PAGE 16 THE BEHREND BEACON FEBRUARY 4 2000
NATIONAL SPORTS
Top players left awestruck by
Tiger Woods' streak
by Johnny Paul
Knight-Ridder Tribune
February 03, 2000
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif
Lehman, perhaps the PGA Tour's
sharpest player entering Thursday's
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-
Am, painted a lighthearted picture
of Tiger Woods' assault on history.
"Let's just say that if he gets to
about eight or nine . . . he'll wear
his cap backward. He'll do every
thing the exact same way for about
the next three tournaments," Lehman
said regarding Woods' streak of five
consecutive PGA Tour victories.
Woods can match Ben Hogan's
1948 string of six consecutive vic
the second-longest streak
in tour history by winning this
weekend, although Lehman sug
gested confidently that "all good
things must come to an end." Who,
though, in this 180-member field
will challenge the planet's best
player'? Who will derail the Tiger
Express before Woods threatens
Byron Nelson's 55-year-old record
of 11 consecutive victories?
"It's going to take someone to stuff
it in his face a couple of times corn
ing down the stretch to knock him
off that," Davis Love 111 said.
Lehman, who won the Phoenix
Kurt Warner doesn't expect big payday,
but wants
by David Newton
Knight-Ridder Tribune
February 1, 2000
The Kurt Warner
story isn't over. Asked Monday
what he could do to top his rags
to-riches season that included a
regular-season MVP award, a Su
per Bowl MVP award and a selec
tion to the Pro Bowl, the St. Louis
Rains quarterback didn't hesitate.
"Do the same thing. Get another
ring," he said less than 12 sleep
less hours after a 23-16 victory
over the Tennessee Titans in Su
per Bowl XXXIV.
NVIANTA
"I don't know if there is any
other way to do it better than we
did this year than to be able to re
peat next year. "Repeating is not
out of the question.
The Rams (16-3) have just four
starters older than 30 and only four
free agents, of which only
cornerback Todd Lyght is a major
player. They also have enough
room under the salary cap to tweak
whatever weak spots are on the
But it's doubtful they can dupli
cate the human drama of the sea
son they just completed, going
from 4-12 in 1998 to 16-3 and
world champions. For Warner it
may be downright impossible. No
longer will he be looked at as the
28-year-old who five years ago
was stocking shelves at a grocery
store in lowa, who three years ago
was playing for the lowa Barn
stormers of the Arena League,
who five months ago was a little
known backup without an NFL
start under his belt. From now on
he'll he looked at as one of the top
quarterbacks in the NFL, one who
on Sunday blew away Joe
Montana's Super Bowl record for
passing yards with 414 and be
came only the sixth player in
league history to win the Super
Bowl and regular-season MVP in
the same season.
He'll he looked at as the one
who put up Dan Marino-type num
bers, passing for 41 touchdowns
during the regular season and eight
more in the playoffs, including the
73-yarder to Isaac Bruce with 1:55
remaining in one of the most dra-
matic title games
In case you missed it, the out
come wasn't decided until Tennes
see quarterback'Steve McNair, an
amazing story himself, had his fi
nal completion stopped 1-yard shy
Open on Sunday, could emerge as
the one who terminates the streak,
an accomplishment Woods contin
ued to downplay yesterday.
"To be honest with you, I still
don't really consider it [ five] be
cause it's over two seasons," said
Woods, who won the final four PGA
Tour events he entered to close 1999
and the Mercedes Championships on
Jan. 9 in his only Tour appearance
this season.
"People forget that I played three
tournaments in between the two
regular seasons. I've won two out
of three. I guess that counts for
something, but I don't know if it's
(five] or not. I'm counting that I've
won this year once and trying to win
two in a row."
Mark O'Meara, a five-time win
ner at Pebble Beach and Woods'
neighbor, suggests that maybe he
should crack his friend's "ankle or
something with one of my practice
swings.
think that may he the only way
you can stop Tiger Woods,"
O'Meara said. "I think he's going
to continue on this little ride. I
wouldn't be surprised come Sunday
afternoon if Tiger Woods is in con
tention here at Pebble Beach."
But being in contention does not
satisfy Woods' thirst for victory, and
repeat performance
of the goal line.
But that was on Sunday. Mon
day was about Warner, who by the
time he arrived for an early-morn
ing press conference with bags un
der his eyes, his commercial for
Disneyworld had been shown on
the network news. He probably
had dozen of other calls from com
panies wanting him to endorse
their products and from publish..
ers wanting to copyright his seem
ingly unbelievable story.
"I want to take advantage of
some things where I can go out
and share my story a little hit,
share my faith in God with some
people and get an opportunity to
use the position that has come
upon me," Warner said from the
ballroom at the Hyatt in Atlanta.
"I guess I am going to have to sit
down and check things out and see
what I think is best for me and my
family, and things that we might
not get a chance to do ever again
and take advantage of those. -
Warner certainly will do what he
can to take care of his family. His
wife was on food stamps when
they first met. He was making
$5.50 an hour at a grocery store
while keeping his football dream
alive. His 10-year-old stepson,
Zachary, is partially blind because
of a near-death accident when he
was an infant. But because Warner
is an exclusive rights free agent
who played for the league mini
mum ($254,000) this season, and
because the Rams gave quarter
back Trent Green a large contract
to be their starter a year ago, there
will be a limit as to how much they
can reward their living legend im
mediately.
Fortunately for the Rams,
Warner isn't the typical pro ath
lete. He's more concerned with
keeping together the team and
starting a dynasty than he is his net
worth.
"A lot of things motivate differ
ent people," Warner said. "I hope
I can play a big role in that. I am
a guy that isn't necessarily moti
vated by money. Other things are
more important to me, and hope
fully that can rub off with some
of the other guys.
"Obviously, we all want to take
care of our family. But we need
to look beyond some of the things
to try to keep this team together
because we do have something
special. With just a little work on
both ends, from the Rams and
second place holds no appeal for the
world's No. 1-ranked player.
"I've never liked it," Woods said.
"I don't understand why people are
satisfied with that because that's not
the ultimate goal at least that's
not mine. My ultimate goal is to win,
and anything short of that I'm al
ways going to be disappointed with
because I didn't accomplish my
goal." The ultimate goal, though,
one that has been forced upon him
by the media and by his fans, is to
catch and pass Nelson.
Woods views Nelson's signature
achievement as "incredible" and rec
ognizes the legend's stellar play dur
ing "The Streak." Nelson's 68.14
scoring average for the nine medal
play events during his streak betters
Woods' 68.20 average through his
five consecutive victories.
"He heat some great players, but
more importantly, if you look at his
stroke average, he really did play
well," Woods said. "It wasn't like
he was just getting tournaments
handed to him. He was going out
there and heating players."
Woods also hasn't had any tour
naments "handed" to him. He, too,
has shown mettle in tough victories,
including a playoff win against Ernie
Els in the Mercedes Championships.
The world's top players are taking
from the players, that we can keep
this thing together for a long
time."
Rams coach Dick Vermeil hopes
so, although he refused to guaran
tee his return next season.
"No guarantees in anything," he
said. "I will say the kind of people
these guys are, with the leadership
of Kurt and the other leaders that
we already have under contract
and the good organization of the
salary cap and everything as it is,
I think we will be able to keep this
squad together."
The Rams in many aspects re
semble the 49ers' dynasty of the
1980 s. They have a brilliant,
young quarterback, perhaps the
best group of receivers in the NFL,
the league's best all-purpose run
ning back in Marshall Faulk and a
defense that is young and talented.
They also face higher expectations
and a schedule that will be much
tougher than the one they just
completed. Other teams in recent
history, such as the Atlanta Fal
cons last season, saw a dramatic
falloff the year after reaching the
Super Bowl.
notice
Love views Woods' recent success
as the "modern-day equivalent" of
Nelson's streak. "I think the com
petition now is just so hard," Love
said. "Winning that many in a row
kind of inconceivable."
Woods enters this tournament with
the confidence to match the waves
from Monterey Bay that crash
Pebble Beach's shoreline. "lt is
pretty high now because I've had a
lot of success lately," Woods said.
"More importantly, I know how to
get it around when I'm not playing
that well. There were times when I
didn't play that well and was able to
score and get the round in under par
somehow and just kind of hang in
the tournament and go on to win
despite not playing that well."
Woods, recall, fired a third-round
66 at the National Car Rental Golf
Classic at Walt Disney World Resort
despite hitting only nine greens in
regulation en route to his second
consecutive victory. "I've just never
seen anyone with more talent that
what he has," said O'Meara, who
joined the PGA Tour in 1981. "Plus,
he has a tremendous desire to win.
He wants to win, and it's not just
about the money. He just wants to
win golf tournaments."
"We have a motto," Vermeil
said. "We don't care where we
play, who we play and when we
play. The only thing we care about
is how we play. That motto will
not change."
The only change Vermeil wants
to see is for the better. He said
the Rams can improve in all as
pects, including Warner, whose
passing rating led the NFL.
Vermeil said he noticed late in the
season that some of Warner's fun
damentals began to deteriorate.
"We are going to have to treat
him just like we would an offen
sive lineman you have to keep
working on the fundamentals the
pass drops and setups and the de
liveries," Vermeil said. "I could
see signs of him disintegrating a
little bit because you only have so
many hours on the field."
But before Warner returns to the
Rams' practice field he has a trip
to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl.
"Obviously, we have another foot
ball game to play," Warner said.
"But I heard it's a little more re
laxed."
Rocker suspended
until May 1
by Joseph Person
Knight-Ridder Tribune
February 01, 2000
ATLANTA More than a month
after John Rocker touched off a na
tional firestorm with his derogatory
remarks, the Braves reliever has
been suspended until May 1 and
fined $20,000 by Major League
Baseball.
Rocker, the 25-year-old native of
Macon, will not he eligible to play
until May 1 28 days after At
lanta opens the regular season.
Rocker also is not allowed to par
ticipate in spring training or "Camp
Leo," the informal, pre-camp pitch
ing workouts that begin today under
Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone.
Additionally, Rocker has been or
dered to undergo sensitivity training
for an undisclosed length of time,
while the money from his fine will
go toward a charity related to ethnic
diversity.
The month-long suspension is the
longest for any offense not drug-re
lated since Texas' Lenny Randall re
ceived 30 days in March, 1977, for
punching his manager, Frank
Lucchesi. Rocker released a state
ment through his agent, Alan
Hendricks, criticizing the decision.
"I do not believe it is appropriate
that I should be harshly disciplined
for my misguided speech unaccom
panied by any conduct on my part, -
he said. "I have previously apolo
gized for my unfortunate remarks,
and I stand by my apology.'•
Gene Orza, the No. 2 official in
the players' union, said his group
plans to file an appeal on Rocker's
behalf. "It is literally unprecedented
to impose a penalty on a player for
pure speech, offensive though the
speech may be," Orza said. "That,
coupled with the magnitude of the
penalty, just as unprecedented,
makes us optimisshock. I just think
that's pretty harsh," Seanez said. "At
the same time, since everything is all
said and done with now, he knows
what's going on and when he can
Witnesses say Derrick
Thomas was speeding,
changing lanes
by Shawna A. Hamel
and Benita Y. Williams
Knight-Ridder Tribune
February 03, 2000
KANSAS CITY Witnesses said
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick
Thomas was speeding and changed
lanes frequently before his Jan. 23 ac
cident, according to a Missouri High
way Patrol report released Tuesday.
Thomas was seriously injured and pas
senger Michael D. Tellis died in the
single-car accident about I :30 p.m. on
Interstate 435 near Woodland Avenue
in Kansas City, North.
Thomas was westbound on 1-435
when he lost control of his vehicle,
which skidded off the left side of the
hilly, snow-covered roadway and over
turned at least three times before com
ing to rest on its wheels, the report said.
Shawn J. Farrell of Maryville told
police he was driving the speed limit
of 70 mph on westbound 1-435 when
Thomas' Suburban passed him and
started swerving out of control, went
into the median, and started rolling.
Vicky Wantland of Kansas City,
North, and Judy Jenkins of
Warrensburg told the Highway Patrol
the accident happened this way:
Wantland was driving about 50 mph
in the right lane approximately seven
car lengths behind a tractor-trailer.
Jenkins was driving in the left lane two
or three car lengths behind the tractor
trailer. Thomas' Suburban came up
behind the two vehicles and moved to
the left lane behind Jenkins' car. The
Suburban then went back to the right
lane and then cut between the tractor
trailer and Jenkins' car. Thomas' Sub
urban then cut left, went sideways, hit
the median, and rolled at least three
Neither Thomas nor Tellis was wear
ing seat belts. Both were ejected
through side windows. Thomas was
come back. He should just use this
time to get ready to come back and
be ready to go May 1."
Rocker will be eligible to re-join
the organization on April 3 either
in extended spring training in Or
lando or with one of the Braves' mi
nor-league affiliates.
The hard-throwing lefty saved 38
games last year in his first season as
Atlanta's closer, a role that will ini
tially he filled by committee. Kerry
Ligtenberg, the team's '97 closer, is
coming hack from reconstructive el
bow surgery. while Seanez had arm
trouble that sidelined him for the last
six months of the season. Second
year righty Kevin McGlinchy also
could he a closer candidate for April.
Said Schuerhernz, "We'll have
someone close our games. For a
month we'll be fine."
In a Sports Illustrated article pub
lished Dec. 23, Rocker took shots at
a variety of ethnic groups, as well
as homosexuals and AIDS victims.
He also anonymously referred to
teammate Randall Simon as a "fat
monkey.-
"Major League Baseball takes se
riously its role as an American insti
tution and the important social re
sponsibility that goes with it," Selig
said in a written statement. "We will
not dodge our responsibility. Mr.
Rocker should understand that his
remarks offended practically every
element of society."
The Braves potentially faced a cir
cus atmosphere in Orlando later this
month had Rocker been there for the
start of spring training. Schuerholz
is hopeful that the media now will
focus on baseball-related matters.
"Now that John won't he in camp,
it will he a very straightforward is
sue," said Schuerholz. "It will be a
topic that won't be discussed. We
can go on and do our job."
Rocker made $217,500 last year
with the Braves, but is not yet under
contract for next season. Schuerholz
said the Braves have offered Rocker
another one-year contract, which
must be signed by March.
found in 1-435's eastbound lanes.
Tellls was found in the median next to
Thomas' vehicle. A third passenger,
John C. Hagebusch of Raymore, was
wearing a seat belt and suffered minor
njuries.
The Highway Patrol concluded the
accident was caused by Thomas' driv
ing too fast for the road conditions at
the time. Highway Patrol Sgt. John
Hotz said authorities would send a
copy of the crash report to Clay County
Prosecutor Don Norris if requested.
After viewing a copy of the report
released Tuesday, Norris said there
was insufficient evidence for him to
charge Thomas. "I view reports pre
sented to me as to whether I should
issue something more serious than the
traffic summons the officer could
write," Norris said. "That is something
the officer has to decide, whether to
issue a traffic summons."
Hotz said Tuesday that the Highway
Patrol had not written any traffic tick
ets against Thomas. Trooper Scott
Meyer recently said that the depart
ment did not expect to seek careless
and imprudent driving charges against
Thomas at this time. The agency has
up to a year to file charges.
Tellis' family has asked that charges
against Thomas not be sought. Meyer
said there was no evidence of drugs or
alcohol having been involved in the
crash. A toxicology report was not
performed on Thomas, because state
police did not have reasonable suspi
cion to request one, even though the
accident resulted in a fata;ity, Hotz
said.
A final autopsy report for Tellis was
unavailable Tuesday. Thomas Young,
Jackson County medical examiner,
said he was waiting on the results of
Tellis' toxicology tests. Initial tests
showed no signs of alcohol in Tellis'
blood at the time of the accident,
Young said.