Pasadena Star-News du lieu suivant : Pasadena, California • 22

SPORTS C4 SGVN TitsDAY, November 9, 1993 Tickets for Bi; have dealers in Vincent ay no to Met By Ron Lesko Other than Super Bowls, this Is the biggest football game I've ever had to deal with. I think this is the biggest regular-season college ticket ever.7 Scott CioUUrs Los Amides ticket distributor Jut- 1968, and No. 1 Notre Dame beat low; Piv Flight in 1943. After naming their price and getting it fur weeks, ticket agents have seen a marked reversal in inquiries People looking to sell far outnumber those interested in buying, and supply quickly has surpassed trmand. "No on right now is buying, said Gree who still had six tick-.

efs left yi-vrday. "I think everybody is holding out to see what happens. Goldbere had sold 64 tickets and expected to move about 40 mo a. Ih said most of the people louKinc 11 tickets thro jgh his age are from the Son ii Bend area, which surprise a him. He belie.

ed more Fioi ida Suite fane vouli oe looking to sell rather tnan fcue a chance on northern Indianas unpredictable November veather. Saturdays outlook calls ler high temperatures in the low 50s with a chance of showers, said National Weather Service forecaster Shawn Harley. I cannot believe how difficult it is to get the tickets away from the Florida State fans, Goldberg said. "The Notre Dame people are selling, and that is unusual. We would have expected the warm-weather people to sell.

Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. College football's game of the year has produced one of the most sought after college football tickets of all time. Good seats to Saturday's titanic collision between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame have been going for $1,000 or more in the past weeks.

The price dropped dramatically to around $400 this week, but people still are clamoring to buy and sell seats, ticket agents said yesterday. Other than Super Bowls, this is the biggest football game I've ever had to deal with," said Scott Goldberg, who owns All Seasons Tickets in Ios Angeles. I think this is the biggest regular-season college ticket ever. Goldberg, whose business deals in tickets to sporting events, concerts and other events said his top selling price was apiece for four 25 yard line, t9. going for as muu.

South Bend distributor John E. Green sold three end zone seats for $600 each. An answering machine at another South Bend outlet was advertising two end zone seats at $300 apiece and two goal- GAME Irish, Scminoles to play for No. 1 Continued from Cl By Jo Sxton NEW YORK Fay Vincent, baseballs former commissioner, will not become the chief business officer for the New York Mets. Vincent, who had met with ownership three times in the past week to discuss the vacant tide of executive vice president for business operations, notified the Mets yesterday that personal and professional commitments would make taking the job impossible.

"I was interested, Vincent said. But I decided this past weekend that it really wasn't appropriate at this time." Fred Wilpon, one of the owners of the Mets. has interview ed a handful of candidates for the business job, and said he would announce a decision within two weeks. Wilpon said Vincent had accepted an invitation to serve on the clubs board of directors. It was nice of them, and I think I could be helpful." Vincent said of his position on the board of directors.

The Mets last week Sjxike with Larry Lucchmo, the former president of the Orioles, atiout their front office opening, and Lucchmo could well lie the leading candidate to oversee not only the financial affairs of the Mets but the plans for a new stadium and entertainment and sports complex in Rushing. Meanwhile, yesterday was the first day official financial bids for free agents could be extended. The Mets, ho have use for all sorts of talent, had no use for the telephone. Will Clark and his bat and magnetism? Rafael Palmeiro and his career reason of 37 homers? Otis Nixon. Walt Weiss or Chris Sabo0 The Mets can't afford to ho interested, and it doesn't have much to do ith dollars.

"A player like those might make its cosmetically better next year or the year after." said Joe Mcllvaine, the general manager of tlie Mets and the architect trying to make sense of the rums of KB 1993 defeats. Y. Times News Si'rt av NOTRE DAME coach Lou Holtz will have the best seat in the house in Saturdays showdown with Florida St. favors playoff instead of polls team undefeated, but gets passed by Miami in rankings very limited view of college football. They see two or three teams in their area but not much else.

And theyre going to be very instrumental in who does what. But we're not overly concerned because there's nothing we can do about it. Colorado's Bill McCartney-used to be a champion of the coaches' ixill. too. I used to answer by saying I've got faith in the coaches' poll," McCartney said.

But the year (19m) we shared the national championship, the writers voted us in. That year. I had confidence in the writers. Associated I 'less line seats at $o00 each. Tickets to Notre Dame Stadium have a face value of $27.

The Florida State-Notre Dame game has drawn more attention from ticket agents Eua. udr tug garnet, prim: iff -cause it is being played at Node Dame, Goldberg sad The stadium is small compared to other schools, and the is immense, he said. Saturday's game will be only the third time that the nations top two teams have played at 64-year-old Notre Dame Stadium since The Associated Press poll began in 1936. No. 2 Notre Dame lost to Iur- Osborne Nebraska coach's By Doug Tucker KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Nobody who argues in favor of a football playoff will get any disagreement from Nebraska coach Tom Osborne. Especially not this week. Although the Uuskers defeated Kansas to remain unbeaten and jumped from No. 6 to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll, they saw Miami jump over them in the Coalition Poll that determines the matchups for most of the Jan.

1 bowl games That means even if the Buskers beat Iowa State and Oklahoma in their regular season finales, event, after being suspended COOK UCLA quarterbacks status up in air Continued from Cl restricted from media access yesterday. Its not a serious injury, Donahue said. Its kind of an observation-type period for the doctors to make sure it isnt serious and to make sure he has proper time to heal. Now, its too early to speculate." An inside source, though, said the Bruins coaching staff was speculating Sunday that Cook would not be available to play against the Sun Devils because of the punishment he took last weekend. Cougars junior safety Singor Mobley after jumping offsides Daly opts Everything Is up in the air.

Most of the good players have commitments at this time of the year. Los Amieles publicist on fill ins a John Duly void tion in Arizona. He was still on probation by the PGA Tom- when die latest episode occurred. Daly, while playing at the Ka-palua International, left the course on the 11th hole of the second round Friday after making three consecutive double-bogeys. He was disqualified and the suspension came two days later.

PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman met with Daly after the tournament Sunday and suspended him through at least the start of die 1991 tour. The Kapalua tournament was a big-money, unofficial event. While the PGA Tour's official season ended with the Tour Championship in San Francisco on Oct. 31, several approved or co-sponsorexl events over which the tour has jurisdiction remain on the schedule. Among them are the Shark Shootout in Thousand Oaks on Nov.

19-21, and the four-man they might get shut out of a national title game. The ideal way to settle it is on the field with a playoff, but we cant seem to come up with a format everybody can agree with, Osborne said yesterday during the Big Eight's weekly coaches teleconference. Another possibility, Osborne suggested, might be a computer formula that takes every factor into account, such as strength of schedule. You would remove some of the speculation and some of the political fiement of the thing," he said. The Coalition Poll is a combination of The Associated ITess media survey and the CNN-USA Sunday.

hit Cook flush in his chest during UCLAs first series, and senior linebacker T.J. Folkers earned a roughing-the-passer penalty against Cook three plays later. Cook finished that series, started the next and left three plays later after junior defensive end De Wayne Patterson leveled him. I dont know that it was intentional," Donahue said. That question is not easy to answer.

I think they go a long way to protect the quarterbacks, theyve taken great strides. "If the defensive guy jumps offsides, you get a five-yard penalty and a free play, and you might throw a touchdown pass. If the offense is offsides, the play Is automatically dead. But I dont know, I never thought about it until it happened." Walker completed 14 of 33 passes, including his first four, against the Cougars for 181 yards, two touchdowns and one intercep tion. Today coaches poll.

Osborne votes in the coaches' poll and wouldn't disclose where he puts his team this week. But he's willing to offer an opinion on polls. "I guess one thing that does bother me some is the lobbying and some of the commentary they have nationally or in print about who ought to do what." Osborne said. "I think that does have some impact on some voters." Coaches watch more film than writers and broadcasters, coaches are quick to point out whenever the subject is raised. "I've seen most teams play-now, one way or another, he said.

Yet I know there are a lot of voters out there who have a Suspended By Bob Green ORLANDO, Fla. John Daly, suspended again from the PGA Tour, will play in this weeks Mexican Open while American organizers scramble to fill tournament vacancies created by his absence. Daly, a former PGA champion and the biggest hitter in golf, has not spoken publicly since his suspension Sunday for walking off the course during a tournament in Hawaii. Kaye Kessler, a spokesman for the Mexican Open, said Dalys flight from Palm Springs was scheduled to arrive in Mexico City at 1:20 a.m. EST today.

The tournament, not pail of the PGA Tour, runs Thursday through Sunday at Mexico Citys Club de Gold la Hacienda. Jorn-ing Daly in the 72-player field are defending champion Tom Sieck-mann, Jay Haas, John Cook, Craig Stadler and Andy North. Daly is to play an 18-hole exhibition today and participate in a news conference this afternoon. Daly's agent, John Moscutello of Washington, did not return telephone calls. A IYJA Tour spokesman said there was no indication the suspension was alcohol-related.

Daly previously was suspended early this year and underwent a three-week alcohol rehabilita- After the game, Donahue said Walker wasnt properly prepared to play. Because of the quarterback carousel that Donahue had to endure last season, he was asked yesterday why a backup would not have suitable knowledge about executing a game plan. There isnt a second-string quarterback in the country who's as well prepared to start as a first-stringer, there just isn't," Donahue said. You cant find one. I don't care where you look, there Isnt one, in high school, college or pro football.

There just aren't that many reps in one day." Walker capped UCIAls second possession against WSU with a 29-yard touchdown pass to junior split end J.J. Stokes, who cut in on the right side. And he threw a 43-yard scoring strike to Stokes down the left sideline at the end of the third quarter for a 31 13 lead. He also lost two fUmbles deep in his own territory and threw an interception. that in 1993 you would have a two-game series with Notre Dame begin, and in one of those games you would be No.

1, and they No. 2, that would be some dream," FSU athletic director Bob Goin said. "Its a dream come true for us. The players, of course, ultimately will decide if this is really a dream game, one so big it will join the dozens chronicled Notre Dame history. Theres already comparisons being made to the 1966 Michigan State game," said Notre Dame associate athletic director Roger VaJderserri, who has been at the school since 1955.

That mid-November game, which featured No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan State, ended in a 10-10 tie and ranks as one of the original "Games of the Century. There are not many high-profile players in this game. Twenty-four from that (1966) game ended up in the NFL, Valderserri said.

But you have both teams undefeated and everybody thinks the winner is going to be the national champ. A difference is that this game has had two weeks to be hyped. Its like the Super Bowl. Still, some Irish fans probably wont rate this game, no matter the outcome, bigger than when No. 4 Notre Dame defeated No.

1 Miami, 31-30, in 1988. Memories of Miami's 58-7 victory' in their previous meeting (1985) had Notre Dame fans in a frenzy. No such hatred is fueling this game. Instead it is frenzied interest to see this one in person. Indiana newspapers and the states legal ticket brokerage houses are a good place to sense that frenzy.

It is legal to scalp tickets nearly everywhere in Indiana, though it's illegal on Notre Dames campus. Ticket scalpers are expected to line the exit off the Indiana toll road on Saturday some two miles from the stadium, where it is legal ground. Tickets are not the only thing scarce. There are no rooms available within 60 miles of South Bend. Rooms went for a price at least double the usual rate.

Most who watch the game will stay at home, and become part of one of the bigger television audiences to watch any recent college football game. In 1968, Notre Dame tied USC 21-21 in a final regular-season game that produced a 22.9 rating the highest ever for a regular-season college football game. Television was a different animal back then. said Vince VVla-dika, a NBC Sports spokesman. "We could not expect to see those kind of ratings now.

An individual didnt have the choices you have now, and when it starts it will be just 10:30 (a.m.) in California. But it has the potential to get very high ratings. People right now are planning their day around the start of this game." Television analysts do project the game's rating will exceed the 10.9 the 1991 FSU-Miami game received. The highest rating for a Notre Dame game this season was a 4.7 against USC on Oct. 23.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers 1 for Mexico Skins Game in Balm Desert on Thanksgiving weekend. Italy was scheduled to play in those made-for -television eents as well as the C. Penney Classic, Dec. 24 in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Tournament organizers now fare the prosixxl of not having one of golfs biggest drawing cards.

Everything is up in the air, a Ios Angeles publicist said yesterday. "Most of the good players have commitments at this tune of the year. Daly became a fan favorite with his long driving in his startling victory as a rookie at the 1991 lGA Championship in Carmel. Ind. lbs only other tour victory came last year in the B.C.

Open. Daly lias had considerable personal and professional troubles since his PGA victory. He postponed but eventually went through a marriage with his live-in girl friend, who once threatemd a lawsuit. Those charges eventually were withdrawal. After their maiTiage, charges were filed against Daly after a Christmas Party at the couples home in Castle Pint's, Colo.

Dalys wife charged he trashed their home and assaulted her. Those charges also were withdrawal. Divorce proceedings now are under way. Associated Press curve while driving played one down for Cook in the Brums opener against Cal at the Rose Bowl Soon after that game, Fien allegedly reinjured a bone in his right foot that he broke last season, and he been spending his time in rehabilitation and classes He cant go." UCLA coach Terry Donahue said yesterday He can push off that foot He not healthy enough to go Fien appeared at Spaulding Field yesterday It happened for a reason." Fien said "I feel everything happens for a reason We II see in the future if that extra year works out As the weeks go on. the season almost over and it nice to know I II be considered a sophomore next yeir But now it tough Depending on how serious Wayne Injury Is.

could be up against Arizona State, maybe even SC I'm just being patient and getting ready for the future I just have to keep from going insane Rob Miech UCLA1NOTEBOOK Fieri thrown for a LOS ANGELES Ryan Fien said he nearly drove his while 1989 Cama-ro oft the 101 freeway last Saturday afternoon after watching his younger brother Braden Pop Warner football game I turn on the radio, and the guy says. And Walker drops back to Fien said "1 said. 1 almost swerved over the curve I had no idea how serious Wayne injury was or what happened Wayne Cook. UCLA starting quarterback. left last weekend game against Washington State during UCLA second drive of the game He has a bruised right kidney, and he questionable for Saturday's game against Arizona State at the Rose Bowl This would have beon Fien a sophomore season, but the UCLA coaching staff has decided to peruse medical redshirt status for Fien from the Pac-10 Fien won the backup position over Rob Walker in tall camp, and he A.