Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 32

GttAT EIGHT Perry A. Farrell takes a look at the field for this week's games at the Palace. Page 7D. Monday, Nov. 27, 1995 SECTiOI NBA, Pages 2, 3 Preps, Pages 5, 10 Scoreboard, Page 9 Scores: 1-900-737-8884, Sports: 1-313-222-6660 (Calls to the score line are 79 per minute) jDcltoil 4frcc Stress ember tWe Alamo, forge Michigan headed to Texas POLLS AND BOWLS Shunned MSU still hopeful THE FACTS: 8 p.m., Dec.

28, Alamodome, San Antonio. MATCHUP: No. 14 Michigan (9-3) vs. loser Saturday between No. 9 Texas (9-1-1) and No.

16 Texas (8-2). TV: ESPN, with a lot of tradition in either Texas or Texas This is easily the most attractive matchup the Alamo Bowl has put to- gether in only its third year. The winner of the game between the No. 9 Longhoms (9-1-1) and No. 16 Aggies (8-2) is expected to get a Sugar Bowl bid.

Neither of the past Alamo Bowls produced a team ranked higher than No. 21 in the final Associated Press poll. Cal-Berkeley beat Iowa, 37-3, in; 1993; Washington State beat 10-3, in 1994. "Matching Michigan with Texas or Texas is something we couldn't be happier about," Alamo assistant executive director Bob Gennarelli said. "We'll have Michigan with its national appeal, and another team of great Michigan, Page 7D By Steve kornacki Free Press Sports Writer, Michigan is headed for the Alamo Bowl, and will meet the loser of Saturday's Texas-Texas game on Dec.

28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The No. 1 4 Wolverines hoped their upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State would bring a bid from the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. But the Outback committee stayed with its original preference to select Penn State (8-3, 5-3) over U-M (9-3, 5-3).

"Obviously, we'd have liked to play on New Year's Day in Florida," said Wolverines offensive guard and co-captain Joe Marinaro. "We were hoping our win would get us there, and were hoping Michigan State could help us by beating Penn State. "But we're happy to be able to play in a good bowl and against a great team BY DREW SHARP Free Press Sports Writer East Lansing The Sun set early Sunday evening on Michigan State's chances of landing one of the five Big Ten-affiliated bowls. The Sun Bowl, armed with the conference's fifth selection, chose Iowa over the Spartans despite Michigan State's fifth-place finish. And that creates an anxious day for the Spartans as they hope to avoid being left in complete postseason darkness.

The Independence Bowl holds the key. The Independence, Dec. 29 in Shreveport, is expected to invite Michigan State, but only if it can get local favorite LSU as the Spartans' opponent. The bowl must first wait for the Carquest Bowl to make its selection and that won't come until this afternoon. The Carquest can choose either the fourth team from the ACC or the fifth team from the SEC.

It is expected to take either Maryland or North Carolina from the ACC, which would leave LSU for the Independence. But if the Carquest opts for LSU, the Independence would take Georgia to honor its contractual obligation with the SEC, and then probably would take either Maryland or North Carolina to create a more geographically competitive matchup and better ticket sales. That would mean Michigan State would stay home. The Spartans haven't been in communication with the Liberty Bowl, which would have the lone remaining at-large invitation. "It's going to be a waiting game, but I like our chances," said Michigan See Michigan state, Page 7D 1.

Nebraska 2. Florida 3. Northwestern 4. Tennessee 5. Ohio State 6.

Notre Dame 7. Colorado 8. Florida State 9. Texas 10. Kansas State 14.

Michigan 15. Penn State THE FACTS: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 29, Shreveport, La. MATCHUP: Michigan State (6-4-1) vs. LSU (6-4-1) OR Georgia (6-5) vs.

Maryland (6-5) or North Carolina. (6-5). TV: ESPN. boxer's tale Immigrant L9 (J OfllFteF 3fiLt mvritteii as a mystery 0 0 0 and all is well with the Reel Wings' season, sort of Goal unchanged: Better play vs. stronger teams quarter of the way through the 1995-96 season, the Red Wings are 13-6-2 and atop the Central Division.

All is deceptively well. Never mind the 10 victories that have come VIV Bernstein II The car was locked from the outside. There was no sign of foul play. Kobozev had $12,000 in a bank account in his name. It has ljiot been touched.

No checks have been drawn on it. No credit cards owned by him have been used. According to police, there have been no ransom Police have not found any -connection between Kobozev and the so-called Russian Mafia in America. They have established no connection to another woman. "It seemed he wasn't a ladies' man," homicide detective Arthur Se-mioli said.

"And there were no signs of any mental lapse by him or disorientation. Was there foul play either random violence or planned? Or did Kobozev disappear on his own volition? We're ruling nothing out." "The ropes really separated the two worlds of Sergei," said his assistant trainer, Peter Kahn. "He was very even-tempered, very unexcitable, very pleasant, almost shy when you'd meet him on the street. But he was a beast in the ring. He never took a step back.

He really earned the right to be called tough." "The police have investigated and can't find any enemies that he had," said Tommy Gallagher, the boxer's manager and trainer. "And outside the ring, he never caused trouble." "It is terrible," said Cherskikh, who, with her 7-year-old son, Vitaly, lived with Kobozev in their one-bedroom, fourth-floor apartment on 16th Street in a working-class section of Sheepshead Bay. "I wake up every morning and see the pictures of Sergei on the wall. And every morning I cry." Kobozev had come to America in pursuit of a dream. "All he wanted was to be world champion," she said.

Cherskikh, who is also Russian, said Kobozev didn't miss Russia. "He loved here, vou know." By ira berkovy New rk NEW YORK Tacked to message; boards in restaurants and post offices, in Brooklyn are 4-by-6-inch cards distributed by the New York City Police Department that tell some of the say in big black letters: "Missing; Person." Below this are details of the: search, beginning with; "Subject: Sergei Kobozev." -A For those; who follow professional boxing, the name is significant. Kobozev, with a 22-1 record including 17 knockouts, was the U.S. Boxing Asso-. nation's cruiserweight champion not quite a major title in what is often an overlooked division, between light-heavyweight and heavyweight.

But Kobozev, who came to the United States five years ago from Russia, had also been a captain in the Red Army and held a degree in chemistry from the Institute of Moscow common pedigrees for a prize-fighter. And he had been a member of the Soviet national boxing team and was looking toward his biggest boxing ever in March. 'it was an expected $100,000 shot for the World Boxing Council title Sgainst the winner of a January match Jet ween the champion Anaclet Wamba the challenger Marcel Dominguez. On Nov. 8, Kobozev was last seen leaving a garage in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn between 5:45 p.m.

and p.m. after having a cable short iepaired in his 1988 Chevy Blazer. He Was reported missing that night by Lina Cherskikh, his live-in companion. Five days later, his car was found beside a Dumpster in the parking lot of ihe Petrina Diner in Bensonhurst, where he sometimes ate. The diner, ftpen 24 hours, is about five miles from the garage in Midwood.

No one remembers seeing Kobozev in the diner. against teams below .500. As coach Scotty Bowman likes to point out, the schedule is the schedule. They didn't make it. But what should we make of it? That the Wings are on course for another Stanley Cup Finals appearance? After 21 games, NHL 011 i iris A i KhxV- i Vi ''f 'V that's a reach.

They are 1-3 against legitimate Cup contenders Colorado, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the New York Rangers. After each of those tests, the Wings came away feeling relatively good about their performances. Imagine how they would teel if they won a few more. As a group, the Wings don't believe they're playing great hockey right now even though they rank among the league leaders overall defense. But asked Saturday whether, at the I 'KS by JULIAN KGONZALEZDetroit Free Press cluarter Ple.

he thought the team Mis) I Goalie Chris Osgood has been one of the Wings' success stories this season, See VIV BERNSTEIN, Page 4D NFC Central I TEAM W-L GB DIV Defense still needs improvement; without it, forget the Stanley Cup Green Bay Chicago Detroit 5-2 3- 3 4- 2 1- 3 2- 5 8-4 7-5 6-6 6-6 6-6 he Red Wings have made the t- Tampa Bay Minnesota quarter-pole turn on the season in first place, on a pace to finish with a team-record 109 points and they're KEITH GAVE NHL up ft What it all means DETROIT: The Lions did not gain ground on the Packers or Bears, their opponent next i I I The three most interesting and telling games Detroit has played this season have been against the Beasts from the East. And the Wings' mixed success in those games has produced few revelations. New Jersey continued to toy with the Wings Monday night. Then Detroit Sunday's results Arizona 40, Atlanta 37 (OT) Chicago 27, NY Giants 24 Cincinnati 17, Jacksonville 13 Green Bay 35, Tampa Bay 13 Houston 42, Denver 33 Indianapolis 36, Miami 28 New England 35, Buffalo 25 New York Jets 16, Seattle 10 Philadelphia 14, Washington 7 Pittsburgh 20, Cleveland 17 San Francisco 41, St. Louis 13 Carolina at New Orleans, inc.

Tonight's game Oakland at San Diego, 9:00 (ABC, Channel 7 in Detroit) Sunday's highlights Indianapolis' Jim Harbaugh spoils a record day for Miami's Dan Marino for the second time this season. Steve Young returns to the 49ers with three TD passes. Details on Pages 6-7D. going nowhere. Unless they make changes they identified as necessary after getting swept in the finals by New Jersey, the Wings are in for another colossal playoff disappointment.

They cannot possibly win the Stanley Cup with this defense corps. They may not even be able to win the Central Division. But making predictions based on the first 21 games of this 82-game season is dicey at best. It seems like little more than an extended exhibition season, with so few meaningful games against traditional divisional rivalries. To date, the Wings haven't played Toronto, Chicago or St, Louis.

Their three divisional games are a league low. finishes at Houston, vs. Jacksonville and at Tampa Bay. GREEN BAY: Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes as the Pack beat the Bucs, 35-13. Favre is 11-0 in games where temperatures are near or below freezing.

CHICAGO: Kevin Butler kicked a 37-yard field goal with seven seconds left as the Bears beat the Giants, 27-24, to snap a three-game losing streak. Sergei Fedorov, left, leads Scotty Bowman's successful five-man Soviet experiment. But Slava Fetisov is going to need more rest to be productive in the playoffs. in a rematch of the Stanley Cup final the Devils won easily, 4-2, and were amused by the Wings' insistence that New Jersey's apparent mastery was a fluke. See KEITH GAVE, Page 4D AS i.