The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 41

5 SPORTS DAILY wwwkc8tarcom THE STAR Friday May 28 1999 Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek is haixlly sharp in return from injury but the Sabres still beat the Maple Leafs 3 Baseball season ends for Roekhurst College 4 repeat is a nightmare Another French Open another struggle for Pete Sampras he is out after losing a second-round match 3 IRL coming to KC area track Kansas International in plans for race in 2001 talked about Kansas City being a market we want to consider" George said was very impressed with what is going on there I think it would be a good opportunity for the intention of ISC and the Nation said Nation said he thinks the series and Kansas City will be a perfect fit "Kansas City is an attractive market for Indy car he said media relations for the Indy Racing League said Thursday that his series is planning on running a race at the Wyandotte County facility in 2001 contract has been signed we don't do that this far in advance but our intention is to be racing Nation said "We hope to come to terms on an agreement next year with ISC (International Speedway Corp owners of the Kansas track) to run there We are confident that it will be a venue for its first phase It now looks as if the IRL will provide that race The popularity of IRL races varies It draws very well in some places like Texas where close to 100000 spectators are expected this year And it doesn't draw too well in others like Phoenix where the crowd was only about 15000 IRL founder and president Tony George said he was in Kansas City this week where he met with France and visited the construction site Kansas International is still under construction and it looks as if its completion date will be set back from 2000 to 2001 NASCAR president Bill France Jr has said in the past that the track will receive a Winston Cup date and he reaffirmed that at a groundbreaking ceremony at the track site Thesday It has also been known that ISC has been wanting to schedule a major open-wheel race at the speedway which will seat 75000 in IRLr CART have talks IRL president Tbny George has had discussions with CART about reuniting the two open-wheel series but says the two sides are no closer than when they started talking Story D-ll By JIM PEDLEY The Katisaj City Star INDIANAPOLIS It appears that Kansas International Speedway has landed a second tenant Fred Nation vice president of corporate communications and See IRL D-11 As finish sweep of Royals Oakland KC reverse roles Blazers finish Jazz No miracle ending for aging Utah stars Gilbert Tuhabonye (above) qualified for the finals in the 1500-meter run after leading early in a preliminary (right) at the NCAA Division II track and field championships Thursday in Emporia (right) The Associated Press PORTLAND Ore The Utah Jazz ran out of comebacks Isaiah Rider and lim Jackson combined for 12 free throws in the final 1 minute 5 seconds Thursday night as the Portland Urail Blazers defeated the Jazz 92-80 and won their best -of-seven Western Conference semifinal series four games to two The Blazers advance to play San Antonio in the Western Conference finals beginning Saturday is a very good basketball Utah coach Jeny Sloan said young lively and they deserve to be where they are Our guys battled them we just have enough to win against The Jazz won game five and staved off elimination for the sixth time in two postseasons but Karl Malone and John Stockton may have seen their last shot for an NBA tide slip away Thursday Malone had one of the worst postseason games of his career scoring a career playoff-low eight points on three-for-16 shooting The Jazz trailed by nine points with 6:40 left but cut the lead to two on a layup by Bryon Russell and a free throw by Jeff Homacek that made it 80-78 with 1:21 left Jackson made two free throws and pushed the lead to four with These days death chasing him By DICK KAEGEL The Kansas City Star OAKLAND Calif Kenny Rogers got a real eyeful a week ago as the Royals completed a three-game sweep over his Oakland Athletics i "They stomped us Rogers said "We were in trouble They beat us every way you could beat us I think people could underestimate them this Perhaps what the As did in Kansas City But it take them long to get even Rogers pitched a complete-game 6-1 victory over the Royals on Thursday and gave the their own Rovabl three game I sweep as 13180 watched at the Coliseum The scoring swoon continued In the three losses they had only five runs and 16 hits For the sixth straight game five of them losses they failed to hit a home run In this series they had just two extra-base hits both doubles something every team goes through in the course of a third baseman Joe Randa said "A week ago we were scoring 10 runs a game Now hitting the ball fine It just seems like playing 25 guys out there Before everything was The loss put the record at 22-23 under the 500 level for the first time since they were 16-17 two weeks ago Rogers extended his string of scoreless innings to 20 before the Royals took a 1 -0 lead in the fifth Photos by JOHN SLEEZERThe Kansas City Star See NBA D-5 He moves so quickly you can hardly see the bums on his leg and arm You can barely see the hard look in Jiis eyes He runs powerfully like a man trying to kick pebbles back at his pursuers Even the best-informed Americans can have trouble understanding the exact difference between the Hutus and TUtsis of Central Africa People have said they are simply two warring tribes but that is not exactly right Others have said they look different they act different the Hutus are farmers the TUtsis catde herders None of that is particularly true either They are brothers and sisters And they kill each other in Rwanda and eastern Congo and Burundi Gilbert home know it must be hand to understand for you in TUhabonye says sadly "We speak the same language We eat the same food We used to marry each other See POSNANSKI D-5 EMPORIA Kan Gilbert TUhabonye Watch him run They all have their own stories these runners who compel themselves to run 1 500 meters faster than anyone else Sprinters unleash themselves for just a few seconds Marathoners stretch the capacity of their hearts But these runners they have their own passions their own demons their own lusts that pull them the last 100 meters Watch Gilbert TUhabonye of Abilene Christian University Watch him as he runs the 1500-meter preliminary at the NCAA Division II track and field championships here Can you sense his story from the way he runs? At the first turn he bursts out into the lead He likes to run from up front where he can see where he can control the pace result Portland 92 Utah 80 game Portland at San Antonio 4:30 pm Channels 27 41 game New York at Indiana 4:20 pm Channels 27 41 The scars from being burned by a mob in his native Burundi were visible as Tuhabonye cooled down after the 1500-meter run See ROYALS D-6 Lively weekend Even when she was small Stacy Leeper Growth deficiency could hardly slow SM East athlete CROSS COUNTRY: Second at Kansas 6A state meet as a freshman third at Kansas 6A state meet as a sophomore SOCCER: Sweeperforward with seven goals and one assist for top-ranked Shawnee Mission East (honorable mention All-Metro as a sophomore) sweep-ermidfielder for KC Heat (summer team) TRACK: Runs third leg of 4x400 relay team The Memorial Day weekend means rest and relaxation for most folks But for Kansas City area high school athletes the busiest two days of the sports year Seven state tournaments in Missouri and Kansas will be in full swing today and Saturday KANSAS BASEBALL: Bishop Ward goes after its second straight 4A state championship MISSOURI BOYS TENNIS: Kansas City will be well -represented by Andy Metzler and Ryan Osgood Both will be shooting for a 4A singles title Pembroke Adam Leibsohn and Jim Larson go after the Class 1A-3A doubles championship MISSOURI 1A-3A GIRLS SOCCER: St Teresa's tries to make history at the tournament No KC area girls soccer team has ever won a Missouri state title KANSAS GIRLS SOCCER: Nationally ranked Shawnee Mission East is looking for an undefeated 6A state crown KANSAS SOFTBALL: DeSoto puts a perfect record on the line at the 5A state tournament MISSOURI TRACK AND FIELD: girls along with Hickman and Excelsior Springs' boys will vie for 3A team titles KANSAS TRACK AND FIELD: Leavenworth's girls are going after their fourth consecutive 6A state title Jenni CarisonThe Star but still earned playing time on SM varsity basketball team Forget the headband At 15 Leeper is already a college-caliber athlete in soccer and track She could easily leave Wichita this weekend with state titles in both sports And ail this while battling a growth defect If not unique Before she established herself as one of the top all-round athletes in Kansas Leeper was known as Bom with a growth hormone deficiency Leeper's body always was about two years behind her age Although doctors recognized an By JASON KING The Kansaa City Star WICHITA If you ever have trouble spotting Stacy Leeper look for the black headband At a soccer match a track meet a basketball game there Always "I wear it so I stand out so people notice said Leeper a Shawnee Mission East sophomore makes me No unique: As a fourth-grader Leeper weighed only 48 pounds and was the leading scorer for her club soccer team Last fall she finished first in a 2-mile cross-country race an hour after played a 90-minute club soccer game She has trouble executing a pick-and-roll TODD FEEBACKThe Kansas City Star Stacy Leeper was a soccer star even before growth hormones brought her up to size See LEEPER D-9.