Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 35

Cdaotc I'nom Section Robert Gamez wins at home in Tucson Open, his first PGA Tour event. Page 2D. Monday, Jan. 15, 1990 College basketball, Page 3 NBANHL, Page 7 Scoreboard, Page 8 Scores: 1-976-1313, Sports: 222-6660: MM Gallant banned 3 games; Wings furious at referees MORE ANTING IT Youthid vigor pushes Foreman, 41, vs. Cooney ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

Maybe the difference between George Foreman and Gerry Cooney is this: 10-round heavyweight bout between George Foreman and Gerry Cooney. WHEN: Scheduled to begin between 10.45 and 11 tonight, Atlantic City Convention Center. FAVORITE: Foreman, 9-5. PURSE: Each fighter is guaranteed $1 million. TELEVISION: Pay-per-" vtew.

UNDERCARD: Doug DeWitt and Iran Barkley In a 12-round bout for the WBO middleweight championship. Cocney's record LAST BOUT: Knocked out in fifth round by Michael Spinks for the heavyweight title, June 15, 1987. RECORD: 28-2 KNOCKOUTS: 24. Foreman's record LAST BOUT: Won a 10-round decision against Everett Martin, July 20, 1989. RECORD: 64-2.

KNOCKOUTS: 60. The game ended with the Wings buzzing around the North Stars' net' with a two-man advantage, unable to score. The horn sounded, and Gallant went looking for trouble. Pateman! pinned Gallant against the rear boards with both hands on his sweater, and Gallant reacted by' tagging him with a left. That calls for an immediate three-game suspension without appeal.

-A review by the NHL could result in a longer suspension. "The league automatically reviews something like that, partly to see if I was doing my job, too," Pateman said. "They could increase it, but I don't think they will The way I wrote it up, I gave him the benefit of the doubt." Gallant will miss at least Tuesday's game at Edmonton, Thursday's game at Los Angeles and the Jan. 23 game against St. Louis at Joe Louis The Wings recalled right wing Rah See Red Wings, Page 7D By Keith Gave Free Press Sports Writer EDMONTON, Alberta Linesman Jerry Pateman took one on the chin from Gerard Gallant, who will be suspended three games.

But that punishment pales compared to the abuse the Red Wings heaped on referee Paul Stewart after another frustrating road loss. After their 6-4 loss Saturday night at Minnesota, the Wings accused Stewart of incompetence and arrogance. Detroit apparently had overcome a 3-0 deficit for a 4-3 lead early in the third period, but Stewart waved off Daniel Shank's goal, ruling that Greg Adams was in the crease when the puck passed goalie Kari Takko. "That Stewart, boy!" coach Jacques Demers said. "I've had my problems with that referee since he started in this league.

This time, it's just too much." Gallant apparently thought so, too. But he took out his frustration on the wrong striped shirt. Cooney, 33, is eager to be done with his job here, so that he can fly offtohiscondoat Marco Island, to loaf a bit and fish a lot. "I've been training hard for four months," said Cponey, who since swearing off booze, funny smoke and pills is amazed that he feels so super. They will meet here in Convention Hall tonight in a 10-round bout that understandably has been lampooned as a farce, a freak and an embarrassment to sports.

Truth is, in the last few years or since the rise of Mike Tyson to the heavyweight championship boxing has had little more to offer than the occasional return of its old warriors. There's Ray Leonard, fighting whom and when he chooses for unprecedented riches. And Roberto Duran, Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes and now we hear former champion Larry Holmes, who might reappear in a ring soon. "I'm going to challenge the winner," Holmes said. "We all get too old, but what the hell, I miss the thrill." At least Foreman would be waiting for him.

Cooney is not sure. See GEORGE PUSCAS, Page 5D boxing anyway, and he learned to dislike his former life-style. Foreman, 41, a Texas preacher who was short on money, can't wait to get this job done so he can move on to the next He loves the work and attention. He spends an awful lot of time emphasizing how serious he is about regaining the heavyweight boxing championship. Besides, Foreman says he used up 10 retirement years loafing and fishing and now it's not too late, is it? he knows there has to be something bigger in life than the next bass in the boat Call it ambition, motivation, purpose.

Whatever, Foreman, the former heavyweight champion who is 19 wins into his return to boxing, seems to have more than the gambler's 9-5 edge over Gerry Cooney. George PUSCAS Vvf Jfflj He's a fairly rich man who never really enjoyed the grubbiness of Mtt 49er superior srawr With 49ers, it'sover before its over Broncos, Elway break Browns again forAFCtkle AN FRANCISCO Well, I'm sure the Denver Broncos were very happy to make it back to the Super Bowl. But had their AFC championship been I By Corky meinecke Free Press Sports Writer DENVER In the days leading up to the third AFC championship game between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns in four years, the talk in both cities was of The Drive and The Fumble and what new title Sunday's game at Mile High Stadium would most surely produce. Several times, Broncos quarterback John Elway who engineered The Drive, a 98-yard march that allowed Denver to beat Cleveland in the title game three years ago was prodded for a prediction. Elway got several opportunities, but a suitable tag didn't come to him until the second half of Sunday's game.

"The Comeback," he said. "At the time, I'm sure that's what everybody was thinking." But just when it looked as though played after the NFC title game, instead of before it, they might have changed their minds. They might have told Cleveland, "Listen, uh, you guys go instead, OK? We have a dental appointment." Could you blame them? Who on earth would want to play the San Francisco 49ers right now? In the Super Bowl? In front of the whole world? Why not try to take your pants off over your head? Why not punch a grizzly bear? Why not French-kiss a shark? Why not volunteer to be Noriega's defense attorney? There has to be a more dignified -way to make a living. The 49ers are playing as if their opponents are clowns, sitting i 1 i I I I 4 above a tub of water, waiting for a sponge. Splash! Down goes Minnesota.

Splash! Down go the Rams. The 49ers begin the '90s the way they ended the '80s, going Super. Why don't we just change the name? The 49er Bowl. They own the thing anyhow. MITCH ALEGM I iCJ i 19 'it WHAT: Super Bowl XXIV.

WHO: Denver (13-5) vs. San I Francisco (16-2). I DATE: Sunday, Jan. 28. WHERE: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans.

TIME: 5 p.m. TVRADIO: CBS, Channel 2, WWJ- AM (950). DENVER'S PLAYOFF ROAD: Won AFC West; beat Pittsburgh in conference semifinal, 24-23; beat Cleveland in conference final, 37-21. SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYOFF i ROAD: Won NFC West; beat Minnesota in conference semifinal, 41-13; beat Los Angeles Rams in conference final, 30-3. Inside NOTEBOOK: Jerry Glanville goes from Houston's coach to Atlanta's coach In eight days, Page 4D.

TV COLUMN: NBC's Bob Costas an ailing no-show, Dick Enberg does; double duty, Page 5D. ED ANDR1ESKIAP Broncos quarterback John Elway flashes a victory sign after vanquishing the Browns in the AFC championship for the third time in four years. San Francisco routs Rams, looks unbeatable i "They dominated us in every way," said a polite but stunned quarterback J'tn Everett, after San Francisco blew out the Rams' dream candle, 30-3, Sunday at Candlestick Park, to win their fourth NFC championship in the last nine seasons. "They covered us well. They rushed us well.

They controlled the ball well. They read the defense well. They-." Um. Yeah. Back to you in a minute, Jim.

First this word from the fans in Denver: "HEEELLLLP!" Or didn't they watch the game here Sunday? Against a Rams squad that was one of just two to beat them this season, the 49ers barely broke a sweat They scored three touchdowns in just over 11 minutes of the second quarter. By half time, Jerry Rice was checking for good Cajun restaurants in New Orleans. "Hello? Party of 45 for next Monday?" And Joe Montana? This is how they spell Joe Montana in football circles: G-O-D. On Sunday he threw 30 passes, See MITCH ALBOM, Page 4D gave Everett little or nothing to work with. They held the Rams to nine first downs, 26 yards rushing and 130 net yards passing.

Everett completed only 16 of 36 passes and was intercepted three times. The epitome of Everett's frustration was a phantom sack he fefl to the ground to protect the football when he mistakenly thought 49ers linebacker Charles Haley had drawn a bead on him. "Obviously we were overwhelmed today," said Rams coach John Robinson. "The 49ers clearly dominated us. "We thought we could make a game of it but we were never able to get anything going." From start to finish, the game was not a pretty sight.

But the 49ers See San Francisco, Page 4D They didn't, however, and now it's all in the hands of the AFC champion Broncos Jan. 28 in New Orleans. Theirs, obviously, is not an enviable position. "If you play the 49ers, you'd better play perfect," said Rams quarterback Jim Everett. "If you don't, don't expect to win.

"Obviously you play the (Super Bowl) game for a reason but I don't think I'd want to be the Broncos playing them now. They're playing very well." The Rams held their own a 3-0 lead for exactly one quarter, but after that it was pretty much child's play for San Francisco. Quarterback Joe Montana was near-perfect passing, Roger Craig and Tom Rathman began pounding it out on the grfrlnd and the 49ers' defense BY CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO Perhaps the Denver Broncos could just send their regrets. You know: Thanks, but no thanks. In all fairness and concern for human dignity, it might be best if they respectfully decline the invitation to Super Bowl XXTV.

Just concede the trophy to the San Francisco 49ers and let it go at that. The 49ers moved a step closer to their fourth Super Bowl title in the last nine seasons Sunday with a remarkably easy 30-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game before 64,769 at Candlestick Park. And in the eyes of most observers, the Rams were the one team that might had a chance to upset the 49ers the Browns would avoid another Dawg Day Afternoon, when two touchdowns in 2:11 cut their 17-point deficit to 24-21 with a second left in the third quarter, Elway delivered The Knockout 385 yards passing and three scoring strikes in Denver's 37-21 victory. The finest game of Elway's brilliant career, some were calling it. "Yeah, it was," he acknowledged after completing 20 of 36 passes, including touchdowns of 70, five and 39 See DENVER.

age 5D COURT MASTUP) 49ers tight end Brent Jones spikes the ball after his 20-y ferd touchdown reception..