The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 39

1 v-f 1 4 MEMPHIS SUNDAY OCTOBER 6 1991 TkE Commercial Appeal SECTION mmm I Gant powers Atlanta Giants rip Dodgers V4 if -W 't'V r-w tW 1 From Our Ptom Services No 1 baby we shook the world" Slugger Ron Gant said it and the Atlanta Braves did it The team that once couldn't win much of anything captured the National League West cham- The Braves completed one of the most amaxing turnarounds in baseball history riim-hing the division title with a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros while the Los Annies Dodgers were losing in San Francisco 4-0 The loss dropped the Dodgers two games bade of Atlanta with only one game left this season for each team Atlanta which has won eight straight will start the NL playoffs Wednesday in Pittsburgh Braves whose 65-97 record last year was the worst in the majors joined AL West champ Minnesota this season as the only teams to rebound from last place to first Behind John pitching and hitting the Braves clinched before 41994 tomahawk-chopping fans After the victory toe Braves celebrated then gathered in the Infield to watch the end of the Dodgers-Gi-ants game on the centerfleld screen They needed to wait only 3Vi minutes for LA to falL "It seemed like it was destined to said Gant who hit his 32nd homer and drove in two runs a feeling I can't explain I feel like Superman" Braves catcher Greg Olson who played 7Vi years in the minor leagues was moved to tears by the magnitude of what the Biraves had accomplished Atlanta Braves catcher Greg Olson celebrates with pitcher John Smoltz after the Braves beat Houston to win the division title 4 5 I I 5 il i MSU gives till it hurts at Missouri past audibles make difference yards interc By Ron Higgins two touchdowns and two terceptlons were his audibles AL PLAYOFFS Tunic Toronto at Minnesota 7:35 pjn Wsdnssday Toronto at Minnesota pm Friday Minnesota at Toronto 7:35 pjn Saturday Mlnneeota at Toronto 7:25 pm Oct IS Mlnneeota at Toronto 3:10 pjn (It necessary) OcL IS Toronto at Minnesota 7:35 pm (If necessary) Oct IS Toronto at Minnesota 7:35 pm (If necesaary) Wadnaaday Atlanta at Pittsburgh 7:35 pm Thursday Atlanta at Pittsburgh 7:35 pjn Saturday Pittsburgh at Atlanta 2pm OoL 11 Pittsburgh at Atlanta 7:40 pm Oct 14 Pittsburgh at Atlanta 2:06 pm (If necessary) OoL IS Atlanta at Pitta-burgh 2:06 pm or 7:35 pm (If Oat 17 Atlanta at Pittsburgh 7:35 pm (If necessary) Times are Central started crying in the eighth inning in anticipation of mis' said Olson a lot better than I thought it would be Us winning two and LA losing two It Was Atlanta made up 9V4 games on the Dodgers since the All-Star break compiling the best record in the majors the second half at 55-27 while winning 21-of-28 down the stretch The teams went into the final weekend tied The Braves won Friday night while Los Angeles lost and then wrapped up the Please see BRAVES Page D12 A quarter of misery Memphis 8tete tod 7-0 attar one quarter at Missouri on Saturday but -thraa M8U turnovers and a Mockad punt In tlw aaoond parted boosted Mlaaourl to a 31-21 victory Tha fat--lowing dataSaMSlTa tS (llral quartet) Keith Banton aattlng up Jail 40-yard IMd goal at 1334 of tha aaoond quarter MSU 7 Mlaaourl 3 (i Maroua Martin Mocfca Jaff Mlaaourl tekaa over at tlw M8U 15 loading to PM Johnaon'a 1-yard TO peso to Bob Patrua Mlaaourl 10 MSU 7 4J0 Mlaaourl TO: Michaal WaaNngton aooraaon a 1-yard run Mlaaourl 17 MSU 7 436 InteroapMani Javan Lan-hardt bitaroapta Banton and ratuma It 21 yarda to tha 3 to aat up aaoond 1-yard TD run Mlaaourl 24 M8U 7 ML fumbtas Mlaaourl racovara Xavier Crawford'a tumble at tha MSU 28 Ronnal KaytriH aoorea from tlw 3 four playa later Mlaaourl 31 MSU 7 ment not sure whether we feel we won the game the way we played at the Please see MSU Page D6 QB Keith Benton struggles in MSU loss D6 final 39 points after Qadry 'Missile' Ismail's 95-yard kickoff return put Syracuse (4-1) ahead 14-7 late in the first quarter think we underestimated Florida State linebacker Kirk Carruthers said once we got the jitters out of the way we began to dominate like we were supposed to" Florida State rolled up 642 yards against one of the nation's stingiest defenses a unit that was giving up only 12 points and 291 yards per game It was the most yards ever given up by the Orangemen towing the old mark of 587 by reU in 1978 got our butts kicked in ev- lease see FSU Page D6 DIAL SPORTS 8coros and more: 1-900-737-7676 75 cents per minute By Lynn Zinser The Commercial Appeal COLUMBIA Mo Memphis team plane made a shaky landing in stormy Columbia on Friday and its offense was even more unsteady Saturday at Faurot Field In an 11-minute span of the second quarter Missouri used three Memphis State turnovers and a blocked punt to reel off 31 points MSU was buried by its blunders absorbing a 31-21 loss in front of 42925 a huge disappointment We gave them every touchdown except said MSU junior tailback Xavier Crawford They got lucky and we make the big plays The second quarter was the worst played since been here" MSU quarterback Keith Benton tied a school record by Swhicli led to short TD drives for Missouri MSU punter Jeff Buffaloe had a punt blocked and Crawford fumbled to set up two other scores When the dust settled MSU (2-3) was on the tail end of a 31-7 score helped us a little bit" said Missouri coach Bob Stull in the biggest understate- The Commercial Appeal LEXINGTON Ky In a mat- ter of three weeks Ole Miss junior quarterback Russ Shows has' gone from shaky job security as a starter to the undeniable leader of the offense Shows reading defense with almost unerring accuracy had a career-high and the fifth-best single game total offense performance in school history 348 yards as the Rebels turned back the Wildcats for a 35-14 Southeastern Conference football The victory improved Ole 1 to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC up next league showdown in Oxford Miss against Georgia The Bulldogs (4-1 1-1) upset No 6 Clemson Saturday 27-12 With a Commonwealth Sta- dium crowd of 56375 hoping Kentucky would be able to extend its 10-game night home winning streak Shows was on the money with his passes and changing plays at the line of scrimmage Even more impressive than I 13of-27 passing for 292 Three of Ole five IDs came when Shows correctly read the Kentucky defense then called what he thought would work say on 85 percent of the plays Russ checked off at the line and got us into something else" Ole Miss center Cliff Dew said As a result Ole Miss rolled for 536 yards the first time the Rebels have cracked the 500-yard mark since totaling 591 against Arkansas State in 1989 Against a blitzing Kentucky defense the Rebels averaged 79 yards for each of their 68 offensive plays Behind superb protection that allow a sack Shows stood tall in the pocket and fired away knew the key to this game would be ratting into the plays we needed to get into" said Shows whose passing yardage was the second highest of his collegiate career Shows had scoring passes of 28 yards to Vincent Brownlee with 6:26 left in the third quarter and 60 yards to Tyrone Montgomery Please see REBELS Page D4 DAVID WILLIAMS Sports Columnist It was Brooks Robinson playing a hot comer Jim Palmer tossing shutouts Frank Robinson and later Eddie 1 Murray launching home runs every game and nearly every Inning It was Earl Weaver Mario Johnson tracks down Memphis State quarterback Keith Benton in game at Columbia Mo Unbeaten Seminoles axe No 10 Syracuse Stadium served Orioles well fifls Lilwit 1 the stadium with the ry-covered walls or the one 1th the Green Monster puffing away and smoking cigarettes too Memorial though nearly 40 ON SPOUTS 2: 77w following highlights the day's other top stories on D3 our second front page Arkansas rallies strong to beat TCU Rhodes rolls past Lam- beth 45-13' Stowers remembered at memorial service A year later family copes with Pratcher death centerfleld at the new park Memorial Stadium can hardly compete with all that and the new stadium will have more comfortable seats to boot So Memorial Stadium and East 33rd Street will be off Please see PARK Page D7 years old has been a stadium for these times It is a good home run park which delights the action-seeking fans of today It features a couple of other modem necessities: a giant video screen and loud music But in Baltimore built a better birdhouse The Orioles next season move into a 51054 million stadium that even purists love: It is a neighborhood park with real grass a throwback with all the modem conveniences You buy or build history but the folks in Baltimore have come dose The young Babe Ruth and his family lived in a house on what will be It one with a roof or a fountain It the coziest or the most charming ballpark or even the one with the best hot dogs Memorial Stadium which the Orioles will vacate after today's season finale is simply a nice old baseball park where for nearly 40 years fans have sat and watched events both historic and humdrum except for those in the 4000 or so seats with a view of a cement pole Memorial Stadium home of the since they began play in 1954 has served baseball and its city well It has been the site of one all-star game 17 World Series games and 13 playoff By Rick Warner The Asaodated Prose TALLAHASSEE Fla Top-ranked Florida State found itself in an unusual position Saturday in the first quarter against No 10 Syracuse For the first time in 11 games the Seminoles had fewer points than their opponent When the football game ended though it was business as usual for the Seminoles Casey Weldon passed for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdowns as Florida State routed Syracuse 46-14 and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 11 The Seminoles (5-0) scored the AMERICAN LEAGUE Orioles 7 Tigers 3 Browers 13 Red Sox 4 Indians 7 Yankees 5 Twins 3 Blue Jays 1 A's 12 Rangers 5 Angsts 5 Royals 2 Mariners 10 Chlsox 0 NATIONAL LEAGUE Phillies 1 MetsO Braves 5 Astros 2 Glsnts 4 Dodgers 0 Cubs 3-7 Csrds 2-5 Padres 10 Reds 7 Pirates 4 Expos 3 Driver Harry Gant earned his seventh NASCAR victory in his last eight outings taking the All Pro 300 Washington plays at Chicago In an NFL game today at noon on WREQ-' TV Channel 3 Atm 14 4.