Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 39

nnn pliyoffs i oi, 03 Charlie Ward, far left, scores a career playoff-high 20 points, including the final nine for New York, which evens series, 2-2. face zz. MONDAY May 15, 2000 Auto racing 2 Indy 500 3 Golf 5 Scoreboard 6 ON THI WEB www.Ireep.com 5 -1 l) U.l 1 .1 phonz 313-222-GG(iO Section TOHI IZZO: WHY HE STAYED COB KNIGHT: WILL HE STAY? It's D-day for fiery coach He's a sentimental Spartan Probe over; IU president will announce his decision Iw fcfre ew money wasn't the most important thing FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES By JEMELE HILL FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER orous." Earlier that day, Knight apologized for tantrums that led to the investigation. Brand called a news conference for 4 p.m. EDT today to announce his decision.

Knight was not expected to attend. John D. Walda, president of the nine-member board of trustees and one of the two who investigated allegations that Knight had choked a former player, looked somber as he left the meeting. "The process has been," Walda said, pausing to choose the right word, "productive, and we're just about to conclude it." One of Knight's strongest supporters among the trustees, attorney Stephen Ferguson, did not attend Sunday's 2-hour, 20-minute meeting. He said he excused himself when it came time to sign a contract with the Atlanta Hawks worth nearly $20 million, including incentives, Izzo couldn't do it.

"I don't know if I could have not gone to a football game here in the fall," Izzo said. "It's part of my life. The only thing I had to do was make a decision and accept something that would be a dream come true for a lot of people and probably for me if I didn't have this job." Izzo's decision to "be a Spartan forever" put an end to a month-long pursuit by the Hawks. Now that Izzo has turned away from his first NBA coaching offer, the 45-year-old coach better understands his place at MSU and in college basketball. "He loves "The way to this place.

stop the pain Leaving here is to get him would have to resign or been like fire him." leaving MURRAY home. sperbcr, ldpeizzo, an English on why her professor, on husband, what he hopes Tom (above), will happen to remained a Bob Knight Spartan. (above). INDIANAPOLIS The investigation of Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight is over, and a decision on whether he keeps his job will be announced today by the university president. University trustees trooped out of a meeting Sunday after hearing a report from two members and putting the decision in the hands of school president Myles Brand.

Brand met with Knight for two hours Saturday night in Bloomington in a session a school spokesman described as "very vig EAST LANSING It was the fall football games. It was his players, who loved him so much they told him to go. It was the opportunity to coach a player he has recruited since the fifth grade. And it was that crystal basketball that symbolizes how he had risen to be the very best in college basketball. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo realized these were simple, sentimental things.

But they weighed so heavily on his mind that Please see KNIGHT, Page 2E Please see MSU, Page 2E SUNDAY Detroit 2, New York 1 SATURDAY Detroit 6, New York 3 FRIDAY Detroit 9, New York 7 Give Devils their due Offense clicks vs. Flyers, 4-1 FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES ju to Dave Mlicki, left, greets Todd Jones after the reliever got the final out, giving Mlicki his first victory. PHILADELPHIA Whether they give up six shots or 36, play tight checking or more wide open, the New Jersey Devils are winning playoff games. And that has put the Philadelphia Flyers in a familiar position, having to overcome some more adversity. Petr Sykora and Bobby Holik scored in a 26-second span late in a three-goal first period, and Martin Brodeur made 35 saves as the Devils used a rare offensive outburst to beat the Flyers, 4-1, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday.

"Everybody makes us out to be such a defensive team, that we trap all over the place," Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko said. "But we've got a lot of offensive ability out there. Today was a good indication that we can play offensive if need be and you have to, to win in this league. "Look at Colorado (Saturday) night," Daneyko added. "Everybody says they're a high-flying offensive team and they played as boring as you can play against Dallas.

But they won, that's the important thing." Scott Niedermayer and Claude Lemieux also scored as the Devils won for the ninth time in 11 playoff games and grabbed the lead in the best-of-seven series. Please see DEVILS, Page 2E --x -A I playcits Conference finals at a glance: Eastern: New Jersey defeated Philadelphia, 4-1, Sunday, leads series, 1-0. Game 2 7 p.m. Tuesday at Philadelphia. Western: Colorado defeated Dallas, 2-0, Saturday, leads series, 1 -0.

Game 2 7 tonight at Dallas. Barrie blanlis Whalers, 3-0 Game 7 Tuesday at Plymouth Photos by JULIAN H. GONZALEZUetroit Free Press FREE PRESS STAFF REPORTS Tigers third baseman Dean Palmer zeroes in on a second-inning grounder. Palmer threw home to catcher Brad Ausmus, who tagged out New York's Jorge Posada. 5-hitter by MlicldJones finishes 3-game sweep Booties' performance nice present for Mothers Day By GENE GUIDI RLE PRESS SPORTS WRITER lov.t SUE BOONE remembers how her sons Bret and Aaron used to compete ferociously.

They went at each other in smaller ones. Bret, 31, plays second base for San Diego. Aaron, 27, plays third base for Cincinnati. Thursday, they renewed their competition. During that day's Padres-Reds game in Cincinnati, they combined for three homers, six hits and seven RBIs.

Sue's husband Bob, the former big-league catcher, phoned from a golf outing to ask her how the boys did. Sue gave him their combined totals, then added: "This is a nice, early Mother's Day present." BARRIE, Ontario Their coach might not come along for the ride, but the Barrie Colts earned another trip to the States. The Colts beat the Plymouth Whalers, 3-0, Sunday and forced a deciding game in the Ontario Hockey League finals. Game 7 will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Compuware Sports Arena.

Center Mike Jefferson gave Barrie a 1-0 lead in the first period, and goalie Brian Finley made it stand up until right wing Michael Ilenrich scored two in the third. Colts coach Bill Stewart hasn't been allowed across the border because he twice smuggled Ukrainian-born defenseman Vladimir Chernenko into the U.S. for regular-season games. Chernenko, who did not have the proper papers, hid in the baggage compartment on the team bus. Tuesday's winner will play for Canada's Memorial Cup, May 20-28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The OHL champion will open the round-robin portion of the tournament Saturday afternoon against host Halifax. The other league champs play Sunday: the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League. On Friday, the team with the worst record in baseball opened a three-game sot against the team with the best record in the American League. Who would've thought the Tigers would win ail three. The heroes: Todd Jones: The reliever saved each grime.

The starters: Friday, C. Nitkowski allowed two runs in 5 'A innings. Saturday, Jeff Weaver allowed three runs in innings for his first victory afiar four Sunday, Dave Mlicki allowed one run in 8 i innirvrjs and won his first aHor five losses. t' "cu-n after three wins, the Tieois at 12-23 ill have the worst recoid in baseball. "We were behind the eight ball a little," manager Phil Garner said of the Tigers' staggering start.

"This was a nice weekend for us." It's hard to know where this three-game performance came from, or where it might take the Tigers. They were 9-23 entering Friday, playing poorly against Minnesota and Kansas City. But from the first inning of this series, the Tigers were a different team. "We looked like a confident club from the beginning of that first game," Garner said. The victory was the first this season for Mlicki in six deci- If you asked Yogi Berra to describe the Yankees' lost weekend at Comerica Park, he'd probably say: "It was doja vu all over again." Just as they did last year, the Tigers completed an improbable sweep of the World Series champions Sunday behind a strong game by Dave Mlicki.

With the crowd of 31,313 on its feet chanting, "Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!" the righthander took a shutout into the ninth inning before leaving with two on and two out. After allowing an RBI single, Todd Jones got the last out to preserve the Tigers' 2-1 victory. Wiffle ball, basketball, football, boxing. "They always loved the heat of competition," Sue said. "I would hear a noise at midnight it was the two of them trying to see who could do the best back flips into the pool.

They were always egging each other on, but loving it." Sue tracks them now with a big satellite TV dish and a few The Boone vs. Boone match wasn't televised. So Sue, who lives Please see TIGERS, Tne 5E Please see LOWE, Page 5E.