Lexington Herald-Leader from Lexington, Kentucky • 23

Octobers 1997 Mike Battaglia's picks for races: First post: IdO 5 Stormy Gai i 1- Treasury 6 Seattle Blossom" 2 Leith Lake '--j j7 3 War Talk 8 Soviet Line 4 Skytr1al On the Internet: Editor: Gene Abell Phone: (606) 231-3237 Scores: To report a sports score call 231-3225 or toll-free at fftpffl 222-7026 after 5 pm KhhNttAMJ Baseball C4 College football C8-9 1 Golf C5 Horse racing CIO-11 NBA Lexington Herald-Leader Online: wwwJcentuckyconnectcom 4 E53SSE v' Mi will say they saw this game Cats stun Alabama with 40-34 0T victory By John Clay HEfUUMEMXRSTVr WRITER It took twists and turns bumps and blows It took an extra period but a 75-year streak' is dead Quarterback Tim Couch hit wide receiver Craig Yeast with a 26-yard touchdown pass in overtime last night to give Kentucky a dramatic 40-34 win over Alabama UK's first victory over the Crimson Tide since 1922 Brian Cunningham had kicked a 37-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 34-34 and send it into overtime It was the first overtime in Kentucky football history and the first at Commonwealth Stadium It was also the first time that the goal posts were torn down in the 25-year history of the facility at 1022 pan the goal posts in the end zone closest to die Nutter Field House were biting the dust Here's how it happened in overtime: Kentucky won the toss and elected to go on defense On the first play- Mookie Moore was called for pulling down UK defensive end Anthony son a holding penalty that put foe ball back at foe 37 Two plays later Alabama quarterback Freddie Kitchens hit Chad Goss over the middle But UK strong safety Tremayne Martin hit Goss The ball popped loose and was recovered by Kentucky true freshman Jeremy Bowie Kentucky took over at the 25 and threw an incompletion On the next play Couch hit Yeast for a 1-yard -gain but a Bama facemask penalty took it to the 19-yard line On the next play however Kentucky was called for holding mov- See UK C6 vhm ram Jimmy Cater congratulated Kentucky teammate Seth Hanson after Hanson kicked a 30yard field goal in the first quarter last night Hanson added another field goal in the second quarter cutting lead to 14-13 at the half UK went on to top the No 20 Crimson Tide HERAUHEAOER SPORTS COLUMNIST Fifty-nine thousand people witnessed it in person but by next year that number will approach 100000 By the turn of the century the number could approach quadruple the truthful total Everyone will want to claim -presence on die night you just had to be in Commonwealth Stadium last night die night the edifice became something other than a harbor exclusively of heartbreak the night it became an edifice of thrills the final one desirable to the home patrons The night basketball matter Everyone will recall how Kentucky outlasted Alabama in overtime in a football game that rose above football-game stature to be simply three and one-third riveting hours Your neighbor will say he saw Craig Yeast from Harrodsburg reach out to grab Tim third-down pass in overtime then run the final 10 yards tq the end zone for die 40-34 victory Your friend will say he was in the mass that attacked the goal' post after die win die goal post that had stood smugly for so long in Commonwealth never expecting a victory over a ranked and storied opponent let alone me with a 31-1-1 record against Kentucky coming in For the record die kid highest on die first toppled goal post had on khakis and a gray shirt You win hear somebody say he helped escort the yellow post from die south end zone across die See CULPEPPER C6 if T-blades win 5-0 for record crowd By Mark Maloney HEfMLDLEAOER STAFF WRITER Another record-breaking crowd for another Kentucky Thorough-blades opener got what it wanted Friday night After a scoreless first period the T-blades erupted With a four-" goal second pe- riod and went on to spoil the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks' first regular-season game' ever 5-0 The Rupp Arena crowd of 17812 was the largest ever and the American Hockey League's largest for a season opener The T-blades ofyiied in front of 17503 a year earlier an all-time AIIL attendance record that was later pushed to 20672 by the Carolina Monarch Jamie Ram who had four shutouts List season stopped 20 shots in opening tlie season with a whitewash See T-BLADES CIO Fassero stops gives Mariners another chance FRANK ANDCRSONSTAFF A crowd of 23115 came out for the opening day of fall meet yesterday Keeneland win fit for queen DIVISION SERIES American League Today 4:07 pan (Johnson 20-5) at Orioles (Mussina 16-8) ESPN (Orioles lead series 2-1) 7:30 pm New York (Gooden 9-5) at Cleveland (Hershiser 14-6) 7:30 pm (Fox) LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Rational League Tuesday pan Marlins at Braves NBC-18 American Lsaguo Wednesday 1:13 pan bukans-Yankees winner vs Orioles Mariners winner Fox 56 Expensive journey pays off for owners of Ryafan By David Gins burg ASSOCIATED PRESS BALTIMORE -Jeff Fassero did his port Now Randy Johnson gets another chance to beat the Baltimore Oriole Fassero allowed three hits in eight shutout innings retiring 18 straight batters in one stretch to beat Baltimore 4-2 yesterday and keep Seattle alive in its American League division series Seattle bidding to become the first team to win a best-of-five playoff after losing the first two at home pulled to 2-1 in the series and will send Johnson to the mound today against Baltimore's Mike Mussina in Game 4 Johnson allowed five runs over fire innings in the series opener and has lost to Baltimore three times this season The lefthander who is 2-2 in post-season play is eager to get another slug at the Orioles with Seattle's season hanging in the baLince "I'm very he said "History shows that I have not pitched that well in the post-season It's a chance to redeem myself" Johnson's seemu! chami comes because Fassero completely dominated a Baltimore team that scored 18 runs in winning Today at Keeneland By Maryjean Wall HERALDLEAOER RACINQ WRITER All it took to make Ryafan a Grade 1 winner yesterday in her first North American race wait a first -cL'is ticket to Keeneland and the 100000 Queen Elizabeth II 1 Qiallengc Stakes I Well not quite The regally bred daughter of Lear Fan was also a Group I winner in France which gave her everything she needed to (tire daunting comxti-lion like Golden Arches and Auntie Mime on a sunny day that brought out a crowd of 23115 Ryafan division of Juddmonte Farms' which races Ryafan "We decided to go first das and she rewarded us -amply A less expensive optioi would have been to van her firm New Yirk but trainer in Europe Joint Gosden was familiar with die trip to Lexington and felt die stress of die van ride miglit be too taxing A it was Ryafan off die iftine from England and right on to the plane to The charter to Kccnetand was six times more expensive than the See KEENELAND CIO Fbst post 1:10 pm Feature race The Keeneland Breeders' Cup Mile faced a tough assignment on turf course however shipping from England and racing in weather that was hotter than site is accustomed to As it turned out she repaid her connections in kind "We chartered a plane to bring her from New York" said John Chandler president of- ftinee Khalid Abdullah's North American twice at the Kingdom? Fassero didn't allow a runner from the start of tlwr fourth inning through the eighth but he was pulled by Mmngcr Lou aftiT walking Gvnmimo Berroa leading off the ninth At that point after throwing 136 pitches Fassero was through See MARINERS C4.