Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 43

SPORTS Wednesday, December 15, 2004 Austin American-Statesman statesman.com Section Fit, feisty Kite rejoins PGA Tour Tom Kite was encouraged by his 72-71 start at the U.S. Open this year. He's also noted the success enjoyed by Jay Haas, Craig Stadler and Peter Jacobsen. Teak Phillips ST. LOUIS POST-DISIWMl A newly elected member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Kite, 55, is taking a one-time exemption available to players who rank among the top 50 on the PGA Tour money list, which does not include earnings from the Champions Tour.

Kite ranks 44th on that list, with more than $10.9 million. "I just want to have some fun with it," said Kite, who won 19 events on the PGA Tour before joining the over-50 Champions early in tough conditions left him yearning for more, he said. Kite said he mentioned the possibility to PGA Tour players Brad Faxon and Jay Haas as well as sports psychologist Bob Rotella. "They said, 'Come on Kite said. The later-in-life successes of Haas, Craig Stadler and Peter Jacobsen helped motivate Kite See GOLF, D3 Austin golfer, 55, will use 1-time exemption to compete at highest level again in 2005 By Kevin Robbins AMI'lilCAN-STATIiSMAN STAFF Tom Kite plans to rejoin the PGA Tour in a month, becoming the oldest exempt player in tour history.

Tour in 2000. "I've played golf for 50 years. I've played professional golf for over 30 years. This is, in my mind, like being a rookie again," he said. The idea came to Kite after he qualified for the 2004 U.S.

Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, where he shot 72-71 in the first two days to glide easily into the weekend. He finished in a tie for 57th after a final-round 84, but the experience of contending ''ft How to deal with baseball's enigma NEW ORLEANS BOWL SOUTH. MISS. 31, N. TEXAS 10 Eagles break bowl drought Almond, Boley make Southern Miss' first postseason win in four years an easy one By Brett Martel ASSCHIATKIHTOXS By Lee Jenkins TIIKNKW YOUKTIMKS Pedro Martinez is the wild-eyed pitcher who once hit a batter in the middle of a perfect game, pushed a 72-year-old coach to the ground during a brawl and left his team in the midst of the greatest comeback in playoff history.

But he is also a gentle-natured XL Dominican who climbed a mango tree in his back yard to cry when his parents fought, gave every dollar from his first signing bonus to his big brother and Nu 1 ill r' I J. rZ Pedro Martinez Michael Boley was supposed to blitz, but pulled up in a timely moment of recognition, poised to jump for the screen pass he suspected was coming his way. "They ran the same play earlier in the game and threw it right by me," the Southern Mississippi linebacker recalled. "I just kind of stopped, got in the throwing lane and luckily he threw it to me." Boley stretched for a two-handed grab and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, breaking open what would wind up a 31-10 Southern Miss victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl on Tuesday night. Boley, named MVP of the first bowl of the postseason, made eight tackles, including two sacks.

Dustin Almond threw for 247 yards. He had a touchdown pass and ran for another score in the opening quarter, giving Southern Miss an early lead it never relinquished in its first bowl victory in four years. "We wanted to come out and make a statement on those opening drives," Almond said. "We kind of got in a rut there in the third quarter, but Boley made a big play and brought the momentum back." Southern Miss running back Anthony Harris had 104 yards on 14 carries, and USM finished with a 403-212 advantage in total yardage. North Texas' season had been See BOWL, D3 Matt Rourke AMEKK'AN-STATKSMAN Texas' Brad Buckman, battling his way to the basket en route made his presence known this season.

The Longhorn junior is to a career-high 18 points last week against North Texas, has shooting 48.4 percent and is averaging 12.1 points per game. ii weir swu still prepares for some of his starts by tending to the flowers in his garden. The New York Mets are bracing themselves to deal with every side of this colorful and confounding superstar after he confirmed Tuesday that he has agreed to join the team. Martinez has been known to arrive late at the ballpark if he is not the starting pitcher, take extended breaks during the week of the All-Star Game to the Dominican Republic and parade around the clubhouse with Nelson de la Rosa, a friend who happens to be a dwarf. The Red Sox had a second set of rules for Martinez and the Mets have already discussed making an organizational commitment to handling him.

But it is nearly impossible to prepare for Martinez because his unpredictably is such an integral part of his game. Even in this era when athletes' personal lives are as dissected almost as thoroughly as their statistics, he remains baseball's mystery man. Martinez is 33 years old, unmarried and is believed to have two young children. He spends his winters in a house he built for his five siblings in the Dominican Republic, and tries to visit there several times during the season. He has made six-figure donations to build a high school, a church and a sports complex in the Dominican Republic.

But Martinez generally keeps his off-field existence as seer et as a scouting report, cultivating an See MARTINEZ, D3 UT's big men learning to fight for position UT-Arlington at 14-Texas When: 7 p.m. today Where: Erwin Center Records: Texas is 6-1; UTA is 4-2 Tickets: Call 471-3333 for information TV: Time Warner Channel 77 Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) By Mark Rosner AXIKliK 'AN-STATKSMAN STAKK Last season, LaMarcus Aldridge could count on receiving the basketball in scoring position without having to consider a checklist of instructions. He was 6 feet, 10 inches, a high-school All-American, not someone who needed to understand the nuances of staking out position inside. "You just threw it up high, I got it and dunked," said Aldridge, who averaged 29 points a game at Seagoville High. Now a freshman at the University of Texas, Aldridge finds his path to the basket impeded by players taller and Coach Rick Barnes said.

"The good ones fight for that real estate." Some better than others. At Texas, 6-5 sophomore P.J. Tucker is the best, Barnes said, at establishing position, presenting himself as a target, and demanding the ball from the team's guards. Jason Klotz, the 6-10 senior, also is adept at gaining position. Tucker and Klotz have the best array of shots when they receive the ball inside.

Aldridge, junior Brad Buckman and freshman Mike Williams would do well to follow the example set by Tucker and Klotz. See LONGHORNS, D5 stronger than those he faced in high school. He must earn space inside the lane. "That's prime real estate," Texas States with most bowl teams It was fitting that North Texas helped to usher in bowl season Tuesday night college football's three-week postseason that ends Jan. 4 in the Orange Bowl.

After all, the Mean Green is one of five Lone Star State teams competing in the 28 bowls, tied with Ohio for the state that produced the most bowl teams this year. 5 Texas: Texas, Tech, UTEP, North Texas 5 Ohio: Ohio State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Toledo, Miami 4 California: USC, UCLA, Cal, Fresno State 4 Alabama: Alabama, Auburn, Troy, UAB 3 Florida: Florida, Florida State, Miami jri- At Athletic, academic excellence nets UT's Wilson NCAA honor at Texas soccer star Kelly Wilson, right, graduated in 3Vi years with a degree in kinesiology. She plans to enter graduate school at UT in the spring. llNIVHiSITY OI'TKXAS I i M3iL i of the top eight student-athletes in the nation. Wilson will be recognized for the award Jan.

8 at an NCAA awards banquet in Grapevine. The criteria for the award include "academic and athletics achievements, character and leadership," according to a By Kevin Robbins AMKItK 'AN-STATKSMAN STAKK University of Texas soccer sensation Kelly Wilson was named an NCAA Today's Top VIII Award winner Tuesday, becoming the fourth Longhorn since 1973 to be honored as one news release from the UT athletics department. "It was just a great honor," said Wilson, a senior forward from Odessa. "But I definitely wouldn't have done it without my great academic staff here, as See HONOR, D3 FOOTBALL Oklahoma's Dusty Dvoracek granted NBA Clifford Robinson scores season-high 25 points as Warriors nail sputtering Mavericks. D4 BASKETBALL Ex-junior college coach indicted for paying players, academic fraud, ds INSIDE Baseball.

NHL D2 NBA D4 College basketball D5 2A all-state football team D6 Scoreboard D6 NFL Time for Bill Parcells to identify 'his guys' for next season. Meanwhile, Vikings facing another long, cold winter, 7 year of D3 El' if..