The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 39

Morning Report C2 Schools C5 Scoreboard C6 I The Bickering Steelers face the underdog Bills Sonics barely beat -lowly Minnesota By John Clayton Hie News Tribune By Stave Aschbamor For The News Tribune if or linebacker Cornelius Bennett hold press conferences to state they appreciated enough or they think other teammates get too much attention PITTSBURGH -Bilb ihould switch the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo for the AFC playoff game today tone fur Mchut Michael Jadan scores 35 points in 120-95 victory over Bucks to become the 18th player In NBA hbtoy to reach the 20000-point plateau NBA raumkqt E3 certainly switched robs After two years of having tl playoffs the Bilb enter Three Rivers Stadium as the Cinderella Tight and Eric Qronn has bncomn almost an afterthought in tho offense I ho doesn't Ike tt This week been a typical Bilb week An emotional Bilb team rallied around backup quarterback Frank Reich who pulled them from a 35-3 deficit to a 41-38 victory over the Oilers last Sunday They won during a i half in which Bennett and Quarterback Jim Kelly On the miming injuries This was a "feel locker room in part to their magical comeback from a U-point it the Houston Oilers last Sunday The twotime AFC dumps are the 1-point underdogs and get this are doing more of the bickering halfback Barry Foster spoken to the press since to sit out next season unless he gets a new contract Tight end Eric Green grumbling about his do-emphasised rob in the offense Inside linebacker Hardy Nickerson publicly re-the league! new labor settlement because i for hb departure flrom Pittsburgh i almost sound like the old Bills who turned locker-turmoil into a daily soap opera They were tne Bickering Bills the NFL's most notorious collection of egos Halfback Thurman Thomas complained during the last Super Boiri that being awarded the league's Most Valuable Player came too late Then he missed the first few plays of Super Bowl XXVI because he misplaced hb helmet Usually a week go by without Thurman or wide receiver Andre Reed complaining about not touching the ball of the usual ego i MINNEAPOLIS Five weeks ago the Minnesota Timberwolves had as much business being on basketball court with the Seettb SuperSonics as Richard Nixon would have on Mount Roshmoro Minnesota fell behind by 18 points in the second quarter made only 88 percent of their shots in the third turned over the ball 15 times and suffered through their worst defeat in franchise history a 134-87 debacle at the Coli- But Friday night at Target Center fee Wolves faced fee Sooica again and blink They win of course but they blink Seattle woo 98-93 The Wolves held fee Sonics 11 points under their average limited them to 48 percent shooting and came within a couple inches of overtime fee margin by which guard Lance Blanks' three point shot missed wife eight seconds to play victory was close enough to put some spring back in the step and leave Sonics coach George Karl feeling relieved lucky to get out of here" said Karl whom team won Us fourth in a row and ninth in 10 games despite hit- ting Jnst 48 percent of Us shots when you mbs easy shots you frustrate yourself But wo hung in then We go south" Karl dearly saw a different Timber-wolvee team played very aggressive" he said knew they played most effectively when they dow it down Keeping it under 100 (points) definitely was to their advantage" Minnesota coach Jimmy Rodgers sent compliments right back a great team contend for fee Western Conference title and got a lot of he said Strong Deep And they played ageinet a very good That believe tt or not would be the Timberwolves Although they bet for the 15th time in 17 games and life time in 14 games against Seattle fee Please see Sonics E3 team all of a sudden get religion because somebody says something inspirational at Bilb coach Marv Levy said 1 think the harder you work the harder it to surrender Our players have worked very hard They committed themselves so they going to go out and Kelly be in uniform for the 9:30 am game today see AFC E4 AFC SEMHULS (Channel 5) NFC SEMFMALS (Channel 7) Today Buffalo at Rtteburgv 9:30 am Today Washington at San Francisco pm Sunday San Dieg) at Miami 1 pm Sunday Phtadefchia at Dalas 9-30 am Tho NFL playoffs: No soccer in Tacoma for 1993 By John Lawrence The News Tribune There will be no soccer in fee Tacoma Dome thb summer A group of Tacoma investors interested in bringing a Continental Indoor Soccer League franchise to Tacoma tamed thumbs down Friday on doing so for fee 1993 season But Dr Richard Waltman fee men behind fee group said it interested in the Hhfjeaagugi despite bitter behind-the-scenes wrangling wife CISL commissioner Ron Weinstein Waltman cited two factors that led to thedecbkm: Tho Jan 15 rnn imposed by fee CISL did not allow due diligence for the Thcoma group Weinstein'! statements about a past Tacoma ownership group am interested very much so in Waltman said I told them feet it's imponible for to nafa feet kind of deadline We need an arena deal and legal counsel We went over it end looked We do it in a sreek It's just not enough time I called Mm originally I thought the league wu starting in 94 Thu he made a Mg bne of wanting for Weinstein apparently made a Mggw issue of investors: He reportedly told Waltman and Stan Naccarato called in to counsel tho group feat former Tacoma Stars investors A1 Meier Chwles Brown and Fred Enslow were not welcome thb an bane wife prior MISL owners (Oscar Andre in San Diego Stuart Uchter in Anaheim and i i I 1 1 Rockets waste 3-0 lead lose 8-7 to Blazers By Larry Pmnsr For Tho News Tribune Soft lorboAsaortatad Bess Mfce Teagsrtsrv'McaoowMman My News From ttioir size to ttwir stats to thab stats player of tho ysar status Husky Mark Pops loft and Cougar Mark Hendrickson have a lot In common Mark them down Body doubles Pope Hendrickson meet for the first time By Steve Bargain The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review KAMLOOPS BC Being at River-aide Coliseum on Friday night wu like vbiting an amusement park Only Tacoma Rockets coach Marcel Cornua want amused In a game feat made Corona's hair stand end fee Kemloope Blaiers survived a wild roller-coaster ride to poet 9-7 victory over the Rockets in a Western Hockey League gsme Comeau wu nauseous over the fact hb first-place Rockets Mew uriy 8-0 lead and lost for fee ninth consecutive time in Kamloops The ion dropped fee Rockets to 88-13-0 la the West Division standings while the fourth-place Blazers improved to 19-18-1 not much you can do about the ether Comean said have to play without fee puck and tonight we We have no excuses If you get sevu (goals) you should win I think feet shows how wo played defen- end players in the finally have to share DUPLICATE DUO MARK POPE Washington Ctoea: Sophomore Heigit wetgifc 6-9 217 Stats player of year 1991 Newport averages: 123 points 71 rebounds PULLMAN The two highly recruited prep state the put two fee court Mark Pupa and Washington Mark Hendrickson will compete head-to-head for fee first time today when the Huskies end Cougars open the Padfie-19 Conference buketbell season wife a 4 pm showdown at Friel Court The two could end up guarding them two of the Pac-10'i top rebounders They are so similar in ability that when high school coach filled out a questionnaire bom a basketball camp last summer he described Hendrickson a Pope-like Pope who wu named the outstanding prep player in the state two yean ago a senior at Newport High School in Bellevue averaged 1M points and 81 rebounds a game for UW last season and wu named fee Pae-10 Freshman of the Year This yew Ms rebounds have slipped to 71 per game but Ms scoring average up to 181 Hendrickson fee state's Player of fee Yew in 1998 after leading Mount Vernon to the Class AA state title currently leads fee Pae-10 In rebounding (101) and averaging 117 points pw game see Pope play every WSU coach Kelvin Sampeon said from the two times he's played against last yew I know he and Mark (Hendrickson) have a lot in common both have great instincts they both have a now for fee basketball both great kkb and depending on what lineups fee opposing i decide to use But even if they it should be MARK HENDfOCKSON Washington State Ctaim Freshman Haltfit weltfit: 6-9 215 State player of year 1992 Mount Vernon 92-93 average 117 points 102 rebounds i similar builds bacfcgroundsi Both stand 8-foot-9 and weigh in Jut a biscuit shy of 830 Both come bom solid well-respected high chord programs Both are capable of playing the No 8 small forward spot well as posting up And both make up for a lack of world-claas athletic ability wife an aggresrive style of play that makea goal at 1154 of the third period 8 Jammed a kwae puck under 1 goalie Jeff Calvert Calvert who entered the game with a goals against average stopped only hots But Comeau didn't flame Ms Washington at Washington State 4 pm Channel 22 Scouting report E2 see Marks E4 Please see Rockets E3 1 1 1WWW Jtnp I WtoUi -Jr i.