The Herald-News from Passaic, New Jersey • 35

Wednesday, March 29, 2000 03 He jaw News Curtailing Celebrations On NFL's Agenda Unorthodox Schedule Might Explain MLS' Surprising Results A JaBaaaaMaaiji t-TSLjL. jfcfc. NFL Meeting By IVES GALARCEP Herald News If you scratched your head as the scores of MLS week two came over, you were not alone. Three-time MLS champion D.C. United was demolished 4-0 by Los Angeles; Central Division favorite Chicago suffered its second straight loss, this time 4-3 to perennial doormat Kansas City, and the re -vamped MetroStars were dismantled 3-1 by a Miami squad projected by many to be one The Associated Press PALM BEACH, Fla.

The NFLs competition committee will recommend a ban of planned on-field celebrations by more than one player. After viewing tapes of NFL games, then seeing many of the elaborate celebrations on another film of high school games, the committee unanimously voted Tuesday to suggest a series of fines, but not yardage penalties. The 31 owners will vote on the recommendation Wednesday, when they also will consider whether to retain instant replay. "Two or more players performing an act they created is not in line with the game," said Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green, a co-chairman of the competition committee. "Hard feelings can kick into place and can cause retaliation or fisticuffs on the field.

"We think the best way to get it under control is fines." The proposed rule would not affect taunting, which results in a 15-yard penalty and, often, fines. Such celebrations as the Packers' Lambeau Leap or the Rams' Bob and Weave will be allowed, provided only one player is doing it. "This gets to the 10 guys who make a circle to do something," Green said. "That is out. "There is nothing wrong with enthusiasm.

But it's more than it used to be. There's more publicity and the chance to be on the evening news, and maybe a guy makes the Pro Bowl if what he does is showing over and over every half hour." Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Rich McKay, the other co-chairman of the committee, stressed that the NFL is not looking to become the "no fun league." It simply is trying to keep the celebrations under control and eliminate the choreographed programs that would make ice dancers proud. "On the high school tape, the acts were direct copies of our acts," McKay explained. "It showed as a league you have some obligations." As for instant replay, the committee voted 6-1 to recommend keeping the system that was installed last year after a seven-year absence. Cincinnati owner Mike Brown dissented.

Soccer Notebook Ives Galarcep i and midfielders Ben Olsen and Richie Williams spent significant time in the preseason with the U.S. National Team. Meanwhile, mid-field ace Marco Etcheverry didn't start against L.A. due to injury and came on as a late substitute only to be red-carded after seven minutes of action. "We know this isn't a league where we can win by just walking on the field," said Agoos.

"We need him (Etcheverry) in the lineup to be effective but we're still capable of winning games." A prime example of a team that struggled out of the gate last season but reached the MLS Cup is last season's Galaxy. A. collected just one regulation victory in its first nine matches before the arrivals of Roy Myers and Carlos Hermosillo sparked a midseason run to the Western Conference title. Chicago will look to snap its mini-losing streak against Columbus while D.C. faces the MetroStars.

MetroStars News Lothar Matthaeus left the team to join the German National team for a friendly versus Croatia today. Matthaeus will rejoin the Metros coach Octavio Zambrano said he expects injured forward Adolfo Valencia to play about 45 minutes Saturday against D.C. United. Tab Ramos, on the other hand, is expected to be out until The woes of last season's MetroStars forward line continue despite their new addresses. Former Metro scoring leader Eduardo Hurtado played a full 90 minutes for New England after playing just 14 minutes in the season opener.

The much-maligned striker created several scoring chances but couldn't convert any. Colombian forward Henry Zambrano hasn't found the net in two games with Colorado. Around MLS D.C. United midfielder Bobby Convey made his debut for D.C. United last week, making him the youngest player to ever play in MLS.

Chicago's DeMarcus Beasley Heiraichs Picks 30 for Women's Olympic Camp Norm SutartaHeraid News D.C. Unlted's Marco Etcheverry didn't start In the team's opener due to In-Jury. D.C. is one of several teams still working out the kinks. I ui me leagues weakest teams, ffl Why so many naaaaaHHH shocking results this early in the season? One cause may have been the schedule quirk that left four MLS teams opening their seasons a week after the rest of the pack.

Of the four teams that opened last weekend, three lost with only Kansas City managing a win (4-3 over Chicago.) "I'm sure that (starting all 12 teams together) would have been our preference if it were possible," MLS Vice President Ivan Gazidis said. "From a competitive standpoint that's the more reasonable situation." While some teams were playing catch up, Chicago continued its stumble out of the blocks. The Fire has been struggling without All-Star goalkeeper Zach Thornton, who's out with a torn calf muscle, and was also without midfielders Peter Nowak and Chris Armas for its 4-3 loss to the Wizards. D.C. is another example of a team still working out the kinks.

Despite winning the preseason MLS tournament, D.C. did so with a team that looked little like their usual squad. Defenders Jeff Agoos, Carlos Llamosa and Eddie Pope, The Associated Press CHICAGO Fifteen players who won the Women's World Cup last year were among 30 picked Tuesday for the Olympic training camp by April Heinrichs, the new coach of the U.S. women's soccer team. Twenty-six of the players will join the camp April 3, five days before an exhibition game against Iceland at Charlotte, N.C.

The Americans will take a week off after the game, then start training at San Diego on April 17. Heinrichs must cut her roster to 18 for the Sydney Games in Four players will miss the Iceland game: Aleisha Cramer, Veronica Zepeda and Sara Randolph, who are all 17, and Michelle Akers, who has a dislocated shoulder and may need surgery. Manchester United Profits MANCHESTER, England -Manchester United, the world's richest soccer team, said Tuesday it had pretax profits of $19.5 million in the past six months despite a big increase in players' salaries. The profits for the six-month period ending Jan. 31 represent an increase of nearly 10 percent from $17.8 million a year earlier.

finish out the current season with Newcastle before joining Real Madrid in the fall. Solano's departure comes in the same month that fellow Peruvian Ysrael Zuniga signed with Coventry City. The 23-year old forward made his debut on March 5th and scored his first goal four matches later, in a 4-0 win over Bradford it a sign of the Apocalypse or just business as usual. Recent reports have English clubs offering upwards of $2.5 million for a 15-year old phenom. Liverpool leads a pack of Premiership powers interested in signing teenage forward Chemo Samba, who is currently playing for held the record for a week.

The 17-year old striker played for the Fire in last week's 4-2 loss to Ten games into the season, MLS attendance is averaging 14,447. The high attendance was 24,831 for L.A.'s 2-1 win over Colorado while the low was 7,540 for K.C.'s 4-3 win over Chicago. Around the World After falling out of favor with Newcastle coach Bobby Robson, Peruvian star midfielder Nolberto Solano was finally given his walking papers. The first Peruvian to ever play in the Premier League, Solano was sold to Real Madrid for a $7.8 million this weekend. He'll Father: Venus Might Retire Atletico Offers Staduim Site as Tax Collateral Yugoslavia beats China 1-0 BELGRADE, Yugoslavia daughter to take at least the rest of this year off.

She has been sidelined since November, citing tendinitis in both wrists. "She has been playing a long time now, and she needs time off to rest," Richard Williams said. "She needs to get more education. "She has enough money now for sure. She has some unbelievable investments paying off very well.

She's in a great position right now." The Associated Press KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. For Venus Williams, 19 could be retirement age. Williams, who has yet to play a match this year, might give up tennis to focus on her education and investments, her father said Tuesday. "She's considering that very seriously," Richard Williams said. "On a scale of 10, I'd say she's a 7 or a Vh (to retire)." Williams said he advised his Northern Ireland Wins 3-0 VALLETTA, Malta Northern Ireland hit three first half goals to romp to a 3-0 victory over Malta in an exhibition game on Tuesday.

Michael Hughes fired in a penalty in the 12th minute, James Quinn added another three minutes later and David Healy fired the third just before half time. ernment that gives Atletico until June 20 to come up with 810 million pesetas (dlrs 4.7 millioneuros 4.9 million) in taxes that had fallen due in January, Spanish news agencies said. Rubi was named in December by a Spanish judge probing allegations of tax evasion and other irregularities by team president and owner Jesus Gil. The Associated Press MADRID, Spain Stripped of its boss and flirting with demotion, Atletico de Madrid suffered more humiliation on Tuesday as the team's court-appointed administrator offered the land under its stadium as collateral to stave off tax authorities. The administrator, Luis Manuel Rubi, reached a deal with the gov Yugoslavia, in its Euro 2000 warmup, edged China 1-0 Tuesday on a goal by Predrag Mijatovic.

Mijatovic, of Fiorentina in Italy, scored on a header in the 8th minute after a perfect cross by Sinisa Mihajlovic, a free-kick specialist of Lazio Roma. Rutgers Steaming About Plane Trip day. "I think in the spirit of everything this team has gone through over the years, it probably makes us angry," coach C. Vivian Stringer said after arriving at Newark International Airport with her staff around 4 p.m. "I know it does! That's good because we're getting stronger.

"We'll be able to overcome which books travel for teams in its tournament. Rutgers, which will face Tennessee in the first national semifinal on Friday night in Philadelphia, is not expected to get back on campus until very late Tuesday night. Its flight from Portland has a stopover in Salt Lake City. The Knights didn't finish their 59-51 win over Georgia in Portland, Ore. until after 2 a.m.

EST Tues The Associated Press NEWARK Less than 24 hours after making the women's Final Four, Rutgers complained to the NCAA because its team was forced to take a commercial flight home from Oregon, while West Regional runner-up and top-seeded Georgia was sent home on a charter flight. U.S. Sen. Robert G. Torricelli, a Rutgers alumnus, also sent a letter of protest to the NCAA, Rutgers: Knights Don't Care Who's Favored in Game Continued from Page Dl Tasha Pointer.

"We know our vision and have basically reiterated that. We reminded each other each day of that goal as the season went on. "We are competitors. We know that our destiny will not be up to anybody else. We are survivors." And it all starts with Stringer, the 28th-year coach who is the third-winningest active Division I women's coach (621-190).

From her 12 seasons at Cheyney State, where she became a confidante and compatriot of Temple coach John Chaney through her 12 championship game to Louisiana Tech, 76-62. "In the regional final, I overheard people from the NCAA saying they couldn't believe we were going to win," Stringer said earlier this year about that first Final Four experience. "They couldn't even pronounce Cheyney. They had decided who was going to be in the first Final Four. But we had a determination, our own fire in our eyes.

"That Louisina Tech game was special. It makes you cry, because we had all sophomores out there. They were babies." Stringer then took her cult-of-winning personality to Iowa City, Iowa, in 1983. In her third season, she had the Hawkeyes making their first of nine consecutive NCAAs. seasons at Iowa, where her teams made nine NCAA Tournaments appearance and onto Rutgers, Stringer has always succeeded -sometimes through adversity and tragedy.

At Cheyney from 1971 to '83, Stringer built a national power while playing behind the biggest eight-ball. Cheyney had no recruiting budget and offered no athletic scholarships. Yet Stringer convinced parents to fill out financial-aid forms and send their daughters to her because she would take care of them and make sure they graduated. Stringer went 251-51 at Cheyney, and in 1982, she remarkably guided Cheney to the Final Four of the first Women's NCAA Tournament. Cheyney lost in the national ISSk aBfiHewaaa All-State: Louden Earns First-Team All-State Honors Again Continued from Page Dl the only senior.

Copskey averaged 26.5 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the season, and has 1,987 points in her career The forward had 22 points in leading Sterling to the Group 2 title with a triple-overtime win over Suminski and Mendham. Suminski averaged 22.5 points, six rebounds, six steals and four assists in helping Mendham reach the state finals for the fourth straight year. The guard, who had 33 points in the title game, scored 653 points this season. She has 717 in her career. While listed as a guard, Almind was equally adept working outside or inside.

She averaged 25.2 points in helping North Warren post a 24-3 record. The senior scored a game-high 34 points in the North 2, Group 1 championship victory over Butler. DePalo averaged 14.7 points and I I. 3 rebounds in helping Red Bank Catholic become only the third undefeated team to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. The center had 15 points and 17 rebounds in the 57-40 win over Toms River North in the Tournament of Champions title game.

Sears averaged 19 points and 10.2 rebounds in leading Bloom-field to a 25-3 record. The 6-foot-1 forward scored 28 points in the Bengals' loss to Toms River North in the state Group 4 title game. What made the performance even more remarkable was that she broke her right foot in warm-ups and still played after taking a protective lace-up boot off her left foot and putting it on the injured foot. Brown, Montclair's all-time leading scorer with 1,365 points, averaged 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.8 steals for a Mount ies club that finished 16-8 and reached the North 2, Group 4 quarterfinals. The 5-foot-6 guard, who, along Associated Press Kennedy's Nicola Louden move past a Kearny player.

Louden was named All-State for the second straight season. Opener: Most of Country Asleep When Mets Began Season Continued from Page D2 In fact, Sammy Sosa could hit four home runs or Mike Hampton could pitch the first no-hitter in Mets' history, and not a lot of people would know it. Not right away, anyway. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. local time at the Tokyo Dome.

That's 5:08 a.m. EST in New ing a party and, because no alcohol is allowed after 4 a.m., free hot chocolate will be served. In Chicago, the Harry Caray's restaurants will open for a breakfast buffet. At its downtown location. Caray's widow, Dutchie, will lead patrons in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Hampton faces Lieber in the opener, then Rick Reed starts for New York against Kyle Farnsworth on Thursday night. After that, with every other club still playing exhibitions, the Cubs and Mets get three days off to rest and re-adjust to the jet lag. York and 4:08 a.m. CST in Chicago and Council Bluffs. "I think it's great my mom and dad are doing that," Lieber said Tuesday before a final spring training game against Seibu.

"It's kind of wild." The Liebers plan to pull in the Fox Sports Net telecast on their satellite dish. For Mets and Cubs fans, there will plenty of places to watch the earliest opener in big league history. In New York, large-screen televisions are being set up at Penn Station so subway and rail commuters can see the game. The Official All-Star Cafe at Times Square is hold Men1'lam, uni0f Susan ARman. Voorhees, 5-9, senior Shern Brown, Witltngboro.

5-fl, senior. Lauren rutmlm, Pereytwi Lakes, -2, eenlor Monica Johnson, WikJwood. 5-3. sophomore. Kim Peto, Toms River North.

5-6, junior Tara Walker. Manst (Bayonne), 5-3, iuthot. THRO TEAM Bianca Brown, Monlclatr. 5-6, senior Shenee Clarke. Ridgefieid Park.

5-6, senior Mykeema Ford, Trenton, 5-6. sophomore. Jennifer Hitgenberg. Immacutala (SomervtHe). 5-10.

junior Kim Hughes. St Rose (Beknar), 5-7. senior Jess Olszewski. East Brunswick, 5-10, senior Ginger Quinonez Harrison. 5-9, junior with Fleischer participated in the North-South Ail-Star Classic last Saturday, is headed to Wake Forest on a full scholarship.

The Associated Press1 2000 New Jersey All State girls basketball team with player, school, height and class: TOST TEAM Desire AJmind. North Warren. 6-1 senior. Jessica Copskey, Sterling. 6-1 junior.

Jessica DePak). Red Bank Catholic, 6-0, junior Ntcote Louden, Kennedy, S-B, (untor. Tyiana Sears, Bloomfield, 6-2, junior.