The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 209

TIGER POUNCES Tiger Woods shoots an 8-under 62 to take a 5-shot lead at the NEC Invitational, IOC. OPEN FOR ACTION Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras? Venus vs. Serena? Compelling stories abound when the U.S. Open starts Monday, 3C.

INSPIRATION ON TRACK Gail Devers, below, having beaten Graves Disease, and Ludmila Engquist, suffering from cancer, go 1-3 in the 1 00 hurdles at the World Championships, 1 0C LEMON DROP KID WINS Looking like a champion, Lemon Drop Kid holds off Vision and Verse to win the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, 18C. SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 1999 www.herald.com For late scores, call 305-376-3500 in Miami-Dade; 954-764-7026, ext 3500 in Broward FLA Return from Fla. t. rolls in opener exile, Parti Noles survive slow start to beat La. Tech, 41-7 Canes take first test, vs.

Buckeyes By SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN Herald Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. On Friday, a reporter asked University of Miami football coach Butch Davis what a victory over Ohio State in todays Kickoff Classic would mean for his team. Davis paused. Wed be 1-0, he answered. Nothing more.

And if you believe "I 1 Dont kid your- self. Everyone knows this is a big game, UM receiver Andre King said. FSU will be watching us. Penn State will be watching us. Well run out of that tunnel with 2:30 P.M., TODAY, our hair on fire.

CHS. 10, 25 The Hurricanes debut what they call Inside Full Force Foot- No. 3 Penn State ball today at Giants wallops No. 4 Stadium. Arizona, 41-7, 6C.

Anything less against ninth-ranked Ohio State 11-1 and ranked No. 2 last season could be treacherous for the 12th-ranked Canes, a 4'2-point underdog. Storming back, the slogan of last years 9-3 UM team, is old news. These are the Baby Canes all grown up, ready to infiltrate Ohio States formerly impenetrable defense. The Buckeyes lost several top, players from last sea- WEINKE SETS ACC RECORD.

4D From Herald Wire Services TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Peter Warricks slithering 20-yard touchdown run late in the first half broke a 7-7 tie as top-ranked Florida State over- came a sluggish start for a 41-7 victory Saturday over Louisiana Tech. W'arrick, who also caught nine passes for 121 yards, took a handoff from quarterback Chris Weinke and ran laterally across the field reversing direction twice to elude several Bulldogs defenders before racing upfield to the end zone to give the Seminoles a 14-7 lead 39 seconds before halftime. Earlier in the same possession, Warrick ran 21 yards on a third-down reverse to keep the scoring drive alive. Weinke, making his first appearance since a four-hour operation on his spine last November, was 20-of-32 for 242 yards and threw two touchdown passes to freshman Anquan Boldin on plays covering 4 and 29 yards.

Sparked by Warricks touchdown, Florida State blew the game open in the third quarter. William McCray scored on a 1-yard run and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 49-yard field goal in addition to Boldin's second TD catch as Florida State took a 31-7 lead. Louisiana Tech tied the game 7-7 midway through the second quarter when quarterback Tim Rattay arched a 13-yard scoring pass to John Simon. Rattay, the nations leading passer a year ago, completed 28 of 48 passes for 240 yards, but suffered two interceptions. Linebacker Theon Rackley picked off Rattays PLEASE SEE FSU, 4C CHICAGO'S SAMMY SOSA AND ST.

LOUIS' MARK MCGWIRE ARE STAGING AN ENCORE TO THE HOME RUN RACE THAT REVIVED BASEBALL LAST YEAR. PLEASESEE HURRICANES, 7C Be proud, afraid of UM schedule out of parks or the homer-friendly stadiums of a new generation. Mostly, its two powerful hitters doing what no one has done before. McGwire and Sosa will tell you theyre not watching each other, that theyre team players upset by the dismal seasons. Thats one major difference from last year.

In 1998, McGwire and the Cardinals were playing out the schedule while Sosa and the Cubs were making the playoffs. Now both teams are going home when the season ends. Its not like last year, because we were in the middle of a race and Mark and I were chasipg a record that had stood for 37 years, Sosa said, referring to Roger Maris 6 1 homers in 1961. The team is not playing the way it did last year. But because the direction the team goes is not good it doesnt mean I have to go there, too.

Last year McGwire and Sosa homered 21 times on the same day. Through Aug. 14 this year when they traded three-run shots in St. Louis, Big Mac and Slammin Sammy have homered on the same day 16 times. I take care of myself.

He takes care of himself, McGwire said of Sosa, who has become a friend. I have no control over anybody else. By RICK GANO The Associated Press CHICAGO Home run history might be repeating itself. As their teams stagger to the finish of disappointing seasons, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are staging an encore to the race that revived the game last year. Homer No.

70, as distant as a faraway star not too long ago, suddenly seems possible. Can they reach that unfathomable number as McGwire did last season, when he edged out Sosa by four? Can they top the drama? Who knows? Its still the best show around. Sosa entered Friday with 53 home runs, leading McGwire by two, with five weeks and more than 30 games left. Sosa was ahead of last years pace, and McGwire was right on it. Those guys are trying to feed off each other, said Cubs hitting coach Jeff Pent-land, who helped Sosa reduce his wild swings outside of the strike zone.

I really believe that is a part of it. I think that is an incentive for both guys. When you get players to elevate their games emotionally, I think you see special things. So, here they go again. The watered-down expansion pitching might be part of the reason.

So might be the tightly wound baseballs that pop EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Miami needs to win todays Kickoff Classic more than Ohio State does. UM has suffered bloodily. It yearns to throw off the bandages with a final flourish. The Canes have a new quarterback in Kenny Kelly and need to know Kelly can give them a real shot against Penn State and Florida State down the line, not to mention West Virginia and Syracuse.

This is a schedule UM folks can be simultaneously proud and afraid of. Today the Canes have to pair up Kelly as a prime-time thrower to the excellent Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, Andre King, Mondriel Fulcher, Bubba Franks, Daryl Jones and even tailbacks Najeh Davenport and James Jackson. No team in the country has better receivers. Its a great feeling seeing Santana and some of our other guys out there with a defensive back playing him man to man, Kelly says. Yes, Kelly has to choose between baseball by and by, but he is quick to ALAN BRYD AP BIG DAY: Florida State's Peter Warrick (9) heads for a first down as Tech's Jason Olford and Brian Bradford try to stop him.

PLEASE SEE HR CHASE, 6C Marlins beat deadline, sign Beckett to $7 million deal PLEASE SEE POPE, 7C draft pick, had threatened to attend Blinn Junior College starting Monday if he didn't get a major-league deal, which guarantees the money. A week ago. Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski wasnt ready to give a major-league contract to Beckett. But he believes Beckett will be a star. From the beginning, the very key to the deal was if we offered a major- Marlins lead Mike Lowell hit a two-run single in the first inning and Luis Castillo increased his hitting streak to 17 games as the Marlins led the Astros, 3-1, in the third inning Saturday night in Houston.

For the final score, call 305-376-3500 in Miami-Dade, or 954-764-7026, ext. 3500 in Broward. By MIKE PHILLIPS Herald Sports Writer HOUSTON Josh Beckett is a major-league ballplayer. It says so right on his contract. Beckett, the second overall selection in Junes amateur baseball draft, got just what he wanted from the Marlins, who gave the 1 9-year-old Texas right-handed pitcher a big-league deal worth $7 million, ending a long negotiation process.

It hasnt sunk in yet, Beckett said. I think it will set in a little bit more tomorrow. I had trouble sleeping last night. I have been having trouble sleeping. Reports say he had been seeking a $9 million deal.

Beckett received a $3,625 million signing bonus, the second-highest ever. This years No. 1 overall selection, high school outfielder Josh Hamilton, received a record $3.65 million bonus but no major-league deal. Beckett, the Marlins highest-ever Herald's 12 SM KrconSjjA'5E3' PLEASESEE BECKETT, 14C.