Evansville Courier and Press from Evansville, Indiana • 23

Editor: after 5 pm? rldaV)ul231 993 BASEBALL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD BUSINESS C2 C3 C4 C5-C7 back of section Section I 1 Classified is in I'fM Phils get their man Rolen signs big-league contract achieves his dream By GORDON UMCUUUlof Courier staff writer Scott life-long dream was realized on Thursday when he signed a mqjor-league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies Rolen a third baseman from Jasper High School who was a second-round pick in last amateur draft signed his contract with the Midwest scouting supervisor Scott Trcka Rolen will join Martinsville Va of the Rookie Appalachian League today "This is what always Rolen said kind of a dream come true Right now anyway Everybody dreams to get one chance got one chance got to make the moat of Rolen turned down a baseball basketball scholarship to the University of Georgia to turn pro He said his signing bonus was in six figures but would not reveal fiirther details "My parents and I were comfortable with said Rolen who as a senior batted 546 with eight home runs and 34 runs batted in in 75 at-bats "The amount will be sufficient to forego the Georgia scholarship Choosing baseball over basketball was tough for Rolen who played for Indiana in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star basketball series last month "Sure HI miss basketball no doubt in my he said "Pm a big basketball fan and I love to play the game "It was really not my decision It was theirs (The Phillies) would not let me to play basketball if I took the money they were offering Playing basketball would increase the possibility of injury The best bet for me and them is to play baseball Although Rolen will be in uniform tonight he expect to play until Saturday Wrong sport Rookie running back Ryan Benjamin scooped up a preseason soccer bail during an agility drill at the Cincinnati Thursday afternoon camp in Wilmington Ohio on players grab Open lead Sascha Hupmann has adopted a "get attitude in his bid to land a spot with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks got to knock people around inside and do what's made me the former University of Evansville center said See Tom story on C2 Sascha Hupmann Jacksonville pulls out The competition for the two expansion teams dropped by one as Jacksonville Fla has withdrawn its bid The prospective group in Jacksonville told the league it was quitting the race after failing to come to terms on a lease and renovation plan for the 46-yearold Gator BowL Cities still in contention are Baltimore St Louis Charlotte NG and Memphis Tenn Johnson has sore back CHARLOTTE NC Charlotte Hornets forward Larry Johnson will spend the next four to six weeks in rehabilitation for treatment of a herniated disc "Bight now there is mild pressure against the nerve root but I am seeing signs of recovery" said Dr Glenn Ferry the team physician Tarplay back In Graeco DALLAS Roy Tarpley who struggled with drug and alcohol problems before being banned from the NBA in 1991 has signed a one-year contract with a Greek basketball club The 7-foot Tarpley 29 will play for Olympiakos the 1992-93 Greek League champion Evansville Baba Ruth stars Four Evansville players Joey Kir-choff Zack BidweU Bobby Davis and Zack McCloud will participate in all-state all-star Babe Ruth Classic in Terre Haute Kirchoff and Bidwell will play in the 13-yearld game Davis and McCloud will play in the 15-year-old game Argentina ousts UA FRANKFURT Germany The United States was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the Federation Cup by Argentina on Thursday The UA team lost 2-1 winning only the doubles match Hie crushing Ion came when Florenda Labat won the final nine games to beat Lori McNeil 5-7 6-3 6-0 Clampett leads with 63 SUTTON Maas Bobby Clampett a parttime player on the PGA Tour shot an opening 8-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead in the $1 million New England Classic His score was one stroke off the course record Steve Lowery was alone in second after a 66 A Don Watson Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established by friends and family in honor of the late Harrison football coach Contributions to the fund should be sent to Harrison High School 211 Fielding Road Evansville Ind 47715 All contributions are tax If you have a touch-tone phone you can leave sports tips or obtain up-to-date sports information Dial (812) 421-1180 and the following extension numbers Ext 1005 to leave sports tips or comments about local sports coverage Ext 2211 for sports headlines Ext 2217 for National League basebalL Ext 2250 for American League baseball Local scores are available from Dial Sports at 1-900-737-0990 The cost is 95 cents per minute A touch-tone phone is required I US OPEN Leaden: At 4-under-par 68 Helen Alfredsson and Ayako Okamoto Dawn Coe-Jones is a stroke behind highlights: Juli Inkster had one of three eagles recorded on the 462-yard par-5 15th She sank a 20-foot putt after reaching the green with a driver and 7-iron Quote of the day: "I call that the Cracker Jack hole when the pin is on the said Amy Alcott of the No 13 hole a 127-yard par-3 "When you hit It you tell what the surprise is until you hear the roar of the crowd" to keep flying back and forth if you really want to she said The field of 156 played the opening round slowly with each threesome taking more than five hours to complete a round Five groups remained on the course when play was suspended due to darkness Those groups will complete play this morning before the second round begins "It was a very long Okamoto said through an interpreter "I played with Judy Dickinson and Shelley Hamlin two players about the same age as myself (42) See ROLEN on Page C2 AP photo US Open co-leader Helen Alfredsson waved to the crowd after closing with a birdie Late innings prove Rockie for Cardinals By The Associated Press DENVER The Colorado Rockies had been there many times themselves enduring the heartbreak of late-inning pitching wildness "It happened to somebody else for a change Rockies manager Don Baylor said Thursday night after his team capitalized on two hases-loaded walks in the eighth then rallied for a 7-6 win over St Louis on Jerald sacrifice fly in the ninth Hie fhiriienh blew a 6-3 lead and a fine pitching effort by Bob Tewksbury whose string of consecutive innings without yielding a walk was halted at 55 Tewksbury had a 6-3 lead when he left The Rockies scored three runs in the eighth when Rob Murphy yielded three singles to load the bases Omar Olivares walked the next (wo batters on eight pitches A grourfdout scored the tying run Foreign By The Associated Press CARMEL Ind Helen Al-fredsson and Ayako Okamoto shot matching 68s on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the UiL Open Alfredsson overcame a double bogey 7 on 11th hole sinking birdie putts of 9 and 20 feet on the last two holes of the par-72 6311-yard Crooked Stick Golf Club Okamoto who had only one bogey putted for the lead on the 18th hole but left a 25-fort birdie putt about three feet short Canadian Dawn CoeJones bogeyed her final hole to fall one stroke off the pace with a 69 Amy Alcott Nancy Lopez Amy Read Michelle McGann and Jane Geddes were another stroke back at 70 along with amateur Debbi Koyama Alfredsson said it is sometimes difficult beinga European playing in the United States "I enjoy very much this tour and I enjoy going back to said the 28-yearold Alfredsson whose only victory on the LPGA tour was in a major the Dinah Shore in March She recently took three weeks off the tour to return to Europe "I had some tournaments to defend over there and that was planned at the beginning of the year Now I find tough Heavy rains cancel Ellis after 2 races The 10-race program on card at Ellis Park was baited after the second race when jockeys decided the track was unsafe Hie track was hit by a thunderstorm about 1 pnu 30 minutes before the first post The first two races went rtf as scheduled but jockeys steered their horses away from the rail and both winners veered to the middle leaving the stretch turn A vote to cancel racing following the second race was unanimous according to guild representative Raphael Estrella "The wont places were coming out of the mile chute and straightening away into the said Estrella He said the jockeys felt they never were in controL "Come-from-behind bones were at a great disadvantage and you know where the footing was best if you were back he said Ellis Park vice president and general and the pace of the play fit very Alfredsson said golf the only reason she returns to Europe very dose to her parents and calls them daily Alfredsson birdied three of her first five boles She admitted to some nervousness as the round began but a 6-foot birdie putt on the 345-yard par4 opening hole eased the tanainn a tough golf course there are so many holes that can get Alfredsson said For Alfredsson that was No 11 wbere she hit her third shot into a bunker sent her fourth over the green and eventually two-putted from 24 feet Patience is a key for those competing for the check of $144000 from a record $800000 puree Betsy King who won consecutive Opens in 1989 and 1990 was 3-under and in the lead when she teed off at No 8 But her tee shot went into tall grass to the right of the green and she get it out with her second shot King then took an unplayable lie HTd put her next shot into the water When she finally arrived at the green after a drop King two-putted to foil to 1- over and off the leaderboard She finished with a 74 mission any day the remainder of the meet which concludes on Labor Day Schnaare also said exchanges would be maria on racing programs purchased at the track "Hie track will be ready to train over (at 3 pjnV Schnaare M- Pam Sanfilippo a 15-year-old groom for the Bud Vest Stables led Ken Bar Angela back to the bam when rains canceled the last eight races at Ellis Park manager Richard Schnaare agreed "There was flooding locally in Hender- son and Evansville and we had our own flood on the said Schnaare "A steady saturating rain can be dealt with have a lot of mud but run Over lL 1 Fans were issued rain checks for ad-.