Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 47

DETROIT FREE PRESS rl Tuesday, Kov. 10, 1S37 NBANHL SCOREBOARD MOVIE GUIDE Call with sports news: 222-6660 David Robinson (left) the richest ensign in the Navy, already has had an impact on San Antonio. Clifton Brown's NBA column. Hockey violence is in the eye of the beholder. Keith Gave's NHL column.

Plus: NHL player of the week, leaders, AHL and OHL statistics. Complete report, Page 3D. If Kevin Harmon cleared: The NCAA and Big Ten have cleared the Iowa running back of alleged wrong-doing, 2D. Sports Phone (scores): 1-976-1313 3 I -5 1 IfTy i I 1 Charlio Vincent oax a ne Rogers begins treatment, denies drug report C. worry over his daughter, Brittany, 2, in Seattle, or over his mother, often ill the past year with heart ailments.

Maybe they steam-rolled as he felt Lions coaches misunderstood and misused him, and increased when his sister, Jackie, of Sacramento, disappeared for four days while visiting Reggie because she said she had personal problems. Maybe now Reggie Rogers is so overwhelmed because he took Jackie to Metro airport Saturday and she was to fly to Sacra By TOMMY GEORGE Free Press Sports Writer Lions defensive end Reggie Rogers, who began a 21 -day stay at an emotional counseling center near Pontiac Monday morning, insisted that his treatment is not for drug abuse. "That's a lie," Rogers said, referring to a Sunday report on CBS-TV. "Why would anybody just up and make that up? Yeah, I guess 1 don't have to ask the question. That's all part of the problems." The problems have swept Rogers, the Lions' 23-year-old No.

1 draft choice, like a hurricane. Maybe they began building two summers ago when his brother, Don, a UCLA and Cleveland Browns safety, died of a cocaine overdose. Maybe they began long before that, when fans and friends always compared him with Don, how he looks like Don, how he walks and talks and plays football like Don. Never simply Reggie. Maybe the problems built after his court tangles with agent Norby Walters and with a former girlfriend in Seattle, or after constant 'Sometimes it mento, making one stop in Chicago.

Reggie Rogers: See REGGIE ROGERS, Page 2D gets to you." 0 Lions d. roMems greet LIONS' MM Report card TOO MANY top-line players including free safety Devon Mitchell, guard Keith Dorney and cornerback Bobby Watkins are out of action with injuries. Some of their best players quarterback Chuck Long, nose tackle Jerry Ball, linebackers Dennis Gibson and Danny Lockett are young, just beginning to get NFL experience. And a couple of the defensive backs free safety Raphel Cherry and cor nerback Chris Sheffield have been with the Lions such a short time they barely know their teammates on a first-name basis. Yet the upset of Dallas was an indication the Lions have not given up on the season, that they are still willing to put up a fight.

"The thing about this game (is that) we had a lot of things happen that could See LIONS, Page 2D By CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer The immediate pressure might be off the Lions, but their future is as uncertain now as it was before they beat the Dallas Cowboys. The problems that existed Saturday, before the 27-17 upset of the Cowboys, were still there when coach Darryl Rogers arrived at work Monday morning. "It's all the same," Rogers said. "It's all right back to where we were. "You start from scratch on Monday and try to get back the single-minded-ness of winning.

To look at it any other way is not correct." The Lions are still a 2-6 team (1-4, excluding the three games played by the strike-replacement players) in last place in the NFC Central Division with too many problems. They still do not run the ball well and have too many inconsistencies in the passing game. They don't pressure the quarterback defensively and their defensive backfield is vulnerable. MID- CIK1-, TERM Offensive line Defensive line Running backs Quarterback 3" Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams Coaching What's right with Isiah is obscured by poor start The question only two games into the NBA season is already getting old and falling heavily on Isiah Thomas' ears. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, repeating the question he had been asked Monday afternoon as the Pistons finished their practice at Oakland University.

He was smiling, but it was one of those smiles that seems only skin deep. "Really," he; repeated, "what's wrong with you? I get tired of people, asking what's wrong with me. What do they want me to do, make excuses for my numbers?" There have been moments in his career many moments when Isiah Thomas has been to the basketball what William Shakespeare was to the quill and paper or what Charlie Chaplin was to pratfalls! There have been moments when he has made moves worthy of the ballet and passes worthy of Houdini. But none of those moments has come in the past 10 games, eight of them exhibitions. Isiah Thomas looked so ordinary in those exhibition games that a member of the Pistons' staff said before Friday's opener against New York: "He's only starting because he's Isiah Thomas and because of what he has done in the past It isn't because of anything he's done in the exhibitions." Concern at the Silverdome was deep enough that Will Robinson, the long-time coach who now is an assistant to Pistons general manager Jack McCloskey, had a fatherly chat with Thomas a couple of days before the season began, hoping that would dislodge any random troubles that might be in his mind.

His patience is tested Many, though, were unconcerned. "He's just bored," some Pistons guessed, when asked about Thomas' Jpre-season mediocrity. "I can't wait," Thomas said in the middle of last week, "for Friday night to get here." Now Friday hascome and gone. And Saturday, too. And after two regular-season games, Isiah Thomas has in the columns of numbers behind his name, these figures: Assists, 10; turnovers, 14; points, 33; field goals, nine for 29.

Ugly. He admits it. Ugly numbers. "Fourteen is a lot'of turnovers, especially when nine of them came in one game. Butive all-have bad numbers," he said.

"It's only two games. I wasn't particularly unhappy with the way I played in the first game, against New York. Their defense makes you play like that But against Milwaukee? I wasn't happy. I should never have a game like I had against them. I should never play that bad.

"Still, I get tired of people coming up to me and asking what's wrong with me." Thomas has never taken criticism well. Perhaps that's why he and Bobby Knight do not speak each other's name. Perhaps that's a big part of the reason Thomas left Indiana University after two seasons and an NCAA championship. Criticism of Thomas has been infrequent and usually subdued in his six professional seasons. There were times when his coaches wished he would pass more, put more thought into his shot selection, involve others more in the flow of the game at certain times, work to improve certain parts of his game.

Balance tips in his favor It is difficult, though, to find fault with a man who has been in the mid-season All-Star game every year of his career. It is difficult to criticize the selflessness of a man who established an NBA single-season assist record two seasons ago. It is difficult to complain about the offense of a man who, at age 26, is the third-leading scorer in Pistons' history. It is difficult to question the desire of a man who averages nearly 37 minutes of playing time every game. i "I thought the gauge is wins and losses," Thomas has said on more than one occasion when questioned about some deficiency, either real or imagined, in his game.

And everyone knows the Pistons have won more since Isiah Thomas got here than they ever For individual grades see Page 2D 1 J-T mMMk rWi DICK MAYER Detroit Free Press UPI Top 20 The United Press International Board of Coaches' Top 20 poll, with records, points and previous week's ranking (first-place votes in parentheses): Spartans try to put a hold on penalties Petiy doesn't file, will seek deal with Tigers By JOE LAPOINTE Free Press Sports Writer Dick Moss, the agent for Tigers pitcher Dan Petry, said Monday afternoon that Petry wouldn't file for free agency by the midnight deadline and would try to work out a new deal with the Tigers even if it means a pay cut. Frank Tanana, the only other Tiger question mark in the MSU vs. rgv Indiana MSUS WHEN: 3:30 p.m. yrrs! Saturday. lU) WHERE: Spartan Stadium.

RANK Rec. Pt. Prey. 1. Oklahoma (38) 9-0 735 1 2.

Nebraska (10) 9-0 703 2 3. Miami (1) 7-0 652 3 4. Florida State 8-1 603 4 5. UCLA 8-1 533 7 6. Syracuse (1) 9-0 525 8 7.

Notre Dame 7-1 433 9 8. Georgia 7-2 308 11 9. Clemson 8-1 306 10 10. Alabama 7-2 245 15 11. Louisiana St.

7-1-1 237 5 12. Auburn 7-1-1 232 6 13. Michigan State 6-2-1 151 13 14. South Carolina 6-2 103 14 15. Indiana 7-2 71 17 16.

Penn State 7-2 53 16 17. Oklahoma State 7-2 50 12 18. Arkansas 7-2 28 18 19. Tennessee 6-2-1 16 20 20. Texas 6-2 15 By JACK SAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer EAST LANSING It was just before the start of the second half of last Saturday's game with Purdue, and MSU center Pat Shurmur was at mid-field with the officials as the kick-receive options were being discussed.

"I was talking to (umpire Frank) Strocchia and he said, 'You're getting pretty good with your meaning I was keeping them in while blocking," Shurmur said. "So I said to him, 'And you're losing your We both laughed" Strocchia obviously knew a good joke when he heard one. It didn't, however, stop Strocchia, referee John Nealon and the rest of the crew from whistling 10 penalties on the Spartans for 98 yards plus 20 more yards that were declined by the Boilermakers. Seven of the calls were for holding and that's a concern to Shurmur, an already-graduated redshirt senior and leader of the MSU offensive line, as the Spartans prepare for the game of their See MICHIGAN STATE, Page 4D Others receiving votes: Iowa, Michigan, Pittsburgh, San Jose State, Southern Cal, Wyoming. free agency declaration department, hadn't filed by late afternoon Monday, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Player Relations Council that represents the owners.

Tanana's intentions weren't known. Neither Tanana nor his agent, Tony Attanasio, could be reached for comment Monday. Petry and Tanana were the last two of six Tigers eligible to file for free agency. The others were: catcher Mike Heath, outfielder Larry Herndon, infiplrlpr Rill MarllncU and nitrtier had before. Comeback victory inspires U-M Tonight, they play their third game of the sea son, at Indiana.

This weekend, they are at Philadelphia and Cleveland. 1 Eight of the Pistons' 12 games in November are on the road, and the sluggish start has some people concerned already. Isiah Thomas is not among them. "I think we'll get through those 12 games with By TERRY FOSTER Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR The University of Michigan locker room was decorated Monday with blue and orange balloons, streamers and signs urging the Wolverines to beat Illinois in their next Big Ten football game. It appeared as if a party could happen at any moment.

Instead, players were getting prepared for practice. But in a way, the Wolverines are celebrating. They are thrilled with the way they won at Minnesota, coming from behind on the road. They carry a new spirit into Saturday's game at Illinois (12:30 p.m. Channel 7 in Detroit), And a coach who blasted his team two weeks ago for being "run-of-the-mill" suddenly likes what he sees.

"When you are in the position that we are in, and winning a game the way we won it, it really means something," Bo Schembechler said. "That was damn meaningful to us. Now those guys are back there thinking we are a good team now and that we can win the rest of our games." Schembechler agrees. In a game in which Michigan's injury list swelled to 21 and Minnesota's lead grew to 10 points, Michigan came back and won. "This will definitely bring us together for the rest of the season," said redshirt freshman fullback Leroy Hoard.

"I know this team will never give up." Now comes step three of the Wolverines four-step plan of finishing as the Big Ten's hottest team and playing in a major bowl. See MICHIGAN, Page 4D an 8-4 record. Or maybe 9-3," he said Monday. "That's what it would take to satisfy me." Dan Petry Jack Morris Those four filed for free agency and can be signed by any major league team. The eligible players had 1 5 days following the final game of the World Series to declare themselves free agents.

If the Tigers offer salary arbitration to their free agents by Dec. 7, they retain non-exclusive negotiation rights until Jan. 8. If the club doesn't offer them arbitration by December 7, it cannot negotiate with them until May 1. In the case of Petry, who chose not to file for free agency, "the ball is in the Tigers' court," Moss said.

See FREE AGENTS, Page 2D That would probably satisfy even the severest critics, i Until then, though, the question seems to be legitimate: i What is wrong with Isiah Thomas? 4-.