The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 1210

IO Pl rrr- r-Tr-1 KANSAS TOPS INDIANA NBA New Jersey 111 Miami New York 111 Milwaukee Indiana 111 Washington Atlanta 7' 113 San Antonio No 3 Jayhawks make late free throws and rally to INSIDE COUCH POTATO 2D SPORTS ON TV 3D BASKETBALI 3-4D 16D HIGH SCHOOLS 12D OUTDOORS 13D HORSES 14D SCOREBOARD 17D US LEADS DAVIS CUPy 2-1 John McEnroe (left) and Pete Sampras give the United States the lead over Switzerland 6D 104 109 105 94 $8 Portland Detroit 96 Cleveland 112 Philadelphia Charlotte at LA Clippers Orlando '77 Golden St See NBA Report 4D beat No 2 Hoosiers in Indianapolis 3D SECTION SUNDAY DECEMBER 61992 She itfiami Herald 00 UM intent on surviving Sugar 1-2 punch long but going to go in against Miami with every intention of Barrow and Barker will make their cases on the field Jan 1 in New Orleans 28-21 victory over Florida Saturday in the Southeastern Conference championship game propelled the second-ranked Crimson Tide (12-0) into a national championship showdown against top- By KEN RODRIGUEZ Herald Sports Writer University of Miami football players saluted Alabama with rare praise early Saturday evening: Great defense the Hurricanes said Terrific season too And one other thing just said All-American middle linebacker Micheal Barrow think any one-dimensional team can beat 'They just run I don think any one-dimensional team can beat us MICHEAL BARROW Said Alabama quarterback Jay Barker have been doubting us all year JOE RIMKUS JR Miami Herald Staff CANES: Alabama fans issued a confident challenge to Miami during the Crimson victory over Florida on Saturday PLEASESEE UM 9D Kama: Bye Gators hi UM bowl FLORIDA SCHOOLS SUGAR BOWL Jan 1 UM (11-0) vs Alabama (12-0) 830 pm Chs 10 25 COTTON BOWL Jan 1 FSU (10-1) or Notre Dame (9-1-1) vs Texas 1 pm Chs 4 5 ORANGE BOWL Jan 1 Tide tops Florida for SEC title By ANDRE CHRISTOPHER Herald Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM Ala For a day or at least a moment Alabama is team The Crimson Tide Saturday made possible the Sugar Bowl showdown between No 1 Miami and No 2 Alabama a matchup that should produce an undisputed national champion For yet another week comer-back Antonio Langham is hero He intercepted a Shane Matthews pass for a game-winning touchdown A mere 10 days ago Langham also triggered an Alabama victory with an interception return for a TD And for a very long time Matthews will feel like the goat the guy who threw the game and a second consecutive Southeastern Conference title away for the Gators Florida lost in the inaugural SEC championship game 28-21 Saturday in front of 83091 at Legion Field Matthews said it was his fault put so much into said Matthews who completed 30 of 49 passes for 287 yards had the game won Then I threw it With the score tied 21-21 and roughly four minutes to play Florida took over at its own 21-yard line Matthews dropped back to pass on the first play He looked to his right toward Monty Notre Dame or FSU vs Nebraska (8-2) 8 pm Chs 4 5 GATOR BOWL Dec 31 Florida (8-4) vs NC St (9-2-1) 6 pm TBS HERITAGE BOWL Jan 2 FAMU (7-4) vs Grambling (9-2) 2 pm JOE RIMKUS JR Miami Herald Staff GAME-BREAKER: Antonio Langham weaves through the Gators Shane Matthews on the ground with interception for TD PLEASE SEE BAMA-GATORS 8D IINSIDEI All at once Canes thanks Gators! OTHER NEW GAMES BLOCKBUSTER BOWL Stanford (9-3) vs Penn State (7-4) 1:30 pm Chs 612 ROSE BOWL Michigan (8-0-3) vs Washington (9-2) 4:45 pm Chs 10 25 FIESTA BOWL Syracuse (9-2) vs Colorado (9-1-1) 4 30 Chs 4 5 CITRUS BOWL Ohio State (8-2-1) vs Georgia (9-2) I pm Chs 10 25 HALL OF FAME BOWL Boston College (8-2-1) vs Tennessee (8-3) II a ESPN They canceled a second half in which the Gators whipped the Crimson Tide six ways from Saturday The 28-21 score won a bunch of things for Alabama What that score utterly failed to do was accurately reflect which was the better team in Birmingham Except for two plays All of which brings a certain nuttiness to this rare Sugar Bowl Hero to goat A casts an unfair shadow on Florida QB Shane stellar career 8D Wires crossed Sideline signals cost Gators a key penalty 8D Carrying the load Alabama All-American defensive end John Copeland said confident the defense can win games in crunch time 9D 10 seasons that simple Miami wants to defend its title against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl Miami does not want to play FSU anywhere again And gets both wishes On side those balls misdirected right to Antonio Langham and Michael Rogers must have brought a terrible wonder if there is any justice at all Enough with the growling about Florida refusing to play football against Miami Whatever the Gators might have owed the Hurricanes they just repaid When Shane Matthews delivered two balls into Alabama hands he relieved No 1 Miami of the necessity of replaying Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl SPORTS for the stake of a fifth Associated EDITOR Press national championship in PLEASE SEE POPE 9D SPB06 JC FERNANDEZ Miami Herald Staff im F00TBALUINSIDE1 Bonds a Giant best-paid turn now Amp Lee formerly of FSU steps out of Ricky shadow when he starts at running back for the 49ers against the Dolphins today is my he said 10D Dennis Byrd partially paralyzed Jets lineman regained Very early motor in his lower extremities but his prognosis is still unknown the team said 10D Home is no help as Heat skid hits 5 By SHAUN POWELL Herald Sports Wnter Like a neglected dog does a stranger the losing atmosphere has followed the Heat home The setting Saturday at Miami Arena had all the makings of comfort for the Heat The New Jersey Nets were without Derrick Coleman The Heat had beaten the Nets last month with Coleman And after finding disappointment lately in places like Indiana Milwaukee and Boston the Heat figured be no place like home Well not quite The Nets overcame absence and a nine-point third-quarter deficit to give the Heat another empty feeling after a 111-104 decision It was the fifth straight loss and ninth over 10 PLEASESEE HEAT 40 baseball history topping the $325 million five-year contract signed this year by Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken After 6'j years playing left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates NL East champs last season Bonds will roam the windy outfield for the Giants who finished fifth in the NL West San Francisco actually selected Bonds once before in the second round of the June 1982 free-agent draft but Bonds did not sign going instead to Arizona State The Pirates picked him first in June 1985 Canseco arrested Jom Canseco was arrested in a Chicago nightclub early Saturday morning Chicago police cha-ged him with battery after he allegedly punched a man The director of the club said the altercation began when the man accidentally brushed against the woman accompanying Canseco Canseco released on a $1000 bond is scheduled to appear in court Jan 27 Story Pago 6D SL VIEW 3D By AMY NIEDZIELKA Herald Sports Writer LOUISVILLE Ky Barry Bonds reached a tentative agreement with the San Francisco Giants for a six-year $43 million contract Saturday night that will make him the highest-paid player in baseball The contract language has not been worked out but the average annual value will be at least $7166667 passing Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne $71 million The deal is by far the largest in DOLPHINS VS 49ers 4 PM AT SF CHANNELS 4 5 Steve scrambling and passing is enough to give Dolphins defenders heading into matchup at Candlestick Park 11D l- hi i 4.