The Tyler Courier-Times from Tyler, Texas • 27

SPORTS Trail Blazers Broncos, Chiefs Collide 2 High School Basketball .4 The Great Outdoors .6 Nip Rockets See Page 5 Section 3 Sunday, January 4, 1998 1998, Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph Cno Coaches Say Nebraska, While Writers Favor Michigan Phil Hicks 1 1 NEW YORK (AP) Sharing is good, isn't The Top Twenty Five teams in The Associated Press final college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, total points based on 25 points for a first place vote through one point for a 25th place vote and previous ranking: Record Pts Fv 1.Michiaan(5V2) 12-0 1.731 1 Complete Final Polls Page.3, Sec. 3 ended their seasons perfectly. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Nebraska Tom Osborne said Saturday, a few hours after the Huskers beat Tennessee 42-17 in the Orange Bowl, his farewell game as coach. "Who knows why people vote the way they do? You hope someone doesn't vote for someone because one team hasn't won the national championship for a while or because another team's coach is retiring. "It certainly jsvery gratifying.

From our standpoint, it coulfln't have worked out any better. It's just sad we're still dealing with polls. You wish there was just one (poll) or a playoff He also said: Tm really pleased for the POLLS Page 4, Sec. 3 College football fans have plenty to argue about after voters proclaimed Michigan No. 1 in The Associated Press poll and Nebraska No.

1 in the coaches' poll on Saturday. If you like relentless defense, savvy offense and the ability to beat four Top 10 teams, no matter how close the score, your team is the Wolverines (12-0). If you go for the guys with the overpowering running game, crunching defense and softer schedule then add the sentimental factor the Cornhuskers (13-0) are your ons. But if you prefer to have the national title decided on the field, then sharing isn't so hot, since there are no plans for a college football playoff just yet The end of the 1997 season came down to this: The only two teams with perfect records The Top Twenty Five teams in the final USATodayESPN college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Record Pts Fv 1. Nebraska (32) 13-0 1,520 2 2.

Michigan (30) 12-0 1,516 1 3. Florida St. 11-1 1,414 4 4. North Carolina 11-1 1,292 5 5. UCLA 10-2 1,239 6 6.

Florida 10-2 1,209 8 7. Kansas St. 11-1 1,192 9 8. Tennessee 11-2 1,122 3 9. Washington St.

10-2 1,076 7 10. Georgia 10-2 1,007 11 2. Nebraska (18VS) 13-0 1,69812 3. Florida St. 11-1 1,599 10-2 1,455 10- 2 1,413 11- 1 1,397 4.

Florida 5. UCLA 6. North Carolina 7. Tennessee 8. Kansas St 9.

Washington St. 10. Georgia 11-2 1,320 11-1 1,302 10-2 1,259 10-2 1,121 Money Way Up For PGA CARLSBAD, Calif (AP) To say that it is the beginning of the end sounds like a prophecy of doom, yet when the Mercedes Championships starts the 1998 PGA Tour season next week, golf will take a big step toward the next century and riches undreamed of less than a decade ago. The upcoming season is the last one before a new TV contract and three new World Golf Championships push the total prize money on the PGA Tour well past the $100 million mark three times what it was in 1988. To say that this year will be the end of professional golf as we know it might be an overstatement but There's Still A Winner Left IT WAS NOT the best of years for Texas professional sports in 1997.

There were some bright spots with the Houston Rockets making the Western Conference finals and the Houston Astros winning the NL Central Division, but the disappointments were numerous. From the Oilers leaving, to the Rangers reeling and the Cowboys just not being appealing, it was a tough year for the Lone Star State. But Texans, you do have a winner perhaps the best team in its sport. That team would be the Dallas Stars, a squad that very well could win the Stanley Cup championship. Now, I know hockey is still relatively new to Texans, but the sport is really catching on.

TEXANS LOVE THEIR football, but hockey is kind of a compact version of the fall sport You have your smashing hits and tough licks, along with a few fights on the ice (I think the league encourages the fighting. The crowds certainly love it). What's not to love about hockey? Former Tylerite Lee Smith is helping win over hockey fans. Smith, who was the Tyler WildCatters' first general manager, now works for the Dallas Stars and is involved in promoting the sport as well as coming up with ideas to keep the fans interested during the two intermissions at the hockey games (It is difficult to get accustomed to three periods. Seems like you should have two halves or four "I REALLY LOVE my job," said Smith recently during the Stars' 3-3 tie with the Vancouver Canucks at Reunion Arena.

1 mifls Tyler and the people of Tyler. I love the people in Tyler ana hope they have a great year ahead." Smith liked running a minor league team, but the opportunity to work for the Dallas Stars was a dream come true. Certainly working for one of the top organizations in hockey has its advantages. Smith said the team is drawing well. The Stars are averaging 16,073 fans in the arena.

Last year, the Stars averaged 15,818. The fans are also becoming knowledgeable about the game, from the blue line to icing to hooking. For instance against the Canucks, the crowd cheered loudly when the Stars killed two Vancouver power play attempts. Although the excitement is building, Smith said the city and Texas will go nuts when the Stars make the Stanley Cup finals. She is counting on that happening STARS.

NOTES The Stars have three key games this week starting with one against one of the Eastern Conference's elite, the New Jersey Devils, Monday in East Rutherford, N.J. Dallas returns home for a date with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday and then the big game with the Detroit Red Wings Friday, Jan. 9. The Stars also welcomed the return of Mike Modano this week. He was scheduled to be out of action for six weeks after hurting his knee against Edmonton, but Modano came back two weeks early and played in Wednesday's 2-2 tie with the Los Angeles Kings.

'If AP Photo GETS FLIPPED AFTER MAKING CATCH FOR 14-YARD GAIN SATURDAY AGAINST MINNESOTA San Francisco Tight End Brent Jones (84) Seta Up Touchdown With Reception In First Quarter only slightly. Beginning in 1999, there will be more players from more different nations competing in more major championships and playing for more money than ever before. There is a very real chance that by the end of the century, the best golfer in the world whomever that might be will earn more money than a backup shortstop in baseball. And with the leaders of the major golf organizations moving quickly to capitalize on the unprecedented attention brought to the game by Tiger Woods, the game) offers the potential for staggering growth. "If we are at all successful, golf will take its place as a mass sport-somewhere in the next PGA Tour commissioner Tim.

Finchem said. Woods, in fact, sees expanding the popularity and profitability of, golf as a major part of his mission. "Fd like to dominate the Woods said. "I'd like to be able to make golf one of the core sports of America along with basketball and football." There is no more fitting place to begin the transitional season than at the La Costa Resort and Spa, since it is a key player in the changes to come. Thirty-one players who won on the PGA Tour in 1997 are eligible to play at La Costa and apparently 28 will be on hand.

Greg Norman and Scott Hoch had yet to reserve rooms, indicating they were skipping the event. Bill Glasson, who had off-season surgery, will be on hand likely to' pick up the Comeback Player of the' Year Award but will not play. It was at the Mercedes 12 PGA Page 4, Sec 3 49ers Plunder Vikings, 38-22 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Not bad for a backup. Pretty good for a couple of understudies. With a new cast of offensive heroes, the San Francisco 49ers are back heal, San Francisco is still in the running for an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title.

i Green Bay eliminated the 49ers from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Kirby, starting for the injured Hearst, ran for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns. Owens and Stokes, the young receivers who have been productive in Rice's absence all year, had another good day. Owens caught a career-high nine passes for 101 yards, and Owens had four' receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown. Today, everybody played well," Kirby said.

Added Owens, "The offensive line went NFC Page 4, Sec 3 were playing without some of the primary offensive stars. "They've got a lot of big, capable receivers," Green said. "They showed a lot of range and they made a lot of big catches They're very comparable to some of other 49er teams who have won Super Bowls in the past" The victory advanced San Francisco to the NFC title game for the fifth time in the '90s, but for the first time since 1994. The 49ers, the conference's top seed, will play host, to either Tampa Bay or Green Bay, who play Sunday at Lambeau Field. Despite missing Rice, their best receiver who's out for the year with a knee injury, and Hearst, their top runner whose fractured collarbone needs more time to in the NFC championship game.

Terrell Owens and J.J. Stokes again filled in admirably for Jerry Rice, and Terry Kirby had the best game of his career in place of Garrison Hearst as the 49ers rolled to a 38-22 victory Saturday in the divisional playoffs. "We put it all together, offensively and defensively," said the 49ers' first-year coach, Steve Mariucci. Minnesota coach Dennis Green said it didn't make any difference that the 49ers Lions Run Over Arlington Lamar By CEDRIC GOLDEN Staff Writer The John Tyler Lions made a rare appearance on their home court Saturday and ran away to a 72-42 win over Arlington Lamar before 200 fans at the Steel Curtain Shuts Down Bledsoe, Pats To Win 7-6 PITTSBURGH (AP) -The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't need a miracle to beat the New England Lions Den. The Lions, fresh off a third-place finish at the Waco M.T.

Rice Tournament, got a game-high 14 points from senior post Steve Dorsey in the win. The Lions, playing only their second home game in 21 contests this season, improved their record to 16-5, while the Vikings saw their record slip to 6-11. JT returns to action Monday when it plays at Waco University. The junior varsity contest will start at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity game scheduled for 7 p.m. After taking an 18-point lead at the half, JT got an inside bucket from Eric Miller, then senior point guard Kendell Garland fed Dorsey with an alley-oop which the JT senior rammed through the hoop for two of his six third-quarter points.

The Lions continued to excite their fans in the final three minutes of the quarter when senior Mack Callier threw down a follow-up jam to give the Lions a 53-21 cushion. "We played well tonight," said JT head coach Carl Love. "Tonight, we were hitting our shots. This team is very fragile in terms of depth. If one of our top five players is having a bad hair day, we could struggle.

We can't afford to lose anybody." JT opened things up in the second quarter via the long distance route. The Lions hit 3-of-7 shots from behind the arc in a quarter which saw them out-score the outmanned Vikings 22-10. Callier stripped Lamar post Chris Reneau and then scored on a transition bucket to give JT a 19-8 advantage in the early, moments of the quarter. i Reneau, a 6-5 post, led the Vikings with 12 points and seven rebounds. Hollis was one of several offensive catalysts for the Lions in the first half, as he scored eight points in the" second quarter.

After missing on his first three JT Page 4, Sec. 3 New England, the defending AFC champions, played the Steelers tougher in Pittsburgh than any AFC opponent all season, shutting them out after Stewart's 40-yard touchdown, run in the first quarter. The Patriots kept it a one-point game with a fourth-quarter goal-' line stand. They also limited Bettis to 67 yards on 25 carries, his lowest output since a 63-yard effort in a season-opening 37-7 loss to Dallas, and outgained Pittsburgh 280-279. "Fm in shock.

I can't believe we lost that game," cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock said. "It was an unbelievable performance on the defensive side of the ball." But with star runner Curtis Martin out with a groin injury, tight end Ben Coates (thumb) limited to a few plays and receiver Terry Glenn (shoulder) out by the fourth quarter, Bledsoe almost had to win it by himself That might be asking too much of John El way, much less a quarterback with only five postseason touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. "We knew coming in we had to throw it to win, and unfortunately we didn't throw it well enough," said Bledsoe, who was 23-of-44 for 264 yards. "When you only score six points, it's hard to win. We put our defense in a terrible position.

We didn't hold up our end of the bargain." Last month, it was a Bledsoe-thrown interception on a seemingly safe screen pass that AFC Page 4, Sec. 3 bteel Curtain-like defense if 1 1 i and a dash of Slash. I In a game of field position, the Steelers had the biggest edge of all the home field, which they gained with an improbable win at New England three weeks ago after a miraculous interception. The Steelers rode the momentum generated by their towel-twirling fans, the AFC's best defense and sprinter-quick quarterback Kordell Stewart to eliminate the Patriots 7-6 Saturday in a defensive struggle more suited for the leather-helmet days of the 1930s than the high-tech 1990s. "Maybe it was ugly, maybe it was boring to watch.

It wasn't our best game, but I don't think we've played that yet, linebacker Levon Kirkland said after the Steelers forced Drew Bledsoe into throwing two interceptions and fumbling twice. "And what better week to play it than next week?" I The Steelers will meet Denver or Kansas City in their third AFC championship game appearance in four years on Jan. 11. They will play in Pittsburgh if Denver wins Sunday, or in Kansas City if the Chiefs win. Pittsburgh beat Denver 35-24 Dec.

7 in Pittsburgh, but squandered a 10-0 lead in losing at Kansas City 13-10 on Nov. 3. ft I (. J- tl AP Photo STRIPS BALL FROM PATS QB DREW BLEDSOE Pittsburgh's Mike Vrabel (96) Forces Late Turnover 1.