Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 22

2 SATURDAY, FEB. 12, 2005 DETROIT FREE PRESS WWWJREEP.COM Lions fans yearn for yesteryear ortsToday 1950s, and I'm still one of their diehard fans. The Lions over the years have proven to be one of the most totally inept-run organizations in history, both on the field and in the front office. Bring back Alex Kar-ras and Bobby Layne. JIM SNOW, Detroit Your note was smudged.

Jim. Compiled from Free Press staff and news services. MORNING mXA.JH.I IJH I3E LINE SHE'S Overrated? "I feel Detroit is overrated they can't blow anybody out." CHARLES BARKLEY, on TNT during halftime of the Pistons' 103-81 victory over the Lakers on Thursday night. The Piston led, 51-35, at halftime. They have won six of their past seven games by an average of 17.5 points.

lh GEORGE PUSCAS LOVE LETTERS The Love Letters of a sports writer: Al Kaline once refused a raise because he said no ballplayer is worth lOOGs. How about 15 million for a gimpy outfielder? BILL BROWN, Westland Not quite right, Bill. Kaline said he WASN'T worth $100,000 a year, and then he never made less. No doubt owner Mikey Hitch longs for the good old days. New Jersey's new Meadow-lands sports complex is part of the New York Giants' proposal for a modern home for their football team.

It would replace Giants Stadium. One problem: The Giants want to sell somebody, anybody, the privilege of naming the stadium in his honor. They want only $100 million. P.J. PENTECOST, Bloom- NATION OLYMPICS Rogge: No doping arrests for athletes Italian police will have powers to raid the Olympic village during the 2006 Winter Games in Turin to investigate drug-dealing but won't take criminal action against athletes suspected of doping, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said Friday.

"We do not want imprisonment for athletes," Rogge said. "They are not a danger for society, but the drug dealers are." The IOC has expressed concern about Italy's anti-doping laws, under which athletes can face criminal charges for possession or use of performance-enhancing drugs. Fearful of possible arrests of athletes at next year's Turin Olympics, the IOC told Italian officials that the IOC and world anti-doping rules must take precedence during the games. Under those regulations, athletes face disqualification and expulsion for doping, but not criminal sanctions. Rogge said he received pledges from the Italian government that the legislation will be "adjusted in due time" for the Olympics.

Rogge spoke at the close of a two-day IOC board meeting. field If the Giants are stuck for a name, P.J., they know they can always count on us, right? What are these hockey players dreaming of when players like Che-lios and Yzerman are giving up their last good year of playing, settling for less money due to lost revenue and fan support, and finally dragging down hockey. Enlighten me. KEITH R0LST0N, Plymouth It just proves there are blockheads around every corner, Keith. What a crummy-looking team you've got there, Moochie.

What do you mean, you need more time for practice? You've just finished a long spell of 24 hours a day. You need more? JASON JAMESON, Ann Arbor Some days, some guys need more than 24 hours, Jas. That's why overtime was invented. Congratulations, Lions. I've been following them since the late WORLD BOXINC Lalla All wins with TKO At Atlanta, Laila Ali retained her WIBA super middleweight title, stopping Cassandra Geig-gar in the eighth round.

Ali punched Geiggar into the ropes before referee George Chip stopped the fight at 1:13 of the round. Ali (20-0, 17 KO) punished Geiggar (6-5, 6 KO) in the early rounds, but couldn't put her away. Leatitia Robinson (13-0, 9 KO), expected to be All's next opponent, retained her WIBA middleweight championship by knocking out Monica Nunez (9-3, 5 KO) at 36 seconds of the first round. In other bouts, Flint's Andre Dirrell (2-0, 2 KO) knocked out Walter Coles (1-3, 1 KO) at 2:16 of the first round of a scheduled four-round super middleweight bout. TENNIS Serena pulls out In Paris Top-seeded Serena Williams withdrew from the Open Gaz de France in Paris because of stomach flu.

Williams, the Australian Open champ, had complained of feeling ill after her second-round win. No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo, the 2001 Open Gaz champion and twice runner-up, beat eighth- Nathan Clark III, Cheryl Cadwell, Lisa Landrum and Robin Clark five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 2-7 p.m. Thursday at O.H.

Pye III Funeral Home, 17600 Plymouth Road in Detroit. Visitation will also be 11 a.m. Friday, followed by a noon service at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, 18700 James Couzens, in Detroit. By George Sipple Tennis: American Laura Granville advanced to the semifinals of trie Dow Coming Tennis Classic In Midland. The second-seeded Granville came back from a one-set deficit to defeat Stephanie Dubois of Canada, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Granville will next face Sybille Bammer of Austria, who defeated Italy's Adrians Sarra Zanattl, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. No, 7 seed Yoon Jeong Cho of Korea defeated Maria Fernanda Alves of Brazil, 6-0, 6-4, to advance to a semifinal Okemos senior Stephanie Kebler is the first recipient of the Miss Tennis award, which is presented by the Free Press in conjunction with the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. Kebler, the Division 2 No. 1 singles state champion, accepted the award Friday in Troy. Baseball unlikely to use allegations by Canseco Did you say bring back Russ Thomas? It doesn't seem to matter who coaches the Lions.

Even with supposedly improved talent they become a befuddled mess, They blew a 19-7 third-quarter lead against the Vikings, a 13-0 halftime lead at Green Bay, had no secondary coverage against the Colts, and the offense didn't score a second-half TD for five straight games. OZZIE HEATH, Warren And they insist they have Improved, Oz. Imagine that. (Dandies, eh? Those smart, dashing LL lapel pins are gifts to all whose sparkling thoughts appear here. Send to Love Letters, Detroit Free Press, 600 W.

Fort Detroit 48226, or via e-mail to gpuscashotmail.com). seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), and will face No. 4 Nadia Petrova of Russia in the semifinals. Dinara Safi-na of Russia made her second straight Open Gaz semifinals when Williams withdrew and will meet Tatiana Golovin of France. Mariano Puerta stunned top-seeded Carlos Moya in straight sets, putting an Argentine in the semifinals of the country's only major tournament the ATP of Buenos Aires.

Unseeded Puerta beat the former tournament champion, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3, in Buenos Aires. Moya is ranked sixth in the world. Puerta will meet compatri- ot Jose Acasuso, who beat Nicolas Almagro of Spain, 6-3, 6-4 At San Jose, No. 7 Jurgen Melzer breezed past second-seeded Andre Agassi, 6-3, 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the SAP Open. TRACK FIELD Freshman fast In 400 East Carolina freshman La Shawn Merritt ran the fastest 400 meters in the world this year, beating the reigning world champion at that distance at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.

Merritt, 18, won in 44.93 seconds. Bershawn Jackson, the 2003 U.S. indoor champion, was second. Reigning world indoor champion Alleyne Francique was fourth. against Hans Sromova of the Czech Republic.

Sromova defeated Evelyn Fault) of Austria, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The singles final Is 1 p.m. Sunday, followed by the doubles final. Softball: Michigan's games against No. 9 Tennessee and Central Florida In the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic In Las Vegas were rained out.

The games will not be made up. U-M Is scheduled to play No. 15 Baylor today at noon and Callfomla-Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. Swimming: The Calvin women's team held Its lead after the second day of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships at Hope. Calvin has 363 points, Hope Is second with 323, and Kalamazoo Is third with 248.

On the men's side, Hope leads with 328 points, followed by Kalamazoo with 284 and Olivet with 272.5. Today Is the final day of the championships. Wrestling: Freshman Ryan Frosts of Howard City pulled out a 4-2 victory, but No. 11 Michigan State lost to Purdue, 20-13, at West Lafayette, Ind. Froese beat Sean Schmaftz at 133 pounds.

The Spartans are 7-3-1 4-1 -1 In the Big Ten. Purdue Is 8-10, 2-4. years old and under 100,000 miles are covered by a three-month, power-train warranty. In addition, Campbell has an exclusive 48 -hour 250 -mile exchange policy virtually making your purchase "risk free." Finance experts will be on site during this event. Bruce Campbell Dodge Is the home of the "Guaranteed Credit Approval" so regardless of your credit history, all you need to do Is bring your current driver's license, payroll stub and proof of address.

No finance application will be refused. Trade-ins are also welcome. So, If you are In the market for a quality used car, truck or van, make sure you stop by Bruce Campbell Dodge and receive the most pleasant shopping and buying experience of your life. Sale hours will be: Mon. Thurs.

9-9; Tues, Wed. Frl. 9-8. Please direct all phone Inquires to (313)538-1500. 4 METRO STATE IFFV THE DOPESTER Focus on baseball, not money You might not believe it, my hearties, but your humble correspondent is paid to pen these pearls of wisdom.

It's not much just enough to keep him in Pabst Blue Ribbon and Velveeta cheese but, judging from his fan mail, some would begrudge Iffy his pittance at the end of the payroll just as they would begrudge Magglio Ordonez his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You've heard it said the Tigers overspent by signing the once-perennial All-Star with a bum knee, and that might be true. But the way Iffy sees it, so what? So what if some players are overpaid and others are underpaid? Iffy's not thinking about their 401k plans when they hit behind the runner or turn a double play. The bottom line is how well they fit into the lineup. Carlos Pena's salary skyrock-: eted recently to $2,575,000.

If- fy'd settle for the interest on Pena's former wage $330,000 but won't be thinking of that when the first sacker comes to I bat with the ballgame on the line. True enough, some big leaguers have shied away from the Tigers because oh, the horror they'd have to live in southeastern Michigan and play in Comerica Park, but that's their loss, not ours. Iffy'd be glad to put in a good word for Maggs with the board of directors here at the Ed Mc-Namara Senior Citizen Village, walking distance from the CoPa. So maybe out of necessity the Tigers overspent. Good for them, because no one wants a return to 2003 when our Tabbies fielded a minor league squad and lost 119 games.

Sure, those were the good old days in one sense. Iffy could amble over to the yard, lay down a fin for a ticket and sprawl out over three or four seats almost anywhere he wanted. Last year, it wasn't so easy. This year, who knows? He might actually have to sit in the $5 seats. Oh, the horror.

Once upon a time, Iffy had a young pal who was a Tabbies fan first and foremost but who also cheered for the Dodgers in their early years on the Left Coast. One season, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale held out for more taioney, and Iffy remembers the kid being heartbroken, because for him it was the first time he saw money tarnish the grand old game. The lad got over it and didn't lose his love for the game, and Iffy often thinks back to it as the first time he decided to never again worry about how much money other folks make, especially professional athletes. Iffy has a couple of young pals today, South Side Shelly and South Side Kelly, who grew up Pale Hose fans. They often were among the throng at Comiskey Park (or whatever they're calling it this month) who serenaded Ordonez's plate appearances with a chant born out of "The Wizard of "Oh-EEE-oh, Magglio." Tough luck, gals, because Iffy -f will be among the throng at Ti- gers games this year cheering: "Oh-DEE-oh, Magglio." Contact IFFY THE DOPESTER at iffyfreepress.com or attht Free Press, 600 W.

Fort, DetMt 48228. NO. 1 DAVID P. GILKEYDetroft Fra Prew neymen players as users. Canseco says in the book that he has no direct knowledge of steroid use by those players.

Of Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner who always has denied using illegal performance enhancers, Canseco writes, "I've never seen Roger Clemens do steroids, and he never told me that he did." But he then goes on for two pages about how Clemens said he used the term "B-12 shots" clubhouse code for steroids, Canseco says with respect to other players. Randy Hendricks, one of Clemens' agents, told the Daily News on Friday: "Neither Roger nor I have seen the book, but any such suggestion is absurd on its face. It's a wonder Canseco didn't name the Pope, given he named President Bush. Roger has not taken any illegal drugs or substances." Canseco says of Sosa: "I don't know Sammy Sosa personally," he writes, "so I can't say for a fact that he ever took steroids." He then adds he remembers "thinking" that Sosa's body changed more dramatically than McGwire's did before the home run summer of 1998. "No comment," Sosa agent Adam Katz said.

THE GUIDE Southern Illinois. 6K (Eg) women's i college basketball: South- em California at Arizona. 7:30 Pistons: Wash- Ington at Detroit, i Auto racing: NASCAR Nextel Cup Budwelser Shootout. 8:00 (Quail) College I basketball: Oakland University at Missouri- Kansas City. 8:00 (ESM) College I basketball: Arizona at UCLA.

9:00 (RPJ) College i basketballTDukeatMaiy- land. mWSD Col- lege hockey: Michigan i State at Alaska-Fairbanks. Radio highlights i Noon College basket- ball: Detroit Mercy at Butler, WDFN-AM (1130). 1 p.m. College basket- I ball: Wisconsin at Illinois, WTKA-AM(1050).

College basketball: i Hillsdale at Wayne Stata, FOOTBALL Hillsdale great Clark dead Nate Clark, a two-time All-America running back at Hillsdale in 1955-56, died Wednesday after a long battle with diabetes. He was 70. Clark led the nation in scoring with 144 points on 24 touchdowns in 1955. He rushed for 949 yards that season and helped the Chargers to a 9-0 record under coach Muddy Waters. Hillsdale turned down an invitation to play in the Tangerine Bowl in '55 after bowl officials said the school's four black players could not play in the game.

Clark led Hillsdale in rushing in 1953-56. He left with every major school rushing record, and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Lucille Clark, four children Major League Baseball likely will not follow up on allegations of steroid use that Jose Canseco makes in his new book. Canseco says in the book, which hit bookstores Friday and is expected to be widely available to the public Monday, that he, Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi shot steroids in the bathroom stall at the Oakland Coliseum, the New York Daily News reported. Canseco also said he introduced Texas teammates Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to steroids after being traded to the Rangers in 1992.

All of the players he mentioned have denied the allegations. "I'd be surprised if there was any significant follow-up," Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office, said Friday. "This is a terrible thing for anyone to allege. It's hard to understand why anyone would make these allegations to sell a book? I don't know what constructive purpose Jose has in mind." The book is the subject of a "60 Minutes" segment that will air Sunday. Canseco also implicates Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and several jour TV highlights 9 am (50i) European PGA: Holden New Zealand Open, third round (taped).

iotoo (Mop Auto racing: Nexte! Cup practice. Noon Curling: Karcher Juniors 2005, men's final. Noon 1SPH) College basketball: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh Noon (ESfflZ) College basketball: Ball State at Buffalo. Noon (flfC College basketball: Detroit Mercy at Butler. 1 m.

College basketball: Wisconsin at Illinois. 1:30 College basketball: Florida State at Wake Forest, 1:30 (ME LPGA Women's Work) Cup, first round. 2.t ICHCftD Worn-sn's college basketball: Georgetown at Notre basketball: George Washington. 2:00 (REH2) basketball: Murray State. 2:00 (E5J college basketball: State at 3:00 13 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, third 3:30 Colorado SMQ) racing: ARCA 00 (EDMS!) basketball: at Eastern I 4:00 IE.5PNJ basketball: at Michigan 4:00 ISPH2) basketball: monwealth at km.

4:00 (J5H) college basketball: I at Washington. 9:00 fJSPM) ADVERTlSfMENT Dealer To Sell Used Cars For $1.00 Down Richmond at College Austin Peay at Women's Oklahoma Baylor. PGA: National round. College basketball: 8t Kansas. Auto 200, Dayto- College Central Michigan Michigan.

REDFORD, Ml Without a doubt, the biggest used car sale to be held In the Metro Detroit area will be this Monday, February 14th, through Friday, February 18th, at Bruce Campbell Dodge located at 14875 Telegraph In Redford. Over 150 quality used care, trucks and vans will be offered at rock-bottom prices. According to sales manager Bill Albrecht, Campbell Dodge offers all high-quality vehicles and this sale will be no exception. In the past three years, Campbell has Instituted policies and procedures toward commitment to long-term customer satisfaction that has resulted In Increased sales and customer satisfaction levels unprecedented In the history of the company. The reason for a sale of this magnitude Is a simple rule of economy: Volume.

By selling at a smaller margin, everybody Is a winner. All vehicles less than nine WDTK-AM(1400). College basketball: Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan, WEMU-FM (89.1). 4:00 College basketball: Michigan State at Michigan, WJR-AM (760), 7:30 Pistons: Washington at Detroit, WDFN-AM (1130). 8:00 j- College hockey: Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha, WTKA-AM (1050).

Area events Women's college basketball: Wayne State vs. Hillsdale, 1 p.m., Matthael Building. 313-993-4347. Women's college basket-bait: Detroit Mercy vs. Loyola, 2 p.m., Calihan Hall.

313-993-1700. College basketball: Wayne State vs. Hillsdale, 3 p.m., Matthael Building. 313-993-4347. College hockey: Wayne State vs.

Niagara, 3:05 p.m., Compuware Arena, Plymouth. 734-453-8400. i College basketball: Eastern Michigan vs. Central Michigan, 4 p.m., Convocation Center, i Ypsllantl. 734-487-2282.

College basketball: Michigan vs. Michigan i State, 4 p.m., Crlsler Arena, Ann Arbor. 734- 764-0247. Women's college basket- i bad: Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan, 7 p.m., Convocation Center, Ypsllantl.

734-487-2282. i Hockey: Red Wings alumni I vs. Toronto, 7 p.m., Joe Louis Arena. 248-645- 6666. Basketball: Pistons vs.

Washington, 7:30 p.m., Palace. 248-377-0100. I Hockey: Motor City Me- i chanlcs vs. Muskegon, 7:30 Great Lakes Sports City, Fraser. 866- 997-7825.

I Junior hockey: Plymouth Whalers vs. Windsor, 7:30 i p.m., Compuware juiena, I Plymouth, 734-453-8400. College Michigan State College Virginia Com-i Old Oomln-i Women's Oregon Bowl skills competition. 8:00 (E8PH2) College i basketball: Crelghton at Dame. 2.00 (BEH) College.