting 54 percent in the first half, built a 58-50 lead at the break.

The Cagerz cut the lead to 79-74 entering the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Cats, 31-21 for the final margin. The Wildcats' shooting percentage dropped to 43 percent in the second half, including making only one of seven 3-point attempts (14 percent). They finished the game at 49.3 percent. The Cagerz shot only 39.5 percent in the first half and Please see CATS. Back Page ERIN R.

C0KER-THE POST-STAR George won the game 7-4. win Parker said. BASEBALL Tom Gipson was L. George hit by a pitch, and 7 after Mookie Harrison lined out Salem tQ thirdj Mike 4 Gipson smacked an RBI double, Jay McEnaney reached on an error, and after Greg Foss was cut down on a close play at first, Spitzer lined his single to center off of Salem starter Tyler Bixler to tie the game at 3-3 after one inning. "I hadn't seen him pitch before," Spitzer said.

"But I have been in this situation before and I felt confident that I would come through. I took the first pitch, and got a fast ball to hit on the second pitch, got the bat on the ball and got lucky that it fell in." On equal terms again, Mike Gipson settled into his groove, Please see LAKE, Back Page is kicked ASSOCIATED PRESS Customs officers check the balls for the World Cup on their arrival at Narlta Airport on Friday. i "im 'I i. -1 JIM LITKE COMMENTARY Still no homosexuals in baseball officially There are still no homosexuals in baseball. j'ot officially, anyway.

A gossip column in Monday's New York Post repeated what it called "a persistent rumor around town that one Mets star who spends a lot of time with pretty models in clubs is actually-gay and has started to think about declaring his sexual orientation." If so, the unnamed star apparently is still thinking about it. Because the only Mets star who declared anything Tuesday was Mike Piazza, and he said, "I'm not gay. I'm heterosexual." For a ballplayer to admit otherwise, of course, would be committing professional suicide. Last summer, the editor in chief of 0f the nation's largest-circulation gay magazine, claimed to be having an affair with a pro baseball player "from a major-league East Coast franchise" whose life would be improved considerably if he disclosed his homosexuality "I have concluded," Brendan Lemon wrote, "that coming out would, on balance, lessen his psychic burden. Sure, he'd have to deal with the initial media avalanche and the verbal abuse of some bleacher bums, and there'd be a teammate or two who'd have an adolescent 'Oh, my God, he saw me naked in the showers' response.

Not to mention a nervous front-office executive or two. "But I'm pretty confident," the editor continued, "there'd be more support from the team than he imagines." You have to wonder what planet Lemon is on. Much as we might like to think locker rooms have changed in these enlightened times, experience tells us Thousands of major league baseball players have worked, traveled, showered and dressed together for more than a century. Over that time, exactly two acknowledged their homosexuality and both only after their playing careers were done. Glenn Burke, who played outfield for the Dodgers and Athletics, came out in 1982 and maintained for years afterward that he was blackballed from baseball.

He died from AIDS-related complications in 1995. Billy Bean shuttled between the majors and the minors for eight years, played less than two full seasons worth of games for the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres. He ended his career in 1995, came out in 1997, publicly begged for a front-office job and waited for the phone to ring. He is still waiting. In the meantime, he's opened several successful restaurants and delivered dozens of speeches on behalf of gay organizations across the country.

He dreams that someday, a star in a team sport will acknowledge being gay. But during an interview with The Associated Press last fall, Bean said media scrutiny is so much greater now that such a ballplayer would face a more daunting challenge than Jackie Robinson. "It would become a circus," he said. "I've never met the person that I think could do it." Phillies manager Larry Bowa, whose team beat the Mets 4-0 Tuesday night, concurred. "If it was me, I'd probably wait until my career was over," he said.

He did, however, offer some hope for active players. "If he hits .340," Bowa said, "it probably would be easier than if he hits .220." Since no one has volunteered for the task, the Post like Out magazine decided to hold a casting call. The excuse was some remarks made by Mets Please see LTTKE, Back Page aFriors Lake George softball crowned league champions LG baseball makes it a pair By CHRISTINE B0LIN com WARRENSBURG Lake George senior Heidi Schille was just one error away from pitching a perfect game. mmmmmm But was Schille SOFTBALL uPset wnen ner Per" feet game was tar-L. George nished? No way.

She 3 was just relieved that Fort Ann Lake Geor8e defeat-n ed Fort Ann, 3-0, for the overall Adirondack League title at Warrensburg on Wednesday. "I didn't even realize (the perfect game) was occurring until the batter got on base. Then I was like, 'Oh, Schille said. "I was fine all the way up until then. I didn't even really think about it.

I just kept going." That error Lake George's Please see WARRIORS, Back Page percent more precise and 10 percent faster than the Tricolore ball, which was used at the 1998 World Cup in France. And it is supported by England star David Beckham, who also happens to have an endorsement deal with Adidas. "With long passes the flight path is much more accurate," Beckham said in a news release accompanying the announcement of the Fevernova. Bayer says the new ball has been created "near FIFA's lower limit of circumference and upper limit of weight, because heavier and smaller balls have the most accurate trajectory." Slovenia star forward Zlatko A 7 GREG BROWNELL-THE POST-STAR Lake George's Heidi Schille releases a pitch during Wednesday's 3-0 win over Fort Ann. The win gave the Warriors the Adirondack League title.

By WARREN ALBER alberpost.star. com GLENS FALLS Dean Spitzer is clutch, and clutch is everything in life. Spitzer, the catcher on the Lake George High School baseball team, came through with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first inning, getting the Warriors all square with Salem. Lake George went on to a 7-4 victory in the Adirondack League crossover championship game Wednesday at East Field. East Division champion Salem (11-3) jumped on starting pitcher Mike Gipson for three runs on two hits in the top of the first inning helped along by Lee Foster's RBI single and an error putting the Warriors on their heels.

"But they jumped right back," Salem coach Matt Zahovic isn't so sure about the "It's light as a balloon and bounces out of control," said Zahovic, one of the breakthrough players at the 2000 European Championships. Some players on Turkey also are unhappy. "You cannot send it where you wanted to," midfielder Abdullah Ercan said. The Tricolore also had its detractors. So did the Questra ball in 1994.

Belgium's Michel Preud'homme was the standout goalie of that World Cup in the United States, but still criticized the Questra. World Cup ball criticized before first one "This one is too light," said Jacky Munaron, the team's goal-keeping coach. "A lot of players are taken by surprise and are not happy." The goalkeepers have sometimes found the swerve of the new balls unpredictable. During Belgium's 2-1 win over France last weekend, Belgian midfielder Marc Wilmots fired a long-range free kick that had goalie Ulrich Rame going to the corner before realizing the ball was headed straight for the center of the goal. He barely saved it with his feet.

Still, the company that helped develop the ball; Bayer of Germany, contends the ball is 25 By RAF CASERT AsstK-iated Press YOKOHAMA, Japan Even before the opening kickoff, the -new World Cup ball is battered and bruised. Every four years, through the wonders of technology, there's a new World Cup ball always touted as rounder, truer and better and just as often, many players are unhappy. This year the target is the Adidas Fevernova. Belgium, which had perhaps the best goalkeeper at two of the last four World Cups, knows something about ball handling and weighed in with its criticism..