Bristol Herald Courier from Bristol, Tennessee • 19

Rangers Rick Leach comes out of hiding I Page 7C Sports Wednesday May 10 1989 mi 'J 4 1 II Bristol Herald Courier Bristol Virginla Tcnncsscan I 'K 3 Iy iMI 1 fa WkvW ssnB Herald CourierChris Taylor Hilltopper catcher dreams of playing pro ball 'S 0 x4r 1 Sx 1 a 4 fc wIaI A Pardue makes work pay off LORI WORLEY Sports Writer JOHNSON CITY Two years ago when John elty took over the wrestling program at Sci ence Hill High School he knew next to nothing about the sport He had no need to worry however because Brian Pardue then a junior told his coach help him learn the finer points of wrestling No only that he would help coach the other wrestlers on the team In effect Pardue only 16 at the time became the teacher and elty the student know what I would have done without said elty just that kind of kid a good kid willing to help anybody They come along like him very or Pardue helping out his coach placed him in a role he been comfortable with be fore guess everybody thought of me as the leadership type of he said that happened in wrestling though I ompsonL AWartl Mm i Pardue's credentials on the wrestling mat as well as in baseball are almost as impressive as the 385 GPA he maintains in the classroom much like that But Coach elty put his trust in me and I going to let him credentials on the wrestling mat as well as in base ball are almost as impressive as the 385 GPA he maintains in the classroom In each of the three last years he has qualified for the state wres tling tournament This past eb ruary he won the 160 pound state wrestling title to become Science first ever state champion and only the second wrestler ever from the Big 10 Conference to win at that level of competition His record was a flawless 34 0 and his title match earned him best match and best wrestler hon ors This achievements made him glad he took up the sport five years ago I started it as a kind of defense from my older brother and his laughed Pardue used to beat me up all the time" Pardue is also a standout on the Hilltopper baseball team which is currently playing in the Region 1 tournament A three EDITOR'S DOTE ollowing is the third in a series of profiles on the five finalists for the Gene "Pappy" Thomp son Award for Excel lence The winner will be announced Sunday year starter at catcher Pardue is batting 470 and has already picked up all district honors this season He was all conference in both his sophomore and junior years and is a sure bet to make it again this year He was also a member of the Tennessee Dizzy Dean state championship team last year which finished second in the Dizzy Dean World Series Not many athletes success fully combine baseball and wres tling But for Pardue his choice of sports offers him the best of two worlds thing about baseball Please see PARDUE Page 7C NEW YORK Michael Jordan bottled up for most of the game scored nine of his 34 points in overtime Tuesday night as the Chicago Bulls rallied for a 120 109 victory over New York in the opener of their NBA playoff series Game 2 of the best of 7 Eastern Conference semifinal will be in New York Thursday night with the next two meetings in Chicago on Saturday and Sunday Jordan who averaged 398 in his five playoff games against Cleveland was limited to 12 shots in regulation 15 under his postseason average But he took over in the extra period breaking 105 105 and 109 109 ties with jumpers before giving the Bulls a 114 109 advantage when he converted a three point play with 1:16 left Jordan also finished with 10 rebounds and 11 assists The Bulls scored the final 11 points of overtime and held the Knicks to six points in the final 8:41 of the game Chicago trailed 103 95 on a basket by Patrick Ewing with 3:42 left in regulation but they scored eight straight points and tied the score on two free throws by Jordan with 1:15 remaining Chicago had two apparent breakaways in the final minute of regulation but Trent Tucker and Ewing came from behind to knock the ball away giving New York possession each time The Bulls got the ball again with two seconds left in regulation but Mark Jackson stole the in bounds pass and missed a 40 footer as time expired Johnny Newman scored 11 points in the last 7:35 of the third period as the Knicks turned a 62 55 deficit into a 75 74 lead Then New York started the fourth period with an 11 2 run for its largest lead 90 78 with 7:57 re maining In a span of less than 12 minutes the Knicks outscored the Bulls 35 16 Craig Hodges scored 24 points Horace Grant had 19 and Bill Cartwright 18 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago which got a balanced attack for the first time in the playoffs Newman had 27 points and Ewing 22 for New York Jordan Hodges and Scottie Pippen each had 3 pointers during a 13 4 run that gave Chicago a 15 9 lead Reid options for NBA draft Associated Press CHAPEL HILL NC JR Reid North mus cular 6 foot 9 forward whose fu ture was a constant focus of spec ulation ended the guessing game Tuesday by announcing he would give up his final year of eligibility to enter next month's NBA draft Reid who was a member of the 1988 US Olympic team got a taste of pro ball when the team played a series against NBA play ers last summer That was appar ently helped whet his appetite a little nervous about it a big step for said Reid who appeared at a news confer ence with Coach Dean Smith who counseled him what to do Smith told me it was a good Plus said Reid he had to sell his parents especially his mother on the decision to turn pro Reid after several meetings with Smith made the decision after talking with his parents in the family car in the parking lot of the Smith Center on Sunday Reid said he told Smith on Monday got my mom to go along with it after promising to come back and graduate which not too far from doing he said Reid is the fourth of players to forego a senior year for the NBA Before Reid Robert McAdoo James Worthy and Mi chael Jordan opted for the pros after their junior seasons had a lot of fun here gone to the final eight twice and the final 16 this Reid said of his NCAA experiences none of which will include a national JR as a Tar Heel College career statistics for North Caro lina' forward JR Reid who announced Tuesday he would apply for the NBA draft and forfeit his senior year of eligibility: Year GA TA Reb Pts Avg 1986 87 36 198 339 132 202 268 628 147 1987 88 33 222 366 161 222 293 595 180 1988 89 27 164 267 101 151 170 429 159 Totals 96 584 972 384 575 731 1552 162 championship did everything I expected at North Carolina and more I think is a good time for me to go on I think that the situation in the NBA and money situation made it a good time for me to come he said think I will be financially secure in com ing outright Normally Smith suggests that his junior players give up their final year if they can secure a high selection in the NBA draft Worthy was the first pick in the 1982 draft when he went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Jordan was the third pick overall when he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 McAdoo was the second pick in 1972 going to Buffalo Reid has not been projected as a high selection in the first round but Smith says times have changed his view of being first in the draft inancial security Smith suggested can occur any where in the opening round salary cap is going up to $9 million So the way looked at it no doubt in my mind that JR will demand a Please see REID Page7C 1 wk jut IKY? MMr Bulls defeat Knicks in OT Associated Press Associated Press Reid giving up his final year at North Carolina Vai At i fh TTW it i a sidelin es'X 4 'i Ifc 1 1 1 4 I Bristol International Raceway gets another black dress THREE MONTHS after Bristol International Raceway donned its new black dress the fastest half mile track is already set for a new fitting After spending approximately $500000 on repaving the surface BIR owner Larry Carrier is having the job done a second time According to Carrier BIR was paved with a ground granite stone a compound somewhat similar to what is used on federal highways Granite is a non polishing aggragate known for good wear and was used on the surface at BIR when it was originally paved in 1961 When tire testing was done on the new surface in March Carrier said there was no tire wear at all However after the Valleydale 500 in April which was slowed by a record number of 20 cautions some of them due to blowouts Carrier took a closer look at the pavement noticed it (the granite) hadbegun to wear through the he said "It left the surface porous and parts of what came through were should have worn down but it The granite was just so rough we get any rubber laid down on the Carrier said that while NASCAR had nothing to do with his decision to repave he did think the track had something to do with the tire problems I think it had to have an effect on the tire wear but whether it caused the blowouts I can't Carrier said he began to wonder about surface conditions on the Saturday before the alleydale 500 know it rained that day but even when it stopped we get the track dry" he said the reason was there were little pinholes in the paving that were holding There were also seams in the track and overlapping Carrier thinks some of the problem may have been the bad weather the paving company encountered while trying to get the job done before the spring race A'1'' '1 LORI ff? 4) WORLEY ferf SPORTS WRITER was cold at that time of the year and we didn't the compaction we should have" said Carrier The repaving also turned the facility into a one groove track During testing Dale Earnhardt was concerned that the groove on the track had moved lower He tried to run high where he had been used to racing and the riding there was considerably rougher "What happened was he was hitting a bad seam" said Carrier got highhere where it was THIS TIME around limestone will be used in the resurfacing Unlike the sharp edged granite this stone is smoother Carrier said that APAC the company that did the job was very understanding when he talked with them about the problem didn't point fingers saying it was your fault or my he said knew we had a problem and we just wanted to work it out" APAC will redo the paving footing the bill for labor Carrier will pay for the materials really know what going to said Carrier "Just whatever it takes time though the whole thing will be smoother than it was and we'll have plenty of time to seal Work which should last about two days was to have started this week but due to rain it's been postponed until the weather clears up want to wait until we get a break in the weather" said Carrier we want to have to do it in sections We want to do it all at However Carrier feels sure that when NASCAR returns to Bristol in August drivers will be greeted with a much smoother surface August be he said paved we'll let it set let it rain on it let the sun bake it and then seal it I guarantee you you'll see the most beautiful job you've ever BIR NOTES: Though tickets for the Busch 500 have been sold out for three months there may be some seats available after June 7 June 7th is the cutoff day for permanent reserve ticket holders to pick up their tickets If they don't confirm by then those tickets will go on sale Before the Busch 500 the infield care center will be completed Carrier is planning to build 10000 more seats at BIR before next August race.