The Hanford Sentinel from Hanford, California • 8

srr rv The Hanford SentinelMonday, November 17. 1997 PAGE 8 SPORTS Division title dance Gordon barely gets job done Raiders get their revenge BERN1E WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO Oakland Raiders coach Joe Bugel gathered his players Sunday mprning and showed them a horror film. It was a videotape of the first half of the Raiders 25-10 home loss to the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 5, and Bugel noticed how quiet the room was. Besides reliving the loss, the Raiders remembered the trash talk the Chargers had dealt I know some ugly things were said, Bugel said after the Raiders gained their revenge with a 38-13 rout of the Chargers Sunday night "I think anytime you start saying something about people, youd better be able to back it up.

This is a big mans game. I think our players took offense. Did they ever. Harvey Williams, hardly used this season, scored a career-high four touchdowns and defensive tackle Russell Maryland had a huge game. When you go out like they did and beat us in Oakland and then youre bustin gums like they did, we had a lot of things that we wanted to come in and prove, Williams said.

That he did, scoring twice on 1-yard runs and catching touchdown passes of 8 and 32 yards from Jeff George, who had three scoring passes overall. Williams previous single-game high was two touchdowns, twice. "I was bumping my gums tonight, too, Williams said. Thats that. The 38 points were a season high for Oakland, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Chargers failed to score an offensive touchdown, and in losing three straight games have surrendered 113 points. At 4-7, the teams share the AFC West basement. "We went out there flat and got embarrassed, said San Diego See RAIDERS; Page 13 AP Photo Merton Hanks does his familiar "duck walk" following a fourth-quarter interception Sunday which clinched the 49ers' 27-19 victory. 49ers win NFC West ANNE M. PETERSON A Sports Writer AP Photo Jeff Gordon stands atop his car In triumph after clinching the Winston Cup Championship Sunday.

wrecked that car yesterday, that changed everything. We had to change our game plan. We made all the mistakes we could possibly make in one day and got it out of the way early and came back and didnt make any today." Ray Evemham, Gordons veteran crew chief and mentor, knew the elite Hendrick Motorsports team had dodged a bullet. "I cant stand winning championships like this, Evemham said. Just once Id like to win one racing for it on the racetrack.

I promise you one of these days well win one of these things Eamhardt-style. Evemham was referring to seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, who has locked up several of those titles well before the end of the season, Gordon beat Earnhardt in 1995, finishing 32nd at Atlanta and winning by just 34 points. Last year, he lost to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Labonte by 37. "You cant look at what we did today; its what we did all year long, said Gordon, who won 10 races for the second straight year. NFL Roundup v- games, matching the 1985 Chicago Bears as the fastest team to win a division title since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

After the game, the 49ers (10-1) staged a loud and boisterous celebration in their locker room. It was especially sweet because the win came against the Panthers, who won the division last season. 1 The fans duly noted the achievement, offering a standing ovation and cheering wildly when the scoreboard flashed 1997 NFC West Champions. One fan noted the teams winning streak with a sign that read in bold letters 10ers. It was coach (Steve) Mariuccis first year.

To do what hes done I dont know how many times thats been done before, safety Merton Hanks said. He lost one of the best players in the game in Jerry Rice, but hes kept this team together. Even the Panthers were complimentary. See 49ERS; Page 13 SAN FRANCISCO The San Francisco 49ers can tick off the reasons they shouldnt have claimed the NFC West title so quickly. In a strange way, those are the same reasons they did it.

One of the great things about this season is that a lot of people didnt give us a chance, especially after losing Jerry Rice, and with a rookie head coach, said linebacker Gary Plummer, wearing a hat exclaiming the 49ers feat. Its a credit to this team that everybody came together. The 49ers clinched the' NFC West by beating the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Sunday. It was San Franciscos 13th division title in 17 years and their sixth in the 1990s. Despite losing their opener against Tampa Bay and losing star receiver Jerry Rice to a serious knee injury in the same game the 49ers clinched in 11 Clinches Winston Cup crown with 17th-place finish MIKE HARRIS AP Motorsports Writer HAMPTON, Ga.

Nobody can fault Bobby Labontes Atlanta Motor Speedway results. His timing could be a lot better. For the second year in a row, Labonte won the season-ending NAPA 500 in dominating fashion and was almost entirely overshadowed by the driver clinching the Winston Cup championship. Last year, that was older brother Terry Labonte. On Sunday, it was 26-year-old phenom Jeff Gordon, winning his second title in three years.

MI think what he (Gordon) did was great, the younger Labonte said. "Thats quite a feat. Ive got one piece of sheet metal at my house that Im going to get him to sign. The better he does, the more its worth. For Gordon, who had led the points race much of the season, it was almost a disastrous weekend.

1 On Saturday what Gordon called "probably the most stressful day of my career he wrecked his primary car while wanning up his tires on pit road, then hobbled when he ran through his own oil on his qualifying attempt and wound up starting near the back of the 43-car field. Still, knowing all he had to do was finish 18th or better to foil pursuers Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin, the cool youngster went out Sunday and got the job done, finishing 17th and winning the title in the fourth closest 1-2 finish and the closest 1-2-3 finish in NASCAR history. Jarrett passed Martin for second place three laps from the end and wound up 14 points behind Gordon and 15 ahead of Martin. "We basically came here to race to win, Gordon explained. When I dominant at ATP HANOVER, Germany (AP) So, is Pete Sampras the best player lhat ever held a tennis racket? That could be a point of contention.

What no one is disputing is that when Sampras is on top of his game, he is unbeatable. That was the case Sunday, as Sampras trounced Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to capture his fourth ATP Tour World Championship title, "When my game clicks like that, I feel unbeatable," Sampras said. Kafelnikov wasnt refuting. "When hes hot, hes impossible to beat, the Russian said after his fifth straight loss to Sampras in straight sets. "I wanted to walk off the court after the first set because I knew it was going to get worse, Kafelnikov said.

"I felt so embarrassed, I had no chance." Before the final, a 100-member panel of current and former players, tournament directors and tennis writers voted Sampras the best player of the past 25 years. Sampras received 26 first-place votes and finished with 779 points, 25 points ahead of Bjorn Borg, who had 17 first-place votes. Borg won the French Open six times and Wimbledon five years in a row. Green Bay, Denver get the boot at final gun if -jrj running game for the second time this season. But Jake Plummer, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 388 yards, kept the Cardinals (2-9) close until Jason Sehoms interception set up Brad Daluisos clinching 34-yard field goal.

Steelers 20, Bengals 3 At Pittsburgh, Kordell Stewart threw two touchdown passes in the second half as Pittsburgh (8-3) remained tied for first in the AFC Central with Jacksonville. Jaguars 17, Oilers 9 Jacksonville kept Eddie George in check and got an efficient game from Mark Brunell as the Jaguars won their 12th straight home game. Jets 23, Bears 15 Otis Smith intercepted two passes, returning one for a 38-yard touchdown, and caused a third by tipping a pass as New York stayed atop the AFC East The Jets (7-4) survived the loss of starter Glenn Foley, who was sacked and forced out early in the second quarter with injuries to his left leg, to beat Chicago (1-10) at home. Saints 20, Seahawks 17, OT Warren Moon was intercepted on the first play of overtime and Doug Brien kicked a 38-yard field goal on the next play to give New Orleans (4-7) the victory over Seattle (6-5) at home. Falcons 27, Rams 21 At St.

Louis, Chris Chandler threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Brian Kozlowski with 6:03 to go as Atlanta (3-8) beat St Louis (2-9) for the second time in three weeks. Blanchard on the field. Blanchard, whose field goals beat San Francisco two years ago and Dallas last year, delivered. His teammates stormed onto the field in celebration. Chiefs 24, Broncos 22 Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 54-yard field goal on the games final play as Kansas City overcame John Elways late-game heroics and moved within a game of Denver (9-2) in the AFC West Just a minute earlier, Jason Elam had kicked a 34-yarder that gave Denver the lead.

It ended a 61-yard march that appeared to be the 44th come-from-behind fourth-quarter drive of Elways career his seventh against the Chiefs (8-3). Hes stuck the dagger in me a lot said Chiefs coach Marty Schot-tenheimer, who lost twice to Elway as coach of the Cleveland Browns in the AFC championship game. Lions 38, Vikings 15 Scott Mitchell, shaking off a sore leg, passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns as Detroit (5-6) snapped visiting Minnesotas six-game winning streak. Barry Sanders turned in his ninth straight 100-yard rushing game with 108 yards on 19 carries. Bucs 27, Patriots 7 Trent Dilfer threw for 209 yards and one touchdown and Mike Alstott and Errict Rhett scored on 1-yard runs for host Tampa.

The Patriots (6-5), who started the day tied for first in the AFC East, were held to 16 yards and no first downs in the fust half. NBA Roundupv- Kansas City's John Browning sacks Denver's John Elway in the second quarter of the Chiefs' 24-22 victory Sunday. AP Photo and Richie Cunninghams 42-yard field goal with four seconds left kept host Dallas (6-5) close in the NFC East Dallas drove 97 yards and tied the game at 14 with 1:55 left on Aikmans 6-yard pass to Michael Irvin and a 2-point conversion pass to Emmitt Smith. The Redskins are 6-5. Giants 19, Cardinals 10 Charles Way ran for 114 yards and Danny Kanell threw for two touchdowns to keep host New York (7-4) in first place in the NFC East The Giants throttled Arizonas Previously-winless Colts pull off day's big upset ASSOCIATED PRESS Lindy Infantes search for words was almost as difficult as the quest for his first victory of the season.

It certainly had some special meaning, Infante said after the Indianapolis Colts upset Green Bay 41-38 Sunday. I dont know how you can put things into words. We got a bunch of guys in there who have suffered through so much, Infante said. To get the first one certainly would have meant a tremendous amount to everybody. To have it come against last years world champions Im as proud as I can possibly be.

Cary Blanchard kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired, his third game-winning field goal against a Super Bowl champion in three years. The Colts (1-10) moved 72 yards in the final 5:19 after Green Bay (8-3) tied the game 38-38 on Brett Favres second touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. Paul Justin, who passed for a career-high 340 yards, completed four straight passes on the winning drive. His 27- and 28-yarders to Ken Dilger gave the Colts a first-and-goal at the Packers 1 with just under two minutes to go. Instead of trying for a touchdown.

Infante called for Justin to drop to his knee on three straight plays. Green Bay used its. final timeouts before the Colts stopped the clock at :03 and brought TUESDAY 11:00 8) CD Soccer From Germany Teams to Be Announced. Live 8084673 4:05 C5 PGA Golf Grand Slam of Golf Final Day. Live 94332215 4:30 FTTT1 NHL Hockey New York Rangers at Florida Panthers.

00 Live 246708 5:00 NBA Basketball New York Knicks at Houston Rockets. 00 In Stereo Live 618321 7:30 CD NHL Hockey Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at San Jose Sharks. Uve 260234 9:00 id ga Boxing 00 In Stereo 542012 2:00 ID ra Boxing Andrew Council vs. Bernard Hopkins. S3 In Stereo 230364 Ravens 10, Eagles 10, OT The Eagles and Ravens played 75 minutes and managed only one touchdown -apiece in a 10-10 tie, the first in the NFL since Kansas City tied Cleveland 1989.

Baltimore (4-6-1) wasted nine sacks and lost a 10-3 lead at home in the final four minutes of regulation. Philadelphia (4-6-1) had only three first downs in the first half and botched a chance to win when Chris Boniols 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired. Cowboys 17, Redskins 14 Troy Aikmans clutch passing TVSPORTS Lakers, Hawks fatten up perfect records MONDAY 12:30 Soccer From Spain Teams to Be Announced. Live 9070017 4:00 GZD College Basketball Purdue at Valparaiso. Live 2127104 4:05 CD PGA Golf Grand Slam of Golf First Day.

Live 94365543 5:00 CD WCW Nitro In Stereo Live 447901 6:00 NFL Football Buf-s falo Bills at Miami Dolphins. 00 In Stereo Live 117104 7:00 CD WCW Nitro 00 In Stereo 621036 8:57 (D WWF Raw 00 In stereo 99542475 WWF War Zona 00 In Stereo 418825 weeks ago. "We never really talk about any trade rumors, Jones said. "We just go in and work on our game and whatever happens, happens. Van Exel said, "We just want to tty to make each other look good out there.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim led Vancouver with 26 points. The Lakers werent challenged, leading by 21 points at halftime after shooting 67 percent The biggest advantage was 36 points twice in the third quarter. Hawks 89, Clippers 83 At Atlanta, Dikembe Mutombo had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Hawks increased the NBAs best record to 10-0. Steve Smith added 19 points for the Hawks, Eve shy of the league record of 15 victories to start a season. Atlanta has won its last seven games by margins of no more than six points.

Brent Barry had 21 points for the Clippers. Suns 96, Rockets 94 At Phoenix, Cliff Robinson hit a jumper from the free-throw line with three-tenths of a second left, allowing Phoenix to come back from 16 points down for its best season start since 1984. 2 Kevin Johnson had 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the 6-1 Suns. Nets 77, Cavaliers 72 At Cleveland, Sherman' Douglas scored 25 points and Kerry Kittles 23 as New Jersey beat the Cavaliers in front of 12,860 fans the smallest NBA crowd in Cleveland since 1992. SuperSonics 119, Bucks 99 At Seattle, Vin Baker scored 20 points against his former Milwaukee teammates, and Jim Mcll-vaine had 10 points and 10 rebounds in his first start of the season for the SuperSonics.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, close friends off the court, had a nearly perfect time on it against the Vancouver Grizzlies. They combined for 52 points, hitting 19 of 21 shots, as die Los Angeles Lakers routed the Grizzlies 121-95 to match their best start in franchise history at 8-0. "We shoot the basketball every day and its paying off for us, said Jones, who had 28 points. He knows my likes and dislikes and when I want the ball. I guess you could say were clicking right now.

Jones was good, but Van Exel was perfect He hit all nine of his field-goal attempts and all six of his 3-pointers. Jones and Van Exel have been the subjects of trade rumors since the season began nearly three I.