The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 27

4 TIE NEWS OBSERVER TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17 2002 Baseball Sports 5c NATIONAL LEAGUE BRIEFS REPORTS Meet says sprinter will run Marlins top Millwood Braves' right-hander had won eight straight decisions Cti-14 "44 I 1146r 4 Atlanta Braves second baseman Mark De Rosa reacts to a third-inning strikeout against the Marlins' Brad Penny AP PHOTO BY WILFREDO LEE FROM WIRE REPORTS Brad Penny is starting to get better results with less work Penny who has stopped throwing in the bullpen between starts allowed four hits and a run in six innings as the Florida Marlins beat the visiting Atlanta Braves 5-1 Monday night to snap Kevin Mill-wood's eight-game winning streak With more rest between outings Penny said he feels stronger than he has all season He hit 98 mph on the radar gun several times against the Braves "It felt really good" said Penny a 24-year-old right-hander who won for the first time in five starts "That's probably the hardest I've ever thrown" Penny (7-6) struck out eight and walked two He walked Matt Franco to start the seventh then gave way to Florida's bullpen Vladimir Nunez and Braden Looper held the Braves hitless over the final three innings "That's the best rve ever seen him throw" Marlins manager Jeff Torborg said of Penny "I wondered if the calibration of the gun was off" But Torborg wasn't alone "That's the best I've seen him" Braves manager Bobby Cox said He was throwing about 98 on every pitch" Atlanta had won 19 of Mill-wood's last 20 starts The right-bander was 8-0 with a 180 ERA in his last nine outings and 15-1 with a 227 ERA in 22 starts since May 24 But the Marlins prevented him from tying his career-best winning streak of nine games set in 2000 FROM WIRE REPORTS Two days after setting a world record in the 100 meters Raleigh's Tim Montgomery arrived Monday in Madrid Spain where the World Cup in track and field will be held this weekend But whether Montgomery will run or just watch his girlfriend Marion Jones compete remains up in the air Though organizers said and Montgomery implied that he would run in Friday's 100 meters his agent Charles Wells said "No decision has been made officially" Montgomery arriving at Madrid's Barajas airport told reporters he had heard the La Peineta track was very fast and he hoped to clock another quick time The Associated Press reported Nick Davies a spokesman for the International Association of Athletics Federations said there was "a lot of pressure" on Montgomery to run Montgomery ran the 100 in 978 seconds on Saturday in Paris beating the world record set by American Maurice Greene three years ago Greene brought his season to a close Monday when Bernard Williams upstaged him to win the 100 meters at the Yokohama (Japan) Super Track and Field meet Williams was timed in 1021 seconds in the rain edging Japan's Nobuharu Asahara by 007 seconds Darvis Patton was third in 1033 seconds Greene finished fifth in 1056 seconds "I just felt tired" he said "I felt like my body was asleep It was a long flight from Paris and I didn't get any sleep last night" The former 100-meter world record holder Olympic gold medalist and world champion has had a shaky season winning in only three of seven prestigious Golden League events In the 110-meter hurdles Allen Johnson posted the fastest time of 1328 seconds Olympic champion Anier Garcia was second in 1335 with world record-holder Colin Jackson of Britain third in 1344 "The only down side was that! false started and felt bad about making the other racers stand around in the rain" said Johnson a former INC star FROM WIRE Ewing expected to say he's retiring Patrick Ewing an 11-time all-star in 17 NBA seasons called a news conference for today amid speculation he was going to announce his retirement The news conference to be held at a midtown Manhattan NY hotel was arranged by a private public relations firm leading to the speculation that Ewing 40 will retire from the NBA The New York Times and Boston Globe citing unidentified sources close to Ewing said Monday on their Web sites that he would announce his retirement The Washington Post had sources saying Ewing would work for the Washington Wizards in some capacity Ewing played with the Orlando Magic last season but he and the team announced last month that he would not return MORE NBA NEWS: Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was arrested and charged with driving under the influence Ilgauskas was stopped at 3:59 am Sunday for erratic driving in Bay Village Ohio and he failed field sobriety tests police Lt John Dixon said The Boston Celtics have signed Argentina's Ruben Wolkowyski The 6- foot-10 forward was part of the team that won the silver medal at this year's World Championships Woods Mickelson headline Skins Tiger Woods Phil Mickel-son Mark O'Meara and Fred Couples will compete in the 20th annual Skins Game The event which will return to not requiring players to follow up a skin by tying for the low score on the next hole will be Nov 29-Dec 1 at Landmark Golf Club in Indio Calif MORE GOLF NEWS: Ford Motor Co has signed Mickelson No 2 in the world and very popular to an endorsement contract The Senior PGA Tour is returning to Austin Texas The Kinko's Classic of Austin will be played May 9-11 2003 at The Hills Country Club Patty Sheehan will keep her job as captain of the US Solheim Cup team in 2003 YANKEES IN BALTIMORE Bus from Raleigh si 2 Games Ina 1111 Hotel Scpt 28-29 wwwbmachtourscom BROACH SPORTS TOURS 3804416 HERITAGE Golf Club Wake Forest NC HERITAGE INVITATIONAL October 19th 20th Entry Fee: $100 Format: Individual Stroke Play Call 919-453-2020 to have an entry faxed to you US Davis Cup team tests clay On the last day of practice for the Davis Cup semifinals Andy Roddick launched his racket into the empty stands The day before he broke a racket The red clay of Paris' Roland Garros had frustrated another American and the challenge isn't likely to get any easier when the United States plays defending champion France starting Friday Roddick a rising star who lost to Pete Sampras in the US Open quarterfinals said his racket-flinging and repeated exclamations didn't I stick with baseball?" went one) were nothing to worry about The French team chose this venue because its players practically are reared on clay Sampras traditionally weak on clay chose not to play The team comprises Roddick James Blake doubles specialist Todd Martin and Mardy Fish MORE DAVIS CUP NEWS: Greg Rusedski withdrew from Britain's team because of an injured left heel He was replaced by Miles Madagan on the team which will face Thailand in a World Group qualifying match this week in Birmingham England American women reach 2nd round SHANGHAI China Sheryl Swoopes scored 20 points as the United States beat Lithuania 105-48 Monday and advanced to the second round of the Women's World Basketball Championship Lisa Leslie added 15 points for the Americans who won all three opening-round games The teams were tied at 17 midway through the first quarter before the Americans closed the period with a 15-2 run Isles give Milbury a new contract PLAINVIEW NY The New York Islanders extended general manager Mike Milbury's contract Monday signing him to a multiyear deal Milbury was entering the final season of his contract Terms were not disclosed 20' to 111LOW001004tVw Prices do not inciude $1000 HAZMAT charge Trucks vans soon utilities slightly higher Offer good thru 92802 IRMO Paint END OF SUMMER (20 to SILVER Urethane Factory 1-001 GOLD -IA Includes Seal Coat Integrated -s s' Nees do not Inciude 51000 HAZMAT charge ALL AUTO SILVER Urethane Factory rott GOLD Includes 1 Seal Coat Integrated Politicos face off again Millwood (17-7) was lifted after five innings He gave up seven hits and five runs four earned It was his shortest outing since a five-inning stint Aug 11 against Houston "I didn't locate my heater very good" Millwood said "I couldn't get into a groove It was one of those nights you don't want to mu into too often I'd much rather have it tonight than when October comes around" Attendance was 6103 for Penny bobblehead night leaving the Marlins with almost 9000 dolls left over ALSO MONDAY REDS 4 PIRATES 3: Reggie Taylor's third single of the game control potential file partners and Beltway insiders including Franklin Raines a former budget director for President Clinton and now the chief executive at Fannie Mae America Online founder James Kimsey and developer Joseph Robert Jr Darrell Green the Washington Redskins cornerback also is a partner along with Clinton pal Vernon Jordan Unlike Collins who has worked hard for eight years to try to land a team the Malek group has no burning desire to own a team City leaders recruited Malek a one-time co-owner of the Texas Rangers who in turn brought in his friends and business associates "Our group didn't decide 'Gee we want to own a baseball team" Malek said "We were approached by the mayor and DC sports commission We're doing this because we think it's the right thing to do for the city" Kimsey added "It is about helping Washington DC more than anything We're not doing it for the hope of economic gain Hopefully we won't take a bath either" Collins and his group have spent $8 million so far in their long effort to win a franchise They first sought an expansion team but lost out to Arizona and Tampa Bay Later they felt sure they had a SAVINGS 2 OFF I broke an eighth-inning tie and helped visiting Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh The Reds avoided mathematical elimination from the NL Central race with their sixth win in nine games Jason LaRue drew a one-out walk from Mike Lincoln (1-4) in the eighth Pinch-bitter Ken Griffey Jr beat the Pirates' defensive shift by chopping a single through the vacant shortstop position sending LaRue to third Taylor then lined a single to center off Ron Vil lone who had come in to face Griffey Taylor was 3-for-5 drove in two runs and scored one Jose Silva (1-0) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief DC baseball team 'deal to bring the Astros to Virginia but baseball quashed the deal and Houston built a new stadium for the Collins admitted he would have aborted his efforts long ago if he were following his head instead of his heart "If you looked at it purely from a business perspective there's a lot of people that feel like we've thrown a lot of money down the tubes" Collins said Collins played college ball at George Washington University was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and started his professional career in Double-A But he quit after three years saying his future as a catching prospect with the Brewers was limited after the team acquired prospects Charlie Moore and Darrell Porter each of whom went on to have a long big-league career "I remember what it was like as a minor league player how excited I was when my paycheck jumped from $800 a month to $1000 a month" said Collins who earned his fortune as a telecommunications executive 1 have a great appreciation for what players have gone through to reach the big leagues At the same time I know what it means to control payrolls" The Marlins' Double-A club had been located in Portland Maine since 1994 "Going to Carolina is a quality opportunity for the Florida Marlins organization" Loria said The Marlins have two full-season Class A teams the Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League and the Kane County Cougars in Geneva 111 in the Midwest League Jupiter won the second-half title in its division this season before losing in the first round of the playoffs The Triple-A team is in Albuquerque which means the Mud cats might be a convenient place for Marlins major league players to do rehab assignments "We will do everything within our power to create a winner in Carolina" said Jim Fleming the Marlins' vice president of player development and scouting That is what Bryant has been waiting to hear Staff writer Al Myatt can be reached at 829-4556 or amyattnewsobservercom a PAINT PACKAGES PACKAGE: S199 Enamel teg $299 Original Colors 1Year Warranty PACKAGE: $299 Silver plus: re $399 Clear 2 Year Warranty 41-4 21 A 1 'All r01110'-7' PACKAGE: SI99 Enamel teg $299 Original Colors 1Year Warranty PACKAGE: $299 Silver plus: re $399 Clear 2 Year Warranty 14111A Old adversaries want BY MATTHEW BARAKAT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MCLEAN Va Fittingly for the nation's capital the two men leading opposing efforts to bring major league baseball to the Washington area have a political history dating to the Watergate era Frederic Malek whose group wants to bring a team to the city was an aide in the Nixon administration and served as the elder President Bush's campaign manager in 1992 William Collins III who wants a new team to play in the suburbs of northern Virginia was an aide to US Rep Larry Hogan the first Republican on the Judiciary Committee to call for Nixon's impeachment Collins eventually gave up on a minor league baseball career to pursue a career in political campaigns Collins and Malek find themselves competing again for the right to bring the national pastime to the area for the first time since 1971 when the Washington Senators left town to become the Texas Rangers There's strong speculation that baseball will allow one of its strugrging franchises likely the Montreal Expos to move to Washington in either 2003 or 2004 Maiek leads a group of high-pro Mudcats BY AL MYATT STAFF WRITER ZEBULON The Florida Marlins have punched the dance card of Carolina Mudcats owner Steve Bryant as the new parent club of the Mudcats in the Double-A Southern League "A winning team is our top ority and we believe the Florida Marlins organization gives us the best opportunity to accomplish that goal" said Bryant who agreed to a two-year term "They were the first team to call us and they pursued us relentlessly" The Mudcats also had interest in the St Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees but both decided on other Double-A clubs based on location The Cardinals will go to Tennessee based near Knoxville The Cardinals have their rookie league team in Johnson City and their Triple-A Club in Memphis making a convenient circuit for roving instructors The Yankees opted for Trenton NJ The Marlins become the third 1224 Saunders St Raleigh 9198348218 join Marlins' team nwiii 0 Collision 1 VAS Jl 11 il- 11111111 1111- JUL I 14 WORk i z7 2 atellite NFTWORK Moe' Sales siS (sIZZEIr2 rts 1411SATE VT 4- 11 Catil :0" a 250 Brig "rir Blv esseatii Ne Office Max 't Get a FREE DISH Network digital satellite TV d7 437111T11!) i system (MSRP $149) and FREE Standard Professional Installation (MSRP $199 That's r' 919-938-0889 up TO 0 $3411 value! Just subscribe to America's Ilt Top 50 package for only $2299 per month 021 MN Oat 'N a 14 Amerkes Top 50 package $2219 9 qs Includes these favorite channels: 10 NNW 111 5 0 1 4- ESPN MTV INT Coston Netwolit DmoveS1 MIRKA'S SOMAS NETWORK 11n 0S chnel eold CNN Mos doistns mom! alsolonta tvecm 11111e 1P1M holm credit EA esd 12 moms DttlItIOM mom' PortCps spolv tor sorts tesunsson Avant iris mom ems be nvi ttsmnstlesursi ill 61011110d 1 on somhtbiv II A 1- 1 1 A MEAMIIIII mot tkow 1 usi kw woo kg fonw Avows Cx sa ssms saws Iss wow sow la cits A (21 OW to 6 43 Am um win tam A no ow Arns 01 1Sm 0 lone gm le 010 wort Iret 4 roxt to the WOK WM of RAI tAISKN ktOtrnt Otith oket von 011ss1 91rs1 war ono tot 0 I finblt 1 MM pFc nre RN Issitlerws ARA sm sm to comp lows st arms As ssn11 s11 am sm sso ow svism Allem major league club to provide players for the Mudcats Carolina was in the Pittsburgh Pirates system from 1991-98 and won the Southern League championship in 1995 Pittsburgh then shifted its Double-A team to nearby Altoona Pa 4 The Cats have been in the Colorado Rockies system the last four years but had just one winning half-season capturing the first-half title in the Eastern Division this year The call-ups of pitchers Aaron Cook and Jason Young left the Cats struggling in the second half Bryant has known Marlins chief executive officer Jeffrey Loria since both served on National Association committees as minor league owners "He's somebody I can pick up the phone and talk to if there are problems Bryant said They answered the tough questions about their player development philosophy Until they get a stadium built they aren't going to be in the free-agent market so they are going to have to develop their own players" 1 i '0 I eAlktio st oi ia.