Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 19

i ports Kingsport Times-News Friday December 20 199 Red hot Digest Morton sparks No 25 Louisville in 90-76 victory 'Canes suspend Patton CORAL GABLES Fla Miami Hurricanes running back Martin Patton was suspended Thursday following his arrest on charges of credit-card fraud and miss the Orange Bowl game against Nebraska Martin Patton has violated team rules for the second time this season he is suspended coach Dennis Erickson said in a statement Erickson ruled Patton out of the New night game Associated Press Susan Cornell established a school record in the 500 freestyle leadingthe Lady Indians to a 100-76 win over Tennessee High Walsh: Thanks but no thanks SANTA CLARA Calif Bill Walsh said-Thursday he was flattered by an invitation to rejoin the San Francisco 49ers organization but has no plans to do so happy doing what said Walsh now a network broadcaster under contract to NBC and I expect to be Walsh coached the 49ers from 1979-1988 stepping aside in January 1989 after leading the 49ers to their third Super Bowl victory in his 10-year tenure B-B sweeps dual meet Price Cornell set school records for Indians LOUISVILLE Ky Sophomore Dwayne Morton scored 12 of his 33 points in the final 5:08 to spark No 25 Louisville to a 90-76 victory Thursday night over intrastate rival Morehead State Morehead State (4-4) rallied from a 58-44 deficit with 14:49 left in the game to 74-69 when Brett Roberts hit a 12-footer at 6:06 Morton sank two free throws a minute later and after Roberts had a shot blocked in the lane Kip Stone made one foul shot to increase the Louisville (5-0) advantage to 77-69 with 4:39 left Roberts countered with a 3-pointer from the right of the key but Morton came back with a three-point play on a spinning drive for an 80-72 margin with 3:57 to go Roberts and Reese Turner each made one of two free throws to slice the lead to 80-74 Morton again came to the rescue hitting two free throws and a 15-footer as lead climbed to 84-74 at 1 55 Turner sank two free throws 21 seconds lat- style and won the 200 free by almost 22 seconds By PAT KENNEY Times-News Sports Writer The D-B boys won 98-76 as Michael Price broke his own school record in the 500 meter freestyle and the boys 200 freestyle relay team set second school record in a week For the Vikings last Big 10 Conference swimmer of the year Clif Buckles won two events and the Lady Kim Whitman also was a double winner Thirteen unlucky for Wyche? CINCINNATI Cincinnati Bengals general manager Mike Brown says he has no timetable for deciding whether to keep coach Sam Wyche whose team has lost a franchise-record 13 games this season Brown has promised off-season changes but has declined to discuss them in advance Wyche has two years left on his contract under which he would be paid $1 million The Dobyns-Bennett Indians continued to show why they are the class of the Big 10 swimming conference as they upended visiting Tennessee High in a dual meet Thursday evening Susan Cornell led the girls to a 100-76 win over the Lady Vikings as she established a school record in the 500 free- Please see BULLDOGS page 3C Please see INDIANS page 4C Tiger tapes to air on Johnson shoring up inside game Young to return to lineup SANTA CLARA Calif Quarterback Steve Bono hobbled by a left knee sprain today was declared out of the San Francisco final- regular-season game Monday night against Chicago Steve Young who finished last game against Kansas City for the injured Bono was expected to start Associated Press Rahal unveils new team INDIANAPOLIS Bobby Rahal said Thursday his new status as the owner of an Indy car is as exciting as winning the Indianapolis 500 The 38-year-old driver from Dublin Ohio said at a news conference that drive a car sponsored by Miller Brewing Co in the 1992 Indy Car season Rahal and partner Carl Hogan will be co-owners of the Miller car KNOXVILLE Alonzo Johnson had much playing time in the early season but look for the 7-foot budding star to get more and more minutes as the season wears on Slowly but surely the phe-nom freshman from Alabama is coming into his own Johnson played just briefly against Memphis State in upset but long enough to block two shots and spark a TjZr Tennessee run And he did it 1 again Wednesday night block-I mhh ing three shots and sparking another rally Johnson is not scoring many points yet but his presence in the middle is making a difference for Tennessee which rides a three-game winning streak into game at Virginia Commonwealth which will be televised throughout Skater Thomas to retire INDIANAPOLIS Debi Thomas the bronze medal winner at the 1988 Olympics said she will retire from skating at the end of her current tour to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor the end of my professional skating Hopefully in the fall be starting medical said Thomas who is with Stars on Ice Thomas 24 juggled school and skating while preparing for the 1988 Olympics Times-News photo Ron Bliss Although just a freshman Alonzo Johnson is quietly becoming a force inside the paint for Tennessee Please see JOHNSON page 4C Dues paid BIRMINGHAM Ala An attorney for Eric Ramsey said the former Auburn football tape recordings of conversations with coach Pat Dye will be aired for the first time Sunday night on will hear audio from a booster assistant coaches and coach Pat attorney Donald Watkins told members of the Birmingham chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Thursday Ramsey recorded dozens of conversations while playing football at Auburn and majoring in criminal justice He previously released taped conversations with a booster and assistant coaches that indicated he received illegal' payments while on the team But Watkins and Ramsey had refused to air the Dye tapes until now However The Montgomery Advertiser which first reported allegations in September and disclosed he had tapes to back up his claims said in a Nov 15 story that the tape of Dye its reporter heard includes Ramsey asking the Auburn coach about getting a bank loan The Advertiser said the tape it heard also includes Ramsey telling Dye that an assistant coach had been Ramsey However the newspaper said Ramsey did not specify what kind of help he had gotten and that parts of the tape were vague in meaning and barely audible get anything real clear in his Ramsey told The Advertiser Watkins responded to the November report by saying the account left out key He said those words come after comment that an assistant coach had been helping him and that Ramsey on to explain what talking Watkins however declined to disclose the nine words CBS spokesman Ray Brunett said the television program will broadcast part of one conversation involving Dye Brunett said had the Dye tapes reviewed by an expert who backed up claim that they had not been edited or altered has not paid one dime for this Watkins said Lewis among Owens' finalists NEW YORK Carl Lewis and Mike Powell and the Sergei Bubka are the finalists for the 1992 Jesse Owens International Trophy Award The award to be presented Feb 4 goes to the outstanding amateur athlete Lewis set the world record of 986 seconds in the 100-meter dash produced the best long jump series in history and anchored the US team that broke the world record in the 400-meter relay this year Houston lifts suspensions Associated Press Card show set at Holiday Inn A Christmas Baseball Card Show will be held Sunday Dec 22 from 9 am until 5 pm at the Holiday Inn in Kingsport Tables are $20 each and admission is $1 For more information call 239-5319 Southeastern Conference Tournament games to earn a spot on the alltournament team He is the best inside scoring threat Rivers Groves their suspension and KNOXVILLE Tennessee coach Wade Houston said Thursday he has lifted the suspensions of Carlus Groves and Steve Rivers Houston suspended Groves and Rivers on Nov 22 for an unspecified violation of team rules They have continued to practice with the team but have not played in any of the first seven basketball games have decided to lift the suspensions following a meeting with the two players this Houston said in a statement will travel should be ready to play Tusculum places 1 9 on team Tusculum College placed 19 players on the 1991 Mid-South Conference Football Academic Team seven with grade point averages above 36 Thirty percent of the 65 players on the Tusculum team had a GPA of 30 or better the fall and 61 percent had a 25 or better Local athletes making the team were: Alan Dotson Curtis Morrison and Terry Gardner of Greeneville Scott Wills of Mosheim and Joe Case of Dandridge Rivers a 6-5 junior guard from Charlotte NCi averaged 45 points and 31 rebounds a game last year He is considered best defensive player Tennessee plays Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond at 7:30 pm EST Saturday Groves a 6-7 junior forward from Cross Plains averaged 108 points and 44 rebounds a game last year He played his best at the end of the season averaging 17 points in four mwnw'ywrri iTVilfVtVUiMW1 fr-lni-iflftyitr-i-ffii mi iV" mlWit it -ft-11) atfttiMlrtnfflUnlllf ift riiT i llVTH- rH-f mu Track officials racing ahead with improvements From staff reports Not only have hundreds of car parking spaces been added to the campground but a comprehensive maintenance facility which will streamline the efforts of the maintenance staff has also been constructed 6 As we continue to grow I will continue to look at expanding Bristol Raceway in an effort to make it more enjoyable for both the race fan and driver Larry Carrier owner Bristol International Raceway enjoyable for both the race fan and The 1992 schedule of NASCAR and Busch Grand National races at Bristol will inculde the Bud 250 on April 4 and Food City 500 on April 5 Fall events held under the lights at the 533-mile facility include the Food City 250 on Aug 28 and the Bud 500 set for Aug 29 Tickets are currently on sale for all events Fans may contact the ticket office at 615-764-1161 The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup season gets under way Feb 16 with the running of the Daytona 500 by STP Construction seems to always be going on at the track and this year has been no different Victory Lane has been completely re-worked with iron gates installed around a concrete-enhanced Circle A new area is also being installed in front of Victory Lane drivers that visit Victory Lane in 1992 will really notice this new Carrier said we have expanded this area in an attempt to make the news job a little BRISTOL A newly-paved race track new seats in Turn No 3 a comprehensive maintenance facility and a reconstructed Victory Lane were unveiled here Thursday by Bristol International Raceway owner Larry Carrier Carrier says the projects as well as new vehicle parking lots in the campground located behind the facility were constructed in an effort to keep up with the demands of the popular race track Carrier has poured nearly $2 million in improvements into BIR over the past year Said Carrier: really have just outgrown ourselves The new maintenance building will enable us to have a centrally located area where we can keep up with the day-to-day demands of facility management As we continue to grow I will continue to look at expanding Bristol Raceway in an effort to make it more more durable by the time we go racing in Carrier will be doing tire testing probably in March The track is in excellent shape and real satisfied with the been about three months since the track was paved and it is going through a curing process which will make the surface that much.