Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 17

High Fives Insldo College football C2 SneedStats C5 Scoreboard C6 NFL C7 Perseverance Texas defensive back Quentin Jammer has had a rough summer. He's been In the hospital, had a cousin die in a car wreck and saw another cousin die after being hit by a car. C2 'I could put five players out there who can touch 10 feet," beams Texas coach Jim Moore in assessing his preseason top 10 women's volleyball team. C5 lAMiu LI Tuesday, August 25, 1998 if Neighbor Sports C8 Alou, Biggioand Everett all go deep for the runaway leaders By Rick Gano Associated Press CHICAGO Sammy Sosa didn't homer Monday. And the team he plays the Chicago Cubs, didn't do much of anything for three games against the Houston Astros.

Moises Alou, Craig Biggio and Carl Everett homered for the Astros as they completed a three-game sweep Monday with a 12-3 victory. "The last thing you think about coming into Wrigley Field is taking three games from these guys," said Biggio, who hit four homers in the three-game series. The Astros outscored the Cubs 33-9 to build a 10-game lead in the NLCentral. "We're in good shape," Houston Manager Larry Dierker said. "If we don't win the division now, we'd have to play really poorly or the Cubs would have to be unbeatable." Cubs first baseman Mark Grace described his team's play during the sweep as "thoroughly embarrassing." "The Silver Bullets would have kicked our butts," he said.

"This was brutal. None of us did anything for three days. "Everybody should be disappointed and embarrassed to be laughed at by the opposition for three days. We would have been dominated by a single-A team." Sosa, who homered twice Sunday, was two for four with a pair of See Astros, C7 SWINGING FOR ffi(fS The race to top 61 I Vv homers is down to vJL two hot sluggers: XU 1 j' if The Astros not only stopped Sammy 4 plate with Tony Eusabio. Sosa was 1 Riding the pine McGwire "0 53 6S loT 51 63 Sosa responds to newspaper report, says Lima's pitching wasn't groovy Fred JewellAP tagged out, and Houston romped.

Gene J. PuskarAP Sosa from hitting a homer Monday, Jose Lima: Says Sosa worked for his two home runs on Sunday. they constructed a road block at home "This is not a gift, it's about going out there and playing," Sosa said. "I've been hitting home runs all year long. It's disappointing to read that.

This is not about friendship. Nobody gives you nothing." This is baseball, it's not about friendship or relationships." Lima admitted he enjoyed watching Sosa's first homer, but pointed out that the changeup was a pitch that Sosa often struck out on in the past Of the second homer Lima said: "Leading 13-2, I'm not going to throw a slider or a By Rick Gano Associated Press CHICAGO Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was angry Monday about a published report questioning whether countryman Jose Lima grooved a pitch to him during the Houston Astros' lopsided victory the previous day. Sosa, who entered Monday's game with 51 homers, two behind Mark McGwire in the chase of Roger Maris' single-season record of 61, hit two solo homers Sunday off Lima, his friend from the Dominican Republic. Sosa's first homer came on a 3-2 changeup in the fifth and cutHouston's lead to 4-2. He connected again in the eighth on a high 1-0 fastball when the Astros were ahead 13-2.

Both homers, came with the wind blowing out "I'm kind of mad, myself," Sosa said of a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune suggesting the last home run could raise questions about whether Lima the pitch. changeup to him. If I walk him with four sliders or four changeups, they're going to boo me. "That wouldn't bother me, but I would feel bad myself. I would feel like a chicken." St.

Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, right, sits on the bench with teammate Brian Jordan. Both had the day off as the Cards played to a 5-5, rain-shortened tie with the Pittsburgh Pirates. See story, C5 I 38 Kragthorpe tries to balance offense Comeis sweep series with 77-51 triumph over Sting Projected totals for McGwire and Sosa. McGwire: McGwire sat out Monday's game, but since it was rained out with a tie score, he'll get a freebie. It'll be made up Sept 14.

On Deck Two-game series vs. Florida at St. Louis before hosting a four-game series vs. pitching-strong Atlanta. Sosa: 2-4 against Astros, held in the yard by former Texas Longhorn Shane Reynolds.

On Deck Two-game series at Cincinnati before a four-game set at home-run friendly Coors Field in Colorado. Look out! air-ground scheme can meet with some success as much as anyone can have against the second-ranked Seminoles. "No defense can defend everything," he said. Kragthorpe, who came to a year ago from Boston College to coach wide receivers, is the latest in an increasingly long line of offensive coordinators for Slocum. He replaces Steve Marshall, who left after one year for a similar post at North Carolina.

Marshall, in turn, replaced Steve Ensminger, who was fired in 1996 after a three-year stint. In promoting Kragthorpe to coordinator (he'll retain his duties as receivers coach), Slocum elevated someone with a unique backgroundqualifyinghimforthe job. Kragthorpe's father, Dave, was the architect for some of Brigham Young University's high-scoring teams as the Cougars' offensive coordinator and also served stints See C7 0 A -V I Br John Maher American-Statesman Staff HOUSTON It was MVP Cynthia Cooper's day, but she had to share the evening with Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. The so-called Big Three, with some help from gutsy point guard Kim Perrot made sure that the Houston Comets wrapped up a best-of-three semifinal series against the Charlotte Sting as early as.possible. If After a loudly cheered 77-61 win Monday, the Comets should have an edge preparing for the winner of the other WNBA semifinal, which was squared at a game apiece when the Phoenix Mercury couldn't capitalize on one last chance to beat the Cleveland Rockers and lost 67-66.

"Whoever comes out of that series is going to have their hands full," Charlotte Coach Marynell Meadors "Everybody has good players, but Houston has three great ers. I don't think anybody can By Randy Riggs American-Statesman Staff COLLEGE STATION Only a few days after, Steve Kragthorpe found himself as Texas newest offensive coordinator in February, Coach R.C. Slocum popped into his office with a question. "He asked me, 'How do you feel about opening the season against Florida Kragthorpe recalled Monday, chuckling at the memory. "Man, what a loaded question that was." As best as he can recall, Kragthorpe gulped, said something brave like "Sure" and continued about his business as the Aggies' third offensive coordinator in as many years.

The boyish-looking Kragthorpe, 33, will draw as his first assignment the task of moving the ball against a Florida State defense that ranked first nationally against the run last season and third overall. But Kragthorpe believes his philosophy of a balanced match up with them when they're playing well Even though the game was physical and at times ragged, Houston's trio of stars had Charlotte playing catch-up all night The win was greeted matter-of-factly by the defending champions. "It won't mean anything if we don't win the championship," Swoopes said. "It's hard to celebrate," Cooper added. "Walkingoffthecourtlwas thinking let's change channels.

Let's step it up another notch." Monday, after a slow start, Cooper let loose with a barrage of shots in the second half and finished with a game-high 24 points. Nine of those came at the foul line, a result of Cooper knifing through the Sting defense. Swoopes, however, not only kept the Comets in the game early while missing only one shot in the first half, she and Thompson did most of the dirty work under the See Comets, C7 PatSullivanAP Sheryl Swoopes (22) of the Houston Comets drives past the Charlotte Sting's Tracy Reid in the first half of Houston's 77-61 playoff victory on Monday. The Comets won the series and advanced to the WNBA finals..